The Troubles of a Misplaced Hero

by Blazorna Ibara

It started with a bad day. However, things get worse as Ben winds up in an alternate world where using the Omnitrix does more harm than good to him. Does his only hope of finding a way back home lie with a wraith who faithfully serves her evil mistress? Rated M for blood, violence, language, adult themes, and some disturbing content.

25. FMH : Defiance X Determination

(Due to the length of the chapter, there shall be a checkpoint for those who aren't able to finish this in one go. To use it, press the "Control" and "F" keys and type in Checkpoint)

---

The Demon Breaker tilted his head up and grinned once he was finished.

"Hope you enjoyed that, everyone." He announced while forcing Raynare to stand by pulling her hair. "I'll be doing this again very soon. I promise you all will enjoy hearing a few more bitches crying, just like this slut is doing right now." He tilted her head up so that she was looking at the sphere, seeing her own defeated look in her eyes. The Monster's will to resist had long since broken, and knew she couldn't hide at all now. Her identity and face was known to everyone. There was no point in running. The brunet smiled warmly and waved just as the sphere's image disappeared before the same did for the sphere itself.

Once the sphere was gone, the Demon Breaker drove his knee into the fallen's abdomen before kicking her in the head, sending her flying towards the still shocked group. He then summoned a portal and drew the Hirudinea.

"I have no more need for that piece of shitty garbage." the psychotic Ben said callously before pointing his scarlet sword towards Rias and Issei. "I have a message I want you to deliver to my younger self and that trap, Bri. Three days from now, I'll return here, and I expect everyone here, including Paradox!"

"Why are you telling us this?" Rias asked, trying to act calm.

"So that history is forced to head where I want it to go while you can prepare your virginity to me." Breaker said with a maniacal grin. "And by you, I mean all the ladies. Hell, I'll be willing to make an exception and include cute little Gaspie if he's interested." the grin only grew upon the dhampire trembling in fear.

"I won't let you!" Issei screamed defiantly as the Boosted Gear appeared on his left arm. "Besides, the President's virginity is mine!"

The Demon Breaker tilted his head back and laughed.

"Oh, that's so rich!" he responded before twirling the Hirudinea in one hand. He held out his free hand as a spear of light materialized, causing everyone to stare in shock. He then threw the spear into Issei's abdomen, impaling him with it. "Let me tell you something you little shit. Even with your Sacred Gear's tricks while in Balance Breaker and at full power, you're still too weak to handle someone like me .

"Remember how Bri managed to beat me with Ultimate Archangel? Well, guess what, I wasn't serious back there. I dropped my guard because I was just there for fun. Now that I'm serious, I stand equally with any Ultimate Bri throws at me as Cross Wing. And here's the kicker. I too can go Ultimate as well. I'll give you all a moment to let that sink in."

A portal appeared behind the Demon Breaker before he leaped back into it. A moment passed before his head stuck out as Shiftlash.

"Oh, before I forget." the purple slime said before a tentacle emerged. "Need to mark her."

The tentacle darted forward before pressing itself against Raynare's right thigh, causing her to scream in excruciating pain before the tentacle retreated, revealing an Omnitrix style brand etched into her skin.

"There we go." Breaker said in satisfaction as the tentacle retreated back into the portal. "See you all in three days."

With that, the psycho's head vanished into the portal, which closed soon after.

As he fell to a knee and coughing up blood from his injury, Issei slammed his fist against the ground in anger.

---

Further Misplaced Hero: Defiance X Determination

---

"It's alright, Elina you're safe." Ben said calmly to a sobbing Elina. "There's nothing to be afraid of."

The former noble had immediately broke down when she saw the rape, causing memories of her own to resurface in her mind.

Asia looked at Bri with concern, who clenched her fists hard enough to draw some blood.

"Are you okay Bri?" the blonde devil asked.

"I'm fine, Asia." the brunette reassured her friend with a forced smile.

The older Omnitrix user looked over towards her younger counterpart as he was hugged by Elina. The boy wrapped his arms around the blonde and comforted her the best he could. However, at the same time, she could tell that he had similar thoughts as her own.

I can't believe that he is really that Demon Breaker's younger self. He's nothing like that monster…

No,…he's worse than anyone I've ever fought against. To do that to his own ally, and enjoy every minute of that? As much as I despise Raynare, even she doesn't deserve something that cruel.

"We better get a move on." Homura said with her arms crossed.

"Are you not aware about how Elina is right now?" Ben snapped.

The tanned girl narrowed her eyes in response.

"Listen, what we saw only means we cannot afford to waste any time now." she explained.

Ben fell silent before looking at the former noble he still held in his arms.

"I know… but I can't just ignore Elina…" he said solemnly.

"It's okay, Ben." Elina said softly. "Thank you for your concern, but she's right."

"But…" the traces of the boy's anger evaporated immediately, being replaced with shock.

Elina shook her head before removing the boys arms reluctantly, despite trembling slightly still.

"I'll be fine." she said, trying to put up a strong front.

Ben sighed and activated the Omnitrix, turning into Four Arms.

"I'm sorry but it just doesn't feel right to ignore you right now." the Tetramand said.

Without warning, he scooped up the blonde and carried her bridal style. Elina blushed at the sudden closeness but soon relaxed, feeling safe and secure in the alien's arms.

Bri smiled at the display, the anger she held towards the Demon Breaker dissipating by his younger self's actions.

Man, he is the exact opposite of that bastard…

---

The Demon Breaker remained silent as he walked through a long, spacious corridor. Lined up against the wall were countless weapons of many varieties. Many shapes and styles, every one of them positioned in way to be easily drawn at any given moment. He briefly looked at the cracked Giant Slayer that was resting at its rack, with the mace the Jeager Joker used right next to it.

This was where the weapons that were pulled out of the portals were stored when not in use.

"So, you finally made your move." Zs'skayr said while emerging from a wall.

"What were you doing in that reality earlier, Ghostfreak?" Breaker asked firmly.

"Do not call me that name." the Ectonurite rasped in anger. "As for why I was there, I was simply looking for a suitable host to take over."

"You were always up to something. You claim to only have interest in ruling the Underworld of that dimension we've been running around in, but I know there's something more to it than that." the psychotic teen remarked.

"Perceptive, aren't we?" Zs'skayr mused. "I suppose I can tell you why I was there. I am intrigued by those Evil Pieces the devils of that world use." the alien ghost then held up a white rook. "Not only can these change one into a devil all together, regardless of their race, while granting them new abilities. I am however most intrigued by the fact that they are able to resurrect the recently deceased as well."

"Finding more ways to cheat death then I take it." Breaker deduced with a smirk.

"Rather more of finding a way to withstand the sun without my second skin." the Ectonurite corrected. "However, I am incapable of using these things, mainly because of what I am."

"Yeah, your meaning of alive is different from most living races." the brunet sighed while closing his eyes. "Anyway, do you have anything planned for that piece?"

The Ectonurite chuckled before tossing the rook towards the Demon Breaker, who caught it without looking.

"It's useless to me, as I've said before. Do with it as you wish." he said before slowly retreating into the wall.

"There's one other thing I want to ask. What are you truly hoping to gain from Eon through the 'alliance' we're both a part of?"

"The main reason is to understand why your eyes are like that." the alien replied. "As well as to rule dimensions like that one we met at earlier."

The Demon Breaker couldn't help but grin at that.

"For my eyes, they're connected to how I was 'born' if you really must know." he replied. "Faulty tech tends to screw up badly on occasion, especially when they're broken."

"I see…" Zs'skayr said, intrigued with what he heard. "Thank you for telling me that."

The Demon Breaker smirked while nodding briefly.

"Least I can do as thanks for you making things a bit more interesting." he replied. "Next time though, I'm attacking you."

The Ectonurite closed his eye and laughed.

"I'll be waiting for you then, boy." he said before phasing through the wall completely, leaving the psychopath alone in the corridor.

Once alone, the boy tilted his head back and began laughing manically while clutching the Evil Piece firmly.

"I couldn't ask for anything better, I got the lynchpin to making this the fight of my life!" he said eagerly. " Rias' spare Rook. This will make things move easier for everybody. I better work on a strategy now. As much as I'd like to be reckless on occasion, this isn't such a time. Between preparing for my fun and fucking up Risty's bandit companions, I have a lot of shit to figure out. The crow bitch's 'punishment' put me on several people's radars, especially with Aldra, Leina, and Melona."

He opened his eyes and looked at the Evil Piece.

"The question now is who to expect besides Ben, FemBen, and the perv." he mused. "I've made sure to push the right buttons with the 'visitors', but who's exactly coming besides the obvious?"

---

Raynare was curled up in a ball in the corner of the bedroom she was locked in. It had been about two hours since her ordeal ended. She healed herself of the physical wounds she received, but the mental anguish that was inflicted still persisted. She didn't know what to do now. She had no allies to rely on, surrounded by faces of those who were dead in her world. The war tempered her will enough to not cave into her despair so easily, but she was beyond her limits at this point. Tears streamed down her eyes as she sobbed.

"Why did this happen to me?" she asked no one in particular.

She didn't bother to look up when she heard the door open.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Gwen asked softly as she entered with a plate of food in her hands. "I brought you some food. It's not much, but at least it's something."

The fallen angel looked up in silence, looking at the young girl with teary eyes.

"Ani filled me in about what happened to you in your world." Gwen confessed before setting the plate down on a nearby table. "While I don't approve of what you've done, I'm not here to judge."

Raynare only looked on in silence.

"I know of someone who went through exactly the exact same thing that happened to you." Gwen continued. "She was disowned by her older sister, who she was very fond of, almost obsessed if you ask me, as well as being…defiled. She lost her status as a noble, on top of losing her home due to the near guaranteed threat of death. She lost everything that was important to her life."

The fallen angel slowly turned around and listened intently.

"What happened to her?" Raynare asked softly. "Did she kill herself?"

"She's very much alive." Gwen replied with a smile. "In fact, she seems to have gotten over it for the most part."

The fallen angel blinked in confusion upon hearing that. The young redhead noticed this and nodded.

"There's more about her that you should know." she stated. "That girl I told you about, she wasn't a good role model either. She tormented a friend of her sister's, who was a servant at the time, treating her like she was garbage day in and day out. Hell, she flat out refused the poor girl access to a doctor when her mother was gravely ill. She had no remorse or guilt when she passed away. Utterly despicable."

Raynare recalled when she was mocking Issei about just before he was killed.

"To many, she could be seen as evil that needs to be killed for such cruelty. However, even knowing what she's done, I can't see her as just that." Gwen admitted while raising a hand as it softly glowed. "Hell, the person who is helping me get better with my magic has killed many in the past."

"Why are you telling me all this?" the fallen angel asked.

"Just to give you something to think about." Gwen replied before lowering her hand as the glow disappeared. "Also, don't worry about Issei and the others. They promised to let you be as long as you don't try anything suspicious. If you need anything, just let us know."

With that, the preteen left the room, leaving the fallen angel to mull over what she heard.

---

The dining hall was filled with discussion as all but Gwen, Issei, and Rias were present. Gwen volunteered to take some food to Raynare, while Rias was tending to Issei's injury. Of those present, only two weren't sitting at the table at the moment as Koneko was trying to coax the frightened Gaspard out of a barrel he took refuge in with garlic. At the moment, the half-vampire was running with the barrel as the silverette walked stiffly after him like a robot, the garlic held in outstretched hands.

"Koneko, please stop being mean to Gaspie." Puia pleaded.

The harpy apparently had taken a liking to the timid boy after the Demon Breaker's remark towards him. Gaspard was terrified by that and hid behind the Gal Monster because she was the closest person to him. Puia was able to easily calm him down, and managed to get him to relax, despite her clawed hands and feet scaring him for a moment.

As for the others, they were preoccupied discussing about Raynare and what happened to her.

"Are you sure we should just leave her like this?" Nanael asked before taking a bite out of a piece of bacon. "From what I heard, this Raynare isn't really someone we can trust. Especially since she's a fallen angel."

"Considering what happened to her, she won't try something at the moment, regardless of her race." Plum stated calmly while taking a sip of her tea. "Psychological damage isn't something one can overcome quickly."

"I'm a bit perplexed by how Issei was injured." Xenovia stated. "Regular humans are incapable of producing light in such a manner."

"It had to be that Hirudinea sword Ani told us about." Akeno mentioned. "That had to have been the only answer since the Demon Breaker was human at the time."

"Still, at least we can breath easy about Asia and Ben." Yuuto said with a small smile. "As for Issei, we're fortunate it isn't a serious injury that Rias can't heal."

The door was quickly opened as Gwen came walking in with a beet red face and wide eyes.

"Something wrong, Gwen?" Akeno asked with a smile.

"I went to check on Issei and Rias…" the redhead started before her blush deepened even more. "Why… Why were they naked and cuddling together in bed?"

Akeno twitched a little upon hearing that.

"It's complicated." Yuuto said while laughing nervously.

"I'll…go check on them." Akeno said. "Please excuse me, everyone."

The room fell silent as she left the room rather hastily.

"She's definitely jealous." Nanael stated bluntly before Arane spat a web into her face.

"Quiet, you freak of nature pigeon." the Gal Monster said with a blank face.

The angel gave muffled protests while attempting to remove the gag as Gwen started to calm down. Nanael eventually managed to remove the sticky webbing and just left in silence, taking a moment to glare at those at the table spitefully as they conversed amongst themselves.

---

Eon had a snarl on his face as he slammed his fist against the wall of Albedo's cave.

"That ignorant bastard!" he shouted. "He thinks he can change history as he sees fit?!"

"I have to concur." a woman's voice said calmly.

The Chronian's eyes widened upon recognizing the voice.

"If you are here… then that means…" he said incredulously.

"Correct, Breaker managed to hijack your plans and put his into action." the woman said while crossing her arms. "I am only here to observe however, for now."

"I see…I suppose I should tell you of the fates of the Bloody Hunter and Jaeger Joker. Blood perished at Breaker's hand, while the Joker has sacrificed his physical body."

"So…it's that bad already…" the woman said in disappointment. "Was Joker's spirit turned into a wraith before being cursed?"

"I have been too preoccupied with other matters to really focus on trivial details." the alien answered with a frown.

"I see." the woman mused before leaning against a wall.

"What does a shard of Tennyson want with me though?" the Chronian pressed.

The woman sighed before shaking her head. She looked on at the Chronian through a smooth black mask that she wore, concealing her face completely. Where the eyes were was snow white streaks going down the mask, as if they're tear lines for the concealed eyes. Her figure was concealed in the black velvet cloak that she was wearing, leaving one to wonder what she really looked like underneath.

"Tell me what is going on exactly." she demanded. " I can tell this is already a different timeline, so I need to know what differences there are. Don't worry, as I've said, I'm only here to observe."

"I am not in the mood to talk to you any further." Eon said with a trace of hostility.

The masked woman fell silent before receding into the shadows, vanishing from view.

The time traveling alien fell silent as well while clenching his fists. He was frustrated that things were starting to head towards his worst case scenario involving the Demon Breaker. However, he knew that it can be remedied easily still. He just had to figure out what the psycho was planning.

---

It was almost midday when Ben and Bri's group were close to their destination. The journey would've been quicker if most of the group weren't exhausted from the events that transpired to them. Elina was finally calm, but remained silent ever since Ben turned back to normal.

"Well, there it is, home sweet home." Cerate announced when the castle came into view.

"Hold it, dolt. Don't you notice something different about it?" Stella asked while pointing towards the collapsed portion of it.

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" the red eyed Gal Monster screamed while waving her arms. She was forcibly calmed down by Airi smacking her in the back of the head.

"Actually, that's kinda my fault." Bri confessed with a nervous laugh. "When my friends and I wound up in this place while chasing after that Demon Breaker, he turned into some kind of giant masked bird and sent us flying into it."

"It was just like that one I saw that lead me to you guys, but smaller." Asia added.

"Wait… The crazy guy can turn into a Grimm?" Ruby asked.

"A Grimm?" Bri asked.

"They're creatures from my world." the silver eyed girl explained. "All they want to do is just hurt and kill people. And it's not in self defense or to feed. They're practically monsters."

"I see." Airi said while frowning. "That means he may have other forms we're not familiar with, including ones that no one has ever seen before."

"Speaking of which, what about that Speedspike guy Ben turned into earlier?" Bri asked, wanting to change the subject. "I know I don't have that form."

"That's because he got it from me." Stella replied. "Master has obtained several forms during his time here."

"Yeah, I have Dinostrike, who's similar to Speedspike in how he looks, but is pretty much as strong as Four Arms. There's Shiftlash. I'll let him properly introduce himself later."

"Wait, what did you just say?" Bri interrupted.

"Shiftlash is a self aware form." Airi answered, causing the blood to drain from the brunette's face.

"As in… he has a mind of his own?" the gender swapped Ben asked nervously.

"Relax, Shiftlash is nothing like Ghostfreak." Ben reassured his counterpart. "In fact, he's actually been quite helpful on occasion."

"Okay… this just gets weirder and weirder." Bri admitted with a sigh before realizing something. "Umm, do you happen to have a form that looks like an angel with blue hair?"

Ben became tense immediately upon hearing that description.

"Yeah…I do…" he replied. "Cross Wing."

Seeing the boy being in distress, Airi went over towards him before wrapping her arms around him.

"It's alright Ben. She's not asking you to turn into him." she reassured him while hugging him.

"What's wrong?" Asia asked as she looked on at Ben in concern.

"While Shiftlash isn't a form I consider dangerous, Cross Wing is." The wraith answered for her lover as he relaxed a little.

"Can I ask why?" Bri asked. She could tell that this was a sensitive issue, and from what she was told, it was something that she hadn't experienced herself.

The wraith looked at Ben with concern, who responded with a nod.

"Very well." Airi said while closing her eyes. "When Ben was in that form, he was like a completely different person. There was this air of bloodlust that he emanated. Where Ben is a hero, Cross Wing can be seen as his antithesis."

The wraith couldn't help but shudder as she recalled the state of Cross Wing's victim was in.

"There was this other person, who looked just like Cerate, but with red hair. When I arrived where Ben was, the girl was beaten with a level of brutality that only one who is truly sadistic could inflict. If he wasn't stopped by another Cross Wing, Ben would've killed her without a second thought."

Bri fell silent upon hearing that, not sure of what to say in response. She looked at Ben who was now looking down at the ground with guilt. It was then that she realized what to say.

"Is this the reason why you don't call yourself a hero anymore?" she asked.

"I won't lie and say it's not a major reason." Ben admitted. "I'm afraid of Cross Wing. He's a form that overwhelms me. I don't want to lose myself to that power and hurt everyone I care about, if not worse…"

Bri smiled and went to the boy.

"There's really nothing to be afraid of. " she reassured him. "The fact that you're afraid means you're in control of yourself, and still care for the lives of others. You'll figure out something to stay in control, I just know it. I'm you after all."

Ben couldn't help but smile a little from that.

"Thanks, Bri." he said before looking at everyone else, who were watching in silence, except for Cerate, who had her mouth covered by Stella's hand to keep silent. "We better get moving, we got people waiting for us."

With that, the group started moving again, except for Bri, who stood there to contemplate momentarily before shaking her head. She decided to think it over more later and took off after the group.

---

Kayla walked into a tavern, heading straight to the bar and sat down while pulling out a few gold coins before putting them down on the counter. Her eyes focused upon the bartender's own.

"I want as much mead as this can buy." she declared. "And don't try to scam me. I'll make you pay dearly if you do that." To emphasize her point, she gently pounded her hand against the counter, causing it to crack. "You don't want to piss me off."

The bartender nodded vigorously before going to fetch the Gal Monster her order.

"You're a Dinos Kayla, correct?" a female asked the redhead from behind.

