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.

4. A Day Off in Helheim

Disclaimer: I don't own Kamen Rider Gaim or Koihime Musou. I do own the OC and the plot.

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Chapter 4: A Day Off in Helheim

The news of Yamato's victory together with Kousonsan's army against 25,000 Yellow Turbans two weeks ago had spread through the land. Now more than half of Yozhou had allied themselves with him, making his faction became one of the major powers in the Three Kingdoms Warring Era despite being fairly a new player. He also had changed the name of his faction to Shoku to mirror the third great faction of the Warring Three Kingdoms. Some even said he was the next great ruler like Sousou Motoku of Sou Gi, Sonsaku Hakufu and her sister-slash-successor Sonken Chuubou of Son Go. Almost everyone knew who he was as well as generals that served under him.

Yamato Kusanagi, the first Messenger of Heaven and the Peerless Blue Swordsman Gaim, the young King of Shoku Faction; Ryuubi Gentoku, the Benevolent Dragon Princess, the vice-leader to Yamato—now his Chief Magistrate whose charisma was unmatched; Kan'u Unchou, the Black Haired War Goddess, and Chouhi Yokutoku, the Fierce Little Tiger and the Enhito, both of them were the matchless generals and each was said to have the strength of ten-thousand men like their leader; Shokatsuryou Koumei and Houtou Shigen, both known as the Sleeping Dragon and Fledgling Phoenix respectively thanks to their intellect and being excellent strategists, though sometime they were referred jokingly as Hawawa and Awawa Strategists thanks to their verbal tic.

Of course, Yamato's rise through the rank of famed and powerful warlords had garnered some attention from them and their factions.

For example, Sousou in Gi and Sonken in Go.

---

In Gi…

Sousou was sitting on her throne inside her castle. As she wasn't going to battle, her clothes were lacking some ornaments and decorations. For example, she didn't wear her skull-shaped hair clips and as well as her vest and corset. Further more her frilly detached sleeves with metal bangles were replaced with a frilly white ad red armband on her upper arms and her leggings and boots were replaced with white thigh-length socks and brown loafers.

Standing on either side of her thrones were Kakouton and Kakouen. Both of them were also lacking the armors over their clothes and their detached sleeves were replaced with purple, elbow-length fingerless gloves.

Kneeling on the bottom of Sousou thrones was a girl with short, wavy brown hair and green eyes. She was wearing green dress shirt underneath pale blue jacket that has crisscrossed black straps and baggy, black short pants and brown loafer shoes on her feet. Interestingly, her jacket also has green hood that has two pointed 'ears' on the top like cat ears and black bow with green gem in the center that acted like a fastening strap. This girl was Jun'iku Bunjaku, Sousou's senior strategist and her advisor as well as one of her harem members.

"So, what do you think of Yamato Kusanagi's victory, Shun?" asked Sousou with her elbow propped on the armrest of her throne and her right cheek rested on her fingers. The blonde Empress of Gi had summoned Shun earlier to talk about this matter and asking for his opinion.

"Not that surprised, that's for sure. I mean, that guy practically spend his time outside of his social life, school, and hobby to train his swordsmanship and reading strategy books," answered Shun with an unconcerned shrug. "I always thought him to be a guy born in the wrong time and I guess he fits right in this era, being a warring state and all."

Sousou nodded, knowing the little tale behind Shun and his friends' arrival in this world. Apparently, they came from another world one that was 1.800 years ahead of this one, which was generally peaceful with several notable differences. Like Sousou Motoku of that world was recorded in history as a man. That certainly explained Shun's response when she introduced herself.

'Still…a man?' mused Sousou mentally. 'What's wrong for a woman to be an ambitious conqueror?'

"So…You're saying that Kusanagi is a man born and destined to be a warlord?" asked Jun'iku with hidden venom in her words as she said Yamato's name and the word 'man'.

It was no secret that Jun'iku was a man-hater and was jealous of Sousou's interest in Yamato. At the very least, she was able to hide it better than Kakouton which let her jealousy vocally known—not that her denial managed to hide anything.

"Eh, I don't know about that. Personally, I don't believe in destiny or whatever it is," answered Shun honestly, ignoring or pretending to not notice Jun'iku's bout of jealousy. "And so did Yamato and Yuki. All of us believed destiny doesn't dictate what we will be, but rather what we do in the past and future as well as our own merit."

"Well put," smirked Sousou as her blue eyes gained a strange gleam. "He is really an interesting person, isn't he?"

"What will you do, Karin-sama?" asked Kakouen.

"For now, we will sit back and watch," replied Sousou as she leaned to the back of her throne. "I want to see more of what Yamato Kusanagi can do. It's a rare occurrence that a man can get my attention like this, after all."

Kakouen nodded while Kakouton and Jun'iku looked furious, the former was looking visibly more than the latter.

"What's so interesting about that man anyway? I can defeat him like any other man!" commented Kakouton angrily.

"I wouldn't say that, Ton-chan," said Shun making the elder Kakou twins to look at him. "After all, Yamato is much, MUCH, stronger than I am; especially when he is serious and hold nothing back. Now that he is a Kamen Rider, he has become much stronger too."

That got everyone's attention.

"What do you mean, Shun?" asked Kakouen curiously.

Shun folded his hands and explained. "It was four years ago when Yamato was fourteen years old and entered a swordplay tournament where the participants are much older than he was. The other participants were underestimating him because of his age and he showed them by proceeding to defeat every single opponent he faced in record time. While some people were awed of his skill, some were afraid and jealous of him. So at the night before the second day of the tournament, his next opponent gathered some fighters including the enemies which Yamato defeated and tried to threaten him and beat him up for being 'a showoff, upstart brat.'"

"Such lowlife cowards…" Sousou frowned.

"Then that happened," continued Shun as he shuddered. "Man, even after four years I still shuddered when I remembered it."

"What happened?" urged Kakouton impatiently.

Getting his shudders under control, Shun continued on. "The air around Yamato changed. Normally when he is in battle, the air around him suddenly shifted as if a sword is drawn from its sheath. But that time…it was as if multiple swords were drawn and ready to spill blood. He moved to intercept them and it was a massacre. Those men were older about four years or older and bigger than he was, yet all it took from him was a single strike to down every single of them. I never saw him fought like that before, and it was awe-inspiring and scary as hell." Here the brunette chuckled slightly. "I guess he really lived up his name as Kusanagi."

Sousou and her officers looked at Shun questioningly before he elaborated more. "Kusanagi is also the name of the National Regalia of our country, the Kusanagi no Tsurugi or also known as Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi. According to its legend, a God retrieved it from a giant eight-branched snake and gave it to the chief Goddess as peace offering. Later, it became the authority symbol of the Imperial Family along with two other items."

"A ruler swordsman named after a sword of ruler…How fitting," commented Sousou with a smile. "I want to make him mine."

The expressions of Sousou's officers were absolutely priceless. Kakouton and Jun'iku looked as if their Empress had kicked them out of her room while Kakouen looked gobsmacked. Shun though…

He was trying to hold back a laughter, which he eventually failed to do. His rambunctious laughter made the already irritated Kakouton and Jun'iku snapped.

"What's so funny!?" they demanded together.

"Ahahaha! It's just…Your Loliness…!" Shun snickered as Kakouton and Jun'iku growled angrily at his disrespect while one of Sousou's eyebrow ticked. The new Baron managed to control his laughter. "It's just…You'll have to be careful with what your wish. Kusanagi is a double-edged sword that can cut both ways if you didn't treat it properly."

"Then, I'll just have to be the sheath to keep him from cutting me," replied Sousou confidently, causing Shun to look at her in shock and awe.

"Whoa…My best bud is so awesome…He can turn the Skirt Chasing Her Loliness Sousou Motoku of Sou Gi straight without even meeting her yet…"

Sousou blinked twice before her eyes widened as she realized how her words sounded like and promptly blushed beet red. Kakouen also blushed while Kakouton and Jun'iku looked scandalized.

"K-Karin-sama…" her general and strategist whimpered so pitifully.

"B-Be quiet! That's not what I meant!" retorted Sousou angrily, but the blush on her cheeks ruined her expression.

"That's alright, Your Loliness. A man is fine too," replied Shun with a grin before a wary look crossed his face. "Do I have to worry about my virginity now?"

Sousou was mortified, embarrassed, and furious at his words. She didn't bother to hide her feelings as she exploded. Her dignity be damned! This was the matter of her pride as a woman!

"Shut up! I'm not interested in aggravating man like you!" Sousou shouted with reddening face.

"Mah, mah, not need to be a Tsundere, Your Loliness. I know I'm good looking enough to catch your attention," Shun smiled cheekily.

"Who did you call a Tsundere!? And don't call me Your Loliness, you ape!" shouted Sousou as she chased Shun to throttle him. The brown haired boy was laughing like a loon.

"Karin-sama…" Kakouton whimpered, unlike the fierce General she was in the battlefield.

"There, there, Aneja…" Kakouen patted her sister on the back as she tried to calm her down.

