Asus RT-BE92U cannot ping out [but all connected devices can access internet!]

[rickterowl]

Hi all - Long time forum browser! New to posting here.

I have some weird behavior on my new RT-BE92U that I cannot figure out.

First to set the stage... my network map:
Internet (Fios 1G) --> OPNSense Router ---> Switch --> Asus BE92U [AP mode] ---> switch ---> AC68U AIMesh Node [soon to be replaced with a AX68 pro]

Second: All devices connected to my network, wired or wifi, can ping the internet (8.8.8.8 is my typical go-to). Only the Asus router itself seems to be unable to communicate.

Problem:
While debugging a unrelated issue, I noticed that the date on the Asus log was 12/31. NTP seemed to be configured fine but it fails to update the time. All I see in the log is "ntp: start NTP update"
At the time, the router was set to default (pool.ntp.org) so I changed it to the OPNSense router which is hosting a NTP server. No dice. Same error. [btw - my home linux PC syncs time with the OPNSense router successfully).
Next step... I use the network tools to try to ping... first the router itself, 100% fail. 8.8.8.8 --> 100% fail. But it'll successfully ping a few of the devices on the network [many I have configured to not respond to ping].
I also tried form the OPNSense router to ping the Asus wifi. 100% fail. The OPNSense can ping everything.
Just so I had one 'win', I used ssh to set the time properly. Better than nothing...

I have the latest firmware from Asus (3.0.0.6.102_37025, 11/4/2024)...which btw, was found by the router during initial setup. So it must've called 'home'.

Any ideas what it could be? At this point I am convinced it has nothing with my OPNSense router, and it seems like a Asus bug....

Thanks,

-Rick