"Alright! I'm going now," Naegi announced to his friends as he was heading to the exit doors of the 14th Branch Headquarters.

He just gotten the order to go lead a rescue mission - as he was used to. Togami just sighed and said that he had more important things to do and turned around, but nevertheless waved to the Ultimate Hope. Asahina and Hagakure just rose their thumbs up at him, wishing him good luck. And Kirigiri nodded with a serious expression, reminding him to send a report the moment it was done.

"And please be careful," she added with a little smile that only Naegi could see.

Naegi smiled brightly. "Of course!"

"Fuck! The radio is broken!" the pilot suddenly shouted.

"We have to do something! They're preparing another rocket!" an agent exclaimed.

Every agent in the chopper was panicking; doom was close.

Everything had been going perfectly well. The mission was a success, and they actually were on their way home until a Despair chopper appeared out of nowhere and attacked them. After being struck once by a rocket, they lost the radio and a minigun. Now they were about to crash.

"What can I do to help?" asked Naegi.

"Sir, please stay back. Our primary objective in this situation is your survival." the pilot retorted, then pointed at a man that nodded.

The agent grabbed Naegi's arm to restrain him as he was about to retort that he shouldn't be seen as some sort of Hope Jesus and wanted to help.

"ROCKET LAUNCHED! PREPARE FOR IMPACT!" the third agent shouted and shielded the younger agent with his body, as did the one who restrained Naegi.

"No! Let-"

Then the rocket exploded, sending the chopper falling into a nearby forest.

When Naegi opened his eyes, he could feel a warm liquid rolling down his forehead. He didn't need to touch or see it; he was already familiar with the smell of blood. He looked up only to see the two agents that protected him impaled by a rotor of the helicopter that bent inward during the crash. The pilot was hanging from his seat and was missing an arm. He wasn't moving.

They were all dead. They protected him as if he was so important - but he never asked for that. He wished he could have helped somehow. But now he couldn't just stay there.

He forced his way out of the wreck of the helicopter and stood up. He was in some sort of forest. It was the evening, so not much time had passed since the crash. He took out his phone. Luckily there was still a connection. He could call Kirigiri and ask for assistan-

He looked up as he heard something.

It was the Despairs!

He ran towards the trees, but as he moved a few feet into the forest, his phone's connection was lost. He had no choice but to stay close to the crash zone. He hid in a bush near the crash zone and hoped that the Remnants of Despair wouldn't find him. But if they did… He wouldn't go down witho-.

No way. He only noticed now that his handgun was missing. He must have dropped it in the chopper. And there was no way to retrieve it!

The Despair chopper found a place to land near the wreckage; with all those trees the crash had destroyed, a new clearing had been born.

Two Remnants jumped out, both wearing Monokuma masks and carrying rifles. One was dressed in orange, the other in green. The orange one inspected the interior of the chopper before turning to the other.

"Didn't you say that the Ultimate Hope was in this chopper?"

"Yeah - you also saw him, right?"

"Well… He's not in here." the Remnant sighed before a malicious intent crawled into his voice, "Welp! Let's go find him, he shouldn't be that far."

"No. We should go." the green one stopped his comrade, "I know this place, and I certainly don't want to be here. It's too dangerous for us."

"Dude, we are dangerous."

"The people here are insane."

"We are insane." the Orange Remnant hissed, getting pissed.

"Their minds are as twisted as Komaeda's."

"...Ok, now you got me. Go on."

Then the green Remnant explained his experience with this place:

It seems there's a village there where the people hate the Despair. One day, the green Remnant and a friend went there for a killing spree… but the villagers weren't scared. They were mad, insane, and they attacked the duo of Despair. Even if they didn't have guns, even if some of them got shot, they forced their way towards the Despairs, leaving the duo with no choice but to flee. They caught one and beat him to death while the green one escaped.

It was fun… but he didn't wanted to die like that.

"I see… But if these guys hate Despair, that means the Ultimate Hope's escaping alive." The orange Remnant complained.

"Oh believe me… I think Makoto Naegi's in more danger than any of us right now." the other responded with glee.

They jumped back into the chopper and left. Naegi heard the whole conversation and immediately sent a message to Kirigiri:

"Track me. Now.

