Sangokuden no Gaim

by Vanishing Raptor

After stopping a thief in the museum with his two friends, Yamato Kusanagi found himself in a new world, where the major figures of the Three Kingdoms era are all beautiful girls. With his companions on his side and as the new Gaim, he seeks to unite the land bringing peace to ancient China and stopping Helheim Forest to Devour this world. Just Live More! Rated M just in case.

3. Future Allies

a/n: Hello, and welcome back to "Armored Warriors of the Three Kingdoms". I'm sorry for the late update and I have very good reason. I got a new job and I need to settle down, so to speak. And last week I fell ill due to sudden decline on my blood pressure. Those late nights pull finally took its toll. I'm not promising on faster updates since my job is quite demanding, but I will do my best to update whenever I can. Standard disclaimer applied here. I don't own Kamen Rider or Koihime Musou. I only own the OCs. Now on to the story!

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Chapter 3: Future Allies

Since Zhuo army had retreated from their position to lay their trap, they ended taking longer time to reach Kousonsan's army main camp. After marching for twenty minutes, Yamato and his army finally reached the entrance for the Kousonsan's camp near the edge of the district. Tall wooden fence was roughly erected encircling around a white large tent with a number of smaller ones surrounding it. The guards standing at the entrance was wearing white and grey uniforms, as if to put extra emphasis to their commander's title. Kousonsan's camp and her army however stood rather distinctively under the sun as the white clothes reflected the light.

"Uwaah, everything is so bright!" commented Rinrin as she shaded her eyes with one of her hand.

"It can't be helped. White is the color that reflects light after all," commented Yamato before he frowned a little. "But having bright colors as the tent for your main camp is a tactical suicide in one way, especially in open plains like this."

"Well, Kousonsan-dono is known as the White Horse General. I suppose the color is not limited only to her mount," commented Aisha.

"Or this could be also one of her strategy to intimidate her enemies. It could use some work, though," Shuri added her two cents.

"Talk about that later. The guards have noticed us," said Yamato as he noticed the guards standing on the entrance

The guards at the entrance tensed and upon seeing an army approached them. They raised their spear once Yamato and his entourage wereclose enough to speak with them and stopped the army's march. "Halt! Who goes there? Identify yourself!"

"My name is Yamato Kusanagi of Zhuo. I'm here to meet with your leader, Kousonsan Hakukei-dono."

The guards' eyes widened upon hearing his name. "Y-You are the Messenger of Heaven from Zhuo? That Kamen Rider Gaim, the Peerless Blue Swordsman?"

Yamato showed them his Sengoku Driver to proof his identity. "That I am. May I pass now?"

The guards stood straight and snapped a salute to him. "Y-Yes, sir! This way, please."

Yamato put his Sengoku Driver back before turning to his Generals. "I'm taking Touka, Shuri, and Hinari with me. Aisha, Rinrin, I want you to look over our soldiers and tend over the wounded while you wait for us. Once we determined what we should do next, I'll come and get you."

"Understood, Gaim-sama," the generals replied as once.

Yamato nodded before he took Touka and Shuri with him and entered the main camp site as Aisha barked the order to the soldiers to relax until further notice. The black haired Chief Magistrate and his companions didn't take too long to find Kousonsan as Touka quickly identified her.

"Ah, Pairen-chan!" called Touka.

Standing outside of the larger tent was the person who reacted to Touka's call, a red haired girl of Yamato's age. She was wearing sleeveless, pink Chinese-style tunic underneath white body armor and black skirt. She was also wearing pink detached sleeves with white arm guard and pink boots with white mid-thigh length white socks. The clothes she wore were decorated with yellow trims. Her eyes were yellow and her red hair was done into ponytail which was held by a white and gold crown-like hair decoration. A sheathed straight sword was hung on her hips.

"Touka! It's been a while," Kousonsan replied with a smile as she went to greet her old friend.

"I'm glad you're alright!" said Touka as she hugged the red haired General.

Kousonsan returned the hug briefly before she replied. "The Turbans' detached force has been harassing me and my men to weaken us, but now that you're here means you already took care of them already right?"

"That's right!" replied Touka brightly as she motioned to Yamato and the two strategists. "It's all thanks to Gaim-sama as well as Shuri-chan and Hinari-chan we can defeat them!"

Kousonsan looked at Yamato who calmly gazed back at her while Shuri and Hinari tried to not look nervous under her scrutinizing gaze. She then relaxed before addressing herself to Yamato. "You must be Yamato Kusanagi, the Messenger of Heaven from Zhuo, right? My name is Kousonsan Hakueki and I am grateful for your help. You saved us from big trouble there."

"Please think nothing of it, Kousonsan-dono," replied Yamato with a smile before he introduced his little strategists. "These two are Shokatsuryou Koumei and Houtou Shigen. They are my strategists and my advisors. They are also the students of Shibaki Suikyou."

"Hawawa…! P-Pleased to meet you, Kousonsan-dono!" stuttered Shuri as she bowed.

"H-Hello…Kousonsan-dono…" Hinari also bowed.

"Oh? So you two are the students of the famous Shibaki Suikyou," commented Kousonsan with a smile. "I've heard about your teacher and I look forward to work together with her students in this battle."

The petite girls blushed and Yamato smiled at them before his expression turned serious. "We are not out of the woods yet though, so we will have to deal with the Turban's main force."

The red haired general nodded. "You're right. Fortunately, the scouts I sent earlier had returned and now I know where they are. Please follow me inside. I will explain more in details."

Yamato, Touka, and their strategists followed Kousonsan into her tent. Inside was pretty bare despite being the tent of a general. A bed was placed on the far side of the tent and a chest was placed right on the bottom of the bed. A table was placed in the middle of the tent with a map spread open and several chairs placed around the table.

Kousonsan then walked to the table and pointed a marked area on the map. "My scout said the turbans have started their camp here, near the entrance of a forest. Apparently, they have moved away from your outpost they attacked to advance further into Yozhou before I started this camp to block them . Approximately, the strength of their main force is about 25,000 men, much larger than the army I brought with me. So I have sent a word to Ryousei to send me reinforcements and 2,500 soldiers are on their way here. Not the best number I can get since I still need some people to guard our home just in case another bandits attack. After they arrive later today, I will have a little more than 7,500 soldiers with me."

Yamato frowned thoughtfully as he pondered about the information Kousonsan gave to him as well as the condition of his own army. The Chief Magistrate of Zhuo turned to Shuri and Hinari. "How many are our loss after the earlier battle?"

"50 of our soldiers were dead and amongst the wounded, 100 of them are unable to fight anymore due to their critical wounds, so our optimal number for this battle is around 5,350," reported Shuri with one hand holding her chin.

"Together with Kousonsan-dono's reinforced army, we have around 12,850 men with us. So our odds against the Yellow Turbans are about one against two," added Hinari as she played with the brim of her hat.

"We're outnumbered again in this battle," commented Touka before she smiled slightly. "But we're not outmatched, right?"

"That's right, although that begged the question: does the main force have a leader or leaders like the detached force?" asked Yamato rhetorically.

"Wait, the detached force has a leader?" asked Kousonsan in surprise.

"More like an extra muscle to defeat me, but you can already see where this is going," answered Zhuo's Chief Magistrate evenly. "The fact that you said earlier that detached force was sent to harass your army to weaken it suggested that the Yellow Turbans has someone at least half-way competent enough to hatch a plan like that."

"So we will face a somewhat organized Yellow Turbans with a leader leading them. Just great," Kousonsan sighed as she ran her hand through her hair.

"While they may have a leader and a little bit organized, but they still have their usual weakness which can be exploited to our favor. In fact," here Yamato let a smirk graced his face. "…now with a half-way competent leader leading them, the Yellow Turbans possessed yet another weakness we can exploit."

The other occupants of the tent looked at him questioningly, although it seemed that Shuri and Hinari already have some suspicion about it.

"What do you mean by another weakness, Gaim-sama?" asked Touka.

"Before I answer to that, why not let our eavesdropper join us in this discussion?" said Yamato as he turned to the tent's entrance, prompting the others to look at it too.

"Oh? You managed to detect my presence? I'm impressed," said a feminine voice as its owner entered the tent. The owner of the voice was a girl around Yamato's age with blue that cut short just above her shoulder blades while a portion of her hair in the back was tied into thin, low ponytail and her eyes were reddish violet. She was wearing a kimono-like robe with separated collar and sleeves, which revealed a portion of her cleavage and her back. The shoulders were puffed and the end of her flowing sleeves was decorated with black-trimmed yellow butterfly wings and a black sash was wrapped around her waist which was tied into large bow on her back. A pair of white leggings was covering the most of her legs and she was wearing black platform sandals on her feet. On her head she was wearing a white head dress with red tassels hanging on a loop on each side.

"What is it, Shiryuu?" asked Kousonsan with sighed, catching Yamato's attention as he recognized the name.

"Shiryuu…As in Chou'un Shiryuu?" he asked, much to Kousonsan and the new comer's surprise.