"Not trying to hide here." The Gal Monster remarked dryly. "What do you want?"

"I'm curious if you happen to know anything about what happened with that fallen angel." the woman explained.

"What makes you think I know a damn thing about the broad?" Kayla asked.

The woman walked right up to the Gal Monster and leaned into her ear.

"The device on your left arm." she whispered. "I recognize it as an Omnitrix."

Kayla's eyes widened before turning around to see who it was.

"How did you know that?" she demanded in a soft hiss.

"Because, I've met Ben." the woman stated with a sly smirk. "Mind telling me over a drink?"

"…Fine…" Kayla relented with a sigh. "Before we begin, who are you?"

"Katherine Argente, Demon Hunter." the woman introduced herself.

"Oh, you're that Hinamoto girl that loves demons. My master told me a little about you." Kayla said in realization. "Anyway, I suppose I could tell you what you want to know. I wasn't involved with what happened to Raynare directly. But I can say that what the bastard said about her was all true. The Demon Breaker is undeniably a sick fuck, but he doesn't lie. Claims that being honest 'always makes things more exciting'. I just want to get drunk so I can forget that sick show."

" I can relate." Kitty said with a sigh. "I won't deny that a lot of fallen angels are dangerous and vile, but none deserve that…"

"I can't believe he's Ben, but only older!" the Gal Monster blurted out just as the bartender returned with a large mug of mead in hand. He gently set it in front of her and backed away in fear.

"So, that's why he looked so familiar." the Demon Hunter said with a frown. "I cannot understand why Ben would act that way when he's older. He isn't that kind of person."

"Beats me, all I know is that Breaker seems to have lost it a long time ago." Kayla admitted.

"Still, how are you connected with him in the first place?" Katherine asked while narrowing her eyes into a glare.

"Better yet, how about I tell you what I have in mind, Kitty." The Demon Breaker said loudly as he entered, startling both girls. The entire tavern fell silent as all the patrons recognized him.

"YOU!" Katherine shouted while clenching her fists. "How dare you show your face after what you've just done!"

The psycho smirked and looked around before whistling loudly to get everyone's attention.

"Gentleman, be honest with me here. How many of you think what I've done to the fallen angel was wrong? Don't worry, I'm just curious."

The entire place was soon filled with an uproar of laughter as almost every man present just laughed at what the boy said like it was a joke.

" That? Wrong? What that was a bitch getting what she deserved!" one of the men said boldly. "If anything, you're a fucking hero!"

"Yeah! You've put an evil angel in her place!" another said cheerfully.

"Let's give a toast to our hero here!" the bartender called out while raising a mug.

The two women only watched with looks of disbelief on their faces as the men celebrated the Demon Breaker's "heroism".

Kayla got up slowly before walking past the still smirking brunet, leaving her drink and the tavern in silence. Katherine followed suit soon after, only stopping to glare at the psycho spitefully before leaving.

Once both were gone, the Demon Breaker ran up and leaped onto the counter.

"I have an announcement, my friends." He declared loudly "In three days time, I shall be partaking in a exhibition match against a group of demons and demon lovers, including the infamous Deceiving Youth! I'm putting a handicap on myself to make things fair, although I can't promise that my opponents will be as honorable. But I will prove to all interested in watching why I am called the Demon Breaker!"

There was round of applause and cheering when the psycho was finished.

---

The doors of the castle opened with a loud creaking, announcing the arrival of a group.

"We're home!" Cerate shouted loudly. "And Master's with us on top of some new friends!"

The sounds of footsteps making haste grew loudly as Gwen and the others came out of the dining hall.

"Ben!" the young redhead cried out as she ran over to her cousin and hugged him. "You're alright!"

Ben smiled and returned the hug.

"I missed you too." he said before pulling away to notice a group of unfamiliar faces.

"I take it you're friends of Asia and Bri." he deduced. "Bri told us about you guys a little bit."

"I'll go get the others." Yuuto said before heading off.

As Ben interacted with the ones he haven't reunited with yet, Cerate grabbed Airi and Stella by their hands and dragged them away from the others.

"What are you scheming this time?" Stella questioned.

"Nothing good, I presume." Airi muttered.

"We've just became a harem for Master, and there's something I need to bring up." Cerate explained. "I know I am a dolt who screws up on occasion, but-"

"You mean screw up a lot." Stella interjected.

"As I was saying." the red eyed blonde resumed with a frown. "I want your opinion on something."

"What's gotten into you?" Airi asked. "This isn't like you. Usually you act first than think things over."

"I don't want to screw this up for Master." Cerate explained. " This harem is the one thing I absolutely want to work for him. We all know what he's been through… With that, are you two alright if I looked out for others who could join us?"

Stella smiled and nodded her head in agreement.

"I honestly am alright with that." she admitted. "As long as it's someone we can trust and cares for Ben like we do, I don't care. Just make sure to ask either of us for a second opinion beforehand."

"I have no qualms myself." Airi said while closing her eyes. " I admit I'm a little uneasy with Cerate looking for more lovers. I want Ben to be happy though, and I'll do anything to keep it that way."

"So, you'd be willing to submit to him like us Gal Monsters?" Cerate asked out of curiosity.

The wraith blushed deeply upon hearing that as her eyes averted her gaze.

"I…I would… but only if he asks…" she muttered sheepishly.

Stella was about to speak up until all three turned their attention to the sounds of footsteps.

"Asia!" Issei's voice cried out as he barreled into view with Rias, Akeno, and Yuuto following close behind him.

"Issei!" Asia cried out as she ran over towards the now mostly healed devil and ensnaring him in a hug.

Issei smiled and placed a hand on top of the former nun's head as she broke into tears.

"I'm glad you're safe, Asia." he said in relief.

"It's indeed a relief to see that you're alright, Asia." Rias said warmly as she approached the pair.

"I don't mean to interrupt the touching reunion, but would someone mind telling me who those two are?" Plum asked while pointing to Ruby and Homura.

"I suppose we've got to do introductions again." Puia said with a smile as Gaspard peeked from behind her timidly.

"What about the two who are unaccounted for?" Xenovia pointed out.

"Now that you've mention it, where's Nanael?" Plum asked with a frown.

"The pigeon's probably sulking again." Gwen said dismissively. "Probably best she's not around to sour the moment."

"Uhh, who's Nanael?" Ben asked.

"She's the angel who crashed into you, remember?" the young redhead reminded him.

"Oh… her." the brunet said in realization.

"What about Raynare?" Arane asked with a straight face.

"Wait… Raynare's here?!" Bri said in surprise.

"Wait, you mean that fallen angel who was…" Ben said before falling silent.

"Yeah… worst part is that we had front row seats…" Gwen said in disgust. "We should have stopped it, but we were too stunned to really do anything."

"Why is she here?" Asia asked.

"I'm not sure what you devils would do, but we wouldn't turn our backs on someone who's suffering, even if she's an enemy." Plum answered firmly. "It's the way we do things around here."

"Hey, do you think I can meet her?" Ben spoke up, causing everyone to turn their undivided attention towards him.

"I don't know… she does speak more compared to how Elina was before. No offense." Gwen replied before looking towards the former noble.

"None taken." the blonde replied calmly.

"I see…" Ben said before nodding his head.

"Ben, why do you want to meet Raynare?" Bri asked, perplexed by her counterpart's desire.

"When I saw her in that globe…I noticed the look in her eyes." the boy explained solemnly while looking down at the scar on his left arm. "They reminded me of what I went through. I can't be called a hero after all the stuff I went through and done. I'm too tainted now by the hate I have for how this world treats me. Even so, it doesn't mean I won't stop helping those in front of me if I can. As rotten as this world is, there's still good people that live in it. People like those who I call my family now." Ben turned his attention towards Bri and smiled. " We may be the same person, but there's one main difference, you're the hero, and I'm the rogue."

"You're right. You're definitely not like me." the older Omnitrix wielder admitted with a smile of her own. "Still, at least your heart is still where it counts."

"Yeah." Ben said before turning towards Gwen. "Anyway, can you lead me to Raynare?"

"Sure thing, doofus." Gwen replied with a smirk. "Still, sounds like you've went through a lot while you were away."

"You don't know the half of it." her cousin said with a laugh as the pair walked off from the others. "Still, I do not want to be shishkebabed with my sword again anytime soon."

"Wait, what?!"

"Long story."

---

Raynare raised her head upon hearing a knock on the door before it opened. Gwen peered in a little before speaking up.

"Hey, do you have a moment? I have someone who'd like to meet you if you don't mind." the redhead asked. "I know you've went through a lot already, but I think talking with him will help you."

Raynare looked at the girl in skepticism before shrugging her shoulders slightly.

"I highly doubt it…" she muttered under her breath. Who would help someone like me?

Gwen retreated out of view before a somewhat familiar boy with brown hair came in and closed the door behind him. The two looked at each other in silence. Raynare felt tense as the boy reminded her of the Demon Breaker, yet at the same time, didn't feel threatened by him.

"How are you doing?" the brunet asked, breaking the silence.

"I'm better…" Raynare answered after hesitating for a moment. "Who are you? You look a lot like Bri…or that monster…"

"I'm Ben… Ben Tennyson." the boy introduced himself. The fallen's eyes widened upon hearing the name as the Demon Breaker's face came to mind. Fear started to form as she began to tremble a bit.

"S-Stay back!" she pleaded as she looked at the boy in fear.

"I'm not here to hurt you." Ben said softly. " I'm not the guy who had hurt you. "

Raynare curled up in a ball as the boy slowly approached her.

"Raynare, that's your name, right?" he asked.

"Stay back!" the fallen angel repeated while burrowing her face into her legs.

"Why are you afraid of me?" Ben asked. "Can you tell me that?"

"You want to hurt me… Just like him!" the angel said accusingly.

Ben shook his head and sat down in front of the angel.

"You're wrong. I'm not some monster who would hurt someone for the fun of it." he stated firmly. "I won't hurt you, I swear it. In fact, I want to help you."

Raynare looked up with uncertain eyes as she noticed that the boy was showing concern for her.

"W-Why would you help me?" she asked.

"Because, I think I can understand how you feel to a point." the brunet replied while closing his eyes. "I can understand what it's like being helpless and alone."

"What…makes you think that?" the fallen asked.

"It was your eyes…" Ben replied.

"My eyes?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"How can you…understand me then, Tennyson?"

"I suppose I should tell you about what happened to me in this place, from the very beginning."

With that, the boy started to tell the fallen angel his story. The fallen angel listened in silence, her mind gradually noticing a few similarities between him and herself. They were outcasts, hated by many and suffered hardships. They were betrayed, and were all alone at one point. They were also in this world because of Eon.

As Raynare learned more about Ben, the fear she had harbored of him hurting her gradually receded. She started to relax slightly, realizing that he truly didn't mean any harm.

"I didn't think that we'd have more in common…" The fallen angel admitted once the boy finished speaking.

"What do you mean by that?" Ben asked, eliciting a sigh from the girl.

"I suppose I should tell you my story." she said solemnly.

As Raynare recounted her history, Ben began to understand what she meant. Once she reached close to the most recent events, she stopped abruptly, not wanting to recall the hell she went through. She began to tremble again, only to jump slightly when she felt Ben gently took her hand with one of his own.

"W-What the hell?" she said while looking at the brunet incredulously.

"It's okay, Raynare. You don't have to tell me any more. That's more than enough for me to understand." Ben reassured her.

"Th-Thank you…" the fallen angel said softly.

"Anytime." Ben said with a smile.

"…What are you going to do with me now?" Raynare asked hesitantly. While feeling more relaxed, she still was very wary of what the boy had in mind.

"That's up to you." the young Omnitrix wielder responded with a sigh. "Though I feel you would be best to stay here. I mean, you don't have somewhere to go home to anymore."

The fallen angel's eyes widened in shock upon hearing this before they narrowed a bit.

"Are you pitying me?" she asked venomously.

Ben shook his head before closing his eyes.

"No. I'm not doing that one bit. I said that because you're like me. Besides, it'd be wrong if I judged only on what you've done." he answered solemnly before smiling a little. "One of the girls I love has actually killed a lot of people, yet I know she's a good person despite all that."

Raynare's eyes blinked in confusion upon hearing that. She didn't know what to say in response. Before her was a boy who wasn't seeing her as a monster, but as a person who was alone. The fallen angel averted her gaze and felt uncertain of what to do. She still wasn't sure she could trust him, but now she knew that he wouldn't hurt her intentionally either.

"Tennyson…" she spoke up, causing the boy to open his eyes to look at her intently. "I would like to be left alone for a while now, but I want to ask one thing. Would you really accept someone like me? Someone who could betray you at any moment?"

Ben looked at Raynare in the eyes as he smiled slightly.

"I would, with open arms too." he replied firmly. "I can tell that at this point, you're not after revenge."

"What makes you say that?" the fallen asked.

"Because I am." the boy admitted humorlessly before he went to the door. He reached out and grabbed the handle before looking over his shoulder towards Raynare. "I'm going to go now. I have to get some rest anyway, had quite a night. Just let us know if you need something."

"Alright." Raynare said dismissively as the boy left the room.

Alone once again, she closed her eyes to think in silence.

"He looks so much like Bri and that bastard." she whispered to herself. "Yet he's so different. He would accept someone like myself…"

---

Standing in the hallway outside of the dining area, Gwen was crying, distraught over learning that she had no family remaining besides Ben, as well as no home to return to. Airi comforted the young girl as she cried into her chest. While Puia usually served the role of the "big sister", Gwen was closer to the wraith more due to training with her than with the Gal Monster.

"It's alright Gwen." the wraith said softly as she hugged the younger redhead. "Just remember that you're not alone here. Ben's here, as well as Elina, myself, and the others."

"But… Why did this have to happen?" Gwen asked while looking up at the wraith.

"What's the monkey crying about?" Nanael asked as she floated over towards the pair.

"Leave us alone." Airi said firmly with a glare. "Gwen here is mourning over her family."

The angel blinked before sighing.

"Why must everyone cry over someone dying?" she said callously with a sigh. "It's part of life, and it happens all around us. What's the point of weeping over something as trivial as that?"

Gwen stopped crying upon hearing that, staring in disbelief while Airi summoned her scythe. Nanael blinked in confusion before the wraith flew up and held the scythe's blade near the angel's neck.

"Listen well, Nanael. I am only saying this once." she warned coldly with a glare. "I refuse to let you say such things anymore. You call yourself a high ranking angel? In my eyes, you're just a heartless bitch who only cares for herself." the blade of the scythe started to emanate purple flames, scaring the angel. "If you disrespect my friends or the dead like that again, your holy milk will be the least of your problems. Do you understand?"

"What are you doing?" Nanael attempted to protest only to flinch upon Airi's glare intensifying.

"Do you understand, angel?" Airi repeated through gritted teeth while raising her voice a little.

"Yes!" the angel said in response. "I'm sorry about that!"

The wraith narrowed her eyes and stared at Nanael. She could tell the blue haired angel only said that in order to save her own hide.

"Very well." the redhead said before lowering her weapon, sighing when she saw the angel fly off as fast as she could in a panic. She looked over at Gwen, giving her an apologetic look as she dismissed the scythe. "I'm really sorry you've had to witness all that, Gwen."

The young redhead gave a halfhearted smile.

"It's alright." she said. "She's an angel, so it shouldn't be surprising for her to see things differently."

"Gwen, you're giving her more credit than she deserves. I have encountered other angels during my time with the Swamp Witch. They never said such callous remarks about the deceased." the wraith explained humorlessly.

"I have to agree. Even the angels of my world aren't like that either." Rias said as she emerged from the dining hall. "I hope I'm not imposing on you two at this time."

"It's alright." Airi said while Gwen rubbed the tears from her eyes. "How are things going in there?"

"We've pretty much finished exchanging information what has happened with us all. To think so much happened with your group last night." The Gremory heir reported. "It's been agreed that we all should get some rest for now, after Ruby had pretty much fell asleep in her seat."

"I agree. A lot has indeed happen." Airi said in agreement "What are you and your peerage going to do though?"

"We will figure something out." Rias said before the dining hall doors opened, the occupants inside the room starting to leave it.

She looked inside, noticing Cerate and Issei, who were both glaring at each other in silence, as if gauging each other. Airi peered in and her face paled upon catching the pair clasping their right hands together in a firm handshake, with proud smirks plastered on their faces.

"Oh gods…" the wraith said in horror upon recognizing the kind of smirk they both had.

"Something wrong?" Rias asked.

"You don't realize the danger we're in now…" Airi remarked.

During the month long duration in the castle, Cerate began to show some interest in other women, despite her love for her master. With a pervert like Issei around, there was no doubt that Cerate was going to learn some…bad habits… from him.

---

The Demon Breaker laughed as he emerged from a portal in the middle of a forest. He had the Hirudinea in one hand as well as the red chainsaw sword in the other. He took a few steps, his feet sloshing through the shin deep water that was hidden .

"Hey, any fuckers around here who want to be killed?" he asked loudly, trying to provoke anything within earshot. A few moments passed before a lone silhouette became visible as it silently approached the psycho.

"You have some nerve coming here." Hex said in annoyance as he emerged.

The sorcerer had regained his youth while Funikura coiled around his arm, silently looking at the boy with its cyclopean eye. The Neotrix wielder relaxed upon noticing who it was.

"Who'd've thought that you'd be here Hex." Breaker said while lowering his swords. "How are things with you? Been a while since anyone heard from you."

The spell caster stared at the brunet before he spoke.

"I have been busy learning about the artifacts and magicks of this world." he responded. "the pact between the Swamp Witch and myself has been quite beneficial for both of us."

"Really now?" Breaker said skeptically. "What makes you sure that the hag'll just backstab you once your usefulness is over? That's how it always works for us baddies."

"Eon has sufficiently reduced her army with those monsters he controls, as well as losing the three who were key in her plans of sabotaging the Queen's Blade." Hex continued. "She became very interested in Tennyson recently, seeing him as a threat, as well as an opportunity."

The psycho nodded as he listened intently. Once the sorcerer finished, he decided to speak up.

"So, what are you going to do exactly?" he asked.

"I will act only when necessary." the older man replied firmly. "Now, why are you in this place, boy?"

" I'm actually eighteen you know." Breaker pointed out. "Spent two years in a world that goes faster than here."

"That doesn't matter." Hex said before getting interrupted by Breaker.

"Anyway. I came here because I need to train for a fight that I've arranged in three days time." the brunet explained as his face became stoic while the tone of his voice became nonchalant. "I can't train with regular humans since I'll just kill them without breaking a sweat."

"Then you must look elsewhere. Aside from the two of us, there is not a single soul around. The Swamp Witch has called those who serve her to regroup." the older man responded, causing the Neotrix user to close his eyes to think for a moment.

"How about this, you find someone I can fight against, and I'll see if I can have Eon ease on the monster attacks a little bit. " the psycho offered while opening his eyes.

"How do I know that you'll keep your word?" Hex questioned before holding out a hand as a fireball appeared.

"I may be sick in the head, on top of being a badass loose cannon from the future, but I am one who keeps his promises. It's what kept me alive this long." Breaker stated before closing his eyes again.

"But your penchant for violence made many enemies as well." a female voice said from above the pair.

The Demon Breaker's eyes widened as he flinched upon hearing the voice.

"No…No… NO! It can't be possible…" The brunet said as he began shouting in fear. "I K-KILLED YOU! YOU CAN'T BE ALIVE!"

The psycho looked up to see a robed woman wearing a black mask sitting in a tree. He began trembling in disbelief.

"If… If you're here…" he said before becoming mortified. "NO! I CAN'T LET HIM!"

"Sheesh, it's like you've seen a ghost or something." the masked woman said dismissively.

