Opening her eyes slowly with a smile, finding herself naked with only her bed sheet over her form, Rika looked up to see the near naked form of Davis above her, smiling mischievously at her, while she took in his muscular chest, reaching up and running a hand across his muscles and moaning lightly.

"Last night was incredible..." Rika let out with a smile, which was reflected in Davis' expression as he moved down and asked in an enticing and irresistible voice that made her aroused even more. "Then what do you say we go for another round?"

"Bring it on." Rika replied with a continued lust, moaning as she felt Davis' lips against hers', feeling that as he kissed her, he showed his dominance as he not only pushed his tongue into her mouth, but she could feel his right hand press against her breast, rubbing and massaging it.

But as she broke the kiss, staring lustfully at Davis, hoping to move on to more enticing things, Rika then felt a smooth hand on her cheek, turning her head to see an equally naked Nene lying next to her and smiling lustfully.

"Don't forget about me, sexy." Nene then said as she leaned in to kiss her, and Rika made no attempt to stop her, but found herself eagerly kissing the brunette, desiring her as much as she desired Davis.

It was in that moment that Rika woke up with a yelp, her face bright red as she growled at her latest dream about Davis once again including Nene into it, a pattern that had been repeating itself for over a week since Max took control of her and the other girls and had Nene and her make out.

'Damn that perverted jerk, now I can't enjoy my dreams of Davis without Nene showing up and ruining things.' Rika thought with frustration, before finding a tiny part of her confessing. 'But Nene is a good kisser, and she does have a good body...'

Blushing again, Rika then quickly shook her head, suppressing and banishing that thought from her mind, not wanting anything to do with that, before smiling as she quickly went to change, remembering the plans she had not only for today, but for the evening as well, plans that both excited her and caused her some dread, as she would soon meet the biggest obstacle in her quest for Davis' heart face to face for the first time.

-Meanwhile-

Within the throne room of the Dark Legion's Fortress, the majority of the Legion knelt before the Night Queen, who sat on her throne, with Fang on her left and Red Phoenix on her right, raising her hand as the other villains stood back up.

"I have located another ward I need destroyed." The arch villainess said, causing her followers to smirk as they believed they were going to go on another raid.

"However, it will be on display at an art gallery later tonight, hidden as one of the artworks within. It will be too heavily guarded for us to just go in and destroy it, so some... discretion will be required." The Night Queen then said, before looking at Jeri.

"Psychonis, you will go in undercover to find and destroy the ward." Kari then commanded the black haired sorceress, who bowed respectfully and replied. "As you command, my Mistress."

"And you will be taking Shadowknight with you as your backup." Kari then added, causing Jeri's eyes to widen as she looked next to her at the dark armoured figure, who made no comment as she stood back up and asked with concern.

"Mistress, I don't mean to question your will, but is that wise? I can blend in easily, but he sticks out like a sore thumb. All he..." Jeri started to complain as she pointed at Shadowknight, before turning her head as she, as well as the other villains, minus their leader, looked on with wonder and confusion as the dark spirit's armour began to melt off him into shadows, before revealing something they did not expect underneath.

With his armour cast aside, Shadowknight stood, only his appearance was that of a young brown haired man, looking to be around the same age as Jeri, if not a year or two older, where he now stood in a formal suit, showing off his developed build and causing a blush to appear on Jeri's face and hearts in her eyes, before she quickly approached Shadowknight, wrapped her arms around his right, where she lightly traced a finger along his chest and said with continued slyness. "Ok, this will do... This will do ever well."

Shadowknight, for his part, merely looked down at the black haired woman with the same emotionless expression the Legion had come to expect from him, though now Charm Mistress was thinking if she could get the chance, she would definitely add him to her 'collection' later on.

-Much Later-

Arriving at the gallery, Davis smiled to himself as he quickly checked the suit he was wearing, hoping it looked alright for such a formal event, before looking around the area, seeing that amongst the various artworks, paintings, sculptures and the like, he noticed the various guests, some of what people would call, higher up in society, but smiled when he felt a slender hand grip his.

"Relax, Davis. You're fine." Kari said with a smile, one Davis returned, having arranged for him and a few classmates to attend this event after hearing Kari talk about it for a few days, with the added bonus of seeing the girl of his dreams dressed formal herself, finding Kari set in an elegant black dress that showed off her figure and stopped half way down her thighs, revealing the sides of the dress were cut open as to allow her legs to be seen.