Jun'iku looked very, VERY, jealous. Never before her Karin-sama showed that much interest in a man and she didn't like it. It was hard enough for her to compete against the Kakou Twins and now she has to compete against a ruler man who was a Messenger of Heaven?

'Yamato Kusanagi…' thought Jun'iku as her expression darkened. 'I won't forgive you for stealing Karin-sama's attention…!'

---

In Go…

"Thank you for accompanying to meet with Onee-sama, Yuki," said Sonken as she walked along the halls of her castle together with Yuki.

"It's alright, Sonken-sama. I also want to know how Sonsaku-sama is doing right now," replied Yuki with a smile.

"I'm sure Onee-san will be happy to see you," Sonken smiled back at her strategist/marksman.

They stopped in front of a door and knocked at it. "Onee-sama. It's me."

"Ah, come in, Renfa," the voice from inside the room called.

Sonken opened the door and she entered the room together with Yuki. The room was quite lavish and decorated nicely, as if it was a room for royalty which was right on the account. A desk and a chair were placed in one side of the room and a tea table was placed next to it. A vanity desk was placed on another side of the room near a bed.

The occupant of the bed was a beautiful woman in the middle of her twenties with long pink hair and blue eyes, not unlike Sonken. Her skin was also brown, but it looked several shades paler than it should be. She was wearing a sleeping gown of and was sitting on the bed with her legs tucked under a blanket. Her expression was tired yet happy after seeing Sonken and Yuki.

Sitting next to her bed on a chair was another woman who no less stunning than the woman resting on the bed. Her skin was brown and her hair black and long that tied pink ribbon near the end. Her eyes were green and she was sporting square glasses with red frame with a beauty spot under her left eye. She was wearing sleeveless red dress that was open in the front, revealing quite a lot of her cleavage and midriff, with golden flowers decorated on the hem line. Her arms were covered by brown opera gloves and brown leggings with white high heels. To compliment her appearance further, a white silk shawl was draped on her arms and two white belts crisscrossed on her waist.

The woman resting on the bed was Sonsaku Hakufu, the previous empress of Son Go before Sonken and her elder sister. The woman who accompanied her was Shuuyu Koukin, the senior strategist of Go as well as the Imperial Advisor.

"Welcome, Renfa, Yuki," greeted Sonsaku.

"Hello, Sonsaku-sama," Yuki bowed.

"Onee-sama, how are you doing today?" asked Sonken with a smile as she approached her sister.

"I'm doing fine, Renfa," answered the eldest Son daughter. She raised one hand as Sonken sat on her bed and caressed her cheek. "I hope you too are doing alright with your position as the Empress."

Sonken closed eyes and leaned to Sonsaku's hand as she placed her own hand on the top her sisters. "I'm doing fine, Onee-san. I have everyone that supported me."

"That is good to hear," replied Sonsaku as she turned to Yuki. "Please continue to look after my sister from now on, okay?"

"With pleasure, Sonsaku-sama," replied Yuki, smiling.

Sonsaku smiled back at her before she turned to Shuuyu, but the smile on her beautiful face was replaced with worried frown. "I hope you didn't give Renfa a hard time, Meirin."

Shuuyu let out a quite chuckle escaped her lips. "I won't do anything to cause trouble for your sister. I promised you take care of her while you're recovering, right?"

Sonsaku looked at her for a moment with hidden skepticism before turned to Sonken who squeezed her hand gently as if she was trying to divert her attention from Shuuyu.

"Onee-sama, Meirin is only suggesting the course of action that she think is the best for Go. You should be blaming me for not being a good ruler," replied Sonken with her eyes looked down cast.

Yuki watched the drama between Sonken, Sonsaku, and Shuuyu in silence. It was a common secret in Go court that Sonken and Shuuyu didn't see eye to eye in the former's way of leadership. Sonken ascended to the throne after Sonsaku was poisoned and bedridden thanks to their aunt, Sonsei's betrayal and assassination attempt at the now former queen of Go. Unlike her sister, Sonken was not as aggressive as Sonsaku who launched campaign after campaign in the name of conquest to unite the land under Go's banner and almost exhausting the resource of her country in return. She instead focused on her subject's well being and internal affair first and only reacted if her territory was attacked and threatened. And thanks to her differing view point, Shuuyu thought Sonken was unfit to be a ruler because she didn't dream of conquest like her sister before her.

"Oh, Renfa…" Sonsaku then pulled her sister into a gentle hug. "You're a good ruler. You cared for your people and lead them for prosperity. That is what a ruler should do."

"But…" Sonken tried to protest, but Sonsaku pulled away from the hug and looked at her sister right on the eye.

"You are not me and you don't have to follow my steps as a ruler. You have your own way to rule, Renfa. Please remember that." The eldest daughter of Son family then turned to her lover. "Meirin, please don't push Renfa to do things she didn't comfortable with. She is different than me after all."

Shuuyu couldn't say no to her beloved's pleading look, not in her weakened state like this. Damn that traitor Sonsei and her greedy supporters. If it wasn't for her, then Sonsaku would be one step closer to realize her dream.

"Very well, I won't push your sister to follow your path of conquest," replied Shuuyu, with well hidden displeasure. 'Sheren, I swear one day I will find a way to heal you and make you the Empress of Son Go once more. Then you can continue on with your dream.'

Sonsaku stared at Shuuyu for a moment before she nodded and turned to Yuki. "I heard your friend in Zhuo has secured major victory together with an Imperial General against the Yellow Turbans recently. What do you think of it, Yuki?"

"I'm not surprised," admitted Yuki honestly. "Defying the odds are one Yamato's specialties. Besides, he has great people that worked together with him now so the Yellow Turbans doesn't even have a chance against him."

"Black-haired War Goddess Kan'u Unchou, Dragon Princess Ryuubi Gentoku, Enhito Chouhi, Sleeping Dragon Shokatsuryou Koumei, and Fledgling Phoenix Houtou Shigen," recounted Shuuyu with calculative expression. "If they are anything like the rumors they said to be, then Shoku will be a formidable faction."

"Under Yamato's leadership, Shoku will be more than formidable Shuuyu-san," commented Yuki. "Yamato is a prodigal warrior, natural born leader, and has brilliant mind. Together with those officers who worked with him, I dare to say that it will be a foolish move to make enemy with Shoku."

"Then what do you suggest, Yuki?" asked Sonken.

"If it was me, then I would suggest forming an alliance with Shoku," answered the bespectacled Kamen Rider. "I know Yamato personally since we grew up together. He is the kind of person who regarded his friends and honor highly. He is the best person for an ally and the worst person to be an enemy because of the traits I mentioned to you earlier."

"Are you speaking as the officer of Son Go or the friend of Yamato Kusanagi?" asked Shuuyu, the tone of her question was not accusing, but was rather curious.

Sonken however, was catching the wrong message in her question. "Koukin! How could you say that!?" she asked in indignant tone.

Yuki raised one hand to placate the young Empress of Go as she spoke. "That's alright, Sonken-sama. I can tell that Shuuyu-san is merely curious about my statement," the bespectacled Rider then turned to Shuuyu. "As for your question Shuuyu-san, I'm speaking as the officer of Go who happened to be the friend of Yamato Kusanagi of Shoku. Besides, it will be more beneficial to us to form an alliance with Shoku in the long run."

Shuuyu smiled as she nodded at Yuki. Sonken seemed to be mollified by Yuki's statement thought over her strategist's advice before making her choice. "I will make my decision once I meet with Kusanagi myself. Until then, we will have to wait and see how the development goes.

"Very well, Sonken-sama," answered Yuki respectfully.

Sonsaku seemed to ponder about something as her eyes gleamed with mischief. Sonken and Shuuyu who knew her long enough prepared themselves for whatever she had in mind now.

"Ne, Renfa. Are you sure you don't want to form an alliance with Shoku?" asked Sonsaku with (faux) innocent tone.

"Um, not for now, Onee-sama," answered Sonken somewhat unsurely. "Why did you ask?"

"Oh, I'm just thinking to arrange a political marriage between you and Kusanagi," answered the former Empress of Go with cheerful tone.

"What!?" cried Sonken indignantly as her cheeks flushed red. "Onee-sama, what are you thinking!?"

"After everything I heard from Yuki about him, I think Kusanagi would make a good brother in law and even better husband to you. Don't you agree, Renfa?" asked Sonsaku, smiling with her eyes closed.

"I-I haven't met with him yet! How could you thinking of such thing, Onee-sama!" retorted the middle Son sisters.

"Ara? Are you sure you don't want to marry him? Then why are you keeping tab on him?"

"I-It's because h-he is a rival warlord! I-I need to know what he is doing and he does next s-so I can prepare my own move accordingly!"

"Is that so? Then are you not interested in him? Should I ask for Shaoren to marry him instead?"

"Shaoren is too young to be married, especially to a stranger! Please be reasonable, Onee-sama!"

