Meanwhile…

"…and that's why we never use soul sand!" Ender finished as he walked alongside his two new 'friends'.

"I…see." Maera said slowly.

"If you're done with your storytelling, perhaps you could tell us more about this caged Prime Soul you are looking for." Fujin said. "Why exactly are you looking for something so powerful?"

"Oh, that's a story too!" Ender said. "To start, have you guys heard of the Prideful Crusade?"

"All too well." Maera said. "It caused the destruction of a few worlds, and the ravaging of many others."

"Well, one world they destroyed was filled with a different kind of demon: they were called Devils in their world, but the Multiverse classification for them is "Phobia Devils". And when their world went ka-boom, they didn't die; they and any humans bonded with 'em got scattered across the Multiverse." Ender explained. "The Demon Lords have been trying to find and keep tabs on 'em, but…there are some that even they can't beat."

"What does this have to do with a Prime Soul?" Fujin asked.

"Well, the Demon Lords called up the Color Fighters, and asked if they could help reign in some of them…but nobody on the council can beat them either. But, they do know something - or someone - that can. So Master Illuma sent me to go get them from Hell. And I got to them! But…I couldn't get the prison they were stuck in open. So I thought 'Hey! Why don't I throw the prison through a plot hole to the mortal world and see if anybody up there can open it?' So I did!" Ender explained.

"And thus, it's here in Vegas." Maera noted. "That seems a tad reckless, don't you think?"

"...I mean, yeah. But it was the only idea I had…" Ender said, embarrassed.

"Then let's hope your brilliant idea doesn't doom the populace of this city to a collective, painful death." Fujin noted. "Do you actually have a plan on how to locate this prison?"

"Sure! We're going to ask around and see if anyone's seen it!" Ender replied.

"...That's it?" the DG captain asked in disbelief. "...It's a wonder you were sent on this mission at all…"

"I know, right?" the Color Fighter replied. "C'mon, we gotta find someone eventually!"

"Such simple-minded naivety…Gods, just like you, old friend…" Maera said to himself as the three continued on their way.

After the close encounter they and Team Libra had with Dabi, Team Leo had by now departed from Mandalay Bay and proceeded further down the Strip.

"I'll be honest, accidentally dropping a major villain bombshell is not how I wanted our team to start in this tournament." Hope said.

"Yeah, no kidding. We and the other team almost got fried." Zeraora said.

"No matter how many times I see him do it, I'm still in shock of how strong Dabi is." Ajna said.

"Least we know why. Vengeance and being the son of a top hero." Yang said.

"But how is his Quirk much stronger compared to Endeavor and even Shoto?" Vegeta asked. "As far as I can tell, I don't believe we've ever seen a Quirk as strong as his."

"It's not all that strange. Powers evolve and change. His probably did so too. As generations marry and have kids, those kids will get new and more powerful Quirks. Some believe it'll lead to the destruction of the whole world." Zeraora said.

"Oh, you mean the whole Quirk Doomsday Theory thing?" Hope asked.

"What even is that?" Ajna asked.

"It's this theory. It's better known as the Quirk Singularity. I read about it. It's a concept published by a famous doctor. It talks about how if Quirks continue to grow stronger and stronger. But while powers evolve, the human body doesn't. Eventually, it'll lead to the destruction of all of society and maybe even the world." Zeraora said.

"Would One For All and All For One fit in that category too?" Ajna asked.

"Since those Quirks are secret to the world, it's hard to say. Although it wouldn't be a surprise if All For One actually believed in that stuff. I mean, the guy has so many powers but has the same body." Yang said.

"At least we don't have to worry about him right now. He's still locked up in Tartarus." Hope said.

"That may be true now, but who knows how long before that monster decides to make his escape." Vegeta said.

"From what I heard, he's really bad huh?" Ajna asked.

"Bad doesn't even begin to describe it, Ajna." Hope said. "I was there at Kamino ward when he and All Might fought. Like Vegeta said, he's not even a man. He's a monster."

