Disclaimer: I don't own anything that doesn't belong to me.


Everyone stared at the centaur in alarm. Shin coughed. "Okay, uh, could you give us just a second? Thanks, we appreciate it."

Kentos blinked. "Wait, what-"

But the Bugrangers, Arachrangers, and other adults of the group had already turned their backs to him and formed a huddle. "Okay, first of all: Shin, what the hell is going on?! I thought nobody in this time should be able to see us!" Goro hissed. "Now my kids are in harm's way! Oh, and everyone else, too."

"Thank you for letting us know where your priorities lie," Mibojin said deadpan.

"There is a very simple explanation," Shin said confidently. "Which Cart will be giving us right now."

The gynoid sighed in frustration. "I'm sorry, but I don't understand what's gone wrong! The stickers should be working perfectly! This makes no sense!"

Aranea cleared her throat uncomfortably. "I… I think it might be my fault. Well, not me, precisely, but…"

Hesitantly, she took out the first piece of the Loom of Fate, which was glowing a steady blue.

"You just bring that everywhere you go?" Scarabella asked in disbelief.

"It's one third of the most powerful artifact in the universe, the source of all destiny and fate in existence, my birthright and the key to my ascension to my preordained throne at the apex of creation. Where else would I keep it?" Aranea pointed out.

Ariel poked the glowing jewel. "It is supposed to be doing that right now?"

Aranea shook her head. "No, it is not, just like my necklace shouldn't have released a power surge which fried the ShinLiner's systems and crashed us here. I have no idea what's going on, but… I think we are supposed to be here, in this place, in this time, visible and tangible to all in this era."

Ariel frowned. "Which means we should probably go along with it. I think by now we've learned why it's a bad idea to go against destiny."

"I've learned no such thing," Mibojin told her.

Ariel gave her an incredulous look. "Seriously? The whole mess with Floragel didn't show you why it's a bad idea to fight fate? She tried to break up Lovebug and I, despite us being practically a destined couple, and now she's trapped in a place literally deeper and darker than the underworld! An under-underworld, if you would."

"That's your destiny, it's not mine," Mibojin said stubbornly.

"Mother, really?" Kagami groaned.

"Hush, daughter, let the adults handle this."

"I'm practically an adult already, in our clan's eyes…" The younger ninja grumbled.

"Hey, didn't that prophecy about you and Nushi also imply you're going to destroy the world-" Cutaros began.

"That's still open to interpretation!" Ariel snapped.

"So, are you guys going to kill them all, or…?" Mei asked.

Kari frowned at her daughter, realizing that all the children had somehow found their way into the huddle. "What are you all doing here?"

Mei shrugged. "To be fair, most of us are connected to the Buzzing anyway, so we would've just told everyone else what was going on anyway."

Galacta nodded. "That's right, we would have."

"Shitsuki does not like secrets. That is why Shitsuki enjoys being connected to the Buzzing," Shitsuki said. "Now nobody will ever hide anything from Shitsuki ever again."

"Philia, you shouldn't be here, it's not safe," Apista warned her daughter.

"It's not safe for you either, mom," Philia pointed out, nodding at her mother's persistent chest wound. "And besides, where else are we supposed to go, the totally wrecked ShinLiner?"

"Veila seems to be trying to hide underground," Nushi pointed out, nodding at the Worm, who was already digging into the sand dune.

"Actually, I'm just digging myself a grave to save the soldiers the trouble," Veila told her.

"Yeah, I'm not doing that, the sand would ruin my wings," Neycombe said flatly.

Jun nodded solemnly. "Sand is terrible."

"Being buried alive isn't so bad," Fuuka said cheerfully. "Well. Now that I'm immune to suffocation, anyway. The first time around was actually kinda horrifying."

Luna stared at her. "… Do I want to know?"

"I don't!" Aki cried.

"Hey! Are you people going to surrender already, or-" Kentos shouted.

"Just hang on!" Shin yelled at the centaur. Turning back to the others, he said, "So, we're fighting, right? I mean, I feel like that's obvious, but-"

"Wait, we can't do that!" Nushi protested.

"What are you talking about? Of course we can!" Antares yelled. "I could probably take them all on by myself!"

Aranea nodded. "He's right, he could, he's defeated bigger armies."

"That's not what… I mean, yes, of course we could defeat them," Nushi admitted. "But we can't! Couldn't that screw up the timeline?"

"More than us crashing here and being seen by them?" Mira pointed out.

Nushi hesitated. "Well…"

"Not to mention I'm pretty sure the Roman army didn't have centaurs or undead soldiers, so it looks like something screwy is going on already," Ariel added.

Cart nodded. "Correct. This should not be happening."

"And not to belabor the point, but my piece of the Loom of Fate – which, again, is a third of the artifact which literally created destiny – seems to want us here, so I think anything we do from this point forward is something that we're supposed to do," Aranea commented.

"That seems like a convenient excuse to do whatever we want without fear of repercussions," Mibojin commented. "Not that I have a problem with that, I just feel like it needs to be said."

