After the last of his esteemed guests left the room, Tetsuya's confident posture deflated as he sighed and sunk down into a seat. After remembering that his boss was still with him in the room, he shot straight back up into a standing position before bowing.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Tilbury."

"You don't need to thank me. Rather, I should be thanking you. You're helping prevent a future threat to the people and as a bonus, you created a project our company can profit from all on your own. I am thoroughly impressed. Keep this up and you might just end up sitting on my seat one day," praised the CEO as he patted his former apprentice's shoulder.

Tetsuya smiled, "You're much too kind." Something in his pocket then started to vibrate. He fished out his phone and saw his best friend's name on the screen. He bowed slightly to his boss. "Sorry, I have to take this call."

"Go ahead."

The employee stepped out of the room and answered the call. His face then hardened. His friend rarely called him unless it was urgent. "Dai. Is something wrong?"

"Yes, Tetsu, something is very wrong." Tetsuya's eyebrows furrowed. He did not like his friend's tone. It was riddled with barely withheld panic. "An Effigy was spotted at the shopping center and Amaya went after it. I tried to stop her but…"

"Don't worry, just go after her. The gun should have more than enough power by now so go ahead and take it. I'll be there as soon as I can," he instructed before hanging up. He opened the door into the office his boss was in and said, "Mr. Tilbury, I have another favor to ask of you. Please call our investors and tell them that we need to create that prototype much sooner than we expected."

Amaya revved her bike's engine up as she tried to make it go at top speed. A voice in the back of her head screamed at her to slow down before she got hurt but she shut it up. Soon, she started to see people running away from a certain direction. She decided to do the opposite and rode toward that certain direction. She found the Effigy she was looking for. It looked bigger than it looked on TV. That did not deter her, however, and she pushed her motorcycle harder than before. Hearing the sound of the engine, the monster turned around to look at her and roared. Amaya merely smiled and waited, and waited, and waited until finally, she jumped off of her bike before it hit the creature at top speed. She rolled to a stop and quickly got up to examine the damage she caused.

Her motorcycle was completely totaled. She winced as she imagined having to ask her brother for a replacement. She shook her head and set that worry aside. She had done what she had wanted to. The Effigy was on the ground and reeling from the pain. No matter how strong it was, anything would be sent off its feet after being run over by a speeding vehicle. She grinned to herself and stepped forward. She looked at her wrist and… hesitated.

She opened her mouth but closed it. She then opened it again and closed it again. She repeated this one last time. She then groaned to herself as she scratched her head and considered her choices. She could call on Lacrima to defeat the monster but completely lose control of her own body again or she could run away because she knew she had no chance to fight on her own. Both choices were deplorable to her but she knew she had to choose one.

In her long moment of hesitation, she did not notice the Effigy get up. It rubbed its head before glaring at the still oblivious woman. It let out a battle cry as it charged forward at her. She was snapped out of her train of thought by the sound. She saw the creature cock back a fist. She knew she had no time to avoid it so she closed her eyes and put up a sloppy guard, hoping that, by some miracle, she would survive the blow.

She then heard another shout but this time, it sounded human. She had no time to open her eyes back up before she felt a shockwave push her off the ground. She slowly lifted her eyelids and saw a newcomer on the stage. A very familiar newcomer.

"Sanji?"

He was already transformed and in his horned Power Form. He was on the ground but steadily recovering. Once he got up to a standing position, he shook his right hand before twisting his right shoulder. The Effigy was on its feet but it was noticeably reeling from pain. It glared at the masked monster and banged on its chest as it roared. While it was doing so, its opponent took that opportunity to land a sucker punch on its face, making it collapse down to the ground.

"Yeah, yeah. You're the big man, I'm the puny insect. You're not the first one," Invictus said sarcastically. He then walked toward Amaya and stretched his hand out to her. "Even outside the forest, you get yourself in trouble. You really are a handful, you know that?"

She rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand, allowing him to pull her up. "I'm fine, thanks for asking. How'd you know the Effigy was here?"

"I caught it getting out of the barrier. I hurried outside and tried to rescue whoever was unlucky enough to have caught that thing's attention but nobody was there. I tried to fight it but it didn't fight like an animal like every other Effigy. It fought like it was on a mission and that mission clearly wasn't to eat. It caught me off guard and the monster got away," explained Invictus.

Amaya's eyebrows raised. "If it wasn't chasing after a meal, what was it here for?"

"I don't know but whatever it is, I hope the Effigy never finds it," he replied.

The woman internally agreed. Out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted the Effigy getting back on its feet. "Hey, hero. The big scary monster's back up."

Invictus chuckled before facing the Effigy and putting an arm in front of the woman. "Then I suggest you stand back, milady. Get out of here if you can."

Amaya crossed her arms. "No way in hell am I gonna leave you here."

"It was worth a shot," the masked monster shrugged his shoulders. Amaya then saw him taking a glance at the bracelet she was wearing. If he had anything to say about it, it never came out of his mouth. "Now, seriously, stand back. I can't protect you and fight at the same time."

It was Amaya's turn to look at her bracelet. She had to make a decision now. She cursed inwardly as she made her choice. She then forced an encouraging smile. "Okay. Go beat that monster up for me." She felt sick uttering those words but nonetheless, she stepped aside to give way for the upcoming battle.

"Will do," said Invictus as he gave her a thumbs up. He then crouched into a stance as he prepared to fight. "Come get some, ugly!"

He stood still and waited for the Effigy to make the first move. It did not take long for it to run toward him. Amaya could practically see him smile under the mask if he even had a human mouth under it. The gorilla threw a very predictable punch which was easily sidestepped. Invictus landed a left jab on its chest, making it stop on its tracks, before following up with a straight right. The Effigy stumbled back but quickly regained its footing. The masked man was forced to throw up a block against an incoming uppercut. While his arms absorbed most of the damage, he was still sent off his feet and into the air. He used that opportunity to deploy his wings just in time to avoid a follow-up attack. He then folded his wings again and dropped with his fist cocked back. The Effigy managed to retract its outstretched arm in time to block the blow. It then pushed him away to get some distance between them.

Invictus landed on his feet and shook his right hand. "Ah, damn it. I'm still sore from that first punch."

Nonetheless, he still had to finish the fight. This time, he was the one to make the first move. He charged forward and cocked a fist back. The Effigy threw up a guard but at the last second, Invictus jumped up and flew above the monster. Once he flew past his opponent, he dropped and tried to land a punch to the back of the head but the creature spun around and swatted him away. The impact caused him to tumble and bounce across the concrete floor before being stopped by a nearby building. He fell to his knees and the first thing he saw as he regained his bearings was a gigantic fist coming for his face. He was driven through the wall and into the building.

Amaya watched as Invictus struggled to get up. His arms shook as he tried to push himself up from the ground but ultimately, his tired limbs gave in and he ended up right where he started. The Gorilla Effigy pounded its chest one last time before walking away. It did not take long for it to continue its rampage. The only people around were the ones in the news helicopter and the monster seemed to notice this. It grabbed a fallen concrete pillar and threw it at the flying vehicle. Although the pilot tried to maneuver around it, the pillar caught the helicopter's tail, causing it to spin out of control. Invictus finally got himself to his feet and immediately ran outside. He then spread out his wings and flew into the helicopter. Amaya did not see him come out before the vehicle crashed into a skyscraper.

"Sanji!"

Her shout caught the attention of the Effigy. Once again, she found herself being the target of the monster. However, before it could do anything, she saw three green beams of light fly into the creature's chest. However, it did not do anything but shift the monster's attention.

"Not gonna work, huh?" said the one who fired the bullets.

