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.

6. The Battle of Shisui Pass

Disclaimer: I do not own Kamen Rider Gaim or Koihime Musou. I only own my OCs and the plot twists,

Chapter 6: The Battle of Shisui Pass

In the Imperial Castle in Luoyang, three girls were in the middle of an important discussion.

One had long green hair, tied into twin braids that went a little past her waist with red ribbons tied near the end and amber eyes which sat behind a pair of pink-rimmed glasses. Her stature was petite and she was wearing tan tunic with black trims on the end of the sleeves and black miniskirt. She was also wearing black pantyhose and silver-trimmed high boots with silver heels. To complement her appearance further, she was wearing a black hat and black shoulder cape which had long extensions that reached past her knees with silver trims. A pair of black fingerless gloves covered her hands and a red ribbon acted as a strap for her shoulder cape. Her name was Kaku Bunwa, Toutaku's advisor.

Another had short, chin-length silver hair and amber eyes. She was wearing a silver-trimmed purple halter top with pink straps which bared much of her midriff and purple skirt with slits on each side that went all the way to her waist as well as pink butterfly motif with furred hemline. Her arms were covered by purple detached sleeves with silver cuffs and pointed ends near the shoulders and brown stockings with silver high-heeled shoes. She was Kayuu, one of the Generals that worked for Toutaku.

The last girl had purple hair, tied into messy bun by a spiky metal bangle and green eyes. She was only wearing white sarashi clothes wrapped around her breasts with the addition of a black choker and purple cloak with white hem and red strings to fasten it draped on her shoulders. She wore purple hakama pants and geta sandals on her feet. She was Chouryou Bun'en, another General that worked for Toutaku.

"It seems that Enshou Honshou has managed to successfully gather several warlords in an alliance to dethrone Toutaku-sama," started Kaku as she looked at the two generals seriously.

"And what of it? They're just wasting their time with that nonsense," scoffed Kayuu as she folded her arms under her breasts.

"It usually won't matter much except that Enshou has recruited Gi, Go, and Shoku to join this alliance," replied Kaku.

"Wait, wait, hold up! Gi, Go, and Shoku, as in those three big factions that have the Messengers of Heaven with them?" asked Chouryou incredulously.

"The same and what's worse is that Yamato Kusanagi, the King of Shoku, and the First Messenger of Heaven is the one who has been appointed to be the Supreme Commander of the alliance," the green haired advisor frowned in worry. "If he is anything like what the rumors say, then this alliance will cause trouble for us."

Chouryou whistled in appreciation. "Wow, looks like we're in for one heck of a fight." She then added with a grin, "Not that I mind fighting any of them, especially the Peerless Blue Swordsman Gaim."

"Che, those rumors are just that, rumors!" Kayuu growled irately "I'm going to defeat Kusanagi and the other two Messengers of Heaven by myself if I need to!"

"Hoo~oh, are you saying you can do the job where thousands of men have failed?" asked Chouryou, smirking.

"Of course! The men those so-called Messengers of Heaven defeated were only low-life bandits! They are nothing compared to me!" boasted Kayuu.

"Are you trying to cover up your anxiety, Miyabi-chan?" questioned Chouryou again.

"I'm not covering up anything! When I meet them, I will DEFEAT those Messengers of Heavens by myself!" retorted Kayuu hotly.

"Don't be a fool, Kayuu," admonished Kaku, her eyes narrowing behind her glasses. "Kusanagi's victories against the Yellow Turbans are enough to show that some of those rumors are indeed true. We have to be really careful here. If we are defeated, then Heaven knows what will happen to Toutaku-sama."

Kayuu grunted noncommittally and looked away while Chouryou questioned her. "So what's the plan, Ei-chan?"

"The Anti-Toutaku Alliance—that's what they call themselves apparently—have moved out yesterday from their camping site in Henan Province, so it would take them about 6 days to arrive in Shisui Pass. Kayuu, Chouryou, I want you to go to Shisui Pass and maintain a defensive position there. Ryofu and Chinkyuu will defend the Hulao Pass," instructed Kaku.

"What!? That's not the way I want to fight them!" Kayuu disagreed loudly. "I want to fight them head on like a true warrior!"

"This is no time to indulge your ego, Miyabi!" retorted Kaku immediately, using her real name to put the extra emphasis. "Yue's safety is the most important here! I get it you are confident with your skill, but you are overestimating yourself!"

"I am NOT overestimating myself!" protested the silver-haired warrior. "I know exactly what I can do and I know I can defeat those Messengers of Heaven! In fact, I can guard the Shisui Pass by myself! So just sit back and let me handle those fools!"

"Miyabi, wait!" Kaku called out to Kayuu, but the prideful warrior had already stormed off, probably to prepare the army and head out to Shisui Pass.

"Let her do as she pleases, Ei-chan. You know how stubborn Miyabi-chan can be," commented Chouryou.

Kaku sighed and massaged her temples. "Honestly that girl…Don't she know that Yue will be sad if something were to happen to her?"

"Say, did she bring the items that our 'benefactors' gave us?" asked the purple-haired general curiously.

"Maybe," answered Kaku as she took out a Lockseed with her. It was an Ichigo Lockseed. "It's hard to believe that something like this is the source of power for those Messengers of Heaven."

Chouryou took out her own Pine Lockseed and examined it. "You think they are telling the truth? I mean, about this forest from beyond our world."

"I don't know, but I will do everything I can to protect Yue," declared Kaku firmly before she put away the Lockseed. "Change of plans then. You, Ryofu, and Chinkyuu will guard the Hulao Pass. Take as many as soldiers you want with you and make sure you guard the Pass with everything you have. Ryofu will be in charge."

"Will do, Ei-chan," Chouryou smirked in reply. "With Ryofu-chin and me guarding the Hulao Pass, the Alliance will not go any further. You can count on me with that. Now I'm going to look for Ryofu-chin and head out to Hulao Pass."

"Alright. Good luck and be careful," advised Kaku.

Chouryou smiled and nodded before she walked away to find her fellow General. The bespectacled advisor watched her retreating back and clenched her fist which held the Ichigo Lockseed.

"I will protect you, Yue. From those Messengers of Heaven…or those White Clothed bastards," Kaku swore to herself.

---

"Oi! Ryofu-chin where are you?" Chouryou called out loudly as she walked to the Palace's garden. She knew that Ryofu Housen would be in the garden, usually taking a nap or playing with the small animals there. Maybe she was one of the strongest warriors in China, if not the strongest, but she was so carefree and innocent like a child.

After looking for a while, she finally found the person she was looking for. There she was, Ryofu Housen, sitting under a tree with birds perched on her shoulders and outstretched finger.

Ryofu has red hair that reached just above her shoulder and two long ahoge strands on top. She had matching red eyes and tanned skin with black tribal tattoos. She was wearing a sleeveless and backless, midriff-baring crop top which was white on the left side with some yellow patterns and black on right side with a white skirt. Hanging from her waist by a brown leather belt was black duster cloak with purple lining and tattered ends. The detached sleeve on the right arms was black and the one on her left arm was white with brown belts securing them near her shoulders. Also, her hand was wrapped with white bandages and her legs were covered with black leggings and white sneaker shoes. A purple scarf around her neck to completed her appearance.

"Aha! There you are, Ryofu-chin," exclaimed Chouryou.

Ryofu turned to her and stood up, causing the birds that perched on her to fly away.

"Hey, we have an order. We will be moving out soon to guard the Hulao Pass," said Chouryou, relaying the order she received from Kaku.

Ryofu stared at her for some moments before she nodded.

"Great! Then you will be the general, okay?" smiled Chouryou.

Ryofu stared at her again before she shook her head in negative.

"Wha-? But, this is an order from Ei-chan!" argued the purple-haired girl.

Ryofu shook her head again and her expression was set into what was best described as 'sad puppy'.

"Oh come on, don't be like that. Do it for Yue-chan's sake, please?" Chouryou pleaded, her resolve cracking upon seeing the redhead's expression.

Ryofu stared at her yet again and shook her head. Somehow, her sad puppy expression intensified several times fold.

"Y-You're not playing fair, Ryofu-chin," Chouryou was whimpering at this point. There was no way someone could have that kind of expression. That expression should've been illegal!

Ryofu remained silent while keeping that saddened expression of hers.

"G-Gah! Alright, alright, fine. You win," Chouryou sighed and raised both of her hands in defeat, her defenses finally crumbled. "I'll become the leader of the army in the Hulao Pass and you're my second-in-command. Okay?"

Ryofu stared at the purple-haired girl for about two minutes before she agreed with a nod.

"Why did you need so much time just to answer that?" muttered Chouryou. She then looked around and noticed someone was missing. "Say, where's your little tagalong?"

"…Out…Buying lunch," answered Ryofu simply.

Chouryou seemed to think about something before she shrugged. "Eh, I think I Ei-chan's order can wait. I think I can have a bite or two. You mind if I join you?"

"…No…" answered Ryofu as she shook her head.

"Great!" Chouryou grinned and plopped on the ground with her legs crossed. She then took out a bottle of sake and a saucer from…somewhere.

Ryofu just stared before she also sat down, waiting for Chinkyuu to bring their lunch.

'…I'm hungry…' Ryofu thought to herself as she gazed at the clouds above.

---

When the Anti-Toutaku Alliance was only one day away from Shisui Pass, Yamato had called for a war council. The scouts he sent had returned at least two days before and had brought plenty of information to be shared with his fellow warlords. He had no doubt that the scouts from the other factions had returned and also had information with them. He waited until today as he reviewed the information beforehand before he crosschecked it with what the information the other factions had gained after presenting it. About fifteen minutes after he had sent word, Sousou, Sonken, Shun, Yuki, Pairen, and Enshou entered his tent. The rulers of Gi and Go also brought someone new with them. He deduced that they were their strategists.

Yamato stood up from his seat alongside his generals and greeted his fellow Alliance members. "Welcome and thank you for coming on such short notice. Please have a seat so we can begin."

The other warlords nodded their thanks as they took their seats around a long table which had the map of Henan Province. There were markers on the map which showed the position of Shisui Pass and Hulao Pass. Yamato and his generals then sat back down as the King of Shoku met the gazes of his fellow warlords.

"Before we start this meeting, I want you to introduce the new people you have brought with you, Sousou-dono, Sonken-dono," started Yamato, looking at the newcomers that sat next to Sousou and Sonken.

It was Sousou who replied first and motioned to Jun'iku. "This is Jun'iku Bunjaku, my strategist and trusted advisor."

Jun'iku didn't say anything and just nodded at Yamato, her green eyes barely hiding the intense dislike she felt towards the First Messenger of Heaven.

"She is also a member of Her Loliness' harem, like Kakouton and Kakouen," Shun piped up, causing Jun'iku to turn and glare daggers at him.

"Calm down, Keifa. Remember your promise to behave yourself," reminded Sousou, without looking at Jun'iku. Despite the altercation and the subsequent declaration of war against each other almost one week ago, Sousou maintained a cordial relationship with Yamato. She realized that if she or her men kept antagonizing Yamato and Shoku by extension it would badly affect the Alliance and could bring down their soldiers' morale.

"Yes, Karin-sama…" muttered Jun'iku, but not before sending one last glare at the grinning Shun.

"Baka…" Yuki muttered, referring to Shun, as she folded her arms.

"Allow me to introduce my companion, Yamato-dono," said Sonken as she motioned to Ryomou. "This Ryomou Shimei, one of the strategists and advisors of Son Go."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kusanagi-dono," Ryomou inclined her head toward Yamato. Unlike Jun'iku, she was more polite.

