Ben 10 RWBY Volume 2: Ultimate Omniverse

by The Omni-Remnant

Having returned from a massive adventure in the world of Remnant, Ben, Team RWBY, and the rest of their friends find themselves faced with new challenges at every turn on Earth. Be it villains old and new… or even things that they never imagined to be real. It's going to be a challenge unlike any they've seen before, but they're up for it. It's Hero Time! (Cover Art credit inside)

111. The Sage Who Pacifies Heaven

A/N: Hey there, guys! I'm back once again… on a Saturday… again… okay, just doing away with the pretense; next week's chapter is ALSO probably gonna be a Saturday upload. It's Christmas, I've got things I've gotta do in addition to the chapter, it's gonna be the busiest week in this already busy month. With that said, let's not waste any more time and get on with it, shall we? We've got another big one on our hands, after all. This is…

Chapter 110: The Sage Who Pacifies Heaven

…..

The valley that surrounded Mt. Yotei had been transformed into a carnage-wracked battlefield, with the remains of Iron Bull Robots and tanks strewn about as far as the eye could see. No one could go anywhere without trampling over the twisted metal husks, and that included their own kind as the Inferno Truck and a dozen or so remaining Iron Bull Tanks kept pressing the offensive against the heroes. High above, Sun Wu Kong and Raven were still going head-to-head against Princess Iron Fan and Macaque respectively, with neither side willing to give an inch to the other. And, of course, the two Way Bigs kept battling it out around the faces of the mountain, their mighty footfalls leaving indents in the ground as they grappled and struck at one another.

"Grah! You—ACH! Don't know when to give up—UGH! …Do ya?!" said the good Way Big while punching his evil doppelganger in the chin.

"OOF! And you—RAH! Continue to be an absolute nuisance!" Albedo rebuffed, crossing his arms in an X-shape to counter Way Big's next strike. …And then, in between the dark To'kustar's wrists, a bright red energy began to build up. By the time Way Big went to dodge, it was already too late, and he was sent flying away as the energy beam struck him full-on in the chest. The hero's body left a massive rut in the ground, and as he went to lift himself up out of it, Negative Way Big's foot came down and SLAMMED him back down.

The wind was knocked out of the Omnitrix bearer with a pained; "GYAGH!" and he was forced to watch as Albedo crossed his arms for another attack. "HAK-HAK! Ya know… times like these, I remember when you had an acting troupe. Wish you'd go back to that. You'd make a killing."

Albedo merely scoffed at the suggestion. "Pfft! That is beneath me now. I have much GRANDER aspirations!"

"Too bad. Ah well, you know what they say in showbiz, right?" Whipping his arms up, Way Big grabbed Albedo's leg and gave it a hard twist, eliciting an agonizing shout from the To'kustar as he brought him down. "Break a leg."

From there, the two giants began to grapple across the valley, their tussle creating a tremor that was felt even on the other side of the mountain. There, the Kamen Riders were continuing to battle their foes with intense vigor, with some having better luck than others. Build himself was in the middle of a dogfight with Night Rogue and the Alpha Ravager, dodging away from their attacks as best he could while trying to shoot them out of the sky. Unfortunately, both of them weren't keen on getting shot down, and his attempts only increased their efforts in pursuing him. "Give it up, Build!" Yuma called out. "You cannot hope to match us!"

"I've done it once! I can do it again!" Cooper denied, taking out a different pair of FullBottles to use. "Time to change tactics!"

Panda! Rocket! BEST MATCH!

ARE YOU READY?!

"Build Up!" As he fell through the sky, a bright flash of white and pale blue light enveloped Cooper, transforming him into a form that he hadn't used in a while…

Buttobi Monotone! RocketPanda!

YEAH!

With the transformation complete, Build thrust his left arm up, allowing the rocket armor to blast him upward and deliver a punch straight to Night Rogue. The bat-themed villain wasn't expecting it and was blown off course as a result, though he quickly regained his bearings… just in time to see the Ravager get slashed across its chest thanks to Build's Panda Claw gauntlet. "Gah! Why you—" *FWOOSH* "AAAAAAHH!" Unfortunately for him, Yuma was sent spiraling after Cooper did another flyby, causing him to become very nauseous. "Urp! Augh!"

"SCREEEEEE!" Letting out a high-pitched shriek, the Bat Grimm flew up, intent on biting through Cooper's lower half. But by the time it caught up, the Rider was already cranking away at his Driver, charging up his finishing attack.

Ready—GO!

"The winning formula… is decided!" As he made his declaration, Build watched as the driver created several hard-light constructs of giant rings that effectively trapped Night Rogue and the Ravager, immobilizing them completely.

"GAH! W-What?!" Night Rogue felt searing pain as the hard-light construct clasped over his suit, immobilizing him in midair. "BUILD! Don't you dare—"

Vortex Finish! YEAH!

But it was far too late to stop Cooper as he flew along the rings at mach speed, the rocket arm propelling him along as if he were on a rollercoaster. Since the rings overlapped one another, he was able to "change tracks" intermittently, allowing him to hit multiple strikes upon Night Rogue and the Ravager at the same time. Finally, he dealt a final slash with his Panda Claw upon Yuma, a blow so powerful that it knocked the bat Faunus out of his transformation and back toward the earth below. And then, with a rocket-fueled punch, he SMASHED through the Ravager's head, making it dissolve into black smoke almost instantly.

Coming in for a landing, Build slid across the ground until he stopped directly in front of Yuma, who had just managed to stagger to his feet. "Hah… hah… lucky shot!" He pointed at the Rider as he backed away. "But your luck won't hold out for long!"

"You really think so?" Cooper placed his hands on his hips, challenging his foe's claim.

"Yeah. After all, Blood Stalk's got your new partner and his girlfriend on the ropes! Hahaha!"

Cooper did a doubletake upon hearing that, gazing across the field to see the Emperor Taijitu RIP Winter's Manticore summon in half at the middle with its two heads. And then, without even blinking, it set upon Winter and Kenny as its next targets. "Oh no!" Within seconds, Build was back in RabbitTank form, and he brought out his Machine Builder to get to the battle as fast as he could. "Hang in there, guys! Help is on the way!"

Winter was able to backflip out of the way just in time to avoid the Emperor Taijitu's mighty fangs, sprinting the rest of the way to put some distance between her and it. 'Need to think of a new strategy.' she thought as she ran, deftly dodging the mighty beast's tail strikes. 'It usually takes a whole squad of huntsmen to take one of these down, so how do we—'

"GAH!" Just then, Winter came to a halt and gasped, seeing her boyfriend pinned down beneath one of the snake Grimm's mouths. Kenny was using his sword and his foot to keep the jaws of the creature open, but she could tell that it wouldn't stop them from snapping shut for long. "G-Guh! Winter!" Cross-Z called out.

"KENNY!" Without a moment's hesitation, Winter used her Semblance to increase her movement speed, gliding along her glyphs to close the glyphs to get to Kenny as fast as possible. Then, at the last second, she transformed the final glyph into a Time Dilation glyph, giving her an extra burst of speed so that she could tackle him out from its jaws.

The couple tumbled across the field until Cross-Z brought them to a stop, laying on his back while keeping Winter secure above him. "Hah… hah… thanks, I—"

"What was that?!" Winter said, quite visibly upset. "What did you hope to achieve by getting right in its mouth?!"

Kenny was taken back, raising his hands in surrender. "H-Hey, to be fair, I didn't plan that! I just… wasn't fast enough to get out of its way."

Winter's expression softened upon hearing that, though she still gave a slightly irritated sigh. "Hah… it's obvious that we still have a lot of training to do with you."

The Rider lowered his head in shame. "Yeah… I messed up. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry." Winter said as she stood up, offering him a hand. "Be better. I know you can be better, Kenny, so let's work together to achieve that." Her stern expression gave way to a soft smile. "So, what do you say?"

Beneath his mask, Kenny smiled back and took her hand, standing side-by-side with her as they faced down the Emperor Taijitu "…I say let's kick some serpent tail." He looked to her for guidance. "You know these Grimm better than I do. How do huntsman usually take 'em down?"

"The best way would be to bisect it down the middle." Winter advised. "The Emperor Taijitu may have to heads, but both share the same heart." Her gaze narrowed at the beast as it slowly slithered toward them. "The problem is getting the right angle to slice through. We'd have to come at it from above. I can use my glyphs to get around that issue, but you…"

As if in response, Cross-Z reached down to his Fullbottle holster, pulling one of the trinkets into his hand. "Actually, I think I might have that covered." he stated as he showed it off to her, revealing it to be the cyan Unicorn bottle. "I've been pretty eager to see what this one does." He took the Dragon Fullbottle out of the Cross-Z Chamber and slotted in the Unicorn bottle, causing a new sound to come from the Build Driver;

Fantasy Match!

Cross-Z Unicorn!