Kari meanwhile, mentally smirked, knowing that she could now keep an eye on Psychonis and Shadowknight and make sure no one got in their way.

Plus, this also gave her a chance to see Davis dressed up, and she liked what she saw, imagining herself stripping him out of that suit and seeing what was underneath, already knowing how great his body already was, and wanting more.

However, Kari was broken from her mischievous thoughts, feeling a frustration fill her to have somebody cutting in with her time with just her and Davis as she heard a voice call out with enthusiasm. "Hey guys!"

The pair looked to see Kazu and Kenta approaching them, both also in suits, though neither looked happy, thinking this entire event was a school project and both wanted to get out of their outfits and into more casual clothing sooner than later.

"Come on, let's go in already." Kenta then whined, before Davis shook his head and said in reply. "Not yet. I invited a friend from my work studies to join us. She's been stressed out lately, so I figured meeting some new people, and getting away from the cameras, would be good for her."

Waiting, though not for long, the four teens heard the sound of cameras snapping outside, noticing the flashes and hearing the awe many outside were expressing, before they looked to see a figure come in, one that made Davis smile, Kazu and Kenta gawk, and Kari to keep a neutral look on her face, though a dark envy grew within her at seeing Rika Nonaka.

Smiling as she approached them, Rika looked stunning in her dress, having a dress similar to Kari's, only hers' was pure white, with straps on the shoulders keeping it from falling, while the material around her legs stopped at her thighs.

And as stunning as she looked, what made her stand out was the beautiful golden necklace she wore, where it was set with emeralds, while set upon her right finger was a shining gold ring, set with a fox head upon it.

"Holy crap that's...!" Kazu started to yell, only for Davis' hand to cover his mouth as he looked at the awestruck boy with a sigh, removing it just as Rika approached the group and smiled.

"Good evening, Davis. And thank you for inviting me." Rika said with a smile, before moving over and giving his cheek a small kiss, showing a continued grace in her status, while brimming with joy at the occasion she was allowed to kiss the Motomiya.

"Glad you could come." Davis replied nervously, before adding as he introduced the others. "There are my friends, Kazu Shioda, Kenta Kitagawa, and Kari Kamiya."

"It's nice to meet you all." Rika said with a smile, mentally sighing at seeing the two boys still in their bewildered states, before looking over at Kari and keeping her smile, while mentally, she was glaring at the girl who held Davis' heart, not realizing Kari was glaring back at her in a similar fashion.

'What is a model doing around MY Davis?!' Kari thought darkly, not liking that there was someone as famous as Rika Nonaka hanging around the man of her life, finding it bad enough that Kazu and Kenta were already spoiling the moment she could've been sharing with just her and Davis.

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Kenta said in a starstruck voice, before Kazu then added as he asked. "Can I please get your number?"

This quickly promoted both to cry out as Kari slammed her fists into both their heads, causing Davis and Rika to sweatdrop at the display as Kari stood over the two boys who were nursing their head wounds, while the brunette glared down at them, with Davis mentally worried that Kari might be a little angry with him.

Eventually, the small group went about the evening, exploring the gallery and looking at the exhibits, finding plenty of the attention was drawn on Rika, continuing to fuel Kari's jealousy and spite toward the red haired model, before the guys had split from the girls for a moment, leaving them standing side by side as they looked over a painting, while Davis, Kazu and Kenta were looking at a sculpture nearby.

"It must be great to be a model." Kari said with a smile, while inside, her dark emotions toward Rika grew as she thought. 'Just the perfect excuse to prance around in your skimpy outfits and try to lure over MY Davis.'

"Yeah, but it has its downsides, like trying to have a normal life, meet a good man, but every now and then you get lucky, and mr. right comes into your life." Rika replied with a smile as her eyes drifted towards Davis for a moment, which the maroon haired hero failed to notice, while catching Kari's attention.

'You better learn your place, girl, otherwise you will come to regret the day you were born.' Kari thought, continuing to keep her dark jealousy and possessiveness hidden behind her kind and sweet persona. "Yeah, it's nice to be able to have someone who is wonderful, kind, and loyal in your life."

As Kari and Rika continued to talk, seemingly getting along, there was something in Davis' gut that was giving him a bad feeling, leaving him wondering. 'Why do I suddenly have a feeling of dread and impending doom?'

