BGM-Shadow the Hedgehog OST-Story

Scarlet Spider: The name's Kaine. Clone to Peter Parker, the original Spider-Man. Learned from the punk that I've been infected with Anti-Convergium that's destroying my body and the seal on my power. A Spirit of Vengeance. To think all this time I've been bonded to a demon. As if being a monster wasn't bad enough. If I don't do something soon, I'll lose control of this demon and burn this world alive. This is becoming a drag.

BGM End

Volume 1 Issue 19: Devil Within

Unknown Laboratory. (4 Days since The Convergence)

BGM-Transformers: Devastation OST-Operation Obliteration

A demonic project is underway. Something sinister is brewing within a singular pod. A humanoid creature with skin colored red and hair colored dark yellow. His silver Aztec-looking armor would strike familiarity to any Dimensional Avenger that fought his kind at the A.I.M. Base before the Convergence. The process is complete, and emerging out of the smoke from the opening pod is the Stealer of Souls. Ancient Ogre. More accurately a clone of the Toshin. One joining the dozens of other Ogre Clones that were all made by a mysterious mad scientist in the shadows.

"Voilà! Another Ogre born for the army! Who said I can't make clones out of space demons." The Mad Professor laughed, proud of this demonic success.

"Most impressive for a mortal. Managed to reclaim his corpse right under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s nose. Things are going smoothly. How lucky was I noticing you to handle this project." said by his equally mysterious Benefactor.

"Anything to please my benefactor. I would've canned my previous research if you didn't come with the goods." The Mad Professor smirked, both of them sharing vagueness in this conversation.

"He was enjoying Hell a little too much for my liking. I had to kick him out. Just don't fail your end of the bargain, or it'll be YOUR soul that I will torture." The shadowy Benefactor threatened his lackey with a creepy smile.

Slightly unfazed by his threat, the Mad Professor assures him, "You have nothing to worry about. The world's a mess right now and too busy with Hydra's antics. They and S.T.R.I.K.E. don't see me as one of the big shots. They'll get an F for underestimating me. Just need to pick up a few hundred more souls and awaken my wayward son."

The Mad Professor then emerges from the darkness to face the original Ogre in his own unique pod and reveal himself as an old animalistic enemy of Spider-Man. Miles Warren, aka The Jackal. The Master of Clones. As well as the so-called Father of Scarlet Spider. "Kaine…I'll show you what you really are and who your true enemy is…" Jackal declared with an evil smile that bursts into maniacal laughter, "BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

BGM End

Another Unknown Place.

"Surely…Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell…I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

Kaine is in his civilian clothes praying in what appears to be a church. It's dimly-lit and eerie, with no one but the grim clone inside. An observation he didn't note until he finished his prayer, "HELLO? Is anyone there?" He doesn't remember how he ended up in church or why he came. Something about this place feels as fake as him yet he still wanders to find someone, anyone, that can give him an answer. He finds a confessional, questioning if, "Father?", is in there to give him clues. He goes in expecting a priest, instead he is greeted by his priestess dragon girlfriend. "Tiki?" The confused clone questioned.

"Confess your sins, Kaine." Tiki said, acting and looking unusually emotionless.

"I've told you all this…" Kaine replied, claiming to have told her everything of his past misdeeds.

"Have you? Do you believe yourself free of sin now?" Tiki questioned him.

Kaine doesn't have answer. Instead, he claps his hands together for another, desperate, prayer, "…In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit…"

"Tell me of the innocents you killed." Tiki confronts him for some confessions.

"I want to be forgiven!" Kaine desired, genuinely.

Tiki then disappears. In a blink of an eye, she is replaced by another woman. A beautiful teenager with brown hair that dreamed of becoming a cop until her life was taken by a crazed killer. "Tell me of the woman you murdered." said Louise Kennedy, Kaine's first girlfriend. His former love that he killed with his own scarred hand.

"I…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I thought she loved me…I couldn't stop myself, I was so angry…" Kaine retorted, feeling a combined emotion of sadness and guilt.

Kennedy disappears just like Tiki. Instantly transforming into another person from Kaine's past. This time it's a spider-person. Not Peter Parker, but a young blonde man that shares his power and responsibility and wears a costume that is complete with its signature blue hoodie. He was the original Scarlet Spider. Ben Reilly. The younger clone brother of Kaine. "Tell me of the brother you tortured." Ben said to his former rival.

"Ben?! What? Tiki?" Kaine retorted, growing more confused and rageful.

Ben is gone. Both in life and this weird world. In his place is the man that created the clone brothers. The bane of Kaine's existence. His father. The Jackal. "Tell me of the father you betrayed." Jackal requested with a taunting grin.

"NO!" Kaine finally snaps. Literally snapping the wooden barrier between him and the creature that returns to its Tiki form so he can grab and angrily demand from it, "Who ARE you?! WHAT ARE YOU?!"

"The question is 'who are you'?" The Creature calmly retorted.

Just then, Kaine begins realizing the truth of this place. "Something…Something's wrong…I don't feel…" In another blink of an eye, he finds himself in his own Scarlet Spider costume, alone in a completely different location. It appears to be a laboratory that has fused with Hell itself. The sky is red. The bloody environment is a mess with ruined lab equipment. Tons of spiders minding their own business and webbing that is barely holding this realm together.

Scarlet Spider stands indifferent toward this place as he's more interested in looking for the taunting shapeshifter. Suddenly, he hears a demonic laugh in the distance, "GRAHAHAHAHAHA!", followed by a webline vibrating and a monstrous voice taunting him, "Yes. There is something wrong. You keep trying to be a human." That grinning voice reveals itself to be his Semblance made manifest behind his back. His Man-Spider form. Tarantula. Wearing his old blue hoodie and arm gauntlets from his days as the Jackal's mind-controlled minion. Kaine turns around just to find Tarantula gone. Another webline is sensed vibrating, prompting Kaine to turn around to be startled a giant version of Tarantula taunting him further, "WHAT'S WRONG IS THAT YOU KEEP THINKING YOU'RE A MAN." Tarantula then returns to normal size and crawls down a web net claiming, "But the real problem…The problem is that you think you're real.", until he confronts his human self on the same floor. The annoyed Kaine tries punching his evil side to shut him up but it was in vain. His attacks prove harmless to his body made of spiders while the unfazed Tarantula asks, "What is it exactly that you believe you are fighting? I am you. I have always been you."

"No…You're some monster…A demon…" Scarlet retorted.

"And what are you?" Tarantula suddenly chokeholds his good side and lifts him up. "People look to you and see a man. A hero. But you know the truth. The truth of what's inside you. You've always known." Tarantula then begins transforming into something beyond monstrous right before Kaine's horrified eyes. His head bursting into purple flames that melts the furry skin away, leaving it as a spider-like skull engulfed by hellfire. "Not a man, but a spider. The apex predator risen from the fires of Hell to destroy the world. That has always been your destiny." The newly-formed Ghost Tarantula claimed.

