Chapter 40:

"Look, I know this situation isn't exactly the best-" Cado started to explain, facing his mates with Diana by his side.

"The best?!" Bulma repeated, annoyed. Her arms were crossed as Kasumi, Mai, Chun-Li, Cammy and Aika stood at her side, Kasumi doing her best to calm the rest of them down. "In your own words, you were defeated by an actual god, kidnapped by an island full of femi-Nazis, pretty much destroyed that island, and defeated a warrior princess, only to spare her life by an actual goddess. Then, you were given the task of trying to stop the former god in causing chaos and destroying the world. Have I missed anything?"

Cado opened and closed his mouth. "That... That's pretty much it."

"I see." And here, she glared at Diana, before looking at Cado. "So, you have to be taking this hooker around the world to stop Ares?"

"Hooker?!" Diana's eyes narrowed.

"Whore, prostitute, whatever they call it on your island," Bulma insulted, waving her hand dismissively. Cado blinked while the other women 'oohed'.

"How dare you?! I wear the armour of my people!"

"And considering that you kidnapped and tortured my husband for practically nothing, isn't really convincing me that your people are a good example to lead by." The blue-haired woman then sniffed derisively at her armour, and how tight it was on her body. "Besides, you should really learn to dress for your size."

"Hmm," Mai hummed, inspecting the armour, even walking around the princess, making her slightly uncomfortable. "She looks to be a size 6."

"She's a size 9 at best."

"Bulma-"

"She's a size 9, and that's what she should be wearing."

"I will not stand you insulting me!" Diana fumed, stepping forward. Only for Cado to clamp his hand on her shoulder, looking at her.

"Calm down."

"But-"

"Calm. Down." An angry glint appeared in his eye and Diana glared at him. Finally, she relented.

The Saiyatonian then looked towards Bulma. "Look, I don't like this anymore than you do, but Ares can't be left unchecked. I can literally hear the angry cries of people, mobs and civilians, rioting and causing more and more violence and chaos. I had to stop several fights from breaking out myself."

"But why do you need her?" Bulma questioned, pointing at Diana, who continued to glare at her. "I mean, you can take Ares on yourself, right?"

"Yes, but the problem is I can't sense him." At their confused looks, he elaborated. "I think it's the fact that he's a god or something, but I can't sense his ki like I normally can with other beings. It was the same thing with Athena. I'm guessing that it's because of their magic. She would likely know Ares' location based on her knowledge and teachings of his ways from mythology."

Diana frowned. "I am more than just a mere guide. I was sent here to support you in battle." At Cado's snort, a dark look appeared on her face. "You do not believe I can assist you?"

"Listen, princess. It's cute that you think that you can help me, but I can handle Ares. I'm stronger than the last time we faced each other, and I've seen his moves. Besides, if you couldn't even beat me - especially before I fought him - how do you expect to do well against him?"

Diana grit her teeth. "I am a proud Amazon! We have trained for thousands of years, to defeat any sort of threat! To train ourselves as warriors and protectors of the Earth!"

"And how do you expect to be that if you've never left your island?" Cado asked rhetorically. He scoffed. "It doesn't matter how much training you do if you've never experienced an actual fight with an opponent. You're likely the best of your Amazon tribe, but couldn't even beat beings beyond your little island. Hell, beyond this planet. In short, experience trumps training."

Diana snarled, but Cado ignored her. He turned to his mates. "The faster we can continue this man hunt, the lesser amount of casualties that'll occur."

Bulma sighed, seeing the logic in his words, even if she didn't like it.

Nodding, Cado gave a brief smile to his other mates. "Hold the fort down while I'm gone. And help Kal-El and the other heroes out with the riots and attacks, it'll get hectic."

Seeing them nod in the affirmative, Cado gave them all kisses, before he took Diana and flew away.

XXX

The two landed in a nearby park, feet settled on the ground. "Alright, princess. Help me sniff out a god of war."

Diana frowned. "I am not a dog, and it will take time to drag Ares out. Not that a brute like you will understand."

"Oh, yes. I'm the brute. Not the woman hailed from a race of warrior women with a stick shoved so far up their ass their coughing splinters, worshipping a bunch of godly assholes born with a fucking silver spoon in their mouths, and who can't keep their dick in their pants."

Shocked by his brazen words, Diana scowled. "Are all who inhabit Man's World like you? If so, then they clearly need guidance from the Amazons."

Cado reared his head back and laughed coldly, confusing her. "Oh, trust me, princess. In 'Man's World', women are just as bad as men. Sometimes even worse. And if you think that a race of women who rape males who get stranded near your island, and then kill them and drown their babies if they're born males!"

