Luci sat at Soul's desk looking through Soul's personal things. Miya sat nearby eyeing him to trying to find something that told him and Soul apart. Anything. She needed to talk to Matsu soon to find some shred of evidence so Miya could destroy Luci once and for all. The imposter creeped up behind Miya while she was deep in thought and grabbed her backside "Hey Miya, want to fool around a bit"

She turned and slapped him as hard she could "Don't touch me!" He held his bruised cheek. She paused for a second looking at him before rushing out of the room as fast as possible.

"Tch, whatever bitch, you'll be mine soon" he mumbled angrily, rubbing his now injured cheek.

Matsu and Kochō reviewed the footage of the last fight Luci was in with that strange hooded ashikabi when Miya barged into the room.

"I don't think that is Soul" Miya blurted out soundly deathly worried.

"To be honest... we don't either" Matsu started "We began to review the battle footage between him and the hooded figure, look here, at his stance, that isn't Soul's stance, it's completely different" she said pointing at he screen.

Kochō typed quickly into the picture putting a picture of Soul's stance and a picture of Luci's stance "His footing is completely off, along with how he holds his weapon like a… toy"

"And how he acts… it isn't right... it's just… not" Matsu added sounding distraught.

"So... what should we do?" Miya asked.

"I don't know..." Matsu said spinning her chair towards Miya "This is not enough evidence, but if it really is Soul and he… changed his ways... we kill him, we would kill everyone else."

"I didn't think of that..." Miya admitted.

"For now" Matsu turned back to the computer "We need to get a DNA sample without him knowing, just in case he figures out we suspect him and things become even worse."

"How will we do that?" Miya questioned.

Matsu paused for a moment "I... I don't know..."

Soul spun a pencil in his fingers as he thought of his next course of action. He needed to kill Luci for all he's done, but also reconstruct the suppressed bond between most of his sekirei. "Should I question him..?" He thought aloud.

"Maybe I could surprise him and knock him out so you can question him" Yahan added as she came out of the shadows and sat on his lap.

He wrapped an arm around her still deep in thought "Maybe..." She nuzzled him as he did so.

"Soul" a gruff, male voice from behind Yahan and Soul asked.

Soul swiveled his chair towards it "Yeah Sanada-san?"

The voice belonged to the ashikabi of the west, Sanada Nishi "The 3rd stage started"

"Damn, already? What's the match up?"

He leaned on the wall "It's a tag-team match, you and me versus your doppelgänger and the 'demon ashikabi' chick"

"The 'Demon Ashikabi'?"

"They didn't release their name, only said she was a chick"

Kaho spoke up "Soul-sama, how did you get acquainted with 'The Ashikabi of the West'?"

"I could tell you the story, if you like."

"If it's not to much trouble..." She said, bashful my looking downwards.

"Well it started when…" He began

The Night Soul was Attacked

"I need… To get home…" Soul wheezed weakly.

"You're too injured, he would kill you" Yahan attempted to dissuade him.

"He's going… To hurt them…" he coughed up more blood. His bond with the others was drastically suppressed, he needed to find someway to reconnect with them, to show them the truth.

"Just hang there a little longer Soul-sama"

"Well isn't it the 'God Ashikabi'" a voice unknown to Soul said from down the street.

Soul looked up with his weary and tired eyes "Who's there..?"

It began to rain "They call me 'The Ashikabi of the West'"

"I'm-"

"Don't worry, I've heard all about you asshole" He narrowed his eyes looking peeved "Get em girls" his sekirei jumped down from the rooftops. Yahan sat the injured Soul against a wall before taking out her dagger and facing them. He watched her use the shadows to her advantage while he tried to find the strength to get up again. He should've died there, but he refused. He needed to keep going. Soul used what little strength he had left to summon his other sword, a nodachi, and use to prop himself up. The scythe wielding sekirei of "The Ashikabi of the West" raised her scythe to plunge into Yahan's turned back but Soul jumped off the wall and took the hit.

"Your fight is with me" He wheezed weakly. she growled and Soul brandished his nodachi. Yahan tried to get him to sit down but he wouldn't, not then, not now. He needed to save her. She needed him to live. And she was all he had left, for the time being, anyway. Soul took the scythe out of his back with an angry snarl.

