BGM-Shadow the Hedgehog OST-Story
Scarlet Spider: The name's Kaine. Clone to Peter Parker, the original Spider-Man. Thanks to my friends, I purified the Ghost Tarantula within and retook control of my body. Too early to celebrate. Jackal and Mephisto transformed my city into Hell. And they're going to pay for that! Justice or vengeance doesn't matter to me anymore. I'll do whatever it takes to protect the people I love!
BGM End
Volume 1 Issue 27: Iron Fists of Fury
Hell Houston Zone, Unified World. (6 Days Since the Convergence)
"Yeesh. Someone's been playing the new Doom. I know Houston can be as hot as Vietnam, but this is nuts." Spider-Man joked atop a rooftop in this Hell-corrupted city. "Think you can cool the weather?" He then jokes around with Luna Snow beside him.
"I'm not on Storm's level." Luna Snow quipped. "You're just like the original Scarlet. Not taking anything seriously." She said, comparing Peter to the late Ben Reilly.
"He got it from his big bro. Take it you knew him quite well." Spidey quipped.
"Yup. He was a good friend of mine. Name's Luna Snow. You can call me Seol." Luna smiled, greeting the legendary webslinger with a handshake.
"Oh yeah. He told me 'bout you. I'm Spider-Man. Nice to meet ya." Spidey responded.
"Should've saved the introductions for if we survive this nightmare." Viridi criticized them.
"Better now or never." Spidey snarked.
All of Jaune's Group are on this rooftop taking a little break after their successful mission in purifying Scarlet Spider. The Spider-Clone stands on the roof's edge with folded arms and stoic eyes that shoot down at the city, surveying at how far Hell's corruption has spread. "Did I do all this?" Scarlet Spider asked, hiding his guilty feelings with his stoic demeanor.
"You played a role. Jackal forced you to go berserk to buy time to complete his Special Generator, using it to transport the Inferno Comet from Hell to here to corrupt everything. This is all part of the deal he made with Mephisto months ago. Get you back to life as the Ghost Tarantula, in exchange for Mephisto getting an Ogre Army. With you as the vanguard." Jaune Arc briefs his spider-friend on the truth.
"Mephisto. He's the Lord of Hell, right? Can't believe Warren was so desperate to get revenge on me that he made a deal with the devil." Spidey commented.
"You knew Mephisto was behind this all along, didn't you, Scar-Scar?" Tiki calmly reveals this revelation to her lover.
Somberly, Scarlet replies, "Yeah. Wasn't until his demons attacked Sparkleton is when my suspicions were confirmed."
"Why didn't you tell us about your time in Hell?" Hummingbird asked her mentor.
"Because I was afraid of the truth." Scarlet answered while facing his friends, "I always knew I was a monster. But to be so bad that even the Devil himself saw potential in me as his perfect errand boy made me feel like a fool that I could EVER redeem myself."
"Kaine…" Spidey commented with empathy.
"You're good, Spider-Man. I'm not. Quite frankly, the afterlife SUCKED for me. But compared to here, it was paradise." Scarlet retorted with a stern glance at his brother. "Trying to live a life cost me my life and I spent centuries in that Hell carrying that hatred. Jackal wanted to take advantage of that. Yet I'm still surprised he partnered with Mephisto to do all this. His experiments must've messed up my head good. Or perhaps I really am just his naïve son…" He frowned, sadly realizing he had some love for his creator.
"He may be your father, Kaine, but he isn't your daddy." Nora Valkyrie said, trying to comfort him.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Scarlet sassed.
"Just know there are other people that love you, man." Naoto Kurogane smiled.
"Hmph." The stoic Scarlet scoffed, his way of acknowledging their friendship.
BGM-Tekken: Bloodline OST-Hence, the Awakening
Suddenly, that familiar tingling sensation hits Spider-Man in the brain with a force of a truck. The Webslinger grunts in pain whilst clenching onto his head, noticed by Scarlet Spider as he asks, "Spider-Sense tingling?"
"Yeah. It's banging like a drum." Spidey retorted.
"That's never a good sign." Scarlet said ominously.
Still, all the unified heroes are caught off-guard by a massive pillar of green light erupt from the Inferno Comet. It slams into the red sky, transforming it into an eerie green that is worrying the heroes. "W-What's happening?! Something's going on in the Comet!" Noel Vermillion exclaimed.
"Ogre." Scarlet scowled, getting the sense this is his fault.
"So, the final battle has begun." Dark Pit realized coolly.
"We gotta stop dilly-dallying. May's in trouble." Spidey said sternly.
"What?! Don't tell me those bastards stole her soul too?" Scarlet retorted, surprised to hear Aunt May is a victim of Mephisto's schemes.
"Unfortunately. Used her as bait to trick us into fighting each other." Spidey replied.
"Dammit! May was the last person I wanted hurt by my life! If I wasn't such a coward around her, I could've protected her! How could I've been such a fool…?" Scarlet scowled, expressing his furious guilt with a shaking fist.
BGM End
Calming him down is Noel, his fellow clone, with her gentle hands that lower his fist. "It's not too late. We can still save her. Your power is the key." She then said some encouraging words to him.
"Spirit Control…And the Spirit of Vengeance." Scarlet realized, grimly staring at the Spiderstone hidden beneath his glove. The device containing the crux of his Ghost Tarantula power.
BGM-Marvel's Spider-Man 2 OST-Greater Together
Spider-Man approaches the clone he considers a brother and pats his shoulder in order to provide his words of encouragement. "Kaine, I'm out of my element for this one. This is something only YOU can accomplish. Your city and your friends need you. You want to protect them, right?" He asked him.
"You're not alone anymore. You can share the burden with us, you know." Jaune, perhaps his best friend, approaches him too offering a fist-bump that should ease his anxiety.
The rest of Team JNPR. Tiki. Severa. Hummingbird. Dark Pit. Viridi. Naoto. Luna Snow. Knuckles the Echidna. They all give their own little cheer to boost Kaine's spirits. Believing in his strength to save the world. Kaine chokes up at the faith they have in him and solemnly acknowledges them all by responding, "…Right. Lend me your support.", before accepting Jaune's bro-fist.
"You got it." Jaune expressed happily.
"We've moving out! Let's hit 'em strong!" Knuckles takes command of the party, with everyone but Scarlet venturing off the rooftop.
Before leaving himself, Kaine stares at his Spiderstone. It shimmers in response to his restrengthened resolve, getting him saying, 'This hope you've entrusted to me…I swear I'll make it count!', before swinging himself off toward the final battle with Mephisto.
BGM End
BGM-Sonic Unleashed OST-Vs. Dark Gaia
The prelude of the final battle is happening near the base of the Inferno Comet, outside. Demons that were harassing civilians were shot dead by police officers led by Lieutenant Wally Layton. "Get these people to the evacuation zone! I'll go look for more! out of here before more show up!" Layton ordered his squad, who are quick to comply and evacuate the civilians. The brave officer goes alone looking for more civilians to rescue. Who he finds are his husband Doctor Donald Meland and his friends, namely Annabelle Adams and the Cotta-Arc Family.
"Wally!" Saphron Cotta-Arc exclaims her shock at their reunion, while holding her baby Adrian.
"Saphron! Donald! Thank goodness!" Layton said in relief to find them alive in this hell.
"The city's gone to hell! Literally! I really don't want to die!" Donald expressed his fright at their scary situation.
"No one's dying on my watch!" Layton assured his husband.
A sudden explosion from the Inferno Comet begs to differ, with the group spotting someone falling out of it. "We will if we don't move! Incoming!" Annabelle shouted, prompting everyone to run into an alleyway before the person's crash landing.
"Hey, it's okay, it's okay! Everything will be fine!" Saphron said to calm her crying baby.
"What was that just now?" Her wife, Terra, wondered.
The person that just crashed near them is none other than Shadow the Hedgehog, glaring up at the beast that smashed him out of the Inferno Comet. Ancient Ogre in his true form, True Ogre. The Toshin that has absorbed the souls of the strongest fighters. A winged giant that is striking fear into the hearts of the spectators while trying to incinerate Shadow with his newfound firebreath. The hedgehog teleports away from it, reappearing to kick True Ogre across the face and halt his attack. Despite devolving into a howling wild beast, Ogre is still a God of Fighting. He stalemates the Ultimate Life in midair combat before launching his Owl's Hunt move at him. Shadow catches him by the face but is still rammed into the streets, gathering the power to repel him backwards with chaos energy.
"Is that a…hedgehog fighting a demon with a snake-arm and knows martial arts?" The dumbfound Annabelle comments on the fight.
"The weirdest thing this week next to ghost photographers." Layton quipped.
Immediately after, Su the Ghost returns to scare the humans into screaming, "AAAAH!", for his partner Uh to snap a picture of their scared faces.
