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.


Kanu Unchou was furious. She had just spoken to Ryuubi and learned that Iori had defected to Sousou's faction. She immediately went to look for the defector and found him in the middle of training.

Iori was out training with his crossbow as he fired on a target. His auto-reload crossbow was a gift he had received from Mitsuki's engineer, Riten. It came equipped with an auto-reload magazine, allowing him to quickly reload his crossbow with bolts, making it an efficient weapon on the battlefield. Once his magazine was spent, he went to grab a replacement when Kanu stood between him and his target.

"Do you mind moving out of the way, please?" Iori requested.

"Is it true, Iori-sama? Did you defect to Sousou-dono's faction?" Kanu demanded.

Iori rolled his eyes. He knew that news about him defecting would spread quickly and expected that they would be upset with him.

"You say that like it's a bad thing, Aisha. I was just offered a better opportunity and I took it," Iori said nonchalantly.

"Why didn't you speak to Touka about this? Why didn't you speak to us?"

"I didn't think it was any of your concern."

That casual dismissal just made Kanu angrier.

"Not our concern? We're comrades, Iori-sama! We're practically family! If you were having problems, we could've talked about it!"

"This is my life, Aisha. I don't have to tell you everything I do with it."

"And what does Shion have to say about this?"

"If you must know, she supports my decision, something none of you would've done. Don't act like I betrayed you all. We're still on the same side. We're just walking different paths now."

"You're just doing all this out of spite, aren't you?" Kanu accused. "Just because Touka chastised you for going after Idunn behind our backs."

"No, I'm not doing this out of spite, Aisha," Iori denied. "I'm just sick of the obvious nepotism when Nagata is concerned." It reminded him of how his parents favored his big brother over him just because Ichiro was their first-born and heir. "And don't act like you didn't want revenge on Karasu for what she did." He remembered how Kanu wanted Karasu to be hunted down after she had fled. She was practically obsessed with finding Karasu so she could face justice.

"We wanted justice, Iori-sama, not revenge," Kanu corrected him.

"Is there really a difference between the two?" Iori shrugged. In his eyes, justice was just lawful revenge.

Kanu scowled at him. How dare he think justice and revenge were the same thing? She may have been motivated by the death of her family to go after bandits, but she had been driven by a sense of justice, to prevent others from suffering as she had in the past.

Iori had gotten increasingly ruthless and it worried them. A lot. She understood the need for a bit of ruthlessness when fighting their enemies who were literal monsters, but she also knew they could not allow themselves to be consumed by it. Now Iori was going behind their backs and taking matters into his own hands like when he executed those bandits a long time ago. She understood why he had done it since he had discovered them using the kidnapped girls as sex slaves. However, he still should have followed proper procedure and brought the bandits back to be tried in court, not decide to be the judge and executioner.

"You went behind our backs, Iori-sama, and took matters into your own hands," Kanu growled but soon paused as she realized something. "This isn't the first time either."

"What are you accusing me of exactly?" Iori glared.

"Those prisoners that 'escaped'. It was you. You were the one who released them just so you could kill them yourself." They had captured several cultists who had been part of the assault on Touka Village, following Haru who had been coerced to attack them. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"So what if I did?" Iori responded shamelessly, not feeling guilty about it. Not one bit. "They deserved it. Besides, we were low on food and water. We couldn't waste it on them. I was doing us all a favor."

"So that's what you call trying to kill Idunn? You think you were doing us all a 'favor'?" Kanu questioned incredulously.

"That's right but Nagata decided she deserved to live instead. He got in my way and sided with her just like before so we fought. I bet he would have run away with her again."

"We both know he did not abandon us." She had to learn this the hard way when Majin Gaim had shown them Nagata's LockPhone, confirming his death.

"Well, you believed he had before we learned he was dead. You even said you'd never forgive him," Iori reminded her.

"I never meant it," Kanu denied. She remembered and regretted it. "I was angry but I've already forgiven him."

"Of course you'd forgive your darling 'Nagata-sama'," Iori snarked. "You even forgave him after he attacked you and the others."

"We forgave him for that because he was not in his right mind. You, however, knew what you were doing but you still went behind our backs. That is what I can't forgive."

"As if I care," Iori scoffed. "Listen, you can lecture me all you like but you won't change my mind. And I will do everything in my power to protect what is precious to me." He was not budging from his decision and was determined to stay on this path.