"Daisuke! You're here!" Amaya exclaimed. Although she would not admit it, she felt a small amount of relief seeing him. However, that relief was quickly replaced by fear as the Effigy jumped at her friend. "Watch out!"

The man merely smiled. "I'd rather you stay where you are," he commented as he pulled the trigger. A red beam of light came out of the pistol and when it hit the monster, it stopped in the air and fell straight down.

"Dai, heads up!"

Tetsuya ran up from behind his friend and jumped on his shoulders. Without needing to look, the latter fired an orange bullet forward. At the same time, Tetsuya fell into the bullet's path. As he was sent forward by the resulting shockwave, he stretched his right leg outward to land a kick on the Effigy's face. It was caught off guard by the Inertia Cancellation beam so it did not have enough time to put up a block. However, the force of the kick was only enough to make its head snap back and make it lose its balance. Tetsuya jumped off its head and delivered an axe kick to its forehead, making it fall to the ground.

Daisuke ran up to the Effigy and stepped on its body. The pistol in his hands was now glowing bright blue and he aimed it at the monster's head. Before he could pull the trigger, the Effigy slammed its fists on the ground, simultaneously pushing Daisuke off of it and its body into a standing position. Tetsuya immediately jumped away but the monster turned to face him and roared. He simply smiled and held up three fingers as the Effigy walked toward him.

"Three… Two… One…"

Amaya then heard an engine revving and before she could turn her head to see what it was, a white motorcycle, which was going much faster than what her own bike was going, ran over the creature. The Effigy was sent flying through the glass window of a shop while the motorcycle slowed down and moved by itself to Tetsuya's side.

As Daisuke got back on his feet, he observed, "So you finally decide to bring it out of the shed for a test drive."

His best friend shrugged his shoulders. "Seemed like the perfect opportunity."

The woman ran up to them. "Woah, Onii. What is that?"

"It's a side project. It was designed to be able to find and drive to me while unmanned," Tetsuya explained. His smile widened. He could almost see stars in his sister's eyes. "I call it the Pathfinder."

"Cool…" she breathed out, "I want one."

"Hell no. Do you have any idea how long it took just to build this one?" Daisuke complained before letting out a sigh, "Anyway, Tetsu, permission to go higher than Lethal Mode?"

"No, we don't want to cause more damage to the city than what is necessary."

"It's starting to look pretty damn necessary to me." Amaya caught him taking a glance at her bracelet but whatever thoughts he had, he did not say it. They then heard rubble shifting and a groan. "Looks like the big, bad, and ugly's starting to wake up. Amaya, wherever you were hiding, go back."

"And no arguing, just go," Tetsuya continued.

Just like before, Amaya knew she had no choice. She had had too many confrontations with monsters to know that she would only get in the way. She knew that but she hated it. She nodded and went back to where she was before. She watched as the battle continued without her involvement as always.

'Are you content with merely observing?'

Amaya started as she heard a voice. "What!?" She looked around for anyone who could have said it but other than the ones on the battlefield, nobody was around.

'Are you content with merely observing?'

She then realized who was talking. "Lacrima? Is that you?"

'Indeed, it is I. Now, may I ask that you answer my question?'

"You mean am I satisfied with just watching from the sidelines? Of course not but what choice do I have?"

'That is incorrect. You have a number of options, all of which I am aware that you are aware of.'

Amaya frowned as she remembered her previous dilemma. "So you want me to let you use me again? Forget it! I am not working with you again. I would've thrown this bracelet in the trash if I could've."

'You know that your brother and your friend cannot hope to stop that monstrosity. Despite their tools, they are far too weak. The only way to save them is to use my power.'

"Save it! Onii and Daisuke have defeated Effigies before. This one will just be another one of them."

'Are you certain? Watch the battle unfold and evaluate your claims.'