Sonsaku just looked at her sister for a whole minute with a not-so-innocent smile on her face before she broke into giggling fit, much to Sonken's embarrassed irritation.

"Onee-sama!"

"I'm sorry for teasing you like that Renfa," said Sonsaku between her giggles. She then looked at her sister with a gentle smile. "I just wanted to have someone to look after you if something ever happened to me and Kusanagi sounds like a good choice."

Sonken's expression turned to downtrodden frown as a she muttered, "Onee-sama…"

She wasn't the only who looked saddened. Shuuyu's expression tightened as she clenched her fists on her lap while Yuki let out a long sigh. She then spoke up to Sonsaku.

"Sonsaku-sama, you don't have to worry about Sonken-sama. Everyone in the court will look after her and I'm sure once we formed an alliance with Shoku, Yamato and his officers will also look after her too."

"Thank you, Yuki," Sonsaku smiled gratefully at her words while Shuuyu frowned a little at her word.

"Sonken-sama already decided that we will wait and see for now. What makes you think we will ally ourselves with Shoku in the future?"

Yuki smiled as she spoke, "Because it is a foolish thing to stand at where Kusanagi no Tsurugi pointed at."

"Kusanagi no Tsurugi?" echoed Sonken.

"One of the Imperial Regalia of my country. It is a sword that said to be very sharp and capable of cutting through a burning grass field in a single swing, hence the name." explained Yuki.

There was something in that statement that made the officials of Son Go edgy. Perhaps it was the seriousness of her tone despite she was smiling or how she spoke it with absolute certainty. But they could make out one fact from her words and Yuki already said it to them:

Yamato Kusanagi wasn't someone you should make an enemy with.

Sonken prayed that the decision she will eventually make will be the best for Son Go and everyone who supported it.

---

It was day off for the officers of Shoku and Yamato was walking aimlessly around the garden of his castle as he thought over what happened in the two weeks after the fight against the Yellow Turbans together with Pairen's army.

After they arrived in Xizhang, Shuri and Hinari quickly settled in for their job as Yamato's advisors and strategists. They were amazed by the policies Yamato had set before their arrival such as the progressive tax policy, security checkpoints, as well as the still planned birth control policy. They understood the need to control the population growth before it could cause trouble in the future such as poverty and unemployment which caused the Yellow Turban Rebellion in the first place. Shuri and Hinari also provided the much needed input for Yamato on the other policies he needed to apply for his people.

The letter and necessary paperwork from Pairen containing the details of their alliance came shortly after that, followed by alliance request from the other cities and villages in Yozhou. The news of his victory against 25,000 Yellow Turbans spread all over the province so fast that by four days after the battle, he was swamped with alliance proposals—weirdly enough, Pairen was not mentioned everywhere in the news. Thankfully with the help of Shuri and Hinari, the paperwork was done early and left Yamato with spare time for his own study and training.

Also, in one of his visit to the city he heard that people put him on the same league as Sousou Motoku and Sonsaku Hakufu as well as Sonken Chuubou, her sister and succesor which made his generals happy and proud of his achievement. With more than half of Yozhou was under his control, Yamato and his faction became the third major power in the land. He did remind them that their work had just begun and there were plenty of things for them to do. That fact was also the reason why Yamato changed the name of his faction from Zhuo to Shoku, with him as the leader. He tried to push Touka to be the leader instead since she was the descendant of the Imperial bloodline, but she refused because Yamato was proven to be the better leader than she was. Touka was settled as his second in command instead.

Yamato was heading to the garden to train and relaxing afterward when he heard the sound of weapons clashing and battle cries. He then followed the sound to take a look and saw his officers were there. Aisha and Rinrin were sparring with each other while Touka, Shuri, and Hinari were on sideline, sitting under the shade of a tree. Judging from the books stacked nearby, Shuri and Hinari looked like they were going to teach Touka something. As the battle was going on, he decided to watch on for now before revealing himself to his officers.

Rinrin lunged at Aisha with her Viper Spear pointed and let out a fierce battle cry, but the Black-Haired War Goddess didn't seem to be fazed and she parried her attack. Aisha then broke off and rained fast jabs with her Green Dragon Blade which the petite redhead blocked with noticeable effort before she knocked Rinrin back with a powerful swing. As Rinrin was recovering from the knockback, Aisha was already charging at her with her Green Dragon Blade brandished and Rinrin managed to block it just on time.

The dance of blades continued on with Touka cheering for the combatants while Yamato was watching the battle with critical eye. Aisha's s graceful yet deadly dance-like movement was a complete contrast to Rinrin's pure strength based style, but nevertheless it was a sight to behold. It was the testament of their skill as the best warriors of their era. Their spar ended when Aisha managed to break through Rinrin's guard with a swift strike after she disoriented the redhead.

Aisha smiled confidently as her Green Dragon Blade was millimeters close to Rinrin's face. "It is my victory, Rinrin."

"Muu~ I'll get you next time, Aisha!" pouted Rinrin, upset that she was lost this spar. It was so close too.

"Great fight you two," said Yamato as he approached the group.

"Ah, Gaim-sama! Good morning!" greeted Touka.

"Good morning, Gaim-sama/Onii-chan!" the rest of his officers greeted him.

"Good morning," he replied. "So, what are you doing?"

"As you can see, Rinrin and I were sparring while Shuri and Hinari will be tutoring Touka-sama in politics and law," answered Aisha.

"I see," Yamato replied as he turned to Touka. "Good luck with your study, Touka."

"Thank you, Gaim-sama!" smiled Touka before she spoke up. "Ano, can I spar with you once I finished my study?"

Yamato blinked in surprise at her request. "What makes you bring this up, Touka?"

"It's just…well…" the pink haired girl shifted slightly in her place as she looked at her lap. "I just realized when compared to everyone else I feel so lacking. I'm not a great fighter like Aisha-chan and Rinrin-chan, Shuri-chan and Hinari-chan are smarter than me, and you are like everyone combined and even better leader than I am, Gaim-sama. I wonder if I fit my role as your Chief Magistrate…"

Yamato sighed as he kneeled in front of Touka and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hey. Look at me, Touka." He said gently as the girl turned to look at him. "Just because you're not as strong and as smart as everyone else, that doesn't mean you are weak or stupid. You also have something that makes you our equal."

"What is that, Gaim-sama?" asked Touka curiously, her discomfort was abated somewhat,

"It's here," Yamato pointed to her chest, just above her breasts. "Your heart is what makes you as strong and as smart as everyone else."

"My heart?" the pink haired girl echoed.

"Who is the person who often to go to the city just to see how her people are doing and listening to their problem? Who is the person who played with the orphans to cheer them up and buying them food with her own money?" asked Yamato with a smile. "You are that person, Touka. While Aisha and Rinrin are the hands and legs while Shuri and Hinari are the brain and I am the spirit, you are the heart of Shoku. You are the one who guided us to not stray from our goal to make a better world everyone. If the heart doubted itself, then the body won't be able to work properly and the spirit will lose control."

"Gaim-sama…." Touka whispered with awe reflected on her widened eyes.

"What Gaim-sama said is right, Touka-sama," said Aisha, also smiling at her elder sworn sister. "You are as important as everyone here, so please don't think so low of yourself."

"Yeah. Being mopey isn't like you, Touka-neechan," piped Rinrin, grinning.

"Aisha-chan…Rinrin-chan…" she said as a big smile graced her features. "Thank you! You're the best sisters I can ask!"

Everyone also smiled. Their mood was considerably uplifted after seeing their Vice-Leader smiling.

"Ehehe…Gaim-sama is right when he said Touka-sama is the heart of Shoku," said Shuri. "She can make everyone smile just by smiling."

"Touka-sama is a unique person, isn't she?" added Hinari softly.

"And that's why I'm really grateful to have her as my second in command," spoke Yamato. "Unlike other lords and leaders, Touka's bright and optimistic view is a welcomed change and maybe the right way to change this country for the better. Some may look down on her saying she is too naïve and a dreamer, but I think it's because they are envy of her since they gave up and let the Rule of Reality dictated how they act and think."

"Rule of Reality? What is that Gaim-sama?" asked Aisha.

"This is the first time I have heard about something like that," added Shuri as Hinari nodded.

"It said to be the rule that govern the world as we know it. It states that in order to obtain hope, a sacrifice is needed," explained Yamato. "For example, you have to kill one person to save one hundred people, kill ten people to save one thousand people and so on. Do you think your conscience can agree to this?"

"If I have to kill a hundred bandits or villains to save ten thousand people, then I will gladly followed that rule," answered Aisha firmly.

"I didn't say the people you have to kill are bandits or evil people, Aisha," replied Yamato with bitter smile.

Shuri and Hinari's eyes widened in shock as did everyone else realized what Yamato was implying. "T-Then, Gaim-sama…Do you mean…!?"

"Yes. The sacrifice Rule of Reality demands is either innocents or not. People often justified the sacrifices they made as necessary losses for the greater good and became jaded and cynical," said Yamato neutrally.