Ever since her meeting with Yamato days ago after the first war council, Sonken had noticeably warmed up toward the Shoku King. She had the upmost respect toward Yamato as a fellow ruler as they had the same view about leadership and how they treated their followers. She was even considering keeping the alliance between Shoku and Go going once the Anti-Toutaku Alliance dissolved once its purpose was fulfilled. She hadn't discussed it yet with her generals and she would bring up this matter soon. Unknown to her, the members of her court had noticed her changes, especially Shuuyu, but she hadn't inquired anything from her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well," replied Yamato before he addressed to his fellow warlords. "Right now we are only one day away from the first checkpoint to Luoyang, the Shisui Pass and our scouts have returned two days ago. I have reviewed my scouts' report and I want to crosscheck it with the information your scouts have gathered so can start devising a plan for our battle tomorrow."

"If you don't mind Yamato-dono, Son Go will report what our scouts have gathered," said Sonken as Yamato nodded to her, giving her permission.

Ryomou took this as her cue to deliver Son Go's scouts' report about the situation in Shisui Pass. She fixed her monocle and started to speak. "From the intelligence gathered by our scouts, the Shisui Pass is guarded by around 40,000 soldiers and led by General Kayuu of the Toutaku Faction. She is known as a stubborn person and very prideful when it comes to her combat prowess, so she would most likely challenge us head on despite the smaller numbers of her army. While that is not truly a problem, the major hurdle in our plan is this." She then pointed to the marked locations on the map, one was right behind the other. "Shisui Pass is located on the bottom of the ravine while the Hulao Pass is located at the top. So it would be best for us to take them both in one day lest they will have the chance to reinforce their army and bolster their defenses so they can outlast us, or worse, cut us off from our supplies."

"So you've managed to make the same conclusion we have," Yamato hummed thoughtfully before turning to Sousou. "Your thoughts, Sousou-dono?"

"It's pretty much the same as what you and Ryomou have concluded," Sousou replied. "The best thing I could think of to win this battle is…"

"Strike fast and hard while minimizing the loss on our part," Yamato finished from where Sousou had trailed off.

"You took the words right off my mouth, Kusanagi-dono," Sousou smirked, much to Jun'iku's ire. She discreetly leveled a glare at Yamato, unknowing that he was aware of it but he ignored her.

"A head on attack will be useless here despite our advantage in numbers," muttered Kousonsan with as she scrunched her eyebrows in concentration. "Not to mention it will be a waste of time and men."

"Then we'll just have to use the enemy commander's personality to our advantage," Yuki spoke up as she fixed her glasses.

"Psychological warfare will be our best bet here if we want to accomplish our objectives in this battle," said Yamato before turning to his strategist duo. "Shuri, Hinari, I know you two must be have a plan already. Care to share it with us?"

"Yes, Yamato-sama," replied Shuri. "Considering the personality of the enemy commander, we can do something to rile her up. By sending out a smaller unit ahead to confront the army stationed on Shisui Pass, General Kayuu will be taking it as a sign that we are underestimating her and her army, therefore infuriating her and causing her to make a bad judgment. The advance force should not only be enticing enough for the Toutaku Army to attack, but also strong enough to hold them back for a while before the main army joins the battle."

Hinari then took several figurines and positioned them on the map on the area around Shisui Pass. There was one placed in the middle of the ravine while there were four more placed behind it—two were placed side by side while another two were placed on the each unoccupied side of the other figurines. "The figurines represent our forces and how I placed them is the way we will distribute our forces. With this formation, General Kayuu will have to spread her army wide and thin once our main army joins the battle. We should also take note that the main army must be placed farther back or the Toutaku army will realize the trap, but not too far so we can move in quickly to storm the fortress."

Ryomou and Jun'iku took another look on the map and ran their own calculations. After several minutes, they finally finished and responded to the plan laid by Shuri and Hinari.

"…I couldn't think of anything better than what they have planned," admitted Jun'iku with begrudging respect.

"I can see that this plan will work," Ryomou nodded before turning to Shuri and Hinari, smiling approvingly. "Your reputation as the Sleeping Dragon and Fledgling Phoenix are well earned, Shokatsuryou-san, Houtou-san."

"Hawawa…/Awawa…T-Thank you for your kind words, Ryomou-dono," Shuri and Hinari replied as one.

"Now we need to decide who will go as the advance force," said Aisha as she looked to Yamato. "You've already decided on who will go, haven't you, Yamato-sama?"

The King of Shoku nodded as he looked at his childhood friends. "Shun, Yuki, both of you are with me. You ready for this?"

"Did you have to ask?" Shun grinned as he punched his open palm. "I was born ready for this!"

"Will do," Yuki nodded firmly.

"So…it will be the three Messengers of Heaven that will go as the advance force?" questioned Sonken.

"Remember the criteria for the advance force, enticing enough to attack and strong enough to hold off the enemy," Yamato pointed out. "Our reputation as the Messengers of Heaven as well as my position as the Supreme Commander of this alliance and the King of Shoku will make us an enticing target for the enemy. We and our men can also hold against Kayuu and her soldiers long enough before the main army joins us. Also, it will send a message that is enough to infuriate Kayuu."

"And what message is that?" Sousou asked curiously.

""We don't need our big army to defeat you. We will be more than enough to do the job"," Yamato recited.

"Ah, so that is what you meant by psychological warfare," noted Sosusou as she nodded. She then smirked at Yamato approvingly as she added, "You are a shrewd man, Kusanagi."

"I can be a pragmatist if I want to," replied Yamato evenly. "Does anyone else have anything to add?"

"I will go with you, Yamato-sama," volunteered Aisha. "My unit and I can help you to hold off Kayuu and her men until the main force of the alliance arrives."

Sonken seemed to be deep in thought before she nodded herself and spoke out. "I too will be joining the advance force with you as well, Yamato-dono." Her somewhat unexpected request nearly caught everyone off guard. They never thought that she would actually say such a thing.

"You can't do that, Renfa-sama! It's too dangerous!" protested Ryomou.

"I am aware of the risks, Ashe, and I am willing to take them," Sonken replied firmly to her strategist before she turned to Yamato. "With the two rulers of two factions leading the advance force, the Toutaku army will be more than tempted to attack us, thinking that they can crush the morale of Shoku and Go army if they can kill us. Isn't that correct, Yamato-dono?"

"It is. Do you seriously want to do it?" questioned Yamato.

"I will not make that kind of request if I am not serious about it," answered Sonken as her cat-like blue eyes stared right into Yamato's steel-gray orbs. "You said it yourself, Yamato-dono. If a King does not lead, how can he expect his subjects to follow him?"

"Very well then," Yamato nodded at her before addressing to the others. "The advance force will consist of me, Kan'u, Shun, Yuki, and Sonken-dono along with our respective units. The others will be part of the main force under Sousou-dono and Ryuubi's command."

Touka gulped as she tried to ease her nervousness and replied, "I will do my best, Yamato-sama."

Sousou looked at Yamato calculatively for a moment before she nodded. "Very well. You can trust me to command the main force of the alliance army while you lead the advance force. I look forward to working with you, Ryuubi."

Touka nodded and smiled. "I look forward to working with you too, Sousou-san."

The war council then discussed about their army's distribution. After about two hours of discussion and debate, they finally came to an agreement on how they would distribute their army as according to their battle plan.

"If there is nothing else to add for the moment, then I will dismiss the war council," declared Yamato as he stood up. "We will begin our attack on Shisui Pass before the sunrise, so please begin your own preparation."

With that said, the others left Yamato's tent to make their own preparation for their raid on Shisui Pass.

---

"What did you say? You're joining the advance force with Kusanagi?" asked Shuuyu after she heard the plan for tomorrow's battle.

"You heard that right," answered Sonken calmly. "Do you doubt that the plan will work?"

"No, I agree with the plan and I'm sure that it will allow us to achieve our objective to take over Shisui and Hulao Pass in one day," replied Shuuyu as she crossed her arms under her breasts. She then looked at Sonken with narrowed eyes. "What I cannot understand is why you're risking yourself like that."

"Because that's what Sheren-oneesama would do."

"…What do you mean by that, Chuubou?" questioned Shuuyu with one eyebrow arched.

"You should know that Sheren-oneesama is not the kind of leader who only barks orders to her men but the kind of leader who leads them in battle. She fights together with them and takes the same risk as them. The same can be said for Yamato." Sonken's tone was noticeably softer and fonder when she spoke her fellow warlord's name. "I respect and admire him a great deal because of that. I have personally acknowledged that Yamato Kusanagi as a great ruler. If Onee-san was here, she would come to the same conclusion as well."

Shuuyu then voiced out her suspicion, "…Have you fallen for Kusanagi?"

"What makes you think of such notion, Koukin?" Sonken retorted. She didn't notice the light pink flush which dusted her tanned cheeks. "I merely respect and admire him. Besides, he is still a rival warlord. Is it wrong for me to respect and admire a rival?"

"…No, there is nothing wrong with that," replied Shuuyu with a sigh before she looked at Sonken seriously. "As long as your personal feelings do not get in the way of your duties as the Queen of Son Go, then I do not see anything wrong in respecting and admiring a rival warlord. Remember that one day you may face him in battle as an enemy and you must defeat him or your kingdom will pay if you hesitate."

"…You don't have to remind me," said Sonken, unconsciously clenching her fists. The pink-haired girl forced herself to relax. "Regardless of my personal feelings, I think it would be the best for Son Go if we form an alliance with Shoku once this mess with Toutaku is over and done with."

Shuuyu was silent as she watched Sonken. The young Queen then took it as a signal to continue.

"I have realized that Ryugen was right. Yamato Kusanagi is the best person to be allied with and the worst person to make an enemy of," she then looked at Shuuyu's eyes defiantly. "You may have your own doubts, Koukin, but I'm saying this not without reason. You have never met Yamato in person and you will understand that once you meet him."

The senior advisor of Go stared back at her for a whole minute before she closed her eyes and sighed. "Very well, I will defer to your judgment for now but please bring this matter to Sheren once we return home. Without a doubt, she will be interested in this matter."

"I intend to do so, Koukin," replied Sonken.

"Now if you will excuse me, I will organize the troops for tomorrow's battle," Shuuyu excused herself and walked out of Sonken's tent. As she walked away, she was thinking of something else in her mind. 'You're weak for being swayed away by your emotion, Son Chuubou. But perhaps it's because Kusanagi's personality is too strong for you. I will just have to watch him tomorrow then. Either he will become a threat or not in the future.'

Sonken watched the retreating back of her sister's confidante and heaved out a long sigh when she exited the tent.

"Ano…Are you alright, Renfa-sama?" asked Rikuson worriedly.

"I'm alright, Non," replied Sonken with a small smile. "Thank you for asking."

"Perhaps you should retire for the day, Renfa-sama. You will be going into battle tomorrow," suggested Kannei.

"Yes, perhaps you're right. I should take a rest so I will be at my best tomorrow," said Sonken as she stood up from her chair.

"Then we will be taking our leave now," said Yuki as she, Kannei, and Rikuson left her tent. At the exit, the black-haired girl stopped and turned to Sonken. "If I may make a suggestion, Sonken-sama, please follow what your heart says. Your heart will never lead you astray because it is the purest guidance you can get."

'Follow what my heart says, huh?' thought Sonken as Yuki exited her tent. A bitter smile then appeared on her face. 'If only it was that easy in my current position…'

(LINE)

The day was still dark when the Shoku Army was getting ready with their last minute preparations. The erected tents from last night were taken down and folded away for later use. The army was busy preparing their equipment for the battle such as armor, helmets, shields, swords, spears, bows, and arrows. Also, some of them also placed saddles and reins on the horses they brought with them. These horses were a gift from one of their allies and now Shoku had their own sizeable cavalry unit. They weren't big as the infantry units, but they could make a difference in a battle.

In another side of the soon to be ex-campsite, Yamato was having a last minute briefing with his Generals.

"Alright, does everyone remember the plan for this battle?" asked Yamato.

"Yes, Gaim-sama," nodded Aisha firmly. Touka, Shuri, and Hinari also nodded their acknowledgement.

"Muu~, why Rinrin can't join Onii-chan and Aisha?" pouted Rinrin.

"Because I need you to protect Touka, Shuri, and Hinari," replied Yamato patiently. "It's a really important job and I can't trust anyone else but you to do it."