With the standby music starting up, Kenny began cranking the device as fast as he could as the Emperor Taijitu approached. Winter leapt out and created a huge glyph in front of both of them, which acted as a shield that repelled the giant snake Grimm while the Snap Ride Builder created Kenny's new form. From what Winter could see, it consisted of some new cyan-colored armor parts for the right leg and left arm, the latter of which had a gauntlet that was shaped like a unicorn head that had a long horn sticking out form the wrist. And then, of course, there was the new chest and head armor pieces, which resembled a pair of large, feathery wings and an equine head respectively. And again, the headpiece had a long horn sticking straight out.

ARE YOU READY?!

"Build Up!" Kenny called out, causing the new armor to clasp over his body in a flash of blue light. The Emperor Taijitu recoiled immediately, its eyes blinded and its skin burned just from how bright it was. By the time the light died down, Cross-Z was now in a suit that consisted of both light and dark blue armor, armed with a unicorn-shaped gauntlet and with a head crest that resembled horse ears with a long horn sticking out of his helmet. His faceplate was a sterling silver this time, and the feathers of his new chest plate were the same, giving him a more heavily armored appearance.

MYSTIC FIRE!

UNIDRAGON!

YEAH!

All at once, Kenny felt an immense surge of power flow through him, as if his own mana were suddenly supercharged by the presence of the Unicorn magic that was laced into this form. "Woah-ho! Holy cow, that feels GREAT!" Giving his girlfriend a nod, he raised his sword for battle. "Okay, I think I can work with this!"

"Good to know." Winter raised her own sword, crossing it with his. "Let's end this." On that note, the duo dashed off toward their target, which had since regained its bearings and lunged to attack them.

Winter leapt up, once again avoiding its powerful bite. But this time, Kenny was able to roll out of the way, and with a single swipe, he slashed at both of their heads as they chomped into the dirt. The beast reared back in pain, shaking it off to try and once again strike the two humans down. But just as it went to plunge its fangs at Cross-Z again, the Rider did something that the Grimm didn't expect. Raising his left arm, the Rider thrust the Unicorn Horn up at it… resulting in a stream of icy blue fire blasting one of its heads.

The white side of the Emperor Taijitu hissed in agony, its bone armor being coated in the intensely cold fire. And, if that weren't enough… it started to freeze over, starting with a massive ice crystal that pierced through its head before it went completely limp. "W-Woah! Holy crap!" Kenny exclaimed, clearly not expecting that. "Did I do that?"

"Seems so!" Winter said, impressed by the outcome. "Which means this just got a little easier!" As she hopped from glyph to glyph, the military specialist once again created a Time Dilation Glyph that increased her speed tenfold, rocketing herself toward the white head's neck. With multiple slashes, she managed to create several gashes in the beast's scaley flesh, though the job still wasn't completely done. "Kenny! Now!"

"Right!" Kenny gave a single pull of the Beat Crosser…

Hit Parade!

…And unleashed his attack.

Smash Hit!

All at once, a wave of energy was unleashed as he slashed his sword at the beast, beheading the frozen head in one fell swoop. However, if anything, that only seemed to make the other head angrier, causing it to lash out again. It attacked Cross-Z again, but the Rider unfurled his wing-like armor, taking to the skies with a single flap. …Though interestingly, a trail of blue sparkles was left in his wake, which made him do a doubletake. "…Are you serious?"

"That is actually very adorable." Winter noted with a cheeky grin.

Kenny could only sigh and shrug his shoulders, quickly accepting his newly added cute factor. If that was how it was, no use in fighting it. 'Besides, there's bigger fish to fry.' He gasped as the remaining Taijitu head snapped at him, though he avoided it just in time with a magnificent twirl. "Alright, Mr. Lopsided, I hear ya! You wanna be uneven anymore, eh? I can oblige." Taking the Unicorn Fullbottle out of the chamber, Cross-Z slotted it into his Beat Crosser instead.

Special Tune!

Hit Parade! Hit Parade! Hit Parade!

Pulling the sword pommel thrice over, an immense energy began to gather in the blade and Cross-Z began to dive straight down. "Winter!"

"Already there!" With a wave of her sword, Winter summoned several glyphs inside of the Emperor Taijitu, which made it so that it couldn't avoid what was about to happen. All it could do was stare up at its impending doom as Kenny pulled the trigger on his sword and cleaved downward through its middle.

MEGA SLASH!

Strengthened with multi-colored energy, the Beat Crosser sliced cleanly down the middle of the cobra Grimm, perfectly down the border between black and white scales. Once Cross-Z came in for a landing, he folded up his wings, holstered his sword, and both halves of the creature fell to the ground before evaporating into black mist. "Hah… and that takes care of tha—OOF!"

He didn't even get to finish before Winter went up and tackled him into a hug. Kenny was able to stay standing, instinctively wrapping his arms around his girlfriend's waist. "Hah! You see? I knew you could do it."

The Rider was cursing the fact that he was wearing a helmet right now, so he simply retorted; "Heh, WE did it, babe. Couldn't have without you."

"Not inaccurate, but you did a lot of the heavy lifting."

"Well yeah, but without your motivation, I might not have."

"My point, Kenneth, is that you ARE getting better." Winter knocked her hand against his armored chest before pointing up at him. "Don't make me knock that into your head."

Finally, Kenny relented, raising his hands in surrender. "Haha, okay, okay, I get ya… but um, hold on." He scratched his helmeted head, wracking his brain to try and remember what had slipped his mind. "I feel like we're forgetting something."

"Uh, yes, that would be me." The couple flinched and spun around to see Blood Stalk, having returned… with something in his arms that made their stomachs drop. "And would you look at this? While you two were distracted, I found something rather fetching!" Wriggling in the cobra villain's arms and trapped in a headlock was none other than Caesar, the young scientist clearly in distress and trying to free himself. "Quite the handsome young lad, but maybe not the best at hiding."

"Hah… hah… lo siento guys!" the scientist apologized as he struggled. "Guess I should've found better cover…"

Cross-Z went into a full sprint at his foe, yelling out; "CAESAR!"

But Blood Stalk's grip suddenly tightened, causing Caesar to stop struggling and begin wheezing for air. "Ah-ah-ah! One wrong move and—cchht! Down goes your grease monkey!"

Stopping in his tracks, Kenny had to hesitantly obey. Last thing he wanted was for Caesar to get killed because of him. "…What is it that you want?!" the Rider barked. "For that matter, who even ARE you?!"

"Both very excellent questions!" Blood Stalk said as his grip loosened just a bit, giving Caesar some breathing room. "In terms of what I want, I'm searching for people who have INCREDIBLY strong power to aid me in my goals. There's a revolution coming, and I cannot wait for you ALL to bear witness to it!" He paused briefly, considering the other question. "As for who I am, though… that'll have to remain secret. All I'll say is that I'm someone who as a yearning for the finer things in life."

Winter raised her nose up at him. "You sound like someone who wants to rule over something."

"Exactly! Haha, you Schnees really get it, don't you?" Blood Stalk began to back away, keeping a firm grip on Caesar. "But, on that note, I think I'm just gonna take my friend here and—"

*VRRRRRMMMM*

But the villain halted his retreat when a certain red motorcycle came skidding to a halt between him and Cross-Z. "That's far enough, Blood Stalk!" Build demanded, dismounting his ride and immediately taking his Drill Crusher out of subspace. "Let go of my lab partner! NOW!"

"Hahaha! Oh, Build, so nice of you to FINALLY join us!" Blood Stalk laughed nonchalantly while extending his stinger tendrils from his gauntlets. The two stingers hovered over Caesar's eyes, instilling fear into the young man as Blood Stalk continued to back away. "But I'm afraid you're far too late. And if you want your friend back, you're going to have to listen to my deman—" *bump* "Hm?"

*huff* *huff* *huff*

The sound of low, heavy breathing and the feeling of hot breath on his shoulders made Blood Stalk instantly stiffen. He jitterily craned his head around, only to come face-to-nose with a certain Earth Dragon, his glowing yellow eyes glaring down at him as a growl rumbled from his throat. "Um… good boy?" Blood Stalk attempted to pet Titan's nose, but that proved to be a BIG mistake.

"GYAAAAOOOOORRR!" The dragon's roar almost made Blood Stalk cover his ears, though he quickly reminded himself that would be ineffective thanks to his helmet AND would cost him his hostage. Instead, he just doubled back, dragging Caesar's heels along the ground with him.

But even then, that didn't save him, as he quickly found himself surrounded. "Where do you think YOU'RE going?" Jaune spat as he and Pyrrha leapt in, followed by Ren, Fox and Velvet.

Once again, Blood Stalk tried to get away, but his way was instantly blocked by Ironwood crashing down from the sky, aiming the Centurion armor's arm cannon straight at him as Coco and Yatsu came in to back him up. "I wouldn't go any further, if I were you." the general stated.