"You weren't one of the ones who had to fight him." Yang said. "But, he is right. Even with your power…he'd easily beat you down and take it for himself. And that is taking into account your god power."

"Man, I wouldn't wanna imagine him taking my powers if he could beat me so easily…" Ajna said.

"Hopefully the day will never come where that…thing walks free again." Yang said.

"For now, we should probably steer clear of Team Libra." Hope said. "Mostly cause they have some strong fighters who could topple us."

"Coward." Vegeta muttered.

"He is right. Plus, after what went down, I wanna steer clear right now." Zeraora said.

"Hmm…how about…there!" Hope said, pointing to a building with a tall tower.

"The Strat Hotel?" Zeraora asked.

"Yeah. Pretty sure its got a Warzone inside it too." Hope said. "It's the highest point in the whole strip. In fact, its name used to be the Stratosphere. The top of the tower has an observation deck from where you can see the entire city, and its even got a coaster on it."

"That so? No better place to get in a fight while also getting a good view of the city." Zeraora said.

"Let's go then." Ajna said.

The five then headed straight into the hotel as they began making their way towards the skypod.

"They seriously couldn't have left the elevators on?" Zeraora said.

"It's good for you, Zeraora, cardio!" Hope said.

"Just saying it's easy for an ambush to happen here." Zeraora said.

"Well it's not like it happens all the…" Hope said as a stream of fire blocked off the group's retreat.

"You were saying?" Ajna asked.

"Sorry ladies and gents…" a voice said as the cloaked fighter Phoenix stood in their path. "End of the line."

"It's that man who calls himself Phoenix. Which means Team Aries is in this tower with us." Vegeta said.

"Why's he facing us alone? Where's Zeo, Sanji, Izuku and Spade?" Ajna asked.

"Further up. This is our tower. Now…I suggest you all surrender if you don't wanna get burned." Phoenix said.

"Do you really believe you can take all five of us by yourself? Why not wait for your backup to arrive?" Vegeta asked.

"I dunno, Vegeta. Doesn't seem like he's gonna need the help to me." Hope said.

"I really don't." Phoenix said.

"Well let me…" Yang said, trying to pull a punch only for Phoenix to catch it and toss her back to the group.

"Uh… Hope? Something feels kinda off about this guy." Ajna asid.

"Yeah. I could tell from the minute he joined up with the rest of his team during the assembly." Hope said. "He blocked our retreat with a wall of fire, caught Yang's punch easily, and his name is Phoenix. That sets off some warnings with me."

"Are you saying you know this mystery man personally?" Vegeta said before they saw the guy punching Hope in the stomach.

"Honestly, do you have to pick apart everything? Probably why everyone hates you." Phoenix said.

"Hey…not everyone." Hope said.

"Ugh…all right…fine then." Phoenix said, tossing off their cloak before revealing themselves as Blazer. "Way to kill something that would have been impactful later."

"What the? Phoenix?" Ajna asked.

"It's…Blazer." Hope said.

"What is one of Jexi's brothers doing here?" Yang said.

"I was going to keep it a secret until I went another round with my bro… But then of course, one of the two spoilers of my brother's friends goes and spoils it." Blazer said. "Someone should put duct tape on this guy or something…"

"It's been done before. Both him and Ace." a voice said as the rest of Team Aries looked down from above the stairs. "Doesn't really work." Spade said.

"Spade." Ajna said.

"Well…looks like we're all here now." Yang said.

"Shame I'm gonna be taking you all down before you even reach the others. You could have surrendered, but now…I don't think even that would satisfy me." Blazer said.

"So…how strong is this guy?" Ajna asked.

"He and Umbra are two Color Fighters Jexi has not been able to beat." Hope said.

"Okay…we may be in trouble here." Zeraora said.

"And we can't run because he blocked us off." Anja said.

"Hmph. Who's running? I say we stand our ground and fight." Vegeta said.

"Seriously, Vegeta? You really want to-?" Hope asked.

