BGM-Shadow the Hedgehog OST-Story
Scarlet Spider: The name's Kaine. Clone to Peter Parker, the original Spider-Man. I decided to confront my past if I want to control the Ghost Rider within me. My journey led me to Sparkleton that was suffering an attack from Hell led by Soulless Minions. With Team JNPR's help, I stopped them, but something tells me things will get worse. Bring it on! I won't let anything or anyone get in my way of finding my fate!
BGM End
Volume 1 Issue 20: History of Vengeance
A Cavern. (4 Days Since the Convergence)
Grimadoom the Hedgehog appears from a white light that drops him inside a cave. He brought himself here searching for something, sensing out its energies to confirm his intuition, "Sensing some Convergium Crystals nearby. Not a gold mine but still plentiful." The android pulls out a Convergium Crystal from his quills and absorbs it, feeling its multiversal energy amplifying his weakened Cosmic Chaos Magic. He smirks while feeling his hand, "That's the stuff. Should've come for this sooner. The Convergium is refining my power that was modified without my permission.", before clenching the hand with an annoyed grunt, "Curse the Masters of Evil for botching the Convergence. Or perhaps this was deliberate in another vain attempt to leash me…No matter. Gaining power won't be fun if there's no challenge."
Suddenly, Grim hears a loud noise coming from the depths of the cave. Fighting sounds that piques his interest, "What was that?", and prompts him to investigate.
BGM-Tekken 3 OST- Ogre (Arcade Ver.)
A brutal fight has been waged in front of an underground lake with what appears to be a tombstone on its center. The Thing of the heroic Fantastic Four is getting smacked around by an army of the mysterious Ogre Clones. He can't take them on alone but he has no choice. His STRIKE Squad was beaten, which consisted of Antoine D'Coolette and Team CFVY. His full strength does resist them until the bitter end, when an Ogre Clone surprises him with his Serpent's Venom technique, grabbing him by the throat in order to absorb his soul like its brethren did to his STRIKE Squad. Grimadoom arrives just in time to witness the demons entering a portal of their own making with the stolen souls.
"Demons? Not quite, but they're definitely not of this world." Grimadoom sensed.
Swiftly, his Spider-Sense alerts him to an Ogre Clone trying and failing to ambush him with a fierce punch that he catches for a throw across the arena. Three Ogre Clones stuck around upon sensing Grim's powerful spirit and want to steal it too. The second clone throws a kick that wasn't fast enough to hit the cocky Grim, "Too slow!" The third Ogre attacks next, throwing a multitude of extraordinarily advanced fighting skills that are avoided effortlessly yet leaves an impression on the Latverian Prince, "Interesting. These creatures have some skills of a fighting god. They know their martial arts." But to Grim's brief shock, the clone begins adapting to his fighting style and forces him to trade fisticuffs, "It's learning as it fights!" The other two Ogre Clones assist their brother, nearly overwhelming the hedgehog until he repels them and before he is repelled himself by an Ogre's Ancient Power, resulting in Grim getting struck by his Leg Bazooka move. "Too bad you're light years away from matching me!" Grim taunted as he gets serious, striking the Ogre Clone with a teleporting strike before eviscerating all three copies with a powerful energy blast.
"First that robo-girl and now these demons? This world is attracting all the weirdness." Grimadoom comments on his easy win. Curious, he checks on the unconscious heroes on the floor to confirm something, "Their souls are gone. Looks like those demons were on a mission, and they're not done unless these weaklings were their only targets." He walks away from the soulless heroes as neither they nor the Ogres are his concern, "Whatever. They'll make for good training dummies if they try to go after my soul." His telekinetic power is then focused on the wall shaped as a large demonic-looking face, pulling out several Convergium Crystals that were hiding in its mouth. "These are my only concern." Grimadoom absorbs them all before bursting with intensely enhanced energy that sparks a cave in and his maniacal laugh, "Delicious. I need more. I need more energy! Won't be long 'til I reach full power then all will be struck by fear when they dare to challenge the Supreme Lifeform!"
BGM End
New Vale City.
"Right in there! Underneath the old Shea Stadium. If I'm lucky, the Convergence also destroyed the lab." Scarlet Spider joked, directing the echidna that's driving his Land Breaker vehicle over the river in its hovercraft mode.
"Since when have you Spiders ever been lucky?" Knuckles quipped, following his directions toward a hidden cave.
"And that's one of the many reasons why I hate the Spider-Man Bloodline." Scarlet snarked casually.
Joining the two on this journey of history and redemption are the rest of Kaine's closest allies: Tiki, Hummingbird, Say'ri, Dark Pit, Severa, Naoto Kurogane, Noel Vermillion, and Team JNPR. After much persistence, they convinced Kaine to journey into his past and confront his painful memories if he wishes to master his new Ghost Rider powers to defeat Adam Taurus in their rematch.
"Tell me again how walking down memory lane's gonna help Scarlet beat up his inner demons." Dark Pit said dryly, relaxing in the passenger seat.
"In order to control the Spirit of Vengeance, Scarlet must master his own soul. It is comprised of many emotions that desire peace amongst each other. The mind is a reflection of the soul. Understanding where we came from gives us insight on what drives us and what aspects of our psyche that heeds acknowledgement." Tiki wisely explained to the group.
"I see. His emotions must reach harmony for his spirit to grow stronger. Scarlet must learn to accept all of himself if he is to find the strength to conquer the Ghost Rider." Pyrrha Nikos summarized.
"This will be annoying." Scarlet claimed coldly.
"We shall see." Pyrrha responded as they near their destination.
BGM-Mega Man Zero OST-The Ruins of Lab (Remastered Ver.)
The Land Breaker hovers into the river cavern that soon leads them to the docking station of an abandoned laboratory. "We're here. This the place?" Knuckles asked, parking at the station.
"Unfortunately." Scarlet responded, getting a head start into the lab.
"This is one of The Jackal's old laboratories?" Jaune commented, finding it hard to see in this dark underground hideout.
"Worse." Scarlet finds the light switch, turning on the booming lights as well as the computers that all display data on cloning and spiders. "My birthplace." He announced to his friends that they have stepped foot into chapter one of his miserable life.
"What a dump." Viridi insulted casually.
"This is where you were born?" Naoto asked Kaine.
"Created." Scarlet corrected, interacting with a computer to shut off all security defenses.
"Same difference." Naoto retorted.
"It feels…cold." Noel frowned, sadly walking around to gather a better sense of misery and hate this lab was constructed by.
"Was expecting his home to feel more home-y." Hummingbird commented, casually sitting over lab equipment in midair in an upside-down lotus position.
