A few miles away from the Circa…
Ender teleported into a parking garage, panting as he set Fujin and Maera down.
"Okay…I think we've put enough distance in between us…" the Color Fighter heaved.
"Ender, what's wrong?" Maera asked.
"I was looking around for the prison, when I heard this croaking sound." Ender said. "When I turned around, I saw…I saw…*gulp* The Darkness Devil."
"The…Darkness Devil?" Fujin asked. "Considering what you told us earlier, is it safe to assume it's a manifestation of the fear of the dark?"
"Yeah. But since that fear is really common, it's…it's a Primal Devil." Ender clarified. "They're the biggest, baddest, most powerful Devils around. The kind of Devils the Demon Lords and Color Fighting Masters can't deal with."
"Something that powerful is here?" Maera said with a worried tone. "Damn…if it goes after the tournament competitors…"
"Yeah, it'll be bad! Now we really gotta find that Prime Soul!" Ender said.
"And thus, we've made no progress in your little scavenger hunt." Fujin said.
"Ahh…I know. What am I gonna do?" Ender said in distress. "Master Illuma trusted me with this mission…I can't let her or the other masters down…but I don't know what to do. I'm just a jester! I'm supposed to make people laugh, not fight Primal Devils! I…I just want people to be happy…!"
Fujin scoffed. "Well, you won't make anyone happy by doubting yourself, will you?" he said.
"He's right. There are times when one has to throw their doubts to the wind and face what troubles them." Maera said. "Though you act wild, you seem to have a good heart. Perhaps…that is enough."
Ender then took several deep breaths, calming himself down. "Right. Thanks, you two. Now…we need to figure out what to do next."
Just then, the group saw a convoy of cars passing by.
"Cars?" Ender said before he remembered something. "Wait…those gangsters! They were talking about a murder. It must've been the Darkness Devil! C'mon, we gotta warn them!" he said as grabbed the two captains and teleported.
Circus Circus, The Adventuredome…
"So…this is what it comes to next, huh?" Jexi said as Team Scorpio showed up under the same tent as Team Cancer.
"Yes….I was hoping to meet you before Blazer did." Shadow Bringer said under his cloak.
"Hmm…so it was you. You don't really need that cloak on anyway." Jexi said.
"Fair enough." Shadow Bringer said as he went and discarded his cloak to reveal a face familiar to the boy.
"Hi there, Umbra." Jexi said.
"Umbra?!" Tokoyami said as all of Team Cancer was surprised.
"Umbra the Dark? What's a Color Fighting high master doing here?!" Dust said.
"This is simply a…sibling check up." Umbra said.
"This man…he seems normal…but his aura…it's terrifying." Umbreon said.
"Team Leader…I'll have to ask that you do not go for my younger brother." Umbra said to Ace.
"Understandable." Ace said.
"Good choice. The rest are yours to deal with as you please." Umbra said.
"Should have figured if Blazer was here, so would Umbra." Izuku said.
"Umbra…he's the other one Jexi's never been able to defeat, correct?" Ainz asked.
"Yeah. That's him." Pit said.
"The last time we saw him was in a redux." Al said.
"Yeah. Blazer was a lot stronger than last time when I saw him in the STRAT. I bet Umbra's gotten just as strong." Hope said.
"But…will Jexi…win?" GS Pikachu asked.
"Hard to say…but that hasn't stopped him before." Ash K said.
"Uh…Jexi?" Bolt Jr. asked.
"Guys…just keep away from Umbra. He's mine." Jexi said.
"Let's start off with something simple. I forfeit 2 months of my lifespan." Umbra said as his shadow grew wide as a number of shadowy beasts emerged. "Forbidden Art: Shadow Beasts Sigma!"
Jexi smirked as he charged right at Umbra as he guarded with a knife against his fist as the shockwave shook the whole tent.
"Yeah, probably best to just let them go at it." Ragna said.
"His beasts will be our allies in this as we battle the others. Go, Dark Shadow! Capture them!" Tokoyami said, letting Dark Shadow loose on the remaining four fighters.
"If any of them try to run, I'll destroy them myself." Dust said.
"Yeah…feels like we're more of an evil team than a good one." Ragna said.
"I suppose it does in a way." Ace said.
"Seems Jexi drew the short straw. CP and Umbreon have good skills but not sure about the boys from Dark Garden." Ragna said.
"Do not underestimate us, Ragna! I'm sure we will be able to fare well against you as we are aided by Marek and Bolt Jr, with their- what do you two do exactly?" CP asked.
"Well…Marek has power over nature, though he prefers to use it for healing. And I…am a great analyst?" Bolt Jr said.