Nushi still seemed uncertain. "Shin? You're the time travel expert."

Shin shrugged. "Well, in my experience, you can either spend your time agonizing about preserving the timeline, second-guessing yourself, and overanalyzing every single thing you do for fear it'll trigger some sort of horrible butterfly effect… Or you can just take things as they come and see what happens. Basically, don't change the past unless you're supposed to change it, so assume that until proven otherwise, anything you do is something that would've happened anyway."

"And if you're wrong?" Nushi pressed.

"Then we get an earful from the time police or King Tokiwa-"

"May he reign forever," almost everyone chanted.

"Oh yeah, that's right, as the King of Time and Space he'd probably be aware of any major changes in the timeline," Goro realized.

"And considering we have a real-time connection back to the 21st century, I think we'd already be aware of any changes as they happen," Shin continued. "Unless, of course, our memories were rewritten to reflect the change the timeline so we think it had always been that way, in which point it doesn't really matter anyway."

"Could that happen?" Aki asked anxiously.

Shin shrugged. "Our paradox inhibitors should prevent that from happening, but considering how things are going now… Well, like I said, it may have already happened and we would never notice, so we could either undergo an existential crisis and constantly worry about the nature of reality or just accept it and move on."

"I vote for existential crisis," Veila squeaked.

"I second that," Jun said gloomily.

Neycombe rolled her eyes. "There's a surprise."

"Regardless, whatever happens, I will take full responsibility," Shin promised.

"What? But Shin, this is my fault! Sort of," Aranea protested.

Shin shook his head. "I'm the time pilot and the one in charge of this expedition. Therefore, everything that happens is on me. But don't be too worried, the G-Men, the Time Protection Bureau, and King Tokiwa-"

"May he reign forever," almost everyone chanted.

"Owe me a favor or two for my part in ending the time war a while back, so I should be okay," Shin continued. "Worst comes to worst, I spend a while in time prison, which from your perspective will mean I'm gone for a few seconds, though for me… Well, it'll be a bit longer, but I'll still be back, so none of you have to worry about finding a replacement for me on the team."

"I don't want you to go at all!" Philia cried, everyone else echoing her sentiment.

"If you go to prison, I'm not coming with you," Caelifer said flatly. "We're partners, but I have my limits."

"That's fair," Shin acknowledged.

"Um… Mr. Shin? Hypothetically speaking, what would happen if we did surrender?" Jun asked nervously.

"Cart?" Shin asked.

"After we were taken back to their camp and tortured for information, we would either be killed or enslaved," Cart said matter-of-factly. "Given the physical prowess of the men, they would probably be sent to the mines or the Coliseum, while all of the women would no doubt be broken and used as house slaves and/or prostitutes due to their high level of sexual appeal. The children would not be spared, either."

Just about everyone regarded her with horror. "Yeah, this is way before the Geneva Convention," Shin, who'd seen this sort of thing before on his time travels but had understandably shied away from showing it off on his tours, reminded them.

"Well, I doubt the Coliseum here could possibly be as challenging as the one back home," Antares said dismissively. "Still, probably for the best we don't let it come to that."

Aranea shook her head in agreement, sensing a great deal of terror and traumatic memories from her consorts back in the present. "No, we should not."

"And humans consider us monsters?!" A disgusted Neycombe cried.

"Weren't there a bunch of Fangires who wanted to put all of humanity into farms to milk them for soul energy?" Luna pointed out.

"Yeah, and who do you think they got the idea from?" Neycombe retorted. "The Nazis came up with concentration camps all on their own! And the Americans, who were supposed to be the 'good guys,' thought it was a good idea so they copied them!"

"What? No they didn't," Luna protested.

"Then what would you call what they shoved thousands of innocent people of Japanese descent into during the war?" Neycombe retorted.

"Those were internment camps," Mira pointed out.

"Same difference! Right, Cart?" Neycombe asked.

"They weren't… Quite as bad as the concentration camps," Cart said hesitantly. "They… Could've been a lot better, though."

"Or maybe, you know, not existed at all," Cutaros asserted.

"Kids, kids, we could debate which species are the real monsters all day," Goro said in exasperation. "And it wouldn't get us anywhere close to an answer."

"No, it's humans," Mibojin said with absolute certainty.

"Especially given how many monsters seem to be made from humans these days," Neycombe said smugly.

"I do not understand your species at all," a disturbed Apista confessed.

Nushi sighed in resignation. "You aren't the only one."

"So why don't we just accept that every species has the capacity to produce horrible people and move on?" Goro pleaded.

"Mine doesn't," Galacta insisted.

"Isn't the villain threatening the world in our time a former member of the Hive?" Luna pointed out.

"She is an outlier," Galacta said dismissively. Apista winced at this.

"Th-there's no way they would do that to us!" A desperate Jun protested. "We didn't do anything wrong!"

Cutaros rolled her eyes. "Like that matters to assholes like them?"

"Yo, Mr. centaur!" Mei shouted at Kentos. "If we surrender, are you going to torture, kill, and/or enslave us?"