"I'm reminded of the Thabes Labyrinth we found at Ylisse. The alchemist that lived there gained the blood of a Divine Dragon in a bid to create the perfect lifeform." Ren said, recalling his Ylissean adventures. Team JNPR's first adventure with Kaine.
"Grima the Fell Dragon." Say'ri remarked sternly.
"He and I weren't so different. Both of us were monsters. Abominations of destruction. The imperfect evil clones of good people." Scarlet compared himself while standing before a cloning tube. The same machine that hatched him into the world, "I vowed to myself that I would never set foot in this hell again. Just being here makes me sick. Makes me remember…" Various images from his past flash in his head. From his unstable creation to his villainous actions to his death. He facepalms to suppress the painful memories. Too afraid to confront his dark history until a comforting shoulder touch from Jaune encourages him to do so.
"It's okay. Just talk about it. We're here to get you through it all." Jaune smiled softly.
BGM End
BGM-Spider-Man 3 (Game) OST-Black Tension
Acknowledging him with a silent nod, Kaine turns around and readies himself, his mind, to explain his past to his friends. Starting with his memory of The Jackal, "…As some of you know, the Jackal was a madman. A biochemist by the name of Miles Warren that was obsessed with creating clones and experimenting on himself. He's a long-time enemy of Spider-Man. Always using clones to torture him. Either they're in the image of a dead love, or himself." His mind shifts to his awakening by Warren's sinister hand, "I was the first Spider-Clone. His weapon of revenge. Until he realized how useless I was."
"What do you mean?" Knuckles questioned.
"Cellular Degeneration." Kaine's memories recall his horrific discovery of his degrading body, "Jackal didn't perfect the cloning process back then that prevented his experiments from immediately degenerating into raw genetic waste. Mine was slow but apparent. Made me taller and stronger than the original Spider-Man, but it also clouded my mind and scarred my body." His memories shift again, this time to a terrified Kaine fleeing from Warren's heartless attempt to murder him, "Jackal become disgusted by yet another failure and planned to kill me, so I fled. My own father tried to murder his own son. I was rejected. Abandoned. Genetic trash, that's what he called me. Bio-waste. Garbage, to be disposed of."
His trip down memory lane has already awakened a rage within Kaine that influences him to destroy his own cloning tube. "Easy. Calm down." Jaune exclaimed, with him and Tiki quick to cool his rage.
"Sorry." Scarlet apologized sincerely.
"Don't apologize. Jackal deserves all the hate based on my encounters with him." Knuckles responded.
"He sounds 'bout as pathetic as Pandora." Dark Pit commented.
"Definitely worse than my mom." Nora frowned bitterly.
"Hmm?" Scarlet uttered curiously, noticing his pain and wanting clarification.
"My mom ran when the Grimm attacked us. Left me as a homeless orphan who had to scavenge for food to survive. Thankfully Ren found me after he lost his parents to a Grimm attack and we've been inseparable ever since." Nora briefs him on her own tragic childhood while joined by a sympathetic Ren.
"Didn't know. Happy for you. Unfortunately, I didn't grow up with any friends and my father is still alive being a pain in the ass." Scarlet responded, bonding with Nora and Ren.
"I thought he died during the Spider-Virus incident." Ren recalled.
"No. That was just a clone. The real Jackal is still out there somewhere. I know he tried to kill me for selfish reasons…but a part of me blames myself for…betraying his expectations.' Scarlet replied with a regretful face staring down.
"No, don't think that! Jackal was the one that betrayed you! Saw you as nothing but a lab experiment! No parent should abandon their child for being born sick, much less kill them for not being perfect! Anyone that does that has no right to be a parent!" Nora refuted, angrily confronting the surprised Kaine with this argument.
"I concur. That's why I've sworn to kill Warren the next time I see him." Scarlet retorted.
"You killing him might not be best for your mental health." Ren argued against.
"Where was this argument when Robin killed Validar?" Scarlet snarked.
"Robin wasn't in danger of being consumed by vengeance. Your mission is to find peace that will guide you to justice. Find your inner light that will control the darkness." Ren calmly rebutted.
"I don't care how I do it! The Jackal WILL pay for everything he's done! He will regret ever creating a foolish weapon!" Scarlet expressed, angrily declaring his revenge on his own father.
"That's enough of that for now." Tiki intervenes, calming her boyfriend down by grabbing his hand, "Please continue with your tale, Scarlet. What happened after you fled the Jackal?"
"It'd be better if we change the scenery." Scarlet claimed.
BGM End
In the Sewers…
"Ugh, it smells…The sewer?! Seriously?!" Naoto complained, as the heroes follow Scarlet Spider through the stinky sewers of New Vale.
"Home sweet home for freaks like me. I can get anywhere in the city unseen. Helped when I decided to become a menace to society." Scarlet snarked.
Scarlet leads the party to his old makeshift home from his days as a supervillain. There isn't much and its quite the opposite of luxury. There's a worn-out sofa that Nora tries to have fun on. A closet that doesn't have many clothes and makes Knuckles wonder if it was picked up from the trash. An outdated computer that still too advanced for Say'ri to operate. A chart board plastered with a map and pictures of a different Scarlet Spider that strikes the curiosity of Noel, Dark Pit, and Jaune. And an intimidating black bodysuit with a short purple cape that Hummingbird grabs from a table, asking, "What's this?"
"My Regeneration Suit. Made this to slow down my degeneration. Wasn't perfect, but it worked." Scarlet answered his sidekick.
"Should've made a Spiderstone." Tiki teased casually.
"Well I didn't know something that ridiculous was possible back then!" Scarlet barked that is humorously ignored by the divine dragon.
"So after you left Warren, then what?" Pyrrha asked their storyteller.
BGM-Spider-Man 3 (Game) OST-Black Suit Theme #1
Kaine feels a little more comfortable talking about his past as he returns to his memories. Recalling the moment he first wore his Regeneration Suit, "There wasn't much I could do back then. My scarred body made it impossible to live a normal life. And this suit only delayed the inevitable. I was dying." Then he remembers the emergence of another Spider-Clone. One that wore a blue hoodie and far more heroic than the last disaster, "Wasn't long after when I found out Jackal perfected his cloning tech and created another Spider-Clone that was more ultimate than the prototype that I am. Ben Reilly. The original Scarlet Spider."
"What was he like?" Dark Pit asked.
"Think Spider-Man but blonde." Scarlet responded.
"Like Jaune here?" Severa points her snarky thumb at Jaune Arc beside her.
