Ch. 13

It was 12:00 p.m. at Sokyoku Hill and as scheduled Rukia had appeared under the wooden structure. Accompanied by white-robed guards and in restraints, the raven-haired ex-shinigami was ready to be executed as she stood between the wooden structure and the giant zanpakuto: the Sokyoku (a large spear shaped weapon whose power is said to rival nearly one million individual zanpakuto). Sitting at attendance were at least half of the current captains and a few lieutenants. There were also numerous other shinigami who were acting as security. Among them was Rukia's brother, Byakuya, who watched stoically in his seat as the event went under way. After being released from her shackles, Rukia's arms were held out to the side as three blocks lifted her in the air to the top of the structure.

On the ground below, a few of the shinigami felt some objection toward this sentence as it was carried out. Even if what she did was a crime, they didn't feel that Rukia deserved such a harsh punishment. Such actions were usually reserved for prisoners who were around captain-level. There were a few officers that wished to voice their opinions. However, they knew that it would all be in vain (especially since they might suffer similar fates. One such circumstance ending by the hand of Squad 2's head captain and leader of the Punishment Brigade Soifon).

With Rukia near the top of the wooden structure, the Sokyoku began to release. Scorching hot flames danced along the lance before it became a tornado that touched the sky. This was a rare event witnessed by the soul reapers present. Soon the flames began to take shape. Wings formed and talons grew as the pillar of fire became a giant flying bird. Aside from the searing flames, its spiritual pressure was off the charts. "It comes!" replied Head Captain Yamamoto. "Now the spearhead of the Sokyoku has taken on its true form in order to deliver ultimate judgement! Once the prisoner has been pierced, the sentence shall be carried out!"

Hearing all the elder shinigami's words, Rukia awaited her end with closed eyes. All she could do now was reminisce about the events and people she met through her life. Even with her demise a mere few feet from her, the shinigami was still calm and content. With its phoenix-like form now fully powered, the Sokyoku's flame lunged forward, ready to put an end to Rukia's existence.

Suddenly, a loud shrill screech broke the air of suspense that filled the area. Now all the soul reapers on the ground stared in the sky with shock and intrigue as another beast appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Rukia was also in disbelief at the sight before her. Hovering between her and the executioner's flame was the large form of Dante's Heavy Wing with Ichigo standing on his back. The substitute managed to block the attack with his zanpakuto. Dante couldn't help but mentally whistle at the entity before him. It was at least three times his size and its spiritual pressure was immense. Still, both he and Ichigo would not back down. "Hey," Ichigo said to Rukia nonchalantly with a small smirk on his face.

"Ichigo…" Rukia said. "You idiot!" Hearing this, Ichigo was taken aback by the insult. "How many times do I have to tell you! You can't defeat my brother! He will surely kill you! I didn't tell anyone to rescue me! I've accepted my destiny. Now go away!"

Acknowledging its first flawed attempt, the spirit of the Sokyoku pushed away from the blocking swordsman and distanced itself from the newcomers. The firebird was charging energy for another try. "Looks like its preparing itself for another attack," Ichigo said. "Dante, if you're ready, he's all yours."

"Hell yeah! Sorry Polly, but you's about to get your wings clipped!" Dante screeched as his ally jumped off his back and onto the wooden beam.

"Dante…?" Rukia thought in disbelief. Last time she heard that name was when she met that strange teen who accompanied Ichigo at the Senzaikyu. Yet here was this creature hovering in front of her being addressed by the same name. "Impossible! There's no way that beast is the same as the person from earlier!" Still, she threw her astonishment was tossed aside and replaced with concern. Whether it was or wasn't Dante, it was still putting itself in danger to rescue her. "Don't do this! Get out of here! There's no way you can stop it!"

Ignoring Rukia's pleas, Dante flew forward as with a bright patch in his neck as he locked on to the target and fire a few rounds of his lasers at the spirit. However, the attack didn't stop it completely as the enemy was still moving forward. It was aiming to pierce him, Ichigo, Rukia. Suddenly, a large cable wrapped around the firebird's neck and restrained its movement. Dante's glowing throat subsided as he, Ichigo, and Rukia looked to the ground below. With the Shihoin Shield in hand, Captain Ukitake and Kyoraku stabbed their zanpakuto into both ends of the cords. With their spiritual pressure flowing through the cable like an electric current, the Sokyoku spirit's form burst into embers which rained upon the soul reapers below. The large zanpakuto was also destroyed in the process. "Sweet toy," Dante thought. "Maybe after this is over, I can ask Yoruichi if she can give me a spare as a souvenir."