"If I said no, would you be more willing to come along with us?" Kentos asked.

"Would it be an honest answer?" Mei asked.

The centaur's eyes darted about shiftily. "… Yes?"

Mei turned back to the others. "Yeah, they'll totally do that to us."

Jun whimpered. "You can dig a grave next to mine, if you like," Veila offered, and the kitten looked as if he was strongly considering taking her up on the offer.

Kari started trembling, shaking her head in terror. "No. Nononononono I can't, I can't, not again not again notagain-"

She clutched her chest, hyperventilating and having trouble breathing. As Mira and the kittens rushed to her side, Goro stared at her, a placid look on his face…

One completely at odds with the firestorm of rage burning through the Buzzing. "So," he said calmly, his eyes turning blue. "I think we can all be agreed surrender is not on the table."

In a flash of light, Formic split apart, his microprocessor popping out of his head. "Wait… Is this… Yes! Oh, YES!" Formic cackled in excitement. "We're doing this again! We're going Super! Wait, wait, hang on, Goro, if you do this, you'll lose more of your humanity, which you're ambivalent about for some reason-"

"They just triggered my wife," Goro said bluntly. "I don't care."

"YES!" Formic shouted.

"Curses! Don't worry, Mibojin, your time will come," a frustrated Manti assured the ninja.

"Goro, be sure not to kill all of them, I want some of them as well," Mibojin said calmly. "Men who do things like this have always been my clan's top priority."

"It's first-come, first-served," he said flatly, turning away from the group and starting down the dune towards Kentos and his soldiers. "Mira, you and your girlfriends protect your mother, siblings, Her Majesty, Cart, and the rest of the kids. This shouldn't take long."

Mira nodded, turning off her gun's safety. "You can count on me, dad." She narrowed her eyes. "After all, I'm not exactly fond of slavers either."

"We will protect them with our lives," Kagami vowed.

"And if anyone gets past Big Sister, they will have to contend with Shitsuki," Shitsuki said, producing an ax.

Aki stared at him in disbelief. "Your parents let you carry an ax?! My parents won't let me even use a butter knife!"

"Aki, the last time you used a butter knife, you nearly cut off your fingers," Luna pointed out.

"Nearly! Not actually!" Aki insisted. "Plus, at least it was a good chance to practice my healing magic!"

"I've lost my limbs multiple times," Fuuka said conversationally. "Eventually I decided to sew my discarded body parts together to create an art piece. It's won several awards."

Everyone stared at her blankly.

Antares laughed in delight. "Yes! This will be GLORIOUS!"

"Okay, kids," Shin told the children cheerfully. "Looks like as a special birthday surprise, you get to watch us fight a bunch of scary evil bastards! Won't that be fun?"

"YAY!" Nearly everyone cheered, except for Veila, who was still trying to dig herself a grave and so gave a rather more lackluster cry.

"Now, we'll be able to fight a lot easier if we don't have to worry about any of you, so please, please do your pal Shin a favor and stay back and watch from a safe distance," Shin pleaded. "And if anyone gets past us, don't worry, your chaperones will take care of you."

"And if our chaperones shall fall, then Shitsuki will take care of the others," Shitsuki promised, raising their ax.

Shin laughed nervously, knowing they were completely serious. "Ha ha, you're terrifying, kid."

"Thank you," Shitsuki replied.

After Ariel and Aranea cast several protection spells with help from Philia, Fuuka, Aki, and Luna just to be safe, the heroes quickly raced after Goro, who had almost reached Kentos. The centaur, who'd been glancing in annoyance at a wrist mounted sundial, smiled cruelly as the soldier approached. "Finally! So, have you made up your mind?"

"I have," Goro said calmly.

"Great!" Kentos said eagerly. "I'll accept your surrender now-"

"HENSHIN!"

Goro pressed the button on Formic by slamming it into the centaur's face, breaking his nose. As Kentos reared back on his hind legs, screaming, blood gushing from his nostrils, Goro just smirked.

"BUG OVER!"

Goro stood on top of a blue circle in the center of a void of blue hexagons. The void trembled, and suddenly all the hexagons fell away to reveal the interior of a massive factory putting together guns, tanks, warships, mecha, and other weapons for the Hive.

BANG! BA-BANG! BA-BA-BA-BANG! BOOM! BA-BOOM! BA-BA-BA-BOOM!

Goro's platform lowered onto a conveyor belt, which moved forwards, numerous mechanical arms coming online around him until he came to a sudden stop. Without preamble, the two halves of a massive mold slammed shut on him, and numerous troughs lowered into place, funneling blue mechanical ants into a hole on top.

FULLY ARMED! FULLY ARMORED! AN ARMY IN AND OF HIMSELF!

As ants continued pouring into the mold, cracks formed on the surface, and suddenly the whole thing exploded, revealing that Goro was now suited up in a colossal suit of blue armor that wouldn't look out of place on a space Marine.

