Omni Force: JUSTICE

by NegaiFreak

Things have started to change ever since the World Government attacked Omnitrix City two years ago. Now with new villains and looming threats to deal with, the Omni Force faces a great challenge. And will Ben be able to do what's right with everything ahead of him? Even if it means going against the Justice League? PLEASE READ, REVIEW & ENJOY!

11. THE CLASH

And now… it's time for the main event. If you all thought the battle between Omni Force members in "Omni Force: WAR" was bad, you haven't seen anything yet. This is probably going to be the most exciting arc of the story.

Anyways, I'd like to inform you all about what's going to happen come this chapter's release. I'll be on a bi-weekly schedule from this point on with my new job. I can't explain any further details, but I'm going to be busier than I used to be, so don't expect chapters to come as quickly as they used to.

Same thing goes for shorts, too. I'm only going to set aside a week for short requests, and another to spend on writing up chapters. Plus, I want fans who still owe me scenes or such in return to have an ample amount of time to get things done.

Another thing I should mention… I've been cross-posting shorts in Archive of our Own! My username there is NegaiFreak, just like here! Hopefully, that'll bring more attention to my stories someday!

Now then… welcome back to "Omni Force: JUSTICE"!

OMNI FORCE: JUSTICE

10:13 P.M. – PLUMBER HEADQUARTERS

"So… you're Benny-boy's grandpappy, ey?" Joker inquired from behind the door of his secluded cell to Max, who was standing alongside Rook and Rex, "Gotta say, kid grew up into a big fish after all these years…" he remarked with a chuckle. The Magistratus didn't seem amused.

"What exactly is your relationship to Ben?" the Revonnahgander asked, narrowing his eyes onto the Clown Prince of Crime.

"…I'm his greatest fear," he answered simply as he smiled, "Isn't that close enough?" he questioned while shrugging.

"Sirs, if I may-"

"Rex, Rook," Max interjected, putting his prosthetic arm out in front of the former clone army captain, "leave it be," he requested, "We're not going to get a straight answer out of him," he noted, turning around and walking off. Both the Magister and the Plumber captain were surprised with calmly their superior was being about the whole situation, especially considering the circumstances his grandson had been through. They both followed him towards the elevator.

"Oh, and be careful with that gizmo you got from me!" Joker called out, "Even I don't know where I got it…" he mentioned with an ominous chuckle. Moments later, Max was leading Rook and Rex up the steps to the control center.

"You visited Gotham?" the Revonnahgander inquired after hearing a detail the Magistratus shared.

"Once, back when Ben was four," he responded, "It was part of a family trip to a space expo I'd been invited to," he mentioned, "While we were driving back to the hotel we were staying at, we caught a glimpse of the Joker being apprehended by Batman," he explained.

"That… doesn't sound like something that would stoke a fear in Commander Tennyson…" Rex admitted, evidently confused.

"You'd be surprised what kinds of things can make you afraid over time," Max remarked in remembrance, "I saw him, too…" he recalled, "All that blood on his face, all the tatters in his suit…" he listed off, "And yet, he was smiling…" he remembered, "I think that's what scared Ben the most from then on," he realized, going over and taking a seat on a nearby chair, "That there was someone who could keep that maniacal smile on his face, even through all the pain and suffering he caused…" he told his subordinates.

"Then it makes sense that his coulrophobia would develop," Rook concluded as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Hmm…" Rex hummed in thought, "We should make sure Commander Tennyson gets an ample amount of leave time from this," he insisted to his superiors, causing them to both glance over at him, "Perhaps he and his wife can… travel to another universe for a vacation of sorts…" he suggested.

"I think that may be for the best," the Revonnahgander agreed, while Max nodded. All three of them understood that the Biomnitrix bearer had gone through so much from just the evening alone. And now more than ever, he needed time to rest his mind and body.

"Sirs!" a voice cried out, catching their attentions as they looked to see Gregor run up to them.

"Lieutenant," Rook greeted, "What seems to be the problem?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

"There's been an attack on Omni Force Tower!" the former clone trooper replied to their shock as their eyes all widened.

"Of all the times…!" Max gasped out.

"Who's even attacking?!" Rex asked his subordinate.

"…The Justice League, apparently," he answered, much to their disbelief, "Though only one of them's been seen…" he mentioned, "Missus Tennyson was assaulted before Captain Smoker engaged the assailant," he added in his explanation.

"Who on the Justice League would dare to launch an attack unprovoked?" Rook questioned, quite stunned by the news, "And why?" he asked on.

"Probably because we still have Joker in our custody instead of them," Max answered, "We need to get down to Omnitrix City quickly," he insisted as he gathered his Plumber gear.

"Sir!" Rex and Gregor responded simultaneously, grabbing their helmets and putting them on before hurrying off. Many other officers followed them towards the teleporter pad. In the meantime, Rook pulled out his MPG and tapped its center icon, making its green holographic project out from it.

"Rook, I wouldn't try to bring in too many people to this fight…" Max advised as he grabbed his rifle, making sure it was loaded up with ammunition.

"I am just contacting Sunset for the moment, Magistratus," the Revonnahgander responded assuredly, "Though in all honesty, I believe we should be preparing ourselves for the League's many forces…" he admitted with nervous, narrowed eyes.

"I'm afraid that I'm inclined to agree…" Max replied, running off to the teleporter pad with Rook to follow. Meanwhile, the Mother Box was being contained in the storage vault, with Molly closing the compartment.

"Why the hell would the Legion have Apokoliptian technology?" she wondered curiously, putting her left hand onto her chin.

"Ma'am, the Magistratus has ordered Alpha down to O-City!" a female officer chimed in, catching her attention.

"Then let's go!" she advised immediately, running off.

OPENING

Insert "Gurenge" by LiSA

Opens with Ben emerging from Omni Force Tower at night, walking forward as his face is veiled by a shadow. When the moon shines on him, it reveals the fierce look in his eyes as he glares up at Mount Rushmore. There, he sees Superman and the Justice League looming overhead. Most of them appear to be reluctant to what's about to happen. But Ben's anger overtakes him in a flash of green light, transforming into Kryptoknight as he flies up at his foes.

We cut to Sunset looking on worriedly at Rainbow in a hospital bed, wondering if she and her friends made the right decision to not inform the Justice League about the situation when facing the Legion of Doom. While that happens, Law and Erza emerge from their respective bacta tanks, with the latter looking over worriedly at Smoker as he stands by and coughs into his hand. In the meantime, we see Gaara out on the balcony contemplating the situation he and his comrades are currently in, while Ruby curls up into a ball on her bed and sobs, overwhelmed by all that's happening.

At some point, the squadron leaders join with Ben atop Mount Rushmore as they face down the members of the Justice League. The battle starts with Superman and Cyborg charging out and tackling Ben back as he assumes the form of Humungousaur. Sunset ponies up as she and Martian Manhunter fly into the sky in pursuit of each other. Law quickly uses his powers to switch places with rocks and trees that take the explosive Batarangs flung his way from Batman, exploding into splinters and shards, while Erza requips into her Iron Scarlet Mark II to battle Wonder Woman, who draws a sword and a shield from her person.

We see Gaara's body be riddled with cracks as he's attacked over and over by the Flash, who's relentless in his speedy assault. The same applies to Green Lantern, who constructs multiple blades from his power ring to clash against Ruby's Crescent Rose, overwhelming her as she grimaces in fright. However, he's starting to wonder if this is really the right thing to do as he knocks the student huntress back with a javelin he conjured.

Elsewhere, a green flash emanates from the forest as Ben transforms into XLR8, speeding away from the heat vision lasers and the sonic cannon blasts from Superman and Cyborg. He then transforms into Echo Echo, creating multiple clones of himself to scream loudly in their faces and blow them back. However, Superman counters with a powerful breath of wind, blowing the real Sonorosian out from the woods as he tumbles to a stop upon George Washington's head, looming over Omnitrix City. As the Kryptonian hero approaches him with Cyborg, he smacks the Biomnitrix dial and assumes the form of Ultimate Echo Echo, standing up firmly.

As the battles outside of the city rage on, groups like the Titans and the Plumbers watch on worriedly, wondering what'll come out of this conflict. All of a sudden, Raven notices a rift forming in the sky over Omnitrix City. It turns out to be a Boom Tube, with Steppenwolf being the first to emerge from as he lands hard upon the ground with his Electro Axe in hand. He grins evilly as multiple Parademons fly out from the portal, invading the city.

Nightwing draws his Escrima Sticks to knock a few back, while Beast Boy transforms himself into a tyrannosaurus rex to bite down others and throw them away with ease. Raven and Starfire unleash their respective beams on more hordes coming towards them, blowing them back. The Tamaranean then takes notice of her elder sister standing amongst the Furies as their leader. She lets off a smirk before her squadron of warrior women charges forward.

Back on Mount Rushmore, we see each of the Omni Force Squadron leaders getting knocked down by their respective opponents. Sunset glares up from the ground at Martian Manhunter, who dives down to land a final blow before black and red flames billow up between them. In the meantime, a pair of Batarangs stop just inches before Law's face before they're crushed into mere pieces, much to both his and Batman's shock.

Erza finds herself in her Clear Heart Clothing, bleeding from multiple cuts as she and Wonder Woman are at an apparent stalemate. As the two charge at each other, a plume of grey smoke erupts, which then turns an ominous red… Following that, we see Flash come to a stop as he notices a burn on his left wrist, and ice on his right. He looks back to see that Gaara's been joined by the likes of Sabo and Danny, who glare at their foe. Ruby's about to be run over by a train construct, but it's suddenly shattered apart before her eyes. She blinks and smiles in gratitude to see Yang there with her Ember Celica drawn alongside Weiss and Blake, drawing their weapons to face Green Lantern.

We go back to see Ben falling onto his hands and knees as he's transformed back to his human form, breathing heavily. Though injured as well, Superman and Cyborg walk up to him. The Man of Steel prepares to knock Ben out with a simple punch, but his fist ends up caught in a burst of wind. Ben and Cyborg widen their eyes in shock, while Superman looks up to see All Might there, smiling in his Silver Age Costume. He reels his right fist back and strikes the Kryptonian fiercely in the face, blowing him back in an instant.