"It seems that my reputation has preceded me," replied Chou'un with a smirk before she inclined her head at Yamato. "That is correct. My name is Chou, followed by Un and my common name is Shiryuu. If I may ask, how did you of me, Yamato-dono?"

"I have my own way and let's leave it at that," answered Yamato ambiguously.

"Very well," replied Chou'un before she turned to Kousonsan. "I have received words from the reinforcement army you asked. They will arrive here on the afternoon at the earliest or early at the evening the latest."

Kousonsan clicked her tongue in annoyance upon hearing the news before she relayed her orders. "Tell them to march faster. We're going to attack them as soon as they arrived."

"Kousonsan-dono, if I may suggest," started Yamato, catching everyone's attention. "Let your reinforcement army arrive a little late. We're going to let the Turbans sweat a little more before we strike."

The red haired commander and his Vice Magistrate looked confused by his words, but Chou'un, Shuri, and Hinari immediately caught up to his plan.

"I see…So that's what you mean. You're a devious man, Yamato-dono," commented Chou'un coyly.

"Then that another weakness you said earlier…that new weakness is none other than the Yellow Turbans' commander itself!" said Shuri as her eyes sparkled in admiration.

"Knowing that we are here and have joined forces with Kousonsan-dono's army, the commander will be split for the decision to attack us all at once or to fortify their defense and wait for their supposed reinforcement," added Hinari, the awe in her tone was unmistaken.

"Um, isn't any of it is bad for us?" asked Touka unsurely.

"Not at all, Touka-sama. From what Kousonsan-dono said earlier and Gaim-sama concluded, the enemy commander is someone who is very careful when he made a move, but he is too careful for his and his army's own good," said Hinari with a bright smile.

"Hinari is right. He could have used all of his men to attack Kousonsan-dono's army, but instead he used a detachment force of 10,000 men to harass and weakening Kousonsan-dono's army before swamping them with his main force. That tactic alone gave insight of his personality, therefore we can use it to our advantage," added Shuri as she also smiled.

"No doubt that the Yellow Turbans Commander has heard of our arrival from the fleeing Turbans from the last battle and we proceeded to join force with Kousonsan-dono's army. If an army of 5,500 men can win with minimal lost against 10,000 men, what can his main force do against our joined army? Not to mention, our soldiers are better trained than the Turbans and we have great generals in our army. With the disadvantage staked against him, he will hesitate to attack us or to wait for the reinforcement from other Turbans while fortifying their defense," explained Yamato.

"His indecision will only grow as we delayed our eventual attack, leading him and his men will be too wary too make a move and end up mentally exhausted for the real battle. Also, by letting your reinforcement arriving a little late, it will gave us a good time window to initiate an attack sometime during midnight until before sunrise where the Turbans will be at their weakest while our army will be well rested and ready for battle," added Chou'un as she looked at Yamato appraisingly who nodded in return.

"Even if my prediction of his personality missed, we still can catch him off guard. By delaying our eventual attack, the leader of the Yellow Turbans will become cocky and thought we are afraid of his army and will slack off as he waited for our attack or his reinforcements. This way, we can attack them at the very least moment that leader expected us to be and we will have the advantage of surprise here," added Yamato with thoughtful frown.

Kousonsan nodded in understanding as she mulled over the first part of their plan. "It's a good start. That way our army will be well rested for the attack and we have a lot of time to prepare ourselves."

Touka clasped her hands together and looked at Yamato as her eyes sparkled in admiration. "As expected of Gaim-sama! You can always make a good plan like that!"

"It's only the beginning of our plan," replied Yamato with a smile before he studied the map carefully. After some moments he turned to his Strategists. "Now that we already have set the stage for our battle, we need to form a follow up plan. Shuri, Hinari, I'm sure that both of you already have a plan for this, right?"

"Y-Yes, Gaim-sama!" answered Shuri. She shared a look with her friend and Hinari nodded at her as she let Shuri to go on. "We will have to lure the Turbans out of their camp and to accomplish this we need to raid their camp first with smaller army. The personal squads of Gaim-sama and Kan'u-san will attack their camps to start things off and will hold their position until all of the Yellow Turbans are lured out. Once they do, you will retreat immediately and joined the rest of their units in the rear guard while Chouhi-san's unit will protect the two of you. Her units will have to increase the number of the flag bearers to fool the enemy. That way they will think we have more number than we really do. After you joined with the units on the rear guard, surround them with pincer maneuver. But this time please make sure there is a hole in the formation to allow an escape route for the Yellow Turbans. By doing so, the Turbans will not fight by concentrating their army to breakthrough our formation which will increase the loss of our army as the commander know they have a way out if they are cornered."

"Once they make their escape, please route them to this place," Hinari continued for her friend as she pointed to an area on the map which wasn't too far from Kousonsan's camp. "According to the map, there's an overlooking hill over here and it's the right place to station the main bulk of our army lead by Ryuubi-sama, Kousonsan-dono, and Chou'un-san. The elevation also provides a strategic advantage for our archers to fire their arrows once the Turbans entered their range. After that, our army will make their charge lead by Kousonsan-dono and her cavalry units and with Gaim-sama and Kan'u-san coming from their back, we will be able to trap them into two-pronged attack. Their number should be greatly diminished by this moment so we can kill tem with ease."

Kousonsan closed her eyes as she pictured how the plan goes in her mind. After several moments, she opened them and smiled at the two strategists.

"As expected of Shibaki Suikyou's students. That plan of yours will surely lead us to victory."

"Of course they're amazing! They're two of the brightest minds in whole China after all!" beamed Touka proudly.

"Hawawa…Y-You're just exaggerating, Touka-san…" stuttered Shuri as her face reddened.

"…Awawa…W-We still h-have a l-lot to learn…" mumbled Hinari as she pulled the brim of her hat down to cover her blushing face.

Yamato chuckled as he placed a firm hand on their shoulders. "Don't sell yourself too short, you two. Being able to pull a plan as complex as that in a short time is an achievement that you two must be proud of."

Shuri and Hinari were glowing red under the shower of praises they received. They were still not used to be praised by other people other than their teacher and they could get easily flustered with their shy personality.

Chou'un frowned and hummed thoughtfully before she spoke. "If I may make a request, I'd like to join Yamato-dono and Kan'u-san in the initial attack."

Her sudden request caught everyone off guard save for Kousonsan whose expression became annoyed as if this was nothing new to her.

"I should've expected this from you, Shiryuu. Always hungry for battle as always," commented Kousonsan as she crossed her hands under her breasts.

"You should know it better than anyone else, Hakukei," replied Chou'un with a confident smirk. "Well? How about it?"

"I'm fine with it if Kusanagi-dono allows you to," Kousonsan waved her hand to show it was up to Yamato to decide.

Yamato thought about it. He really has no arguments to oppose Chou'un's request to follow him in the initial attack at the Yellow Turban's camp. In fact it would be a great help for the raiding force to have her along if she was anything like Chou'un Shiryuu depicted in the Romance of Three Kingdoms, a warrior with her own caliber like Aisha. And if the history didn't change much from what he knew, Chou'un will be joining him soon enough.

"Personally, I have no arguments to have Chou'un-san to join the initial raid at the Yellow Turban's main camp. If she is a warrior like I've heard about, then having her will make anything easier," said Yamato as Chou'un smirked. He then turned to his strategists. "What about you two? Do you think it's possible to let Chou'un-san to join me and Aisha?"

Shuri bit her lip nervously, thinking about how this variable will affect the plan. "W-Well, it's shouldn't be a problem."

"W-We will have to change the soldier's distribution, but I don't think it will be hard," added Shuri after a moment of pondering.

Yamato nodded and turned to Chou'un. "You heard what my advisors' verdict is. It will be an honor to fight together with the Rising Dragon of Changshan."

The smirk on Chou'un's widened slightly before a chuckle escaped her lips. "Very well. It will be also an honor to me fighting together with the famed Peerless Blue Swordsman Gaim."

"Alright, then it's settled," said Kousonsan as she clapped her hand together then spoke to Yamato, "Yamato-dono, your army may enter my camp to get some rest and have their wounds treated properly. We also have brought extra supplies with us just in case we have to help the survivors of a raid, so you don't have to worry about shortage. This is the very least I can do as a thank you for lending a help here."

"Thank you for your generosity, Kousonsan-dono," said Yamato with a smile as he inclined his head slightly.

Kousonsan smiled back at him before she addressed to Chou'un. "Am I safe to assume that the next engagement will be your last battle under my command?"

"That is correct," nodded the blue haired girl. "You're a capable and thoughtful leader, Hakukei. It was an honor to fight together with you without a doubt. Unfortunately I can not see myself to continue to serve you in the future."

The red haired commander exhaled a sigh before a rueful smile appeared on her face. "That's fine. I had hoped you'd stay for a little longer, though. I'm sure one day you will find a place to stay and a lord to serve. Though if I have to say it, anyone you serve will end up nearly unbeatable."