Blood Stalk turned his head away, but quickly saw that he was trapped, with Six holding one of his blades straight at the warrior's mask. Qrow was there with him, holding Harbinger in its shotgun mode. "You have exactly five seconds to let go of my friend, or else I can't be responsible for what happens to you." Six threatened.

"Better listen to the man." Qrow advised. "I just saw him do some nasty shit to those robots that probably shouldn't be replicated with a person."

"Oh, you KNOW he's done that to a person before!" Nora piped up, standing on Titan's back while giving a aggressive smirk to Blood Stalk. "And I'd be down to seeing some of that action, heheheh…"

Seeing that he was clearly outnumbered, Blood Stalk knew that he didn't stand much of a chance. His place to make demands had crumbled and now, he had to settle for the next best thing; getting away with his life. "…Very well! I concede." the cobra villain retracted his stingers and loosened his grip on Caesar, moving his hands around to the back of his captive's neck. "You can have the smart cookie back." Before he let Caesar go, though, he made sure to whisper into his ear; "Be sure to be a good grease monkey, okay?"

Caesar could swear he felt an uncomfortable tingle on his neck when he heard the word "grease". "W-What're you—AGH!" Without any warning, he was shoved forward toward Cooper, who caught him before he could fall over.

"Hah! Caesar, you okay?"

The scientist rubbed his head, trying to regain his bearings. "Agh, si… as much as I can be after that." Caesar glanced back at Blood Stalk over his shoulder, unable to shake the strange discomfort he felt just then. The tingle might've been gone, but that didn't stop his stomach from churning.

Cooper, however, wasn't done yet with their foe. "Alright, now you're gonna come quietly. It's time we figured out who you are!"

"Pfft—HA! Quite the declaration! But here's the thing; you all are about to have MUCH bigger problems to worry about…" Not long after Blood Stalk said that, the earth beneath them began to tremor extremely hard, causing many of them to lose their footing. At first, they had thought that the Way Bigs had made their way over… but they would soon see that wasn't the case.

*CHYOOM*

The crowd cried out in astonishment as a massive pillar of green light suddenly erupted from Mt. Yotei, blowing a hole out of the side and shooting straight up into the sky. The entire area was covered in an eerie glow, which brought all fighting throughout the valley to an abrupt halt. Cinder had just managed to regain her stance in her fight with Decade when the lightshow happened, and to say that it made her incredibly happy was an understatement. "Hah… hahaha! HAHAHA! YES! It's happening!"

In a flash, Tsukasa reverted to his base Decade form, the green-eyed Rider's gaze moving straight toward the mountain. "…This is definitely a bad sign." he concluded, breaking away from Cinder entirely as he summoned an Aurora Curtain. "I'd better get in there…"

Gwen, Kevin, Hog and Skull were equally stunned by the amount of power that was emanating from the mountain. In particular, the redhead herself found herself immediately overwhelmed by just how immense it was. "Gah! Ugh!" Gwen took a knee as her arms covered her stomach, a sickly feeling starting to churn in her gut. "Urp! G-Good lord!"

"Crap! Gwen!" Kevin rushed over, taking her by the shoulders as he held her hair back away from her face. "Head between your knees and breath!"

"Goddamn…" Hog removed his visor, unable to comprehend just how much power there was. "You feel that, man?"

"I taste that." Skull affirmed, his expression twisting in revulsion. "And it's disgusting…"

High above, all fighting stopped as Wu Kong, Iron Fan, Macaque and Raven stared at the scene with mixed reactions. Of course, the do-gooders were dismayed by the sight, while Macaque was completely overjoyed. "HAHAHAHA! Finally! The boy did it!" Once the green light dissipated, he whipped his head around to beam at Iron Fan, who was completely wide-eyed and slack-jawed. "Princess, he's back! Your husband is FREE!"

Slowly but surely, Iron Fan's lips curled up, not in a smile of malicious intent… but of genuine happiness and relief. "Hah… my sweet child. Excellent work." With a wave of her fan, the Princess bolted straight down to the mountain below, with Macaque following right after.

The move caught Wu Kong off guard. He had been so caught up in what was happening that he'd completely forgot about her. "NO! Iron Fan, wait!" He summoned his cloud as quick as he could, but just as he went to fly after them…

*CHYOOM*

Once more, the crowd were left stunned as another beam of light shot out from the mountain… though this one was quite different. Iron Fan and Macaque stopped in midflight and covered their eyes as a thin beam of golden energy shot up into the sky, emitting a warm glow that lit up the surrounding valley as if it were daytime. But then, in the next instant, it was completely gone. "W-What?!" Iron Fan exclaimed. "What is this?!"

"Dunno, but I don't like it!" Macaque said grit his teeth, resuming his descent with hastened vigor. "Princess, follow me!"

"Oh no, you don't!" Wu Kong growled, shooting after the duo as they closed in on the mountain.

"Monkey King!" Raven exclaimed, flying after him as well. "Did you see Team RWBY follow Red Son down there?!"

"I didn't, but I do sense them in the cave." the Monkey King confirmed. "We gotta get them outta there, NOW!" Raven wasn't about to argue as they dove straight for the hole, leaving the others to simply watch on from below.

Yatsu, Fox and Velvet were left completely speechless, with Coco lowering her sunglasses as the green light finally died down. "…We failed, didn't we?"

"Oh, spectacularly." Blood Stalk answered, earning him several spiteful sneers. "And on that note, I should really take my leave." All at once, billows of smoke came out of the pipes on his suit, obscuring him in a thick veil to the point where only the glow of his visor could be seen. "Ciao for now!"

Build sprinted into the smoke in a split second, shouting after the villain. "NO! Blood Stalk!" However, all he managed to do was run straight through the haze, colliding with nothing as Blood Stalk disappeared. "GAAAH! DAMN IT!" Falling to his knees, Cooper struck the ground with his fist, breathing hard with righteous fury. Coco came over quickly, resting her hands against his shoulders to try and calm him down. "This… this is truly awful…"

"But what was that golden light, though?" Yatsu wondered. "It seemed different from the one before."

Jaune shook his head. "Not a clue… I just hope the others are doing alright in there."

"Okay, so what do we do now?!" Nora exclaimed, darting her eyes around in hopes of finding answers. "We can't just sit back and watch, can we?! We should get to the mountain and help them out!"

"No, we shouldn't." Six asserted, furrowing his brow. "What's done is done. The Demon Bull King may be free, but realistically, there isn't much that we can do to make a difference in there. None of us have the power to match such a force." He glanced over to Qrow knowingly. "And besides, I get the feeling that we're going to have to stay out here, since Raven seems intent on getting the others out of there."

Qrow nodded to him. "Yeah, pretty much. I'm their ticket outta there. And you're right, there's nothin' we can do…"

*THOOM* *THOOM* *THOOM*

But then, the scythe-wielding huntsman smirked as he pointed high above. "Him, on the other hand…" Everyone spun around just in time to see Way Big come striding toward the mountain at what must've been as fast as he could run, though from their perspective, it was like he was dashing in slow motion.

Nevertheless, they all started cheering for their leader as he lumbered toward the mountain. "WOO! Yes! Go get 'em, Ben!" Velvet hollered.

"Give 'em hell!" Fox added… only to notice that there seemed to be a second set of footfalls as well. "…Oh gods, wait a second."

Sure enough, the heroic To'kustar wasn't alone, as his dark counterpart was charging right behind him. "GRAAAHH! Tennyson! Get back here!" Albedo bellowed, bringing his arms up to unleash another powerful laser blast.

Seeing this, Nora gasped and climbed back on top if Titan, raising her hammer up to the sky. "YO! RAIJIN!" she screamed to the heavens. "If you can hear me, hit me with your best shot! I CAN TAKE IT!"

Understandably, the others were quite perturbed by her abrupt request. "N-Nora!" Ren objected. "What in the world are you—" *CRA-CHOW* His words were drown out, however, by the sudden bolt of lightning that crashed directly into Nora, her hammer being used as a conduit for the electricity to flow directly into her body.

"THANK YOU!" Nora said, her body now crackling with pink lightning as her eyes glowed with the same power. She backflipped off of Titan's back and onto his thagomizer, bracing herself on it as she prepared for the next step. "Titan! THROW ME, BOY!" With a loud roar, the Earth Dragon obliged and flung her into the air, straight past Way Big and directly toward Negative Way Big's chest. "GYAAAAAAHH!" *CRASH*

"AAAAUUUGGHHH!" Negative Way Big howled in agony at the explosive impact upon the Ultimatrix, which immediately began crackling with energy. He writhed painfully as he fell onto his back, and upon impact with the ground, he transformed back into his human form in a burst of intense energy. "Augh! For the love of—ARE YOU INSANE?!" Albedo screamed up at Nora… only to be swiftly silenced as her hammer slammed down near his head. "YIPE!"