"Looks like they're distracted down there," Ichigo thought. "I can use that to my advantage." Seeing his chance, Ichigo began charging his spiritual pressure and swinging his giant cleaver over his head by its cloth.

"Ichigo! What do you think you're doing!?" Rukia replied.

"Can't you tell? I'm going to take this stand down."

Hearing Ichigo's plan, Rukia gasped. She knew that he was strong, but the prisoner could not condone something so reckless and dangerous. "Stop this now, Ichigo!" she hollered. "You'll only end up killing us both! The Sokyoku is to powerful!"

"Don't worry about it," Ichigo said as he grabbed the bandage at the end of the grip. "Just shut up and leave it to me." Rukia could only stare at him silently, her eyes fixed on the young man who was risking his life for her own. Never has she seen someone so determined at accomplishing their goals that they would willingly go through every obstacle to achieve them. With his spiritual pressure now charged and eyes glowing a light blue, Ichigo stabbed his zanpakuto into the Sokyoku structure. The wooden stand began to glow bright blue before a flash of light enveloped the hill. Then a loud explosion shook the scene. Dante, in midair, tried to stabilize his flying from the shockwave which threatened to knock him out of the sky. "'Don't rescue me,' you said. 'Go home,' you said. 'You're putting your life in danger,' you said. Rukia, sometimes you just talk too much." Hearing the calm voice of Ichigo so close to her ear, Rukia opened her eyes. She found herself held by the his arm on the left side while his sword rested on his shoulder. The middle of the stand where Rukia was held was gone, nothing more than wooden fragments which danced in the violent winds. "Now this is the second time I had to say this. I've come to rescue you. Got it?"

Rukia was quiet as she information registered in her mind. "You fool…" she replied as she tried holding back tears of relief. "I'm not going to say thank you… No way…"

Hearing Rukia's voice, a small smile formed on his face. "I didn't expect you to."

With a loud screech, Dante lowered to the other side of the platform, flapping his webbed wings before taking his perch and reverting to his human form, his laser scythe resting on his shoulders. "Man, that was the shit!" he replied before sealing his weapons. "Ichigo, you did it! You finally save Rukia! Props to you homeboy!"

"Thanks. But it couldn't have been done without your help," Ichigo said humbly.

"Trust me, you could," Dante said. "I was just here for the action." The orange-haired warrior gave a nod while Dante smiled.

"Ichigo… What do we do now?" Rukia asked. "There are so many people watching us…"

"We'll make a run for it," Ichigo answered.

"What!? That's a stupid answer! There are captains down there!"

"She's right," Dante added. "And looking down, I don't think most of them want your autograph or feel like a game of tag."

"You know we're not alone. Orihime, Chad, Uryu, Ganju, and Hanataro are all here too," Ichigo said. "And I'm gonna save each one of them and we're all gonna get away."

Rukia stared at her driven savior as Dante nodded his head in agreement. Then a thought came into the black teen's head. "Speaking of Hana, I wonder what the little kid's up to? Maybe I should check up with him later on." Suddenly, all thoughts were interrupted as the sounds of a sword fight rang out on the ground below. "Well, well, look who showed," the black teen said.

The Squad 6 lieutenant was panting heavily from all the battles he fought before arriving to the hill. It was clear that even after his fight with Captain Kuchiki earlier on, his drive to aid Rukia's escape was still strong. However, he still felt the brunt of some of the damage he sustained and knelt to the ground. "Renji!" Rukia called ecstatically.

Hearing her call his name, the lieutenant turned forward and saw Rukia safe with Ichigo. "Rukia!" he called back.

"Oh I'm so glad you're still alive!"

"I was wondering when you'd get here, Renji," Ichigo said.

"Heh. What choice did I have. There's no way, I'd leave this to the two of you."

"Alright then," Ichigo said as he held up Rukia over his body.

Both Rukia and Renji were confused as to Ichigo's motion. Dante, however, knew exactly what the substitute was planning but was still a bit skeptical. "Wait, you're not gonna-" the black teen stopped in mid-sentence as Ichigo pulled his arm back. "Oh shit! He really is!" Understanding Ichigo's motives, now both the raven-haired shinigami was also trying desperately to dissuade him.

