We do not own Koihime Musou or Kamen Rider Gaim. They belong to their respective creators. We just thought this idea would be fun and decided to give it a try. If you like it, then that's great. If you don't, then we tried. Anyway, come along and let's see what you think.


The Femme Fatales gathered in Dai Shi's chamber. They knelt in front of their lord's coffin as they displayed their deep devotion towards him. The day of his revival was close at hand, and they now had everything they would need to bring him back to life.

They had gathered enough Rinki for the ritual, they even had the Crucial Keys to the Way of Peace which would hold all that Rinki, and they finally had the Seal of Heaven in their possession. It was the key to bringing him back from the dead.

All they needed now was a location to conduct the ritual, and they already had just the place in mind. Projected above them was the image of the former Imperial Palace, located in the now abandoned city of Rakuyo.

Dai Shi would rise again, and nothing was going to stop them from fulfilling their goal. Anyone who dared would face swift and painful retribution.

They swore upon Dai Shi's name.


Sangokuden Armored War Gods Saga: End of the Armored War Gods

Written By: Kamen Rider Chrome and Ten-Faced Paladin

Beta Reader/Editor: Busterleader92

Chapter 15: Rebirth of the Demon Beast King


Nagata's plan to restore Rakuyo was progressing as scheduled despite recent setbacks. It took a lot of effort and negotiation to persuade the work crew and surviving guards to come back after what Bujin Gaim had done.

When they were told that it wasn't really Nagata who attacked them but a demon masquerading as him, not many of them were convinced. Nonetheless, they stayed to work on Rakuyo as they needed the money. Nagata was offering to pay each of them a generous sum of money.

Nagata was glad that they chose to stay. He just wished they didn't look at him with suspicious gazes.

For this plan of his to work, builders and carpenters from all across the land were contracted to help restore the Imperial City and return it to its former glory. To ensure their safety, Nagata had guards stationed in Rakuyo.

Things seemed to be working smoothly. The guards and workers got along well, for the most part. There would be some conflict on occasion, but nothing too serious.

The guards on the wall were keeping their eyes open for anything, but so far they hadn't experienced any trouble.

It had been weeks since work on rebuilding Rakuyo started, and so far all the work was going smoothly.

Initially, everyone felt uncomfortable since they would be staying at the site of a terrible tragedy, but they soon settled into a routine that took their minds off what happened.

Doctors were stationed there to provide medical assistance. Sometimes, accidents happened and workers would get injured or fall ill from overwork.

It was good to have more than one doctor around in case of emergencies. A single physician wouldn't be enough for such a large work crew and the guards.

All the guards had to do was look after the construction workers, look out for any trouble, and resolve conflicts. They usually just let the carpenters and builders do their job but would intervene if there was trouble. They also hung out together during break time.

It didn't matter if they all came from different kingdoms. They were all working towards a common goal. Plus, the pay was good, and they were making history by restoring the former imperial capital.


It was in the dead of night when the Femme Fatales made their move. In their human forms, they gathered together in a field with Rakuyo standing in the distance.

"The time has come, my sisters," Shirokumahime declared. "Tonight, Dai Shi-sama rises. But first, we need to prepare our sacrifices."

"Do we sneak in?" Hyohime asked.

"No, there will be no need for that," Shirokumahime declined. "Nobody in there is a threat to us."

"So what's the plan?" Hebihime asked.

"Split up and take out all the guards on the north, south, east and west walls. Then wipe out everyone inside," Shirokumahime ordered.

"Kill them all?" Hyohime asked as she gazed at her eldest sister and leader.

"Kill them all," Shirokumahime confirmed.

"This is gonna be fun," Takahime grinned sadistically.

"Bet I kill more than you," Hebihime dared Takahime.

"Hah, you're on!" Takahime gleefully accepted the dare.

"Have fun, everyone," Shachihime encouraged.

Leading the charge, Shirokumahime dashed with her sisters towards Rakuyo. They then separated to begin their mission. Shirokumahime didn't need to wait long for the first kill of the night.

Upon the north wall, Hyohime silently killed the guards. They never saw her coming as she used their shadows to swiftly appear and disappear, slitting their throats before any of them could react and sound the alarm. She was swift, silent, and deadly.

The south wall would suffer heavy casualties as Takahime rained her razor sharp feathers to strike down the guards stationed there. Her cloak took on the form of wings, allowing her to fly and avoid the archer's arrows before she retaliated with lethal force. She watched gleefully as their blood spilled and her lips widened maniacally as she enjoyed herself. Swooping down, she picked up a guard who screamed and struggled helplessly in her grip. Lifting him high into the air, once they were high enough, she released him and watched as he went splat all over the ground.

Upon the west wall, Shachihime was drowning her victims as she formed water spheres around their heads. They couldn't breathe as water filled their lungs. A few others suffered an even worse fate as she force-fed water down their throats. Their bodies swelled and burst like balloons, spilling water, blood, and their innards.