Please."

As if on cue, a few voices boomed from between the trees. It was people that looked rather normal, asking if there was anyone alive. They saw the wreckage of the brunet's helicopter and a man approached it.

"They are all dead!" he exclaimed, "Agents of Future Foundation."

"Then may their souls find peace where ever they were sent." said a tall bald man dressed like a priest, "But just to be sure… Kill them again."

Naegi's eyes went wide open as the other man pulled out a gun and shot three times inside the chopper. He just had a little hope when he heard the priest pray for his comrades… but now… he was terrified, the Remnants said they hated Despair… but also Future Foundation?!

He needed to hide and wait for Kirigiri to send people to fetch him. He needed to-

A flashlight flashed onto his back.

"There's someone here!" A woman yelled.

Naegi didn't waste a second to stand up and run for his life deeper into the forest as he ignored the lies of 'not wanting to hurt him.' Multiple voices were shouting behind him.

He ran as if the gates of Hell were about to open the moment his stopped. He ran through the branches, the leaves scratching his face and skin - but this was nothing. He kept running.

Suddenly, he saw lights at the distance. But there shouldn't be any city nearby, so it must be the village. And the village is the last place Naegi wanted to be. He slowed down just slightly to look around for another path that was safer. He decided to go right and run around the village border.

But he waited a bit too long, and suddenly he got tackled to the ground.

The two people started to roll on the ground, hitting rocks and other solid things and they come to a halt with a female villager having pinned down the agent by sitting on his stomach and grabbing both arms so the brunette couldn't escape.

"We're sorry. I know you are scared but we won-"

Naegi have been thrashing around to escape the grip but the way she suddenly stopped talking caught his interest. He looked up to something spine-chilling.

The woman's eyes were wide open like dinner plates, but what was terrifying the Ultimate Hope was what he saw in those eyes.

Hope.

In a twisted way, immediately reminding him of Nagito Komaeda. Naegi was about to scream, but the woman beat him to the punch.

"MAKOTO NAEGI IS HEEEEEEEEERE!"

This was bad. This was really bad.

A few minutes of screaming passe before more villagers appeared and the priest came with them. He ordered the female to help Naegi stand up so he could see him closer.

The woman forced Naegi on his feet and held his arms behind his back then the priest approached him and grabbed his face.

"Could it be…?" he whispered as he scrutinized the Symbol of Hope's face. "Those eyes… this juvenile face… This ahoge! It is him! Our Messiah of Hope!" the priest exclaimed.

Then pain suddenly hit Naegi's right biceps, he looked and saw that the woman was biting him, very hardly. But she stopped when the priests slapped her away and she fell on the ground, releasing Naegi. Alas, he immediately got restrained by another villager.

The priest was furious and walked toward the woman who started to crawl away, fear in her eyes. "You halfwit dog's cunt! He hasn't transubstantiated yet!" he roared to the woman, reaching for something underneath his clothes.

"I am sorry, father! I am sorry!"

"You deserve the despair that corrupts you! You deserve the despair that awaits you in hell!" he pulled out a gun, kicked the woman's face to stop her begs for forgiveness... and shot her head twice. "God loves you," he whispered before shooting one last time.

The priest turned around and saw the terrified and pale expression of the 'Messiah.' He quickly bowed apologetically, asking for forgiveness for his rude behavior.

"What do you want from me?" Naegi exclaimed, afraid.

"But my Lord… you are Makoto Naegi, right?" The priest asked, the threat in his voice noticeable.

Naegi could only nod. He thought it would be the best solution to not lie.

"Then all we want is for you to be you, the new Christ of Hope." The man smiled.

"Wh-what? What are you talking about?!"

"You ain't… reborn yet. But we won't waste any more time, my Lord. You." He pointed to a man, "Go get a hammer and nails. Let's go up that hill."

"What?!" Naegi shouted.

The man behind him tied down his hands behind his back and gently rested the brunet on his back. Then another man grabbed one of his legs and dragged him away, towards the hill the priest was talking about.

"Please! Stop!" Naegi begged, the priest was walking beside him.