Defiant, Scarlet kicks his demon side away to free himself from his choking grasp. "A killer…A monster." He glares sternly at Ghost Tarantula.

"All you have to do is accept it." Ghost Tarantula said while walking around his human half, "Become power incarnate devoid of responsibility. Steep your very being in anger and hatred…Walk a path dedicated solely to vengeance." His goading and movement are stopped for a moment when he and Scarlet confront each other face-to-face. Ghost raises a hand that is charging up with demonic energy, proclaiming with a wicked smile, "That vessel…Surrender it to me.", before thrusting the hand at his host. Hellfire creeps onto Scarlet until he's paralyzed, causing him great agony as he can feel both the flames and the Ghost Tarantula trying to consume him whole.

Divine Dragon Grounds, Valm. Archanea World, Crossverse.

BGM-Spider-Man 3 (Game) OST-Sandman/Shriek Boss Theme

The encounter with Ghost Tarantula was just a mental confrontation Scarlet Spider had during mediation at the Divine Dragon Grounds. The same sacred sanctuary that helped him control his powers in the past. He had hoped returning here would provide the same result, but it was in vain. The Spirit of Vengeance is consuming him in the physical world. Its hellfire corrupting him before the stern eyes of Tiki and Doctor Strange. "Guuuuaaarrggghh." A gathering of hellfire is concentrated in each of Scarlet's hands before forced together to make a large fireball that the berserker arachnid fires at Strange, "UWWOOOAAAAH!" The Sorcerer Supreme blocks the attack with his magic whilst Tiki assumes her dragon form to spew holy flame down at her own boyfriend. Holy Magic makes for the perfect counter for Hellfire, weakening Scarlet for Strange to purify him temporarily with his Eye of Agamotto in an explosive flash of light.

BGM End

"Kaine!"

"Sir Scarlet Spider!"

BGM-Fire Emblem Warriors OST-Tranquility

The groggy Scarlet Spider awakens to the sight of two friends: Aracely Penalba, aka Hummingbird, his excitable telepathic sidekick. And Say'ri, the upright and dignified princess of the Chon'sin dynasty here in Valm. The latter helps him sit straight up while the former is ecstatic to see him back from the darkness. "So you've awakened…" Doctor Strange said to his patient, standing alongside Tiki at the sidelines.

"Guys…" Scarlet uttered, having no memory of going berserk.

"You were nearly consumed by this Spirit of Vengeance. Fie, I haven't felt a force that unholy since our war with the Fell Dragon." Say'ri informed him of what he forgot.

"I was…" Scarlet frowns in disappointment of himself.

"We subdued it but only temporary. I feared it was too soon to rebuild the seal. The Ghost Rider spirit is growing stronger through the Anti-Convergium that's running rampant in his body." Tiki summarized Kaine's condition.

"We can still save him, right? You're a doctor. What's the cure?" Hummingbird asked Strange, expressing concern for her big brother figure.

"Calm down, Hummingbird. There is much we do not know of Convergium and Anti-Convergium besides the fact they are polar opposites like light and darkness. Neither good nor evil. Spirits of Vengeance, on the other hand, I am far too familiar with their nature." Strange assured her.

"Explain." Say'ri requested with a stern gaze.

"Of course, milady. What I know of Ghost Riders is that they are demons created and designed by Hell to scour the earth for hosts to bond with in order to fulfill their purpose of punishing the guilty. The Ghost Rider's powers are, for most intents and purposes, boundless. Godlike. Only limited by their host's imagination." Strange explained, briefing his otherworldly friends on Spirits of Vengeance.

"So they're good guys? Great." Hummingbird smiled, seeing the positives out of this.

"Not exactly. Spirits of Vengeance have a very strict and extensive net for what constitutes sin. Everyone has one. Life itself is considered sin in their eyes. They are ruthless against impurity and will torture the host for preventing it to fight off wickedness. You see, the host itself acts as a built-in safety lock to prevent the Spirit from exacting its full potential. If the Spirit is ever controlling the Ghost Rider, the results would be biblically catastrophic." Strange explains the downsides of being a Ghost Rider.

"It's a good thing you're Christian." Hummingbird smiles at Kaine while still looking at the bright side of his predicament.

"Shut up." Scarlet sassed.

"But how does one become a Ghost Rider?" Tiki inquired the Sorcerer Supreme.

"Most famously through deals with the Devil. Have you made one, Scarlet Spider? I understand you were dead for a time." Strange responded, staring at the grim clone.

"Hell no. I was better off dead. You should be more concerned about Spider-Man pulling a stupid stunt like that." Scarlet sassed.

"I'll keep that in mind. But I must know: When did you first discover your power?" Strange questioned, wanting to know the truth for his patient's sake.

"It was during that Spider-Virus fiasco. Back when I was under the control of the Masters of Evil as their 'Tarantula'. Got so heated fighting the Dimensional Avengers that I thought it awakened my Semblance." Scarlet recalled that moment from his monstrous past.

"I see. And do you remember your 'life' during death?" Strange then asks him a literally strange question.

"It was peaceful." Scarlet responded bluntly, which only makes his doctor ponder while rubbing his muzzle.

"Is it possible to exorcise the Spirit from his body?" Say'ri asked the Sorcerer Supreme.

"No. It is like a curse that can only be lifted by the one who placed it. His Spirit of Vengeance is a mystery to me. His best option at the moment would be to understand the demon within." Strange replied, before facing his spider-patient with this advice, "If you continue to suppress the Spirit, you will be consumed by it. You need to face the Spirit that you are hiding inside of you and find what grounds you between justice and vengeance."

"Face it?" Scarlet retorts with a look of shock and confusion.

"I will be at Kamar-Taj if anyone needs me. Lady Tiki, I recommend you stay by Scarlet Spider's side until we can uncover the truth of his demon. Your Divine Magic is among the very few powers that can subdue a Ghost Rider." Strange instructed the divine dragon.

"Of course. I have no intention of breaking up with him in the foreseeable future." Tiki acknowledged with a kind smile.

"I'll help too! I can calm minds!" Hummingbird exclaimed, expressing her desire to help her friend.

Scarlet doesn't share their optimism. He stands up too focused on giving his fist a depressed stare, saddened by his demonic condition. He is only broken out of his contemplation, for a moment, when he feels Say'ri touching his shoulder with a comforting hand. "I know you will overcome this. You were the hope for Valm when Walhart took over and will become the hope of our homes again. Do not undermine your will and resolve, Kaine." She smiled, leaving him with encouraging words to ponder on.

BGM End

'Everyone's hope? These hands were never created to grasp hope…' Kaine thought, his low self-esteem getting the better of him.