"I am nowhere near as talkative." Jaune quipped.
Kaine returns to his story. Recalling the amazing partnership between Ben Reilly and Spider-Man, "Ben was everything Jackal wanted. The perfect hypnotized pawn to destroy Spider-Man. Of course his plan failed and Ben realized the truth. He and Spider-Man made amends and they went their separate ways for a bit to avoid confusion. They still worked together on a lot of stuff. They were like brothers, both in and out of the costume."
"That's amazing. Ben sounds like he made peace with being a clone." Noel happily smiled for Kaine's younger brother.
"I guess. Until I ruined things." Kaine frowned.
"What did you do?" Viridi snarked.
"Be the worst brother ever." Kaine then somberly recalls his many brutal fights with both Reilly and Spider-Man, "I hated a lot of people back then. Spider-Man was among the people I hated the most. If he didn't exist, my existence wouldn't be torture. Ben was living the best life a clone could ever ask for. He was a hero. Had a home. A job. Friends and family and a woman to love. A fate that I was denied…I made it my purpose to protect the clone's happiness by destroying the original. But because of my sick mind, and Norman Osborn being a dick behind the scenes, I thought Ben was the original."
"You fought your little brother?" Naoto commented.
"Tormented him in every way imaginable. Thought he was a threat. Killed people for money and everyone else that got in the way of my mission. Went as far as to kill villains like Doctor Octopus to prevent anyone from ruining the clone's happiness." Kaine reminisced, recalling himself snapping Doc Ock's neck.
"You were the absolute worst overprotective big brother ever." Dark Pit teased with a taunting smile that annoys his fellow clone.
"If you killed Ock, how is he still alive?" Nora questioned.
"Uh, ninja magic, I think. I dunno. I didn't care about nothing except my purpose." Kaine replied.
"A purpose you chose, not what Jackal intended for you." Tiki commented, recalling his problems with destiny.
"You sure? In hindsight, I was doing more than he dreamed of. Both Ben and Spider-Man were my greatest enemies, along with Warren." Kaine argued somberly.
"That was still your choice. One with good intentions just mishandled, influenced by your sickness and abandonment issues." Knuckles said, offering clarity to his terrible actions.
"That doesn't clean the blood on my hands." Kaine argued.
"Of course not. It might be too late for you to repent. But that'll give you the strength to face your crimes. Accept your mistakes and strive to be better for the people you hold dear." Knuckles advised him.
Kaine looks down for a moment, briefly considering his advice until he recalls something else, "…No…There's one person from my past that lost the right to be honored."
"Who's that?" Knuckles asked, raising a curious eyebrow.
Hesitant, it took Kaine an embarrassing moment before answering his question, "…My ex."
BGM End
At a New Vale Police Station…
"Yes I knew Louise Kennedy. She was the daughter of my partner. Aspired to be as great a detective as her old man. Then a kid named Kaine got to her and crushed her dreams along with her life." said by a middle-aged detective that's both stern and male and goes by the name of Jacob Raven.
"Do you mind telling us the relationship between those two, Detective Raven." Jaune requested, with the rest of his party hanging out in his office except for Scarlet Spider, who is mysteriously absent.
BGM-Spider-Man 3 (Game) OST-Black Suit Theme #2
"If it'll help you huntsmen catch him. Everyone seems to have forgotten about him since his records were mysteriously erased from our database, but I haven't forgotten the monster he was back then. He and Louise were dating behind her father's back. Just your average teenage love that ended in tragedy." Raven informed him of what he knew of Kaine's past.
"How?" Jaune asked.
"Found out too late that Louise was in league with the local mob that kidnapped my son. One of the Spiders back then, Scarlet Spider, helped me save him. And Kaine showed up not long after to give everyone trouble. He must've been a crazed vigilante that only got close to Louise to confirm if she was a criminal because once he discovered the truth, he killed her without remorse. Left a strange scar on her face that was dubbed the 'Mark of Kaine'." Raven recalled.
"That's horrible. Then what happened?" Jaune asked, joined by the rest of his teammates as well as Noel, Naoto, Severa, Knuckles and Hummingbird in widening their shocked eyes at Kaine's past cruelty to his former girlfriend.
"We went on a manhunt for him. Louise was a criminal, yeah, but she was still my friend's daughter that was killed by a psychopath. I thought we tracked his fingerprints back to him but he must've tricked us somehow, because it led us to arrest an innocent kid. Peter Parker. Thankfully it wasn't long until we caught the real criminal. Kaine confessed without a fight and should've been locked up for a long time but he later escaped." Raven said, having finished telling his side of the story.
"Thank you for telling us this, sir. We'll find a way to settle this." Noel said gratefully.
"Just stay safe. That boy is more of a menace than Spider-Man. He is a nightmare." Raven claimed, sternly believing that Kaine is the embodiment of pure evil.
The party walks out of the police station to arrive at a nearby private area where Jaune asks, "Was what he said true?"
"Yes." Scarlet Spider uncloaks himself while perching atop a lamppost, revealing that he too listened to Detective Raven's story just in his suit's stealth mode. "But what Raven didn't know was that I really did love Louise." His mind ventures to his memory of Louise Kennedy. Of the love they shared. "The only person in the world that managed to love a monster. What a fool I was…" His mind then recalls himself and Ben Reilly being confronted by gangsters led by the coldhearted Louise, "I wasn't expecting her with the mob when I was hunting down Reilly. I felt betrayed. Furious. All because she realized justice was just a foolish dream. I thought she loved me. I thought she was my hope, but it was all a lie!" Then he remembers himself murdering his former love in a rage, "A lie that I crushed with my own hand and learned the cold hard truth that I should trust NO ONE!"
Tiki empathizes with her fellow totem yet can't help but feel hurt. Kaine just admitted that he saw love as nothing but lies and pain. Her expression is subdue, and while she fears the possibility of him not believing in their own love, another part of her feels hope as expressed by Hummingbird, "You say that, but…it feels like a part of you still love her."
"Whatever. She's dead. Thought I could use that to my advantage and get Reilly arrested. Instead Spider-Man went to jail." Kaine flashes back to Peter's arrest, and then to his own arrest in order to free his brother, "He was exonerated only after he threatened to make his secret identity known, so I confessed in another vain effort to preserve his happiness."
"Wow, you really messed up." Naoto commented.
"I know." Kaine retorted somberly, regretful for that part of his life.
"In his defense, he was lied to. Not healthy for anyone, sick mind or not. Misfortune can drive anyone to darkness. We resist it only through wisdom and vigilance. You had no skill. Compared to then, you've improved. Better voices in your head that somehow find you attractive." Viridi advised him, shooting a comforting glance at Tiki that cheers her up to a smile.