"Let's just hope you don't burn any more bridges, Iori-sama, for your sake."

"The only bridges I'll burn are the ones our enemies are standing on if they cross me."

Once Kanu stormed off, Iori continued his training. He briefly pictured her face on the target and fired.


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

Co-Written By: Kamen Rider Chrome & Ten-Faced Paladin

Beta Reader/Editor: Busterleader92 & Kamen Rider Goji

Chapter 53: Divine Duties


The beams of sunlight hit Nagata's face. The sudden warmth on his face woke him up and he slowly opened his eyes. It took him a moment to focus his vision and after a few blinks, the pink blur lying beside him became clear. It was Ryuubi and she was sleeping next to him.

He remembered what happened last night. He had attended a vigil in honor of Karasu, had gotten into a fight with Iori, talked with Kanu and then Ryuubi had come to his room. He had felt lonely after Kanu rejected him so he had invited Ryuubi into his room.

They may have slept together, but nothing sexual took place last night. They had just talked all night and Ryuubi fell asleep beside him. Watching her sleep so peacefully made him doze off as well.

He hadn't had a peaceful rest like that in a very long time. After being forced to evade the Grimmbeasts in Purgatory for so long, it felt good to be able to sleep for a few hours without the fear of death looming over him.

He reached over to brush aside some of her pink hair away from her beautiful face and then he cupped her cheek.

"Thank you," he whispered gratefully. He was thankful for her company, love and warmth. He hadn't felt any of that in a very long time. He was also happy that there were no hard feelings between them after his breakdown.

As much as he wanted to stay in bed with Ryuubi, he had to get up to perform his duties. He was Sousou's royal cook after all so she would be expecting breakfast. With reluctance, he got out of bed and stepped out to get ready for his day.


"Looks like we've just found their base," said Iori as he lowered his telescope. He had just joined Sousou's faction. For his first assignment, she had sent him to deal with a bandit problem. Despite the ongoing war with the RinJyuKen Akugata, there were still bandit gangs that were taking advantage of these turbulent times to raid villages, taking food, valuables, and young girls for entertainment.

The bandits had taken over a village that was left abandoned after an attack committed by the RinJyuKen. Using it as their base, it provided the bandits with shelter and a place to store their stolen loot and slaves. These bandits had been going around attacking villages in Sou Gi's territory which should've been safe from the RinJyuKen. But sadly, their forces were stretched pretty thin so villages only had a handful of guards stationed. These villages were vital to the war effort as they provided supplies for the Alliance so any disruption in the supply chain would not be tolerated.

The existence of the Armored War Gods should have been a deterrent. Sadly, bandits were just greedy and brazen enough to go after any easy target without any fear of reprisal.

They needed a reminder.

Iori was given a company of archers to help deal with the bandits. Also, he was accompanied by Teiiku and Kakuka, two of Sousou's strategists who were on loan to him. Iori's company stood on a cliff overlooking the village. It gave them a good view of the village and its surroundings while giving them the high ground, which was an advantage as well.

Iori would normally have the archers rain arrows down on the bandits but they would only take shelter in the houses, which would have made such a tactic useless. They could fire flaming arrows that would force the bandits out into the open, but that would set the buildings on fire and they could not risk harming the captives. Going in with guns blazing was also out of the question for the very same reason. He was not going to mess up his first mission as a newly appointed member of her faction.

This was a test. Sousou wanted Iori to prove himself to her. She wanted to know if his mind was as sharp as his eyes.

"OK, so we need to get the bandits out in the open," Iori said. "Any ideas?"

"A trap would be too obvious," said Teiiku. "These bandits aren't idiots. They're led by men who used to be imperial soldiers before the empire fell."

Iori grimaced. He hated it when good men turned bad. Or were they ever good to begin with if they decided to become bandits? Even if times were hard, they did not justify them going after the weak and helpless. There were better ways to earn a living without turning to a life of crime.

"What if we don't draw them out but we chased them out instead?" Kakuka suggested.

"You mean scare them out of the village?" Iori asked.

"Yes," Kakuka confirmed.

"Hm, using their cowardice to our advantage," Iori smiled as he rubbed his chin. "Not a bad idea. And when they're out in the open, we'll hit them with our arrows then storm the village in the middle of all the chaos."