"Perhaps so," replied Chou'un with slight smile as she threw a discreet glance toward Yamato.

Yamato caught her glance, but opted to not say anything about it and spoke to Kousonsan instead. "Then Kousonsan-dono, I'm going to tell my army of our attack plan. Now if you'll excuse us."

"Very well, you may take your leave," replied Kousonsan as Yamato nodded and left the tent with his Vice Magistrate and strategists following him.

---

Yamato met up with Aisha and Rinrin outside and relayed the attack plan to them. Once more, they were surprised by the ingenuity of their lord and their new strategists to hatch a plan that really exploited their enemy's biggest weakness. After that, Yamato brought his men into the campsite to rest up and got their wound treated so they can fight at their best for the battle ahead. True to Kousonsan's words, her army had brought extra supplies with them and they were sharing it with Yamato's men as they rested inside their camp.

As for their sleeping arrangement, Kousonsan and Chou'un had offered for Yamato and his officers to share their tent since the soldiers' tent were already used up. As for how the arrangement went, it was decided that Kousonsan will share her tent with Touka, Aisha, and Yamato while Chou'un shared her tent with Rinrin, Shuri, and Hinari. Yamato tried to object as he wasn't comfortable sharing a tent with three beautiful girls—much their embarrassment, but Aisha and Touka had put their foot down and adamantly refused Yamato to let him sleep outside with only a mattress and a pillow. Not that he can't argue much with Touka used the puppy-eyes on him. Those eyes should've been illegal.

Currently, everyone was doing something else as they waited for the upcoming battle. Touka and Kousonsan were catching up with each other while Aisha was inspecting their men along with Chou'un and Rinrin who decided to tag along as she had nothing else to do. Shuri and Hinari were with Yamato at Kousonsan's tent, sitting on the chair with the latter's various Lockseeds and Sengoku Driver laid on the table where the map used to be.

"A-Ano…T-Thank you for indulging our curiosity, Gaim-sama," spoke Shuri while Hinari nodded next to her.

"That's alright. I know both of you must be curious with how my power works. Aisha and the others were also like you when we first met," replied Yamato. "I'm going to start now. You ready?"

"Yes, Gaim-sama!" they replied as once.

Yamato took his Orange Lockseed and showed it to his strategists. "This item is called Lockseed and this one I'm holding is Orange Lockseed, an A-Rank Lockseed. Lockseeds grew in abundant in a place known as Helheim Forest as fruits native only to that place called Immature Lockseeds or Lockseed Fruits. They are also the favorite food of Inves, the creatures that called Helheim as their home." He then motioned to his Sengoku Driver. "When a person wearing a Sengoku Driver picked a Lockseed Fruit, it will quickly maturing into a Mature Lockseed. Additionally, when the Sengoku Driver wearer opened the Lockseed, it created a fruit themed armor called Arms and they can wear that armor by inserting the Lockseed into the Driver and cutting the fruit-imaged lid using the knife-like lever open to initiate the transformation."

He paused to let the information sunk to his strategists before he continued on. "Each Arms generated by different Lockseeds provides different boosts to its wearer. For Example, the Orange Arms generated by Orange Lockseed is well balanced between power, defense, and speed while the Pine Arms…" he showed them the Pine Lockseed. "…is focused more on power and defense while sacrificing speed."

Shuri and Hinari were silent as they absorbed the information they had received for some moments before the petite blonde asked. "Gaim-sama, when you said the Lockseed has a rank, what determines the rank of a Lockseed?"

"The factors that determined a Lockseed's rank is somewhat vague, but I believe it has to do with its rarity and how much energy it produces when generating Arms armor," answered Yamato before raising one finger. "However, there is a sure way to determine a Lockseed's rank. The lowest rank, D-Rank Lockseed is usually bears the image of seeds and unable to generate Arms, but it is able to provide sustenance to the Driver's wearer. The middle ranked C, C+, and B-Rank Lockseeds bear the image of nuts and better suited to generate Arms as they are sturdier than D-Rank Lockseed, but still breakable. The A-Rank Lockseeds like I have with me bear the image of various fruits and generate better and stronger Arms while also unbreakable, making it suitable for transformation purpose."

"Ano…how does a person wearing a Sengoku Driver change a Lockseed Fruit into Mature Lockseed? What will happen when a person without a Sengoku Driver picked a Lockseed Fruit or opened a Lockseed?" asked Hinari inquisitively.

"To answer Hinari's first question, the Lockseed Fruit matured into Mature Lockseed because of one of the Driver's function beside of its primary function: To filter the Lockseed Fruit's power to be harmless to humans." The girls blinked confusedly at his answer. Yamato thought over what he was going to say before he settled with this answer "A Lockseed Fruit possessed mystical quality that tempts a human that sees it to eat it. That mystical quality is also what made them very dangerous since the fruits will warp the mind and body of those who eat them into an Inves and cursed forever to be like that for eternity. Only those who wore Sengoku Driver can ward off the mystical allure or something shifted the attention of the lured human away from the Lockseed Fruit."

The girls shuddered before Shuri summarized what Yamato told them. "So…when you mean the Sengoku Driver acted as a…'filter' as you called it, it basically acted as a ward to fend off the mystical lure of Lockseed Fruit and changes it into something that a person can use safely without falling to the repercussions of eating it raw."

"I-It sounds the Lockseeds are more like the forbidden fruits of heaven…" commented Hinari in slightly fearful tone.

"That's one of the Lockseed Fruits many title, actually," said Yamato as Hinari nodded. "Anyway, when a person didn't wear the Driver but opened the Lockseed, they will summon an Inves to do their bidding instead. As long as you are holding the Lockseed used to summon the Inves, it will follow your every word and will. If you dropped the Lockseed however, the Inves will attack anyone and anything they saw. The worse thing is, Inves carried a disease with them. The wounds left by their attack on their victim will have Helheim plants growing and causing intense pain on them. There is a possibility if the plant had taken over their victim, that person will turn into a new Inves."

The girls gasped in shock and a little fright upon the revelation and Yamato didn't blame them.

"Now that you have learned the nature of my so called power, will you continue to serve under my command?" asked Yamato to them, surprising the girls. "While people called me the Messenger of Heaven, the source of my power comes from something completely far from what should be related to heaven. Even Helheim Forest's name means 'the forest of hell' or 'the forest of afterlife' literally. So I ask you again, will both of you continue to serve under my command even if you know the truth of my power?"

There was a stagnant pause inside the tent before Shuri spoke. "Gaim-sama, we already made our decision before we meet you. We want to serve under your command as we believe you will be the person who will change the world to be a better place." The determination on her tone was somewhat contrasting to her usual shy personality and nailed the decision she made.

"Besides, Gaim-sama," added Hinari as a shy smile bloomed on her and Shuri's face. "We know you won't abuse the power you have. You are not the kind of person who will abuse your power just because you can, but you used it to protect those under your lordship. We will serve you until the end."

A genuine smile appeared on Yamato's face as he spoke to them. "Thank you, both of you."

"It's our pleasure, Gaim-sama," Shuri smiled back with slight blush on her face. She then pointed to another Lockseed in Yamato's possession. "T-Then, what does this Lockseed do?"

As Yamato explained away to Shuri and Hinari, Touka was outside of the camp listening to his conversation with Shuri and Hinari. She was going to call them for lunch—which was quite late actually—when she heard Yamato had explained about the mystical quality of the Lockseed Fruit all the way to their strategists' declaration of loyalty. She couldn't help but being proud of those two girls as well as feeling the loyalty to her Lord was increased tenfold. Like the girls, she had made her decision to follow him before they met and will stay at his side as the time passed.

'You don't have to worry about the truth of your power, Yamato-sama. We will follow you to the end because we…I believe in you. You will be the person who will change the world to be a better place. I swear on the name of my ancestors I will help you as much as I can,' vowed Touka with determined smile before she entered the tent and called out cheerfully to them. "Gaim-sama, Shuri-chan, Hinari-chan! Its Lunch time! Everyone is waiting for you!"

"Thank for getting us, Touka," said Yamato as he turned to the girls. "We will continue this latter after lunch, alright?"

"Yes, Gaim-sama," replied Shuri and Hinari as once.

---

The sun was setting when the reinforcement from Ryousei arrived at the campsite. Kousonsan herself greeted them and debriefed them of their allied army plan to attack before she ordered them to take some rest as they must be tired from marching all the way from her city.

Yamato was doing some light exercise by practicing Kusanagi Ittou-ryuu (One-sword style) Kenjutsu kata with his Musou Saber held. He had learned he could draw his Musou Saber out of thin air when he was untransformed as long as he was wearing Sengoku Driver during one of his sparring session with Aisha. He really didn't understand how did he do it, but he wasn't really complaining. This way he won't be unarmed even when he was untransformed.