True to her words, the fight was not going as well as Amaya had said. Tetsuya was down on one knee, trying to catch his breath, while his best friend was trying his best to distract the monster by shooting at it with green-colored bullets. He succeeded but now he had to focus on trying not to get squashed under its gigantic fists. Amaya could already see him starting to run out of steam.

However, a reddish-brown figure fell down from the sky and crashed down onto the Effigy. The figure stood up and Amaya felt a wave of relief wash over her.

"Sanji! You're alive!"

"Of course I'm alive. I'm invinci—oof!"

He was interrupted as the downed monster punched him off its body. He was sent soaring into the second floor of a building. He pushed himself up and looked down through the hole made by the impact. He then pointed an accusing finger at the Effigy.

"Hey, give me a warning next time! That hurt!"

He spread his wings and flew toward his opponent. However, before he could reach it, something crashed into him and pushed him down to the ground. He opened his eyes and found a new Effigy that resembled a cheetah. He tried to punch its face but it easily avoided the blow. The monster then rapidly clawed at his chest. While his armor was tough, the repeated swipes were starting to chip the armor. He tried to put his arms in front of his chest but the Effigy quickly pulled them apart and continued clawing at his armor. Unfortunately for the creature, a small shockwave pushed it off him. Daisuke blew on top of his pistol's barrel as if it was smoking.

The bearded man then ran up to his transformed friend and pulled him up. Tetsuya joined them soon after. The two Effigies walked up to them and growled at them.

"Well, this is quite a pickle we're in," Daisuke commented.

"This isn't normal. Unless they're of the same species, Effigies never work with each other. They should be at each other's throats," Invictus explained with his brows deeply furrowed. He then let out a whisper softly enough to not be heard, "Unless…"

"Dude, we're three guys, one with a remote-controlled bike, one with a laser pistol, and one who's a legit monster, fighting against two other monsters that shouldn't exist. What part of that is normal?" Daisuke snapped at him.

'I will ask once more. Are you content with merely observing?'

Amaya clenched her fists. Her choices were reduced to just two: watching as her brother and friends get pummeled and, most likely, killed or let Lacrima take control of her and risk killing her friend with her own hands. Making her decision, the woman let out a shout of frustration. However, she was not going down without a fight.

"Fine. But on one condition."

'I do not believe you are in a position to make demands, Amaya Hayashi.'

"Look, I know you have a mission of your own. I also know that you can't complete that mission without help. I also know that right now, I'm the only one who can help. If you don't listen to me, you'll have to wait who knows how long for the next sucker to pick your stupid belt up."

A few seconds passed without any reply from the spirit. She waited with bated breath as she watched the Effigies walking closer and closer to the three men. Finally, Amaya received one.

'Very well. What would you ask of me?'

"Don't lay a finger or otherwise hurt my brother, Daisuke, and especially Sanji. Got it?"

'I would not recommend that you let your abomination of a friend live but I will comply.'

The bracelet on her wrist dissipated into wisps of golden light that crowded around her waist, materializing the Lacrimal Belt. Amaya then felt herself taking the back seat as her body moved without her command. Lacrima pressed the white button on the belt and then covered the gray gem with the sliding plate. Quick and upbeat music then played from the item as white light seeped out from behind the cover. She then opened it again with a word.

"Henshin."

"Aer."

After the belt announced the form's name, the gem spewed out black liquid which formed her armor's base. The pieces of her armor then materialized but unlike with her previous forms, they were mainly white in color. A butterfly then came out of her belt and landed on her helmet's face, completing the ensemble.

She waved her hands and wind started to kick up. She used the wind to send her into the air toward the battlefield. She then used the same power to cushion her landing just in front of the trio. She thrust her right hand forward, sending a strong gust of wind which caused the smaller Effigy to lose its balance and forced the larger one to cover its face.

"Amaya?" said Tetsuya. His expression then soured. "Or is it Lacrima?"

"The latter," the woman replied, "I shall provide you with assistance. I shall also spare you, masked abomination, from your rightful fate. You should be grateful for Amaya Hayashi's loyalty to you."

