Part 34: Cult

It was nearing sunset in the small country of Zandia and on a mountain range which was dubbed "The Mountains of Madness" for the many dark rituals and evil summonings that have taken place there stood a massive temple. The temple was a gargantuan structure, which was placed on the highest point of the Mountains of Madness. The temple courtyard seemed to be guarded by the statue of a very grotesque creature, which was possibly one of the many dark gods of the earth. The creature had a human like body which was covered with scales, massive batwings, and a head which seemed to look like a very large octopus. Inside the temple there was a mass group of people, all of which seemed to be from different places around the world. They seemed to be gathered for some sort of church like mass. They were all talking amongst themselves until from the balcony of the grand hall came a figure covered in a black monk like robe. Everyone fell silent in his presence and waited for him to speak.

"My friends, no, my brothers and sisters of the beautiful Orphenoch race, I welcome you to my home. I realized the rest of the world has turned their back on you for what you have become," The cloaked one said in a loud and powerful voice. He then raised his arms and prepared to speak again:

"I see, hear, and feel for you. I see your family and friends shunning and disowning you. I hear your cries of pain and pleas for acceptance. I feel your anguish and anger!" The cloaked one grew louder and the Orphenochs started to cheer at his speech. The cloaked one removed his robe. He was a middle aged man with black hair that was slightly graying on the sides. He wore a black breastplate with a blue mantle over it. He also had blue gauntlets and boots. This man was known only as Brother Occultus who was none other than the younger brother of Brother Blood. News of Blood's death only made Occultus joyful as his only competition was out of the way.

"Trust in me, your brother, and pray for my power; the power of Brother Occultus! There are forces outside of this temple that wish you dead! One of the forces of which I speak is a foul slayer of Orphenochs who goes by the name of Mortuary."

Angry roars came from the crowd when they heard Mort's name. Occultus raised his hands to silence the crowd.

"I ask all of you to become avengers of your fallen brethren and destroy the one called Mortuary. I have already come up with an attack plan. We will destroy this Orphenoch killing demon and anyone that gets in out way. The plan will be shared with you another time. It is late and I am sure you all wish to rest. Farewell, my brothers and sisters."

With his speech finished, Occultus left his brothers and sisters (puppets) and went down the hall behind the balcony to a secret elevator that led to his war room where he and his high Orphenoch generals would often meet. As he entered the war room, all of the generals bowed as he walked in. Occultus had six high generals: Saber the Lion Orphenoch, Richter the Centipede Orphenoch, Nami the Lobster Orphenoch, Asakura the Dragon Orphenoch, Danuth the Squid Orphenoch, and J the Alligator Orphenoch.

"Report," Occultus commanded.

"Blood Web has failed, my lord," Danuth, who was a pale elderly man who was often seen with a walking stick that was often used to fool his enemies into thinking he was weak, spoke up, "Though, we have went through the data we recovered from your brother's academy and found something that should interest you greatly."

"Show me," Occultus commanded.

And on command, one of the monitors of the war room showed a file of Draco, complete with pictures of his Orphenoch, Armored, and Human forms.

"This is Ryuki Leonard Hasuma, also known as Zodiac Knight Draco. Ryuki is also an Orphenoch, the very same one that killed your brother."

"What are you implying by showing me this, Danuth?" Occultus asked, sounding very interested.

"I believe we should recruit him, master. He could be an asset."

"Ryuki is weak, we should just kill him," Asakura protested. He hated Ryuki for 'killing' him in the Mirror Dimension. All he wanted was to destroy the Dragon Knight for humiliating him.

"Patience, Asakura," Occultus started, "If he does not cooperate, then I will let you have your fun."

Asakura grinned widely after hearing that Occultus would let him destroy Draco personally if need be.

"There may be one minor problem in his recruitment, my lord. Ryuki is also an ally of Mortuary," said Danuth.