"I feel so much Hope dissipating the Despair in me just by being close to you, my Lord... I can't even imagine when you'll be reborn... And your flesh... in me... We will be pure again. Pure from the disgusting Despair this world has fallen into!" The man said in delight, his voice full of Hope.

"M-My flesh? In you? What?!"

"God talked to me after your trial at Hope's Peak Academy's Killing Game… He told me that since the Ultimate Despair - cursed is the whore's name: Junko Enoshima - existed, there must be an Ultimate Hope waiting to awaken and send the demon in Hell where she belongs… and it is you." He looked down on the agitated young adult.

"Our Lord told me: 'The Ultimate Hope will come to us, hopeful as a newborn. He will give us his gospel, the sacred words of his teachings. He will be nailed to a cross and die, and he will be buried. Just like the previous Christ before him. But he will rise again in more perfect flesh, full of curing Hope… And we will… Eat the flesh in holy communion and be healed of our sinful Despair. We will be hopeful again, and spread your hope to the rest of the world.'"

"Wait! This is insane! Let me go!" Naegi objected, still trying to free himself in the twisted situation.

After another minute of walking and dragging, they reached the hill. Naegi's heart was beating like madness, feeling something horrible was about to happen. The priest ordered one of his men to lift him up as they arrived. Naegi got untied but was still restrained by the villager, nowhere to run. And oh God, there was a giant cross made of wood right there.

Everything was ready for him!

"Put him on the cross."

"W-Wait!" Naegi exclaimed as he was lifted and put on the wooden structure, the opened up his arms and hold them against the wood, "Y-You talked about a gospel! I don't have it! Y-You should wait so that I-"

"But my Lord, your gospel is what you said to your undeserving friends and that whore Enoshima at your last class Trial. We all saw it, listened to it, and recorded it." The priest smiled warmly, putting his hand on the agent's shoulder.

"U-Undeserving?"

"They have sent you to your death. And still talked to you if you were lesser than them. They should burn in Hell where awaits the others of your insulting classmates!" the priest spat with a face contorted with fury of remembering how almost every single one of Naegi's classmates were at least once mean to him.

"Don't you dare speak about them like that!" Naegi shouted with anger, but it quickly faded away as he remembered the situation he was in.

"O-Oh my God, I am so sorry! Please, my forgive me. There is no Despair that I do not deserve…" He almost cried, "But soon, soon I'll be free… Nail him and hang him up. We need to be done soon. The sooner he dies, the sooner he is reborn… And the sooner we will be purged of Despair." As he said that, all villagers around him screamed with joy.

The priest turned around and left. Naegi begged for the men to stop when he saw a large one approaching, his right hand holding a big hammer and two nails in his left. He put the tail of one nail above his palm. The ahoge man's begging got quicker and more desperate as the man raised his hammer in the sky… then swung it down.

The nail got hit and pierced Naegi's skin and flesh. He screamed in pain as the man hit the nail once more, pushing it deeper. Blood spurting out, he cried as the man hit the nail two more times, finally piercing the other side.

But Naegi felt that it didn't dig too much in the wood.

The man handed the hammer and last nail to another one on his left side. And he repeated the action the previous man did.

Naegi's head was spinning due to the horrible pain he was feeling. His hands hurt so much! Suddenly he felt something moving beneath him.

Oh no.

They were hanging him up. Stop!

But nothing but painful moans came out of his mouth as the cross was raised along with him nailed on it.

After a few seconds of more unbearable pain… he passed out.

When Naegi opened his eyes again, a few hours must have passed as it was pretty dark. Then pain hit him again, and he remembered.

-I've been crucified. I can't believe it. Oh God. I… need to get out of here, call Kirigiri-san. She'll help me. But… If I remember well- he looked at his right hand, -The nails aren't that deep in the wood. Oh God. Oh God…- he prayed.

He took deep breath, bit his lips hard and started to pull his right hand. He screamed internally at the greater pain.

Co-Come on! Come on!

And with a powerful pull, his hand went through the nail. What came next, he hadn't planned. His body flew and before he was left dangling from his left hand's nail, he grabbed the left branch of the cross for support. He let out a shout but then remembered the villagers. He had to stay quiet.