Davis then looked over and sweatdropped as he was sure a dark aura formed around both Kari and Rika as they smiled at one another, where the maroon haired boy mentally sighed and thought. 'Maybe this was a bad idea.'

Meanwhile, on the other side of the gallery, using her senses to try and locate the ward, Psychonis walked around with Shadowknight beside her, wearing a black dress similar to Kari's, with her hair tied in a small ponytail and a pair of shades set over her eyes to help conceal her identity.

But despite her best efforts to focus, the dark sorceress found her attention distracted by her companion, feeling a range of emotions, including shock, awe, wonder and arousal as she took in his appearance, trying to better understand who and what he really was.

"Keep searching for the ward. Our Mistress is watching." Shadowknight then said to her, his voice not dark and ominous as it used to be, which enticed Psychonis even more as she wrapped her arm around his arm and asked."Of course, but what's the harm in trying to blend in?"

Shadowknight paid her almost no mind, though there was a part of himself that was drawn to her, as though a distant memory of her, only she was much sweeter, and had brown hair instead of pitch black.

But as quickly as the thought came did the dark spirit shake it off.

Whatever he was before the Dark Ones claimed him was no more, leaving only the servant Zhaitan sent to aid his champion, where the two continued to walk around, before Psychonis' eyes focused on a white obelisk-like sculpture near the center of the room, feeling the magic that was contained within.

"There, the white artwork at the center." The dark witch whispered to Shadowknight, who nodded, preparing to move in and destroy the target, only for him to turn when he accidently bumped into someone.

"Sorry about that, my bad." Davis said apologetically, while Kari and Rika were behind him, the brunette mentally fuming.

'Idiots! Out of all the people here, why did they have to bump into us?' The dark villainess thought, while Rika had a different thought, sensing something familiar from the dark haired girl before her.

Acting quickly, Rika moved her left fingers slightly as they glowed with blue energy where, surprising everyone, Psychonis' shades cracked, revealing her eyes, and to many present, the real face of the villainess.

At the provocation, Shadowknight let out a growl, before his entire body was covered in shadows as he returned to his armoured form, shocking many as they tried to run screaming at the sight of the Dark Legion member before them, where he pushed Davis aside and began to make his way towards the obelisk, just as the security ran in to attack him.

"Kari, come on!" Davis said with concern for the brunette as he grabbed her hand and took her to a hiding spot just behind a set of turned over tables, where the maroon haired boy mentally groaned, finding conflict within him at the situation he was forced in.

'Damn it, I can't change into V-Force here, not with Kari and so many others around.' Davis thought as he saw dark magic swirl around Psychonis, removing her dress and changing her back into her villainess outfit.

'I want to protect Kari, but I don't want anybody knowing who I am. I just know the Dark Legion will use her against me.' Davis then thought as he looked at Kari, remaining close by her side, wanting to ensure above everything that she was safe.

'Not how I wanted this to go down, but at least they'll get the job done.' Kari thought to herself with some annoyance, but smirked mentally none the less as she saw the pair quickly dispatch the guards, before frowning as she saw a flash of light and a familiar heroine appear before Shadowknight, where Vixen got into a fighting stance, ready to take both Legion villains on.

As soon as she realized it was Psychonis, Rika quickly slipped away in the panic, allowing her the time to access her power and change into her heroine outfit once she was in the clear, and now she stood before Psychonis and Shadowknight.

'What are they after? There isn't...' Vixen started to think, questioning the motives of the Dark Legion, before she sensed the power in the object behind her, where she quickly realized what it was, another Ward against the magic of the Dark Realm, one the Night Queen obviously wanted destroyed.

"Step aside, and you will only suffer a little." Shadowknight said as she brought his sword up, while Psychonis, who moved next to him, expressed a dark smirk as she said with a continued malice. "Why only a little? I can think of so much more we can do to her."

With Shadowknight and Psychonis against her, Vixen knew she was outnumbered, and with Davis unable to change, she would have to fight this battle alone.

Meanwhile, Kari seethed mentally at seeing the mystic of the Protectors here, while gaining a dark smirk as well.

'This is perfect, two birds with one stone.' The brunette thought as she started to raise her hand, ready to unleash a powerful blast of dark energy at Vixen and end another annoyance in her plan, only for her eyes to widen when Davis grabbed her risen hand, looking to see him still looking out at the battle.

"It's alright, Kari, I'm here." Davis said with a caring voice, thinking she was afraid and wanted to keep her safe.

