The tournament was getting closer to its end as many battles were preparing to unfold in such a short amount of time.
"Damn…so it's just the seven of us, huh?" Zoro said having listened to Magenta. "Not bad. Hey, how much further till we get to this devil thing? I thought you said you knew where it was."
"Don't rush me, I happen to know exactly where the Darkness Devil is. We should be close now." Midas said.
The crime boss led the swordsman through the streets until they reached a certain hotel: The MGM Grand.
"Here we are." Midas said. "This is where the Darkness Devil will be."
"Oh…that right?" Zoro asked as he started drawing his swords.
"Yes." Midas said, unconcerned. "As a matter of fact, it should show up any second now. Know why?"
"Oh…is it cause you're the one controlling it?" Zoro asked.
"Well, that…and because you're standing in a shadow." Midas answered.
Suddenly, Zoro was rapidly covered in shadows that binded his limbs, covered his mouth, and dropped him to the ground, as the Darkness Devil emerged. One of its horns and cape were gone, and it's torso's faces were heavily damaged and bleeding.
"C'mon, Roronoa. Did you really think you could beat a Primal Devil?" Midas asked mockingly. "You're good, but not that good. But hey, at least you'll be making a spectacular entrance…well, you'll be part of mine, but that's besides the point."
"Yaaaawwwnnn." Zoro yawned. "Hey, you almost done? I really wanna start kicking this thing's ass now."
"Oh, is that how you think this is going to go?" Midas chuckled. "Even if I let you have a go, you'd die, no questions asked. But, as fun as that would be to watch, I'm afraid there won't be any more fights tonight. After all…my buyers will want their products in as pristine condition as possible."
As Midas laughed, the Darkness Devil could sense something amiss in the air. The presence of another powerful being. Still reeling from the results of earlier, it immediately dissolved into shadow, leaving Midas and Zoro alone.
"Hm? What's gotten into that thing?" Midas asked. "Hm, guess it went to find its lick its wounds."
"Yeah…guess it's just you and me, huh?" Zoro asked with a smile.
Strangely, Midas didn't lose his nerve. "Not for long. I have an entrance to plan, so I'm heading off. Enjoy the finale of the tournament." Midas waved as he suddenly vanished in a flash of teleportation light.
"That idiot…he has no idea what he's in for when it's all said and done." Zoro said, resheathing his swords.
Meanwhile, out on the Las Vegas Strip, both Team Cancer and Team Pisces converged there, hoping to settle the matter of who the victor will be once and for all.
"Well…can't say this wasn't expected." Umbra said.
"Just these two sidekicks…and we're done." Bakugo said.
"Hmph." Ace said with an indifferent expression. "Are you here to fight or are you just gonna run that mouth of yours?" he said before David got up close as Ace quickly defended.
"Same can be said of you." David smiled.
"I suppose so, it's been a long time since we last fought each other." Ace said.
"Technically, that wasn't as much of a fight as it was an athletic competition." David said. "But oh trust me, I know better than to underestimate the competition just because it's only the two of you."
"Oh yes…quite right." Umbra said as he had his shadow spread under the four as it started to pull them in. "So we'll end this fast and…" he said before the lights above came on super bright. "What's this?!"
"We were prepared for you, Umbra. So we rigged the lights to go super bright. Can't use darkness if there isn't any nearby." David said.
"Well played." Umbra said as he gathered as much darkness as he could around his arms as they formed weapons. "I'll just have to do this one physical style." he said as Bakugo, Luffy and Gunvolt went at Umbra.
"And then there were two." Ace said.
"So it seems. I just became a War Master about… a week ago, right? So it'll be interesting to see how our styles compare now." David said.
"That it will. Let's see how good you are." Ace said.
"Hope you're ready, because I won't be going easy on you!" David said.
(Cue- X vs Zero- Megaman X5)
As soon as the fight began, it was a massive clash between both Ace and David, the both of them switching weapons with each second.
"Qilin's Horn!" David said as he prepared a powerful thrust with his lance.
"Hellfire Slash!" Ace called, leaping backward into the air and launching down multiple orbs of fire from Dandelga in its twinblade form.
David switched to a staff. "Fox Spirit!" he said as he summoned a projection of a three-tailed fox as it launched a blast of energy to intercept the orbs.