Rinrin seemed to be mollified with his answer and grinned. "Okay! If Onii-chan asked Rinrin to do it, then Rinrin will do her best to protect Touka-neechan, Shuri, and Hinari!"

"That's a good girl," Aisha smiled at her.

"Ehehehe…I feel so safe already with Rinrin-chan protecting me," commented Touka with a bright smile. "I'm counting on you then!"

"Yup! Just leave it to Rinrin!" the petite redhead then thumped her fist on her petite chest proudly.

"Excuse me! May I see Kusanagi-dono? I have to relay a news to him!"

Hearing that someone had called him, Yamato turned to see who that person was. The person was a girl around his age or so, with long brown hair that was tied into a high ponytail by a gold-trimmed red ribbon and two side bangs tied by white-trimmed black ribbon. Her eyes were purple with thick eyebrows and a red headband with gold trim was tied around her forehead. She was wearing a green tunic with white collars and shoulder lapels. The sleeves were long and black with white-plated cuffs and a black bow with white trims was tied in front of her chest. She was also wearing white mini-skirt which was so short that it could be called indecent and white mid-thigh high boots.

He then approached the newcomer as he answered. "I am Yamato Kusanagi. To whom am I speaking with?"

"Ah, so you're Yamato Kusanagi-dono. Good morning, sir," the brown-haired girl bowed as she introduced herself. "My name is Bachou Moki, the daughter of Batou Juusei of Ryousan."

"Bachou Moki?" Aisha repeated, recognizing her name. "As in Bachou the Splendid?"

Yamato's eyes nearly widened upon hearing the name. This girl was Bachou Moki, one of the Five Tiger Generals of Shoku? What were the odds that he would meet her here? He already met with Chou'un before and now he met Bachou. If he met Kouchuu in the future then it would be a full set.

"That's me," Bachou replied with a smile. "Wow, I never thought the Black-Haired War Goddess of Shoku would know of me."

"You should give yourself more credit, Bachou-san," said Yamato. "Your skill with your spear and your horse-riding combat prowess are very well known. In fact, I have been thinking of recruiting you for a while."

"R-Really?!" Bachou's eyes widened in surprise after she heard what Yamato had said. She scratched the back of her head embarrassedly as she said. "I-I mean, t-thank you for your kind praise, Kusanagi-dono. My father also has been thinking of allying our family with Shoku for a while, so…Yeah, it's a happy coincidence."

"Is that so? Then please tell Batou-dono to meet me once things have settled down after Toutaku has been dethroned. We will be talking about the terms of our alliance," replied Yamato, smiling.

"That's great!" beamed Bachou brightly. "I'll make sure to tell my father!"

"Then, what about this news you have for me?" asked Yamato.

"Oh, that. I almost forgot," answered Bachou sheepishly before she adopted a more serious expression. "The rest of the Anti-Toutaku Alliance army has finished their last minute preparation. We're ready to move out anytime sir."

"Thank you. We will be moving out soon in ten minutes," replied Yamato.

"Ano…Bachou-san. Where are you stationed at?" asked Touka curiously.

"The Ryousan Cavalry is placed on the left flank of the formation together with Kousonan-dono's Ryousei White Horse Cavalry," answered Bachou. "Chances are, we won't meet each other in the battle because Kusanagi-dono and Kan'u-dono are part of the advance force."

"That is correct. It is really unfortunate. I was really hoping to see with my own eyes how the famous Bachou the Splendid fights," commented Aisha.

"And I want to see how the Peerless Blue Swordsman and Black-Haired War Goddess fight too," replied Bachou honestly. "Good luck to you, Kusanagi-dono, Kan'u-dono."

"Godspeed to you too, Bachou-san," replied Yamato.

Bachou smiled and bowed before she left the Shoku camp. The Shoku officers watched her retreating back for a while before the King spoke up. "You know, I never thought I would meet Bachou Moki this soon."

"What do you mean, Yamato-sama?" asked Hinari.

"You remember what I told you about the future officers of our faction?" asked Yamato as his generals nodded. "Bachou is one of them."

"Really?" Shuri asked back with wide eyes.

"Yeah. In fact, Kan'u Unchou, Chouhi Yokutoku, Chou'un Shiryuu, Bachou Moki and Kouchuu Kanshou are known as the Five Tiger Generals of Shoku in my world," answered Yamato.

"The Five Tiger Generals of Shoku, huh?" mused Aisha.

"It sounds catchy. Rinrin loves it!" smiled Rinrin widely, her eyes sparkling in delight.

"So Bachou-san is our future ally," muttered Touka as she smiled. "I look forward to working together with her."

"So am I," replied Yamato. "Let's go. We can't have everyone waiting for us."

---

As planned before, the advance army would move on ahead of the main bulk of the Anti-Toutaku Alliance's army. The units led by Yamato, Aisha, Shun, Sonken and Yuki stopped a distance from Shisui Pass. They could all see the tall white walls and the sturdy gate, ramparts manned by outlook soldiers and several hundred men were stationed in front of the gate that lead into Shisui Pass proper and further to Hulao Pass at the top of the ravine where they were currently at. The rest of the soldiers must be still inside Shisui Pass, either sleeping or waiting for their shift. Either way, the advantage was on the advance force's side.

Yamato gave the whole Shisui Pass a look before turning to the rest of the advance force. They were only 10,000 men strong, but they were more than enough to get the job done. Most of them gave him an expectant and judging look while those who had worked under him had determined looks on their face, which was shared with his friends and comrades.

He took a deep breath and spoke to the troops, "Before we begin, let me ask you this question: for what reason do you stand right here, right at this moment? Is it because of your loyalty to your leaders? Or is it because of the glory you pursue? Before every battle, I will always ask this question to myself again and again and my answer will always be the same. I stand right here and right now because I'm doing the right thing! We are here today to stop a tyrant! We already have enough misery and suffering thanks to the inept and corrupt Han Dynasty and then the Yellow Turbans! We won't let that tyrant spread more misery and suffering! Though we come from different kingdoms, we fight for one purpose: to protect our land! For peace! For justice! For freedom! Look to your right and your left! In front and behind of you! Remember the faces of your comrades! We stand right here and right now because we're doing the right thing! I will not lie that many of you will not survive this battle nor will you leave this battle unscathed, but take pride in the scars you will receive and the lives you put into stake this day! They are the proof that you have done the right thing! You fight to protect your country and your loved ones! But the most important thing is, you fight for your right as a human being! Now let me ask you a final question: ARE YOU WITH ME?!"

The roar of approval from the soldiers was nearly deafening. It was truly a momentous event to witness the armies of the Three Kingdoms to be united for one goal: to defeat the tyrant and end her cruel regime.

Aisha smiled as her Lord finished his speech. Truly, to be capable of uniting soldiers from different factions showed how much charisma he had as a ruler. She believed without a doubt that Yamato Kusanagi was the one who will unite the land under his banner. The one ruler who will dye the world with his image.

Sonken on the other hand was impressed and taken aback when she felt the unrestrained charisma that Yamato had exuded as he delivered his speech. It was like she was seeing her sister….No, it was different. Not even Sonsaku was capable of what he had done. It was as if Yamato was a ruler on his own level.

"Told you he was born in the wrong era," commented Shun after listening to Yamato's speech.

"Yamato is a natural born leader and that speech just drives the point home," replied Yuki, pushing her glasses up.

The brunette nodded, "That's true…I still think he fits in just right as a warlord of Feudal Era."

"Shun, Yuki," the duo turned to their friend who had taken out his Sengoku Driver. "It's time."

Getting the cue, Shun and Yuki took out their Drivers they walked next to Yamato and turned to face their army. In synchronized motion, the three of them strapped the Drivers to their waists and took out their Lockseeds before unlocking them.

"Henshin!"

"ORANGE!"

"BANANA!"

"BUDOU!"

Three Cracks opened above their heads as Orange, Banana, and Budou Armor Parts descended from them to float over f their respective users. Yamato, Shun, and Yuki then locked their Lockseeds into their Drivers.

"LOCK ON!"

Without wasting any time, they sliced the Lockseeds open with the Cutting Knife levers to initiate the transformation sequence.

"SOIYA! ORANGE ARMS! HANAMICHI ON STAGE!"

"COME ON! BANANA ARMS! KNIGHT OF SPEAR!"

"HAI! BUDOU ARMS! RYU, HOU, HA-HA-HA!"

Their Armor Parts landed on their shoulders, covering their heads as they formed their Pre-Arms Suits over their bodies before they disassembled and folded down to be their respective Arms Armor. They generated 'juice' splashes as their visors lit up and their Arms Weapons were summoned into their hands, completing their transformation.

"Kamen Rider Gaim," said Gaim as he shifted Daidaimaru to his left hand and drew the Musou Saber from its holster. "Now let's dance on my stage!"

"Kamen Rider Baron," said Baron as he twirled his Banaspear in his right hand. "Let's party and get wild!"

"Kamen Rider Ryugen," said Ryugen as she pulled the hammer of her Budou Ryuhou. "Targeted and firing!"

The army of the advance force watched in awe as the Three Messengers of Heaven transformed in front of them. While watching one of them transforming was still a breathtaking sight, watching ALL of them transforming at the SAME time was definitely new for them. They felt that the Heavens had approved their actions today. Their morale couldn't go any higher.

"It's time…" Gaim then pointed his Musou Saber at the direction of the Shisui Pass. "…for Toutaku to count up her sins!"

The army roared their agreement out loud. It was deafening and as if it was shaking the Heavens themselves.

Gaim turned to Ryugen as he spoke. "Yuki, would you do the honors of opening our attack?"

"With pleasure," Ryugen smirked behind her mask and sliced her Lockseed three times.

"HAI! BUDOU SPARKING!"

Ryugen took aim toward the sky as multiple grape projections flew from the body of her weapon and golden dragons coiled around the barrel. The spheres and the dragons converged into one purple energy sphere which was twice the size of a basketball on the end of Budou Ryuhou's barrel, glowing brightly with the energy it contained. After making a quick calculation and adjusting her aim, Ryugen pulled the trigger. The sphere turned into a mass of swirling purple energy as it shot toward the sky, catching the attention of the Toutaku Army.

They watched as the swirling projectile reached the apex of its flight and split into six purple roaring dragons made of pure energy which quickly descended toward them. Their eyes widened upon seeing them and they tried to withdraw or at least warn their comrades, but it was too late. The dragons impacted the ground with explosive force, sending the bodies of the soldiers flying before hitting the ground with sickening thuds or outright obliterated and mutilated their bodies. At least two of the energy dragons hit the wall of Shisui Pass, destroying it and killing so many soldiers.

Gaim watched the destruction brought by Ryugen's finisher briefly before turning to the soldiers who were gaping at the impressive display of firepower.

"Now's our chance! Attack them while they are disorganized!" he barked out his order as he ran toward Shisui Pass, snapping the soldiers from their stupor.

"You heard what Gaim-sama said! Let us haste forward! For peace! For justice! For freedom!" Aisha barked out as she raised her Green Dragon Crescent Blade to the air and sprinted forward to follow Gaim. The soldiers of Shoku followed her example as they roared their agreement and charged under her lead.

"Alright boys! We can't let the Shoku army show us up! Charge!" Baron yelled as his personal unit roared and followed him charging toward the Shisui Pass.

"Brave soldiers of Son Go! Don't fall behind our allies! Let's show them that today our actions have been approved by divine will!" Sonken ordered as she drew her sword and led her army's charge on her war horse.

"Archers, let's go! Maintain your distance and provide support fire every five minutes! Let's put holes into their bodies!" Ryugen ordered before she joined her comrades.

The first battle of the Anti-Toutaku Alliance had begun.

---

"K-Kayuu-sama! I-It's the Anti-Toutaku Alliance!" a soldier reported to the silver-haired general.

"I know!" replied Kayuu snappishly, causing the poor man to flinch. "Reorganize our army fast and prepare for a counterattack!"