Sparkleton, Dream Island. Unified World.

BGM-Marvel's Midnight Suns OST-Sanctum Under Siege

This is Sparkleton. A snowy town on a floating island famous for its many twinkling lights. A great place to hold olympic winter games. Should it survive the hellish invasion it's facing. Fires are bursting everywhere across Sparkleton caused by Grimm and their dimensional kin: Mysterious Soulless humanoids that resemble a naked Ghost Rider with strange mystical markings around their necks. S.T.R.I.K.E. Agents struggle shooting them down as Soulless Minions barge through their bullets without issue and blitz them to death, one by one, with their fiery claws. More Agents fend off the demons just as others are knocked down by a Boarbatusk's Spin Dash, allowing more Grimm and Soulless to advance and conquer more of the floating town.

Luckily, STRIKE has some elite heroes on the scene. Knuckles the Echidna stuns an Ursa with a powerful punch before bouncing off its head that is quickly sliced off by Jaune Arc to land on a rooftop. He scans the area for a moment in search for something. That being the large dimensional rift that is unleashing all these demons.

"There it is! Northeast!" Knuckles shouted at Jaune below.

"Get a team over there and close the rift! We'll evacuate the remaining civilians!" Jaune ordered, taking command of this mission alongside Knuckles.

"Got it! Pittoo, you're our air support! Move out, people!" Knuckles exclaimed before lunging into more fights.

"Viridi, give me a lift!" The nearby Dark Pit ordered the nature goddess.

'Yeah, yeah, I heard the red mutt.' The telepathic Viridi complied, allowing the dark angel to fight and fly.

Arrows from Dark Pit rain down on the demon forces blocking Knuckles's squad to the dimension rift. A Soulless is blocked then killed by Naoto Kurogane's blood sword, swiftly ditching the weapon to pulverize more demons with his martial arts and even uppercutting a Soulless so Noel Vermillion's guns can keep it suspended in midair before Naoto grabs and slams it onto a Grimm. More air support comes to Team JNPR's aid in escorting civilians into aircrafts. While Jaune is focused gesturing people into an aircraft, demons are rushing toward his blindspot. He feels them coming but isn't feeling fear of them because of his trust in his partner having his back. The Akoúo̱ shield flies to his defense and kills the demons before being attracted back to Pyrrha Nikos' hand, who switches to her Miló Rifle to shoot down monsters from her vantage point and leaves it to Jaune's swordsmanship to beat the ones that fled her sights.

"Came here to close a rift, wasn't expecting the Grimm's new best friends. What are they again?" asked Nora Valkyrie, hammering Soulless that are too stubborn to be killed by Lie Ren's guns.

"Demons that are building my kill streak higher than yours." snarked Severa of Lucina's New Shepherds, slashing monsters with her Striving Sword that's being used to near-perfection.

"No fair! I'm more focused saving lives!" Nora retorted in a humorous fashion that the redheaded mercenary smirks at.

"Reminds me of monsters from the Underworld. Maybe they're from that Makai world." Dark Pit responded through the comms, a little busy fighting off aerial Grimm.

"Go from fighting gangsters to demons. Where's a normal life when I need one?" Naoto joked, distracting himself from a Grimm and needing saving from Noel. "Thanks, sis." He smiles at her for the rescue.

"We're related?" The confused Noel remarked.

"Oops, sorry. You just look a lot like my sister." Naoto apologized sheepishly, comparing her to Saya Terumi.

"That's okay. You remind me of one of my friends too." Noel smiled, comparing him to Ragna the Bloodedge.

"Focus, idiots! Get your heads in the game!" Severa insulted the Azure duo while Knuckles clears some room toward the dimensional rift.

"As long as that rift is open, this town will be overwhelmed. Keep pushing forward and show no mercy!" Knuckles rallied his STRIKE squad as they continue the hellish fight to save Sparkleton.

BGM End

Xavier Institute.

BGM-X-Men Legends OST-Magma's Danger Room Test (Action)

The training match of the ages between a devil and phoenix. Jin Kazama versus Jean Grey. The shirtless Kazama is wearing his red-flamed pants, struggling to land decent gloved punches on the psychic that can read his every move. Phoenix then repels him with a psychic blast before flying up and raining down fireballs that all but one are avoided by the young businessman. The last fireball being deflected by his Power Stance that also charges up his ki, punching out a paralyzing electric orb that knocks Phoenix out of the sky and lets her be hit by his Leaping Side Kick. The X-Man quickly recovers for a teleporting counter, surprising Jin with a slashing fire sword that knocks him across the Danger Room. The threat of death triggers his uncontrollable Devil Gene and causes Jin to go berserk, firing a powerful Devil Beam that shatters Jean's psychic barrier after a brief struggle.

"Okay. That's enough training for today." The mutant scientist, Beast, announced from the control room. Having been monitoring Jin's training alongside Xiaoyu and fellow X-Man, Angel.

BGM End

Jean quickly uses her telepathy to return Jin back to his senses and goes to check on him. "Are you okay?" She asked the exhausted fighter while offering him a kind hand.

"Yeah." Jin responded, accepting her hand that pulls him back onto his feet. "Did you get the data, Doctor McMcoy?" He then asked his doctor.

"Exquisitely, my boy. Come and see for yourself." Beast smiled.

BGM-X-Men Legends OST-X-Mansion (Quiet)

Jin returns to his Fated Retribution outfit upon walking into Beast's laboratory. Phoenix, Angel, and Xiaoyu are all with them looking at the Devil Gene data on the widescreen monitor while Beast explains his current illness, "Your body has been infected with Anti-Convergium, making the Devil Gene more unstable than it already is. Your health is deteriorating by the hour. It's as if the Devil within you is trying to break away. There's no telling how long you'll be able to contain it."

"I'll control it as long as it is necessary." Jin retorted stoically.

"Always remember the people you love. That's how I've been able to control the Phoenix for this long." Jean expressed, sympathizing with his struggles in controlling his dark half.

"Even better that I'm around to keep you in check." Xiaoyu teases her unfazed classmate.

"What do we know of the Devil Gene so far, Hank?" Angel asked.

"For starters, it is akin to our X-Genes. According to Jin, the Devil Gene originated from an ancient demon known as Azazel. The Devil Gene acts like a catalyst. It strengthens the user's cellular compound to ten times that of a normal human in addition of granting them superhuman abilities. In Jin's case, his potential rivals that of the Phoenix Force itself. Which includes the possibility of becoming his own Dark Phoenix." Beast explained to the group.

"Is that you when you get really angry?" Xiaoyu asked the Phoenix host.

"Pretty much." Jean quipped.

