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.

7. The Siege of Hulao Pass

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Kamen Rider Gaim or Koihime Musou. I only own the OCs and the plot of this fanfic.

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Chapter 7: The Siege of Hulao Pass

Following Aisha's declaration of Kayuu's defeat, Toutaku's soldiers quickly fell into disarray. Without a clear chain of command or leadership, they became easy picking for the main army of the Anti-Toutaku Alliance. Many of them scrambled away for safety or surrendering immediately to the Alliance knowing they were fighting for a lost cause.

Those who kept on fighting despite knowing they were losing or were too stubborn to admit defeat were struck down without mercy. They were given the chance to run or surrender, but they didn't take it and were killed because of their own foolishness.

Gaim, Baron, and Ryugen immediately defeated the remaining Inves before they became a bigger threat and the Lockseeds were confiscated from the enemy soldiers. Half an hour after the declaration of Kayuu's defeat, the Shisui Pass fell under the control of the Anti-Toutaku Alliance.

Gaim closed his Lockseed and reverted to his Yamato persona as he looked around. The Alliance soldiers were cleaning up the aftermath of the battle. The dead were gathered and sorted by the factions they served. They would be buried with honor later on their respective homes. The wounded were getting treated and thankfully none of them were wounded by the Inves summoned by Toutaku's soldiers. Some of them were unable to fight anymore with the wounds they got. Nevertheless, he would need to count the number of casualties for later.

Hearing the footsteps and clopping approaching him, Yamato turned to see Touka, Sonken, and Sousou along with their escorts coming his way.

"Yamato-sama! Thank goodness you're alright!" said Touka with a relieved smile.

"Hello, Touka," greeted Yamato, smiling back at her. "Good work with leading the main army."

Touka blushed at the praise she received. "I-It was nothing, Yamato-sama. I only did what you asked me and Sousou-san helped me."

"Do not underestimate yourself, Ryuubi. You really did a good job and I can attest to that," remarked Sousou, causing Touka to blush even further in embarrassment.

"T-Thank you for your kind words, Sousou-san."

"I only stated the facts, do not thank me," Sousou waved her gratitude off.

Yamato then turned to Sonken who looked a little worse to wear. "Are you alright, Sonken-dono?" he asked with a little concern.

"I am alright. I'm a little tired, that's all," answered Sonken, managing to give a small, tired smile as she did so.

"If you say so."

"Ano, where's Aisha-chan Yamato-sama?" asked Touka.

"I asked her to gather the soldiers who surrendered and tie them up while the medics look after Kayuu," he answered. "I also have Shun to confiscate the Lockseeds from Toutaku's soldiers and Yuki is helping him to catalogue them."

"Still, I wonder who supplied Toutaku's soldiers with those Lockseeds? They are somewhat hard to obtain, aren't they?" mused Ryomou.

"There's only one place where a person can harvest Lockseeds and not just any people can enter that place. Furthermore, they need Drivers like ours to properly harvest them and turn them into the mature Lockseeds like the ones we know," answered Yamato.

Sousou seemed to connect the dots and her eyes widened slightly in realization. "Kusanagi, are you saying that a Rider is working for Toutaku?"

"Yes, and I think I have an idea of who they are," answered Yamato before waving his hand to dismiss the matter. "I'll explain more later. For now, we need to count the losses we have suffered from the last battle and gain information about what awaits us at Hulao Pass. After a one-hour break, we will gather for a war council and discuss the plan for Hulao Pass. Meanwhile, I'll try to dig up some information from Kayuu."

"Understood," replied Sonken. "I will send for scouts ahead to Hulao Pass."

"And I will count our casualties . I will be seeing you in an hour, Kusanagi." With that, Sousou and her entourage turned around and left.

"I have to go too. I need to relay your orders to Kannei and Shuutai," said Sonken as she turned around and left. She then paused before looking at Yamato over her shoulder. "And Yamato-dono? You may call me by my real name. It's Renfa."

Yamato nodded and smiled at her. "Alright. I'll see you in an hour, Renfa-dono."

Renfa smiled back at him as she rode her horse back to her army.

"Yamato-sama," he heard Aisha call for him. She approached him and the rest of Shoku Generals as she reported to him. "I have finished gathering and tying up the enemy soldiers who chose to surrender. Moreover, I have handed Kayuu to our medics to get her wounds treated and ordered them to tie her up once they finished."

"Thank you," replied Yamato. "May I see her now? There are some things I want to ask her." He then turned to his other generals. "Touka, you're coming with me to interrogate Kayuu. Shuri and Hinari, both of you will debrief our army and count our own casualties. Rinrin, I want you to help the army to secure Shisui Pass."

"Yes, Yamato-sama," replied Shuri and Hinari.

"Got it, Onii-chan," nodded Rinrin.

"Okay. Shall we meet Kayuu now? I am curious and wish to find out how she and her army got their hands on those Lockseeds as well," said Touka as Aisha led her and Yamato.

"We will find out, Touka," replied Yamato determinedly.

"What if Kayuu doesn't cooperate with us, Yamato-sama?" inquired Aisha.

"She will have to because she is in no position to deny us. Kayuu might be stubborn, but she is not a fool."

Aisha and Touka nodded at his words. They have no reason to doubt his judgment because Yamato had proven himself to make the right decisions every time.

---

Consciousness slowly returned to Kayuu as her eyes fluttered open. With a groan, Kayuu tried to sit up and winced at the sharp pain she felt going down from her right shoulder to across her left ribs. Looking down, she saw bandages were wrapped around her shoulder to her ribs with some more bandages wrapped around her breasts to preserve her modesty. She tried to reach for the bandages, only to finally register that her hands were tied firmly behind her back. She saw her ankles were also tied together, preventing her from moving around.

"What the hell happened?" asked Kayuu more to herself and her eyes widened as she remembered what happened before she went unconscious. "The battle! Kan'u!"

She looked around to see she was inside a room which she recognized as one of the soldiers barrack in Shisui Pass—one that was left unscathed by the earlier battle. She tried to struggle against her bonds, but they were too tight and every movement she made caused sharp spike of pain to rise from her wound. The situation finally dawned on her as Kayuu's shoulders sagged. Her bounded state finally made sense to her. She was now a prisoner to the Alliance.

"N-No way…We lost…?" she whispered as anger, frustration and regret welled up inside her. She closed her eyes to prevent tears from flowing from her eyes. "Damn it…I'm sorry, Yue, Ei, Shia, Ren, Nenene…I failed you all…"

Just then, Yamato along with Aisha and Touka entered the barracks . Kayuu turned and glared at them, trying to mask her hurt with the anger she felt at the people who were responsible for her defeat and capture.

"Kusanagi…! Kan'u…!" spat Kayuu venomously.

"It looks like you've awaken, Kayuu," replied Yamato, looking directly at Kayuu's slightly glassy eyes. "And it also seems that you are aware of your situation. That means I don't have to explain to you and can go straight to business. Now then, where did you get those Lockseeds?"

"Why do you care? Why the heck do I have to answer you?" growled the silver-haired woman.

Aisha frowned at her defiance. "I actually prefer to have you killed to raise the morale of our army, but Gaim-sama's concern about where those Lockseeds came from is more important as of now."

"Then why don't you just kill me and get it over with?" Kayuu challenged.

"Aisha-chan already told you, Kayuu-san. Yamato-sama is concerned about from where you got those Lockseeds," answered Touka patiently.

Kayuu sneered at her answer. "Again, why do you care? Are you so scared that someone else is playing with your precious toys?"

"That's right. I'm scared of someone else is playing with something they truly don't understand," Yamato's honest answer caught Kayuu off-guard. She never expected that kind of answer from him. "Those Lockseeds are very dangerous, especially when they fall into the wrong hands. They are not something that anyone should ever toy with."

"Oh really? Then why do you use them to summon your armor? Aren't you a hypocrite for using them as well?"

"Because unlike you and your men, Gaim-sama possesses an item that allows him to harness the power of those Lockseeds without a risk," answered Aisha immediately as she jumped right into her lord's defense. She then added as she glared at Kayuu. "I suggest you choose your next words carefully , Kayuu, for they may become your last."

Kayuu just smirked challengingly at Aisha, much to her ire. Before things could escalate further, Yamato spoke up. "Enough. We're getting off topic here." He then looked at Kayuu with cool gaze. "So, will you tell us where you got those Lockseeds?"

"…You're not asking about Hulao Pass and Luoyang?" inquired Kayuu suspiciously.

"We can always learn about those places from our scouts and spies. It isn't only Shoku's, but also the spies from Gi and Go who are also gathering intelligence about our enemy as we speak," answered Yamato.

Steely gray and amber met with each other for a whole minute before the latter looked away. Kayuu grunted as she spoke. "Fine, I'll tell you. I'm doing this because I hate those bastards, so don't get the wrong idea that I'm doing this to help you."

"That is alright. Now, could you tell us who gave you those Lockseeds?" inquired Yamato.

Kayuu told them her story as her expression darkened, "I got those Lockseeds from that four-eyed, blue haired son of a bitch and his foul tempered brown-haired boyfriend. They claimed to be some kind of Taoist priests and they wear white robes. They also had lackeys with them. One is a hot-headed idiot, the other is a coward pretending to be a tactician, and the last one is an extremely flamboyant man with questionable masculinity."

Yamato nodded as he filed the information in his memory. No doubt the others would be interested with this. He then took a guess and asked her. "Do any of them have the same belt like the one I wear to transform?"

"How did you know?" asked Kayuu back with wide eyes, surprised.

"Deduction and logic," shrugged Yamato in reply. "After all, a person needs a Sengoku Driver to properly harvest the fruit and turn them into the Lockseeds we know."

"So we have confirmed that at least one rogue Rider is working for Toutaku," nodded Aisha.

It was then when Touka realized something. "Yamato-sama, could it be one of the people who gave Kayuu-san the Lockseeds is also the one who gave Tenhou-chan and her sisters the magic book? I mean, he also has three Riders working with him when he attacked them, right?"

Yamato's eyes widened when Touka presented the possibility to him. His mind worked overdrive as he connected the facts together. A severe frown formed on his face, not liking the conclusion he came up with. "It seems there is more behind Toutaku's tyrant regime, just like what happened with the Yellow Turbans."

Aisha narrowed her eyes as she understood what her lord was implying at. "It wasn't only one then; all three rogue Riders are confirmed to be working with the people who are pulling the strings behind Toutaku's regime."

"They are Kurokage, Gridon, and Bravo, right Yamato-sama?" inquired Touka and Yamato nodded.

"That's what they called themselves," replied Kayuu. She then shook her head and spoke to Yamato, "Well, I've answered your question. What are you going to do to me next? Are you going to parade me around before you kill me? Or are you going to prolong my suffering and humiliation by keeping me prisoner? Or are you going to make me your slave to fulfill your sick urges?"

"Watch your mouth, Kayuu! How dare you presume such things about Yamato-sama!?" Aisha exploded furiously as she pointed her Green Dragon Blade threateningly at her. "Give me a very good reason to not kill you now!"

"Calm down, Aisha. She's just riling you up," pacified Yamato as he placed his hand on hers and made her lower her weapon. He turned to Kayuu and said, "I'm not going to do that. If anything, I want you to join us."

"WHAT!?" exclaimed Aisha and Kayuu in disbelief at the same time.

"You can't be serious, Yamato-sama! She is an enemy general!" Aisha protested.

"You seriously think I would join you after you defeated me!? Don't screw with me!" Kayuu glowered angrily. "I'm a general of Toutaku-sama and my loyalty is to her alone! There's no way I would join your army!"

"That's fine by me and you actually have two choices; join us or you will be locked up in a cell. Either way you will live and have until our soldiers reach Luoyang to decide," replied Yamato neutrally which caused an angry growl to escape Kayuu's throat.

"Why would you give me such a choice? Why don't you just kill me and get it over with?"

"Because everyone deserves a second chance , no matter who they are," replied Yamato.

Kayuu just glared at him for a whole minute before she scoffed. "You're an idiot, Kusanagi."

Aisha glared at her, but to her and Touka's surprise, Yamato chuckled in response. "It's not the first time I've been called that. Anyway, I'll leave you alone for now and you have until we reach Luoyang to decide. Thank you for answering my questions, Kayuu. I'll have food sent you to keep you fed."

With his piece said, Yamato and his two generals left their captive to contemplate his offer. She wasn't alone as there were guards posted at the barrack's entrance.

"Was it wise to offer Kayuu to join us?" questioned Aisha. "She is an enemy general and her rebellious attitude may cause some problems for us in the future if she decides to join us."

"Well, her rebellious attitude may come from her loyalty to Toutaku despite being a tyrant," answered Touka as a worried look crossed her feature. "Like Yamato-sama said, there is more than meets the eye about Toutaku and her tyranny."

"Like what happened to Tenhou-san and her sisters," confirmed Touka.

"Yes. It is only a theory, but I think they are the reason for Toutaku has taken the throne," said Yamato. "The Toutaku in my world may be known as a real tyrant, but there's a chance that the Toutaku of this world is not a tyrant at all. Maybe she was forced to do this by those people in white."

"You mean…She was blackmailed into becoming a tyrant?" gasped Touka.

"Perhaps so. Remember that Tenhou, Renhou, and Chiihou used to be street performers before that man gave them the book," reminded Yamato as the girls listened to him intently. "Using that book, the Chou Sisters became a group of idols and started the Yellow Turban Rebellion because they were harassed by the officials. Then the man appeared before them and attacked them once he deemed their role was over. I won't be surprised if the situation with Toutaku is the same. Unlike the situation with the Chou Sisters where they used Chiihou's emotional side to instigate the rebellion, perhaps Toutaku was not even interested in Imperial Throne but forced to do so because of those men."

"How despicable. Hiding behind someone else while using that person for your own gain. That is what cowards do," scowled Aisha. "I'd like to introduce my Dragon Blade to those cowards."

"We will definitely bring those men to justice," vowed Touka vehemently. Her usual gentle blue eyes now gained a sharp glint. Let it be known that this Ryubi Gentoku could live up to her name when she was pushed too far.

"That we will," replied Yamato, a firm frown crossing his features. "Regardless if Toutaku is a real tyrant or not, we need to watch out for them. Let's tell the others about this in our next war council."

"Yes, Yamato-sama," said Aisha and Touka as they followed their lord.

---

After the one hour break, Yamato had called for the other warlords for the war council. About ten minutes later, one by one his allied warlords entered one of the rooms inside Shisui Pass' fort where they would hold the war council. To his surprise, Bachou also entered the room.

"Bachou-san? What are you doing here?" asked Yamato curiously.

"My father sent me as the representative of Ryousan. He'd like to come by himself, but someone has to watch over our army so he sent me instead," answered Bachou. She then added with a sheepish smile, "I'm not much of a thinker, though. I'm not sure how much I can contribute to this council."

"That is alright. Any kind of advice, insight, and perspective is welcomed in this war council, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem," replied Yamato.

"T-Thanks," said Bachou gratefully, blushing a little as she did so.

Yamato smiled at her briefly before turning his attention to the seated warlords and their entourage. "Everyone, thank you for coming to this war council in a short notice. We had just finished the battle to take Shisui Pass, but our battle is far from over. We still have to deal with Hulao Pass and like we have planned before, we will have to tackle it today. Before we start discussing the plan for our next battle, we need to review how the last battle went and the losses we've suffered. I will start from my faction."