He hissed the last part of his sentence, anger seeping into his tone and sending shivers down Diana's spine. "W-Wha-"

"Oh, I did my research at my base before I left with you, and I have to say; I'm disgusted," Cado retorted, sneering. "You preach about how males are some blight on the world, and yet you defend your people when they do sick actions like that? You-"

He paused, instincts kicking in immediately. He shoved Diana out of the way, leg springing out to perform a powerful roundhouse kick on the projectile heading his way. A loud, inhuman screech was heard, before it flew back, smashing into some trees and collapsing.

More screeches suddenly followed, before more of the beings sprung forth, likely scaring away any remaining civilian at the park. They stood 7'0 tall, and wielded various weapons. From swords, to axes, to warhammers. Their skin was inky black, with fire billowing off from them, like a ki aura.

"Hera, help us," Diana whispered, paling.

"What are those?" Cado questioned, getting into a stance.

"The Makhai. Ancient demons of war and combat," Diana explained, weapons brought out in a flash. "They usually occupied the battle fields in ancient times, but they shouldn't be free! Not without a master of war!"

"Likely Ares' doing," Cado deduced, a smirk appearing on his face. "Well, I'm impressed. He seems to want to make us welcome before we meet him. Best not disappoint."

The Makhai growled like rabid animals, their beady red eyes showing malice and bloodlust. Roaring, they leapt at the two in a disorganised mess of monsters. Eyes glowing, Cado activated his heat vision, burning into each of them with minor difficulty. Those not mowed down were bisected by Diana, who grunted as she held up her shield to defend herself against the oncoming onslaught.

Cado punched, kicked and blasted them away, performing a Shoryuken on one of the Makhai that got too close, causing it to roar in anguish as it was sent flying, landing on one of its allies. One swung its warhammer at him, but he caught it by the head, crushing and breaking it under his grip. With that done, Cado held his right index and middle out in a gun shape, firing off a barrage of ki blasts that decimated each respective Makhai, despite their numbers.

Diana was on the move, hacking and slashing, occasionally using her Lasso to rope several of them into each other, knocking them down like bowling pins. A couple threw them towards her like projectiles, but Diana twirled, using her own blessed sword to slice through the swords with ease. Roaring, she beheaded one of the monsters, before using the flat of her blade to send it flying into another, knocking it down.

She made to continue, but was ganged up upon by several of them, dogpiling her. She roared, her sword cutting into several of them at a time, but she was quickly overwhelmed. She did her best to try and free herself, but there was too many of them.

As they kept scratching at her, Diana felt an enormous breeze envelop both her and the Makhai, causing them to screech as they were blown away. Cado appeared before her, helping her up. "Told you, princess," he remarked cockily, reminding her of his previous words.

Diana scowled, but did her best to focus on the matter at hand. Leaping forward, she shield-bashed several Makhai, using her anger as a focus. She swung in all directions, decapitating several of them with ease.

Seeing more approaching, Cado flew into the air, eyes alight with crimson. His heat vision kicked in, incinerating them all by the dozen. Some tried to escape, but they were quickly mowed down by Diana.

After a continued barrage, Cado ceased the attack, floating down. Seeing that the Makhai were practically devastated, he made to walk over to Diana, only to notice that one had managed to survive the onslaught.

The lone Makhai was physically decimated, body burnt from his heat vision. Its weapons were now slags of molten metal, and it hissed weakly. Nevertheless, it glared up at Cado with a burning intensity.

Sheathing her sword, Diana walked to the defeated Makhai, getting her Lasso out and ensnaring it. "Speak, demon! What does Ares plan to do with Man's World?"

The Makhai clawed, hissed and bit, but it was too weak to escape. Eventually, its burning eyes stared balefully at the princess. "You will never defeat Lord Ares, Amazon. You will fall, just like these pitiful mortals, and blood will rain from the skies as we celebrate his restoration!"

"Fascinating," Cado muttered sarcastically, folding his arms. "But we can save the boot-licking for later. Where is he?"

The Makhai snarled. "I owe you nothing, mortal!"

Eyes narrowed, Cado's eyes glowed red. "Wrong answer."

His heat vision came to life, burning into the Makhai's flesh. Soon, it started to squirm in pain, hissing. Diana did her best to hold it in place with her Lasso of Truth. Eventually, a scream of agony started to ring from its mouth. Cado kept it up for a good few minutes (he was planning on using more creative methods to get it to talk) when it finally screeched out, "Cease this! I-I will talk! I will t-talk!"

Cado stopped the beams, glaring at the spirit of war. "Talk," the Saiyatonian hissed, promising death if it didn't deliver.

Grimacing, the Makhai said, "Lord Ares is... gathering power. Allies. He knows that his tasks ahead will be perilous, which is why he called upon us to aid him and destroy you. He plans to drag this world into a bloody war, bringing his fellow Olympians into the mix, and challenging his father, Zeus, for the right to the throne. He will bring about a war, more bloody than any war known throughout mankind. Even the Titanomachy from ancient times will not be as destructive as this future one."

"Yes, yes, we got all of that," Cado dismissed. "Now where is he?"

