BGM-Kid Icarus: Uprising OST-Main Theme

Grimadoom: This is Grimadoom the Hedgehog. The Supreme Existence in all of time and space. We took advantage of our failed invasion to invade Skyworld while its heroes are weak from battle. I trapped the Avengers in a pocket dimension, and with the angel unconscious, all who was left was the Goddess of Light that needed a pummeling. She put up a decent fight, but in the end she too fell to my power. The Dream and Nightmare Stones are within my reach! All will acknowledge my ultimate power!

BGM End

Issue 20: The Clone War

World of Kid Icarus (Three Years Later)

BGM-God of War 2 OST-The Way of the Gods

Three years have passed since the Fall of Skyworld. The world has fallen into chaos with no sign of stopping. A pleasure for the Underworld Army that is still spreading disaster across mankind, though they have reached an eternal stalemate with the Forces of Nature that is preventing all-out war. Gods and Humans alike aren't exactly sure what has become of Pit and Palutena. Rumors say they are still alive, but, changed somehow. And not for humanity's benefit. The human world is on the brink of a new world order. And it's all because of a familiar enemy that has conquered the entire planet.

"My Dark King! Another city is ready to fall! Soon all shall know the glory of the Dark Empire!" A Spartan Soldier shouted to his mysterious dark lord during a massive war.

The soldiers of Sparta are currently laying siege on the city of Rhodes under the watchful eye of the Dark King that conquered their kingdom during the three-year gap. Spartans are said to be the greatest warriors of the human realm, now greater thanks to ISO-8 and their new highly powerful and futuristic weaponry that the Dark King salvaged from the recent Masters of Evil Invasion. In just a few short months, this Dark Empire has destroyed countless cities and has made allies with numerous groups such as the Space Pirates. Their terrifying might rivals that of the gods' armies, which is occasionally tested whenever the arrogant deities feel like messing with the mortals. It is because of that arrogance is how the Dark King has conquered the Overworld with little trouble. And without their interference, the Dark King himself makes his way to Rhodes to deliver the final blow to the besieged city, arriving at supersonic speeds and making his appearance grand and explosive with a single Dark Spin Dash that pulverizes a large army of Rhodes Soldiers.

"Start the countdown! I'll conquer this city in 10…no, in 5 seconds!" announced by Dark Sonic. The Fastest Clone Alive. The New King of Earth, wearing a golden armlet and spiked crown that goes well with his flaunting red cape.

It would seem that Dark Sonic has struck out on his own from the Dark Avengers. Betrayed them and the Underworld Army in his new goal for independence. The realization that he and Sonic truly weren't so different haunts him to this day, so he has made it his life's mission to completely distinguish himself from his light counterpart. If Sonic is one the multiverse's greatest heroes, then Dark Sonic will become its greatest villain. To prove once and for all that darkness reigns supreme. And he is doing an exceptional job doing just that by wiping out the remaining resistance in Rhodes singlehandedly in exactly five seconds.

"Ahahahaha! That felt great! Man, it's so liberating to stretch my legs and conquer kingdoms without being boss around by petty gods. Should've deserted them sooner." joked Dark Sonic. The Dark King then stands on a balcony that gives him an incredible view of the harbor city that he just conquered. His Dark Empire soldiers celebrate their splendid victory by cheering endlessly for their dark lord. For the malicious hedgehog that will control everything, "It took three years, but this world is mine. There's still Skyworld and the Underworld to conquer though. I'll have my fun with them later. Time I start making a name for myself in dimensions beyond this one!" He laughed maniacally with the expressed desire to conquer all dimensions.

BGM End

Houston, Texas. Earth Prime.

BGM-Sonic Adventure OST-Welcome to Station Square (Modern Remix)

Meanwhile in the nexus dimension, a bored Kaine Parker finds himself yawning alone in a shopping mall. Dozens of people are casually passing by him and the several shopping bags he was tasked to watch until his two friends return from their annoyingly long shopping spree. One of those friends being Tiki of course, and the other is a young Mexican girl with long black hair and loves to shout, "KAINE!", catching his annoyed attention with a handwave from afar.

"Aracely! About time you're done." Kaine recognizes his new cheerful friend as Aracely, a mysterious girl with a mysterious past as well as mysterious psychic abilities.