"How will we scare them?" Teiiku asked.

"How many Lockseeds do we have?" Iori answered with his own question. "Get everyone ready. We'll strike before sundown while we still have some light." His smile turned vicious. "These bandits should've stolen some umbrellas because we're going to bring down the rain."


The operation was executed before the sun went down. Ryugen flew over the bandit village and unlocked several Lockseeds which he dropped. The instant they hit the ground, numerous Helheim portals opened up. Then the chaos began as the bandits screamed and tried to fight off the Inves, only to fail due to the monster's superior numbers. As Inves were naturally hostile lifeforms, they would attack anything that stood between them and their natural food source. With the Lockseeds littering the village, they had plenty of reason to be hostile.

The bandits started to flee, leaving behind their ill-gotten loot and slaves. They ran out of the village, leaving stragglers to the mercy of the Inves.

Meanwhile, Kakuka and Teiiku stood on the cliff and saw the bandits coming out of the village. They waited as more and more of them came running out of the gate, screaming in terror. It was cathartic, really. They acted tough when menacing the weak but were cowards in the face of true terror.

"Hold," Kakuka said. "Wait for it. Wait for it."

They needed to wait until no more bandits could be seen running out of the village.

"Now!" Kakuka commanded and the archers let loose with their bows and arrows. A multitude of arrows shot skyward before they rained down on the bandits. When they saw the arrows coming for them, it was too late as they were all struck down, dying instantly.

"That was quick and efficient," Teiiku approved. "Now, let's see how Ryugen-dono handles the rest." While they were on loan to Iori, they were also given instructions to report to Sousou on his successes or failures. After all, if this was a test, then they were the proctors.

Ryugen touched down in the middle of the village. He watched as the Inves gorged on the Lockseeds, evolving after gobbling them up.

"You've served your purpose," Ryugen said coldly as he aimed his DraGatlingers at the Inves. "Now go to Hell."


The bodies of the bandits were gathered and put in a pile to be burned. They did not want the RinJyuKen to get their hands on them to add to their forces. At the same time, they reclaimed all the stolen loot which included a few dozen bags of rice. They also rescued the girls that the bandits had taken for 'entertainment purposes'.

"So, do I pass?" Iori asked Teiiku and Kakuka during the mission debriefing.

"Sousou-sama will be most satisfied with this, Ryugen-dono," Kakuka informed him.

"Good," Iori smiled. "You can also tell her that you can count on me to always get the job done."

"We will," Teiiku complied. Though, she would make note of how reckless he was in using the Inves to drive out the bandits. The monsters could've turned on the captives and killed them as well. The only reason they had not was because Iori was there to exterminate them once their role was fulfilled.


Following Taiga's defeat, the Alliance reclaimed Rakuyo. A search of the palace revealed that he had girls locked up in his dungeon. It did not take a genius to realize why he had taken them captive. Traumatized by their ordeal, they would no doubt be scarred for life but they would receive the help they needed to recover and hopefully move on.

The Shoku Faction was also working on reclaiming their kingdom. It was currently overrun by Helheim plants, causing it to become uninhabitable by humans. The Shoku Faction had originally believed that Karasu was responsible for the infestation since she possessed the ability to freely open Helheim portals and control the plants within Helheim. They assumed she had done it out of revenge for imprisoning her. However, after learning that she had been trying to redeem herself from the refugees she had rescued, that theory was shelved. She still could've done it out of spite before she decided to change her ways but they could not find out for sure since she had passed away.

Another working theory was that the unstable portals were accidentally caused by the Armored War Gods constantly using their Lockseeds to access their armor. Presently, the infestation seemed limited to Shoku but it could still spread to the rest of the land if left unchecked.

It was not just the plants that were a threat, but the Inves that came along with them. Territorial, the creatures were dangerous and would attack any intruders that they believed were after their food source. They also went after Armored War Gods who carried Lockseeds which they considered an even better and more delicious source of sustenance.

Despite being overrun by Helheim plants, it did not stop the RinJyuKen Akugata from setting up shop in Shoku as they had built a Rinshi Factory there. The Rinshi Factory was a terrible place. Dead bodies were gathered by the Genesis cult and turned into Rinshi through dark magic. Not even their own members were excluded. Their bodies were collected and used as raw material to create more footsoldiers for the RinJyuKen Akugata.