"I do not know." Cado's eyes glowed again, causing the Makhai to flail. "Wait, wait! I-I know that Lord Ares has a Temple, in the ancient lands of his homeland. He frequently visits there, whenever he's cast away from Aphrodite's bed. I-I recall him muttering about visiting there for his schemes!"

"Really?" Diana questioned, frowning. "A temple in Greece? Multiple Olympians had temples laid out for them!"

"You will know which one is his," the Makhai hissed. "H-He has taken great care to hide it, perfecting his mastery over using the shades of Nyx to obscure it from all mortal and immortal eyes. B-But I know of a way to reveal its path to you. In three days, Apollo's chariot will release his store power, per Zeus' orders for the natural course of mortal life to commence. Lord Ares informed us that he was planning to use this as a chance to move across the world without being found, for Apollo's light would blind the eyes of the Olympians, obscuring their view. Use his light, and the path to Lord Ares' temple will be revealed to you."

"Release his stored power..." Cado muttered, his mind trying to run through what this was about. He knew that Apollo's chariot resembled the sun, but what stored power did it have? As far as he knew, it didn't have any-

It clicked into his mind. "A solar flare," he deduced, drawing a confused look from Diana. He turned to her. "A solar flare is essentially a huge explosion that occurs on the sun itself. They appear as a sudden flash of light on a section on the Sun, which typically lasts several minutes. They're random, and unlikely to occur anytime soon... until it appears in three days."

Cado turned to the Makhai. "Well, well. You did turn out to be useful after all."

The Makhai snarled. "Lord Ares will crush you into dust and grind your bones over the River Styx."

"I'm counting on it," Cado replied with a smile... before he moved quickly, crushing the skull of the spirit with his foot. "Because then I'd guarantee that I'll destroy him while he tries."

Retrieving her now freed Lasso, Diana turned to Cado. "What will we do until the time of this... 'solar flare'?"

Cado grunted. "I prepare."

XXX

Cado was sitting cross-legged in a wide, abandoned field with grass, a Power Ball hovering above him. Using his ki sensing, he could tell that there weren't any incoming civilians available for miles, and none were approaching any time soon.

It had been two days since receiving the information needed from the Makhai about Ares' whereabouts and plans. Since then, they hadn't had any luck in locating him with other methods. Cado circled around Greece, trying to use his physical and ki sensing to locate where he could be, but there was no such luck. It was likely because of Ares' nature as a god, or the magical means in which he hid himself, but Cado was unable to locate him. And Diana was of no help, eventually falling back on their original advice given on relying on Apollo's super flare to help them.

Not to mention that he had to help cease the rampages and riots that were spreading across the globe. Unfortunately, deaths did occur from them, but with his actions - as well as the actions of the other heroes - they'd managed to keep injuries and deaths to a minimum, eventually having to isolate certain groups from each other, in order to keep a semblance of balance. And while that did help, the annoying thing was that these sudden bursts of madness and violence occurred randomly, appearing in one part of the world, and then another. And while they did their best, he and the heroes couldn't keep track of every single act of violence, not knowing if it was even related to Ares or not.

Since then, Cado was doing his best to focus on his training, hoping to put his worries to rest and focus on what he could work on.

The Saiyatonian took in a deep breath, gritting his teeth. He then looked up at the Power Ball hanging above. The transformation started instantly, forcing him to brace myself against the primal power and rage of the Oozaru form, while also doing his best to keep hold of the power. He instead tried to let it flow, instead of crushing his instincts and fighting against them.

The results were... varying. He felt like he was getting somewhere, achieving a sort of balance between the rushing pain and the primal rage.

He felt like he could do it. And so he focused. Focused on the feeling of the power coursing through his veins, feeling the increase in power. I struggled against the transformation, seconds and then minutes ticking by.

Cado opened his mouth, but instead of a scream, a roar erupted from his mouth as he fought against his body's instincts and pain with everything that he had, the warring struggle to keep his logical side safe from his primal side, stopping the transformation and keeping hold of the power. And for a moment, he felt it; the sheer bliss of power touching his body. Untapped, unrivalled. He could imagine the roar of the Oozaru echoing with his own.

But that was all he could manage, as he lost his control. He roared in anger as he found himself over a hundred feet tall again.

Opening his maw and destroying the Power Ball, Cado sighed in frustration as he formed another one in the air, sitting on his ass as he massaged the bridge of his nose. "What do you want?" he snarled with fury.

Diana was standing afar from him, staring at him with confusion and awe. "Y-You transformed... what manner of sorcerer was that?!"

"The 'none-of-your-damn-business' kind," he grumbled, standing up. Frowning, Diana walked towards him.

"Why do you hate me so much?" she questioned, finally fed up with his attitude. "I have done nothing but aid you to save mankind!"