'Davis, I love your chivalry but now is not the time!' Kari mentally yelled, but sighed as she gave a small nod to the maroon haired boy and set herself close by his side, knowing she would have to leave it to her servants to end the heroine's life.

Refusing to back down and allow Shadowknight and Psychonis to carry out their actions, Vixen then brought her staff up, channeling her magics as she prepared to to cast it out as a stream of energy, only to quickly duck as Shadowknight closed the distance between them, swinging his blade and barely missing her head, before the mystic heroine quickly created a magic barrier as several dark spirit lions shot at her, courtesy of Psychonis.

"You are quick." The dark haired girl confessed, before stating. "But you cannot keep protecting yourself forever. Unlike the last time we fought, you're all alone it seems, so no matter how tough you seem, even you can't take us both on alone."

While Psychonis took the moment to belittle and mock her nemesis, Shadowknight then quickly moved in, managing to overpower his way through Vixen's barrier and deliver a swift kick to the heroine's stomach, sending her flying back into the obelisk, which cracked from the impact, causing the redhead to let out a cry of pain as she crumbled to the floor, trying to get up and counter, before her eyes widened to see both Shadowknight and Psychonis rushing at her again, one with his blade ready to pierce through her, the other having covered her arms in dark magic, taking the form of lion claws, ready to cut her down.

'What do I do? I... I can't let them win... I have to protect them... I have to protect Davis...' Vixen thought before, much to her surprise, time seemed to slow down, while behind her, the obelisk began to glow with light blue energy.

"Do you wish to protect them? A time will soon come when those you care for will need you the most. I can grant you the power you need, if you only ask." A strange voice then said, one that was gentle, sincere, despite the power it seemed to possess.

Vixen blinked a few times, trying to process who or what was talking to her.

And yet, she could feel that this being was being honest, not trying to manipulate her or twist her for some dark purpose, reminding her of the tales she read of beings of the Light that stood against Zhaitan and the Dark Realm.

Taking a leap of faith, Vixen nodded and said in a determined reply. "Please, I want to protect Davis, I want to protect those I care for."

With Vixen's words, time then resumed as a blinking light emanated from the obelisk, causing Psychonis to stop and cover her eyes, while Shadowknight did the same, only he was letting out a groan of pain from the light energies, while nearby, both Davis and Kari watched with surprise, one happy, the other not so much, before they watched the obelisk crumble away, with the energy it was holding now moving all over the place.

But instead of dispursting, a large sum of the energy then shot around Vixen, forming a cocoon of energy, which eventually burst open, causing those present to look in surprise when they took in Vixen's form.

Her armoured chestpiece, gloves, and boots had changed from gold to platinum, while on her shoulders were a set of platinum pads that looked like foxes heads, each with long white cloths coming out of their mouths with ancient golden writing inscribed along them.

Her staff had also changed, with the top now looking like a pair of foxes dancing around a blue orb.

A long white cape wrapped around her with a hood, which was tied up with a golden circle with an arcane eye on it, while her face was covered by a full while fox mask that only revealed her eyes, astonishing those who saw Vixen's transformation.

Both Psychonis and Shadowknight looked hesitant, or at least the dark witch looked hesitant, as both of them, as well as Kari and Davis, could feel the increase in the heroine's mystic powers which, while not enough to challenge the Night Queen on her own, but they were still formidable.

Despite this change of events, those present could also feel the Ward's power dying, sensing the barrier between their world and the Dark Realm weaken even further, much to Kari's delight, knowing that no matter the outcome of this fight, she still won.

Acting first, Shadowknight shot at Vixen, only to be held back by a powerful blockade of light energy, before Vixen held her staff in both hands, surprising everyone as she swung it around, encasing it in the same silver light, where he weapon changed into a pair of twin short swords, which she then used, trading blows with Shadowknight, finding that with her speed and sudden mastery over her new weapons, the blade actually cut the side of his arm, causing him to let out an inhuman shirek at the pain as he backed up.

"Oh no you don't!" Psychonis yelled in fury, not wanting to lose to Vixen again, while part of her felt an actual concern for Shadowknight, not wanting to see his great body harmed, as a circle of dark energy formed beneath her, where the energy grew and changed into a massive lion made of dark energy, which she then launched at Vixen.