"B-But…That is so wrong!" said Touka as she stood up. "Sacrificing people just like that is not right. There has to be another way! I'm not going to follow that stupid rule!"

To their surprise, Yamato smiled understandingly and nodded at Touka. "Yeah, there is another way. All you have to do is to destroy that rule."

Again, the lady officers of Shoku were surprised by their Lord's statement.

"I too don't like the Rule of Reality," said Yamato as he looked up to the sky. "Because I don't like that rule I'm going to destroy it. I will destroy that and change the world. The new world will be one where Rule of Reality doesn't exist and people won't make the sacrifices and hard choices that I made."

Everyone was looking at Yamato with wide-eyed awe and surprise. But yet…they believed him could do it, to change the world and destroy that cruel rule which dictates it.

"Then I'll do my best to help Gaim-sama. I'm going to destroy that stupid Rule of Reality too!" declared Touka with all the conviction she could muster.

"I already promised to follow you until the end. Even if the rule that dictated world itself becomes your enemy then we shall face it together," said Aisha resolutely.

"Rinrin is going to follow Onii-chan too! I can't let Aisha-Oneechan and Touka-Oneechan have all the fun!" Rinrin added her two cents, grinning confidently.

"I will follow Gaim-sama too. I don't know how much I can help when fighting against the rule of the world itself, but I'm sure we can do something together," smiled Shuri.

"I will follow you too, Gaim-sama. I'm sure you can destroy that Rule of Reality," added Hinari with shy smile.

"Thank you everyone," Yamato smiled genuinely to his general. He then took out his Sengoku Driver and spoke. "I'm going to train now. Is there anyone wanted to be my sparring partner?"

"Oh! Me! Me! Rinrin wants to fight Onii-chan!" Rinrin raised her hand and waved it enthusiastically.

The young king of Shoku chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Alright then. Don't expect to me hold back, Rinrin." He then pressed the Driver to his waist, causing the belt to expand and securing it in place.

Rinrin grinned confidently at him. "Give Rinrin your best shot!"

Yamato grinned back at her as he unlocked the Orange Lockseed in his hand.

"ORANGE!"

He then locked the Lockseed to the Driver and immediately cut it open as Orange Arms descended from the Crack to Helheim Forest.

"LOCK ON!"

"SOIYA! ORANGE ARMS! HANAMICHI ON STAGE!"

Orange Arms then landed on Yamato's shoulder and formed his Pre-Arms suit as it disassembled. Gaim unsheathed Musou Saber as Daidaimaru appeared on his left hand and took his customary stance. Rinrin mirrored his action by taking her own stance.

The two combatants stared at each other before at unseen sign, both of them charged on with their own battle cry.

---

Gaim's spar with Rinrin was pretty intense, but he managed to win by changing to Ichigo Arms and used his explosive kunais to distract her. He moved in for the kill using the heightened speed of his Arms and pointed a new kunai at her neck. The redhead was visibly upset with her second lost in the day, but Gaim managed to placate her by promising to buy some food on the town.

He then asked Aisha to spar with him afterward which she agreed to. The following spar was no less intense than his spar against Rinrin and unlike her, Gaim knew that his general will have to play it smart from her experience of fighting him.

Decked in Pine Arms and wielding Musou Saber Kusarigama Mode in his hands, the Armored Rider calmly stared at Aisha whose breathing was slightly labored. He too could feel tiredness was slowly gotten into him despite the stamina boost his armor provided. He guessed fighting against people like Aisha and Rinrin will eventually tire him out in long run.

'I need to work on my stamina more,' he thought to himself. 'Looks like I'll have to step-up my weight training.'

On the sidelines, Touka and Rinrin were cheering loudly for the combatants while Shuri and Hinari watched on with interest and slight worry.

"You can do it, Gaim-sama!"

"Come on, Aisha-Aneja! You have to avenge Rinrin's loss!"

Gaim decided to take the initiative this time and charged ahead as he flung the Pine Iron at Aisha. She knocked the pineapple-shaped weapon away and blocked the Musou Saber with the shaft of her Green Dragon Crescent Blade before she broke off and tried to gain some distance from him. Knowing what she planned to do, Gaim quickly used threw Pine Iron at her and as like he predicted Aisha tried to bat the weapon away. With a flick of his wrist, the chains extended and wrapped itself around Aisha's hand. The general was surprised by the unexpected move and tried to release herself, but Gaim was tugging at the chains strongly. Gaim pulled sharply, making Aisha disoriented before he moved in quickly to end this battle. But Aisha was called the Black Haired War Goddess not for nothing and managed to move her weapon with her free arm to block his sword.

"Nice try, Gaim-sama," she said with gritted teeth as they were locked in deadlock. "But you have to do better than this."

"Is that so?" Gaim asked back, much to Aisha's surprise. "Look closely at my Musou Saber, Aisha."

She did as he asked and her eyes widened as she saw the Pallet Slide was pulled, which mean he can kill her with a single pull from his trigger.

"It's my win," he said good-naturedly.

"Very well, I concede," Aisha sighed as both combatants relaxed and Gaim unwound the chains that tied her hand to her weapon.

"That was amazing, Gaim-sama!" said Touka as she and the others approached him and Aisha.

"Muu~, even Aisha lost against Onii-chan," pouted Rinrin.

Aisha smiled as she replied to Rinrin. "It is fine with me because this means Gaim-sama has become stronger too. At this rate he will become truly peerless in battle."

"You're just exaggerating, Aisha. I still have a lot to learn," replied Gaim as he closed his Lockseed, reverting to his civilian persona.

"But it is true. You have been more proficient in using the weapons that previously you are unfamiliar with, such as your chained flail and your exploding daggers, in short time. That speaks a lot of your skill as a fighter," replied Aisha.

"Thanks. Receiving such praise from the famous Kan'u Unchou means a lot to me," said Yamato with a smile.

Aisha's cheek flushed pink as she replied, "Thank you for your kind words, Gaim-sama. Nevertheless, I stay corrected in this matter. You are a warrior of your own class, with or without your armor."

Shuri seemed to think about something before she spoke. "Is there anyway to enter Helheim Forest, Gaim-sama?"

Her sudden question surprised Yamato as he answered. "There is, but what makes you ask that question, Shuri?"

"Well, I was thinking that you could get more Lockseeds from Helheim Forest. That way you can have more options and weapons to adapt with any situation in battle. Also, you can use them to catch your enemies off guard by using something they never expected," explained Shuri.

Yamato thought over Shuri's reasoning and couldn't anything wrong with that. "You're right. Having more Lockseeds on hand might be handy in the future and I wanted to check on Helheim Forest for a while, but I always busy with my work and training."

"Then how are you going to enter Helheim Forest, Gaim-sama? You said it is located in a different realm than ours," inquired Hinari.

"We can open a Lockseed and it will create a Crack that will lead to Helheim Forest. We can keep the Crack open for as long as we stayed there, but there is chance that an Inves will pass through the Crack to our world which we can not allow. And there is safer alternative to do that…" Yamato took out a Lockseed and showed it to his officers. Instead of showing the image of a fruit, it has the image of a cherry blossom flower on it and letters L.V.-01. "…with this Lockseed over here, the Sakura Hurricane Lockseed. This one didn't summon Arms armor, but instead it becomes a vehicle, called Sakura Hurricane that capable of transporting its rider to Helheim Forest."

"Really?" asked Hinari and Shuri with wide, curious eyes.

"Then, can this vehicle take more than one person to Helheim Forest?" asked Aisha.

"If you wanted me to take you to Helheim Forest, then my answer is no," answered Yamato. Aisha looked about to protest when Yamato cut her off. "Helheim Forest is a dangerous place, Aisha. I don't want you or any of you…" he added as he looked at his officers. "…to be anywhere near that forest without proper protection."

"I can protect myself very well, Gaim-sama," protested Aisha indignantly.

"I know that, but you have to understand that what you will face in that forest is something otherworldly and unnatural. I can distract you from Helheim Fruit's lure, but Inves is another matter entirely. Their hide is very resistant and strong so that no normal weapons can hurt them," replied the young King of Shoku. "You may hold yourself against an Elementary Inves, but you will be having trouble when they ganged on you. And there's Berserker State Inves which are much stronger than an Elementary Inves and have more distinctive animalistic features which only a Rider can defeat."

Yamato paused to let his words sink to Aisha before he continued. "And there's the disease that an Inves can infect you with once it wounded you. I can't let that happen to anyone, especially you, or the others."

"Gaim-sama…" Aisha touched at her lord's concern over. As much as she wanted to honor it, it was contrasting her oath as his vassal. There was no way she would let her lord walked into a dangerous place alone like Helheim Forest willingly.

"I think you should take Aisha-chan with you, Gaim-sama," said Touka, much to Yamato's surprise.

"What? Didn't you hear what I said about Helheim Forest, Touka? It's a dangerous place and I won't endanger any of you by coming to that place," he answered coolly.