"Well if Mortuary had been killed by Blood Web, then this wouldn't be a problem now would it?" J stated in a snarl. J was a muscular looking African American male. He was bald and wore a tailored black suit.

"Are you questioning my judgment in recruiting agents, J?" Occultus asked in an annoyed tone

"Yeah and I'm even questioning why I'm even following you. You're not even an Orphenoch!"

Suddenly, Occulutus' eyes started to glow a bright blue and with a wave of his hand, J's body started to glow the same color. The Alligator Orphenoch started levitating in the air and as Occultus started to clench his fist, J screamed out in pain

"How dare you speak to me that way? Don't you know that I could crush every bone in your body with my mind? Speak like that again and I'll be forced to do so," Occultus then let go of his grip on J.

"Yes…master," J said as he wheezed.

Occultus then said, "Very interesting, this Ryuki fellow. Mortuary, as I know, hates all Orphenochs."

"Thank me for that, master," Saber said to him. Saber had spiked blonde hair and a very muscular body. He was dressed in his usual attire of a black tank top, camouflage pants and combat boots.

"Yes, that is true. Now, why would Mortuary decide to align himself with what he hates?"

Asakura scoffed, "It's only because the Dragon kid is too cowardly to except himself as an Orphenoch. Maybe it's because Mortuary only accepts his human side."

Danuth then said, with disgust, "His human side? How revolting. Most of us surrendered our humanity a long time ago. Also, any Orphenoch who does not accept his Orphenoch-hood should be executed."

Nami, who was an extremely attractive blonde with curves that a supermodel would die for, then put in her two cents, "But maybe, we can put this to our advantage."

"How so, Nami?" Occultus asked the Lobster Orphenoch,

"Well I read news reports that, like your brother, 4 others were killed in the same manner. This was also within the timeframe when young Ryuki first assumed his Orphenoch form."

"You think the boy did it?"

"I know the boy did it," Nami smirked.

Occultus rubbed his chin and smirked, "Maybe there is a way to make him join our side…"

Richter, a Chinese man with short black hair, dressed in a simple white shirt and black slacks who also wore a pair of glasses, was the only one who remained silent during the meeting. In his hand was a book of poetry. "…"

Back at Titans Tower, Jump City, Shadow was in his room typing up another report. Since the other Titans (Robin, Cyborg, Raven, Beast Boy and Starfire) had left to fight the Brotherhood of Evil, he, Draco, Pluto, Terra, Blackfire, Jinx and Mortuary had been left to protect the city in their absence. So far, there hadn't been anything major like super villain attacks; just the usual bank robberies and muggings that occurred during their patrols. At least there were the common monster attacks that were caused by the monsters of the Mirror Dimension.

The young CEO sighed. Covering up the existence of the Mirror Dimension was tiring to say the least. However, Smart Brain was able to cover it up.

He looked over one of the newest projects Smart Brain had called Project: Inzecter System. Based on what he had read, the Project was to make a system that was similar to the Zodiac Knights' Armors, allowing whoever possessed them to enter the Mirror Dimension to fight. It was a step up from the Smartroopers and was being developed in Hong Kong. They were already in the testing stages.

He looked over a framed photograph of the Titans that were taken before the others left to fight the Brotherhood of Evil. He smiled sadly as he gazed at Raven and Starfire's pictures. He would miss those two the most. Raven was his love and Starfire was his best friend. He said to himself, "I really hope you can come back soon." He was the only one at the Tower. The others were out doing their own thing. Until they were needed, and Shadow called, they were free to do whatever they wanted.

Pluto was working in the garage with Blackfire helping him. He was doing maintenance work on their vehicles. He would also go through some plans for new weapons and Blackfire would help carry the heavy machinery.

Draco and Jinx were out in the town, taking Brimstone for a walk. Brimstone was given a special collar that made him look like a normal dog. People would freak out at a furless black dog with horns, so Brimstone looked like a Doberman puppy when disguised.

Terra and Mortuary were training outside, sparring with each other. Mortuary was shooting at boulders that Terra would throw at him.