As for Hebihime, she performed an alluring belly dance to distract the guards of the east wall. They were enthralled by her dance as her hips moved in a hypnotic pattern. They couldn't take their eyes off her as they were mesmerized by her dance. Once she had them completely captivated, she struck and snapped their necks with her bare hands.

Truly, men were foolish beings as they let their guard down at the sight of a beautiful woman.

Finally, Shirokumahime took the north wall entrance and entered the city without much of a fuss, but then she heard the alarm gong ring loudly.

There was a watchtower set up to survey for oncoming threats. The guards assigned for watchtower duty likely spotted the Femme Fatales and sounded the alarm. The loud ring of the gong would soon awaken the sleeping men and they would try to flee.

That would complicate matters, but it wasn't something she couldn't handle. It was just a minor inconvenience. She just had to stop them from leaving.

Spotting the watchtower and her targets, she formed icicles out of the palm of her hands then shot them at the watchtower guards. Her icicles hit them in the head and heart, instantly killing them as their entire bodies froze solid. One guard even fell off the watchtower, dead before his entire frozen body shattered when it hit the ground.

Closing the large doors behind her, she sealed the exit with ice before she went in search of her prey. None would escape tonight. She would make sure of it.

Several guards saw her, and one of them shouted, "Freeze! No sudden moves!"

While she looked like a beautiful woman clad in white, they knew she was a dangerous threat. She was like the yuki-onna of Japanese lore, beautiful but cold-hearted.

Shirokumahime smiled coldly as a snowstorm began to emerge from her. She blasted the helpless guards with her blizzard and watched as they slowly froze to death. It was agonizing as their blood turned to ice and their natural body heat left them, replaced only by the chilling cold.

However, she left one guard alive. The guard was a young man, pretty good looking in her opinion. Perhaps she should give him a slice of Heaven before sending him to Hell.

The lone guard stood frozen, trembling from the cold and fear as Shirokumahime approached him. She might just be the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, and the deadliest too.

He wanted to run, but he could not will himself to flee. He was far too terrified to even move a muscle.

That made him an easy prey for her.

As Shirokumahime stood before him, she caressed his face with a cold hand and forced him to look into her icy blue eyes. She then claimed his lips with her own in a soft kiss.

For the young guard, to be kissed by such a beautiful woman would probably be a dream come true. For a moment, he seemed to enjoy the sensation as her blue lips massaged his.

But then the dream quickly turned into a nightmare as his body seized up as she froze him from the inside out. His insides turned to ice which then quickly covered his outside. Once he was a frozen statue, she broke the kiss and his body.

The rest of the men would no doubt try to flee, but she had frozen the other exits before she entered the city. Her sisters would also kill anyone who was trying to escape. The despair they would feel once they realized there was no way out was something she anticipated.

Shirokumahime heard a noise and looked up to see Dandeliners heading in her direction. Flying alongside them were Elementary Inves. She also saw the Tulip Hoppers heading her way with some Suika Arms units in Yoroi Mode.

Shirokumahime cared little for these 'toys'. They may be formidable, but they were still no match for her.

She took out the Seal of Heaven and she aimed her gaze towards the palace. If their master was to be resurrected, it would be in a place worthy of him.

But first, it was time to deal with some more pesky guards and their toys. She may not be impressed by them, but she did love breaking them.


Nagata stood in the middle of an unfamiliar chamber and he wasn't alone. With him were Mitsuki, Masataka, Iori, and Akechi. They looked just as startled and confused as he was, unsure of their surroundings or even how they got here.

"Oda?"

"Akechi?"

"What are you doing here? Where are we exactly?"

"I was hoping someone could tell me. The last thing I remember was going to bed."

"Nagata, what's going on?" Iori asked.

"I can't say."

"Don't forget about us," Hideyoshi stated as he approached the trio with Masataka.

"So, has anyone figured out where we are?" Nagata asked.

"We seem to be in a temple of some kind," Masataka concluded as he studied their surroundings. The floor they were standing on had a circle in the center with a mark resembling three claw slashes. In each corner of the room was a pillar which held up the ceiling.

The walls of the chamber depicted images of martial artists mimicking the movements of animals. Superimposed over each martial artist was the silhouette of the beast which corresponded to each style.

There was a man in a tiger-style stance, a man in a jaguar-style stance, a woman in a cheetah-style stance, a man in a wolf-style stance, and finally a man in a rhino-style stance. These were just a handful of stances that they saw on the walls.

Whatever this temple was, it seemed dedicated to the practice of beast-style martial arts.

Hideyoshi experimented and pinched himself.

He felt nothing. No pain, and no pinching sensation.

Just nothing.

"This is a dream," Hideyoshi deduced.

"Are you telling us we're still asleep in our beds?" Mitsuki demanded.

"Yeah, I pinched myself and didn't feel a thing," Hideyoshi confirmed.

"Are you a lucid dreamer?" Masataka inquired.

"Been practicing since middle school," Hideyoshi answered. "It helps when you're facing your worst nightmares."

"OK, if we're in a dream, how can we be having the same dream?" Mitsuki asked.

"Maybe one of us is dreaming, and everyone else is just a figment of the dream," Hideyoshi suggested. "Or we're currently sharing the same dream."

