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.

10. Flower of Time Path of No Return

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Kamen Rider Gaim or Koihime Musou. I only own the OCs and the plot twists of this story.

---

Chapter 10: Flower of Time ~Path of No Return~

"DURIAN ARMS!"

"SOIYA! MATSUBOKKURI ARMS!"

"COME ON! DONGURI ARMS!"

The Durian, Matsubokkuri, and Donguri Armor Parts landed on Sebastian, Sasuke, and Keiichi's shoulders, engulfing their heads as they formed their Pre-Arms suit.

Sebastian's Pre-Arms suit was green with silver chainmail-like material on his chest. It included spiky purple gauntlets and greaves. Inside the Durian Armor Parts, a dark green helmet formed over Sebastian's head. The helmet had spikes around it and its silver faceplate and mouthplate. A gash was present going over his left eyepiece which gave the mask a scar and a red gem sat on the bridge of the nose. An attachment with a spiked surface on the back and two prominent spikes on the sides together with a red Mohawk-like decoration on the top attached to the helmet, turning the visor yellow. The metal Durian began to disassemble itself as the sides lowered to form spiked shoulder armor with large, prominent spike on the sides and a silver spikes pointing forward. The back flipped out to form his back armor while the front also flipped inside out, forming a spiky chest piece with a silver 'Y' decorating its surface. A pair of green serrated-edged swords with spiked hand guards and spiked silver flat sides appeared in Sebastian's hands as the armor generated a green 'juice' splash to complete the transformation.

"MISTER DANGEROUS!"

The Pre-Arms suit which formed over Sasuke's body is similar to Gaim's, only it was completely black with silver accents on the gauntlet and greaves. A simple rounded black helmet with a silver headband that has red circular gem in the center covered the delinquent's head before a helmet attachment equipped to the back of the helmet. It was brownish black, styled after a pinecone and was pointed upward, giving the helmet a hooded look. The Armor Part disassembled as the front part flipped down to form a chest plate with a pinecone-like motif while the sides lowered to form a pair of shoulder armor which were also had pinecone-like motif. A black spear with pinecone-like decoration on the base of the spearhead appeared his his hand as his armor glowed and his visor lit up in yellow to signify the completed transformation.

"ICHIGEKI IN THE SHADOWS!"

Keiichi's Pre-Arms suit was similar to Baron and Bravo's, but was brown where it wasn't covered with silver chainmail. The helmet that formed inside the Donguri Armor Parts looked similar to a medieval era's squire that was brown with silver trims and mouthpiece. A dome-shaped helmet attachment with acorn-like motif was equipped to the back of his helmet and lit up his eyepieces, turning them yellow. The top of the Armor Part split in two and moved down to form a pair of tough-looking shoulder armor, modeled after an acorn's top along with the side parts. The back part flipped out to form his back armor and the front part flipped inside out to form a chest plate with the bottom of an acorn adorning the centerpiece. A small brown mallet with an acorn motif appeared in Keiichi's hand as his armor glowed briefly, completing the transformation.

"NEVER GIVE UP!"

Sebastian, Sasuke, and Keiichi had transformed into their respective alter-egos: Bravo, Kurokage, and Gridon.

"Now, let the games begin!" Bravo declared excitedly as he raised his Duri Noko swords dramatically.

Yamato declared in response, "Shun, Yuki! Get ready! This is going to be our stage now!"

"HENSHIN!"

"ORANGE!"

"BANANA!"

"BUDOU!""

"LOCK ON!"

"SOIYA! ORANGE ARMS! HANAMICHI ON STAGE!"

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

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

Now donning their respective armors, Gaim, Baron, and Ryugen prepared themselves for the confrontation against the Rogue Riders.

"I'll handle Bravo. You guys go handle Kurokage and Gridon," said Gaim as he unsheathed Musou Saber.

Ryugen glanced at him for a moment and then asked, "Are you sure about that?"

"He's already declared his challenge to me. It would be rude not to accept."

"If you say so," responded Baron as he looked at Kurokage. "I'll take on Mr. Mook Boss over there then."

"Oi! Who the heck did you just call a Mook!?" called out Kurokage, clearly insulted by what Baron had called him.

"I called you a 'Mook Boss'. It's different, you know?" asked Baron pointedly.

"But you still called me a fucking a Mook! That's it, you're going down!" roared Kurokage as he charged ahead wildly.

"O-Oi, Sasuke-kun! Wait!" Gridon called out to him, only to be ignored.

"That's the spirit, Monsieur Kageyama! Now, en Garde, Monsieur Kusanagi!" declared Bravo as he too charged at Gaim.

"W-Wait, Sebastian-kun!" Gridon tried to call out to his other ally, but was also pointedly ignored. "Why won't they listen to me!?" snapped Gridon as he stomped his foot in frustration.

"Aisha, Touka, Karin, Renfa! Lead the army while I fight the enemy Riders! Watch out for Inves!" Gaim called out to his officers and fellow warlords as he and Baron met Bravo's and Kurokage's charge.

"Leave it to us, Yamato-sama!" Aisha called back as she struck a White Clothes soldier in the chest. She then pivoted on her foot and slashed widely to send a group of White Clothes soldier flying.

Gridon gulped nervously as he readied his Donkachi. He saw Ryugen pull the hammer of her Budou Ryuhou and somehow, it made her looked all the more ominous and intimidating.

"Well, it looks like it's just you and me now," she stated offhandedly. "Let's see if your footwork is as fast as you claim your brain to be."

Gridon mentally groaned. Talk about a big mismatch. He ended up fighting with the one with a gun. Nothing was going as planned at all.

---

Sparks flew as the twin Duri Noko clashed against the Daidaimaru and Musou Saber. Gaim and Bravo pushed against each other before the Gladiator-themed Rider broke the deadlock and kicked Gaim in his chest. He then struck with his Duri Noko, but Gaim blocked his attack and retaliated with the Daidamaru striking across Bravo's chest, causing him to stagger. Gaim quickly followed up with two swift slashes, but his overhead slash was blocked by Bravo who crossed his Duri Noko together. He pushed Musou Saber away as he headbutted Gaim in the face. As Gaim tried to clear the stars in his eyes, Bravo struck with a powerful slash from both of his weapon, followed up with a spinning slash and then sending Gaim sprawling with a powerful double uppercut with the Duri Noko.

"Gah!" Gaim cried out as he rolled along the ground. He saw Bravo coming at him again and quickly fired with Musou Saber. The shots didn't stop the Durian Rider from attacking him, but them slowed him down enough to allow Gaim to duck under his Duri Noko and slash his back with Daidaimaru. Bravo grunted in pain and Gaim didn't hesitate to unleash a chain of attacks at his enemy. Horizontal, uppercut, reverse horizontal, diagonal uppercut, overhead, and spinning slashes. All were delivered so fast that Bravo couldn't even follow them. A cross-slash ended the combo, knocking Bravo away and sending him skidding across the ground.