"Ah, shopping! I love a concept that's older than I am." Tiki smiled, wearing cute detective-styled clothing that she bought during their shopping spree.

"Does this mean we can go home now?" Kaine asked impatiently.

"Nope. Tiki wants us to buy clothes for you now." smiled Aracely, much to Kaine's exasperation and Tiki's surprise.

"Aracely, what did I tell you about reading people's minds? That is an invasion of privacy." Tiki calmly scolds the young telepath.

"Sorry, I forgot." Aracely apologized sheepishly.

Though clearly annoyed, Kaine suck it up and just sighs, "Whatever. Let's just get this over with.", much to the happiness of his two friends.

The trio then go visit a men's clothing shop where the girls have Kaine try out an assortment of clothes. Most of them he didn't like, like a rainbow-themed T-shirt and an emo-themed tank top. A Spider-Man shirt that he was especially uncomfortable in wearing. Though he expresses indifference to an Imagine Dragons shirt that Aracely liked getting for him, Tiki just gives it a deadpan stare, finding the shirt ironic considering she is a dragon. There is one shirt that the Parker clone actually likes. A simple black shirt with a flame motif that earns a gasping, smiling expression from the girls.

"That looks perfect on you!" Tiki complimented.

Kaine smiles, "Yeah. I…think I look really cool wearing this."

"He smiled! Daily mission complete!" quipped Aracely, while Tiki uses her cellphone to take the rare snapshot of a smiling Kaine.

"Alright alright." Kaine politely gestures them to back off, subtly admitting that he enjoys their company. "We should focus on the mission that's more important, which is figuring you out, Aracely. Name, parents…You're sure you don't remember anything?" He questioned about her mysterious origins.

"No." Aracely answered nonchalantly.

"Why are you wearing that anyway?" Kaine points out her blue hoodie.

"I like it. It reminds me of you." Aracely replied, again so casually.

"You have no idea who I am. We just met when I saved you from human traffickers a few days ago." Kaine retorted, revealing how they first became friends.

"You get mad when you see the blue hoodie. But it reminds you to be a better person, and that reminds me of you. You think you aren't a good person. Should we go buy a milkshake? I think you should get banana." Aracely reads his mind, causing him to pinch his nose in tiring annoyance, "Oh! You feel madder now. Maybe you want vanilla."

"WHY did I think it was a good idea to keep her around? She's more of a blabbermouth than Nora." Kaine remarked tiredly.

"If we did that, she would've been deported and hunted down by whatever evil is interested in her power." Tiki commented.

"Like that fire guy I pummeled at the hospital." Kaine recalled saving Aracely from a muscular, fire-powered supervillain.

"She is not your ordinary telepath, that much I learned. In her spirit lies an incredible power that leaves me dumbfounded, and I'm the daughter of the Divine Dragon. It is best we keep watch over her in order to discover more of her origin and find her parents." Tiki said wisely.

Frowning, Aracely says, "I really am trying to remember my past, but I can't. I just…when I close my eyes, I can feel what you two are feeling. Sometimes I know what you know. Other times, when I close my eyes, I see the darkness."

"When you close your eyes, you see darkness. Awesome." Kaine snarked, thinking she's just being weird.

"No! I see THE darkness. It is coming for us all. Do you want to go to a bar-b-que? Because I do." Aracely retorted, changing topics so much that it's starting to give Kaine a headache.

"This cannot be happening to me." Kaine facepalmed, while his girlfriend just giggles in amusement.

BGM End

Later…

Kaine's group is walking home through the city after enjoying their shopping spree and barbecue. They stop at an intersection, waiting for the streets to be clear of cars before walking the crosswalk to their hotel. As the last cars drive by, Kaine catches a stern glance of a truck belonging to a multinational energy corporation that is more sinister than the general populace is aware of. "Roxxon." Kaine coldly recognized.

"That shady company you two fight once in a while?" Aracely remarked.

"The very same. Their business is as corrupt as the thugs we fight on the streets. Exposing their evil to the public will take time, but it WILL happen." Tiki declared grimly, having developed a distaste for the company's immoral actions ever since she became a superhero.

"They're no different from Oscorp. Back when Norman Osborn was in charge." Kaine said as they cross the crosswalk.

"I know. He was the Green Goblin that killed your brother." Aracely remarked casually, earning herself a silent glare from Kaine, "I read your mind again. Sorry."