The armor was bulky, heavy duty military grade armor made up of interlocking blue hexagonal plates with gold filigree resembling marching ants. He was wearing very thick knee-high boots with tank treads built into the feet and running halfway up the leg, Hive microprocessors set in his knees and ankles. More plate armor covered his hips, rear, and groin, a microprocessor set into each.

His upper torso was covered in a massive cuirass which might've looked top-heavy on him if his leg armor weren't just as bulky to match, covered in hinged plates concealing horrifying amounts of weaponry centered around what was clearly some sort of chest blaster encircled by microprocessors.

His shoulder armor looked like the sort you might find on a Space Marine from Warhammer 40K, a huge microprocessor set into each one. On his forearms, he wore heavy gauntlets with only three, very thick fingers apiece ringed by the barrels of a Gatling gun.

COURAGE! DUTY! FREEDOM AND HOPE! THE PERFECT WARRIOR TO DEFEND HIS NATION!

The conveyor belt moved forwards again, mechanical arms lowering to install weapons and other components into his armor; small turrets on the side of each leg, a belt with a small turret on either side and what looked like high-tech grenades ringing around his waist, a metasoma affixed to his rear, gun turrets on each shoulder, a second, smaller, fully functional pair of arms, each of them clutching a Buzz Blaster in their three-fingered grasp, and a pair of massive cannons mounted on his back which went over his shoulders. A spray can lowered and painted a hexagonal patch with a white cat's head proudly emblazoned on it, the character for Katsutoshi written on its forehead over his heart.

Finally, an immense neckless helmet looking like a high-tech ant's head, complete with antenna, mandibles, and multifaceted eyes, with a cluster of microprocessors set in the forehead was lowered over his head. His left eye was slightly more opaque than the right, with a targeting reticule carved into it.

He reached the end of the conveyor belt, which dropped him through a trapdoor, where he landed in the middle of a war zone between Hive and Swarm forces with an impact strong enough to crater the ground.

THE SOLDIER OF VICTORY WHO NEVER MISSES A SHOT! WHEN HE SHOWS UP ON THE BATTLEFIELD, THE WAR IS ALREADY WON!

Goro saluted as Hive tanks, fighters, and soldiers besieged a Swarm stronghold, a shrieking Fungigas being brought low in the background. "The Super Soldier, SUPER Blue Ant!"

HE WON'T STOP SHOOTING UNTIL THE BATTLE IS OVER!

Kentos' jaw dropped in disbelief and his entire Legion took a step back in fright. "WH-WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

"SO COOL!" All the children cheered, eyes sparkling.

"But not as cool as your transformation sequence of course, Ariel!" Philia was quick to assure her teacher.

Ariel laughed. "Well of course it wasn't! I made sure of it."

"Dad is so awesome!" Mira gushed.

"You're incorrect. My mother is much better," Kagami said loyally.

"Nah, Nushi is my fave," Coccinella insisted. "Ladybug Solidarity!"

"Ariel's the greatest!" Philia, Fuuka, Aki, and Luna yelled.

Ariel gasped in delight. "We have fan clubs who are at war with each other! Isn't that adorable?"

"… So, is nobody going to say I'm the best, or…?" Shin muttered, a little hurt.

"You are my favorite, Master Shin," Cart offered.

"Thank you, Cart, but that would mean a lot more to me if you weren't programmed to say that," Shin said in resignation.

"We can revel in the adoration of children later," Nushi interjected. "Goro isn't the only one who can transform, after all! Let's show them what the buzz is all about!"

Aranea smirked as she readied herself. "Shall we show them our venom, Antares?"

"I would be more than happy to ensnare them in our web, my lady," Antares rumbled, snapping his pincers.

In unison, the Bugrangers crossed their arms over their chests, took half a step forward, pivoted at the waist, thrust their left arms up and to their right diagonally, then tapped the microprocessor unit on each of their Divine Insect's foreheads.

"Coccinella!"

"Manti!"

"Caelifer!"

"Lepidoptera!"

"BUZZ ON!" All the Divine Insects cried in the Queen's voice.

All four of the champions rotated their left arms in a circle and thrust them skyward. "HENSHIN!" They cried as blinding light emanated from the microprocessors.

Nushi stood on top of a red circle covered in black spots in the center of a void of red hexagons as a loveliness of tiny mechanical ladybugs swirled towards her from all sides, completely covering her clothes. In a flash of red light, her outfit transformed into a form-fitting skintight suit made of interlocking red hexagons with a few black ones scattered about in an eye-catching pattern. Her gloves and boots had red and black trim and circles with five black spots embossed on the backs of her hands and sides of her feet, and a cluster of gold hexagons on her left breast had a stylized ladybug head in the center. Shoulder pads resembling ladybug wing shells materialized on her shoulders, and more ladybugs coalesced and dropped down on her head to form a helmet with a Hive microprocessor placed between a pair of ladybug antenna on her forehead, a multifaceted visor resembling ladybug eyes covering her eyes, and a silver mouth plate carved to look like ladybug mouthparts.