The psychopath opened a portal behind him and backed towards it.

"When you did that This-Is-Sparta Kick on me, The Queen's Gate activated, saving my life. Still, took me a year to figure out how to get back, let alone another six months after that to go back in time on my own." the woman

"What do you mean?" Breaker questioned upon hearing the name.

The robed woman giggled before raising a hand to her mask. She pulled on it gently and twisted it to the side, revealing an ebony eye with a red iris. The skin that was visible revealed to be a chalk white in coloration with a thin lock of silver hair.

"I'm not telling you." she said coldly as her eye narrowed, causing the Demon Breaker to leap back into the portal as he broke into a cold sweat. Once gone, the woman replaced the mask on her face and looked at Eon. "Before you ask, Hex, I am not here to interfere, only to observe."

Without another word, the woman dropped down and landed in the swamp before walking off, leaving Hex to watch with curiosity as she disappeared in to the fog.

---

"Hey Gwen, mind telling me where I can crash?" Ben asked as he trailed Gwen back towards the dining hall.

"Well, the thing is, we originally had a room for you, but that got destroyed with the pigeon's when Bri and the others crashed in. Now we don't have a spare room with everyone here. You'll have to share a room with someone."

As the redhead mentioned that, three heads poked from a nearby corner as if on cue.

"Are you sure about this?" Airi asked from the top.

"We need to do these kinds of things." Cerate replied firmly from the bottom. "We're his harem after all!"

"Remind me again why this is a good idea?" Stella grumbled. "We all know we can't all share the same bed. It's too small for all of us!"

"Guys?" Ben's voice asked, startling all three of the girls before they fell into view.

"Oh, hi Master." Cerate said before laughing nervously.

"What were you guys doing?" Ben asked.

"Well, here's the thing…" the blonde began to explain before looking over her shoulder. "Issei, stop trying to look up Airi's skirt."

The wraith blushed furiously upon hearing that and immediately noticed the perverted devil drooling with a perverse grin on his face. She scrambled to her feet before summoning her scythe.

"Do that again, and you'll suffer a fate worse than death." the wraith warned while glaring at him.

"Do you know who you're talking to?" Cerate asked while getting to her feet.

"A shameless pervert." Airi replied bluntly. "Koneko informed me about Issei's…personality."

"Hey, I plan to be the Harem King one day!" the brunet devil interjected.

"What the hell is that?" Stella deadpanned as she sat upright..

"That's a noble goal if you ask me." Cerate said with admiration.

"However, do you have a harem started?" Stella questioned.

"Not yet, but I swear, I will have my harem one day!" Issei proclaimed with a raised fist.

"Well, you better start working on it." Cerate said before grinning. "I believe Master has a better shot than you do at becoming the Harem King."

"What do you mean by that?" the Red Dragon Emperor asked in curiosity.

Cerate's grin grew before she hoisted Stella to her feet and taking both her and Airi by the hands over towards Ben. Once close enough, the Gal Monster let go and wrapped her arms around Ben from behind while resting her head on his shoulder.

"Master has one already." she declared before kissing the younger brunet on the cheek.

Issei's mouth dropped as he raised a shaking finger at them.

"That can't be true." he said.

"As embarrassing it is to admit, it's the truth." Airi admitted before she took Ben's left hand and held it while interlocking their fingers. Stella blushed before wrapping her arms around Ben's free hand and averted her gaze in embarrassment.

Issei slumped to his knees as tears streamed down his face in disbelief.

"I…I can't believe this…" the devil said. "First Riser, now this…" he then raised his head back to scream as he looked towards the heavens with crying eyes filled with sorrow. "WHY DOES EVERYONE BUT ME HAVE A HAREM!?"

"I'M TRYING TO SLEEP HERE!" Nanael's voice echoed through the hallways, causing the wraith to sigh.

Gwen couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"Relax Issei." Cerate said calmly.

The now sulking devil looked at the Gal Monster as she spoke.

"I've heard that the ones who are meant for glory face great icicles in the long tourney ahead." she explained in a sagely manner. "The fact you don't have a harem yet means you are meant for greatness!"

"I… I understand now…" Issei said in awe, as if a great truth has been revealed to him.

"I think you mean 'obstacles' and 'journey'." Airi said while deadpanning. "And I don't like where this is heading…"

"Agreed." Stella muttered while narrowing her eyes. "Shall we?" the wraith nodded in agreement

With that, the two let go of Ben before prying one of Cerate's arms off of Ben before dragging her away.

"Hey, what gives?! I didn't do anything yet!" the Gal Monster protested as she was dragged away.

"Please excuse us for a bit, Ben, Gwen." the redhead said apologetically while looking over her shoulder, "We need to…reeducate Cerate."

With that, the pair walked off with Cerate, entering the dining hall.

"There you are Issei." Rias' voice said as she appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Once she got close, she began to speak in a seductive tone. " You're not fully healed yet, so we need to get back to healing you in your room."

His mind preoccupied with a perverse fantasy, Issei's nose immediately started to bleed while nodding with a lecherous grin. He got up and followed the redheaded devil out of sight, leaving Ben and Gwen alone.

"Quite the collection of weirdoes we've got here…" Gwen said in a somewhat joking manner.

"Got that right." Ben responded in agreement.

"So, decided on who you're crashing with?" the redhead asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Can I get back to you on that?" the brunet questioned.

---

The Demon Breaker once again stood in the armory hall, his eyes focused on not the weapons, but of a picture that hanged above them.

Within the picture was an image of Raynare and a girl who was all white, except for her eyes. Standing between the two was a young Ben who was posing with the arm brandishing the Omnitrix raised. In front of the trio were Cerate, Tino and Stella, all kneeling and smiling while Elina and Airi stood behind Ben. In the upper right corner, part of Nanael's face was present, mainly of one of her eyes, as if peeking from behind the picture. Those who were in the picture all had ecstatic grins on their faces, aside from the fallen angel and the white girl, who both gave uncomfortable smiles .

The Demon Breaker turned away from the picture to the opposite side, this time of just five identical youths, all with jet black eyes with green irises. Three looked looked exactly like Ben at around sixteen years, but each had a different look on their face and distinguishing feature. One wore a makeshift headband made of torn black cloth, grinning mischievously while wrapping his arms around another who was wearing a long black scarf with an annoyed look on his face. The third had his arms crossed an had a serious look on his face while wearing what looked like a cape. The fourth one looked around eleven years old, wearing what looked like a Victorian era butler suit. He was shrugging at the interactions between the ones with the scarf and headband.

The fifth was a girl who looked a lot like the four boys, with green eyes and brown hair and wore a black dress with a noticeable bust size to confirm her gender. She was smiling in amusement at the four boys.

All five brandished an Omnitrix, although the youth's had discernibly large cracks running where the core of the alien device was.

"Why is she still alive?" the psycho asked himself while focusing upon the girl. "I know I destroyed her Omnitrix before impaling her in the heart. Is she an undead like Jaeger or Menace? Or did I just actually miss my mark and she actually survived? I wouldn't be surprised, she is our 'sibling' after all."

The Demon Breaker sighed and closed his eyes. His future dictated that Ben has to fall into absolute despair, allowing him to exist as he currently was. However, there were two things that he knew that could change everything. Ben letting go of his rage towards Eon, and Raynare and the woman of white both surviving long enough to see Ben as a teen. His future was secured as long as Ben remained vengeful, and one of those two were killed, but the appearance of his "sister" served as a warning that this was no longer guaranteed.

She was the one who convinced the Bloody Hunter to fight, and the one who kept the Jaeger Joker from becoming as twisted as the psycho himself. The Demon Breaker acted as a proxy of all the negativity Ben harbored, and she was his antithesis. She was originally horrified by her body, but eventually grew to accept it.

She was the only one who went by a normal name compared to her brothers… and the only one that was reminiscent of her original identity… Jennifer "Jen" Tennyson. She was also the one who symbolized the one thing that the psychopath feared the most.

The Demon Breaker was able to stand unflinching at the face of death, and willing to fight even the most impossible of battles. But he was afraid of a power that his younger self had. Everything he has been doing to ensure that his future was the set one could be undone in one fell swoop by Ben's hand…

When the big day comes, he was going to put everything he had into the fight.

---

Ben yawned as slowly stirred in his sleep. The young boy took a moment to enjoy the warmth that he laid next to. A soft moan came from the source as he wrapped an arm around it. The Omnitrix wielder absently noticed that whatever he was laying next to was very soft. The brunet slowly opened his eyes as he slowly came around. As his eyes adjusted, the grogginess vanished immediately when he realized that the source of warmth was of another person. He immediately removed his arm from the person and carefully sat upright.

He took note that it was now nighttime, making it difficult for the boy to figure out the identity of the person sleeping next to him. However, the moonlight that came into the room allowed Ben to see that he wasn't alone with just one person. Flanking both sides of the bed were of girls, with a third laying at the end of the bed.

The easily distinguishing tails of two of them allowed Ben to realize that Stella and Cerate were two of the three girls. Cerate was on his right side while Stella was the one who slept at the end. Ben could understand why. The Gal Monster's tail was spiked, so it would've been difficult for her to lay next to him. Ben turned to the left, looking at the girl who he had his arm wrapped around earlier.

At first he thought it was his beloved Airi, but the long blonde hair of the third girl said otherwise. At first fear took hold in Ben's mind, before he recalled that before he went to sleep, he just chose a random room and just fell face first into the bed before surrendering himself to his exhaustion. As Elina slept, Ben noticed that she was more at ease than when he last saw her. Ben blushed a little bit as he looked at the former noble's face, finding her cute. However, he was brought back to reality when his stomach growled, demanding food.

He carefully rose and climbed out of bed, taking great care not to disturb the three blondes before he left the room. When he closed the door, he noticed Bri leaning against the wall looking towards him.

"Oh, hey there." Ben said.

"I still can't believe you've got a harem." Bri said. "I could see Issei with one, but my younger self? Total mind blow."

The young boy couldn't help but chuckle a little at that.

"Got that right. And just so you know, it wasn't my idea to begin with. Cerate was the one behind it." he stated. "Trust me, I still can't believe half the stuff I've went through since arriving here."

Bri nodded as she removed herself from the wall.

"Anyway, while you were sleeping, me and some of the others talked about what to do for the next three days." she said, changing the subject. "What do you think of us training together once everyone's rested up?"

"I'm game for it." the boy replied. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well, we haven't gotten that far yet." his gender swapped counterpart said with a nervous smile.

Ben couldn't help but smirk a bit at that.

"I'm fine with that." he said. "I'm just worried about Issei and Cerate."

Bri involuntarily gulped upon hearing that.

"I don't think he'll use it on those who are your age, but I am worried about Issei's Dress Break." the older brunette said grimly. "He'll definitely will try using it on Airi and Elina at least."

"Uhh, what are you talking about?" the young brunet asked in confusion. "Dress Break?"

"It's a… special attack of his." Bri sighed. "With it, he'll destroy a girl's clothes completely, leaving them…naked."

Ben couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing that.

"What's so funny?" the older Omnitrix weilder asked.

"I think you don't have to worry about Airi. Her clothes are a little different from normal ones." Ben boasted. "They can regenerate."

Bri couldn't help but smile as well upon hearing that.

"Well, looks like Issei's finally met his match." she joked.

"Anyway, I'm heading to the kitchen to get something to eat." Ben said. "Presuming I can remember how to get there."

Bri laughed upon hearing that before putting a hand on her counterpart's shoulder briefly.

"I can show you the way. It's not that hard to find." she offered.

" Thanks. By the way, are there anyone else awake right now?" Ben asked.

"Everyone of my group's pretty much awake. They're devils after all."

"I see… what about Raynare? Anything new about her?" Ben asked.

Bri's smile immediately faltered upon hearing that name.

"Ben, do you know she's a bad person?" she asked.

Ben nodded immediately.

"I know… She killed alternate versions of you and your friends." he said solemnly. "She pretended to be Issei's girlfriend and killed him. That's how he became a devil, right?"

"Wait… How did you know that?" Bri asked, surprised by what she just heard.

"Raynare told me herself." the boy answered. "Yes, she's done some really bad things, but it doesn't mean she's pure evil."

"Why are you defending her?" his older counterpart asked.

"Look, you know what I've went through. From what she's told me, she's went through some things that only I could understand." Ben answered firmly.

"You're trusting her too much." Bri warned with a frown. "She'll just kill you after she's through with you."

"I'm aware of the risk, and I'm not. If she tries to hurt anyone, I'll stop her myself. " the brunet declared. "However, you should know that Raynare wouldn't do anything like that."

"What makes you say that?" the gender swapped teen questioned.

"She lost everything when she arrived here. Her last few friends are dead, her world is devoid of life, and she's the last of her kind there too…" Ben stated while clenching his fists. "She was used by Eon and is now all alone in a world with nowhere to call home. Just like it is with me. Evil or not, I just can't let her suffer like that."

Bri fell silent upon hearing that. She didn't think someone like Raynare would go through that kind of suffering. Her mind went back to what Ani said to Issei.

"Not every timeline has a happy ending, Issei-san… Not even for someone like her."

So that's what Ani meant by that… Despite winning against Issei and the others, Raynare's future was far worse than what the others and I experienced. Still, I don't think I can't give her the benefit of the doubt with that alone.

"So, you're willing to take responsibility for me…" a voice said from the side of the two Omnitrix wielders.

A certain fallen angel, wearing her black bikini like outfit, stood while looking at the pair with gauging eyes.

"Raynare." Bri said while tensing up from reflex.

"Relax, I am not here to fight, Bri." Raynare said calmly.

"Why are you out of your room?" the brunette asked warily.

"I was never told to remain in there all the time." the fallen retorted with a frown before turning her attention towards Ben. " I came out in order to get something to eat, but I've overheard what you've said."

The boy blushed a little in embarrassment upon hearing that. The fallen angel looked back towards Bri while her face softened a little bit.

"What Ben said is the truth." she admitted while averting her gaze. "I have nothing to gain by attacking you guys."

Bri fell silent with a frown.

"Raynare, I know you're not the same one I've encountered, but I can't ever forgive you for what you've done to Issei and Asia." she said firmly. "I don't know if I can even trust you."

Raynare fell silent as she grabbed her left arm with her right hand.

"Bri, stop it!" Ben snapped as he stepped in front of Raynare with a glare towards Bri. "Did you forget what she went through?"

The gender swapped teen flinched upon hearing that.

"I understand you don't trust her, but as you said yourself: She isn't the same Raynare you met before." the boy continued while narrowing his eyes.

The brunette stood in place as her younger self turned to face the fallen angel, who was looking at him in confusion.

"Come on Raynare, I'll take you to the kitchen." he said before walking off.

The fallen angel gave Bri a wary look before she followed the boy.

The older Omnitrix wielder stood in silence as she watched the two walked off.

Aww, man … I don't know what to make of this… and I feel like I'm the bad guy here.

---

Issei's room was full of life as he and the rest of the Occult Club gathered in there to discuss their plans.

"What do you think we should do for the training exactly?" Yuuto asked.

"I've brought this up with Airi already, and she feels it would be best if we try learning something from one another." Rias stated as she sat on the bed. "For example, Yuuto and Xenovia could both learn to utilize their speed with their swordsmanship in unique ways by sparring with Stella. In fact, just about everyone can gain something from this."

"What about you, President?" Issei asked out of curiosity, standing right next to the door.

"I have something in mind. I'll just need to ask Arane about something beforehand." the redhead said with a sly smirk.

"Would you mind if I'd accompany you?" Akeno asked when she recognized the smirk.

"Oh, and Issei, you've been warned that if you use Dress Break on our hosts, you will, and I quote : 'Shall be fed only food cooked by Cerate for the duration of our stay.' A fate she claims is worse than the worst of Hell itself."

"How can food cooked by a cute girl be a punishment? Especially when she's a kindred spirit!" the pervert said skeptically.

Rias sighed before looking at Akeno. Her Queen nodded before pulling out a corked bottle filled with what looked like purple sludge that was emitting a brilliant glow. Gaspard immediately retreated into his barrel upon seeing the bottle. Yuuto, Koneko and Xenovia all became tense immediately, as if a dangerous threat entered the room.

"What is that stuff?" Asia asked in confusion.

"This is supposed to be scrambled eggs…" Akeno answered ominously.

"Supposedly Cerate has an penchant of ruining anything she cooks, aside from salads for some reason." Rias explained before shuddering. "Some of the things that were described frightens even myself."

Issei remained skeptical before taking the bottle from Akeno.

"Please, what's the worst that can happen, President? I'm a devil already!" he said before removing the cork.

"ISSEI, DON'T!" Rias screamed as Issei's nose was greeted by an indescribable odor.

The Red Dragon Emperor's eye twitched for a moment as a dribble of blood ran from the corner of his mouth before collapsing. Everyone in the room panicked as they scrambled to catch the bottle before it hit the ground. Asia was the one who managed to catch it just in time before Rias replaced the cork in it.

"Don't worry about Issei, Plum said the smell only knocks people out." Akeno said to reassure Rias, Asia, and herself.

"If the aroma is enough to do that, I tremble at the thought of what'll happen if someone consumes that vile concoction." Xenovia said while grimacing.

The others all nodded in agreement while looking at the unconscious Issei. With that, they decided to retire for the night.

---

Night gave way to dawn as a new day started. Puia was the first to awake as she stepped outside, stretching her arms. The Harpy looked around as she looked up at the morning sky.

"Today's going to be a busy day, I just know it." she said before glancing over towards Plum, who was tending to a small garden.

"Indeed. I really hope we can find a way to return Bri and her companions back to their world." Plum said pensively. "How are you feeling?"

"A lot better. About thirty times better than before." Puia chirped happily.

The vegetative Gal Monster's body involuntarily flinched upon hearing that.

"I…I see…" she said with forced calmness.

The harpy blinked in confusion before noticing someone from the corner of her eye.

"Morning." she said while waving a hand at a weary Airi as she yawned.

"Morning Puia, Plum." the wraith responded. "I see you two have slept well."

"What happened to you?" Plum asked. "You seem to have not gotten any sleep last night."

"It was because of whatever was going on in the room next to mine last night. Bri's friends can be quite noisy." the wraith muttered before yawning once more as her maid outfit briefly became transparent. " I just need to obtain some life force and I'll be good."

"If you're looking for Cerate, she and Stella went into Elina's room after hearing that's where Master was." Puia stated. "Still can't believe he has three girlfriends, especially for one his age."

"I'm more worried about our master's mental state." Plum said. "While it appears he's alright right now, it is impossible he went through such an traumatizing ordeal unscathed."

Airi became fully awake as she heard that. Her mind recalled the events of that night. She grimaced upon recalling the brutality that Cross Wing was capable of inflicting on somebody.

"I think I might have an idea…" the wraith said somberly. "I'm worried that he may lose it if anything worse happens to him…"

"I understand your concerns, Mistress." Plum admitted.

Airi nodded for a moment before doing a take back upon realizing what the Gal Monster just said.

"M-Mistress?!" the wraith said incredulously.

"It is appropriate, as you're my master's lover, correct?" the plant girl questioned.

The redheaded specter blushed as her dress started to fluctuate in and out of existence.

"I…I don't know what to say…" she said. "I am his lover, but I don't own you."

"I guess considering you used to be a servant yourself, it's awkward to being called that." Plum deduced, causing the wraith to blush more. "Sorry about that then, Airi."

"It's alright. I would just prefer if you just address me like before." Airi stated while calming herself down.

The vegetative Gal Monster nodded as she shook her head.

"Airi, your clothes, and behind you." she said while narrowing her eyes.