Shuri then stepped forward as she unfurled a scroll and read it to everyone present. "The Shoku army lost around 750 and 200 of them are unable to fight in the next battle because of their wounds. Most of the casualties come from the units that participated in the advance force. Those who had lighter wounds can still participate in the battle of Hulao Pass once they've been treated, but it is advised that they should be placed in the center or the rear of our army instead of in the frontlines."

Jun'iku glanced at Sousou who nodded at her and read the scroll she unfurled it. "Sou Gi lost about 500 men with 150 unable to participate in the next battle due to their grave wounds. Like Shoku, our loss mainly comes from those who became part of the advance force in the last battle."

"Son Go lost around 600 men while amongst them 200 are too injured to continue fighting. Like Shoku and Gi, the casualties mainly come from the members of the advance force," Ryomou finished as she read over Gi's casualty count .

Yamato frowned as he calculated the losses of the Alliance army. Already the numbers had breached 1,950 men and it was only Shoku, Gi, and Go. He then turned to Pairen, Bachou, and Enshou. "What about the other armies?"

"The Ryousei Cavalry lost only around 100 men. I guess it is a small mercy for us," answered Pairen.

"The loss of the Ryousan Cavalry is roughly the same as Kousonsan-dono's army if not slightly more. Around 150 men I think," added Bachou.

"The En Family army lost none of our men. As expected of the best army in the land, is it not?" said Enshou pompously.

The rest of the other warlords looked at her weirdly and Shun snickered. "You didn't lose any men because you didn't get to fight at all. Did you think we would forget where your position was in the last battle, Princess Obnoxious?"

Sousou couldn't resist adding more injury to Enshou's already wounded pride with a smirk forming on her lips. "You cannot be trusted with the frontline, so your army was placed on the rear guard. The frontline army took the most of the brunt of the enemy soldiers and the middle guards took care of whatever that was left. Your army did not even get the scraps at all. Isn't that sad, Enshou?"

Several occupants of the room were now openly snickering at Enshou, whose face was reddening either in anger or embarrassment. Renfa faked coughing to cover her own snickers while Yuki opted to glare at Shun who was openly grinning from ear to ear. Clearly he enjoyed riling up the egotistical blonde.

Yamato heaved a sigh. As much as he enjoyed seeing Enshou's ego taken down a peg or two, they didn't have time to waste now. "Alright people, that's enough. We're on short schedule now, so please focus with the matter on hand." Yamato had used a no-nonsense tone which everyone quickly followed. "Thank you. So now we have learned that our losses are approximately 2,200 men and that it is somewhat around the number I estimated previously, if not more. Thankfully, none of our men were wounded by the Inves summoned by Kayuu and her men. Before we can continue to discuss about our plan to take Hulao Pass, it would be prudent for me to inform you about what I learnt from my short interrogation of General Kayuu."

Everyone paid their full attention on the Supreme Commander of the Anti-Toutaku Alliance.

"We have confirmed that someone is supplying Lockseeds to Toutaku and her army. According to her, those people are a glasses-wearing blue-haired man and his brown-haired accomplice who claimed to be Taoists in white robes. They also have three people working for them which we also confirmed to be Riders: Kurokage, Gridon, and Bravo. Also, I have some suspicions that they are the people who are pulling the strings behind Toutaku and her actions."

"So there are the real masterminds behind this. Hiding behind Toutaku to further their agenda, those cowards," scoffed Sousou distastefully.

"What concerns me are the Riders that are working for those Taoists. Kurokage, Gridon, and Bravo…How are they compared to the Riders on our side?" inquired Renfa.

"Well, Mook Boss and Ornac are not a problem since they are using C-Rank and B-Rank Lockseeds as their standard Arms generating Lockseed. Any of us can fight them equally and win," answered Shun confidently. A frown formed on his face as he continued. "The problem is Mister Dangerous. His Durian Arms is really, well like the Driver said, dangerous and probably the strongest amongst all natural made Lockseed."

"Only a few can match its power, like the Melon Arms or the Suika Arms for example," finished Yuki.

"If we do face them in the future, then leave Bravo to me," said Yamato as he showed his Melon and Suika Lockseed. "I was lucky enough to get my hands on them during my first Lockseed harvest."

Yuki and Shun nodded, knowing what Melon Arms could do in Yamato's capable hands. If anything, their friend was a training nut and he could no doubt replicate what Zangetsu did in the TV show with enough training. He wasn't called the most talented Kendoka in their generation for nothing. As for the Suika Arms, they have nothing to comment about it because they knew what it exactly could do and nothing short of an experienced Genesis Rider could defeat it.

"Alright, with that issue settled we should form a plan for our next battle that will take place at Hulao Pass," said Yamato, turning to Renfa. "What kind of information do you have for us, Sonken-dono?"

Renfa took the scroll Ryomou offered to her. She unfurled it and read it for the other occupants of the room. "From the information we have gathered through our scouts, the soldiers stationed on Hulao Pass are around 60,000 men strong and apparently have positioned themselves into a tight defensive formation after hearing about our attack here. We can safely assume that they have heard of our victory and had requested for reinforcements to bolster their numbers. The scouts also reported that the enemy generals had their soldiers fly under the flags that bear the character of Chou and Ryo."

Yamato frowned when he heard the character on the enemy generals' flag. He had his suspicions about who were the enemy generals and if the situation was still the same as the one he knew from the original Three Kingdoms history, then they would be facing their hardest hurdle so far.

Gathering his thought, the Shoku King made his inquiry to Renfa. "If I may hazard a guess, their generals would be Chouryou Bun'en and Ryofu Housen, right?"

"That is right. Ryofu Housen is one of the enemy generals we will have to face in Hulao Pass," confirmed Renfa with a grim frown.

"Wait, Ryofu Housen? As in that Ryofu Housen, the one who defeated 3,000 Yellow Turbans all by herself?" asked Bachou, her eyes widened in surprise.

"The very same person."

The confirmation from Renfa caused everyone to frown, especially Yamato and his friends. They knew who Ryofu Housen was, the strongest warrior and general of the Three Kingdoms period. He, however, was so prideful and changed his allegiance so often just to sate his lust for glory and battle, earning him the moniker 'the Traitorous General'. If this world's Ryofu Housen was anything like her historical counterpart, then they would be fighting one of their toughest battles yet.

"She could be a problem. No matter who her opponents are , what Ryofu Housen has achieved is impossible to match," commented Sousou as she crossed her arms. "She is the biggest threat in the next battle."

"Chouryou Bun'en is no slouch either from what I've heard about her. And don't forget about the Lockseeds. The enemy army may have them in their possession and will use them against us during the next battle," Pairen pointed out.

"The next battle will be a major hurdle for us before we reach Luoyang. We need to form the best plan possible to conserve our men and prepare for the worst before we attack the capital," said Yamato, looking directly at the eyes of the other warlords and their entourage.

Yuki who had finished running several calculations and simulations in her mind then spoke up, "If that is the case then we should attack Hulao Pass in waves."

"Could you please explain your plan to us, Yuki-sama?" inquired Aisha. Yamato had told her that his female childhood friend had a brilliant mind, so there was no doubt she could hatch a plan for them in the next battle.

Yuki nodded as she placed several figurines on the map and explained her plan. "We will split our army into several waves to attack in succession. From my calculation of our numbers and estimation of our army's distribution, we can split into four waves and each of them has a different job to do. The first wave will act as a decoy to lure out the enemy. The second wave is the reinforcement for the first wave and together they will have to hold their position for a while. The third wave will be joining in after the second wave and act as the long range support for the first and second wave as well as bringing more reinforcement. The fourth and final wave will deal the finishing blow to the weakened Toutaku Army." The bespectacled girl pushed up her glasses as she looked up at Yamato and the other strategists. "What do you think?"

Yamato adopted a thoughtful look as he mulled over his friend's plan before he nodded. "I think it will work. It is simple and very feasible because it allows us to adapt faster and better to any unexpected situation we may face."

"I agree with Yamato-sama," Hinari concurred. "Not only can we adapt to any situation we have on our hand, we can also conserve our army just in case we have to fight again when we reached Luoyang. Just like what Yamato-sama wanted."

Shuri nodded and looked at Yuki with admiration reflected in her violet eyes. "Amazing…You can come up with a complex plan like that in a short time. You really are as amazing as Yamato-sama told us, Yuki-san!"

Yuki blushed embarrassedly as she spoke. "Thank you for your kind words, Koumei-san. To be praised by the Shokatsuryou Koumei is an honor for me."

It was Shuri's turn to blush as she stammered out her usual verbal tic. "Hawawa…I-I'm not that great…"

"We will have to work on your confidence later, Shuri," Yamato chuckled before his expression turned serious. "Right. We need to decide who will go as the first wave and so on, but we can't send me or the other Riders in the first wave."

Sousou nodded to his words. "Agreed. The enemy will be expecting the Messengers of Heaven to lead the first wave like in the last battle and they will be prepared for that. By sending someone else in the first wave, it will catch the enemy off-guard and ruin their momentum."

"It would be best to send the army with the least casualties as the first wave," noted Jun'iku before she glanced at Enshou and sighed. "Unfortunately, what we have now is not the best choice."

"What did you say!?" replied Enshou indignantly. "Are you saying that I, Enshou Honshou, and the En Family Army are not suited for the job!?"

"You're only suited for one part of the first wave's task: to lure out the enemy army to attack you with your annoying personality," retorted Sousou with a smirk, causing Enshou to growl angrily. "However, I doubt the first wave can hold out long enough until the second wave arrives under your meager leadership."

"M-Meager you say!?" Enshou almost shrieked indignantly. How dare she insult her and her army!?

"If that is the case here, then another army should go together with the En Army as part of the first wave," Yamato immediately intervened before 'Mount Enshou' erupted. He then turned to Pairen. "Can the Ryousei Army accompany the En Army as part of the first wave, Kousonsan-dono?"

"You can count on us, Gaim-dono," nodded Pairen.

Yamato nodded back at her and added, "Also, you will be in charge of the first wave. Enshou and her men will defer to your orders." "Why her and not me!?" demanded Enshou immediately.

"Because Kousonsan-dono is more experienced and more competent than you are," answered Yamato coolly. "I already know how Kousonsan leads her men in battle since I had the pleasure of fighting alongside her once. I have no idea how you lead your men in battle and what I've learnt about you so far are definitely not the best of things. I will not risk our men needlessly just to satisfy your ego, Enshou."

Enshou growled like a petulant child, but she knew she couldn't do much here. It was Kusanagi who called all the shots here as the Supreme Commander of the Alliance and his words were an order. As much as she hated to take orders from someone else, especially from an upstart like Kusanagi, she knew she had to do it. But that didn't mean she couldn't pay him back once the Alliance dissolved where she would show her superiority to him. She was really looking forward to that day.

"Fine. It's much better than being on the rear guard and doing nothing," grumbled Enshou, clearly disliking her role as a second-in-command to a commoner like Kousonsan. "I'm the one who initiated this alliance, for heaven's sake!"

"Spare me the dramatics, will ya?" Shun rolled his eyes.

Yamato sighed again before looking at his other childhood friend. "So, who will be going as part of the second wave?"

"I recommend units with heavy hitters to be in the second wave. They are not only the reinforcement for the first wave, but to ensure their survivability rate in high enough to keep the momentum high by defeating as many enemy soldiers as possible until the third wave joins them," answered Yuki.

"I see. Heavy hitters, huh…" Yamato seemed to think over something before he replied. "Chouhi and I will go as part of the second wave. Both of us can deal as much as damage we can to our enemies and make sure the first wave survives to keep our momentum. Also, I can deal with the Inves summoned by our enemy."

"Yup! Rinrin and Onii-chan will charge, smash, and win!" Rinrin grinned as she punched the air excitedly.

"I know you will, Rinrin-chan," giggled Touka as she patted the young redhead's head.

"If I may suggest, you should take Bachou with you, Gaim-dono," suggested Kousonsan as the aforementioned girl had her eyes widened in surprise. "She is also a heavy hitter and also on the cavalry unit, meaning she has more mobility than the infantry units you lead. Her unit can be used for fast hit and run tactic to catch the enemy off guard."

"That's true. The strength and mobility of Bachou-san's cavalry unit can give us the advantage over the Toutaku Army on Hulao Pass," Yamato concurred before he turned to Bachou. "What do you say, Bachou-san? You said it yourself you wanted to fight together with me and now is your chance."

"It will be an honor to fight together with both of you, Kusanagi-sama, Chouhi-san!" beamed Bachou brightly.

"Alright! We're going to kick a lot of butts together!" cheered Rinrin.

Yuki only chuckled at the petite General's attitude before she continued on. "For the third wave, I will be the one who leads it since our main job is to provide support fire for the first and second wave as well as bringing more reinforcement for the first and second wave. So the third wave will be composed of mostly archers with some infantry units as the reinforcements."

"How many archers are you going to take, Yuki?" asked Renfa.

"I'm going to borrow the archers from other factions to make our plan work. If it is alright with you, Yamato, Sousou-dono, I'd like to borrow archers from Shoku and Gi," answered Yuki.

"Take as many our archers as you need from Shoku," answered Yamato immediately.

"The same goes for me, Satonaka," replied Sousou. "Also, take Kakouton and Kakouen with you on the next battle. Shunran, especially, is raring for battle."

A confused look crossed Yuki's face as she inquired, "Is it really alright for me to have them under my command? I have heard several things about the Kakou Twins and they are only loyal to you. I doubt they would listen to me."

"Please don't worry about that. Shunran may cause a little fuss at first, but she would have to follow you because I ordered her to do so," answered Sousou before a slight chuckle escaped her lips. "I commend her loyalty to me, but she could be fanatical at times."

Yuki stared at her for several minutes before she nodded. "If you say so. Then the third wave will consist of me, Kakouton-san and Kakouen-san from Gi, as well as our respective units."

"Then I guess the rest of us will be in the fourth wave to finish our enemy," commented Renfa. "I can live with that. Who will be the commander for the fourth wave?"

"I was thinking that you will be the commander of the fourth wave, Renfa-dono," said Yamato, causing a surprised look appeared on Sonken's face. Sousou only raised a curious eyebrow as he added. "I know I can trust your judgment. Touka and Sousou-dono had led the main army on the last battle, so I thought it would be fair to let you lead the fourth wave."

Renfa smiled as she said, "Very well. I will not disappoint you, Yamato-dono."

"Is there anything else anyone wants to add?" asked Yamato, looking at the eyes of his guesses. Enshou looked like she wanted to say something again, but eventually decided to keep it to herself. "If there's nothing else, then this war council is adjourned . Every faction will reorganize the distribution of their army according to our attack plan. We will begin our attack in an hour. Dismissed."

---

The soldiers stationed at Hulao Pass were waiting. They got the news from their 'benefactors' that the Alliance will be attacking Hulao Pass right after taking Shisui Pass on the same day. Some of them were baffled with how brazen their enemy was acting, but those who had enough experience could see what Yamato planned to do and they applauded him for his quick decision. Originally, the number of the soldiers stationed at Hulao Pass was roughly the same as the ones stationed at Shisui Pass, but apparently those 'benefactors' had sent them some reinforcements. One of them said Shisui Pass would fall, no matter what Kayuu did—even with the Lockseeds they had given her. After all, what could a general and her army do against the might of an allied army of famous warlords—especially with those Messengers of Heaven on their side?