Suddenly reading from a book with a hand on her chin, Nushi glanced up at the (metaphorical) camera as the background changed to resemble a gigantic library filled with humanoid ladybugs. "The heartful genius! Red Ladybug!"

Mibojin stood on top of a yellow circle in the center of a void of yellow hexagons as a swarm of tiny mechanical mantises crawled towards her from all sides, completely covering her clothes. In a flash of yellow light, her outfit transformed into a form-fitting skintight suit made of interlocking yellow hexagons. Her gloves and boots had black trim, and a cluster of gold hexagons on her left breast had a stylized mantis head in the center. Incredibly sharp serrated scythe blades grew down from the underside of her forearms. Shoulder pads resembling mantis claws materialized on her shoulders, and more mantises coalesced and dropped down on her head to form a helmet with a Hive microprocessor placed between a pair of mantis antenna on her forehead, a multifaceted visor resembling mantis eyes covering her eyes, and a silver mouth plate carved to look like mantis mouthparts.

Mibojin swiped her blades through the air and did a mantis-style martial arts stance as the background changed to resemble a dojo with black-clad humanoid mantises sparring behind her. "The noble Shinobi! Yellow Mantis!"

Shin stood on top of a green circle in the center of a void of green hexagons as a swarm of tiny mechanical grasshoppers flew towards him from all sides, completely covering his body. In a flash of yellow light, he was covered in a form-fitting skintight suit made of interlocking green hexagons. His claw -tipped gloves and boots had gold trim, and a cluster of gold hexagons on his left breast had a stylized grasshopper head in the center. Large, sharp spines grew from the sides of his arms, and armor resembling spring coils ribbed the backs of his legs. Shoulder pads resembling grasshopper legs materialized on his shoulders, and more grasshoppers coalesced and dropped down on his head to form a helmet with a Hive microprocessor placed between a pair of grasshopper antenna on his forehead, a multifaceted visor resembling grasshopper eyes covering his eyes, and a silver mouth plate carved to look like grasshopper mouthparts.

Shin roared and flexed his muscles as the background changed to resemble an obstacle course with humanoid grasshoppers hopping about behind him. "The indomitable warrior! Green Hopper!"

Ariel stood on top of a white and rainbow-colored circle in the center of a void of white and rainbow hexagons as a kaleidoscope of tiny mechanical butterflies flew towards her from all sides, completely covering her body. In a flash of yellow light, she was clad in a form-fitting skintight suit made of interlocking white hexagons with a short skirt. Her gloves and boots had rainbow trim, and a cluster of gold hexagons on her left breast had a stylized butterfly head in the center. Her tails fanned out behind her, and in a shimmer of light a set of magnificent rainbow-hued butterfly wings made of energy materialized from her back. Shoulder pads resembling butterfly wings materialized on her shoulders, and more butterflies coalesced and dropped down on her head to form a helmet with a Hive microprocessor placed between a pair of butterfly antenna on her forehead, a multifaceted rainbow -colored visor resembling butterfly eyes covering her eyes, and a silver mouth plate carved to look like butterfly mouthparts. There were also two protrusions on top for her Fox ears.

Ariel leapt into the air, twirling as the background changed to a starry night sky, beautiful humanoid butterflies dancing about as fireworks went off in the background. "The starlight sorceress! White Butterfly!"

Now standing in the Queen's throne room, the team struck a group pose; Nushi in the center, standing with her hands resting on the pommel of a sword with its point resting on the ground, Goro on her right, standing in profile, Mibojin on her left, crouched with her blades up and ready to strike, Shin on her far right, crouched low to the ground and looking as if he was prepared to leap into the air, and Ariel on her far left, posing sexily while brandishing her wand with one hand holding up her fingers in a V sign with the other while (presumably) winking under her helmet.

"In the name of the Hive!" Nushi proclaimed. "Konchū Sentai…"

"BUGRANGER!" They shouted at once, causing explosions in their respective colors which blossomed into the heads of the insects they embodied to erupt behind them.

"Let's show them what all the buzz is about!" Nushi cried.

Aranea and Antares struck fearsome, predatory poses, then stood back to back, pivoted, and crossed their arms over their chests, each of them reaching over their shoulders to tap the microprocessors on top of the heads of their partner's Divine Arachnids.

"Arachne!"

"Scorpio!"

"WEB ON!" Both Divine Arachnids cried out in the voice of an unfamiliar woman, probably Aranea's mother.

"HENSHIN!"

Aranea stood in the center of a black platform covered in a spiderweb pattern in a void made of black octagons. Mechanical spiders leapt at her from all angles, scurrying across her body and weaving a cocoon around her form. The cocoon shook and convulsed, strange energies crackling inside, and abruptly it was torn apart from the inside, revealing that Aranea was now wearing an incredibly tight form-fitting bodysuit covering her from top to bottom, made of interlocking black octagons with a large red hourglass emblazoned on her chest and back. Spiderweb patterns covered her boots and clawed gloves, and four multi-jointed appendages grew from her back, clicking against each other and folding and unfolding in the air. Her shoulders were covered in armor resembling spiderwebs, and over her head, she wore a helmet with a spider clutching a Hive microprocessor on her forehead, a red visor formed from a cluster of eight eyes, and a silver mouth plate carved to look like spider mandibles.