"That's oddly encouraging of you." Scarlet snarks at the human-hating goddess.
"I'm holding back the barf. Be grateful that you're one of the VERY FEW humans that I tolerate." Viridi sassed.
"So you've been harassing Ben for what must've been a long time. How did that all ended?" Jaune questioned, which readies Kaine to lead them to another place from his past.
BGM End
Elsewhere…
"After breaking out of prison, I tried to crush his spirit one last time. This time I targeted his girlfriend, Elizabeth Tyne. She went under the name of Janine Godbe after shooting her abusive father." said Scarlet Spider, leading his group up the stairs of an ordinary building.
"I'm sure you wished to do the same." Nora quipped.
"Yes." Scarlet responded, as he begins to recall his final encounter with Ben Reilly in front of his girlfriend, "I threatened to expose her to the police. And when that didn't work out I tried to kill them both and myself. I was starting to get tired of 'life' back then. It was only after I saw their love is when I decided to surrender to the police again."
"Which I assume did not last. What motivated your escape this time?" Say'ri asked.
BGM-Shadow the Hedgehog OST-Sad Ending
Kaine doesn't answer immediately. Only after they arrived at the rooftop that truly brings out the worst of Kaine's past. "The death of Ben Reilly." He grimly frowns at the site of his brother's demise. His somber mind flashes back to how Reilly's death was told. Of how he sacrificed himself to save Spider-Man from a Goblin Glider, "According to Spider-Man, this is where he died. Sacrificed himself to save him from Green Goblin. A funeral was held for him. His ashes spread to the wind by his own brother. That's when I realized that Ben was the clone and I was made a fool, again. My purpose was to save the clone. Protect his happiness. Instead, I helped drag him into despair…"
"I apologize, my friend. Truly. Now I understand the guilt you felt when Yen'fay fell." Say'ri apologized, giving his shoulder a comforting hand that isn't making him feel better at all.
"Hewould've fallen into despair too if you died. Your brother was a good man. Would've loved to fight him again. Still feel ashamed for killing him." Scarlet responded.
"It was his intention. He died to ensure I lived. Protected by friends like you." Say'ri smiled, which still doesn't cheer him up.
"I couldn't protect my own brother. Wasn't able to reconcile with him nor avenge him." Kaine's depressed mind returns to the memory of being defeated by the mutated Green Goblin, "I tried to kill Osborn myself for what he's done, but I didn't know he mutated into that hulkish monster form. I was decimated. Blamed my degeneration for making me weak." Then he recalls the memory of meeting with a scientist about his sickness, "After months of feeling myself at death's door, I finally gained the smarts to find an expert to cure me. Damon Ryder. But he was just another liar to fulfill his own agenda, so I murdered him in cold-blood." Growing enraged by these memories, Kaine punches the ground and snarls, "This is pointless. I tried to learn from my past back then yet I still suffered the same foolish mistakes! Why am I bothering with this?"
"Because now you have us. Friends that will never lie to you." Hummingbird approached him, reminding him of their everlasting support that he struggles to embrace. "I sense you have one last place to show us. Can you show us please?" She asked him with wholeheartedness that is acknowledged by him.
"Sure." Scarlet responded, standing up for one last stop in this history tour.
BGM End
Potters Field, Hart Island. New Vale City.
BGM-Tekken 4 OST-Ending Jin
"Whose grave is this?" Severa questioned, just as soon as Team Scarlet stands before a tombstone underneath the sunset.
"Can't you read? It's mine." Scarlet Spider snarked, revealing this is where he was buried after his first death.
"Kaine Parker…" Knuckles read what was inscribed on the tombstone.
"I don't deserve that last name. Spider-Man should've just left me to rot at the bottom of the sea." Kaine flashes back to one last set of memories. Of himself brooding atop a church during a dark and stormy night, "I was a miserable failure through and through. Failed my purpose to protect the clone. Failed to cure myself. Failed to even kill the man my father created me for. I lost all hope. Left with nothing but vengeance for mankind who took everything away from me the second I drew my first breath."
"Vengeance…for mankind…" Noel closes her eyes with a sympathetic frown, noticed by Dark Pit and his assumption of her past being a lot similar to Kaine's.
Her eyes reopen to return her focus on Kaine's backstory, his memories reminding him of his assassin work being among the best in the whole world, "Spent my remaining days as an assassin. To leave one big Mark of Kaine on the world before I died." Then he remembers himself being hunted down by the Kravinoff Family, "But as usual, the luck of my cursed Parker blood changed my plans when a family of hunters decided to hunt all Spiders in hopes of reviving their master. They needed Spider-Man's blood to perform the ritual. So, for one reason or another, I decided to do the most idiotic and absolute dumbass thing ever in my hellhole I don't consider a life. I decided to be selfless." Finally, he remembers himself being stabbed, killed, by the hunters, all while wearing Spider-Man's costume, "Knocked out the punk and posed as him, sacrificing my own life to save the brother I blamed for my suffering. That's how it all ended for me."
BGM End
The Tale of Kaine has ended after spending hours visiting the most painful places from his past. His friends are left flabbergasted by it all. All of them expressing sympathies. The sole exception being Dark Pit with his apathetic nature. Kaine continues to stare somberly at his own grave, only switching to apathy himself when Jaunce attempts to speak with him, "Scarlet, I…I don't know what to say…"
"Don't waste your breath. I warned you my past wasn't sunshine and rainbows." Scarlet curtly brushes off his concern.
"I still don't get one thing: How are you standing here right now? Looking at your own grave? Did ninjas bring you back to life too?" Naoto questioned the spider-clone.
"Honestly, that part of my past is fuzzy. I know Jackal and ISO-8 was involved. Probably did it with upgraded cloning tech." Scarlet replied, admitting to have partial amnesia about the early days of his resurrection.
"After everything, you came back full circle. To be a pawn in the Jackal's game." Ren commented.
"Yeah…" Scarlet folds his arms at the memory of being mutated into Tarantula by Jackal, "So that was part one of my life story. You already know the rest."
"Not about the Soulless." Knuckles frowned, still interested in his history with the demons they fought at Sparkleton.
"Just know they're born when a soul is kept from flowing between the realms. Their master loves to sic 'em on monsters driven by self-preservation, fueled by anger and hatred." Scarlet replied, still being secretive with that history.