As all the battles rage on, Darkseid watches from above with a satisfied look upon his face. One more thing drops out of the sky from the Boom Tube, being none other than Doomsday as his eyes glow an ominous red. The opening ends with both the Omni Force and the Justice League members looking on at the new enemy they're up against…

END OPENING

THE CLASH

10:20 P.M. – OMNITRIX CITY

"Gah!" Smoker yelped out after crashing into the side of a building, slumping down into an alleyway on his rear end, "Huh…" he exhaled out of exhaustion, coughing a little, "Really shoulda' thought this through…" he muttered to himself, standing up with a grunt. Fighting Diana was not the best decision for him. After she reclaimed her lasso from inside Omni Force Tower, the Amazon princess retaliated fiercely against the former marine's initial assault.

To make matters worse, he was heaving his breaths. It was hard to find a moment to breathe properly, especially in the midst of battle. And with his deteriorated lungs and his powers slowly destroying his body, he couldn't do anything but try to fight like a regular man.

"HRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Diana roared as she flew down and attempted a heavy right hook onto her seated foe. He somersaulted off to the side, evading the attack as her fist struck the wall, leaving a large indentation with several cracks. She glanced over to see Smoker stand up and pull off his jitte from his back. She noticed the blood dripping out from his mouth as he inhaled and exhaled slowly. "Stand down," she insisted after a moment to her opponent's surprise, "It's clear to me that you're not fit for battle at this moment," she pointed out with narrowed eyes.

"Tch…" the former marine scoffed, "Lady, I don't give a damn if my body's up for a fight or not…" he muttered out, letting off a grimace as he clenched his teeth together, "Fact is… you attacked my comrades…" he noted with a heavy breath.

"I was only trying to speak with Ben!" Diana shouted in response, "What Rainbow did—!"

"You trying to justify attacking someone who's pregnant?!" Smoker interjected angrily, much to her surprise, "That guy up there…" he continued, glancing back at Omni Force Tower, "he gave me and lots of other people second chances…" he recalled, tightening his grip on his jitte, "And I plan on living up to it!" he fiercely declared. The Amazon princess was somewhat stunned. She was amazed by the kind of people that Ben had put his trust into… and frightened by how powerful they could be.

"Then you leave me no choice…" she remarked, drawing her lasso. She lashed it out in an attempt to take hold of the former marine, but he quickly manipulated his body into smoke, passing through as he launched himself forward. Armament Haki appeared upon his right fist as Diana gasped in surprise.

"WHITE BLOW!" he roared, striking her upside the head as they both flew out and crashed into the middle of a street. People around started murmuring with concern, as a few of them pulled out their phones to record the scene. Smoker breathed heavily as he brought himself back onto his feet. Despite the pain surging throughout his body, he didn't care. He wasn't about to let his foe get away with what she did. He lunged forward again, blackening both of his arms. However, Diana quickly reacted by bringing up her own to block them with her bracelets. She brought up her right foot and kicked him square in the torso, making him stumble back.

He growled in frustration, knowing that his weakening body wouldn't be able to handle transforming into smoke at this point. The Amazon princess flung her lasso out at him, latching around his left wrist. Before he could think to attempt anything, he was reeled towards his foe in an instant. She struck him square in the face with a straight punch from her left fist… or so she thought as he turned his entire body into smoke to pass through her and free his wrist from the lasso. However, as he morphed back to normal, he winced in agony as he grabbed at his chest, coughing up blood.

"Damn…!" he cursed out. He turned around too slowly as his face was met with a fierce right hook from Diana, sending him crashing into a nearby wall as he slumped down it with a pained grunt.

"Oh my god…!" one woman gasped in shock.

"Isn't that Wonder Woman?" a man in the crowd asked while recording from his phone.

"What's she attacking the Omni Force for?" another male alien questioned on as the Amazon princess approached the former marine, wrapping the lasso around his body. It glowed a bright gold as she tightened its bind on him.

"I do not wish to fight you any further," she affirmed as he grimaced, "My lasso will compel you cease your attack and tell me where Ben is," she informed. Smoker clenched his teeth together, trembling in the rope's hold. "Now," Diana insisted firmly, tightening the lasso's bind on her enemy.

"Grrrkk…!" the former marine grunted, desperately trying to will himself to not comply. But whatever power the glowing lasso had, it was forcing him to speak. "Tennyson… is-" Instantaneously, Smoker disappeared. And in his place was a vending machine.

"What?!" Diana exclaimed in shock, while the crowd around murmured out of surprise. The former marine reappeared beside a couple of vending machines, going down onto his hands and knees and breathing heavily as blood dripped from his mouth.

"Jeez, White Chase…" a familiar voiced muttered, catching his attention as he glanced over to see Law standing there with his sheathed Kikoku held upon his left shoulder, "What kinda crap did you get yourself into now?" he wondered aloud with narrowed eyes.

"Tch…" Smoker scoffed, "Spare me, Trafalgar…" he grumbled before coughing up more blood, much to the Op-Op user's surprise.

"Hey!" he yelled, crouching down beside him, "How the hell are you even having trouble with this chick to begin with?" he asked, knowing that the former marine had a Logia-type power.

"If you're gonna keep asking dumb questions…" Smoker grumbled out with a wince, "you might as well get me outta here…" he admitted, letting out an agonized yelp. Seeing as how his comrade wasn't in a state fit for battle, Law grabbed him by his left arm and draped it over his shoulders as they both stood up. However, Diana spotted them from afar, lunging out towards them with her lasso at the ready.

"Ah, shoot!" Law yelped, hurriedly trying to prepare another ROOM for their escape. But thankfully, they didn't need to. Erza suddenly rushed in with a sword in her hands, slashing back the Amazon princess as her blade collided against her bracelets in a flurry of sparks. She slid back, looking out to see the requip user there with a fierce glare in her eyes.

"Law, take him back to the tower," she insisted of her fellow squadron leader, "I'll handle the rest from here…" she declared, summoning forth another sword into her right hand as she firmly grasped it.

"Scarlet…" Smoker uttered out, coughing up more blood. At the moment, the Fairy Tail wizard thought that it was because of Diana that her teammate was so weakened. She growled angrily.

"Please, we can still resolve this peacefully," she pleaded to Erza.

"I'm afraid it's too late for that!" she shouted back in response, lunging forward with both blades ready. The Amazon princess took a prepared stance, holding up her bracelets to take the first of many slashes from her foe.

"We better go…" Law insisted, hearing the fierce roars of the requip user in the background as he walked with Smoker in hand. He glanced back to see the battle rage on while citizens were evacuating to a safe distance. This battle was the start of something terrible. And it was only going to get worse.

"Ben!" Rook yelled as he entered the domicile of his partner in Omni Force Tower. He ran in to immediately find a few Plumbers tending to Rainbow, loading her onto a stretcher. She didn't seem injured, but obviously certain precautions were being put in place. "Please be sure to handle her carefully," the Revonnahgander insisted of the medical officers.

"Sir!" they responded with nods, carefully lifting the stretcher before wheeling it out to the elevator. Rook was surprised that he hadn't found Ben with his unconscious wife. He hurried off down the hall towards the bedrooms. The door automatically opened for him as he entered to find the Biomnitrix bearer there, tucking Raya into her crib as he gently and quietly placed the covers over her. Her cheeks were stained by the tears she cried.

"Ben-"

"I know the situation already, partner," the Omni Force leader interjected before Rook could even offer another word, "And I'm going to take care of it," he promised in addition, walking out the door as he passed by the Revonnahgander.

"Ben, please wait for a moment!" he insisted, grabbing him by his left wrist, "If you lash out now, then—!" He stopped talking as he could feel the tension building in the Biomnitrix bearer's arms. He was furious.

"You can't stop me, Rook," he stated firmly with venom dripping from his tone, much to the Revonnahgander's shock, "And I won't stop until I've made myself clear…" he affirmed as he walked out of the room. The Magister looked on in disbelief before glancing back at the sleeping Raya. It was abundantly clear that Ben was about to act out of vengeance and anger, not out of justice. But at the same time, his rage was justified. He walked out and ran towards the edge of the tower balcony before taking a great leap over the railing. He smacked his two Biomnitrix gauntlets together before becoming enveloped in a huge flash of green, burning light.

"HRAAAHHH!" Erza roared as she slashed mightily at Diana, blowing her back along the street. The many phones of people recording were from various places. On the street, inside buildings, even from rooftops above were aliens and humans alike logging footage of the battle. The Amazon princess threw out her lasso again, latching onto the blade in the requip user's right hand. With a powerful tug, she yanked it out of her hand, catching it with her own.

"I don't want this to continue…" she told the Fairy Tail wizard, "If you could just let me explain the situation to Ben-"

"Why should we explain anything to you?" Erza interjected in question.

"Because you never told us anything!" Diana shouted back as a response, "Instead of just trying to handle things by yourselves, why couldn't you have just contacted us?!" she asked on, "None of this would be happening!" she pointed out emphatically. Hearing that made Erza hesitate, albeit briefly. The Amazon princess had a point. Why hadn't the Omni Force told the Justice League about the events? Rather, why hadn't Ben?

"If you truly believe that we may resolve this peacefully…" the requip user began as she lowered her blade for a moment, "then why not believe that we could do as well as you?" she questioned to her surprise, "Ben told us about how his team saved you and your comrades before," she mentioned, "What has changed?" she asked curiously. Diana tightened the grip on her blade.

"I think you know the answer to that," she retorted firmly as she narrowed her eyes with contempt.

"Suppose I don't," Erza suggested back, "Why this sudden distrust of someone who's worked with you before?" she asked on. Instead of answering, Diana suddenly lunged out at her. Their swords clashed, with sparks flying out upon each subsequent strike. The requip user then had her repulsors buzz before launching a beam from her right one directly into her foe's chest, knocking her back a few steps. She then enveloped herself in a flash of golden light, requipping into her flight armor with the repulsor gauntlets still over her hands up to her elbows. With her new pair of swords in hand, she speedily dashed in and slashed at the Amazon princess again and again. She was barely managing to defend herself from the rapid assault.

"You're quick…" she admitted as she crossed her metal bracelets over each other to block another slice followed by a repulsor beam that she tilted her head to the side to avoid, "but I've beaten quicker," she noted, taking hold of her lasso and throwing it out. It wrapped around Erza's ankles, causing her to trip and fall over onto the ground in a cute yelp. Diana then pulled on the rope to reel her in. She grimaced, clenching her teeth before enveloping herself in another golden flash of bright light.

When it subsided, it revealed that she had requipped into an elegant armor composed of a short blue robe trimmed gold which was largely open in the middle, revealing much of her chest. The robe was tied together at the waist with a simple red ribbon held together by a gold bead. The robe had an elegant, multi-layered trim. She wore two large blue gloves which had gold trims flaring out in the ends. The gloves had red ribbons tied around the wrist and were adorned in a simple pattern of gold dots.