And it really happened. Shisui Pass fell about two hours ago and General Kayuu had become their prisoner.

Of course, the news startled the army, but none was more upset more than the Generals stationed at Hulao Pass.

Chouryou and Ryofu were standing on the rampart of the fortress, staring at the far distance where the Shisui Pass was. As she was going into battle, the purple-haired warrior sported a pair of fingerless gloves that looked like they were made from several belts strapped and crisscrossed together that ran at the length of her arm until they stopped under her shoulders. Her weapon of choice appeared to be the imitation of Aisha's, a pole arm weapon with red shaft and black grip which resembled that of a Katana. And the top of it was a black dragon head with a curved blade coming out from its gaping maw and the ribbon tied around the grip was dark blue instead of pink.

Ryofu also brought her weapon with her. Like her comrade, her weapon was also a pole arm topped with a single bladed axe and spear tip. A circular red gem sat on the conjunction point between the axe blade and the spear tip. The grip was wrapped in yellow cloth and the shaft was silver.

Together with them was a girl, looking as young as Rinrin, with light green hair tied into twin pigtails by orange ornaments. She was wearing white tunic and shorts which had its legs ripped off with a black robe that was several sizes too big for her. The robe itself had white shoulder lapels and gold trims on the front. To compliment her appearance further, she was wearing a black officer cap with a panda's face on her head and her legs were covered by yellow-striped white knee-high socks and black shoes. A pair of triangular hair clip was clipped on her right bang and she was carrying a telescope in her hands. Her name was Chinkyuu Koudai, the self-proclaimed assistant, strategist, and protector of Ryofu.

Chouryou exhaled a breath and massaged her stiff shoulder as she said, "Man, all this waiting has made me so tense. Kusanagi sure knows how to work us up, huh?"

Ryofu only nodded in response. Although her expression was neutral like always, Chouryou knew her well enough to see the simmering fury within her crimson eyes. The tightening grip she had on her weapon was also an obvious telltale sign of the fury she felt towards the Alliance for capturing her friend. Let it be said that this version of Ryofu Housen was very protective of the people she considered friends.

Chinkyuu frowned as she crossed her arms and tapped her feet impatiently. "Well, we'll just have to beat them up for causing us so much trouble, won't we Ren?"

Ryofu silently nodded again as her eyes stared off towards the distance.

"Say Ryofu-chin, can we really defeat those guys, I mean the Messengers of Heaven?" questioned Chouryou when Chinkyuu whirled and glared at her.

"Of course we will! There's no way Ren can lose against those guys!"

"Well, Kayuu-chin said the same thing and she still lost," replied Chouryou as she raised her hand in defensive gesture.

"Miyabi underestimated them," commented Ryofu.

"There's that. And even those Lockseeds she and her men were using only gave them a little help," Chouryou concurred.

"Then we'll just have to fight smarter than Miyabi! We'll take them by surprise and beat 'em up!" grinned Chinkyuu as she revealed the lining of her coat . Stuffed under its many pockets were many Lockseeds they had gotten from their benefactors. Apparently, they had supplied more of them before this battle. The smaller girl then added, "Besides, Ren is way stronger than Miyabi!"

"You sure you can handle that many?" asked Chouryou with an arched eyebrow. To her, those Lockseeds were not something to be toyed with, especially with how they could summon monsters from another realm. Yup, definitely not something she would toy with.

"Don't worry! As long as I don't drop them, I will be fine!" assured Chinkyuu with a confident smile.

"…They're coming."

Chouryou and Chinkyuu looked at Ryofu in surprise before the younger girl extended her telescope and looked through it.

"Ren's right! The Alliance is coming!" Chinkyuu confirmed.

Chouryou took the telescope from Chinkyuu and frowned as she saw the flags they bore. "They're sending Kousonsan and Enshou to fight us. I don't see the flags of the Messengers of Heaven flags or any other generals from the other factions, though."

"…They are underestimating us," frowned Ryofu, her annoyance was clearly reflected in her tone.

"They're most likely just an advance force like the last battle, so we can't send everyone out just yet," concluded Chinkyuu.

"Alright then, I'll get my men ready," Chouryou informed them as she walked away before she looked at Ryofu. "You're not joining us?"

"I'm waiting for Gaim," replied Ryofu curtly, without looking at Chouryou.

"Suit yourself," Chouryou shrugged.

---

Several minutes earlier…

Pairen was leading the first wave of the Alliance's army. The white uniform her army wore as well as Enshou's army's gaudy yellow armor stuck out like a sore thumb under the daylight and there was no way the Tou Faction Army stationed at Hulao Pass wouldn't notice them coming.

The red-haired girl was trying her best to not show the anxiety she felt. This was it, the moment she had been waiting for. As much as she hated to admit it, she wanted at least to get some recognition for herself when she joined this alliance— due to her sense of duty and righteousness. Sure she was known as the White Horse General, but even then only a few people knew her by her name. Some people had even made the mistake of saying that she and the White Horse General were different people. What gives? She was certainly a capable commander, so what made her so…ordinary?

At least Yamato acknowledged her. Sure being compared to Enshou meant very little, but it was Yamato Kusanagi, the First Messenger of Heaven, the Peerless Blue Swordsman, the King of Shoku, who acknowledged her. It really meant a lot to Pairen, the plain extraordinaire.

And for some reason, her heart beat faster and her cheeks got warm when she recalled how Yamato acknowledged her. He trusted her and she would not disappoint him.

…And no, she hadn't fallen for the young King. She only liked him as a friend and that was as far as she believed. Yeah, it must be so.

…Nope, she hadn't fallen for him like her friend, Touka. Not at all. And no, she wasn't feeling jealous of her.

"Oi! Kousonsan!" Pairen looked startled at Enshou who was looking at her in annoyance. Apparently she had been trying to call her for a while "We're getting close to Hulaio Pass now, so stop daydreaming!"

"I-I know," replied Pairen with a huff. Damn, to be scolded by Enshou of all people…She wouldn't live this down.

"Honestly! I don't know why Kusanagi picked you as the commander of the first wave is beyond me. It is should be obvious that only a noble like me should lead the first wave!" huffed Enshou pompously.

Pairen's eyebrow twitched in annoyance before she exhaled a breath to calm herself down. Getting angry at the egotistical warlord now would be counterproductive for their army and the upcoming battle, so instead she focused on the next battle.

"Do you remember the plan, Enshou?" Pairen asked pointedly.

"Of course I do!" answered Enshou as she turned to her trusted attendants. "Bunshuu-san, Ganryou-san. Are you ready?"

"You bet we are!" answered one of Enshou's attendants. She had short, messy green hair and blue eyes with blue headband tied around her hair. She was wearing yellow armor like Enshou, but she was missing her right shoulder armor. Underneath her armor, she was wearing a green tunic with puffy shoulders and black sleeves. A red sash was tied around her waist and she also wore white skirt, with a pair of white garters connected to her white stockings. Her feet were covered by a pair of white shoes and a blue scarf was wrapped around her collar. A great sword was strapped to her back.

"We will do our best, Enshou-sama," assured another one. She was a girl with short, chin-length black hair and red eyes. Like Enshou and her partner-in-crime, she was wearing a yellow armor set and underneath that, she was wearing blue tunic with black sleeves and a green sash tied around her waist. She was also wearing black stockings underneath her armored greaves. To compliment her appearance further, a green scarf was wrapped around her neck and a giant hammer was strapped to her back.

Those two were Bunshuu and Ganryou, the two attendants (read: lackeys) of Enshou.

"That's good to hear," nodded Enshou in satisfaction before she frowned. "Show some spirit, Ganryou-san. We have an important job, after all."

"Because we have a rather hard job to do," replied Ganryou with a somewhat serious look. "We will have to play bait against the army lead by Chouryou Bun'en and Ryofu Housen. So please forgive me if I feel a little pessimistic here."

"All we have to do is to make them attack us and hold on long enough until the second wave arrive, right?" inquired Bunshuu as she grinned. "Sounds easy to me. What's the worse that could happen?"

Ganryou sighed resignedly and sobbed, "Bun-chan….You just have to jinx us, didn't you?"

"Superstitions have no meaning before reality," scoffed Enshou. "We will show Ryofu and Chouryou who their superior is!"

"Yeah! I can't wait to fight Chouryou and Ryofu!" cheered Bunshuu enthusiastically.

Forever the real advisor and the sound of common sense of Enshou's happy triad, Ganryou was, she–yet again—could only sigh in resignation and didn't hold back the sobs that escaped her lips, "We're going to die, aren't we? And I'm still a virgin…"

Pairen couldn't help but feel some sympathy toward the black-haired girl. Placing a hand on her shoulder, the red-haired commander smiled assuringly at Ganryou. "Don't worry. I'm the commander here and I will do everything I can to rein in Enshou so she won't do anything reckless."

"I sure hope so, Kousonsan-san. Enshou-sama is really, really headstrong and stubborn," replied the black-haired girl, not entirely assured. No offense to Kousonsan, she could have put more effort into her assurance.

The first wave of the Alliance army now stood several hundred meters away from the foremost Toutaku soldiers of Hulao Pass. Per the plan they agreed to do, Enshou strode haughtily on her horse and stopped several steps away in front of her allied soldiers.

"So this is the army of that upstart Toutaku? I'm not impressed," sneered Enshou, her voice was loud enough to be heard across the soon-to-be battlefield. "Even if you have Ryofu Housen the Phoenix General on your side, you will not defeat the might of MY army. There is no need for those Messengers of Heaven to come in order to defeat you all! I, Enshou Honshou, shall teach all of you your place: beneath the noble feet if one such as myself! Ohohohohohoho!"

Several Toutaku soldiers looked absolutely livid at her words and if looks could kill then Enshou would die ten thousand times over now. They were ready to rip her down into smallest bits when a voice called out to them. "Calm down, men! She's just messing with ya. The only dangerous thing from Enshou is her bark and her bite is nothing to worry about."

It was Chouryou who said that. She calmly strode on with her Flying Dragon Blade rested on her shoulder, passing each soldiers with a smirk leveled at Enshou who was twitching dangerously.

"Excuse me!? Did you just compare me to a dog!? How dare you, Chouryou Bun'en!"

Chourou faked a realization look on her face as she hit her open palm. "Ah, that's right. I can't compare you to a dog because it will be insulting to all dogs in this world. I should've compared you to a bug, an annoying gold-plated bug."

"B-B-B-BUG!?" shrieked Enshou indignantly. With her anger clouding her judgment, she drew out her sword and let out a yell. "En Clan Army! Destroy those upstarts! Let them know what happens to those who have insulted the En Clan !"

"Enshou, don't!" called out Pairen, but it was too late. Enshou's army was mobilized to attack the Toutaku soldiers.

It should've gone the other way around. Enshou was the one who was supposed to taunt the enemy army into attacking them. Now that the entire plan was thrown out of the window, Pairen could only adapt to this reversed situation as best as she could do.

"Continue with the plan! Hold our position until Yamato-dono and the second wave arrive!" ordered Pairen to her army as she drew out her sword. "Don't stray too far from our formation! Let's move it, people!"

And so, the battle of Hulao Pass had begun.

---

"It's official. Enshou is an idiot. I can't believe she fell into an obvious trap like that," commented Bachou as she observed the battle through a telescope. She put the telescope down with a frown marring her face.

"I wonder how a person like Enshou could become a warlord?" Rinrin mused as she put one finger on her chin as if she was thinking.

"Enshou is your stereotypical noble, one who thinks her lineage and nobility defines her as a person," explained Gaim. He had transformed before the army started their march. Bachou and Rinrin turned to him with questioning look so he elaborated further, "In the case of most people, wealth is placed together with power and authority. Remember that the En Clan comes from a long line of wealthy and powerful people and as the current head of the En Clan, it was expected that people deferred to Enshou as a warlord. Unfortunately, Enshou isn't the best choice for her supposed role. She grew up as a spoiled girl with a silver spoon in her mouth who believed she was entitled to everything despite everything she had said and done. Along with her prideful and arrogant personality, her short temper, and…rather lackluster intelligence and common sense, Enshou isn't the person you would entrust with such authority and position."

"So it's her own upbringing that actually hinders her," noted Bachou as Gaim nodded.

"Enshou actually has the potential to be a great warlord with a proper and correct guidance. Unfortunately, her shortcomings have blinded her and made her waste that potential."

Bachou and Rinrin nodded as the latter beamed at him. "You're so smart, Onii-chan! You can see through Enshou like that!"

"Yeah. I got to say you're as wise as they say, Yamato-sama," smiled Bachou.

"You flatter me, Bachou-san. I just put some things together and pulled my own deduction based on that," replied Gaim before he turned to watch the ongoing battle. "We should focus on the battle now. The first wave may need our help soon."

His general and ally nodded before also turning to watch the battle. It was going rather poorly for the first wave. Pairen did her best to lead the army and she was doing a commendable job so far. It was Enshou who was causing trouble. She recklessly ordered her men to attack because of Chouryou's insults, but the stalwart defense of the Toutaku Army was enough to repel them. Worse news was, that Enshou's men were killed by the Toutaku Soldiers and Chouryou. Pairen was slightly better with her organized army, but her men were also taking losses here and there. At this rate, the first wave wasn't going to last much longer.

"I think we should move out now, Yamato-sama," prompted Bachou as Rinrin nodded.

"The first wave isn't going to last like Yuki-Oneechan planned, Onii-chan."

"No other choice then," replied Yamato as he took out his Dandeliner Lockseed. He unlocked the Lock Vehicle Lockseed and threw it to the air. Bachou and Rinrin watched in amazement it as it grew and unfolded to become a futuristic vehicle with a dandelion motif. What surprised them was that this one is actually was hovering above the ground!

"SUGOI!" beamed Rinrin as her eyes sparkled in awe.

"Whoa…What is that thing?" asked Bachou.

"Dandeliner, one of our weapons to win this battle," answered Gaim as he got on his personal Dandeliner. "I will surprise our enemy using this and Bachou-san's cavalry unit will be following for a quick assault. Rinrin, you will be leading my unit together with yours. Can you handle that?"

"Don't worry! Just leave it to Rinrin!" the petite redhead grinned, pumping her fist.

"I'll be right behind you, Yamato-sama," replied Bachou before she hopped onto her horse.

Gaim nodded before taking another glance on the battle. "Alright, let's go!"

He then gunned the Dandeliner's engine to its limit and flew toward the army.

"Alright, you heard what Yamato-sama said! It's time to move out and let them have it!" ordered Bachou as she led her cavalry unit.

"Charge, smash, victory! We're going to kick some bad guys' butt!" Rinrin rallied her and Yamato's men.

With his Lock Vehicle's incredible speed, Gaim reached the Hulao Pass exterior in a matter of seconds and he didn't hesitate to open fire at the cluster of Toutaku Army soldier once they were in sight. The soldiers shouted in agony as energy bullets tore through their bodies like paper and their comrades looked up to see Gaim riding on a flying contraption as he fired at the Toutaku soldiers again.

"What the hell is that?"

"It flies and its firing at us!"

"It's the Peerless Blue Swordsman!"