"Aaarrggh!" Bravo yelled in pain. He then stood up shakily as he tried to recover from the series of attacks. "H-Heh, not bad, Monsieur Kusanagi. You're just as strong as they said."

"You're not bad either, Francoise. You're skilled and strong, no wonder you can handle those delinquents yourself," replied Gaim as he evened out his breathing. "But that doesn't excuse you for what you said about Aisha and the others!" Gaim then charged at Bravo with his Musou Saber and Daidaimaru brandished.

Bravo blocked his diagonal swing and ducked under his horizontal swipe, before retaliating with a single slash from the Duri Noko. As Gaim staggered away, Bravo then struck with his left Duri Noko and then the right one, sending the Samurai-themed Rider staggering further.

"Oho? Getting a little attached, aren't we? Those girls are just mockeries of the people they represent, like puppets assigned to play some role. Why bother?" questioned Bravo in conceding tone as he approached Gaim leisurely.

"You talk as if you know them, but you don't know anything!" grunted Gaim as he stood up and rushed at Bravo. He slashed his Daidaimaru which Bravo ducked under and followed up with his Musou Saber which caught Bravo in the chest. As the Durian Rider staggered from the blow, Gaim pressed his advantage by pressing the Cutting Blade once.

"SOIYA! ORANGE SQUASH!"

Gaim fired an energy slash in the shape of orange slice from his Daidaimaru. Being so close with Gaim left Bravo unable to react in time, so he was hit by the finisher attack and sent sprawling to the ground. He rolled several times before he tried to stand up.

"You spout about them being fakes and mockeries as if you know them, but you don't! Just because those girls are different than you expect, you don't have the right to label them as such! Aisha, Touka, and the others are their own person! I don't care if they are supposed to be Kan'u Unchou, Ryuubi Gentoku, and the others or not, they are still the people whom I've formed bonds with and that makes them my precious people!" declared Gaim passionately as he pointed his Musou Saber at Bravo. "Get ready Francoise, because now we're dancing on my stage!"

"Then let's dance, Monsieur Kusanagi!"

Gaim rushed at him again and Bravo blocked his attack with Daidaimaru with his Duri Noko while the other Duri Noko aimed at Gaim's chest. Gaim blocked his attack with his Musou Saber, causing the two Riders to be caught in a deadlock as they pushed against each other to gain dominance.

"I see. So that's how you feel, Monsieur Kusanagi," said Bravo as the two Riders continued to struggle against each other.

"What do you mean?" demanded Gaim.

"It is lonely at the top, isn't it?" the way Bravo delivered his question was more like a statement. "To be seen as the symbol of strength and the embodiment of perfection is lonely because people stay away from you, either intimidated by your strength or they are too afraid to tarnish your perfection."

Gaim's eyes widened behind his helmet as the images of his lonely childhood and his school life flashed before him. His lapse of concentration was capitalized by Bravo who struck his chest with the Duri Noko before he was sent staggering away with a kick.

Gaim fell to one knee and used Musou Saber as his support as he turned to Bravo. "How did you…?"

"Believe me when I say I understand how you feel, Monsieur Kusanagi," said Bravo as he put one hand over his heart. "I too know the kind of loneliness you suffer because of your presence. I too was so lonely and tried really hard, desperate even, to make people accept me by dropping to their level, but in the end it was futile. So I decided to show off my strength without holding anything back and it paid off. Now I have people who admire me and those who I can call friends. Power to people is similar to what light is to moths. People will flock to a strong person, just like those puppets around you."

"Why do you keep calling Aisha and the others puppets!?" demanded Gaim as he stood up.

"It's because everything in this world is already scripted, including their actions and the so-called bonds you have formed with those puppets," declared Bravo by gesturing with both of his hands. "All-in-all, everything in this world is a scripted existence that is so fake and mocks of everything that the Romance of the Three Kingdoms stood for. More importantly, this world mocks powerful yet lonely people like you and me. We both thirst for companionship and friendship, yet this world mocks us by creating those puppets to act as our 'companions' and 'friends'."

Bravo's stature then changed to become more serious and darker. "For all of those insults and mockeries, I will destroy this ugly world starting with those puppets you love so much."

Anger burst inside Gaim when he heard Bravo's threat. "I won't let you!" He then took out his Melon Lockseed and unlocked it.

"MELON!"

Bravo was surprised to see the signature Armor Parts of the strongest Sengoku Armored Rider descending from the Crack connected to Helheim Forest. Gaim swapped his Orange Lockseed with its Melon counterpart before locking the latter to the Sengoku Driver.

"LOCK ON!"

The techno-war horn music played briefly from the Driver before Gaim sliced the Lockseed open.

"SOIYA! MELON ARMS! TENKA GOMEN!"

The Melon Armor Parts dropped to his shoulders and disassembled to from the Arms. The sides lowered and folded to become distinctive curved shoulder armor while the front part folded in half to form the melon skin-textured chest plate while the back part formed the back armor. His helmet attachment also sported melon-skin like texture with small golden decorations on the side and his visor turned pale green like muskmelon flesh. The armor generated pale green 'melon' juice as it summoned the Melon Defender to Gaim's waiting hand.

"If you choose to be the destroyer…" Gaim brandished Musou Saber at Bravo. "…Then I will become the protector authorized by Divine Providence! Prepare yourself, Emissary of Destruction Bravo!"

"Oh! You coined a title for me! Then please allow me to show you my appreciation! En garde!" Bravo roared at the last part as he charged ahead.

Gaim clenched the hand which held the Melon Defender before he swung the shield to deflect the Duri Noko. The difference in strength between Orange and Melon Arms took Bravo by surprise, and Gaim already seized the chance by landing several swift one-handed slashes on his opponent. Vertical, diagonal, uppercut, and horizontal combo slashes were unleashed before Gaim ended the chain by bashing the Melon Defender at Bravo, sending the Gladiator-themed Rider flying backwards.

Bravo landed harshly on his chest and coughed a little. He shakily stood up before he turned to Gaim and laughed,"HAHAHAHA! That's it! Oui! C'est magnifique! That's more like it! Come, Monsieur Kusanagi! Show me more! Let this violent dance of ours continue!"

Gaim responded to Bravo's challenge by charging at him. Bravo returned his gesture by also charging at him, driven by his bloodlust.

---

Kurokage roared as he swung his Kagematsu at Baron while the Knight-themed Rider weaved and parried his blows without much of effort. The Ashigaru-themed Rider aimed for a stab to the Red Knight's head, but Baron deflected the blow and retaliated with a two diagonal strikes to his chest. A powerful thrust from the Banaspear sent Kurokage staggering backward. Growling as he recovered, Kurokage then made his move again by unleashing a flurry of stabs with his Kagematsu. Baron parried and deflected the blows before breaking the deadlock with a wide swing that forced the two Riders to separate.