"Look out below!" Ichigo called out as he launched Rukia forward like a football. The raven-haired young woman screamed as she plummeted toward Renji. Luckily, the red-haired lieutenant managed to catch Rukia, but was sent a yard back from the sheer force of the throw.

Dante only watched with his jaws dropped in disbelief. He then turned to Ichigo and said, "As insane as I am, even I knew that was straight loc! You feeling alright?"

"Take her and go," Ichigo said to Renji. "Take her someplace safe. Someplace far away. That's your duty." Hearing this Renji gave a nod and quickly bolted from the scene. Now the orange-haired shinigami turned his attention to Byakuya, both exchanging glares.

Dante watched the ground below as enemy shinigami started chasing after the two escapees. "Uh-oh. Looks like the browless pineapple's getting tailed," he said. "Race ya." Using their shunpo, Dante and Ichigo arrived at the other end of the hill in less than a second, blocking the enemies' route. Now their new targets, the shinigami mob surrounded the two rogues on all sides. Among the numerous foes were three lieutenant-ranked shinigami following them. Belonging to Squad 1 was the sophisticated Chojiro Sasakibe. Next was rather tall white-haired woman of Squad 4 named Isane Kotetsu. Lastly, there was the large-built man belonging to Squad 2 who Dante was already acquainted with: Marechiyo Omaeda. "Well, if it ain't Colonel Eating Custard," Dante said to the already acquainted lieutenant. "It's been a while. I see you've gain a few pounds. What? Auditioning for that Blob role in the Wolverine movie? Sorry you didn't get the part."

"It you! The little bastard from before!" Omaeda snarled. "You may have managed to walk last time, but this time, I'll make sure you stay down."

"Right. That's what you think, Biggie nowhere-close-to-being Smalls."

"Don't get too carried away and kill someone, Dante," Ichigo said. "We're only here to buy Renji and Rukia some time."

"Me? Kill? Man, you's buggin'," Dante said as he pulled out one of his swords. "I ain't gonna kill anyone. I'm just gonna beat his ass, then his ass, then his ass…" he said as he pointed to various shinigami before stopping on Isane. "Then I'm gonna save you for last and show you why my codename in some circles is Chocolate Boomslang, baby. You, me, and Emperor-sized mattress, you feel me?"

"How about you stop doing that and get focussed?"

"Why you gotta bust in on a brother's game? Besides, it's not my fault I'm into the tall chicks," Dante said rather innocently. "Let a playa play."

"I'm not that tall, you pervert!" Insane said defensively. "Run, Itegumo!" The lieutenant's released weapon was a long straight blade with two extra smaller ones that split 45 degrees off each side."

"Bite, Gonryumaru!" replied Chojiro as his sword became a thin rapier, which included the wrist bar.

"Crush them! Gegetsuburi!" shouted a peeved Omaeda as he released his giant spiked mace.

"Hey, don't leave a brother behind!" Dante replied as he turned his Ipod to "Gigantic Fleet" from Panzer Dragoon Orta. "Shred with the rage of the past, Kowa ro Shii Maru!" Dante sword was released into its shiki phase. However, like his scythe, it also assumed a new form. Now it was a weapon with a long grip which had a lengthy chain extending to the ground with a crescent-shaped hook at the end. The other end was a long crimson laser blade which hummed with energy (in other words, it was now a modified lightsaber-type weapon). "Yeah, we 'bout to represent up in this peace! I ain't just Deadpool, but I'm now the motherfuckin' Starkillah! Galen Marek ain't got shit on me!"

"Shut the hell up!" Marechiyo shouted as he launched his spiked weapon at Dante. The black teen stood as the tool of destruction closed in, charging his spiritual pressure. Once the mace was in range, Dante slashed his beam weapon upward and split the lieutenant's shiki in two before flash stepping to the enemy and kicking him in the gut. The surrounding shinigami were stunned by the display of power, giving Ichigo the chance to fight the foes. He used his speed to strike many of the soul reapers, dodging attacks and striking multiple opponents with one swipe of his sword (including Isane).