The air sang as he swung his sword down before he brought his sword diagonally upward suddenly and swinging it in wide arc. Yamato held his stance like that for a few second before he slowly stood up and resetting his stance with Musou Saber held by both of his hands with his feet spread at shoulder's wide. Suddenly he brought the Musou Saber up as if he was parrying an invisible attack and slashed the air in front of him twice in cross-like pattern. He then brought Musou Saber to his left waist where its holster was with his left hand was hovering slightly next to the portion of its blade. His body was facing sideward with his dominant shoulder was facing forward while his feet spread at shoulder wide and his knees are bended slightly. Yamato took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he remained in his stance for some moments as he regulated his breathing carefully.

And then…

WHOOSH!

Yamato snapped his eyes open and slashed his Musou Saber as he drew it at the same. The air in front of him was displaced at his sudden movement. Yamato remained still in that position before he relaxed his stance and holstered his Musou Saber

"That is quite a swordsmanship you have, Yamato-dono."

Hearing the comment, Yamato turned to see Chou'un carrying a spear which he believed to be her personal weapon. Its shaft was dark blue with yellow ornate grip just below its unique spearhead which was red and two-pronged which was intertwined with each other. A pair of red tassels decorated the on the bottom of the prongs.

Somehow, seeing Chou'un with her spear reminded Yamato of a certain clone girl from a certain doomsday mecha anime of his homeworld. The resemblance was somewhat uncanny with their shared light blue hair, pale complexion, and red eyes—although Cho'un's were reddish violet than red. A coincidence, perhaps?

"Thank you for your compliment, Chou'un-san," replied Yamato. "Are you going to train too?"

"I am since I have nothing else to do," she answered before she commented on his earlier performance. "Your swordplay is certainly unique and it is unlike anything I have seen before."

"It's because my style is a family style passed from generation to generation since 500 years ago," he replied. "As the current successor of Kusanagi-ryu Kenjutsu, my father and grandfather teach me everything they know about our family style. My training as the heir to Kusanagi-ryu Kenjutsu has begun since I was six years old."

"That's quite impressive. It is no wonder why you're so skilled, Yamato-dono. I can see that from the way you move," said Chou'un appreciatively before she added. "If I may make a request, I wish to spar with you Yamato-dono."

Yamato was surprised by her unexpected request, but he welcomed her challenge. "Very well, I accept. Just one thing though, do you want me to wear my armor or not?"

"I want to face the Peerless Blue Swordsman Gaim at his strongest. I have heard stories about your armor and I want to confirm them for myself," she answered without missing a beat. The steely look on her eyes showed that she was serious with her decision.

"I guess Kousonsan-dono said is true. You certainly a battle maniac, Chou'un-san," said Yamato and Chou'un only chuckled mirthfully in response. "But if that what you ask, then you shall receive," he then took out his Orange Lockseed. He then raised his right hand which was holding the Lockseed in front of his left shoulder while his left clenched next to his waist and unlocked the Lockseed as he called out. "Henshin!"

"ORANGE!"

The Crack to Helheim forest opened above his head and the Orange Arms slowly descended from it. Chou'un gave the giant mechanical orange a calculative look while the Kousonsan's soldiers nearby who never watched Yamato transformed stood transfixed as they watched what was going to unfold before them. Yamato then slowly swept his right hand outward slowly before he threw his left hand across his chest and his right hand above his waist. He then placed the Lockseed to the Sengoku Driver and locked it into place.

"LOCK ON!"

Chou'un raised her eyebrow as the techno war horn music played from the buckle. The music also caught the attention of many people in the camp, including Kousonsan and Yamato's officers.

"What's going on here? Who sounded the war horn?" asked the red haired commander as she approached the duo. Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw the Orange Arms above Yamato's head. "What in the world—?"

"Ah, I think Gaim-sama is about to transform again," answered Touka to her friend, causing Kousonsan to look at her in curiosity. "Each time Gaim-sama locked a Lockseed to his Sengoku Driver, it will play war horn music. Although, he often skipped it all along and immediately cut the Lockseed open."

Yamato then wasted no time to grasp the Cutting Blade Switch and used it to cut the Lockseed open.

"SOIYA!"

The Orange Arms landed on his shoulder and covered his head as it energy ripples washed over Yamato's body forming his Pre-Arms suit. The mechanical orange arms then began to disassemble as its parts attached themselves to his suit, becoming a set of armor, and revealed his now helmeted and masked visage to Chou'un and everyone else. A splash effect formed around him as his visor lit up and Daidaimaru appeared on his right hand, signaling his transformation was completed.

"ORANGE ARMS! HANAMICHI ON STAGE!"

"Well…" Chou'un started as she examined the fabled armor of the Peerless Blue Swordsman Gaim with critical eyes. "…It certainly looks amazing as the stories say about your armor, but I want to see if you are as good as they said," she said as she settled to her customary fighting stance.

"You'll get your proof soon enough, Chou'un-san," replied Gaim as he switched Daidaimaru to his left and drew out his Musou Saber before settling to his own two swords stance.

Tension was rising between the two warriors and it was so thick that a knife could cut it and even the spectators could feel that tension. Touka, Shuri, and Hinari gulped nervously. Aisha watched the two combatants with careful eyes while Rinrin was excited to see her Onii-chan is going to fight. Kousonsan sighed wearily as if she was expected this from her Ancillary General but didn't feigned interest as she was going to watch the Messenger of Heaven in Action sooner than she had expected.

After a few moments of tense silence, the two combatants charged at each other after an unseen signal between them. Chou'un struck first with flurry of stabs from her spear and Gaim blocked them with both of his swords. He deflected her last stab to disorient her and struck with his Daidaimaru, but Chou'un managed to tilt her body to the side before she disengaged from him to recover. Gaim was already upon her as his Musou Saber sang through the air and Chou'un blocked the attack with the shaft of her spear before she lessened the strength behind her block to disorient her armored adversary. As he stumbled, Chou'un tried to smash the butt of her spear to his head, but Gaim already saw her attack coming and ducked his head before he disengaged from her.

The two warriors circled each other before they rushed at each other, their weapons met with clangs and sparks. Gaim dodged a powerful thrust from Chou'un before stabbing his Musou Saber forward which she dodged. He then continued by slashing his Daidaimaru and Chou'un parried with her spear and slashed it at him, only for Gaim to deflect her attack. Twirling her spear slightly Chou'un then charged forward with a battle cry and Gaim intercepted her by blocking her charge with Musou Saber and Daidaimaru. Both of them pushed their weapons against each other, trapping them in a deadlock.

"Heh, I guess the rumors about you isn't exaggerated, Yamato-dono," smirked Chou'un as she tried to push him.

"Thank you, I guess being praised by the Rising Dragon of Changshan is something to be proud of," replied Gaim as he pushed his blue haired adversary.

The different in strength between them is visible enough as Gaim managed to push Chou'un several steps away before the blue haired warrior disengaged by kicking him in the chest. She carefully watched as Gaim recovered quickly and settled into his customary two swords style stance. Seeing that contest of strength was out of question, she tried a different approach. She bent her knees before sprinted at him as she rained a series of lightning fast stabs. Gaim parried them with slight difficulty this time as they were faster and stronger than her opening moves. He tilted his helmeted head to the side as Chou'un's spear grazed it a little before he kicked her in the stomach, not hard enough to harm her but hard enough to force her to disengage from him. This time, Gaim went offensive as he rained slashes from his Musou Saber and Daidaimaru which she had to block with her spear.

Chou'un could feel her arms numbing a little for each blow she parried. The blue haired warrior noted that not only they were strong, but the blows seemed to have their own tempo. She clicked her teeth in annoyance before she swung her spear widely to throw him off from his attack. She twirled her spear as she called to Gaim.

"It has been a fun fight Yamato-dono, but I'm afraid we have to end this battle on the next attack. We may end up hurting each other if we fight further than this and it will be detrimental to our next battle."

"I agree. Then give me your best shot, Chou'un-san!" replied Gaim as he twirled his swords before joining them together to form the Musou Saber Naginata Mode.

"That should be my line, Yamato-dono!" Chou'un shot back as she also settled into her stance.

The onlookers watched the upcoming final clash with budding tension and excitement. The two combatants held their stance as they glared at each other, mentally enacting how their final attack would be. At an unseen signal, Gaim and Chou'un charged at each other with battle cries of their own.

"HAAAAAH!"

"TAAAAAH!"

In a flash, it was over.

Chou'un had her spear pointed to her armored adversary unarmored side while Gaim had Daidaimaru millimeters close to her neck. After staring right into each other's eyes for a few second, they both relaxed their stance and chuckled heartily.

"It was truly a great fight, Chou'un-san. It is an honor to cross blades with you," said Gaim as he sheathed Musou Saber and closed his Lockseed, transforming back to his civilian persona.

"The same goes for me, Yamato-dono," replied Chou'un with a genuine smile. "And please, call me by my true name, Sei. You certainly earned that right."

"Then you may call me as Gaim," said Yamato to Sei. "And what are you going to once the next battle is over, Sei?"