He stared up into her still-crackling eyes, her lips curled into a sneer as she glared at him. "What do you think, bub? Do I look insane for wanting to protect my friends? HUH?! DO I?!"

"Th-This means nothing!" Albedo insisted, bringing his arm up to access the Ultimatrix. "I'll just transform into something diff—" *ZAP* "ACH!" But his hand recoiled as a bolt of energy bounced off the Ultimatrix, his jaw dropping in bewilderment. "Y-You shorted it out!"

Nora shouldered her hammer, not taking her eyes off him for a second. "Yeah, I'm good at that. Now why don't you get up and we can—GYAH!" All of a sudden, Titan came up and grabbed her skirt, pulling her out of the way from a slew of fiery arrows. "Agh! Titan, what're you—oh." Her eyes darted up to see Cinder flying overhead, the Fall Maiden staring down at her in contempt.

"Hm, a lucky shot, girl." Cinder lauded, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Bet you wouldn't be so confident if you didn't have a Lightning God on your side, though." Nora immediately went on the defensive as the rest of the team gathered up, with the Riders taking to the front. "Oh, and there's the cavalry. Not like it matters much considering we've won—"

*KER-SMASH*

However, their sights were once more brought back toward the mountain… where Way Big had just slammed his fist through the hole. "…Well. That's certainly one way to handle it." Pyrrha remarked.

…..

As all of that was happening, back in the cave, things were seeming rather bleak for Team RWBY as they, Zak, Rex and the two gods watched the Demon Bull King rise up from below. Being so close to the overwhelming surge of energy nearly made the mortals hurl, but they kept their lunch down for the time being… mostly out of fear. All they could do was stare as the bull demon stood tall and proud, his mighty chest on full display as all he wore were tattered garments on his waist, which were held up by a belt with the Demon Bull Family symbol on it. He inspected his hands, noting how his centuries-old wounds were finally starting to heal now that he was freed. "Flesh… bone… I have returned to the realm of the living!"

"…We're going to die." Weiss concluded. "We're going to die to an incredibly buff bull demon."

"Don't worry, I've faced worse." Rex assured, taking point as he activated his BFS. "You guys just stick back and—wait." He peered to his girlfriend over his shoulder. "Did you just say that he was "incredibly buff"?" His question made Weiss glance away, trying to whistle nonchalantly. "…Are you seriously saying that the Demon Bull King is somewhat attractive?"

"Well, I mean… she ain't lying." Yang shrugged. "My eyes are only for Ben, but even I gotta admit, the Bull King's shredded."

"Yeah, for someone who was trapped in the ground for centuries, he's got an impeccable build." Blake added. "Though of course, he's WAY too huge for my tastes."

Fujin stared down at the mortals incredulously. "Where in the world did this conversation even COME from?"

Amaterasu could only sigh, holding a hand up to her forehead. "They're mortals, Fujin, don't try to rationalize what they talk about."

Back with the demons, Neo had chosen to fall back behind Red Son as the Bull Family patriarch stepped fully out of the crevice, approaching his son with shocked yet inquisitive eyes. "…Boy? Is that you?" The Bull King had to admit, he was somewhat glad to see someone familiar upon his emergence… though he was hoping it would be another.

"Y-Yes, father! It is I, your son!" Red Son knelt before the king, prompting Neo to do the same. "Welcome back. You've been sealed away for FAR too long."

"…How long?"

"Five-Hundred Years, I'm afraid."

His eyes widening further, DBK clenched his teeth into a full snarl. "SNRRT! FIVE HUNDRED YEARS?!" Red Son yelped and stood up straight, wincing as his father's head got within mere inches of his. "I was left down there for FIVE CENTURIES?!"

"I-I'm sorry, father, but it was only recently that we've devised a way to free you!" Raising his gauntlet-covered hand with the staff in it, Red Son proclaimed; "For you see, with the advancement of modern-day technology, I devised THIS gauntlet to move the staff that was keeping you sealed! I have learned to harness the staff to make ITS power mi—OUR power!"

His eyes narrowing, the Demon Bull King read his son's expression. He could see the fear in his eyes, the sweat pouring from his forehead, and the trembling in his knees. And that's when DBK knew; '…I've still got it.' With another snort, the bull demon put on a rather malicious smirk. "Hmm… excellent. But tell me, son, where is your mother?"

Seeing his father's rage subside, Red Son let out a sigh and explained; "She is outside as we speak, father, holding off the band of do-gooders who would see you remain trapped beneath this mountain." He grimaced, showing the severity of the situation. "And among them is… the Monkey King himself."

All at once, Bull King's eyes gleamed green, his rage slowly starting to build again. "…Sun Wu Kong." He balled his fist and lifted his gaze toward the hole in the mountain, picking up the distinct scent of monkey in the air. "Blast him… wait, is that Macaque as well?"

"Indeed, he is on OUR side, Father."

"Hmph, I only hope you're keeping an eye on him. Your uncle can be just as bad of a trickster as Wu Kong."

"D-Don't worry, father, mother has kept him in check." Red Son promised. "But we must leave before they get here. Our mortal allies can only hold off the mortal heroes for so long."

Shifting his sights back down, DBK zeroed in on the intruders in their midst. "…Not long enough, it would seem." He pushed past his son and Neo, towering over the group of huntresses, gods and heroes. "Lady Amaterasu… Lord Fujin… and a gaggle of mortal filth."

Despite the terror they all felt, the group took defensive stances, ready to fight if need be. Neither Amaterasu nor Fujin seemed intimidated by his presence. "Demon Bull King… I will order this of you only once." The Sun Goddess declared, poining her spear back toward the crumbling mountain peak. "Return to your prison or face the—AUGH!"

In one fell swoop, the Demon Bull King swatted the duo away, bellowing out; "NO! I will do NO such thing! You gods believe yourselves as high and mighty, when in reality, you are NOTHING!" He then glowered down at Rex, Zak and Team RWBY as if they were insignificant ants. "Hmph, and the same can be applied to you worthless beings. It seems a waste to crush such an insignificant group as my first act as ruler of this new world… but so be it."

"Bring it on, Horn Head!" Ruby challenged, Crescent Rose in hand as her team backed her up. "We're not afraid of you!"

"Oh… but you should be." The Demon Bull King raised his foot to stomp on the group… but then something surprising happened.

"Wait, father!" Red Son slid under his dad's foot, holding his hand up to halt him.

DBK didn't set his foot down, but sent his son a questioning frown. "What is this?"

Clearing his throat, Red Son explained his actions. "Ahem, waste not your time and energy on these peasants. Please, allow ME to show you how powerful I have become in your absence!" He flashed a full, confident grin up to his father… who still scowled down at him.

However, as intense as his glowing green glare was, the Bull King ultimately relented. "…As you wish." The glow subsided as he caught sight of Amaterasu and Fujin moving again. "Besides, I have more important matters to attend…"

"Th-Thank you, Father!" Red Son spun around toward the teenaged heroes, his one hand erupting into burning flame while the other spun the Heavenly Staff around. "I assure you, I will not fail—huh?" All of a sudden, a bright pink flash of light caught everyone's attention, bringing their sights to a huge, circular portal that opened not far from the Bull King himself.

"What?! What is this now—AUGH!" All at once, the mighty bull demon was toppled over when something huge charged out of the portal, and the Omni-Hunters were all stunned by what they saw. It was a massive, dark-furred boar with bright red eyes… that was carrying Sun, Neptune, Helen, Ilia, Swift, Rook and Charmcaster all on its back.

Before the portal closed, Penny and Vados came flying in as well, the former spotting Team RWBY instantly. "AH! Ruby!" With a burst of speed, the redhead SLAMMED down between the group and Red Son, with Vados coming in to deliver a hard kick to his side and get him away from them. "Are you all okay? Did he hurt any of you?"

"N-No, Penny, we're fine!" Ruby said, still very incredulous as to what was happening. "B-But how did you know we were here?

"And more importantly, what IS that?!" Weiss exclaimed, thrusting her finger at the giant pig.

"REEEEET" The swine let out a loud squeal before it began to change form, causing its six passengers to hop off. In a whirlwind of dark shadows, the massive animal shrank down and took on a two-legged appearance, now wearing blue robes and a bead necklace while holding a golden, nine-toothed rake. "Bah! Blast it all, we really ARE late!" the pig spat before pointing his rake at Charmcaster. "I knew we should've teleported straight into the mountain and not waste so much time on the field!"

Hope crossed her arms over her chest with a huff. "Hmph, well, forgive me for wanting to actually ASSESS the situation before charging headlong into danger."

The pig man merely scoffed at the thought. "Pfft, kids these days. Always with the cold feet." He peered up to Sun with a raised brow. "It's any wonder how Wu Kong was able to train ANY of you, really."