"Sounds ridiculous," Mitsuki scoffed.

"We fight monsters on a regular basis. Normal people would call that ridiculous," Hideyoshi rebutted.

"If this is a shared dream, then how did it happen? Who's responsible?" Masataka asked.

Everyone wondered the same thing. If they were sharing the same dream, that could mean some outside force wanted to assemble them and didn't want to go through the trouble of asking them in the flesh.

"That would be me," said their summoner as he appeared before them. The man wore gray robes with the hood up. He wore a silver mask with a single horn sticking out the front. He appeared old with a graying beard and eyes that were filled with wisdom and experience.

The five young men entered their battle stances, putting up their guard as the stranger showed himself.

"Who the hell are you?" Mitsuki demanded.

"I am Grandmaster Brusa Li," the stranger introduced himself. "And I am in need your assistance."

"Brusa Li..." Iori rubbed his chin. Why did that name sound so familiar?

"What kind of assistance?" Nagata asked.

"I need you to stop Dai Shi's revival," Brusa Li answered.

"Excuse me?" Hideyoshi questioned, surprised.

Nagata had heard the name from Nanamomo and used the LockPhone to share this information with the rest of the Armored War Gods. He wasn't about to keep such vital information to himself when the Alliance needed to know.

Brusa Li continued, "The princesses of the RinJyuKen have gathered enough Rinki to perform their ritual. With the Seal of Heaven in their hands, they now hold the key to his revival."

"What'll happen if they succeed?" Masataka asked.

"When Dai Shi revives, so ends the existence of all living things in this world. He desires only the death of all things. That is why the five of you must stop them. It is imperative that you do not allow them to succeed."

"If they're going to hold a ritual, they're going to need a ritual site, won't they?" Nagata asked. "Where are they going to be holding it?"

Brusa Li produced the image of the former imperial capital.

"That's Rakuyo," Hideyoshi recognized. He had spent enough time there to recognize it. They all did.

"It is in this place that they will perform the ritual. Hurry, you must go. There is no time to waste."

"Wait, I still have questions!" started Nagata, but the chamber suddenly shattered to pieces and he screamed as he fell into a white void along with his friends.


Nagata suddenly awoke and sat up in his bed. The dream he had, if it was a dream, could not be ignored. He needed to go to Rakuyo.

Chou'un, who was lying next to him, began to stir from his sudden movements.

"Nagata-sama...?" Chou'un yawned as she woke up. "Is it morning already...?"

"Just go back to sleep, Sei," he softly spoke as he kissed her cheek. "I just got an errand to run."

"OK..." Chou'un turned over to get back to sleep. Nagata got out of bed and got himself dressed before he stepped out of his bedroom.

He met with Iori in the hallway.

"Brusa Li?" Nagata asked.

"So it wasn't a dream then. Then that just means the danger is real," Iori responded.

"I learned that you really shouldn't ignore these kinds of dreams," Nagata stated with a sad frown. "I just never thought I'd be stepping my foot into Rakuyo again."

"I know. It's a terrible reminder. A real tragedy," Iori agreed.

"But we still have to go. It's important that we stop them before it's too late."

"Let's not waste time then, Seiryuoh-sama."

"Iori, come on. I get enough of that from the villagers. Not you too."

Iori chuckled and shrugged as they headed out. If the others believed the dream, then the two of them would be meeting the rest of their comrades at Rakuyo.


Mitsuki was already dressed. His gut was telling him that his dream was no mere dream. Even his Zhuqiao Lockseed agreed with him. It may still be the middle of the night, but duty called, and he needed to be there.

He glanced over to the bed where Kakoton and Kakoen lay asleep before he stepped out of his room.

"Rakuyo..." Mitsuki whispered as his expression hardened. The tragedy would always be in his memory. The way Chojo cruelly killed all the people in the city to cover her escape disgusted him.

Bujin Gaim had also left his mark as he killed the guards before he took the throne.

Now, it would appear that another tragedy was about to take place there.

Mitsuki didn't normally believe in superstition, but he was starting to believe that Rakuyo was simply cursed.


"Must you go?" Totaku asked. She had awoken when Hideyoshi woke up and was sitting on their bed as he got ready to head out.

"It's an emergency, Yue-hime," he told her as he put on his glasses.

"At least take Kenshin with you," she implored.

"There's no time," he declined.

Totaku could see that there was nothing she could say to change his mind. He was adamant with his decision. At the very least, she could support him even though she was worried about the outcome.

"Alright. Just...be careful, please?"

Hideyoshi strapped on his SengokuDriver and gave his girlfriend a comforting smile. "You know I will. Besides, I won't be facing this alone. Now, you should go back to sleep. I'll be back before morning."

Totaku watched him exit their room with a concerned expression. She didn't think she would be able to go to sleep with how worried she felt. She clasped her hands together and prayed for his safe return.


Masataka had been sleeping in his office when he suddenly woke up from the strange dream. He looked at the Baihu Lockseed that was on his desk before he picked it up. Narrowing his eyes at the object, he got up from his chair and headed out.