"There appears to be a symbiotic relationship that's linked to emotion but I have been unable to decipher what exactly triggers the Devil Gene. If we are to develop a method to free you of this power, you must learn to control it efficiently." Beast said to the Zaibatsu leader.

"Professor Xavier's psychic training helped somewhat before the Convergence ruined that. There was a time in my world when I searched for a power called Pandora, which I believed would've helped me understand the Devil Gene better. But it become lost during a conflict between rivals." Jin commented, recalling a recent worldwide war between Iron Fist Fighters and World Warriors over Pandora's Box.

"How about I offer compensation." Angel smirked with an intriguing idea.

"You know a power that can control the Devil Gene?" Jin questioned him.

"Had my own devil problem once. A madman by the name of Apocalypse fused me with his Death Seed that transformed me into his Horseman of Death. His Archangel. Wasn't until I was stabbed with a Life Seed is when I returned to my old self. With some less evil enhancements." Angel answered, showcasing a bit of his Life Seed power by conjuring an energy handblade made of light.

"Cool! But what's a Life Seed?" Xiaoyu retorted in amazement of his power.

To answer her, Beast displays footage of a Life Seed and its other cosmic capabilities, saying, "Celestial Life Seeds are a sort of alien genesis bomb, designed to regrow whole worlds. Has the power to kickstart creation and evolution."

"Might be just what Jin needs to control the Devil. Hell, might purge it entirely." Angel claimed confidently.

"I won't get my hopes up. Where can I find one?" Jin asks for a Life Seed so he may try out his theory.

"Doctor Strange should have the only one left. Let's go see him about it." Angel gestured, sparking Jin's latest efforts to destroy the Devil Gene.

BGM End

Queens Emerald, New Vale City.

"Oh this is amazing! I can have Thai all day!" Aracely smiled, out of costume and in the Prachya Thai restaurant enjoying lunch after her group's visit to Valm.

"Pace yourself, Aracely. You do not want to experience a stomachache." Tiki warned her between bites of her Thai noodles.

"Like that will ever happen!" Aracely retorted before happily digging back into her fried noodles and rice combo.

"So this is what food of this Outrealm looks like. Has it been healthy for you, milady?" The curious Say'ri asked, staring at her own Crab Fried Rice.

"Of course. Kaine has shown me many dishes. Try it." Tiki assured her through a smile.

Encouraged by the divine one, Say'ri takes a bite from her rice without hesitation. Quickly her tastebuds fall in love with the dish and eats more from her plate until it is empty, "Delicious! Never knew such a delicacy existed. What is the recipe? I want our cooks in Chon'sin to replicate this."

"Knew you'd like it." Aracely beamed. Her eyes then focus on Kaine, the only one not eating amongst them as he's too distracted by his own brooding thoughts. "Aren't you gonna finish your Larb, Kaine? Is it too Larby? Not Larby enough? Can I have it?" She asked and receives his ignorant silence, which concerns Tiki as she knows exactly what is bugging him.

Unbeknownst to the group, Aunt May is in the building with them picking up takeout from a waiter. "Here you go, May. With sticky rice pudding on the house." The Waiter said, handing her the food.

"Thank you. Keep the change." May smiled, giving him a generous tip.

BGM-Tekken 5 OST-Destined Interlude ~ Sad Conclusion

May heads for the exit, not seeing several excited Mobian kids running past her from behind and upsetting her balance. The last kid exits the building with a Spin Dash that causes the old lady to trip and fall, triggering Kaine's protective instincts. He swiftly catches May as well as her bagged food with amazing reflexes that rivals her nephew. "Oh, nice catch. Thank you. Kids these days…" May chuckled. But then she gives a better look at Kaine and confuses him for someone else, "Peter? I didn't know you were eating here. Thought we promised we'd have Thai tonight. You'll get hungry before long knowing your workout routine." She said, unknowingly upsetting her nephew's clone. "Are you okay? You look taller. When did you get a haircut? And this scar…" As soon as her hand reaches his facial scar, Kaine panics and rushes out the restaurant, causing the even more confused May to shout, "Peter!?"

"Oh Naga…" Tiki sighed after watching the scene, prompting herself and Say'ri to chase after him.

"Tiki? What's going on?" May asked, recognizing the priestess from Peter's recent birthday party.

"It's a long story, May. We'll talk later. Come on, Aracely!" Tiki retorted.

"I hate leaving food uneaten." Aracely groaned in disappointment, reluctantly following her friends in pursuing Kaine.

"Peter's friends are always so busy." May commented, scratching her absolutely confused head.

BGM End

Back at Sparkleton…

BGM-Marvel Midnight Suns OST-Battle in the Belltower

Soulless Minions and Grimm are still rampaging and STRIKE is doing their best fighting right through them for the dimensional rift that's spawning them. In the midst of all this, there is one spectator enjoying the chaos from his rooftop, laughing manically at the carnage the demons are unleashing. "Yes, yes, keep putting on a fantastic show! Kill them! Burn them! Rip this whole island out of the sky! Hahahahaha! This new world is such a THRILL!" said Tyrian Callows with a psychotic smile. The sadistic scorpion was tasked by the Masters of Evil to distract the heroes from their true plans. The best way he knows how is with chaos and destruction. Though this dimension rift wasn't his doing, he's wants to take advantage of it by targeting the heroes aiming to close it. Particularly Knuckles who is the closest to it. "Oooh, that one looks fun to play with. Let's add to the chaos." He smiled maliciously.

"Almost to the rift. Evacuation done yet?" Knuckles asked through the comlink, after smacking down a Soulless.

'About to fill up the last ship.' Jaune responded.

"Good, then come-." Suddenly, Knuckles is ambushed by a scorpion tail snaring his body, uttering, "What the-?!", before being thrown across town, screaming over his squadron that includes Naoto Kurogane.

"Knuckles!" Naoto exclaimed in concern.

Knuckles crashes onto the airship full of civilians that were going to be transported to safety. That same ship was parked near the edge of the floating city, but thanks to Knuckles, it is on the verge of falling from a frightening height. "Pittoo!" Pyrrha shouted for his immediate assistance, using her Polarity Semblance to try and pull the leaning airship out of the edge.

"Don't call me that!" Dark Pit retorted, flying to the assist by using his angel strength to struggle and push the airship back onto the island.

With them distracted, Tyrian finally reveals himself by landing before the huntsmen trio of Jaune, Ren, and Nora and the dazed Knuckles. He immediately takes out his weapons, his pair of wrist blades, in a seamless motion and, laughing eagerly, moves to attack Knuckles. Ren intervenes, his StormFlower guns clashing with his Queen's Servants. Ren attempts to both kick and shoot Tyrian, but he dodges. The two exchange several more attacks and parries until the scorpion faunus kicks the student several feet away.