"...Ah. An uphill battle, then." CP nodded. "Nonetheless, we shall be victorious!"
"We'll see about that. Let's get this over with." Ragna said, drawing Blood Scythe.
"Stay behind us, Bolt. The captain, Umbreon and I will handle the fighting." Marek said.
"I'll handle the captain." Tokoyami said, calling back Dark Shadow as he equipped it. "Black Abyss!" he said as he went for CP.
"The dark dog is mine." Dust laughed as she charged Umbreon.
"And that leaves you and me, Ragna the Bloodedge." Marek said.
"Dude…you seem to forget…we're a five man team." Ragna said, looking at Ace.
"Well, the odds might not be in my favor. But I'll still fight like I mean it." Marek said.
"Be careful, Marek! Ragna's dangerous, and Ace is one of the alliance's leaders!" Bolt Jr. said.
"I know. I'll do my best." Marek said. "If we are all eliminated and Jexi is unable to beat his brother, surrender immediately. I don't want you to get hurt."
"Marek…" Bolt Jr said. "(Damn it…why am I…so useless here?)" he thought.
Marek started the fight off by summoning a mass wave of Tree Roots that barreled their way towards Ragna and Ace.
"Didn't think I would have to use this so soon, but here goes… HeatWave!" Ace said as a phoenix wing cloaked in fire appeared and slammed down in front of him briefly before he launched two waves of fire from Dandelga in its twin blade form, burning through the tree roots.
"Fire…" Marek said as he dodged the fire, not wanting to catch on fire himself. Ragna moved behind him with Blood Sythe at the ready.
"Hell's Fang!" Ragna said, punching at him. Marek immediately evaded before he could get hit with Ragna's life stealing abilities.
"Their coordination is astounding…" Marek said. "I'm outmatched dealing with two opponents at once, and one of them boasts my natural weakness…"
"You need to separate them!" Bolt Jr. called. "Ace is the bigger threat since he has fire! Focus on Ragna and split them up!"
"I understand. But I don't know if I can split them up…" Marek said.
Bolt Jr. thought for a moment before he sighed. "Oh, this is going to be bad…" he said before he whistled. Just then, a train came barreling through the wall, the Dark Steam Sub-leader jumping into it. "I'll help with it!" he said as he barreled the train toward Ace.
"Is that a train?!" Ragna asked in shock, giving Marek the opportunity to snare him with his vines and separating him from Ace, who dodged out of the way.
"My thanks for the assistance, Bolt. I'll handle Ragna, but don't risk fighting Ace."
"I'm not gonna fight him, I'm just gonna keep him busy." Bolt Jr. said. "Oh, and if I accidentally wreck this model I'm using… please don't let dad find out."
"I won't tell him anything." Marek said as he faced down Ragna. "Now, Ragna the Bloodedge, I hope I can be something resembling a challenge for you."
"Sounds good to me." Ragna said.
Marek then attacked Ragna straight away with another wave of roots and vines. Ragna cut them down with his sword, then tried to go for another Hell's Fang on the dryad, but Marek kept his power coming as he intended to capture Ragna in a mass of nature.
"I'm not much of a close range fighter. Thankfully, the rules state my opponents can be eliminated via capture." Marek said. "I'd…rather not hurt anyone here if I can help it."
"So you're a pacifist?" Ragna asked, hacking away at the vines and roots and trying to keep himself from getting captured.
"I'm a Dryad. It's in our nature to avoid conflict. I'm sure you know a few others like me." Marek said.
"Yeah, one of 'em." Ragna said, remembering Treyni. "So why are you even here? Don't tell me that kid with the train over there needed a babysitter."
"Bolt is here of his own volition. As for me…well, it concerns certain events with Dark Forest. I feel that I must prepare for whatever comes next. I have no desire for combat, I fear that I have to keep myself pure to better play my role…but others have told me that oaths can be twisted without being broken. I came here in order to see if that is true."
"Well, you're doing a pretty good job so far, trying to capture me." Ragna said. "But you're forgetting one thing. It's not just me you gotta deal with."
Some of Umbra's shadow beasts rushed at Marek, and he quickly acted by directing some roots to restrain them, but one of them got close and bit him, breaking his concentration for a bit and allowing Ragna to get close. He laid into the dryad with sword strikes and punches, each one draining his life force.
"Let darkness consume you!" Ragna said as his right hand turned into a claw of the Black Beast as he snatched Marek and lifted him up over his head as he was bombarded with dark tendrils. "Shatter!" he said as it finished with an explosion of darkness.
Marek was blown back as he was thrown to the ground, taking a bit of big damage from that.
"So that was how it feels to get hit by the Power of Chaos…" Marek groaned.