"Give me that!" Layton swipes away Uh's camera in annoyance. "What are you doing here?" He asked, only for Lah the Female Ghost to casually emerge from the ground to steal back the camera. The Ghosts of Mystic Kuroyuri are only here to spectate the final battle against True Ogre, with Lah trying to snap photos of the action. "You're holding it upside down." Layton sweatdrops at her naïveté.
Meanwhile, Shadow just backflipped away from a whip of Ogre's snake-arm. He wonders what his next move should be when out of nowhere comes Ghost Rider grabbing the big beast by the throat with his flaming chain and kicking him far back. "Save some for us." Dante joked, upon he and E-123 Omega appearing next to shower bullets on the demon's face. Angel then shows up, flying around and firing energy blasts at True Ogre to distract him from a triple attack falling from the sky. Rouge's Screw Kick working together with Xiaoyu's Crescent Moon Kick and Heihachi's Lightning Hammer. Their powerful combo crushes Ogre, paralyzing him for a moment while the reunited heroes catch their breath.
"Where's Strange?" Shadow noted his absence.
The Sorcerer Supreme is busy with his own epic battle against Hell Lord Mephisto. Both are also outside the Inferno Comet trading mystical power with great intensity that illuminates the sky they are fighting in. Doctor Strange surrounds the devil with magic circles that fire energy daggers. They cause him to explode into multiple energy spheres that escape confinement to harass Strange until Mephisto explosively reassembles himself to grab his foe by the throat.
"Still think the Convergence weakened me?" Mephisto taunted, blasting him away with lava and then immediately summoning a mystical wave of bones to try and imprison his soul.
"You used to be a lot more troublesome!" Strange quipped, casting the Seven Rings of Raggadorr for protection against the bones and counter with multiple homing energy beams that Mephisto is doing a decent job in avoiding.
"Your torture has only just begun!" Mephisto smiled, preparing a powerful energy attack.
BGM End
"CHESTO!"
BGM-Tekken 6 OST-Two Against the Darkness
"Hm-?" Mephisto was then hit in the face by the surprise return of Jin Kazama and his Leaping Side Kick, knocking the devil next to True Ogre while the Tekken Fighter reunites with his allies on the streets.
"Jin!" Angel remarks at his return.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Jin said to his fellow Midnight Sons.
"Nah, the party just started. And you're a guest of honor." Dante joked.
"RAAAARRR!" True Ogre roars furiously at the sight of the man that killed him once before. He flies at Jin to strike him with a tail whip that breaks through his guard then goes for a hard stomp, avoided by Jin running to safety.
"We meet again, Ogre. This time, I'll make certain nothing's left of you to be brought back from. You're staying in Hell!" Jin confronted his arch-nemesis.
Ogre roars in response, throwing a punch that Jin deflects before lifting him up with his snakes-arm. Shadow rescues him with a Spin Dash that knocks back the giant, then throws his, "Chaos Spear!", that paralyze him for Jin's Electric Wind Hook Fist to smash him back.
"How 'bout a deal to ease your pain!" Mephisto smiled, returning to the fight with an explosive pillar of hellfire that blows away all the heroes at once.
"Things aren't looking good." Terra commented from the sidelines, with humans and ghosts alike expressing their concerns for the heroes.
The injured heroes return to their feet just in time to be confronted by the hellish villains. Mephisto, standing before the towering True Ogre preparing his firebreath. Both Shadow and Jin look determined to counter it, but they won't be the ones to execute that maneuver. Because out of nowhere, ice is blasted straight into Ogre's mouth, dousing his flames and freezing his whole head whilst surprising everyone in the battlefield.
"Ice. That's from…" Shadow then turns around to find a smirking, "Luna Snow!"
"If you're here, then that must mean…" Rouge remarks in shock upon realizing who else has arrived with her.
"Yup." Luna nodded.
Right on cue is a certain unfriendly spider leaping across the air yelling, "HRRRRAAAAAAAAAARRRR!", while carrying a huge truck with furious ease.
"What?!" Mephisto exclaims his shock at this surprise turn of events.
"EAT THIS!" Scarlet Spider roared, throwing the truck as hard as he can straight into True Ogre's mouth. It shatters through the ice to push him back just far enough from friends and allies alike. This way, Scarlet can land spectacularly before them all to watch the truck explode right before Ogre's surprised eyes.
"Scarlet Spider!" Jin acknowledges his return.
"It's Kaine! He's back!" Donald expressed, celebrating with his group while Lah is left adorably confused by Kaine's presence. Unaware that he is the human version of her crush, Ghost Tarantula.
Mephisto was expressing his annoyance at Kaine breaking free from his corruption when he senses Dragon Tiki raining down fireballs. He dodges them all only to be led to his entrapment by Viridi's Electro Trap device. The Devil Lord easily breaks free to try and burn her, just for Jaune to protect the goddess with his vibranium shield and command the trio of Ren, Pyrrha, and Noel to shoot him, keeping him at bay for the powerful combo of Knuckles, Severa, Dark Pit, Naoto, and Nora to try and smash him to the ground. Again, Mephisto repels them with smiling ease. The only thing he couldn't avoid was a harmless rock thrown by Hummingbird. Confusing him long enough for his face to be webbed and Spider-Man to show up hollering, "Yoo-hoo!", before kicking the devil in the face.
"You're here too?!" Mephisto growled, angrily ripping off the webbing.
"Like I'll let family fight the devil without me." Spidey quipped, just as he and everyone else reunite with Scarlet Spider. "Aw yeah! Spider-Brothers reunited!" He expressed his enthusiasm by posing next to his grim clone.
"I'm here to take back my city!" Scarlet Spider announced, threatening the devil with a fiery glare.
BGM End
BGM-The King of Fighters XIII OST-KDD-0063
"Scarlet! Thank goodness you're okay!" Xiaoyu smiled, ecstatic to have her spider-friend back to his senses.
"Sorry for making everyone worry. I'm here to make things right." Scarlet Spider apologized to the Midnight Sons.
"Seems you found a grip on your demon." Jin noted his rival's near-mastery of his Spirit of Vengeance.
"I can say the same to you." Scarlet retorted, noting his newfound control over the Devil Gene.
"Hey guys! What are you doing over there?" Hummingbird asked Layton's group, nonchalantly noticing their heads poking out of their hiding place.
"Staying out of the way until you opened your mouth." Terra snarked.
"Oops. Sorry." Hummingbird apologized sheepishly.
"Any reason you're hanging out with ghosts?" Spider-Man then asked.
"Blame Hummingbird wanting to make friends." Layton quipped, while the Ghost Trio pose beside him.
"I leave you guys alone for five minutes and you get involved with the weirdest shit." Scarlet sassed.
"That's your damn fault for throwing a temper tantrum!" Annabelle retorted, embarrassing the unfriendly spider.
"Have you shut down the Special Generator?" Doctor Strange asked Tiki.
"No. It's linked to Mephisto's magic. We cannot reverse its effects on the city until we weaken him." Tiki answered sternly.
"Thank goodness we're all together again. This should be a breeze." Rouge expressed her calming confidence.
"Officer Layton! Get my sister and everyone else to safety! Leave this to us!" Jaune ordered the officer, nodding in acknowledgement while already helping his party escape.
"Be careful, Jaune!" Saphron frowned, wishing her little brother luck.
"Hey, Scarlet Spider! Now's the time for the Hero of Houston to show what he's really got!" Layton encouraged his hero.
"Just get outta here, and find a view of my victory." Scarlet scoffed, hiding his sincere gratitude of his support behind his typical indifference.
"You, beat me?" Mephisto laughs while hovering above his former prisoner. "You're funnier than the other bug. As stupid as always, Spider-Sinner. You never could touch me when you were a guest at my home. Now I have the ultimate pet to protect me." He grins while a recovered True Ogre joins his side.
"The Lord of Hell needs protection? You've become cowardly since I left your dump." Scarlet mocked.
"That's Ogre's true form. Ain't that right, Heihachi?" Knuckles confronts his villainous ally for confirmation.
"Obviously." Heihachi snarked. "This is the fight I've been waiting for. The King of Iron Fist taking on a God and Devil combo!" He smirked arrogantly.
"This is the Ogre that's holding the souls of every victim of this invasion hostage. Destroying him should return them to life." Jin stated to the team.
"Good to know. Too many good people have suffered enough." Spidey remarked, now more determined to defeat Ogre and save his aunt's soul.
"Be honest with me, Mephisto. Was I really revived by you and the Jackal to be your weapon against humanity? Answer me…I need to know the truth!" Kaine asked, wanting the truth from the source himself.
For once in his mischievous life, Mephisto gets serious. He puts on a serious face as he confirms the truth to his victim, "…That is correct. You could say we're family now."
Scarlet lowers his head in sorrow, noticed by Dante and gives him a concerned, "Hey, Scarlet…you okay?"
