Disclaimer: I do not own Yoroiden Samurai Troopers, or the warlords, AKA masho. The scenes in this fic are a 'could have happened' type of thing. I expect it will be short. Maybe painfully so, and I will only continue it if it turns out to be something people like.

Turning A Blind Eye

" Sometimes, you see the world most clearly when your sight has been taken from you. It all come into focus… but even though you know there is a door leading out of the darkness, you are still blind, and are unable to find it. "

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Tapla's power was growing, but before it had reached the peak of supremacy, something unthinkable happened. He was defeated. His arrogance and desire for power clouded his mind, and eventually led to his defeat. Just before the final blow was struck, he used the rest of his energy to remove himself from the battlefield. Returning to the netherworld, he was left with hardly any strength. He could hardly retain a physical form.

Knowing he was not yet out of the woods, he began to think of how he could survive long enough to regain his former strength, and more. He would need the white armor of Hariel if he expected to reshape the worlds in his own image. But it would take a great while to regain his energy, and there was very little he could do until he was recovered. He needed an anchor, a steady energy source. At the same time, he needed loyal followers that could defend him as he recovered.

As he thought and thought, Talpa soon smiled. He had a plan of how to solve both problems. In time, he laid his body temporarily to rest, and sought out the cruel hearts of humans in the lower world with his spirit. Only the negativity of humans was strong enough to sustain him, and it was something that would never deplete itself. In his search for his sources, he came across four unusually strong men. They were strong, healthy, and they wanted power. He knew then that they would make the most perfect pawns.

One by one, he approached them, promising them power beyond what any normal human could ever hope to attain, and one by one, they flocked to him, willingly surrendering their humanity for nameless, unbelievable power. Thus were born the four warlords of the dynasty.

However, as some time passed, Talpa noticed something. The warrior Dais, warlord of illusion seemed to be thinking. Something wasn't right. Dais, as a human, was always very bright. He never had the need to fool his enemies with cheap tricks in order to get what he wanted, and as time went on, he began to distance himself from the others. He seemed to have figured out what his decision had truly meant, and that, Talpa could not allow. If he was to build his empire, he needed mindless soldiers who would follow him to hell, not those who were likely to discover his trickery and betray him.

Still, there was no way to tell exactly how much Dais knew, and that was troubling. Dais would need to be dealt with, and disciplined, and Talpa knew just the right ways to do this.