"So, what was that about trying to see if you can twist your rules?" Ragna said. "If you don't come up with something fast, you're out of this tournament before you can even find the answer."
"Then I'll help them with that answer!" a voice called out as Umbreon ran to their side, pulling Dust in their mouth.
"My thanks, Umbreon." Marek said. "Has Dust been giving you trouble? She's quite the handful, and I speak from knowing her in the same company."
"Her ability is fascinating. Able to disintegrate anything, even light and darkness with just a touch." Umbreon said, looking at the unconscious Dust.
"You defeated her… impressive." Marek said. "How did you manage to avoid her touch while she negated your attacks?"
"She relied so much on her ability, she didn't realize all I had to do was strike from behind." Umbreon said.
"Just as reckless as ever." Marek nodded.
"And Team Cancer has lost Dust of Dark Nightmare! It's now 5 v 4." Magenta said.
"I can still fight, so I'll take Ragna in your place, Marek." Umbreon said. "There's no reason to push yourself if you're not suited to combat."
"Thank you, my friend. I do seek answers to my questions, but I cannot actively seek them on my own. If you can help me find the truth to what I seek, I would appreciate it." Marek said.
"So, I'm trading the conflicted dryad for you?" Ragna asked Umbreon.
"Trading? Now who said anything about that?" Umbreon said as he and Marek had Ragna on both sides.
"Well…" Ragna said. "This could have gone better."
"Indeed. It could have." Marek agreed before summoning another wave of vines which Ragna evaded, but left him open. "Umbreon, now!"
"If I'm going down, you're going with me-!" Ragna said, trying to take out Marek before Umbreon could capitalize, but Marek snagged both his arms.
"I may not be capable of hurting you directly at the moment…but setting someone else up…I think I've reached that point." the dryad said.
"Dark Pulse!" Umbreon said blasting Ragna dead on as he collapsed.
"And Ragna goes down! That's 2 eliminations for Team Cancer. Although…it does not seem that Team Scorpio is fairing much better." Magenta said as CP was having difficulty avoiding Tokoyami. "As Captain Parkour is on the ropes against Tsukuyomi!"
"Do you need assistance, Captain?" Marek asked.
"I appreciate the offer Marek, but I will manage! Tsukuyomi and I are from the same world after all. I must prove that I can stand my own ground!" Cap-P replied.
"Piercing Twilight Claws!" Tokoyami said as Captain Parkour went and jumped up to the highest part of the tent. "I see…you're trying to keep a distance. However…I haven't been spending my days lying around. Let's go!" he said, jumping up as Dark Shadow wrapped itself around him as they took to the sky. "Black Fallen Angel!"
"Wait, he can fly?!" a number of members in the stands asked in shock.
"Well of course he can. Dark Shadow is always floating, so all he had to do was let it carry him and he could go wherever he wants." Aelita said.
Cap-P laughed. "Impressive, Tokoyami! Is this the result of your time with Hawks?"
"You don't need to be concerned with that." Tokoyami said as he quickly caught up to the man. "Womb!" he called out as Dark Shadow wrapped itself around CP, trapping him in a shadowy cocoon.
"Oh no. The captain is in danger." Umbreon said.
"Should we go help?" Marek asked.
"No…cause if we move…" Umbreon said as he spied on Ace. "He'll move in to attack."
"A good point. Neither of us would prove a match for him." Marek said.
"Yes and with Jexi occupying Umbra, we can…" Bolt Jr. said before looking shocked. "Wait…where…where are they?!" he said not seeing the brothers anywhere.
"Did their fight escalate so much that they forced each other out of the Adventuredome?" Marek wondered.
"My…it seems you aren't used to thinking outside the box, are we?" a voice echoed.
"Was that him?" Bolt Jr asked as he looked around. "But where is he? I don't…" he said before they heard a strike as Umbreon collapsed. "Umbreon! How did…" he said before Marek fell next. "Marek?" Bolt Jr said before he looked at his shadow as a figure rose up from it before it chopped the back of his neck as he collapsed.
"Umbra?" Ace asked.
"Yes. Forgive me. I had to take my brother's fight into the world of shadows and I'm trying to multitask as best I can but…he seems to be giving me trouble." Umbra said.
"So you can enter the shadows of others too." Ace said.
"Yes. My Darkness Style is more than just being able to control darkness but also the darkness of others." Umbra said. "Ugh…sorry, but I'll need to finish things with Jexi before I can get back to you." he said as his shadowy form vanished.
"Umbra's unique skills have wiped out almost all of Team Scorpio! And with Captain Parkour captured by Tsukuyomi's Ultimate move, it looks like Jexi's on his own!" Magenta commented.