She wore a large golden pauldron over each shoulder, bearing the image of a lion with an open mouth. She had blue and gold leggings which matched the gloves in their pattern and design. Around the leggings were a pair of gold greaves. The knee plates contained a pattern similar to the tiara she bore atop her head. The greaves themselves matched the pattern of her robe. The tiara consisted of two blue, rhombus-shaped pieces to each side and a center blue triangular shaped piece. Each piece has a gold adornment inside. Two strands of hair from the sides of her head were each tied together by a golden bead with an intricate swirling pattern. Behind her was a large white sash which loops above her head with the ends hanging out towards the ground with a bead on each end.

In her hands was a large halberd with a golden circular hand guard in the center. The blade was quite large with a semi-circle of small rhombuses on the other side. A purple cloth was tied right below the blade. Diana was surprised by the new armor, considering how revealing it was. Using the blade end of the halberd, Erza used it to loosen the lasso's hold, freeing her ankles from its grasp as she somersaulted back.

"If your conviction is really to harm me and my friends for what we've done," she began to her foe, "then I have no choice but to face you with my full power!" she roared in declaration, reeling her weapon back, "Nakagami…" she started to echo, enticing the Amazon princess to take on a defensive stance, "STARLIGHT!" she bellowed, slashing forwards mightily. Her blade cleaved deeply through the pavement, making its way to Diana before enveloping her in a fierce explosion of dirt and dust.

In the aftermath of the attack, Erza stumbled over onto her right knee. She knew that the Nakagami Armor consumed much of her magic power. And it was even worse knowing that she had only just recovered from her injuries. At the cloud of dirt started to settle, she stood up with a heavy breath. She hoped that her attack had at least made her opponent stand down. But sadly, that wasn't the case.

The Amazon princess was standing firm in spite of the trembling of her arms. Behind her was a wide, linear gap in the street that spanned several yards. Erza couldn't believe it. The Nakagami Starlight was one of her most powerful attacks… and Diana just… took it!

"Will you stand down now?" her foe asked of her insistently. The requip user clenched her teeth, growling with frustration. But then she heard a loud rumble, causing her to blink in surprise. Wonder Woman heard it, too. The ground was shaking as she could see something charging towards them.

It was a bipedal, dinosaur-like alien with four arms. His skin was two-toned, being a dark red on the outer part, while it was light on the inner part. His four arms had several spikes upon them with black, fingerless gloves that had green cuffs. He also had spikes along his head, which had four green eyes. For clothes, he wore a white belt with a green stripe, along with black pants that went above the belt. His feet were two-toed with grey toenails. He had black, beard-like stripes upon his face, which had a dinosaur-like nose. The Biomnitrix symbol was located on his green sash, draping over his right shoulder.

"Ben…" Erza uttered in realization. The Vaxasaurian/Tetramand hybrid charged forward with his four green eyes burning with rage as they locked onto Diana. She took a nervous step back.

"Ben, wai—!" Fourmungousaur grabbed her in his upper right hand before she could finish her shout, slamming her hard against a wall.

"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he roared loudly. Many of the citizens shuddered in fright at the rage the transformed hero was displaying. They had never seen him like this. Neither had Erza.

"Ergh…" Diana grunted as she tried to pry herself free of the fusion alien's grip, "Ben, please listen to me!" she pleaded. He whipped his head up to her in an instant with rage building in his eyes.

"LISTEN TO YOU?!" he repeated angrily, slamming her against the wall again, this time breaking through it as he threw her several yards away. She recovered in midair, grimacing from the cuts and bruises she sustained. Fourmungousaur stomped towards her with all four of his fists clenched tightly. "You came to my home uninvited… you attacked my wife…" he listed off as venom dripped from his tone. The Amazon princess was actually starting to grow afraid of him.

"Let me explain myself, please!" she begged, holding out her hands in a placating manner.

"I'm done listening to you!" the Vaxasaurian/Tetramand hybrid yelled angrily, "Get it through your head already…" he continued as he reeled all four of his arms back, "AND FUCK OFF!" he bellowed, smacking his hands together to create a seismic shockwave that slammed right into Diana, blowing her away as she tumbled through the air. Many windows of buildings in the vicinity shattered from the shockwave's force, shocking many of the people inside.

"Ben…" Erza uttered out, requipping back into her Heart Kreuz Armor as she jogged over to see the result of her comrade's rage. The Amazon princess had been blown back quite a distance, shaking her head after managing to regain herself in midair. She looked to see that she was right in front of Mount Rushmore, widening her eyes in surprise. She then glanced back towards the Omnitrix City streets, seeing Fourmungousaur glare up at her and growl.

"Huh…" she sighed deeply, "This won't end well for you, Ben…" she pointed out with a shake of her head, flying off.

"Huh… Huh…" the Vaxasaurian/Tetramand hybrid breathed out, composing himself with a deep inhale… and exhale. Multiple beeps came from the Biomnitrix symbol before he was enveloped in a green flash of light, transforming back into Ben. Erza cautiously approached him. Never before had she seen such an angered episode from the Omni Force leader. At least not that she remembered.

"Ben… are you-?"

"Fine," he interjected assuredly, much to her surprise. The serious look on his face didn't show a clear sign of him being okay…

"Commander Tennyson! Commander Scarlet!" Rex's voice called out, catching their attentions as they saw him floating down with a few other officers, each donning a jetpack. The Plumber captain was the first to land, approaching the Biomnitrix bearer and the requip user. "Where is the assailant?" he asked immediately.

"Gone," Ben answered as he walked past him, "Check to make sure people are okay," he insisted of the captain, "We're heading back to the tower," he stated before heading off.

"Sir!" Rex responded with a nod, running with a few officers to check some of the buildings that had their windows shattered. In the meantime, Erza glanced around to see the many citizens murmuring over what they had just witnessed. Though she couldn't hear what they were saying, she could tell that there was a fear in their eyes. And it wasn't because of Wonder Woman…

"Come on," Ben beckoned, snapping her away from her stupor.

"R-Right," she stuttered, following him as they walked back towards the tower. Tonight had been full of terrible surprises. And this was yet another…

X

11:02 P.M. – OMNI FORCE TOWER

"Where is she?!" Sunset cried out the second she burst into the medical bay.

"Calm down, she's fine," the Tetramand doctor immediately assured, enticing her to relax a little. He moved the curtain aside to reveal the rainbow-haired woman lying comfortably on a hospital bed, sleeping soundly. Sunset let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Why did Wonder Woman attack her?" she asked the doctor, getting his attention.

"Can't say for sure…" he admitted in response, "Anyways, she'll wake up in the morning," he promised, taking his tablet off of the nearby table and leaving the medical bay. Once he was gone, Sunset looked over at her friend. Worried as she was about her condition and thankful that she hadn't gotten seriously hurt, she had to still wonder why Diana would have attacked at all. Was it really an act of aggression? From her of all people?

"Hey, Shimmer…" a familiar voice chimed in, catching her attention as she glanced over to see Law enter the medical bay with Smoker in hand.

"Traffie!" she exclaimed, blinking in surprise to notice how weakened the former marine looked, "What's the matter with him?" she asked in concern.

"Not sure just yet…" the Op-Op user responded as he glanced at Smoker, "He hasn't told me anything…" he grumbled out.

"I'm… fine…!" the former marine claimed as he pulled his arm away, only to stumble down and fall onto his knees.

"Smoker!" Sunset exclaimed as she hurried over to him. However, she stopped upon hearing him hack and cough, with blood dripping out from his mouth onto the floor.

"Obviously, you're not fine if you're coughing up blood…" Law pointed out with a heavy sigh.

"Traffie, quit being sarcastic and help me get onto a bed!" Sunset insisted as she helped pick the former marine up from the floor. The pirate went over to assist, getting Smoker up onto a divan that was unoccupied as he steadied his breathing.

"So," Law began, getting his attention as he looked over at him, "you wanna tell us what's going on?" he inquired, arching an eyebrow. Grimacing with frustration, the former marine gripped the mattress of the bed tightly. Just as he was about to speak…

"It was Salem, wasn't it?" Erza's voice chimed in as a guess, causing everyone to perk up in surprise as they glanced over to see her enter the room alongside Ahsoka.

"Wait… Salem?" Sunset repeated in confusion, glancing back at Smoker, who lowered his head with shame as his squadron leader approached.

"Back at Haven, when you were trying to capture Leonardo," she recalled, "you said that Salem got to him first," she pointed out.

"It was a Grimm she was controlling, but yeah…" the former marine replied, having his hands release their grip on the bed.

"And what happened afterwards?" Ahsoka asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Smoker grimaced again, thinking back to the moment after the Master of Grimm had killed her pawn.

FLASHBACK

In the aftermath of Leonardo's demise in his own office, Smoker was left to face the Seer Grimm that floated about. He had heard Salem's voice… Or at least who he assumed it was.

"Coward," her voice echoed through the Grimm, disappointed in her subordinate's failure.

"So that's what you do to the people who turn on you, huh?" Smoker's voice guessed, catching her attention as she perked up. A grin crossed her face.

"White Chase Smoker…" her voice echoed from the Seer back in the office as it turned to face the former marine.

"It's just Smoker…" he retorted, holding his jitte tightly.

"You were once a leader of many soldiers…" Salem noted to him as the Seer floated closer, "so what changed?" she wondered curiously.

"…I did," Smoker answered after a moment, "And I changed because I knew what was right," he added firmly, "There's no honor in living lies anymore…" he mentioned, glaring at the Grimm before him.

"So that's it…" Salem realized, "And yet… will you be able to lie to protect your team?" she questioned on.

"What?" the former marine uttered in confusion. All of a sudden, the Seer imploded into a dark mist that spread throughout the office. Smoker coughed as he accidentally inhaled some of the substance, running out of the room as quickly as he could. Fortunately, the mist didn't spread far as he looked back, seeing that it was confined to the office space. He let out another cough before proceeding back towards the entrance to the grand hall, ready to help his teammates…

END FLASHBACK

"I think… she poisoned me…" he told his teammates, causing them to widen their eyes slightly in surprise, "And I don't know why I didn't say anything… but…" he admitted, balling his hands into tightened fists of frustration, "I… didn't think I should've bothered with it…" he finally confessed as everyone was left stunned, "In this life, I've done more bad than good…" he mentioned sadly, "Even if someone's willing to give me a second chance," he continued, "I don't think I'm worthy of it…" he added, clenching his teeth as tears threatened to fall from his shut eyes.