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" the soldiers left and Kayuu watched as the Anti-Toutaku Alliance army approached.

She growled angrily at the surprise attack, but most importantly she was furious because apparently the alliance had underestimated her. She saw the flags bearing the characters of Kan, Son, and the personal emblems of those so-called Messengers of Heaven. She didn't see anyone else's flag. How dare they!? Did they really think they could just underestimate her like this!?

Hefting her Exploding Adamantine Axe, Kayuu prepared to meet those bastards head on when she remembered the object in her possession. She took it from her pocket, revealing itself to be a Lockseed. It bore the image of a lemon with the number 'L.S.-16' printed in black. As much as she hated the bastards who gave her this and using this…Lockseed, she really wanted to make the Anti-Toutaku Alliance pay for their insult of underestimating her. Her decision made, she turned to the closest soldier.

"You there!"

"Y-Yes, Kayuu-sama?"

"How many of you have received these things?" Kayuu asked back as she showed him the Lemon Lockseed.

"I-I'm not sure, Kayuu-sama," the soldier answered nervously.

"Then gather them all and have them join my unit!" ordered Kayuu harshly. "We're going to make those fools pay for underestimating us!"

The soldier scampered off to do what he was ordered to. Kayuu stared at the Lockseed in her hand and clenched her fingers around it.

---

Gaim slashed his swords at a Toutaku soldier before pivoting on his foot to strike another down. Pulling the Pallete Slide on his Musou Saber he fired at the oncoming soldiers right in their head. He deflected a spear with his Musou Saber and slashed its wielder in the chest with the Daidaimaru. He slashed another soldiers and another group of soldiers tried to surround him seeing that he was preoccupied.

Unknown to them, Gaim already knew their intention so he timed his attack carefully and once the soldiers were in his range, a single swing from his Musou Saber struck them down. Flicking his wrists to clean the blood off from his swords, Gaim carefully eyed the Toutaku soldiers who in return watched him with unbidden wariness and fear. One brave/stupid soldier charged at him with his sword raised overhead and attempted to slash him. The Samurai-themed Rider just dodged his sloppy attacks and slashed him across his stomach. Another soldier lunged at him with his spear poised to stab, but Gaim only side stepped him before slashed him in the back and struck his friends on their vital spots with well placed slashes.

Seeing a much larger group of soldiers tried to surround him, Gaim reached for his Sengoku Driver and sliced his Orange Lockseed once.

"SOIYA! ORANGE SQUASH!"

Gaim crossed his Musou Saber and Daidaimaru together in front of him as they flared with flaming orange aura. He then slashed both of his weapons widely, sending a broad arc of flaming orange energy that struck the unfortunate soldiers, killing them.

Nearby, Aisha was having an easy time against the Toutaku soldiers. She gracefully dodged the slashes and stabs before retaliating with a single swing of her Green Dragon Crescent Blade. She parried a sword and kicked away its wielder before rammed the butt of her weapon at a soldier who tried to sneak up on her. She pivoted on her foot and easily decapitated the recovering soldier before turning her attention to a group of soldiers. With a loud yell, she charged at them and struck the first wave of soldiers with ease. Skidding with her feet, Aisha pivoted her body and slashed her weapon widely, killing several soldiers with one strike . She then did several backflips to dodge an attack before kicking another soldier and struck another with her weapon.

Gaim slashed another group of soldiers before he jumped backward to dodge a spear stab when he felt his back was touching someone. He instantly knew it was Aisha since the person didn't react too much.

"How's the situation on your end, Aisha?" asked Gaim as he decapitated a soldier.

"These soldiers are good, but not really that good," answered Aisha as her weapon struck several soldiers in a single swing. "They are only about a step better than the Yellow Turbans."

Gaim snorted before slashing at a group of Toutaku soldiers with his Musou Saber, killing several of them with a single slash before shooting at the rest. "And these guys are supposed to be the Imperial Army? What a joke…"

"It's a sad thing, isn't it Gaim-sama?" Aisha frowned as she speared a soldier before yanking her Green Dragon Crescent Blade free from the dying man.

"Not just sad, but downright pathetic," replied Gaim. An idea then suddenly popped in Gaim's mind as he unloaded his ammo at the Toutaku soldiers. He then sheathed his Musou Saber and motioned to Aisha with his Daidaimaru held in reverse grip. "A trade, Aisha?"

Aisha looked at Daidaimaru for a moment before she motioned to Gaim with her Green Dragon Crescent Blade. "A trade it is."

Gaim snatched the Green Dragon Crescent Blade from her hand while Aisha took his Daidaimaru before they sprinted off to face their enemies.

Despite the odd shape of the Daidaimaru, Aisha managed to use it without a problem. It was light, durable, and very sharp as it cut through the armor the Toutaku soldiers wore without much trouble. It was shown as she cut Toutaku Soldiers left and right faster than she could ever imagine. She parried a sword slash before slashing the wielder in the chest. Aisha pivoted on her foot and swung Daidaimaru widely and slashed three soldiers down in one swing. She paused briefly to admire the Arms Weapon before reengaging the Toutaku Soldiers with renewed vigor.

Gaim didn't waste his time to use his newly acquired weapon against the unfortunate Toutaku soldiers he encountered. A single swing from the Green Dragon Crescent Blade felled a group of soldiers before the Armored Rider parried a sword strike with its shaft. He smashed the butt of the weapon at the soldier before decapitating him. Gaim swung his weapon at the incoming soldiers before he vaulted over a soldier who tried to sneak on him and slashed the hapless soldier in the back as he landed. He eyed the soldiers around him before twirling his borrowed weapon above his head and charged at them.

Meanwhile, Baron was laughing as he charged with reckless abandon through the rank of Toutaku Soldiers.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" Baron yelled as he swung his Banaspear several times. Each swing took down several soldiers and thinning their numbers with ease. "Is that all you losers got!?"

The soldiers fell for his taunts and charged at him en masse. The Unmatched Red Knight grinned behind his mask and sliced his Lockseed twice with the Cutting Knife switch.

"COME ON! BANANA AU LAIT!"

"Here's a greeting from me!" Baron bent his knees as he ran his left hand along the Banaspear which was glowing with yellow aura as energy was being pooled into it. "In the immortal words of Baron, Spear Victory!"

The Knight-themed Rider then thrust his Banaspear forward as the stored energy released in the shape of yellow spiraling energy discharge that pierced through the Toutaku soldiers as if they were never there in the first place.

"And that's why I'm awesome!" Baron punched his free hand to the air before gouging a soldier that tried to sneak up on him.

"You're awfully chatty for someone who is in a fight for his life," noted Ryugen dryly as several Toutaku soldiers fell from her shoots.

"It's because I'm happy that I can kick some asses!" quipped Baron as he struck down several soldiers with a single swing of his Banaspear.

"Adrenaline junkie…Battle maniac…" Ryugen muttered, kicking a soldier that was too close to her comfort and firing at another group.

"And that's why you love me, Yuki-chan!" laughed Baron as he yanked his Banaspear out from the body of a dying soldier and slashed several soldiers while he did so.

"I don't love you!" retorted Ryugen with a blushing face as she gunned down several unlucky soldiers. She pulled the hammer of her Budou Ryuhou and pivoted on her foot as she fired, killing several soldiers around her. "There's no way I'd love an idiot like you!"

"Of course you do," Baron swung his spear in circular pattern, striking several soldiers. "You're just in denial."

Ryugen's eyebrow twitched furiously. 'Don't shoot the idiot…Don't shoot the idiot….Don't shoot the idiot…!' She then vented out her frustration by firing at every Toutaku soldier she saw and then sliced her Budou Lockseed once.

"HAI! BUDOU SQUASH!"

Ryugen took aim as energy charged at the end of Budou Ryuhou in the form of a purple energy sphere. She then pulled the trigger and the purple sphere morphed into a dragon's head and rapid energy shots fired from its gaping maw. Ryugen spun on her heels and kept firing, felling many soldiers around her. Baron yelped and ducked when he saw the attack was coming at him, or more precisely, the soldiers behind him.

Baron stood up and looked at the aftermath of the attack before turning at Ryugen and yelled at her. "Oi! Watch where you're shooting!"

"Oh? I missed? Don't worry, I won't miss next time," replied Ryugen calmly as she pulled the hammer of Budou Ryuhou, much to Baron's incredulous shock.

"You were actually aiming at me!?"

Aisha struck down a group of soldiers and commented at the ridiculous sight before her. "They actually have a quarrel at a time like this?"

"They are like an old married couple. Expect nothing else from them, Aisha," replied Gaim as he swept his borrowed weapon, striking down several soldiers before him.

Sonken, who had joined them earlier, looked at the spectacle with a degree of incredulousness. Ryugen and Baron quarreled while killing the soldiers around them. It was ridiculous, yet worked like a charm.

"…I never thought Ryugen could lose her cool like that," commented the Queen of Son Go. It was somewhat unbelievable to see her usually calm and composed strategist acting like this.

"Shun can get under anyone's skin, especially Yuki," replied Gaim, slashing the Green Dragon Crescent Blade at several soldiers. He then turned to Aisha. "Aisha, trade back!"

Aisha saw Gaim threw her Green Dragon Crescent Blade at her and she caught it as she threw Daidaimaru at him. Gaim caught his Arms Weapon and combined it with his Musou Saber before locking the Orange Lockseed on the Drive Launch unit of the latter.

"LOCK ON!"

Gaim then charged at the Toutaku Soldiers as his weapon started to count.

"1."

The Armored Rider slashed at a group of soldiers before switching his attention to another group.

"10."

Gaim stabbed a soldier before he dislodged his weapon and slashed at another.

"100."

Gaim jumped and struck a soldier as he pivoted on his foot and slashed wide, striking several soldiers with ease.

"1,000."

Several Toutaku soldiers charged at the Peerless Blue Swordsman, but he easily dispatched them one by one with a well placed slash on each of them.

"10,000!"

Gaim twirled his weapon above his head as both blades flared up with orange energy before he went charging in the soldiers' direction with a battle cry.

"Haaaaaaah!"

"ORANGE CHARGE!"

"ORYAAAAAH!" he shouted as he dug his heels into the ground and slashed wide, firing a large energy slash in the shape of orange slice that went through the Toutaku Soldiers with ease, killing them off before their body exploded in a fiery explosion.

Gaim looked around to see the rest of the advance force was fighting the Toutaku faction soldiers. He and the other Riders as well as Aisha had been picking off the most of them, so the soldiers would be having an easier time to fight and holding their enemies back until the main army joined in.

Until then, Gaim would have to thin out the crowd and he had the right tool to do it. He grabbed the Pine Lockseed and unlocked it before securing it on his vacant Sengoku Driver.

"PINE!"

"LOCK ON!"

The Orange Arms and Daidaimaru disappeared in motes of rainbow-colored light as a Crack opened overhead with the Pine Armor Parts descending from it. Gaim then sliced the Lockseed open to initiate the transformation sequence.

"SOIYA! PINE ARMS! FUNSAI DESTROY!"

The Pine Armor Parts dropped onto his shoulders and disassembled to become Gaim's new armor. It generated a yellow 'juice' splash as the Arms Weapon appeared in his hands, completing the transformation.

"Shall we dance?" asked Gaim to the soldiers who watched his Arms Change incredulously as he hefted his new weapon.

Gaim swung the Pine Iron by the hilt as its pineapple-shaped head bashed into several soldiers, killing them. He then pulled his weapon back and twirled it above his head before throwing it. The Pine Iron smashed through the armor of the Toutaku soldiers with ease. Gaim swung his weapon again and this time he nailed a spearman in the face before smashing the Pine Iron at the group of soldiers who tried to attack him from behind. Gaim then threw his weapon at a soldier, but instead smashing his face he used the chains to wrap the Pine Iron around his neck and used the soldier as a living club against his comrades instead. He pulled his weapon before loosening the chains and kicked the unlucky soldier with all of his strength.