Pairen looked up and her eyes widened in surprise before a smile formed on her face. She saw Gaim firing at the Tou Faction soldiers before he maneuvered away to dodge the arrows fired at him, not that she believed those arrows could do a thing to Gaim or his…vehicle if they hit.

"Alright people, the reinforcements are here! Regroup and prepare for our counterattack! Let's show them what we can do!" commanded Pairen as her army roared in approval, having their morale boosted when they saw the Messenger of Heaven aiding them.

Enshou on the other hand could only gape in disbelief as she saw Gaim riding on a flying contraption while delivering death from above. Now how was she going to top that?

"Whoa…that's pretty cool," said Bunshuu in awe. "I definitely want one of those things!"

"It must be one of heaven's creations. Not anyone can get that, Bun-chan," reminded Ganryou.

Enshous snapped out of her stupor. "This is no time to admire Kusanagi or his flying whatever-it-is! We still we have to punish upstarts for insulting me and looking down on me!"

"Yes, Enshou-sama!" replied Bunshuu and Ganryou dutifully. The former then asked to her mistress, "Ano…what are you going to do then?"

"Must you ask, Bunshuu-san? I will do what a leader is supposed to do, give orders and motivate her men!" answered Enshou.

"Can you at least help us with them, Enshou-sama? They did insult you after all, don't you want to get them back?" requested Bunshuu

"Someone of my station will not lower herself to deal with these plebeians! My men are the extension of my body, so when they are dealing with these upstarts that means I am dealing with them!" countered Enshou.

"…What kind of logic is that?" muttered Ganryou.

"I kinda I understand that," replied Bunshuu and as a beat passed, she added on with somewhat unsure tone. "…I think."

"You didn't inspire any confidence in me, Bun-chan," sweatdropped Ganryou.

"Bunshuu-san! Ganryou-san! If you have time to chat, then show them what the En Clan's Finest Warrior can do!" urged Enshou.

"Yes, Enshou-sama!" said Bunshuu as Ganryou sighed. It was just her luck to be stuck with illogical and stubborn people, wasn't it?

---

"Ren! It's Gaim!" exclaimed Chinkyuu as she pointed at fast moving object in the sky.

"I know," replied Ryofu, her usually blank stare was now glaring at the Armored Rider. The red-haired warrior then turned around and walked away.

"Where are you going, Ren?" asked the green-haired girl.

"Fight him," she answered.

"Not now, Ren! Let's weaken him up first and then you can beat him up for what he did to Miyabi!" retorted Chinkyuu as she reached for the Lockseeds inside her coats. "Let's see if he likes this!"

Cracks opened in the air as Chinkyuu opened and rapidly switched the Lockseeds in her possession. Inves passed through the Cracks and joined the battle. Various Inves, either Elementary or Berserker State, landborn or flight-capable were ready to fight.

"Alright! Get 'em boys!" cheered Chinkyuu.

Ryofu only watched the battle with an unreadable expression on her face. There was something about those Inves that really unsettled the warrior within her. She didn't like them. They just felt…unnatural. But if it meant protecting Yue and freeing Miyabi…She just had to put up with them.

---

"Damn it!" cursed Gaim as he saw the Inves attacking his army. This was bad, really bad. He also couldn't help them with several Komori and Flying Elementary Inves on his tail, firing fireballs at him. He tried to shake them off, but their number was simply greater than he could handle.

Gaim maneuvered his Dandeliner to dodge the fireballs coming at him. He gunned the Dandeliner to its limit before turning to the left harshly so he was now facing his chasers. He didn't waste time to fire at his pursuers and managed to take down at least two Elementary Inves in one volley. Undeterred by the loss of their allies, the Inves turned around and kept chasing the Armored Rider. The best he could do now was to divert their attention to him since he was carrying Lockseeds.

Below, Bachou let out a battle cry as she sent several enemy soldiers flying with a single swing of her weapon, a spear with three-pointed cross on the tip called Silver Flash, as her personal war horse charged through the ranks of Toutaku's Army. Her strength and skill on horse-riding combat made it possible for her to smash through the enemy line with little to no problem. The only snag on her part was the Inves, those tough bastards. No matter how many times she knocked them down, they would just get back up again to resume their attack with the same ferocity. Gaim wasn't kidding when he said they had sturdy bodies. She also didn't forget about the disease Inves spread from just the wounds they inflicted.

With that in mind, Bachou focused on the enemy soldiers instead and would only deal with the Inves when necessary. She might not be able to kill them, but at least she could get them away from her men.

"Alright, you wanna piece of me!?" declared Bachou challengingly as she twirled her spear above her before slashing it wide to strike the incoming soldiers around her. "Then come and get it!"

The daughter of Batou kicked the flank of her horse slightly as it neighed and dashed towards the enemy soldiers. A single slash from Bachou's spear sent several soldiers flying and another swing struck down soldiers that tried to flank her. A Shika Inves tried to attack her, but Bachou turned her horse and sent the Inves flying with a powerful double-handed slash. It wasn't enough to kill it, but the fact she managed to temporarily knock down an Inves was enough to raise the morale of the Alliance's soldiers.

"Is that all you got!?" the brunette demanded and as if they were angered by her words, Toutaku's soldiers charged at her, bellowing a battle cry as they did.

Bachou only frowned grimly as she held the reins on her horse tightly while her right hand was gripping the shaft of her Silver Flash. With a kick to its flank, Bachou and her war horse met their charge head on.

"Ora ora ora ora!" yelled Rinrin as she swung her Viper Spear wildly, sending several Toutaku soldiers flying or out right bisected in two. Rinrin wasn't smart by any chance, but she was a fast thinker on her feet. She displayed this as a Lion Inves tried to sneak behind her, only to have its gut rammed by the end of Viper Spear's shaft before the petite redhead sent it sprawling away. Knowing that Gaim had told her to not engage any Inves she encountered, she settled dealing with the Toutaku Soldiers instead.

"C'mon! I know a girl that can attack better than any of you!" taunted the redhead. It wasn't a fair comparison as she compared to them to Aisha.

Angered by the taunt, the Toutaku Soldiers roared defiantly and charged at her with the intent to silence this infuriating girl. Rinrin grinned at the challenge as she intercepted them and sent several soldiers she encountered flying with a single swipe of her spear. She bellowed a battle cry as she rushed at the incoming soldiers with her Viper Spear brandished and her men followed behind.

Pairen blocked a spear stab aimed at her with her sword before pushing it away and slashing the wielder in the throat. Another soldier tried to stab her horse, but she pulled its reins so the horse was standing on its hind legs before it crushed the unfortunate soldier's skull under its hooves. A soldier tried to sneak up on her, but her horse kicked its hind legs and crushed his ribs without mercy. Pairen then relayed another order to her men. "Don't let them break through! Leave the Inves to Yamato-dono and focus on the enemy soldiers! Deal with them only when necessary!"

The soldiers roared out their agreement as they followed her orders. Despite that, they knew it was easier said than done. The Inves were numerous and were now ganging up on them together with the Toutaku soldiers, effectively trapping them. Thankfully, Gaim supported the Alliance Soldiers by swooping down once in a while to strike down the Inves, allowing the soldiers to deal with their Toutaku counterpart.

---

"They're not letting up," observed Ryofu. "The Alliance fights harder."

Chinkyuu pouted angrily as she took a new set of Lockseeds and opened them. "Then let's bring up the big guns!"

Four Cracks opened and a Seiryuu, Byakko, Komori, and Shika Inves jumped out of them. Chinkyuu then tossed them another set of unlocked Lockseeds and the Inves greedily devoured them. Ryofu watched with wary eyes as their body glowed with rainbow light and grew larger.

The Seiryuu Inves now resembled its namesake, a massive serpentine dragon with tough, jade-colored scales all over its body. The Byakko Inves looked like a giant, quadrupled tiger with a jade hide and large clawed paws on the forelegs while the Komori Inves now resembled a giant bat with black-and-red spider web-like patterns all over its body. The Shika Inves truly looked monstrous as it grew to monstrous size with large arms and a gorilla-like build with its hunched posture. It still managed to retain its unique traits such as its flame-like antlers and wings.

The Inves were now in their most powerful state, the Evolved State. Their power was now increased to many times fold and they were ready to wreak havoc on the Alliance Army.

"Go get 'em!" ordered Chinkyuu as the four Evolved State Inves roared and dashed/flew to the battlefield. The green haired girl then turned to Ryofu with the biggest smile on her face. "With this, we're definitely going to win, aren't we Ren?"

Ryofu didn't answer her and decided to watch the battle instead with her usual neutral look. Unknown to Chinkyuu even, her red eyes showed discomfort and unease as the four Evolved State Inves went on rampage against the Alliance Soldiers. She knew they were enemies and they threatened her friend's safety, but her conscience asked her over and over again.

'Was it worth it to be portrayed as a villain to protect your friend?'

'Yes,' she answered.

'But was it right to use those monsters to attack them?'

Ryofu didn't know how to answer that. In all honesty, she wanted to go out there and fight her enemies—the Alliance soldiers, their generals, and even those Three Messengers of Heaven—by herself. It was more honorable and right in her mind. But summoning those…Inves? All it did was reinforce the image that her friend, Toutaku—or Yue as her close friends called her—was a tyrant when she was actually far from it. Really far from it.

Ryofu rarely felt angry, but right now she was downright furious at those White Robed Taoists. It was all because of their manipulation that Yue, the sweet and gentle Yue, was now known as a tyrant to so many people. She really wanted to hurt those people, but with Yue as their captive there was nothing she could do.

At least she could vent her frustration on the Alliance's soldiers and their generals.

She was broken from her reverie when explosions caught her attention. The Evolved Komori Inves was shot down by something as there was smoke trailing from its body, followed by rain of flaming arrows that struck the Inves horde Chinkyuu had summoned. To her surprise, those monsters actually let out a pained cry as the burning arrows pierced their supposed to be nearly impenetrable hide. Several more magenta colored blasts also hit the Seiryuu Inves as well as more flaming arrows struck the Inves horde, including Byakko and Shika Inves.

"What? What happened?" asked Chinkyuu in bewilderment.

Ryofu too wondered what happened and then she saw another Crack opening near Gaim. It was pretty big too and coming out of it was a large, metallic green fruit that looked way too big for Gaim's armor.

"What is that?" she asked.

She soon got her answer as the top of the fruit opened and Gaim entered it. The giant fruit dropped to the ground, nearly squashing several soldiers underneath its girth.

---

Some moments earlier…

Gaim gunned down the last flying Elementary Inves and dodged a fireball spewed by a Komori Inves and prepared to strike back at them when he heard loud roars coming from the direction of Hulao Pass. He turned and his blood froze upon seeing four Inves in their Evolved State: a Seiryuu, Byakko, Komori, and Shika Inves. Things had gone from bad to worse!

The Evolved Seiryuu and Komori Inves roared before using their massive bodies to sweep down and break through the ranks of Alliance soldiers. Behind them, the Byakko Inves slashed with its claws to tear down any unfortunate soldiers in its path while the Shika Inves used its massive arms to send soldiers flying with a single swing. The dragon monster exhaled blue flames that set the soldiers aflame to their death while the bat monster flew high and fired fireballs from its mouth, causing explosions that killed soldiers with each hit.

Having enough of his men being killed by those monsters, Gaim gunned the engine of his Dandeliner and charged at his men's killers all the while firing at them as he bellowed a battle cry. The Evolved Inves all noticed him as the energy bullets pelted their skin. Gaim dived in before raising his Lock Vehicle to the air just in time before blue flames roasted him and his vehicle. The Inves roared at him challengingly as the Seiryuu and Komori Inves pursued him in the air while the Byakko Inves fired its fireball at him. Gaim dodged the fireballs as well as the wave of blue flames as he heard the Komori Inves screech and attempting to ram him. He tilted his Dandeliner sharply to the side to dodge the monster's charge. Knowing it missed, the Evolved State Inves screeched again and made a U-turn against him before it opened its maw to launch more fireballs at Gaim.

Only for a magenta energy blast to slam into the monster's body, cancelling its attack. Several more blasts hit it causing the Inves to stagger as smokes rose from its body.

Gaim turned to the where blast came from and saw Ryugen in Pitaya Arms, shouldering the still smoking Pitaya Gouryuhou, together with squadrons of archer and light infantry units. The third wave was here, albeit it was much earlier than what they planned before. Of course, they never suspected that the enemy would summon Evolved State Inves, let alone four of them.

That, and Enshou had messed their timing from the beginning. All the Alliance could do for now was to adapt to the situation in hand, no matter how hard it would be.

"Archers, load your fire arrows!" ordered Ryugen as she raised her left hand.

The archers pulled an arrow from their quivers before lighting up the heads with fire before notching them to the bow. They carefully aimed at their targets before Ryugen dropped her hand.

"FIRE!"

The archers let loose the arrows and watched with bated breath as they made their way to their target. When they screamed in pain as the fire arrows pierced their skin, the archers of the third wave cheered and Ryugen smiled behind her mask.

"Looks like your plan worked, Ryugen-san," commented Kakouen as she lowered her bow.

"How did you know those Inves are weak to fire?" asked Kakouton.

"I remembered that the plants where they came from are very vulnerable to fire and they didn't even leave ashes behind when they are burned. I figured that this weakness is also carried to Inves since they feed on the fruits of the plants, therefore writing this weakness on their genetic makeup," explained Ryugen.

"W-What do you mean?" asked Kakouton while Kakouen looked as lost as her sister. Kakouton isn't exactly the sharpest sword when it came to the matter of mind. It was Kakouen's part to be the brain of the twin sisters. But when both sisters looked lost, that meant it was something beyond them.

Ryugen blushed when she realized she had explained using the words beyond this era's understanding. "I'm sorry, I mean their body gained this weakness because of their food which is also weak to fire."

"Ah, I see," nodded Kakouen, finally understanding her explanation. "It is a good news. This way we can fight against these monsters without relying to you or other Messengers of Heaven."

"That it is," replied the dragon-themed Rider before turning to Kakouton and Kakouen. "Kakouton-san, Kakouen-san, take your units and help the first and second wave. Leave the third wave to me."

"Understood," replied the blue-haired woman as her sister smirked and hefted her sword on her shoulder.

"It's about time. For Karin-sama's glory!" Kakouton then charged ahead with her unit.

"That boneheaded sister of mine…" sighed Kakouen. She turned to Ryugen and bowed. "Please forgive her, Ryugen-san."

Ryugen chuckled and replied. "That is fine with me. Godspeed to you and your sister, Kakouen-san."

"I wish the best of luck to you too, Ryugen-san."

The Rider watched as Kakouen led her unit to follow her sister before she turned to watch the ongoing battle and issued her next order. "Prepare the second volley! Light them up!" Ryugen then aimed her Pitaya Gouryuhou at the Seiryuu Inves. "Load, aim…Fire!"

At the same time as the archers fired their arrows, Ryugen pulled the trigger. Three magenta colored blasts impacted the Seiryuu Inves in succession and the flaming arrows struck the Inves horde. Some of them hit Evolved Byakko and Shika Inves while the rest hit the other Inves around them, actually killing the monsters as they were hit in their vital spots.

"Yamato, now!" yelled Ryugen loudly.

Gaim nodded, knowing what he had to do. With four Evolved State Inves loose, it was time to bring in the big guns, literally. He reached for his Suika Lockseed and unlocked it.