Shadow sighed. He looked over the report Draco had given to him on his last visit to New York. He received a similar report from Jake Long, another fellow Smart Brain Operative in New York. From what he gathered, someone had stolen the new Emperor Belts. This worried Shadow for the Emperor Belts were made based on battle data collected on the Knights. The amalgamated abilities of the Emperor Belts and their wearers would cause massive destruction in the wrong hands.

The identity of the thief, as Shadow had suspected, was Copycat and that could only mean that Slade was involved. The madman had been quiet, too quiet, and it had unnerved Shadow. What was he planning?

On another note, Draco's visit to the Xavier Institute was anything but pleasant. Asakura (Zodiac Knight Scorpios) was NOT dead. He was back for revenge. He was also an Orphenoch that was much more powerful than Draco in his Zodiac Knight form. Draco had driven him away with some extra help, but Shadow knew that the evil Asakura would be back. He would not rest until Draco was dead.

Shadow leaned back in his seat. Why wasn't being acting leader an easy job?

Outside of the Tower, Mortuary and Terra had just finished their sparring exercises and were ready to head back into the Tower. Just before they went back in, Mort grabbed a nearby duffel bag which he had brought out before. Mort started to unzip the bag and reach in it for something. Terra had finally decided to ask something.

"What are you looking for in there?" Terra raised an eyebrow.

"Something I've been saving incase we ever saw each other again," Mort answered in an excited tone. Terra gave out a gasp of what Mort had taken out of the bag. Mort had pulled out a leather jacket that had a large red wolf face on the back and blue stripes going down the arms. This was Terra's old Red Wolves jacket!

"I can't believe you kept this!" Terra said before giving Mort a hug of nearly Starfire-like proportions.

Mort smiled, "Well, I knew we'd see each other again. It was only a matter of time."

"You know, I'm really glad you're around even though your introduction to the others and Ryuki was a bit…..rough at first. It's so strange how you've become such good friends with Ryuki even though the only reason you came here was to kill him."

Mort sighed, "It's good to make new friends, even though I drove my first ones away from me and got my other ones killed."

Terra put her hands on Mort's shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "Look, it wasn't you that drove everyone away. You were scared of Occultus and I think we all were. He was the toughest opponent we ever came across. So it's not your fault, ok? You need to stop blaming yourself."

Mort gave a slight chuckle. "You were always the one that could calm me down. I guess that's why you're my sis. You always found a way to calm us all down."

"I was wondering; have you ever talked to Ashleigh since we all separated?" Terra asked.

Mortuary shook his head depressingly, "No. I think we're done for good. It was nice while it lasted though."

Terra had a menacing smirk, "That means there's only one thing for me to do…."

Mort tensed up, "Look, I know Beast Boy is gone but that's just not right."

Terra looked confused "What are you talking about?" She then figured it out and gave him five across the eyes. She was ticked, "I was talking about helping you find a girl!"

"Why? I don't need one," Mort protested.

"Oh yes, you do. I think that's why you're sour all the time."

Mortuary was about to come up with a good comeback but Terra just wanted to do something nice for him and nice things weren't happening to him recently. He sighed and said, "I'll let you try"

Terra smiled brightly. "You won't regret it, I promise. We should probably get back in the Tower. I'm sure Shadow is bored as hell."

On the way back into the Tower, Mortuary thought that a girlfriend would be nice but there was the fact that he wasn't gonna be around long enough to enjoy it. Mortuary shrugged off the thought for now and followed Terra back into the Tower.

(Tower Garage)

After months of hard work, Pluto had finally completed his dream project. It took blood, sweat, hard work and time but it was worth it. He, Yoshiyuki Takada a.k.a. Zodiac Knight Pluto…had finally rebuilt (Pause for dramatic effect)

THE BLUE HOUND!

Or to be precise the Blue Hound Mark II

Yes, he had rebuilt his car.