Cado scoffed. "Considering that your people tied me up and beat me, I'd say I'm not exactly fond of them, and you by extension. Not to mention your hypocrisy-"

"My people..." Diana closed her eyes, clenching her fist. "Their ways... are not just, or right. I will accept that. But that doesn't give you the right to judge them. In ancient times-"

"It doesn't matter what time period this occurred in, or what happened!" Cado snapped, annoyed at the excuses she was giving. "Your people are psychotic and hypocritical. They proclaim that men are the scum of the Earth, that they are evil incarnate! And yet they kill and rape innocent people, all for their own sick amusement. And the irony behind the whole thing - behind their bullshit feminist beliefs - is that they serve a god king who rapes women and cheats on his wife multiple times! The very same wife you and your people worship!"

Diana stood there, not knowing what to say. Because he was right. When the Cado's words hit her, she did her best to vehemently deny them, believing that his words and the books and stories written by men about the Amazonian lifestyle were false. But after reading through them herself, she started to have doubts. Doubts that grew when she sat back and really thought about how the Amazons interacted, and despised the opposite gender.

Truth be told, when Diana followed Cado to Man's World after gaining the title of Wonder Woman, she was dead-set on stopping Ares, to preserve the so-called peace, and to allow the Amazons' mission of providing prosperity to mankind to flourish. But now, she was conflicted. How could she follow through with that ideal, when her very own people committed grievous acts and followed an old-fashioned-no. Downright barbaric way of life?

She was brought out of her thoughts by Cado speaking. "So, I'm guessing you participate in your people's methods also?"

Diana had a disgusted look on her face. "No! Absolutely not!"

Cado raised an eyebrow at her outburst, before he hummed. "Well, I guess you're not as bad as them. But my point still stands. The only reason that they're even relevant is the fact that your Olympians protect them. Take that away, and they're just nothing but bitter crones-"

Cado reacted quickly, catching the sword aimed for his face. Seeing Diana's enraged face, he raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"I will not let you slander my sisters and family any longer!" she bellowed, fury written across her face. Justified he may be, she wouldn't let any more insults stand.

"Fine," Cado laughed, before punching her in the face, sending her flying. "I needed to hit something anyway."

Diana flew across the field, eventually landing on the ground, before rolling roughly into a crouch, sword and shield raised. She only had nanoseconds, before Cado was upon her, kneeing her in the stomach while pushing past her guard, before elbowing her at the side of her neck, knocking her down brutally. Flying after her, Cado only saw a flash, before he opened his mouth and narrowly bit down on her sword, saving his face from being sliced open.

Snarling, Diana kicked at him, causing him to grunt. On her third kick, he caught her leg, rotating his head and spitting her sword out. He then lifted her up and spun her around, aiming to throw her. The princess surprised him, however, by dropping her sword and planting her hands on the ground, momentarily halting his movement roughly and kicking his chin with her other leg, causing him to step back.

Cado chuckled, ignoring his injury. Then his hand lit up with a ki blast, sending it straight for Diana. Grabbing her sword, she roared before slicing downwards, meeting resistance with the blast. After a few seconds, she sliced through the attack, the severed halves detonating behind her.

Cado's hands glowed, before he was sending a volley of ki attacks that Diana did her best to cut through. Smirking, Cado sent another ki blast at her. Just as she was about to slice through it, he held his hand towards it and yelled, causing it to detonate early. The move surprised Diana, who covered her eyes from the excess light.

Taking the opportunity, Cado moved with incredible speed towards her. His first strike was at her neck, a karate-chop causing her to become disorientated. His second strike came in the form a powerful punch that knocked her straight to the ground. Before she could even get her bearings, Cado unleashed devastating punches at her, causing powerful shockwaves to be produced.

Diana grunted as Cado kept punching her in the face, drawing blood as the liquid flew all over, staining the cratering ground and Cado's knuckles. Allfather Zeus. King of the gods. Aid me in striking down my foe! Give me strength!

As Cado went for another punch, she quickly used her sword to slice at him, drawing some blood when he rose his arm to defend his face. The cut on his forearm bled, but he ignored it as Diana swung again, causing him to jump back.

Dropping her sword again, she quickly brought both of her wrists together harshly, using her bracelets to release a powerful shockwave. However, something different happened.

Faster than most of them could process, a bolt of divine lightning shot forth from the sky, blasting into the currently airborne Cado, causing him to roar in pain as he was electrocuted by the heavenly blast. He was blasted back, landing awkwardly as he stood upright.

Cado and Diana stared at one another, both puzzled by the appearance of the lightning. While Cado knew that Diana was somehow linked to it, she seemed just as shocked as he was.

Nevertheless, Diana acted quickly and smashed her bracelets together, seeming to summon another bolt. Cado quickly acted, cupping his hands behind him. He knew that that was no ordinary lightning, for it actually did some serious damage to him. Likely Zeus' doing.