"SUIKA!"

A massive Crack opened near Gaim and the new Armor Parts emerged from it. It looked like a humongous, mechanical watermelon, complete with its stem and leaf on top.

Gaim replaced the Orange Lockseed with the Suika Lockseed and pushed a button on the Dandeliner before he jumped off as the Lock Vehicle folded and resized to its lock-shaped form.

"LOCK ON!"

Gaim let the horagai music play for a bit before he pushed the Cutting Blade to open the Lockseed, revealing the watermelon flesh with black seeds in its core and the two-bladed spear on the back cover's image.

"SOIYA!"

The Orange Arms disappeared into motes of light as the top parts of the arm opened and allowed Gaim to enter the Suika Armor Part. The massive Arms dropped like a rock toward a crowd of Tou Faction soldiers and hit the ground with a deafening boom as it crushed several unlucky soldiers who didn't manage to run away in time underneath its massive size. The soldiers all watched the giant Arms warily before it suddenly spun on its axis and rolled around, crushing anything on its path—either Toutaku soldiers or Inves.

After rolling several meters from its landing point, it suddenly jumped as the bottom parts unfolded and revealed a pair of legs with green feet. The bottom half of the front part extended and separated from the top half before splitting in two, forming a pair of watermelon skin-themed armored thighs which connected to the legs. The sides opened and allowed a pair of arms with appeared with green fists and red band on the wrists appeared with, the side parts were now armored shoulder guards with the same motif as the rest of the armor. The top half of the armor formed a green chest plate and Gaim's Pre-Arms suit could be seen from the revealed parts of the massive armor which also revealed the inner side of its back armor which was red. Gaim's visor was now red like watermelon flesh before an armored head covered it. It was green with red visor which gives the impression of cyclopean eye, three golden decorations on each side, and a large head crest in the form of half watermelon slice with gold trims. The now separated stem and leaf unfolded and formed a giant, twin-bladed spear which the massive hand caught and twirled it above his head and Gaim struck a pose with his giant armor.

"SUIKA ARMS! OODAMA BIG BANG!"

The soldiers were gaping and staring speechlessly at the impossibility before them. Just how powerful the Messengers of Heaven truly were?

"SUGOI! Onii-chan is a HUGE watermelon!" Rinrin gushed giddily.

"Whoa…" was the only word that escaped Bachou's lips. She was too surprised and amazed to say anything at the moment.

"You'll never cease to amaze us , will you Gaim?" commented Pairen as she shook her head.

"What in the world?!" gaped Kakouton.

"…I can see why Karin-sama is keeping her eyes on him," commented Kakouen with wide eyes.

Enshou was too shocked to say anything as her mind crashed upon seeing Gaim in his new Arms. Forget topping his flying vehicle, how was she supposed to defeat him when he could assume a giant armored warrior form like that!?

"Now I know where the term King Size comes from," said Bunshuu distractedly.

"That was a horrible pun, Bun-chan," chided Ganryou, also seemingly dazed. She now really wished that Enshou didn't do something as stupid as picking a fight with the King of Shoku. She did NOT want to fight against him when he could assume this form and roll over his enemies like no one's business.

The four evolved Inves roared their challenge at Gaim and rushed ahead, intending to defeat the Armored Rider.

"Now let's dance on my stage!" declared Gaim as he met their challenge head on.

The Shika Inves swung its fist at him, but Gaim his massive armored body to the side as he dodged and slashed its chest with his Suika Sojintou twice. He then sent the Inves reeling with a strong horizontal slash before he used his weapon to block at the Byakko Inves' claw. He pushed the feline monster using the strength of Suika Arms and slugged it on the face, followed with a diagonal uppercut slash, sending the Byakko Inves sprawling on the ground. The Komori and Seiryuu Inves dive bombed at Gaim as they fired fireballs and fire breath, but the Armored Rider twirled his weapon to block their attack and retaliated by firing the seed vulcan gun on his fingertips. The bullets struck the two Inves mercilessly as they cried out in pain. Gaim stopped firing when Byakko Inves tried to pounce on him and he managed to dodge just in time, only for him to reach Shika Inves' punching range.

He then made his decision swiftly.

"OODAMA MODE!"

The massive armor reconfigured itself back to its sphere form, sans the stem on the top before it spun around and deflected the incoming fist. The Inves tried to again, only for its punch deflected yet again and the Suika Arms rammed it as it was stunned, sending it sprawling. The Byakko Inves charged at him, but Gaim had his massive arms turned to its side and grinded against its absurdly sharp claw, deflecting it before he had the Suika Arms rammed the tiger-based Kaijin twice. It was sent sprawling as Gaim rammed it for the third time. He kept the massive arms spinning to dodge the fireballs and fire breath from Komori and Byakko Inves all the while bulldozing through many Inves and Toutaku soldiers. Having enough of playing cat-and-mouse, he activated another mode of his Suika Arms.

"GYRO MODE!"

The Arms opened, but instead of forming the giant armored warrior, it changed into something else. The side parts opened and panned out, revealing thrusters underneath them and the arms locked in place in an L-shape. The upper half of the front part folded upward forming a protective canopy above Gaim's head and the lower half formed a platform along with the still folded legs. The blades unfolded and rested on the back of his armor, forming a pair of wings.

The thrusters roared to life as Gaim lifted off the ground. He maneuvered his Suika Arms to dodge the Seiryuu Inves' attempt to ram him and unleashed his own barrage at it. The Inves roared in pain as the seed bullets peppered its body before it was sent crashing to the ground as it was unable to maintain its flight. Gaim then quickly manipulated the right arm of the Suika Arms to aim at the Komori Inves before he fired. The attack hit his intended target and Gaim mercilessly firing at it, sending it tumbling through the air.

"Time to finish you off!" declared Gaim as he pushed the Cutting Blade switch once.

"SOIYA! SUIKA SQUASH!"

Energy began to gather at the fingertips as they glowed with fierce green glow before Gaim fired his weapons. Miniature watermelon projections streaked through the air and hit the Komori Inves, each with explosive force which caused chunks of watermelon 'flesh' to scatter. He kept on firing again and again until the Evolved State Inves gave a dying wail before its body exploded.

Gaim only had a moment of reprieve before he yanked his Suika Arms to the side to dodge the large chunk of ground thrown by Shika Inves. He turned and fired at it as he changed the mode of his Suika Arms again.

"YOROI MODE!"

Gaim transformed his Suika Arms back into its giant armored warrior mode in mid-air before he used the thrusters underneath the shoulder armor to boost his speed as he charged at the Shika Inves. Once it was within his reach, Gaim slashed the Inves with the Suika Sojintou causing it to stagger and followed with a powerful diagonal slash before he finished his combo with horizontal slash. The Shika Inves was sent sprawling and the Byakko Inves immediately pounced on him with its fangs bared. Gaim blocked the attack by letting the Inves bite the shaft of his weapon and he pivoted on his feet to use the Inves as an impromptu bat against incoming Seiryuu Inves. With both Inves now tangled with each other, he focused on the Shika Inves who had recovered and was now charging at him.

Gaim deflected its punch with his own fist before slugging it across the face and slashing its chest. Not letting up a moment, he unleashed barrages of slashes at the Shika Inves. Backhand, uppercut, diagonal, horizontal slashes delivered relentlessly without pause. A powerful backhanded slash sent the Inves reeling, stunned long enough for Gaim to activate his finisher as he sliced his Lockseed twice.

"SOIYA! SUIKA AU LAIT!"

Gaim channeled the energy from his Suika Lockseed into the Suika Sojintou as both ends glowed with red energy that tinged with green. He then slashed his weapon twice, sending arcs of red and green energy in an X-like pattern which struck the Shika Inves. It froze as the attack landed on it before it fell over and exploded.

The Rider in watermelon-themed armor turned to the Byakko and Seiryuu Inves which had finished recovering. The evolved dragon-themed monster exhaled a powerful fire breath attack which the Gaim dodged, but it put him right into its tiger-themed partner's range. Gaim blocked its claw with the shaft of his weapon and pushed it back before he unleashed a powerful left hook that sent the Inves reeling. He then peppered it with his Seed Vulcans , causing it to roar in pain and the Armored Rider decided to push his advantage as he activated the thrusters on his shoulders and charged forward. He slashed his weapon at the Inves and as he passed it before making a U-turn to strike at it again as it tried to recover from the last attack. The Seiryuu Inves tried to help its comrade, but several magenta blasts struck its body causing it to reel in pain.

Gaim turned to see Ryugen had provided support fire for him. The archers also had fired their volley again and flaming arrows struck down the Inves and Tou soldiers without mercy. A horn then sounded, signaling the fourth wave's arrival.

"The fourth wave is here! You finish the Byakko Inves and I'll take care of the Seiryuu Inves!" Ryugen called out.

"Alright! Let's take them out!" Gaim replied back as he prepared his own finisher. He pressed the Cutting Knife once as his Sengoku Driver activated the finisher function.

"SOIYA! SUIKA SQUASH!"

Watermelon projection appeared before Gaim as he twirled his Suika Sojintou, causing the projection to grow in size before he launched it by punching the watermelon with his free hand. The projection hit the Byakko Inves, entrapping it inside an energy watermelon construct. The Inves tried to break out from its prison, but it was a futile attempt. Gaim readied his Suika Sojintou as it glowed once more with the same energy it used to defeat Shika Inves before it charged forward, thrusters flared to its maximum output. Once the construct was within his reach, Gaim struck it with a series of diagonal slashes, first from left to right then from right to left. He pivoted on his foot to finish his combo by delivering a powerful horizontal slash. The watermelon construct glowed red for a moment before it exploded, taking the Byakko Inves with it while scattering fire and watermelon flesh everywhere.

Ryugen fired at the Seiryuu Inves, aiming at its face so she would stun it enough for her to finish it. Once it was properly stunned , she quickly sliced her Lockseed three times.

"HAI! PITAYA SPARKING!"

Magenta energy was sucked into the Pitaya Gouryuhou as it began charging. Ryugen kept her aim true as she waited for the energy build up to finish. Once it was done charging, she pulled the trigger. A projection of a dragon's head appeared briefly and roared as a black-specked energy sphere fired from Ryugen's cannon. The recoil of the attack was so powerful that she was actually pushed backwards several meters, causing a pair of trenches to form on the ground as she maintained her footing. The finisher hit the Seiryuu Inves and rapidly expanded, engulfing not only the Evolved Inves, but also the Tou soldiers and the smaller Inves. After almost a whole minute, the attack shrunk down and revealed nothing was left of its victim.

The fourth wave had arrived just in time to see the aftermath of Ryugen's finisher. They were certainly surprised to see how powerful it was, considering nothing was left of the giant Inves and numerous soldiers as well as the smaller Inves.

"Note to self, never piss Yuki off or there would be nothing left of you," muttered Baron to himself.

"It looks like Yamato-sama and Yuki-sama has defeated those giant Inves. This is the perfect moment for us to counterattack," said Aisha to Renfa.

"You're right, Kan'u-san. We can't let this chance go to waste," replied Renfa before she took a deep breath. She then drew her sword as she called out, "Warriors of the Anti-Toutaku Alliance! Two of our Messengers of Heaven have provided us with the chance to strike back! Do not let the result of their hard work slip away from our grasp! Seize it, and commence our counterattack!"

"Please advance as we have planned. Kan'u squad and Murayama squad will be our spearhead while Kannei squad and Sousou squad will be on the flanks of respective units. The rest of us will be supporting from behind," Shuri relied her orders as Shoku's strategist.

"Do your best everyone! And remember, do not play hero! We still have one more battle to go and you have your loved ones waiting for you! So try your best to survive!" Touka encouraged.

"OOOOOOHHHHHH!" the soldiers roared their agreement as they surged forward.

"Alrighty! Let's do this, Kan'u-san!" Baron grinned behind his mask as he led his squad's charge.

"It is my honor to fight together with another Messenger of Heaven such as you, Baron-sama," replied Aisha.

"Maa, maa, you can call me Shun if you want. I'm not the fan of formalities anyway," Baron replied flippantly before he twirled his Banaspear as he ran at the enemies. "Alright you suckers, let's party and get wild!"

Baron took care of one side while Aisha took the other with their respective units and supports supporting them.

The knight-themed Rider slashed his weapon and killed several soldiers before he twisted his body and stabbed Banaspear at an Elementary Inves. Several more Inves tried to attack from behind, but Baron was faster as he swung his weapon widely, striking them in the chest. He then turned around and slashed a soldier before spearing another in the chest. He then dislodged the soldier by kicking him off of his weapon and parried a slash before he struck down his attacker.

Seeing that several Inves and soldiers were coming at him, Baron grasped the Cutting Blade and pressed it three times.

"COME ON! BANANA SPARKING!"

He then stabbed his weapon to the ground and energy banana projections erupted, stabbing the soldiers and Inves before they exploded. Baron then rested his Banaspear on his shoulder as he challenged the Tou soldiers.

"Man, how boring. I thought any of you will be a good fight, but I guess I have to be disappointed again," the Rider then sighed dramatically. "Standards sure have dropped really low these days."

"If you're bored of fighting my men, how about facing me?" Baron's head turned when he heard the reply and saw Chouryou was standing there with a smirk on her face, one of her hands on her hips while her bloodied Flying Dragon Blade rested on her shoulder. "So this is the Messenger of Heaven from Gi, the Unmatched Red Knight Baron. I never thought you would be a Banana-Man."

"It's Baron. Repeat with me, Baron," retorted Baron as his eyebrow twitched a little. He found the joke wasn't nearly as amusing when it was aimed at him instead of Kaitou. "So who are you, lady? I take it you're one of Toutaku's generals?"

"That's right. The name's Chouryou Bun'en. Pleased to meet ya," replied the purple-haired woman as she introduced herself. "So what do ya say to my offer, Baron? How about a one-on-one with little ol' me?"

"Fine by me, just one question though." Chouryou quirked an eyebrow, motioning Baron to ask away. "Just what's with woman of this era and revealing clothes? That Kayuu lady from before didn't wear much and you're as bad as hers, if not worse. Shouldn't you wear more protective clothes, especially when in battles like this?"

"That's what vexes you?" retorted Chouryou with a sweat drop. She saw Baron nod and sighed. It was like what they said about strong people: they were bound to have their own quirks. She shook her head and answered him. "Because wearing more clothes meant my movement will be restricted and this way I can distract my enemies." Here she grinned slyly as she leaned forward and her arms cross underneath her breasts, pushing them upward to make them more enticing to look at. "So~, do I affect you somewhat, Baron-kun~?"

To her great surprise, Baron scoffed at her and replied. "There's only one girl in this world I would like to see in revealing clothes…Or even less." He paused as the image of a certain girl appeared on his mind. He giggled perversely for a short time before he shook his head. "The problem is, she would most likely try to maim me or kill me for that. She's just that Tsun-Tsun."

Meanwhile, Ryugen suddenly had the almost irresistible urge to severely hurt a certain Banana-armored Rider for thinking perverted thoughts about her and calling her names. She then vented out her frustration by blasting many Tou soldiers and Inves to smithereens.

Chouryou didn't know how to feel about Baron's reaction. On one hand, she respected him for his dedication and loyalty to this girl, but on another hand her pride as a woman was insulted. She might be a warrior and a tomboy, but she was a girl too and she had pride in her looks too, damn it! She then pushed that feeling down as she readied herself to fight. She twirled her Flying Dragon Crescent Blade and entered a battle ready stance. "So, shall we start?"

