Later, when the group were at camp to recover, Mark sat by himself, his expression unreadable, before he was approached by Superbia. "What do you want?" the half-angel asked, a twinge of hostility in his voice.

"Ira-" Superbia started.

"Mark."

"Or course, sorry…Mark." Superbia corrected himself before he sat down. "...We haven't had the chance to talk since we reunited…"

"Thank God for that." Mark interrupted, causing Superbia to wince.

"...I…I'm just glad you're doing alright, in your new life." the Vice Angel of Pride said.

"No thanks to you." Mark replied. "Just ask what you want to ask."

"...What did I do?" Superbia asked. "In this time, I mean. The others won't tell me, and the crusaders…I cannot trust them to leave no details out. There could be bias in their words."

Mark was silent as he turned to look at the Vice-Angel. "...Well, let's start off with the several worlds you destroyed: Denji's world, a Persona World, and the world that several of my team members came from. Then there's the multiple trillions of people you killed, including two Demon Lords, and said teammates of mine. The attempted genocide of all demons, attempted murder against children, creating a religious zealot group, trying to kill me and my friends, holding Simon in prison and, on top of all of that, you claimed you were doing it in the name of God which, as a Christian, is just the cherry on top of reasons why I think you're a bastard."

"I…truly fell so far…?" Superbia asked in disbelieving horror.

"Yeah. You were more fallen than Lucifer ever could have been. And he risked his life to save the heavens before he fell." Mark said. "I wouldn't have been farfetched to call you a true demon."

"...No. No you would not." Superbia said sadly.

Mark looked at the guilt on Superbia's face before he sighed. "Look, I can acknowledge that you're not the Superbia I knew. I can also acknowledge that you were blinded by grief at what happend to Ira. You are learning, and you're not the same holier than thou jerk that killed my friends. But…I'm not going to forgive you for what you did. I can't forgive you. And if that makes me unreasonable, or a jerk, or whatever, then fine. Whatever friendship you and Ira had…it's gone. Nothing you do is going to get it back."

"...I understand." Superbia said, choked up. "I'll…leave you be." he said as he started to take his leave.

"Woof…that was some takedown you got handed down." Denji said, standing against a wall.

"So…I did destroy your world?" Superbia asked.

"And released all of the Phobia Devils confined there all across the Demon Universe." Denji said.

"So…I take it you…"

"Nah…honestly, I don't hold anything against you at all." Denji said. "I already got my payback with that nut shot back in the swordsmith village. Honestly, my life wasn't all that good even when you blew everything up. But, I'm at least trying to pick up the pieces."

"I…I see." Superbia said.

"Hey, leave him alone." Jexi said as he approached.

"Fine. I'm gone." Denji said as he walked off.

"I heard it all. Mark has his reasons. So would Ira if he was out. Honestly, I can't help but wanna slug you just for what the other you did." Jexi said. "But…that doesn't mean you don't have a chance to make things right."

"What?" Superbia questioned.

"It's not like its instant forgiveness. Everyone has their fair share of sins. Even me. But, that doesn't mean redemption is out of reach." Jexi said.

"Then…what must I do to make things right?" Superbia asked.

"You can start by helping us get J-Hack elected Demon Lord of Pride and help us defeat the Warpspawn and Damien." Jexi said.

"Yes. That sounds like a good start." Superbia said. "After that…I suppose I will have to find a way on my own."

"Yeah…but at least you won't have to take it alone." Jexi said as he departed.

As the group marched towards Khorne's realm, UF!Richard looked towards Takeshi, the former having an uneasy expression, and the latter looking fairly worn in the mental sense.

"Hm? Something on your mind, Richard?" Scarlet asked.

"…You all have been noticing how Toramoto has been lately, haven't you?" UF!Richard asked back.

"Come to mention it, he does look like he was dragged through muck lately in the sense of mind." SoF!Siege hummed.

"Yeah, it seems like it's getting worse and worse." Yoko said.