Seeing the lightning rain down from the heavens, Cado launched his attack forward. "Kamehameha!" he bellowed, the blue beam impacting against the divine lightning. The attacks clashed, causing sparks and light to be blasted about, blinding the two briefly. The sky lit up as it responded to its current user, lightning raining down from Olympus.

"You dare try to murder one of my subjects?!" a voice bellowed from the skies, as if it gained sentience. "I will strike you down for this insolence!"

"Oh, fuck off, you shapeshifting rapist!" Cado roared back, arms shaking from battling the oncoming lightning bolt. The power from Zeus was more than he was currently outputting. So, he needed to switch things up. He needed more power.

His eyes turned towards the Power Ball, and instantly, the inspiration came to him. As the power of the Oozaru came forth, Cado decided that if training wasn't going to bring the results he needed, then battle would do. And he needed the fruits of his labour to burst forth now.

As he did his best to keep a grip on the power, Cado did his best to go through the mantra in his head: stop the transformation, maintain conscious thought, summon the necessary power. These were the steps to the unknown power that he was seeking. These went in a circle, smooth and clear for him to follow. But right now, at this moment, he needed to throw order out of the window and break the damn circle. Break it and just do it.

Immediately, he felt the changes. Cado felt a crimson haze descend over his eyes. Inside of him, a primal fury was burning in his chest, the rage of the Oozaru infecting every single cell of his body. The pain from the lightning bolt was gone, lost in a wave of oncoming agony. Every bone in his body ached with a new, foreign pain, every working part of it humming with a primal power. But, it was too great, too powerful for his humanoid body to contain. Words were unable to describe the sheer pain. The all-consuming wrath.

Cado roared in rage, his eyes going a burning crimson with amber irises(1). His Kamehameha increased in both size and intensity, surprising both him and Diana, as it blasted forth, practically destroying the lightning bolt and even shooting forth in the direction of it, seemingly heading to Olympus.

"By the gods..." Diana whispered in awe and fear. Then she looked towards Cado, and she paled. His body was covered by a red, flashing aura(2). His body also bulked up slightly, but the most prominent change were in his face and eyes. His face had veins bulging on them, pulsing violently. And his eyes... looked like pools of a destructive hatred so fierce she almost choked on it. The air was heavy with power, and her instincts screamed at her to move.

However, she was too late.

Cado let out a roar belonging to more of a beast than that of a man, and charged at her. She could barely see him before she felt a pain in her face. She cried out, the blow more powerful than anything she'd ever been struck by. As she was airborne, she saw a building light. Eyes snapping open, she saw that Cado was... was that energy building in his mouth?

Cado fired a ki blast from his mouth, not too different from how a fully-grown Oozaru did it. Diana barely managed to cross her bracelets together to defend, shouting in pain as her body was still battered, although thankfully in one piece. She collided into several mountains, before crashing into different houses. Thankfully, some of them managed to get cleared by civilians, who were screaming in terror.

As Diana groaned in agony, she yelped as she was grabbed by the leg. Cado was ruthless, losing complete control as he roared, slamming her into the ground with reckless abandon, like a wild animal. Before, his fighting was strategic, calculated but brutal. But now... the strategy was thrown out of the way, replaced with savagery befitting a monster.

Desperate, Diana used her blessed sword to slice at Cado, opening a deep cut on his cheek. That just made him more angrier, and he slammed her into the ground, grabbing her by both her feet this time. He then grabbed her hair, punching her more and more, causing blood to gush from her nose, and some teeth to break from her mouth.

Not satisfied, he held her by her right arm and leg. He pulled each limb, causing her to cry out in pain, as she felt like she was going to be ripped into two. Seeing her Lasso dangling from her body, she narrowly reached for it, fighting through the pain. She made to swing it and distract him, but Cado caught it in his teeth before it could be fully extended.

Dropping her limbs, he Spartan-kicked her in the back, causing her to cry out in pain as she was sent flying, only for her to grunt as her body was yanked painfully while in motion, for she was still holding onto the Lasso. While being yanked back, Diana did her best to give Cado an uppercut to the chin as she closed in on him... which didn't affect him in the slightest.

Eyes wide in shock and fear, Diana watched as Cado grinned savagely, before giving her his own uppercut. The difference was staggering, for she was punched so hard she flew upwards, flying high into the skies and reaching past them, ascending beyond even the upper atmosphere. She was travelling too fast to process, but she could vaguely recall seeing the blackness of space, before her body collided painfully with something.

As she struggled to gain her bearings, she groaned as she unsteadily rose up. Eyes blinking, she saw that she had landed on the moon. Blinking in surprise, she saw that she was in space, sitting upon her crater in the moon. She looked back ahead, seeing the Earth staring back at her.

"By Hera..." Diana breathed in surprise. Both at the fact that she was in space, and the Cado's punch was so powerful to make her land there. Movement caught her eyes, making her narrow them as she saw an incoming object approach her.