"Osborn killed Ben Reilly?" The curious Tiki questioned her boyfriend.

"That's what Peter told me." Kaine replied as he then somberly reminisces a part of his dark history, "Bastard had a hand in making all three of our lives miserable. From the shadows, Osborn manipulated The Jackal as part of some grand scheme to have Peter believe that he was a clone and Ben was the original. Those same lies tricked me, back when I was an unstable monster. Gave me the mission to destroy Reilly's life in order to give Parker the life I could never have. The whole damn thing was a mess that led to Reilly sacrificing himself for Parker from Goblin…" He then snarls, "I will never forgive Osborn for that."

"I understand. I am sorry for your loss." Tiki frowned somberly, "At least Osborn is paying for his crimes, yes?"

Kaine nods, "Yeah. Asshole's rotting in jail, and his son's dead. No more Osborns to mess with the Parkers."

But Aracely believes otherwise. "I'm…not too sure about that." She muttered, gaining the faint sense that a clash between Parker and Osborn has renewed in a world beyond her own.

Back in Pit's World…

BGM-Fire Emblem Warriors OST-Evil

Dark King Sonic returned to his headquarters after his successful conquest of Rhodes. His headquarters being Sparta, the conquered city-state that has been reimagined to fit his dark impulses. The kingdom is large and mysterious under a haunted atmosphere, feeling as demonic as the Underworld itself. The royal hedgehog sits in his throne bored, waiting impatiently for something to relieve his boredom. "My Lord!" One of his Spartan Soldiers approaches and kneel before him with an important message, "Your invasion force is ready! Our sorcerers are opening a portal to Nexus Earth as we speak!"

"Finally! Was gettin' bored. The ISO-8 is doing wonders for their magic. Once that world is conquered, millions of worlds will fall before me in a snap." Dark Sonic responded stoically.

"I should stress that the recent Aurum Invasion has destabilized the link between the two worlds. Our timelines are unstable, just slightly. Our world is three years ahead of the other." The Spartan Soldier stated.

"Doesn't matter to me as long as Texas remains our target." Dark Sonic shrugs off his warning. "Invading New York would be unoriginal. I've been keeping an eye on Houston's Roxxon. Their tech and ISO-8 will be so easy to steal, to complete my ultimate plan against the gods." He said darkly.

"My King! I have urgent news!" distressed by another Spartan Soldier rushing into his throne room.

"What is it?" The annoyed Dark Sonic asked.

"Our Spiral Tower base has been destroyed by the Underworld Army! It is the Goblin! He wishes to speak with you!" The Spartan Soldier reported.

Unfazed yet amused, Dark Sonic expresses a scoffing smiling expression despite not having a mouth, "Is that so?"

A mystical projection of New Goblin awaits patiently in another chamber that Dark Sonic soon enters for their private and tense reunion. "Dark King Sonic. Seriously? You've gotten full of yourself." Harry sternly greeted his traitorous teammate.

"Nice to see you too, Osborn. It's been like, what, a year since we went our separate ways? Have the girls stopped crying about me? How much do they miss the Black Blur?" Dark Sonic retorted with a mocking response.

"They miss that you're not around to pulverize after what you did. Amassing power in secret for two years until you were ready to make your move. Didn't think you had the patience for a plan like that." Harry snarked coldly.

"It was the perfect plan. No one expected the Fastest Thing Alive to slow down." Dark Sonic quipped.

"Why did you betray us?" Harry asked the question that he's been wanting to ask Dark Sonic in the event of their reunion.

"Why not. I wasn't gettin' anywhere hanging out with you punks. I had to realize my full potential. Couldn't achieve it while living under god's roof." Dark Sonic quipped.

"The gods are the reason you even exist! You're not flawed like Dark Pit! It should've been impossible for you to break your allegiance with the Underworld Army!" Harry retorted.

"And yet I did, because I'm awesome. Unlike you, who's still a sucker for Loki's lies. His magic has really done a number on your noggin." Dark Sonic mocked his former leader.

Shaking off his insults, as well as the warped memories that still haunt him after three years, Goblin retorts, "I will continue to serve him, and he WILL keep his promise to revive my father!"

"What good is the promise of a god?" Dark Sonic asked, somewhat genuinely.