"Zangetsu-sama, where are you going?" Shuutai asked.

Ah, yes. Shuutai, his loyal bodyguard, and constant shadow. How could he have forgotten about her?

"I'm heading out for a bit," he told her.

"But it's late," she reminded.

"I know, but I have to go," he insisted. Masataka could have told her something was up in Rakuyo, but he felt that he only had so little time to spare.

"Allow me to come with you then," she offered.

"No, you should remain here," he ordered.

"But Zangetsu-sama-!" Shuutai began to object.

"Minmei." Masataka cut her off, using her real name. He spoke in a hard tone that left her with no room to argue. They locked eyes, and Shuutai realized that this was something important. This was something Masataka needed to do and she couldn't stop him.

She couldn't come with him either as she would hold him back.

"Be careful," Shuutai bid the man she loved and admired.

"Don't worry. I won't be alone," Masataka replied, giving her a gentle pat on the head to soothe her worries. 'Hopefully, the others will be there. I could use the backup.'


It was still dark out when Gaim (Orange Arms) and Ryugen (Budou Arms) sped out of Helheim Forest on their Lockvehicles. They pulled their bikes over and slowed to a stop.

"Been a while, hasn't it?" Ryugen asked as they stood in front of Rakuyo.

"...Yeah," Gaim replied as he stared at the wall. It brought back memories, but not the good kind.

"Are you OK?" Ryugen inquired, concerned.

"Oh, yeah. Totally," Gaim assured him, trying to bluff.

"You sure? If you're not up to this because..."

"Look, I'm OK. It's just...it's just that I never thought I'd be stepping my foot in here since..."

"I know it's not easy for any of us to be here," Ryugen interjected. "But we got a job to do."

"Yeah," Gaim agreed. "Let's just get this over with and call it a night."

"Look who finally showed up," Baron (Banana Arms) remarked as he walked over. "Oda."

"Akechi," Gaim returned. He noticed that Zangetsu (Melon Arms) and Gridon (Donguri Arms) were present as well. "If you guys are all here, then that means it wasn't a dream after all."

"That does seem to be the case," agreed Zangetsu.

"So how come none of you have gone in to check things out yet?" Ryugen asked as he approached the gate.

"Wait, I wouldn't do that if I were you!" Gridon warned as Ryugen neared the gate. Suddenly, an invisible force violently repelled the Demon Dragon. "Told you so!"

"Iori!" Gaim rushed over to his friend to help him up. "You OK?"

"What hit me?" Ryugen groaned as he held his head.

"That's why none of us has gone in yet," Baron pointed out.

"A force field has been erected around the entire city. We can't get in, and we tried everything to break it," Zangetsu added.

"Are you sure you tried everything?" Ryugen wondered.


[COME ON! ZHUQIAO SPARKING!]

[COME ON! XUANWU SPARKING!]

[SOIYA! BAIHU SPARKING!]

All three of them hit the barrier with their strongest attacks.

And nothing happened.

They didn't even manage to crack it.

"OK, one of us has to be holding back," Baron said as he looked suspiciously at Gridon. "Was it you?"

"I was hitting it as hard as you did," Gridon retorted defensively.

"Are you sure you gave it all you got?" Zangetsu asked.

"YES!" Gridon insisted.

"Didn't seem like it," accused Baron.

"You both suck, you know that?" Gridon shot back at the two of them.

"Let's try this again," urged Zangetsu.

"Fine..." Gridon sighed.

[COME ON! ZHUQIAO SPARKING!]

[COME ON! XUANWU SPARKING!]

[SOIYA! BAIHU SPARKING!]

"Alright, no more holding back this time!" Baron declared.


"I'm pretty sure we did," stated Zangetsu as he recalled their previous attempts.

"How many times did you try to break it down?" Ryugen asked curiously.

"A few times. By the time you both got here, these two were considering using me as a battering ram," Gridon half-jokingly answered as he pointed at Zangetsu and Baron. "But now that you're both here, maybe we'll have enough manpower to break this thing down."

Gaim inspected the force field. It was invisible, but it was there. He could sense it. It was in their way and needed to be brought down.

"Maybe we don't have to attack it to break it," Gaim considered.

Gaim's chest shone, and he held his hand over it. The Ryujin Key popped out and landed in his palm. Baron and Zangetsu looked curiously at the phenomena, the former mentally shelving what he saw for later while the latter was more analytical.

"What are you going to do with that?" Gridon asked as Gaim approached the force field with the Ryujin Key.

Gaim's only answer was to hold the Ryujin Key up to the force field. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen until the Ryujin Key glowed and formed a blade of radiant light. As the blade made contact, the force field, in the form of a purple dome, became visible to them. It then flickered before it shattered like glass, the fragments disintegrating before they even touched the ground.

"Whoa..." Gridon gawked as the blade of light from Gaim's Ryujin Key faded away. "Wow, it's almost like you got a miniature Keyblade there."

"Are you guys just going to stand there gawking, or are you coming in?" Gaim asked impatiently as he pushed the gate open for them.