Back in Tokyo, the original Blue Hound was damaged beyond repair. The Blue Cadillac had been used by both demons and Raven as a weapon and thrown around and wrecked. Pluto blamed Shadow for this, but there was nothing he could do. After all, it was Shadow who paid him and he couldn't defy Shadow…no matter how tempting it was. He was already in debt with Shadow for all the mishaps he had caused over the years and going against him was not a good idea. However, at least Shadow was reasonable enough to allow him to continue work in Smart Brain. Despite Pluto's destructive inventions, Shadow recognized genius when he saw it and Pluto had been an unappreciated genius.

Also, Pluto owed Shadow for paying for his mother's medical expenses. He was grateful to his friend, leader and comrade the Snake Knight and would follow him until the end. Pluto, even though he wouldn't admit it, was amazed by Shadow.

Anyway, regarding the Blue Hound II, the vehicle itself was a sleek machine that could be convertible…in more ways than one. It had an off road mode, flight mode and submarine mode. It was also armed with the latest in Smart Brain weapon systems. Not only that the body had been made out of Soul Metal, the seats from Soul Fiber and the tires from Soul Rubber. Painted sapphire and silver, with Pluto's hood ornament on the front, it was the ideal vehicle…However, right now it wasn't exactly being used as the ideal vehicle.

Why, you may ask?

Apparently, two forms were in the backseat and, well, they were using it to make out. The girl was a former alien criminal and hailed from Tamaran. Her name was Blackfire. The boy under her was in fact Pluto and was having the time of his life. He didn't mind that Blackfire was so dominant. In fact he actually liked it. She smirked down on him and kissed him passionately.

To be fair, Pluto could've finished this months ago. Unfortunately, he was distracted by, not what but most likely, a certain who with orange skin, black hair, violet eyes and supermodel looks.

That's right. The distraction was Blackfire, but to him it was a welcomed distraction.

This girl, this strange, powerful and wonderful girl, was the love of his life and he wouldn't give her up for anything. She was wild and carefree…and could break him in half when pissed, but she was an angel to him.

"Y'know, Puppy," she cooed to him, using the nickname she had chosen for him, "This thing is really comfortable."

"I know. Can't wait to take it for a spin," Pluto said as he grinned goofily. His visor was off, revealing his blue eyes to her. "And take you along for the ride, babe." She smiled, leaned down and kissed his nose.

"Why don't we?" she purred.

Soon, the car was shaking, and not because of the motor running.

Suddenly, the alarm blared.

"ALERT! ALERT!" T.I.T.A.N., the Tower's AI, shouted in alarm as the alarms suddenly blared and Shadow, Terra, Mortuary, Pluto, and Blackfire entered the Common Room. Draco and Jinx, however, were still out. Backfire and Pluto still looked slightly disheveled, but Shadow paid no heed.

Mortuary was the first to speak up, "What's going on, Shadow?"

Shadow told him, "I got a report about an attack by weird white and grey creatures. Sound familiar?" Shadow took a look at the monitors, "Looks like an Orphenoch attack, a massive one."

Mortuary cracked his knuckles, "That's all I needed to hear. I'm out!"

"Mortuary, wait!" Shadow turned to Pluto, "Go with him. I need Terra and Blackfire to remain here for now and let Jinx know that she needs to return here as well."

Pluto nodded, "Gotcha, Shadow." Pluto called Mort too, "Come on, Star Pupil!" as he ran out of the common room

"Right behind you, Professor!" Mort followed eagerly

After both of them left, Blackfire approached Shadow and said, "Ok, how come we have to stay here? We're not weak and defenseless, you know." She glared at the Snake Zodiac Knight.

"Yeah, shouldn't we go in as a team? Terra added, hands on her hips and leering at their current leader.

Shadow just gave a smirk. "I have something to give you girls." In his hand was a black and silver metal briefcase with Smart Brain's emblem on it.