However, Vixen remained in place as she turned her blades back into the staff, countering the attack as she released a gigantic fox spirit from her staff, which lunged at the dark formed lion, shocking Psychonis as she saw the fox tearing through her dark creation.

"You might've bested me in numbers, but when you believe in the light, nothing can stop you." Vixen declared, putting more of her power into the fox spirit, which destroyed the remains of Psychonis' dark lion, throwing the dark haired girl back, expecting to strike the ground, but found Shadowknight had managed to catch her and was now holding her in his arms, leaving Psychonis wondering if he acted on command or on what feelings he actually held.

Seeing Vixen's new power, but also seeing that they had accomplished their task, Psychonis opened a dark portal behind her, where she and Shadowknight quickly ran through as it closed behind them, causing Vixen to let out a sigh, not sure how much power she had left, before teleporting away, leaving Davis and Kari alone, with Davis silently thanking Rika as he lead the pair outside, seeing Kazu and Kenta waiting for them as Rika came up.

"Are you two ok?" Rika asked, expressing her concerns, before telling Davis and Kari. "I went looking for you when I didn't see you two exit the building."

"We're fine, thank you." Kari replied with a smile, while she thought bitterly. 'How did Vixen know what I was planning? Or... was she here by coincidence?'

Kari and Rika then smiled at one another, before both sensed it.

Though each kept their magic nature hidden well, both felt the small pull of the mystic arts from one another as Kari first thought with. 'She's attuned to magic? Does she even realize it?'

'Maybe I can use it to my advantage one day.' She then thought, believing if she had the opportunity, she could turn Rika into a loyal servant, leading Kari to add. 'And with her at my side, it'll keep her away from Davis.'

'Kari... she has a strong tie to magic, stronger than any I have ever sensed, maybe even on par with the Night Queen.' Rika thought, wondering if the brunette knew the power she possessed as the thought of the good Kari could do with that power if she were trained to use it.

Both girls remained quiet the rest of the time together, both thinking on what the other was capable of, while also reinforcing their newly formed rivalry for Davis' heart, Rika hoping her new strength would impress the boy she liked, while Kari remained undecided on what to do with Rika, but knew that even if she could make a powerful ally, should she step over her limits with Davis, she would meet her demise.

-Later-

At the Protector's base, Davis and Rika recounted the event to the others, while Cody had their software to try and identify Shadowknight's identity from an image of him the security cameras picked up.

"I thought he was a dark spirit, like the shadow demons." Zoe said with some shock as she looked at the face that was apparently behind the armoured villain's helmet, before a loud beep got their attention as Cody looked through the information.

"There's no match, no files on him anywhere. Whoever he is, it's like he never existed up until now." Cody informed, confused as to the lack of anything identifying on their enemy.

"The Dark Realm is said to connect to many other worlds, he might have been brought from one of them." Rika thought aloud.

"Yeah, and someone got to kick his ass." Nene added sarcastically, more annoyed to the fact that Rika got a chance to spend the evening with Davis, even if Kari was also there as well.

'At least she looked amazing in the dress...' The brunette idol then absentmindedly thought, causing her to mentally shake her head, having been having the same kind of dreams Rika had been having since Max enslaved them, finding there was still part of her that remained attracted to Rika despite her efforts to ignore it.

"Regardless to who Shadowknight really is, or Rika's new power, we need to remain focused. Another Ward is gone. Whatever the Night Queen is planning, it will happen soon, unless we find a way to stop her." Davis said with a seriousness and concern, leaving his friends feeling a similar concern to the Night Queen's machinations.

-Meanwhile-

Within her inner sanctum, Kari smiled darkly as she felt the dark energy around her grow, while before her, the dark book glowed with energy, now more than half the seals removed, leaving the arch villainess in thought of the events that had occured.

'Shadowknight and Psychonis might've lost, but I got what I desired. The barrier is even weaker, and even with her new powers, Vixen is no match for me.' She thought with a growing dark smile, before finding the mental image of Davis come to her head, leaving the Night Queen thinking with excitement. 'Soon, my ascension will be complete, the world will crumble and be remade. And Davis will be mine, ruling over the new world, our world, together for eternity.'

Within the Dark Realm, sitting on his throne, Zhaitan smirked wickedly, seeing his long laid out plans slowly coming to fruition.

'Soon, it will be done, and I will succeed where my brethren have failed before.' The Dark One thought as his smile grew, while on Earth, A thought came to Kari's mind.

It was time to see how useful her mark could truly be.