"It is ALL I HAVE, Dark Sonic!" Harry retorted with emotional pain in his voice.

Dark Sonic scoffs, "Pathetic. Just like the gods that are more focused in stroking their egos at each other than me that will soon wipe them out."

"You're more crazy than you are cocky if you think you can pull that off." Harry mocked.

"The Masters of Evil nearly succeeded, and their leftover technology was so helpful in my conquest of the surface world. The Dimensional Avengers are still missing. Viridi's a child that can't invest in fireproof plants. Palutena has been running Skyworld sloppy these days. And without me as their ace in the hole, Hades and his Underworld will also fall." Dark Sonic expressed, cockily believing he has the advantage in this war against the gods.

"Keep telling yourself that. The Prophecy of the Divine Shadow is upon us. Even YOU won't survive what we will unleash." Harry threatened him with.

"Who's to say Hades is the Divine Shadow anyway? I better fit the bill." Dark Sonic quipped.

"You're not divine last I checked." Harry snarked.

"Not yet." Dark Sonic muttered ominously to himself. "It was nice chatting with you one last time, Osborn. I'll try to remember to make a pitstop at your funeral." He then walks away from the room, laughing maniacally as the two Dark Avengers go their separate ways once again.

BGM End

Back in Houston…

Kaine and Aracely are in their presidential suite hotel watching television. Actually, Kaine is watching television. Aracely is more focused in snacking on another buffet like a hummingbird. Meanwhile, Tiki is sitting at her desk wrapping up her song sheet. "Finished writing the lyrics of my new song!" Tiki happily announced.

"That so? What's it called?" Kaine asked stoically.

"'This World Isn't an Illusion'! Want to sing along with me?" Tiki requested.

"I'm not a singer. Just the guy that created that Vocaloid software for you." Kaine snarked, revealing that he used his inherited genius to help Tiki become a virtual idol.

"The Uta-Loid! Thanks to it, I've gotten really popular in the online realm. A lot of people have been using it to develop their own songs." Tiki smiled joyfully. "You act like a brute, but your genius is astonishing. When you remember to use it." She said with a teasing smirk to her boyfriend.

"You know I'm smart enough to uninstall that program forever if you don't shut it!" retorted Kaine, with his anger not stopping his girlfriend from laughing adorably at him.

BGM-Spider-Man: Web of Shadows OST-Protect the Innocent

Suddenly, Kaine notices his cellphone is ringing because someone is trying to call him. "Phone is ringing." Aracely pointed out the obvious.

"I can see that." Kaine snarked before answering the phone, "What is it?"

'Kaine, this is Wally! We have trouble at downtown! Need you here ASAP!' called Officer Wally Layton, a lieutenant in the police department and Kaine's friend who supports his heroics.

"I doubt it's anything too serious that the police can't handle." Kaine snarked, not taking the situation seriously.

'We're about to be overwhelmed by Spartans wielding futuristic weapons and alien-looking pirates that came out of nowhere from some weird portal! Now get in costume and get your lazy ass over here!' Wally retorted, urging for his scarlet assistance against this ridiculous threat.

Reluctantly, Kaine stands up from his couch sighing, "Goddammit…Fine! Don't get killed 'til I get there!", before turning off his phone.

"Trouble?" Tiki questioned him.

"Apparently. I'll deal with it. You sing your song." Kaine replied, wanting to handle this alone.

"No way!" Tiki refused adamantly, "We are partners! If there is one thing that we're both better at than singing is being heroes!"

Both impressed and inspired by her determined attitude, the scoffing Kaine retorts, "Suit yourself. Now suit up!", in which she is in complete agreement with.

Dramatically, the twin heroes put on their respective gear from bottom to top. Kaine puts on his Scarlet Spider costume that is complete with him putting on his mask. Tiki switches to her Jade Dragon attire that is made whole once she wears her Divine Dragonstone necklace. Both suited-up heroes stand side-by-side for a moment before heading toward a window. As they do, Kaine says to, "Aracely! Hold the fort 'til we come back!"

"Will do! Good luck!" Aracely saluted happily, watching her superhero friends jump out the window and either swing or fly their way toward the mysterious attack on the city.