"Laser Beams!" Ace called, casting a symbol as myriad rays of light rained down.
"Oh boy. This is getting intense. Phoenix Storm!" David said as he switched to a bow and fired a volley of arrows.
"Phoenix Blast!" Ace called, switching to Dandelga's Bow Form as he intensified the inner energy through his body before firing it through an arrow as it formed into a swooping phoenix.
"Haven't used this in a while. Blizzaga!" David said as he fires a strong burst of ice at the phoenix.
Both fire and ice collided as the Phoenix flames and the ice burst cancelled each other out.
"Looks like we'll have to add a little something special to this match. Are you ready?" David asked as he got the Bracelet of Three Houses ready.
"I am." Ace said, with the Bracelet of The Lonely Heir glowing as well.
"Emblem Engage!" the two said together as David's hair turns purple while Ace's turned ashen blonde with highlights of his original hair color present. After that, Ace wasted no time in using Veronica's Engage skill.
"Heroes across the Emblem Worlds, please answer my call." Ace said before he noticed Breidablik glowing as a stone monolith appeared in front of him. "I see. Alright, here goes!" he said, firing four different orbs from Breidablik, each red, blue, green, and coloress as they flew into the empty circular slot in the center of the monolith. "From the World of Crests, answer my call…Byleth!" He said as materializing from the monolith in a red aura was a young man with dark green hair in black clothing, and in his hand was a gold sword with a glowing red aura.
"I'm Byleth. I used to be a mercenary, but now I'm a professor. I will help your cause however I can." the young man said.
"So when engaged with Veronica, Ace can summon any Fire Emblem hero once to fight by his side… that's pretty impressive." Hope said.
"Yeah, but the only major downside is, Veronica's not really an offensive attacker. She's a spell caster and cleric." Chiaki said.
"Plus the moment the Engage is up, all his heroes will go bye bye." Sonic said.
"I assume the same goes for when he is defeated in battle." Bassam said.
"Yeah. Meaning, if David can get past the defense, this one's over." Hope said.
"Byleth, huh? This should be interesting." David said.
"Well my team is short handed right now after all." Ace said.
"Fair enough, you pretty much need the extra manpower right now." David said as he started clashing with Byleth.
Byleth attacked using the Sword of the Creator, but David countered with Areadbhar, Dimitri being the one present when David engaged.
"You're good." Byleth said.
"You humble me, Byleth. I didn't gain this strength alone." David said. "Most of it was due to the people I have met along the way."
"Similar to myself with my students at the Officer's Academy, I have also gained the strength needed to follow the path I've chosen." Byleth said.
"We know that you don't have much time here. So, let's cut the preamble and show me what you've got!" David said.
"Let the lesson begin." Byleth said.
"Qilin's Horn!" David said as he prepared a powerful thrust with Areadbhar.
"Ruptured Heaven!" Byleth called, unleashing the full power of the Sword of the Creator as it extended into a whip form before he swung it.
"Whoa-oh!" David said as he attempted to side step before firing a few shots with Ebony and Ivory.
Byleth deflected the bullets with the Sword of the Creator before going in close.
"You're using ranged weapons alongside one of the Hero's Relics? Interesting combination." Byleth said, swinging at David, who avoided the strikes.
"Well, I always was a mix-and-match kind of fighter. Not usually the type to stick to one particular style." David said.
"I see… I'm more or less the same, but I didn't bring any other relics with me." Byleth said. "But you won't be able to use Areadbhar forever. Just like I can't stay here for long either."
"You're right about that. So, let's make use of the time we have left." David said.
"Agreed." Byleth said.
With that, both of them resumed their clash, Ace standing by and watching. It looked like Byleth and David were both evenly matched. As their fight continued to escalate, the trio of Luffy, Bakugo, and Gunvolt continued to fight back Umbra.
"We cut off his shadows…but the bastard's still keeping up." Bakugo said as Umbra would either attack or block.
"We still have to try though, he can't do this forever, but neither can we." Gunvolt added, unleashing Dragonspheres at the Color Fighter.
"My my…are you even trying?" Umbra said as he was knocking them away towards the lights.
"Damn it!" Bakugo said.
"Oh…no more lights? Well then. I forfeit a month of my life." Umbra said as he started to create a Shadow Beast.