They crossed the threshold and immediately froze once they entered.

They were looking at the aftermath of a brutal, bloody massacre.

A battle had taken place here as they saw the broken remains of Dandeliners, Tulip Hoppers and Suika Arms that were scattered all around them. There was rubble everywhere, and some buildings were on fire.

But it was the bodies that truly horrified them, and it looked like they died in bizarre fashions, scattered all over the ground, in various macabre states. Some of the bodies looked to be frozen, and not all were intact. A fraction of them was broken to pieces. Others were pierced by big feathers that hit their vital areas, pinning them to the ground and various standing structures. Some of the men looked like they drowned despite being on dry land.

They could see bodies that had been cut up and sliced into pieces. One was just a torso, missing its limbs and head. Some looked like they got crushed. Their bones had been broken as their limbs were lying at odd angles. Spines appeared to be snapped in half and necks twisted until heads were facing in the opposite direction.

"How horrible," Ryugen observed as he scanned their surroundings.

"What...what happened here...?" Gridon asked, utterly horrified.

Baron scowled while Zangetsu grimaced.

Gaim just looked ill.

After everything they've experienced up until now, they should've been accustomed to such a scene, but nothing could have ever prepared them for this.

Once more Rakuyo had become the site of another tragedy.

Was this place cursed?

"W-we should check for survivors," Gaim suggested.

"I doubt we will find any survivors here," Baron rebuked.

"You don't know that!"

"Don't argue," Zangetsu ordered. "And show some respect, Akechi-kun."

"Don't tell me what to do," Baron shot back.

"And Oda-kun, calm down."

Gaim didn't reply and went to look for any survivors.

Baron frowned as he scanned the bodies. When he found one that seemed to be showing life signs, he went to inspect. It was a young guard and he was gravely wounded. He was bleeding from his stomach which had been slashed open.

"Over here. We got a live one," Baron called the others over.

"You...came..." the guard weakly spoke as he saw the Armored War Gods gather around him. "Thank...the Heavens."

"Don't worry, you're going to be alright," Gaim reassured.

"What happened?" Ryugen questioned.

"There were...there were five of them...all women..." The guard coughed blood in mid-sentence. "They were so fast...nobody saw them coming until...until it was too late..." He coughed up more blood.

"Just relax and rest now. We're going to take good care of you," said Gaim gently.

The guard nodded and closed his eyes to rest.

"Gridon, get over here and heal him now!" Baron ordered urgently.

"Right away!" Gridon took out his Xuanwu Lockseed. He was ready to unlock it to access his healing powers. When he saw that the guard's eyes were closed, he lowered his arm.

"What are you doing!? Hurry up and heal him!" Gaim yelled.

Gridon shook his head.

"I can't."

"What?" Gaim exhaled.

"It's too late. I'm sorry."

Zangetsu checked the guard for a pulse and found none. He shook his head as he confirmed that the guard had passed away.

"Oda-kun, Hideyoshi-kun's right. He's gone."

"No, that can't be true! Hideyoshi, you can still save him! Just use your powers!"

"My powers can heal, but they can't bring back the dead."

"Bu-but, he was alive just now!"

"Nagata, he's gone. He hung on long enough, waiting for help. Once he saw us, he just passed away," Ryugen concluded.

"You gotta admire that sort of willpower," said Baron respectfully.

Gaim looked around at all the dead. There was nobody left to save. They had come too late to save anybody.

"We should've been here. If we had been here sooner, we could've stopped this," Gaim said as he balled his fists. He was no stranger to war, but this was just too much. He looked at the bodies and hung his head with his eyes shut and his jaws clenched as he was filled with regret. It was a horrific sight to behold, and he pitied those who had to suffer such horror as they were dying. He then understood why they were desperately needed in Rakuyo.

"None of us could've known this would happen," stated Zangetsu. After all, Rakuyo was abandoned, and there was no reason for their enemies to target it. At least, that was what they initially believed.

"We should've, though. We should've been prepared for something like this. Now, look what's happened. All these men died, and we couldn't save them," Gaim retorted.

"No use crying over spilled milk, Oda," Baron stated stoically. He didn't mean to sound unsympathetic or cruel. He just didn't see the use of grieving when they had a job to do.

Gaim silently contemplated Baron's words. There was no point of regretting something they couldn't change or fix. Just thinking about the what-ifs wasn't helping. At least he could think about what he could do for the people who had died here tonight. They deserved a proper burial.

Ryugen started to examine the body. "Hm..." He seemed to notice something concerning the wounds. "That's interesting..."

"What is it, Iori?" Gaim asked.

"I can tell that the wounds are fresh so this happened only recently," Ryugen informed, based on his experience in hunting.

"So they must still be here," Gaim concluded.

"The barrier sure implies that," Ryugen agreed.

"Maybe they still haven't completed the ritual. We can still stop them," said Gaim.

"Then we best hurry and find them before it's too late," Zangetsu urged them.

"But where could they be?" Gridon questioned.