"Hey, you don't give him enough credit." Sun jerked a thumb to him. "I mean, if he could train ME to fly on a cloud, he could—"

"Sun?" The monkey boy was cut off, his voice lost in his throat as he whipped around and saw the others. Though his attention was squarely on the one who had spoken to him. "…What're you doing here?" Blake said, her eyes darting between everyone. "For that matter, what's even going on?"

Yang placed her hands on her hips, her brow furrowed at Sun. "Yeah, you're supposed to be benched, dude."

The monkey boy was about to speak for himself, but the pig man cut him off. "I'm afraid I'm responsible for dragging him here, ladies. Don't blame him." He placed a hand over his chest and bowed his head. "I am Zhu Bajie, a friend of Wu Kong's. I came to warn him about the impending attack, but I was captured before I could. Thankfully, these kind souls came along and freed me from the clutches of that draconic she-demon."

"AH!" Zak shouted in realization. "Bro, no way! You're one of the other pilgrims that the Monkey King traveled with on the journey!"

"…Seriously?" Weiss tilted her head. "Does that mean he's a Buddhist, too?"

"Er… not exactly, hehe…" Bajie chortled, scratching his head sheepishly. "I, uh, never achieved enlightenment like the others, so—"

*THOOM*

Once more, their conversation was cut off when the Demon Bull King stomped back onto his feet, letting loose a reverberating roar that shook the cave itself. "GRAAAAAAGGGHH! YOU!" He pointed directly at Zhu Bajie. "Impudent Pig! Of course YOU just had to show your disgusting visage. Have you not caused me ENOUGH suffering?!"

Bajie snorted indignantly as he turned toward the DBK. "Snrt, hah, the old bull lives, I see. Here I thought you would've rotted away beneath that seal by now." He nudged his hairy chin to the seething bull demon. "Still sore about what I did to your mistress, eh? Here I thought you'd be grateful! I was partially responsible for helping save your marriage!"

"That is NO excuse for your senseless killing of the Jade Fox Princess, you SWINE!" the bull growled. "I will mount your head on my wall for such transgressions! BOY!"

Hearing his father's shout, Red Son leapt back to his feet. "Yes, father!"

"Take the mortals! The pig and the gods are MINE!"

On that note, Amaterasu and Fujin flew back into the fray, both ready to fight. "We'd like to see you try, irritant bull!" She craned her head down to Bajie. "Cho Hakkai, I take it that you will have us at your side in this fight?"

"Haha! Gladly, your highness." Bajie accepted, giving a chortle at his Japanese name. "Come! Into the fray we go!" On that note, Bajie transformed back into his massive boar form and charged in, with the two gods following right behind to fight the Bull King.

Red Son steeled himself as he stepped back toward the heroes, finding that Neo had come back to his side as well. "You here to back me up, then?" He received a silent nod from the petite trickster, bringing out her umbrella blade as well. "Good, then." He spun the staff around with his gauntlet hand, his confidence overflowing. "I may not be able to utilize the Heavenly Staff's full potential with the gauntlet, but I can at least use it in its most basic function."

The Omni-Hunters, however, were not too concerned. "Oh, yeah, sure. You're SO scary with your heavy stick." Ilia taunted as she gestured to the fifteen combatants at her back. "In case you haven't noticed, we have you completely outnumbered."

"And in case YOU hadn't noticed, I'm always several steps ahead!" Reaching into his back pocket, the demon prince pulled out a remote control and pressed a big red button in its center, causing his trike to start up. From the back of the vehicle, several hidden compartments opened up and fired off several large projectiles into the air… which transformed into five total Iron Bull Robots that towered over the group as they landed.

…And what's more, the trike itself then began to transform as well, its front section becoming a large pair of legs with the wheels forming its hips, while the rear section formed the main torso. The back tire split in half and propped itself up on the back of the headless robot as a pair of flamethrower arms unfurled from the undercarriage, immediately aiming at the astonished team. "…You've gotta be joking." Swift muttered in disbelief.

"How did you manage to FIT all of that in there?!" Rook exclaimed, completely taken aback just as the others were.

"I am very good at compressing things!" Thrusting his finger at the team, Red Son ordered his robots to; "ATTACK!" to which they all charged forth into battle.

Ruby armed herself with Crescent Rose once again. "Alright, everybody, we've just taken a bunch of these out, so let's do it again! GO!" At her command, Team RWBY went rushing into the fray… only to find themselves blocked of from the other robots by the giant Fire Mech, which aimed its flamethrowers at the four and shot out streams of fire at them. "GYAH!"

"Woah!" Weiss summoned a glyph to shield them from the flames, though they were surprisingly intense.

This distraction allowed the rest of the Iron Bulls to engage with the new arrivals, with one going straight for Ilia and Swift. Another charged toward Rook and Charmcaster, while yet another careened toward Neptune and Helen. The last one went directly toward Rex and Zak, the former swinging his BFS to intercept it. He expected the robot to get cleaved in half in less than a second… but then the Iron Bull actually brought out its own blade, this one glowing with violet energy that sliced through the BFS like it was made of paper. "…Que?"

The Bull that hand engaged Ilia and Neptune was currently absorbing their electrical attacks, all while counteracting Helen and Swift's speed-based offense. Hope had attempted to use a magical spell on the one she and Rook were facing, but it had generated a powerful energy shield, which blocked both those and the projectiles that Rook fired from his Proto-Tool. And finally, another was flying around through the cave in pursuit of Penny and Vados, shooting at them with powerful, shoulder-mounted cannons. Needless to say, these were MUCH different from the ones that were driving the tanks. "What the heck?!" Zak shouted. "Where were THESE while we were fighting those other bulls outside?!"

"Oh, these ones are very special." Red Son explained, rubbing his hand against his chest proudly. "These ones were made to adapt to any tactic that you can dish out. Let me to introduce you to Grunt, Snort, Growl, Snarl and Roar! They'll be your entertainment for the evening. Allowing me to test my newfound weapon on…" He pointed the Heavenly Staff over to Sun, who was left all by himself. "You, Noodle Boy."

The monkey boy gave a frustrated sigh as he pulled out his own staff. "Hah, of course. Because it's always gotta be me, doesn't it?"

"Tsk, tsk, you brought this upon yourself, you know." Red Son shook his head. "If you hadn't gotten into my business in the first place, we wouldn't have this trouble."

"Well, in that case, if this whole thing started with me, then maybe it's time I—WOAH!" Sun pulled himself back just in time to avoid Neo's incoming blade, followed by ducking backward to avoid Red Son swinging the Heavenly Staff. The demon prince came in for another strike, but this time, Sun countered it with his won staff… though the impact resulted in a small cracking noise. "Gah! What the heck, man?! Two against one?!"

"I never claimed to be a fair fighter, Noodle Boy!" Red Son boasted as Neo came in and vaulted over his shoulders. "Anything to get you out of my hair is fine by me!"

Neo went to plunge her blade straight down into Sun's head, and the monkey boy WAS about to move… when a dark blur came flying in and tackled the girl away. Both boys were taken aback, but things were made much clearer when they saw that it was none other than Blake. The cat girl was keeping the pressure on Neo, using Gambol Shroud and its sheath in quick succession against the mute girl's single blade. "B-Blake?!" Sun exclaimed.

Sparing a quick glance, Blake sent him a nod. "Who else? Focus up!"

"Ah!" Her warning came just in time for Sun to see that Red Son was about to kick him straight in the gut, which made him double back. Concentrating heavily on his Semblance, the blonde created three Via Sun clones that immediately rushed toward Red Son, leaping toward him with intent on exploding upon impact.

"Hmph! Child's play!" The demon prince raised the staff above his head and then SLAMMED it down just as the clones made it to him, causing a powerful shockwave from its sheer weight alone. The clones were all dissipated in one fell swoop, while Sun himself had to fight to keep his balance.

Changing tactics, the monkey boy pulled his staff apart into its gunchuck mode, swinging them rapidly as he ran. "Alright, Plan B!" He went into a slide and swung straight for Red Son's legs, but the prince quickly used the staff to swing himself around to avoid the attack… and then kick Sun right in the head. "GAH!"

"Ahahaha! It seems that training with the Monkey King hasn't been much of a boon for you, has it, Noodle Boy?!" Red Son jumped and came back down with the staff raised, aiming right for Sun's head.

While he was in a slight daze, Sun was still in it enough to rejoin the two halves of his weapon to block the attack… but this would prove to be a huge mistake. Because the moment the Heavenly Staff made impact…

*crack* *crack* *CRASH*

…It broke. Before Sun's very eyes, his Ryui Jingu Bang broke. The weapon that he had used for several years had shattered at the middle, leaving only two damaged shot guns. "NO!"