"And sadness." Tiki claimed about her boyfriend. "No one will argue that your life is tragic. But they will refute that you were just a monster. You were also a brother, motivated by compassion and sought out hope, joy, pleasure, and a wish to become just like everyone else." She argued after analyzing Kaine's past and the emotions his memories expressed.
"Oh that's bullcrap! You're saying I wanted to protect Reilly and Parker out of kindness? Hell no! I did what I did because I pitied the bastards!" Scarlet angrily argued against.
"More like out of responsibility." Pyrrha refuted.
"Don't give me that crap either! It's another reason why I hate Spider-Man! With great power there must also come great responsibility, but what he refuses to accept that it also comes with great suffering for everyone connected to him! That's why I tried so hard to get away from him! Away from his city! Away from MYSELF! Yet I keep getting dragged back into his antics and became a hero! His luck is a curse!" Kaine retorted with rage in both tone and gestures.
"That's why we're doing this. You need to accept who you were if you want to want to start life anew." Jaune countered immediately.
"I can't! Part of my life isn't even mine! Those memories might as well be fake!" Kaine snapped back, reminding them that he inherited Peter's memories.
"Then close the book on that life. Talk to the people you loved in those memories. Your family." Nora frowned, pleading with him to take responsibility of his past.
"What family? They're either dead, in hiding, or an idiot for thinking me as a brother." Kaine snarked.
"What about May?" Tiki countered with a glare that instantly reminds him of running away from Aunt May earlier.
BGM-Tekken 5 OST- Destined Interlude ~ Sad Conclusion
Kaine shuts up the instant her name was uttered. His anger and hatred disappeared for a moment to allow in guilt and sorrow. "…I can't…" He sadly frowned.
"Why not? Why are you so afraid of her?" Hummingbird asked him.
"Haven't you learned anything? I'm a BAD guy. I've been tortured by love and trust before. I see her as family, but she will never accept me. Only see me as the monster that tortured her nephew. I'm no different from the man that killed her husband." Scarlet argued, somberly comparing himself to the killer of Uncle Ben.
"Then you don't know her at all! You're making an attempt to be greater! To be a hero! May will accept you in a heartbeat if you just talk to her! She'll understand." Jaune refuted.
"Not now…Can we get this therapy session over with?" Scarlet responded, shamefully turning away from his friends.
"Not yet. We have identified the emotions you have accepted and those you are struggling with. It's time for you to meet someone that has ascended to a level far above justice or vengeance." Tiki proclaimed, placing an encouraging hand on him that might reignite the flames of hope in his heart.
BGM End
Later, at Canyon Matsu Zone…
A Quinjet flies into a scorching wasteland surrounded by floating islands, all set inside a massive canyon. This is Canyon Matsu Zone, the ancient ruin-themed fusion between Glyphic Canyon Zone and Lake Matsu from Mobius and Remnant respectively. The Quinjet lands near a temple that once belonged to a deceased alien race known as the Black Arms. Team Scarlet walks out of the jet, with Scarlet Spider questioning this hybrid area, "What is this place?"
"Well it used to be Lake Matsu. Now it's a canyon with floating islands. The perfect place for you to go all-out." Pyrrha Nikos answered him.
"Against who?" Scarlet wondered.
"The Ultimate Lifeform." A certain Black Hedgehog announced to the interest of the arachnid clone.
BGM-Sonic Heroes OST-This Machine
Confronting Kaine from atop the temple is the cross-armed Shadow the Hedgehog. He glares down at Kaine, who responds with his own glaring, "…Shadow.", and his slight indifference at his presence.
"Don't forget about us." Rouge the Bat also emerge alongside E-123 Omega to stand by Shadow's side. All of Team Dark are here to assist in Kaine's spiritual training. "Long time no see, Scarlet Spider." Rouge smiled, waving at the spider that's more apathetic to hers and Omega's appearance than to Shadow.
"No one invited you, bat girl!" Knuckles exclaimed, angrily clenching his fist at his annoying rival.
"Getting Shadow is part of a package deal. It wouldn't be fair if Scarlet's the only one with a cheerleading squad." Rouge quipped.
"We are NOT his cheerleaders!" Dark Pit retorted.
"Start fighting so I may decimate the victor in the next match." Omega announced, as the friends of Kaine and Shadow stand aside to be the spectators of an ultimate duel.
BGM End
Shadow performs an impressive flip from the temple roof to land across the unfazed Scarlet Spider. Two artificial anti-heroes. Both dark counterparts to their world's greatest heroes. Now facing each other in battle for the first time. "Surprised they got you involved." Scarlet Spider said to his hedgehog counterpart.
"Been wanting to test your strength for a long time. Your friends informed me of your situation and thought I could provide you some pointers. The two of us are a lot alike." Shadow replied to his spider counterpart.
"All my life I've only known vengeance and now have gained the power to unleash it. But I struggle with the idea to use it for justice instead." Scarlet briefs him on his predicament, staring somberly at his raised hand.
"Justice and vengeance are not mutually exclusive. Only an unbreakable resolve can balance them." Shadow advised him, shifting into a fighting stance that expresses, "Show it to me. The limits of your spirit.", and encourages Scarlet to strike his own battle position.
BGM-Tekken 8 OST-Colosseum (Climax)
Both dark heroes rush at each other at full speed, with Shadow enhancing his own with his Spin Dash and landing a strong kick that collides with Scarlet's powerful punch. Their explosive collision propels them away from each other, resulting in Shadow bouncing off a pillar to rain Chaos Spears on his rival while asking him, "Why do you seek power?"
The speed and reflexes of Scarlet Spider aids him in flipping away from the bolts before web-swinging after the black hedgehog. "To atone for my sins by destroying those that spread it!" He proclaimed, launching a swing kick that is countered by Shadow's teleporting Spin Dash that rams into and enrages Kaine into declaring, "I must defeat them!" before double axe handling the Shadow spinball to the ground and going after him with a web-zipping stomp that is once again avoided by his teleportation.
"A decent resolve, but…" Shadow acknowledged, before delivering a teleporting roundhouse kick that launches the clone across the battlefield. "What's wrong, Scarlet Spider? Having a Spider-Sense would've helped you dodge that. Are you trying so hard to be not like your brothers?" He then chases after him, firing more Chaos Spears that flings him further and unleashing Homing Attacks that bounce him against the ground. Scarlet finds a quick moment to counter, catching his rival with a web-throw that smashes him through walls and pillars before throwing him far into the sky, leaving his back open to a teleport strike that knocks him across the road. "Show me the same fire you unleashed at the Grand Prix!" He taunts while lunging toward Kaine, who repels him with a fearsome fiery wave that Shadow immediately bounces back from to continue pressuring him with an onslaught of high-speed strikes through his Chaos Attack technique.