"Smoker…" Sunset uttered out, evidently stunned by what he was saying. She was about to reach out and touch his shoulder, hoping to learn more through his memories. But suddenly, Erza grabbed her by the arm, stopping her. The Equestrian Magic user looked to see the serious expression upon her face.

"Sunset, you should go see if you can talk to Ben," she insisted, "The rest of you should go and make sure things are settling down in the city," she advised to the others.

"But Erza-"

"Please," the requip user pleaded firmly, interjecting Ahsoka as she blinked in surprise. However, she and Law adhered to the request and jogged out of the medical bay. Sunset was reluctant to leave, but ultimately decided that it was in her best interest to make sure that her best friend was okay as well. She ran off.

"I'm sorry, Scarlet…" Smoker apologized as he wiped his eyes, "I just… didn't know how to tell you… or anyone…" he admitted ashamedly.

"It's alright," she assured in response, seating herself down next to him, "But now… you need to tell me the truth," she insisted firmly, "This poison…" she continued, "is it killing you?" she questioned. The former marine let out a sad sigh.

"Both my lungs are fucked," he told her as a reply, "And the doc said I'm on my last legs with 'em," he mentioned, holding his hands together tightly upon his lap, "I think using my powers just makes it worse…" he added in admittance.

"I noticed that you hadn't been smoking for a while…" she noted, glancing over at him, "Why didn't you think you could tell us?" she asked of him.

"…What difference would it make?" he questioned back as a retort.

"Smoker…" Erza uttered in surprise, putting an armored hand upon both of his, "Whatever actions you committed against us in the past, you've strived to atone for them," she pointed out, "There's no reason for you to feel like you haven't been forgiven yet…" she added. He then stood up and took a few steps forward as she stared at him in surprise.

"What makes you think I wanna be forgiven?" he asked as he glanced back at the requip user, causing her to blink in surprise. The way he spoke reminded her so much of someone else… Someone… she had lost… She looked to see him exit the medical bay.

"Smoker, wait a sec!" she cried out, but it fell on deaf ears as the former marine was gone, "Huh…" she sighed deeply, closing her armored hand into a fist. In spite of everything he had done as a part of the Omni Force, Smoker still felt as if he hadn't done enough. Not in terms of atonement. Or being a friend. And now he was apparently dying because of what Salem had poisoned him with. "I swear… you will not die," she vowed quietly before she stood up and walked off.

"Ben?" Sunset uttered upon entering the conference room, finding him standing at his seat with his back turned, "…How are you feeling?" she asked nervously. The Omni Force leader took a deep breath through his nose as he turned around.

"Better now," he assured in response, "I just… reacted back there," he noted, referring to his earlier confrontation. Sunset gave him a worried look.

"Ben, you shouldn't-"

"Commander Tennyson!" Rex exclaimed, interrupting Sunset as he entered the room alongside Rook and Max, "We just finished our rounds of the city," he told him, "No injuries," he mentioned.

"That's good," the Biomnitrix bearer responded with a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, the Revonnahgander trotted over to his estranged wife.

"Thank you for coming…" he said quietly to her in gratitude.

"Thanks for letting me know the situation…" she responded, "Did Wonder Woman really attack Rainbow unprovoked?" she asked of him in a whisper.

"…I cannot say…" Rook replied honestly with a shake of his head, "Without her knowledge of the situation, we will not be able to determine if Wonder Woman's attack was either planned or an act of self-defense," he explained, "Though if I am being honest…" he continued.

"You don't think she started the fight, do you?" Sunset guessed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"She was a close confidant for Ben prior to the many battles we wound up involved in against foes of the Justice League," the Revonnahgander pointed out as part of his response, "including the one against the World Government," he mentioned, "She likely understood that Ben was stressed at this time, especially with everything that has happened in the past week," he noted.

"So she wouldn't have just attacked…" Sunset realized, "I guess I'll find out more when Rainbow wakes up in the morning," she concluded with a sigh. All of a sudden, the table started to light up.

"What's happening?" Max asked as he approached it cautiously. All of a sudden, a hologram projected up from the table. It was Batman. And he didn't look happy. Neither did Ben as he glared up at him.

"I'm sure you understand why I'm contacting you," he pointed out, narrowing his eyes underneath his cowl.

"I'm sure you understand why I'm not exactly in the best of moods to chat," the Omni Force leader retorted.

"Ben, your wife—!"

"I don't care if she started it or not!" Ben affirmed angrily, "You attacked my family, so I'd say everything is fair game…" he growled out. His tone surprised everyone in the room. Bruce took a deep inhale through his nose.

"I need you to return the Joker to our custody at once," he insisted of the Biomnitrix bearer.

"And what if I don't?" he questioned back.

"Ben, what the hell are you—?!" Sunset's shout was interjected as Rook stuck his hand out in front of her, shaking his head. He knew that with Ben's current state of mind, the last thing anyone would want to do is get in his way.

"Then we'll take him by force if we have to," Bruce stated firmly as a response, "You're already in violation for holding him in place where he could cause even more problems if he escaped," he told the Omni Force leader. He balled his fists with a deep breath.

"I… don't care," he said. The others in the room were left in stunned silence. "Here's the deal," he continued, taking a step forward, "You wanna make this right?" he inquired, "Then meet us two miles off from Rushmore tomorrow night at seven," he insisted of the Dark Knight, "And we'll settle things then…" he vowed as he glared fiercely at the hologram of the hero he once looked up to.

"Huh…" Bruce sighed before the hologram faded away. Everyone looked to Ben with shock in their eyes. Never did they expect him to challenge the Justice League, let alone so brazenly.

"Before anyone says anything, this isn't on me," he stated just as Sunset opened her mouth, "They're the ones who put us in this position," he mentioned, "They're the ones who failed to help us when we really needed it," he pointed out in addition.

"Ben, think about this…" Rook chimed in out of concern, "If we act out of anger, then-"

"I don't care what the rest of the world thinks of me after this," the Omni Force leader interjected, "If this is what ends all the crap that we've been put through, then I'm all for it," he stated before walking off out of the conference room. No one said a word. They were all stunned by his seemingly selfish demeanor.

"Ben…" Sunset uttered out. She knew even if she did get to learn the truth about what happened from Rainbow, it wouldn't matter. The Omni Force and the Justice League were on a collision course towards a battle…

X

11:20 P.M. – THE WATCHTOWER

"I can't believe this!" Victor exclaimed as he and his teammates were in the medical bay, with Diana having her arms wrapped in bandages from the fight an hour ago.

"Unfortunately, it's the case," Clark remarked, folding his arms over his chest, "Ben has essentially declared war on us," he pointed out.

"Maybe not," Hal chimed in, "Maybe he's… actually willing to comply," he suggested to the group.

"Right, like we wanna take that chance after everything that's happened…" Barry retorted sarcastically.

"This is a troubling matter indeed," J'onn noted, "We have given Benjamin every chance to talk about this with us," he pointed out, "And it has been made clear that he will not cooperate," he mentioned seriously.

"Hence why we're in this situation now," Bruce said as he walked over. Victor grimaced in frustration, balling his trembling left fist.

"Bruce. Clark," Diana uttered, sitting up from the bed she lied upon, "What happened tonight was fault on both of our sides," she confessed to their surprise as they blinked, "Yes, Ben did disobey and failed to inform us of the situation until it was too late," she admitted, "But at the same time, we failed to recognize just how that situation's affected him and his team," she told them, "At least… I did…" she added with a heavy sigh.

"That doesn't excuse what happened, Diana," the Kryptonian argued, "He attacked and injured you," he pointed out.

"Because she attacked his wife!" Hal suddenly yelled, "What would you do if someone—?!" J'onn grabbing him by his shoulder halted his question.

"I would not go there," he advised seriously.

"In any case, we need to be prepared for tomorrow," Bruce insisted of the group, "Cyborg," he began, catching Victor's attention, "you've finished the device, right?" he inquired.

"Y-Yeah…" the half-man, half-robot stuttered in reply as a compartment opened on his right hip. From it, he pulled out a small black, circular-shaped device. "Huh…" he exhaled, "Guys, I really don't want us to have to use this," he admitted with a shake of his head.

"If things go well, we won't have to," Clark assured in response, "Everyone get some rest," he insisted of his comrades, "I'm sure we'll need it for tomorrow," he said before walking off. Bruce followed him along with J'onn and Barry.

"Gah…" Hal groaned out, putting his hands onto his head in frustration.

"Hal, why are you suddenly against this?" Diana asked curiously.

"Because it's not just Tennyson we'll have to go up against!" the Green Lantern pointed out desperately, "We got no idea what those other guys are capable of…" he noted, "And honestly…" he continued, "I've worked with Plumbers before," he told the Amazon princess and the cyborg, "So have John and Guy," he mentioned, "Tennyson's a good person," he said, "He's just… mentally in a bad place right now," he concluded with balled fists.

"Then we have to make sure that tomorrow night doesn't end with us exchanging blows," Diana affirmed seriously.

"Yeah…" Victor agreed, solemnly looking down at the floor. He knew his friend was likely going through a great amount of turmoil at this point. He only hoped that it would subside before the next night came…

X

JULY 13, 2020, 7:34 A.M. – OMNI FORCE TOWER

"Err…" Rainbow moaned as she stirred, slowly opening her eyes. With a relaxed yawn, she sat up from the hospital bed, finding herself wearing a gown with an I.V. plugged into her arm. "Huh…" she sighed, "Fantastic…" she muttered out.

"Good morning," Sunset's voice chimed in as a greeting, causing her to blink in surprise as she turned her head to notice the red-and-yellow-haired woman there, sitting in a nearby chair.

"Sunset…" she uttered out, "What are you doing here?" she asked, seeing her friend stand up and approach her.

"Wanted to make sure you were okay," she replied, "And… I need to know what actually happened last night," she mentioned in her explanation. Hearing that made Rainbow wince slightly.

"What… else is there to say?" she wondered aloud, "Wonder Woman attacked me, that's that," she stated with a shrug.

"Unprovoked?" Sunset inquired back, "Rainbow, come on…" she grumbled out pleadingly, "I don't wanna have to look into your head to find the truth," she mentioned with a shake of her head. Her friend gripped the covers of her bed.