"Guys, relax. Takeshi has been under a lot of stress lately. He found out that his older sister, the only family he has left, has purchased an Emblem Jewel and he doesn't know what it is, he saw a few of us close to dying from the Great Maw, he's been caught by the Pride Petals… How exactly would you feel if you went through all of that in the span of a week?" David asked.

"I would feel exactly the same, if not worse. But that's exactly my point, David." UF!Richard answered back, before looking him directly in the eyes. "All of this… this is simply too close for comfort for how…"

"David, the Realm of Chaos, if not careful in it, can change a person. Corrupt them. My brother Yuri… he set out with the intention to free Ursun, just like me, and defeat Be'lakor, together with Richard and his friends. But when we reached the end of our journey, when Chaos was done with Yuri, he was no longer the man I knew. He almost put a bullet in our god's heart to kill him, and if it weren't for the sacrifice of that girl, things would have been much worse. But that still doesn't change the fact, that Yuri is now the Dark Prince." Gerik said.

"We understand what Takeshi's going through David, don't get us wrong. We're just worried that this place will bring out the worst of what he's going through and twist it into something even worse." Adora said. "We've seen how darkness and chaos can change someone. Remember what happened to Oersted?"

"How can any of us forget? He said it himself that it could happen to anyone." David said.

"That's why we have to make sure it doesn't happen to Takeshi." Ace said.

"We'll save him before he goes too far. You'll do that, right?" Hope asked.

"Yes, of course. He is a member of my crew back home. If anyone is going to stop him from going all the way, it's gonna be us. It pretty much has to be us." David said.

"We know you will, David." Hope said. "Speaking of Chaos corruption, how's everyone holding up in here?"

"Compared to Inferno, this isn't any different." Simon said.

"Well, our last stop before the Forge of Souls, might change that. Khorne's territory is the most hellish looking of them all. And if Nurgle threatened our health, Slaanesh our thoughts, and Tzeentch our minds, Khorne will have an effect too. On our rage." Adora said.

"What's so wrong about that? Lot of us have gotten angry before." Ragna said.

"Not like this." Adora said.

"She's right. All of Khornes followers are constantly pissed off. Daemons from his camp crave blood and carnage 24/7." Kokonoe said. "They mostly love collecting skulls and offering them up to the big guy."

"Wow…sounds like a place you can let loose in." Yang said.

"Yes. And I take it some of us have…a few pent-up frustrations." David said.

"You all can rest easy. Khorne's domain itself will not stir your rage." Zhao Ming said. "However, there is one Daemon among Khorne kind whos presence alone can incite the hearts of men."

"Let me guess… Skarbrand himself." Kokoro said.

"Yes. He was once the greatest of all of Khorne's Bloodthirsters. But a grievous sin that he committed forced him into exile." Zhao Ming said.

"What did he do that was so bad enough to get him kicked out if he was Khorne's top guy?" Makoto said.

"In a foolish act of pride and rage, he struck the Blood God himself." Katarin informed them. "It is said that he managed to create a small chink in his armor, but Khorne, enraged, then stripped him of most of his power and sapience, and exiled him from his realm."

"Sounds like we don't have to worry about him if he's not wanted in his own home." DW typed.

"I don't think so. We used the rifts to get here thanks to Ursun roaring. Who's to say Skarbrand can't do the same thing?" Hope asked.

"And considering the standard saying about Khorne cultists: 'Skulls for the Skull throne, blood for the Blood God.'… I think he's going to be quite motivated to claim the skull of Ursun as his offering to try and regain Khorne's favor." FS!Richard remarked.

Liearch nursed her head, as if she was having a migraine just being here, evident enough for some of the group to notice.

"Hey, Liearch?" FS!Rimuru asked. "You sure you're alright here?"

"I can cope. Even though His voice is pounding in my head like unstoppable tides… I still have enough reason to determine ally from foe." Liearch answered back.

"Hopefully, we'll be able to do the same if we face Skarbrand. But let's hope we don't." Hope said. "Lierach, do you know where Khorne's Daemon prince lives?"