BGM End

Shortly After…

It was just an ordinary evening when the Dark Empire suddenly invaded Houston through a dimensional portal from Pit's World. They are quick in making a mess in their conquest of this new world, with Space Pirates stealing from stores and Spartan Soldiers terrorizing civilians. The police force was just as quick to counter their attack and keep them at bay until reinforcements arrive. Wally Layton is one of the cops putting up a good fight, shooting down as many invaders with just his skills and trusty pistol. One Spartan Soldier does get the drop on him, and would've killed him with their futuristic spear if Scarlet Spider didn't show up out of nowhere and stomp him into submission, followed by Jade Dragon in her dragon form burning down an enemy horde with her fire breath before returning to her human form beside her two friends.

"About time." Wally greeted his superheroes.

"Let's just get this over with. Who's in charge?" Scarlet asked.

"That guy over there." Wally pointed out.

BGM-Spider-Man: Web of Shadows OST-Gang War (Black Suit)

The man in charge of this dimensional invasion is, of course, Dark King Sonic. With his super-speedy Homing Attacks, the cackling hedgehog has just killed several police officers in a blink of an eye before confronting his new enemies atop a street light. "Sonic the Hedgehog? That is not possible! He's changed! As if his heart has been completely consumed by darkness!" Tiki gasped in shock, mistaking this evil clone for the original.

"Something tells me there's more to this rat than meets the eye." Scarlet sensed this hedgehog being a clone of his blue ally. "What are you? A clone bastard or his dumb dimensional double?" He mockingly asked his new enemy.

"Me? A bit of both. I'm just a concerned visitor volunteering to clean up this fair city." Dark Sonic quipped, speeding off in order to goad the heroes into giving chase.

"Wally, we're going after him!" Scarlet retorted whilst spinning out a webline to the nearest building.

"Give him hell!" Wally cheered as the heroes give chase to the dark hedgehog.

It comes as no surprise that Dark Sonic is giving his pursuers a run for their money by using his inherited superspeed to keep ahead of them. Tiki's fireballs can't even slow him down, only giving him an opportunity to counterattack with a swift windy kick that reflects a fireball right back at her face that nearly knocks her out of the air. "Almost forgot you live in this city. Beating you today is an unexpected bonus, Scarlet Spider." Dark Sonic taunted his enemies.

"Not in the mood to give out autographs. Get out of my city now if you value your life!" Scarlet threatened.

Dark Sonic ignores his threat as he continues running through the city, making a sharp turn to race across another street that has several of his minions waiting to delay his pursuers. Arrows, missiles, thrown spears, all fail to intimidate Scarlet Spider as he easily weaves through them all and Web Strikes his assailants in rapid succession, going as far as to grind a Spartan along the ground to better catch up with the hedgehog clone. As he nears him, Scarlet throws the enemy at him, who quick-steps away only to be web-yanked into a point-blank fire blast from Tiki that knocks him far aback.

"You two are relentless. I like that." Dark Sonic complimented them. He then glances at a nearby rooftop radio tower, which gives him a better, more sinister idea to delay his enemies. "This station will leave more of an impact on people after I'm done with it!" He announced, running to the rooftop and destroying the tower's supports, leaving behind its threat of falling on a crowd of terrified civilians.

"No! We can't let that tower hit anyone!" Scarlet exclaimed with shock at the clone's destructive actions.

"I'll fix it! Continue your pursuit of that Dark Sonic!" Tiki ordered.

The heroes split up, with Scarlet Spider chasing Dark Sonic while Jade Dragon hurries to stop the radio tower from falling. She has seconds before it falls so she has no time to waste. The Divine Voice transforms into her dragon form and charges up ice energy in her mouth, then shouts, "Ice Breath!", unleashing icy blasts to create makeshift supports for the tower that's missing its own.

"You are an amazing creature, Scarlet Spider. You and I are not so different." said Dark Sonic, sparking a conversation with his fellow clone that is still chasing his butt.

"Indulge me." Kaine snarked uninterestedly.

"We're both clones that have been wronged by the world and are seeking answers on who we are. I found my answer. You? Yours is to be a hero? Ha! Don't be so naive! It's so limiting! No matter what you do, these people won't lift a finger to help you!" Dark Sonic argued, trying to convince him to abandon his newfound heroics.

"Well since they can't fly or bend steel with their bare hands, I can't really blame them." Kaine snarked, shooting web bullets that are quickly catching up with the dark king.