Tyrian turns to go after Knuckles again, who rushed forward with fists to meet him. The scorpion uses his blades to block his punches before kicking the echidna backwards. He easily remains upright and they clash again, with Tyrian landing a strike that causes the echidna warrior to cry out at the pain and him to laugh. His stride isn't broken however, quickly landing a Spin Dash that both harms and annoys his foe before being smacked away by his tail. Jaune steps in at that moment, only for the crazed faunus to climb onto his shield and grin at him. Nora rushes in with her Magnhild hammer, but Tyrian just leaps from Jaune's shield to her hammer and up through the top story of a building. He holds himself up, with his feet on wooden frames to either side of him, looking down at Knuckles and Team JNR that are trying to figure out his deal.

"We don't have time for this!" Jaune frowned.

"Who are you?" Ren asked their mystery assailant.

"Oh, just your average tourist exploring places to destroy and people to kill. My goddess thought it'd be an exhilarating way to pass the time before disaster struck. And as usual, she was right." Tyrian quipped, mocking them for not knowing of his allegiance to the Masters of Evil.

"So you're the one responsible for this attack!" Knuckles scowled, blaming him for this hellish invasion.

"Of course not, dumbo. Did you not hear me say that I'm a tourist? Heard Hell was knocking on the door so I came to visit and help spread the carnage!" Tyrian expressed with a dark grin.

Taking this fight more seriously, Tyrian moves fast to attack Jaune from behind. Ren calls out a warning, "Jaune!", and then deliberately shoots at his leader's shield so that the ricochet hits the scorpion. Tyrian covers his eyes with his arm and then cartwheels onto Jaune's shield, using his wrist blades to spin in the air against it. Knuckles steps in to face him on his descent but he just kicks him to the side. He regains his ground before Jaune takes a swing with his sword at Tyrian, but he simply dodges and kicks him away as well. Knuckles takes this fight seriously too by tapping into his Cross Art: Earth Break. With a body gesture, he causes a meteor to fall from the sky using the supernatural power of the earth. This just barely crushed Tyrian but it did leave him in awe at the echidna's power. Though he wasn't completely off-guard when Nora rushes at him from behind and hammers him with enough force to erupt a shockwave of dust and snow. Tyrian saved himself using his scorpion tail to block her hammer, kicking Nora twice in the face before leaping backward and upward onto a roof for a brief breather before the next intense round.

BGM End

Back at New Vale City…

"Fie! You are certain he went in there?" Say'ri asked, standing outside a church at Queens Emerald alongside Aracely and Tiki.

"Yes. He feels very loud. Louder than usual this time. A chaotic whirlpool of emotions. So much anger mixed with lots of sadness and guilt." Aracely frowned, confirming that Kaine fled into the church.

"I'll talk to him. Just stay close." Tiki gestured, wanting to help her boyfriend deal with his problems.

BGM-Marvel's Spider-Man 2 OST-Moving Forward

The girls open the doors into the church to find it devoid of life with the exception of two people. A priest minding his own business by sweeping the floor. And Kaine, sitting at the front row in a praying position. Tiki glances at her two friends, with Say'ri nodding and Aracely gesturing, both of them assuring her they'll stay put while she talks some sense to their depressed friend. "It makes me proud to see you taking your religious practices the most seriously among your training." Tiki smiles upon greeting Kaine, much to his surprise. "Easy. It's just me." She gestured, calming him down.

"Sorry. I just…have a lot on my mind." Kaine apologized, recalling that nightmare he had back at the Divine Dragon Grounds.

"May I sit beside you?" The polite Tiki requested, which is accepted by his silent nod. "Thank you." She then sits next to her boyfriend before getting straight to the point, "This isn't the first time you ran from May since your rebirth. Why are you avoiding her?"

"She's the last person I want involved in my problems. My cursed existence as a clone. She's better off not knowing a thing about me. Part of me wishes I could forget her too…" Kaine frowned sadly.

"But she is the least of your worries. What is upsetting you?" Tiki asked, diving deeper into his internal issues.

"Just…everything. I have a demon living inside me that wants to unleash hell onto the world. I helped Adam Taurus conquer the White Fang by killing Sienna Kahn." Kaine admitted with a depressing tone, unusual for him.

"That wasn't you. Taurus was the one that killed her. Manipulated your emotions to lose control. Her blood is not on your hands." Tiki argued.

"It IS!" Kaine retorted, angrily as he stands up, "Hers and countless other people's blood are on my hands and it'll keep being soaked every time the White Fang murders an innocent!" He lets out an annoyed huff while going to stand before an angel statue to frown at, "Why did I even bother with this charade? I was born a monster then died as one. Then I thought I was reborn a hero that could atone for his past. Turns out that was all a lie to cover the truth that I've evolved beyond a monster. Became a demon. A destroyer of worlds."

"Demons can be a force for good too. Goodness is a practice, not a destination." Tiki countered, calmly walking to his back.

"You've seen my reluctance to crimefighting. I'm not committed to it because I know what it leads to. Dark Sonic knew this too." Kaine refuted, flashbacking to his encounter with Sonic's dark clone during the Skyworld incident.

'But you're wasting your talent by following his ideals to help the pathetic worms of this city. You're full of untapped potential…' said by the memory of Dark Sonic echoing in Kaine's mind.

"Perhaps holding myself back for heroism was a painful idea. I'm just a raging lunatic that was only good for killing. I've saved a few lives, yeah, but it was never out of justice. Responsibility is a pain. Power is all I am. I deserve this curse. This scar, the Anti-Convergium destroying my body, just proof that I can never escape fate. The destiny that my father created me for…" Kaine scowled with a mixture of rage and sorrow, clenching his fists at the memory of the Jackal.

Quick in an effort to calm him, Tiki gently grabs his clenched fist and tells him, "You made mistakes. Your brother has suffered a crisis of confidence. Every living being is no different from you. No one is just good or just evil. But the easiest way to let that darkness win is to do nothing."

"Then let it. I'm a clone. I'll always be in Parker's shadow." Kaine retorted.

"You're not just a clone or a monster or a demon. You're a Spider-Totem. A defender of the Web of Life and Destiny. You alone have the power to reshape your own life and destiny. Didn't you make that vow when we defeated Walhart?" Tiki argued, reminding him of a stepping stone from his past.

"…With great power comes great redemption. The ability to rain down hell on those who prey on the weak, people who couldn't fight the monsters. To stop people like me." Kaine recalled his own vow. His own promise to his friends and family.

"Stop being honest of just your negative traits." Tiki scowls, getting tired of him seeing himself as a monster when he's also so much more.

"I can't help it. I've done more bad than good. I know I promised Peter that I'd bring hope to humanity. To give them a second chance at happiness…" Kaine retorted.

"And you have. For Valm and Houston. For Say'ri, Aracely. And me." Tiki smiled, softly touching his cheek.