The wraith gasped as she realized that her outfit was gone now, leaving her clad in only her bra and panties. She then slowly looked over her shoulder to see Issei and Bri gawking at her. Bri immediately turned around blushing while Issei had a perverse grin plastered on his face. The wraith's face flushed deeply as tears formed in her eyes.

"Ladies, please excuse me for a moment." the wraith said darkly. "Issei, hold still for a moment."

Issei remained in place as the wraith came towards him, his eyes transfixed on her breasts as they bounced. Once close enough, she immediately grabbed the pervert's left hand by the wrist just before glaring at him. Without saying a word, the wraith began to drain the devil. While kissing was her preferred method, the redhead refused to kiss any other man besides her beloved.

As the wraith felt the lifeforce flow into her hand, she began to feel ill when she realized that it was tainted by some foreign entity. She immediately let go and staggered back.

"Woah… that was weird…" Issei said before Airi fell to her knees.

"Airi, are you alright?!" Bri asked as she knelt next to the wraith.

"I'm…fine." the wraith said before looking at the devil. "There's something mixed with the pervert's lifeforce. It doesn't set well with me."

"Think it might've been his Sacred Gear." the female Omnitrix wielder guessed.

"Okay, it looks like I can't drain everyone from other worlds…" the wraith said as the ill feeling began to recede. Once feeling well enough, she rose to her feet and left after glaring at the perverted brunet.

Issei couldn't help but stare at the wraith's ass, savoring the moment before he heard the sound of Bri cracking her knuckles.

---

"Are you sure about this, Master?" Stella asked as she removed her weighted bone jacket.

"Don't hold back on me Stella." Ben said as he activated the Omnitrix, changing into Speedspike. "Asia healed me completely, and I'm actually not that tired."

"Quick question, Are you aware of how similar Speedspike sounds like Dinostrike?" the blonde asked. "I'm starting to think maybe you should change the name to avoid any confusion."

"I guess so." the transformed Ben said before pulling his sword out of the ground next to him. "Anyway, let's start."

Stella drew her own sword and nodded in acknowledgement. With that, the two started to run as fast as they could, becoming blurs that clashed as they began their training. Sparks filled the air like fireworks as the swords met with each collision of their wielders. The transformed Ben managed to keep up with Stella on equal footing. As the pair sparred, Xenovia and Yuuto watched intently nearby, seeing how the pair fought.

"I have to admit, they are a lot faster than I expected." the blonde said.

"Indeed, though it's obvious Stella is superior than Ben is with her form." the bluenette pointed out. "She doesn't leave herself as open, and her attacks are accurate."

"Still, you can't deny Ben isn't half bad. He seems to know the basics at least." Yuuto pointed out.

As the two devils conversed, Speedspike was sent flying when Stella twisted around, using her sword to block her opponent's attack while moving in with a shoulder tackle. Not giving the boy a chance to recover after he landed on the ground, the Gal Monster closed in after him before leaping into the air twisted her body before kicking into his side. The force of the blow caused him to hack momentarily as his eyes widened before rolling against the ground a little ways, his sword falling out of his grip. Stella landed and looked at her master with a worried look.

"I can't go any further than that. Any more and I'll actually hurt you." she said.

Speedspike groaned when he came to a stop before coughing a few times before getting up.

"I know, and I don't care. I won't blame you for whatever happens to me." he said while holding his aching side with a hand. "Let's go again."

"Ben, you can't push yourself like that." Yuuto spoke up.

"I don't have a choice!" Speedspike remarked in frustration. "I have to get stronger so I can stop Eon."

"Ben, listen to me, you shouldn't let your anger get the best of you." the blonde devil explained.

The transformed boy fell silent for a moment before tilting his head upwards to roar at the top of his lungs.

"Do you understand what I've went through?!" he said. "I can't let Eon get away with what he did."

"Listen, I can understand how you feel." Yuuto said sympathetically. "I wanted revenge for the deaths of my friends, and that anger that comes with it can overwhelm you. It'll be all that you can think about if you allow it."

Speedspike focused his attention to the devil as he spoke, listening to him as the Omnitrix began flashing red.

"It's not just revenge…" he muttered under his breath before reverting back to normal.

"Master, what did you just say?" Stella asked.

"It's not just revenge." Ben repeated while looking at his companion. "I admit I want to punch that bastard's face in for what he's done to me, but it's also because I don't want him to hurt you or the others again."

Stella blushed a little bit, touched by her lover's concern towards her safety.

"It's impossible for you to fight for both reasons." Ani said, startling everyone as she floated above them.

"Compassion and Rage just can't coexist."

"Where have you been?" Xenovia spoke up.

The Time Soldier grimaced in disgust.

"Had to deal with a certain dimension hopper who likes screwing up time lines for fun…" she grumbled. "Doesn't follow the rules, and I had to make sure that he doesn't mess with this place."

"Who are you talking about?" Ben asked.

"Nothing to worry about." Ani replied. "Just something personal."

"Hold on, you mentioned something about a dimension hopper." Stella pointed out.

Ani's eyes widened as she covered her mouth.

"Eep! I didn't mean to let that slip." she said.

"Spill it Ani! Tell us what you know about that." the Gal Monster pressed.

The Time Soldier began to panic.

"Aww, man!" she whined. "I really screwed up here!"

"Can you at least tell us if me and my friends can get back home?" Yuuto asked.

Ani bit her lip as she flew around in circles, uncertain of what to do. Eventually she stopped when coming to a decision. She turned her attention towards the devils and spoke.

"I won't say much, but you will." she relented with a sigh. With that, Ani darted off as fast as possible, not wanting to make any more mistakes.

---

Lying on a rubble covered bed in a ruined home, the Demon Breaker cycled through his Neotrix options, contemplating on what forms to use in his fight.

"Beowolf is too weak… Roller Tusker is too small… Moby Horn can't fight on land… They won't take me seriously with Lagomaul… Why did I add that form again?" he muttered before shaking his head. "Crocasaurus Rex is worth considering… Deathwing will just make it too easy for me. Definitely using Sledgebomber. Yakzilla could be worth it too. Shouldn't use the original Nemetrix forms as Bri will likely know how to deal with them."

As he cycled through his list, weighing the pros and cons of each form, he stopped upon the one that came after Grimwing.

"Giganticonda…" he said as a grin formed on his face. "Yeah… I can use this one for certain."

He deactivated the Neotrix before raising his other arm up, looking at the purple device.

"I can't solely rely on my usual tricks. I need to figure out something new to keep things interesting…"

The psycho's eyes widened as his purple device began to beep, bringing him out of thought.

"Wait…" he muttered before screaming at the top of his lungs.

"I AM NOT LETTING ANYTHING OR ANYONE STOP MY FUN! I WILL GO WHEREVER I PLEASE! THIS OMNIVERSE IS MY FUCKING PLAYGROUND, PARADOX!"

As he screamed, Paradox appeared with a sadness present on his face.

"So…You truly intend to pick this path." he said solemnly.

"Oh, you got that right." the psychotic Ben said as he lowered his voice into a venomous whisper. " I told you a thousand times, I am not the hero. As you know, it took me two years to get rid of Zs'skayr's voice from my head, and it took me killing my, no, Ben's son to do it. It's not fun when you have an Ectonurite corpse stuck inside you."

"I apologize for not helping you in time, Ben." the Time Walker said while lowering his head in guilt. "It is my fault for allowing you to suffer."

"Suffer? Oh, what I've went through was not suffering, you fucktard." Breaker clarified as his voice became more hostile. "It was fucking paradise for me. I should thank you for that!"

"I am aware… You were the one who started that pyrrhic war in your future, and gotten away with it." Paradox said begrudgingly. "You did it just because you were simply bored. I would have done everything I could to make sure your future never existed, but I must refrain due to your importance."

The brunet boy tilted his head back to laugh maniacally.

"Fuck yeah, I'm important!" he boasted. " You and Eon need me alive for whatever futures you want. Let me make a promise to you, Time Farter. I will personally make sure to take your head and shove it up your timeless ass."

Paradox kept silent, not allowing the psycho to provoke him.

"Yeah, I confess, I started that war back in my time for no real reason. It was just a whim. Nothing to gain from it besides entertainment." Breaker admitted proudly. "It's amazing just how easy it was to get it started. Just framing Nanael for killing off all the forest elves, as with one of that pigeon's best friends. The look on her face was so priceless when I whispered to her that I killed her buddy before I tore her throat open as Wildmutt."

"Sanguine just wants to make sure that Eternal Kingdom is revived and to avoid that war. I played along with his ambition because it got boring just being in an empty, dead world. I don't care if the kingdom is rebuilt or not. All I want is just to kill, torture, rape, and kill some more. Another war breaks out? I'll welcome it with open arms. Gives me an excuse to do what I love most."

"I was a fool to hope to bring you to some form of reasoning…" Paradox said in disappointment. "Ms. Jennifer was indeed right with her assessment of you being too...problematic to negotiate with."

"That reminds me, why the fucking hell is she here?!" Breaker demanded. "I know she should be fucking dead! I know I pierced that damn tart in her fucking heart. "

"You indeed deal a lethal blow, but she was saved by Ani." the time traveler responded.

"FUCKING HELL!" the psycho screamed in fury. "I should have killed that fucking brat back then!"

"I won't let you hurt her." Paradox warned him.

"I see…" the brunet muttered while seething. "Fine, I won't touch your precious 'daughter' then."

"So you do know restraint still." the Time Walker said in relief.

"Only when it involves preserving my existence in this time." Breaker growled. "I am beyond insane, but I'm not stupid."

Paradox looked the future Ben right in the ebony eyes.

"You are worse than even Eon…" he said. "As much as I am against his methods and goals, he is at least fighting for something. You are nothing more than a puppet-"

"I AM NOT HIS PUPPET!" the psycho snapped right away. "I'LL PROVE IT TO YOU, TIME WALKER!"

"I know, and you will fail." the Time Walker stated.

The Demon Breaker calmed down before he began to chuckle.

"Ben is going to learn about you very soon. You can't hide any longer. Are you going to risk having little Ben despise you for not helping him when he needed you the most? Far as I know, he'll hate you for that. Got to admit, Eon screwed you really good there."

Paradox grimaced upon hearing that as the older Ben cracked a twisted, toothy grin.

"I only helped you in the past only to save my own hide. When we learned about your existence, not all of us forgave you for leaving us to suffer. Sanguine hasn't done that yet. As for me, I'm actually grateful for everything. Thanks to you, you allowed me to not only exist, but also let me do whatever the fuck I wanted. You are my fucking hero for that!"

"I refuse to hear that from someone like you." the ageless scientist said.

"Alright." Breaker said smugly before closing his eyes. "No matter what you do, after all this, I'll have the power that'll allow me to kill you, the Celestialsapiens, and even gods like Diagon."

When he opened them again, he saw that he was once again alone.

"The Boosted Gear, Twilight Healing, my Neotrix, Hirudinea, the Ascalon of my reality, and the Queen's Gate. " he listed before callously stepping on the partially devoured corpse of the owner of the place, who served as his gory breakfast. "Everything I need is all together now that I think about it."

---

Issei yelped as he was tripped by Bri, falling to the ground after his Ascalon was blocked by a sword created from Yuuto's Sword Birth.

"No Issei, overhead swings are just asking for trouble if you don't have a shield." Ben said while shaking his head. " Salem drilled that into my head on the first day."

"Ben's right, even if your range is limited to your arm, attacking like that leaves you completely vulnerable." Yuuto added.

"Wow… didn't think that would actually be that easy." Bri admitted in amazement.

"Still, Bri, you haven't told us why you wanted to learn using a sword as well." the brunet devil pointed out as he got to his feet.

"Well, seeing how my younger self is using a sword, I figured it couldn't hurt to learn a thing or two myself. Need something to rely on if the Omnitrix is unusable again."

"But you were good when you were using that other Ascalon when you lost it." Issei stated.

"Don't remind me." the gender swapped Ben grumbled. "I think using it just came with holding that stupid sword. If I can help it, I'd much rather use a banjo than the Ascalon again."

"Been hearing a lot about this Ascalon sword. What's the deal with it?" Ben asked out of curiosity.

Bri took a moment to contemplate over explaining or not.

"It'll take too long to explain what it does exactly. I'll just say that just holding it will make you cuckoo crazy." she explained.

"Okay, good enough for me." the young boy said. "Anyway, mind telling me why Rias and Akeno showed up naked when we had breakfast?"

Bri laughed nervously upon hearing that.

"Well… you see…" she said, unsure of what to say.

"Look, It's not the first time I saw a girl naked. " Ben said calmly.

Everyone looked at the boy upon hearing that, most in shock while Issei had a look of respect on his face.

"Are you surprised of just about everything I say?" the younger Omnitrix user asked.

"I'll be honest and say I am." Bri admitted. "What have you been through?"

"You know the gist of it already. But let's just say, my time with Salem had some really awkward and crazy moments. Never thought I meet someone like Cattelya to maintain our gear. Her…boobs puts everyone's to shame."

Issei's eyes widened upon hearing that.

"HOW BIG ARE THEY?!" he demanded.

"Umm… so big that her son is dwarfed by them." Ben answered. "He's almost as old as me too."

The perverted devil's face paled upon hearing that, his brain short-circuiting from the overload of hearing someone who was larger than even Rias, Akeno, and even Bri.

"Ben… you shouldn't talk about stuff like that." Bri said with a sigh.

"Really? Everyone I've met has talked about that." Ben pointed out.

The older Omnitrix weilder sighed once again before smacking Issei in the back of his head, bringing him back to his senses.

" Issei, we need to focus." she said.

"Oh, right." the devil said with a nod.

Ben looked at Yuuto in confusion.

"What's with Issei? " the boy asked.

"Let's just say, he really enjoys women." Yuuto said with a nervous smile.

"Wonder if I'll wind up like him…" Ben wondered.

"I sincerely hope not." the blonde devil hoped.

---

Cerate roared as her fist connected with Koneko's, both putting a lot of strength into their respective fist. The devil was sent flying as the Gal Monster twisted around, using her tail to slam into her opponent's side. The silverette bounced across the ground several times before recovering.

"Damn… You're alot stronger than you look." Cerate said with a smirk while shaking her hand.

"You are too." Koneko admitted.

Cerate's smirk grew before clenching her fist and leaping up into the air. The devil watched warily before realizing that she was aiming for the ground. When the Gal Monster punched the ground, she looked over towards her as a concentrated shockwave, appearing like white light, darting towards her quickly, leaving a small fissure in its wake. The Devil didn't react in time as she was once again knocked off her feet.

The Gal Monster looked at her fist and started to jump in joy.

"IT WORKS!" she cried in joy.

"What was that?" Koneko asked as she got up.

"It was something I saw Master use once as Four Arms. He punched the ground and was able to send some thief in a group flying without hurting the others with whatever that glowing thing was." Cerate explained. "I tried to do it myself for the past month, but I finally figured it out!"

Koneko listened to the younger blonde before getting an idea.

"Can you teach me how to do it?" she asked.

"Hold on, let me see if I can do it again." the Gal Monster replied before repeating her motions, and successfully performed the attack once again. "Okay, I can teach you it."

Before they could begin, Airi appeared with an furious look on her face, causing the blonde to become deathly pale.

"Crap…" she squeaked before the redhead dragged her away.

---

Raynare remained silent as Gwen entered the fallen angel's room with Rias and Plum close behind her.

"Do you have a moment?" Gwen asked softly. "We need to ask you some things."

"Does she have to be here as well?" the fallen asked while narrowing her eyes at the older redhead.

"Regrettably, yes." Rias said with a frown.

"I'm here to make sure nothing happens." Gwen reassured the wary girl. "We need to ask what you know about what Eon is up to. Anything will help."

"I wasn't told much, but I was told that the bastard's preparing for something…" Raynare said distantly with a sigh. "I was asked to help with devising strategies against angels, but all he really wanted was the Twilight Healing. He appeared in that alternate world that Gremory is from so as to draw attention to bring her and her servants to this one. "

"I see… What about the Demon Breaker?" Rias asked.

The fallen froze immediately upon hearing that name.

"Rias, that's too harsh to ask her right now." Plum said with a frown.

"It's fine." Raynare stated as she relaxed slightly. "…He is working with Eon as some kind of general. He told me that I was expendable and they just wanted my sacred gear. Then….You know…" she trailed off, not wanting to recall what happened to her.

"Is there anything else you can tell us?" Gwen asked.

" Only that some grunt of Eon's can become just like me, like Bri can I presume…" the fallen stated before closing her eyes.

"Must be that Kayla we've heard about." Rias deduced.

"Is that all?" Raynare asked.

"One last thing." the vegetative Gal Monster spoke up. "How are you handling what happened to you so well?"

Raynare fell silent and closed her eyes after hearing that.

"I think that was a bit too far to ask as well." Gwen spoke up.

"I suppose so. My apologies, Raynare." Plum said apologetically.

"I…just accepted it after I realized there was no hope for me…" the fallen muttered. "I knew that Rias and her friends wouldn't do shit for me… plus I can presume that most of you were too shocked to move a finger."

The room was filled with tense silence as the black haired woman opened her eyes.

"I take it you're just going to kill me like you did with the other me once we're finished." Raynare said dryly while focusing her gaze upon Rias.

"No one is going to die here." Gwen spoke up firmly, causing the room to become silent once again for a moment.

"Raynare, I take it that was all you're able to share with us at this time, correct?" Plum asked.

The fallen angel simply nodded, prompting the Gal Monster to rise up to her feet.

"Very well. Rias, Gwen, I believe we should all take our leave." she said firmly.

"Very well." the devil acknowledged as she rose to her feet.

Plum and Rias left the room, leaving Gwen alone with Raynare.

"I'm serious about what I've said Raynare. You're safe here." the young redhead explained. "Just please trust us. If not, at least trust someone from my group."

The black haired fallen remained silent as the preteen left her room.

---

Ben collapsed to the ground, panting heavily as he was drenched in sweat. The boy was at his limit, his body refusing to move due to fatigue. It was around midday now with the sun right above him.

"You need to take a break, Ben." Bri pleaded, panting heavily herself. "you're definitely at your limits."

"Not now…" the younger brunet wheezed in annoyance.

"Yes, now." the older one countered with a frown. "Look, I get that you want to get stronger." she took a moment at Issei, who was doing pushups with Akeno and Rias sitting on his back. Before continuing, Airi interjected.

"If you keep going like this, you'll wind up dead." the wraith said firmly.

"You don't have to be so blunt about it." Bri muttered.

Airi closed her eyes and sighed.

"I know, but I'm worried about him…" she replied before turning her attention towards her lover. "Ben, listen to me, you're a human who's still growing up. Going like this isn't good for you."

Ben tilted his head over towards Airi as she spoke to him.

"I know… but I… just can't… stand being… so weak…" he said in between breaths.

In a flash of light, Ben was swapped with Shiftlash, the slime taking over against the boy's will.

"Sorry about this, Ben." he apologized before looking towards Bri. "I heard from Ben about you, Bri, but damn… You got lucky getting a body like that."

"I see it more as a curse…" the gender swapped Ben muttered before narrowing her eyes. "And who are you?"

The slime sat up as he raised his arms to show no hostility.

"Well, you can call me Shiftlash, as that's what Ben named me." the slime introduced himself. "Don't worry, I'm no Ghostfreak. Just took over so that Ben can rest for a few."

Bri relaxed slightly as she nodded her head.

"I heard about you. Surprising to think something like you is hiding in the Omnitrix." Bri said. "Then again, I've had my share of forms that act on their own."

"Then you have no need to be so jumpy then? Besides, I got something I need to ask you." the slime asked. "Ben told me about the self-destruct for the Omnitrix."

Everyone of the Occult Club within earshot stopped what they were doing and focused upon Shiftlash as the brunette tensed up.

"What are you getting at?" Bri asked firmly.