The Femme Fatales assembled in the throne room. They all wore serious and determined expressions as preparations were now complete. The Seal of Heaven which Braco had stolen was now in their possession, just as planned. It took several attempts, but now that all four Sovereigns had awakened, it was time to awaken their master from his eternal slumber.

"The Seal of Heaven and The Crucial Keys to the Way of Peace," Shirokumahime spoke as she presented the items to her fellow Femme Fatales. "Now that we've acquired all that we need, we can finally begin the ritual."

"The barrier has fallen," Shachihime informed her sisters. That meant the Armored War Gods had come to stop them.

"Then let us not waste time," Shirokumahime instructed as she placed the Seal of Heaven upon the coffin.

Assuming their true Beastman forms, Takahime, Hyohime, Shachihime and Hebihime knelt around Dai Shi's coffin as Shirokumahime joined them. She opened the Crucial Keys and began the chant. Her sisters repeated each line of the chant after her.

Their bodies began to radiate with pure Rinki which flowed towards the Seal of Heaven. The Eyes of the Seal of Heaven glowed as the malevolent energy spread from it to envelop the coffin.

Lanterns lit up with purple flames as the dark energy enveloped the entire coffin. Cracks leaking with purple light began to spread all over the coffin, and the Femme Fatales continued to feed their energy into the ritual as they shouted as one.

"FORBIDDEN RINGI! UNHOLY REBIRTH!"


"Hey, do you guys feel that?" Gridon questioned as he felt something eerie touch his senses.

"Feel what?" Ryugen asked.

Gaim focused his senses, and he indeed felt something.

"Wait, what is that?" Gaim wondered.

The answer came when they saw a pillar of dark energy shooting towards the sky. The sky darkened as purple-tinted black clouds gathered towards the pillar, spiraling around it.

"The palace is over there," Gridon pointed.

"Looks like we just found them," Zangetsu observed.

"Then that's where we're going!" Baron shouted as he ran ahead with the others following. Hopefully, they weren't too late.

As they rushed towards the palace, Gridon noticed something happening around them.

"Uh, guys? Something freaky is going on!" Gridon called for their attention.

The bodies around them were getting back up.

"They're alive!?" Gaim exclaimed as he saw them, but something was wrong. Their complexion was deathly pale, they didn't seem bothered by their wounds, their eyes looked glassy, and they were groaning.

They looked like...

"Z-z-z-ZOMBIES!" Gridon panicked as the horde crowded around them. It was like he was in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. He always hated zombie movies. They always scared the crap out of him but Kenshin kept insisting he watched them in order to be prepared for a real zombie apocalypse.

He used to laugh at such a notion, but he wasn't laughing now.

"They're coming right at us!" Gridon cried in fright as the zombies advanced on them.

"And they have us surrounded!" Gaim added as the zombies blocked their path. They needed to get to the palace, but these zombies stood in their way.

"Looks like we don't have a choice here!" Zangetsu called.

"Take them down!" Baron ordered.

Ryugen fired at the advancing zombies, his rounds blowing their skulls and brains apart.

"Get away from me, you undead freaks!" Gridon screamed as he bashed their skulls in. He aimed for skull-crushing blows with his Donkachi while Baron smashed them mercilessly with the Banaspear.

Zangetsu flung his Melon Defender and the sharpened edges sliced off the zombie's heads. The shield returned to him and he charged at the horde, bashing and slashing them.

It seemed the group knew how to take down zombies by aiming for the head. Without their heads, the zombies would drop like puppets with their strings cut off.

Gaim stared at the horde of zombies and made his decision.

"Let me send you to the afterlife peacefully," he said softly.

[SOIYA! ORANGE SQUASH!]

"Sei-ha!" Gaim swung his swords, sending a decapitating wave of orange energy slices flying at the zombies.

"Nagata, get to the palace!" Ryugen shouted as he shot dead a couple of zombies. "We'll handle things here!"

"Hurry up, Oda!" Baron furiously added as he smashed his Banaspear violently into a zombie, splattering it across the ground.

Gaim gazed up at the palace and the pillar of dark energy.

[KACHIDOKI!] [RYUJIN!]

The zombies converged on Gaim as he switched Lockseeds. They were about to grab him as he twisted the Ryujin Key.

[LOCK OPEN! RYUJIN ARMS! DAI RYUOH! SORA NO SEIRYU, RISE TO THE THRONE!]

The zombies around Gaim disintegrated as they stood too close to him during his transformation. He then shot towards the sky like a bolt of lightning before heading towards the palace.

Ryujin Gaim arrived at the palace doors in the blink of an eye. Once he landed, he sensed the dark energy up ahead in the throne room. He ran into the palace and arrived in front of the throne room instantaneously.

The large double door that sealed the throne room stood in his way, but they wouldn't stop him. As he neared the doors, he saw purple light peeking through the cracks. He put his hands against the double door and shoved them forward, only to be flung back by a sudden blast of energy. It knocked him unconscious as his armor vanished.


After dealing with the zombies outside, the others finally reached the palace. The pillar of darkness had vanished.

Did that mean Gaim was able to stop the Femme Fatales from completing the ritual?