"But what if I lose control again? What if I fail again? What if I…hurt you?" Kaine frowned sincerely, worriedly touching her hand.

"You won't. For you are my Guardian. The love of my life that reshaped my life and destiny with his determination alone." Tiki assured him lovingly.

"Can I allow myself to love you? I'm a mess. A jerk. A monster peasant to your divinity. I know you prefer that Marth guy seeing how you can't shut up about him." Kaine asked through his self-doubt.

Reminded of her childish crush that was broken when the Hero-King married someone else, the sadden Tiki turns around and stoically claims, "…He was human. I was manakete. The gulf between us was too great."

"Then you're an idiot for thinking that. And Marth was an idiot for not noticing a cutie." Kaine scoffed, cheering up the manakete with his brutal honesty.

"See? You can be honest about your good traits. You're just too stubborn and shy to acknowledge them." Tiki teased him.

"I'm just stubborn, not shy, Granny!" The cross-armed Kaine turns around this time, brushing her off in embarrassment.

"Please. Your shyness makes you adorably attractive." Tiki giggled, teasing him further.

"Don't make more upset than I already am." Kaine frowned.

Accepting his wishes, Tiki stops with the teasing and instead faces him with an encouraging smile, "Kaine. All I'm saying is what I advised you before. To move forward in life, you must learn to acknowledge and forgive your history. Confront your past. Find equilibrium. Only then can you control the demon within and thus your own destiny."

"But I'm…scared. I don't know if I have what it takes." Kaine admitted shyly.

"You will not be alone in this spiritual journey. You will have my love and the bond of your friends by your side." Tiki assured him, additionally with a kiss that seems to have cheered him up somewhat.

"Hey guys, can I interrupt you?" Aracely announced her presence before the interdimensional lovebirds.

"Of course, Aracely. What is on your mind?" Tiki asked.

"That's the thing. I got a little bored during your flirting so I was trying to feel for something fun when I sensed Team JNPR fighting demons at Sparkleton." Aracely informed them.

"Demons? Like the Grimm?" Say'ri commented, joining the conversation.

"They felt fiery. Kinda like Kaine's power." Aracely compared, which quickly struck everyone's curiosity. Most notably Kaine's as a determined glare manifests on his face.

"Let's go." Kaine announced sternly, walking ahead.

"Not worried the Spirit of Vengeance may eventually overwhelm?" Tiki questioned him.

"Somewhere in chaos is where we find ourselves. That's what Shadow once taught me. The only thing I fear now are those punks destroying my answers." Kaine replied.

"And because you feel worry." Aracely quipped, noticing his concern for his friends' safety.

"Shut up and get into costume!" Kaine retorted, readying his team to join the fight at Sparkleton.

BGM End

Meanwhile at Sparkleton…

BGM-Super Dragon Ball Heroes OST-Assault

Things are getting intense at multiple fronts. First there is Knuckles and Team JNR's never-ending fight with Tyrian Callows. Psychotic he may be, he is incredibly combat-efficient and is smart enough to know which targets to prioritize. He leaps at Knuckles and the two give each other a brutal yet brief clash, throwing attacks at each other that either miss or hurt until Tyrian knocks him back with a surprise tail swipe. "And here I thought you Dimensional Avengers were the mightiest in the multiverse!" Tyrian taunted, before using all five of his limbs to engage the huntsmen students with minimal difficulty.

At the second front, there is Naoto punching Soulless to the ground, Noel blasting Grimm to dust, and Severa cutting through both demonic types while leading the S.T.R.I.K.E. charge toward the dimensional rift spawning the monsters to this city. Yet despite their formidable teamwork, the party is getting a little overwhelmed by the demons' ferocity. "We're being pushed back!" A STRIKE Agent exclaimed, starting to struggle in this fight.

"Then pull yourself forward no matter what! One of us needs to close that thing!" Severa retorted.

And at the final front, Pyrrha and Dark Pit are still trying to prevent the civilian-filled transport aircraft from falling off the floating island. Made more difficult with demons impeding their progress with various attacks. "What are you doing over there? Taking a nap? You should be able to do this yourself!" Dark Pit sassed, struggling to push the tipping aircraft back onto solid ground.

"I'm not Magneto! Keep pushing! We almost got it!" Pyrrha snarks back, clearing her area of monsters for a brief moment before using her Semblance to magnetically pull the ship. Though she does sense her leader Jaune getting wrecked by Tyrian behind her back. In quick succession, he delivers a right hook to his face and a left blow to his torso, damaging his Aura each time. He turns and swings his tail to knock him back into the air, causing him to fly back several feet and rush to meet him before he lands, kicking him in the abdomen to break his Aura. "Jaune!" Pyrrha exclaimed in horror, briefly losing her concentration on the airship.

Tyrian approaches Jaune on the ground and raises his stinger, his eyes turning dark purple. Nora is comforting a fallen Ren and Knuckles is running to Jaune's rescue. Tyrian laughs, readying himself to strike with his scorpion tail. But what he wasn't ready for was a massive purple fireball that was thrown from the heavens to crash onto his back, slamming him into the ground with such destructive, explosive force that it stopped all fighting for a moment and garnered everyone's attention.

BGM End

"What?" Jaune exclaims in shock, being helped up by Knuckles.

"Who dares…" Tyrian grunts with the most pain he has felt today, struggling to lift himself up from his crater while wondering who or what had to gall to interrupt his rampage.

"Hmph. What a pathetic sight. An overgrown bug squirming for life. Time I remedy that." A vicious taunt directed to Tyrian by a certain Web Warrior that is all about the power and cares little for responsibility.

BGM-King of Fighters XIV OST-Follow Me

All eyes turn to a snowy rooftop to find none other than Scarlet Spider in an intimidating, yet insanely cool standing pose. "Scarlet!" Jaune happily recognizes his friend, who crosses his arms like an X that pops out his wrist stingers that are then swung out into a determined fighting stance.

"Who invited him?!" Dark Pit exclaims his annoyance at his fellow clone's intervention.

"When did Spider-Man get a cooler costume?" The confused Naoto wondered.

"No, that's Scarlet Spider!" Noel expresses her incredible joy to be saved by the scarlet warrior she met at Fort Stryker.

"And his adorable friends here to save the day! Sorry we're late!" Aracely shouted in her Hummingbird costume, with her and Say'ri riding Dragon Tiki while she's soaring above the battleground.

Her passengers jump down right before Dragon Tiki eviscerates dozens of Soulless and Grimm alike with her Remote Breath. Her holy power is a bane to all darkness, and the demons that were giving STRIKE trouble are no exception. She provided an opening for a massive counterattack led by Say'ri wielding Amatsu. The Blade Princess cleaves a Soulless Minion in two before it harmed a STRIKE Agent, then slashes several more demons in a blink of an eye. One by one demons fall to her blade before she channeled the icy energies of her Iceberg skill, boosting her attack power for a blitzing fury of slashes that dominates a small army. All while Hummingbird uses her telepathy to persuade multiple demons into saving the aircraft that both Pyrrha and Pittoo have been struggling with.