'Been a while since I've been challenged like this.' Kaine thought while pushing himself to dodge the attacks. 'It's exhilarating.' His fighting instincts start kicking in and adapt to Shadow's attacks, getting better at dodging his blows with a smile hidden behind his mask. 'This joy…I was always capable of this feeling?' Body and mind resonate with the Semblance within his soul and seamlessly triggers his Tarantula mutation. His muscles bulk up, his mask becomes spider-like, his back erupts four spider-arms that parries Shadow's last attack with incredible force that impresses both the hedgehog and the spectators.
"It's that form again." Noel Vermillion recalls his Man-Spider transformation from the Fort Stryker mission.
"Scarlet's Semblance seems to have evolved a bit. It's no longer tearing up his costume." Knuckles commented, recalling his previous transformations were a struggle for his costume to contain.
Shadow wanted this to happen. To push Kaine into acknowledging the positive traits he tried to ignore. To drive him out of his depression and reignite his fighting spirit. That was just round one. Round two is getting ready as Shadow dusts himself off while telling his rival, "Still holding back, just like Spider-Man. Hesitant to stay committed to the promises you made…Am I correct?"
"How are you so sure?" Scarlet Tarantula glared, now speaking like the monster he sees himself as.
"Your fists told me…about how you fear of failing your family again. Worried that responsibility will only endanger your loved ones. There is power in justice, but it is nothing without vengeance." Shadow responded before demonstrating the truth of his words.
A simple closing and opening of his eyes trigger an ultimate power within the ultimate life. His fur and eyes obtain a neon red glow before his body explodes with thunderous power that Scarlet Tarantula defends himself against and settles for a raging red aura. The rest of Team Dark are unfazed by this chaos, unlike the rest of Team Scarlet that stunned by this dark energy.
"Whoa hell! His numbers just spiked through the roof!" Naoto exclaimed, using his Eye of the Hunter to see Shadow's evolved lifeforce.
"A new Chaos Power?!" Jaune commented.
"It's brimming with negative energy!" Tiki sensed.
"Shadow's getting into this." Rouge smiled slyly.
Kaine too is amazed by his evolution, moreso when he notices his hellfire-enveloped fist is reacting to it. "The Spirit of Vengeance is…" He grunted, struggling to suppress his demonic side.
"A power no man should have…these powers are drawn to each other, as I expected." The transformed Shadow remarked.
"Didn't know you had this kind of power." Scarlet noted.
"I told you we're a lot alike. I recently discovered my chaos power evolved when the Convergence merged its Force with the Chaos Magic of your world. It took a bit but I eventually mastered it. A power fueled by thoughts of vengeance. Darkness personified." declared Dark Shadow, the Vengeful Chaos that unleashes a burst of raging energy that fails to intimidate his foe.
"I won't lose to a radioactive rat!" Scarlet Tarantula vowed as round two truly begins.
Scarlet Tarantula rages forward with a downward claw swipe that Dark Shadow blocks perfectly with just one scowling hand. This form increased his raw power so much that he sends the massive man-spider flying with a single uppercut and pursues after him with a chaos-charged Boost that rams him through ruins and temples alike until they reach one of the floating islands in the sky. Both fall toward the island, with Kaine landing first to unleash a charging lariat empowered by hellfire that both catches and carries Shadow across the land, throwing him away as swiftly as him being web-pulled into Kaine's savage version of paddle ball, "That all you got, hedgehog?"
"No way!" Dark Shadow shouted, his newfound nigh-invulnerability allowed him to endure Scarlet's attacks long enough to charge a Chaos Blast that frees himself from his game. His usage of Chaos Blast didn't stop with an explosion. He then fires it as a destructive purple beam that collides with the hellfire spewing from Scarlet's roaring maw, engaging in an illuminating beam struggle that is enhanced with the hedgehog's little speech about vengeance, "I am the Ultimate Lifeform that tried to destroy the world once out of revenge. Intended to be the ultimate weapon in service to the alien devil, Black Doom. His cursed blood flows through my veins. I feel no shame admitting my own contempt for humanity."
Their beam clash ends in a stalemate that doesn't stop Scarlet from snaring Shadow's limbs with webbing. "That IS quite the power you have there. Such darkness…" He yanks him into a flurry of Spider-Arm attacks that is quickly retaliated by his Chaos Spears, forcing Kaine to swing under the island to cut off and grab the large Gravity Dust that was keeping it afloat, returning topside smirking, "Too bad it makes you so predictable.", while throwing the giant crystal at the hedgehog. All in rapid succession that leads to the whole island falling.
"You and me both. That power is limited. Driven only by anger and hatred. It is not a sin to feel those emotions. It is when you allow yourself to be enslaved by them. We are free when our darkness finds equilibrium with our light." Dark Shadow proclaimed while recovering from Kaine's cunning strategy.
The Ultimate Hedgehog decides switching to a different tactic that emphasizes his advice. He drops out of his Dark Form to calmly charge up the chaos energy opposite of negativity. Instead of red, his fur, eyes, and aura gain a serene cyan glow that is stabilized with a stern flex of energy that slightly pushes back Scarlet Tarantula. "His power changed again. So calm yet imposing…" Scarlet grunts with annoyance whilst backflipping into the air raining down web bullets, "Still won't save you from being crushed!"
The newly-transformed Hero Shadow stands cool-headed at the web shots that are seconds away from slamming onto him. A simple use of Chaos Control warps him away from them all and takes him to Scarlet where he again uses Chaos Control for a spatial-distorting kick that rockets him out of the sky, right before the Dustless floating island crashes in the distance of Canyon Matsu.
"This is starting to get out of hand." Rouge frowned, disapproving of the combatants' recklessness.
"You meant entertaining." Omega claimed.
Scarlet crashes at some ruins that enrages his speed and instincts to parry most of Hero Shadow's teleporting strikes from multiple sides and angles. His Dark Form made him stronger and more destructive, while his Hero Form enhanced his speed and spacetime abilities. A surprise use of Chaos Burst invokes Chaos Control to hide Shadow in a distorted space after dodging one of Kaine's attacks, swiftly re-emerging in an energy bubble that blows away the raging arachnid.
"Chaos fueled by justice. Yet he can switch from Hero to Dark seamlessly?" The amazed Viridi commented.
"True power is found in the beauty of balance and in the equilibrium of opposites. That is what Shadow is trying to teach him. It's futile denying the goodness in your heart. Disharmony in one's soul is not a source of strength, but weakness." Ren realized, with stern eyes focused on the battle.