"I told you the truth," she affirmed. Hearing that made Sunset let out a deep sigh of frustration. Without warning, she grabbed Rainbow by her shoulder. "Hey!" she yelled. All of a sudden, the former unicorn's eyes flashed a bright white as she peered into her friend's memories. She saw the fear, the anger, and the frustration she had. And all of it led to her being the one to attack first. Once her eyes flashed back to normal, she glared angrily at Rainbow.

"Are you insane?!" she yelled in question, shoving herself off of her friend as she yelped.

"They're the ones that started all this crap that stressed Ben out!" she argued, rubbing her shoulder.

"So that gives you the right to attack one of them when she only wanted to talk?!" Sunset asked back angrily, "Rainbow, that's fucking crazy!" she pointed out, "Do you have any idea what you've done?!" she questioned in a frantic tone.

"It's what they've done!" Rainbow shouted back defiantly, "They keep going after my babe just because he's doing his damn job!" she noted in frustration.

"And now your babe's about to go war with the Justice League…" Sunset mentioned with a snarl. Hearing that made Rainbow cease her rant as her eyes widened and shook. "So congrats," her friend remarked disdainfully as she walked away, "That's on you," she said while leaving. The rainbow-haired woman clutched the bed covers with a frustrated look on her face. Her actions, while only out of emotion, may have made things infinitely worse for her team.

"Huh… huh…" Law breathed out from the tower training room, dressed in only his pants and shoes as he held Kikoku in his right hand, with its scabbard in his left. Surrounding him were the remains of drones and training bots, all marked with clean cuts cleaved through their bodies. He had been training ever since he learned about the upcoming confrontation that would take place tonight. Though he wasn't against it, he was surprised to see the hatred building in Ben's eyes…

"I see you have already exhausted our training resources…" a familiar voice chimed in, catching his attention as he turned to see Rook walk in.

"Sorry…" he apologized, wiping the sweat off of his brow with his right hand.

"It is fine," the Revonnahgander assured, "I am sure it is necessary to feel more prepared for the battle to come tonight," he pointed out.

"Yeah…" Law replied, glancing up in thought for a moment, "You know, I'd be all for it…" he admitted, sheathing Kikoku into its scabbard before holding it over his shoulder, "but the fact that Tennyson's the one who called for it…" he continued, turning his head towards Rook, "I don't think it's a good idea," he confessed.

"Nor do I," Rook agreed as he shook his head, "But at this point, I doubt that anything will change Ben's mind," he noted in frustration, "Not even the security footage will sway him…" he mentioned.

"Security footage?" Law repeated in confusion as he blinked.

EARTH 616 – 8:09 A.M. – AVENGERS MANSION

"You know, you could've just called ahead of time instead of just showing up out of the blue…" a disgruntled Tony Stark remarked to Erza, who was walking beside him down the mansion halls.

"Has the Iron Scarlet been repaired, Tony?" she asked, ignoring his comments.

"Well, no if you're talking about Mark One…" he responded vaguely, "but…" he continued, receiving a curious eyebrow raise from the requip user, "I did manage to get Mark Two up and running," he told her, "Though honestly, can I ask why you need the armor now?" he asked as they approached the elevator, "I thought you were gonna give me at least a few months…" he pointed out, scratching at his right cheek.

"It's an urgent matter," Erza replied, "And I require a stronger armor than the ones I already have…" she pointed out as she glanced over at the billionaire genius.

"Okay then…" he responded, pressing a few buttons on the keypad next to the elevator, opening the doors for them to enter. As the lift went down moments later, the two passengers awkwardly stood side by side. "You know, as much as I love tinkering and making some stronger stuff for you, Titania…" Tony began, "I feel like you're leaving me hanging with all you're making me do…" he noted as he narrowed his eyes.

"I'm giving you the opportunity to tinker, am I not?" Erza inquired back, arching an eyebrow again.

"Huh…" the Avenger sighed deeply. The elevator finally arrived at the designated floor, opening its doors for its passengers to disembark. The requip user glanced around to see the multitude of armors all within their own pods.

"Where's mine?" she immediately asked. Tony stepped forward.

"Jarvis, can you get the lovely lady here the Iron Scarlet Mark Two?" he asked his A.I. butler.

"Certainly, sir," the program replied immediately as his voice echoed through the armory. A crane took hold of a pod, lifting it up and slowly bringing it over to the two visitors, setting it down gently in front of them. The billionaire genius then accessed a holographic screen that appeared upon the pod, unlocking it in a puff of steam. Erza looked in as the white veil settled, blinking to see the sleek and more form-fitting design of her new armor, which kept the Heart Kreuz symbol.

"Yeah, I had to ask Pepper for advice on measurements," Tony mentioned, stuffing his hands into pockets, "It should be comfortable…" he pointed out, "but in case it isn't, you can always consult me… or someone else who knows to deal with armor like mine," he assured to her jokingly. Touching the armor's breastplate with her right hand, the requip user made it glow in a bright golden light before it disappeared.

"Thank you," she said in gratitude to the Avenger, "You have no idea how much I needed this," she pointed out.

"Yeah, sure," he replied with a nod, knowing that she had just put the new armor into her requip storage, "So… what the hell are you up against this time?" he asked out of curiosity, "More people with magic?" he guessed.

"Huh…" Erza sighed out, glancing off to the side, "Possibly," she admitted in response, "But hopefully, I'll only have to fight one," she mentioned as she walked off.

"You know, you can always ask us for help…" Tony told her as advice.

"This is our problem, Tony," she retorted, "I don't want you and your team to get involved in something like this…" she confessed as she entered the elevator.

"Huh," Tony exhaled, "Jarvis, take her back up please," he requested.

"At once, Mister Stark," the A.I. butler responded, having the elevator doors close before it lifted the requip user back up towards the ground floor of the mansion. As she left, the lone Avenger in the armory couldn't help but grow concerned. What kind of situation was Erza getting herself into this time?

EARTH 57 – 8:22 A.M. – OMNI FORCE TOWER

Ruby was curled up into a ball upon her bed, contemplating everything that she had learned in the past few hours since waking up. All of it was overwhelming, especially for a girl who was only 16. The door to her room slid open as Gaara entered.

"Hi, Ruby," he greeted, getting her attention as she lifted her head up slightly to spot him there, "How are you feeling?" he asked as he approached.

"Huh…" the student huntress sighed, tucking her head in again, "It's all just… so overwhelming…" she told him with a whimper, "After Haven, I thought things would be great…" she admitted, "But… I didn't know this job would be… so much…" she pointed out as she clutched her sleeves tightly, "I guess that's why you were going to pick Pyrrha instead of me…" she realized sadly. Gaara blinked in surprise before sitting himself down next to her.

"Ruby…" he began, "I wanted to pick you first, but… you were still so young," he pointed out, putting his hand onto her left shoulder, "And Yang was worried that you weren't ready to take on that responsibility," he mentioned.

"And I'm not…!" the student huntress whimpered, sobbing into her knees, "I don't know how the rest of you all deal with the stress and the pain…!" she added, sounding frustrated with herself, "I'm not ready for any of this!" she cried out, suddenly latching herself onto the Kazekage's shirt as she sobbed into his chest. He looked on at sympathetically, holding her head with his right hand gently.

"None of us are, Ruby," he told her softly, "We just have to adapt and overcome," he advised, taking a deep breath, "It's how we're able to move past our hardships," he pointed out. The student huntress pulled herself back, sniffling and wiping her teary eyes.

"I thought… with Cinder finally gone, I'd have some kind of closure…" she admitted sadly, "But now…" she continued, pulling her hands away, "I don't know what kind of closure I'd need..." she confessed sadly. Gaara glanced down for a moment to think of an answer.

"…You'll have us," he assured in response, giving her a soft grin. At that, Ruby finally managed to let off a little smile.

"Thanks…" she said in gratitude, hugging the Kazekage gently, "Guess I'm lucky I got a great future brother-in-law…" she remarked.

"Heh," Gaara chuckled with a blush, holding her close, "Let's not get too ahead of ourselves, Ruby…" he insisted. Elsewhere in the tower, Ben was seated in his chair within the conference room as he was watching the security footage upon the holographic screen. He had seen it multiple times. It was obvious that Rainbow attacked first, not Diana.

"Ben," a voice said, catching his attention as he looked to see his grandfather walk into the room, "we need to talk," he insisted.

"I'm not changing my mind on this," his grandson stated firmly as he pressed an icon upon the table to make the holographic screen disappear instantaneously.

"I know…" Max said, "And I know that you're going to see this through to the bitter end," he mentioned as he walked over to the Biomnitrix bearer.

"Then why are you here?" he asked of him.

"Because… you're going to start something that could very well do great harm to your life," he responded.

"I don't care about the fame and glory of being a hero…" Ben muttered back as a retort.

"That's not what I'm talking about," his grandfather said, causing him to arch an eyebrow in confusion, "As much as I don't want to admit it, the Justice League's right that you've made several enemies, including ones from other worlds entirely," he pointed out, "And now… you've made it clear that you're their enemy," he mentioned. The Omni Force glanced down and sighed.

"Yeah," he replied, "Just me," he affirmed. Hearing that made Max blink in confusion.

"What?" he uttered out.

"I'm the only one the League wants at this point," his grandson noted, "So it's for the best that I meet them alone tonight," he told him.

"Ben, that's—!"

"This is on me," he interjected firmly, "Not Sunset, not Law, not Erza… or anyone else," he listed off, "It's just me," he said.

"Too bad that we're still coming," another voice chimed in, catching his attention as he looked over to see the Equestrian Magic user approach.

"Sunset, I can't let you-"

"If things get bad, you'll need backup," she pointed out seriously, "As much as I wish we could've avoided all this…" she admitted, "there's no going back now," she noted with a shake of her head. Ben stood up and exhaled a deep breath.

"I'll do what I can to keep a fight from breaking out…" he vowed, "But I can't make any promises…" he mentioned with a shake of his head.

"That's fine by me," Sunset assured in response. She inwardly hated all this. But at the same time, there was nothing she could do. Ben had made his words clear to Batman last night. The Omni Force and the Justice League… were basically enemies.

X

12:47 P.M. – APOKOLIPS

Hordes of Parademons and Apokoliptian soldiers were gathering together in the vast, hellish landscape, gathering supplies on ships and preparing for battles. Watching them from afar atop a balcony was Darkseid, who held his hands together behind his back. His red eyes narrowed with a slight sign of contempt. He was not pleased with how out of the loop he had been during this strenuous process in order to gain the likes of the very thing that would allow him to control the entire universe. And now…

"You plan to invade Earth as a warning, Uncle?" he inquired to Steppenwolf, who was armoring himself while placing his horned helmet onto his head.