"Who wants some more!?" asked Gaim challengingly as he twirled his Pine Iron. He then charged at the Toutaku Army, Pine Iron swung around to bash the hapless soldiers left and right.

Baron slashed another group of soldiers when he saw Gaim had change into his Pine Arms and plowed through the ranks of the Toutaku Army with utmost ease thanks to Pine Arms' enhanced strength.

"Can't have my buddy to be the only cool one here," Baron unclipped a spare Lockseed from the holder on his right side. It bore the image of a red and yellow mango with the code L.S.-11 written in black. "Alright, let's make this party wilder!" he declared as he unlocked it.

"MANGO!"

A Crack opened above Baron's head and the Mango Armor Parts descended from it. If anything, the new Armor Parts didn't look like it was made from metal like any other Armor Parts seen so far. Baron swapped his currently equipped Banana Lockseed with its Mango-based counterpart and secured it to the Driver before he sliced it open. The core image showed diced mango and the back lid image showed the image of a war hammer based on a mango.

"LOCK ON!"

"COME ON!"

The Mango Armor Parts split in half as Baron's Banana Arms dispersed into motes of light and it landed on his shoulder. The split parts revealed a pair of silver trimmed shoulder armors with diced mango decoration and the front part flipped down to become Baron's new chest piece which resembled a man's torso with diced mango on the abdomen. The split parts moved further to the back and became pair of red capes with yellow lining inside. His helmet attachment now resembled diced mango and had a pair of horns that curved downward with a short Mohawk on top. His armor generated a yellow 'juice' splash effect as his new Arms Weapon was summoned to his hand—a war hammer with silver and black shaft and its head was based on diced mango—and his visor lit up yellow.

"MANGO ARMS! FIGHT OF HAMMER!"

Baron hefted the Mango Punisher with both of his hands as he yelled out his challenge. "Who wants a piece of mango with an extra smash to his face?"

He let out a battle cry as he charged at the Toutaku soldiers. Baron swung his Mango Punisher and bashed several soldiers in the head before he sent another group flying with another swing of his mango-shaped war hammer. The knight-themed Rider then thrust his weapon forward, hitting a soldier in the stomach before he tossed the poor man away at another soldier. He turned and swung his Mango Punisher at a spearman who tried to block it, but his weapon broke immediately and his head was bashed by the heavy weapon.

"Come and get it!" Baron roared as he swung his weapon widely, sending several soldiers flying.

Ryugen was busy gunning several Toutaku soldiers with her Budou Ryuhou. The archers of her unit had fired the support fire like she ordered them and thinned the numbers of their enemy nicely, but there are still quite a lot of soldiers around. She ducked a spear stab and kicked the soldier away and shot him in the back before quickly turning around to shoot another group of soldiers. She then rolled to the side to dodge a sword slash and side rolled again to dodge a spear stab. She then retaliated against the soldiers that attacked her by shooting them.

"Looks like I have to go melee," commented Ryugen as she took a new Lockseed from the holder on her right. It has the image of a kiwi and its code was L.S.-13. She then pushed the button on the side to unlock it.

"KIWI!"

The Kiwi Armor Parts then descended from the opening Crack above Ryugen's head as she swapped her Budou Lockseed with the Kiwi Lockseed in her hand.

"LOCK ON!"

Ryugen then sliced the Kiwi Lockseed open, revealing the kiwi slice on the core and the image on the back lid showed a bladed wheel with kiwi slice in the middle.

"HAI!"

The Budou Arms disappeared from Ryugen's body as the Kiwi Armor Parts descended and landed on her head and shoulders as it disassembled. The top and the right side parts folded down to become right shoulder armor which was brown like kiwi skin while the next slice after top parts and the left side folded down to be her left shoulder armor which was green like a kiwi slice. The front and the back parts flipped down to become her chest armor which showed the half slice of kiwi and grayed back armor respectively. The helmet attachment was brown like kiwi skin with wide, gold-trimmed green fins on each side which resembled kiwi slices. Her visor lit up green like a kiwi slice as the armor generated a green 'juice' splash effect while summoning her Arms Weapon, a pair of wheels with bladed edges and kiwi slices in the center, completing her transformation.

"KIWI ARMS! GEKI, RIN, SEIYA-HA!"

"I admit that close range isn't my real forte," Ryugen stated as she lifted her Kiwi Gekirin. "But that doesn't mean I can't defeat you!"

Due to her large and awkward weapons and the fact she hadn't use them very often, Ryugen was at first having some difficulties in using her weapons. Nevertheless, she managed to cover up for those weaknesses and killed the soldiers she encountered. Ryugen slashed with her right hand weapon and slashed her left hand weapon to kill the soldiers that tried to engage her. She then spun around briefly, slashing away the soldiers that tried to surround her. Ryugen then threw her Kiwi Gekirin at the incoming soldiers and the Arms weapon cut through them before returning to her waiting hands.

"Okay then, come and get it!" challenged Ryugen, causing the Toutaku soldiers to charge at her.

---

Touka watched the battle between the advance force and the army stationed in Shisui Pass from the telescope she borrowed from Shuri. Next to her, Sousou was also watching the battle from the telescope loaned to her by Jun'iku. The blonde queen lowered her telescope and commented with a small smirk on her face.

"Looks like Kusanagi has everything under his control on the frontlines."

"It's not only Yamato-sama. Aisha-chan, Shun-san, Yuki-san, and Sonken-dono are also doing their part too," replied Touka. She then lowered her own telescope and turned to Sousou. "I think we should join them now, Sousou-san."

"In a moment. I wish to see what else Kusanagi can do," said Sousou as she looked through the telescope once more.

"But if we wait too long, then the advance force will take more loses," argued Touka.

Sousou turned to her and looked at her neutrally. "I don't see the reason why we have to move out the main army now."

"Yamato-sama, Aisha-chan and the others need our help!" pleaded the second in command of Shoku.

"As far as I can see, Kusanagi and his friends, as well as Kan'u and Sonken can handle things over there," replied Sousou.

"I know that! But the soldiers…!"

"They are acceptable sacrifices for us to obtain victory," the blonde cut her off, causing Touka to freeze. "Haven't you ever heard the saying, 'there is no victory without sacrifice'?"

There was tense silence between the two of them before the rose haired girl spoke. "I have, but it is wrong to just sacrifice your people like that!"

"As long as I win, it doesn't matter how much or who I have to sacrifice in process," said Sousou firmly. "A ruler must not trust anyone." Here an unreadable look crossed her blue eyes briefly before she continued. "You may use your vassals as you wish and listen to their advice, but never put your trust in them completely because they will betray you in the end."

"…You don't even trust Kakouton-san, Kakouen-san, and Jun'iku-san who are entirely devoted to you?" asked Touka in a small voice.

"They have their use and that is as far as I can trust them," answered Sousou. "They know about how I view them and they have no problem with it. Their loyalty to me is truly commendable."

Another silence fell between the ruler and the second-in-command, but this one was noticeably less tense. After a moment, Touka spoke up.

"I see…So that's why I feel that you and Yamato-sama are so different."

"Oh? Do tell what makes me how I am so different from Kusanagi," inquired Sousou.

"Yamato-sama for one, trusts us. Not only as vassals, but also regard us as friends," answered Touka, recalling the moment when Yamato revealed about his insecurities and his almost lonely childhood. For all of his achievements and titles he held, she and the other Shoku Generals knew that inside he was a boy who wanted friends. True friends, just like how he viewed Shun and Yuki. "He admitted and shared his ideals, his dreams, his likes, even confiding his fears and his weaknesses with us. For the trust he put in us, we will never betray him and leave his side. He supports us and we support him. That is how everything goes in Shoku."

"I never thought that Kusanagi as a person who trusts another so easily like that. He even admitted his weakness to you. A foolish move, if I have to say," commented Sousou as she crossed her arms.

"You may see it as a foolish and reckless thing, Sousou-san, but I believe that is the right thing to do," replied Touka, her blue eyes stared right into Sousou' own. "Both Yamato-sama and I, as well as our comrades know that we have our own weaknesses, so we try to cover our weaknesses by working together and improving ourselves. To quote what he said once, "Acknowledging and admitting your weakness is the first step to become stronger."."

Sousou was silent as she listened to what Shoku's second-in-command had to say. What took her attention the most was what Touka quoted from Yamato. For her, admitting one's weakness to anyone meant she would have to watch her back constantly because someone would eventually betray her. How Yamato viewed his own weaknesses were alien to her, but if anything, the respect the Queen of Sou Gi had towards her Shoku counterpart had increased several times fold. Now she really looked forward for the day when she would claim him as hers.

Shaking her head, she then refocused toward the real issue at hand. "Nevertheless, we can't move the main army now. General Kayuu's forces and her flag are nowhere to be seen." Sousou then narrowed her eyes at the gates of Shisui Pass. "She must be planning something and we will have to wait for it."

Touka looked at her for a moment before she turned toward the battlefield where her lord and sworn sister were fighting. She clasped her hands and prayed, 'Yamato-sama, Aisha-chan, please be careful!'

Just then, an army bearing the flag of Ka exited the gates of Shisui Pass. It seemed that General Kayuu was finally going to join the battle. Touka and Sousou were about to order the main force of the alliance to attack when they saw something that shocked them.

Several zipper-like portals opened out of thin air and creatures of unearthly nature jumped out of them.

"What in the world are those?" asked Sousou.

Touka gasped in shock and fright. "No…Those are Inves! The enemy has gotten their hands on Lockseeds and used those to summon them!"

---

Several minutes earlier…

Gaim connected the Pine Iron and Musou Saber together, activating the Kusarigama Mode before he slashed the nearest soldier and bashed another with the pineapple-shaped chained flail. He twirled his body and smashed another group of soldiers, following up with a slash from his sword. He pulled the Pallette Slide on the Musou Saber and emptied his magazine at a group of soldiers then swung his Pine Iron to break a sword that was intended to slash him. He then killed the wielder with a swift decapitating slash. Another swing from his Pine Iron sent a group of soldiers flying and a wide slash from Musou Saber struck several soldiers down.

The Samurai-themed Rider then reached for his Sengoku Driver and sliced the Pine Lockseed twice.

"SOIYA! PINE AU LAIT!"

He twirled the Pine Iron section of his weapon above his head rapidly as it glowed with yellow aura, telltale sign of energy being charged into it. The glow then solidified into an energy pineapple projection which seemed to grow as more energy charged into it. Pivoting on his foot, Gaim then swung the chain array with a powerful swing and it fired a giant energy pineapple missile. The energy projectile bulldozed through the rank of Toutaku soldiers with utmost ease, before it exploded as it hit Shisui Pass' wall.

Gaim then turned to the enemy soldiers who regarded him in fear and wariness. He stretched the chains of his weapon as he made slow strides toward them.

"If you have what it takes to dance with me on my stage…" he started before he broke into full sprint, "…Then come!"

Baron swung his Mango Punisher to send several soldiers flying before he spun around and slammed his weapon into an unsuspecting soldier. Several of his enemies tried to surround him with their spears poised to stab him. The Armored Rider smirked behind his mask as he waited for them to come with his mango-shaped war hammer held ready. Once they were in range, Baron spun in place and broke their weapons in process. Another spin in the counter clockwise direction sent the soldiers flying by the courtesy of the Mango Punisher. Seeing another wave of soldiers charging at him, Baron didn't bother to suppress the chuckle that escaped his lips.

"Aww, you guys flatter me so much with how much attention you are giving me," he said as he sliced the Mango Lockseed twice with the Cutting Knife switch. "Unfortunately, I don't swing that way."

"COME ON! MANGO AU LAIT!"

"So here's my rejection for your unwanted advance," stated the Unmatched Red Knight as the Mango Punisher glowed with intense yellow light. He then swung his weapon at the incoming soldiers as he yelled out, "Punish Mash!"

An energy projectile in the shape of Mango Punisher's head shot forward, crashing through the ranks of the Toutaku soldiers with ease. In the end of its trail, the projectile split into multiple pieces like a shotgun blast, pelting several unlucky soldiers and severely injuring them.