Hero Shadow flies ahead with his air shoes that goads Scarlet Tarantula into pursuing him through the Zone. While firing Chaos Spears that his foe avoids using astonishing reflexes, Shadow gives out another incredible speech, "I am Shadow, the Ultimate Lifeform created by Professor Gerald Robotnik to ensure peace and justice for the world. I made a promise to a friend I loved as a sister to bring hope to humanity. I will not hesitate to fulfill their wish."
"Sounds like what I promised my family…" Kaine notes, web-throwing debris that tricks Shadow into dodging with Chaos Control so he can land a Web-Strike followed by a combo of powerful blows. "How? To have such contempt for those that made you suffer. Mobius is dead. Your promise to protect it and its humans were destroyed by the Convergence. You failed. How are you still able to move forward with such power?" He asked, throwing away the hedgehog that quickly stabilizes himself in midair in order to snap his fingers and invoke Chaos Control, distorting space that knocks back the spider.
"'Good or evil mean nothing. In the face of an absolute threat, sometimes it takes a monster to get the job done.' Weren't those your words?" Hero Shadow reminds the shocked spider of his fight with the Symbiote of Vengeance during the War with Valm. "I decide my own destiny. I had no love for Mobius or its people but Maria cherished them to her dying breath. This world is Mobius reborn, a second chance, and I will protect it in honor of her memory, willing to do anything, and fight anyone, to ensure no threatens the world she loved. My power isn't shackled by one ideal. You are too weak-willed to tap into yours." He stated, taunting the clone of being too frightened to exceed his limitations and the expectations of others.
"What did you say?!" Kaine retorted, lunging at the levelheaded hedgehog in a blind rage.
"Chaos Control!" Hero Shadow invoked his ultimate technique. He warps away from Kaine's attack as swiftly as him bombarding him with countless teleporting strikes that ricochet the helpless clone across the skies of the Zone. "History doesn't dictate destiny! Who gives a damn about justice or vengeance? Power or responsibility? Fearing you can't achieve your goals with either is foolish! Break barriers! Be unafraid! Be at your best! And do it all with powerful confidence!" Kaine's beatdown is ceased for an epic moment from Shadow. He hovers above him whilst invoking Chaos Control that freezes Kaine in time. Then he instantly switches back to his Dark Form, powering up his hand with ferocious chaos energy. "You can't follow the path ahead of you with fear of being greater! Chaos…BLAST!" Dark Shadow yelled, firing his massive energy beam that shatters time and slams Kaine through islands and temples until he crashes onto ruins.
"SCARLET!" The concerned Nora shouted as the spectators rush to check on him.
Dark Shadow descends on a platform while Scarlet Tarantula struggles to stand up through both the panting pain and his conflicting emotions. He flashes back to the times he lost control of his power. To his fears of never becoming a hero like his brothers. He collapses onto a knee and struggles to maintain his Tarantula form. He begins losing the will to keep fighting until Shadow intervenes with his most inspiring advice yet, "Scarlet Spider, the Ultimate Spider-Soldier…Rise above the limitations and become FEARLESS!"
Encouraged, Kaine finds the strength to let out a mighty roar and push through his anxieties at least for the remainder of this battle. He stabilizes his mutation before standing back up. He closes his multiple eyes to calm himself, re-opening them to vow, "I will…rise above all limitations!", and retake his fighting pose that bursts out a red X-shaped aura. He has found the will to tap into his X-Factor, finally pushing his soul to its limits and earning cheers from both Team Dark and his friends.
"Hmph." Dark Shadow smirked, proud at his progress before the final round commence.
Hellfire envelops a hand of X-Scarlet Tarantula before he swings it like an explosive arching-blade that targets Shadow from a distance. Switching from Dark to Hero, Shadow warps away from the attack only to be quickly pursued and struck down by Scarlet. The two engage in fearsome close-quarters combat that pushes each other to their destructive limits. The fists and kicks of Dark Shadow keep colliding with Scarlet's multiple limbs. The spacetime distortions of Hero Shadow are countered by Kaine's enhanced instincts with little difficulty. A Chaos Spear does paralyze the spider mere moments before Shadow's ambushed by a swarm of angry spiders that Kaine contacted with his psychic connection to them. A burst of hellfire unparalyzes Scarlet and he rushes to deliver a powerful flaming combo on the paralyzed hedgehog. An uppercut, then a flashkick, and a soaring series of spider-arm blows that knock Shadow away, all in rapid succession. Shadow assumes his Hero Form one last time for a Light Speed Attack, countered by Scarlet's Maximum Spider. The flames of vengeance clashing with the chaos of justice, quaking the entire Zone with their high-speed tradeoffs. Their final, roaring clash takes them within a nearby tornado that soon disperses from the climactic collision of their tremendous energies that nearly blows away the flabbergasted spectators.
BGM End
The battle between multiversal anti-heroes ends in a draw. Both Kaine and Shadow are on their knees, tired and back in their normal forms after exhausting all of their power. "Are you starting to understand…? Only the fearless can achieve their own destiny. Hero or monster is irrelevant when fighting for those you treasure. There is no shame respecting all that you are." Shadow advises his rival.
"I'll keep that in mind." Scarlet Spider acknowledged, as the spectators come to join them.
"You're making progress. Good job." Ren smiled, sharing a high-five with the stoic spider.
"You really made a mess of the place." Nora teased him of destroying Canyon Matsu during the fight.
"Blame his Chaos Control, however it works." Scarlet snarked.
"It's a technique that controls chaos energy to warp time and space. It usually requires a Chaos Emerald to perform it. The only exception is if you're the Ultimate Lifeform." Shadow explained.
"An oxymoron power. Interesting, nonetheless." Scarlet commented.
"I can teach it to you. Spider-Man is also capable of the technique." Shadow offered.
Annoyed from hearing his brother's name, Kaine grunts, "No thanks. I've copied enough of him as is. I'll master a power beyond him and you. With my own spirit."
"Spirit Control, huh." Shadow names the unknown power he vowed to master. "Interesting. If you can master that power, then you'll be ready to conquer the Ghost Rider within you. After that, the two of us will really go all-out." He suggested his next task to complete.
"And you criticize him for holding back. You're not so fearless yourself, ya know." Rouge teases her annoyed hedgehog partner.
"I was teaching him a lesson." Shadow retorted stoically.
"Sure, sure, Mr. Ultimate Ego." Rouge quipped, eliciting a scoff from Shadow and a laugh from some of their friends.
"Looking forward to it." Scarlet nods at Shadow, looking forward to the rematch as they exchange the ultimate bro-fist.