They were also holding prisoners in the facility, all locked up in cages. Helpless, they could do nothing but wait before it was their time to be converted. It only happened when they didn't have enough dead bodies to convert so they resorted to using living people, killing them so that their bodies could be used.

It was abhorrent and sacrilegious.

It had to be stopped. Right here and now.

A girl struggled as she was tied to the altar while a cultist stood over her body with a dagger. The altar had been used numerous times already, judging by the bloodstains on it. The girl was gagged to prevent her from screaming, but the fear in her tear-filled eyes gave away her terror.

"You will give your life to Dai Shi-sama's holy cause to cleanse this world of the unworthy!" the cultist announced as he raised his dagger to kill her. All of a sudden, a bolt of blue lightning sped into the chamber and knocked the knife-wielding cultist into the wall. The other two cultists were also knocked out by sudden blows to the head.

The girl, still tied to the altar, was confused but then she saw a new face and her eyes widened.

"Don't worry. I'm here to get you out," Ryujin Gaim assured her as he cut her free. "Now, hold on." He zoomed away before he came back to free the rest of the captives from their cages, zooming away with them too.


Meanwhile, Lu Bu was dealing with the man in charge of the facility. He was a Rinrinshi called Meka, a Tortoise Beastman with scaly blue skin, goggles, and tortoise shell armor with a tortoise's face on his chest. He claimed to be an alchemist and an engineer while he ran the Rinshi Factory for the RinJyuKen Akugata.

He also had an assistant, Baka, who was a bumbling oaf in the form of a Hippo Beastman. He was dumb as rocks but could follow orders at least. He was the one who did the heavy lifting and menial labor while also acting as Meka's bodyguard.

Meka was in the middle of creating his masterpiece when Lu Bu broke into his lab. Her orders were to capture the person-in-charge for questioning. Failing that, if they resisted, she was allowed to kill them. When she came into his lab, she caught him stitching body parts together to form some kind of abomination.

Meka commanded Baka to take care of her. His stupid assistant eagerly obeyed and fought Lu Bu who proved to be more of a match for him.

Lu Bu sent Baka crashing into a shelf filled with Meka's various potions and the bottles fell to the ground where they shattered.

"My potions!" Meka cried in dismay as his work was being destroyed. "You bitch! Baka, kill her! Kill her now!"

Lu Bu did not respond. She was driven by cold fury, knowing what this monster had done to innocent people while disrespecting the dead. He would know her fury as she cut him down but she needed to take care of his bodyguard first. He was the only thing standing in her way.

"That smarts..." Baka groaned as he recovered but his head hurt and not because he was trying to think too hard. He was bizarre, even for a Rinrinshi. He looked like a big red hippo head with green human limbs attached to it.

"You idiot!" Meka snapped. "Kill her already!"

"Yes, Meka-sama!" Baka obeyed. "This will kill her for sure because bigger is better! Jashin Goten Hen!"

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Meka screamed as Baka started to grow to titanic size.


"Here's the last of them," Ryujin Gaim informed Ryuubi and Komei as he brought the last of the captives back to their base camp. He managed to work in a flash.

He seemed to be doing better following Karasu's death. As soon as he could, he was back working with the Shoku Faction but as a subordinate instead of a leader like before. He was fine with the arrangement since he could still do some good with his abilities.

Komei was the one who had formulated this plan to use Ryujin Gaim's speed to rescue all the captives and capture all the cultists within the factory.

"Good, thank you, Nagata-sama," Ryuubi said gratefully. "Now, let's destroy this unholy place."

"Just a moment," Ryujin Gaim said as he grabbed some rope and zipped back inside the facility. In a matter of seconds, Ryujin Gaim had all the cultists tied up in front of Ryuubi. "OK, now we can destroy it."

"Wait, we forgot Ren," Komei remembered.

Suddenly, Baka burst out of the factory as he grew into a giant, destroying it as he expanded. Meka clung to his gigantic assistant, cursing loudly.

"YOU STUPID BAKAAAAAAAAA!"

The stupid hippo had destroyed his lab and all of his hard work. It was an incredible loss as he also destroyed the factory as well.

Lu Bu also managed to cling to Baka as he grew. She spotted Meka who gasped when he saw her. She grabbed him, preventing his escape before they were suddenly zipped away by a blue lightning bolt.