-Godfuckinthathurtssomuch!- he cursed and screamed mentally.

He bit his lips again and started to pull his left hand off the nail. Then he fell down hard onto his back. He slowly pushed himself up with his fingers, thinking of how he mustn't infect his wounds. He raised his hand and stared with teary eyes at his bloody and pierced hands. He was still bleeding too, so the first thing to do must be to stop the hemorrhaging. He looked around and saw some lights.

Light means civilization, and civilization might mean medicinal supplies… but also crazy, fanatical villagers.

He gulped and slowly walked towards the lights in the dark forest. He sneaked around the bushes, doing his best to not make too much noise.

The lights were actually a bonfire illuminating three tents for some villagers that were supposed to guard the cross. One man was sleeping while two other were talking around the fire.

"I told you to be careful when running, man."

"Sorry, I guess I was too excited. Our Savior is finally here."

"Yeah I know. But you're lucky I brought a medkit to heal that cut. You idiot."

"Yeah, yeah… anyway, it's your turn to maintain guard. So I'm gonna go sleep for a while." The man yawned, wished good night to his friend and went into his tent.

So that means that the medkit was in the last tent.

Naegi needs it. But with the man on alert… it's going to be difficult. He needs a distraction.

The brunette grabbed a small rock and threw it as far as he could, in the opposite direction of the cross. The man stood up, asked for who was there. Receiving no answers, he grabbed his shotgun and slowly walked towards the source of the noise.

The ahoge man didn't waste a moment to dash towards the tent, grab the medkit, go back in the bushes, and then sneak away from the tent.

Once he was far from the cross and the light, he looked at his hands. They'd gotten way bloodier than before. He opened up the medkit only to see some bandages and nothing else. Nothing to disinfect the wounds or anything, just some white bandages. At least they would stop the hemorrhaging.

After bandaging his wounds tightly (while biting his lips to not scream), he closed the medkit case and was about to put it back where it was... but he saw the man was back, looking slightly confused.

No choice but to leave it there and walk away.

After a few minutes walking in the darkness of the forest - thankfully brightened by the lights of the stars and moon - his eyes adjusted themselves to the obscurity.

He suddenly heard footsteps - quick and multiple ones. Villagers. They were running. He then heard a voice he knew rather well despite so few interactions.

"You whore's miscarriage! How could you let our Savior escape!?" the priest insulted, shining a flashlight into the darkness between the trees.

Naegi dropped and crawled on the ground, his dirty dark clothes easily melting into the surroundings.

"I-I am sorry, Father! We-we-"

"Silence, no excuses, you weren't supposed to be sleeping! Nobody get saved! Nobody!" the priest screamed as he shot the man. "Come on you festering shits! Find him!" he yelled at the others villagers.

Naegi couldn't stay here, he needed a place to go and hide. He noticed a few taller hills when he was up on his cross. If he could get to them, he might be able to see some exit.

He could use the flashlight of his phone to find his ways, but not only would that attract attention, it would also use battery. And he needed his phone.

After he heard the men leave, he stood up again and looked for the hills.

After what looked like hours, he found out where the hill was. He avoided contact with any villagers as he made his way to and up the highest hill. From there he looked around. The hill was clear of trees, so it was risky for him to stay there too long. He looked around and saw some sort of highway in the distance.

If he reached it, could he find a city?

But first he had to try something. He grabbed his phone. While he was in the forest, there was no connection, but here, he had bars!

He received at least 15 messages from his friends, all asking what was going on after Kirigiri received his previous message. If he had time he'd reply to every single one of them. But time wasn't a luxury; who knows when the villagers will examine the hill.

So he dialed Kirigiri's number as fast as possible and hoped that she was pulling an all-nighter again. Normally he's against that - she works too much - but his survival was at stake.

-please answer please answer-

"Na… kun! Naegi…. Are…. okay?" he faintly heard.

"Oh God! Kyo- Kirigiri-san! I can't hear you but can you hear me?! Please tell me you can!"

"Nae… I… Kinda… Wha...oing on?" he heard her ask, he could hear the worry in her tone.

"Don't have time to explain. Just track me as quick as you can!" He demanded.