As Ichigo fought the foes, Dante was also cutting through the opposition that was attacking. From behind, a shinigami was closing in on the black teen in an attempted sneak attack. However, Dante swung the hooked end of his weapon at the foe which wrapped around the shinigami's wrists. Dante then twisted his body around, the momentum pulling the soul reaper forward and crashing him into an oncoming party. Another shinigami appeared on the black teen's left side and struck, but his sword was blocked and he was tossed back with relative ease. "Alright, time to see what I'm packing," Dante thought as he dug his free hand in one of his packs. Held between his fingers were small black balls an inch in diameter. "Smoke pellets. Guess I'll manage." Returning his focus to the battle, Dante found himself surrounded by at least ten shinigami. He stood with wary eyes which shifted between opponents and waited for their first strike. As soon as one of the shinigami charged, Dante threw the pellets to the ground which engulfed the group in a smokescreen. Slashes and yells were heard through the cover and curses were thrown back and forth. Once the smoke subsided, the enemy shinigami were now lying on the ground around Dante. "Ha! Bitches got no skill or luck," he said as he spun his laser weapon in his hand.

"You!" a voice from the side yelled. It was Marechiyo, who still had enough strength to fight back. His zanpakuto, which had returned to its sealed state, was tightly held in his right hand. "I'll kill you, you little punk!" he shouted before striking the black teen.

Dante blocked the attack with his lightsaber. Now the two's swords were locked. Marechiyo glared daggers at Dante, sweat pouring down his face. Dante only smiled as he held his own against the lieutenant. "You think you can off me?" he began before parrying blows with the Squad 2 second in command. "Don't you know that I was trained in the way of Force Pimpin' by da master Mace Windu? That I met my boy Cad Bane who be chillin' in the South Central part of the galaxy and the two of us gone to Ryloth and pimped out them Twi'lek bitches and pissed on some motherfuckin' Hutts in the face!"

"Damn it! Why don't you just shut the hell up!?" the large man yelled as he brought his katana down upon the teen. Dante held his weapon up, catching the enemy's sword. He then shoved his opponent away, causing Marechiyo to stagger back. He then used the chain to restrain the foe's wrists before jumping on the man and planted him on the ground. Using the momentum, Marechiyo slid along the ground and Dante steered him by the chain like a sled, colliding with any unlucky soul reaper who was in their path. "Yeah, I got your Jingle Bells right here, nyu-guh!" he shouted before jumping off the lieutenant and letting his body bounce a few feet and collide into any faraway enemies. Now Marechiyo was unconscious at the end of a route of fallen bodies.

From behind, Chojiro was approaching the black teen. With his spiritual pressure relatively low, he had hoped that his sneak attack would be successful. However, he didn't count on the fact that Ichigo would flash step toward him and knock him out with a strike to the stomach. The wind was knocked out of the refined lieutenant as he fell to the ground. Dante turned around and saw the officer laying face down with Ichigo standing over him. "Looks like you've taken care of things over here," Ichigo said.

"Sure did. And I see you finished business on your end." Suddenly, the two felt a sudden spike in spiritual pressure approaching their location. Ichigo barely had enough time to block as Byakuya Kuchiki lock his zanpakuto with the substitute shinigami. The force of the clash sent Dante back a yard, sliding on his feet until he stopped. "Damn that son of a bitch!" he said as he made his way to the enemy. However, the black teen was stopped as he felt another strong presence nearby. He quickly turned around and blocked the attack, the tip of the enemy's blade only mere inches from his face.

The black teen's eyes climbed up the length of the opponent's short katana before stopping on its user's, a lithe built woman with short hair and two long ponytails whipping behind her head. Her black uniform was sleeveless and revealed much of her back, a useful alteration for her high speed abilities. The woman glared daggers at Dante, who felt like he was being stabbed just by looking at her face. "Your story ends here, ryoka," the woman said.

"Really, because I think this tale of mine has a few pages left." Dante exclaimed as the two distanced themselves from one another. "Wait, I know you! You're that ninja chick in charge of the 2nd. What was it… Soifon, right? I wondered is it one word or two? "

"You don't have the right to speak my name with such a casual tongue." Soifon replied. "How is it that you who I am anyway?"

"That fool I went all Surfing Bird on was your right hand man. Had a run-in with him a while back and won. And you got a pretty good fanbase."

The captain scoffed. "I'm not surprised. He's too busy stuffing his face to be of any real use." The young woman's eyes were fixed on the teen. She didn't want to admit it, but her lieutenant was a strong shinigami in his own right. Beating him so easily meant that she was dealing with a powerful foe. "However, that only means I'll finish you off myself."