"And that's ladies and gentleman, is how you deal with pesky admirers," commented Baron as he rested his weapon on his shoulder.

Ryugen was busy fending off the soldiers as she slashed them with her Kiwi Gekirin. She then threw her weapons at the oncoming group of soldiers before she caught them and spun in place, striking down more soldiers that tried to surround her. She then blocked a spear stab from a soldier that tried to sneak up on her before she slashed his chest open. Ryugen did several backward flips before she slashed wide, striking several soldiers that tried to surround her.

"I'm tired of dealing with you up close," Ryugen growled as she sliced the Lockseed locked into her Driver twice.

"HAI! KIWI AU LAIT!"

The Kiwi Gekirin lit up with green aura as energy was being charged into it. Ryugen held them ready at her side, waiting for the charging soldiers to enter her range. Once they did, she threw her weapon at them as they spun like a pair of deadly buzzsaws surrounded by a green aura that resembled a kiwi slice. They cut into the ranks of Toutaku soldiers and then returned to Ryugen's waiting hands, before the soldiers' bodies exploded in flames.

A group of soldiers attempted to attack Ryugen from behind, only to have the Pine Iron smashed into them for their trouble while another group was sent flying from a single swing of Baron's Mango Punisher.

"Oi, oi! No ganging up on our friend like that!" Baron yelled as he bashed a soldier and turned to bash another.

Gaim threw the Musou Saber and used the chains attached to it to manipulate the sword, slashing any Toutaku soldiers in its path. The blue Armored Rider caught his sword and asked to Ryugen. "Are you alright, Yuki?"

"I'm alright. Thanks for the help," nodded Ryugen in reply before she turned towards the direction of Shisui Pass. Her eyes narrowed behind her mask. "Where is the enemy general in charge of this place? I haven't seen her or her flag anywhere."

Baron frowned as he looked around. "Now that's weird. I thought Kayuu was the type to take us head on. You think she has something planned for us?"

"Maybe so. She probably has something in store to deal with us personally," said Gaim as he hefted his weapons ready."Keep your guard up and be ready for anything."

"Will do."

"Right."

Baron and Ryugen replied immediately as they held their weapons at the ready. Just then they heard one of the soldiers called out loudly.

"The gates are opening!"

True to his words the gates of Shisui Pass and another wave of Toutaku Army joined the battle. The flag they marched under had the character of Ka and they were led by a silver-haired woman in revealing, purple clothes and she was wielding an axe-topped halberd.

"That woman must be Kayuu, the general in charge of this place," observed Gaim.

"Just what's with the warrior women of this era and revealing clothes?" muttered Baron and his friends turned at him questioningly, "I mean, if this is a warring era, shouldn't they wear more protective clothes like armor or something? Are armors besides the one we wear useless?"

Ryugen looked at Kayuu for a moment and she couldn't argue with him. "…As much as I want to disagree with you, I'm really inclined to agree."

"Wonder about that later. We still have a job to do," Gaim reminded them. He was about to attack when he saw the item in Kayuu's hand. "That's…!"

Ryugen also saw what she was wielding and couldn't hide her disbelief. "How did she get that!?"

Kayuu meanwhile was smirking as she held out her Lemon Lockseed. She might hate to use the item that their 'benefactors' gave to them, but she thought it was a fair game to use it on the Anti-Toutaku Alliance since they had underestimated her. The number of the soldiers who received these Lockseeds was only around 40 or so including herself, but she was sure that the Inves summoned will be more than a match for the Anti-Toutaku Alliance and the so-called Messengers of Heaven.

"Alright boys, let's teach them a lesson for underestimating us!" ordered Kayuu as her men readied their Lockseeds. Most of them were Himawari Lockseeds, but several Pine, Ichigo, Budou and Mango Lockseeds were also seen with them. "Unlock them!"

She then unlocked her Lockseed with her men following soon after. Cracks opened up and Inves crossed over from their home in Helheim Forest. Many of them were Elementary Inves with some Berserker State Inves thrown in together, like the Shika and Komori Inves as well as several others. Some were shaped like an Asian dragon with jade scales all over their elongated bodies as well as clawed hands and feet. They were the Seiryuu Inves. Some were shaped like Byakko Inves, but their heads resembled a lion more than a tiger, they were the Hekija Inves. Some looked like a humanoid lion with an overall red coloring and slightly armored bodies with snarling faces called Lion Inves.

There was only one that looked slightly different than the others. The new Inves had a pair of black, curved upward horns on the either side of its head. It also had a muscular torso with high-collars and broad shoulders, both had black highlights and silver trims. Its arms and legs looked strong with the muscles they packed. Its forearms were protected by armored gauntlets and it had armored shins as well as hooves as feet. This Inves was the Ushi Inves, a red Berserker state Inves which was based on a bull.

"Remember not to drop these things!" Kayuu barked to her soldiers before she ordered to the Ushi Inves she summoned. "Attack them!"

The Ushi Inves roared and charged at the alliance army with its brethren following behind it. Seeing the Inves horde coming for his army, Gaim quickly made his decision.

"Do not engage those monsters! Leave them to us Riders! Focus on the soldiers instead!" Gaim then called out to Aisha and Sonken, "Aisha! Sonken-dono! Both of you are in charge of our soldiers!"

"Understood, Gaim-sama!" replied Aisha.

"What are those creatures?" asked Sonken, warily eyeing the incoming Inves.

Aisha grimaced, trying to come up with a good explanation about Inves without revealing too much to Sonken. She really hated lying, but the consequences of letting Helheim Forest be known outweighed her disdain. She then recalled what Inves were once and spoke to Son Go's Queen. "Those are Inves, the damned who were found unworthy of the power granted by the Fruits of Heaven. They were cursed to be mindless beasts forever because of their greed."

The pink-haired girl looked at the Inves once more before she replied, "I see. And why has Yamato-dono ordered the soldiers to not engage them?"

"It is because Inves carried a deadly disease with them. A single wound from them is enough to infect a human," answered Aisha.

It was Sonken's turn to grimace from the information she received from Aisha. If that was true, then Gaim's order was a sound one.

"Follow Yamato-dono's order! Do not let those monsters touch or wound you! Leave them to the Messengers of Heaven and focus on the soldiers!" ordered Sonken.

"Wouldn't it be better if you ordered the soldiers to retreat? You know what the Inves can do," questioned Ryugen.

"I know, but the Toutaku soldiers Army could overwhelm us if we had our soldiers retreat now," answered Gaim as he readied his Pine Iron and prepared to battle the Inves. "We maybe Kamen Riders, but we can still can get tired, especially when fighting many enemies like this."

Baron and Ryugen looked around and had to admit Gaim was right. Even with their power, they will be hard pressed to fight the Toutaku Soldiers and those many Inves at once. Eventually the best plan for now was to keep the soldiers around to fight the Toutaku Army while they dealt with the Inves.

"Alright, so what's the plan, Yamato?" asked Baron.

"You and me will take them head on," said Gaim to his friend who nodded at him before turning to Ryugen. "You will be our and our army's support. Snipe them from long range and don't let those Inves got close to our soldiers."

"Got it," she replied as she grabbed her Budou Lockseed. "I'll change back to Budou Arms then."

Gaim shook his head and reached for his back. He pulled out one of the three new Lockseeds he gained on Helheim Forest and gave it to Ryugen. "Use this instead. It has more firepower and longer range than Budou Arms."

Ryugen examined the new Lockseed she got from her friend and couldn't help but voiced out her curiosity. "A dragon fruit Lockseed? This is new."

"That's Pitaya Lockseed. I got it from Helheim Forest. I'll explain later!" said Gaim as he ran to intercept the Inves horde.

"Hey! Wait up!" Baron followed after him.

Ryugen looked at her new Lockseed one more time before she unlocked it. "Time to find out what you can do then."

"PITAYA!"

A Crack opened above her as the Pitaya Armor Parts descended from it. It looked like a red, metallic giant dragon fruit with scaly skin and yellow-green coloring on the tip of the scales. Ryugen removed the Kiwi Lockseed and locked the Pitaya Lockseed to her Sengoku Driver.

"LOCK ON!"

The Chinese Erhu music played shortly as Kiwi Arms dispersed into motes of light before she sliced the Lockseed open, revealing its core image to be a sliced dragon fruit with magenta flesh and black seeds scattered randomly around it. The back lid image showed a bazooka based on a dragon fruit.

"HAI!"

The Pitaya Armor Parts landed on her shoulder before disassembling itself. The top and side parts split into and lowered themselves to be Ryugen's new shoulder armor with scaly texture, similar to that of a dragon fruit's. The front parts folded in half and became her chest piece with two larger and more prominent scales stood in the front while the back parts folded and grayed out. Her helmet attachment now had the same scale-like patterns like the rest of her armor. The side head decoration was made of three larger and more prominent scales with yellow-green tip which extended sideways and the top decoration was green tassel which curled and spiraled inward. Her visor lit up in magenta color with black specks scattered in no discernable pattern as a bazooka with dragon fruit-like barrel mounted over her shoulder—the Arms weapon of this form, the Pitaya Gouryuhou. Ryugen grabbed its handle as the armor produced magenta juice to complete the transformation.

"PITAYA ARMS! GOURYU, HOU, HA-HA-HA!"

Ryugen looked over her new form and new weapon briefly before she commented. "A little heavy, but this ought to get the job done."

She then took aim at a group of Elementary Inves and Toutaku army and pulled the trigger. A powerful magenta blast shot from the barrel and hit the ground explosively, sending the soldiers and Inves flying. What surprised Ryugen was the fact that the blast fired from her weapon was powerful enough to obliterate an Elementary Inves in one direct hit. The fact that it had a small to no recoil at all made her like the new Arms already. It had its drawback like its heavy armor making her movement rather slow and sluggish, so the Pitaya Arms was best suited for support and long range bombardment only.

"Alright, I can do this!" She then took aim at a Komori Inves and pulled the trigger three times. The blast hit true on their intended target and the Inves was destroyed at the third hit. Ryugen aimed at several different targets and the blasts sent their victim flying or outright destroyed them.

As planned, Gaim and Baron were dealing with the Inves horde up-close and personal.

Gaim slashed a Shika Inves with the Musou Saber section and swung his Pine Iron twice at a Seiryuu Inves, knocking it back. Gaim dodged the Seiryuu Inves's fire breath before he threw his Pine Iron at it, striking it head before the Armored Rider sent it sprawling with another bash. The Shika and three Elementary Inves tried to attack him from behind but Gaim already reacted first and threw his Pine Iron at them knocking them back. The Shika Inves recovered first and charged at him, swiping its claw wildly. Gaim dodged and weaved between its wild swipes and when the Inves overreached its attack, he slashed it with his Musou Saber and bashed it with Pine Iron as it staggered away.

The three Elementary Inves at this point had recovered tried to join in to surround him, but the Peerless Blue Swordsman already reacted first and swung his Pine Iron, binding them together by its chains. He then reached his Cutting Knife switch and pressed it once.

"SOIYA! PINE SQUASH!"

"Hah!" Gaim jumped high and he kicked his right leg out at the apex. Rows of pineapple slice appeared between him and the Inves as he was pushed towards his target, going through the slices. "SEIHAAA!" he yelled as his kick struck the bound Inves with explosive force, killing them.

He quickly stood up and yanked his Pine Iron back to him before he used it to bash the Seiryuu Inves, once on the body and twice on the face. Gaim then slashed his Musou Saber at the Shika Inves twice on the chest before he bashed it on the head with Pine Iron. The Seiryuu Inves used its fire breath attack again and Gaim sidestepped its attack as he hurled the Pine Iron at it, hitting it strong enough to stun the dragon kaijuu. The Shika Inves came from behind, but the Samurai-themed Rider already saw it coming and ducked under its attack and slashed its back before sending it tumbling toward the Seiryuu Inves with a powerful bash from Pine Iron.