Draco and Jinx, as mentioned before, were still out. They were in the park walking the dog. The dog was really a breed of hell hound known as Kaisers and was disguised to look like a small Doberman puppy. If Brimstone, the puppy in question, was seen in his true form…well, you can just guest the worst that could happen.

"Jinxy-chan?" Ryuki asked.

"Yes, baby?" she replied, looking at him.

"Are you happy?" he asked. It was a strange question.

Holding his hand tightly, she said, "Yes, I am."

"Good." He smiled to her. "I'm happy that you're happy."

Something about his behavior worried her. Ever since they left Bayville, something…she could feel it. She could feel that something was bothering him and it worried her. He wasn't talking to her about it and hid his worry behind a smile. However, she could see through his smiles and knew something was wrong.

If only he would tell her.

"Jinxy-chan?" he suddenly asked, shocking her from her reverie. "Do you think…do you think…?" he couldn't finish the question.

"Do I think what?" she asked

"Do you think I made the right choice, about continuing to fight?"

She didn't know how to answer.

Brimstone barked and dragged them towards a hotdog vendor. Smiling, Ryuki said, "Alright, alright. Hold on, Brimstone. We'll get you a hotdog."

They bought the hotdogs and ate them while sitting on a bench. Brimstone enjoyed his with fervor.

Jinx couldn't shake off the question. He seemed content that she didn't answer. But what could she say to a question like that?

Suddenly, their communicators rang. Jinx took hers out and Ryuki took out his DRA-Phone.

It could only mean one thing:

Trouble.

Shadow told them what was wrong and they nodded.

"Jinxy-chan," Draco said as he narrowed his eyes, clutching his Deck. "Take Brimstone home."

"Be careful," Jinx said as she took hold of the leash.

He gave her a confident smile, "You know I will." And then took off.

Jinx stood there and watched him go.

Mortuary got separated from Pluto and was walking down a deserted alley. Suddenly a ball of blue energy flew out towards him. Luckily he was able to roll out of the way. Mortuary continued to walk down the alley to find the source of the blast and when he finally found it he was horrified. A familiar black and blue armored foe stepped out of the darkness. It was Mortuary's arch nemesis: Brother Occultus.

"Why, hello there Mortuary. How long has it been?" Occultus asked with demonic smile.

Mortuary growled, "Not long enough. I assume you came here to kill me."

Occultus laughed, "Among other things. Tell me, would you happen to know a young man that goes by the name of Ryuki?"

Mort's eyes widened and he demanded, "What do you want with Leo?"

"Well, it just so happens that I wish to recruit young Ryuki as one of my Orphenoch agents. That reminds me, why are you his ally?" He spoke like this was the biggest joke in the world.

Mortuary started, "He's my friend who I trust with my life and…." Mortuary began to yell "….He'll never join you! I'll never let you recruit him! You'll have to kill me to get to him!"

"So be it!" In a flash, Occultus sent a powerful punch into Mort's face

Mortuary quickly got up and got ready to fight. Mortuary pulled out his Aries Zodiac Deck and his belt materialized. He told Occultus, "I've got a new power that I hope will ruin your day." Mortuary took in a deep breath and prepared for battle. He shouted, "Empowerment of Aries……HENSHIN!" Mortuary inserted the deck into his belt and was instantly in his armor. Mortuary started with a full assault of kicks which Occultus blocked with ease. Occultus then struck back with a psionic energy ball that flung Mortuary back into a wall.

Occultus grinned maniacally, "Now it's my turn."

Occultus was giving Mortuary a very brutal beating. First Occultus had Mort pinned to a wall and was pulverizing him with punches and throwing him around like nothing. Mortuary knew that he was no match for Occultus. He was just fighting him to keep him from finding Ryuki.

Occultus got back to the beating, grabbing Mortuary's arm, and twisting it and letting out a very loud snapping noise. He then kicked him across the ground.

Mort let out a small laugh, letting blood seep out of his mouthplate as he was getting up with his one not broken arm. "Heh heh, you hit like a girl."