Later at Argus Emerald…
BGM-Sonic Unleashed OST-Empire City (Night)
"Awwww, you're leaving already?"
Hummingbird finds herself disappointed at the merged city between Argus and Emerald City of Remnant and Mobius respectively. A large modern seaport city set during nighttime in the middle of rainy weather. Argus Emerald takes the best aspects of their former selves, from having streetcar-like hovering vehicles to a Space Needle-like tower. It is also home of the Arc House, where the trio of Kaine, Tiki, and Aracely will be staying in and where Say'ri decides to part ways with the group.
"Unfortunately, I have business to attend to at Chon'sin." Say'ri announces in front of the Arc House, "I only prolonged my return to aid in Sir Scarlet Spider's quest for inner peace. I do wish The Voice would return with me as well, though I understand current circumstances makes that request difficult."
"Assure Valm that I will return once we untangle our crossed worlds. I had no intention of prolonging my vacation, as satisfying as that would be." Tiki replied.
"Not gonna say goodbye? You really are the worst jerk ever." Severa teases Scarlet Spider, who is too busy brooding about something.
"Shut up. I'm thinking." Scarlet retorted with folded arms.
"Of how to say goodbye? It's just a word." Severa snarked.
"It's the Jackal. Today's trip down memory lane helped me remember something from my time in the Masters of Evil. Project X Zone…" Scarlet uttered, curious about his former master's secret plan.
"What's that?" Ren inquired.
"Don't know. Remember Eggman babbling a bit about it when he was working on the World Spidericizer. Wonder if it has something to do with the Convergence." Scarlet wondered.
"We'll have to track down Jackal for answers. Recommend you do the same. It'll help you find closure." Shadow suggested to his fellow artificial warrior.
"Oh I will. And when I find him…I'll kill that bastard. Even if I have to go down with him." Scarlet declared vengefully, unknowingly worrying his friends with a potential sacrifice.
BGM End
What Kaine does notice is his Vengeful Spirit reacting to something nearby. A power that is just as demonic as the Ghost Rider within him and a soul that he has met once before during the day of the Convergence. "I'll do the same to you the next time you come unannounced." He turns to threaten this unknown individual.
BGM-Namco X Capcom OST-Tekken Tag Opening Theme
"Sensed me coming." Approaching the party is none other than Jin Kazama, joined by Xiaoyu and the X-Man Angel.
"Your sins reek as they are insufferable, Jin Kazama." Scarlet confronts the Mishima Zaibatsu Leader that he developed a disdain for since their first meeting.
"I can say the same about you." Jin retorted coldly, sharing his animosity.
"He has the same first name as Major Kisaragi. Kinda reminds me of him too…" Noel Vermillion compared.
"Been a while, Jin. What brings you guys to the city?" Naoto Kurogane smiles at the friend he made during the recent Gang War.
"We heard from Spider-Man you know where Doctor Strange is. We stopped by his Sanctum for something but he wasn't home." Xiaoyu told them.
"That is because he left for the mystical community of Kamar-Taj after aiding us with a predicament." Tiki informed Team Kazama.
"I heard that place fused with Haven Academy. Think he's the new headmaster." Pyrrha recalled.
"Huntsmen of the Mystic Arts? Now we GOTTA check it out and hope it's not too late to enroll." Xiaoyu joked.
"We aren't going there to play, Xiao." Jin reminds her.
"Oh so it's fair for you to get a magic seed to control your devil power." The annoyed Xiaoyu sassed.
"Seed?" Knuckles noted.
"A Life Seed. We hope it'll help Jin control his powers." Angel briefed the party.
"Hey, Scarlet could use that too. He has a bit of a demon problem himself." The smiling Nora expressed.
"Oh really?" Jin shares a mean glare with Kaine, realizing they also share the same problem of their dark powers trying to consume them.
"I don't need some birdseed to control the Ghost Rider. I'll master Spirit Control to dominate it and surpass your Devil." Scarlet declared, arrogantly refusing to work with Jin in resolving their similar issues.
"We'll see. I wasn't intending on sharing with you anyway." Jin retorted, dumbfounding some of their friends with their petty rivalry that could doom their dimensions.
"Geez, you two really are alike." Xiaoyu facepalmed, reminiscing of what she said during the World Unity Festival.
"We're NOTHING alike!" Both Scarlet and Jin snapped, thus proving her point.
"Neither Ghost nor Devil have the power to surpass the Ultimate Lifeform. Chaos Control trumps all." Shadow scoffed, transforming this into a petty three-way rivalry.
"Add this egomaniac to the comparisons." The dumbfounded Rouge snarked.
"We're NOT egotistical!" The devilish trio of Jin, Scarlet, and Shadow retorted.
"You guys do what you have to. Even if you lose yourselves to the darkness, we'd be here to take you down and stop it. So relax already." Jaune assured his dark friends.
"Not until you gain the strength to kill us if that time comes. Don't let those colorful bastards in Team RWBY keep outshining you. Surpass them and become the strongest huntsmen ever!" Scarlet retorted, surprisingly encouraging the huntsmen to become stronger for their own sake.
Left amazingly stunned by his wish, it took a moment for Team JNPR to shake it off and express determination toward that destiny. "…Sure! We won't disappoint you!" Jaune smirked, speaking on behalf of his team.
BGM End
With that, everyone goes their separate ways. Say'ri returns to her home dimension. Team Dark head for S.T.R.I.K.E. HQ. Teams Scarlet and JNPR spend the night in the Arc House. And Team Kazama head for the Blackbird that'll fly them to Kamar-Taj. What everyone wasn't aware of is that they were being spied on by a mysterious individual on a nearby rooftop. A yellow-eyed woman coated in purple slime and sports a Devil mark on her right arm. Looking awfully similar to the same mark that Jin Kazama has. He sensed her presence but finds she vanished without a trace. A true Unknown to his destiny.
BGM-Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 OST-Gallery
KFX Here: That was quite a beefer of a chapter. Finally decided to go in-depth of Kaine's backstory as well as have a fight between him and Shadow. The woman that showed up at the end is called Unknown, the final boss from the Tekken Tag Tournament games. She is one of the main villains of this Devil Arc alongside Jackal and Ogre.
Merged Locations:
- Canyon Matsu Zone: Glyphic Canyon (Shadow the Hedgehog) + Lake Matsu (RWBY)
- Argus Emerald: Argus (RWBY) + Emerald City (Sonic Forces: Speed Battle)
Next Time: Fire & Ice! The Unknown Threat at Kamar-Taj Academy!
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