Blake saw the whole thing herself, making her gasp in fear. "Ah! Sun—GAH!" But she couldn't lose focus on the fight in front of her, Neo having come in to strike at her in that moment. She blocked it with her sword and then used her Semblance, creating a fiery shadow clone of herself that blew up and sent Neo flying back, allowing her to dash off to help her boyfriend.

Sun fell to his knees, staring down in stunned horror at the bits and pieces of red and gold metal that were strewn about the cave floor. "No… no, no, NO!" He began to desperately sweep up all the parts he could, all while Red Son laughed above him.

"BAHAHAHA! Oh, what a surprise… NOT!" The arrogant prince held up the Heavenly Staff with an insidious smirk. "Of course, this weapon would break yours so easily! Compared to it, yours might as well be a toothpick! Hahaha!"

Sun's teeth clenched as the prince kept cackling. For the first time in a while… he was well and truly angry. An anger that continued to burn as he snapped his head up at him. In the back of his mind, there was a voice that repeated; "Kill him, kill him, KILL HIM!", but he ignored it, instead performing a tackle that Red Son barely had time to block. The two grappled over the Heavenly Staff, the monkey boy spitting in the prince's face; "YOU BASTARD! That was a gift from my COUSIN!"

"Blah! Say it, don't spray it, you heathen—AGH! AUGH!" Just then, however, both of them were caught by surprise when a black ribbon wrapped around Red Son's throat and yanked him back, choking him hard.

"Sun!" Blake cried out. "Take it, NOW!" With one hand on the ribbon and another on Gambol Shroud, Blake transformed her weapon into its hook mode and then stabbed it down into the gauntlet, causing it to short out and go haywire.

"GYAH! NO!"

But even as Red Son tried to keep his grip on it, the gauntlet's erratic jolt was enough to make his hand open up, and Sun quickly grabbed hold of the pole… which immediately SLAMMED down into the ground near his feet. It stuck straight up, seemingly unmoving. But as Blake dragged Red Son away from the scene, Sun slid his hand down the staff, staring at it with intense determination. He wasn't sure how he knew this, but… he had a feeling that he COULD lift it. Reaffirming his grip, Sun let out a powerful scream, pulling with all his might upon the mighty cudgel. He pulled with so much force that the very mountain shook, which made the fighting stop, if only for a brief moment. "Woah! What the… SUN?!" Ruby exclaimed.

"What the heck is he doin'?!" Yang questioned.

"From what I'm seeing…" Neptune smirked as he saw the staff budge. "He's gettin' a serious upgrade."

The Demon Bull King heard this and immediately tried to charge for the staff, only for Bajie and the gods to intervene and block his way. "NO! Boy, get the staff!"

Red Son's hair erupted into flames as he threw Blake off of his back, though she managed to land on her feet perfectly. "Gah! Get off of me you cat-eared witch!" He made a mad sprint toward Sun, but Blake was right on his heels. "Noodle Boy! Don't you DARE—"

*TONG*

Much to the prince's dismay, however, he was far too late. All he could do was watch in contempt at the sight of a mere mortal had managed to lift the Heavenly Pillar. And then… something completely unexpected happened.

*CHYOOM*

"AAAAAAHHH!" Everyone shouted as the entire room was lit up in a bright, golden light that shot straight up through the hole in the mountain, bathing them all in an ethereal warm glow. The light had completely enveloped Sun within it, but just as soon as it appeared, it dissipated… and what everyone saw made their jaws drop.

Sun's attire had completely changed from what he was wearing before. Gone was the plain, white t-shirt, khaki shorts and dull boots, and in their place was something much more colorful and in-your-face. He wore a red, short-sleeved, open-chested shirt with a popped collar, quite similar to his old white one. However, it wasn't completely red, as on the back was a graphic of a cartoony monkey with a cheeky grin and closed eyes. He wore a pair of black jeans that were rolled up his shins, and on his arms were a pair of yellow gauntlets that were, again, very similar to his previous ones.

Instead of sandals, though, he wore a pair of black, open-toed boots, and around his waist was a teal green sash that matched the wrappings that were around his shins. In addition, his forehead was adorned with a red headband that was tied at the back, the loose ends flowing in the breeze. The front of the headband was also embroidered with curled, golden details that resembled the Monkey King's old headband.

At first, Sun seemed to stumble a little, getting used to the weight of the staff in his hand. But in no time at all, the intense weight disappeared, becoming more balanced and easier to hold. He gave it a couple slow twirls, tossed it up, and caught it, with absolutely no change in weight. It was only then that he noticed his change in attire, and gave a nod of approval once he saw that his chest was on display again. "Oh yeah. MUCH better."

The sight made Red Son appalled. "You… how are you HOLDING a pillar of Heaven?! You aren't worthy!"

"…Neither were you." Sun retorted. "You cheated to get it. As for me… I have absolutely no clue how I'm doing this. But I do know one thing;" He swung the staff up and pointed it toward the prince. "I'm gonna use it to KICK YOUR ASS! GYAAAAHH!" Another scream belted out of Sun's throat as he jumped at Red Son, lifting the staff above his head to beat the demon into submission.

Red Son was about to get out of the way… but once again, Blake came in to deal with that. At speeds that he was unprepared for, Red Son suddenly found himself on the receiving end of several slashes from Gambol Shroud, each one causing him to cry out. "Time to get what you deserve!" Blake snapped at him.

"RRRAAAAAGGHH!" Swinging it like a bat, Sun SMACKED Red Son right in the arm, sending him careening across the cave where he slammed directly into the rock wall, falling unconscious right after. "Hah… hah… point… proven." His eyes found Blake's and he offered her a smile. "Thanks… couldn't have done it without you."

"I… you're welcome." Blake blinked, surprised at the response.

"Something wrong?" Sun tilted his head.

Blake reached up and scratched her ears guilty. "N-No, it's just… er, y-your new clothes! Th-They look great on you."

The change in subject didn't go unnoticed by Sun, but he decided to go with it for now. 'No sense in prying right now.' he resolved. "Heh, thanks. Honestly, I like these WAY better than—"

"GRRRAAAAAAAHHH!" The loud, guttural roar brought the duo back to reality, spinning around to see the Demon Bull King throwing the gods and Bajie off of him in a fit of rage. "NO! I will NOT allow this!" He pointed at Sun in ire. "You, little monkey! Return the staff and I MAY let you continue to live!"

"…DBK." Sun narrowed his eyes at the bull king as he and Blake took battle-ready stances. "Monkey King told me about you. He said I shouldn't listen to whatever you say, so I'm gonna take his advice on that." He peered over to Blake, who gave a single nod. "…If you really wanna fight us, though, we won't back down. Not now, not ever."

Zhu Bajie let out an angry; "REEEEET! Have you gone MAD, boy?! Leave the bull to us, you all just—" *KA-THOOM* "AUGH!" All of a sudden, a cacophonous noise rang through the cave, courtesy of two falling objects striking the ground and sending Bajie flying across the room. The same could be said for Amaterasu and Fujin, who were caught off guard by a certain plantain fan and spiked cudgel respectively. With his body free again, the Bull King gave a roar and was about to attack the teenagers, when…

"STOP!" …He felt a hand on his chest, and his ears were graced with a voice he hadn't heard for a long time. Craning his head down, the Bull King's expression softened when he saw his wife, her brows furrowed up at him sternly. "That's enough for now, my dearest."

"…Princess." The Bull King's gruff voice took on a gentler tone, his large hands coming to rest over her smaller ones. "The years have been kind." Out the corner of his eye, he saw the Six-Eared Macaque, who was also smiling at the reunion. "Brother… you too?"

"Indeed, brother. It's been far too long." Macaque said, only to also put on a serious look. "But now's not the time. We have to hurry away from here before—" *WHA-CHOOM* "…HE shows up." The dark-furred monkey spun around, the demons all focusing their attention on the celestial simian that landed in front of Sun. "Ya really just couldn't resist following us, could ya?"

Spinning his Ruyi Jingu Bang, Wu Kong stood up, his features etched with disappointment. "What can I say? …I couldn't resist this little reunion." His gaze eventually landed on Zhu Bajie, who had transformed back to his normal form. A smile came to his lips as he knelt down, placing a hand on the pig man's back. "Are you okay, old friend?"

"Bah! What took you so long?" Bajie brushed off. "Constipation?!"

If anything, Wu Kong's smile widened. "Ha! There it is. Good to see you too, piglet."

Bajie pushed the Monkey King's shoulder. "Oh, quiet. You're lucky I had the common courtesy to show up in the first place."

Wu Kong chortled at the comeback, but moved his focus over to Sun and Blake, concentrating on the former in particular. "…Pilgrim." The blonde boy shied away as his mentor inspected him. And, upon seeing his student wielding the Heavenly Staff, he couldn't help but smile down at him. "Heh… I don't ever recall Buddha ever deigning you to be worthy of that staff."

"Uh, y-yeah, I dunno…" Sun shrugged. "It just sorta happened. …You're not mad, are you?"