"Oh, I see. But don't think this'll be quick and easy. I got news for you, I can pull off some ninjitsu shit, too. Hell, I once had a threesome with Sheena Fujibayashi and Taki upside down in a Monkey Puzzle Tree." Dante then turned his Ipod to "Testin' My Gangsta" by Three 6 Mafia. "Now, Imma go akimbo!" he said with a sing-song tone as he pulled out his second zanpakuto. He knew that, as a captain, this shinigami would be a formidable opponent and would need all of his skill to take this opponent down.

"You arrogant cur," Soifon hissed as she stood sideways. Examining Dante's attire, she noticed the emblem that was on his tentoken. As far as she was, the ninja's eyes widened as she knew the imprint. "That sign! That belongs to the Shihoin family!" Seeing this, Soifon felt the her anger seethe as she remembered her early days in the squad with a member of the family. "I shall rid the Soul Society of you once and for all." The two stared each other down as they sized up one another. Dante exerted his spiritual pressure, increasing his strength as he bided time. Soifon, on the other hand, was masking it in order to keep her true power hidden from the enemy. Soon the two shunpoed forward and went in for the attack. Soifon slashed with her zanpakuto, which was blocked by Dante's sealed blade and then countered with a strike of his lightsaber. The ninja captain managed to avoid the hit before sliding along the ground in an attempt to knock the ryoka off his feet. However, Dante leapt over the attack before turning around for a slash, which was blocked. Soifon then kicked his stomach, causing him to stagger back. Once Dante regained balance, he looked up to see the foe ready to deliver an axe kick. The maverick managed to dodge the strike before her foot shattered the ground.

Once out of the foe's range, Dante felt the pain in his abdomen. "Let's see how you like this! Lagi style! Holy Sphere!" Dante summoned a large expanding ball of fire right where Soifon was standing. Though it caught her by surprise, Soifon still managed to evade the explosion with ease by leaping back from the attack's range.

"You fool!" she spat. "Do not insult me!" The captain shunpoed toward Dante and punched the black teen, who managed to block the blow just in time, but was slid back a few feet by its force. "This can't be your true power!"

"She's whoopin' me when I fight like this," Dante thought. "I better go all out!" With that thought in mind, the black teen used Agility Wing to increase his mobility, and then Assault Wing to boost his strength. "Sorry about that," the black teen said with a smirk. "Let's give this another go."

Soifon only scowled at the outsider as she noticed the look of enjoyment on his face. "What is he smiling about?" she asked herself. "His power may have increased, but he's still outmatched. Is it possible he's planning something? If that's the case, then I'll finish him now."

"Now you see me…" Dante replied as he flash stepped out of sight and appeared in the air behind Soifon. The captain stood with eyes widened as she quickly whipped her head around. "Now you don't…" The woman was confused as to what this combatant was doing. "Lagi style! Lightning Storm!" Numerous bolts of lightning rained from the skies above, hitting the ground at high speed. Soifon used her agility in an attempt to evade the strikes. However, due to the unpredictability and speed of the electric bolts, the ninja was still hit. "Was that better?" The black teen asked.

Soifon turned toward the black teen with gritted teeth. "Damn you." The Punishment Force commander charged at Dante and then began using fast punches and kicks. Dante parried against most of the strikes, using his speed to block and counter movements. They matched each other's flash steps, their battle moving along the ground and in the air. Soon, the two distance themselves and stood in their fighting positions. Both combatants wore the bruises from their high speed encounter. "I'm surprised a lowly ryouka like you was able to fend against my speed," Soifon replied. "Still, this battle will spell the end for you."

Dante cracked a smile after spitting out blood. However, he knew that his current power levels would only last temporarily. "You know I got a question that's always been on my mind. If a ninja ever fought a raptor, who do you think would win?"

"What kind of bullshit question is that?" Soifon snapped. Dante only smirked as he used Kowa ro Shii Maru's special ability to instantly morph into his Deinonychus form. Thanks to his training in the secret grounds, the form's appearance took another change. Now it was almost similar to the spirit itself (though with black being the more dominant color with red stripes along its body). Long feathers decorated its head and his arm, and he had a large tail fan. The sudden shapeshift surprised Soifon. However, her reaction was covered by a stoic glare. She could feel his increased spiritual pressure and knew this new body wasn't just for show.