Aranea took one step forward and struck a regal pose as a magnificent dark city covered in spiderwebs arose around her, hundreds of darkly alluring spider people kneeling before her. "The weaver of darkness! Black Spider!"

Antares stood in the center of a purple platform covered in a spiderweb pattern in a void made of purple octagons. Mechanical scorpions crawled onto him, completely covering his body. In a flash of purple light, he was clad in a purple bodysuit made of interlocking octagons looking more like armor than not-spandex, with huge gauntlets resembling pincers for hands, clawed boots, shoulder pads resembling scorpion pincers, and a multi-segmented metallic tail ending in a barbed stinger. A red hourglass shape was on his chest and back as well, and his head was covered in a helmet almost identical to Aranea's, except there was a scorpion on top instead of a spider.

He flexed his muscles as he stood atop a mountain of Scorpioni husks in a massive Coliseum with cheering scorpions filling the stands. "The toxic champion! Violet Scorpion!"

The two of them were now standing in a magnificent temple decorated with iridescent spiderwebs, glowing jeweled spiders crawling about while three beautiful statues of spiders resembling Aranea loomed in the background, a tangled skein of light held in their multiple limbs. Antares crouched down in front of Aranea as she turned her back to him, glancing alluringly over her shoulder, her six girls appearing and kneeling before her in the background.

"Weaving the fates to usher forth a harmonious future…" Arachne began.

"And ensuring the evil do not escape the sting of justice!" Antares snarled.

"GUMO SENTAI ARACHRANGERS!" They shouted.

"Pray you do not get tangled in our webs," Arachne sneered.

The seven heroes struck a stylish pose as red, blue, yellow, green, white, black, and purple explosions erupted behind them.

The children applauded enthusiastically.

Apista frowned. "That was all incredibly impressive, but… Was it really necessary for you to do the entire thing? That took several minutes."

"Yes," Ariel insisted. "It was absolutely necessary!"

Aranea nodded in agreement. "We had to make it absolutely clear to these barbarians how big a mistake they made, trying to threaten us."

Kento swallowed nervously, taking a few steps back, as did his legionnaires. "No… It can't be… There are more of them now?! Neptune's Beard, what have I done to deserve this?!"

"He's seriously asking that?" Mira growled angrily.

Fuuka frowned. "Wait, why is he swearing by Neptune? I thought he was a god of the sea. This warrior is a soldier, not a sailor."

"Actually, Neptune was also the god of horses, so as a centaur, it would make sense for this centurion to swear by him," Cart informed her. "On a related note, Neptune was also the God of earthquakes. The classical deities all had very diverse portfolios."

Ariel laughed. "That's right, you've never seen anything like us before wait, what do you mean more of them?"

"He is referring to us!"

Everyone turned, and were astonished to see that somehow, another massive contingent had appeared without anyone noticing. This one consisted of a massive pyramid-shaped platform made of golden bricks covered in hieroglyphics on wheels being dragged by dozens of bare chested white-kilted humanoid golems with painted eyes, incredibly beautiful dark skinned women – some of whom had animal heads – wearing clothing which largely consisted of colorful feathers and strategically placed thongs singing and dancing alongside it while portly musicians blew their horns or pounded on portable drums.

The top of the platform was ringed by obelisks, with a magnificent sphinx placed in the center, surrounded by more beautiful dancing girls and men in loincloths waving huge fans made from peacock feathers about. Seated in a grand throne placed between the sphinx's paws was an extraordinarily beautiful woman, the loveliest of them all, wearing an incredibly tight red gown which left none of her positively divine figure to the imagination, exposing her shapely long legs clad in fine sandals, golden bangles on her ankles and complex hieroglyphics tattooed on her thighs. Her arms were bare, more hieroglyphics tattooed along their lengths, with golden hoop bracelets on her wrists, each of her fingers adorned with a beautiful ring with a glowing gemstone, and a golden bracer on her left wrist with what looked like the Eye of Horus on it. Several gold necklaces set with lapis lazuli draped her neck and plunging chest line, a gold eagle with red eyes the most prominent of them. She had lustrous shoulder length black hair partially held back by a golden tiara with a crowned cobra emerging from the front. Her beautiful glittering eyes were lined with kohl, her luscious lips were an especially lovely shade of red, and she had a very prominent nose, the kind countless poems of varying quality had no doubt been written about throughout the years.

Even seated, she commanded attention and respect from all who gazed upon her, her regal bearing so immense that she seemed as much a queen as a God, similar to Apista when she was holding court and fully slipped into her queenly persona.

(Unsurprisingly, Nushi, Ariel, and Aranea started swooning for her hard, and more than a few of the others, male and female, couldn't help feeling somewhat attracted to her.)