"Nagata-sama," Lu Bu said as Ryujin Gaim set her down at their base camp. He saw Meka who cried out in fear as he saw Ryujin Gaim.

"Wait, don't kill me! I'll tell you anything!" Meka begged.

Ryujin Gaim just slapped a paper talisman on Meka's forehead to make him shut up and go still. It was something Kada had whipped up for them. Since the Rinshi and Rinrinshi were simply advanced Jiang Shi, they could be sealed the same way.

"That thing's huge," Komei observed as she looked at Baka. "Nagata-sama, do you need to change into a giant again?"

"There's no need for that," Ryujin Gaim said as he zoomed toward Baka then ran up his body to stand beside his ear. "Excuse me, Baka-san?"

"HUH? WHO SAID THAT?"

"I'm...I'm your conscience," Ryujin Gaim answered. He mentally facepalmed. Like that would work.

"HUH? MY CONSCIENCE? WHAT'S THAT?"

Ryujin Gaim blinked but continued with the ruse.

"I'm the voice in your head that tells you when you're doing something bad."

"OH, THEN WHY HAVE I NEVER HEARD YOU BEFORE?"

"Well...it's because...well it's because you were small before. Now that you're big then my voice is bigger and you can hear me." Ryujin Gaim literally facepalmed this time when he realized how dumb that sounded.

"OH, OK! THAT MAKES SENSE!" Ryujin Gaim did not believe that actually worked. "SO, WHAT I'M DOING IS BAD?"

"Yes, it's bad. You don't have to hurt people, you know, because you have a choice. You can be good. Tell me, why are you bad?"

"BECAUSE PEOPLE TOLD ME TO BE BAD."

"And what do you wanna do?"

"I...I NEVER REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT IT. I GUESS I JUST WANT TO SIT DOWN AND EAT ALL THE FOOD I WANT."

"OK, that's good, I guess. You don't have to hurt people to enjoy good food."

"REALLY? BECAUSE MEKA-SAMA SAID I WON'T GET ANY FOOD IF I DON'T DO ANYTHING HE SAYS."

"Well, he's not here right now, is he? Now, you get to decide what you want to do. Do you really want to destroy that camp?"

"WELL, IF MEKA-SAMA TOLD ME, I'D DO IT BUT SINCE HE'S NOT HERE I THINK I'D RATHER TAKE A NAP IN A RIVER."

"OK, then go do that but you need to shrink back to normal first, and then you need to surrender. When you surrender, they'll give you some food."

"OK! THANK YOU, MR. CONSCIENCE!"

Baka began to shrink back to normal size and Ryujin Gaim zoomed back to camp. Komei and Ryuubi just stared at him in amazement.

"What did you do?" Ryuubi asked.

"I talked him down," Ryujin Gaim answered.

"And it worked?" Komei questioned.

"Yeah, it looks like it did. I'm surprised it worked too."

Baka approached the camp, got down on his knees, and put his hands up.

"I surrender! Can I get some food, please?"


Baka and Meka now had paper talismans stuck to their foreheads which forced them back into their humanoid Rinrinshi forms and froze them like statues - or in this case corpses. They were both put in coffins which were sealed with talismans as well.

"Too easy," Ryofu observed.

"I can't believe it worked," Ryuubi agreed.

"I'm as surprised as you are but I had to try it at least," Nagata replied. "Still, I don't feel right about putting Baka away like this. He did surrender peacefully."

Nagata had learned from his experience with Nanamomo that not all Rinrinshi were bad. Some of them just joined up with Dai Shi because they were forced to or they did not see any other choice. If he could, he'd rather solve these problems peacefully. Baka was not a bad Rinrinshi, he was just simple, dumb, and only knew how to follow orders.

Of course, if Baka had not agreed to surrender peacefully, then Nagata would have no choice but to send him to Purgatory.

"I understand, Nagata-sama, but this is for everyone's peace of mind," Ryuubi assured him since having a Rinrinshi walking around free right now would just cause unnecessary panic and they wanted to avoid that. "When the time is right, then you can free him and give him the feast you promised him."

"Yeah," Nagata smiled. "So are we done here?"

"We've rescued the captives, taken enemy members prisoner and destroyed the factory," Komei listed their objectives. "Then yes, I believe we're done here."