Eyes widening, she crossed her bracelets together, forming somewhat of a defence as Cado tackled her, barrelling through a chunk of the moon. A punch caused her to land on another planet. Mercury to be exact.

Cado's onslaught continued, punching her brutally. Diana did her best to hit him back, but he ignored it, grabbing and snapping her arms in retaliation. He continued wailing on her, his new form - this... Wrath State... was giving him more power, in exchange for a berserker-like mentality. He was blinded by rage.

Blood floated in space as Cado continued to brutally beat her, almost to the point of unconsciousness, until he felt something tie itself around his wrist. He confusedly looked at the Lasso of Truth wrapped around his wrist, trying to alter his mind. He snarled at Diana, who seemed to be weakly muttering something.

Cado ignored the suggestion, raising his bloodied fist to strike her again. However, the pause caused by the Lasso caused him to halt his movement, his face contorted into something more than rage. His body trembled as his mind did its best to see past the rage. To feel past the pain brought by the transformation.

The Saiyatonian exhaled, releasing his hold on the newly dubbed Wrath State. The fog of rage and pain left, leaving him a little weary. He sighed as he collapsed next to the bloodied Diana, who looked to have seen better days. Both of them panted, too spent to fully take into account what had happened. Cado couldn't even be happy he'd made headway with his newly founded transformation, annoyed at him self for his lapse in judgement.

"... Truce?" was all Cado managed to say, holding up his hand to the nearly passed out Diana, who stared at him for but a moment. After a few moments, she sighed and held his own hand, spitting some blood away.

"Truce," she agreed, knowing they had to push their differences aside and work together.

XXX

The next day, the foretold solar flare lit up the world for a brief time. To a normal person, this event - while rare - was something that didn't mean much, and didn't stop them from focusing on their daily lives.

But to those whom it concerned, it was alarming. As promised, the solar flare from Apollo blinded Olympus' view upon the world, but it also cleared the path available to Ares' Temple.

Something that Cado and Diana took advantage of. Both of them flew towards Greece, already locating where it would be. Seeing a temple slowly being revealed from what looked to be darkness from the oncoming light allowed them to identify it as Ares' Temple. Increasing their speed, they crashed through the temple, landing on the ground and cratering it.

In front of them, wearing his typical armour, was Ares, who seemed to have what looked to be an Amazon beside him. She was armoured differently to Diana, more bare in quality, but still offering up the proper protection needed.

The god turned to look at the duo. "So, you've come, mortal. I'd have thought that you would've either died, or taken my mercy and scurried off. It looks like I'm going to have to rectify that." He turned to look at Diana, and smiled cruelly. "And I see you've brought Hippolyta's daughter. Tell me, child. Has she made mention of me?"

Diana sneered. "Only about how vile and despicable you are, Ares."

"Ooh," he teased, holding his chest mockingly. "Such cold words. That wasn't what I heard the last time I visited her bed." Seeing the look of disgust on Diana's face, he chuckled. "Yes, yes. We had our own sexual dalliances long ago. Such a riveting experience..." Seeing the scowl on the face of the Amazon next to him, he quickly added, "But, that was so very long ago. Kept in the past."

Cado raised an eyebrow in Diana's direction. "Really?"

"Drop it," she snarled, glaring at him. She then turned to look at the other Amazon. "Persephone. Tell me, how does it feel to sleep with filth like Ares, and delude yourself into thinking that stabbing your sisters in the back was worth it?"

Persephone scoffed. "A spoilt brat such as yourself wouldn't understand, Diana. And you're one to talk. Did your mother finally permit you to run after a man, or is her hypocritical ways ingrained in you as well?"

Diana gripped her sword tightly, no doubt eager to run her through with it.

"Yes, yes. While that's all fun and good, I'm just going to skip to the part where I kill you. Okay?" Cado interrupted eagerly, a savage grin on his face. He flew forward, fist cocked back to drive into Ares' skull. The god didn't move, which bothered him. But the reason became clear when another figure appeared from behind Ares to intercept Cado, aiming a punch at his own skull.

The Saiyatonian's fist collided with the new stranger, causing a powerful shockwave to be produced and knocking back Persephone and Diana, whereas Ares only seemed to stumble slightly. Both Cado and the unknown man grit their teeth, seemingly in a struggle for dominance, before they were blown back, landing in their previous positions.

"As you can see," Ares said, grinning evilly. "I've decided to gather some allies of my own, in order to help me with my conquest. Diana, was it? I'm sure you're familiar with this special guest."

The man whom Cado had traded blows with stood at an unnatural height, dwarfing even Cado. His figure was even more muscular then Ares, almost dwarfing it. His torso was bare, showcasing multiple scars across his frame that looked to have been inflicted by just about every ancient weapon one could imagine, done by the hands of both man and monster. Adorning his body was pelt of some sort of giant lion, contrasting quite well with his covered lowered body.

