The End Justifies the Means (episode)

The End Justifies the Means is an episode of Adventures in Necrosis that was recorded between the fourth and fifth episodes of its third Season, but takes place before episode 1 and is listed as 'Episode 0'.

Synopsis
Ember Fire, a dragon from another planet, leads an invasion attempt that is opposed by Isaac.

Plot
The episode begins in a cold open, with Isaac having discovered a group of Molten Lava Dragons, with one seemingly in command of them atop a rocky hill. When Isaac demands to know the meaning of it, she identifies herself as Ember Fire, and greets him.

Isaac, recognizing her as someone Fern had told him about, inquires about the large amount of subjects she has brought with her, and she states that she is there to secure 'living space' for her people. Isaac immediately interprets this as an invasion, and Ember states she can neither confirm nor deny that. Isaac, enraged by the idea of her attempting to invade, attacks her and her subjects in retaliation, and a battle breaks out.

Shortly into the battle, it cuts to some time later, where we see that Isaac and Ember have entered The End alone, and Ember appears to be significantly larger; the author commentary states she had activated a suit of armor that she had been wearing. The pair engage in combat, with Ember seemingly being too fast for Isaac with the armor enabled, but Isaac still manages to wear away at her armor, until he eventually manages to speed up significantly, finally catching up to her and chasing her around The End rather than waiting for her to make passes at him. He eventually breaks her armor off of her, causing her to fall to the ground.

Isaac attempts to talk Ember down, but she refuses to go down without a fight, and thus the battle begins anew. The pair mainly fight on the ground now, but Isaac repeatedly uses his wings to extend his jumps and maneuver around her; he correctly deduces that she has broken her wings and that she can no longer fly. He continues using the Diamond's Edge to cut at her, and she eventually succumbs to her wounds, transforming into a stardragon.

Isaac proceeds to pick both her scimitar and her now-shrunken body up, and after briefly informer her of what will now be her fate, proceeds to take her back to the surface and forges a blade that he inserts her into, dubbing it the Star Sabre.

Trivia

 * The episode's title is a pun on the saying "The ends justify the means," and The End, the location the battle with Ember is fought in and the civilization Isaac states loyalty to.
 * There appears to be a minor continuity error, as Isaac states that he promised he'd kill Ember should she continue attempting to conquer Earth; he does not state this outright in the episode. He may have made this promise before the episode however, as he states he knew about Ember before the episode's events and may have predicted she would attempt this.
 * This is currently the only episode of Adventures in Necrosis where the Diamond's Edge appears.