"Oh boy…! If Umbra is able to make a Shadow Beast, it's game over!" Magenta said.
"Maybe I can do something about this." Gunvolt glanced at the turned off lights. "I'll see if I can turn them back on, you guys keep him busy!"
"Not going to let that happen." Umbra said, sinking into the darkness as he quickly emerged from Gunvolt's shadow.
"GV, behind you!" Joule shouted.
"Like hell I'm going to let you touch my shadow!" Gunvolt countered by unleashing Flash at Umbra, blinding him.
"Ah!" Umbra said, shielding his eyes as he was forced out. "I see…you used a flash to erase your shadow."
"Electro is not the only element I can use. And besides, I've also fought someone who can use the dark." Gunvolt replied before heading for the lights. And once he got close, he fired tag bullets at the lights with his Dart Leader before unleashing his Flashfield as the lightning arcs struck the tagged lights, causing them to turn on.
This in turn, caused a chain reaction across the whole city, causing the entire Las Vegas strip's lights to turn on all at once.
"GV lit up the whole strip! Umbra's got nowhere to go!" Legolia realized.
"Have to admit Umbra, your shadow powers are strong, but rely on one element too much, and you're bound to get your ass kicked." Gunvolt stated as he kept up his Flashfield before smirking. "Hence why I have allies by my side."
Umbra was in shock as he saw Bakugo and Luffy coming at him. He then dispelled his shadows and smiled. "I must be losing my edge….well done." he said before the two of them attacked him as he collapsed to the ground.
"And Team Pisces, thanks to Gunvolt's planning, have taken down Umbra!" Magenta announced.
"They beat Umbra…" Jexi said. "Taking out the shadows before striking…surprised I never thought of that." he smirked.
"Like I said, Jexi the Hunter…" Zi-O spoked as he, Geiz and Cure Starlight approached him, fully recovered and well. "Never underestimate the Rebellion."
"Always know what kind of opponent you're dealing with, both in strength and weaknesses." Geiz added.
"And when in doubt, improvise." Cure Starlight finished, tapping the side of her forehead.
"Hmm…then I guess…I owe you three a fight sometime." Jexi said.
"Now that is something I'm looking forward to someday." Zi-O smirked, offering a fist-bump.
Jexi then returned said bump.
"Glad GV's efforts were put to good use for the team." Copen said as he observed Ace and David fighting.
"Now all that's left is these two. Though I'm betting David's gonna win." Lola said from Copen's relic pendant.
It was at this time that the scene turned back to Ace and David's battle.
David and Byleth were still coming at each other with swords locked.
"Gh… This isn't good. My Engage timer is about to run out. I need to finish this quick!" David said.
"Let's end this then." Byleth said.
"Yeah. Sorry, but I'm gonna have to use this on you." David said as he prepares to use his Engage skill. "Right where I want you!" he said as he charged at Byleth before swinging Aymr and Areadbhar before leaping back and drawing an arrow with Failnaught and shooting it.
"I'm sorry… I can't go on…" Byleth said before vanishing.
"You've fought well, Byleth. I will handle the rest from here." Ace said.
David wastes no time dashing at Ace with his sword drawn.
Ace did the same with his own as they slashed through each other.
(end song)
All was quiet as only the wind was heard as both of them were panting. However, Ace finds himself collapsing just as both combatants' Engage timers run out.
"And we have it! Team Cancer has been defeated and Team Pisces emerges as victors!" Magenta called out. "But question remains…will the swordsman continue to fight…or will he surrender too?"
"Hmm…actually…let's flip the script for once. We forfeit!" David said with a smile.
"Of course you…wait, what?!" Magenta said.
"What?!" Bakugo and Gunvolt exclaimed.
"WHAT?!" the whole audience also exclaimed.
"What brought this on?" Ace asked as he laid on the ground.
"It would be one against four, which, even though it's Zoro, wouldn't be fair. Besides, I already got an emblem and I doubt he'll use the one he gets." David said.
"Then…I guess…the team that has won the Battle of the Binded is…The Pirate Hunter! Roronoa Zoro and Team Libra!" Magenta said as the audience cheered.
"Well how about that… my team won." Geiz remarked in surprise.
"Yeah…freaking awesome!" Garfiel said.
"Congrats, Geiz." Zi-O smiled, patting his friend's shoulder. "We may have ended our battle with a draw, but your team won the tournament regardless."