"I understand your concern Gaim-sama, but please understand Aisha-chan's feeling too," replied the pink haired girl. "Aisha-chan is worried for you and so are we. You will be walking to an unknown and dangerous place like Helheim Forest and as your vassals we can't let you to do that in our good conscience. Especially Aisha-chan who takes her role seriously." Touka then paused as she added with a giggle. "Well…too seriously."

"Although the last part was irrelevant, what Touka-sama said is true. I can not under my good conscience to let you enter a dangerous place such as Helheim Forest alone. My honor as your vassal will not let it," said Aisha. "Also, this will be a good chance to measure how much of a treat Inves are."

"Besides, we want to see what you see in the Helheim Forest. We can't help you much as your vassals if we don't know what you are facing there, Gaim-sama," convinced Shuri.

"It is not only Aisha-san who wanted to accompany you to Helheim Forest, Gaim-sama. I'm sure all of us wanted to do so," added Hinari.

"Nyahaha, Rinrin would like to accompany Onii-chan, but Aisha already called the dibs," laughed Rinrin.

"Remember you are not alone on this Gaim-sama. We will gladly share the burden you bear because we are your vassals and that is we do," said Touka.

Yamato sighed resignedly. He knew he was outvoted in this matter and either he like it or not, he had to take Aisha to Helheim Forest with him. And what Touka said was true. They already said it from the beginning that they will follow him in every step he took.

"Not vassals, but comrades," said Yamato as he looked at his officers, especially at Touka and Aisha. "I guess I can't argue with you on this one, can I?"

"Nope! You already said it yourself I am the heart of Shoku and my job to keep everyone in line," said Touka cheerfully. "And that includes you, Gaim-sama!"

"Now you're using my word against me," muttered Yamato with mock disappointed tone. He then turned to Aisha. "Alright, you're coming with me Aisha with one condition: You will follow exactly as I say and no debating."

"Yes, Gaim-sama!" replied Aisha.

He then addressed to his other officers. "I will be leaving everything to you all in my leave. Although today is officially our day off, I want you all to stay alert and be prepared for anything."

"Yes, Gaim-sama!" the officers chorused as one.

---

Several minutes later, Yamato and Aisha as well as Shoku's Officers were standing outside of the city so they won't scaring away the villagers with the Sakura Hurricane's appearance and noise—Yamato told them that Sakura Hurricane can create loud noises. Aisha was standing next to Yamato while the rest of his officers stood in front of them to see them off.

"Are you ready, Aisha?" asked Yamato, holding the Sakura Hurricane Lockseed in his hand.

"Whenever you are, Gaim-sama," answered Aisha.

He nodded in reply as he unlocked the Lockseed and throw it to the air. The girls watched in awe and fascination as it unfolded and grew in size before it landed on the ground. The vehicle was certainly something they never seen before. Its primary color was white with pink highlights and has two wheels which the back wheels has the emblem of cherry blossom flower. Its 'head' also has cherry blossom emblem with a single blue orb in the middle and two mirrors on each side. It also has handlebars they assumed to control the vehicle and soft cushion as a saddle on its 'back'.

Yamato got on to the vehicle as he put on the helmet that came with the motorcycle before motioning to Aisha to sit behind him. Yamato's experience in riding motorcycle was somewhat limited with when Shun dragged him to the game arcade and when he borrowed his uncle's motocycle to go to a Kendo tournament. He was confident he can ride the Sakura Hurricane just fine.

"Alright, we're going," he said as he started the engine, startling the girls with the noise it caused.

"Ah, okay. Please be careful, Gaim-sama, Aisha-chan," said Touka.

"Don't forget to bring some souvenirs, Onii-chan!" smiled Rinrin.

"If it is not a bother to you, can I ask you to bring a Helheim Fruit, Gaim-sama?" requested Shuri.

"We would like to study them to see if we can find the cure to the disease that Inves spread," added Hinari.

"Got it," replied Yamato as he revved the engine and shifted the gear in before he rode off.

"KYAAA!"

*Squish*

Aisha was startled by the sudden acceleration and hugged Yamato tighter, inadvertently pushing her bountiful breasts to his back. Yamato nearly lost the control of his bike when he felt two big, soft mounds pressed against his back, but managed to get hold of himself and quickly balanced himself.

Yamato gunned the accelerator as hard as he can so the Sakura Hurricane can reach the necessary speed to open the Crack to Helheim Forest. And when it did, a flurry of cherry blossom petals surrounded the vehicle, surprising Aisha who was still holding into her lord tightly.

"W-What's going on!?" she asked.

"The Crack is about to open. Hold on!" he answered.

A Crack which shaped vaguely like a flower opened ahead of them and as they approached it, the Sakura Hurricane was lifted off the ground and spun vertically. Aisha let a surprised squeal as they entered the Crack spinning with flurry of cherry blossom petals accompanied them. The Sakura Hurricane landed on the ground with a bump before stopping before Yamato turned the engine off. Aisha, noticing they have stopped, looked around and her eyes widened upon seeing her surroundings.

"Gaim-sama…This is…!" she said in no small amount of shock.

"Yeah," replied Yamato as he removed his helmet. "Welcome to Helheim Forest."

The place called Helheim Forest, for the lack of better word in Aisha's opinion, was unnatural. While there were grasses and tall trees growing, there were also weird plants growing with together with them. The unnaturalness of this place was reinforced with the perpetual mist on the air and everything had their colors inverted. Simply staying in this place made Aisha's skin crawl and her battle hardened instinct cried to her to leave as soon as possible.

"This is…Helheim Forest? This place…It is so…" Aisha trailed off, not knowing what to say about the mysterious forest.

"Unnatural? Otherworldly? Creepy? Yeah, they are the best to describe how Helheim Forest is," said Yamato as he pushed the button on the Sakura Hurricane causing it to fold back into its Lockseed form.

Aisha then noticed fruits growing from the vines that surrounded a tree. They all shared distinctive traits such roundish body covered by reddish purple skin that became almost blue toward the bottom end and green-and-red stems which were intertwined and formed a semi-circular loop on the top of the fruit.

There was something about the fruits that told her to pick one of them and eat it. It was clearly attempting her to eat the fruit because her mind was telling her how it will grant her wishes and dreams by eating it, but her instinct as a warrior was screaming at her to STAY AWAY FROM THAT FRUIT!

"Aisha! Snap out of it!" Yamato yelled as soon as he noticed she was staring at the Helheim Fruits and was making her way to it despite she was subconsciously trying to resist the mysterious compulsion.

"Ah!" Aisha snapped out of her stupor by Yamato's call. She turned to him with apologetic look on her face. "M-My apologies, Gaim-sama. I don't know what came over me."

"That's alright. I can feel those Helheim Fruits are trying to tempt me too," Yamato grimaced when he felt the compulsion on his mind. He quickly strapped the Sengoku Driver to his waist and immediately felt the compulsion was quickly receding.

"It is really as tempting as you say. Even if my instinct as a warrior was screaming at me to ignore the fruit, I still compelled to pick and eat it," replied Aisha with a shudder.

"Let's pick some of them and leave. The longer we stay here, the more in danger we will be," said Yamato and Aisha nodded.

The raven haired teen carefully examined the fruits and found them to be slightly different than what was showed in the show. Some fruits had their skin colored differently, ranging from bright red into dark red that was almost purple. Curious, Yamato picked one of the brighter colored fruits and one other of the slightly darker colored fruits and he watched them transmuted in his hands with bright, colorful lights. Beside him, Aisha gasped as the Helheim Fruits changed into the more familiar lock-shaped items. The one that was once the bright red fruit was now a Lockseed bearing the image of a sunflower seed with the letters of L.S.-00 printed in black while the slightly darker colored fruits changed into a Lockseed that bore the image of a pinecone with the letters L.S.-01 also printed in black.

"I see, so that's how it goes," muttered Yamato as he pocketed the Himawari and Matsubokkuri Lockseed he obtained.

"What is it, Gaim-sama?" asked Aisha curiously.

"It is only my theory, but I think the color of the fruit's skin indicated its ripeness. The darker the fruit is, the riper it will be and it will produce rarer, more powerful Lockseed," explained Yamato as he looked around to find riper Helheim Fruits.

"I see, so we should pick for riper fruits then?" inquired Aisha.

"Yeah, we should," replied Yamato as he picked two of the fruit whose skin was the darkest amongst the fruits growing on the place where they were currently.

He watched as it changed into a pair of familiar Lockseeds. One was bearing the image of a muskmelon with the code L.S.-04 and the other bore the image of a watermelon with the code L.S.-10 written in the front.

"Nice. I can always use them," he commented as he pocketed the Lockseeds. He already has a Suika Lockseed, but it couldn't be hurt to have a spare with him just in case he had to use it while the other was still charging.

"I don't see any other fruits with darker skin here," Aisha reported her result of her observation. "Shall we move on to another place, Gaim-sama?"

"Let's go," he replied as they left the area to explore the forest and gathered more Lockseeds.

Unknown to them, a mysterious figure in white was carefully hidden behind a thick barked tree and watched the duo's action all along.