"Yeah. I promised I'd be your guide in the Blood God's domain, right? I'll take you to where our prince is." Lierach said. "That being the Brass Citadel. But to even get there, we have to prove ourselves to Khorne we're worthy enough."

"And we do that, how?" Bow asked..

"As the other Richard stated, bloodshed is your answer." Liearch responded back. "So you might want to pull back those who are not suited for it, because once you get into the thick of it, it's a non-stop melee. Every faction for themselves."

"So if we're not careful, we could end up fighting each other. Got it." Hope said.

"Isn't there a better way we can get to our target without fighting amongst ourselves?" Noel asked nervously.

"Maybe there is. If Skarbrand wants to get back in Khorne's favor, and needs Ursun's skull to do it, he'll likely want to get us out of the way before that and claim our skulls as extra, right?" Akane asked. "So, what if we kick his ass before he gets the chance to do that?"

"Take out the guy who hurt him the most, and he'll reward us greatly. Akane, that might work!" Flamberge said.

"Question is, how are we going to get through him before any of our minds succumb to the bloodlust?" Kaguya asked.

"….The answer might be more simpler than we might think." UF!Richard remarked. "Tell me guys, any of you got anyone who gets pretty damn powerful when they're drawing on their viciousness?"

"There's me, obviously." Hitomi raised her hand.

"It's a given." Mark spoke.

"Well… Kind of." David piped up in admittance.

"Same here." Simon added.

"And then there's Amanozako." Kaguya offered, before summoning said demon. "You're fine with this, right?"

"O-Of course!" Amanozako exclaimed, slightly hesitant at first, before regaining her composure. "Not like this will last forever!"

"I don't exactly have a berserker on the team… but I do have someone who might be able to be boosted by all of this." FS!Richard stated, before looking towards Karlach. "Karlach, think you got what it takes?"

"Well, since I pretty much have a fixed-up and upgraded Infernal Engine, I should last the fight with no problems." Karlach scoffed, crossing her arms. "But I'm going to be overheated as hell with all of the power I'm drawing from this place."

"As long as you're sure you're going to be okay, you're in." Mark said.

"So how will we find Skarbrand so we can battle him?" Bow asked.

"We won't be looking for him. I have a strong feeling he'll find us." Hope said.

"Uh…sooner than you think." Gray said as they looked up to a large hill to see a large red daemon standing up high with large twin cleaver axes that had magma coated on the edges in both hands.

"And so it begins…" Zhao Ming said as Kislev and Cathal readied themselves.

"HUMANS! YOUR SKULLS WILL DECORATE THE SKULL THRONE!" he cried out with weapons ready.

"Well he's straight to the point." Hope said.

"Ow… No volume below yell. Got it." David said.

"Stiff upper lip, Dave. Bleeding ears are the least serious injury our side's gonna have by the end of this." Mark said, cracking his knuckles.

(Cue- She-Hulk Battle- Ultimate Alliance 2)

"CHARGE FORTH, MINIONS OF KHORNE!" the daemon declared, pointing ahead as a horde of Chaos Warriors and Daemons appeared, each and every one braying for blood. "BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!"

Warriors of Brass and Blood - Khornate Army

"Is everyone ready?" Saint Peter asked, drawing his broadsword and bringing it to bear.

"Well, we've come this far." Baudimon remarked, before drawing Dawnbringer. "Let's take this army down!"

The armies clashed against one another, daemons and mortals fighting against each other. Skarbrand slowly advanced to join them, his presence growing, as was everyone's growing rage.

"The closer Skarbrand gets, the more angry we'll get! Anyone who doesn't want their blood boiling, keep your distance!" Ragna said.

"For the glory of Khorne!" a Chaos Warrior of Khorne bellowed as he and his fellow worshippers charged at the heroes.

"Yeah! Let's get it on!" Yang called out going into a berserk rage as she rushed against the Khorne forces.

"Yeah…saw that coming." Blake sighed.

"You…should make sure…she doesn't com…pletely lose it." Mark suggested as he held his head.

"Mark, are you holding up?"