"But I will give credit to GV and his teammates for making it to the very end." Cure Starlight commented.
"Though we still don't know where the heck Zoro is." Copen said.
"Oh…there's no need to worry about that." Jexi said pointing to the green haired swordsman just now entering the area.
"We will be presenting the prizes in just a few minutes so please be patient." Magenta said.
The desert, approaching the city…
The Prime group rode onwards through the desert night, as they approached the sign welcoming people to the City of Sin.
"Alright folks, this is for all the marbles." Ender said. "If we fail, then the Alliance will, at best, lose some of their members. At worst…nah, I don't wanna think about it. We've been through a lot, but I know we stand a chance!"
"Save the speeches. We know what's at stake, and what must be done." Fujin stated. "Just try not to get in the way."
"I will try my best!" The Enderman nodded.
Maximum sniggered with some melancholy as he looked out the window, before he caught sight of something. "Say, aren't those some of those gacks that were at the Speedway?"
The group looked to where Maximum gestured, seeing Theo, Ethox, and Aether, with Esmerelda and Glacius being carried by the brothers.
"Hm, so it is." Maera remarked. "Perhaps we should-?"
"No. I don't want any more headaches." Fujin said. "Just ignore them and-"
"And there he goes." Banker said as Ender teleported to them.
"...Damn it all."
"C'mon, we're almost there!" Ethox said. "Just a few more miles, and we'll be back in the-!"
Ethox was then almost taken off his feet when Ender instantly appeared in front of him.
"Hi there!" Ender waved.
"Whoa!" Ethox said. "An Enderman? In Las Vegas?"
"A what?" Aether blinked.
"Enderman. A humanoid being that lives in another dimension. Usually they're pretty solitary and unless provoked, won't attack you." Ethox said.
"My name's Ender, nice to meetcha! I'm a Color Fighter!" Ender introduced himself.
"Oh yeah. I think Hope mentioned this guy once." Theo said. "He said you were still in training, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, I'm on a super important mission. Long story short…it's gotten pretty big. I made friends too, see?" Ender said, pointing to the car with the crime bosses, Dark Garden captains, and Prime Soul.
"Friends is a strong word…" Maera remarked.
"We're just trying to get through this night alive, and hoping the city stays intact…no thanks to you and your friends." Banker said as he approached the group. "Banker. I run Crypto Company, and Vegas's criminal network."
"Heh… sorry." Ethox said. "All things considered, we were not intending to make a mess."
"Dragneel melted Fred's casino." Banker said flatly. "Shame he can't get the kid to cough up the money now…"
"Hm? Why's that?" Theo asked.
"He's dead." Banker said. "We were betrayed by one of our own. Malcolm Midas is his name, and he used to be the second hand man in the Fredmont Syndicate. But now…he's gone crazy. He's planning to capture the audience watching the tournament, the rest of your alliance included, and sell them to the Kuroinu."
"The Kuroinu?!" Theo and Ethox exclaimed in a unified combination of shock, worry, and anger.
"That's right. Eostia is an Adventure Universe world, so it's no surprise you've heard of those gackin' bastards." Maximum said.
"Do I want to know who they are?" Aether asked.
"The Kuroinu…are some of the most depraved mercenary groups around." Theo said darkly. "Twenty years ago, they managed to take over an entire world. They then turned it into…into…"
"Eostia…is the sex slave capital of the Multiverse." Ethox gulped. "I-If Midas is planning to sell the audience to them…"
"..." Aether was silent and generated fierce Anemo energy from his hand. "...He must not escape."
"Admirable determination as always, traveller… but attacking Midas now would be suicide." Fujin spoke as he came up.
"?!" Aether's eyes widen in shock upon noticing a familiar face. "...The Balladeer?!"
"I go by Fujin now." he said. "That title no longer belongs to anyone. No…more accurately, it was never used in the first place. For the time being…you can consider me an ally."
"Wait, you know Fujin?" Ender asked Aether. "Oh, are you two friends?"
"Long story. But…" Aether replied before looking at Fujin's clothes. "Your outfit looks far different than last time. Did you quit the Fatui? And…" His eyes widened again upon noticing an Anemo Vision on Fujin's clothes. "You're an Anemo Vision Bearer now?!"