The man spoke in an amused tone as he took several steps forward. "So you are the daughter of Hippolyta. How interesting."

Diana's heart skipped a beat in fear, although shock was the more accurate term, upon gazing at the man. Cado looked at her, confused. "Diana, who is this?"

"Hercules," Diana uttered, revealing the identity of arguably the greatest hero in Greek mythology. "I-It's him."

"Yes, girl," the god chuckled, spreading his arms in an arrogant fashion. "Be honoured that you are in the presence of two Olympian gods. Should you not bow?"

Cado raised a brow, seeing how uneasy the Amazon was. Then he remembered the stories and myths regarding Hercules and the Amazons. How he captured and raped them long ago. "So, you're Hercules, huh?"

Hercules looked at the Saiyatonian, and scoffed. "And what of it, mortal?" He turned to Ares. "This is the mortal whom was sent forth to stop you? A simple pest for you to deal with, brother."

Ares sneered, and it became clear to the others that this team-up wasn't a mutual one. "Just deal with him, Hercules. Do not make me regret recruiting you and promising you a throne amongst creation once Zeus has been vanquished. I have matters to attend to in the Underworld. Make sure they become permanent residents there."

With that, Ares waved mockingly towards the duo as he and Persephone disappeared in a burst of black smoke. Cado snarled upon seeing this. Again, that bastard seemed intent on escaping!

"Be honoured, mortal," Hercules chuckled, crossing his massive arms. "It's an honour to be in the presence of a god."

Cado sneered. "Trust me, I've met some of your kind. Quite frankly, I'm not impressed. The Underworld is the next stop after I've dealt with you, so I'm afraid we can't stay for long."

Hercules reared his head back and laughed heartily. "When Ares told me about your arrogance, I couldn't believe it! But listening to you has left me astounded! I've met many mortals, boy. And yet none have left me as flabbergasted as you! Do you not realise who I am! I am the god of strength! I slayed the mighty Hydra! I tamed the wild cattle of Greyon! This is no challenge for the greatest son of Zeus!"

Nodding his head, Cado turned to Diana. "I'll handle this." Seeing her angered look, he interrupted, "I get you have some beef with him, but we're on a time limit. And quite frankly, I want to see how powerful a 'god' actually is."

Hercules shook his head, astounded. "Trust me, mortal. You'll be dead long before you would witness my power." Moving forward, Hercules threw a powerful but lazy punch at Cado, who stood motionless.

The god struck Cado in the chest with enough force to put entire planets down, shaking the entire country vigorously. Nearby civilians struggled to gain balance as the ground shook beneath them, making them think an earthquake was occurring. The force produced by the punch ripped apart a nearby unstable mountain range, causing rock slides and and actual earthquakes to occur.

Pushed away from the force, Diana was shocked and amazed to see Cado standing exactly where he had been. He had caught the blow, enjoying the look of shock on Hercules' face. He followed it up with a gut punch that made Hercules wheeze, eyes popping out in surprise. Finishing it off, the Saiyatonian performed a spin-kick that sent him flying back to where Ares and Persephone previously were.

The god slammed into the wall, causing dust and smoke to fly he was sent flying back further and further. He dug his hands into the ground to halt himself. He groaned, pulling himself from where he laid and dusted himself off, "I see now," Hercules muttered, a knowing look on his face. "You're one of those off-worlders, those aliens. Which makes sense why you're stronger than the average mortal. But you're still nothing to a god."

Cado leaped out from where he was, landing with a smirk. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that. I was just hearing, 'Oh, please kick my ass, oh great and powerful Cado! I didn't know any better! God, that lion's skin makes me look ridiculous!'"

A vein bulging on his forehead, Hercules roared as he charged at him, swinging like a madman. Cado danced and weaved through each of his punches, smirking all the way. It was an amusing sight to Diana, who watched. While she didn't like the Saiyatonian, she thoroughly enjoyed the humiliation the Greek god was suffering upon fighting him.

"Why! Can't! I! Hit! YOU?!" Hercules roared the last part, hoping to have overwhelmed Cado at that point, but it was for nought. He was sending a barrage of attacks, jabs and haymakers with little to no accuracy, simply trying to overwhelm the alien as he dipped and dodged around the clumsy barrage without effort.

Enraged, Hercules gave a final, powerful punch that actually did connect with Cado's face. Hercules smirked, satisfied at having landed a hit... only for him to gape, upon seeing Cado's head tilted back only slightly, his body barely contorted. The Saiyatonian forced his head forwards, Hercules' fist still in his face. Blood leaked down his chin, but that was all the damage the god of strength had done to him.

"My turn," was all Cado uttered, before Hercules was sent flying from the powerful punch he'd given him. As he was flying, Cado flew after him and reached him almost instantly, performing an axe-kick that launched him downwards. Wheezing, the god was too disorientated to properly note how Cado flew down after him, appearing in the spot he was going to be. Catching him smoothly, Cado performed a spin while holding the god. After a few more swings, he sent him flying into a nearby temple.