"Of course," he responded, checking himself over, "They will likely come here to retaliate after an initial assault," he pointed out.

"Strong as your forces may have become in these past eight years, I cannot believe that-"

"Oh they will come, nephew…" the Apokoliptian general assured, interjecting the ruler of the planet, "I don't intend to go without a capable force to alert them," he noted.

"Hence why the Furies shall be joining him," Granny chimed in as she walked out onto the balcony.

"Though only a select few," Steppenwolf pointed out, "Komand'r is capable as Captain of the Honor Guard, but some of the weaker Furies have yet to show much progress…" he admitted, sounding disappointed.

"And who else will you bring to alert them?" Darkseid inquired. His uncle let off a smirk.

"Why, the weapon of course…" he responded simply. Hearing that made the ruler of Apokolips grin.

"Then I wish you luck, Uncle," he remarked, "You shall fulfill your duty as my general," he stated firmly. The armored New God knelt before him.

"It will be done, Lord Darkseid," he vowed, standing back up and walking off. Tonight would be the start of a battle set to determine the fate of the universe. And who would possibly rule it…

6:35 P.M. – OMNITRIX CITY

Ruby and Gaara were amongst the first to board the Proto-TRUK's ramp and enter into its bay. Erza and Law followed, seating themselves down onto the bench with their comrades. Standing just outside of it were Ben and Sunset, along with Max, Rook, and Rex.

"In case things go awry…" the Magistratus began to his two subordinates.

"I will contact the Omni Force for assistance," the Revonnahgander assured, correctly guessing what his superior was going to say.

"Are you sure we should only drop them off?" the Plumber captain inquired out of concern, "What if the League has multiple forces in place to ambush them?" he suggested as a question.

"I think they won't be trying anything drastic if it's just Ben and the squadron leaders," Max pointed out in response.

"And besides…" the Omni Force leader chimed in, having overheard the conversation, "this way, no one has to get hurt," he assured confidently. As he walked off towards the Proto-TRUK, Sunset looked on at him worriedly. She was still clearly uneasy about the whole situation. Who wouldn't be?

Meanwhile, Erza glanced out for a moment and blinked in surprise to notice Smoker standing at the doorway to the hangar. He stood there with a frustrated and sympathetic look on his face. The requip user could only nod to him as a signal that she would be okay. Once Sunset boarded the ship's bay, the ramp closed up behind her.

"Let us go," Rook insisted to Rex, catching his attention.

"Right," he responded, putting on his helmet before walking over to the front doors of the spaceship. They boarded, with the Revonnahgander taking the wheel… and inhaling a deep breath. "Are you all right, sir?" Rex asked as he buckled himself into the passenger's seat.

"Huh…" Rook exhaled, "I will be fine," he promised, "Let us hurry and get this done," he insisted as he pressed a few icons on the dashboard. His ship slowly floated off of the ground before flying out of the hangar in an instant. Max looked on worriedly, as did Smoker.

"Hoo…" Ruby breathed out as her hands slightly shook. Erza reached her right hand over to warmly grasp hers. She glanced up to her in surprise, seeing the reassuring grin on her face.

"So what's the plan exactly?" Law wondered curiously as he and Gaara turned to Ben. The women in the bay also looked over in concern.

"The plan… is to either make things right…" the Omni Force leader started to reply, "or have things get worse," he said honestly.

"Which is why we're gonna try to talk our way out of this first," Sunset affirmed, crossing her arms over her chest, "There's no need for us to throw the first punch…" she pointed out with a shake of her head.

"Maybe…" Ruby responded, catching everyone's attention, "But does that mean they won't?" she inquired as a suggestion. The whole bay grew silent. No one had an answer.

6:55 P.M.

The Proto-TRUK arrived at a clearing a few miles outside of the city, slowly descending before it reached the ground. Once its bay doors opened, Ben exited with Sunset, Law, Erza, Gaara, and Ruby in tow. Rook glanced back at his partner as he and his comrades walked along the clearing for a few steps before stopping to turn back to the spaceship.

"Please be careful, Ben," the Revonnahgander advised through the loudspeaker of the vessel before it took off and departed the area.

"I will, partner," the Biomnitrix bearer assured in response before turning to his comrades, "Okay… we've got five minutes," he told them.

"Are you sure they'll be here?" Erza inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"They will be," Ben answered as he looked upwards.

"Huh…" Law sighed out, "All of this is just one big overreaction…" he muttered, "And it's not only the bigwigs up top," he pointed out, "There's us," he said, catching everyone by surprise as they looked over at him.

"Us?" Sunset repeated in confusion, "How did we overreact?" she asked curiously.

"I'm guilty of it too, Shimmer," the pirate noted as he stepped forward, "We went in thinking we could stop the Legion by ourselves or those guys in Undertown," he pointed out to her and the others, "And now look what's happened…" he grumbled.

"Are you saying the Justice League could've done things better?" Gaara guessed, narrowing his eyes.

"I think he's saying we would've succeeded better together," Erza chimed in as answer.

"Pretty much," Law concurred, "What do you think, Tennyson?" he asked of the Omni Force leader, who was still looking upwards. He didn't respond, even as Ruby approached him from the side.

"Um… Ben?" she uttered, putting her hand onto his arm to try and get his attention.

"They're coming," he said suddenly, causing her to blink in surprise. All of a sudden, seven pillars of light rained down onto the clearing in front of the Omni Force members. Reflexively, Ruby drew Crescent Rose in its scythe form, Gaara had sand float out from his small gourd, Erza summoned forth a sword into her right hand in a flash of golden light, Law took Kikoku out of its scabbard, and Sunset ponied up, gaining amber skin with pony ears, wings, and a long ponytail. As the lights subsided, it revealed the Justice League members there. Clark was the first to step forward.

"Hello, Ben," he greeted with narrowed eyes. The Biomnitrix bearer glared back.

X

7:00 P.M.

The standoff between the two groups had such a thick amount of tension, not even the sharpest knife could cut it. Nervous looks were exchanged. The only ones who appeared to be the most composed were Ben and Clark.

"Where is the Joker?" Bruce asked as he stepped forward.

"Plumber Headquarters," the Omni Force leader responded immediately, "But I'm not giving him to you," he stated firmly.

"Ben, you gotta—!"

"If you won't comply, we'll have to use force," the Kryptonian warned, interrupting Victor.

"But we don't wanna fight!" Ruby cried out desperately, "All of us are heroes in our own right, aren't we?" she inquired of both sides, "If we fight amongst ourselves, it leaves us weakened for our enemies to pick us off…" she pointed out in concern.

"Kid's got a fair point," Hal agreed, crossing his arms over his chest as he glanced over at his comrades.

"Still, we can't just let things slide," Barry chimed in, "especially after the dozens of lives that were lost in Metropolis," he noted, causing the Omni Force members to blink in surprise, "They could've been saved…" he mentioned with narrowed eyes.

"Why not put that on the Legion and not us?" Ben suggested back as a retort.

"Benjamin, please…" J'onn pleaded, "We understand that you have been through much during these times," he pointed out.

"But that doesn't excuse what you've failed to do," Clark added in a rather hurtful tone. The Biomnitrix bearer lowered his head slightly.

"I… failed?" he repeated, clenching his teeth, "I failed…?!" he growled out, trembling with rage, "If I'm such a failure, what about you guys four years ago?!" he shouted in question, catching the Justice League members by surprise, "My friends and I saved your asses, and we didn't give you shit for almost getting axed!" he pointed out angrily, "You might've failed, but we were there to encourage you…" he mentioned in frustration, "So when we fail… you're all just here to get in our way…" he concluded. Exhaling a deep breath, the Kryptonian took a step forward.

"We can resolve this peacefully… or by force," he offered, holding out his right hand, "You hand over the Joker, turn over any information you have regarding multiversal happenings and your teammates, and join the Justice League as an official member," he listed off.

"And why the hell would I—?!"

"If you don't," Bruce interjected, "we'll have you and your teammates captured and taken into our custody," he told him. The others grimaced in realization. They knew that Ben wouldn't agree to the terms.

"…I'm not selling out my friends for you," he stated firmly. Hearing that made Clark let out a deep sigh.

"Then you leave us no choice," he concluded, turning to Victor, "Cyborg?" he said, inviting him to act. Reluctant as he was, the half-man, half-robot raised his right arm as a compartment opened on the back of his hand.

"Sorry about this, Ben…!" he apologized in advance, firing off a black object. It struck the right Biomnitrix gauntlet, sticking to it.

"What the…?!" the Omni Force leader gasped, right before his arm was pulled to the left, with the black object attaching to the left gauntlet as well, "Agh!" he yelped, trying to pry them apart to no avail.

"Ben!" Ruby exclaimed.

"What the hell was that?!" Law asked, angrily glaring at the Justice League.

"It's called an electromagnetic disruptor," Bruce responded, "Think of it as a small EMP designed for knocking out any specific any electronic it attaches itself to for two hours," he explained.

"Two hours…?!" Sunset gasped, glancing over to see that the glow in both Biomnitrix gauntlets had faded.

"So this was your contingency plan for me, huh?" Ben guessed as he gritted his teeth, desperately trying to pry himself free, "Gotta say, pretty easy to deal with me as a human as opposed to an alien…" he remarked with a smirk.

"That's enough, Ben," Clark stated firmly, "It's time for you and your friends to come with us," he said. All of a sudden, a bullet suddenly streaked past him, narrowly missing him and some of the other Justice League members. He glanced over in surprise with them to see the smoke coming out from Crescent Rose's muzzle as Ruby had fired a shot from it.

"You're not taking him… or anyone else!" she fiercely declared as she clenched her teeth.

"Flash!" the Kryptonian called out.

"On it!" Barry responded as he instantaneously dashed forward. However, Sunset was quick to react as she stuck her hands out, emitting a bright flash of golden light to blind him and his comrades. It gave Erza the moment she needed as she quickly requipped into her Flight Armor and tackled the Scarlet Speedster aside, tumbling over the dirt ground with him.

"Traffie, take Ben and find a way to get that magnet off!" the Equestrian Magic user insisted as the luminosity subsided. J'onn and Bruce began their charge towards them. "We'll hold them off here!" she vowed, "Go!" she commanded firmly.

"Got it," the pirate replied, forming a ROOM beneath the palm of his hand as it expanded outwards. He then took hold of Ben as the Martian hero phased through Sunset, about to grab the Biomnitrix bearer. "Shambles!" Law exclaimed, instantaneously vanishing from sight with his comrade as in their place was a small boulder.