"I want to travel around China some more to see if what else this land could offer me," answered Sei.

"You sure you don't want to join me instead?" offered Yamato. He knew from his knowledge of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms Chou'un was also one of the Generals that served under Ryuubi and Shoku Faction. With how different this world was, perhaps she will join now instead of later.

"It would be a great honor to me to serve you Gaim-dono, however I can't go back on my word and I'm set on my decision," answered Sei

"Is that so? Well, then I wish you the best of luck in your travel. And remember, my offer always stand for you," replied Yamato understandingly.

"Thank you, Gaim-dono. I will keep that in my mind," said Sei as a blush adorned her cheeks.

"Gaim-sama!" Yamato and Sei turned to see Touka, Kousonsan, and the rest of Yamato's officers were approaching. The pink haired girl then fussed over Yamato as she asked him. "Are you alright, Gaim-sama? Did you hurt somewhere?"

"Don't worry, Touka. I'm alright," replied Yamato with bemused smile.

"Dare I ask who started this mess?" asked Kousonsan in (faked) displeased tone.

"It was me, Hakukei. I saw Gaim-dono training alone by himself and I was curious with his unique swordsmanship. Then I asked him to spar with me in his armor," answered Sei as a smile curved on her face. "I have to say the rumors aren't exaggerated at all."

Hakukei only stared at Sei for a moment before she sighed and muttered under her breath. "What a battle maniac…"

"I have to say that is an incredible battle, Chou'un-dono. You are as great as Gaim-dono proclaimed you to be," praised Aisha as she smiled appreciatively at the blue haired girl.

"Oh? Now I'm really curious how you knew about me, Gaim-dono," inquired Chou'un with a delicate blue eyebrow arched.

"Like I said, I have my way Sei. Perhaps if you joined my army I will tell you my sources," replied Yamato.

"How tempting," said Sei, smirking slyly. "Do you really want me that bad, Gaim-dono?"

The girls blushed at how Sei worded her words save for Rinrin who said a cute 'Nya?' as she blinked confusedly while Kousonsan just sighed. Yamato himself had to reevaluate his opinion of this world's Chou'un Shiryuu. Not the clone girl a certain doomsday mecha anime then, but the student council president of all girl—save for one boy who happened to be your standard, dense harem hero—international powered armor piloting academy. Yup, definitely her.

"T-That's not what Gaim-sama meant! H-He's looking for more people to join our faction that's all!" Aisha hurriedly said in Yamato's defense, her cheeks were flaming red.

"Nyahahaha! Aisha is jealous!" laughed Rinrin.

"I'm not jealous!" retorted Aisha hotly.

"Don't try to deny it, Aisha. It only makes you trying to cover up your true feelings," commented Touka cheerily.

"Touka-sama! What are you saying!?" Aisha almost shrieked.

"Don't worry about Chou'un-Oneechan stealing Onii-chan. You have bigger breasts so you don't need to worry about that!" Rinrin added her two cents with nay care.

The blush Aisha had now was more prominent as she squeaked in embarrassment and tried to cover breasts. Kousonsan, Shuri, and Hinari looked at their own assets before muttering something unintelligible under their breath. Touka only laughed at her sworn sister's embarrassment along with Rinrin.

"Well, you really have interesting people around you, Gaim-dono. I am more tempted to join your faction at this rate," Sei commented with amused chuckle.

Yamato smiled. "I will be holding you to that," he then turned to his officers. "Alright everyone, settle down. You may want to sleep now so we can wake up really early for our surprise attack. If you still want to do something else, that's fine just as long as you remember not to tire yourself needlessly. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Gaim-sama!" his officers replied as one.

"Chou'un-dono, I hope you don't mind to fulfill my request to spar against you," requested Aisha as she managed to force down her blush.

"Of course, I have heard of your prowess, the Black Haired War Goddess of Zhuo. I'd like to cross blades with you," replied Sei.

"Didn't you hear what Yamato-dono had said earlier? Don't tire yourself needlessly," commented Kousonsan with annoyed tone.

"Don't be a worrywart, Hakukei. It won't be anything serious," said Sei before she turned to Aisha with a smirk. "Isn't that right, Kan'u-dono?"

"That is right. I merely want to know better my comrade and what is the better way than a spar?" Aisha smirked back at her.

"Muu~! Rinrin also want to fight against Chou'un-Oneechan!" pouted Rinrin.

"There, there, Rinrin-chan," soothed Touka as the spectators walked away from the two preparing combatants.

"I'm sure you will have your chance later, Rinrin-san," Shuri added her two cents.

"But Rinrin-san will tire herself in this spar instead…I think…" commented Hinari.

"I can't disagree with you on that, Hinari," replied Yamato with slight chuckle. "Rinrin doesn't know how to hold back, after all."

"Mou~! Now Onii-chan is picking on Rinrin!" complained the red haired girl as everyone laughed.

They barely felt the tension for the upcoming battle with their companionship. All they knew that they will definitely win the next battle and the Yellow Turbans will pay for their insolence, selfishness, and greed.

---

The day was still dark when the allied army of Zhuo-Ryousei moved out from their camp. The initial raid army led by Yamato who had transformed into Gaim, Aisha, and Sei with Rinrin leading the rear guard marched toward where the Yellow Turbans' main camp was. Once Gaim spotted the guards on the entrance, he signaled the army to halt and duck. While the pre-sunrise darkness made a good cover for them, Gaim didn't want to take any chance especially with their number. While it wasn't too large, only around 2,000 men or so, the noise they caused when they marched could set the Turbans too early and ruined the surprise factor.

Using the enhanced sight his armor provided, Gaim could make out the expression on the guards' face. He could tell the delayed attack plan was working as planned as the guards' expression was wary, weary, and tired. If their condition was anything like the rest of the Yellow Turbans, then they already have this battle in bag.

Turning to Aisha and Sei, he nodded at the girls and they nodded back. Gaim took a deep breath as he addressed to his army.

"Alright people, this is it. Today is another battle for us against the Yellow Turbans. You must be tired and fed up dealing with them in daily basis, but do not fret about that. Today we will strike fear into their heart! Let us show them we will not show mercy for their aggression, for their greed, and for the blood they have spilt! After today, the Yellow Turbans will not dare lay their hand to our beloved Zhuo ever again!"

The army nodded grimly in return as they knew they couldn't cheer or they would give away their position.

Switching his Daidaimaru to his left hand and drew out his Musou Saber, Gaim then gave the signal to begin their attack.

"Kusanagi squad, charge forward!" as soon as the words left his mouth, Gaim sprinted forward with his squad following behind him.

"Kan'u squad, move out! Let us help our lord to drive away those bandits from our land!" yelled Aisha as she charged along with Gaim.

"Chou'un squad, don't fall behind now! Show your strength to your allies and have no mercy on those bandits!" called Sei as she followed her allies' example.

"Okay everyone, we will wait here for Onii-chan and the others. So hold your position until they've retreated and take down the bad guys as much as you can!" said Rinrin to her rear guard units. She wasn't happy when she found she was tasked to be the rear guard, but Rinrin relented when Yamato had told her that her position was important. Besides, she was going to fight soon once Gaim, Aisha, and Sei managed to lure out the Yellow Turbans so Rinrin wasn't going to complain.

The guards at the camp entrance saw the allied army incoming and scrambled to sound the alarm. The rest of the Yellow Turbans were caught off guard by the sudden warning and hastily armed themselves to battle. The first wave of Yellow Turbans poured out of their camp and immediately intercepted the raiding force.

The first groups of Turbans raised their sword against Gaim, but the Armored Rider swiftly dispatched them with swift slashes from Musou Saber and Daidaimaru. He broke a sword by parrying it and struck down its wielder before pulling the yellow tab on his Musou Saber and fired at the incoming Turbans. He then reloaded his weapon before slashing open a Yellow Turban's chest with Daidamaru and parried another blow before spinning his body like a top to cut down the Yellow Turbans that tried to surround him. Gaim looked at his handwork grimly before he engaged another wave of Yellow Turbans.

In another part of the battlefield, Aisha slashed a group of Yellow Turbans with her Green Dragon Crescent Blade before she slammed the butt of her spear at the Turban who snuck on her. She ended his life by decapitating his head. She then parried a sword strike from before slashed his chest and sent a group of Yellow Turbans flying with a single swing of her blade. Her Green Dragon Crescent Blade drew a silver arc in the air as she killed another group of Yellow Turbans that recklessly tried to surround her.

Nearby, Sei had her Dragon Tooth spear flashed rapidly in all direction as she stabbed from one Turban to another without pause. She jumped to the side to dodge a vicious chop from a Yellow Turban before she slashed the axe wielder and killed him. The blue haired warrior then slashed wide at the Yellow Turbans who tried to surround her before her spear pierced the chest of a Yellow Turban and she dislodged her spear to ram the end of her spear to another Yellow Turban behind her and killed him by stabbing his windpipe.