"Don't tell me you're actually thinking of running away! Where's your sense of pride?" Vegeta asked. "If you pride yourself on being a leader of the Hero Alliance, then you need to prove to yourself that you can be! Or was all that training you did with that Saiyan Woman from Siege's group all for nothing?"

Hope sighed as he relaxed and focused. "You're right, Vegeta. Thanks."

"So what's it gonna be? You all just gonna stand there and let me take you guys down quietly?" Blazer said.

"No Blazer." Hope said. "We're not standing down, or running away. We're fighting."

"Haa…well…can't say I didn't see this coming." Blazer said as he burned right at Vegeta and blasted him out the window. "Deku!"

"Looks like we're fighting after all." Izuku said, jumping out the window after Vegeta.

"Yeah…here we go." Sanji said, jumping down and clashing with Zeraora and its claws.

"And for me." Blazer said, grabbing Yang and taking her down to the hotel.

"Great…that leaves me and Ajna with…" Hope said, looking to see Zi-O and Spade approaching them.

"Show to us your strength, you two." Spade said before splitting his greatsword into two blades and assuming his stance.

"Your pick, Ajna. Teammate to teammate or you wanna try your hand with a Kamen Rider?" Hope asked.

"I want to see how good this guy is." Ajna said as she faced Zi-O.

"Oh? Taking me on? Well that's a surprise." Zi-O mused. "I was expecting Hope, but I guess the heroine of Indivisible will do. That being said, how's your other self doing, Ajna?"

"You mean Kala? We reincarnated together, so you're looking at both of us right now." Ajna said.

"Heh, glad to see you both made peace with each other. I would've done the same thing if I were you." Zi-O noted. "Anyway, since we both have the ability to change forms, let's say we start with our Base Forms before going to the others. Sounds good?"

"Fine by me, otherwise it wouldn't be as fun." Ajna said, pounding her right fist into her left palm.

"Well said." Zi-O smirked, performing a wrist flick. "Spade, have fun with Hope."

As Zi-O and Ajna engaged each other in close combat with their martial arts, Spade and Hope stared each other down.

(Cue: Strongest Alive - Brandon Yates)

"You heard him. You and Me, Spade. Don't hold back, I know I won't." Hope said.

"Are you prepared?" Spade asked.

"More than you know." Hope replied.

The two of them faced each other in the combat stances as the other four battles were raging around them. Then, without a second thought, Hope made the first move and charged right at Spade as he threw the first punch. Spade dodged the attack as he struck back with his blades, Hope evading them as well as both exchanged attacks with their respective blades and fists. The blue-haired leader of the Shining hope squad then evaded Spade's swords as he back stepped at bit, before blasting a rapid energy volley at him.

"Destruction!" Spade said, clicking his swords together as they glowed before pulling them apart as he launched four crescent waves that flew through the volley.

Hope saw them coming and deflected them all with his hands before rushing back in and launched a flurry of punches at Spade, clashing them with his blades before getting an opening and nailing him in the stomach.

"Want more, Spade? I've got plenty." Hope said.

"I've only just begun." Spade said. "Shadowbringer!" he called, unleashing a flurry of darkness infused slashes.

Hope smashed them all down by infusing his fists with light energy and breaking each one with well coordinated strikes.

"I suppose that is to be expected of you." Spade said.

"People can say what they want about me. I'll just prove them wrong whenever I fight, and knock them off their feet. Though you already know that." Hope said.

"Of course. I do not judge, I commend your spirit." Spade said.

"Then let's not hold anything back. I'll keep pushing forward, no matter what!" Hope said, charging right at Spade. "Give me all you've got Spade!"

"Hatred is what drives me!" Spade said as dark aura flared around him before he charged at Hope in return. "Living Shadow." he said as he conjured a simulacrum of his darkside.

"Double trouble? Fine by me!" Hope said, invoking Azure god mode and simultaneously combating both Spade and his Simulacrum double as he blocked ther double flurry of strikes, landing hits on them in return, but he got some damage as well.

"Got you!" Spade said as both he and his double went for a x-slash when his guard was down.