"Why I oughta…" grumbled Invictus but he did not take it any further.

"I shall fight this monstrous titan. I trust that you will find a way to stop the other," Lacrima commanded.

Tetsuya nodded before getting on his motorcycle. "Sanji, you're with me. Dai, assist Lacrima."

Without waiting for either reply, he went ahead and fired up his bike's engine. He tried to run over the Cheetah Effigy but it easily sidestepped to dodge it even at its high speed. The man turned his vehicle around and tried the same thing, achieving the same results. However, this time, he stomped on the brakes, lifting the tail end of the bike up. He then spun it around. While it didn't catch the monster, it got caught off-guard and off-balance. Invictus then ran up and slammed his fist into the creature's abdomen, sending it flying. Sensing the danger, the Effigy turned around and ran away at speeds almost reaching that of sports cars.

Tetsuya immediately gave chase after putting on a helmet but his partner hesitated. He looked around him and found Amaya's broken motorcycle. He walked up to it and inspected it. He scratched his head aggressively before sighing.

"I guess there's no point in not trying it."

He put his right hand on the bike and started to let out a series of grunts as black smoke emitted from his body. The smoke engulfed the vehicle before being absorbed by it. Instead of an irreparable mess, what was in front of Invictus was a motorcycle with a reddish-brown body. On its front end was the head of a stag beetle with handlebars growing out of the sides of its neck. It let out a cry before settling down into an almost inanimate state.

Invictus was out of breath but he did not let that stop him. "That… should work. I'll call you… Stag Roader," he announced in between breaths. He then boarded it and joined the chase.

He quickly caught up to Tetsuya who had slowed his vehicle down to wait for Invictus. "I almost thought you weren't coming," he said.

Invictus shook his head. "I wouldn't miss this for the world." A loud noise then caught both of their attention and they looked up at the sky to see another news helicopter. "The last people who tried this almost died. Man, these guys are stubborn."

"Well, now that they're here, let's put on a big smile," Tetsuya jokingly suggested. "Now, let's finish this."

They both pushed their vehicles to their top speeds. At full throttle, it did not take long for the bikes to catch up to the Effigy. The Stag Roader's mandibles opened up and clamped down on the monster's waist.

"Any suggestions on where to take this?" asked Invictus.

His partner stayed silent for a second as he thought about it. "Follow me," he then commanded.

He sped up and rode into the covered parking lot of a shopping mall. There were no vehicles inside since everyone had already evacuated from the area. Tetsuya smiled in satisfaction at knowing that the news helicopter could not follow them here. It was one less thing he had to protect and worry about.

Invictus soon came after him and rammed his bike into a pillar but not before jumping off at the last second. The concrete cracked due to the impact but luckily for them, it did not collapse. The Stag Roader's mandibles let go of the Effigy before promptly turning back into Amaya's broken motorcycle. As it transformed back, black smoke came out of it and entered Invictus' body.

The Effigy slumped onto the ground but after hearing a pair of footsteps approaching it, it scrambled to its feet and tried to run away once more. Invictus then cried out as black smoke changed his appearance into his Speed Form. Due to the monster's less than perfect state, Invictus managed to cut it off. He then started to throw one punch after another in rapid succession at the creature's face but its reaction time was seemingly unaffected by its fatigue. It easily sidestepped each and every blow. The masked monster growled lowly before adding kicks into his barrage. Left jab, right straight, spin kick, left hook, right uppercut, side kick, swipe with the right hand, another spin kick. All of them were done in a span of a few seconds and all of them were easily avoided. However, whilst both of them were distracted, Tetsuya ran up to them and jumped, aiming a kick at the Effigy's head. It connected, catching the monster off-balance. Before it could catch itself, Invictus spun around and drove his heel into its face, making it fly back.