A battle was taking place between the Yellow Turbans that were led by Bravo and the RinJyuKen's Rinshi who were being led by Tyrant. While Bravo slashed away at the Rinshi with his men, Gridon opted to take on Tyrant himself.

Bravo's Yellow Turbans had found one of the RinJyuKen's slave labor camps thanks to Shibai's Intel. They were forcing people to break rocks for building material. They were also forced to repeatedly build a wall that the Rinshi would tear down and force them to rebuild. Their misery provided the RinJyuKen with Rinki which they craved. Those that worked themselves to death were collected to be converted into Rinshi.

This camp was a damn Rinki farm. What got Hideyoshi interested in this camp was that Sasuke was in charge. It was Shibai who had informed them of the place. Knowing Sasuke was there was just icing on the cake.

Tyrant and Gridon clashed furiously. Normally, an A-Rank Lockseed needed to be at a higher tier with an experienced user to be a match for an S-Rank Energy Lockseed. However, Gridon had gained considerable combat experience since he came to this world and had become stronger. He also sported a new Driver which was green instead of the usual black. The Rider Indicator had also been replaced, now depicting a turtle shell instead of a profile of his helmet in Rider form.

"Hyah!" Gridon shouted as he smashed his Donkachi against Tyrant's chest and sent him staggering back.

[COME ON! DONGURI FINISH!]

"This is for Kenshin!" Gridon yelled as he rotated his arm as his Donkachi charged up with energy. He swung at Tyrant and blasted him across the battlefield with his Donkachi.

Tyrant groaned but he managed to recover as he picked himself up.

"You've gotten stronger, Hideyoshi," Tyrant remarked.

"Is that all you can say?" Gridon growled.

"Are you expecting an apology?"

"I expect an explanation! You betrayed us! You stabbed us in the back! You killed my best friend! I want to know why!"

"Would it even matter? It wouldn't change anything now, would it?"

"No, it wouldn't."

"Then why bother asking?"

Roaring in anger, Gridon charged at Tyrant who switched his GenesisDriver for his FienDriver.

[EYES OPEN UP! QIONGQI: FIEND OF WRATH!]

The Dark Aura Beast emerged from the FienDriver. Representing Qiongqi, it was manticore-like. But instead of a lion, it resembled a tiger with wings, bull-like horns and a scorpion's tail. It snatched Gridon in its jaws and violently shook him around, smashing him against the ground as Tyrant watched. After having its fun, it spat him out.

Tyrant stood calmly as the beast merged with him to form his armor. He became equipped with the Hell Claws and Hell Stinger. Gridon rose to his feet and glared at Tyrant who wore the armor he had used to kill his best friend.

Tyrant swung his tail at Gridon like a whip but Gridon repelled it with a strike of his war hammer before he jumped back to avoid its venomous sting.

As Tyrant charged up his Gun Hell Claw, Gridon performed a quick Arms Change.

[COME ON! XUANWU ARMS! KUROTAMA NO TATE, GO ON!]

He summoned his Kamekasa hat which had a texture similar to a turtle's shell and the face of a turtle on it. Using it as a shield, he deflected Tyrant's shots before he threw it like a Frisbee. It struck Tyrant in the head, stunning him, and bounced off to return to Gridon like a boomerang. He caught it and put it on his helmet before giving it a spin.

[COME ON! OVERLORD XUANWU ARMS! TSUNAMI, SURGE AND CRASH!]

Tyrant fired as blue-green water swirled around Gridon, shielding him from Tyrant's attack. The swirl dispersed, revealing Gridon in his Overlord Mode. His armor was less bulky and the bodysuit had changed color, becoming a deep shade of green with turtle shell patterns on the outside of his legs and sleeves. His black armor also had the same pattern with an octagon on his chest that had the Kanji character for 'water' in it.

This was Armored War God Rey Gridon.

He fired a jet of water which violently slammed against Tyrant who managed to brace himself against the blast of water. Seeing that this wasn't working, Rey Gridon quickly changed tactics as he turned the water into a thick cloud of steam.

"Neat trick," Tyrant appraised as he kept his guard up while Gridon hid in the thick cloud of steam.