"Then let's find some more interesting people to play with, shall we?" Dark Sonic quipped, just as he spots dozens of people crossing a bridge in the middle of the city. "I've been burning bridges for three years but I think I'll just knock this one down!" He joked upon destroying the supports of the bridge.

"You bastard! I won't let you get away with this!" scowled Scarlet, rushing to save the screaming civilians by webbing new supports for the bridge.

"Awww, Scarlet, you just keep disappointing me." mocked Dark Sonic, brutally interrupting Kaine just as he was halfway done webbing new supports. Scarlet tries fighting back but his opponent is simply too fast for his attacks to land, resulting in being knocked down from a quick kick to the back. The people on the collapsing bridge are still screaming for a rescue, motivating Scarlet to roll away from the enemy's stomp and pin him down with a stomping foot to his back after sweeping him off his surprised feet, giving himself enough time to web up the remaining supports and saving many innocent lives. Annoyed that his little plan failed, Dark Sonic frees himself with a Spin Dash and would've struck the spider with the same technique if Dragon Tiki didn't intercept with a swift fireball.

"The people are safe!" Tiki informed her partner.

"Same here." Kaine responded.

"Oh, this is just nonsense. I think I'll find a new playground." Dark Sonic announced forebodingly before speeding away again.

"We've got to put an end to this before someone gets hurt." Scarlet declared, with the dimensional heroes resuming their pursuit on the dark invader.

BGM End

Soon after, Dark Sonic was leaping from rooftop to rooftop until one leap got him caught by Scarlet Spider. His webbing latches onto his back in the midst of his jumping, and with a furious roar, he rockets down and smashes the hedgehog through a skylight as they both crash into a building. "Get outta my city and never come back! Final warning!" Scarlet coldly warned his enemy, just as Tiki joins his side in her human form. "This path you walk…evil. You won't find peace. I know. If you are Sonic's clone, you're better off learning from him." He advised, stoically sympathizing with his fellow clone.

"To be a goody two-shoes? To be a hero? And what does heroism get you?" Dark Sonic argued mockingly, "I'm KING of an entire dimension! Conquered it myself! I got that MY way, not Sonic's! Folks smile and wave to him? HA! Everyone bows to me! You're unique amongst us clones, Kaine. The Strongest Clone! Born far more powerful than Spider-Man. But you're wasting your talent by following his ideals to help the pathetic worms of this city. You're full of untapped potential." Noticing the spider-clone is considering his argument, the grinning Dark Sonic reaches out for him while saying, "Conquer this stupid little planet. Then we can rock the entire multiverse as unstoppable kings. What do you say?"

"Hmmm…"

"Do not listen to him, my love. Heroism is your destiny." Tiki exclaimed upon noticing her boyfriend is genuinely considering Dark Sonic's offer.

"Shut your mouth, woman! He's a big boy! He doesn't need your counseling!" Dark Sonic snapped.

"Hehehehe…"

Both Hedgehog and Dragon are startled by the Spider's sinister laugh as they look to what he has to say. "Why not you two shut up…" Kaine said, before shooting a death glare at the hedgehog saying, "So I can tell this rat to fuck off!"

BGM-Street Fighter x Tekken OST-VS Rival Battle TK Arrange 1

"What?!" Dark Sonic exclaimed in surprise at him rejecting his offer.

"Whatever it is you want to do, you can do it alone." Scarlet responded, much to Tiki's happiness.

"So the monster wants to continue playing hero?" Dark Sonic angrily mocked him.

"This is the path that I chose." Scarlet proclaimed wholeheartedly, before the heroic couple prepare themselves to fight the dark imposter properly.

Clones for good and evil confront each other for a proper epic bout. Just as she sees Dark Sonic about to make a move, Tiki transforms her arm into a draconic mouth and fires a roaring fire blast that he dodges with smirking ease thanks to his superspeed. "You won't escape me!" Scarlet claimed, firing web shots that also fail to hit the speedster.

"I'm over here! You won't hit me with such slow attacks!" Dark Sonic taunted before speeding up.

"You nimble little bastard! Is running all you're good at?!" Scarlet mocked frustratingly.

"We have to do something about that speed." Tiki noted calmly.