"The Spider-Sinner…He has returned, as foretold…" A Soulless Minion actually speaks, right before Scarlet slices its head off.

"Go back to Hell where you belong, Soulless! Stop bothering me!" Scarlet retorted, implying to have an unknown history with these hellish creatures. A story for another time. He's too busy bouncing off a Soulless and webbing many more before destroying them all with a powerful breakdancing kick that leads him to check up on Jaune's group. "You punks okay?" He asked his interdimensional friends.

"Yeah. Thanks for the surprise assist." Jaune smiled gratefully.

"Mind if I squash this bug?" Scarlet asked whilst confronting Tyrian Callows.

"Sorry to say we worn him down for you." Knuckles smirked.

"That sucks. I hate taking out other people's trash." Scarlet quipped.

"Watch who you insult, Spider-Man. Could get you a stab in the back." Tyrian snarked with a cocky smile.

"I'm not Spider-Man. Let me burn the menace that I am into your head." Scarlet threatened coldly, snapping his fingers while flaunting that arm aback and erupting hellfire on his clenched fist that rockets him into his deadly fight with the Faunus Scorpion.

Just barely, the astonished Callows blocks Scarlet's flaming punch that is still pushing him across the entire town. The interdimensional rivalry between spider and scorpion begins in earnest upon Callows managing to repel Kaine by forcing him to jump away from his tail swipe. This leads to the midair arachnid web-throwing the psychopath through a house then landing a swift Web-Strike kick across his sick face. Tyrian recovers fast to rush Kaine, twisting to the right as he throws his weight into a slash at him with his left wrist blades. It is deflected by Scarlet's stingers and Tyrian easily comes round to attack with his right blades that are also deflected by Kaine's monstrous power. Scarlet slashes at Tyrian, missing and allowing the psycho to jump into the air for a spinning landing kick to the anti-hero followed by a slash with his blades. Kaine dodges them and Tyrian keeps flipping, moving away from the raging spider until he is ready to come at him again like a laughing lunatic. Kaine meets his blades in the air with his stingers, resulting in an explosive clash that propels them away from each other. The crazed scorpion stays upright using his blades to find Scarlet immediately attacking, clashing against him several times, fighting with his tail that are too avoided. Scarlet finds the opportunity to leap up and somersault downward to cut Tyrian with his descent, only for his attack to be blocked with equal force that sends out a ripple that blows the roof off a building behind them.

So far Scarlet is proving to be a deadlier foe than Tyrian anticipated. Quickly switching tactics, he activates the hidden machine guns within his wrist blades and shoots at Scarlet, who dodges them with spider-like reflexes before finding the opening to web his guns useless. It doesn't end there as Scarlet assaults the defenseless scorpion with hyperfast brutal blows. Even after being tripped by his tail and stomped on, his body erupts instant flames that forces the burning Tyrian to step away and be struck again.

"I'm used to fighting scorpions. You're as much of a loser as Mac Gargan." taunted Scarlet, punching his fiery energies into the ground to unleash a series of powerful flame columns that pursue the backflipping scorpion.

"Bet I'm crazier than him!" quipped Tyrian, bouncing off a wall to purposely rocket through the flaming shockwaves to smack the arachnid onto a rooftop.

"Not deadlier against me." Timely, Scarlet jumps over Tyrian's swinging blade to smash him through the rooftop with a hellflame-powered punch and cause the whole building to collapse on him with a raging flurry of fireballs.

Kaine wonders if that was enough to win this fight. Judging from experience and analyzing his fighting capabilities, it looks like Callows is down for the count. Which is wrong. Through the fires and smoke, the Scarlet Spider is struck in the abdomen by the stinger of a still alive Tyrian walking out of hiding. Kaine drops to his knees feeling sick, feeling poisoned. "…Poison…Typical…" He commented weakly, looking pathetic and killable to Tyrian and the surrounding Soulless and Grimm that wants a piece of the action.

"Always beware a scorpion's sting. No spider can outmatch a scorpion. NOW DIE!" Tyrian exclaimed, joining the demons in lunging at Kaine for the simultaneous killing blow.

But just before any of them could lay a finger on him, hellish energy is building up within Scarlet's body for one devastating counter. "Hellweb…EXPLOSION!" He roared, unleashing a powerful fiery explosion that destroys everything and nearly everyone within its 10 yards radius, at least. All the demons were killed. Tyrian was pushed back in a decimated state. And the menacing silhouette that is Scarlet Spider is not only seen walking through the flames, but heard letting out a sinister laugh that creeps out even the psychopathic scorpion, "Hehehehahahaha!" The fiery-eyed Scarlet emerges from his own demonic fire. The same fire that was used to purge himself of the poison, much to Tyrian's horror.

"What? You're burning out the poison? Impossible! You're just a bug!" Tyrian retorted.

"Wrong." Scarlet refutes by coldly erupting his four spider-arms from his back, "I'm the monster here to kill you." Holding back no longer, Kaine easily overwhelms his scorpion rival with his eight limbs and unrivaled speed and furious strength. "Have a taste of your own medicine." Kaine cuts his stinger just as swiftly and brutally as stabbing Tyrian with it. Salem's servant is on his last legs. His Aura at his breaking point. The dimensional rift on the verge of being sealed by STRIKE. As Team JNPR cheers on Kaine to end the fight, the dark arachnid obliges by threatening his weakened foe, "Hurt them, you die. Get out of my sight!", before erupting hellfire on both his human fists and spider-limbs. "HELLCRAWLER ASSAULT!" He roared alongside unleashing a flaming flurry of punches and kicks and pincers on the psychopath. Against the combined wrath of the Tarantula Semblance and Ghost Rider Power, there was nothing Tyrian Callows can do to save himself except praying to Salem for forgiveness. Scarlet secures his overwhelming victory with a flying flaming kick that knocks the scorpion off the floating town, sending him flying into the distance where he won't be bothering anyone for a long while.

BGM End

"Pitiful." Scarlet scoffed out a cold taunt at Tyrian's defeat.

"Commencing closure of dimensional rift." A STRIKE Agent announced upon his squad making it to their goal.

A squadron of portal guns activate and the STRIKE Agents fire their dimensional energies straight at the dimensional rift. The portal begins closing, stabilizing the barrier between dimensions as Scarlet Spider oversees the process. He is the only one, however, to spot something ominous at the other side of the rift. A mysterious silhouette that looks familiar to Kaine. Demonic. Unbeknownst to him, it is the Benefactor that was scheming with the Jackal before this whole mess started. The Benefactor manifest a creepy smile that Kaine glares at in suspicion of their true identity, just mere seconds before the portal is sealed tight. "Rift neutralized. Let's take care of the stragglers." Another STRIKE Agent proclaimed.