"Solar Flare!" Hope said, letting off a powerful burst of light right before he was hit. Spade had to cover his eyes to avoid getting blinded, but his double faltered, allowing Hope an opening to thrust both his arms out, and with a yell, catch them both with a double Full Power Energy Wave from both his hands. This got rid of Spade's double, and pushed the real one back.

Hope then followed up by hitting Spade with a flurry of baritsu strikes, including hard punches and roundhouse kicks, pushing him upwards into the Skypod observation deck, before grabbing him and throwing him to a window, nearly smashing him against it.

"Had enough yet?" Hope asked.

"This battle will end… By my sword!" Spade said, fusing his blades back together and swinging it as he sent Hope and himself into a pocket dimension before a mix of elemental energy gathered in his hands. "Know this pain!" he called, launching it forward as a streaming blast as Hope was engulfed in an explosion.

Fulminating Oblivion

Spade then followed it up with a set of punches as the area around Hope cracked and shattered like a mirror.

Ruin Unflinching

"Let this see my resolve through!" Spade finished as a circle of swords with different elemental auras floated out from behind him before launching forward into Hope from different directions before dissipating.

Elemental Purge

"Phew… not bad, Spade." Hope said through the smoke as he was shown to have taken a lot of damage, but still standing.

"Even after my three strongest attacks, you still stand. Impressive." Spade said, stabbing his combined sword into the ground.

"Thanks. But let me tell you something." Hope said as he powered up. "Three final attacks are nice and all, but… when it comes to me, I only need one."

Spade prepared to lay in one more attack, but Hope was ready and met his attack with one of his own.

"You've taken your shots! Now it's my turn!" Hope said as elemental, color and Ki energy gathered around him. "The powers of Conjured elements, Color Energy and Ki all in one! Azure God Tri-Power…. Kamehame-HA!"

He blasted his version of the Kamehameha which hit Spade dead on, blasting him out of the pocket dimension he trapped them both in and back to reality. It did big damage, and Spade was barely able to get out of the blast before it knocked him out of the skypod.

"I just made that up on the spot alongside using a Kamehameha… but that's a pretty good move for all of me in one package, right?" Hope smiled.

"Well done." Spade said.

"Still wanna go some more? Or are you spent for now?" Hope said. "I can probably go a couple more rounds."

"I am still able to fight. But let's just call this a draw." Spade said.

"Good thinking. Between us, I don't think there's a clear winner." Hope said. "With both our skills, our fight could go on forever. Wonder how everyone else is doing though?"

"It is hard to say." Spade said.

Not for very long, as a flash of light from outside, and a shattering of a window heralded the defeat of Deku, unconscious as Vegeta floated outside, with some notable bruises.

"You put up a decent fight, boy…but you're a hero, not a warrior." Vegeta said.

"They can be the same thing!" a voice rang out as the defeated Zeraora was kicked right into Vegeta as Sanji was standing in the open window.

"So, you've won your battle." Vegeta said, before he powered up. "But your streak ends here, chef!" he declared, charging towards the Straw Hat Pirate.

"Jabot!" Sanji called out as he delivered a kick right into Vegeta's face.

The kick managed to keep Vegeta in place for a moment, but only that, as the Saiyan then grabbed Sanji's leg and hurled him out the window into the open air, flying out after him.

"Sky Walk!" Sanji said as he started walking through the air. "Collier!" he called out, landing a kick to Vegeta's neck. "Epaule!" he said, going for the shoulder next. "Selle!" he said, getting the lower back next. "Cotelette!" he said getting the ribs. "Poitrine!" he said, kicking Vegeta in the chest and into the building nearby. "Mouton…Shot!" he said as Vegeta was sent right through the wall. "Order's up…piece of crap."

Sanji's victory was short-lived however, as a raging force shot back out of the wall and grabbed the chef by the face. That force was now Super Saiyan Vegeta.

"I recall you're more durable these days…so this…I'm sure you can survive!" Vegeta said, charging up a purple energy and aiming up higher. "Galic Gun!"

