Chapter 28: The Unrelenting and Cold-Blooded Demon

Ex's POV

"He's becoming more and more rage-induced as time goes on… I get it, Ringo is special to Dave. I can see why he just gets into a fit." I remarked to myself. All of a sudden, my vision became blurry and I was losing consciousness. My mind woke up to a place that was not the real world. I looked at my own body, from what I could see of it anyway. "Huh… I'm the age that I should be now…" I noticed. "Hi, Ex. It's been a while, so you may not remember my voice…" A voice rang throughout. "Huh? Well… I guess I don't. Can you appear to me?" I wondered. "As a static image, I can." They said. The image came up and I knew who this was now. "Ah! Ecolo, it's you! I'm guessing you brought me here to say something?" I assumed. "Bingo! Okay, what I am about to tell you is important. Right now, you are in your own subconscious. This is how I'm able to speak with you. Ex, I need you to be a conduit of some of my energy. And no, I can't just insert it directly into the boy. Dave has to age back to normal and defeat the count before he amasses too much power." He told me. "How though?" I asked him. "You gotta have a clear mind, man. Remove all hatred and anger from that head, then aim a blast of that energy at him. It won't hurt him… Okay, it might sting a little for him, not much though. He's our only hope, but you have to give Dave that hope." Ecolo explained. "What will happen after he changes back?" I wondered.

I didn't take Ecolo very long to answer that question. "His powers will return, his fury this time will make him stronger than ever before and cause him to transform again. Do keep in mind... this new form of his is gonna radiate so much aura. Once that happens: It'll be unsafe to be anywhere near him. That's right, the very aura he'll have is gonna be so potent… it'll kill all of you if you stick around. Now, Vyle's aura is just strong enough to keep himself from being wiped out by it, according to my prediction that is. Which means... Dave has to still fight him to the death." He told me. "Will Dave pull through though?" I made one final question. "Most likely, I've been watching him on the side and he has the gumption. Ah-! Quickly Ex, we don't have much time to spare. Something bad will happen if we don't intervene." Ecolo finished. "Alright…" I said. I regained my senses, just as Schezo was attempting to swing his sword at the vampire lord. "Yyyyah!" He threw out. Vyle shout out a beam at the sword itself, which ended up shattered. "Th-the Sword of Darkness! Damn, and I can't use my dark magic either!" He yelled. I felt the energy that Ecolo spoke of flowing through me. "Looks like it's time…" I aimed for Dave who was still raging, and fired at him. Thankfully, no one was looking at me while I did this. "! Gh-! … … …" He stopped in slight pain, then he came back to his proper age. "*gasp* Look guys, Dave is back to his old self!" Feli noticed. "What...? How is this possible?! I don't understand! This room was designed to keep you people ten years younger, indefinitely!" The count freaked out. "Wait everyone, something about Dave isn't right… he's not talking. He would've said one thing like, "Hey, I'm my actual age again!". As you can see though... he's completely silent. Ah-! He's-!" Schezo was stopped. Dave popped into his dragon armor, the one I saw back from the Puyo Isles… but he didn't stay like that for long.

What happened next would emotionally scar me, without even knowing it at first. Another voice began to boom the room as this transformation went on. "I am the harbinger of death and obliteration… the cold-blooded, dark dragon of demons. All those who stand in the way shall perish before the supreme might of this creature. *growl*" We listened to. "Look at his armor! It's changing to look more like a real dragon." Yui pointed. "And… is he going on all fours?" Rulue wondered. "No, he's just like that for this… see his arms there? They're shorter compared to the legs in length. There's no way he could properly get around like that without using his wings." Schezo said. Dave dug his newfound claws into in floor. "Uh-um… he's getting pretty big… and scary…" Lidelle shook. I'll admit, looking at Dave like this had put the fear of Puyo Hell into me. "I should have figured that his ultimate form would be an actual dragon..." I said. "*roar*" Dave roared loudly. "Yui, use your psychokinesis to retrieve Ringo while Vyle is distracted." Ms. Accord told her. "R-right!" She nodded.