---

Yamato and Aisha walked for several minutes to look for ripe enough Helheim Fruits to be plucked. Along the way the former had picked several fruits and while they didn't become the Lockseeds he wanted them to be, he still brought them along. He now was carrying at least another two Himawari Lockseeds, a Matsubokkuri Lockseed, a Donguri Lockseed—one with the image of an acorn with the letters L.S.-03, and a Kurumi Lockseed—one with the image of a black and orange walnut, number L.S.-02. They finally reached another area with plenty of Helheim Fruits growing.

The black haired teen saw four ripe enough fruits growing on a vine that wrapped around a tree. He then approached it and picked all four while still connected to the vine and watched them as they transformed into Lockseeds. Yamato was surprised when the three of them was transformed into Lockseeds he never saw before. One was the familiar Banana Lockseed, Baron's primary Lockseed and the other three were definitely new. One was depicting a pair of cherries connected by green stems on the top with the number L.S.-17, one was depicting an orange pumpkin with a single green stem on the top and letters that printed on it was L.S.-14, while the last one was depicting a red skinned dragon fruit with elongated oval body and red skin that was faded to greenish-yellow near the spiky tip and number L.S.-19.

"Banana, cherry, pumpkin, and dragon fruit?" commented Yamato as he examined the three newest Lockseed in his batch closely. "Definitely have to test them later."

"Gaim-sama! Look what I have found!" said Aisha as she approached him with a Helheim Fruit on hand. The blue color of the fruit was covering half of the fruit's skin.

Yamato picked the fruit from Aisha's hand and it transformed into a Lockseed. It vaguely resembled Sakura Hurricane Lockseed with yellow dandelion flower instead with the letters L.V.-03.

"A Dandeliner Lockseed…this would come really handy," said Yamato with a smile.

Aisha was about to ask what the Lockseed do when she heard bestial cries coming from behind the trees. She and Yamato turned around to see creatures that the Black Haired War Goddess has never seen before.

The creatures' posture was hunchbacked with bulbous back and thick claws. Its body was mostly colored grayish white with blue, red, or green highlights on their torso, upper arms and legs. Their head was round with face that depicted different expressions for each color.

"What are those creatures!?" said Aisha as she prepared to fight.

"Inves," Yamato frowned as he stored his harvested Lockseeds and took out his Orange Lockseed. "Stay back, Aisha. They are mine. Henshin!"

"ORANGE!"

After he unlocked the Lockseed, Yamato then locked into the Driver and sliced it open using the Cutting Knife switch.

"LOCK ON!"

"SOIYA!"

Instead of a Crack opening, orange energies gathered above Yamato's head and formed Orange Arms Armor Parts. It then landed squarely on Yamato's shoulder as energy wave rippled around his body and formed his Pre-Arms suit. The Orange Arms disassembled and formed his armor as Daidaimaru appeared on his right hand. His visor lit up and 'orange juice' splashed from his armor as soon as his transformation was completed.

"ORANGE ARMS! HANAMICHI ON STAGE!"

The Elementary Inves all roared challengingly at Gaim and charged at him. Gaim quickly intercepted them by slashing every Inves he encountered. An Inves tried to slug him, but he parried the blow with his forearm and slashed it across the chest. The rest of the Inves tried to gang up on him, but Gaim already drew his Musou Saber and pulled the Pallet Slide before firing at them. Another Inves tried to attack him from behind and Gaim ducked under its wild swing and struck it across the chest.

Gaim looked around warily as the Elementary Inves surrounded in him in a circle.

"Gaim-sama!" Aisha shouted in worry.

She was about to help him when an Inves snuck behind her and tried to attack her, but she managed to block its attack using the shaft of her Dragon Blade and kicked the offending creature on the stomach. Another Inves tried to attack her, but she deftly dodged the attack and slashed it across the chest. To her surprise, the Inves quickly recovered and attacked again.

"It's just like Gaim-sama said," she gritted her teeth in annoyance as she evaded its attack. "Their body is really durable."

"Aisha!" shouted Gaim in worry as he saw his companion was attacked. "I don't have time to mess around with you!"

Yamato then kicked the Inves he was deadlocked with before combining his weapons together. He removed Orange Lockseed from his Sengoku Driver and locked it to the Drive Launch on the Musou Saber.

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

Yamato twirled his weapon above his head as it glowed fiercely with orange aura. He then spun around as he slashed the Inves around him, leaving the after image of an orange slice and killed them. He then slashed his weapon twice, creating energy slashes that shaped like orange slices that struck and killed the Inves that attacked Aisha.

"Aisha! Are you alright?" said Yamato as he approached her.

"Yes, I am. Thank you for your help," answered Aisha. "Those Inves didn't manage to touch me."

"Thank goodness," he breathed out in relief, but it was short lived as he saw another group of Inves approached them.

Beside the Elementary Inves, they have three Inves which possessed the mixture of human and animal features. One of them has the features of a deer with bronze skin and antlers which shaped like flames and was blue that gradually became orange and yellow as it reached the tip. It also has blue flame-like patterns all over its body and 'wings' which shaped like the antlers on its head. Another one was shaped like humanoid bat with two curved horns on each side of the head and its skin was black with red highlights all over. It also has wings that shaped like a pair of shoulder capes and a short blade growing out from its left wrist. The last Inves shaped like a tiger with green skin and jade-like body armor on its upper body and curved protrusion growing from its back. Its hands were armed with a set of vicious claws.

They were Shika, Komori, and Byakko Inves, the more powerful Berserker State Inves.

"This is bad…" said Gaim as he prepared to fight the Inves horde. "Aisha, I'm sorry to ask you this but can you hold down the Elementary Inves? I'll take care of the Berserker Inves as fast as I can."

"Very well," replied Aisha grimly as she held her Green Dragon Crescent Blade. "Perhaps this is the right time to test the new Lockseeds you got?"

Gaim glanced at her before he nodded. "You're right. Maybe this is the best time to try them out." He then took out the new Cherry Lockseed and unlocked it.

"CHERRY!"

Red energies coalesced above Gaim and formed the Cherry Arms Armor Parts. It looked like a pair of metallic cherries that were stuck together and each of them has green stem which connected on the tip. Gaim then locked the new Lockseed on the Driver and sliced it open with the Cutting Knife switch. Its core image showed the image of sliced cherry halves while the back cover showed the image of a bladed boomerang with cherry emblem.

"SOIYA!"

The Arms dropped to Gaim's shoulder and began to disassemble. The front part which made of the inner-halves of the cherries flipped down to become red chest plate with black highlights on the top while the back parts folded out to become his back armor. The stems disconnected from each other and folded as they rested on top of the cherries while the outer-halves which were the sides of the Arms Armor Parts lowered themselves to be Gaim's new rounded shoulder armor. His helmet attachment was now black with black side head decorations that have two cherries connected by green stem and half of a cherry on the top. His visor now was bright red and his Arms Weapon appeared on his right hand—a black boomerang with silver bladed edge and cherry emblem on the flat side. His armor generated red splash effect as the transformation was completed.

"CHERRY ARMS! JINSOKU ROTATION!"

Gaim looked over his new Arms and weapon before he nodded to himself. "Alright, I can work with this. Let's go, Aisha!"

"Yes, Gaim-sama!" replied Aisha immediately.

The monsters charged in with Komori Inves took flight and swooped at Gaim and Aisha. They rolled to the side before Gaim threw his Chery Boomerang at the kaijin, striking its back and knocked it off the air. He swiftly caught his weapon before pivoting on his foot to slash at Shika and Byakko Inves that tried to sneak on him. He then threw his weapon at the group of Elementary Inves that tried to surround him, knocking them back as the weapon slashed them on the chest before returning to Gaim's waiting hand.

Meanwhile, Aisha was dealing with the smaller Elementary Inves group. She slashed one at the chest before kicking another and swung her blade widely, striking the monsters on the chest. One of them quickly recovered and slashed with its claw, but the black haired girl dodged and struck its back with her blade before she dodged another attack and kicked the offending monster away. She then jumped back to gain some distance before charging forward with a battle cry.

The three Berserker Inves were knocked down to the ground thanks to Gaim's last attack on them. The Armored Rider kicked away an Elementary Inves before slashing another with his Musou Saber as he caught his Cherry Boomerang before slashing the other Inves with both. He then threw the boomerang upward before removing the Lockseed from his Driver and locked it into his Musou Saber to activate its finisher function.

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

Gaim brought his Musou Saber in front of his face as it glow red and red sphere slowly forming on the tip. He then thrust it upward as the sphere shot a green energy 'rope' which connected the boomerang, causing the latter to glow and enveloped in red sphere.

"Take this!" Gaim shouted as he slashed his sword, the boomerang followed his motion and slashed the Elementary Inves around him, killing them. He then slashed his sword at the Komori Inves who was taking flight again before spinning around and slashed the Shika and Byakko Inves with the guided Boomerang. The three Berserker State Inves went down in blaze as the energized weapon struck them.