The beam sent Sanji flying upwards until it fizzled out, making the chef fall until he hit the pavement below, creating a loud *CRASH!* and leaving a crater with him at the center.

"Okay…so you need a little longer, huh?" Sanji said as he rose from the crater almost unharmed as he lit a cig. "Fine then." he said, spinning very fast like a cyclone before standing there as his leg was coated in blue fire. "Ifrit Jambe!"

"The damned leech is that durable?!" Vegeta gawked until he grew frustrated. "Damn it…no other choice then!" he said, using Instant Transmission to reach the street below and putting both hands out in front of him. "Final…!"

"Bouef…." Sanji prepared.

"...FLASH!" Vegeta roared as he launched the attack, the beam powerful enough to escape the atmosphere.

"...Burst!" Sanji called out as he started to unleash a number of combos against the beam as he started beating against the beam as he took on damage before reaching Vegeta landing a powerful burning kick to the Saiyan's chest, sending him flying down the street in a fiery burst of power.

"(Damn it…now even the humans are catching up…!)" Vegeta thought to himself. "(Can't forget this…I will grow stronger, even from this…!)" he thought as he landed at the end of the street, unable to get up.

"Haaa….you better shape up…or else you'll make that pretty wife of yours cry." Sanji said as he hurried back to the strat.

Back at the Strat, Ajna and Zi-O continued to battle as Yang was fighting a losing battle against Blazer. She was near the end of her ropes and almost ready to collapse.

"Well, this was a fun distraction but its time to wrap it up." Blazer said as he swung his arm as a fiery wave went out. "Heat Wave!" he said as he struck her as she collapsed to the ground. "Beautiful. Let's see…all that's left is the axe girl and Hope." he said before seeing some people barging in through the entrance. "Can I help you guys?"

"We want at those people fighting above." one of them said.

"Huh? Oh…I see. You guys are bounty hunters." Blazer said. "Yeah…hard pass. Beat it."

"You dare talk to us that way? Who are….wait…you're…" one of them said.

"Since I have time to kill before blue boy figures out a way out…" Blazer said as the room was lit aflame. "Let's have some fun, shall we?"

"Uh…wait, I just remembered! I don't get paid enough for this!" one of the bounty hunters said before he bolted out the door. The rest of them simply opened fire.

"Haa….oh well." Blazer said, striking the ground as flames erupted all across, melting the bullets and burning some of the bounty hunters.

As he dealt with the bounty hunters, Ajna and Zi-O continued their battle. As Zi-O performed a spin kick to push Ajna back, he began to ask. "Sorry if it's too abrupt, but does fighting me remind you of someone?"

"My father." Ajna said as she perfect blocked one of the kicks before following up with a counterattack as her hair briefly turned white.

"Oh." Zi-O backflipped to evade the attack. "Sorry if it's too personal."

"No it's alright. I don't mind." Ajna said.

"Oh good. He really taught you everything, especially how to fight." Zi-O said.

"Even now, I still follow his teachings, and the things Thorani and everyone else taught me to this day so that I can continue to protect the people I care about." Ajna said.

"That's good to know. It's never too late to learn something new, and then use those skills to protect others, kinda like how I use the power of the other Kamen Riders to protect the ones I care for." Zi-O said. "Well, not just the Riders, but my own skills as well. Commander Genjuro's training was damn painful though, but it was worth it. Who would've thought watching anime and movies would prepare you for the journey ahead." He then punched his open palm. "Alright then, ready to step it up, Ajna?"

"Bring it." Ajna said as she entered her Heruka Form.

"Oh, that form, huh?" Zi-O mused, taking out his Ghost Ridewatch and pressed the button.

=GHOST!=

"Then it's time for my life to shine bright." Zi-O inserted the Ridewatch onto the Driver, slammed the tilt button and gave it a 360 spin.

=ARMOR TIME!=

Zi-O's armor changed form, now having an eye-symbol on the chest, large eye-like devices as shoulder pads, bone outlines on the thighs, and the katakana for Ghost slamming onto the visor.