"Ben told me that when it was activated, it released energy, correct? I was wondering if perhaps that very energy could be harnessed for something besides exploding."

Bri's eyes widened upon hearing that.

"I…honestly don't know what to say." she admitted. "I never really thought about that."

"I strongly suggest you drop that train of thought." Ani said as she appeared from behind Bri.

"How do you do that?!" Shiftlash blurted out.

"It's called walking." The Time Soldier replied with a smile. "But seriously, that's too dangerous. In more than one way. No matter how handy Second Physicality is. "

"Second Physicality?" Bri questioned.

Ani's eyes widened as she realized that she had slipped up once again.

"Forget what I've just said!" she blurted in a panic. "I'll see you all in two days!" With that, the Time Soldier flew off as fast as possible, vanishing into the castle.

Shiftlash paused to think for a moment before getting an idea.

"Hey Bri, can I ask a bit about what you and your friends can do exactly?" he asked with a smirk. "I got a crazy idea."

---

~ Checkpoint ~

---

The three days came and went. Between Ben's tendency of overexertion, Issei and Cerate working together on perverted ideas, Airi and Koneko foiling them, and training, the two groups prepared for the upcoming fight. However, they weren't the only ones who spent their time preparing.

The sun was rising when a portal opened, the Demon Breaker stepping out with a blank face.

"Today's the day." he said firmly as Eon emerged from the portal.

"This will be quite an interesting spectacle, although I must watch from a good hiding place. We don't want your younger self getting distracted," the Chronian said.

The psychotic Ben rolled his eyes before a smaller portal opened before he placed his hand in, drawing the Hirudinea out of it.

"I'm serious here, Eon." he said in a no nonsense manner. "I'm not letting you or anyone else spoil my fun today."

Eon frowned as he heard this.

"So… All this is just for your entertainment after all…" he said in anger. "You're treading on thin ice with this."

"I am aware, of that. And I honestly don't give a rat's ass about it." Breaker retorted. "Get lost, I'm going to let them know I'm here."

The Chronian turned and left through the same portal he emerged from. Once gone, the psycho's face relaxed a bit as a smirk form on his face.

"Finally." He said snapping his fingers as a viewing sphere appeared above the castle with his face on it.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen! It's me, everyone's champion and hero, the Demon Breaker!" he announced with a smile. "I am currently within the castle grounds where the Deceiving Youth is located, as well as the demon lovers that he's housing within this place. As I hope many of you have heard, I'm holding an exhibition match for the Queen's Blade. It'll be four against one. I'm allowing this handicap so that I give them a fair chance. And after the match, I'm going to punish the devils and their supporters like I did with that fallen angel. Of course, all of you will get to enjoy the show as well."

---

Raynare's eyes widened in horror when she heard Breaker's announcement. She had spent most of the three days in her room, keeping to herself. Memories of what happened to her bubbled up into her mind before she bit her lip, trying to keep calm. She was startled when the door was pushed open, revealing Ben and Bri.

"Are you sure about this?" Bri asked.

"I am." Ben said. "And come on, you have to admit that idea of Shiftlash's is pretty cool."

Bri sighed and smiled.

"Got me there." she admitted.

Ben nodded and turned his attention towards the fallen angel.

"Raynare, sorry to bother you, but I need your help." he said firmly.

Raynare blinked in confusion.

"I want to prove to that Breaker that you aren't weak." the brunet youth explained. "For that, I'm asking if I can sample your DNA for the Omnitrix."

The fallen was confused by what he was asking.

"Why?" she asked.

"To prove that you're not a helpless victim." Ben answered. "You're strong, Raynare. You went through more crap than I have, and didn't give in. I like that about you."

Raynare blushed slightly as she was taken back by what she heard.

"That's why I'm asking for your help." the boy continued. "That bastard's here, and I'm going to make sure he pays for what he's done to you, as you. But only if you'll let me."

The fallen closed her eyes for a moment to think in silence.

"I'm going on ahead." Bri said as she turned to leave. "We need to keep him preoccupied until you join us, Ben."

"I'm coming with." Raynare blurted out, catching both Omnitrix users off guard. She opened her eyes, revealing them to be full of anger. "I'm scared, but I want him to suffer for… what he did."

She went over towards Ben and placed her hand ontop of the Omnitrix.

"Nothing'll be as satisfying if you're there in my form helping me as well." she said, giving a sadistic smile.

She was acting calm, but wasn't fearless either. She just gave a front to hide that fear. Despite how she felt, she wanted payback for the humiliation she had to endure a few days ago. A reason that was good enough to keep herself together and not give up on life.

Ben smiled as he saw his Omnitrix turn yellow, signaling he got the form, but the smile wasn't caused by that. It was the fallen angel's words. Underlying what she said, she acknowledged that she trusted him enough.

"Let's go then." Ben said while gently removing Raynare's hand from the alien device before walking off.

Raynare followed, glancing towards Bri briefly before leaving the room.

"Don't slow us down." the fallen said to the brunette as she walked off.

Bri couldn't help but smile at that remark.

"Can't believe I'm saying this, but you don't need to worry about me, Raynare." She said casually.

---

The Demon Breaker stood as he saw the two groups emerge from the castle, all giving some form of look towards him. Most were of discontent, a few of anger, and one of uneasiness. The psycho gauged each look as he sunk the Hirudinea into the ground and crossed his arms just as he saw Ben and Bri emerge. However, his eyes widened upon seeing the fallen angel he had defiled but said nothing about it.

"So, who wants to take me on?" he asked the group. "I'll be willing to fight up to four of you at once, but don't try any cheap tactics, we have an audience watching."

"He's right, there's a globe up above us." Nanael confirmed while seeing the group shown in it.

"It doesn't matter to me. I just want to make him pay." Raynare said while stepping forward.

"I want to kick his ass as well." Ben said as he followed suit while drawing his sword.

"You're willing to fight your future self?" Breaker asked. "I'm stronger than you."

"Shut the fuck up." the young boy snapped. "I don't give a fuck who you are."

"As for me, I can't stand by and let some monster run around, claiming to be some kind of hero." Bri said as she stepped forward. "Especially if it's a version of me who enjoys killing for fun."

"And I can't let you take the President's virginity!" Issei declared shamelessly while stepping forward. He narrowed his eyes while calling his Sacred Gear.

Seeing this, the Demon Breaker looked slightly nervous but steeled his resolve before holding out a hand as a portal appeared beside him.

"Very well, since I want us to go all out, We're taking this fight to another location." Breaker said before smiling sadistically "Time for your homecoming, Ben. Follow me, everyone!"

With that, The psycho turned and leaped into the portal after grabbing his weapon.

"Come back here!" Issei screamed as he charged after the psycho.

"Hold on Issei!" Bri cried out, only for her words to fall on deaf ears as the devil went through the portal.

"Dammit!"

With that, the gender swapped Ben followed her friend.

"Go on ahead Raynare." Ben said. "I'll be right behind you."

The fallen angel simply nodded before extending her wings, causing black feathers to float around her as she looked at Ben briefly. The brunet felt his heart skip a beat momentarily, finding the older woman beautiful before she took flight, darting into the portal without a word.

"Ben, are you sure about this?" Rias asked. "I feel I should go instead of you."

"No. If Breaker is really me, then I have to stop him." Ben said firmly while throwing his sword up into the air. "I refuse to become him. No matter what."

He activated the Omnitrix and slammed down on it without looking. In his place as the emerald light vanished stood Shiftlash who caught the sword before smirking.

"Time to go." the transformed Ben said before running towards the portal. Before entering, the slime looked over his shoulder towards his lovers and gave them a smirk. "Don't worry, I don't plan to be gone for another month. I love you girls too much to do that again."

Airi and the two blonde Gal Monsters blushed upon hearing that.

"Kick his ass!" Cerate cheered with a raised fist.

"Be careful, Master." Stella said.

Airi looked the slime and nodded with a smile.

"We'll be waiting for you to return, Ben. " she said confidently.

With that, Ben gave a quick wave and leaped into the portal just before it closed.

---

Shiftlash emerged from the portal in free fall down towards what looked like a city that was reduced completely to rubble, startling him for a moment. He adjusted his body as his feet morphed into springs. As he plummeted, he was struck a blast of chromatic beam of energy from below. He looked down to see a purple figure who looked like he was out of stone at the ground. Shiftlash retaliated by holding his hands out and fired acid filled projectiles towards the figure in rapid fire succession.

The Demon Breaker, who was Chromastone, leaped to the side, avoiding the slime's counter attack as he switched into Big Chill. The Necrofriggian unraveled his wings and took to the sky, becoming intangible to avoid another barrage from Shiftlash as he flew towards him.

Shiftlash was caught off guard as the moth like hominid phased through his chest, causing the slime to freeze rapidly into a large chunk of ice. The transformed Breaker watched as the ice glow green before shattering, revealing Rath as he roared at him.

"LET ME TELL YA SOMETHING, DEMON BREAKER WHO IS CURRENTLY SOME KIND OF BLUE MOTH MAN ALIEN! RATH IS GOING TO MAKE YOU PAY FOR FREEZING RATH AND USING GRAVITY AS A SNEAK ATTACK. RATH IS GOING TO STUFF YOU INTO THE GROUND AND WATER YOU LIKE A FLOWER BEFORE-"

The Apopplexian's rant was cut short by him crashing into the asphalt of a street, creating a Rath-shaped hole within it.

"How is it that Rath always make a hole like that?" Big Chill asked out of curiosity.

The tiger like alien climbed out of the hole.

"Let me tell you something, Second Rath-sized Hole Rath has met. Rath will deal with you later." he groaned before shaking his head vigorously. "AS FOR YOU, RATH WILL DESTROY YOU WITH- Uhh, where's Rath's sword?"

The Necrofriggian only groaned in annoyance at Rath before reeling back to avoid a spear of light flying his way.

"Dammit…" Raynare cursed as she formed another spear as the alien flew down towards her. In a flash of light, Big Chill was replaced with Sledgebomber.

Breaker roared before leaping back to lick his forearms, coating the gauntlets with the green slime. The Fallen Angel took flight as fast as she could as the Brachydios lunged with an arm raised, intending to punch her.

"DON'T IGNORE RATH!" the transformed Ben roared as he leaped up, landing on the ebony monster's back, forcing him to land away from his target.

Sledgebomber began to flail around, desperately trying to buck the alien off as he began reaching at the back. The monster then screeched in pain as the alien managed to pierce its tough hide with his spike. In a flash of light, Sledgebomber was replaced with Dinostrike as Rath fell to the ground face first.

"Rath hates kissing the ground…" the Apoplexian groaned weakly.

Dinostrike prepared to kick the downed alien, only to stop and dived to the side to avoid Issei's punch.

"Dammit!" the devil cursed as he caused the street to crack from the force of the blow.

"That's it, keep it up!" Dinostrike encouraged as an ecstatic grin formed on his face. "Come at me with everything you've got!"

Rath rose to his feet and growled.

"LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING DEMON BREAKER WHO IS DINOSTRIKE! RATH WILL SHOW YOU EVERYTHING RATH HAS GOT! AND THEN SOME!" he screamed as he charged forward.

Dinostrike smirked before changing into Rath himself.

"LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING RATH WHO ISN'T THE SAME RATH AS RATH! RATH IS GOING TO TOP THAT AND THEN SOME! YOU WILL ALWAYS BE WEAKER THAN RATH!"

"MAKE ROOM FOR RATH, OTHER RATHS!" a female voice screamed startling both Apoplexians.

Raynare couldn't help but groan when a female Rath showed up.

---

Airi and Rias couldn't help but shake their heads at the sight they were witnessing. The fight was being shown in the sphere for all, allowing those who remained behind to watch. Having experience with what happens when more than one Rath are in the same room, an argument that made no sense was an absolute certainty. This was proven whenever Ben and Bri both turned into their respective Apoplexian form. Throw in the third one, and the idiocy is obviously going to only magnify. A Rath Off was going to commence.

However, the two redheads narrowed their eyes when they heard the sounds of howls coming from a ways away.

"Wolves?" Rias asked

"It does, but sounds more menacing…" Airi replied.

"Those are my Beowolves." Eon said as he appeared behind everyone, causing everyone to turn and immediately tensed up.

The Chronian smirked as he looked at everyone.

"It's a pleasure to meet everyone again." he said in a humble manner. "Considering that your friends are preoccupied with Breaker, I figured I could provide some entertainment for you myself. You have two options. Stay and fight me, or go to that nearby town and prevent my Grimm and other monsters from killing the locals."

Ruby's face paled upon hearing that.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked.

"To make sure Breaker is in line." the Chronian responded bluntly. "I have no intention of interfering with his fight, but I need to regain control in some manner."

"You wretched bastard…" Airi cursed.

"I'll tell you the locations of Hikage and Blake Belladonna if you play along." Eon offered with a smirk. "They're the reason why two of you are here in the first place, to find their missing friends."

Homura and Ruby both had their eyes widen upon hearing that.

"WHERE IS SHE?!" they demanded in unison.

The time traveler only cocked his head back and laughed.

"Kill all the Grimm, and we'll talk." he said, "I promise."

"How do we make sure you're going to keep your word?" Airi asked skeptically while narrowing her eyes.

The Chronian sighed and pulled out a purple device.

"Fine…I'll have Zs'skayr open a portal to the world that Bri and the Devils came from as well." he said in annoyance.

"I won't let that happen." Paradox said as he appeared with a frown. "You'll just send them to Raynare's world without a way to escape."

"Time Walker…" Eon said venomously

"Let's not forget that you'd send Bri straight into a black hole." Ani said from above.

"DAMN IT!" the alien screamed in anger. "YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE PARADOX!"

"The Demon Breaker has managed to force me to appear." the Time Walker explained before turning his attention towards the others. "My apologies about all this, but please allow me to introduce myself to those unfamiliar with me. I am Professor Paradox, the Time Walker."

Eon growled before a portal appeared behind him.

"You're going to rue this day, Paradox. You and your wretched pets!" he vowed before stepping backwards, going into the portal.

"Allow me to correct you on that, Eon. Ani and her sisters are not my pets. They are more like daughters to me." Paradox clarified just before the Chronian vanished completely. He then turned his attention towards the others. "Time is off the essence, Eon was unfortunately not lying about those Beowolves."

"Damn it!" Cerate cursed before she turned around to look at Airi. "What should we do?"

Airi looked at the sphere briefly before smiling.

"We'd do what Ben would do." she said confidently. " Ms. Gremory, would you and your peerage be willing to lend us your support?"

The redheaded Devil smiled.

"Very well." she said. "Issei and Bri are giving their all, and it's only fair that we do the same."

"Thank you." the wraith said gratefully before turning around. "Stella, Ruby. Can you both go on ahead and hold the enemy off?"

"You don't need to ask." Stella answered while swaying her tail slightly.

"Same here." Ruby added while drawing Crescent Rose.

"Yuuto, Xenovia, I'd like you both to go support them as well." Rias ordered to her two Knights, who both nodded in acknowledgement.

With that the four took off immediately as the others quickly organized.

---

"RATH CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT!" the female Rath screamed to the white one.

"NO RATH CAN DEFEAT RATH! EVEN IF THEY'RE EMPOWERED BY CHIHUAHUAS!" he retorted.

"DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE CHIHUAHUA!" the orange male Rath protested.

Issei and Raynare just stood by, both stupefied by what they were seeing.

"They've been at this for almost ten minutes…" the fallen angel said. "None of what they're saying makes any sense either."

"It's kind of entertaining though, I have to admit." Issei admitted before raising his left arm. "Still, I couldn't ask for a better distraction."

"Agreed." Raynare said before she held up Ben's sword and grimaced in disgust upon realizing something. "Still, I can't believe we're talking like this right now, let alone what is going on."

"Tell me about it." Issei said with a frown. "You're the last person I expected to fight along side."

"Don't get in my way, Issei." the fallen warned.

"Same to you." the devil replied before clenching his left hand into a fist.

"EXPLOSION!" the sacred gear announced before Issei charged forward.

The Female Rath smirked before she roared at the white one to distract him.

The white Rath failed to notice Issei swinging his fist into his gut. The Apopolexian lurched forward before being sent flying from the force.

"SIRIUS BUTTKICKING!" the third Rath screamed as he kicked his white counterpart, forcing him to fly in another direction, crashing through the remains of a wall, kicking up a cloud of dust. The youngest Apopolexian turned to Raynare and spoke, "DO IT NOW!"

The fallen summoned two spears of light and threw them as hard as she could towards where the white Rath was. The two orange Raths turned back to their human forms as they looked at the dust cloud.

"Now that I've got a moment to actually look around, this place kinda looks familiar." Ben muttered.

"You're right…" Bri admitted. "Seems a lot like Bellwood… only destroyed."

"That's because it is Bellwood, at least, it was until I came here." The Demon Breaker said proudly. "One of my favorite massacres too if you ask me."

Both Ben and Bri were taken back to see the Demon Breaker walk out of the dust in his human form. His left arm had a gaping hole in it due to the magenta light spear sticking out of it. Issei and Raynare both glared at the psycho as he began laughing.

"Oh man, I am REALLY having fun here." he said with a maniacal smile. "It's great that at least one of you is coming with the intent to kill me… No, make that two of you. "

Ben remained silent before he saw something within the Demon Breaker's possession.

"Looking for this?" the psycho asked before tossing the sword towards his younger self, who leapt back to avoid the sword as it landed dangerously close to where he was standing.

The Demon Breaker waited for the spear to vanish before being transforming into Swampfire. He took a moment to allow his arm to recover before smirking as he reverted back to normal.

"So, who's up for a little swordplay?" he asked as a portal appeared as the Hirudinea fell out of it. He caught it expertly and moved into a stance as he glanced at the four.

"Don't fuck with me!" Raynare snapped while summoning another spear. However, she stopped when she saw Ben step forward with his sword.

"Let us have a go first Raynare." he said darkly.

The fallen scoffed but relented as she dismissed the spear. Issei stepped forward as well as his left hand morphed into the Ascalon.

"Let's go." the devil said with a smirk.

The Demon Breaker charged forward, screaming as he did an underhand swing towards Ben. The brunet rolled to the side as Issei lunged his sword forward, forcing the psycho to twist to the side to evade.

"Shit!" The ebony eyed teen cursed when he used his sword to parry Ben's. He knew to expect some form of pressure, but he didn't expect the pair to work in tandem like they are. However, he prepared for such a possibility.

Kicking Issei in the chest and pushing Ben's blade to the side, the Demon Breaker opened up several portals around the three of them.

"Catch me if you can." he taunted the pair before leaping into one of them.

Issei gritted his teeth in annoyance before leaping into the same portal his opponent went into, only to fall out of an other and landing face first into the ground.

"Okay, so don't jump into those things…" Ben deduced humorlessly.

"I don't know who's the bigger idiot, Issei or Rath." Raynare said dryly.

"Kind of a toss up for me." Breaker responded casually as he emerged from a portal, stabbing Issei in his left shoulder faster than the devil could react. Seeing an opening, Ben swung his sword, managing to slice into his future self's left arm.

"GAHH!" the psycho yelled in pain as he was forced to let go of the scarlet blade. In a flash of light, he was replaced with Cross Wing. Ben flinched but swung again.

"No more fooling around." the blue haired fallen said firmly. "Ben, you're lucky that I have to keep you alive for my sake. But now it's time to kill the others."

"Tell me which Bellwood this is!" Ben demanded. "Is it Bri's, or is it mine?!"

Cross Wing only smirked as he held out his hand, reclaiming the Hirudinea through his telekinesis.

"What'll you do if this was yours?" he asked.

Ben fell silent as he saw his Omnitrix was ready for use. He let go of his sword and activated his device.