"I've learnt more than that!" Rey Gridon charged at Tyrant as he rolled himself into a ball of ice with spikes that sprouted out all over the sphere. He rolled at high speed and rammed into Tyrant with incredible force before he bounced off and unrolled himself to land on his feet. He wrapped his forearms in water before he froze them to form ice fists with spiked knuckles. He threw a punch at Tyrant but he blocked it with his Hell Claws. Furiously, Rey Gridon threw rage-fueled punches at the traitor who deftly deflected them before hitting him in the chest with a blast that stunned him.

"Qiongqi, it's over. Return," Dai Shi commanded in Tyrant's head.

"Looks like I'll have to leave now, Hideyoshi," Tyrant said regretfully. "We may resume our battle some other time."

"You're not getting away!" Rey Gridon snapped as Tyrant activated his finisher.

[QIONGQI EXECUTION END!]

Tyrant leaped into the air to perform a backflip. Gridon's eyes widened as he recognized the attack.

"Shit!" Rey Gridon put his arms up to brace himself.

The stinger fired a blast of venom which launched Tyrant at Gridon. Coated in the venomous substance, Tyrant performed a series of rapid bicycle kicks which ate through the ice gauntlets before finally sending Rey Gridon flying. Fortunately, his armor and protective Ki-barrier absorbed the impact as he went tumbling.

Rey Gridon looked around for Tyrant as his steam cloud dissipated and found him gone. He scanned the battlefield for him and only saw the Yellow Turbans with Bravo finishing off the last of the Rinshi.

"Hideyoshi!" Kurokage-Shin ran up to her comrade to help him up. "Are you OK?"

"He got away!" Rey Gridon snapped. "Dammit!"

"OK, that's bad. But look on the bright side. We've won here. Now let's go and free those slaves," Kurokage-Shin told him.

"...Fine."

They had won the day, defeated the enemy and freed the slaves but Tyrant had also retreated. It was not a complete victory, yet it was still a step in the right direction.

After the battle, Hideyoshi went back to performing his duties as a healer. With the power of Xuanwu, he could manipulate water, change its state and also heal. Not only could he use it to cleanse wounds, but he could also use the Ki-infused water to heal injuries and cure diseases. It made him a valuable member of the Alliance. However, he knew he was not much of a healer compared to Kada who had trained his whole life in the craft. The only reason he could do this job was that he had been given a Cheat ability.

It still couldn't help him save his best friend, though. He grieved and mourned for a long time but with Totaku's help, he managed to move on. He still drank to cope with the pain but he never overdid it or went on benders anymore.

There were times that he wished he and Kenshin had never gone to that museum. If they hadn't gone to that museum, his best friend would still be alive and they would be playing games like before. The only violence they would experience would be simulated and Kenshin would not have become an alcoholic and died.

Kayu had tried to take Kenshin's place as his partner and he appreciated the effort but it was never the same. She could claim Kenshin's place as the new Kurokage-Shin but she could never replace his best bro-friend.

Currently, Hideyoshi was treating the soldiers and the slaves that they had rescued. Like in every battle, they suffered casualties. Many good men lost their lives and many more were injured but they fought the good fight. Fortunately, with Mitsuki's help, the men who had died could still be revived to fight another day.

While Mitsuki's Phoenix Down could be used repeatedly, it could not be stored as they learned they could never collect the feathers from Mitsuki to be used for later. They needed to be used as soon as they were produced or else they would lose their effectiveness.

With Mitsuki being able to bring the dead back to life and Hideyoshi being able to heal all injuries and ailments, the Alliance had not suffered any heavy casualties. They felt truly blessed to have the Armored War Gods on their side.

The slaves had suffered greatly. They were either injured, ill or malnourished. When presented with real food, they ate like they had never eaten before. It was just so tragic to see how they had suffered because of the RinJyuKen.

"OK, your leg should be fine now," Hideyoshi said after he finished healing the wound of one of their soldiers.

"Thank you, Gridon-sama," the soldier said gratefully.

"Try not to get speared again," Hideyoshi advised as his patient left. "OK, who else?"

"That's the last of them," Totaku checked. "You have no more patients today."

"Oh, thank goodness. Now we just need to call Baron to come and bring some of our men back to life." Hideyoshi reached for a drink but paused as he looked to Totaku. "I'll just take a sip, I promise."

"You've earned it after a long day of work," Totaku permitted. Hideyoshi popped open a gourd and took a sip of wine. He then took another sip for Kenshin.