"Yeah. Just wanted to clear some doubts." Scarlet assured the devil hunter. "Even if he's lying, it's high time I take responsibility of my past and accept all I am. I'll take back every soul you stole, then finally gain the heart to embrace a better future." He solemnly vowed to himself.
"These humans you mistake as friends seemed to have convinced you with this absurdity." Mephisto smiled, returning to his mocking ways.
"All they did was punch freedom into my head. Owning up to my actions by destroying you are out of my own volition!" Scarlet retorted.
"Intriguing. I'd like to get a careful look at what a loser like you can do!" Mephisto laughs, preparing himself for their ultimate battle.
"We're gonna have to work together on this one." Shadow said, standing beside Jin and Kaine.
"Fine by me. Are you ready, Scarlet Spider?" Jin asked his dimensional rival.
"Of course. Just don't get in my way, Kazama. You and I still have a score to settle after this." Scarlet retorted, still remembering their intense fight at Mystic Kuroyuri.
"Sure." Jin scoffed.
BGM End
BGM-Street Fighter X Tekken OST-Last Boss Battle TK
All the Midnight Sons are now together for the greatest showdown this Unified World will experience yet. The crossover matchup against the God of Fighting and the Devil of Hell. The smirking Mephisto levitates himself above True Ogre as he walks up closer to the unified heroes. Mainly to confront the three biggest threats standing in front of the crowd with lowly growls: Shadow, Jin Kazama, and Scarlet Spider.
"You pitiful god of crap. This time I'll do more than just leave you with a scar!" Scarlet Spider taunted him, just as the three anti-heroes charge up their intimidating auras.
"GRAAAAAAAARRRR!" True Ogre retorted with a scream so powerful it shattered all the windows of nearby buildings. Completely shrugged off by the glaring trio that then assume their fighting stances for battle.
True Ogre immediately launches the first move through his Owl's Hunt technique, teleporting into the air to ram his horns at Scarlet Spider. The dark arachnid easily catches him by the horns and delivers a mean headbutt to the giant face that knocks him aback for a teleporting Shadow to pulverize him with kicks. The howling beast smacks the hedgehog away right before Jin tags in with his Spine Cracker technique, stunning him for Scarlet's leaping somersault axe-kick to the face. The demonic webslinger then flips away from his snakes-arm to blind his face with webbing and lands right next to Shadow and Jin for a team attack: Scarlet with his Hellweb Shot. Shadow with his Chaos Spear. And Jin with his Electric Fist Blasts. All three launch their powers and have them combine into one powerful blow, drilling into the giant Toshin until he couldn't endure it and pushes him into severe pain.
Enraged, Ogre tries incinerating them with his fire breath, just for Ghost Rider and Dragon Tiki to counter with the same move. Their incredible powers collide and briefly clash until the combined force of Divine and Hell overpowers the alien demon, further infuriating him into smacking all five heroes away with his tail. "Gotta restrain his limbs!" Jaune ordered the team, fending off his multi-serpent arm with sword and shield. Spider-Man, Luna Snow, and Severa spring into action. The Webhead sticking Ogre's tail to the ground with webbing, just as Luna freezes the snake-arm for Severa to sever with one mean sword swing. Ogre roars in pain from all this, frustrated enough to regrow his missing limb and burn the webbing off his tail.
"He can regenerate!" The surprised Viridi noted.
"Another excuse to blow him up!" Omega retorted, readying his missile launchers.
"Keep him grounded!" Angel commanded, taking flight alongside Dark Pit.
Noticing the aerial angels, True Ogre tries to pursue them only for Viridi's nature powers to keep him grounded for as long as she can hold. Angel conjures for himself a blade of light, and Pittoo equips himself with the Pandora Claws. Both angels hit their greatest speeds to blitz the Toshin from multiple directions, assaulting him with the overwhelming combo of light and darkness. Made extra devastating with Omega's missiles. A sudden burst of flames disrupts their whole combo and frees him from the vines, with the only opposition in sight being Hummingbird and Xiaoyu. The two girls combine their powers to stop him, with Aracely using her mental powers to trick Ogre into thinking he's confronting an army of Xiaoyus that are whooping him from everywhere, while the real Xiao attack his legs to force him down. It works, allowing a returning Kaine to grab him by the tail and throw the big beast into a collapsing building. That tactic didn't last forever as Ogre bursts back into the scene, roaring angrier than ever near the Spider-Brothers.
"Snake Arm's as stubborn as you." Spidey jokes with his clone.
"No kidding. It's like looking at a mirror." Scarlet bantered, seeing Ogre as himself if he let power consume him.
"Nah, you're much prettier. And a lot more autistic." Spidey quipped, annoying his brother.
Ogre then punches Kaine away with his serpent arm, prompting a concerned Spidey to shout, "Scarlet!" His Spider-Sense tingles but it's not warning him about the Fighting God. Instead, Spidey perfect-dodges an ambushing blow from a returning Miles Warren. "Jackal." He glares at his nemesis.
"Curse you, Spider-Man! My Ogres are all but destroyed! Mephisto will have my head if I don't deal with you!" The Jackal snarled, blaming him for endangering his devilish deal.
"The Devil is the least of your worries." Spidey retorted, countering another attack with a three-hit combo void of his typical cheery demeanor. "You've used my DNA for your experiments for the last time, Warren. Creating clones to be your weapons. Turning people into spider-monsters. Too many times you tried to conquer my city and destroy my life just cuz a girl wasn't interested in a pedophile. Worst of all, you messed with my family. My brother told me you're a Faunus now. Been eager to cut loose a little." He declares cold vengeance on his former teacher, cracking his knuckles that terrify Warren into realizing that he's serious.
Jackal throws a claw swipe that Spidey immediately counters with a superfast punch to the face. The menacing Spider trips him up with webbing before using more weblines to pull down a wall on the horrified scientist. Furiously, Jackal bursts himself free from the rubble shouting, "Y-You think you can beat me, boy?! I have studied you for YEARS! I know your every move, your every weakness!", before hurling Ethyl Chloride bombs at the approaching Parker. He looks to have dodged all but one that consumes him within its paralyzing gas. Jackal laughs, unaware that Spider-Man was giving him false hope by dodging that last attack effortlessly and standing behind him as an intimidating shadow. He reacts too late to the punch that sends him flying and fails to evade his web swing kick that smashes him onto a building. They trade brief fisticuffs that Spidey overcomes with Spider-Fu, disabling his foe's arms before demolishing him with Crawler Assault. No quips. No taunts. A terrifying fury has all but consumed Peter in order to make Warren pay for all his crimes against his loved ones. Kaine included.
"DAMN YOU!" The bloody Jackal exclaimed, before he is smacked to near-submission.
"Bout time you're showing some backbone, punk!" Scarlet Spider expresses pride in his brother while dodging True Ogre's savage flamethrower.
"That's because you're a bad influence on people." Pyrrha quipped, blasting the demon with electromagnetic beams.
"Seems to be working out for you, Ms. Perfect." Scarlet teased her of her Cross Art, which was unlocked thanks to his supposed bad influence.
"A little." Pyrrha smirked.
One by one, Midnight Sons are unleashing their own true power to gain an advantage over the Giant Fighting God. Naoto stylishly pushes his Bloodedge into overdrive for his white-haired transformation and launches his Divine Reaper into biting hard onto True Ogre's shoulder, restraining him for some of Kaine's hits. Ogre breaks free to grapple Kaine then slam him onto Naoto through his Sigbin throw before taking flight. Kaine catches him by the foot with thick weblines that restrain him to give both Shadow and Jin to strike. Using Chaos Control, the duo are warped high above the god, with Jin throwing the electrified spinballing hedgehog right at Ogre to smash him down from the air. Knuckles sees him coming and prepares his grave with his Earth Break Cross Art. Splitting the street open for the godly beast to fall straight into the fiery fissure. That still wasn't enough to kill him as True Ogre flies out of the lava unharmed to breathe his flames on the little echidna. Knuckles's guard is almost broken, prompting Rouge and her Black Wave Cross Art to disrupt his attack and Ren using his Cross Art to stab his face with multiple psychic daggers. Pyrrha electrocutes him with her Cross Art to force his mouth wide open for Nora, in her Cross Art Valkyrie Mode, to fill him full of electric grenades. Ogre is left completely paralyzed for Noel, in her Godslayer Mu-12 form, to summon her swords to spin around him and command them all to impale him simultaneously with godlike force that erupts a huge Pillar of Light.
That explosion can be seen from the rooftop where Mephisto is fighting the trio of Doctor Strange, Dante, and Heihachi. The Devil King is making sport of them with his whip, lashing all but Dante as he performs some clean dodges to fire his dual pistols that force Mephisto to stop with the whip. Strange fires the Daggers of Denak that are avoided via teleportation, leading Mephisto into getting struck back by Heihachi's surprise Flash Puncho Combo and noticing his True Ogre losing to the younger heroes.