"Heh, you're pretty good, Kageyama, but not good enough," stated Baron as he settled into a fighting stance, Banaspear held parallel to his head, pointed at Kurokage as his free hand ran along the length of his weapon.

"Don't look down on me, you damn Banana! I'm going to make a smoothie out of you!" retorted Kurokage, brandishing his Kagematsu.

Baron's eyebrow twitched behind his mask. "It's Baron, you Mook Boss!"

"Don't call me a mook, you bastard!" roared Kurokage in anger as he charged at Baron once more.

Baron responded his charge with his own. Banaspear and Kagematsu clashed with one another as sparks flew from their collision. Baron lashed out with a stab, but Kurokage parried the blow with the shaft of his weapon and pushed it up. He then smashed the butt of his weapon against Baron's helmet and slashed his chest with the tip of his spear, only for it to be blocked by Baron's forearm and the Knight-themed Rider retaliated with a fierce hook to his black counterpart. As Kurokage wobbled from the blow, Baron landed a chain of horizontal, diagonal, and uppercut strikes before he send Kurokage sprawling with a powerful spinning slash.

As his Ashigaru-themed opponent rolled on the ground painfully, Baron tapped the Cutting Blade on his Driver once.

"COME ON! BANANA SQUASH!"

Just as Kurokage tried to stand up, Baron jabbed his Banaspear forward and a giant banana projection erupted from the weapon and hit Kurokage right in the chest.

"AAAAARRRRGHHH!" Kurokage bellowed in pain and was sent flying even further down the road before landing painfully on the ground, disarmed of his Kagematsu.

Baron relaxed his stance, but still regarded Kurokage warily and kept his guard up for anything his adversary had in store.

Kurokage struggled to get up as his yellow visor glared balefully at Baron. "…You…Bastard…!" he growled venomously.

"Why did you join those White Clothes anyway? Better yet, how did you and those two end up here?" asked Baron.

"Heh, does it really matter to you?" Kurokage shot back as he managed to stand up. "All I want is to fight against strong opponents without holding anything back. I can't do that back in our world because of those rules," he spat the word 'rules' like a poison. "By siding with Ukitsu and Saji, I can fight against opponents like Kan'u Unchou, Sousou Motoku, and Ryofu Housen to my heart's content! I don't care if this world is scripted or those girls are 'puppets'! As long as I can fight to my heart's content, I don't give a damn!"

"You awfully sound like Kaito Kumon," remarked Baron, feeling the irony of his own statement.

"If that's the case, then I'll take that Driver from you and use it to fight Kusanagi! You're just another stepping stone toward my goal!" declared Kurokage.

As soon as those words left Kurokage's mouth, the air around Baron immediately changed. It became thick with fury and bloodlust that it actually made Kurokage choke on his breath. His body trembled and he involuntarily took two steps backwards. His survival instincts were yelling at him to run as far as possible from whatever…this guy was.

"…Another stepping stone? And you say you want to fight Yamato?" asked Baron in low tone that actually made a cold chill run down on Kurokage's spine. "…That's pretty rich, coming from the guy whose ass I kicked around not a minute ago. Unfortunately, I'm not laughing at your joke.

"Y-Y-You think I'm joking!?" Kurokage's retort came like a stutter which made him curse internally.

Baron didn't reply as he took out and unlocked his Pumpkin Lockseed.

"PUMPKIN!"

"LOCK ON!"

"COME ON! PUMPKIN ARMS! REAPER OF SCYTHE!"

Swapping his Banana Arms for his more agile and (to his opinion) more intimidating Pumpkin Arms, Baron then slowly stalked towards Kurokage with his Pumpscyther held ready in his right hand. He held it backwards with the blade tip grinding along the ground behind him.

"H-Heh, you think you can scare me with a new Arms!? You're not the only one that can do that!" boasted Kurokage as he brought out a new Lockseed. It had the image of a dark brown almond with letters L.S. -15 written in black. He then unlocked it as Baron got closer.

"ALMOND!"

Baron stopped his advance when the new Almond Armor Part descended from the Crack above Kurokage's head. It was shaped like a dark brown, near black almond with black lines running from the top to the bottom of the Armor Part. Kurokage then swapped his Matsubokkuri Lockseed with the new Almond Lockseed before slicing it open, revealing its core which had the image of cut open almond . The back lid image showed the image of a pair of four-pointed shuriken with large almond seeds as its blades.

"LOCK ON!"

"SOIYA! ALMOND ARMS!"

The Almond Armor Part landed squarely on Kurokage's shoulders after the Matsubokkuri Arms disappeared in motes of light. It began to disassemble to form the new Arms. The top and the side parts split in two and lowered themselves to become the new shoulder armors. As the back part flipped down to become the back armor, the front part flipped down to become the chest plate which was dark brown like the rest of his armor with black highlights on top. Kurokage's helmet attachment was also dark brown with black lines like the rest of his armor and lacked any kind of decorations. His visor was still yellow and flashed briefly along the rest of his armor as the new Arms Weapon appeared in Kurokage hands, the same pair of shuriken as the back lid image showed. It was called Almond Shuriken.

"YOUGEKI IN DECEPTION!"

Baron only stared coolly at Kurokage's new appearance before resuming his stride without hastening or slowing his pace. .

Kurokage growled angrily, furious as it seemed that Baron didn't consider his new Arms a threat. "Don't underestimate me, you bastard!" He roared as he threw the Almond Shuriken at Baron.

Baron batted away the incoming projectiles easily with his Pumpscyther while keeping his pace steady, as if they were annoying gnats. A frustrated growl escaped Kurokage's lips before he drew out a pair of fresh Almond Shuriken and charged at Baron with a loud roar.

"OOORRAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

Kurokage swung his weapons at the Knight-themed Rider, who ducked and weaved under his attacks before Baron retaliated with a powerful backhanded-slash across his chest. Kurokage staggered, but recovered quickly for another attack only for Baron to strike first with another slash. Baron's blow was followed with a diagonal slash and uppercut before he twirled his weapon and unleashed a powerful two-handed spinning slash that drew large sparks upon contact with Kurokage's chest armor.

"AAAAAAARRRGHHH!"

The black Ashigaru-themed Rider was sent flying one more time for several meters before landed harshly on the ground. He held his chest in pain as he struggled to recover while crawling backward as Baron approached menacingly.

"You know…I wanted to take it easy on you, but no, you just had to hit my berserk button," stated Baron an in eeriely calm tone that was unusual for him. "Congratulations, you've made me really angry, Kageyama. Do you know what happens to people that make me angry?"

What Baron said next made Kurokage realized that he had chewed more than he could handle.

"They get taught a lesson about strength that they won't ever forget. Get up, you Mr. Mook Boss. School's in session."