"I'm…fine. I think Ira's…blocking the worst of it, b-but it's…still there." Mark winced. "I-I'll be fine."

"Sounds like a you problem. My problem is going after my girlfriend." Blake said as she ran after Yang.

Flamberge was in the thick of it as she slashed her way through Khornate Berserkers and assorted chaos warriors with her sword, not even minding if she was in a rage. "So what if Skarbrand passively makes people angry when he's around? Rage is practically my every day!"

Simon was already in Intoner Mode as he clawed through the army with his bare hands while he was singing, barely flinching from their attacks.

Amanozako seemed to be barely controlling herself, as she was throwing Maziobarion from one side of the army to the other, as massive storms of almighty lightning rained down on the Khorne forces, frying them.

Meanwhile, Karlach was hacking her way through the army, cleaning a path ahead, as she was swinging a massive runic great sword, as her slashes caused streaks of hell-fire to rage across the battlefield, and her cross-bow was immolating most of the Khornate cultists upon direct hit.

"THEY BURN WITH RAGE, YET STILL FIGHT STRONG… ARE YOU WATCHING THEM, MY LORD? THE SKULLS OF SUCH WORTHY FOES, WILL SURELY SERVE ALONG WITH URSUN AS PERFECT TOKENS TO SHOW MY DEVOTION." Skarbrand said, brandishing his axes. "TAKE THEIR SKULLS! SPILL THEIR BLOOD! ENACT THE WRATH OF THE BLOOD GOD!"

"Are we sure he's not working for Khorne? He sure sounds like he's still employed!" Flamberge said.

"He's probably looking to get back into their good graces by defeating us." Robin said.

"YOU TWO SHALL BE THE FIRST ONES TO…" Skarbrand said before he was slugged in the face by Yang.

"Whoo! Yeah. That felt awesome! You sure you're skulls on right, one fang?" Yang asked as she held the fang she just knocked out of his mouth.

Skarbrand roared as he backhanded Yang with one of his twin axes, causing her to go flying, crash landing at a craggy ridge almost a mile away.

"What a blow! Is she still alive?!" A Kossar asked.

"Yeah, she's good." Hope said.

"Ha! Still kickin!" Yang called out from afar.

"Wow, he was really pissed just cause Yang slugged him." Dan said.

"I think that's just his default." ZS replied.

Skarbrand roared as he charged the heroes with his axes, rage burning out of his red and blue eyes, his bleached skull reflecting the fires of Khorne's domain.

The Exiled One - Skarbrand

"YOU WILL FEEL MY FURY!" Skarbrand bellowed as his brought his axes down, the heroes dodging out of the way as his blows created canyons within Khorne's domain.

"You shouldn't underestimate us, we're 3 for four in the Realm of Chaos, and you're not even in Service to Khorne!" Flamberge said.

"THE OFFERING OF YOUR SKULLS, ALONGSIDE URSUN'S, WILL AWARD ME MY PLACE BACK AT HIS SIDE!" Skarbrand said.

"Shame you couldn't even manage to stay by his side? No surprise. Guess you were just…way too weak." Flamberge said.

Skarbrand roared again, the sheer fury in his bellow causing the group to freeze for a brief moment, which the Greater Daemon took advantage of by performing a sweeping motion that sent the group flying.

"I think you just made him more angry, Berge." Hope said.

"That's the idea. If he gets REALLY mad, he'll wear himself out and be left open." Flamberge said.

"In theory, a good idea. But this is a daemon; do they even get tired?" Double D asked.

"Another possibility will be that, the more angry he gets, the more likely he is to make mistakes in combat." Entrapta said. "We may get more angry ourselves, but we'll no doubt be able to win."

"That's a given, with how much blind brawn he's throwing about." Karlach scoffed, as she was redirecting Skarbrand's blows away from the group to minimize their harm. "We just need to smack him wide open… like THIS!"

Karlach then parried one of Skarbrand's swings hard, leaving him vulnerable.