"My, they're really giving Ogre the business." Mephisto commented, acting calm despite his ultimate weapon's disadvantage.
"A sign of your foul scheme meeting its end." Strange retorted, firing his Bolts of Balthakk.
"Ha! Mortals and their petty threats." Mephisto mocked, snapping his fingers to erupt flames that block the lightning.
Mephisto continues his assault by stomping on the ground to erupt multiple bone waves that follow his enemies, hitting all three so his flaming teleport slam can land. "I'm half-demon that embarrassed his fair share of Demon Kings, y'know." Dante quips upon his swift recovery. The Devil Hunter finally gets serious by tapping into his Devil Trigger and transforming into a humanoid reptile. "This should scare ya!" Devil Dante claimed.
At hyperfast speeds, Devil Dante lunges forward with a sword stab that surprises Mephisto before blasting him away with a point-blank lightning blast. The Devil King regains his composure to unleash multiple fireballs that the approaching Devil Hunter deflects with his sword, reflecting one blast to annoy Mephisto into erupting an interdimensional explosion from Hell beneath his feet, exciting Dante into taking flight before it struck and firing a wave of searing lasers from his Artemis gun that relentlessly stalk the Hell Lord. Enraging him into assuming his own demonic transformation that resembles Satan.
"Stick to fighting Mundus, boy!" Devil Mephisto snarked, grabbing the hunter by the throat and ramming him through skyscrapers before smashing him brutally to some streets.
The two demons continue clashing that result in Dante's sword being knocked out of his hand. Unfazed, Dante quips, "Nah. You're more fun to mess with.", whilst whipping out his Cerberus nunchakus to slow him down with an icy combo. Giving him time to regain Rebellion for his Stinger hyper combo that overpowers the satanic monster, exclaiming, "Jackpot!", before his final Stinger really sends him flying through multiple buildings and get caught by Strange's formidable magic.
"Spell of Vishanti!" Strange shouted, erupting a giant energy pillar that knocks Devil Mephisto onto a rooftop where Heihachi awaits to finish him off.
"Needed only my iron fists to crush devils! Behold true Mishima power!" Heihachi boasts before exploding with overwhelming electricity. He strikes Devil Mephisto with the Kidney Smasher and launches him into the air with his Twin Pistons move. Then while charging his Demon Breath to max power, he yells, "DIE, DEVIL!", before striking the falling demon with destructive force that knocks him out of his transformed state.
BGM End
Mephisto slides back into a full stop, injured by the three heroes standing before him. "Well…this has already grown tiresome…" He claimed, still acting nonchalant as he stands back up.
"Quitting already? The rest of my loathsome family would put up a better fight." Heihachi taunted him.
"Who said I'm giving up? Not me. Though I will admit that I had underestimated you vermin." Mephisto quipped. Upon a glance at Shadow and Jin fighting True Ogre, a devious grin manifests on the devil's face, "Seems I won't be getting Shadow's or your Grandkid's soul any time soon. Time to compensate."
BGM-Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order OST-Ultimate Confrontation
"What are you…?!" Strange wondered, unable to press him further as Mephisto reduces himself to a soul that flies off to do something outrageously mischievous.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Midnight Sons led by Scarlet Spider are on the verge of trouncing True Ogre. The exhausted giant has fallen onto a knee as Scarlet readies his fire fist. "This will finish you!" Scarlet announced eagerly.
"No, wait!" Jin gestured, noticing the Soul of Mephisto flying in.
"Aw crap." Scarlet groaned, sensing something terrible is about to happen.
Without hesitation, the devil soul flies straight into Ogre's mouth for him to absorb. It was so forceful. The most powerful soul he has absorbed ever to the point of being overwhelming. "GRAAAAH?! RAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWRRRRRRRRR!" True Ogre roared painfully, being overwhelmed from the inside out by Mephisto that his body is bursting with intense energy.
"That was Mephisto! What is he thinking?" Shadow wondered, just as Strange's group meets with him.
"Allowing Ogre to absorb his soul!" Strange realized.
Ogre punches the ground twice as if he's struggling against the new soul for control of his body. His efforts are in vain as Mephisto forces his form to change. To grow to a towering size while his body morphs into another winged demonic form resembling a red humanoid dragon/dinosaur with an elongated head, with many horns and spikes protruding from his limbs and mouth respectively. "RRRAAAAAARRR!" This new Monstrous Ogre lets out a fiery roar to the heavens before unleashing an elated laugh that sounds an awful lot like Mephisto, "HAHAHAHAHAHA! THIS FEELS SO REFRESHING!"
"He has become one with Ogre." Ghost Rider noted what his former master has done.
"DIDN'T NEED A GENESIS CONVERGIUM FOR THIS. YOU HAVE BORE WITNESS TO THE BIRTH OF THE ULTIMATE DIVINE DEVIL!" Monstrous Ogre announced, testing his newfound power by decimating the Midnight Sons with a single fireball from his mouth.
"How is this power possible…? Even with your soul?" Heihachi wondered, struggling to pick himself off the ground after surviving that powerful attack.
"JACKAL MADE SOME MODIFICATIONS TO THIS OGRE, TO ALLOW IT TO EVOLVE BEYOND ITS LIMITATIONS IF IT ABSORBED EXCEPTIONAL DARK SOULS. SHADOW AND JIN FIT THE BILL, BUT SINCE THEY'RE BEING STUBBORN, I HAD TO USE MYSELF. AND I HAVE NOOOO REGRETS." Mephisto answered.
"So this is what Unknown was warning about. A power beyond True Ogre. One more Monstrous." Jin realized scowlingly.
"SPEAKING OF THE MADMAN…" Mephisto turns to spot Jackal being defeated by Spider-Man. He humorously flicks Peter away before snatching Warren and pulling him for a fearsome face-to-face conversation, "YOU HAVE FAILED ME, MILES. THE DEAL WAS TO MAKE ME AN UNSTOPPABLE WORLD-CONQUERING ARMY OF CLONES IN EXCHANGE FOR REVIVING THAT MISERABLE FAKE BUG. BUT NOT ONLY YOU LOST CONTROL OF HIM AGAIN, YOUR ARMY WAS SHIT. YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF."
"What are you talking about?! You wouldn't have gotten this far without me…!" Warren grunted, struggling to breathe with his body being squeezed.
"ONE CITY LATER AND I'M ALREADY RESORTING TO THE BACKUP PLAN. THOSE WHO CAN'T UPHOLD THEIR END OF THE BARGAIN MUST PAY A PRICE." Mephisto said, hovering the scientist above his demonic maw with the intent to eat him whole.
"No, no, wait, WAIT! You don't have to do this! I can just make you more-!" Jackal begged for his life. His pleas falling on deaf ears just as he falls straight down Ogre's throat.
"SOULS ARE SO MUCH TASTIER WHEN I'M NOT BUYING THEM THROUGH DEALS." Mephisto laughed maniacally after devouring his worthless underling.
"Bastard! Only I'm allowed to kill that asshole!" Scarlet Spider retorted, furiously throwing a fireball that does nothing to the fused demon.
"WHY ARE YOU STILL RESISTING? THIS IS FOR YOUR BENEFIT TOO. NO MORE HUMANS MEAN NO MORE SUFFERING." Mephisto claimed.
"Man, from Hell to here, I am SICK of hearing your crap! Get out of my sight!" Scarlet insulted, ignoring his reasoning and leaping for their fight.
Mephisto just laughs, "THAT'S UNFORTUNATE. GUESS YOU'RE HUMAN AFTER ALL. DOWN TO THE FORGETFULNESS.", before a simple hand gesture forces Kaine to fall and be painfully paralyzed by his own hellflame.
"Y-You…what did you…?!" Scarlet grunted, struggling to regain control of himself.
"DIDN'T YOU HEAR? YOUR SOUL WAS PART OF THE DEAL TOO. BOTH YOURS AND YOUR SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE. I'M TAKING THEM ALL BACK." Mephisto stated.
"D-Don't tell me…?!" Scarlet retorted, realizing what this means.
"YES. IT'S EASY FOR ME TO CONTROL YOU. COULD HAVE DONE IT AT ANY TIME BUT YOUR RAGE WAS DOING JUST AS EXCELLENT OF A JOB." Mephisto said, grabbing his former slave so he can devour him too. "NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU HATE IT, YOU CAN NEVER ESCAPE FROM YOUR PAST!" He then lets out a taunting laugh right as Kaine falls into his mouth.
"SCARLET!" Jaune yelled in horror.
"D-Dammit! Like hell I'll-!" Scarlet exclaimed, cut off by the loud sound of Monstrous Ogre chomping his mouth shut.
BGM End
Inside Monstrous Ogre.