---

"GAAAAH!" Gridon cried out in pain as energy bullets struck him. He scrambled to safety just as another series of energy bullets struck where he was not a second ago. He hid behind a stack of crates and wondered why the heck everything wasn't going as planned.

It should be simple enough. With Bravo's near Genesis Rider strength level, he could, theoretically, take down Gaim, Baron, and Ryugen while he and Kurokage supported him by taking potshots. But no, Kurokage just had to lose his temper flaring and Bravo suddenly got all excited, leaving his carefully laid plan in ruins. His Arms might be suited for combat, but the man behind the suit was built for thinking, damn it!

Gridon was shaken off from his reverie when the crates he was hiding behind were blown to smithereens by Ryugen's shots, causing his back to be peppered by wood splinters and energy bullets yet again.

"OWOWOWOWOWOW!" he yelped as he rolled to the open ground, where he was an easy target for Ryugen.

Ryugen didn't hesitate to open fire again and Gridon shrieked in an unmanly manner as he crabwalked backwards to dodge the bullets.

"Well, isn't this a familiar sight?" remarked Ryugen wryly with a grin behind her mask.

"Shut up! This is a mismatch and you know it!" retorted Gridon as he pointed at Ryugen accusingly.

"There's no such thing as a fair fight in the real world. All that matters to use every advantage you have against your opponent," replied Ryugen as she pulled the hammer of her Budou Ryuhou. "And you're even worse than Jonouchi."

"Shut up! I'm built for thinking, not for fighting!" Gridon shot back.

"You're really worse than Jonouchi," sighed Ryugen before she regarded Gridon seriously. "Why did you join those guys in White Clothes?"

"Heh, are you curious?"

"What I don't understand is what you have to gain from all this," replied Ryugen as her expression darkened. "Blackmailing an innocent girl to be a puppet ruler and spreading rumors about her being a tyrant...I really don't understand your way of thinking."

Gridon shrugged. "Just working with the winning side, that's all. For some people like me who rely more on their brains than brawn to survive in this world, I need to be manipulative and ruthless."

"...What a coward," spat Ryugen.

"I call it being smart and realistic," Gridon waved-off the insult, as if it didn't bother him. "Because no matter what happen, Saji-kun and Ukitsu-kun will win."

"Who are they? Are they the people you're working for?" inquired Ryugen.

"That would be telling," retorted Gridon as he took out a new Lockseed. It bore the image of a hazelnut and the letters L.S.-20. "I'm getting enough to get my ass wiped, so this is my counterattack!" Gridon declared as he unlocked the Lockseed.

"HAZELNUT!"

Gridon swapped his default Lockseed with the new one in his hand as the new Armor Part descended from the Crack above him. It looked like a giant metallic brown hazelnut with pale brown linings covering its surface. He then locked the new Lockseed to his Driver and sliced it open, revealing the core image and the Arms Weapon the Arms came with. The core image was the sliced half of a hazelnut and the back lid image showed a knuckle duster/shield combo based on a hazelnut's shell as its weapon.

"LOCK ON!"

"COME ON! HAZELNUT ARMS!"

The Donguri Arms dispersed into motes of rainbow-colored lights as the Hazelnut Armor Part landed on his shoulders. It began to disassemble to become the new Arms. The top split in two and along with the sides lowered themselves to become Gridon's new shoulder armor. The back part flipped down to become his new back armor as the front part become his chest plate which was brown with white highlights. His helmet attachment now bore resemblance to a hazelnut's shell. In both of his hands was a pair of knuckle dusters with long guards covering the hand and the forearm in a manner similar to a shield or armguard with the plate resembling a hazelnut's shell, called the Hazel Guard. His visor lit up yellow as the rest of his armor glowed briefly, completing the Arms Change.

"FIGHT FOR HONOR!"

'Fight for Honor' was rather contradicting considering this man's nature.

"Alright!" Gridon cheered as he banged his Hazel Guard together. "Let's see if you can breakthrough this!"

Ryugen frowned before she leapt backward and fired a few shots from her Budou Ryuhou, intending to test the water against the new Arms. As expected, Gridon quickly raised his Hazel Guard to block the shots with ease. The Arms Weapon was smoking from the shots, but otherwise was alright. Ryugen could feel the smug smirk behind Gridon's mask as he hid behind his weapon and she really wanted to wipe it off. That said, she pulled the hammer of her Budou Ryuhou and fired again.

Gridon raised his guards again and the shots harmlessly struck his Arms Weapon. He peeked from behind his weapons and boasted smugly, "Ha! Your attack is useless against my shields and you know it! Time for some payback, and I'm going to enjoy this so much!"

Gridon roared and charged at Ryugen with his Hazel Guard poised for attack. Ryugen easily dodged the clumsy swings and retaliated with a few shots, but Gridon proved to have quick reflexes in front of danger and blocked the shots. He then continued to try to land a hit on her, but the Chinese soldier-themed Rider was shown to be quite nimble on her feet.

Ryugen fired several shots again as she leapt backward to gain some distance when Gridon predictably raised his guards again. She then quickly analyzed the situation in hand and pondered which Arms she should use. Kiwi Arms was out of the question. hile it was fast and powerful, the Kiwi Gekirin proven to be too awkward and wouldn't be able to break through those annoying guards of Gridon. Pitaya Arms' tremendous firepower might help, but the Arms itself was too heavy and cumbersome for one-on-one fight and she also had to watch for collateral damage.

She then remembered that she had asked for a Lockseed from Yamato among the confiscated Lockseeds. The one he gave to her was the perfect counter to Gridon's new and annoying Arms if she played her cards right. Without waiting any longer, she reached for the Lockseed and unlocked it.

"PINE!"

A Crack opened above Ryugen's head and the Pine Armor Part descended from Helheim Forest through it. Gridon seeing the Armor Part came to his own conclusion.

"Oh no, you won't!" he yelled as he charged again.

Ryugen fired to slow Gridon down, but he easily brushed through the attacks. He then readied his Hazel Guard to pummel Ryugen, but the green Rider already readied her Budou Ryuhou and fired, catching Gridon off guard. As her enemy staggered, Ryugen quickly swapped her Budou Lockseed with the Pine Lockseed in her hand, locking it in and slicing it open.

"LOCK ON!"

"HAI! PINE ARMS! FUNSAI DESTROY!"

Now decked in Pine Arms, Ryugen twirled the Pine Iron to gather momentum before she swung her weapon at Gridon. As Gridon quickly raised his guard, he didn't see that the Pine Iron was covered in a golden aura. The aura was shaped like an Asian dragon and easily broke through his Hazel Guard. Ryugen twirled her body and swung her weapon again to keep the momentum and it smashed against Gridon's chest, causing sparks to go flying. The Chinese Soldier-themed Rider didn't let up and twirled her body before she smashed her still aura-covered Pine Iron against Gridon, causing him to stagger. She then swung her Pine Iron upward before bringing it down hard and fast. Gridon predictably raised his Hazel Guard to protect himself and the aura-covered Pine Iron smashed through his guards and hit him right in his chest.