"He's open! Daemon pile!" Flamberge said charging in and stabbing Skarbrand with her sword, Million Stab style.

Saki charged forward with a battle cry in her Xtasy form before grabbing Skarbrand and performed a variety of wrestling moves on him along with slamming him back and forth onto the ground, causing the ground to shake each time.

"YOU WILL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST ME!" Skarbrand roared, as he swung both of his war-axes to part the group away from him, before he then began to rampage across the field, trying to hack his opponents apart.

However, one of the attacks hit Amanozako, who blocked the attack, even though it managed to cut into her body. But at the same time, Amanozako slashed down on Skarbrand's face with a powerful darkness-infused claw, as it managed to gouge one of Skarbrand's eyes out, leaving him howling in agony, clutching the wounds of his face.

"We're making good progress, but we'll really need to lay out the hurt if we want this daemon to go down." Bardock remarked. "Mark, are you okay to…?"

"Y-Yeah." Mark nodded. "But…stay the heck back…!" he warned as he let go of his control, causing him to shift into his Proto-Berserker Form, roaring as he slammed into Skarbrand and dragged him across the desolate landscape.

Skarbrand roared as he grappled with the half-angel, who responded by growing four more arms and charging Ki blasts that shot the Greater Daemon into the air, who then unfolded his wings to keep himself airborne, before Mark raced up to meet the daemon, creating an explosion in the sky that forced everyone to guard against an extreme pressure of air.

"Did he get him?" Frosta asked.

The dust clouds that were unsettled by the explosion cleared, allowing the group to see Mark standing there, standing atop the quickly dissolving head of Skarbrand, before the boy powered down and made his way back to the others.

"...I'm feeling calm now." Mark said simply.

Flamberge then looked at Skarbrand's fallen twin axes. Admiring the handiwork, she picked them up and gave them a whirl in each hand. "I'm taking his stuff." she said.

"No you're not!" FS!Rimuru yelled as he ripped the axes out of Flamberge's hands and threw them with all his might, sending them sailing across the horizon and out of sight.

"Hey, what the heck was that for?!" Flamberge demanded.

"You know what caused Yuri to start falling into Chaos?" FS!Rimuru questioned the SHS member with narrow eyes. "He picked up a sword that belonged to a Chaos worshipper. You really want to find out what a daemon weapon can do?"

"...Huh. In that case, thanks." Flamberge said.

"You're welcome." FS!Shion remarked, before watching as the rest of the heroes dealt with the Khornate army. "And it seems that we have a clear shot at the Daemon Prince, with the army decimated."

"Yep. Last prince." Jexi said as they made their way through the army and right up towards the Daemon Prince.

The Daemon Prince of Khorne had red fiery skin, tattered crimson wings, and used a burning greatsword as their weapon, before he let out a roar of challenge.

The Gatekeeper - Skaraekon Crimsonwrath

"Okay…he's the last guard before we get to Be'lakor…let's end this guy and get to him!" Flamberge said.

Skaraekon roared as he charged into battle against the heroes as a fierce clash quickly took place right then and there.

The heroes responded in kind as they faced the Daemon Prince in battle.

But just as quickly as it started, an unexpected force had plunged onto the scene.

"Well…seems you've been having some fun there. But…think it's time Khonre was put out of its misery." a voice said.

The Daemon Prince turned only to stand there in shock as a figure's hands burst through its chest, holding its beating heart before crushing it as it fell over.

"What the heck? How did…" Flamberge said as the group all looked in shock at the newcomer. They appeared to be human with tattoos covering their body with bright blond hair atop their heads. The Cathay looked to be even more scared than shocked.

"What…what is he doing here?" Yuan Bo said.

"What's got them freaked out? He's just some guy right?" Hope asked.

"No…this feeling…he's not a human." Jexi said.

"So what? We can take this guy!" Natsu said.

"So…you're…Natsu. Honestly, not sure what Igneel saw in someone like you." the man said.

"A dragon?" Azura asked.

"Igneel? Who the heck are you?" Natsu asked.