Scarlet Spider opens his eyes to find himself falling down a bottomless sea. Surrounded by countless souls held captive by Mephisto's will. Too weak to move, too weak to speak, the only thing Kaine can do is think about his end. '…I lost…Just like so many times before…Whether I'm fighting for my own survival or someone else's…Dammit. Why can't I get a single win? I know I'm a failure, but I want to believe, to hope, that I am more than that. I have always been more than what others saw.' His body begins sinking into darkness. To be lost in the void forever without a fight. Despite everything he has gone through in his tragic life, his spirit remains too strong to be broken. Struggling with its all to shatter free from this fate, 'Hell rejected me. Heaven is too disgusted with me. I don't care…where my soul ends up…It's not…satisfied yet…'
Only a hand remains. And before it sinks alongside him, another Scarlet hand catches him. "Giving up already? What happened to the Kaine that tried to kill me 24/7?" The Mysterious Savior teased.
BGM-Marvel's Spider-Man OST-Responsibility
Suddenly, Kaine is pulled to a hellish illusion of New York City. Lying on his stomach atop the rooftop where Ben Reilly died. Kaine looks around, wondering how he's still alive, until his masked face expresses absolute shock at the sight of his savior. "…Ben?" Kaine said, finding himself reunited with his little clone brother. The original Scarlet Spider.
"Long time no see, brother." Ben Reilly greeted his former enemy.
"How is this possible? Your soul shouldn't be in here." Kaine questioned, unsure if he's real or not.
"I dunno. It's possible I'm just a figment of your imagination. I mean, you never were right in the head." Ben snarked, taking off his mask to reveal his blonde hair and a smile brimming with optimism.
"Yeah, that's you alright." Kaine scowled, throwing aside his own mask while turning away from his brother.
Taking notice of his brother's costume, Ben smiles and continues teasing him, "See you finally decided to join the family business. 'Scarlet Spider', right? Using my name without permission? Just like you."
Kaine doesn't respond. Doesn't even look at him. Only shivering on all fours with his eyes staring down while his brother looks at him. "Kaine. Are you okay?" Ben asked solemnly.
"Am I okay…? Do I LOOK okay, Reilly?!" Kaine whimpered with extreme emotion that's a combination of sadness and frustration. "I hunted you like an animal! Tormented you for bullshit reasons! I didn't know what a real life was like! I didn't think we even deserved one! I was angry, and broken, and so I…I did…I was…I was a monster. The most painful thing is…I've been trying to make up for everything. Trying DAMN hard to live up to the example that you and Peter set. And kept…FAILING!" The tortured clone cries his heart out. Genuine tears streaming down his frustrated face, "People kept mistaking me for Spider-Man! A hero! But I'm not like either of you! I'm NOT Scarlet Spider!"
"…Finally got that out of your system." Ben calmly remarked, knowing his brother has been through a lot. He kneels before him to try and cheer him up with these sympathetic words, "What you're saying is true, Kaine. You're not me. Never will be. We may be clones of Peter Parker, but all three of us have developed so many differences. Each of us have our own lives. Our own way to find peace and protect the people we love. I never wanted to be Scarlet Spider. I just found myself into the role, same as you. And I'm proud at the way you're honoring the legacy."
"Don't belittle me with your pity, Reilly!" Kaine retorted angrily.
"Look, let's just focus in getting you outta here. It's been a while since we've seen each other. There's no sense in fighting the whole time." Ben smiled sincerely, calming Kaine into expressing a cold glare.
"…Whatever." Kaine sighs while standing up. "I get outta here, then what? Do you think I can beat Mephisto?" He asked his fellow clone.
"Not alone." Ben answered.
"Yeah." Kaine acknowledged. "But…Can I really save the city? Am I ready to be Scarlet Spider?" He then asked him this heartfelt question.
"Honestly, Kaine. Don't do it like I did. Or Peter. You gotta do it like you. You ARE Scarlet Spider. You can save the city. Your way." Ben encouraged, handing him back his mask.
After a moment's consideration, Kaine replies with, "…Right.", before taking and putting back on the mask. "I am sorry for everything, Ben." Kaine apologized from the depths of his heart.
"And I forgive you." Ben decided, putting back on his own mask and offering his brother a goodbye handshake, "Kick ass, big bro. I'll always be with you. Give my regards to Pete. And try to smile some more."
Kaine scoffs, "Don't hold your breath.", with a hidden smile before accepting his handshake.
"Worth a shot. See ya." Ben replied whilst dematerializing into light.
BGM End
BGM-Marvel's Spider-Man 2 OST-Moving Forward
An echo of the mind or his soul. Whatever that Ben Reilly was, Kaine is forever grateful to him for his encouraging words. His light reshapes the hellish illusion they were in, bringing Kaine back to another sunsetting landmark of his past. His grave at New Vale City. With a fresh big hole that Kaine stares at before reuniting with another old acquaintance.
"Looks like you've finally faced your demons, and on the verge of overcoming your past." Ghost Tarantula enters the scene, sounding calmer and wiser compared to his earlier raging character.
"Seems to be doing you lot of good." Kaine faces his Spirit of Vengeance.
"Both your sins and Mephisto's darkness clouded my judgement, but now I can again think clearly. It is my duty to punish the wicked and protect the innocent. The Devil must suffer through vengeance for all he has done." Ghost Tarantula stated.
"Neither vengeance nor justice is our calling. We will never be free to embrace our true destiny until the distinction and duality between us is eradicated. Light or darkness. Good or evil. Hope or hatred. We must accept that we are neither yet we are both." Kaine calmly argued.
"Balance that requires a fearless heart. Have you found your heart?" Ghost asked, recalling their previous discussion.
Kaine takes this moment to think of the people in his past. Of everyone that have shaped him into the man he is now: Ben Reilly. The Jackal. Louise Kennedy. Green Goblin. Detective Jacob Raven. Mephisto. Blake Belladonna. Adam Taurus. Team JNPR. Team Dark. Say'ri. Severa. Yen'fay. Grimadoom the Hedgehog. Tiki. Aracely. Wally Layton. Donald Meland. Annabelle Adams. Luna Snow. Dark Sonic. Dark Pit. Viridi. Noel Vermillion. Jin Kazama. And last but certainly not least, Peter Parker.
"Yes." Kaine answered with powerful confidence. Just like how Shadow wanted him to embrace. "It no longer wants to reject you—reject me any longer. I'm through denying my past. Through denying my friends and the love we share. I…I want to live!" He admitted, overcoming his suicidal thoughts. "This heart needs your strength to redeem history and protect destiny. Please, Spirit…Let us fight together, as partners." He requested to his manifested light.
Moved by his outshining resolve, Ghost Tarantula gives him a proud smile, "Yes, of course. Your wishes are my command. After all, we are one. Two of the same vessel."
Ghost then gladly drops down the hole in the grave to prepare for the great harmony. The Light of Vengeance fell first. All that is left is the Dark Justice. Kaine Parker. "We've been together since our rebirth. Thank you for everything. And sorry. Fear yourself no longer, Kaine. You are who you are. Know this now, and find your true peace!" Kaine said, right before jumping down his own grave and shouting, "Watch me, Ben. SPIRIT CONTROL!", to erupt a massive energy that'll give Monstrous Ogre the worst stomachache in his entire life.
BGM End
Back at Hell Houston Zone…
BGM-Tekken: Bloodline OST-Main Theme
The Midnight Sons are on their last legs against the overwhelming power of Monstrous Ogre. All of them are either on their knees exhausted, or still standing with determination fueling them. Spider-Man, Jaune Arc, Shadow, and Jin Kazama stand together. The latter two being the ones putting up the best resistance. But even they are reaching their limits, recognized by Monstrous Ogre walking up to mock them, "WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH EVERYONE? YOU ALL LOOK LIKE YOU'RE HUNGRY FOR HOPE. TOO BAD I ATE IT ALL, JUST LIKE WHAT I'M GOING TO DO TO YOU."
"I wouldn't underestimate our hope if I were you. He's not one to give up when his mind's set on something." Spider-Man snarked.
The Mephisto/Ogre Fusion just laughs, "ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT YOUR WANNABE CLONE? HE'S A FRAUD! ALWAYS HAS, ALWAYS WILL BE."
"You can't control his fate!" Jaune retorted fearlessly.
Mephisto just scoffs at this, claiming, "HE IS IN THE BELLY OF A GOD/DEVIL FUSION. I CAN DO WITH HIM AS I-HMMM?!", only to be stunned by a terrible stomachache. Followed up by Kaine bursting out of his gut with sheer willpower to reunite with his allies.
"Scarlet!" Hummingbird exclaimed, ecstatic by his miraculous return.
"What took you so long? A second later and I would've stolen your hero moment." Spidey teases his grim twin.
"You know I'd do anything to ignore your ass for as long as possible." Scarlet Spider sassed.
Spidey just laughs, "You really are the worst."