"AAAAAARRRGGHHH!" he yelled in pain as he sent flying and disarmed of his weapons.

Seeing her chance, Ryugen then quickly pressed her Cutting Blade once to activate the Finisher Function.

"HAI! PINE SQUASH!"

Ryugen twirled her Pine Iron as it glowed fiercely with yellow aura before she threw it up. She then jumped, to go after her weapon and once she was at the same height as her weapon, she kicked it. The head section of the Pine Iron rushed into Gridon as the yellow aura which covered the weapon morphed into a giant, roaring Asian Dragon. Seeing the oncoming attack, Gridon tried to run for it, but to his surprise the attack home into him and hit his back explosively.

"AAAAARRRRRGHHH!" Gridon cried out as he was sent flying once more and crashed into a stack of crates painfully. He tried to stand up, but ended up falling to his knees.

Ryugen calmly walked toward the downed Gridon after she retrieved her Pine Iron. Either it was her spiky armor or her slow gait that made her looked really intimidating.

"If you want to be manipulative, at the very least you can handle things by yourself if things get worse. The way you are now, you are nothing but a coward who cannot do anything by himself," said Ryugen coldly as she stretched the chains of her Pine Iron. "Guess what? I hate manipulative cowards like you. I want nothing more than to beat you up f. Prepare yourself, I'm not holding anything back."

Gridon whimpered pathetically. It was really, really, bad situation for him. He felt like ranting and screaming about how unfair this was, but right now he wanted to run away as far as possible from this devil…The Jade Devil Dragon of Go. But there was no way to escape her wrath as he ended in a dead-end alley. The only way out was through Ryugen and he didn't want to get too close to her right now .

Gridon whimpered again. Why the hell did he join up with those two again? Oh yeah, because he wanted to go home after being stranded in this…bizarre world. He should've listened to his mother about stayed in on that fateful day.

---

Bravo's battle crazed laugh echoed as he continued to trade blows with Gaim. An overhead slash with the Musou Saber was parried by the Duri Noko and a diagonal from the latter was blocked by the Melon Defender. Gaim and Bravo pushed against each other before they broke up to gain some distance. They warily circled each other before they charged at each other once more. Bravo struck with the Duri Noko in his left hand which Gaim blocked with the Melon Defender and the follow up was parried by the Musou Saber. Gaim pushed the offending weapons away before he slashed his Musou Saber across Bravo's chest, causing the Gladiator-themed Rider to stagger and he was knocked backward when Gaim bashed him with he Melon Defender.

"That's more like it, Monsieur Kusanagi! Come, and show me more! I always want to fight you when you hold nothing back!" declared Bravo as he recovered before resuming his charge.

Gaim blocked his blow with the Melon Defender and tried to push Bravo back. "Are battle and destruction the only thing on your mind right now, Francoise!?" he asked rhetorically.

"For now, yes. I do have other hobbies, though. Would you like to learn about them?" replied Bravo as he tried to break through Gaim's defense by raining blows to his shield.

Gaim grunted before he pushed Bravo back and slashed him in the chest, "Sorry, but I'm not interested!"

Bravo righted himself and sighed. "Ah, what a pity then." He then gave his Cutting Blade a quick push.

"DURIAN SQUASH!"

Seeing that Bravo had activated his finisher, Gaim decided to activate his own finisher by pushing the Cutting Blade on his Driver.

"SOIYA! MELON SQUASH!"

Miniature durians made of energy gathered the on Duri Noko's serrated edge tips and spikes just as the Melon Defender glowed with a green aura. Bravo swung his weapons one after another, firing a barrage of durian-shaped energy projectiles . At the same time as Bravo unleashed his Finisher, Gaim threw the Melon Defender and it spun like a disc, and the green aura it projected took the shape of a melon slice that blocked the energy projectiles with ease.

When the barrage ended, the Melon Defender returned to Gaim's waiting hand and he charged at Bravo who gladly accepted his challenge.

A blow from the Duri Noko was easily parried by Gaim's Musou Saber and Gaim's attempt to bash Bravo was parried by the other Duri Noko. The two Riders pushed their weapons against each other to gain dominance before they broke off, but not before Bravo kicked Gaim in the chest to send him staggering.

"Well, it looks like we're at an impasse here," commented Bravo lightly as he swiped his weapons together. "You truly are amazing, Monsieur Kusanagi. To think that you could match me to this point…C'est Magnifique. You indeed deserve your title as the Peerless Blue Swordsman."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere," remarked Gaim with a frown.

Bravo chuckled mirthfully in return. "True, but that doesn't mean I can't compliment my opponent, non?"

Gaim just regarded Bravo silently as he was contemplating on how to defeat him. He was proud to say that he was more skilled than Bravo even with his experience in Free-Style Martial Arts, but Bravo's strength was ridiculous and almost up to Genesis Rider's level. They were tied at the moment, but if this dragged on then it wouldn't do any good for him. That said, it didn't mean that Gaim didn't have a way to defeat him. He was, after all, the most talented Kendoka in his generation so why not return to the basics once in a while?

Gaim threw away his Melon Defender, much to Bravo's surprise, and settled into a modified basic kendo stance with a two-handed grip on his Musou Saber. His gaze never left Bravo's armored visage as he stared at his opponent intently.

"Ho~h? Are you trying something new here?" noted Bravo with interest.

"Not really, I just thought that returning to basics once in a while won't hurt. Especially when I know I can defeat you with it," replied Gaim evenly as he slid his left foot forward. "You already know why I am called the Peerless Blue Swordsman, now allow me to show you why I am called the most talented Kendoka of our generation."

"I can hardly wait!" was Bravo's giddy response. He then entered a modified horse stance with his right hand held parallel to his face and his left outstretched. He was facing Gaim and his weapons were both pointed at the Samurai-themed Rider. "Now show me how strong you really are, Monsieur Kusanagi!"

Gaim didn't respond and closed his eyes behind his pale green visor. He remembered the lesson from his grandfather and father as he regulated his breath.

In and out.

In and out.

"Do not act too rashly. Be still like a calm, breezing wind as you wait. When the moment to strike comes…"

"En garde!"

"…Become a wrathful cyclone that tears through everything."

Bravo swung his Duri Noko, but Gaim quickly riposted them in mid swing and followed up with quick and powerful double thrust to his chest. As Bravo staggered, Gaim quickly followed up with several fast strikes to his opponent's shoulders and chest before finishing the fast combo by holding Musou Saber for an overhead slash.

"MEN!" Gaim shouted as he brought down his weapon, which Bravo hurriedly blocked. He then quickly disengaged from Bravo before returning to his basic Kendo stance.

"Wow…" Bravo panted as he too entered his own stance. "…You were so fast, Monsieur Kusanagi. I could barely follow your movement."