"Oh, that would make sense. My name is Ignia…I'm Igneel's true son." he said.

"Thats impossible…" Glimmer said.

"Yeah, Dad never said he raised anyone else besides me." Natsu said.

"Not surprising. Most dragons usually leave their young to fend for themselves along with the dragon they mated with after being born." Ignia said.

"Fire Dragon God, why do you come to this land?" Zhao Ming demanded.

"I wanted to see how strong this so-called foster brother of mine was. That was all. Also, seems Khorne was getting cocky and marched into my territory. So I came to incinerate them. I could incinerate all these other worthless creatures while I'm at it." Ignia said.

"Whoa, easy. There's really no reason for us to fight." Hope said.

"Out of my way." Ignia said as he blasted Hope into the wall with a shot of fire.

"Hey!" Flamberge said.

"No, don't! If he's really Igneel's son, then he's a fire dragon. Your attacks won't work." Hope said.

Ignia then went eye to eye with Natsu. "So…what are you gonna…." Ignia said as Natsu went and punched him right in the face.

"Don't you dare…mess with my friends." Natsu growled in anger.

Ignia stood there unfazed by the punch before smiling. "Good…become stronger. Then…we can really fight to the death." he said before vanishing in a pillar of flames.

After that brief encounter, the Daemon Soul was collected as they all regrouped at the camp.

"So…that guy…was he really…" Kokoro asked.

"Yes. His name is Ignia and he is in fact Igneel's son." Yuan Bo said.

"And by extension, Natsu's foster brother." Jexi said. "But…I thought all the dragons on his world bit it after Acnologia attacked."

"That's not…completely true. While a number of dragons were killed in Ishgar, a small number of them escaped into a neighboring continent. There, the dragons there obtained even greater power, power that would surpass the Dragon King, Acnologia. They're called…the Five Dragon Gods. And Ignia is one of them." Zhao Ming said.

"The Five Dragon Gods? I…think I might've heard stories about them from my father back when I was just a hatchling." Kokoro said.

"Their might even surpasses mine and my brothers, even though we have existed since time immemorial." Miao Ying said.

"Yeah, I could tell Ignia was strong when he hit me. That wasn't even his best shot though." Hope said.

"Pray you do not fight a Dragon God when they are serious." Zhao Ming heeded.

"So he was just here to gauge Natsu's and our strength." Jexi said. "Considering he didn't decide to kill us all right there, I think we got off easy."

"Clearly we're not ready to take him or his friends on." Ragna said. "But I bet we'll see him again someday."

"Hopefully not one day too soon. But his little interference netted us the last of the souls we needed." Jexi said.

"You are correct, for now we can gain passage to the Forge of Souls. Ursun is finally within reach." Katarin said.

"Yeah. We're almost there…provided our other pain in the neck doesn't decide to throw us another curveball." Jexi said.

Meanwhile, with said pain in the neck…

"Everything is proceeding as scheduled." Makima said to Damien, who sat behind a desk. "Everyone we've talked to has agreed to join our cause. A genuine estimate is that we have over 10 trillion individual soldiers."

"Perfect. Not even one of the Five Apocalypse could match up against numbers like that, especially when they're as strong as they are." Damien said. "Now, we just have to wait until the Hero Alliance pushes their luck too far."

"About that…" Makima said. "It seems none of your "Partners" Greater Daemon Servants could slow them down. Ku'gath, N'kari, Kairos, Skarbrand…. All four of them have been defeated."

Damien hummed at this as he leaned back. "Well, that means they won't be available for our little celebration…but I suspected this would happen. They should be tired out and depleted of forces enough that they should get into a mutual kill with Be'lakor…but just to be safe, there's one more card I can play."

"You…have another ally within the Warp?" Makima asked.

"Not exactly an ally, but…" Damien said with a smirk on his face.

Back in the Warp, a large, black-gray skinned Daemon Prince stood on top of a cliff, overlooking an army of daemons from all four Chaos factions, before he roared and held up his blade, causing his army to do the same.

"For him and some of those heroes…it's personal."