"OOH…SO YOU HAVE OVERCOME MY CONTROL. YOUR SOUL TRULY IS 'INFURIATINGLY' STUBBORN. GO ON. TRY AND DESTROY ME. THAT'S ALL YOU'RE EVER GOOD FOR." Mephisto taunted his former prisoner.
"You're a dumbass for thinking so little of my potential. Just like how I was an idiot for denying the compassion in my heart. It's become clear to me now. My power isn't meant for destruction. It exists to protect my friends and what they believe in! Finally, I will fulfill their hopes! Tonight, I will forgive my past!" Scarlet declared with such confidence that it impresses that just his closest friends but even Shadow and Jin.
"VERY WELL…" Monstrous Ogre then jumps on top the Inferno Comet. "IF YOU HATE THE PAST THAT MUCH, I'LL ERASE IT FOR YOU! BOTH YOUR PAST AND YOUR FUTURE!" He said whilst charging his terrifying energy to its absolute peak. "COME! I SHALL ENGRAVE THE GREATEST TORMENT INTO YOUR SOUL FOR YOU TO SLEEP ON ENDLESSLY IN THE REALM BEYOND HEAVEN AND HELL!" He vowed with absolute rage over his constant insolence.
The Fearless Scarlet Spider flaunts forward the Spiderstone in his wrist that is glowing with the eagerness to unleash his true power. Not yet as he chooses two more allies to support him in this fight. "Shadow! Kazama!" Scarlet calls them out.
"Right!" Both Shadow and Jin retorted, acknowledging what they must do.
All three anti-heroes start powering up to their maximum and beyond with awestrucking energy that reaches the corrupted sky. Golden energy erupts from Shadow upon him removing his Limiter Rings before shrouding him with the unlimited energy of his Chaos Shadow form. Red electricity burst from Jin while his body mutates into the imposing Super Devil Jin through the synchronized activation of his Devil Gene/Life Seed. From purple to red, the hellflames are encasing Kaine within a web-like cocoon. A cocoon of rebirth, signified by its color turning indigo. Four spider-legs, with tips ignited by indigo flames, then burst his transformed body out of the cocoon. His new clothless white body is as muscular as his human form, just like how his indigo-flamed skullface is less monstrous than his previous spider-transformations. No longer he is the Ghost Tarantula, evident by the azure light radiating from his dark eyes. Their two souls are at peace with each other. They are in balance. They are the Spirit Spider. Spirit of the Web.
"Let me show you! Power and responsibility redefined!" The newly-transformed Spirit Spider roared, posing alongside his fellow badasses, Chaos Shadow and Super Devil Jin. Just before this transformed trio flies out to the final battle with the Divine Devil.
BGM End
BGM-King of Fighters 15 OST-Now or Never
From the depths of Monstrous Ogre's soul is unleashed a nightmarish roar that quakes hell and corrupts heaven before spewing out enormous flames that target his mortal adversaries, "KGRRAAAAAAAAARRRRRR!" Spirit Spider counters by unsheathing a wrist stinger and cutting a massive opening through the flames. Chaos Shadow follows up with Chaos Spears that the enemy blocks. Instantly before Super Devil Jin breaks through his guard with an electrified punch that angers him into bursting out energy that repels all of Team Scarlet into standing together and confronting Monstrous Ogre atop the Inferno Comet.
"Get me an opening!" Spirit Spider ordered his squad with a newfound demeanor brimming with calmness and confidence.
Jin takes flight and Shadow teleports ahead. Lending Kaine their support after he shrouds himself in a deep blue aura for his new Tarantula Dash move to counter the bones and fireballs their mutual enemy is throwing at them all. Using Spirit Control, the demonic spider is moving so fast he appears like a flaming projectile that outmaneuvers all of Mephisto's attacks in order to get up close and personal for brief clash of fists. They match each other hit for hit, that is until Shadow interrupts with a teleport kick that throws off Ogre's balance so Kaine could try a Web Strike. He is viciously repelled high into the sky for his effort but doesn't stop the stern spider from skydiving back at him, prompting the divine devil to throw a massive fireball that Jin catches but struggles to reflect.
"WORTHLESS SPAWN OF AZAZEL. DO NOT THINK YOU CAN CONTROL YOUR DEVIL FOREVER; LET ALONE HOPE IT CAN OVERTHROW ME!" Monstrous Ogre taunted him.
"I'll put an end to this cursed bloodline soon enough… After we've destroyed you!" Super Devil Jin retorted, finding the strength to throw back the fireball to stun Ogre for Kaine to crash headfirst into.
Targeting his heart, Kaine pummels Monstrous Ogre with the full fury of his Hellcrawler Assault. This time infused with his Spirit Control. One brutal flying kick later and numerous souls are exploding out of the monster's body. Many of them reviving the dead of Houston, much to the astonishment of Layton's party. "WH…WHAT DID YOU…?!" The flabbergasted Mephisto grunted.
"He used Spirit Control to liberate the imprisoned souls." Doctor Strange realized, "But to this extent…"
"Must be enhanced by the Anti-Convergium in his blood. Data's looking more 'radiant' compared to how it was destabilizing him before." Spider-Man remarked.
"Turning his weakness into strength. He truly is learning from his past." Ren smiled proudly.
"Bout time he uses his brain." The smirking Severa snarked.
"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" Mephisto screamed, throwing a claw swipe that misses Spirit Spider.
"Keep crying, you big demon baby." Kaine quipped, landing atop a building.
Monstrous Ogre unleashes another furious roar before using telekinesis to fill the air with floating objects the size of buildings. Making it difficult for the Antiheroes to reach him in this mess. Regardless, they race ahead, with Kaine using skillful web swinging in conjunction with his spider-legs bouncing across the objects to traverse the aerial battlefield. Ogre laughs mischievously, making it apparent that most of the floating debris were changed to act like hidden mines that throws off the trio so he could rain homing fireballs on them. Kaine counters this trickery with a trick of his own after noticing some spiders on the debris. Alongside a dark chuckle, his face manifest two extra pair of eyes thanks to his Spider-Out Semblance. All six eyes and his psychic connection with nearby spiders gifts him a makeshift Spider-Sense that sees all danger in the area for himself to evade expertly. This clever tactic makes him Ogre's prime target, distracting him from both Shadow and Jin delivering a joint heavy kick from opposite sides. This again enrages the seething demon into counterattacking with a large explosion caused by his glowing eyes, repelling them both before targeting the approaching Kaine with another massive fireball that prompts Shadow into defending him this time.
"ULTIMATE WHIMP. TELL BLACK DOOM I'M GRATEFUL FOR HIS BLACK COMET ONCE YOU SEE HIM IN THE NEXT WORLD." Mephisto taunted.
"Tell him yourself. I'll bury you in the same grave." Chaos Shadow snarked, before shouting, "Chaos…BLAST!", and unleashing his own massive explosion that cancels out the fireball.
Spirit Spider emerges from the smoke with dual flaming stingers, spiraling towards Mephisto and fiercely slashing him with them. His deadly combo has just begun, assaulting him with more slashes empowered by Spirit Control at high speeds before working together with his spider-legs to drill out immense pain from the demon's roaring heart. More souls become free and return to their bodies. Most notably heroes that were targeted by the Ogres, like those from Kamar-Taj Academy finding themselves alive and awake.
"YOU SHOULDN'T…HAVE THIS MUCH POWER! YOU'RE A FAKE! A FAILURE OF A PROTOTYPE!" mocked Monstrous Ogre, smashing Kaine through the roof of the Inferno Comet so they can continue their death battle in its interior.
"I have evolved into the Ultimate Spider-Soldier thanks to your arrogance. Let me thank you by surpassing you!" Kaine snarked.
Spirit Spider then fires off a Hellweb barrage that Monstrous Ogre flaps his wings to fly away from. Tactics are switched to a web-pull that drags Ogre into a point-blank laser blast from Super Devil Jin and would've landed if he didn't counter with a savage teleport strike, then do the same to Chaos Shadow against his own warping attack. "YOU'LL NEED MORE THAN FLAMES AND WEBS TO EVEN COME CLOSE TO MY LEAGUE. STILL HAVING A SPIDER-SENSE WOULD MAKE YOUR PUNISHMENT A LITTLE LESS EMBARRASSING." Monstrous Ogre sassed, conjuring tricky portals that surprise the antiheroes with large fists and flames.
"I have something just as good." Kaine claimed before tapping into his new Tarantula Reflexes move.
Using Spirit Control, Kaine slows down time for everything and everyone but himself. He's now faster than Monstrous Ogre. Capable of seeing his attacks from a mile away. And bounce off them spectacularly in order to deliver a flaming uppercut that smashes Ogre both out of time and through the ceiling to retake their fight back to the roof of the comet.
"WHAT KIND OF INSECT CAN SLOW DOWN TIME? YOU'RE JUST A WANNABE SCARLET SPIDER!" Ogre insulted, flapping his wings again to regain his composure in the air.