However, Hercules wasn't even lucky to collide with it, for Cado appeared in his path again and clotheslined him, causing him to gasp. Grabbing him by the scruff of his lion's pelt, Cado performed a brutal headbutt that sent the god sprawling to the ground. His face carved up most of the ground as he groaned painfully.

Cado looked down on him, sneering. Then, he turned his back to him. "How about this? My back's turned, so you can attack me. That's what you love to do, right? Taking advantage of people while their back is turned?"

Snarling at the humiliation he was suffering, Hercules only saw red as he roared. "How dare you embarrass me like this?! I am a god, your better in every aspect! I! Am! HERCULES!" Moving with speed he didn't know he had, he swung at Cado, hoping to take his head off. However, Cado caught his hand, stopping him completely.

"I. Don't. Care," Cado uttered, before he punched Hercules in the chest, causing him to buckle in agony. He didn't relent, however, and gave off a powerful combo of swift punches and kicks that battered the god completely, too slow to react properly as the blows slowly wore him down. Hercules choked on his own blood, dizzily reaching for Cado, only for him to elbow him in the collarbone, causing him to yell in pain as he stumbled back.

Appearing before him, Cado gave a powerful uppercut that sent Hercules flying up in the air, rising too quickly to be seen by the normal eye. Cado stared up where Hercules was sent, before he stepped forward, slowly raising his left hand, his fist pumped firmly in the air as all was silent. Diana was confused at his actions, until Hercules - after some time - fell through the open skies and back to where they were. He landed on his back, onto Cado's outstretched fist, causing more audible cracking noises as his spine was shattered.

Hercules fell to his side, sliding off of Cado's fist, groaning painfully. He struggled to move, attempting to - for the first time in his godly life - crawl away in fear. Unfortunately, Cado wasn't feeling merciful today, due to the fact that Ares had escaped him. He walked forward, gripping Hercules' head. No taunt was given, no snark, as Cado began pulling. Diana watched, slightly mortified as the area was filled with Hercules' screams of pain as Cado slowly ripped the god's head off.

Skin slowly ripped apart from the force as bones broke. Hercules tried to move his hands to stop Cado from murdering him, but it was too late. With a final pull and a roar, Cado pulled the head of Hercules off of his body and looked at it with a violent look of satisfaction, enjoying the god's horrified and pain look on his face.

The Saiyatonian ignored the spine that the head was connected to, and the godly blood sprayed everywhere, including on his own body. He looked at Diana. "We're heading to the Underworld," was all he said, before he walked away from the fallen god.

(1) - My homage to SSJ4, since it and the Wrath State are practically similar. And the fact that the only canon user of the Wrath State - Broly - kinda has the whole green schtick as a colour scheme, so it'd be weird if I had Cado have green eyes as well.

(2) - My description is terrible, but I did my best to model the aura of SSJ4 (obviously not the same form, but you all get it. Same reason as the above point)

Yes, yes, I know. No excuses for being so late, blah, blah, blah. But honestly, I was just putting writing on the back-bench for the moment, and dealing with life. Not to mention that I've been on a job-hunt that's been consuming me, and I've been left disappointed each time. Also just been chilling in the mean-time while trying to get side-jobs in the mean-time, so there's that.

Hope y'all enjoyed the chapter. Next chapter will likely either end the Themyscira arc, or possibly stretch it out for length. Meh, who knows.

As for Cado gaining the Wrath State, while he has gained it, initially he's going to be like Broly. Unable to control it, wild, feral and use a berserker-type fighting style. However, after some time, he'll gain control over it.

And as for Cado ripping into Diana for the Amazons' actions, don't worry. Things will be mended between them due to more dialogue shared between them.

Guest Review time:

1.) Thanks, glad you liked the chapter. No, Cado will use God Ki around DBS, but he'll learn about the differences between normal and God Ki early on, especially during this arc. Unfortunately, Ares won't really be brought up after this arc, so I won't have him as a rival. And yeah, he should visit the DB Multiverse after this arc.

2.) Thanks, glad you agree.

3.) No, no other Olympian could physically contend with Cado. Ares and Zeus are likely to be the only exceptions (and probably Hades, but only because I plan to use him in a later arc). But because of their magic, they're formidable in a way to him.

4.) Good take, lol. You blew my own out of the water, honestly. Thanks for the take.

5.) Thanks, and sorry. Too many crossovers would have it be something different than a DBZ x DC crossover fic. But love your points.

6.) Thanks.

7.) Don't really care, tbh.

That's it. Sorry for the long wait, was planning to get it out earlier. Update should come soon, I hope.

Thanks to all those who f,f,r and r the story. Flamers can fuck off.

Read and Review!