Just like that, Ringo was safe in our care. "Yay! Thanks a lot, Yui!" She smiled. "Everyone, we need to get the hell out of here! I'll bust a hole and we'll escape, then run as far away from here as possible." I spoke to the whole group. "What?! But Dave can't take on the count alone!" Ringo was worried. "That doesn't matter now, Ringo! Dave's aura is overwhelming, if we don't get out of here, we'll all die from exposure to it. "But Ex, Vyle had a hostage from Primp Magic School... we can't just leave her here!" Raffina brought up. "*sigh* Okay. I'll create the hole for you guys to escape, then I will go get that hostage… wherever she may be. Hyah!" I broke through and beseeched everybody else to book it. "Alright... It's just me, Dave, and the count… Wait a minute, what the hell is this?" I stopped myself. I noticed that Dave was still acting oddly. "What is this power?! This is far more than I could ever expect. Damn this boy… Just because you are a dragon, doesn't mean you have won! Bat Storm!" Vyle called up. The bats tried to do work against Dave, however… he was unaffected by the shock emitted from them. "W-what the hell? Before, he was completely fried by the shock. However now... it does not even make him so much as flinch!" He saw to his horror. "*roar*"

Satan's POV

"*gasp* Dave! I can feel something is not right with him. Dammit... he had an incomplete transformation! Where is he?! The forest?! I need to find Draco." I left the Puyo Underworld to see her. I looked about for a while around Primp Town. "There she is, and Arly's with her too!" I flew down to get their attention. "Arly, Draco... come with me quickly! It's urgent!" I hyperventilated. "Whoa, okay Satan… calm down. Tell us what the matter is." Arly pleaded. "Yeah, chill." Draco agreed. I breathed in and out for a second. "Alright, we need to go to the forest. I'll explain what's going on as we fly there…" I hurried. "Gu?" Carbuncle stared blankly at me. "Oh Carbunny... this is too dangerous for you. Could you stay here for me, please?" I asked him nicely. "Gu!" He smiled, then I continued. "Draco, hold on to Arly with one hand and I'll do the same. We'll all fly over to our destination if we do this." I told them. They nodded and Arly hung on to us. "Here goes nothing…" I said. We flapped our wings to lift Arly off the ground. "Hrrr…" Draco tried. "Come on, you can do this." I cheered for her. "Rrrrr!" She continued. We managed to get ourselves high enough in the air. Flying at a decent speed was a luxury in this case. "So what's wrong, Satan?" Arly asked me. "It's Dave, he threw himself into trouble again. But this isn't like any of the other times. He transformed into the Demonic Dragon, he's no longer just a warrior. Ordinarily, this would sound like a good thing… however there's one major problem." I stopped. "What might that be?" Draco wondered. "This transformation was incomplete, and for that to happen with the dragon form... is self-destructive." I said. "What do you mean?" They both questioned. "Should he keep fighting in the incomplete dragon form… he'll lose his life force over time, then die." I elaborated. "What?!" They exclaimed. "But Satan, won't he know that he's losing life force?" Arly brought up.

I quickly stated an answer to that question. "Not in this instance… I can tell that he's not himself. I don't sense his spirit controlling that form consciously. It's like his mind is asleep, but the body is awake… I don't know how to fully explain it. It'll be a nightmare and a half to get that form to wear off. Not only is he nearly indestructible from physical strikes, if we were to strike him that is… but he has an aura that kills anything nearby that doesn't have a strong aura themselves. Until we deactivate that form… Dave will continue to rampage like a mindless beast, and risk killing himself in the process. That's why we need to stop him before it's too late. Draco, I was looking for you because of this. You, Ringo, and Feli are the only three that can do this. I know that this will sound dangerous, consider what I mentioned before… but you girls have to take a gamble. Approach him when he's knocked down and shed tears on his scaley head. These tears can't be forced either, only ones from natural sadness will work." I made clear. "Why though?" The dragon girl wanted to know. "Bringing tears of the ones who he's in love with will allow him to break out and become free. So, he'll be the Dave that we know if we do this correctly." I explained. "Then why did you bring me along?" Arly looked at me. "Uh… you have an ice-based spell, isn't that right?" I asked.