"Na...A...a…."

"Oh nonononono! Come on! Come on!" He waved his hand high to get connection.

"He's here! Our Saviour!"

-Damnit!- he cursed in his breath, he had to run, they finally saw him.

No choice. He looked at where the road outside the forest was and decided that he should run in that direction. But after a few steps, he tripped and found himself sliding and rolling down the hill.

"Wait! My Lord! NOT THIS WAY!" a villager screamed in panic.

"Hurry! To the other side!"

Naegi rolled and fell, doing his best to protect his already injured hands. He heard the panic in the man's voice - what Hell was waiting for him down this hill?

He caught a glimpse of it during a roll. And when he saw it, he blanched and did everything in his power to stop himself… without success.

Wire… Barbed wire.

-Nonononononono!-

And then he crashed and got trapped in it. He was lucky that the sharp edges were separated rather wide apart, but it still hurt.

His head went through between two wires, getting himself a cut on the forehead. His right chest got skewered though, and so was his right bicep as his right arm was over the wired fence. His abdomen was also pierced by a spike, and his left leg went between two wires like his head, plus his lap was resting on another spike that rested an inch into his flesh.

He whined and cried.

"Oh God… Aouch... " he cried, his vision getting blurry because of his tears.

He couldn't move a muscle, too scared that he'd worsen his situation. He couldn't run.

He was trapped.

He knew that when he saw lights coming towards him. Soon the priest was looking at him in a worried way. He yelled to his men to do something as he ran up to Naegi and started to comfort the Symbol of Hope.

"Shh… I have you, it's okay… shhh…" he whispered to him, like a father comforting his son.

But Naegi didn't like that at all.

He got pulled out of the wires, the priest lifted him up.

"Father, why would he run away from his duty?" asked a woman.

"He doesn't like pain… It's obvious… I think we should just go to the final part already. To the tomb," he said, seeding new panic inside Naegi.

"W-Wait…" Naegi wheezed.

But no one heard him as they all walked for a few minutes in the forest. He was about to faint.

-I mustn't! I mustn't…-

But he was dozing off…

But suddenly he was thrown inside a wooden coffin that was already half-buried in the ground. The impact woke him up, and his very bad situation finally dawned on him.

"Wait," he said as the priest wished him 'Goodnight' and closed the coffin. "Wait! Please!" Naegi started to scream as he banged on the wooden coffin. There was a little crack between the wood planks.

"Yes! Yes! Return him to the way of Sorrow. His tomb is waiting," The priest exclaimed, "Take him, and when he rises… We will all have our communion," he concluded amidmore cheers from the villagers.

"Wait! Please! Stop it! Stop it!" Naegi begged, banging harder. "Please don't… Please don't he cried.

Suddenly, he saw the faint moonlight that passed through the planks getting covered in dirt.

"Oh God…"

Then more… and more… Naegi kept begging and crying… but no one helped him. He was alone… getting buried alive. He finally closed his eyes and passed out for good.

He was trapped. He was scared. And he was feeling claustrophobic.

At least they did a very bad job at burying the coffin, as he still had light from the outside coming through one of the cracks. This meant he wasn't buried very deep in ground. But the fact that he couldn't push the coffin door meant that they must have put a lot of dirt on top of the door… or that he was weaker than expected. Of course, with all his injuries…

It was already daytime now, so he had slept for a long time. He took out his phone from his pocket. Thankfully, it still had some battery left, but not much. He looked at the hour: already noon…

He tried to move his hands a bit to see if he could get some signal.

Thank God there was! But not much: barely one bar. But he was still hopeful, so he didn't waste a second to try and send a message to everyone he knew about tracking him and saving him.

Not long after, the phone died. There was nothing else to do but to wait… or sleep. He was hungry… and thirsty…

-Komaru… Togami… Asahina… Hagakure…. Fukawa… Kyoko… Guys, please help me... hethought as tears started to roll down from his eyes.

There was nothing else to do but sleep…

At least 24 hours must have passed inside this coffin… He could barely think over his hunger and thirst…

He hadn't dated those two things for a long time now…

It was night again when he next woke. He kept holding onto Hope that his friends will save him. He knew he must hold on. He can't give up now. He can't die like this. He can't. He just ca-

"Is the Messiah still alive?!" he heard a man exclaim in a panicked voice. It was the priest.