"Damn… this guy is… something…" The scythe-wielder admitted. They circled each other while the West's other Sekirei watched, giving him the respect of a fair one-on-one fight, something that he hasn't had in a while from his adversaries since he made enemies with Higa.

"Chiyo, be careful, I heard this guy can take down sekirei by himself" Sanada announced.

"Soul please, you're injured…" Yahan pleaded.

He turned to her and smiled lightly "Don't worry, I'll be fine" he said reassuringly, even though he doubted that. Soul shrugged off his worries and doubt before aiming his sword at his enemy "I'll let you have the first shot"

"I won't hold back" She responded.

"I wouldn't want you to" He said confidently. Sanada watched carefully feeling confused, Soul wasn't acting at all like how the rumours depicted him. He was… kind. He showed genuine care for his sekirei, going so far as sacrificing his life for them.

"Wait Chiyo" Sanada called out making her hold back the fight "You"

"What" Soul responded ready for anything.

"Why do you protect your sekirei" The Ashikabi of the West asked seeing what response he would receive, may it be one of desire and selfishness or one of care and selflessness.

"I lost many things in the past, many people." Soul started "I refuse to let anything take anyone I care about away from me, anything"

Sanada was a little more than a little surprised, he expected an definite answer of "Because she's mine" or "Because I love her" or the common half cocked answer "I don't know" but instead he received a heartfelt, genuine answer that was in between the first two. He took a moment to think before coming to a conclusion "Are you really Soul Sweaper? I don't really see your other sekirei with you"

"I was attacked… I don't feel their bond anymore" He said sounding disheartened.

"Are they… Deactivated?" Sanada asked, feeling some sympathy for the man.

"No, I know that much"

"Then..?" Now he was curious.

"Someone took them, someone who looks just like me. He gave me a serum of sorts and now..." Soul lowered his weapon "I've been weakened and I can't feel them… I need to get back to them" He raised his weapon "that's why I refuse to lose here, for them and for her"

Sanada was taken aback a little, his determination was unwavering, seemingly, unbreakable "We're not fighting them"

"What?! You heard the stuff they say about this guy, he could be lying!" Chiyo exclaimed.

"It's in his eyes, he isn't lying, no one can fake a resolve like his"

"Then what are we going to do with them?" She asked still upset with this course of action. Sanada took a good look at Soul. He looked ragged, he was heavily injured and was barely standing up straight.

"You're injured, come with us and we'll help you"

Soul stayed defensive "What if you attempt to kill me?"

"Look at yourself, We could have killed you already"

He grew silent for a moment before giving in "Alright…"

Current Time

"And now the rest is history" Kaho nodded and felt a little distrust towards Sanada for almost killing her master. "When is the battle Sanada-san?"

"In a few hours" He turned to leave "you should get ready, I'm not carrying your ass" Soul nodded with a smirk and left to get dressed.

-line break-

Luci had been shooting down Yukari's advances saying something about it being "immoral", which, consequently, put her in a very fragile and depressed state. Luci had also made sexual advances towards Soul's sekirei frequently which began to scare some some of them. He just wouldn't act like Soul. He was brash, extremely sexual, unnecessarily violent, and overbearingly possessive. To them, Soul was an overall nice guy who cared for their feelings and desires while this man who masqueraded as their ashikabi was just ignorant towards their thoughts. But because of their bond (which felt weak and empty) they had no choice but to follow him. "Alright girls, we're going to fight in a little tag team battle" Luci announced after he had gathered everyone at the dining room table. "We're going to fight to the death with them, leave no survivors" the room was silent "Be ready in an hour" He left Soul's sekirei in the room and they whispered and murmured to each other. Karasuba was ready to kill Luci where he stood, but restrained herself, if he really was Soul, then she owed him that much.

"Yukari-sama you need to get up… you've been laying in bed all day…" Shiina asked his ashikabi. He received no response… again. "You need to get up and move around… at least for a little while" the phone she was currently staring into blankly vibrated lightly signifying she had a text.

Tiredly, she opened it up and saw it was the information for the tag-team fight "maybe…" She sat up slowly staring intently into the phone "Maybe if I fight well… Onii-san will care for me again…"

"Yukari-sama..?" Shiina asked tentatively. Something wasn't right… she was acting off. For the time Shiina had known her, Yukari was always happy-go lucky and would be filled with energy. But now... he needed to help her. He needed to find the answer to her sadness.