"Yeah…?" She comtinued to stare. "Arly, ice is very useful against dragons. Remember that Dave is a dragon on the outside, which is cold-blooded… anything cold-blooded is crippled in the cold. He won't be able to move much if his dragon body is experiencing sudden chills." I spoke with knowledge. "Why are there so many people down there?" Draco pointed toward. "...! They're all fleeing from that complex… he MUST be in there." I insisted. We flew to the ground where that group of people was and they stopped. "S-Satan!" Rulue looked surprised. "Rulue! What are you guys doing here?" I asked. "We tracked Vyle down here, we became younger inside.. then escaped after Dave transformed, due to his aura." She explained to me. "H-how do you know about that?" I continued the questioning. "Satan, it was that Ex guy… he knew about this somehow." Yui answered. "Wh-where is he? I don't see him." I wondered. "He's still inside, trying to save a hostage." The incarnated girl let on. "What?! But he'll get killed from that aura! Dammit… Arle, Ringo, Draco, and Feli… we're going inside. Don't ask any questions on the way, just do it." I implored. The girls nodded to me and followed. "Huh… the quirk with this room is somehow disabled now…" Feli noticed. "It probably had to do with something that either Dave or Ex did." I assumed. There, I saw how Dave looked as a dragon. Throughout my time, I haven't seen anything that made me feel legitimately fearful… but Dave's current presence brought absolute intimidation. I'll admit it, even I was quaking in my boots at the sight. And oh, that roar of his is "shit-your-pants" inducing. I could feel the massive gap in power level between us and him.

Ex's POV

I took a look as I tried to find this hostage. "Come on, where is she?" I quietly asked myself. "Damn, I'm stuck here… this rope is binding me too tight." I heard a voice. "! That must be her!" I listened into the direction where the voice was coming from. I found her and she saw me come by. "H-hey! Are you here to save me?" She asked me. "Yes, indeed! I'll have you out of that rope in a jiffy. What's your name?" "Witch. Yours?" "Ex. ... There." She was freed, thanks to me finding her in time. "Alright, let's get outta here… things are going to shit in here." I told her. "Where's Dave? That vampire lord seemed to have interest in him… but not the good kind." She looked worried. "Witch, Dave's… it's a bit hard to describe precisely what happened to him. Basically, he turned into a dragon, but he didn't seem like himself." I said. "Wait, what kind of dragon was he?" She wondered. "He told me in the past that he was the current Demonic Dragon Warrior… so I guess he's a dragon of demons? I dunno." I shrugged. "Hold it, if he wasn't himself… then that was probably an incomplete transformation. I'm not an expert on this subject, but if the user isn't fully committed to the new form… they'll lose control and rampage about. I heard that it was especially true for those who had the option of turning into dragons. And because this is an incomplete transformation, that means he's not used to the sudden changes. His energy will run dry soon enough after rampaging." She filled me in. "W-what happens after that?" I asked, with a worried tone.