"Aisha, duck!" Gaim ordered to his companion as he slashed with his weapon and striking the Elementary Inves she was dealing with, and killed them.

The Armored Rider then went to check on his companion. "Are you alright, Aisha?"

"Yes, I am. These Inves are unlike anything I've fought before," admitted Aisha.

"I told you that Inves are different than human. Moreover, they became stronger since we fought them in Helheim Forest which is their home," explained Gaim as he closed the Lockseed and reverted to his civilian persona. "Let's go. The longer we stay in one place, the more in danger we will be."

Aisha nodded as she followed her Lord leaving the area.

---

Yamato and Aisha walked for several minutes as they went to the deeper part of the forest. They managed to avoid any Inves they encountered either by hiding or distracting them by using the Himawari Lockseeds Yamato harvested for that sole purpose. Now the pair found themselves in a new area. It was an open field area with several trees growing, a shallow stream, and a hill on the other side. The mist also seemed to be thicker here compared to other place in the forest.

"I wonder how big this forest is…" said Aisha as she looked around. "We have entered this place for a while and it seemed to be even bigger as we explored it."

"No one really knows the real size of Helhiem Forest is, but some speculated that it was many times of China or the entire world even," replied Yamato.

"Truly?" Aisha sounded surprised when she heard Yamato's reply. "But…there is something about this Forest that made me uncomfortable somehow…"

"Between Helheim Fruits and Inves, you're right on that account," agreed Yamato. "Some even speculated that Helheim Forest is alive and it keeps expanding at a constant rate as we're talking."

Aisha stopped and looked at Yamato with wide-eyed shock. "Alive? As in alive like a living creature?"

"That's right," Yamato's answer stunned Aisha to silence.

A sentient forest? That was unheard of.

They kept on walking until Yamato noticed a lone tree up hill. It looked dried and withered, unlike other trees in this alien forest. Curious, he went to investigate the tree and Aisha was following him.

As he saw from below, the tree was dried and withered up. Its leaves were long gone and across its brittle bark were dried up vines as well as dried and shriveled up Helheim Fruits, save for one. The only fresh and ready to be picked fruit looked different compared to other fruits he had encountered. It looked larger than average, about one-and-a half times larger than the fruits that changed to his A-Rank Lockseeds. The skin was also different, instead of darker shade of maroon he expected from a ripe Helheim Fruits it was the palest shade of lavender not unlike the fruit's 'core'. While the looping stem looked remained the same, a closer examination showed that it was several shades paler than normal fruit's.

"That's odd. I don't think I have seen a Helheim Fruits like this before," said Yamato as he examined the odd Helheim Fruit.

"Perhaps you should harvest it and see what Lockseed it transformed into, Gaim-sama," suggested Aisha.

Following Aisha's suggestion, Yamato plucked the fruit and watched as it transmuted into a Lockseed. The end result was something that really surprised him.

The new Lockseed was on the size of ordinary Lockseed despite the fruit's larger than average size—if not slightly bulkier on the side. The whole Lockseed was made of transparent material and black 'core' below the image of a lemon it associated with. The letter E.L.S.-01 was written on it.

"This is…! No way…an Energy Lockseed?!" exclaimed Yamato in disbelieving voice.

"Energy Lockseed? Is it different than any Lockseed, Gaim-sama?" inquired Aisha curiously.

"Energy Lockseed is produces a lot more energy than its normal counterpart like what I have, hence the name. It is so powerful that it ranked as S-Rank Lockseed, but the Arms Armor it generated doesn't come with an Arms Weapon. Instead it generates a weapon called Sonic Arrow, a bladed bow which fires energy bolts as arrows," explained Yamato as he looked over the new Lockseed in his hand. "But…I thought this kind of Lockseed is artificial and not naturally occurring one."

Aisha looked at the object in Yamato's hand in awe. If her Lord's Lockseeds were already strong enough, then she couldn't fathom how much more powerful this Energy Lockseed was.

"If it is really powerful as you say, then you are certainly fortunate to find this Lockseed Gaim-sama," smiled Aisha.

"I am, but unfortunately I couldn't use it right now," Yamato sighed in disappointment. Now if only he still had his Genesis Core attachment…Unfortunately, Yamato had lost his when he was transported to this world along with his own Lemon Energy Lockseed toy.

"What do you mean? You can use this Lockseed with your Sengoku Driver, right?" asked Aisha, puzzled by his statement.

"Because of its power, it can only work on a special Driver called Genesis Driver. Or I can attach the Genesis Driver's core to my Sengoku Driver and I can use it in conjunction of my regular Lockseed. Too bad mine was lost when I came to this world," explained Yamato.

"Is that so? Such a pity…" Aisha was also disappointed. Her Lord had found a powerful weapon, but he didn't have the right tools to use it.

"Still…" Yamato examined the Lemon Energy Lockseed in his hand one more time. "How did it end up as a natural Lockseed? I only know that Energy Lockseeds are man-made."

His examination was broken when he heard Aisha gasped sharply next to him. He was about to ask her what's wrong when he saw what she had seen and stiffened in shock. Before Yamato harvested the Lemon Energy Lockseed, the mist was thick enough to hide what lied beyond the hills and sometime during his explanation about Energy Lockseed, the mist had thinned out. He knew he was going to see this sooner or later, but not this soon and with Aisha accompanied him. He knew about Helheim's ruins, but this wasn't the ruins he knew!

The ruins were about the size of a large city in Yamato's home world. It has so many of what were once tall buildings—some even were several stories high, and now were nothing but shambled and toppled ruins with vines covering their wall. Helheim vegetations also covered the ruins, rendering further observation from distance is futile unless Yamato came closer which he had no intend to do so. In short, the ruins were nothing but the hollow shell of what it supposed to be. What grabbed his attention the most was the tall structure in the heart of the ruins. Although it was now covered by a lot of vines and Helheim vegetation, Yamato could still recognize it. It was a tower, tall and once majestic, structured like a massive tree with large, rounded and domed structure on the top. It also ringed construct around the top with four short tube-like constructs placed on it. Now that it was covered by thick Helheim vegetations, the tower did look like a giant tree.

"That's…Yggdrassil Tower…!?" gasped Yamato as the realization struck him like a thunder. "Then that means…that ruin is… Zawame City!?"

"Gaim-sama…" Aisha was visibly shaken by the sight, but managed to keep her wit straight. "Do you know about this ruin?"

Yamato didn't answer for a moment before he calmed himself down and spoke, "This ruins…were once a city called Zawame City. It supposed to be a fictional place mentioned only in a story, but I guess it was real since Helheim Forest invaded it."

"What happened to it?" she asked, morbidly curious.

"I don't know, but I think I have the faintest idea here," the King of Shoku answered. He then thought over the theories he had about Helheim Forest and what happened to the world it invaded as well as how the story in the TV show would be. "Like I said before, Helheim Forest is alive and keeps expanding even as we talk. And because it keeps expanding, it will reach for new world once it finished invaded the old world. Not immediately, but it will take time as it will stay dormant for a while before it reached for another world."

"But…why did Helheim Forest invade another world? What would it gain for doing that?" inquired Aisha.

"A scholar believed that Helheim Forest's invasion is a form to promote evolution of a world, therefore granting greater power to its residents. And some of them even gained power to transcend their boundaries. Helheim Forest even will appear once in a while, mentioned in some myths and legends of the world about figures attaining immeasurable power or immortality through heavenly fruits or something similar," explained Yamato as Aisha listened to his tale, enraptured. "If my guess is correct then this world was once a prosperous world where everyone was living in harmony and peace. Unfortunately, some people in higher positions knew about the forest incoming invasion and wanted to gain that power for themselves. They plotted and planned, even manipulating the events happened back then to their advantage so they would gain this transcending power, leaving the people under their protection ignorant of the incoming invasion."

"And when the invasion happened, it turned to hell. Those people indeed gained the power they desired at the cost the people they supposed to protect becoming the victims of Helheim's invasion, the Inves. Because of the power they have attained, they became arrogant and they believed they can do anything. Their civilization then turned to be survival of the fittest, where only the strong will live and the weak shall perish."

"That's horrible…!" whispered Aisha, her amber eyes widened in horror.

"Eventually, the survivors gained the same power and they fought back against them. The two factions of the survivors warred against each other. One was drunk in the power they attained and believed it was their right to kill and oppress the weak. The other faction believed it was their responsibility as those who wielded the power to protect those who couldn't protect themselves. It was unknown how the war ended or which faction was the victor, but you can see the end result already. A world which was as prosperous and advanced as my home world, destroyed because of the ambition of a group of people who wanted to gain power that said to be equal of Gods. Imagine what would happen to our world which is already torn by war and ambition of conquest."

The King of Shoku watched as his general's eyes narrowed, teeth gritted, and fists clenched. She then turned to him, her eyes blazing with determination.

"We will have to stop it, Gaim-sama. The Helheim Forest invasion and those who wanted to use its power to oppress the one without power to protect themselves."