"Ben, what are you planning on doing?" Bri asked.

"Fighting fire with fire." Ben said with animosity before being engulfed in a flash of light.

The boy closed his eyes as his hair began to change color, becoming a light blue as a pair of asymmetrical white wings emerged from his body as it was engulfed in green light. The light disappeared, revealing the clothes to have changed into a black tank top and matching pants. He opened his eyes, which were light green before stretching his wings, shedding a couple of white feathers to reveal black ones at the lower half of his mismatched wings.

The emerald green light died down, revealing the younger Cross Wing standing in a rain of white feathers as he stared towards his older self.

The Demon Breaker tilted his head back and began to laugh.

"This is just perfect! You're essentially me now!" he said happily.

The angel remained silent before picking up his sword and pointed it at Breaker.

"Raynare, tend with Issei's wound and then help me." he said firmly. "Bri, I'm going to try Shiftlash's idea. I got a feeling we're going to need it pretty soon."

"Alright," Bri acknowledged before turning towards her friend. "Issei, could you start charging?"

"I'll try." the devil said while wincing in pain as his left arm returned to its previous form.

Raynare looked at the transformed Ben with a look of disbelief and anger, but the fallen saw him looking back at her with a pleading look. Scoffing, she turned to Iseei and held out her hand over where he was injured before it radiated in a green light.

"Don't get the wrong idea, I'm only doing this because you're more useful to me uninjured." she told the devil bitterly.

The older Cross Wing took flight as his younger self followed suit. Once high enough, the psycho only smirked before turning back to his human form, forming a portal. He stuck his right hand and sword into it while changing into Rath again.

"LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, CROSS WING WHO IS ACTUALLY YOUNGER VERSION OF RATH! RATH IS GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS BEFORE MOUNTING IT OVER A FIREPLACE, WITH YOU STILL ATTACHED TO IT!" he screamed as he pulled out his weapon. "AND RATH WILL DO IT WITH TH- this wasn't what Rath was wanting to use."

Cross Wing expected it to be some kind of deadly weapon that suited the Apopolexian. A hammer that could destroy entire islands. A sword that could cut through the heavens. A bow and arrow capable of splitting the moon in one shot. What he had left everyone at a loss of words. It was a weapon that nobody had expected. One that nobody had prepared for either. The awe inducing weapon the white Rath was now holding is…a steel kitchen sink, complete with faucet.

Before the angel could react, the Apopolexian landed into one of the portals he created earlier and leaping out and striking his younger self in the back of his head with the sink with enough force to make a large dent in it.

"COSMIC CLOGGING!" The white Rath declared as Cross Wing was sent plummeting into the ground with enough force to crack the pavement, breaking one of his wings in the process.

"Shit!" Issei cursed as the Apopolexian landed in a crouch and throwing the sink towards him and Raynare. However, the sink was stopped by a barrier that appeared immediately after a quick flash of light.

"I don't think so," Shield Maiden said while staring down the psychotic Ben.

Rath growled before turning into Sledgebomber once again. The Brachydios roared as he charged forward and began pounding away at the barrier with his pounders, trying to get to the devil and fallen angel.

Cross Wing groaned as he staggered to his feet, with sword in hand. He winced in pain when he tried moving his injured wing. The young angel saw the obsidian beast and folded his wings against his back, ignoring the pain the best he could. Inhaling sharply, he charged as fast as he could as his sword began to emanate an ethereal blue light. Once he got close to the mace like part of the tail, he leaped while doing an upward swing

"Wyvern Winger!" he cried as the light was turned into a crescent of energy that sliced through the tail with some resistance before severing the mace part. The pain forced the beast to roar in agony while ceasing his assault.

Sledgebomber turned around and growled in anger before it tried to punch the injured angel, only to turn his attention towards to see Shield Maiden replaced with a new form. Standing in the alien's place was Airi with emerald green eyes, wearing a green French maid outfit with the Omnitrix located where her cleavage would've been. The Brachydios was dumbfounded by Bri as she smirked.

"Surprised that I got Airi's form?" she asked in a taunted manner.

The transformed Demon Breaker growled before turning around upon hearing chuckling behind him.

"Even as Grey Matter, it wasn't easy to make our Omnitrix's synch up briefly." Cross Wing said with a smirk. "But it is worth it, since we both got something out of it."

In a flash of light, Cross Wing was replaced with a form that caused the Demon Breaker to roar in rage before turning back to his human form. His appearance was hidden by an opaque sphere that materialized around him, Issei, and Raynare.

"No… No, no, no! I refuse to accept this!" he screamed furiously. "You were never supposed to get that form! Only that bitch can have Shield Maiden!"

The new alien chuckled from inside the sphere.

"Sorry, but the name's not Shield Maiden!" the transformed Ben announced. "It's Monkade!"

---

Stella roared loudly , shedding her weighted bone jacket to take the lead, followed by Yuuto, Ruby, and Xenovia. The Gal Monster noticed that true to Eon's words, a large group of Beowolves were charging towards a nearby town with primal determination. Sword drawn, she charged forward as fast as possible before leaping into the air and roared once more, making sure to get the attention of as many of the Grimm as possible. She then spun in the air, slamming her tail spikes into the head of a Beowolf closest to her while bisecting the head of another.

"Sword Birth!" Yuuto declared as a row of countless swords appeared and impaled the ground, acting as a fence to keep the beasts from entering the town, the blades managing to catch a couple of Grimm that were too close as well. Smirking, the blonde devil summoned a sword and charged into the large group, slicing through Beowolves with fluid ease.

Ruby held Crescent Rose back and fired off several shots, using the force of each recoil to move even faster. She twisted her weapon and then fired another shot, this time using the recoil to spin rapidly, leaving a shower of gore and corpses in her wake.

"Yuuto, a sword!" Xenovia called out while stopping. Due to the close proximity of the town, and not wanting to risk hurting possible bystanders with her holy sword, she had to ask her fellow Knight to supply with a substitute. Yuuto nodded and had a large sword stab into the ground nearby the blue haired devil. Grabbing it, she pulled it out of the earth and swung, slicing through a pouncing Beowolf in the chest.

Stella charged forward as she mowed through many of the wolf like monsters. She ran towards one that was larger than the others and drove her sword into its head.

"Man, these things are weak!" The Gal Monster remarked.

"They are the weakest of the Grimm." Ruby pointed after using her weapon to stop. "We're lucky there's not any others."

At that moment, the young huntress noticed what looked like blue velociraptors with yellow beak like snouts, lined with pointed teeth. White ran across from the entire lower jaw and underside while black tiger like stripes ran down their backs and tails while looking on with brilliant yellow eyes. Protruding from the top of their heads were a small crest that curved outwards away from the snout, ending with a point. The shape resembled the dorsal fin of a shark somewhat. Long talons on its spindly fingers were of the same ebony color as the claws on their feet, adding to the predatory image they had.

"What the hell are those things?" Stella asked.

"I don't know, they're not Grimm!" Ruby responded in a panic.

The raptor like monsters leaped up, intending to pounce on them. However, they then began to fly upwards, as if they were plummeting towards the sky.

"Those were Velociprey." Ani said as she floated above the pair. "While not packing a lot of power, they're very dangerous since they're clever and work as a team. They like to jump a lot as well."

As she spoke, various Beowolves began to approach the group, only for them to meet a similar fate as the Velociprey, revealing that it was a ring that protected them.

"Thanks for the help." Ruby said with a smile.

"It's no problem." the Time Soldier responded. "The others are on the way."

"Okay, that's good to hear." Stella said with a smirk. "Any other monsters we should be aware of?"

"Umm… there's a nastier monster en route to here." Ani said nervously.

"What kind of monster?" Yuuto asked as he and Xenovia joined the others after dispatching the last remaining Grimm within the ring of reversed gravity.

"It's a Rajang…" the Time Soldier answered. "Big, horned monkey that's always angry, and can go Super Say-err, I mean Super Dragon. "

"I don't get what you mean, but that doesn't sound good." Stella remarked.

"Agreed." Yuuto said with a frown. "From that one anime Issei told me about, Super Dragon isn't something to be taken lightly."

"If you can imagine it, it exists somewhere." Ani replied. "That includes fictional stuff."

"At least it can't do something like shoot lighting of something like that, right?" Ruby asked.

"Seriously…you just had to ask that." the Time Soldier groaned. "Rajang can do that, and it will hurt. A lot. And you just had to tempt fate like that. We're going to get our butts kicked now."

"Ruby!" Stella groaned.

"Sorry!" the young huntress apologized.

"Too late to worry about that now." the Gal Monster said before she looked towards the monsters that were surrounding her and the others outside of the ring. "We need to hold these guys back until the others show up. Everyone ready?"

"Xenovia and I are." Yuuto said as the two devils poised themselves.

"Same here." Ruby said as she pulled back the bolt of her weapon, loading up a round into the chamber. "We'll go on Ani's mark. Ready…"

All but Ani got ready to move. The Time Soldier floated up as she raised a hand up.

"GO!" she shouted, dispelling the ring of reversed gravity as the other four charged forward into the mass of monsters once again.

Ani frowned but shook her head vigorously to steel her resolve before having her twin tails wrap around her arms, becoming a pair of gauntlets as she flew down to join the fray. She would've avoided all of this entirely, but her unintentional mistakes and the current turn of events forced her to act directly.

"Sorry Master, but I can't stand by any longer. I will keep my word about not changing the timeline drastically, but this is my home after all." she said apologetically as she closed in on the nearest monster.

She slammed her fist into the face of a Beowolf, knocking it backwards before unleashing a series of straight hooks on it repeatedly. With one final punch, she sent it flying into others behind it, knocking them all down. The petite girl twisted and followed with an uppercut into the lower jaw of a Velociprey that attempted to approach from behind her. The force sent the dinosaur like beast flying up into the air as the Time Soldier moved forward.

---

Jennifer stood on the roof of a building, silently watching the five engage the horde of monsters through her black mask.

"What do you think of the odds of your brother succeeding?" Paradox asked as he appeared right beside her.

"Seeing how panicked he is, he's going to become more rash." she responded calmly. "In our timeline, Ben would've been here with Breaker as well. Breaker would've still lost the fight, but not before succeeding in having Ben losing one of his friends. That's a key event to change for the divergence you're after."

The Time Walker nodded while looking over where Ani was.

"Indeed. Though I wonder what'll happen as Ani has gotten involved more than necessary." he said in agreement. "On to another subject, may I ask why you're wearing that mask?"

The robed girl looked towards him while raising a hand up to brush against the mask.

"I'm simply a phantasm." she responded. "Besides, I do not want any to see my face. Not even to you."

Paradox nodded in understanding as he kept his eyes on Ani.

"May I ask for a favor then?" he asked.

---

"Got it from here Bri?" Monkade asked from within the opaque green sphere.

" Yeah, and it's Grim Maiden." the transformed Bri said before holding out her hand to the side. The wraith closed her eyes as two green will o wisps materialized around her as a scythe looking exactly like Airi's erupted from one of them. She grasped the weapon and shouldered it as she smirked. She started walking towards the Demon Breaker as he took a step back with each one she took.

"This isn't supposed to happen!" he said in anger. "You're from another dimension! You're not supposed to be able to get Airi's form!"

"My Omnitrix is different from Ben's." Grim Maiden explained while the remaining will o wisp split into two as they began dancing around her. "Anyway, I got something to tell you. It's about what you asked me before."

Breaker narrowed his eyes as his face became devoid of all emotion.

"Really now?" he asked.

"For about us being the same, you're far from right with that." the wraith began as she locked eyes with the psycho. "I won't deny that I had seriously considered killing Kevin, but that was because I thought I had no other choice. Sometimes, being a hero means you need to make painful decisions like that. However, I will never turn to that if there's another option available."

The Demon Breaker clenched his fists as he began to tremble.

"You…You dare spout that kind of bullshit…" he said in a strained voice, trying to keep his rising rage at bay. "Do you know who I am?!" However, he was startled by a spear of light flying right past his face.

"All I see is a pathetic excuse of a human that needs to be put down." Raynare replied coldly as she walked over towards Grim Maiden.

The Demon Breaker turned his attention towards the fallen angel and noticed a human Ben and Issei following close behind her. Ben stepped right beside Raynare and glared at his future self.

"Listen closely, you fucker. I'm only going to ask this once." he said. "Why are you doing all this? You're not acting like this is fun at all."

"Fine, I'll spill." Breaker relented. "It's so that my future is secured. The future where you become me."

Ben remained silent before gripping his sword.

"Raynare." he spoke up as he got ready to strike. "Make sure he doesn't get into those portals again for as long as you can."

"Fine, but you're going to owe me for this." the fallen retorted as she extended her wings and took to the air.

"Ben, are you sure about this?" Issei asked.

Ben nodded as he held up his Omnitrix towards the devil.

"Do it." Ben said with no hesitation.

The brunet teen nodded before holding his left hand over the alien device.

"BOOST!" the Boosted Gear announced as the core flashed briefly.

"At my max now." Issei said. "Boosted Gear Gift!"

"TRANSFER!"

Ben closed his eyes as the devil transferred his power into the Omnitrix. The core rose and began to glow a brilliant green as electrical sparks of the same color started to come from it.

"Okay Shiftlash, let's do this!" Ben said before slamming down on the raised core without opening his eyes. He began to scream as the green electricity surged around his body as blood started to dribble down from a nostril.

The Demon Breaker was shocked by what he was seeing.

"Are you crazy?!" he screamed at his younger self, only for Raynare and Grim Maiden to charge forward, both of them punching the psycho in the face at the same time.

The future Ben recovered and fell into a portal that opened beneath him. He then emerged from another with the Hirudinea in hand as the other portals closed. A black eye was also present on his face now.

"I AM NOT LETTING YOU DO THAT!" he screamed as he charged towards Ben, ignoring the others.

However his advance was slowed when Raynare threw a spear into his left leg, forcing him to a limp. As the psycho kept going, Grim Maiden ran forward and slammed the bottom of the shaft against his chin, knocking him to the ground. The Demon Breaker screamed and transformed into Cross Wing and engaged the two in a fight.

As the pair kept the transformed psycho at bay, Ben took a deep breath and then spat a little blood as he started to walk towards the fray as electricity sparked around him. He then ran as fast as possible, closing the distance at a speed that surpassed that of a normal sprinter. He felt his entire body scream in constant pain, but at the same time felt stronger at the same time.

"Wyvern Winger!" he declared as he swung his sword upwards like before, creating a crescent projectile towards Cross Wing.

The fallen twisted and held the sword in front of him as the pommel began to glow. As the projectile collided with the scarlet blade, it became a dark scarlet before being drawn into the blade.

"Forgot that sword Salem gave you was enchanted." Cross Wing muttered in anger before smirking. "Still, thanks for the assist!" With that, he twisted around and managed to cut both of his female foes in the chest in one swift movement, drawing blood while forcing them away from him.

"Bri!" Issei cried out as he charged forward, his left arm raised to punch the fallen angel.

Cross Wing smirked as he let go of the Hirudinea, allowing it to fly straight into the brunet's lower abdomen.

"You know, your gut makes a really good pin cushion." he mocked while pulling the sword of the devil with his telekinesis. "It's perfect that an idiot like you would be so vulnerab-"

The blue haired fallen then screamed in pain as Grim Maiden sliced his larger wing off as Raynare impaled him in the same area Issei was struck with a light spear.

"You're the idiot. Did you forget that I have Twilight Healing?" Raynare asked from behind the angel.

In a flash of light, Cross Wing turned back to the Demon Breaker as he coughed up blood.

"D-Damn you…" he cursed as he staggered away from the fallen angel. Before he could say another word, he locked eyes with Ben, who now stood right in front of him.

The electricity began to vanish as the boy's green eyes began to transition into a vibrant silver. The brown hair was gradually turning silver as well while growing slightly longer. Tilting his head up to his future self, Ben looked at him straight in the eye. Without saying another word, he punched his future self through the wound Raynare made, causing the psycho to scream in further pain as he attempted to punch back in retaliation, hitting the boy in the face repeatedly. After several hits, the young boy sighed, unfazed by the punches.

"Seriously? I've felt punches stronger than that." he said before withdrawing his now bloodied hand.

"You little fucker…" the Demon Breaker cursed through his gnashing teeth. In a flash of light, he turned into Shiftlash. "I'm going to eradicate your friends and break you!"

Slamming a hand against the Neotrix, he triggered the Ultimate transformation. When the light died down, what looked like a malnourished, demonic version of the slime took its place with his fingers tipped with white claws. The Hirudinea was a part of his body, the blade at the tip of a thin tail. Twisting around, the evolved slime attempted to slice Ben in the face only to be blocked by Grim Maiden's scythe.

"Dammit…" Ultimate Shiftlash cursed before leaping high into the air. "This form was to only counter Second Physicality!"

"So that's what this is called?" Ben asked, revealing to be slightly lower than the slime's current height. He then grasped the slime by an ankle and pulled down, forcing his foe to plummet to the ground with enough force to cause the pavement to crack slightly.

The evolved slime rose to his feet and opened his mouth, spraying a jet of milky white acid towards him. The boy's eyes widened, realizing he couldn't avoid the attack. Before the acid made its mark, Raynare flew up and tackled him before screaming in pain. The pair plummeted and crash landed as Ultimate Shiftlash let out a guttural screech of anger.

Ben slowly opened his eyes and rose to his feet, realizing that his body was starting to move slower than before as the constant pain only intensified. He looked down at Raynare, who had one of her wings burnt by the acid in addition to an ankle.

"Raynare." the boy said as the fallen opened her eyes.

"You promised you'd help me make that fucker pay, boy." she said firmly. "I won't let you die until you do."

Ben chuckled before vomiting a large amount of blood. He staggered as he fought through a sudden spell of dizziness to stand up.

"Why are you doing this?!" the evolved slime screamed to his younger self. "You can't handle that energy running through you! It's killing you."

Ben only gave a smirk before the transformed psycho was struck repeatedly by two will o wisps.

"Because, I refuse to play the victim again, and to protect my family." the boy responded firmly. "Especially from the future you're from."

Ultimate Shiftlash froze in place in complete horror upon hearing that.

"No…" he said in disbelief. "You can't mean that, Ben. I am you!"

Ben shook his head as Grim Maiden appeared right next to him.

"I was told that the future could be changed." the boy continued after vomiting some more blood.

Ultimate Shiftlash immediately reverted all the way back to his human form.

"You fucking brat!" Breaker screamed. "I am the only guaranteed future for you!"

"I'd rather die than to become you." Ben retorted with animosity. "Now do me a favor and die already."

Before the Psychotic Ben realized what his younger self meant, he was engulfed in a large blast of energy from Issei.

"Gotcha." the devil said with a smirk before slumping to his knees.

"Issei!" the transformed Bri called out in worriment.

"I'm fine." the brunet responded. "Man, doing that much charging really took a lot out of me."

The wraith nodded before turning to Ben.

"Think we're done yet?" she asked the boy.

"We're not done just yet." Breaker's voice said coldly as the psycho emerged from a portal. He staggered out of it, his eyes glowing a vibrant purple. "I got to congratulate you four. You've really pissed me off now, and that really is quite an accomplishment."

After he spoke, he held up the Hirudinea, revealing that the pommel was cracked and sparking.

"That blast was too much for my sword to absorb." he said before tossing it to the side like garbage. "I knew it was smart to not rely on that piece of junk."

Ben stepped forward, only to collapse as his legs gave out beneath him.

"Ben!" Grim Maiden cried out as she looked towards him.

"DAMN IT!" Breaker cursed loudly. "Take him to Raynare and have her heal him, IMMEDIATELY!"

The wraith looked at the psycho in disbelief.