I was afraid of the incoming answer. "He'll die." She confirmed my fear. "That's what I was afraid of… Damn, this is all my fault…" I spoke under my breath. "Hm? Did you say something, Ex?" "N-no, Witch. I didn't say anything." I lied. I realized that it was my fault that Dave turned out this way. If only I hadn't fired that energy into him… That stuff I placed in Dave… it did something to his brain for that moment. I don't know what that may be… but Ecolo, I'll be having some questions for you later. Shit, if only I was stronger… I would've taken on the count myself. And none of us would be in this predicament right now… I thought to myself. "Hey! You there? We need to go." I was brought back to reality. "O-oh, right… let's leave." I grabbed her hand. We came through where I ran around before and returned to where Dave and Vyle were. "! What's Dave doing?!" Witch exclaimed. "*roar*" We saw him clawing away at the count. "Gyaaah! … No matter what you do to me, Demonic Dragon… *cough* You cannot kill me." He continued to rip the vampire to shreds, even though it was pointless. "He can just regenerate every time… but ever still feeling the pain." I witnessed. "*snarl*" Dave snatched hold of and slammed him to the floor, keeping the guy down. "Ough!" The count yelled.

Dave then sparked an attack from his mouth. I knew what was coming from there. "Ah! Run, Witch!" I hollered. He breathed bright looking fire directly at Vyle. "Aaaaaaaaaah! What in the hell is this?! I'm... burning on the inside! Inconceivable! You… chicken-shit of a dragon! Incorrigible-! Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh-!" The count was bathed in an inferno of flames and turned to ash in a moment's notice. "H-he killed him like he was only a minor nuisance… and did it without a second thought." Witch's legs shook. "Just how strong IS he?!" I couldn't believe it. "! There's Ex, and he's with Witch!" I heard a familiar voice speak. "Huh? Who in the… Draco…?" I paused. "Ex!" I saw Ringo dash over. "W-what the hell you guys doing here?! I told you to book it to safety, dammit!" I scolded them. Witch continued to run without me, all the way through the hole and outside. "I brought them back here… with some help for a reason, Ex." Another voice came in. "You're…!" I stopped. "Yes. It's me… Satan." He came closer. "B-but, why are YOU here?" I asked him. "I caught wind of Dave having an incomplete transformation, so I hauled ass over here with Arly and Draco. And we need the kid's lovers here to break him free." He answered. "So you knew about form change?" I continued. "H-hold on, you know about the incomplete-?!" He was shocked. "Witch told me a bit about it." I said to him. "I… see… then, do you know why we need Ringo, Feli, and Draco to free Dave from his… draconic prison?" He threw me a bone. "Do I know why…? Nope. Care to enlighten me?" I requested.

He passed on about what he spoke to Draco. Ringo and Feli listened in on it while he did so. They didn't seem to have known that beforehand. "So in short, they need to literally pour their feelings on him?" I guessed. "Yeah, they can't just force themselves to bring the waterworks. That has to be all natural from a mood swing. You understand that… right, girls?" Satan turned to them. "Uh… sure." Ringo complied. "Yes." Feli nodded. "Absolutely." Draco accepted. "Okay… but why's Arle here?" I moved along. "She's around to freeze Dave's scale-covered body a little. Of course, too much… and he'll die. We only want him to not move so much." He said. "Ah, I see… he's cold-blooded right now! I suppose that makes sense… dragons are basically giant lizards with wings." My head bobbed. "However… first, we need to knock him down." he told me. "But how?" "By fighting him, there's no other way." "What?! But I saw him kill Vyle in no time! How are we going to even hurt Dave?" "With this, Ex. I managed to obtain this dragon stone. Coincidentally, the stone seems to resonate with you… as though fate wanted it to." He showed me. "The hell's a dragon stone, Satan?" "It's something that allows you to become what Dave was in the past." "Really? So did he use one of these to…?" "That's what I heard a while back. Draco helped in making it seep into his body and saved him from dying. I would make myself one, but it seems like my body is incompatible with dragon stones. Draco, give him the stone." He passed the stone to her. I was quite taken aback by this turn of events. "Here ya go, Ex. You're able to make it go inside you by your own free will, unlike Dave." She placed it in my hand. "Hm? You mean… like this?" I rested the stone on my chest and it reacted. "! No way…! I-it's going in-!" My eyes jerked.