Soul arrived to the area where the fight was to be held along with Sanada, his sekirei, Kaho, and Yahan. He adorned the costume he wore when he fought Luci for the first time so that his identity would be hidden for the time being "Just follow my lead Sanada-san, do not attack"

"Are you sure?"

"Very…" Soul went silent as Luci entered the abandoned warehouse with his sekirei and Yukari and Shiina.

"You read the notice, only one sekirei fighting at a time!" Sanada said aloud.

"The likes of you didn't need to remind me… Miya, you're up" Luci had forced Miya to come along and fight. She, begrudgingly, came along.

"Soul-san, i don't think it is fair-"

"Miya, you're fighting" he said, interrupting her protests.

She frowned and walked forward "As you wish" he took her stance and unsheathed her sword "I am truly sorry for this…" she lunged towards Soul, looking to make his death swift and painless, but was met instead by him catching her sword between his fingers. It took her a moment to register what he had just done. Even when she did comprehend it she didn't understand how he did it "How did yo-" she was cut off by him pulling her forward and catching her lips his own. Miya's elegant purple wings sprouted from her back and her eyes widened in shock. Almost immediately, all of Soul's sekirei felt an intense anger flow through their bonds.

Soul slowly broke away from their kiss and removed his hood "Are you alright?" her words caught in her throat, she was both filled with immense joy and confusion. He smiled and patted her head before moving away. More anger and hatred pumped through their bond as he made his way towards the trembling now Luci. His power, all of it, was returning. His control of the elements. His immense strength. And his healing factor.

"You can't be alive… I killed you… There is no way…"

"It seems… Even after you pretended to be me" Soul dashed and slammed Luci through a nearby wall."You seem to not know anything about me..." He headbutted Luci creating a loud yet satisfying crack "You don't know the shit I've been through" He stomped on Luci's knee and shattered it instantly "So remember this…" he threw him into another wall and allowed him to slide to the floor slowly "My name is Soul Sweaper motherfucker don't you ever forget" He raised his arm out and it began to glow "God's Flaming Wrath" a pillar of white fire shot out at unseeable speed and disintegrated Luci's arm. The wound cauterized immediately but that did not prevent Luci from screaming at the top of his lungs at the unbearable and unimaginable pain.

"ARGH, Y-YOU'RE NOT FUCKING HUMAN! FUCK THIS 'GOD ASHIKABI' SHIT! Y-you're, yo-you're not even fucking human, what the FUCK are you!" He grabbed the burnt stub that was once his arm and flinched.

"For all you've done" Soul cracked his knuckles, ignoring his fear created questions "You're going to die." Luci panicked and pressed and button on his thigh. In a very comedic fashion, he shot up into the air, through the roof, and crashed right into MBI tower. "Fuck…" Soul hissed. Most his sekirei were dumbfounded, even Yukari was confused.

The only one who wasn't, which was Karasuba, made her way to Soul, and suckerpunched him "Took you long enough… idiot…" She mumbled. After being deprived from his powers and healing factor for so long and having just overexerting himself he collapsed. "Soul..? Soul!" She, a the rest of his sekirei (along with Yukari and Sanada) rushed to his side to assist him.

Minika laughed extremely loud. He was ecstatic, Soul passed every test he had set up for him. He was truly a god in every. single. way. possible. "Now… now… It's time for the final test Soul… If you pass you you will ascend to the heavens"

It's been too long since I updated. I made many promises in the past but I'll try to update more regularly. But anyway, the story is wrapping up soon and as a warning, this next chapter will be a filler. A little relationship repair and to bring him closer to other characters. Also, if you have watch Highschool of the Dead go read my other fanfiction, "Humanity Will not Fall", It has Soul, but, his personality is a little different. Have a question? A suggestion? Some advice? Leave a review or send me a PM and I'll be sure to answer you. Thanks for reading.

Update 04/27/16: there, completely done with the rewrite, fixed little to nothing other than spelling errors and grammar mistakes. I'll try harder next time.

Note: Sanada did this all for his own gain, befriending the 'God Ashikabi' would enable him to survive the plan.