The Effigy got up and growled at them. It was now angry. Before Invictus could react, his opponent was upon him. A rapid barrage of clawed swipes and swift kicks soon followed. The monster was too quick for Invictus to dodge so he resorted to putting his arms in front of his chest and head. The block functioned as intended but the armor on his limbs started to chip. He tried to get his opponent to step back by pushing forward with his arms. While it did work for a moment, it did not even take a second for the Effigy to continue its plan of attack. Tetsuya once again tried to capitalize on the monster's one track mindedness by coming up behind it with a chunk of concrete from the broken pillar but the cheetah saw it coming. Just before he could bring it down on the Effigy's head, it spun around to face him and did a backflip with its right leg outstretched. It caught the rubble with its foot and brought it down on Invictus' head on its descent. As soon as it landed, it punched his face with enough force to break his glasses and send him soaring back.

Invictus quickly recovered from the last blow and ran as fast as he could to catch his partner before he could land on any hard surface. He set him down on the ground and asked, "Are you okay?"

The older man rubbed his head and replied, "Yes, I'm fine. Thanks for saving me."

"Great. Now, get on your bike and get far away from here."

Tetsuya stared at him for a second. "… What?"

"I want you to get far away from here as fast as you can," Invictus reiterated.

"You expect me to just leave you here!?" The older man asked incredulously, "We can barely fight back with just the two of us. How do you expect to beat it on your own?"

"Trust me, I have a plan and for that plan to work, I need you on your bike going at full speed."

Tetsuya stared at his giant red eyes for a second. His eyes widened in realization before smiling and nodding. "Okay, I'll trust your judgment. Try not to die, Sanji."

Invictus pulled him up to a standing position and patted his shoulder. "You too, Tetsuya."

His partner did as he was told and rode the Pathfinder away from the parking lot. He then turned toward his opponent and crouched down to a stance. The Effigy also took up a stance and growled at him.

"Now, it's just you and me, kitty cat," Invictus taunted.

The battle then recommenced. This time, Invictus refused to be on the defensive. He threw attack after attack, not a single one of them landing so much as a glancing blow, but he did not relent. The monster also refused to back down. It fought back with blows of its own but each one was blocked by its opponent's armored arms. Invictus tried to pull back for a second but the monster quickly caught up with him, continuing their stalemate. Finally, the masked monster managed to land a lucky attack, catching the Effigy's cheek with his forearm blades. The creature hissed at him and tried to pull back to tend to its wound but he rapidly closed the newly created distance and kept on with his plan of attack. The sound of an engine revving went unnoticed by the Effigy as it was busy weaving through blows and throwing its own but Invictus quickly jumped away. Before it could react, the creature came face to face with a speeding white motorcycle which hit its midsection and sent it tumbling back into a wall.

Tetsuya took his helmet off and gave his partner a thumbs up. "Nice plan, Sanji."

"I, uh… Yeah, that was totally my plan all along, yeah. I totally didn't want you to actually run away. Thanks for, uh, seeing what my intentions were," said Invictus as he scratched the back of his head and fidgeted.

With a renewed sense of apprehension, the Effigy once again tried to run away from its assailants. However, after a few steps, it suddenly stopped and started to writhe on the ground. Its cries grew loud as the red markings on its body began to glow brighter.

"Getting cold feet, are we? I'm afraid that will not do," came an unknown voice.

As Tetsuya looked around to see the speaker, he noticed Invictus' eyes widening and his body beginning to freeze up and shiver.

"Y-y-you…" the masked man stuttered.

Tetsuya followed his gaze and saw an old man with long white hair wearing a kimono identical to what Sanji wore. The old man stepped up to the suffering Effigy but did not seem to pay attention to it.

"It has been a long time since we last met, my child. However, as much as I would love to take you back with me, I am not here for you today." It was at that moment that he turned his gaze to the monster at his feet. "But first, I have a disobedient child to discipline. Give back the life you were given."