It was only after a little while that a dark vortex opened in the center of the stage as Umbra and Jexi both emerged. However, the only one left standing was Umbra.
"You've improved quite a bit…but not enough." Umbra said to the unconscious Jexi.
"And in a shocking development, Jexi is down for the count! I think it's safe to say that Team Scorpio is down for the count." Magenta said.
"Well…it seems we've managed to succeed." Tokoyami said as he released CP.
"That we have." Ace said as he healed any possible injuries on Tokoyami and Umbra.
"Sorry I had to take all the fun. Needed to make sure we were the ones with better odds." Umbra said.
"I'm still surprised you defeated him." Tokoyami said.
"It was to be expected. The eldest will always be superior to the youngest. Even if the youngest has the powers of a god." Umbra said.
"I will take my team to receive medical attention." Captain Parkour said. "At least in this way, I can say I was a credit."
"Why do you think you were the only one left conscious?" Umbra said.
"Fair point." Cap-P said. "I will say, it will be hard to stop the three of you."
"Please…go…now." Umbra said as Cap-P shook a bit as he got his fallen teammates and ran off.
"That was rather…something." Tokoyami said.
"Ace, Tokoyami…I'm afraid I'll need to split off for a bit." Umbra said.
"What's wrong?" Ace asked.
"Something came up. That's all." Umbra said with a smile as he sank into the darkness.
The Realm of Shadows…
In this shadowy realm, Umbra meditated as he focused on one specific person.
"Ender…I know you're here." Umbra thought as in the walking world, his form materialized in the Enderman's shadow.
"Umbra? Umbra is that you?! Oh, thank goodness!" Ender said. "We have a big problem!"
"I know. I could feel a disturbance in the darkness, even during my battle with Jexi." Umbra said.
"Uh…it's a bit more than a disturbance…" Ender said nervously. "So…you know how the Demon Lords asked the council to see if they could do something about the Phobia Devils? And how there were a few you all said that would definitely kill you if you fought them? Well…number two is here."
"If I recall, the only kinds of Devils we mentioned could kill us were the Primals and the Four Horseman. Given the disturbance, you've run into the Darkness Devil." Umbra said.
"Uh huh…" Ender nodded. "But, uh…good news. Once I find that prison and get the Prime Soul out, he should be able to help deal with it, so…it's not entirely hopeless. Me and a few new friends are following a lead right now!"
"Listen to me carefully, you can't depend on that being to fight. It doesn't have any allegiances or allies. Only what to fight and what to kill. As for the Devil, I'm going to pursue it before it causes any more trouble. Stay in the lit areas. The Darkness Devil will avoid any kind of light." Umbra said.
"...No." Ender said.
"No?" Umbra asked.
"No. With all due respect, Master Umbra, I can't let you fight the Darkness Devil." Ender said firmly.
"Ender, listen. You don't stand a chance against-"
"How many years do you have left?!" Ender asked. "I know, I know I'm going against something really strong. And I know you have a better chance than me. But…your whole style revolves around you…just…using your life as fuel! And I know you don't care, but other people do! How many years would it take for you to stop the Darkness Devil? Five? Ten? Twenty? All of them?!"
"Ender!" Umbra said.
"We've lost Master Rain Bow! We can't lose you too!" Ender said. "Please…at least let me try. Can you please let me try my way first? If it doesn't work…then you can fight. But if there's a way we can win without you giving up your life…then we should take it. If not for your sake…then…for your brothers. Please?"
"...6 hours. That's as much time as I will allow you to deal with the problem." Umbra said.
"That's all the time I need." Ender promised. "I'm not going to let you down."
"I'll be letting Blazer know as well. Just in case something occupies me before I can help." Umbra said. "He's our last resort. We may end up having to burn down Las Vegas just for one devil."
"...I understand." Ender said. "And…good luck in the tournament!" he added.
With that, Ender ceased communication with Umbra as he looked back to Maera and Fujin. "Six hours. That's what we have before its out of our hands."
"Hmph. I suppose we can work with that limit." Fujin said. "Maera?"
"It's more than enough time. Come now, we must catch up to those gangsters." the Dark Spell robot said as the three continued on.
"So now Jexi's team is gone too… man, wasn't expecting both Blazer and Umbra to both be in this thing." Hope said.
"Only 8 teams are left now, with 2 having their full rosters. The others have been cut down sizably." Mirror Match said. "Still… with all the surprises that have appeared in the city, it troubles me that there might be a few problems in the tournament, and not just the criminals."
"We know that Las Vegas attracts a lot of shady figures, but… Geez…" Jesse said.
"I'm sure everything will be fine." Vector said. "Maybe…"