Aisha jumped backward to gain some distance after she killed another group of Yellow Turbans and now was back to back with Sei who had also finished off another batch of Yellow Turbans.

"Such troublesome people, aren't they?" quipped Sei to Aisha.

"Oh? Don't tell me you're getting tired of fighting them, Sei," Aisha shot back at her. The two of them had called each other by their true name after their spar yesterday where they had earned respect of their skill as a warrior.

"As if these clowns could get me tired, Aisha," retorted Sei as she struck at the Yellow Turbans that charged at her recklessly. "More like they made me really bored."

"I can't disagree with you on that," replied Aisha while she effortlessly parried the blow from an axe-wielding Turban before killing him by crushing his windpipe with the butt of her spear. "To quote Gaim-sama, they have number, but no skill at all."

"How true," Sei smirked before she called out her challenge to the Turbans. "Come on! Is there any of you can provide challenge to me, Chou'un Shiryuu the Rising Dragon of Changshan? If no then simply die like dogs you are!"

"I am Kan'u Unchou! The first vassal of Yamato Kusanagi and the Black Haired War Goddess of Zhuo! If you want to test my Green Dragon Crescent Blade, then have it at thee!" declared Aisha, following Sei's example to goad the Yellow Turbans.

"Why these bitches…! Just who they think they are!?" snarled one of the Yellow Turbans angrily before he rallied his allies. "Come on, boys! Let's show them their real place!"

The Yellow Turbans roared their agreement, but a call doused their barely rising spirit.

"SOIYA! ORANGE SPARKING!"

Multiple orange energy slashes cut through the Turbans rank, decimating them with uttermost ease. Gaim then dashed from the direction where the attack came and slashed right and left at the Turbans who were lucky enough to dodge his finisher attack. Gaim twisted his upper body and slashed a Yellow Turban viciously before he rejoined with Aisha and Sei.

"Aisha, Sei! Are you alright?" asked Gaim.

"We are alright. Thank you for your concern, Gaim-sama," answered Aisha as she smiled thinly.

"These bandits are hardly a fight, Gaim-dono," responded Sei with a smirk.

"Glad to hear that," replied Gaim to the girls as he slashed another Yellow Turbans. "Shall we make our retreat now?"

Aisha looked at the direction where the Yellow Turbans' camp was and frowned. "It looks like they still have some of them on their camp and their commander has not come out yet."

"Then we'll just have to rat him out," Gaim then sheathed his Musou Saber and unclipped the Ichigo Lockseed from the spare Lockseed holder on his right side. "I have a plan for that. Aisha, Sei, cover for me."

"Understood, Gaim-sama," replied Aisha as she moved to cover for her lord and slashed at a Turban who wanted to take the advantage from this situation.

"It seems you always have a plan for any situation, Gaim-dono. Very well," replied Sei with a smirk before she let out a battle cry as her spear blurred in all directions as she skewered many Turbans in that single maneuver.

Gaim then unlocked his Ichigo Lockseed without wasting another moment.

"ICHIGO!"

The crack to Helheim opened and Ichigo Arms descended from it. It looked like a giant, metallic strawberry complete with its green stem on the top. Gaim then unlocked and removed the Orange Lockseed and replaced it with its strawberry-based counterpart. He locked the new Lockseed to the Lock On Arm and immediately cut it open. The core image looked like a strawberry slice and the back of the lid depicted the image of three kunais with strawberry emblem.

"LOCK ON!"

"SOIYA!"

The Ichigo Arms lowered to Gaim's position as the Orange Arms disappeared into orange particles. The lower part of the Ichigo Arms flipped to the side and became Gaim's right shoulder armor as the rest of the Arms landed on Gaim's shoulder and began to disassemble. The front part flipped down to become red chest plate with metal studs and black highlights on the top while the top and left parts of the Arms folded down to be Gaim's left shoulder armor with the green stem poking outward. The right and back part then folded down together to be Gaim's back armor while his helmet attachment now was different. It was red with metal studs, side head decorations that looked like half slices of a strawberry and a green stem on the top. Gaim's visor lit up red like a strawberry slice as the armor generated red energy splash and a pair of kunais with strawberry emblem emblazoned near the hilt appeared on Gaim's hand—Ichigo Kunai, the Arms weapon for Ichigo Arms.

"ICHIGO ARMS! SHUSUTTO SPARK!"

"Alright, let's go!" said Gaim as he twirled his kunais and slashed a Yellow Turban that tried to sneak on him.

Aisha nodded affirmatively while Sei raised an eyebrow at his armor change. She was curious, but decided to ask about that later. There were time and place to ask, after all.

Gaim dashed toward the Yellow Turbans main camp and struck down the Yellow Turbans that tried to stop him. He swiftly ducked the overreaching slash from a Turban before slitting his throat and threw his other Ichigo Kunai at an incoming Turban, killing him as the thrown weapon exploded on impact. The rest of the Turbans paused in hesitance after seeing how their comrade was killed and Gaim pushed on as he threw his remaining kunai at another Yellow Turban. The bandit fell to the ground, dead as the kunai exploded when it struck his chest.

Gaim then reached behind him with both of his hands and pulled them out, revealing he was wielding six Ichigo Kunais in between his fingers, three on each his hand. He wasted no time to throw them at the Yellow Turbans around him as he made his way toward the camp. Once he neared the entrance, he unsheathed his Musou Saber and struck down several Yellow Turbans that intercepted him.

He then unlocked and removed Ichigo Lockseed from Sengoku Driver and locked it into Musou Saber's Drive Launch, activating its finisher function.

"LOCK ON! 1, 10, 100! ICHIGO CHARGE!"

Still running, Gaim ran his left index and middle finger across the flat side of the Musou Saber as it glowed with red aura before skidded to halt and slashed upward three times. Each slash caused a giant Ichigo Kunai to soar before morphing into strawberry projections. The strawberries burst into multiple copies of Ichigo Kunai once they were above the camp and rained down on it explosively as they hit the ground.

Seeing the rest of the Yellow Turbans pouring out of the camp along with a man that presumed to be their leader—from his elaborate robes and armor, Gaim nodded briefly before turning to block a Yellow Turban that tried to sneak on him before slashing his chest and threw a kunai at an incoming Turban. Drawing another Ichigo Kunai with his left hand, he then called out to his army.

"It's time! Everyone retreat now!"

Heeding the word of their commander, the allied army soldiers began to pull back. Aisha, Sei, and Gaim were covering for their retreat as they struck down the Turbans that was getting too close to their retreating army.

Gaim slashed a Turban with his Musou Saber and parried another Turban's attack with his Ichigo Kunai before slashing him on the chest. He then threw the kunai on his left hand at a Yellow Turban before reaching for his Sengoku Driver and slicing his Lockseed once.

"SOIYA! ICHIGO SQUASH!"

Musou Saber's blade lit up with red flaming red aura before he slashed it wide, the red energy slash struck the foremost Turbans and killed them before their body exploded. He then used the superior speed Ichigo Arms granted him to make a quick getaway and joined his army. He looked ahead and saw the rear guard led by Rinrin was advancing to cover the retreating vanguard and smirked behind his mask. Everything was according to plan.

---

The man known as Jiang was once a crafty and slick merchant. He was also very greedy and avaricious when it came to money. He joined the Yellow Turbans for one reason: money. He didn't care for a better life like many who had joined before and after him since he was already wealthy, but if the rebellion was successful then he would get more customers and he will become richer than he was now. It was all business to him. Since he was smarter than most of the Yellow Turbans, Jiang was placed as their commander and had to donate some of his wealth to support their rebellion. He grumbled about the money he lost, but since it was all just a business to him he thought it as an investment for the future.

Now he was sorely wishing he didn't join the Yellow Turbans and focused on his booming business instead. At least he didn't have to face life and death situation like this.

He sent the detached force of 10,000 men to harass that Imperial General Kousonsan by sneaking around her campsite and before attacking a small village nearby. He was ready to order them to harass the general's army once more before swamping them with his main army when he received the news that detached was defeated by the Peerless Blue Swordsman Gaim and his army with minimum loss. He was shocked and shaken to his boots when he heard that news. The Messengers of Heaven Gaim, Baron, and Ryugen were the nightmare of the Yellow Turbans everywhere as they were warriors which were equal to a thousand men or even ten thousand men. And now he was facing against Gaim who was said to be the strongest Messenger of Heaven between the three.

Jiang was scared even more when Gaim and Kousonsan joined forces to defeat him. He sorely tempted to leave these losers alone and went back to his business. He reasoned with Gaim's prowess as well as his equally skilled officers and Kousonsan's experience, he wouldn't stand a chance against them. But he was torn with the glory, fame, and riches he would get by defeating the fabled Messenger of Heaven. These arguments kept dancing on his head as he waited for the inevitable attack. He thought to ask for extra reinforcement for his army but with the Yellow Turbans' thinning and scattered number as well resources, it would be hard to get them any time soon.