While the seated woman naturally drew all eyes to her from her sheer charisma and presence, the four individuals surrounding her stood out fairly well also. Standing by her right hand was a golem much like the ones pulling the platform, though this one looked a bit more scrawny and anxious, with more personality in his carved and painted features, holding a stylus and clay tablet. By her left hand stood a man in a red kilt who was either a mummy or a serious burn victim, or possibly both, his body covered almost head to toe in bandages inscribed with hieroglyphics with a few protective charms and jewels sewn into them with only his eyes and mouth exposed. Seated on one of the sphinx's paws was a towering, clearly inhuman Amazonian woman with bluish-green skin, fangs, gills, webbed fingers and toes with claws, fins instead of ears, and reddish pink hair in a high ponytail with black eyes like a shark's. She was wearing a skintight blue and gold leotard with unfamiliar constellations covering it. Finally, a voluptuous, nearly naked tawny-furred cat girl with a bejeweled collar, long red hair, and shining green eyes was seated at the throned woman's feet with her head in her lap, purring happily as her mistress stroked her ears, her tail curled around one of her ankles.

Interestingly, all four of these individuals also had gold bracers with the Eye of Horus on them.

Shin stared. "And here I thought Don Momotaro was extra with his entrances."

"How did we not see them coming?!" Demanded an incredulous Antares. "I was literally looking in that exact direction a minute ago!"

"Magic, perhaps?" Mibojin suggested, glancing at Ariel and Aranea for answers, only to find they were too busy ogling the woman in the throne to notice her. She sighed. "Once again, I'm glad I'm aroace."

"Okay, I'm starting to think there's something wrong with your planet, why are there so many ridiculously attractive people here?!" Aranea wondered.

"I'm not complaining!" Ariel cheered.

"Neither am I," Nushi murmured, blushing hard under her mask.

Mei frowned, noticing all the people with animal heads. "Mom, are those… zyumans?"

"I am… Not sure…" Kari muttered, looking uncertainly at the feline woman getting petted by the throned lady. Was she a slave? No, she couldn't be, she looked too happy to be a slave… Right?

She swallowed anxiously, not entirely convinced, and wondering if they might be trading one adversary for another.

"That… That cannot be!" An astonished Cart cried. "That woman… I would recognize that nose anywhere! It's none other than Cleopatra VII Philopator!"

"WHAT?!" all the time travelers yelled at her.

"Holy crap I didn't think she'd be that hot," Ariel whispered, panting under her mask, and not from the heat.

The woman in the throne smiled, making her look even more beautiful. "So you already know of me? I suppose that cuts down on introductions, then. Your appearance is unusual, strangers, but by your vestments I can tell that you are warriors chosen by the gods, just like my companions and myself are. Have these Roman scoundrels been giving you any trouble?"

Kentos paled and frantically shook his head. "N-no! No trouble at all, Your Majesty! We just, uh, saw the explosion and came out to see if anyone needed help!"

Cleopatra did not look as if she believed him. "I do not believe you," she said. "Also, I was not talking to you."

"They were going to take us back to their camp and torture us and kill us and sell us into slavery, Ms. Queen Cleopatra ma'am!" Aki yelled, very red in the face. "Also you're really really pretty, prettier than Luna, and I'm sorry Luna, but she is and I can't help feeling that way!"

Luna shook her head, also very red, though at least some of it was from sunburn. "No, you're right Aki, she is very pretty."

"She's not that hot," Neycombe muttered, which everyone knew was a barefaced lie.

Cleopatra raised one exquisitely crafted eyebrow with such elegance it nearly made Nushi, Ariel, and Aranea pass out, shooting Kentos a look of immense displeasure, causing him to start shaking in fear. "I see. I thought I'd made it clear to your Emperor that such actions will not be tolerated in my kingdom. Egypt is no longer subservient to Rome, or any authority other than mine and the gods to whom I answer. A part of me is tempted to let you run back to your master, tails between your legs after a thorough drubbing, to tell him as such… Except that I think it would be for the better if he is unaware of these new warriors for as long as possible."

She glanced at the Bugrangers and Arachrangers. "While I am confident the seven of you can handle these ingrates with ease… This is my kingdom, and it is my responsibility to protect those within its borders. I hope you don't mind if my companions and I join you?"

"YES PLEASE!" Nushi and Ariel shrieked a little too readily.

Apista frowned. "While your assistance is appreciated, I have to ask… What exactly do you think you can do against enemies like this? I mean no offense, but your retinue do not particularly look like a trained military force."

"They're not," Cleopatra said smugly. "Something like that would only hold us back, anyway."

She raised her left wrist, as did her four comrades, the bracers starting to glow.

Shin gawked. "Wait… Is she about to…?!"

"No! That's… That's impossible!" A shocked Cart protested.

"In my kingdom," Cleopatra declared proudly. "There is no such thing. Gods of Egypt! Grant us your blessings, so we may punish the wicked in your name! I call upon thee, in the name of Ra!"

Cleopatra and her companions tapped the eyes on the bracers, causing them to shine brilliantly. The sun seemed to brighten, and shafts of golden light shone down on the five of them.

