Despite losing most of his strength, Phoenix was still looking in the sky and watched the battle continuing. He knew how intense the battle was between the dragons and also between his buddy and Joker's buddy. Phoenix was worried for Kazane. He knew her well enough to know that she was a kind girl by nature with a good sense of justice, but the situation she was now was putting her kind nature against her sense of justice in a situation where it wasn't really compatible.

Even so, he was proud of how powerful she was when she fought The Reaper with everything she had despite her mental struggled he knew she had.

Near him, Joker was also watching the battle, but thought little about it. He wasn't worried for his buddy. He knew Kiri well and saw really well that he would be victorious in the end.

What came in his mind was how different Kiri was since they left Tokyo. He knew that Kiri was a nice boy and even more about him. What affected him was how different he was and how cold he could be, without the intention of making a pun with the word cold. Even so, he was Kiri's buddy. No matter what he would do, no matter what he'll become, Joker had one thing in his mind; I'll always stay by your side and forever watch over you.

Chapter 106: Partial Victory

Kazane dodged the scythe, but felt her skin being lightly cut on her left cheek and blood lightly coming out. She blocked his next attack and countered without thinking. She slashed, aiming his face, and damaged the mask. She gasped when she realised what she did, but was relieved when he wasn't bleeding. She blocked a sudden attack with her shield.

"Why are you focusing on the fact that I wasn't hurt?" The Reaper asked before continuing his assault.

Kazane didn't reply as she kept remembering that she couldn't lose against him or her friends would be in danger. She tried to find a way to win the battle without hurting the boy even more and finally, she got an idea on how defeating him, but she needed time and an opportunity.

The Reaper saw it well that she had something in mind when he saw her face, but wasn't sure what her plan was. He continued his assault and couldn't pass Kazane defense.

She looked at the boy as she blocked every attack coming at her. She gave all of her focus on his movement and suddenly attacked again. He dodged, but his shirt was damaged.

The Reaper thought, She's really giving her all now. No hesitation. That's why Azi said that she was really powerful and-, his thought was interrupted when he dodged another of her attack and countered.

Kazane deviated the scythe with her shield, but the blade of his weapon damaged a part of her shirt. She spun around The Reaper and hit the boy with her shield. She took a safe distance from The Reaper and drew a spellcard. It was the one she wanted to use.

She readied her card and when she saw him coming, she yelled, "Pillar of Fire!"

The Reaper was hit by the Pillar of Fire and painfully yelled.

Kazane was a little nervous when the pillar flew toward the sky and illuminated it.

The Reaper survived the spell by using ice as a shield, but the ice was already melting and the boy was wet by it. He was ready to strike again when Kazane appeared behind him and disarmed the boy with her sword and prepared another spellcard to use. The Reaper kicked her spellcard away and flew toward his scythe and picked it back. He turned toward the girl who was panting as she grabbed back her spellcard. The Reaper had his spellcard ready, but Kazane also had her own spellcard ready.

The two looked at each other's, wondering if they got an offensive spellcard or a defensive one. The Reaper cursed himself that he didn't look at the spellcard Kazane had. Eventually, they both used it and it was both a shield to protect them.

Drum blocked the claws of Despair as he charged toward him thanks to his drill. He continued blocking the following ones, but was kicked in the gut before sent away.

The red dragon coughed painfully when he saw Despair coming at him. The darkness dragon slashed with his claw, but it was blocked by a dragon shield.

"I cannot let Gao exhaust himself. I have to be stronger!" he thought as he countered the second the shield was gone.

He hit the face of the darkness dragon with the side of his drill. A few fangs of the darkness dragon felt out of his mouth. The red dragon didn't lose a second and followed up with a punch right in the snout of the darkness dragon.

Despair spit blood on Drum's face and used that chance to whip the drill away from the dragon grasp.

Drum didn't try to take his drill back, knowing too well that Despair will target Gao the moment he left him alone. Drum blocked Despair claws with his hands and made sure that he wasn't hit by the claws of his enemy. He grabbed the wrist of the darkness dragon and used everything he had to break the bones of the dark dragon wrist. He tried, but the bones were too strong for him.

The darkness dragon grabbed Drum by the neck and did the same while his claw dig in his scales. Drum used his own claws to slash the wrist of Despair. The second that the darkness dragon loosened his wrist, Drum kicked the darkness dragon away from him and was ready to keep fighting, even if he was bleeding from his neck. He put his hands on his wounds and was relief that his carotid artery wasn't cut.

Despair frowned at the red dragon as he lightly salivated at the desire of obtaining vengeance, "You dear resist me that much Drum!"

"Of course I resist you Despair!" Drum yelled back.

The darkness dragon charge toward Drum, but the red dragon blocked his attacks and they continued their fist fight. Drum was focusing on dodging the bloody claw of the darkness dragon, but had been hit a few times on his shoulders and his flanks.

Gao watched the fight and knew that his buddy had to end the fight soon or it will be over for him. The boy grabbed his spellcards and checked on them. He realised that there was a way to end the fight quickly if his buddy managed to hit Despair. He picked the spellcard and waited for the perfect moment to use it.

The darkness dragon chuckled as he slowly wounded more and more Drum, "You are weakening Drum! Soon, you are going down and then... I'll kill you buddy before taking your head as my new trophy!"