Then the attack came at the very least expected moment and he knew was in for deep, deep trouble. He thought the heavens was with him when Gaim brought only a small army with him and even with the reinforcement that waited for them after the Armored Rider lured his men out of their camp. They outnumbered them by quite a margin, so why was his men got slaughtered right and left?

Jiang even hasn't written his will yet!

---

"Take this!" Rinrin yelled as she swung her Viper Spear at and several Yellow Turbans sending them flying. She then rapidly jabbed her spear at the bandits before she slashed her Viper Spear widely and sent the hapless bandits flying once more in the 'Spectacular Flying Yellow Turbans Air Show'. She then rested the Viper Spear on her shoulder and smirked challengingly at the bandits. "Come on! Is that all you got! At this rate Gaim-niichan won't need to handle small fries like you! Chouhi Yokutoku will beat you all to pulp!"

"You've got some mouth on you, you little brat!" snarled one of the Turbans angrily.

"Hehehe! It's not Rinrin's fault if you're really that weak!" the petite red head laughed airily.

"Why you…! Get her boys!" the Turban rallied his comrades to attack and they roared their agreement.

"Then come and get it! Rinrin will crush you all!" retorted Rinrin as she readied her Viper Spear.

The bandits charged at her, but a call suddenly diverted their attention and filled them with dread.

"SOIYA! ICHIGO AU LAIT!"

Several Ichigo Kunais were soaring toward the cluster of bandits and they were all shrouded in red aura that resembled flaming strawberries. The bandits immediately lost their bravado and scrambled to safety, but the thrown weapons were faster than them and hit the ground with explosive force that sent them flying to the air or killed them by its explosion, temporarily clearing the vicinity. Gaim then rushed to Rinrin's side who looked put off at her kills were already killed.

"Are you okay, Rinrin?" asked Gaim.

"Muu~, Rinrin is fine until Onii-chan stolen Rinrin's enemies!" she pouted cutely despite the situation.

"I'm sorry about that, but I'm worried about you." Rinrin maybe the Chouhi Yokutoku, but he still worried for the younger girl when the enemies surrounded her like that.

"Nyahaha~, I'm happy you're worried about me Onii-chan, but Rinrin is really strong and these guys aren't my match!" Rinrin grinned confidently.

"Are you sure?" the red head gave him an assuring nod and Gaim smiled behind his mask. "Then I'll leave this place to you. I'm going to herd the enemy commander to our little hole and make him notice it. Tell Aisha and Sei to get ready for the next phase of our plan if you meet them, okay?"

"You got it, Onii-chan!" replied Rinrin, still grinning. "Go get the bad guy now!"

"I will," he replied as he drew his Musou Saber from its holster and drew out an Ichigo Kunai before making a dash toward the center of the Yellow Turbans' formation where the commander was.

The Yellow Turbans on his way were cut down mercilessly as they were simply standing on his way or tried to stop him. Gaim threw his kunai at an unlucky Turban before swiftly dispatching the two Turbans that tried to surround him. He drew a set of kunai from his back before throwing them at a small cluster of bandits. As the kunais killed them, Gaim continued his sprint toward the commander of the Yellow Turbans and killed his men who foolishly challenged him.

Soon he saw the pale and frightened visage of the man presumed to be the commander for this Yellow Turbans regiment. He looked like what you've expected from those sly businessmen who wanted nothing more than profit for himself. His body was thin with rat-like face that has thin moustache and triangular goatee on his chin. He was wearing the customary yellow bandana and yellow scarf of the Yellow Turbans with elaborate and expensive looking yellow robes with blue pants. His armor also seemed to have better quality than his men which was brown with intricate designs on the surface and covered almost all of his body. A sheathed sword hung on his waist and he was riding a horse.

"I found you," Gaim smirked at the Yellow Turbans commander.

"G-Get him! W-Whoever kill the M-Messenger of Heaven w-will be r-rewarded heftily!" Jiang shrieked fearfully as his eyes darted for possible escape.

"You shouldn't make promise you can't fulfill," said Gaim as he twirled the Musou Saber and Ichigo Kunai in his hands. He then calmly gazed at the Turbans who wearily watched him either warily or greedily before he spoke, "If you want to dance with me in my stage, then come!"

At his open invitation, the bandits charged at him with the intent to kill him while Gaim just smirked behind his mask. He parried a sword with his Ichigo Kunai before slashing the wielder with Musou Saber. He then struck at a Turban who tried to sneak on him before throwing his kunai at another Turban. Gaim then blitzed through the crowd of Yellow Turbans with his Musou Saber slashed right and left at any bandits he encountered. He skidded to halt and spun on his place to clear out the Turbans that tried to surround him before removing the Ichigo Lockseed from Sengoku Driver and locked it into the Musou Saber once again.

"LOCK ON! 1, 10, 100! ICHIGO CHARGE!"

Musou Saber glowing red, Gaim then slashed the air above him as the giant Ichigo Kunai projection flew and changed into giant strawberry construct. The giant strawberry then burst into multiple regular sized Ichigo Kunais that rained into bandits around Gaim and killed them. He turned to Jiang who tried to look around for quick escape frantically before Gaim threw a kunai near the horse. As expected, the horse neighed and pranced fearfully while the bandit boss tried to calm his horse. He failed and fell to ground painfully while his horse ran away from him, but he also saw the chance to get make his way out with his men.

Jiang stood up slowly and called out to his men. "T-To the east! T-There's an escape way over there! R-Retreat and regroup over there!"

The ex-merchant then quickly made his way to the direction with his men following him and formed a crude, rudimentary defense around him, unknowingly walked toward the trap that Gaim had set for the Yellow Turbans.

"Alright people! The Yellow Turbans have moved to the position! Let's pursue them!" Gaim called out to his army and they roared their affirmative before he rallied his army to heard the Yellow Turbans as they have planned before.

This battle was coming to a close.

---

The rest of the allied army under the command of Kousonsan and Touka waited with baited breath for the Yellow Turbans to appear. It was decided that Kousonsan's White Cavalry units will be leading the charge as the vanguard as the archers fired the opening volley, followed by their infantry units.

Kousonsan looked noticeably calmer compared to Yamato's officers thanks to her experience. Shuri was toying with the telescope she brought her and Hinari played with the wide brim of her hat. While Touka managed to mask her nervousness better than the strategist duo, Kousonsan could tell that her childhood friend was nervous from her body language. She didn't blame them. After all, 2,000 men tried to lure out an army that was more than ten-times larger than their number was no easy task, especially with stealth was included in the factor. They have to move fast lest they will be overwhelmed and annihilated instead.

But she knew with Gaim, Kan'u, and Chou'un leading the initial raid then it won't take too long to lure the Yellow Turbans and their commander out. And if anything else, they also won't have too much problem with cornering the Turbans to their trap with Chouhi joined them.

She was broken from her reverie as a scout she sent earlier returned to report.

"Kousonsan-dono, I have returned," said the scout as he kneeled.

"What do you have?" asked Kousonsan.

"Ma'am, the Yellow Turbans have sighted. They were on their way to this place as we speak with Gaim-sama's raid unit herding them from behind."

Kousonsan nodded at the scout before she shared a look with Touka who nodded at her. She then addressed out to her army.

"All men to your stations! Cavalry units, prepare for our charge! Infantry units, you will be following the cavalry units as we planned!"

"Archer units, move into your positions and load your arrows! Aim carefully! We will provide opening fire as the cavalry and infantry squads charging in!" called Touka as Shuri looked through her telescope so Touka can signal the archers to fire.

Everyone waited with tensely as the Yellow Turbans were coming closer to their position for almost a minute before Shuri spoke, "Everyone, now!"

"Archers, fire!" yelled Touka as the archers under her command let loose their arrows.

"Let's show them the power of the White Cavalry of Ryousei! Charge!" barked Kousonsan as she whipped the rein on her horse to make it ran with her units followed behind her.

The Yellow Turbans realized they were walking into a trap too late when they saw arrows raining from beyond a hill toward their position and cavalry units with white horses charging at them from the front. And from the back, the army led by the Peerless Blue Swordsman Gaim and three powerful warriors were pursuing them. There were only four words that could best describe their situation right now:

They were so screwed.

Gaim struck down several Turbans in one swing with his Musou Saber Naginata Mode before pivoted on his foot and slashed a Turban that tried to sneak on him. He twirled his weapon above his head and slashed wide with Daidaimaru end, killing several Turbans around him in one move.

Green Dragon Crescent Blade drew an arc in the air as Aisha struck the Yellow Turbans around her. The Black Haired War Goddess let out a fierce battle cry as she mowed several Turbans as she surged forward, intending to take the head of the enemy commander.

Sei was smirking as her two-pronged spear blurred into motion and gouged the body of the Turbans in front of her. She then vaulted to the air using her spear as leverage and swiped her weapon in semi-circular manner to knock out several Turbans as she landed.

Rinrin yelled out a battle cry as her Viper Spear mowed Yellow Turbans right and left with every swing she made. The petite red head continued to bulldoze through the ranks of the Yellow Turbans without restraint, much to her enemies horror.