"Bring it on!" replied Baron as he too twirled his Banaspear before running his palm across it length. He was grinning in excitement as he was going to fight one of the major figures of the Three Kingdoms era. This would be a good measurement for himself for that one battle he always wanted and looked forward to.

The two warriors stared at each other for a while before they charged ahead with their war cry.

"Ora ora ora ora ora!"

"Oryaaaaaahhhh!"

Banaspear met the Flying Dragon Blade as sparks flew from both weapon. They clashed several more times before their wielders deadlocked. Chouryou tried to push Baron back, but the Rider held his ground firmly and pushed her back instead. The purple-haired woman then broke off before trying another approach as she rapidly jabbed her Dragon Blade which Baron parried before he deflected her blow and rushed at her with Banaspear, aimed at her heck. Chouryou managed to evade the attack on the last moment before she jumped back to gain some distance, but her Armored opponent didn't let her recover and pushed his advantage, putting the Toutaku General on the defensive. She parried and dodged his stabs and slashes while trying to find an opening that she could exploit, but she couldn't find one despite her best attempt.

Chouryou deflected a spear stab before she used the end of her pole arm to smack Baron's head, but the Rider ducked before using his free hand to punch her, which Chouryou blocked with her forearm. She gritted her teeth as she felt the bone-jarring hit on her arms before she pushed the offending limb away and slashed her weapon widely. Baron disengaged from her and Chouryou breathed to regain her breath.

"What's wrong? Don't tell me you're tired already? Was your boast earlier just all talk?" inquired Baron mockingly.

"Ha! You wish, Banana-Man. I'm just getting started," retorted Chouryou with feral grin as she flicked her left hand before grasping the Flying Dragon Blade and settled into a stance.

"Now that's more like it!" Baron shot back as he twirled Banaspear with one hand before also settling into a stance.

The two warriors didn't waste any time as they locked in combat once more, fully intending to emerge as the victor.

---

Gaim was easily pulverizing through the defense of Hulao Pass with his mighty Suika Arms. A single slash from his Suika Sojintou easily mowed down many Tou soldiers and Inves while a single punch from his massive fist smashed through the defense of heavy infantries like they were made of paper. He also managed to pick off several archers with his Seed Vulcans , thinning the number of enemies with utmost ease. In short, the Suika Arms made it all too easy for him and it was overkill of him without the threat of Evolved Inves hanging over the head of his men. That didn't mean he couldn't give the Toutaku soldiers a taste of their medicine, though.

Gaim slashed with his Suika Sojintou, sending several soldiers flying from the sheer force behind his swing and fired his machine guns to halt the advance of several Inves that tried to gang up on him. Another slash from his weapon crashed through the defensive formation of the heavy infantries before he punched the ground, causing a powerful tremor that rattled everyone nearby. Gaim flared the thrusters on his shoulder as he spun around with one hand wielding his weapon stretched outwards, effectively becoming a giant top as he bulldozed through the ranks of Tou soldiers and Inves. After about a minute, he stopped and his movement similar to that of drunkard with how dizzy he was thanks to that stunt he pulled.

He fell to a knee and reached for his armored head and shook it as he groaned, "Okay…Not the best decision I've made…"

"Yamato-sama!"

"Onii-chan!"

Gaim turned to see Rinrin and Bachou approached him as they easily dispatched enemy soldiers that tried to stop them.

"Are you alright, Yamato-sama?" asked Bachou worriedly.

"I'm fine. I guess I just have to not repeat that move or at least use a different mode to pull that off," answered Gaim as he stood up. "Alright you two, we're going to breakthrough their formation. Are you ready?"

"Rinrin is ready!"

"Just leave it to me."

"Alright," Gaim nodded at their confirmation. "Then let's go!"

"OODAMA MODE!"

Gaim reconfigured his Arms into its wrecking ball mode as he rolled forward with Rinrin and Bachou on her horse following him. The massive Arms bulldozed its way through the defense of the heavy infantries with ease as his two comrades dispatching the soldiers who managed to escape Gaim's archers fired at Rinrin and Bachou, but Gaim rolled on the arrows' path and deflected them away as he spun on his place. Inside the Suika Arms, Gaim was glaring at the archers.

"Nobody messes with my friends under my watch," he growled as he pushed the knife-like switch three times.

"SOIYA! SUIKA SPARKING!"

The whole Suika Arms glowed with green energy as it suddenly jumped high into the air. Gaim popped out of it, in his Pre-Arms suit, and kicked the massive mechanical watermelon toward where the archers were stationed. The improvised projectile hurled so fast despite its size and exploded as it smashed the ground. The explosion killed most of the Tou archers and the survivors were immediately struck down by hail of arrows under Ryugen's orders as she followed up from her friend's attack.

Gaim then swapped out his now grayed out Suika Lockseed with his Cherry Lockseed.

"CHERRY!"

"LOCK ON!"

"SOIYA! CHERRY ARMS JINSOKU ROTATION!"

The Cherry Armor Parts descended from the Crack opened above Gaim's head and landed on his shoulder. It then disassembled to form his Cherry Arms and summoned the Cherry Boomerang as it generated a red juice splash and his visor lit up red.

Gaim then threw his weapon at several Inves, striking them in the chest before he caught it and used it to retaliate against a soldier that tried to sneak up behind him. A Lion Inves roared and tried to strike him with its claw, but Gaim blocked it with the flat side of his weapon and pushing it back before slashing its chest twice. As the Inves stumbled back, the Armored Rider threw his Cherry Boomerang at it and sent the Inves sprawling.

"Haaaaah!" Bachou let out a battle cry as her horse charged forward and she slashed her Silver Flash right and left, killing several soldiers. She then pulled the reins of her horse, making it turn swiftly as she swung her weapon and easily mowed down the soldiers who were stupid enough to try ambushing her from behind. Her horse neighed and stood on its hind legs to avoid a spear skewering its flank before it slammed its forelegs to the ground as Bachou skewered the soldier instead.

"Ora ora ora ora!" Rinrin roared as she swung her Viper Spear, sending several soldiers flying, all the while advancing forward recklessly. The petite red head then dug her heels to the ground as she spun around, all the while swinging her weapon widely. Several Toutaku soldiers were left dead or dying when Rinrin finished her rotation. Without even pausing, she then charged ahead and her Viper Spear smashed through the shield of three soldiers thanks to her ridiculous strength. She then killed the soldiers while they were recovering from her attack.

Gaim was wielding both Musou Saber and Cherry Boomerang as he dispatched the soldiers and Inves around him with ease. He slashed a soldier with his Musou Saber before he used his other weapon to block an Elementary Inves' claw. He pushed it back and struck the Inves with Cherry Boomerang before he threw it at an incoming group of soldiers. As the weapon struck them, Gaim pulled the Pallete Slide on his Musou Saber and fired at another Elementary Inves, knocking it down. He then used his katana to block the claw of a Hekija Inves and parried it away before he slashed it in the chest. It stumbled back and was recovering when the Cherry Boomerang struck it from behind, causing it to fall over. Gaim let the Cherry Boomerang soar pass him, striking down a soldier while he removed the Cherry Lockseed from his Sengoku Driver and locked it into his Musou Saber instead.

"LOCK ON! 1, 10, 100!"

The tip of the Musou Saber generated a red orb which seemed to grow before it shot a green rope that struck the still spinning Cherry Boomerang, encasing it inside a red energy orb, making the two weapons looked like a pair of cherries connected by its stem

"CHERRY CHARGE!"

Gaim swung his sword as his boomerang followed the direction of his motion thanks to the stem projection. He guided it so that the spinning weapon struck any Inves and soldiers around him, and with a shout, the stem extended, allowing Gaim to increase the range of his finisher. Gaim then spun on his foot and slashed wide, striking more soldiers and Inves as he did so. Their body exploded as Gaim ended the finisher and pulled his weapon back to him.

He, however, didn't have a moment of reprieve when his instincts screamed at him to move. He jumped to the side as a halberd crushed the spot where he stood earlier. He saw the wielder was a tanned red-haired girl wearing black and white clothes. What caught his attention was the tattoos on her skin and a pair of ahoge on the top of her head that resembled antennae. Gaim prepared himself for the unavoidable confrontation as the girl slowly turned at him.

"…Who are you?" asked Gaim slowly.

"…Ryofu Housen..." answered the redhead, her eyes never left Gaim's figure. "…I'm going to defeat you…For Yue and Miyabi…"

Gaim swallowed. So this girl was this world's Ryofu Housen. He could tell from her posture and the presence she exuded that this girl before him was a warrior of her own caliber. One part of him was nervous, but another part of Gaim, the warrior inside him, was excited to face such a formidable opponent like her. Especially her, the Invincible Phoenix General Ryofu Housen. But the rest of her sentence made him wonder if this girl was different than the Ryofu Housen he knew from the history books. If anything, the first impression Gaim had of her was that she was calmer and not as boisterous as the other Ryofu, and she was apparently loyal to this Yue and Miyabi—one of those names must be Toutaku's true name.

He shook his head. This wasn't the time to ponder such things.

"I accept your challenge, Ryofu Housen," said Gaim as he readied his weapons. "If you have what it takes to dance with me, then come!"

Ryofu then surged forward and Gaim met her charge head on.

---

Baron swung his Banaspear and Chouryou blocked it with her Flying Dragon Blade before retaliating with a series of rapid thrusts and slashes which he parried with his own weapon. He ducked under a slash and stabbed his Banaspear upward, only for his purple-haired adversary to tilt her head backward and disengage from him. The knight-themed Rider pursued her, only to realize that her last move was a feint and Chouryou unleashed a powerful horizontal slash. Baron blocked it, but was pushed back as his footing was unstable which Chouryou took advantage of as she delivered a powerful chop from her Dragon Blade. Fortunately, Baron recovered and regained his footing fast enough to block Chouryou's attack on time.

"Well, aren't ya the one with sharp reflexes?" teased Chouryou as she pushed her weapon forward.

"Thanks for the compliment, but you won't defeat me that easily!" retorted Baron as he pushed her back, steadily gaining ground with his superior strength.

"Baron-sama!" he heard Aisha was calling for him, but this battle was his and only his.

"Don't worry about me, Kan'u-san! Leave Chouryou to me and go help Yamato. I got the feeling he will need your help!" he yelled.

Aisha looked conflicted. On one hand, she really wanted to help her lord's friend, but she too couldn't help but consider his words which made her feel uneasy. If Baron was right, then Gaim would need her help right now.

"Are you sure you can handle her, Baron-sama?" she inquired.

"Damn straight I can!" Baron grunted as he managed to push Chouryou back and force her to disengage from him. "Just go and let me handle her. This is my battle and I'll see it to the end!" 'Besides, if I lose here, then I won't have any chance to beat him,' he added the last part to himself

"…Very well. Then I will leave her to you."

"Ah, wait! Kan'u!" Chouryou tried to pursue Aisha, but Baron stopped her as he slashed at her, forcing her to jump backward.

"What's wrong? Am I too much for you?" Baron taunted.

"Not really. But you see, I'm a fan of Kan'u and I want to cross blades with her. When again will I have the chance to fight against her?" Chouryou questioned back in response to Baron's teasing.

"You'll have to worry about me first before you can have your way with Kan'u-san," Baron then blinked at his own words and groaned in disbelief. "Did I just pull a double entendre there?"

"Yeah, you did!" laughed Chouryou.

"Just great…Looks like Her Loliness has been rubbing off on me," Baron sighed and removed a new Lockseed from the spare Lockseed holder on his side. "I guess I'll have to take it up to another notch. You think you can keep up with me, Chouryou?" The new Lockseed in his hand was the Pumpkin Lockseed Yamato gave to him before they departed to battle.

"We'll see about that, won't we?" she answered with a smirk.

Baron smirked back at her behind his mask as he unlocked the Lockseed.

"PUMPKIN!"

A Crack opened Baron's head and the new Armor Parts descended from it. It was shaped like a metallic orange pumpkin. Baron replaced the Banana Lockseed with his new Pumpkin Lockseed and secured it to the Driver.

"LOCK ON!"

The European trumpet fanfare played from the Sengoku Driver as the Banana Arms dispersed into motes of light. Baron then used the Cutting Blade to cut open the Lockseed, revealing its inner core in the shape of sliced half of a pumpkin with the back lid image showed a scythe with a pumpkin theme.

"COME ON!"

The Pumpkin Armor Part landed on Baron's shoulder and began to disassemble. The front part folded in half and became an orange chest plate with jagged black highlights on the sides and bottom. The side parts also folded to become curved shoulder armors with jagged black highlights similar to his chest plate. The top part folded together along with the stem and moved to his back. The helmet attachment on the back of Baron's helmet was also orange with pumpkin-like texture with a pair of horns curved forward in the shape of a pumpkin's skin . His eyepieces lit up in orange light like pumpkin's flesh as his armor generated a pumpkin 'juice' splash and summoned his Arms Weapon to his hand. It was a scythe with long silver shaft topped with an iron pumpkin. The green stem on its top was pointed like a spear tip while the curved blade extending from the pumpkin's side was silver with wave-like pattern across its flat side.

"PUMPKIN ARMS! REAPER OF SCYTHE!"

Baron gave his new Arms and Arms Weapon a brief look before he grinned behind his mask. "Reaper of scythe, huh? Let's see what this one can do!"

Chouryou regarded Baron warily. She saw him changing his armor and she didn't know what this one was capable of. Those so-called benefactors did tell her that each Messengers of Heaven gained different powers according to the fruit armor they wore. She had to approach this one carefully.

Baron twirled his new weapon, which he mentally dubbed the Pumpscyther, with one hand before he charged at Chouryou. His purple haired adversary's green eyes widened as he already closed in faster than she expected and hastily raised her weapon to block his slash. She didn't even have time to adjust her stance as the next series of blows came. Diagonal, horizontal, and vertical blows came in so fast that she almost lost the track of it. A powerful spinning slash from Baron knocked her backward and nearly sent her sprawling if it wasn't for her own skill and experience. She righted herself as Baron twirled his scythe and settled into a stance.

"Have I become too fast for you?" teased Baron.

"Heh, I admit you caught me off guard but that won't happen again," replied Chouryou with a slight frown.

"Really? Let's see if you can keep your word."

Baron then charged at Chouryou with his new speed and his opponent followed his example. Just before they were about to clash, Baron suddenly blurred and disappeared from her sight, much to Chouryou's surprise. She barely managed to reacted in time when Baron reappeared behind her and blocked his sudden attack. Chouryou was sent reeling because of the power behind Baron's strike. The knight-themed Rider then pushed his advantage by landing a series of blows which Chouryou blocked with noticeable effort. Baron struck with a backhand slash, followed by diagonal uppercut, and finished with a wide sweeping slash that nearly caused Chouryou to fall. However, the purple-haired warrior managed to right herself at the last moment.

"Looks like I have become too fast for you, Chouryou. Maybe you should give up now," grinned Baron.

"Me giving up? You wish! Just because you got faster doesn't mean you can get cocky with me!" retorted Chouryou before she charged at him.