"OK...OK...we're here...Damn, I hate those stairs," Hideyoshi gasped for breath, with his hands on his knees, his face red and sweaty with exertion, not just from fighting the zombies but from running up the stairs. Climbing the stairs up to the palace was never his favorite thing to do.

There were just too many damn steps.

"You really need to get into better shape," Iori commented on Hideyoshi's condition. "Maybe do some sports or go jogging."

Hideyoshi glared back and snapped, "Don't...start that with me. I get...enough of that shit...from Kenshin and Miyabi."

They headed inside and Iori spotted Nagata lying unconscious in front of the open entrance of the throne room. Both halves of the throne room's double door lay shattered around him.

"Nagata!" Iori ran over to his friend and knelt down beside him. "Hey, Nagata! Nagata!" He tried to shake his friend awake.

Nagata groaned as he woke up, holding his sore head.

"Ugh...what hit me?"

"Come on." Iori helped Nagata up as he stumbled a bit on his feet. "Feeling dizzy?"

"Just a bit, but it's fading," Nagata answered.

"What happened here, Oda-kun?" Masataka asked.

"I got here to try and stop them, but something knocked me out," Nagata answered.

"Did you see anything?" Hideyoshi asked.

"There was a bright flash. It must've knocked me out."

"Did some damage here too," said Mitsuki as he saw the doors lying in pieces.

"Let's see what happened in here," Masataka suggested.

They entered the throne room, the dim lighting provided by the surviving lanterns revealing the place to be completely abandoned.

There were no signs of the Femme Fatales.

They did find five piles of dust and broken stone fragments scattered in the center of the room. Strangely enough, the dust piles were lying in a five-pointed formation around the stone fragments.

Masataka went and picked up one of the broken fragments and then another. He pieced them together like a puzzle.

"We were too late," Nagata realized in defeat. "They did it. They revived Dai Shi."

"We don't know that for sure. It's possible that their plan failed," Hideyoshi said, trying to be optimistic.

"Or they succeeded, and we just arrived in the aftermath," Masataka countered.

"So all we know is that we don't know what exactly happened here," Mitsuki frowned.

"So, what are we supposed to do now?" Iori asked.

"Leave. There's nothing more we can do here," Masataka answered.

"But what about all the bodies outside?" Nagata asked.

"We'll send people over to pick them up and do the cleanup."

"They'll be in for quite a shock. Let's just not mention we caused any of the postmortem damage," Hideyoshi remarked.

"They were zombies. We didn't have much of a choice there," retorted Mitsuki.

"Kenshin would probably ask me for details if he found out about this. He's a big fan of zombie killing games." Hideyoshi paused for a moment. "Hey, is anyone worried about how we've started to become desensitized to violence?"

Nobody answered.

The group headed for the exit, but Iori lingered for a moment to look at the piles of dust. Was that just residue from the ritual, or something else?

"Iori, come on! Let's get out of here!" Nagata called. He didn't want to spend a moment longer in Rakuyo, especially as there was nothing more they could do here.

"Coming!" answered Iori before he followed the rest outside. He glanced back at the throne room briefly before leaving with the others.

Once they were gone, Duke reappeared as he undid his cloaking. Such a remarkable ability his armor gave him. It hid him from sight, and he also had the ability to hide his presence. As he scanned the throne room, he smirked.

"If only they knew what really happened here," Duke mused before he vanished like a ghost.


KRC: OK, so this chapter initially had an entirely different plot. I was thinking the Femme Fatales decide to call out the Armored War Gods to settle things and prove who is the best right here and now. However, a new idea came around. They got the Seal of Heaven! So why not use it to revive Dai Shi? Now, why did they choose Rakuyo? Well, that will be explained soon. So, did the Femme Fatales succeed? Were the Armored War Gods too late? Does Dai Shi walk among them? The answer to those questions...will have to wait for now as the story progressed to its full climax. All will be revealed real soon until the time is right.

I added zombies as a side-effect of the ritual. It's the energy that was released. It can reanimate the dead, but they're just mindless, undead monsters now. Nothing like the people they used to be. So, they had to be put down. Unlike Rinshi, they don't have any intelligence or martial arts. All they can rely on is numbers and being relentless.

TFP: It seems the Femme Fatales are making their endgame. Ukitsu seems to be seeing it as all according to plan. Just who was this person that the Femme Fatales had managed to revive? What is their main goal for the ongoing war between the Armored War Gods and their various enemies? Tune in next time to find out real soon.

BL92: Oh no! The Armored War Gods are too late to stop the Femme Fatales from reviving their evil master Dai Shi! It looks like the real battle is about to begin with new trials and perils as the Armored War Gods will have to face the Dark Lord and Master of the RinJyuKen himself real soon. But I am confident that the Armored War Gods will make Dai Shi go away and save the day as usual. Also, it's ashamed that the AWG didn't get the chance to fight the Femme Fatales. And for some reason, I'm gonna miss those hot girls. Even if they are the Big Boss of the RinJyuKen. To be honest, they are major hotties that guys would love to date them even if they are bad girls.