"Not in this form! I'm the Spirit Spider!" Kaine retorted, warping to his back to savagely rip off his wings and axe-kick him down the air.
"MORE LAME THAN GHOST TARANTULA." The falling Ogre mocked, hurling more large objects at him with telekinesis.
"Whatever. Doesn't change my desire to save this city. Human or clone, spider or demon, doesn't matter anymore. I am ME! Never will I lose sight of myself again!" Kaine retorted, dodging, sometimes sliding down, the debris before web-throwing one right back at his face and landing a hellweb barrage that frees more souls. The most notable one being Aunt May at a New Vale hospital.
"You tell him, Scarlet!" Mu-12 happily cheers on her fellow clone.
So many souls have left Monstrous Ogre and caused his power to be severely crippled. This is it. The final clash between devils that will determine the fate of Houston. "This is it! We'll finish him with this next attack! Hold nothing back!" Chaos Shadow tasked his team.
Spirit Spider stays behind as he'll be the one to deliver the finishing blow. Super Devil Jin takes flight while Chaos Shadow skates ahead to confront the dozens of flying demons that Monstrous Ogre summoned to assist him. The demonic horde shoots fireballs that the hedgehog evades first before Ogre throws a tail whip that Shadow also avoids. Quickly after, Ogre conjures a razor-sharp whirlwind that launches Shadow high into the air where his horde surround him with everything they got. A last second use of, "CHAOS CONTROL!", saves Shadow's life, freezing time long enough for him to take down the whole horde with light speed and stabbing Ogre's eyes with Chaos Lances.
"This hellish scheme…must end!" Super Devil Jin declared, in the air charging his third eye to maximum power. "NOW!" He shouted before firing a humongous Devil Beam that tears off Ogre's arm, crippling him further.
"YOU BRATS ARE FOOLS! THREE DEMONS THAT WERE BETRAYED BY HUMANITY BEFORE AS THEY WILL DO AGAIN! WHY FIGHT? IS IT WORTH THROWING YOUR LIVES AWAY?" Mephisto questioned their resolve.
"If the world wants to be our enemy, we will fight it!" Spirit Spider retorted before unleashing his strongest attack yet: Maximum Tarantula. Exploding into a speed faster than lightning, Kaine ricochets off buildings and the Inferno Comet to strike Ogre. Entangling him in a neighborhood-sized web amidst his assault. "Spirit! Lend me your strength!" After flying into the air, Kaine reels back a fiery punch, saying, "Neither Heaven nor Hell await you! JUST BURN IN THE VOID!", whilst shrouding himself in an energy cloak resembling his terrifying Man-Spider form.
"NO…THIS WILL NEVER REDEEM YOUR CRIMES, SPIDER-SINNER!" Mephisto exclaimed, refusing to lose to his former slave.
"SCARLET SPIDER!" Tiki screams at her lover.
"FINISH IT!" Jaune shouted at his best friend.
"HAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Kaine heard them before unleashing a mighty roar and crashing his heavy punch straight into Ogre's heart, engulfing him in a geyser of indigo flames that smashes him through the many floors of the Inferno Comet until they reach its core.
As the smoke clears, the immobilized Monstrous Ogre gives out his final hateful words, "YOU BLASTED MORTALS…THIS ISN'T OVER!", before screaming, "AAAAAARRRGGHHHHH!", and being engulfed in an emerald, sparkling glow. Kaine reunites with Shadow and Jin outside the Comet. All of them atop a rooftop watching the Inferno Comet explode in another geyser of turbulent green flames that delivers the remaining captured souls back to their bodies across the Unified World.
"Stay in my past, you nightmare!" Kaine coldly said at his hard-earned victory.
BGM End
BGM-Shadow the Hedgehog OST-The Messiah
"That destroyed the Comet, but Hell's still here." Super Devil Jin said, noticing the city is still infested with rampaging demons.
Chaos Shadow walks away stating, "I'll go to the Generator, then use Chaos Control to…", before collapsing from exhausting his ultimate power.
"You've both done enough." Spirit Spider said whilst checking on the tired hedgehog. "Let me finish this." He volunteered with no argument from anyone.
The Shadow Arachnid then teleports himself to the Special Generator underneath Roxxon Tower. With Mephisto defeated, the magic that was protecting the device is gone. Kaine places both hands on the active machine while harnessing his maximum power for this final task. "Never again will the past torture me! Spirit…CONTROL!" His magic conquers the Special Generator and forces it to undo all the horrors it unleashed onto Houston. A giant portal appears above the city, sucking up even the tiniest piece of Hell back to its original dimension. Demons. Lava. The destroyed Inferno Comet. All of the corruption is suffering fission until Houston is completely cleansed of darkness and the Special Generator is obliterated.
BGM End
BGM-Shadow the Hedgehog OST-Finale
"YEAH! Way to go, guys! Hell is back where it belongs!" Xiaoyu cheered, celebrating with other Midnight Sons at a restored Houston with all of its citizens cherishing the non-demonic sunrise.
"Kaine…You've really become amazing." Spider-Man said, immensely proud of his dark clone's accomplishment.
"Think this means he'll be nicer to us now?" Nora Valkyrie asked Dark Pit.
"Not even a little." Dark Pit smirked.
"Good. I love our dynamic." Nora smiled.
"Good time as any to get his Spirit and the Devil Gene." Heihachi muttered mischievously, which was still in earshot of an infuriated Knuckles.
"That's it! I've had it with you!" Knuckles retorted, engaging the Iron Fist King in a fight that their friends find more humorous than anything.
BGM End
Every soul has been freed from Ogre's grasp forever now that he's erased without a trace. That includes The Jackal's. Miles Warren is back amongst the living while hiding from the living in a dark alleyway, now that his plan to replace humanity with clones has failed thanks to his hubris for placing trust in the Devil. "Damn you, Mephisto…" Jackal panted, still exhausted from everything he had to endure today. "Knew you'd betray me and I'm glad my child gave me the last laugh. Just need to get out of here and-."
Suddenly, a threatening Shadow warps in front of Warren to scare him back and collide with a terrifying Super Devil Jin. The frightened madman falls to the ground just in time for a returning Spirit Spider to stomp on his chest. Fearing for his life, Jackal exclaims, "K-Kaine! You seemed to have awakened your true self! Just, not how I imagined it! But that's good! You have evolved beyond my expectations, my boy! I'm so proud-!"
Kaine interrupts his father's pathetic pleading for mercy by grabbing him by the throat and lifting him up to be paralyzed by the Penace Stare that's causing him to suffer all of his terrible sins. One would see this and think Kaine is giving in to his anger again, emphasized by him popping out his stinger for the killing blow. But he stops himself from delivering it to his face at the very last second. Returning to his normal Scarlet Spider form and throwing his father to the ground instead as final proof of his growth.
Taking off his mask, Kaine tells his creator this, "I don't feel hate for you anymore, Warren, only pity. If you EVER threaten my friends or my brother again, I will personally drag you to the same Hell I grew up in. This will be my last show of mercy as your son."
Kaine has finally disowned his abusive father and is handed an Interdimensional Orb from Shadow so he can be responsible for sealing him away, which he does without hesitation. "YOU'LL PAY FOR THIIIIIISSSSS!" Jackal screams out his revenge. His last words before being jailed within the Orb.
"You're okay with this?" Jin asked after returning to his own human form, knowing Jackal will return to torment him one day.
"Yeah." Kaine answered, apathetically putting back on his mask.
BGM-Project X Zone 2 OST-Because It's The Right Path
Outside the alleyway, Officer Layton's group is reuniting with the heroes to congratulate them for saving the city. "JAUNE!" Saphron screamed, tackling her little brother into a hug that embarrasses him, "Oh, I'm so proud of you! Our sisters will freak to hear you defeated an actual devil!"
"Don't do this now!" Jaune retorted, despising her teasing.
"Where's Scarlet?" The worried Annabelle Adams asked.
"I'm here, Annabelle." announced Scarlet Spider, with his group reuniting with everyone.
"Good job, kid. Knew you could do it." Layton smiles proudly at his foster son.
"Thanks." Scarlet nodded, sincerely yet subtly acknowledging him as a father figure. A mood that is instantly replaced with annoyed by Lah the Ghost tackle-hugging him after seeing him in action as Spirit Spider. "GET OFF!" Scarlet retorted angrily, much to both Uh and Su's dismay at her loving Kaine more than them.
"Looks like Tiki has competition." Spider-Man joked, causing the divine dragon to roll her eyes.
"I'm already bonded to one ghost! I have no room for another!" Scarlet snarked, rudely pushing away the confused Lah and hurling Jackal's Orb at Peter's face, "And if you don't want more clones to torture you, better throw him to the bottom of the ocean."
"I'll consider it." Spidey grunted, rubbing his pained face.
"So, are you like Scorpion from Mortal Kombat now?" Donald Meland asked the Hero of Houston.