Occultus let out a sigh, "Oh Mortuary, must you really torture yourself like this?" Occultus grabbed Mortuary by the neck and lifted his face to his. "Now tell me, where is young Ryuki?" Mortuary opened up his entire face plate, spit blood all over Occultus' face and grinned widely. This got Occultus so pissed that he flung Mort against a wall and prepared to shoot Mort with a deadly hail of energy balls that would surely kill him. He then decided to add insult to injury by saying, "This reminds me, the one who ordered the attack on your Templars…..was me." He then fired upon the shocked Mortuary.

Mortuary was shocked at the revelation and grew angry. However, his body was in too much pain to do anything. Mortuary couldn't move quick enough to stop the attack so he just waited for it. As Occultus shot the energy balls, Mortuary didn't feel anything. Was it over? Did he die that fast?

No.

Suddenly in front of Mortuary was a familiar Zodiac Knight in red, silver, black armor. It was Draco. He held his shield out and deflected the attack, saving Mortuary's life. Draco turned his attention towards Mortuary and kneeled down next to his injured friend.

"Daijoubu ka, Mortuary?" Draco asked.

Mort smiled, "Always saving my ass aren't you?"

Draco just shook his head and retorted with a smirk, "Maybe if you weren't always 'Mr. Lone Wolf' all the time I wouldn't have to. So, you ready to take this guy down?"

Mort pointed to his left arm and said, "My arm's kinda broken here."

Occultus approached both of the young Zodiac Knights and clasped his hands together. He said in a disgustingly pleasant tone, "Ah, just the Orphenoch I wanted to see. The Orphenoch that rid me of my wretched brother." He was talking to Draco and he knew this too.

"Who the hell are you?" Draco asked in an angered tone. "And what are you talking about?" He was thinking, 'How does he know I'm an Orphenoch? And what did he mean I rid him of his brother?'

"He's Brother Occultus," Mortuary answered. "He's the younger brother of Brother Blood and he likes to beat up on teenagers as much as his brother. He's pathetic."

"Now, now, Mortuary," Occultus said in a fake hurt tone, "You shouldn't insult people like that. That really hurts my feelings."

"You don't have feelings, you monster!" Mortuary snapped and winced at the pain.

"Mortuary, let me handle this. You stay back and rest," Draco advised.

"To hell I am!" Mortuary shot back. Draco didn't flinch.

Draco turned his attention back to Occultus. 'Something about this guy doesn't feel right. It's like…I can't put my finger on it.'

Occultus smiled at Draco, "Must we fight, my boy? After all, I'm not the enemy here."

"Not from where I'm standing," Draco shot back. Occultus was not deterred.

"If you must know, the real enemy is…" Occultus pointed to Mortuary, "HIM!"

Mortuary glared and shouted to Draco, "Don't listen to him, Draco! He's just trying to play with your mind!"

"What makes you say that?" Draco asked Occultus, ready to call on his Dragonzer if the madman made any wrong moves.

Occultus laughed. "Don't you know what he's done? Ever since an Orphenoch killed his friends, the Templars, he's been on a one man crusade against all Orphenochs! It didn't matter to him whether they were good or bad. He would kill any Orphenoch that he set his eyes on."

Draco eyes widened and froze. He turned to look at Mortuary. "Is this true?" he asked. "Is this true, Mortuary?" he repeated. Mortuary was silent.

"See? His silence is proof enough!" Occultus pointed out victoriously.

Draco sighed and looked to Occultus evenly from behind his visor, "It might be true that Mortuary has done a lot of bad things, but nobody's perfect. I mean, I've done things I'm not proud of too. However, that doesn't change the fact that Mortuary is my friend. I may want to know from him if what you said is true, but until then I will always stick by my friends as they've done for me."

Mortuary was touched. Occultus gave Draco a look of disgust.

"A touching speech," Occultus said. "I don't understand you, Ryuki. You're part of a master race, the future of humanity. Why waste your time protecting humans? They aren't worth your time."