"Go easy on the boy, Wu Kong." Bajie spoke up in Sun's defence. "I was the one who brought him here."

But the Monkey King was nonplussed about the whole thing. "And I'm glad ya did, Bajie. Kid, what's done is done. So let's focus on what's REALLY important here…" On that note, Wu Kong directed his attention back to the group of demons. Red Son had since gotten back to his feet, rubbing his head as he joined his family. In addition, Neo was hiding out behind the demons as well, hoping to not be noticed. "…'Sup, Bull King?" he said with a nudge of his chin.

"…'Sup. 'SUP?!" DBK stopped the ground indignantly at the slight against him. "You trap me beneath this damned mountain for CENTURIES and all you have to say is "'Sup"?!" He clenched his fist, his arm trembling in hatred for his former sworn brother. "If I still had my axe, you can be CERTAIN that I would not hesitate to cleave your head off!"

"Yeah, and then it'd grow back immediately." Wu Kong added casually. "But let's not fly off the handle here. You got a chance to stretch your legs, so why don't we try and settle this calmly and—" *KA-BOOM* No sooner had the Monkey King offered the peaceful route did a massive, fiery explosion erupt from behind the demons, and from over their heads, the rest of the team all came hurdling toward the others.

Some such as Weiss, Rook, Ilia and Swift were able to stick the landing no problem, with Hope quickly casting a spell that helped cushion the others' fall. But even so, they had little time to relax as the Iron Bull Robots and the Fire Mech came stomping their way. Two of them even had Neptune and Zak in their grasps, the boys dangling from their shirts as they tried to wriggle themselves free.

Zak in particular was busy kicking and punching at the robot, though his blows were completely ineffective. …But that didn't stop a certain demon from trying to show his support. "Boom-chika! Boom-chika! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BIG MAN—"

"What are you doing!?" Zak shouted

"I'm pumpin' you up!" Kaz explained.

"Well it's distracting—"

*WHAM*

"OH SHIT, MOTHERFU—Oh." At first, Zak and Kaz thought that the punch would send them straight through the rock wall, but thankfully, Ruby had come in to catch Zak at the last second. The same went for Neptune, who had also gotten punched yet saved from getting put through a wall by Helen.

Once they were back on solid ground, Ruby asked; "Zak, you alright?"

Zak let out a heavy breath, relieved that he hadn't been turned into a pancake. "Yeah… I think. But man, those things are tough!"

*CHA-KOOM*

Just as he said that, though, a flaming heap of twisted metal came falling down in the middle of the other four Iron Bulls, followed by Penny and Vados coming in for a landing with the rest of the team. "Perhaps so, but they are NOT invincible!" Vados rallied with a raised fist.

"HAH! So you beat ONE of them! Big deal!" Red Son rebuked as the Fire Mech closed in on the team. "There's nothing you can do to stop ALL of these top-of-the-line mechanical marvels—"

*SHINK-SHINK*

*CRASH*

From out of nowhere, something dark flew down from above and cleaved through the Fire Mech's flamethrower arms, causing it to stumble backwards while the appendages blew up on either side. And there, standing where the mech once towered over them, was Raven, her eyes burning as she sheathed Omen at her side. She reigned in her Maiden Powers, however, as she looked back to her girls, smiling in relief. "Hah, Yang! Ruby!"

"Mom!"

"Raven!" The sisters jogged up and met Raven with an embrace, with Ruby cheering; "That was an AWESOME entrance!"

"Hmhm, thank you, Ruby…" Raven chuckled… only to bring her hands down firmly on the girls' heads. "But what in the world is this? I thought I taught the two of you better than to get beaten back by a hunk of junk!"

The sister's winced at her form of discipline. "I-It's not our fault, mom!" Yang implored. "Red Son cheated!" She thrust a finger over to him. "He made adaptable robots that're predicting our every move!"

Glancing back to the demons, Raven stuck up her nose at the arrogant prince, whose confidence was slightly shaken by her arrival. "Has he, now? Well, let's see if he's able to predict THIS move…" Red Son was about to open his mouth and ask what she was going on about, but then…

-ATTACK RIDE-

Clock Up!

…he blinked.

Clock Over!

When he opened his eyes, the battlefield had completely changed. Where once stood four Iron Bull Adaptoid Robots built to perfection… were now heaps of burning metal upon the ground. Red Son belted out an incredulous scream, with his demon family all equally bewildered. "GYAAAAAAHH! MY ROBOTS!" He fell to his knees, his hands scooping up the heaps of scrap, unaffected by their burning remains. "H-How, WHO could've…" It was only then, however, that he noticed a pair of black boots in the middle of the four scrapheaps… which was attached to a Kamen Rider.

Just from his belt alone, he knew that it had to be Decade, but he was in yet another completely different form. This one had a black undersuit with cherry red armor featuring silver accents on his torso, shoulders, arms and shins. The helmet was also red and silver, with a big, blue visor that had a large, rhinoceros beetle horn separating it to make it resemble insectoid eyes. Decade peered down to the demon prince and scoffed. "Hmph, seems I broke your toys."

Zak's eyes lit up in an instant. "OOOOH YEAH! He's breakin' out Kabuto!"

"W-What just happened, though?!" Helen exclaimed. "I blinked and I missed it!"

"It's called "Clock Up"." Zak explained. "It's an ability that only Kamen Rider Kabuto—and by association, Decade—can use. He basically goes so fast that time essentially stops around him."

"…That sounds overpowered as hell." Swift commented, only to smirk soon after. "I like it!"

Red Son, however, was completely beside himself. It was then that he noticed, though, that his Fire Mech was still operational, even without arms. As it sat up, he ordered; "D-Don't just SIT there! CRUSH HIM!" The Fire Mech dutifully got back to its stabilizers and charged at Decade… who inserted another card into his Driver.

-FINAL ATTACK RIDE-

Ka-Ka-Ka-Kabuto!

All at once, the Rider's leg became enveloped in electrical power, the energy coursing through the limb as the Fire Mech closed in. Then, once it was within two feet of him, he spun around with incredible speed, delivering a roundhouse kick to its chest. He went back to his neutral stance, not even looking back as the mech fell backward yet again… and exploded. With Red Son's jaw now firmly on the ground, Decade brushed off his hands and returned to his base form. "They really don't make killer robots like they used to." Tsukasa commented before noticing Amaterasu and Fujin both gawking at him in disbelief. "…Kami-sama." he bowed his head in respect. "A pleasure."

"D-Dekeido-san…" the Sun Goddess uttered, trying to comprehend the fact that a fictional icon was standing before her very eyes. "A-Are… are you really…"

"There'll be time for explanations later." Wu Kong asserted as he approached the demons with staff in hand. "Right now… it's time we seal the deal on this."

However, the demons were anything BUT compliant in that. "Never!" the Bull King growled, his eyes glowing green once again as he summoned all of the strength he could muster. He was so absorbed in the moment that he didn't even realize it when the cave began to tremble, though everyone else did. "Even if I am in a weakened state, I will NOT go down without a fight, Wu Kong! You will put me in the ground only when I am DEAD!"

"That so?" It was only upon the arrival of a loud, booming voice did the Demon Bull King realized that something was amiss. He and the others all craned their heads up… where they were met with Way Big's scowling visage. The demons' all felt their jaws drop as the To'kustar raised his giant fist. "I CAN ARRANGE THAT! GRRRAAAAHHH!" A vengeful yell erupted from the hero as he plunged his fist into the cave and SMASHED all four demons under it, leaving Neo to tumble away in fright.

"Woah-ho! Ben!" Neptune chortled. "Nice work!"

"Don't thank me yet!" Way Big dismissed, his eyes moving toward Wu Kong. "Monkey King, get to work on that se—AAAH!" Unexpectedly, the giant alien suddenly lurched forward as his hand went sinking into the ground, much to everyone else's fear and confusion.

Ilia immediately called for everyone to; "GET OUT OF THE WAY!", promoting them all to dive aside. Charmcaster cast a shielding spell over their heads as Way Big caught himself on his other hand, the group staying huddled together as he carefully pulled his arm out of the ground.

But when he did, it was revealed that the ground actually hadn't caved in on itself. Rather… a familiar, violet-colored portal had opened up under Way Big's hand, safely transporting the demons away. Neo quickly hopped in after them… where Eon was already waiting. He stared up at Way Big and sent him a condescending wave. "Always a step behind, Tennyson. Too bad, so sad." The dimension hopper snapped his fingers, making the portal shrink. "Maybe next time."

"NOOO!" Way Big bellowed as he tucked his head into the cave, only to then transform back to his human form so he could roll along the ground and falling into a sprint. "EON!" Ben leapt for the portal, intent on diving straight in… but it was too late. The portal had sealed itself up, ensuring not only the Ministry's escape… but the Demon Bull King's as well. "No! Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!" The team could only watch in stunned silence as Ben repeatedly struck his hand upon the rocky surface, to the point where it was bloodied and cut open in several places.