I heard a voice reverberate in my head. "I can tell that you are strong... I will help you get your friend back from potential death, if you wish that is." "Who are you?" "I am the golden dragon spirit that rests in you, the dragon of space and matter. Strong one, you have dimensional power, do you not?" "Y-yes." "You will be able to transform into a second level of armor right out of the gate, but you need to accept this pact… to be the Dimension Dragon Warrior. Do you wish to do so?" "For… real? Well, if it's to save Dave… then I'll do it!" "Wise choice, strong one." The voice fades then I began to feel strange. "This… empowerment! Yyyyyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaah!" I screamed. "! Guys! Stand back!" Satan yelled to the others. Armor formed and I realized that this was similar to what Dave had. "I feel so… energized… I feel stronger than the extent that I had while I was keeper! Ha… hahaha! This is outstanding! Now… time to rescue Dave!" My now modulated voice rang out, then I tested my wings for flight. "W-woah… Okay, this is a bit jarring… *sigh* … I got it." I adapted. "Me and Arly will provide you with support, Ex!" Satan alerted me. "Thanks, guys." I said. The dragon looked at me, as though he was attracted by my aura. He slammed his tail against the floor and roared. We squared off and right away, I was in a disadvantageous position. "Shit!" I barely avoided Dave slashing my armor. He was faster than I have ever seen him before, despite being gigantic. "! Arly, slow him down ASAP!" Satan hollered. "I'm on it! Ice Storm!" She yelled. Arle managed to land a good amount of ice on one of Dave's wings. "*roar*" He dropped to the ground and shivered a little. "Awesome job, Arle!" I gave a thumbs up to her. "Ex, watch yourself! He may be slow now, but he's still tough as hell." She directed me. "Point taken." I replied. "*snarl*" "Dave! It's me! Your friend, Ex! Don't you recognize me?!" I tried getting through. "Forget it, he's not himself! Just keep him down long enough for his lovers to pray and cry for him!" Satan told me.

I knew that I couldn't just fight Dave with the way that thing were at that moment. "No, I'm going to keep trying to get through to him my own way." I spoke my mind. "You damn fool! Do you WANT us to die?!" He became angry. "Look, I'll fight to keep him safe, but I cannot bring myself to fight against him… there has to be a way of getting him back without inflicting pain by my hand. Even if his resilience is at an all time high, I will NOT hurt my friend!" I made clear. "*sigh* I get that you admire Dave's way of resolving conflicts… but are you sure that this is the best way to go about it? I'm not certain that this method will have him return to us…" He was understandably unsure. "I'm the former keeper, if there's anyone here who can do this, it's me. I made sure that I would be the best friend that I could fill in for him. I won't go and abandon that bond by attacking him. Now that I am a dragon warrior like him, I have all the more reason to stick to this. He was such a likable guy, I enjoyed his shower of justice and protection. The true embodiment of a hero… such a shame that his demon side has taken control. This is why I want to peacefully persuade him to come to his senses." I finished. "E-Ex…" Satan seem to feel flabbergasted. "Dave! If you hear my voice… WAKE UP! Be the friend that I can count on. Be the definitive role model for so many other people. Be the one to save Primp Town and Suzuran from oblivion!" The dragon looked down on me, observing my movements. "*growl*" For a moment or two, he just stood there, not making another peep. Lowering his head, Dave took a closer look at me. "D-Dave…? Is it really you?" The dragon opened his jaw and lashed out on me. "Gyaaaaaaah!" He sank his fangs into my armor and pierced it like it was nothing. I coughed out blood and cried in utter pain. "EX!" The girls screamed. "D-damn… it… I suppose that this is the end for me… I've been through a lot of shit in my life. Nothing less of a tragedy, but met… a good plenty of people too. Dave, if your hearing my final words… do not lament at this life being lost, kid. Avenge me, not with rage and fury… but with conviction…" I spoke.