Dante roared at the female ninja and anxiously tapped his sickle-shaped claws on the ground. "This is gonna be good," the black teen hissed before dashing toward Soifon with lightning speed. The shinigami quickly reacted by using her sword to block the raptor's hand claws. Dante then snapped his jaws, but Soifon managed to evade the sharp teeth and countered with a slash. Dante avoided out of the weapon's strike and leapt in the air for an aerial attack, though missed as his target moved out of his way. Now Soifon was on Dante's back, her arms wrapping around his neck. The captain was about to stab him with her sword until she was thrown off by Dante's sudden burst of spiritual pressure. She managed to recover from the throw, but Dante appeared from behind and swatted her with his long tail.

Soifon blocked the hit, but her body still flew back from the strike. The ninja shinigami dashed forward and managed to deliver a spear-hand strike under the jaw and then followed with a butterfly kick which tossed the dromaeosaur in the air. Quickly, Dante righted himself just in time to see Soifon launch into the air with sword in hand. The raptor quickly dove down and locked his claws with the enemy's blade. Both warriors pushed against one another, their eyes trading deathly glares. Seeing that this was a stalemate, Soifon swung a kick at Dante, but the black teen moved his own leg in order to block the attack. He then tried to bite his foe, but the ninja managed to adjust the blade in order to hold his maw back.

They struggled in hopes of gaining the upper hand, but found their attempts to be futile. Warily, yet quickly, both combatants pushed back and returned to the ground. Even with the distance, set between them, Soifon's scowl still registered to Dante. "This is some real straight up shinobi shit!" he loudly honked with risen feathers on his head to back. "Fuck Naruto! I'm having the time of my life!"

"Perhaps I underestimated you, ryouka," Soifon replied. Now she stood in a crouching posture with her sword held horizontally in front of her. Dante, realizing that this meant the release of her zanpakuto, also crouched down and snarled. He held out so far against the shinigami, but if she were to use shiki, then the tide of this match with drastically turn and he would have to change strategy. "This game of cat and mouse will be over soon."

The young woman was ready to release her weapon, but before she could, a faint spiritual pressure entered the area. Before either two could react, Dante saw a figure in orange using shunpo and grab Soifon before jumping off the cliff. All that was left was a trail of dust. Dante dashed to the edge of the hill only to see the two individuals disappear into the woods below. "Whoa! That was crazy!" Dante said to himself before sensing another more familiar presence coming near. The dromaeosaur turned around and saw Nemu arriving on the scene. The black teen morphed back into his human form and returned his weapons back to their scabbards. "Nemu! What's going on?"

"Dante, I'm glad to see you are safe," the Squad 12 lieutenant said with a bow. "Yoruichi has given us an order to go to the Central 46."

"Central 46? You mean where all the captains hang out?" Dante asked.

"No, that's the Headquarters. Central 46 is a building that leads to an underground chamber where rulings are held. From there, we might be able to persuade the jury in exonerating the charges on Rukia."

"You mean we're gonna go to court and try talking with the big heads who pretty much run this bitch?" Dante asked with a risen eyebrow. "Last I checked, I'm a lunatic who unwillingly broke into the Soul Society and you're aiding a known criminal. I'm pretty sure we'd be hauled off before we even get to knock on the front door. Hell, I'm pretty sure it'd be off with our heads just to make up for this little screw-up."

"I understand your uncertainty," Nemu agreed. "However, we have no other options at this point and time. Perhaps it is a futile attempt, but it is the only course of action we can take."

"Maybe it is," Dante agreed. "Alright. Which way, Nemu?"

"It's not too far from our current location. It's in the southeast direction."

"Southwest, huh?" Dante asked. He looked off in the distance past the forest and saw a few buildings on the edge in the direction. "Central 46, huh? I know that place," Dante thought. "That's where that punk-ass nark Aizen's been hiding." Dante then smirked. "Well, I always thought I'd end up in court somehow. Why not cut the middle man and save the system the trouble." With their target in sight, Dante and Nemu leapt off the cliff. Once they landed on the ground, the two dashed through the forest and made their way to Central 46.

Author's Note 1: In the next and maybe final chapter of The Rise of Madness, revelations are made concerning Dante's past. Also, Dante will come face to face with the traitorous trio.

Author's Note 2: If anyone has any questions or would like to give reviews, please feel free.