"Is that so?" noted Gaim detachedly. "Then this battle is mine."

"Just don't count me out yet, Monsieur Kusanagi. I may have some surprises in store just for you," replied Bravo with a sly grin behind his mask.

This time, Gaim took the initiative with a lightning fast lunge. Bravo blocked his blow, but Gaim quickly disengaged before raining blows with the Musou Saber. The Gladiator-themed Rider parried his attack and tried to retaliate, only for Gaim to skillfully slipped out of his range before attacked him again. The blows came faster this time and even with the Durian Arms' enhancement, Bravo was having a hard time trying to match Gaim. Perhaps it was because he used Melon Arms which was almost on par with his default Arms, but Gaim's skill with a sword was top notch.

Bravo cracked a bloodlust-filled grin behind his mask. Despite his gentlemanly and flamboyant attitude, Bravo was a battle maniac and adrenaline junkie, much worse than Baron was. And fighting against Gaim was like ambrosia to him. He didn't want to stop! He wanted more! He wanted to fight Gaim more!

"HAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Bravo swung his Duri Noko in fast and erratic pattern, which surprised Gaim and threw him off balance.

A stray attack struck Gaim in the chest and a backhanded slash sent him reeling, but he swiftly recovered and returned to his stance. Bravo struck again and Gaim matched his attacks blow for blow. Gaim disengaged briefly to gain some distance before he struck with an overhead slash which Bravo blocked by crossing his Duri Noko together. The two Riders pushed against each other to gain dominance, before they broke the deadlock.

Bravo eyed Gaim for a moment before he chuckled. "Fufufu…You truly live up to your titles, Monsieur Kusanagi. Fighting against you for real is beyond my wildest imagination! You are the very opponent I have been looking for! Come, and let this violent dance reach its climax!"

Gaim was silent as he gazed at Bravo carefully. He couldn't agree more with him and prepared himself to end this fight. As Gaim closed his eyes and regulated his breathing once more, he remembered the advice of his grandfather which had become the core of his fighting style.

"To win a fight, you don't let out all of your power and let it decide everything. Rather, you properly control your power and use it effectively and efficiently against your opponent."

Gaim snapped his eyes open as Bravo charged at him with Duri Noko brandished. He quickly parried the diagonal blow with the tip of his Musou Saber and blocked the follow up. He then shifted his footing and lessened the strength behind his block, causing Bravo to overextend involuntarily.

"DO!" Gaim suddenly shouted as he unleashed a quick thrust to Bravo's chest. The Gladiator-themed Rider staggered from the sudden attack and Gaim quickly followed up with a series of quick slashes and thrusts that hit their mark, causing Bravo to be knocked back a few steps.

"Hah! I'm not done yet!" Bravo retorted before he charged again.

Gaim nimbly blocked Bravo's swings and slashes and dodged if it was only necessary. Bravo came up with a cross slash which Gaim blocked and then used his Musou Saber to guide the Duri Noko downward before he slashed Bravo on the chest.

"KOTE!" Gaim then quickly struck Bravo's wrists with a quick thrust and slashes, disarming him. Not wanting to waste his chance, Gaim then snapped into a chain of attacks.

Diagonal, horizontal, diagonal, backhand, thrust, thrust, diagonal, diagonal, horizontal. Gaim then ended his combo with a powerful two-handed pivoting slash, knocking Bravo the ground.

The Gladiator-themed Rider rolled for several meters before he stopped. Even as he struggled to stand, Bravo didn't bother to hide the excitement that coursed through his body. "OUI! OUI! This is it! This is the kind of fight I have been looking for!"

Bravo's cackle continued as he pushed the Cutting Blade switch on his Driver.

"DURIAN SPARKING!"

As green-violet energy gathered on Bravo's Mohawk, Gaim removed his Melon Lockseed from his Driver and locked into Musou Saber's Drive Launch unit.

"LOCK ON! 1, 10, 100!"

Gaim held his Musou Saber ready as it glowed fiercely with green energy which covered the blade like a sheath.

Bravo rolled his neck around which caused the green-violet energy gathered at his Mohawk to trail around while following his movement. He then suddenly lashed out his finisher attack at Gaim who lifted his Musou Saber above his head and slashed down hard and fast, firing a green energy arc as he shouted loud and clear.

"CHESTO!"

"MELON CHARGE!"

The finishers collided against another, but Gaim's Melon Charge broke through Bravo's Durian Sparking and hit the Gladiator-themed Rider squarely. Bravo was sent flying from the attack and crashed to the ground painfully. His Arms armor was smoking in several places on the wake of the finisher attack.

Bravo tried to stand up, only for him to fall to his rear as he was too weakened to stand. He then saw the Musou Saber held less than one inch in front of his face and looked up to see Gaim looming over him.

"It's over, Francoise," declared Gaim.

Bravo was silent for a moment before he chuckled. "So it seems. I should've known to not let myself drown in bloodlust. A bad habit of mine, I suppose. It made me too reckless and uncontrolled."

Gaim didn't say anything as he kept his Musou Saber pointed at his opponent.

"Are you going to kill me now?" Bravo asked suddenly.

"You're not the first I've killed. I have killed more people than I could count," answered Gaim evenly.

"I see…So this world has awakened your bloodlust too."

"No, it hasn't," Gaim replied to Bravo's statement. "I may have killed and will have to kill more in the future, but I take no pleasure from it. My actions will always haunt me, even if I tell myself they are done for a good cause." He paused as his green visor gazed into Bravo's yellow eyepieces. "But I know what I have to do and I am prepared. I will put you down if it means to protect innocent people."

"Justifying your actions, aren't you?" accused Bravo with a chuckle. "You would make a good Zangetsu than Gaim."

"I'll take that as a compliment," retorted Gaim. "It is shallow I admit, but when I fight, I do it for what I believe in."

"And what do you believe in, Monsieur Kusanagi? Is it justice?" questioned Bravo who scoffed. "Justice after all is just an abstract concept because what defines justice is different from people to people. A person's justice could be viewed as a crime by another, just like mine to yours."

There was silence for a moment between the two Riders before Gaim replied, "Justice is only one of things behind my actions. What drives me is my belief in freedom and freedom is the right of every sentient being. People have their right to live by their own choice and to be free from fear and oppression. That is the reason why I donned this armor and swore to destroy the Rule of Reality. I'm prepared to do anything necessary for that."

Gaim reached for the Cutting Blade and was about to press it down when two Cracks opened behind Bravo. Two elementary Inves jumped out of them and attacked Gaim who was not prepared for their ambush. Bravo looked surprised by their interference, but then felt two familiar presences behind him.

Standing there were two men, or one adult and one teenager around Gaim's age. The both of them were wearing white robes similar to what the cultists/ White Clothes Soldiers wore, but were more elaborate with golden trims in several parts of their robes. The older one had chin-length blue hair and purple eyes with square-rimmed glasses and green markings on his forehead while the other was none other than the teen that Yamato and his friend tried to stop in the museum on that fateful day. He was now sporting purple markings on his forehead and under his eyes.