Tee's POV

Everything was quiet, a little too quiet if you were to ask me. I hadn't heard from Ex since he left the ship. "Tee, my sensors indicate that the captain is mortally wounded." Zed told me, coming back in. "W-What?! We need to get down there then, Zed!" I said. "I cannot let you go down there, remember his orders." He reminded me. "Who gives a shit about those at this point?! We can't just ignore his near-death state. I realize we would be putting ourselves in danger, but Ex's life has been harsh. I just want him to have things easy for a change. Plus, Ess would be devastated if her dad were to die here..." I pressed my fist against the wall. "I… understand. We will go and retrieve him." Zed gave up. Ess was in a separate room so I had to go and tell her that me and Zed will take off. "Ess, we're going to assist the captain, take care of the Tetra's course while we are gone." I told her. "W-what…? But Papa told all of us to stay here… why are YOU going against his orders?" She stared at us angrily. "Trust me Ess, this is for the best…" I said. "First, tell me what's going on before you leap in like an idiot, Tee!" She yelled at me. "W-well…" I stopped. I couldn't tell her what was up with Ex. "Ess, the captain called and wanted me and Tee to help him." Zed covered for me. "Really? I guess he thought he couldn't do what he came for by himself… Sure, I'll do my part." She said. "Thank you, Ess." I bowed. "Tch. Don't thank me. Remember that I STILL don't like you, Tee! I'm just doing this for Papa. Hmph!" She scoffed. We left her to be by herself and exited the Tetra. "Thanks for getting us out of that jam, Zed." "Your welcome, Tee. I'll land first and catch your fall." And he did, bringing me down to the ground with his arms. "Alright let's see he- …" I paused. "Tee…" "What the hell happened to this place? It was fine a while ago, but most of the structure is dilapidated…" I wondered. We felt a shake in the ground soon after. "It must Ex fighting with whoever inside there!" I asserted. "Should we go in then, Assistant Captain?" "Of course we will, why else would we come here?" "I suppose so."

We treaded carefully, blissfully unaware of how much worse the inside was… compared to outside. "...! EX!" I called out to him. "… T-Tee… you recognize me in this...? What… are you doing… here…? I told you to man the Tetra…" He scolded me, whilst in pain. "No! I HAVE to get you outta here, I'm not letting you die from this… thing! You have a daughter that loves you… how would she feel if it occurred to her that you died, all because I wasn't there for you? She would hate me for as long as I live. Please, come back to us!" I pleaded to him. "Tee… you're not thinking rationally… I'm at death's grip, and you could be killed… in a heartbeat. *cough cough* Satan… tell him why… for me…" I looked at Satan, and recognized him. "I… remember you…" I said. "Yes, me too. Hello. Onto the present, you see…" He explained to me about Dave turning into a dragon and ravaging everything. What struck me as scary this form change, was this aura. Potent enough to kill people by itself? Yeah, that made me shake in my boots a little. However, it wasn't the thing I worried the most. No, it would have to be that Dave's life force was constantly drained. I did NOT like the thought of him dying from his own chaos. The dragon tossed Ex's body down to the ground. The armor he had faded into nothing. He laid there, punctured and bleeding after those fangs slid out. "Z-Zed, grab him!" I ordered. "Yes, Assistant Captain." He extended his metal arms to him and whisked him back over. "E-Ex! Don't worry, I'll heal you up!" Arle stepped up. "G-guys… *cough* just leave me for death." Ex told us. "No, we can't do that… you have no reason to die! Plus, don't you want to know whether or not your wife is still alive?!" I started to sob. "T-Tee…! With all of this time… that I've ever known you, kid… I never saw you… with tears such as those. Y'know… maybe this is not my time… to leave this world. Yes, I want to see my wife again… if possible. I cannot falter here, I must personally thank you, Tee. I should always count on you with anything that I can't do. You too, Zed, I did construct you, after all." He smiled. "Captain, it's good to count on others. This sort of thing blossoms into friendships and the like." Zed slowly got him up to his feet as Arle kept healing his wounds. "*roar*" Dave pounded the area around him. "! Now what?!" I exclaimed. "No… Everybody, if you value your lives… let's get out of here, ON THE DOUBLE!" Satan warned us. "Wh-what going on with Dave, Satan?!" Ex wondered. "He gathered up excess energy while we were busy healing you… preparing a devastating attack. This what we call "Dragon's Gambit"." He explained. "G-gambit? That can't be good…" The former keeper sounded worried. "Yes, it isn't good. Basically, he's going to blow everything… up to where his aura reaches." The prince of darkness finished. "Th-that's enough to make this whole building collapse!" I realized the outcome.