'Who was that? Was it…?' Scarlet thought about that mystery shadow, having a suspect in mind. 'I wonder…The Soulless being here. I haven't fought them in a long time. Not since my time in their home. Was this attack staged to lure me out?' He wondered grimly.

"SCARLET!"

BGM-Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (DS) OST-Sparkleton

Frightening Scarlet out of his brooding is Nora Valkyrie tackling him with a hug as she usually does in their reunions. "Got you this time!" Nora beams at the annoyed arachnid.

"STOP THIS, SERIOUSLY! I love my personal space more than you, Pinky!" Scarlet retorted while angrily enduring her hug.

"But loneliness makes you cold. I'm just warming you up." Nora joked, bantering with him like their siblings with opposite attitudes.

"I can create FIRE!" Scarlet snarled, bursting flames that forces the huntress off his body.

"Hear hellfire can be too cold sometimes. Just thanking you for the rescue." Nora quipped.

"I didn't come to pull your asses out of the fire. I came here for more important reasons." Scarlet argued coldly.

"Yeah, to hog up all the glory." Dark Pit chimes into the conversation while joined by the rest of their multiversal allies.

"Shouldn't have wasted time being weak." Scarlet sasses at his angel rival.

"Oh yeah? Lemme prove you DEAD wrong!" Pittoo threatened him with his Electroshock Arm that goads Scarlet into his fighting stance.

"Chill, guys. We just saved a flying city from demons. Beat each other up when we're not exhausted." Naoto intervened, gesturing them to calm down.

"Like hell I'll take orders from a no-name brat." Scarlet sassed, quickly earning blood warrior's dislike.

"The name's Naoto Kurogane. Once I rest up, I'm kicking your ass, you spider-dressed bastard." Naoto threatened him this time, confronting the grim clone up close and personal.

"You're on. Just try me, you shitty brat." Scarlet retorted.

"From depression to arrogance. I am at least glad to see him better." Tiki sighs in tiredness at her boyfriend's hostile attitude.

"It's like watching Ragna argue with himself." Noel giggled.

"Who?" Say'ri questioned.

"Doesn't matter. Nice to see you again, Say'ri. Came to help STRIKE?" Knuckles smiled, shaking hands with his old Chon'sin friend.

"Aye. At least for today. We didn't mean to intrude on your mission. My group arrived to investigate the source of Sir Scarlet Spider's illness." Say'ri smiled, happy to be reunited with her old friends.

"You're sick, Scarlet? Do you need me to buy you medicine?" Noel gasped, rushing to his side.

"What? No. That's not gonna fix this." Scarlet retorted, mere moments before recognizing the Azure Soldier from their last encounter at Fort Stryker, "Wait a sec…You're that girl from before. Noel something."

"Noel Vermillion. I'm happy you remember me." Noel grinned happily.

"Don't know why I bothered." Scarlet snarks while folding his stoic arms.

"Anyway, what's wrong with you?" Pyrrha asked her scarlet friend.

"None of your business." The rude Scarlet retorted.

"Are you still mad at us for dragging you to the World Unity Festival?" The annoyed Pyrrha snaps back at him.

"A little." Scarlet snarked.

"C'mon, Scarlet. We're all friends here. We're just worried about you. What's the deal?" Jaune approached, having a better bond with Scarlet to convince him to reveal the truth.

Reluctantly, Kaine groans, "…I became a demon. There. Happy now?", before turning his back to his friends.

"More confused." Jaune commented.

"We have discovered his soul has become intertwined with a Spirit of Vengeance. The Ghost Rider is the true source of his hellfire abilities. Lest he can control or exorcise it, he will become a danger to himself and the entire world." Tiki explained, surprising Team JNPR's party.

"No way…All this time?" The shocked Ren expressed, staring at the back of the apathic Scarlet Spider.

'You're a Ghost Rider?! That's perfect for me!' Viridi exclaimed telepathically, right before teleporting herself to the town. "Heard from legend that Ghost Riders are like God's enforcers designed to punish the guilty for their crimes. I could use one for those that mistreat nature." She smiles at the annoyed Kaine.

"Not applying. You already have Dark Pit as your flunky." Kaine snarked.

"I thought Ghost Riders were created by the Devil." Hummingbird commented, scratching her confused head.

"You heard wrong then." Viridi snarked arrogantly.

"You don't feel like a ghost. Still punchable to me." Severa teased with a smirk, playfully punching her spider-rival.

"Knock it off." Kaine brushes her aside with simple casualness.

BGM End

BGM-Transformers: Devastation OST-Welcome to The Proudstar

"What's the plan?" Jaune asked Tiki, wanting to help Kaine through his demonic problems.

"Doctor Strange suggest we uncover the secrets of this Spirit of Vengeance in order to discover the best means to control it. And the only one who can lead us to them is its human host." Tiki answered, sharing glares with her boyfriend.

"Strange, huh. So this IS serious." Knuckles commented. "Heard you called those fire demons 'Soulless'. What's your history with them?" He then asked Scarlet.

"That part of my past is none of your concern." Kaine responded, rudely hiding the secrets of his past.

"Well, I get the feeling they're the opening act to something bigger. You need to be ready to face that past if you wanna beat 'em next time." Knuckles sternly suggested.

Jaune places an encouraging hand on Kaine's shoulder, smiling and telling him, "You got this. Know you'll have our support all the way through."

"…Fine." Scarlet relented with a calmer expression, turning around to face his helpful friends, "I should know by now arguing with you punks will get me nowhere. You seem to get off harassing my terrible life."

"Your life makes ours more exciting." Nora quipped.

"You're insane." Scarlet snarks back. "I suppose this was a long time coming. I walked the path of vengeance long before I bonded to a Spirit of one. The truth of my destiny lies in my past. I must face it. Be ready the next time I face Taurus and every other fool that wants to threaten this world." He then clenches his right fist and declares to his friends, "I'll make the Devil's power my own, if it's the last thing I do!", with inspiring determination that erupts hellfire from his glaring eyes.

BGM End

BGM-Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 OST-Gallery

KFX Here: Scarlet Spider and Jin Kazama have begun their own journeys to control the devil within, with The Jackal and Ogre returning as the main villains for this Devil Arc. In addition to what inspired this story arc, the Scarlet Spider (2012) comic book is something you should read to get an idea of what's in store for Kaine. Also, Sparkleton. It's based on the same place from the video game, Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (DS). Thought I give that crossover some representation.

Next Time: The Dark Tale of Kaine! Fighting Therapy with the Ultimate Life Form!

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BGM End