"Monsieur Ukitsu and Monsieur Saji," said Bravo as he stood up wobbly.

"It seems that not even you can stop Kusanagi," remarked the blue-haired one.

The brown-haired youth scoffed and spoke, "I don't see the reason why I couldn't fight against him now. The faster we finish off Kusanagi and his friends, the better it is for our goals."

"Just be patient, Saji. It is not the time yet," sighed the glasses-wearing man. "Honestly, no wonder you and Kageyama got along oh so perfectly. You are just as hotheaded as he is."

The boy identified as Saji growled dangerously, "Don't lump me together with him! And don't think I didn't notice the tone you used on me, Ukitsu!"

Ukitsu only chuckled in response just as Kurokage and Gridon came soaring through the air and landed on the ground in heap. Baron and Ryugen also entered the scene just as Gaim managed to fend off the two Elementary Inves with a powerful slash from the Musou Saber.

Baron was the first person who noticed the teen in white robe. "Oi, Yamato. Isn't that guy…?"

Gaim nodded as he kept his gaze at the brown-haired teen. "Yeah, he is the one who tried to steal the mirror back then in the museum."

Ryugen then noticed what the mysterious teen was wearing. "Look. He wears a set of white Taoist robes."

"So he is also behind the mess with Toutaku," deduced Gaim grimly.

"Well, isn't this nifty? Now we can kick their asses together," Baron cracked his knuckles as he grinned behind his mask.

"It has been a while since the last I saw you three…You've been quite busy so far, huh?" Saji greeted the three Riders with a smirk.

"That it has. I won't forget that fateful day, after all," replied Gaim evenly. "Just who are you anyway? And what is your goal?"

"I guess I can tell you my name after all the trouble you three have given me. My name is Saji Genpou," the smirk on his face widened as he read the body language of three Riders. It looked like that they recognized his name. "And as for my goal…"

"That is enough, Saji. This is not the time to reveal anything yet," Ukitsu interrupted his ally. Saji clicked his tongue in annoyance and looked away.

"Just what are you playing at? What are you aiming for?" Gaim demanded.

"I'm afraid I can't answer to that, Kusanagi-dono. We are only in the beginning act, after all," answered Ukitsu.

"Beginning act? What the heck are you babbling about?" questioned Baron.

"All we be revealed in time. But now…" Ukitsu trailed off as he unlocked a Himawari Lockseed.

A Crack opened and a blue Elementary Inves jumped out of it. A dark smirk crossed the blue-haired man's face as he reached for the sleeves of his robe and pulled out a vine full of Helheim Fruits. Ukitsu then threw the Himawari Lockseed and the Helheim Fruits at the Elementary Inves who gobbled it greedily. Saji meanwhile threw the two Elementary Inves the Himawari Lockseeds in his hands which were also eaten by the pair.

Vines and leaves covered the three Elementary Inves, evolving them as green light was seen through the gaps. The vines and leaves then dispersed, revealing their new form. The pair of Elementary Inves that had attacked Gaim before became a Seiryuu and a Komori Inves. The other Elementary Inves on the other hand had evolved into something else.

It looked like an anthromorphic lion with blue, flame-like mane which faded near the tips. It also had blue, flame-like furs on its shoulders, wrists and ankle while the rest of its body was covered in bronze-colored hide. Some parts of its body, like its torso, forearms and shins were covered in blue armor. A pair of wings made of frozen blue flame with orange tips sprouted from its back.

This Inves was Shishi Inves, or more precisely, the Shishi Inves Strengthened Form.

Gaim, Baron, and Ryugen immediately tensed upon seeing the unknown Inves and readied themselves for battle.

"We will leave these three to you for now. Until we meet again," Ukitsu smirked as he drew a talisman from his robes.

"Heh, consider yourself lucky now Kusanagi," smirked Saji at Gaim's direction. "I'm looking forward to pay you back after the trouble you and your friends put me into."

"Au revoir, Monsieur Kusanagi! I promise our next battle will be more…Palpitant! Please, do look forward for it!" Bravo grinned behind his mask.

"I'll remember this humiliation, Murayama! I'll get you back, you can count on it!" vowed Kurokage vehemently.

"I will win the next time, Satonaka! Vengeance will be mine!" swore Gridon.

"Wait!" Gaim tried to stop them, only for Saji, Ukitsu, and the three Rogue Riders to disappear with a flash of light.

As soon as they left, the Shishi Inves roared its challenge loudly along with the Seiryuu Inves while Komori Inves took flight with a cry.

"Looks sharp, guys! Here they come!" warned Ryugen.

The Shishi Inves went straight for Gaim with its claw bared while the Komori Inves swooped in at Baron. Ryugen twirled her Pine Iron at her side as the Seiryuu Inves charged at her.

Gaim quickly raised his Musou Saber to block the Shishi Inves' claw. He was surprised by how strong it was and how easily the Inves pushed him away from his friends. Gaim grunted as his back hit a wall and the Inves pushed his Musou Saber close to him. The Shishi Inves readied its other claw and attempted to stab Gaim's helmet, only for Gaim to side roll to gain some distance and prepare for his counterattack. Gaim then lunged with a battle cry, only for the Shishi Inves to bat the attack away much to his surprise. The Shishi Inves then retaliated with a claw slash and followed up with another two slashes before sending Gaim reeling with a powerful clawing uppercut.

Gaim rolled on the ground several times before he recovered and gazed at the new Inves before him. It was strong, much stronger than Bravo was. Like any Inves, this one was too driven by its instinct and its overall strength managed to overwhelm him. He didn't know if it was because it consumed a Lockseed and several Helheim Fruits at once, but this Inves was on a whole other level.

Gaim grimaced as he murmured under his breath, "This will be really tough."

He then pulled the Palette Slide and unloaded his magazine at the charging Shishi Inves. The bullets struck true, but the Inves was barely fazed or slowed down before it swung its claws at Gaim. The Samurai-themed Rider ducked under its swipe and retaliated with a powerful slash to its hips. The Inves growled in annoyance after the attack, but Gaim quickly followed up with several fast slashes and stabs.

Just as Gaim was about to deliver an overhead slash, the Shishi Inves caught the Musou Saber with his hands, catching Gaim off-guard. It then countered with a punch to his helmet, causing Gaim to lose his grip on his only weapon, before following up with several claw slashes. As Gaim reeled from the attacks, the right claw of the Shishi Inves flared with a blue fire and struck Gaim with a powerful uppercut.

"AAAAARRRGGGHHH!" Gaim cried out in pain as sparks flew from his armor. The attack had also caused the Rider Indicator on his Driver to fall off.