Drum dodged the claws aimed to his throat at the last second and managed to distance himself from the darkness dragon. He blocked the next attack of the dragon and painfully grunted when he felt his wounds acting up.

Despair came at him and was ready to finish the battle with his large grin on his face. Drum also saw one thing, he had an opportunity to strike and win the battle. He prepared at punch and aimed at Despair snout.

Gao saw that it was the perfect time to use his spellcard. He raised his card and yelled, "Dragoenergy!"

Drum felt his power increasing in his body and grinned as he punched Despair snout. The darkness dragon was violently hit and on impact, he was unconscious without ever realising it before starting to fall. Drum grabbed the face of the darkness dragon by his snout and felt the blood of the vicious dragon on his hand.

For one second, Drum aura turned into a murderous one as he watched the one who murdered his mother, tried to hurt his friend and mocked him at the mercy of his claws. Drum raised his own claw.

Tenbu watched this and wondered what he would choose, Drum's choice right now. This decision will determine the future of the universe.

"Drum!" Gao yelled.

"Gao," Drum glanced at his buddy coming at him.

"Don't do this-" Drum was about to reply when Gao yelled, "It's not what you think!" The red dragon saw Gao adjusting his jacket, "Drum. What you are about to do is avenging your mother, but I ask you... Is it really justice?"

Drum knew what his buddy meant; Gao is the Mighty Sun Fighter. He fights for justice. Of course he'll say something like that. He replied, "No. But we cannot put him in a jail of the Buddy Police Station with Seiichi in command."

Gao checked if Hanako was alright and saw that she was still fighting The Reaper without the need of his help, but he was ready for it with a spellcard in his hand. Right now, he had something urgent to do with his dragonic friend. Gao already had an idea about it when he talked with Drum about it and asked, "Why there?"

Drum couldn't reply and he made a confused grunt.

"Despair didn't really commit a crime on Earth, but elsewhere," Gao started.

Drum immediately knew what his buddy meant, "You mean Dragon World," Yeah. Father might also want justice. As a ruler he has the right to act with a dragon trial, not me. His murderous aura diminished as he realised that it was better to spare Despair and let his father deal with him, also, the darkness dragon never realised he lost the battle, "There is one thing I want," he grabbed the skull of his mother and took it with him, "Now-"

He saw that Gao was gone with his sword, ready to help Kazane, he was confused why while Tenbu chuckled.

The green dragon knew well why the boy left, He knew that Drum wouldn't kill him anymore and went to immediately help Kazane. Drum, Tenbu smiled, "You did it."

Kazane was panting loudly as she acted more slowly against The Reaper. The boy was also getting exhausted, but much less than her and when he was about to attack again, he saw Gao coming at him and immediately took his distance, knowing that everything was over.

"Are you alright Kazane?" Gao asked.

"I'm fine. Just a little hurt," she lightly smiled before they faced the Reaper.

Drum joined them while still holding Despair in his claw.

"Looks like we lost the fight," The Reaper said.

"Kiri! What is going on with you?" Gao asked.

"I am The Reaper now Gao, not Kiri."

Gao didn't argue about it and asked another important question, "Where is Tasuku?"

The Reaper replied, "Since you win this, I will give you some answer. For Tasuku, he isn't in here anymore."

Gao frowned when he heard that.

"Where is he?" Drum ordered.

"I cannot tell you that. My master wouldn't allow it," The Reaper replied as he crossed his arms.

"Tell us!" Drum ordered.

Joker flew in the air and appeared behind The Reaper.

"There won't be another answer anymore," The Reaper coldly replied.

He was about to leave with Joker when Drum yelled, "It's because of the Dark Core! It made you turn like this!" the red dragon realised he let it out.

Gao heard that, but also saw it on the deck case of The Reaper, who was now Kiri. He said nothing else.

Drum flew a little closer, but Joker stood in front of his buddy, despite his injury, he was ready to fight.

"Let's go," The Reaper said as he flew away with Joker, "Don't follow us. There are other's around here and you won't have a chance against everyone."

Drum wanted to follow him, but the warning prevented to give chase. He grunted in frustration before turning toward Gao, "Gao?"

The boy lowered his head as he clenched his hands, "Tasuku..." he said nothing else about it.

After a minute of silence, Phoenix flew in the air and joined them, "I'm so glad you are alright Kazane," he noticed her wounds, "That Reaper dear hurt you that way! If I could, I would get to him and showed him a piece of my mind and-"

"I'm okay," she cut him before healing him with a spell card. Eventualy, she turned to Gao.

The boy was thinking about his friend Tasuku and wondered where his friend could be. He grew more and more worried, but knew that he couldn't check in the mine on his own. He felt exhausted after the fight and his friends were also wounded. Eventually, he remembered what Drum said. He looked at his buddy and asked, "You said something about the Dark Core right?"

Drum face lightly paled before saying, "We should wait before I explain. It's not safe to stay here, if what Kiri said is true."

Gao looked at his buddy before watching the mine. He eventually nodded, "Let's go home. I need to talk with our friends about this," he didn't want to call the Buddy Police Force since Seiichi was the one in power for now.

AC: This is the end of this chapter.

Next Chapter: Where Is Tasuku?