=KAIGAN! GHOST!=

With his GhostArmor equipped, Zi-O slightly floated to the ground and summoned a red ghost spirit with two katanas and a green ghost with a bow. "Hope you're prepared to fight a ghost summoner."

Ajna blasted towards Zi-O with incredible speed and took initiative, hitting the Rider with a rapid flurry of fist strikes and weapon attacks, mostly her axe and spear. Zi-O kept blocking the attacks before vanishing like a ghost, appeared behind Ajna and countered with a barrage of energy punches and kicks with support arrow fire from the green ghost, then was followed up by an X-Slash by the red ghost.

Ajna shrugged off the attack, even though it was dead on. "Nice try! But I'm invincible when I'm like this. I can smash through walls running at full speed and I won't even feel a thing."

"I see. But even your form has a time limit. For me though, my form changes can last a very long time, each with its own unique ability." Zi-O said, summoning a brown ghost with a pair of guns and began firing at Ajna with support fire from the green ghost. "Oh yeah, as for the ghosts I summoned, they're actually famous people from the past. Musashi, Robin Hood and Billy the Kid." He then summoned his Zikan Gilade Zyu Mode and also fired at Ajna.

Ajna let out a battle cry as she fired a massive beam of iddhi.

Zi-O quickly vanished while his ghosts took the hit for him as they blocked the attack. Ajna stopped firing her beam and looked around to find the Rider. Unfortunately for her, she was suddenly pulled down through the ground by the legs before being thrown away with a circle throw by Zi-O as he quickly initiated the finisher sequence.

=FINISH TIME! GHOST!=

Zi-O's right foot began to glow and rushed towards the thrown Ajna as he plunged his foot forward.

=OMEGA TIME BREAK!=

But his foot was grabbed as Ajna now stood there in her Maha Heruka Form.

"...This is gonna hurt." Zi-O cringed.

"Sorry, Zeo." Ajna apologized. "Enjoy your ride!" she said before throwing him back as she used Goddess Hand and summoned large versions of her fists to hit the Rider. Zi-O tried his hardest to block the attacks by summoning more of his ghosts, but his ghosts were quickly punched away before the Rider took hits from Ajna's fists even though he blocked, until he was sent flying once his guard was broken.

After crashing to the ground as he was forcefully reverted back to Base Form, Zi-O slowly stood up exhausted and in pain. "Okay… I know you're strong… but geez… It's like you're tempting me to use the DecadeArmor again."

"That would be overkill though." Ajna said.

"True. But you wanna know what's also overkill?" Zi-O took out the Kabuto Ridewatch and pushed the button.

=KABUTO!=

"This." Zi-O swapped the Ghost Ridewatch with the Kabuto Ridewatch and gave the belt a spin after slamming the tilt button.

=ARMOR TIME!=

His form then changed again, now having red and silver shoulder pads and chest plate with silver and black platings on the legs, while his shoulder pads having a Kabuto horn head each, including one horn on his helmet, along with the pink katakana for Kabuto on his visor.

=CHANGE BEETLE! KABUTO!=

"I wonder how Ajna's going to contend with this form?" Entrapta asked as everyone was watching in the stands. "Unlike his Ghost form, Kabuto is designed for speed."

"But Ajna's fast herself, it won't be a problem." Zebei said.

"Maybe not fast enough. It's been said that Kamen Rider Kabuto can go so fast once he activates a special function on his suit, it's like he can stop time." Entrapta said.

"Wait, seriously?!" Bow asked.

"Since when have you done research on the Kamen Riders, Entrapta?" Copen asked.

"Since I found out their technology is highly advanced for their time." Entrapta said.

"Sounds like you did the research after the Cyber Collision incident." Lola assumed.

"Clock Up." Zi-O spoke, pushing the Kabuto Ridewatch button.