Yamato met her declaration with cool look. "We will be fighting against the force of nature itself. Are you sure you are ready for this?"

"It will not be any different than fighting against the Rule of Reality which you spoke of," replied Aisha.

Yamato smiled at her after some moment. "That we will. We will stop Helheim's invasion and those who wanted to use its power to harm other." His expression then became more serious as he added. "Before that happens, we will have to unite the land under one banner. Our battle will be long and harsh. Are you prepared for this, Aisha?"

"Yes, Gaim-sama!" she answered without missing a beat.

"I'm glad to hear that," he replied with a small smile. "Let's head back to Xizhang for now. We have been here long enough and I'm sure you too wanted some rest after seeing this."

Aisha nodded and let a small smile curved on her lips as she followed her Lord climbed down the hill.

Yamato unlocked the Sakura Hurricane Lockseed and threw it as it unfolded and grew into a motorcycle. He and Aisha rode on it and returned to their land via the flower-shaped crack, leaving the forest and dead world alone and undisturbed.

Their mysterious watcher walked out of the tree where he was hiding, revealing his features.

It was another Rider. His body suit was the same type as Gaim, but was white instead with black highlights on his forearm and lower thighs. His armor was green, textured like a melon's skin, layered, and with gold highlights on the top while his shoulder armor was also green with melon skin texture, golden highlights, and curved upward. His helmet was also white with golden head crest which shaped like a crescent moon and has extension on the middle which separated his black-trimmed visor and mouth plate. The helmet attachment was also green and textured like melon skin on the back and small squared, gold head decorations on the side as well as a stem on the top. He was carrying a shield in his left hand, with gold decoration in the center which shaped like his head crest, a green full moon on the top and green parts on each side of the center part—both were also textured like melon skin—melon slice-shaped blades on the right and left edges. On his waist was the same type of Sengoku Driver that Yamato has with the Rider Indicator showed the same armored helmet with rainbow visor and Musou Saber on his left side. Locked on the Driver was a Melon Lockseed which was opened and revealed the core image, a green melon slice, while the back lid showed the image of the same shield he carried.

On the side note, his Driver looked so much older than Yamato's with some scratches along it surface and beaten up look.

He stared at where Yamato and Aisha had disappeared through the Crack and uttered only one word.

"Gaim…"

He stared a little longer before turning around and left the scene, Helheim plants growing along his footsteps.

---

Yamato and Aisha's return to Xizang was greeted by the soldiers who reported to them that the Shoku King has guests waiting for him. Intrigued to see who these guests were, they made their way to the Palace's main chamber.

Waiting for them were Touka, Rinrin, Shuri, and Hinari with three girls which Yamato guessed to be their guests.

"Ah! Welcome back, Gaim-sama, Aisha-chan!" Touka greeted as she noticed the duo entered the main chamber.

"I'm home," replied Yamato as approached his officers and his guests. "The guards on the gate already told us that I have guests waiting for me."

"That's right!" answered Touka happily as she gestured the girls behind her. "They are the Chou Sisters! They said they wanted to make a request to you, Gaim-sama!"

Aisha blinked as she recognized the name. "Chou Sisters? Aren't they the famous singer group?"

Yamato raised a curious eyebrow when he heard that. An idol group on this era? What were the chances of meeting one here?

The Chou Sisters consisted of three girls around his age or slightly younger than he was. The one who looked the eldest has long pink hair with a two yellow ribbons and single strand that stubbornly stood no matter what—an ahoge, or idiot hair as they called it and cyan eyes. She was wearing sleeveless, white cropped top with pink extensions on the shoulder straps and purple center which showed generous amount of her cleavage as well as her bare midriff and pink skirt with white waists and center that has the image of a lotus. She also wearing a purple choker with red gem, detached white flowing sleeves, and yellow and white knee high boots.

The second eldest has short purple hair decorated with two golden hairpins on her front most bangs and her eyes were also cyan like her sister. She was wearing sleeves white and blue crop top with a small diamond-shaped opening and a yellow ribbon on the front and blue skirt with slits and lotus image on the sides. She was also wearing white detached sleeves with blue ruffles near the shoulders and yellow and white past knee boots.

The youngest one has light blue hair which tied to her left side ponytail with large, green flower shaped hair clipped and cyan eyes. She was wearing white crop top like her sisters with high neck and green highlights and lotus image on the bottom and yellow skirts with green waists and white flaps on the side. She also wore white detached sleeves with green highlights under her shoulder and yellow ribbon tied on her right wrist and white and yellow mid-thighs boots.

"Hello, you must be Yamato Kusanagi-sama," the pink haired sister greeted as she bowed. "Thank you for accepting us here. My name is Choukaku, the eldest of my sisters."

"I am Chouryou, the middle sister. Pleased to meet you, Kusanagi-sama," greeted the purple haired sister also bowed to him.

"And my name is Chouhou. Please take care of us," the youngest sister greeted as she bowed.

"Likewise," replied Yamato as he made his way to the throne.

He tried to recall who they actually were according to his knowledge of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. They weren't the major figures of Shoku, Gi, or Go. They also weren't mentioned in Tou faction or affiliated with En Family. If they were affiliated with minor factions they wouldn't trigger his recognition. So that left only….

The King of Shoku carefully schooled his expression as he seated on his throne. "So what I can do for you three today? Do you wish for permission to perform in my territory or a protection from my soldiers for your performance?"

The girls shifted uneasily before Choukaku spoke. "Actually…we would like ask for permission to stay here in Xizhang. If that is alright with you, Kusanagi-sama."

"Really? You wanted to stay here? In Xizhang?" asked Touka, her eyes were twinkling in delight. She then quickly turned to Yamato pleaded. "Gaim-sama! Please let them stay here!"

Aisha chuckled at her sworn sister's reaction as she spoke to Yamato. "You have to forgive Touka-sama's reaction, Gaim-sama. She is a big fan of the Chou Sisters."

The sisters looked surprised at that fact, yet guilt crossed their features briefly before they quickly hide it before anyone noticed. Unknown to them, Yamato was already noticed it and added it to his mental checklist.

"That's alright," replied Yamato before focusing on the Chou Sisters, his fingers crossed in front of his lips and leaned forward. "If you don't mind I'm asking, what makes you want to stay here in Xizhang?"

His officers blinked in confusion at his question as the sisters squirmed under his scrutinizing gaze.

"Um, that's…" Chouhou wanted to say something, but Chouryou already cut her off.

"We wanted to ask for your protection."

"Ah, that's right! We wanted to ask for your protection, Kusanagi-sama," added Choukaku hastily. "You see, we were attacked on our way by bad people so we're seeking for your protection."

Aisha, Shuri, and Hinari raised a curious eyebrow at her hasty explanation while Touka and Rinrin looked furious.

"Mu~! That's horrible and totally unforgivable! Which bad guy attacked you? I'm going to punish them!" demanded Touka.

"Must be the Yellow Turbans again! Those guys never learn!" said Rinrin. "I'm coming with you Touka-neechan! We're going to beat 'em up!"

"That's the spirit, Rinrin-chan!" Touka cheered, missing the flinch from the Chou Sisters—Chouhou was the most noticeable compared to her sisters.

Their flinch was all Yamato needed to nail down the trio's identity.

"I don't think it's the Yellow Turbans, Rinrin," said Yamato suddenly, catching everyone's attention.

"What do you mean, Gaim-sama?" asked Shuri. Her confusion was shared with everyone present.

"Because the Yellow Turbans won't attack them," answered Yamato as the Chou Sisters paled. They realized he had recognized their identity somehow. "After all, they are the leaders of the Yellow Turbans."

Shocked silence filled the main chamber as Yamato finished speaking. Aisha, Shuri, and Hinari looked at the Chou Sisters in shock as well as Rinrin and Touka who looked the most shocked amongst them. The sisters were unable to meet everyone's gaze and looked down in shame and fear for their life.

"They are the leaders of the Yellow Turbans?" asked Aisha disbelievingly.

"No way…But that's…" Touka stuttered before she turned to Yamato. "That's must be a mistake, Gaim-sama! There's no way that the Chou Sisters are the leaders of the Yellow Turbans!"

Yamato didn't answer to her denial, but focused his attention on the Chou Sisters instead.

"…That is true, Ryuubi-san…" said Chouhou, choking on her sobs.

"Chouhou-san!" gasped Touka.

Choukaku steeled herself as she met Yamato's steely gray eyes with her determined cyan eyes. She was clearly trying to hold back her own tears as she spoke.

"What you said is true, Kusanagi-sama. We, Chou Sisters, were the leader of the Yellow Turbans and we were the one who caused them to rebel in the first place."

---

A/N: And that's it for this chapter. Yes, I just used evil cliffhanger on you. I always wanted to try it. Anyway, like always, please tell me how this chapter is to you by leaving a review and flames will be used to burn Helheim Forest-although we know how futile it is. And don't forget to follow and favorite! It always brighten my days considerably. And please visit my forum if you have time. Drop in just to say hello or asking something. See you around and have a nice day.