Baron readied himself as Chouryou came at him with an overhead slash. He blocked her attack and retaliated with a quick swing that Chouryou dodged by taking a back step. She then attacked again with a wide slash and Baron ducked under it before he countered with an uppercut that nearly cut her chest wrappings. The Armored Rider then pressed on with a series of quick slashes but Chouryou dodged before she lashed with swift slash aimed at his chest. Baron blocked her attack with the shaft of his weapon before he kicked her stomach and as she was reeling from his attack, he unleashed a seven hundred and twenty degree spinning slash. Chouryou blocked his attack, but the force behind his attack finally made her fall to the ground.

Just when she trying to regain her bearing, Baron had the blade of his Pumpscyther pressed against her neck.

"It's my win, Chouryou Bun'en," declared Baron triumphantly as he looked down at his defeated foe.

"General Chouryou!" one of the soldiers shouted upon seeing was general was at the mercy of her opponent. He along with some of his comrades then charged at Baron with the intent of defeating him and freeing their general.

"Stop! Don't do it!" Chouryou warned them, but her plea went unheard as they continued their reckless charge.

Seeing the incoming enemies, Baron sighed. "I really don't like to play the bad guy here, but sometimes you need to go to the extreme to get your point across. Sorry for this."

He then sliced the Pumpkin Lockseed once to activate the Driver's first finisher function.

"COME ON! PUMPKIN SQUASH!"

Baron removed his scythe from Chouryou's neck and twirled it as the energy from the Pumpkin Lockseed was channeled into it. He then held his weapon ready and slashed it wide, firing orange energy slash in the shape of pumpkin slice. The charging soldiers didn't have time to react as the finisher attack struck them and they died as their bodied exploded in fiery blaze.

Seeing her men die in a futile attempt to rescue her, Chouryou closed her eyes resignedly as she spoke through gritted teeth. "…I surrender. Just let the rest of my men go. I won't fight you anymore."

Baron nodded slightly and spoke out loud. "Listen up, soldiers of Toutaku ! Your general, Chouryou Bun'en has decided to surrender in exchange for your lives. So honor her wish and get out of my sight before you force my hand!"

The soldiers were visibly reluctant to do as their general wished, but they could only do so little for now. They knew they weren't a match for the Messenger of Heaven who was able to defeat their general and made her his prisoner. With great shame and indignity filling their being, the soldiers fled from the battlefield.

Baron watched the Toutaku soldiers flee and turned to Chouryou. "You surrender fast for someone who seemed to love to fight."

"Just because I enjoy a good fight that doesn't mean I care so little about my men. There's no point in them dying while I fight to my heart's content. I'm not that barbaric," retorted Chouryou.

"Good point," Baron then offered his hand to her. "Come on, I'll take you to Her Loliness so she could decide what to do with you."

The purple haired woman blinked curiously as she took Baron's offered hand. "Just who is this Her Loliness you're talking about?"

"It's what I call Sousou and it's short for 'Skirt Chasing Her Loliness Sousou Motoku of Sou Gi'. It's kinda mouthful so I decided to shorten it," his answer made Chouryou to gape incredulously.

"You're the one who spread that title for Sousou!?"

"Yup!" answered Baron cheerfully before he noticed some disturbance in the distance. "Huh? Isn't that where Ton-chan and Kakouen-san are?"

"Something must've happened there. Big enough to disorganize the unit like that," observed Chouryou.

The Rider stared at it for a moment before he shrugged. "Whatever it is, I'm sure they can handle it and Yuki is around to help them too if needed. Now let's go, we can't have Her Loliness waiting any longer."

(LINE)

"HAAAAAAAAHH!" roared Kakouton as she charged ahead at the crowd of Toutaku soldiers. Her sword drew arcs in the air as it spilled the blood of any unlucky or foolish soldiers that stood in her path. She parried a sword and struck down its wielder with a slash to his chest and swung her sword wide to attack the oncoming soldiers before they could do anything. The black-haired warrior saw a soldier attempt to stab her with his spear and with a scoff, Kakouton jumped back to avoid the attack before she lunged at the poor soldier. Her sword then pierced his chest and went all the way through his heart and back. She then dislodged her sword, flicking it off from blood, before resumed her bloody carnage.

Unlike her sister, Kakouen was calmer in her approach toward the enemies since she had to watch for Kakouton's back. She was THAT reckless. She would often forget about her surroundings and would charge ahead for her goal single-mindedly. The blue-haired younger twin lost the count when she had to save her older twin because of her recklessness. That's why she became an archer, to watch her sister's back and ensure her safety.

Kakouen took an arrow from the quiver on the back of her waist, loaded it to her bow, and fired at her intended target. She watched emotionlessly as the arrow pierced the head of a soldier before she reloaded with three arrows and fired them simultaneously. The arrows hit their mark and Kakouen repeated her actions.

Eventually, the number of the Tou soldiers dwindled with Kakouton's ferocity, Kakouen's methodical support, and the Gi soldiers' relentless effort to defeat their enemy in the name of their ruler.

"Hah! You're all pathetic! Is this the best you can do?" spat Kakouton challengingly after she killed three soldiers in one swing of her weapon.

"Don't get cocky, Aneja," warned Kakouen mildly as she lowered her bow.

"These worms are hardly a problem, Shuuran. They're just weaklings," the elder twin scoffed and smirked as she added, "After all, there's no way I would lose to them with you watching my back."

The younger Kakou twin smiled thinly in response as she mounted an arrow to her bow. "Thank you for your words of confidence. Now go on, but remember, you have to be careful."

"Aren't I always?" smirked Kakouton and Kakouen resisted the urge to sigh. Instead, the younger twin sniped down a soldier who tried to attack her elder sister when she was talking to her. Kakouton, seeing the dead soldier turned to her sister one more time. "See my point?"

Kakouen rolled her eyes and Kakouton charged ahead again, bellowing the battle cry, "FOR KARIN-SAMA!" all the while.

She then resumed firing again and because she was too focused in her task, she didn't saw the metallic glint coming from the behind the formation of Toutaku soldiers. A lone archer was stationed on a small hill and his arrow was aimed at Kakouton all this time. Without any warning, the archer fired.

Hearing the familiar noise, Kakouen's eyes widened upon seeing the projectile heading toward where her sister was.

"Shunran, look out!"

Kakouton turned at her sister's call, but it was too late before she could react, the arrow pierced her left eye and she fell to the ground after staggering backward with a sharp pained cry.

"Aneja!" yelled Kakouen in worry before she turned to the archer who foolishly didn't take cover after his shot. She wasted no time to load her arrow and let it soar to its target despite its distance. She watched with great satisfaction as it was buried between the eyes of the archer, killing him in an instant. She then hurriedly made her way to her sister's side. "Are you alright, Shunran?"

"Argh…My…eye…!" Kakouton hissed in pain as she was holding the left side of her face. Blood was flowing freely from her eye socket and the arrow was still stuck on her damaged eye.

"Come on, we have to get your wound treated," urged Kakouen as she tried to pull her sister away to safety.

The Gi soldiers saw how their general's condition was and immediately went into panicked and disorganized state.

"General Ton is hurt and down!"

"That's impossible!"

"How could this happen!?"

"What do we do now!?"

The Tou Faction soldiers capitalized on their enemy's state of disarray and started to harass the Gi soldiers. Their demoralized condition was proven to be their undoing as they fell one by one and had to pull back from their formerly aggressive advance. As powerful and well trained as the Gi soldiers were, their advantage had slipped away from their grasp without a clear leader and chain of command.

Kakouton, seeing the sorry state of her men was in, immediately reacted. She shakily stood up and wrestled her arm away from her sister's grasp and ignored the protruding pain she felt as she bellowed. "YOU FOOLS!"

The soldiers turned to Kakouton's direction.

"Have you forgotten your oath to Karin-sama!? And you dare call yourselves brave soldiers! Where are the brave warriors who had sworn their loyalty to Karin-sama!? Look at me and listen carefully! For Karin-sama's sake, for her dream and for Sou Gi's everlasting glory, I will sacrifice everything I have! Even it means I have to give up my body that my parents gave to me and this soul that heaven blessed to me!" Kakouton then reached for the shaft of the arrow and pulled it forcefully, taking her damaged eyeball with it. She pushed on despite the searing and nigh unbearable pain she felt and with a swift motion, the Gi general ate her own eyeball before she chewed it a few times and swallowed it. Kakouton wiped her mouth with the back of her left hand and tossed away the bloodied arrow. "For Karin-sama's dream…and for the glory of Sou Gi…An eye, an arm, a leg…even my life is nothing more than a tool for her to reach her goal! And it is the same as well for you! Do not fear any kind of loss when you are fighting for something worthy, for your beloved Kingdom Sou Gi and Karin-sama!"

Kakouton raised her sword with her left hand was covering her heavily bleeding eye socket. Drips of blood were steadily streaming down on her fingers, cheek, and chin, but it didn't make the famed General Kakouton any less intimidating. "Now go forward and win! This is my order to you as your general! Turn the bodies of those Toutaku's dogs into a path for your Empress toward her rightful destiny! Do not beget the losses you will suffer today for they will become the new castle and throne for Karin-sama! Now show them what the true valor is!"

The hellish roar that came from Gi soldiers utterly crushed any motion of confidence that Tou soldiers had left. They were left at the most least tender mercy of Gi soldiers as the latter charged ahead, fueled with righteous anger and valor.

As soon as the soldiers' sight left her, Kakouton allowed her body to collapse to the ground once more. Kakouen then made her way to her sister's side and noticed she was trembling and sobs escaped her lips. With most of the adrenaline left her body, the black haired Kakou twin finally felt the full brunt of her wound.

"…I-It hurts…" Kakouton whimpered softly.

"That's what you got for doing something so reckless like that," Kakouen admonished, sighing.

"I-I have to do something…so I won't shame K-Karin-sama," retorted Kakouton, wincing as she felt the throbbing pain on where her left eye was.

"Kakouton-san! Kakouen-san!" Ryugen called out as she approached the twins.

"Ryugen-san! What are you doing here? What about the archers?" asked Kakouen.

"Don't worry, I have my aide to look things over and I have trained him personally. Now let me take a look on you," replied Ryugen as she fussed over Kakouton. "You've lost much of your blood, but thankfully your eyelid is undamaged since you opened your eyes when the arrow struck."

"I-I'm alright, Ryugen. Don't worry about me, I-I have to continue to fight…!" Kakouton waved her off, only for Ryugen to forcefully push her down.

"No. You're wounded and it will get dangerous for you to fight any further."

"But—!" the elder Kakou twin tried to protest, but she immediately fell into silence upon seeing Ryugen's black-specked magenta eyepieces. Even as if they were hiding her eyes, Kakouton could see that the Rider was glaring at her.

"You are and will be a liability with the loss of your left eye. I'm even surprised that you didn't faint already due to overwhelming pain and major blood loss," the Rider paused to let her word sunk on the black-haired girl. "I don't know how Sousou-dono actually treats you, but don't you ever think to sacrifice yourself like you said in your speech. Sure it is a great way to get the morale of your soldiers to rise, but to actually throw away your life is foolish. You may think it is a just cause and a noble sacrifice, but what about the people you leave behind? Sousou-dono, Kakouen-san, and your fellow generals? Do you really think they wouldn't be saddened when you're gone?"

Images then flashed in Ryugen's mind when she said that.

A wrecked car.

A dying man and woman trying to comfort their daughter one last time.

A girl desperately pleading for her parents to wake up before she cried over their dead bodies.

Ryugen's fist clenched tightly as she pushed the image to the back of her mind before she addressed Kakouton once more. "To die mean you're escaping your duty. To throw away your life means you're giving up on your dream. To sacrifice yourself means you're taking the easy way out to relieve yourself of your burden. Is that what you want, Kakouton Genjou!?"

Kakouton could only gape silently at Ryugen as her furious words echoed in her mind. As much as she wanted to retort, the elder Kakou twin knew she was right. Dying here meant everything was over for her. While it was true that Sousou saw her as one of her tools, but Kakouton knew that deep down the blonde empress cared for her. And she had no wish to make her cry. All of Sousou's senior vassals vowed to themselves that they would never to see their lady cry again after that one time.

With a reluctant sigh, Kakouton finally said, "No. That is not what I wished for." She then looked at Ryugen with her remaining eye glaring back at her. "I will follow your orders, but you better give those swine what they deserve, Ryugen."

"That is what I intend to. And Kakouton-san? It is a request, not an order," replied the Rider as she stood up and turned to Kakouen. "Can you take your sister to get her wounds treated?"

"I will do just that even without you asking me, Ryugen-san," answered Kakouen as she slung her sister's arm over her shoulder and walked away, but not without saying the parting words to her. "Godspeed, Unrivaled Green Marksman Ryugen."

Ryugen nodded and unclipped a Lockseed from its holder on her side to swap her current Arms with a new one.

"KIWI!"

"I feel like relieving my stress with a good old fashioned melee today," she muttered to no one but herself as she locked the Lockseed on her Driver.

"LOCK ON!"

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

The Kiwi Armor Parts descended from the opening Crack above her as the Pitaya Arms disappeared in motes of light before dropping on her head and shoulders. The Armor Part disassembled and formed her Arms. Her visor flashed green as green 'juice' splashed from her armor and the Kiwi Gekirin materialized in her hands. Ryugen then charged ahead with the intent to fulfill her promise to Kakouton.

That day, Ryugen got herself a new name for her sudden ferocity as she ravaged through the rank of Toutaku Soldier.

The Jade Devil Dragon.

---

Gaim grunted as he blocked the heavy blow from Ryofu's Heaven Piercer using his Musou Saber and Cherry Boomerang. As the redhead was coming at him again, he parried her blow using the bladed boomerang and retaliated with a swift lunge by the Musou Saber. Ryofu dodged and tried to kick him, but Gaim already moved out of her range and activated the shooting function of his Musou Saber. Ryofu blocked the four shots with her Heaven Piercer but Gaim was already upon her, raining blows with his two weapons. A spinning double slash pushed Ryofu backward, but she recovered fast and returned the favor with a combo of powerful chopping, horizontal, and diagonal uppercut slashes. Gaim dodged the first two, but he had to block the last one which actually knocked him backwards. Unknown to Ryofu, he had already planned the move and used this moment as a means to gain some distance from her. The Shoku King somersaulted in the air and threw his Cherry Boomerang at the redhead.

Ryofu jumped over the buzzing weapon and trampled the ground as she charged at the Armored Rider. The Heaven Piercer swung in a chopping motion, meeting with the Musou Saber which was swung with equal force. The weapons met with each other with a rain of sparks and clanging noise before rebounding and clashing again as their wielders intended to land a hit on their opponents.

Gaim delivered a powerful horizontal slash and Ryofu blocked it, knocking her back. The Phoenix General was about to charge at the King of Shoku once more when she heard whooshing noise from behind her and followed her instincts to duck, just as the Cherry Boomerang passed the air where her head was not a second ago.

Gaim caught his returning weapon and attacked Ryofu with both of his weapons. Ryofu deftly blocked the series of attacks with the shaft of her weapon before she swung it widely and forced Gaim to disengage her. The redhead then rushed at him as he was still to right his stance and struck with her Heaven Piercer. Gaim hurriedly raised his defenses, but he was still blown back by the blow and was disarmed of his Arms Weapon. He fell to the ground but managed to recover quickly and back rolled to avoid Ryofu's blow which crushed the ground where he was previously.