"His body is at its limit." he explained. "I hate to stop the fight, but I refuse to allow my younger self to die. If he does, I die too. And are you guys willing to let him die for that? I know at least two of you four wouldn't."

---

Ani panted heavily as her twin tails unraveled while looking around her. The others were as exhausted as the Time Soldier and injured, but they managed to hold their ground.

"How's everyone doing?" she asked.

"I've ran out of ammo." Ruby responded. "Almost got bit by one of those blue guys in the arm, nothing to worry about though."

"Starting to slow down here." Yuuto said as he decapitated a Velociprey. "These guys may be weak, but their relentlessness and numbers make this difficult."

"Same." Stella said while swinging her tail, stabbing a Beowolf in the head with her tail spikes as they elongated.

Xenovia cried out as she swung her sword, mowing down a group of monsters in front of her.

"If this goes any longer, we won't last much longer." she said while using her weapon to keep herself up.

The Beowolves and Velociprey surrounded the five and slowly closed in on them. All but one braced themselves to keep going. Ani, however, closed her eyes and smiled.

"We don't need to worry about that much longer." the Time Soldier said confidently.

As if on cue, a loud roar filled the air as monsters in the back of the group began to fly in the air like ragdolls as two forces plowed through them. One of them made their way to the center, revealing it to be Koneko with Rias, Tino, and Asia behind her.

"Is everyone okay?" Rias asked as they reached the others.

"We're alright, aside from a few cuts and bruises." Yuuto replied. "Glad you guys finally showed."

"Still, who else came besides you guys?" Ruby asked.

"A-Airi, Cerate, Elina, Akeno and Gwen are in the second group." Tino answered. "Gaspard, Plum, Arane, Homura and Puia are going to join shortly."

"Good." Ani added. "We're going to be needing all the help we can get for the monkey."

"A monkey?" Rias asked.

"Yeah, a monkey." the Time Soldier confirmed.

"Guys, look over to the left." Ruby cried out.

It was then they saw a larger creature that looked like a larger Velociprey with a more prominent crest running towards them. The raised sickle talons on its feet was scarlet as with the middle talon on each hand, both larger than those of the smaller Velociprey.

"Is that another Velociprey?" Yuuto asked.

"So the leader of the blue mooks finally shows up." Ani said in annoyance. "That's a Velocidrome. It's going to be more difficult than the small fry, but it's got nothing compared to the Rajang, or Cerate."

Just as the Time Soldier said her name, the Gal Monster, armed with her spikes, emerged from the group of monsters, riding a Velociprey as it bucked around, trying to get her off its back. The blonde raised a fist and punched the monster in the back of the neck, causing it to immediately collapse. Cerate leaped off and punched a Beowolf in the face as she landed.

"That's what you get for biting my tail." she said in anger while looking over to the monster she rode on a moment ago briefly. She turned around and waved towards the others, oblivious of the incoming Velocidrome.

The large raptor screeched as several Velociprey followed behind it, obediently heeding its call. As the pack reached Cerate, the Gal Monster yelped as one of the smaller monsters pounced on her from behind, knocking her to the ground.

"That dolt!" Stella said in annoyance before running as fast as she could, fighting against her exhaustion to rescue her friend as the larger raptor stood over Cerate, putting a foot on top of her back to pin her.

At that moment, a magenta bolt flew and struck the Velocidrome in the head, catching its attention.

"Over here ugly." Gwen taunted as her hands glowed.

The Velocidrome cried out, ordering its subordinates to attack the redhead. As the Velociprey surrounded the girl, she leaped up and fired a mana bolt at one of them before manifesting a magenta scythe.

"Stand back!" Gwen cried out as she swung her weapon, the blade slicing through the throat of one of the monsters while the others halted their advance. The redhead failed to notice a Beowolf creeping up from behind her. The Grimm's advance was halted as it was struck with a bolt of lightning, killing it on the spot as the electricity arced through the air, striking the Velociprey that opposed Gwen.

Akeno hovered in the air, clad in her shrine priestess outfit with Airi behind her, armed with her scythe.

The wraith sighed with relief before she flew down to confront the Velocidrome, her scythe engulfing in violet flames. As the wraith closed in, the larger monster was knocked off balance as Cerate rose, unhindered by the monster's weight on top of her.

"Get the hell off me!" the Gal Monster said as she stood up, forcing the monster off her completely as it fell to its side. She then saw the wraith come in and smirked as an idea formed in her mind. "Hold it Airi, he's mine!"

As the Velocidrome rose up, the Gal Monster ran up and punched it in the side of its chest, causing the monster to screech in pain before being mounted on by the blonde. The raptor began to thrash around, trying to get her off. Grabbing onto its crest, the Gal Monster forced the monster's head back at an uncomfortable angle before roaring as loud as she could into its face. The Velocidrome was stunned by the loud noise as Cerate punched the crest as hard as possible, breaking it before grabbing the monster by the base of its neck and tightened her grip on it. The monster immediately became still, growling as it ceased its movement.

"Did the dolt just subdue that thing?!" Stella said in disbelief.

The Velocidrome began to flail around once again, succeeding in getting Cerate off its back. The Gal Monster fell and landed on her side before rolling a ways from it. The large monster screeched as it charged towards her, its sickle shaped claws poised to attack. The blonde rose into a crouch and grinned.

"Let's do this, asshole!" she said before flicking her wrists, causing her spikes to switch forward.

The Velocidrome screeched, but was interrupted by a condensed shockwave that darted across the ground, knocking it over upon hitting its target.

"Nice one Koneko!" the Gal Monster said while looking over to the petite devil, who had her fist against the ground with the small fissure leading from it over to where the Velocidrome was struck.

The silverette simply nodded before the Gal Monster closed in on the monster before kicking its face, stunning it while she moved to grab its tail. She began to spin in a circle with the Velocidrome. After several revolutions, the blonde let go and let the monster fly towards Airi.

The wraith sighed as she raised her scythe as the blade erupted into violet flames. She waited until the monster was in range before swinging her weapon. The blade connected with the monster's chest, catching it while cutting into its hide. Going with the momentum, the wraith redirected the trajectory towards Rias. The Gremory heir kept a straight face before engulfing the monster within a sphere of black energy. When the sphere vanished, all that remained of the monster was the tip of its tail and a foot, the rest of it completely obliterated.

"Glad you're on our side, Gremory." Ani commented.

The redhead devil simply smiled at the Time Soldier's comment.

---

Ben grimaced as he forced himself up.

"Damn…this really hurts." he said while wiping away some blood that lingered on his lip with a hand. "But I can still keep going."

The Demon Breaker began to growl as his younger self looked at him. Slamming his hand against the Neotrix, he turned into Dinostrike. He slammed the Neotrix again, triggering the Ultimate transformation.

Ben braced himself for an attack, but the evolved psychopath charged past him, heading straight towards Grim Maiden and Issei. Grim Maiden took to the air while Issei attempted to dive to the side. However, the evolved hybrid threw a fist, the spike impaling through Issei's leg like tissue paper. The devil screamed in pain before getting manhandled like a rag doll. The Ultimate began to slam Issei repeatedly against the ground, causing it to bowl underneath the force used as the brunet's head began to bleed.

Ultimate Dinostrike stopped his assault when two will o' wisps began to attack him. He turned around and tossed Issei to the side like garbage before charging towards Grim Maiden.

"Fine, I'll kill you first, whore!" he said in rage. He threw a right hook, only for the wraith to simply turn intangible before she flew through his body. The right hook connected with the remains of a wall, obliterating it immediately upon impact.

Seeing an opening, the transformed Bri flew in and became tangible while wrapping her arms around the Ultimate's neck. the evolved hybrid tried to injure the wraith with his spikes, only for her to regenerate quickly. With each passing second, the psycho realized that his opponent was draining his lifeforce through her body.

"Let go of me!" he demanded, his body starting to feel slightly fatigued.

As Ultimate Dinostrike was kept preoccupied, Ben staggered over towards Issei and dragged him towards Raynare, coughing up more blood in the process. The boy took a moment to notice that the devil was easy to move. Once close to the fallen angel, who was finished healing her own leg, the boy collapsed again, his face becoming pale.

Raynare went over towards both boys and held her arms over them, healing them with her sacred gear.

"Damn it, you're so reckless." the fallen said to the boy as he looked up at her.

"Heh, sorry." Ben apologized before smiling. "But still, thanks."

"Now's not the time for that." Raynare said firmly while looking over towards the Demon Breaker as he collapsed just as Grim Maiden let go of him.

"I think he'll be out for a while." the wraith said as the now unconscious Ultimate Dinostrike reverted back to his human form.

"Bri, think you can help me become normal again?" Ben asked. "You're the only one who can do it right now."

Grim Maiden sighed as she floated next to the boy.

"Alright." she said before placing a hand on the boy's Omnitrix's core. She closed her eyes and focused on drawing on the energy the device was putting into Ben's body. Compared to Breaker's life energy, the energy she was drawing upon felt a lot stronger and raw.

As this went on, Ben's hair and eyes gradually turned back to normal while the boy noticed that the pain was no longer getting worse. He looked at Grim Maiden and blushed for a moment, her face reminding him of the wraith that he loved. He then looked on at Raynare and noticed that her eyes were looking right at him, the gaze slightly softer than usual. When Grim Maiden was finished, she turned back into Bri, who sighed in relief while blushing.

"Man, to think that you can't discharge that stuff yourself." she commented.

"True, but at least Ani told us how to reverse it quickly." Ben added. "Still, do you feel alright?"

"I'm fine just…uh, energetic." the brunette responded while her blush deepened.

Now that she's done it herself, she understood why Airi got a little… too friendly while she extracted the energy from her own body when they tested that idea. The wraith apologized about the groping and explained that it was a bit of a bad habit of hers when it involved draining lifeforce from girls before meeting Ben. That and the energy she absorbed spurred her to act upon that.

"Okay." Ben said before he looked at Raynare. "Focus on Issei first, he needs it more than I do."

The fallen narrowed her eyes in annoyance and shook her head.

"Why should I focus on just him?" she asked. "I said I won't let you die."

Ben smiled and relented. She got him there.

---

Gwen sighed in relief upon finishing off the last Velociprey. Looking around, she noticed that the last remaining monsters were also dispatched.

"I guess we're good now." Cerate said as she wiped some blood from her cheek.

"Ani wants to sleep now…" the Time Soldier said as she floated in the air with arms and legs dangling.

"So, where's that Rajang?" Rias asked.

Ani blinked and closed her eyes to think.

"It should've been here by now…" she admitted before her eyes widened. "Unless it came across the others!"

"Shit!" Stella cursed.

"Perhaps I can be of assistance." a female's voice said.

Everyone turned to see a robed woman stepping out of a glowing blue circle of energy. Airi narrowed her eyes before widening them in shock as the newcomer removed her hood, revealing her face aside from her closed eyes.

"Menace?" she said upon recognizing her old comrade, the Princess of Amara, smiling.

"You're right," the undead woman said before opening her eyes, revealing them to be ebony with purple irises as her voice became Zs'Skayr's. "But wrong at the same time, Airi."

"Ghostfreak!" Ani and Gwen said in disbelief as all the others, except Airi, braced to fight.

"I have not come to fight, in fact, it's the opposite." the possessing Ectonurite stated. "You see, I offer to give you a way to reach your friends."

"Menace…" the wraith said while clutching her scythe. "What are you doing to her?!"

"I'm simply using her as a vessel, for now." Zs'Skayr explained. "She has something that is very important to me and Eon."

"Let her go." the wraith demanded.

"Interesting…" the Ectonurite mused. "Anyway, take this portal behind me to reach your friends. While I can't fully operate the device, I can at least make portals to various parts of this world at least."

"Why should we trust you?" Rias asked. "For all we know, you'll just send us to another reality."

"You've brought up a valid point. Just ask the Time Soldier to see if I'm speaking the truth." Zs'Skayr pointed out.

Ani took a moment to sigh before nodding in confirmation.

"He's speaking the truth, the portal will lead us to the others." she said. "But we'll be helping him at the same time."

"Nothing escapes you or your master…" the Ectonurite said with a chuckle. "All it'll be is just some data, nothing more."

"What is that data for?" Gwen pressed. "Ani?"

The Time Soldier looked towards the young redhead and shook her head sadly.

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you about that." she apologized. "It'll put your Ben's existence at risk if he knew."

"Fine…" Gwen muttered bitterly before looking at the possessed Menace.

"We have little choice, we best take up his offer." Rias said firmly.

"I agree." Airi said with a nod.

The possessed Menace tilted her head back and began to laugh in maniacal glee.

"It's settled then." Zs'Skayr said as another portal opened up. "If you excuse me, I must be on my way."

"Zs'Skayr!" the wraith called out, catching the Ectonurite's attention. "Mark my words, I will save Menace from you."

Zs'Skayr broke out in laughter once again upon hearing that.

"I can't wait to see you try!" he said mockingly before walking into the new portal. "Farewell for now, Infernal Temptress."

"Come back here!" Airi demanded while dropping her scythe to go after the Ectonurite, only for the portal to close on her. The wraith stopped before clenching her fists in anger before tilting her head up to scream.

"What's with her?" Yuuto asked.

"Menace was a former comrade of Airi's when she was serving the Swamp Witch." Ani explained. "Through Ben and the others she's interacted with, Airi learned what a friend was."

"She may have wondered off on her own and wasn't always the brightest, but I tolerated her, a lot more than Melona." Airi explained. "I don't know why… but for her to be prisoner to someone like him… I just can't stand it…"

"You guys go on ahead." Cerate said. "Leave Airi to me."

"Are you sure?" Rias asked skeptically.

"Damn it! Now's not the time to think I'm an idiot!" the blonde snapped. "Just go help the others, now!"

"Very well." the crimson haired devil said.

"Let's go then." Stella said before she took the lead again.

One by one, the others followed and went into the portal, though Asia and Tino looked at Airi and Cerate with concern before they too entered the blue light.

Once alone, Cerate grabbed onto Airi's hand.

"Airi, it's obvious that you see Menace as a friend." the Gal Monster said. "You just didn't realize it until now. "

"But, Ben-" The wraith attempted to protest before the Gal Monster rose on her tip toes to kiss the wraith on her lips, cutting her off. After a moment, the blonde broke the kiss, looking at the now flustered redhead's face.

"Mistress, she'll be safe." the Gal Monster reassured her.

Airi's eyes widened upon hearing what Cerate addressed her as.

"For now, let's focus on helping the others." she said.

"But…" the redhead said before the Gal Monster squeezed a breast, startling her.

"I promise you, I'll help you save your friend." Cerate said with conviction while letting go.

Airi nodded and smiled.

"Thanks, Cerate." she said. "Keep in mind that I am going to drain you later for groping me…"

"It was worth it." the gal monster said as a lecherous smirk formed on her face.

Airi groaned upon seeing that. Her worst fear came true: Issei's perverted ways had rubbed off on her. Pushing the thought to the side, the pair went into the portal after Cerate grabbed the wraith's scythe. For now, the redhead had to focus on what was important right now, to help out her friends and "family".

---

Issei and Ben both sat upright once they were fully healed.

"Thanks again Raynare. " the younger brunet said gratefully. "You've been really helpful."

"I-It's nothing…" the fallen angel said while blushing slightly.

Ben rose to his feet before looking over towards the still unconscious Demon Breaker. He began walking towards him while taking a moment to pick up not only his sword, but the damaged Hirudinea as well. He carefully rolled his future self onto his back with his arms sprawled out. Looking at the unconscious psycho, Ben's eyes narrowed as a snarl formed on his face.

"I swear, I'll never be a sad excuse of a quitter like you." he said before stabbing a sword straight through the palm of each hand and into the ground. The Demon Breaker to scream in excruciating pain as he regained consciousness just as his hands were impaled. He tried to move his arms, but realized that he was pinned in place.

"However, I will make sure you are unable to hurt anyone ever again." the boy said darkly.

"LET ME GO!" the Demon Breaker wailed as Ben activated the Omnitrix. In a flash of light, he turned into a form that caused the psycho's face to twist into one of anger.

In Ben's place was a young fallen angel with the exact same black hair and magenta eye coloration as Raynare. His hair was the same length as Ben's while his outfit consisted of a pair of black pants and a tank top that was altered to accommodate the symmetrical pair of black wings that protruded from his back. The Omnitrix was located on his waist as a belt buckle. The young fallen spread his wings out and gently flapped them before looking down at the Demon Breaker.

"I'd like you to meet-"the transformed Ben said before pausing, shaking his head while looking over his shoulder. "Raynare, what do you think this form should be called?"

"Zanael." the fallen said immediately.

"Zanael… I like it." the young fallen said with a smirk.

The Demon Breaker began to tremble before the boy removed both swords after twisting the weapons to further injure the hands. With a flap of his wings, Zanael took to the sky and flew over towards Raynare.

The Demon Breaker rose to his feet as blood dripped out of his wounds.

"How dare you…" he said, as he kept his arms limp. "Do you have any respect for the enemy?"

"I'll do anything to remove a threat." the young fallen retorted before stabbing the ground with the scarlet sword. "I'm no hero."

Raynare stepped forward as she looked at her gender bent form.

"Ready to make good on your promise?" she asked.

Zanael nodded and handed the older fallen his enchanted sword.

"Gladly." he answered before looking towards Issei and Bri. "This is personal right now. So just sit back and watch for now."

"What are you sayi-?" Issei asked before Bri placed a hand on his shoulder, cutting him off.

" We should listen to him." the brunette advised with a smirk. Issei blinked for a moment before realizing what she meant.

"Alright." he said with a nod before sitting down.

The Demon Breaker growled as he charged forward, clenching his fists while grimacing in pain.

"Follow my lead." Raynare said as she raised the sword she held.

"Lead the way." Zanael quipped while tightening his grip on the Hirudinea and pulling it out of the ground.

The two fallen angels waited until the psycho was close before both swung their swords, both slashing the Demon Breaker in the chest, the wounds intersecting as more blood oozed out. The psycho's face began to turn deathly pale from the blood loss as he fell to a knee briefly.

"Damn you…" he said before opening a portal. "This isn't over…"

"I beg to differ…" Raynare said before she closed in and drove her sword into the psycho's chest.

The psychotic Ben staggered backwards, struggling to remain standing. However, Zanael came up and swung the scarlet sword in an overhead slash. The Demon Breaker panicked and raised his right hand in an attempt to stop the attack, only for the fallen to cleanly cut off the arm. The severed appendage fell to the ground, with the purple device still attached.

"How…How could this happen?" the Demon Breaker said in disbelief. "This shouldn't happen, I can't die like this…"

"Tough luck, it is." Zanael said before swinging his sword again, this time cutting into the eyes of his future self. The psychotic Ben let out an scream of excruciating pain as bloody tears ran down his face.

"That should be enough…" the young fallen said calmly before looking over at Bri. The gender swapped Ben watched on in disgust but shook her head.

Zanael looked back at the injured psycho before turning to Raynare. The two nodded to another and discarded their swords. The pair flew together and punched the Demon Breaker in the face, sending him flying with a broken nose.

"If I ever see you again, mark my words, I WILL kill you!" Raynare warned.

The Demon Breaker screamed as he flew into the portal just as it began to close. All four watched silently as the purple vortex disappeared. Once gone, Zanael fell to his knees as he began to laugh.

"It's over…It's finally over!" the fallen whooped in joy.

Raynare went over to Zanael before kneeling right beside him.

"Thank you, boy… No, Ben." she said as a smile formed on her face. "Thank you so much."

"And thanks for helping us out." the younger fallen said before he reverted back to Ben. "If it wasn't for you, I would've been dead by now. You were really helpful."

"It's nothing really." Raynare told Ben before getting up and turning her attention towards Bri and Issei. "As for you two, I suppose you also have my gratitude."