"Ah!" J'onn gasped in surprise.

"Where'd he go?!" Barry asked as he shot up onto his feet. Clark whipped around, narrowing his eyes as he spotted Law leading Ben away through the woods.

"He's heading south," he told his teammates.

"I got him!" Victor cried out, flying off thanks to the jetpack on his back.

"Cyborg, wait!" the Kryptonian cried out as he sped after him. Bruce whipped around and raced off in pursuit of them. Sunset took notice and grimaced. She knew that Law wouldn't be able to stop the three of them by himself, especially with Ben being unable to really help for the moment.

"Traffie—!" Her shout was cut off as she felt a hand grab her from behind… followed by several grasping her by her jacket. She glanced back and grimaced to see that J'onn had protruded multiple hands to take hold of her and pull her in.

"Apologies, but I cannot allow you to intervene," he told her. She growled through gritted teeth, glancing upwards. She suddenly vanished in an instantaneous flash of golden light, making him gasp in surprise. He then glanced up too late to suddenly be met with a fierce right hook to his head from the Equestrian Magic user's glowing fist.

"Then I guess that means I can't let you leave either!" she concluded as she landed down on her feet, tossing her leather jacket off of her form while taking a ready stance. J'onn got up, letting his multiple arms shrink back into his body before narrowing his eyes onto his foe.

"Agh…!" Erza groaned out as Barry knocked her aside. He then glanced over towards the woods. But just he tried to speed off, he was suddenly ambushed by a cluster of rose petals.

"Whoa!" he yelped as he was spun around and flung aside after being caught between the blade and handle of Crescent Rose, hitting the ground and tumbling along it about a dozen yards. He looked to see Ruby land down and ready her sniper-scythe. Just as he started to stand up, he was ambushed by a wave of sand washing over him.

"Ruby!" Gaara called out, catching her attention as she looked to see him with his arms extended out, "Don't waste your Aura too quickly!" he advised, "I'll handle him!" he promised. The student huntress merely nodded, looking to see who was left to face. One person was Diana… while the other was Hal. Neither had made a move.

"If you're going to do nothing, I suggest you both stand aside," Erza warned, requipping once more in a golden flash of light. When it subsided, it revealed that she was now in a dual toned armor that was composed of a simple pink breastplate joined to the collar, which sported a heart centered between two wing-shaped epaulettes. The pauldrons were structured by two pink plates, faintly shaped like wings, consecutively surmounted by one another and pointed downwards. They were adorned by intricate ornamental wings on each pauldron. The gauntlets completely enveloped her arms and featured prominent feather-shaped decorations pointing backwards in correspondence to her wrists. The waistguard was made up of plates attached to the breastplate, surrounded by a thin belt around Erza's waist, and has a short, pinkish white skirt underneath covering her upper thighs. Her greaves reached up to the center of her bare thighs and possessed feather-like ornaments protruding from the upper edges of her greaves and the lower edges of her knee guards, which had similar motifs carved on them, and each sported a pair of small wings, one attached to the knee guard and one in correspondence to her ankles. The armor was complemented by a large tiara adorning her head, with feather-shaped protrusions jutting out horizontally, and a large purplish white cape. Her hair was now styled into a pair of braids that flowed down from the back of her head.

"You know we can't do that…" Diana responded, drawing a blade from the shield she was carrying over her left arm.

"Then we don't have a choice…" Ruby said, taking a ready stance.

"Agreed…" Erza concluded, summoning forth a new pair of swords in a flash of golden light. They were identical, sporting intricately-designed metal blades edged with a dark shade of gray. They featured large, pink-decorated handguards reminiscing a pair of seraph wings and both center a spherical gray jewel, which contained the Fairy Tail symbol. The fuller adjacent to the guards housed a purple, leaf-like ornamental design, where the blade was slightly wider.

"Huh…" Hal sighed deeply in frustration as his power ring glowed a bright green. As much as he didn't want to fight, he had no choice now. No one did…

"At least you can still run!" Law pointed out from the woods as he and Ben weaved through the trees, "You think we lost 'em?" he inquired curiously.

"With Superman on our tail, we'll never lose them…" the Omni Force leader muttered in response.

"So why the hell are we even running?!" the pirate shouted in frustration as they came to a stop behind a tree, "Jeez…" he grumbled out, taking a moment to catch his breath, "Let me see if I can knock that damn thing off…" he insisted, getting Ben's attention as he raised up his blade.

"Hey, wait—!" Law swung his blade down though… and it merely bounced back in a flurry of sparks upon hitting the disruptor.

"What the hell?!" he exclaimed in surprise. The Omni Force leader let out a frustrated sigh.

"I had a feeling that wouldn't work…" he admitted, "Besides, it won't matter," he pointed out, "With both watches conked out, I won't be able to go alien with them like they said…" he noted.

"Damn…" Law cursed out, "They really did think things through…" he realized, grimacing a little.

"Which is why I'm glad I have a backup plan," Ben pointed out, causing him to blink in surprise.

"How far ahead is he?" Victor asked as he and Clark were flying above the woods in search of the Biomnitrix bearer. The Kryptonian narrowed his eyes, with his heat vision locking onto two signatures in the forest.

"I see them," he pointed out, catching his comrade's attention, "One's stopped, and the other's still running," he told Victor, "We'll deal with the runner," he decided, "Let Bruce handle the other one," he insisted.

"R-Right," the half-man, half-robot stuttered in response, flying after the Kryptonian as they started to descend. Once they touched down, they widened their eyes and gasped lightly to find that the person they were in pursuit of was actually Law, who came to a stop.

"Oh, hey…" he greeted, letting off a smirk, "Looking for someone else?" he inquired sarcastically as he readied his left hand. Unfortunately, he was pinned to a tree in an instant by the Man of Steel. "AGH!" he yelped out, grimacing a little.

"Where is he?" Clark growled out in question. In spite of the pain he was in, the pirate managed to smirk.

"You know… he had a feeling you guys would be making sure he couldn't use his watches for a while…" he pointed out to them, "It's why he had his own contingency for that…" he mentioned with a chuckle. The Kryptonian blinked in surprise.

"What are you-?" All of a sudden, he heard something clatter onto the ground. He and Victor looked to see that it was both of the Biomnitrix gauntlets, which were still locked together by the electromagnetic disruptor.

"He… took them off?!" the half-man, half-robot exclaimed in disbelief.

"He called it a failsafe," Law noted, getting his attention, "He figured that you guys would wanna focus more on taking him down before he could use his aliens over just planning for each and every one," he explained.

"But taking off the Omnitrices isn't going to help him," Clark pointed out.

"You think he doesn't know that?" the pirate questioned back, making him blink in surprise, "Heh," he chuckled, "Tennyson's a smart guy, even when he's not an alien," he said, "You guys won't beat him easily…" he confidently remarked.

"I think we'll save the rest of this conversation for another time," the Man of Steel stated, about to use his free left hand to chop at Law's nape. However…

"Room!" he suddenly exclaimed, causing a blue, transparent space to expand out from beneath his palm, covering a good amount of the immediate area, "And Shambles!" he yelled just as his foe attempted to strike him. He vanished instantaneously though, leaving Clark to only strike the tree he was pinned to as it fell down from the mighty chop. He glanced down to see the small stone that had taken the pirate's place.

"Tch…" he scoffed in frustration, glancing over to see the pirate running off.

"Wait… if he's there…" Victor started to realize, "then Ben is…!" he gasped out. Clark immediately pressed his fingers onto the communicator in his left ear.

"Bruce!" he yelled. From afar, the Dark Knight grimaced as his body was encased in ice up to his neck. He was frozen in place completely by Arctiguana, who transformed back into Ben in a flash of green light. Upon his left wrist was the watch-like Omnitrix.

"Law, looks like they took the bait," he communicated, pressing his left pointer finger against the earpiece he had in his ear.

"Yeah, but they're heading your way now," the pirate's voice pointed out in response, "You sure you take them by yourself?" he inquired in concern.

"I can at least fight them off for someone else to join in…" Ben responded, "Just get yourself in position," he advised seriously, putting his hand down as he ended the call.

"So you fashioned together your own Omnitrix as a backup since you assumed we'd be attempting to disable the two you used…" Bruce noted, catching his attention.

"Not gonna lie," he started to say, "if I had more time, it'd be better," he admitted as he looked at the Omnitrix, "Since I only had so much time before tonight, I could only make it well enough to give me my current library of aliens and evolutionary function," he explained, "But I don't have fusions or access to Master Control," he mentioned, "So in all honesty, I'm on a time limit just like the old days…" he pointed out, taking a deep breath.

"Ben, we can still end this peacefully," Bruce told him, "If you hand over Joker, then-"

"I'm sorry," the Omni Force leader suddenly apologized to his surprise, interrupting him, "but I think we both know it's already too late for that…" he concluded, glancing up to see Clark and Victor flying down.

"Bruce!" the former exclaimed, making his eyes glow an angered red. Ben narrowed his as he tapped the lid of the Omnitrix, making it slide forward as its dial popped up.

"Huh?" Cyborg uttered in confusion upon seeing that. Swiftly and gently pressing the lid down, a green light shrouded his friend's body as it morphed into that of XLR8. He let his visor come down over his face before he sped off in an instant, avoiding the lasers shot at him by the Man of Steel. He and Victor then landed, with the former thawing his colleague out of his frozen trap with the rays from his heat vision.

"Are you alright?" he inquired to him as he shakily stepped forward.

"I'll be fine," he assured, "More importantly, you two should deal with Ben," he advised to them.

"How?!" Victor inquired, "He's got another Omnitrix, and I don't have a disruptor that can—!"

"The Omnitrix he's using is on a time limit like the ones he used in the past," Bruce explained, interjecting the half-man, half-robot, "If you make him reach that limit, he should be easy to detain from there," he confidently said.

"Sounds fair enough," Clark replied as he floated up, "You deal with his friend," he insisted of the Dark Knight, "Victor and I'll take care of Ben," he assured before flying off. Meanwhile, Cyborg took hold of the two disabled Omnitrices. Bruce looked at him with a perplexed expression.

"Just so no one else comes to swipe 'em," he said before flying off. The Dark Knight narrowed his eyes with suspicion, but decided to drop the issue as he ran off in pursuit of Law. Meanwhile, XLR8 weaved through trees speedily as he hurried along.

"Grandpa, do you read me?" he asked while still running.