"Wish we got that damned traitor," Hideyoshi grumbled.

Totaku knew who he meant. Sasuke had been part of Kosonsan's group before he revealed himself to be a traitor. He was the one who had killed Kenshin so the Black Turtle Rider harbored a grudge against him. Hideyoshi swore on his best friend's memory that he would kill Sasuke and avenge him.

"He won't get away next time," Totaku said optimistically. "And he'll answer for his crimes."

"Let's hope that's true, Yue-hime."

Hideyoshi could feel he was getting agitated so he took some of the medicinal ma Kada had given him, rolled himself a joint and lit it with an oil lamp. He took a few puffs and let it work its magic, putting him in a better, calmer mood. He started to lament how he was using drugs and alcohol to cope with the horrors of war but they were not the only thing he was using as a crutch.

He looked at Totaku who looked cute in her maid uniform. So cute that he just wanted to embrace her.

"Yue-hime, come here," Hideyoshi said softly as he put his joint down in the ashtray and pulled the girl onto his sleeping mat. He embraced her as they kissed and soon they started to disrobe. He needed her right now, for comfort, and she freely offered it to him.

Drugs, alcohol, and sex were how he coped with his trauma.


KRC: In this chapter, we see Iori, Nagata and Hideyoshi at work as they fight with the Alliance. Iori is being a jerkass but he does have a point. Hopefully, this doesn't strain his relationship with the Shoku Warriors further. Baka and Meka are from JyuKen Sentai Gekiranger but they never appeared in the series. Instead, they appeared in Gekirangers VS Boukengers and Go-Ongers VS Gekirangers, respectively.


Fruits of the Trees, Yggdrasil

Overlord Xuanwu Arms: Hideyoshi's Overlord mode, it is the evolution of his Xuanwu Arms. In exchange for his spear and shield, he gains the Kamekasa, a hat that can be used offensively as a flying disk and defensively as a shield. It also makes him look like a kappa. His armor is less bulky in this form but he is protected by a layer of ki that reinforces his armor. He still retains his hydrokinesis which becomes significantly more powerful in this form. Since gaining this form, he has learned to manipulate water in all its states - liquid, gas, and solid - and can skillfully change it between those states. It is modeled after a kappa, a Japanese water youkai.


It was night and everyone was asleep except for Nagata and the guards that kept watch over the camp. It was pretty late and according to the time on Nagata's LockPhone, it was half-past two in the morning.

Kanu had returned his LockPhone to him. Ever since Taiga had shown it to them as proof of his demise, Kanu had kept it safely on her person. Nagata appreciated the fact that she treasured it so greatly.

"Can't sleep?" Karasu asked as she hovered in front of him while he sat by the fire.

"Yeah," he answered. Sleep was a luxury he had lived without during his time in Purgatory as he really could not afford to stay in one place for too long, even for a rest. He only ever took breaks to rest his mind, not his body. He just stayed up all night with only his thoughts to keep him company.

His time in Purgatory had done quite the number on him. Respawning had erased the memories of each of his deaths but his mother's kiss had brought them all back. Whenever he closed his eyes, his mind took him back to that place and he remembered a new horror.

He remembered each time he was killed, each time a Grimmbeast got its claws and fangs on him, and each time he was torn to shreds. He lost count of how many times he had been killed in Purgatory, only to respawn to be killed again. It was only when he slept beside Ryuubi that the nightmares didn't come.

While in Purgatory, he learned plenty from Bucky, that many of the Rinrinshi he had fought had once been in Purgatory before they were brought back to fight in the living world. If that was what it was like for the denizens that were trapped in Purgatory, it was no surprise they could be so cruel.

"Purgatory really messed you up," she stated.

"It's not just Purgatory. It's what Chosen said that night," he replied. Chosen had warned him that the final battle was soon.

"Look, if it bothers you so much, then how about you do something to help you stop worrying about it?" Karasu suggested.

"You mean forget about it?" Nagata returned.

"Well, no. What I mean is that you need to prepare. If a fight's coming, being ready for it will help you not to worry so much. With a plan, you'll have nothing to worry about."

"I'll worry if the plan fails."

Karasu did not reply and simply faded away. Perhaps she went back to whatever place ghosts went when they needed to rest or maybe she was sleeping somewhere in his head. He did not dwell on it and just continued to watch the fire.