THE DIVINE CHANGE!

"Horus!"

"Sobek!"

"Thoth!"

"Bast!"

"Anubis!"

"HENSHIN!" They shouted, their forms enveloped in light.

Cleopatra stood in a red space surrounded by rings of golden hieroglyphics. A hawk-headed sarcophagus rose from the ground behind her and opened, red bandages shooting out and wrapping around her form from head to toe. Within moments, her whole body was covered in a skintight suit made from red bandages inscribed with golden hieroglyphics with golden anklets and wristbands, a belt with a winged Ankh, and golden chest armor resembling a pair of spread wings with another Ankh set in the middle. A red Hawk swooped down from above and landed on her head, transforming into a helmet with a visor shaped like a hawk's beak and a pharaonic headdress with a vulture and cobra head growing from her forehead.

She thrust her left arm skyward as a pair of golden wings briefly extended from her back. "With the Wings of Horus, Pharaohnger!"

The Amazonian woman stood in a blue space surrounded by rings of golden hieroglyphics. A crocodile-headed sarcophagus rose from the ground behind her and opened, blue bandages shooting out and wrapping around her form from head to toe. Within moments, her whole body was covered in a skintight suit made from blue bandages inscribed with golden hieroglyphics with golden anklets and wristbands, a belt with a winged Ankh, and golden chest armor resembling a crocodile biting its tail with another Ankh set at the point of contact. A blue crocodile lunged at her from behind and merged with her head, covering it in a helmet with a visor shaped like a crocodile's mouth, ridges growing on the top of the head, and an Ankh set in the forehead.

She thrust her left arm skyward as a golden crocodile head briefly opened its mouth behind her. "With the Fangs of Sobek, Egypt Blue!"

The golem stood in a green space surrounded by rings of golden hieroglyphics. An Ibis-headed sarcophagus rose from the ground behind him and opened, green bandages shooting out and wrapping around his form from head to toe. Within moments, his whole body was covered in a skintight suit made from green bandages inscribed with golden hieroglyphics with golden anklets and wristbands, a belt with a winged Ankh, and golden chest armor resembling a pair of Ibis wings with another Ankh set in the middle. A green Ibis swooped down and landed on his head, transforming into a helmet with a visor shaped like an Ibis beak, feathery patterns, and an Ankh set in the forehead.

He thrust his left arm skyward as a pair of golden Ibis wings briefly opened behind him. "With the Wisdom of Thoth, Egypt Green!"

The mummy stood in a black space surrounded by rings of golden hieroglyphics. A jackal sarcophagus rose from the ground behind him and opened, black bandages shooting out and wrapping around his form from head to toe. Within moments, his whole body was covered in a skintight suit made from black bandages inscribed with golden hieroglyphics with golden anklets and wristbands, a belt with a winged Ankh, and golden chest armor resembling a snarling jackal with another Ankh set in its mouth. A black jackal lunged at him from behind and merged with his head, covering it in a helmet with a visor shaped like a jackal mouth, pointed ears, and an Ankh set in the forehead.

He thrust his left arm skyward as a snarling golden jackal briefly manifested behind him. "With the Soul of Anubis, Egypt Black!"

The cat girl stood in a yellow space surrounded by rings of golden hieroglyphics. A cat-headed sarcophagus rose from the ground behind her and opened, yellow bandages shooting out and wrapping around her form from head to toe. Within moments, her whole body was covered in a skintight suit made from yellow bandages inscribed with golden hieroglyphics with golden anklets and wristbands, a belt with a winged Ankh, and golden chest armor resembling a snarling lioness with another Ankh set in its jaws. A yellow lioness lunged at her from behind and merged with her head, covering it in a helmet with a visor shaped like a lion's mouth, cat ears, and an Ankh set in the forehead.

She thrust her left arm skyward as a roaring golden lioness briefly appeared behind her. "With the Claws of Bast, Egypt Yellow!"

"We are the apex of the pyramid, bridging the world of God and man!" Cleopatra declared, standing tall as the other four knelt by her side.

"GOKAMI SENTAI EGYPTRANGER!" All five of them cried, as multicolored explosions in the shape of their totem animals erupted behind them.

"Pray to your gods now, for ours will have no mercy on you!" Cleopatra declared.

Kentos whimpered in fear.

The time travelers stared in awe and disbelief.

Ariel raised a hand. "Your Majesty, would you mind very much if I joined her team? I mean, no offense, but… I mean, just look at her!"

Nushi bit her lip. "I'm trying very hard to remember that you're the only queen other than Aranea I have room for in my heart."

Apista groaned, dearly wishing she had some nectar on hand right now. She got the feeling she'd really need it before this was all over.

She glanced at Cart, who was gibbering and glitching out, stammering that this was not historically accurate. A pity the gynoid couldn't drink anything, she looked like she could use a stiff one or two as well.

Veila took one look and rededicated herself to digging her grave, confident she wanted no part in this.

Next to her, Jun had started doing the same thing.