=CLOCK UP!=

And soon, everything in Zi-O's point of view became as slow as a snail before he quickly rushed ahead and delivered punches and kicks onto Ajna. For a moment, it seemed like she would be standing still the entire time Clock Up would be active, but then, once Zi-O threw his next punch…

Ajna stood there in her Tara Heruka Form as she blocked the oncoming attacks before pushing Zi-O back.

"Whew, you almost had me there. Didn't know you could go so fast, you could stop time for anything other than yourself." Ajna complimented.

"And I didn't know you could keep up while I activated Clock Up." Zi-O replied before leaping up and performed a flying punch.

"Divine Wheel!" Ajna called as she generated Iddhi before using it to rocket toward's Zi-O as she spun while holding her axe.

"Okay, forget the punch!" Zi-O said, quickly initiating the finisher sequence.

=FINISH TIME! KABUTO!=

=CLOCK TIME BREAK!=

"Rider Kick!" Zi-O's right foot began to glow with electricity before performing a rapid spin kick as the two attacks collided with each other.

The Rider Kick and Axe strike burst through the distorted time space, creating a distortion of energy which buffeted them both, until they were both pushed back as time was returned to normal in that instance, as Clock Up only lasts a duration of three minutes while in real time, it's ten seconds.

=CLOCK OVER!=

"Incredible! In the showdown high in the sky, it's a stalemate between divine powers and Rider tech! But which one will overflow first? Ajna or Zi-O?" Magenta said.

"Hah… Hah…" Zi-O panted in exhaustion, trying to get some breathing room. "Who would've thought… we're evenly matched… Ajna… Even so…" He stood straight and calmed down. "I'm not ready to throw in the towel. Besides, my sister or Geiz might have scores to settle with me."

"I'm not going down that easily either, Zi-O." Ajna said.

"Wanna keep going, or call this fight a draw?" Zi-O asked.

"Let's leave this in a draw." Ajna said.

"One from our side, and three from yours. Sounds like a fair trade." Zi-O noted. "Still can't believe Deku lost. Looks like he still has much to learn before he'll have a chance against Shigaraki."

Ajna smiled as she was about to leave before being wrapped in a rope of flames.

"Hey! What is…I…I can't transform!" Ajna said.

"Don't bother. Those are holy flames. A trick I picked up from someone. They nullify the powers of deities." a voice said as Blazer stepped up with a few bruises and some blood flowing down his face.

"Dude, you look like you went through hell." Zi-O spoke to Blazer.

"Thanks to Hope and some of the other bounties, I just had a run in with bounty hunters aiming to collect. I took care of them though." Blazer said.

"And Blazer has captured Ajna! Hope is the only one left standing for Team Leo!" Magenta said.

"Sorry Ajna, no hard feelings." Zi-O shrugged.

"You think Hope ran for it?" Spade asked.

"Nah. That's not his style." Blazer said. "I know you're still here, blue boy. You're the only one left. Just come out and surrender so we can end this."

Hope was still in the Skypod as he came out.

"I was watching the fight Zeo and Ajna were having." Hope said. "Guess our luck ran out the minute we crossed paths with you guys."

"There's no shame in admitting defeat, kid." Blazer said.

"Yeah. I'm all for fighting until the end. But even I know better than to take you, Sanji, Spade and Zeo all at once." Hope admitted. "Sorry Ajna, guess this is it for us."

"And just like that, Hope surrenders! Meaning Team Leo has been defeated!" Magenta called out. "Winners are Team Aries!"

"We didn't get as far as we hoped, but this was fun." Hope said.

"Guess I'll have to fight you some other time, Hope." Zi-O said.

"When we do, I'll be looking forward to it." Hope said.

"Good." Zi-O nodded, offering a handshake. Hope took it with a smile as he and his team departed out of Vegas.

"We lost one and took some hits on our side.' Blazer said. "If you wanna look for your sibling and friend…best to do it before we're all out."

"I plan to." Zi-O nodded. "Let's go find them." He added before he and his team left the area to begin the search.

Travelodge, located on the Strip…

It was an odd sight, for a single motel room to be occupied by four of the most powerful men in the city. And yet, there they were, sitting in chairs or on one of two beds.