"Uh, thanks I guess." Bri said, a little uncertain by that remark as the devil averted his gaze, unsure of what to say. He then realized something that had wasn't considered earlier.

"So, how do we get back now?" Issei asked.

"I can help you with that." a familiar voice said. "Also, congrats on beating that Demon Breaker, though you didn't have to go that far."

"Ani?" Ben asked upon seeing the Time Soldier floating up above the four.

"I'm Ani as well, but you're more familiar with my sister." the Gal Monster said with a smile.

---

"Homura, do it!" Plum cried out. The vegetative Gal Monster had her hands on the ground, the vines in her hands in the ground. A little ways away was a giant monkey like monster with jet black fur ensnared in a large pillar of thick, thorny vines. The upper half of its body was muscular and hulking with thick arms. The monster's dark, hairless face was long and narrow, with two ribbed, gold horns protruding from its head horizontally. Protruding from its lower jaw were a pair of large fangs. Other noticeable traits were the elf like ears, and piercing red eyes. If one could make a comparison for this monster, the Minotaur comes to mind.

Homura charged forward with her six swords drawn. The shinobi leaped up and struck the much larger beast on the arms, only to gasp upon her weapons bouncing off the flesh, leaving only slight grazes. The monkey reached out and grabbed Homura by the waist and brought her to its face.

"Shit!" the tanned girl cursed as she attempted to break free, but kept eye contact with the monster even as it tightened its grip. She began to wince in pain as the pain became too hard to ignore. The shinobi knew that any more, and her bones will break like nothing. However, the monkey immediately let go when a glob of webbing struck it in the eyes.

"You shouldn't be careless…" Arane said bluntly while giving the swordswoman an impassive glance.

"I thought I could've cut his skin deeper." Homura retorted while getting up.

"We need to rethink this." Plum commented before looking upwards. "Any ideas you two?"

Puia hovered in the air with Gaspard in her arms as they both watched.

"Homura was our best shot." the harpie commented. "If her swords can't hurt that thing, the best we can do is to restrain this beast as long as possible to buy time."

"I hope the others are okay." the feminine boy said in worriment.

"Considering who they are, they'll be just fine." Puia responded with a reassuring smile.

"I can't hold it back any longer!" Plum cried out as the large monkey began to tear itself free.

Once it escaped, the beast roared in rage before leaping up into the air and curled up into a ball. The monster plummeted towards Plum, who leaped back while pulling out her vines from the ground. The Gal Monster narrowly missed the horned monkey slamming its fists where she stood. The primate leaped back a ways back before plunging an arm into the ground. With some effort, it pulled up a gigantic boulder out of the earth and raised it above its head with one arm with no difficulty.

"Run! If that hits you, you'll not make it!" Plum screamed, realizing that the rock was capable of easily crushing someone on its own.

The monster leaped back with the boulder in hand before throwing it over towards Plum. The Gal Monster ran and dove to narrowly evade the incoming projectile. However, the horned primate leaped up and curled into a ball again, this time bouncing off the ground as it missed Homura, only to repeat the process two more times before it stopped.

"Damn it!" Homura cursed. "That bastard can move…"

The beast turned around and began moving forward while sweeping the ground with its powerful arms. It managed to swat Homura after several near misses, sending her flying. The shinobi recovered and landed in a crouch while grimacing in pain.

"Dammit, broke a few ribs with that." she muttered while rising up.

However, the shinobi couldn't move in time, getting struck with a beam of electricity coming from the monkey's mouth, electrocuting her while sent flying. She landed on her back while her body involuntarily convulsed briefly. She groaned once regaining control of her motor functions. However, her eyes widened upon seeing the large primate once again curled up in the air, plummeting down towards her.

"No…" she said in refusal. "I can't afford to die here…"

Just as she said that, a large spider web appeared and ensnared the beast within it. Homura then felt her body being tugged away as the trapped monster crashed where she was a moment ago.

"Are you alright? " Plum asked as she and Arane pulled on the thread that was attached to the shinobi.

"I'm fine." the tanned girl muttered while wincing in pain from her broken ribs.

"You're not fooling anyone with that, you bimbo." the arachnid Gal Monster said curtly.

"Shut up…" Homura retorted in annoyance.

The hulking primate managed to break free after that, rising up as it grunted in anger. It then leaped back once again while tilting its head up to spit out a ball of electricity towards Arane. The petite Gal Monster kept a stoic face as she leaped up and spitting a single strand of thread against the monster's chest. She then pulled herself towards it quickly while the spider leg like hair closed around her body to form a conical spike. The point struck the monster in the shoulder, managing to pierce the skin a little, causing the monster to roar in anger.

As quickly as she could, Arane immediately undid the spike and leaped back, spitting a web into the monster's face to buy some time to put some distance between her and the beast.

"I don't think we'll make it at this rate." Plum muttered as the monster took off enough of the webbing to see again.

The monkey leaped forward with both its fists raised above its head, aiming towards Homura.

"INCOMING!" a voice cried out as something flew right into the monster's face, knocking it back to the ground on its back. At the same time, the others realized that what collided with the vicious primate was Konkeko who landed in a crouch. The Rook rose up as Yuuto and Xenovia joined her.

"Good, we made it in time." the blue haired swordswoman said in relief.

"So, that's that Rajang Ani told us about." the blonde Knight muttered as he watched the monster rise to its feet. "It does look quite formidable."

"Don't underestimate it. It's fast despite its physique!" Plum warned

As soon as the warning was announced, the Rajang tilted its head back before planting its hands to the ground before opening its mouth to unleash a beam of electricity. However, the monster's attack was intercepted by a lightning bolt midway.

"My, he looks like he could be fun." Akeno said with a smile as she landed besides the injured Homura.

"I could've done this myself." the shinobi muttered in annoyance.

"There's nothing wrong with having some help every now and then." the devil responded while looking towards the tanned girl. Homura fell silent and averted her gaze while blushing in embarrassment.

---

"Wow…" Bri said as she saw her younger self remove the purple device from the severed arm without hesitation. "You're starting to make me worry about you."

Ben sighed as he grimaced.

"Hey, I'm just as grossed out having to touch a limb as you'd think, okay?" he responded before dropping the limb with a disgusted look on his face. "It's that or bring the thing with us."

"Touché." the older brunette said while grimacing herself. She went over towards where the Demon Breaker vanished into, wondering what became of the Evil Ben. In the back of her mind, she hoped that she wouldn't see him ever again. She looked down at the ground and noticed something scarlet.

"A chess piece here?" Bri questioned as she knelt to pick up the rook piece she found. Upon picking it up, she had a feeling it was something important to hold on to.

"Oh, good, he dropped it.." Ani said as she hovered over the brunette's shoulder, startling her.

"What do you mean?" the gender swapped Ben asked.

"That is Rias' spare Rook." the Time Soldier explained. "If the Demon Breaker didn't drop that when he was defeated, you guys would've been screwed over big time."

"Wait… how did HE get an Evil Piece?" Issei blurted out.

"He didn't get it himself, it was Zs'Skayr who gave it to him. That was why he was in your world to begin with. He intended to use the Evil Pieces himself, but due to his nature as an Ectonurite, he can't really utilize them." Ani explained.

"But still…" the devil said before Bri walked over placed a hand on his shoulder.

"All that matters is that we got the piece back." she said with a smile before pushing the Evil Piece against Issei's chest. "Besides, I think you should be the one who gives this back to Rias."

Issei blinked for a moment in confusion before taking the Rook and putting it into his pocket.

"Alright, but I don't really get why I should be the one who gives this back to President." he said.

"If you two are done flirting with each other, come here." Raynare snapped while glaring towards the pair.

Issei and Bri both frowned at the fallen before walking over towards her nonetheless. Ben came over and handed the device over to Ani, who took it and began messing around with it without any idea.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Raynare asked.

"No." Ani said without any hesitation as she kept fiddling with the device. "I am not good with sciencey stuff like this… Uggh, work for me!"

The Time Soldier grasped the device with both hands and shook it. After several moments, the petite Gal Monster groaned in defeat and tossed the device over her shoulder, bouncing off of Issei's head as Bri snatched it immediately afterwards.

"How did you get here to begin with?" the gender swapped Ben asked.

"Magic." Ani responded.

"Can you use it with us?" the brunette pressed.

Silence filled the air before Ani face palmed her face.

"I am such an idiot sometimes." she muttered. "I'll get us to the others right away then."

"So, do we even really need that thing?" Issei asked while pointing to the purple device .

"I say hang onto it for now." Raynare answered. "It's what allowed him to bring me into your world."

"I have to agree." Ben admitted. "That obviously can send you back home, once we figure out how it works."

"Me too." Bri added.

"Get a move on you runt!" Raynare demanded as Ani sighed. "We need to get going."

"I'm going as fast as I can. Magic isn't always quick." the Time Soldier replied. "Just need a moment to get there."

---

The fight with the horned primate was basically a stalemate at this point, especially after everyone else who dealt with the massive group of monsters earlier joined them. Despite them being unable to do serious damage to the beast, it showed signs of exhaustion while its body was covered in many shallow cuts. The monster panted heavily as drool pooled out of its mouth to the ground.

"Damn…" Yuuto cursed as he looked at the Rajang. "Didn't think this beast could be so formidable."

"I agree… It doesn't help either that it isn't affected by my lightning much either." Akeno added with a frown.

"We need to stay strong though." Rias said as she eyed the monster. "If we can last longer than it, we'll eventually get the upper hand.

"It's fortunate we have a healer with us, otherwise this fight would've been over a long time ago." Airi said stoically as her dress flickered in and out of existence. "Still, we're just as exhausted as the beast itself."

"Yeah, we would be kicking this monkey's ass if we were all at full strength." Stella said as she panted. "That or we had Master and Bri with us."

"What were you saying about us?" Ben's voiced asked from behind, startling the Gal Monster.

"What the hell?!" the blonde blurted out in surprise. "How did you get here?"

"Ani's magic." Raynare said as she walked from behind Airi and Rias. "We've also dealt with that sick fuck."

"Where's Issei and Bri?" Rias questioned while glancing over her shoulder.

"They're fine." the fallen replied curtly while crossing her arms.

"Where are they then?" the devil pressed.

Raynare closed her eyes and pointed over to where the two in question stood with the two Time Soldiers floating in the air. Rias's face softened as she saw the two and smiled.

"Good, they're alright." she said softly before her face became serious again.

"Boy… that's quite a big monkey." Ben muttered as he saw the Rajang. "So, how should we do this?"

"Bri and I can handle this." Issei said while pounding a fist into an open palm. "You and Raynare stole the spotlight earlier, so this one is ours."

"Fine with me, I'm pretty tired myself from fighting that bastard." the young brunet replied with a smirk.

"Do whatever you wish. This isn't my concern to begin with." Raynare commented nonchalantly before smiling. "Still, it will be interesting to see how one monkey stands up to two others."

Issei frowned at the fallen's remark while Bri ignored it completely. The female Omnitrix wielder only smirked and began walking towards the Rajang.

"How good are you?" Bri asked. "Managed to get enough rest?"

"Enough to finish this guy off." Issei remarked smugly.

"Careful, this guy can really move." the exhausted Ani warned.

"You know how this is going to end, sis." the other Time Soldier replied before floating away. "I've did my part here, so I'll leave the rest to you."

The original Ani nodded and gave a quick wave as her twin flew off as fast as she could, leaving the scene to avoid any changes caused by her continued presence.

---

"I've seen enough to know how things will go now." Jennifer muttered as her body began to turn transparent. "It's never a dull moment when you're around, Professor."

"It is indeed." the Time Walker said as he appeared right next to the masked woman.

"Still, I got to wonder how things with Bri will go." the masked woman muttered in curiosity. "Actually, I wonder how the others will be now."

"Careful, spoilers." Paradox warned.

"I know, I know." the gender swapped Ben dismissed as she was now slowly fading away completely. "I need to locate Breaker. If he's alive, I need to make sure he doesn't try anything like this again." she clenched her fist while saying that.

"Only time will tell." the Time Walker said. " Still, I'll let Joker and Blood know you're alright. They've been worried about you for quite some time now."

"Thank you, Professor, and goodbye." Jennifer replied just as she was almost gone completely. Just as she finished talking, she reached up and removed her mask. The Time Walker wasn't able to see her face, only the heartfelt smile as she vanished.

"Farewell, and good luck." Paradox said with a smile of his own. "Thanks to Bri and the others, we can make our move."

---

CCR

Well, I sure hope that was worth the wait everyone. As promised, this will be the last chapter of Further Misplaced Hero in this story. The finale will be in Ben DxD. I would like to thank everyone for being so patient for waiting.

While it wasn't originally planned, the idea of both Bri and Ben each getting new forms came up while I was talking with Cyber about what to do for this chapter. Bri got Grim Maiden, and Ben got Shield Maiden aka Monkade. Expect these forms to appear in our respective stories. And for those wondering, no, Monkade is not the name of the male version of Shield Maiden for Ben DxD. Remember what Ben 23 called some of his aliens? Same situation here. Little trivia here, we each chose and named our respective new form. I came up with Monkade's name, while Cyber chose Grim Maiden. (If you have any thoughts that Grim Maiden sounds bland, just take a moment to think about the name in detail. It's actually pretty clever in my opinion.)

Anyway, I also felt that it was fair that the others got stronger as well. The most obvious result of this was Cerate and Koneko learning that shockwave attack Fourarms uses. I made certain that any powerups or new skills in the future of Ben DxD were not made redundant by this. Also, the fight with the horde of Beowolves and Velociprey was added since it wouldn't be fair that everyone else just stood there doing nothing as Ben, Bri, Issei, and Raynare faced off against Breaker. Especially after that training.

I also need to point out that I didn't give Issei and Bri the short end of the stick with the fight against the Demon Breaker and having them go against the Rajang instead. In Monster Hunter, it's one of the more difficult monsters to hunt, and it hits harder than a truck, especially in G Rank. (G Rank basically is equivalent to Hard Mode for those unfamiliar with the game.) Even with strong armor with good elemental resistances that has been upgraded significantly, with as many buffs as I can use, the damn monkey can still kill me in just two hits if I'm not careful, or OHKO if I don't have any health buffs. In online multiplayer once, it actually killed three players I was with at once. The fact that this monkey from hell is so brutal made him ideal for the final fight. Trust me when I say this, the upcoming Rajang fight will be interesting to say the least.

And just to point out, some of the things that happen in the finale were Cyber's idea, and not mine. I agreed to them happening because they wouldn't really affect my story. I'll let him point them out if he feels like it. Just saying that ahead of time.

For every Ben DxD reader who've read this far, I'd like to thank you for your patience and I sincerely hope you've been enjoying yourself. I've did my best to portray Bri and the others as close to how they are in the story they've came from. It has been a lot of fun, and I honestly hope to work with Cyber again in the future. I wouldn't have made this chapter as good as it is if he didn't help me out. Once again, thank you.

From here on is things related only to Misplaced Hero itself.

Since FMH is almost over, I suppose I should reveal which will be the next crossover I'm doing. It'll be with We're All Monsters by Creaturemaster. For the record, I'm not going to just jump right into the next crossover, as I need to take a little time to unwind from writing this behemoth of a chapter. So don't expect the next chapter being the same length in comparison to this one. Also, I got to work on my other stories, ESPECIALLY Praedari Magica.

Speaking of crossovers, I suppose a few of you were groaning and thinking, "Really? ANOTHER Future Ben?" when Jen was introduced. Don't fret. She's going to have an abysmal role in Part 1 of MH. She's going to serve mainly the role of a watchman of the timeline of the world my story is set in, while Ani and her clones/"sisters" work on preserving it in Paradox's place most of the time. In fact, Jen's only going to appear in any future crossovers with Misplaced Hero, and mostly in an observing role for the time being. Also, she's the final Future Ben I'm bringing to the story that isn't a canon one.

Now onto the results of the Harem Poll. First place was Hanzo Academy, which was the group of Senran Kagura's Asuka, Ikaruga, Katsuragi, Hibari and Yagyu, followed close by Team RWBY, which is of course the group option for Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang. Finally in third, which was quite interesting to watch, was Leina, who just beaten Nanael by a SINGLE vote. I kid you not, I was utterly surprised by how many of you guys wanted Nanael to join. The poll is going to do more than just who you guys wanted to join. It'll also serve on what characters to have appear.

Let's see how many that makes now. With the ones from the poll, we divide that by five, carry the two, then multiply that by the square root of chicken…

… Holy shit…

Am I doing the math right? If I'm not mistaken, I got to deal with…SEVENTEEN girls!

Man, I got a lot of work cut out for me… Though, this is going to be quite an interesting challenge. Just saying this right now, has anyone considered the possible turmoil that comes with that many lovers for one guy? My curiosity is piqued by the possibilities of this actually.

That'll be it for now. As before, thank you all for your patience, and I'm grateful you're reading this story this far. Please leave a review if you've got the time. I'd really want to hear your thoughts on the crossover. I hope to see you all next time!

The following is the previous AN regarding the crossover with Bleach: Ultimate Alien. If you've read it before, you can stop here.

FINALLY! Progress has picked up momentum again. Hopefully I can get it done and up by the end of the month, if not sooner. I would have done this update a little sooner, but had real life to deal with. Thanks to everyone for being so patient with me on this so far. Especially fans of Ben DxD. but this isn't what I wanted to talk about.

As I've mentioned before, I've been going to do a crossover with Bigby's original B:UA. However, as Bigby announced, there has been a bit of a fallout like he said over a Mutant Loly idea with Sallem. Before I continue, I'd like to point out that I respect Sallem for his ideas and creativity. Most of them are very interesting and well developed. Also, I don't hold any animosity towards him over this. However, we have VERY different fates in mind for the original B:UA Loly. Sallem wanted to have Loly become a 20 ft tall mutant that is a chimera of various aliens, akin to how Kevin 11's monster form looked, but much sexier and with an Alien X sword. I admit, this does sound very interesting for a temporary situation, but this is where things started going sour.

Sallem wanted this mutation to be PERMANENT, where even the Omnitrix couldn't undo it. I understand there's a rising trend in monster girls in anime and manga, but there were B:UA fans there who are openly fans of Loly, especially those hoping that she'd reform. I ,myself, am a fan of Loly, and this idea really didn't feel fair for her. The idea also conflicted with what I had planned in Misplaced Hero pt 2. Long before I even announced these crossovers, Bigby was alright with me bringing the original Loly over to my story after her role was finished in his. With what I have planned, the mutant idea derailed about 75% of what I had come up with. I did try to negotiate with Sallem about making the mutation temporary, but the most he was willing to do was allowing her to shift back and forth between her original and mutant forms. For what I had in mind, I needed Loly to be in her regular form. I would have been alright with that, but there's more.

Sallem himself said that if I didn't go through with the mutation being permanent, AND convince Bigby to add more to the harem of B:UA, he wouldn't allow me to use Loly. I'm willing to compromise, but I put my foot down on pressuring someone to do something they don't want to do. Honestly, I really felt that this idea would have been jumping the shark, ruining B:UA, and I'm not the only one. This feeling is shared with Bigby as well. In fact, this Mutant Loly idea is a big part of the reason why he has left the original B:UA unfinished and went with a reboot instead.

So, that pretty much explains why the crossover with B:UA is now with the reboot instead of the original like I announced. I apologize to everyone who had their hopes raised. I know there's some things being left out, but please understand that I've only giving the gist of things here. Keep in mind that when it comes to collaborations, things like this are to be expected. The best one can do is to try to compromise or move on should that fail. On that note, I will say that I still intend on having Loly play a big role in the crossover between B:UAR and Misplaced Hero, but it would be the new one, not the original.

Thanks for your time.