We all nodded and dashed to the hole that Ex made earlier. "He's gonna blow any second now!" Witch sensed. "Ah-!" I heard Ringo trip over something. "Ringo!" I called to her. "Tee! Help me, I fell down and got caught in something." "Oh, for the love of- Don't worry, I'm coming!" I came and freed her from what she got caught in, it was a net. "What's a net doing in here, Tee?" "Nevermind that, we need to get the hell out of dodge. Grab my hand!" She does not hesitate and we sprinted for our lives. *boom* *structure collapsing* We made it, if only just by the skin of our teeth. "Oh my God, we made it out…" Feli sighed. "This is the worst day ever! Dave is a dragon, and he's not the Dave any of us know! What the shit kinda nightmare is this?!" Draco complained. "Reality, Draco… As unfortuitous as that may sound, it's the truth." Satan frowned. "Holy-! What happened in there, guys?!" Amitie's jaw was dropped. "Amitie, Dave caused an explosion inside." Ringo told her. "Is the boy okay in there?" Accord came by. "We… do not know… sorry, Ms. Accord." Ex said in response. "*roar*" We heard another of his roars in the direction behind us. "Well, that proves he's still alive…" I said. "There! He's trying to get off of the ground, we can't let him escape this part of the forest!" Satan gritted his teeth. "I'll just freeze up his wings again, Ice Storm!" Arle acted. The dragon dodged the Ice Storm, almost as if he expected it. "! He avoided it?!" She could not believe it. "Hey, can I take over your body a bit, girl?" This other girl asked her. "Wait, wha...?" Arle didn't really know who she was, neither did I. "Who're you? I've never seen you in these parts." She requested. "I'll tell you who she is later, Arly. Right now, it's imperative that you let her possess you. That means she has a plan to try out. Dave will just keep dodging your Ice Storm attack anyway, so why not?" Satan convinced her. "*sigh* Alright, if you think things will work out this way… Possess me already, whoever you are." Arle accepted. "Okay, I'm coming in…" The girl went inside of Arle's body. "What in the-?!" I reacted. "So it's actual possession… like a ghost." Ex observed.

It took only but a hot second for Satan say something in response. "How observant of you, Ex. She was incarnated into this world by me seeking the god of incarnation. And, I fused two souls of the dead into one, Yui's spirit. Then, I placed this new spirit in the soulless body. I made her look like one of the ghosts, as if she had grown to be seventeen before she died." "What about the other ghost?" "Him? He didn't want to exist anymore and only give new life to his dead sister. It was his wish, and he didn't seem to regret it. Yui only carries the memories of Yu… and her name was derived from the names of these ghosts, Yu and Rei." He said. "Fascinating…" Ex was amazed. "Ugh, this armor plating is tight as hell… how does she like wearing this?" Yui commented with Arle's voice. "E-egad! Just… unbelievable!" I was mesmerized by this development. "If you think that was unbelievable, Tee… you haven't seen anything yet. Here, watch." Satan implored me. "Ice Storm!" Yui brought forth. Dave moved out of the way, only to have been hit from behind with that same Ice Storm. "W-wait! How did it hit him this time?!" I was perplexed by this, and apparently Ex as well. "Yui naturally has to power to move non-living things... with the use of psychokinesis. Even if she is possessing another person, Arly in this case… she can still use it in addition to other powers the possessed carries." Satan established to us. "Th-that's awesome!" Ex's eyes shimmered. "There is a downside to this though…" The prince of darkness continued. "W-what downside?" I asked. "This kind of thing is very strenuous, taking a great toll on Yui's energy over time. She'll lose control of the possessed and exit from their body, exhausted. Also, any pain that the body she takes feels, she'll feel as well. I mean, that part should make sense…" He ended. "So, does that mean she's extremely vulnerable after that happens?" Ex asked him. "Yeah, she'll need to have her energy recharged. Yui is unable to defend herself in that state. And on her own… she's as frail as a normal teen girl of her age." He answered. "That… sucks. Let's hope that it doesn't come down to that." I prayed. "Yes." Ex agreed. The dragon struggled to get up from that last attack. "Looks like I hit him real hard!" Yui grinned. "Yui, remember. We are trying to save Dave, not to kill him. So promise me that you don't overdo it with Arly's ice…" Satan pinched the skin between his nose and eyes. "Yeah, yeah… I know. Don't get your wings in a knot, man." She told him. "*sigh* It's sometimes frustrating, getting her to do exactly how you want things to be… And, it's painful for me to hear her say that with Arly's voice." He facepalmed.