"I hear you, Ben," Max responded through the communication line from the Omnitrix symbol, "What's the situation?" he inquired.

"Bad," the Kineceleran answered bluntly, "The League disabled the Biomnitrix, so I'm using a backup Omnitrix right now," he pointed out.

"What?!" his grandfather exclaimed.

"Don't worry, I'm okay," XLR8 assured as he ducked behind a tree and screeched to a halt, "But I've got Superman and Cyborg on my tail right now…" he pointed out, peeking out to see if his foes were close by.

"Ben, you need to get back here as soon as you can!" the Magistratus insisted.

"With Supes chasing me, that's gonna be next to impossible…" the Kineceleran noted bluntly, "Have Rook use his MPG to contact the new guy," he advised, "He's probably gonna stand a better chance against Superman than I will…" he pointed out.

"What about using Kryptoknight?" his grandfather asked. XLR8 glanced up to see Clark and Victor closing in on him.

"Honestly, I don't wanna go that far…" he admitted, ending the call as he dashed off in an instant.

"I got him," the Kryptonian said, making his eyes glow a bright red before firing off another pair of lasers from them down towards the ground. They struck, chasing after the Kineceleran as he sped along to try and lose them, only for them to slice through a tree that was about to fall onto him.

"Crap!" he yelped, quickly smacking the Omnitrix symbol at his chest. He was enveloped by a green flash of light as his body morphed taking on a green, gooey appearance. He became a humanoid-shaped mass of goo, having a nose-like beak and an amoeba-like shape. The Omnitrix symbol was atop a small, UFO-shaped device that hovered over his head. He manipulated his body to avoid getting squashed by the falling tree before flying off.

"He can still switch from alien to alien though…" Victor realized with a grimace.

"We just have to run him out of juice," Clark pointed out, inhaling a deep breath. Understanding what the Kryptonian was doing, the half-man, half-robot nodded as he morphed his arm into its sonic cannon form, firing off multiple blasts from it down towards the Polymorph. He manipulated himself to evade each shot as they struck the ground, causing plumes of dust and dirt to build up. However, Clark could still determine their foe's location as he exhaled a freezing breath of air towards a clearing. Just as Goop emerged from the dust cloud, he found himself caught in the Man of Steel's breath.

"Uh oh…" he squeaked out in a static-sounding voice as ice formed around his body. He was frozen completely as he reached for the Omnitrix symbol atop his anti-gravity projector, unable to touch it. Both Clark and Victor landed down.

"Should we thaw him out?" the latter inquired as he morphed his hand back to normal.

"We'll wait until his Omnitrix times out," the Kryptonian decided, narrowing his eyes onto the trapped Polymorph. Suddenly, he heard the hissing of steam from the ice. Within it, Goop had increased his acidity, melting the ice just enough to tap the Omnitrix symbol atop his anti-gravity projector. In a flash of green light, the ice shattered around him.

"Ah!" Victor gasped, putting his arms out to defend himself, while Clark balled his fists in frustration. Stepping out from the remains of the trap was none other than Heatblast.

"You know, all heroes start somewhere…" he remarked, igniting his hands with flames, "Wanna guess how I started?" he inquired rhetorically, sticking his hands out. Cyborg grimaced, while Superman growled a little. But to their surprise… "Psyche!" the Pyronite yelled, slapping the Omnitrix symbol at his chest to envelop himself in another shroud of green light. His skin became green as he morphed into Marshifter, much to the shock of his foes.

"See ya!" he remarked, phasing into the ground and disappearing from their sight.

"He's got a Martian transformation, too?!" Victor exclaimed with widened eyes. Meanwhile, Clark concentrated his, using his heat vision to trace his target's signature.

"He's still heading for Rushmore," he pointed out, "We need to hurry," he insisted before flying off. Further ahead, Marshifter phased out of the ground and morphed back into XLR8 in another green flash, speeding off hurriedly as his visor came down over his face.

"Bet those guys won't think about messing with me on my home turf…" he noted to himself, "Besides, the Plumbers'll be on the scene if something does happen…" he concluded. As he ran though, he failed to take notice of the figure landing down at the very end of the woods just as he exited. He ended up running right into Clark, bouncing off of him and tumbling backwards before coming to a stop upon his stomach. "Ugh…" he groaned, letting his visor come up. He looked to see that he was just a dozen yards away from the American monument of South Dakota.

"I warned you about the consequences of going against us, Ben," the Kryptonian stated as he stepped forward. In the meantime, Victor landed down behind the Kineceleran as his jetpack detached itself from his back, falling onto the ground gently. "You've made your choice, so we'll be taking you in," the Man of Steel told his foe, who shakily got onto his feet.

"You know I'm not going down that easily…" he remarked back, quickly smacking the Omnitrix symbol at his chest. Another flash of green light enveloped his body, causing both Clark and Victor to shield their eyes from its brightness. When it subsided, it revealed that XLR8 had transformed himself into a small white alien made up of silicon. One of his most noticeable features was a square appendage resembling an MP3 player behind his back with a port on it, decorated with a '10' symbol and what looks like cassette tapes on his lower legs. There were green, circle-shaped indents on the back of his hands, and the inside of his mouth was also green with lines that gave it the appearance of an amplifier. He also wore headphones upon his ears. His slit green eyes were bulging out, he had two black stripes on both of his earplugs, which were quite pronounced, his legs were stubby, he had three toes on each foot. He bore the Omnitrix symbol on his forehead.

"Sorry… about this… Vic," he apologized slowly as his voice echoed, sounding akin to speaking through a microphone.

"Ben, wait—!" But Cyborg's shout came too late. The Sonorosian took a deep breath… and unleashed a powerful sonic scream from his mouth that echoed throughout the area. "AGH!" Victor yelped in agony as his body sparked wildly, trying desperately to endure the sound bombarding his body. All of a sudden, the scream ceased as Clark grabbed Echo Echo by his face and lifted him off of the ground.

"That's enough!" he insisted firmly. However, the Sonorosian didn't comply as his body suddenly became outlined by a green light. Two clones shot out from his body, screaming loudly into the Kryptonian's ears as he winced. He dropped the real Echo Echo in his hand to cover his ears, allowing them to gather together in front of him. Four more clones emerged from the original, all lining up together to face down the Man of Steel.

"Wall… of…" they started to echo, catching their foe's attention as he gasped in surprise, "SOOOUUUUUUNNNNNNDDDDDDDD!" they screamed together, unleashing a powerful sonic blast onto Clark.

"GAGH!" Victor screamed in agony, unable to endure the constant barrage of powerful sound waves. Meanwhile, the Kryptonian clenched his teeth as he took step after step through the sound, inching himself closer to the force of Echo Echoes. Once he found himself in a position where he was starting to feel his ears go numb, he made his eyes glow a bright red.

"Uh oh…" the real Sonorosian uttered in realization. Superman fired laser beams that struck the ground before the clones' feet, causing it to explode and blow them back in loud yells as they were sent hurling over Mount Rushmore's edge.

"Huh…" the Kryptonian sighed with relief afterwards, "Cyborg, are you okay?" he asked of the half-man, half-robot.

"Ergh…" he grunted, pushing himself up onto his feet, "I'll live…" he assured in response, "But I doubt Ben's done," he pointed out.

"I'm sure of that, too," Clark admitted, balling his hands into fists, "We'll just have to do what we can," he said firmly. Another flash of light coming from beyond the edge of the monument caught their attentions as they blinked in surprise. What followed was a brand new figure floating up into their view. It was a tall blue, humanoid creature with black stripes, an overall rounded design, long arms and legs, and stumped feet. Unlike his devolved counterpart, he had fifteen green, removable speaker-like components attached to his body and a marking on his back resembling a cassette tape. The Omnitrix symbol on his chest had spikes jutting from it in diagonal directions.

"Ultimate… Echo Echo!" he exclaimed.

"Huh…" the Kryptonian sighed. He knew that Ben wouldn't give in so easily. And he wouldn't either…

ENDING

Insert "Homura" by LiSA

Begins with wedding bells ringing upon the official marriage of Ben and Rainbow, as everyone cheers for the happy couple. Watching on from afar in the air are Superman and Wonder Woman, who are happy for the newlyweds. It's a very different scenario in the present day though…

Cuts to the memorial in Omnitrix City built in the aftermath of the World Government's attack. Ben approaches the memorial and leaves behind a bouquet of flowers with a somber look on his face. He notices Smoker approach beside him as he puts down a few candles. They share a glance with each other before smoke envelops the screen.

We see Sunset adjusting to a semi-married life with Rook in the aftermath of her mission to stop Aggregor. She happily tickles Kyoto as he lies in his crib with his tail wagging about. As Rook approaches, she instinctively moves away to his surprise. Realizing that she still doesn't completely trust him, the Revonnahgander sighs as he picks up his adopted son in his arms.

Upon his submarine, Law stares up at the night sky as the wind brings about a nice, gentle breeze. Cana approaches him from behind and hugs him with a drunken smile on her face. He smirks back, kissing her on the forehead before looking back to see Bepo playing with their little son, Clive.

Erza is inside her apartment, brushing up her long, scarlet hair. She looks in the mirror and smiles… before taking notice of Jellal there. She whips around and finds no one else in the room though, sighing somberly as she still misses him.

Gaara writes down a few things upon a couple pieces of paper at his desk in his office before leaning back in his chair and exhaling out of exhaustion. He looks up at the ceiling and wonders about his future before noticing a familiar set of blonde hair. He glances over to see Yang there, who happily gives him a sweet kiss to his lips, which he returns.

Back in Mistral, Ruby sits up from her bed, contemplating all the decisions she's made up to this point. Weiss and Blake approach her, letting her into a group hug to console her. Ruby smiles, glad to have such good friends.

We then cut to the Omni Force squadron leaders and their teams in battle, with Sunset assuming her Daydream Drive Form, Law readying a Gamma Knife, Erza requipping into her Nakagami Armor, Gaara forming a Wind Style: Sky Sand Defensive Wall, and Ruby activating her Silver Eyes. We see Ben step forward, leaving behind Rainbow and Raya as they look on at him in worry. He transforms into Astrodactyl and flies off, heading for Mount Rushmore.

The song winds down with him standing atop Omni Force Tower, sharing a smoke with none other than Smoker.

END ENDING

And thus begins the highly anticipated war arc! I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving and enjoyed this chapter! I put a lot of effort into making sure it was action-packed for you guys as we finally wind down 2020!

Next chapter's gonna feature a lot more action, especially from the newer Omni Force members, so stay tuned!