As the two Inves collided with each other, Gaim removed the Pine Lockseed from his Driver and locked it into Musou Saber's Drive Launch.

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

Both Pine Iron and Musou Saber flared with intense, flaming yellow aura as they were both channeling power from the Pine Lockseed. Gaim dashed toward the two Inves as he let out a battle cry, "Haaaaah!"

"PINE CHARGE!"

Gaim slashed his Musou Saber at the Shika Inves in the chest twice in a cross-like pattern, with pine slice projected in each swing, before he slashed horizontally as he spun on his place. The Shika Inves body slackened when the final slash landed. Sparks were emitted from where Gaim had slashed it, before it fell over and its body exploded in a fiery blaze. The Armored Rider turned his attention toward the Seiryuu Inves and twirled the glowing Pine Iron above his head before throwing it upward, where it seemed to grow to enormous size before Gaim brought it down toward the dragon kaijin by pulling its chain hard. The enlarged weapon crushed the Inves with explosive force, sending fire and 'pineapple flesh' flying in all directions as it destroyed its intended target.

Baron bashed several Elementary Inves with his Mango Punisher before parrying the claws of a Hekija Inves and kicing the creature away. He smashed his weapon at the lion-headed Inves to send it flying. The Elementary Inves had recovered and once again tried to attack the Knight-themed Rider, but he was more than ready to counter them. The first Inves swiped its claw at him and Baron ducked under the attack and sidestepped to dodge a swipe from another Inves. The last Elementary Inves tried to have a go at him, but Baron smashed his weapon at it on its back and sent it tumbling away to his brethren.

He reached for his Driver and sliced his Mango Lockseed once.

"COME ON! MANGO SQUASH!"

"Have some of this!" yelled Baron as the Mango Punisher glowing with charged energy. He then charged forward and swung the energized weapon once the three Inves were in his range, killing them in one sweep.

He only managed to breathe out when fireballs hit him in the back, causing him to yelp in pain and stumble from the attack. He recovered quickly and looked at the one who had attacked him, the Hekija Inves from before and a Byakko Inves.

"That's cheap, you overgrown kitty rejects!" yelled Baron before he charged at them. "You'll pay for that!"

The Hekija and Byakko Inves roared their reply. The Hekija Inves swiped its claw at Baron who parried with the shaft of his weapon and bashed the lion-headed Inves before slamming the head of the Mango Punisher at the Byakko Inves. He grunted and lifted the Inves before throwing it at its brethren. Baron watched as they tumbled over and got tangled up as they fell over and the Unmatched Red Knight didn't waste any time to charge at them. The Inves pair quickly recovered and shot fireballs at him and since he was aware of it this time around, he used his Mango Punisher to knock the fireballs out before he smashed his weapon at them. He bashed the Byakko Inves in the chest and knocked the Hekija Inves with the butt of his weapon. A single swing from his Mango Punisher sent the two Inves flying.

Deciding to finish them quickly, Baron sliced his Lockseed three times to activate the strongest finisher function in his disposal.

"COME ON! MANGO SPARKING!"

The Mango Punisher glowed with furious yellow aura as Baron held it ready and when the energy charging was completed, he swung his weapon as he pivoted on his foot. An energy missile in the shape of the Mango Punisher's head shot from the weapon, but this time it was about twice as large as the last one. It crashed through the Inves with ease before it bulldozed through the ranks of Elementary Inves and Toutaku soldiers behind them.

"Now that's what I call a lucky strike," Baron commented on his handwork. "Not that I'm complaining though."

Gaim side-rolled to dodge a Komori Inves who swooped down at him before he twirled his Pine Iron to gather momentum. He then threw his weapon at the bat kaijin and the chain bound themselves on its leg.

"Now come here!" shouted Gaim as he pulled the chain, dragging the Inves along before reaching for his Sengoku Driver.

"SOIYA! PINE AU LAIT!"

The Musou Saber flared with yellow aura and once the Inves was on his range, Gaim struck it down with a powerful downward slash, scattering out pineapple slices as the Inves exploded.

He didn't have a moment of reprieve when his instincts were screaming at him to move. A Lion Inves jumped at him, bearing its claw and knowing he couldn't dodge in time, Gaim had to block its attack using the large shoulder armor of Pine Arms. He staggered slightly from the double claw slash, but he quickly recovered and fired at the Inves before he bashed his Pine Iron at the Inves. The Inves tried to get back at him, but a thrown Mango Punisher struck it and Baron followed with a flying side kick that nailed the Inves.

"Thanks for the help," said Gaim.

"You're welcome!" replied Baron with a thumbs-up. He recovered his Mango Punisher and looked around to see Inves and Toutaku soldiers surrounded them. "Man, we sure are famous for some reason."

"Now you have experienced what I have to deal with at school on a daily basis," Gaim shot back good naturedly.

"I envy you not, buddy," laughed Baron slightly.

The two Riders were ready to engage their surrounding enemies when magenta colored blasts struck the Inves and soldiers, sending them flying. They saw Ryugen was firing her Pitaya Gouryuhou at steady pace, aiming for any enemies in her sight. She fired at the enemies around her friends, clearing a good deal of them and called out for Gaim and Baron.

"Are you guys alright?!" Ryugen asked.

"We're fine! Thanks for your support, Yuki!" Gaim shouted back.

"Remind me to kiss you when this is over, Yuki-chan~!" Baron chimed in.

Despite wearing a helmet, you could see a tick mark develop on the back of Ryugen's head. "Yamato, be a good friend and smack the idiot for me would you?" requested the lone female Rider and Gaim did as she asked. "Thank you."

Sonken, who had joined her alongside with Aisha several minutes ago to help Ryugen, almost sweatdropped if the situation wasn't as serious as they were in now.

"Was that necessary?" she asked.

"It is," replied Ryugen calmly. She then carefully took aim with her Pitaya Gouryuhou and fired. "Someone needs to control Shun or else he will run his mouth off again."

Aisha slashed a group of soldiers who tried to get close to Ryugen and replied to the gunslinger Rider. "Yamato-sama was right. Both of you are like an old married couple."

Behind her mask, Ryugen blushed furiously causing her to nearly misfire if she hadn't corrected it quickly. "He said what!?"

"Ah, that's right the two of you did give off that kind of vibe," commented Sonken with a knowing smile.

Ryugen tried to hide her own embarrassment by firing at a group of Inves and Toutaku soldiers. She then shot back at Aisha. "Then what about you, Kan'u-san? You and Yamato also look like a couple of newlyweds!"

"What!?" gaped Aisha indignantly.

Sonken's left eyebrow twitched for unknown reason. Somehow, she felt annoyance over the mental image of Yamato and Aisha married like Yuki said. She wasn't jealous, Sonken argued to herself.

"Y-Yamato-sama and I are only a lord and his vassal! There's nothing more between us!" retorted the Black-Haired War Goddess of Shoku hurriedly as she bisected a soldier cleanly in two. She then paused as she added more. "…He does think of us as his friends and the same goes for us towards him."

Her words caused Ryugen to calm herself down. She knew of her childhood friend's secrets and insecurities. It looked like coming to this world had really helped them grow, especially Yamato. Now he had what he wanted the most: people he could call true friends just like her and Shun.

"Is that so? Then good for him," replied Ryugen as she sliced her Pitaya Lockseed twice.

"HAI! PITAYA AU LAIT!"

"Yamato, Shun! Get out of there!" called the green Rider as she jumped.

Gaim and Baron heard her call and immediately did as they told to. In mid air, Ryugen took aim with her Pitaya Gouryuhou as energy was being gathered and charged at the tip of its dragon fruit-like barrel. The magenta glow grew brighter as more energy was being stored there. Ryugen pulled the trigger and fired a magenta energy dragon with black specks all over from her weapon, roaring down at her enemies. The dragon then hit the ground, creating a massive black-specked magenta energy dome which engulfed many Toutaku soldiers and Inves.

"…Did Yuki-chan become Anavel Gato just now?" questioned Baron incredulously as he watched the aftermath of Ryugen's new finisher attack. "She didn't yell "Solomon! I have returned!" though."

"Get real," deadpanned Gaim as he looked at the attack which finally died out. Thanks to Ryugen's last attack, she wiped out a good deal of Inves and Toutaku soldiers. "Alright, now all we have to do is…"

"…To deal with that new guy," finished Baron, looking at the Ushi Inves who tried to attack a group of soldiers. Thankfully, the soldiers did as they ordered to and didn't engage it in a fight and opted to avoid it at all cost.

Grabbing a spare Lockseed from his side, Gaim then spoke to Baron. "Say Shun, what about we do a rendition of episode 13?"

"Episode 13?" questioned Baron and his eyes widened in surprise seeing the new Lockseed in Gaim's hand. "No way! You have that too!?"

"Maybe you should visit Helheim forest once in the future. Who knows what you could find there?" replied Gaim as he unlocked the Banana Lockseed.

"BANANA!"

A Crack opened over Gaim's head and the familiar form of Banana Armor Parts descended from it. Gaim then swapped his Pine Lockseed with the Banana Lockseed and immediately sliced it open.

"LOCK ON!"

"SOIYA! BANANA ARMS! KNIGHT OF SPEAR!"

The Pine Arms disappeared into motes of light as Banana Armor Parts dropped onto Gaim's head and shoulders beforebecoming his new Arms. The Burn Casque headpiece was now attached to his suit's helmet and his visor lit up yellow as it became the Burn Sight. The Banaspear appeared in his hand as the armor generated yellow 'juice' to signal the completed transformation.

"That's so not fair…" groused Baron before he got ready to deal with the Ushi Inves. "You better come up with some kind of compensation, Yamato! That form is my signature Arms and copyrighted damn it!" he yelled as he charged at the Berserker State Inves.

"Drama queen," muttered Gaim, rolling his eyes behind his mask before he joined his friend.

The Ushi Inves threw a straight punch at the incoming Baron who blocked it with the shaft of his weapon. The Knight-themed Rider broke off from their deadlock and moved aside to allow Gaim to slash the Inves' chest with his Banaspear. The Inves reeled from the attack and Baron pushed on his advantage by bashing the Mango Punisher once on its head and once on its torso. Gaim then moved in and jabbed his weapon rapidly before unleashing a powerful diagonal slash that sent the Ushi Inves rolling across the ground. It recovered quickly and roared angrily at the duo before it scratched the ground with its right leg and charged at them head first. Gaim and Baron dodged the attack before it turned around and attacked at them again. They dodged, but Baron suddenly made his move by bashing its butt, sending the Inves sprawling to the ground.

Gaim looked at Baron with a degree of disbelief. "Seriously?"

"Hey, the chance presented itself to me," Baron defended his earlier action.

The Ushi Inves roared again and this time it came at Baron with a punch which he dodged. It punched again before it followed up with a headbutt, causing the red Rider to stagger as the latter connected. The Inves headbutted again and Baron reeled back several times. Gaim then moved in fast just as the Ushi Inves focused its attention on him. Gaim struck first with a powerful horizontal slash, followed by an uppercut and he finished with a strong thrust. Before it could recover, Baron was already at him with vengeance, bashing the Ushi Inves in the head and body before he spun in place and sent the Inves flying with a powerful swing. It stood up shakily before it let out an angry bellow at the two Riders, charging at them again head first.

"Really now. Again? You take the word 'bullheadedness' to a whole new level," commented Baron sarcastically as he went to intercept the Ushi Inves, Gaim was following on his side.

Baron bashed the Inves with his Mango Punisher, causing it to stagger and Gaim used this chance to land a horizontal slash to its chest. Baron tried to attack again, but the Inves dodged and retaliated with a headbutt which he blocked with the shaft of his weapon, causing Baron to be knocked back several steps. It then threw a punch that Gaim blocked with his Banaspear before he broke off and slashed the Ushi Inves by pivoting his foot before he followed up with a powerful uppercut. As the Inves was reeling from the two-hit combo, Baron then smashed his Mango Punisher at it before a strong upward swing sent the Inves staggering. Immediately soon after, Gaim blitzed in and unleashed a series of slashes before a thrust sent it reeling. His red counterpart then sent it flying with a spinning bash.