I understood Satan's feelings on him hearing Yui's words with Arle's voice. "Well, she IS a teenager… you should know that the girls especially have that sort of mindset. I know this because I'm raising one." Ex spoke. "Perhaps, Ex… but good God, even I'm not like that…" He stopped talking. "See, look at that… he's perfectly fine. Just a bit cold, he is." Yui noted. "D-did she just change her speech pattern?" I raised an eyebrow. "*snarl* The dragon came around for another round of fire breathing. "Ah-! Yui, watch out! Dave's going to breathe fire!" I warned her. "I'll protect her." Zed rushed in front of her. "Ngh-!" The robot hardly stood up to the heat. "This robot…" Yui stood there. "Do not just stand there, child… run away…!" He said to her. She ran off, with Arle's body still in her control. "*roar* Dave whipped his tail, denting Zed and knocking him down. He then went to slam him with it. "Ah-!" Zed echoed out before being crushed to bits of metal. "Z-Zed…" I stood by, heartbroken. "ZEEEEEEEEEEEEED!" Ex had completely lost it. He began pounding his fist into the ground like mad. "Dammit, why him?! Zed was like a brother to me! I constructed him myself, made with the love of a family and my compassion… This is bullshit! Why does everything come back to bite me in the ass?! This is unfair!" His tears flowed like a river current. "Gyaaaah!" Yui screamed. The dragon closed in on her, preparing to shred Arle's body with his claws. "Nooooooooooo! I won't let you hurt or destroy anyone else!" Ex hollered and put up his armor. "Ex, no! You're still injured!" I tried to stop him. "Stand aside, Tee… I must do what has to be done, I have the means to. I'm gonna knock that scale-covered exterior off with a single punch!" He cracked his knuckles. "A-a single punch?!" Me and Satan were both unable to comprehend it at the time. "Aaaaaaaaaah!" Yui curled up into a ball, being frightened. "Hrr!" Ex leapt to be in front of the beast. Then, with all the strength he could muster, he threw his mighty punch at the chest area. "RAH!" His fist was glowing a bright yellow. "I-is that…?" Satan looked closer. The scales fell off like a domino effect, leaving behind Dave's actual body and his armor, to which it fades away. "Th-there he is!" I could tell that Ringo felt relieved. Yui meanwhile, ended her possession over Arle.

Author's Notes: Ex managed to destroy Dave's uncompleted dragon form, releasing him from that prison… but not without a cost. Zed was crushed, trying to protect Yui. Our heroes now felt safe for the time being. Vyle was dead... and Dave is no longer thrashing as a mindless creature. Of course though, the count... in comparison to what they would face later, was mere child's play. Next chapter, Chapter 29: Asking Questions.