"Sorry for the short notice, fellas. But as you've probably guessed…we're in a hell of a lot of trouble." The Banker said.

The Banker

Head of Crypto Company, Controller of Wynn Las Vegas

"The Man who Rules the Strip"

"I have no time for your pointless meetings, Banker!" exclaimed a man wearing knight armor, with a crest depicting a roulette wheel displayed on their chestplate. "The Excalibur is in ruins! Those knaves have wrecked the arcade, defiled the Tournament of Kings arena, and melted everything else! Those fiends must be hunted down and beheaded for their transgressions!"

Sir Frederick

Head of The Knights of the Roulette Wheel, Controller of the Excalibur

"The Wealth of New Camelot"

"Easy there, Fred. It's not just your territory that's on the line here." a young boy in pharaoh garb spoke up. "The Luxor is part of the arena list too."

Tut

Head of Thoth's Disciples, Controller of the Luxor

"Master of the Tourist Tomb"

"And of course, once it's done, Dark Garden will stick us with the cleaning bill." a man in shogun clothes sighed. "I swear, that organization lacks any respect for us smaller groups."

Shogun Slick

Head of The Shinto Seven, Master of Nobu Palace (A Caesars Palace Subsidiary)

"The Tenth Demon King of Heaven"

"This disgrace cannot stand!" Sir Fred declared. "I suggest we lay siege to the MGM Grand and force JP to call this contest off!"

"No." The Banker said. "Let's be real. Going up against Dark Garden is a bad idea. Not to mention that it could get the heroes coming after us directly. Sad to say, the only thing we can do is bunker down, weather the storm, and rebuild afterwards."

"So we just do nothing while the Hero Alliance wrecks our city?" Tut asked. "We have Straw Hat Luffy, Natsu Dragneel, and Dynamight in play! We'll be lucky if there's still a Las Vegas at all by the time they're done!"

"So you wanna go fight them directly?" The Banker asked.

"...Well, no." Tut agreed.

"Exactly. As long as we keep our heads down and stay out of their way, the heroes won't bother us." The Banker said. "It's bad enough we have to worry about the Fremont Syndicate making a move in the chaos."

"Hey, speaking of that…where's Admiral Bill?" Slick asked. "He was supposed to be here after he welcomed his men back from-"

The door to the motel room slammed open, a man in a Marine uniform stomping in, with his one notable feature being a duckbill that acted as his mouth. "Banker!"

Admiral Bill

Head of the Diver Boys, Controller of Treasure Island

"West Blue Veteran"

"Bill? Is smoothing wrong?" The Banker asked.

"Is something wrong?!" Bill stormed. "You bet your behind something's wrong, sunny boy! I just found my boys dead, not five blocks from Mandalay Bay!"

"All of them?" Tut asked. "What happened?"

"I don't know! I found them in an alleyway! They were…dear God…they were slaughtered like dogs! I didn't even know it was them until I saw their weapons!" Bill exclaimed.

"Ah-hah! The Syndicate must be behind this!" Sir Fred realized. "Only those fiends would enact such an atrocity!"

"I'm not so sure…" Tut said.

"I don't care if it was Fleet Admiral Akainu himself!" Bill raged. "When I get through with them, they'll be a figurehead in Treasure Island's ship display!"

"Bill, calm down! We're going to figure this out." The Banker said. "Hmm…well, in this situation we're in, the craziest solution might work. I propose we go to Fremont Street and ask about it."

"And if Mr. Neon tries to use the opportunity to his advantage?" Slick asked.

"We'll bring every man we can spare. Not even he would be stupid enough to try anything with an army at his step." the lead criminal said. "It may cause the heroes to get antsy, but it's a risk we're going to have to take. Gather up your men. We're heading to Fremont."

"Alright, if you say so." Tut said, as the four gang leaders got up and left the room, leaving the Banker to himself.

"God…why can't the Multiverse just leave us be?" the man sighed as he rubbed his temple.