The Phoenix General regarded the King of Shoku before she spoke, "…You're good."

"I can say the same to you. As expected of the infamous Ryofu Housen," replied Gaim, readying his Musou Saber in two-handed grip.

Ryofu narrowed her eyes on him as she rested her weapon on her shoulder. Her posture was deceptively relaxed, but to those who had trained eye could saw she was ready to uncoil at a moment's notice.

After a short staring match, Gaim took the initiative by charging at his red-haired adversary using the maximum speed his armor granted him. Surprise briefly flickered in Ryofu's red eyes as he became a red blur, but she was ready to intercept him. She quickly swung her weapon just as Gaim swung his Musou Saber at her. The two weapons clashed with sparks and the Armored Rider quickly disengaged and followed up with quick slash which was parried by the Tou General. She retaliated with a punch which he deflected aside and unleashed kick at her abdomen, only for Ryofu to block with the shaft of her weapon. Undeterred, Gaim used the shaft as a leverage to jump to the air and fired his Musou Saber at his adversary. Ryofu blocked the shots and Gaim landed on the ground before rushing at her once more. Gaim started with a quick combo of horizontal followed by downward swing and finished by a spinning slash. Ryofu parried the attacks with a grunt before she countered by smashing the end of her halberd toward his helmeted head, but Gaim ducked underneath it. The Armored Rider then retaliated with an uppercut slash and the red-haired general blocked it with noticeable effort.

The two combatants disengaged from each other and had another staring match when a voice called out to one of them.

"Yamato-sama!"

Gaim glanced at the source of voice and saw Aisha rushed to his side, cutting down any Toutaku soldiers that tried to stop her.

"Aisha? What are you doing here?" asked Gaim.

"I'm here to help you, Yamato-sama. Baron-sama is dealing with Chouryou Bun'en as we speak now," answered Aisha as she took her place next to Gaim.

Ryofu narrowed her eyes upon hearing her friend's name. She settled into another stance and readied herself for another clash, despite she was now facing two enemies.

Gaim prepared himself for another clash with the famed Phoenix General, but not before he told his general about their enemy. "Aisha, the enemy before us is none other than Ryofu Housen. She is as strong as they say and is able to match me blow for blow. She even managed to relieve me of my Arms Weapon."

"I understand," replied Aisha, her eyes never left Ryofu's form as she readied her Green Dragon Crescent Blade.

Ryofu made the first move and rushed at the pair with her Heaven Piercer brandished to attack. Aisha went to intercept her charge and the Dragon Blade drew a silvery arc in the air as it clashed with the Ryofu's weapon. Undeterred, Ryofu disengaged from the black-haired warrior before she exchanged blows with her. Aisha gritted her teeth as she parried a powerful downward slash with a noticeable effort and retaliated with a wide sweeping slash that Ryofu blocked. The red-haired general pushed her back, only for Gaim rushing at her with his Musou Saber sheathed on his side. He then slashed his sword while unsheathing it and Ryofu immediately snapped her weapon up to parry it, only for her to be blown by the attack, causing her eye to widen in surprise.

"I got you! Haaaaah!" yelled Aisha as she took the chance Gaim provided to her.

However, Ryofu managed to recover quickly and blocked Aisha's powerful horizontal slash with an equally powerful diagonal chop. The recoil from the blow forced the two combatants to separate before Gaim fired his weapon, forcing Ryofu to leap backwards before her body was riddled with holes. The Armored Rider then rushed at the Phoenix General once again utilizing the maximum speed of his Cherry Arms and once he was close enough, he slashed his sword which Ryofu blocked with noticeable effort. Grunting, Ryofu pushed Gaim away and swung her Heaven Piercer with an impossibly fast two-handed slash. Knowing he would be disarmed again if he blocked the attack, the Armored Rider let the attack strike him in his chest, with sparks flying on contact and sent him sprawling.

"Gah!"

"Yamato-sama!" Aisha called out in worry before she glared balefully at Ryofu."RYOFU HOUSEN!"

The Black-Haired War Goddess of Shoku let out a fierce roar as she charged. She delivered a powerful vertical slash and followed up with a spinning horizontal which Ryofu blocked. The redhead retaliated with a powerful thrust which pushed Aisha back and followed by an equally powerful chop and uppercut. Aisha blocked the first follow up and dodged the second one by leaping backward before rushing forward once more. This time, the black-haired warrior used a different, faster approach by unleashing series of rapid jabs which Ryofu blocked with noticeable effort before she ended her chain of attacks with a powerful thrust. The Phoenix General was pushed back slightly after she blocked the attack and her Shoku counterpart attacked again with a spinning slash. Ryofu jumped over the attack and vaulted over Aisha before landing and delivered her own spinning slash which knocked the Shoku general back several steps.

Just as she was going to attack again, a beeping noise caught her attention and then she halted her charge just as several energy bullets shot the ground in front of her. She was then forced to leap backward as the Cherry Boomerang buzzed toward her before making a U-turn that forced Ryofu to duck. Gaim caught his returning weapon as he dashed forward and slashed his Musou Saber horizontally. Ryofu blocked the attack, but Gaim wasn't finished as he brought down his Cherry Boomerang and followed up with a spinning backhand that pushed Ryofu backwards. Aisha then pounced on with a vertical slash which was blocked, but she quickly disengaged and attacked again with a sweeping slash followed by an uppercut. The red-haired general blocked her attacks and retaliated with a powerful backhanded slash and a chop that crushed the ground beneath them.

Aisha gritted her teeth as she was forced to leap back to avoid the last attack. Gaim then rushed at Ryofu again before suddenly stopping. He spun his body as he threw the Cherry Boomerang. Ryofu jumped over the attack, but had to parry Gaim's overhead slash, followed by a series of fast horizontal, uppercut, diagonal chop, and spinning slash. Ryofu gritted her teeth as she had to block the chain of attacks and had to duck least she wanted to lose her head to the Cherry Boomerang. Gaim caught his weapon before slashing both of them and the Toutaku General had to jump backward since she knew couldn't block in time.

Gaim and Aisha then leapt backward and warily eyed Ryofu as they tried to catch their breath.

"She really is as strong as the rumors said," said Aisha between panted breaths. Although she had only exchanged blows with Ryofu for a shorter time than her lord, she was getting tired already. She couldn't help but worry about him. His armor maybe increased his stamina to a higher level, but it was still finite.

"Yeah, no kidding. As expected of the strongest warrior in entire China," replied Gaim, panting, while his gaze never left Ryofu's form. While to others she appeared fine and not showing any sign of tiredness, he could saw that she was breathing in short intervals which spoke enough about her current condition. "We better wrap this up soon, Aisha. We're getting tired and it will be dangerous for us to go on further."

"I understand," Aisha nodded. "Then what do you propose, Yamato-sama?"

Ryofu saw Gaim whispered something to Aisha and she prepared herself for everything while wondering what they were planning. She received her answer when the two of them charged at her as Gaim sheathed his sword and pushed the knife-like switch on his Driver.

"SOIYA! CHERRY SQUASH!"

Gaim ran his hand across the flat surface of Cherry Boomerang as it glowed red before he spun in place and threw it with both of his hands. Knowing how dangerous it was to block his weapon when it glowed like that, Ryofu leapt to the side to dodge it and had to hastily snap her weapon up as Aisha already upon her with her weapon swung for a powerful overhead slash. Ryofu gritted her teeth as Aisha was pushing down on her and was about to push her back when the black haired girl suddenly disengaged from her, causing her to be off-balanced. This window of chance was taken by Gaim as he rushed forward with his right hand grasping the hilt of Musou Saber while it was sheathed on its holster and once his adversary was within his range, he unleashed a swift strike with his sword. Ryofu blocked his attack with an equally powerful downward chop, but since Gaim had been running on his maximum speed he had more momentum behind his swing so he managed to counter Ryofu's blow. Surprise was evident in Ryofu's face as her attack was countered and caused her to become off-balanced. Gaim then followed up with a left hook that landed solidly on her cheek, causing Ryofu to stumble backward several steps. She recovered and wiped her bruised cheek as her red eyes glared at Gaim, but then they widened when she heard whooshing noise coming from behind.

Ryofu had forgotten about Gaim's other weapon. She turned around and tried to block knowing that she couldn't evade in time and struck the weapon with her Heaven Piercer, causing an explosion that flung Ryofu's body backwards. She hit the ground and rolled several time before stopped and laid spread eagled with her Heaven Piercer stuck in the ground, blade first not too far from her place. Ryofu was conscious, but she wouldn't be able to fight again anytime soon.

Gaim calmly walked over to where Ryofu was and pointed his Musou Saber at her throat.

"It's my victory, Ryofu Housen."

Ryofu only stared tiredly into Gaim's red visor for several seconds before she sighed resignedly and spoke, "…I give up. Too tired to fight anymore…"

The remaining Toutaku soldiers couldn't believe their eyes when they saw their supposedly undefeated general was defeated by none other than the Peerless Blue Swordsman and the Black-Haired War Goddess. It was unbelievable since they knew how powerful she was, but for her to be defeated was an incomprehensible thing.

"REN!"

Gaim and Aisha turned toward the cap-wearing green haired girl who was running toward their direction. She stopped several meters before them and glared at the pair.

"Let go of Ren, you bastard!" she demanded to Gaim.

Ryofu turned to her and said, "…We've lost, Nenene."

"No, we haven't ! We can still win this!" retorted Chinkyuu as she took another Lockseed from her pocket, to Aisha and Gaim's surprise. "Don't worry Ren, I'll save you!"

Before she even had the chance to unlock it, Gaim quickly pulled the Pallete Slide on his Musou Saber and fired his gun once at the Lockseed. Chinkyuu let out a startled cry as the Lcokseed was shot and fell to the ground. The girl looked at the broken Lockseed before turning to Gaim who was staring coldly at her while still aiming his gun at her.

"…So you're the one who summoned those Inves. I was wondering which idiot decided to recklessly summon those monsters without knowing what they have done."

Chinkyuu flinched and shivered from the cold tone Gaim used on her. She tried to shake the fear away she felt and retorted, "A-And what of it!? W-What are you going to do to me!?"

Before Gaim said anything, a hand reached for his leg. He turned to see Ryofu looked at him pleadingly, which was quite unlike the fierce warrior he fought earlier.

"…Let her go. I surrender."

Gaim regarded her for a moment and asked, "Why?"

"Nenene is my friend. I don't want to see her hurt."

To say Gaim was surprised was an understatement. Was this girl really the counterpart of the infamous Ryofu Housen, the traitorous general?

Seeing that Gaim was distracted by Ryofu, Chinkyuu tried to reach for another Lockseed from her coat but she was tackled from behind and fell to the ground with her hands restrained behind her back.

"Ehehehe~! Got you!" Rinrin declared proudly on her back. It was her who had tackled Chinkyuu and was holding her wrists to prevent her to do anything.

"Wha-!? Hey, let me go!" demanded Chinkyuu as she struggled under the young redhead.

"Nyahaha~! Not a chance!" said Rinrin, grinning widely.

"Rinrin! Good timing!" commented Aisha, smiling, which her sworn sister replied with a thumb up.

"Yamato-sama!" Bachou called out as she approached the group. She got off from her war horse and reported to Gaim. "Chouhi-san and I have taken down the soldiers stationed inside the Hulao Pass. As we are speaking now, our men are securing the pass and dealing with the stragglers."

"We kicked a lot of bad guys' butts today! We charged, smashed, and won!" added Rinrin.

"That is good to hear. Your father will be proud of what her daughter has achieved today, Bachou-san," praised Gaim as he smiled behind his mask.

"T-Thank you, Yamato-sama," replied Bachou, blushing in embarrassment.

"Ne, Onii-chan! Rinrin did really good, didn't she?" asked Rinrin eagerly.

Aisha chuckled bemusedly at her as she affectionately patted the younger girl's head. "That is right. You have done a really good job today, Rinrin. I'm sure Yamato-sama will reward you with something."

"Really!?"

"Yeah, really. After all, you have done a really good job today," nodded Gaim as the young redhead cheered.

"YAY!"

The Supreme Commander of Anti-Toutaku Alliance then turned to the still struggling Chinkyuu. "Ryofu here has surrendered. Now what will you do…"

"It's Chinkyuu. Chinkyuu Koudai," the petite verdette growled out her name.

"Right, what will you do now, Chinkyuu Koudai?"

Chinkyuu ceased her struggle as she thought over the situation on hand. No matter which option she took, the Toutaku Army of Hulao Pass had lost, even if she had used a lot of Lockseeds to summon the Inves and even those Evolved State Inves as their reinforcements. She had no other choice than the obvious one.

"I…I give up. We have lost this battle," said Chinkyuu resignedly.

"Good answer," replied Gaim before he turned to his generals and ally. "Tie them up and have some of our men to watch over the. Sent a word to our men to bring Kayuu here and put her together with Ryofu and Chinkyuu here."

"Was it wise to put them together in one room, Yamato-sama?" questioned Aisha worriedly.

"Don't worry. None of them could fight in their condition. Speaking of which, could you search Chinkyuu for the Lockseeds in her possession, Rinrin? Look at the pockets inside her coat, I saw her taking a Lockseed from there."

"Got it!" said Rinrin as she turned over Chinkyuu over rather forcefully and spread her coat open, earning a startled squeak from the green haired girl.

"W-W-What are you doing!? Can you be more careful!?"

"Whoa…So many Lockseeds…" commented Rinrin as she looked at the Lockseeds stuffed under Chinkyuu's coat pocket.

"Damn, no wonder we're having a lot of trouble here…" said Bachou.

"I guess those people who gave those Lockseeds are truly determined to see you stopped, Yamato-sama," Aisha frowned as Gaim nodded to her assent.

Ryofu and Chinkyuu looked at him in surprise as the former asked him. "You know…?"

"About the people who pulled the strings behind Toutaku? Yeah, and I already have some suspicions about this whole, Toutaku the Tyrant matter," answered Gaim.

"T-Then you have to help us!" pleaded Chinkyuu. "Yue-sama…Yue-sama is not the person like many they think she was!"

"I already said I have some suspicions. You can save the rest of your story for later when I come to visit you personally," replied Gaim as he turned toward the Hulao Pass. "There's one thing left to do…"

The largest flag bearing the character of Tou and two smaller ones bearing the characters of Chou and Ryo were still flying on the poles on Hulao Pass. Gaim took aim with his Cherry Boomerang and threw it hard enough so it could reach far enough. The thrown weapon made an arc in the air as it cut down the poles with ease before returning to the Rider's waiting hand as he watched the broken poles fell to the ground, along with the flags.

Gaim turned to his soldiers and raised his Musou Saber to the air as he declared triumphantly.

"With this, Hulao Pass is ours!"

The boisterous cheer coming from the tired yet happy soldiers already reinforced the whole situation. After so much blood, sweat, and tears spilled in this place, the Anti-Toutaku Alliance had won the battle and there was only one more thing to do in their list: to capture the capital of Luoyang and dethrone Toutaku.

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A/N: I'm really sorry for the late update. All I can say is that when Real Life gets in the way, you'll find out that time had passed and you still only had done a little. Hopefully, next chapter will come out soon and I'll try to update faster. Please leave a review behind and no flames. If you don't like it, then better not to say anything. Thanks for reading, and goodnight.