"Stop it!" Yang rushed forward and grabbed his wrists, screaming; "Ben, STOP IT! That's enough! All you're doing is hurting yourself!" His breaths heavy and ragged, Ben eventually conceded… by falling into her with a desperate embrace. Yang was surprised at first, but she reciprocated the hug without question, rubbing comforting circles into his back. "…It's okay. It's all gonna be okay."

"…Yang, I want to believe you so badly." Ben said, his voice quiet and hoarse. "But the Ministry just unleashed one of the biggest evils this world has ever seen. And it's seen a LOT of that."

The Blonde Brawler was skeptical of that, though. "…Are you saying that the Demon Bull King is worse than Dagon of all things?"

From behind, Wu Kong and the rest approached, his own expression etched with worry. "Probably not, but you can be damn sure that Bull King's not gonna pull any punches when he goes to reclaim his power."

"He talked about wanting to be the ruler of this world." Ruby mentioned, pursing her lips uncertainly. "And he said it with a lot of confidence, too. Do… do you think he'll be able to get what he wants that easily?"

"Not if we have anything to say about it, girl." Bajie said, walking up with his rake upon his shoulder. "We beat him once, we can do it again."

Ben did a doubletake when he heard an unfamiliar voice, his eyes widening when they set upon the pig man. "W-Woah! Uh… hi. You're new."

"Yeah, that's Zhu Bajie." Sun piped up as he walked over as well. "He's kinda the reason why we got held up on the mountain back home." Bajie simply huffed and waved the monkey boy off, which made Sun roll his eyes. "But anyway, the bad guys might've gotten away… but at least they didn't take this with them." Bringing up his hand, Sun presented the Heavenly Pillar, which seemed to glow iridescently as the moonlight hit its golden clasps.

Hope moved up and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, otherwise, they would've had even MORE of an advantage." She ushered Ben to come closer. "Now let me see your hands, Ben. You're basically wearing red gloves at this point."

The hero looked down and was stunned to see just how caked in blood his hands were, prompting him to follow her advice. "Y-Yeah, sure…" As Hope healed him, though, he couldn't help but dwell on what had happened here today. Sure, they had stopped the Iron Bull Army from laying waste to the valley, and the Heavenly Pillar was still in their possession… but there were still so many mistakes that had been left unchecked. "…I should've gone straight for Red Son off the bat. Albedo could've waited…"

Floating in beside him, Amaterasu wore a saddened frown as she bowed her head. "No, Ben Tennyson, you shouldn't blame yourself. I was the appointed guardian of this place, and Red Son not only got past my defenses, but also tricked me with an unforeseen deception."

"Yeah, he tricked ALL of us with that one." Ruby pursed her lips, still frustrated with Neo.

"Don't blame yourself, amigo." Rex assured, placing a hand on Ben's shoulder. "This is on ALL of us, so we're ALL gonna work our asses off to make sure the Demon Bull King is brought down."

Ben sighed, but nodded all the same. "…Yeah, no doubt." He glanced back to Sun with a slight smile. "Gotta say, though… I know I benched you, but I'm glad that you ended up coming here anyway. Who would've thought you'd be worthy to hold a pillar of heaven? Also, nice threads."

The team grinned toward the monkey boy, who was starting to feel a bit sheepish. "I will say, I AM loving how colorful your clothes are, Sun." Weiss approved.

"They are a lot more eye-catching than your old clothes were, that's for sure." Penny said with a thumbs up.

"Heh, thanks…" Sun eyed the Heavenly Pillar with uncertainty, though, unsure of what to think about all this. "But… it doesn't really FEEL like I'm worthy, you know? I mean, Buddha himself would've had to deem me worthy, wouldn't he?"

Wu Kong scratched his chin, also a bit perplexed. "You're right, Pilgrim. This IS a mystery, but one that we'll have to spend some time thinking on."

"But that can wait until later." Blake interjected, folding her arms over her chest. "For right now, though, it's been a long and frankly exhausting day. We should all get home and get some rest."

"A fine idea." Rook concurred, taking out his Plumber's badge. "I will contact the others outside and tell them what has happened."

As Tsukasa reverted out of his suit, he summoned an Aurora Curtain behind him, urging them all to follow him. "I'll get you all home. Something tells me this'll make for quite the debriefing…"

"Hah… you don't know the half of it." Ben muttered as he and everyone else moved toward the silvery veil. "I need a freaking nap."

Once Wu Kong and the others had said their farewells to the gods, they all followed Tsukasa through the portal. Sun was about to go through as well, but he stopped short as something on the ground caught his eye. "Oh, shoot!" He immediately fell to his knees and began scrounging around, which made Blake stop as well. "I almost forgot…"

The cat girl peered down, realizing that what Sun was gathering up were the bits and pieces of his shattered weapon. Two of the guns were still fully intact, but the other two had been reduced to scrap, which Sun picked up one by one. Seeing this, Blake moved around and started helping him, which gave him pause. "Here, let me help." she said.

"Oh… thanks." Once all the pieces were gathered, the two stood up… and an awkward silence permeated between the both of them. "Um… so…"

"So…" Blake raised a brow.

"…This feels so awkward."

"Only as awkward as you want to make it." Blake rebuked with a slightly irritated expression. "If there's something you want to say, then say it, Sun."

Swallowing hard, Sun cleared his throat and got out with it. "I just… wanted to say thanks again for having my back in that fight." His shoulders slumped forward, suddenly feeling very heavy. "I… know that we're on a break, but I wanted to let you know that I appreciated it."

With a silent sigh, Blake replied; "You're welcome.", before turning around toward the Aurora Curtain. "Now, let's go. I doubt Tsukasa wants to keep this open for long." And just like that, she promptly went through, leaving Sun to hang his head.

'…Yeah. Knew it'd take more than a day.'

"Well, it may not EVER go back to the way it was, ever think of that?" Sun gasped at the unexpected voice, one that sounded vaguely familiar. He whirled around, and his eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets when he saw… Another OOO, leaning up against the cave wall with his hands resting casually behind his head. "Let's face it, Blake must HATE you now. There's no going back, man."

"Y-You don't know that!" Sun shouted. "She's not—"

"Sun." Amaterasu spoke up, startling him as she and Fujin stood by his side. "Is everything alright?"

Shaking his head, Sun blinked, and in the next moment, Another OOO had disappeared. As if he had never been there in the first place. "I-I… I don't know." he uttered.

Fujin raised a brow at him. "You're speaking with phantoms, boy. I suggest you go home, get some rest."

Squeezing his shoulder, Amaterasu gave him her own words of encouragement as well. "Yes, and worry not. Whatever is going on between you and Blake, I'm certain you'll be able to sort it out. Okay?"

"…Yeah." Sun put on his best smile, bowing his head to the goddess. "Thank you, Lady Amaterasu. See ya later." As he crossed the threshold through the Aurora Curtain, however, Sun couldn't help but dwell on what he'd just saw. …And he REALLY hoped it was just a figment of his imagination.

…..

A/N: Phew… hardest part over. Man, that was a HUGE battle, and probably one of the more complex ones that I've ever had to deal with. Really hope this one stuck the landing for you guys, because it's part of the reason why these have taken a while longer than usual. In any case, as expected, the Demon Bull King is now completely free and got away scot-free with his family, much to Ben and the team's dismay. But of course, just because the Ministry have won the day doesn't mean they've won the war. There'll still be many more battles to come.

And hey, if anything, at least the Omni-Hunters have got something that the villains don't; the Heavenly Staff, which is now in the hands of Sun. Talk about a lucky break… even though it's odd how he's able to lift the staff without being deemed worthy or being immortal. Very strange indeed… but hey, at least he's got some spankin' new threads! Hope you guys like 'em, because again, they're VERY Monkie Kid inspired, albeit with some colors rearranged to work better with Sun.

But oh boy… that confrontation with Blood Stalk outside was rather foreboding, wasn't it? Granted, at least Kenny and Winter managed to beat that Emperor Taijitu, with the help of yet another new form for the former… Cross-Z Unicorn! But still, the fact that he seemed to have an odd effect on Caesar is scary. Could it have been just normal fear… or something else affecting him? …Well, either way, let's hear it for Nora going all out, as usual! Now that she has Titan, she's gonna end up doing a LOT of crazy moves like that, for sure.

On that note, though, next time! Things start settling as both sides take stock of everything that's happened in the aftermath of the battle. From new allies… to lost or departing allies. In the case of the former, that'd be Psychobos… and for the latter, well, you'll see soon enough. But until then, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and that you all have happy holidays! I'll catch you guys next Saturday, so thanks for reading, Merry Christmas to one and all, and as always, stay safe out there!