Firing volley after volley of projectiles at Dark Sonic even with their quickest speed, the combo attacks of Scarlet and Tiki are just too slow to hit him. So Tiki decides to switch tactics. She keeps firing her attacks while calming her mind to better track his speedy movements. After a moment of analyzing his fighting pattern, she gets a gasping idea that gets Dark Sonic to quip, "What's wrong? Is that all?! Then it's my turn now!", before forcing them to dodge his destructive Spin Dashes.

"Let's narrow his field of movement." Tiki suggested to her partner.

"Narrow it?" Scarlet remarked.

"Yes. If we can limit his field, we should be able to stop his movements and reduce his speed." Tiki told him of her idea.

"I getcha. I'll lure him in. Use that opportunity!" Scarlet suggested to her of his little idea.

"I'm counting on you!" retorted Tiki while watching him go to trade blows with Dark Sonic.

"You've got guts, but you're wide open!" Dark Sonic quipped upon hitting Kaine's gut with a brutal Spin Dash.

Harnessing the power of her Dragonstone, Tiki takes the position to unleash pillars of light that surround the clones, effectively creating a cage with the energy pillars functioning as its iron bars. "What?!" Dark Sonic reacts in shock at this trap he fell for.

"Now you can't run around freely anymore!" Kaine smirked at his trapped foe.

"Not a bad plan. But you can't escape either! We're both born from darkness that have trouble with the light!" Dark Sonic pointed out.

"Fine by me. Your speed won't save you from my power!" Scarlet proclaimed upon taking his fighting stance.

The Fastest Clone versus the Strongest Clone. Both warriors of darkness dueling amidst the light with all their speed and powers. Punches and kicks are thrown at each other, with Scarlet claiming an advantage by landing a blow that smashes the hedgehog into the light that's burning his fur. Dark counters by doing the same, landing a strike that pushes the spider to the edge for the light to harm him, much to Tiki's worry. But his actions assure her that he'll be alright. And more importantly, that he'll win.

"Gotcha!" The cocky Dark rushes at him with a Spin Dash.

"Bullshit!" Scarlet catches his spinballing enemy with his bare hand as quickly as slamming him onto more of the light to paralyze him for a finishing attack. The Spider-Clone ignites his fist with his Semblance, his Flames of Kaine, to maximize its destructive power for this one special move. "You're deadmeat! HELLWEB PUNCH!" He shouted, dashing at the stunned speedster with a flaming punch packing enough devastating force that it not only dispels the cage of light but also sends the hedgehog flying into a wall in outrageous defeat.

BGM End

"We did it!" Tiki giggled victoriously.

"Yeah." Kaine nodded.

To celebrate, Tiki happily offers her boyfriend a high five. Kaine just stares at her awkwardly with a terrible case of antisocial. It doesn't bother her a bit as she still smiles at him, "Alright, good enough."

"Ugh…you misguided fool." Dark Sonic said, weakly standing up to confront his newfound rivals, "I've offered you the world and you've thrown it away! Well…I'll cure you of your deluded ideals soon enough!"

"Stop whining. You're done." Scarlet told him.

But Dark just laughs, "That's what you think. I've arranged for a little parting gift. Throughout downtown are bombs I planted filled with a deadly gas. When they go off…well, use your imagination. You might be able to stop them, or you can try to stop me. The choice is yours, hero!" He taunted before fleeing from the building through the destroyed skylight.

"Should we split up?" Tiki asked with urgent worry over the dire situation.

A frustrated Kaine grunts, "We can't let him get away. But if we don't stop those devices, the results could be catastrophic." He then thinks about his next course of action before arriving at a decision that'll decide the fate of the city, "…We'll have to deal with the black rat later. We can't let those bombs go off." He announced, before the heroes leave the building themselves in a hurry.

BGM-Spider-Man: Web of Shadows OST-Courthouse

Several strange lights that are piercing the dark sky are emitting across the city as the only clue to the bombs' locations. Time is of the essence, as there is no telling how much time Scarlet Spider and Jade Dragon have as they hurry to the nearest bomb first while also being contacted by Wally. 'Scarlet, Jade, great news. The enemy is retreating from the city!' Wally announced through their comms that the Dark Empire is returning to their dimension.

"Of course they are when their bombs are minutes away from detonating!" Scarlet snarked urgently.

'What?!' The surprised Wally retorted.