Assuming their true Beastman forms, Takahime, Hyohime, Shachihime and Hebihime knelt around Dai Shi's coffin as Shirokumahime joined them. She opened the Crucial Keys and began the chant. Her sisters repeated each line of the chant after her.

Their bodies began to radiate with pure Rinki which flowed towards the Seal of Heaven. The Eyes of the Seal of Heaven glowed as the malevolent energy spread from it to envelop the coffin.

Lanterns lit up with purple flames as the dark energy enveloped the entire coffin. Cracks leaking with purple light began to spread all over the coffin, and the Femme Fatales continued to feed their energy into the ritual as they shouted as one.

"FORBIDDEN RINGI! UNHOLY REBIRTH!"

The coffin exploded but the Femme Fatales stood their ground. When the dust settled, a figure stood in the middle of the chamber. He was clad in a cloak that covered his features with a hood concealing his face. The Seal of Heaven floated over to him and rested upon his palm and the Crucial Keys to the Way of Peace found itself in his other hand.

Dai Shi looked upon the Femme Fatales. They were still kneeling around his coffin. He approached Shirokumahime and reached out to caress her face. As soon as the tips of his fingers made contact, her entire body crumbled into a pile of dust. He witnessed as the other Femme Fatales met with the same fate.

The Seal of Heaven and Crucial Keys were indeed needed to revive him, but there was one last thing that his revival required. It required a willing sacrifice. The Femme Fatales had willingly given all their power and life force to Dai Shi in order to bring him back.

With their life force, Dai Shi also acquired their memories and knew what they had been up to and what had been going on.

"Armored War Gods, huh? How amusing."

Dai Shi spotted someone lying near the entrance and walked up to him.

It was Nagata. He got knocked out by the dark energy released during the ritual. Kneeling down, Dai Shi took a moment to study Nagata. His eyes went down to Nagata's waist where he found the SengokuDriver. It wasn't just the belt that piqued his curiosity, but also the Ryujin Key that was connected to the Kachidoki Lockseed.

Dai Shi sensed the power from the Ryujin Key and recognized it.

"So, this is the form the power of the Azure Dragon has taken. How interesting."

Dai Shi heard footsteps and knew others were coming. He snapped his fingers and opened up a dark shadow portal. He glanced at Nagata one last time before entering the portal. The portal vanished as soon as he stepped through it.

It was moments later when the other Armored War Gods finally arrived, only to discover that they were too late.


AWG CHIBI OMAKE #15A: KILLER PORRIDGE

Nagata was ill in bed.

As he rested, there was a knock on the door.

"That's probably Shuri with the medicine. You can come in!"

Kanu came into the room with a bowl in her hands.

"Aisha..."

"Nagata-sama, since you're ill, I decided to make you something to help you feel better."

Warning bells rang in Nagata's head as he mentally screamed, 'NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!'

"Really?" he asked with a forced smile. "What did you make?"

"Porridge," Kanu said as she showed him what was inside the bowl.

"Porridge, huh?" he asked as he studied her 'porridge'.

The warning bells rang louder as he mentally yelled, 'AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!'

'OK, porridge is not supposed to be that color. It's not supposed to be bubbling like that when it's not being cooked. And is that a fish eye in there?'

"Um..." Nagata shied away. "Actually, I'm not hungry. Really. I just don't have an appetite right now."

"Nonsense, you'll need to eat in order to get your strength back," Kanu said as she scooped up the porridge with a spoon. "Now, open wide."

Nagata was trapped. He was too weak to protest or escape his fate.

Also, he would be hurting Kanu's feelings if he rejected her porridge.

So, he relented and surrendered himself to his fate.

He opened his mouth and let Kanu feed him.

And a second later his eyes went XX as his skin went pale as a ghost and his tongue hung limply out of his mouth.

"Nagata-sama! Kanu cried as she shook him back and forth. "Don't die! Please, hang on! Don't die!"

His spirit was slowly slipping right out of his mouth.


AWG CHIBI OMAKE #15B: SHURI'S NOVEL

"Here are the new documents you need to look at, Nagata-sama," Komei said as she delivered another stack of papers.

"Thank you, Shuri," Nagata replied with a sigh. She bowed and left to return to her room.

Komei sat down at her table.

"Alright, now where was I?"

Komei picked up a sheet of paper and cocked an eyebrow at what she read.

"Wait, this isn't the latest page I wrote..."

"Um, Shuri."

Komei looked up to see Nagata carrying several sheets of paper. He was blushing awkwardly.

"Yes, Nagata-sama?"

"These pages got mixed in with the documents you handed to me."

Komei's eyes widened as she snatched the papers from his hand and saw that they were pages from the book she was writing. Her face lit up as she blushed deeply.

"Hawawawawa! Did you read these, Nagata-sama!?"

"...Couldn't help it, sorry."

Komei could only cover her face in embarrassment. Nagata had just read pages of her new book, a romance novel depicting herself and him together...and the pages described a very steamy love scene.

"If it makes you feel better, it was good."

That did not make her feel better.