The White Cavalry led by Kousonsan easily sowed more discord as they charged through the disorganized Yellow Turbans force. White horses were considered as sacred animals and while these bandits were not as superstitious as many, the sight of them was enough to send the Turbans panicking. The infantry units behind her were picking off the Yellow Turbans that that were lucky enough to survive the cavalry's trampling charge.

"Ready? Aim…Fire!"

Touka's orders were loud and crisp as the archers under her command fired another volley at the Yellow Turbans. At Hinari's suggestion, the archers will be providing support fire in regular interval although its intensity will be lessened over time to avoid friendly fire. At her prediction, it will take no longer than half-an hour to eliminate the rest of the Yellow Turbans; twenty-minutes tops if Gaim used his 'Finisher' every now and then.

And the witch-hat wearing strategist wasn't mistaken.

The sun had just slowly rising from the horizon when the number of Yellow Turbans had thinned so much that the archers had stopped providing support fire and picked on the strays instead as the rear guard advanced toward where the Armored Rider and his allies were.

Gaim was clearing a small crowd of Yellow Turbans with ambidextrous swings and slashes of his Musou Saber Naginata Mode. He really thanked Aisha for the training she gave to him on how to use pole-arm weapons efficiently. He then turned slowly at the groups of Yellow Turbans who were cornered at by his and Aisha's squads while Rinrin, Kousonsan, and Sei mopped the rest of the Yellow Turbans with their squads. Amongst them were Jiang who looked pale and very frightened upon seeing his force of 25.000 men was decimated with ease.

The ex-merchant let out a shriek before he hightailed from the battlefield with his men followed him. Gaim wasn't in the mood to let him and his men escape, so he removed Orange Lockseed from his Driver and locked it into Musou Saber to activate his last finisher for this battle.

"LOCK ON! 1, 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000! ORANGE CHARGE!"

Gaim twirled his combined weapon above his head as it glowed with orange energy before firing energy slashes at the escaping bandits and each slashes trapped them inside flaming, giant orange-shaped constructs. The bandits tried futilely to escape from their confine, but they found they were unable to do so. Gaim twirled Musou Saber Naginata Mode one more time before pointing the Daidaimaru end toward the constructs as it flaming orange aura covered the orange slice-shaped blade fiercely.

"SEEEIIIIHAAAA!" Gaim shouted as he slashed widely at the constructs as he spun his body 180 degree, sending a flaming orange arc that cut the orange-shaped constructs in half.

The constructs slid over a little along their cut before they exploded and the Turbans inside of them were killed as orange slices were sent to all direction.

Gaim then slowly looked over the battlefield and found the bandits were either dead, dying, or getting away from the site of battle as far as they could. He saw the faces of his officers and allies were smiling—or smirking for Sei's case—in satisfaction and let a smile curved on his lips as he raised his weapon.

"Victory is ours!"

The cheers followed his statement was deafening. This was a major victory so far for the up and rising Zhuo army as they managed to defeat 25.000 Yellow Turbans together with Kousonsan's army.

Kousonsan got from her horse and walked to Gaim who had reverted back to his civilian identity.

"You are indeed a great warrior as they say, Yamato-dono," said Kousonsan as she offered her hand to Yamato which he shook. "Thanks to you, we are able to defeat the Yellow Turbans."

"The credit is not all mine," replied Yamato as he smiled. "You also deserve it, Kousonsan-dono. If it isn't for you to start a camp and blocked those bastards before they could advance deeper into my territory, then more lives will be lost." He released his hand from Kousonsan's before looking at his officers the assembled soldiers. "And the credit also belongs to you, all of you. You are the one who fought with tears, sweats, and bloods today and be proud of what you have achieved today. Because this victory belongs to you and me, it belongs to us!"

The gathered army cheered once more and it was more deafening than before. For Kousonsan and Sei who watched Yamato's charm and leadership in action for the first time, they finally recognized him as a natural born leader like the rumor said. He was a person that would go far in this land with all he had with him.

Kousonsan smiled at Yamato before she said to him, "Please call me by my true name, Pairen."

"Then you can call me Gaim," Yamato replied.

Pairen nodded as she spoke, "If it's alright with you Gaim , I want to form an alliance with you." Yamato raised an eyebrow at her request and the red haired commander smirked as she responded. "Let's face it: it would be a stupid thing to not form an alliance with you when I have the chance. You will become a great ruler one day, one that equal or even surpassing Sou Motoku of Sou Gi or Son Hakufu and Son Chuubou of Son Go. You are already on your path of greatness, Gaim, either you realized it or not."

"Now you're just being exaggerating here, Pairen," refuted Yamato with bemused smile.

"Kousonsan-dono is not exaggerating, Gaim-dono," said Sei as she turned to Aisha and the others. "I too believed that you will become a great person in the future and I'm sure your officers will agree with me."

"What Sei said is true, Gaim-sama. You are a great leader to your men and you certainly will become a great figure one day in the future," said Aisha with a smile. "It is a great honor for me to serve you from the beginning and watch you rise to greatness, Gaim-sama."

"Gaim-sama is a great leader! You always inspired me to be better!" said Touka cheerfully before she looked down and muttered, "I wish you shared your secret on how to deal with the paperwork, though."

"Gaim-niichan is a nice person and really strong! Of course he is going to be a great person!" chimed Rinrin with a big smile.

"I don't know what to say since me and Hinari had only served you for less than one day…" started Shuri as she smiled shyly. "…but like what I said yesterday, I believe you will be the person who will change this land to be better, Gaim-sama."

"Besides…" Hinari added as a small smile curved on her lips. "…You believed in us. You believed despite our lack of experience, we will help you to achieve victory. That is more than enough reason for me to believe you will be a great figure in the future, Gaim-sama."

Yamato looked surprised by his officers' confidence on him. It was so surreal. Did these girls, who were counterparts of the famous figures of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, really believed that he will become a great figure just like them in the future? Or even greater than they would be? Where did they get their confidence from?

Do they need a reason? They believed in you, wasn't that enough for you to push yourself to meet with their expectation?

That voice in his head was right. They were his comrades and they believed in him. That was all the reason they needed to believe him.

"Alright, no pressure then," he joked slightly before his expression became slightly more serious. "I'll do my best to fulfill your expectation of me."

The girls smiled at him, happy for Yamato to realize what he was truly capable of.

"Very well then," said Sei as she clapped her hands before she looked at Kousonsan. "If that is all, then I'll get my belongings from your camp before I take my leave. Is that okay with you, Hakukei?"

"That is fine," replied Pairen as she waved her hand. "Again, I wish you the best of luck on your journey Shiryuu."

"Thank you," said the blue haired girl before she turned to Yamato.

The black haired teen looked at her in confusion before she moved in so fast to….

CHU!

…plant a kiss on his cheek.

Yamato was surprised by her action, while his officers had their jaws hanging open with the utmost shock. The blue haired girl then slowly pulled away, faint pink dusted her cheeks as she did so.

"Since you wanted me so bad, I'll expect you to return that kiss once I joined you," said Sei with a coy smirk before she walked away and shot her last parting her words. "And I hope you will return it with interest, Gaim-dono!"

Yamato stood there like a statue before his hand reached the spot where Sei had kissed him. He still could feel the lingering warmth of her lips there.

"Gaim-sama…"

His body suddenly turned rigid as he heard the tone Aisha and the others used to address him. He recognized that tone everywhere. His mother used it on his father and Yuki also used that tone on Shun very often. It meant he had done something very stupid and displeased the girls. If there was anything he really scared of aside that one thing was feminine wrath. Hell hath no fury like woman scorned, they said. And he 100% agreed to that as well as any male around the world.

He mechanically turned to the girls to see their reaction.

"What is that supposed to be mean, Gaim-sama?" asked Aisha in barely restrained anger.

"G-Gaim-sama…C-Chou'un-san k-kissed you…" whimpered Touka with tearful eyes.

"Muu…Onii-chan…You cheater…" Rinrin pouted.

"H-Hawawa…G-Gaim-sama…" Shuri's expression was best described as a kicked puppy.

"Awawa…" Hinari's expression was mirroring her best friend.

For the first time since arrived in this world, Yamato Kusanagi was speechless and his mind blanked when he tried to formulate a reply. Pairen was holding back a snicker on the sideline, finding the whole situation very funny and entertaining.

"Um…This is not like what you think?" Yamato offered weakly.

"THEN BY ALL MEANS, PLEASE EXPLAIN IT TO US GAIM-SAMA!"

---

a/n: And that's it for now. Again, I'm sorry for the late update. Real life priority here. And anyway, please leave a review once you finished reading this chapter. I'd like to hear your opinion about this story so far. And also, please visit my forum if you want. It's under the the title "Vanishing Raptor's nest. That way, I can answer your question en masse and I can hear your opinion of this story and my other works. Thank your for reading and have a nice weekend.