"Hmm…yes, it is as you say. I work as a member of Dark Periodic now. The Element Universe branch." Fujin said. "I won't bore you with the details. As for Midas…he has a powerful being at his disposal: The Darkness Devil."
"Ah. So that's it." Theo said. "Think you could give us a lift back then so we can help?"
"Sure! We have a plan to stop Midas and save the day." Ender said. "But we gotta go, Midas is probably going to strike during the closing speech. We can make it if we hurry!"
"So how many are left?" Theo asked as they got in the car.
"Last we checked, just six fighters. David and Ace were fighting with Luffy, Bakugo and Gunvolt on standby. Zoro is still wandering around Vegas. But if they meet, he'll likely surrender." Ender said. "So we probably have about 10 minutes before…10 minutes?!" he realized, looking at a watch on his arm that wasn't there a second ago. "Floor it!"
The driver acquiesced, putting the pedal to the floor as the car hit top speed, barreling into the city limits.
Minos Prime sat, simply looking at the starry sky above them.
"Wait, is that a Prime Soul?" Theo asked.
"Oh yeah, that's Minos Prime. He's nice." Ender said. "I'll tell ya all about it later…if we have a later, anyway."
"(Hmm… so there's a version of Teyvat in the Color-Verse, huh? And from what Fujin said, it's located in the Elemental Universe. Wait till sis, Paimon and the others hear about this.)" Aether thought while slightly glancing at Fujin.
"Nothing like a last-second rescue to stop a villain and his overly complicated plan, huh bro?" Ethox asked.
"Yeah. I would love to see the look on his face when it comes crumbling. Especially since we have Ainz and Rimuru back in the audience." Theo said.
"I'm sure everyone will pretend to be trapped by this Midas guy, and then once we surprise him, we'll rock his world." Ethox said.
"Wait… you guys aren't scared of the Darkness Devil at all?" Banker asked.
"Well, a little bit, I guess." Ethox admitted. "But frankly, that fear is buried under how mad we are that this Midas guy would even think of handing our friends over to those…mutts."
"He won't escape from the Alliance and the Rebellion, mark my words." Aether added.
"Plus, this guy honestly thought we'd be easy targets to make money off of just 'cause he contracted a Devil and planned his big entrance and everything?" Ethox said. "He's got no idea what he's in for."
"You're talking to a guild that has a number of heroes and powerful monsters and demon lords in its ranks." Theo said.
"In short, this may be the city where you can win big, but if you guys know our reputation… then you know his gamble will end up with him losing everything." Ethox said.
"Heh. You're right." Banker smirked. "Midas picked the wrong night to go All In. The second we show up, he's gonna learn why it's a bad idea to cross the lines he did."
Abandoned warehouse, Gold Finger's hideout…
Midas strolled into the warehouse, as his gang were waiting for the okay. A few of them walked up to their boss.
"Uh…boss? We're all ready, but…some of the guys have some…worries." one of the mooks said. "Are we really going after the Hero Alliance?"
"That's what I said." Midas replied.
"Well…isn't that…a little…?" the mook tried to say nervously.
"Suicicde. It's suicide." a second one said bluntly. "We are a gang with one city under our belt. These guys have gone up against the Dark Kingdom. Horde Prime. Kaido, freaking Kaido! And there's rumors that they beat Color God Black right before they came here. And you wanna try and sell them off?"
"Relax, you know me. I never place bets I don't plan on winning." Midas said. "With the Darkness Devil on our side, those kids won't know what hit 'em."
"Yeah, but that's the only advantage we have, besides sheer numbers." the second mook pointed out. "If they manage to beat that thing, then-"
"The only thing that could is still locked up inside of that flesh prison thing." Midas said. "Even if it got a little banged up, nobody in that audience is even close to matching it. Trust me, come tomorrow, we'll be rolling in gold."
"If we're alive to enjoy it, you mean." a third said. "What's gonna stop those guys from killing us before that devil can take 'em down?"
"What, you think I didn't plan for that? We're gonna pump 'em full of sleep drugs, make sure they can't put up a fight. In addition…" Midas said as he reached the end of the warehouse, looking up at the towering equipment standing straight against the wall. "...I'm not stupid enough to go there without some sort of defense for myself."
The equipment lit its one, red glowing eye.