"Do not worry! We will disarm them! Just evacuate downtown in the event we fail!" Tiki ordered the officer.

"Like hell we will!" Scarlet declared, determined to disarm all the bombs and prevent Dark Sonic from having the last laugh.

Quickly after, the two arrived at a rooftop with a technological bomb created from salvaged Masters of Evil technology. "You do know how to shut this off?" Tiki asked worriedly.

"Watch and learn. I'm not just a genius at creating singing programs." Scarlet snarked dryly. Using his supergenius, the heroic clone hacks into the bomb and is quick to disarm it, "There."

"Looked easy enough. Let's split up and disarm the rest." Tiki suggested, which was accepted by her partner.

Time is running out for Houston. Its superheroes are pushing themselves to the limit to save it from being blown to kingdom come. They won't give up. Scarlet Spider especially. He only became a hero to atone for the sins of his past. If he fails the city, he fails himself. His failure will also prove Dark Sonic right and he absolutely refuses to lose to that maniac in any capacity. One by one, as a team, the dynamic duo disarm the bombs until only one remain. One that is five seconds away from detonating. "Almost…" Kaine is the closest. Pulling off some of his most exceptional web-rushing acrobatics, the spider-clone reaches and shuts off the last bomb with just half a second to spare.

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Kaine takes one big sigh of relief after shutting off the last bomb before asking his allies, "No more…?"

'I think so.' Tiki responded through their comms.

'Checking in with the bomb squad right now. Looks like you two did it. You saved the city. Wish it didn't cost us some of that Roxxon tech and their ISO-8 crystals.' Wally revealed a theft that happened behind their backs.

"This whole thing was just a distraction." Kaine realized with a snarling tone, "Damn that hedgehog. I'm gonna beat him into a paste when I find him. Let's go home, Jade."

Scarlet Spider swings himself home after a successful night of saving the city. Unbeknownst to him however, Dark Sonic was closer to him than he thought as he emerges from behind a rooftop structure and watches him swing away from his scowling disappointment. "Alright, Scarlet Spider. You made your choice." Dark proclaimed, planning to get his revenge as soon as he finishes off the gods in his world once and for all.

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KFX Here: So Dark Sonic, New Goblin, and the Chaos Kin will be the main antagonists of this arc that will wrap up all their stories. Thought I use Dark Sonic as a way to test Kaine's ongoing redemption arc in a similar manner to how Raimi's Green Goblin tested Spider-Man's heroics in the 2002 film. But that's enough original content for now. It's time we finally reunite with the Dimensional Avengers.

revan4221: I have admitted multiple times that my early stories are just terrible and I'm happy to see you are enjoying this remake. As for how the Aurum and the Chaos Kin have been handled by the Masters of Evil, it makes sense. The Masters ARE the overarching big bad guys of this entire saga that have been conquering dimensions, so it makes sense for them to act all high and mighty over "lesser" creatures like the Chaos Kin. It's a way to establish just how big of a threat they are in the grand scheme of things. Remember, they turned Chaos 0, the Water God of Destruction from Sonic's World, into their spider-slave back in the Spider-Island remake. And I would argue that the Kid Icarus Monsters are not being treated unfairly. The Aurum was elevated to a multiversal threat because of the Masters. Their technology helped create the Chaos Stone Prototypes, which is an important plot point. And the Aurum briefly became a bigger threat than the Masters when they lost control thanks to Pyrrhon's stupidity. The Chaos Kin here will still be a major threat and its connection to the Nightmare Stone is important for the overall story to flow better. As stated in the Lunar Sanctum chapter, only by killing the Chaos Kin in the Chaos Vortex will one receive the Stone. In the eyes of the Masters, it's less than their pet and more their key to ultimate power.

Next Time: Three Years Have Passed?! Heroes Betrayed by the Light!

Please leave a review that'll tell me what you thought of this chapter! What did you like? What didn't you like? Would really appreciate the feedback.

Attention fellow Omega Flight Agents! I have downloaded the newest Marvel mobile game, Marvel Future Revolution, and I'm having a blast so far! If you also have the game, feel free to send a friend request to "KingFrancisX" and join my alliance under the name "UnitedHeroes" so we may have fun together! I'm usually in the "Sakaar 1" server room!

Remember: I have a forum page! Link can be found on my homepage or search for the "United Heroes Series" forums!

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