Draco answered without hesitation, "Because I am human."

Occultus sneered.

Pluto was in his Zodiac Armor and Excel Suit and using both his DOG-Katana and Wing Lancer to fight off the Orphenochs surrounding him. He had lost sight of Mortuary a while ago and was in deep trouble. Right now, all he cared about was getting out of this alive.

The Orphenochs were numerous, ranging from Plant types, Mammalian types, Reptilian types and even Insectoid types. Luckily for him, Pluto had a counter measure.

"TRICK VENT!"

"Man, I knew I should've slept in today," he complained as he slashed an Orphenoch in the chest before swinging his lance around to swat an Orphenoch away. "Just me against an army! How's that fair? Where's Shadow and the girls? Where's Draco?" He then shouted, "Why the hell am I talking to myself!?" he unleashed several lightning bolts that shocked a few weaker Orphenochs and turned them to dust. Unlike Draco, Pluto had no qualms against killing Orphenochs. They were monsters to him as far as he was concerned and his job was to kill monsters and protect humans. He continued to fight his way through the horde, using his energy blade to cut through them and his lance to bat them away.

A few Orphenochs leapt upon him, but were then blasted away by a shell of some sort and exploded. Turning around, he saw someone he didn't think to see here. The Green Zodiac Knight of Taurus known as…

"ARMS?" Pluto stared in surprise.

"That's right!" ARMS announced as he blasted a few Orphenochs away. Next to him was Atlas who was doing just the same.

"Die, filthy creatures!" Atlas yelled out as he used his cannons to blast the Orphenochs to pieces.

Pluto heard a slashing sound and turned to see Copycat and Aqua, clad in their armor and using their claws and fans, respectively, to slash the Orphenochs to pieces. Copycat already had on her Excel Suit, but it was now white with blue patterns. "Copycat! Aqua!" Pluto yelled. Copycat stood side by side with Aqua she blasted an Orphenoch away with her eyebeams. Aqua used her fans to slice an Orphenoch's head off its shoulder and moved on to another one as its body turned to dust.

Pluto, turning around, saw Scizzors using his sword-like arms. Scizzors turned to look Pluto in the eyes as his eyes glowed green. Contact! Temporarily taking over Pluto's body, Scizzors used the DOG-Katana to stab an Orphenoch straight through before exiting and fighting on his own. Pluto shook his head. Helping them as well were Atlas, Overload, Cinderblock and Plasmus. However, none of Slade's robot soldiers were present. Weird.

"I am not writing this report," Pluto mused as he went into the battle, his cape flapping in the wind.

Copycat and Pluto were both forced back to back as they were fighting a pair of Orphenochs. "What are you doing here?" he asked before kicking the Orphenoch away.

"I was bored, decided to go out for a little excitement," Copycat answered nonchalantly as she fired a hex wave under a few Orphenochs and caused the road to crumble under them.

"Where are your Slade-bots then?" he asked.

"Slade-sama needs them to be repaired," Copycat said before admitting, "They were…they needed to be fixed."

"You thrashed them, huh?"

Copycat didn't answer and fired green energy bolts through some Orphenochs.

ARMS was shooting at Orphenochs with his handheld SMG and was ready to use his Final Vent until Scizzors placed a hand on his and spoke, "Let's reduce the property damage to a minimum for a change, huh Grant?"

Aqua used her Zodiac Powers over the air and water to trap the Orphenochs into a water funnel and crushing them with the pressure. Plasmus was using his acidic spit to melt some Orphenochs while Cinderblock and Atlas used their brute strength to bludgeon a few Orphenochs to ashes. Overload was shooting electrical bolts at some Orphenochs who were unlucky enough to be in his path.

Where was Shadow? Where were the girls? What was happening to Draco, Mortuary and Occultus? Well if you must know…

To Be Continued…

Co-written with Zombi 138. He is a good friend and writer. He and I wrote this chap together.