"That fits me too well." Scarlet responded, casually being handed baby Adrian from the Cotta-Arc family.
"Does that make me the Sub-Zero?" Luna Snow chimed in.
"Your music is still crap." Scarlet snarked, spinning a web ball for the baby to play with.
"새끼. I'll get you to like 'em one of these days." Luna smirked, eliciting an indifferent grunt from the spider-clone.
"I guess the word for a reunion like this is…excellent. Yeah, excellent!" Nora happily said.
"…Don't use that word." Jin scolds her apathetically.
"I agree. It only brings bad memories." Heihachi remarked, implying the Mishimas have been tortured by a certain silver-haired romanticist from their world.
"Huh…?" Nora retorted with great bewilderment on her face.
"THAT'S the one thing you Mishimas don't fight over? Your family is nonsense!" Viridi sassed.
BGM End
The celebrations must be cut short unfortunately. Dante just caught a whiff of a familiar demonic presence hiding in the darkness of a nearby alleyway. He shouts to his friends, "Put your guard up. We're not out of the woods yet.", that turns everyone's attention to the same alley he's been staring at. "Come on out! We're not gonna hurt you! You're too beat up to be a challenge anyway." He taunted the demon to make themselves known.
BGM-Marvel Ultimate Alliance OST-Mephisto's Realm (Inferno)
It is Mephisto emerging from the alleyway. Unfused from the now-destroyed Ogre and too weak to put up another fight against the Midnight Sons. "Mephisto!" Doctor Strange exclaims his shock at his nemesis's survival.
"You're one tough bastard." Ghost Rider said, immediately binding the devil with his hellfire chain to prevent him from escaping.
"What can I say…I'm quite stubborn…" Mephisto quipped.
"Not as much as this guy." Pyrrha scowled, standing next to Scarlet Spider.
"For once I'm glad one of my victims is alive. I have some questions for you." Scarlet said sternly to the demon king.
"Oh? You really have changed for the pathetic if you're not fulfilling your revenge." Mephisto retorted, his taunt failing to annoy him back to darkness.
"Project X Zone. What is it?" Scarlet interrogated.
"What is what?" The confused Spidey retorted.
"Oh, that's right! We wanted to interrogate Jackal about that until he distracted us with this devil stuff." Jaune facepalms his forgetfulness.
"You've been Jackal's master for months even while he was serving the Masters of Evil. A snake like you must've eavesdropped on them to see how you can make a bargain for their souls." Scarlet deduced, believing the devil knows about the Masters' secrets.
Impressed, Mephisto smiles, "How unusually perceptive of you. Yes. I might know a thing or two of what the Masters are planning. Project X Zone is their ultimate ambition with the Exo Stones. Once they have all eight under their control, the final experiment of the project will be born. The God Emperor who is to rule all infinite worlds."
"Figured that much, but how are they gonna pull it off?" Spidey demands for an elaboration.
"You implied a 'Genesis Convergium' is what caused the Convergence. Are they related to this project?" Shadow added.
"Who knows." Mephisto shrugs off their questions, resulting in Ghost Rider tightening his chain to painful levels to force him to spill the truth, "Regardless of their Project or who or what caused the Convergence, they all PALE in comparison to the enemy FAR GREATER than me and everything else you have suffered up until now combined!"
"How can ANYTHING be worse than a God Devil monster?" Naoto wondered in disbelief.
"The Obsidian King." Spidey stated grimly.
"Is that what you heroes been calling your nightmare from the past?" Mephisto teases them of their cluelessness about Thanos.
"You're saying we fought this guy before? And his Cull Obsidian?" Spidey interrogated.
"He's been very careful hiding his tracks until destiny arrive. As a reward for passing this trial, I'll give you a hint: The true name of his Cull Obsidian is the Black Order." Mephisto revealed.
"The Black Order? Doesn't ring a bell." Angel commented.
"They're not the Black Arms' cousins, right?" Rouge questioned.
"Oh no. They're fewer but FAR worse. Razing dimensions without breaking a sweat. Did the same to the Utopian Parallel in order to steal the Star Stone that gave your new America friend her powers." Mephisto describes the mysterious six warlords.
"Miss America?" Noel notes this additional connection to the Obsidian King.
"How do you know all this?" The curious Dante asked.
"It's like Scarlet said. I like to keep track of potential suckers. Hear some people at S.T.R.I.K.E. might know a little more but are too arrogant to share." Mephisto smirked, referring to Nick Fury and his fellow commanders.
"I can see through your deception, demon. All your plans to spread discord have failed, just as we'll do the same to this Black Order. Will you do the honors, Scarlet Spider?" Strange gestured, with Kaine being handed another Interdimensional Orb for the devil's imprisonment.
"Have it your way! Death awaits you all at the end! Not even Warlock can save your souls from The Gauntlet!" Mephisto laughs manically, until he is completely sealed within the Orb to never bother the living for a while.
BGM End
"He knows about Adam Warlock too? Why is it so hard to find the guy? Hope nothing bad happened to him." Naoto said, reminding himself of his personal mission to find Warlock.
BGM-Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 OST-Arcade Ending 1
Exhausted by the ominous warnings, Xiaoyu sighs, "That just ruined the celebration."
"It would've been foolish to begin with. Our work is not done, now that we have new intel on our enemies. The Black Order and Project X Zone, as well as this Gauntlet." Shadow commented.
"Agreed. And whether or not Mephisto was telling the truth, we should start keeping an eye out for anything suspicious within STRIKE. The ultimate battle for the fate of our worlds draws ever closer. Who knows how our enemies will strike next." Strange warns his Midnight Sons.
"Regardless, we still did awesome pushing back Hell. Let's take the day off. Who should I talk to for my paycheck?" Dante quipped, reminding everyone that he was hired by STRIKE to help stop the Hell invasion.
"I'll show you to Abe shortly." Rouge grinned.
"Time I head back to New Vale. There's someone at a hospital I need to check up on and hope her soul came back." Spidey announced, wanting to reunite with his Aunt May.
"I'm coming too." Scarlet retorted. "I need to close the book on that part of my past. And I'm…worried about her." He expressed, finally gaining the courage to properly meet May.
"Sure. She's your aunt too. Just try not to run away like a scaredy-cat again." Spidey teased his twin, sparking another brotherly banter between the spider-brothers.
"I really can't stomach you. Always WHINING about responsibilities that you don't take seriously because you prefer to joke!" Scarlet glared with folded arms.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll keep that in mind next time you LOSE your temper and almost drag us all to HELL ON EARTH!" Spidey argued, with the brothers colliding furious headbutts with each other.
"You two don't get along." Heihachi casually teased.
"Pathetic." Jin mocked nonchalantly.
"YOU HAVE NO ROOM TO TALK!" The Spider-Brothers angrily reprimands the Mishimas.
"Oh? Then let's fight it out at the next King of Iron Fist Tournament! We can make it a special tag tournament to determine the strongest family!" Heihachi proposed.
"I have no interest working with you. I'll defeat Scarlet Spider myself." Jin scowled.
"Don't forget about my participation. This fight has made us stronger. I'll prove to you two that I'M the Ultimate!" Shadow retorted egotistically.
"Fine by me. I'm the Devilish Scarlet Spider! I'll crush ANYONE that gets in my way!" Scarlet Spider boasted, locking fierce glares with his multiversal rivals.
"They JUST worked together to save the world. Why are they trying to kill each other again?" Xiaoyu exasperated.
"Boys will be boys…" Rouge commented, shaking her head that's tired of their childness.
"Can he not make friends without antagonizing?" Tiki said deadpannedly at her boyfriend.
"That's just who he is. Glad to have you back, Kaine." Jaune laughed. Just content, as the rest of Team JNPR are, with having Scarlet Spider back in the family.
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BGM-Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 OST-Gallery
KFX Here: That wraps up the Devil Arc, as well as Kaine's development for the time being. A lot more exhausting than I'd anticipated. What did you all think of the Devil Arc? Next up is another breather chapter before starting the final arc of Volume 1. Time to find out what Sonic and Ruby have been up to, along with a preview of the next villain.
Note #1: Monstrous Ogre is based on the same character that originated as the final boss of Tekken 5's Devil Within mode.
Note #2: Kaine's Spirit Spider form is based on the original Ghost Spider that appeared in the Incredible Hulks Annual #1 comic from 2011, with additional elements from Darkspine Sonic from Sonic and the Secret Rings.
SuperJoeyF721: I'm planning to adapt Shadow Generations for the King in Black Saga. Maybe have Black Doom be a main villain alongside Knull.
SpiderFan75: I imagine dollars are still used in some countries while others use Rings, Lien, etc.
Next Time: Cornering Nu-13! The Meaning between Life and Death!
Please leave a review that'll tell me what you thought of this chapter! What did you like? What didn't you like? Would really appreciate the feedback.
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