"Yes sir, I can still hear his stomach growl sometimes. What is going on, Father?" another man asked.

"We need to take him away! Before they do!"

"What?! Future Foundation is already here!?"

Did he just hear well? Future Foundation? Th-They are here! He need to tell them where he was! But his throat was too dry to even let a sound come out of his mouth. Only wheezes were heard.

"Go protect this place like the others. I'll bring the Messiah away."

"Alright!"

Naegi heard someone running away from where he was, then the dirt that was being taken away from the coffin.

"Stop right there!" He heard a firm, familiar voice shout.

Togami!

"N-No! You… You won't take our Messiah, you undeserving wretched cunts!" The priest spat.

"Drop your weapon, now." another firm voice said.

Kyoko!

He used what force was left in his arm to bang and wheeze their names.

"What's in the coffin?" Togami asked.

"N- A traitor. He… He was supposed to be dead." The priest lied.

"You are really bad at lying. Asahina, open the coffin." Togami ordered.

"What? Why… Ok…" He heard Asahina say before feeling the door of the coffin getting pulled open.

Her flashlight was shining brightly to his face, he immediately put his arms up with a groan.

"N-NAEGI!" She screamed.

"I knew you guys will come…" He wheezed out with a weak smile. As Asahina was helping him out of the coffin, he added, "Thank you."

"I'm so sorry my Lord. I failed to make you reborn. I failed…" the priest sighed as he looked dejectedly to the ground.

"Oh my God, Naegi. You're hurt everywhere!"

"Did you do this?" Togami asked the priest with so much threat in his voice it could make the man wet himself.

"I did what I had to do for our Lord to be reborn again, to be pure once more." The man glared back at the Heir.

"Come with me." Kirigiri said in a dark tone as she dragged the man away.

Asahina carried the weakened Naegi in her arms as she asked about what to do now.

Togami just said to wait for Kirigiri.

The priest kept praying the whole walk, Kirigiri's gun against his back.

"Oh Lord forgive me. I failed my mission. I failed you. I failed to make Makoto Naegi, our Messiah, reborn into a purer body…"

"So it was really him who was on that cross…" Kirigiri whispered.

She remember the shock of everyone when they walked in front of that giant cross, the blood on the branches. She had hoped Naegi wasn't the poor soul who gotten nailed to it… and she was wrong.

"... But I am a good man. Please welcome me besides you when I'll go to heaven."

Oh... so he knows what's going to happen.

"But also... make sure that this scarred demon whore gets sent to Hell where Enoshima and the rest of her classmates awaits her!" he suddenly spat at the detective, slightly startling her.

But she didn't say anything, she just stared at the man emotionlessly.

"You are undeserving of his kindness, of his purity! You just want to keep him for yourself selfishly like a monster that you are! You who have sent him to his death once, then thought about doing it again. You are nothing but a worthless whore who doesn't deserve his friendship and affection. May you burn the rest of your body in Hell. You and the rest of you undeserving friends who treated our Messiah of Hope like garbage! God loves me… And I will join him… But you won't."

She aimed her gun.

On the Future Foundation chopper, as they headed to a hospital to care for Naegi, everyone was rather silent.

No one told the brunet about what happened during his rescue. The ex-Luckster's friends didn't really know what to say. He went through a lot in such little time. Eventually Togami asked him if he really wanted to keep on with his title.

It was his title that got him in his mess after all.

But this hellish experience seemed to have only flared his determination to bear the burden of Hope even more.

"I'll help in any way I can to bring back Hope to the world and finish this Tragedy once and for all. People like those villagers needed Hope… and they just went the wrong way."

Everyone smiled at his little speech.

He then apologized for feeling too tired... and fell asleep on Kirigiri's shoulder. She didn't move an inch, slightly blushing, then finally petted his head under the amused looks on their friend's faces.

Their Ultimate Hope was alive. And even inside the most twisted Hope that looked like Despair, he'd kept on on being hopeful.

He never gave up.