The old man's eyes became red and glowed brightly. At the same moment, the red markings on the creature's body glowed brighter and brighter and its cries grew louder and more frantic. Tetsuya could only watch as the Effigy seemed to grow for a second before becoming smaller in stature and, ultimately, shriveling up and crumbling into dust.

"What did you just…" he trailed off, not quite comprehending what had just transpired in front of his eyes, "Who are you!?"

Without acknowledging the question, the old man just laughed to himself. "I will be seeing you next time, my child. I hope that you will make the right decision by then."

His eyes then glowed brightly enough to force Tetsuya to cover his eyes. When he opened them back up again, the man was nowhere to be seen. "Invictus, who was that?" he asked his partner. His eyes then widened at the sight of the man beside him.

Invictus had transformed back into his human form. His pupils were shaking, his breath was just as shaky, and his legs trembled until he fell to his knees. His forehead was drenched in sweat and his body was still quivering. However, what surprised Tetsuya was his face. Although almost unnoticeable, he had new wrinkles on his face and his beard was full and thick. When he had first met the man in the jungle, he seemed to be around Amaya's age, perhaps a little older but now, he looked like he was closer to his age.

Lacrima used wind to take her to the air before launching her downward with a kick. The Effigy, which was riddled with shallow bullet holes, was noticeably tired. It had barely enough strength to block the attack. It was caught off-balance by the impact, allowing Daisuke to blast its feet with a Push Shockwave bullet. It was sent to the air and landed roughly on its back. However, it refused to stay down although it could barely stand up.

"I believe this is the perfect opportunity to end this battle," announced Lacrima before pressing the green button on her belt.

"Terminus."

Lacrima raised her right hand high above her head. Pockets of air around her began to form into four barely visible blades. She chopped the air in front of her with her raised hand, sending the blades forward. The Effigy was cut into five pieces before promptly exploding in a small fireball.

Lacrima moved her hand to her belt but she stopped as the sound of slow claps reached her ears.

"Well done. It was quite a show."

Daisuke turned around to look but Lacrima clenched her fists and her body shook. Amaya could almost feel the heat of her anger. "You…"

"You know him?" Daisuke asked the woman. In front of his eyes was an old man with Sanji's kimono.

"It has been a long time…" smiled the stranger. The bearded man felt chills running up his spine looking at his expression. "… master Lacrima."

Finally, the woman turned around and shouted, "Hisakawa! How dare you show your face!"

Ignoring her cries, the old man named Hisakawa stepped forward. "How did you find the new Effigies? When we last met, they were but crude slumps of ink but now, they are proper living beings. You must be feeling proud. After all, your student took your visions and made them a reality."

"This is not what I envisioned! You are not my student! Not after you betrayed me and took my life!"

'Lacrima? What's going on?' asked Amaya but her voice was unheard.

"Please, do not look at me with such disdain," the old man said with mock hurt. He then eyed the belt on Lacrima's waist. "I even saved your soul to bind you to that crutch of yours."

"You will pay!" cried Lacrima as she charged at him with her speed enhanced by the wind.

However, Hisakawa merely chuckled to himself. His eyes then glowed brightly like in his encounter with the other pair, temporarily blinding the angered woman and the hesitating man. While they were covering their eyes, the old man said, "I did not come here to fight you, master. I came here merely to say my greetings. Enjoy your brief period of freedom while it lasts. I will soon take you back."

With one final laugh, the light died down. The duo opened their eyes and saw that the old man was gone. Lacrima covered the gem of her belt with the sliding plate. Her armor and the belt disappeared but the belt reappeared as a bracelet on Amaya's wrist. She fell to her knees and shuddered as she hugged her arms.

"Amaya! Are you okay?" asked a deeply concerned Daisuke as he ran up to her. However, he did not receive a response for some time. Her body was quaking and Daisuke could see the terror in her eyes.

Finally, she let out, "Her anger… What was that…?"