As the Ushi Inves tried to stand up, both Gaim and Baron decided to finish it off. They both reached for their Driver and sliced their Lockseed once.

"SOIYA! BANANA SQUASH!"

"COME ON! MANGO SQUASH!"

Gaim and Baron held their weapon ready as energy was channeled and gathered there. Gaim made the first move by thrusting his Banaspear forward, stabbing the Ushi Inves and immobilizing it with the banana projection that erupted from the Arms Weapon. Baron then threw his energized Mango Punisher and threw it at the trapped bull kaijin, causing fiery explosion that killed it.

Gaim then relaxed his stance and Baron caught his returning weapon when they heard the war horns from where the main army was. They saw the main army was joining the battle, bringing it to a close.

"About time! I've been wondering when they would join us," commented Baron as he rested his weapon on his shoulder.

Gaim then took a deep breath as he called out to his soldiers. "Alright people, this is it! Let's bring this battle to an end! Sonken-dono, please keep directing the army! Coordinate with Ryuubi and Sousou-dono after you rejoined them!"

"Understood!

"Baron and Ryugen will deal the rest of the Inves! The plan is still the same! Baron will be dealing the Inves up close and Ryugen will be providing support fire!"

"Just leave it to me!"

"Roger that!"

"Aisha, you're with me! We're going for Kayuu to capture her!"

"By your will, Gaim-sama!"

"The rest of you will do your best to win and survive this battle! Remember we still have one more battle after this! DO YOU HEAR ME!?"

The loud cheer from the soldiers of the advance force was nearly deafening and they could feel their vigor returned. They wouldn't let their Supreme Commander down with the expectation he had for them.

Gaim and Aisha then rushed onward along with their unit, intending to capture Kayuu. Several soldiers tried to halt them, but neither of the pair and their army stopped their advance. A wide slash from Aisha felled several soldiers while a swing from Gaim's Banaspear cleaved through a rank of soldiers without much problem. More of them tried to stop the Peerless Blue Swordsman and the Black-Haired War Goddess, but they eventually fell to their blades all the same.

Gaim growled in annoyance as he speared a soldier and slashed wide as he pulled out his weapon from the dying soldier. Reaching for his Driver, he sliced his Lockseed thrice as he called out to Aisha. "Aisha, get close to me!"

"SOIYA! BANANA SPARKING!"

Hearing the familiar call of a finisher function, Aisha immediately took her place behind her lord after she killed several soldiers that tried to stop her. Gaim twirled Banaspear above him before he stabbed the ground, causing multiple banana projection to erupt from the earth and skewer the soldiers before they exploded.

Without wasting time, Gaim and Aisha raced off to Kayuu and her unit's direction while killing several soldiers that tried to stop them. Fortunately, the cavalry had just arrived to help them.

"Archers, open fire! Make a path for Yamato-sama and Aisha-chan! Ryuubi squad will reinforce Yamato-sama and Aisha-chan's unit to help them clear through the rank of soldiers! Everyone else engage the Toutaku soldiers at will! Together, we can't lose against them!" The order Touka barked was sharp, crisp, and clear. She was now shaping up as a leader and a great figure like she was supposed to be.

"You heard what Ryuubi said! It's almost time to end this battle! All units advance! Eliminate them!" ordered Sousou, drawing out her scythe. "Prepare yourselves, soldiers of Toutaku! I, Sousou Motoku, have come to take your lives!"

Kayuu's foul mood was increasing now. Not only were those monsters she and her army had summoned almost defeated, she was now apparently falling into the Alliance's trap. It really pissed her off, but on the bright side Gaim and Kan'u Unchou were coming at her with the intent to capture her. She had no intention of being captured by them or felt like dying today and she really needed to blow some steam off. Those two coming at her was a boon which she would accept without a second thought.

"Alright men, let's go! Looks like the enemy leader is gunning for us! Let's show them who the real boss here!" shouted Kayuu. Her soldiers only gave a half-hearted reply after seeing how the Messengers of Heaven had obliterated most of their forces, either the soldiers or the monsters they had summoned. They now thought that they were fighting an impossible battle, but didn't voice it out loud for the fear of what their general would do to them.

The reinforced army of Gaim and Aisha met with Kayuu's unit head on. Soldiers fought bravely against each other, fueled by their desire to win or at least surviving the battle.

Kayuu barreled through the rank of soldiers as she intended to meet Gaim and Aisha. Several unlucky soldiers that tried to stop her fell to her Exploding Adamantine Axe. She was about to cut down another soldier when her weapon was blocked by a banana-shaped lance before she was pushed back. She looked at the one who had stopped her and she saw the familiar visage of Gaim in his Banana Arms and Aisha standing ready on his side.

"So we finally met, Yamato Kusanagi, or should I say Gaim, and Kan'u Unchou," said Kayuu with a smirk.

"You must be General Kayuu of Toutaku Faction," replied Gaim evenly as he settled into a battle stance, knees bent and Banaspear was held in reverse grip with his free hand rested on the pommel open-palmed. "I have some questions to ask you, mainly who gave you those Lockseeds?"

"Ha! You think you can demand answers from me?" scoffed Kayuu. "You will get yours, if you can defeat me!"

"Your defeat is already assured, Kayuu," retorted Aisha as she held her Green Dragon Crescent Blade ready. "It is only a matter of time before your army is defeated."

The silver haired woman scowled. "Don't underestimate me! I will defeat you both!"

"I'd like to see you try," stated Gaim, even Kayuu could see the smirk behind his mask.

"DAMN YOU!" Kayuu roared as she charged at Gaim and Aisha with her axe brandished to attack.

She swung her weapon, intending to chop Gaim's head off of his shoulders, but the Armored Rider parried with his Arms Weapon and pushed her back. Aisha then blitzed in with a series of slashes and thrusts which Kayuu blocked with some difficulties thanks to her prone positioning. She jumped back to gain some distance to recover, but Gaim was already on her case. Kayuu gritted her teeth as she blocked a powerful slash from Gaim and hurriedly tilted her head to dodge a stab, but some of her silver locks were cut and she felt a stinging pain on her cheek. The blue Armored Rider then kicked her in the stomach, disorienting the silver haired general and knocked her back.

She was holding her stomach in pain before she touched her cheek. Looking at her fingers, there was some bloods on them. Kayuu snarled as her amber eyes glared at Gaim. "You…!"

"First blood is mine," said Gaim, settling to his stance.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" screamed Kayuu as she charged at Gaim.

Aisha then moved in to intercept her. She blocked a powerful swing from Kayuu's axe. Kayuu then attacked again with a powerful overhead chop which Aisha blocked with some effort. Aisha grounded her teeth and pushed Kayuu before she retaliated with a chain of horizontal, diagonal, and backhanded slashes. Her silver-haired adversary was trying her best to parry the attack, but the speed and power behind it made it hard for her to match Aisha's attack. Kayuu was sent stumbling backwards after a particularly strong overhead slash from Aisha and her disorientation was capitalized by Gaim as he rushed at her. Kayuu blocked his thrust just in time and Gaim continued with a series of a slash, uppercut, and stabs which Kayuu blocked. The silver-haired general broke off from him and retaliated with a battle cry.

Despite being furious, Kayuu still managed to focus on her attack but she still had not realized how outclassed she was against Gaim and Aisha. Although both of them were tired from dealing with her soldiers and the Inves she summoned, they were still strong enough to fight her. Kayuu swung her axe and Gaim dodged by taking a step backward before he retaliated with a thrust which she blocked. Aisha rushed in with a battle cry, slashing her Green Dragon Blade widely to knock Kayuu off balance. She then pressed her advantage with diagonal uppercut which Kayuu parried by a vertical chop. The two warriors were in a deadlock but a beeping noise caused Aisha to break off from her adversary and Kayuu had to jump soon after before her body was riddled by holes. Gaim had drawn his Musou Saber and used its handgun function to fire at her. He reloaded and charged at Kayuu with the Musou Saber and Banaspear.

If Kayuu was having a hard time before, she was in for a trouble now. Gaim with one weapon in hand was dangerous, and with two weapons in both hands he was deadly. Kayuu learned this firsthand as she frantically tried to parry and block whatever attack Gaim sent at her. Horizontals, diagonals, overheads, spinning backhands, all were equally dangerous. They were as strong as they were before but twice as fast and Kayuu was hard pressed to survive against the deadly whirlwind of blades called Gaim. She parried a vertical slash from the Musou Saber with grounded teeth and hurriedly adjusted her weapon to block a vicious uppercut from the Banaspear. Gaim then slashed with both of his weapons in cross-like move, causing Kayuu to stagger backward. She was disoriented and her hands were numb from blocking that many attack.

The silver-haired woman tried to recover, but Aisha was already on her case, charging at her with the intent to end this battle.

"It's the end Kayuu! Yaaaaah!" Aisha let out a battle cry with her Green Dragon Crescent Blade brandished.

Kayuu growled in anger and frustration as she yelled back at her, meeting her charge head on despite her body was protesting. "Don't mock me! I'm not going down here! DIE, KAN'U!"

The Dragon Blade met with the Adamantine Axe with sparks as their wielder clashed once more. Aisha slashed at Kayuu with a strong, wide slash followed by a deadly uppercut which Kayuu blocked with her own blows. The two warriors were deadlocked against each other before breaking off, glaring at each other intensely. They kept glaring at each other for a while before they moved, charging at each other, with the intent to finish one another with this last blow.

"HAAAAAAH!"

"DIIIEEEEE!"

*CLANG!*

The two warriors now stood back to back on a distance, their weapons were still on the position of their last blow. There was tense silence between them for a good five seconds before Kayuu let out a pained grunt. A long diagonal cut from her shoulder down to her ribs appeared on her body, cutting along her halter top, and she fell to the ground, defeated. Not dead, but merely injured and unconscious. Aisha relaxed her stance and exhaled loudly. The wound she gave to Kayuu was not too deep and she should live if she got proper treatment.

She turned and saw Gaim was calmly walking toward her, pausing at the defeated general and picked the Lockseed she dropped. He resumed his walk and handed the Lemon Lockseed to her. Aisha looked at the Lockseed in her hand before she turned to Gaim in confusion.

Kan'u asked, "Gaim-sama? Why are you giving this to me?"

"To the victor goes the spoils," he answered with a smile that was hidden by his mask. "You defeated Kayuu, so that Lockseed belongs to you now."

"But you helped me to defeat her and this Lockseed may become useful to you," she argued.

"I know, but I want you to keep it with you. I already gave Touka, Rinrin, Shuri, and Hinari some Lockseeds I got from Helheim Forest. I thought it is fair for you to have one for yourself. Besides, like I said, this your trophy for defeating Kayuu," insisted Gaim.

Aisha looked at the Lockseed in her hand once again before she nodded and smiled at Gaim. "Thank you, Gaim-sama."

"You're welcome," replied Gaim as he looked at Kayuu's flag. "Well, there is one last thing left to do."Aisha nodded and watched as her lord walked toward the flag and swiftly cut it down with his Musou Saber. She watched as the flag fell to the ground and she knew what this meant. He then turned to Aisha and asked her, "Would you please do the honors, Aisha?"

The black-haired girl nodded and took a deep breath before she called out.

"Soldiers of Toutaku!" her words rang clearly across the battlefield. "I have defeated general Kayuu! If you wish to continue this battle, then go ahead and waste your life! If you think discretion is the better part of valor, then retreat now and I won't think any less of you!"

As her words finally sunk to the soldiers' mind, Gaim knew this was it. The day had just begun as the battle of Shisui Pass came to an end.

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And that's for this chapter. I hope this will meet your expectation about the Shisui Pass battle. Credits to Kamen Rider Chrome for editing the chapter. Please leave a review on your way out. I'd like to know how you feels about this chapter or the story as a whole. Thanks again for reading and have a nice day.