Gaim landed harshly on the ground and tried to recover. He gritted his teeth to bear with the pain as the Shishi Inves roared in triumph before stalking at him slowly befitting its manner as a predator toward its prey. It then roared again before sprinting at Gaim's direction, only for several acupressure needles to come flying out of nowhere and hit to its body, causing it to stagger and stop its charge as it fell to its knee.

Gaim was surprised by the turn of event and could only wonder out loud, "What just happened?"

"TOH!" he heard someone shout and saw the person rolled in mid-air impressively before landing next to him in one knee. Gaim got a good look of the person as he stood up to his full height.

The person was a man, a little older than Gaim was, with messy red hair and green eyes. He was wearing sleeveless black shirt with white cross-shaped trim in the middle and over his shirt he was wearing sleeveless white coat with black top that had white fur trimming around his neck and shoulder. A black belt with a golden buckle was strapped to his waist and his legs were covered by white pants with brown suspenders while a pair of black shoes covered his feet.

"Are you alright, Kusanagi-dono?" the man asked as he helped Gaim to stand.

"I am, thank you for your help," answered Gaim before he regarded the man cautiously. "Who are you? What do you want with me?"

"I understand your concern, Kusanagi-dono. I can assure you I mean no harm and in fact, I am here to help you," the man answered before he introduced himself, "As for who I am, my name is Kada Genka of THE WAY OF THE FIVE GRAINS!"

Gaim was a little weirded out when he shouted the last part out of the blue, but he recognized the name as one of the famous figures of the Three Kingdoms.

"Wait, you are Kada Genka? As in that Kada Genka, the famous physician?" inquired Gaim with a degree of surprise and incredulousness. What were his chances to meet him in the middle of a battle with a buffed up Inves?

"As expected of the Messenger of Heaven. It seems my name is really famous in the other world," answered Kada with a small grin.

"Wait, how did you—?"

"That is not important now," Kada interrupted Gaim before he turned to the Shishi Inves who managed to recover and remove the needles from its body. "Damn, I hoped my needles could hold it longer. Looks like there is no better time than to present this to you, Kusanagi-dono."

Gaim watched curiously as Kada searched for his pocket for a moment before he took the object out. Behind his visor, Gaim's eyes widened upon seeing the object resting on Kada's palm. It was none other than Genesis Core.

"That's…A Genesis Core!" Gaim gasped in surprise before he turned to Kada questioningly. "How did you get it?"

Kada just handed the item in question to Gaim wordlessly before he smiled. "That would be a tale for later. You have the other half to make it work, right?"

Gaim looked at the Genesis Core in his hand before he wordlessly attached the item to his Sengoku Driver by the empty slot where his Rider Indicator should be. The Genesis Core glowed briefly to sign it was connected to the Sengoku Driver. He then took out his Orange and Lemon Energy Lockseed before Gaim took a deep breath.

"Alright, let's see if this really works," he stated, unlocking the two Lockseeds at the same time.

"ORANGE!" "LEMON ENERGY!"

(Insert BGM: Toki no Hana by Kamen Rider GIRLS)

The Lemon Energy Lockseed let out a short techno tune as two Cracks opened above Gaim and the familiar Orange Armor Parts descended from one of them while the lemon-shaped Lemon Energy Armor Parts descended from the other one. He then swapped the Melon Lockseed with the Orange Lockseed and locked the Lemon Energy Lockseed to the Genesis Core attachment.

"LOCK ON!"

Gaim then immediately pressed the Cutting Blade to open his Orange Lockseed with the Lemon Energy Lockseed's cover split in two halves, revealing its core which was an image of a lemon slice.

"SOIYA! MIX!"

The Orange and Lemon Energy Armor Parts then appeared to collide with each other before they fused together as a glowing orb before reemerging as a black oblong sphere with silver accents on each side which was glowing with a yellow aura. The Melon Arms dispersed into motes of rainbow-colored lights as the new Armor Part landed on Gaim's shoulder. It then began to disassemble to become his new Arms. The side and back parts folded in half and lowered themselves to become Gaim's new shoulder and back armors. The front parts also folded in half and became his new chest plate, decorated with silver accents that were also found on the shoulder and back armors, before the sides of this chest plate folded open and revealed the image of lemon slices with Gaim's personal symbol in black on his left side. His Armor was now giving the impression of a Jinbaori worn by high-ranked Samurai during the Sengoku Jidai era in Japan. His helmet attachment remained the same in shape, only it was black and the side decorations were silver. His visor remained orange, but it was a bit darker, while his head crest turned silver and the centerpiece of his mouth plate became black. His armor generated a yellow 'juice' splash as a weapon was summoned to his hand, a red bow with silver bladed-edge and arrowhead, called the Sonic Arrow as his transformation completed.

"ORANGE ARMS! HANAMICHI ON STAGE! JIMBER LEMON, HA-HA!"

Gaim clenched his free fist as he could feel the energy coursing through his body, granted by his new Jimber Lemon Arms. It was truly amazing! It felt completely different compared to his Suika and Melon Arms, two of his strongest Arms so far. Now he was confident he could take down the Shishi Inves with his Jimber Lemon Arms.

The Shishi Inves growled to itself before it roared its wordless challenge at Gaim and sprinted at Gaim's direction.

Gaim readied his Sonic Arrow for close combat as Kada stepped back to allow the Samurai-themed Rider to fight without worry.

"Come on, little kitty! Let's dance on my stage!" declared Gaim before he charged at the Shishi Inves.

Gaim dodged a slash from the Inves' claw and retaliated with a slash to its chest. He then followed up with a series of horizontal and diagonal slashes before a powerful overhead slash sent the Inves sprawling. The Shishi Inves rolled on the ground before it launched blue fireballs from its gaping mouth, but Gaim swiftly rolled to the side to avoid the fireballs before he pulled the shaft of his Sonic Arrow, causing it to let out beeping noises, and took a careful aim at the Shishi Inves before shooting several yellow-orange energy arrows. Some of the arrows hit the Inves squarely while the rest only scraped or completely missed Gaim's taget.

Gaim lowered his Sonic Arrow and shifted it to his right hand for close range melee as he muttered to himself. "Note to self, learn archery to fix my aim."

He then charged at the reeling Inves with a battle cry and struck its chest with a fast cross slash to its chest and a spinning slash sent the Shishi Inves reeling. Gaim then pulled the shaft of his Sonic Arrow and fired several arrows which struck the Inves due to its close range. Gaim then unleashed a powerful spinning back slash that sent the Shishi Inves flying backward before hitting the ground painfully.

The Inves growled to itself as it tried to stand up as Gaim slowly walked toward it. It then roared in defiance before he charged at Gaim with its claw bared. Gaim blocked the claws with his Sonic Arrow and pushed the offending limbs away and countered with a powerful horizontal slash which followed by a diagonal chop and an uppercut which sent the Inves reeling.

Gaim then pushed the Cutting Blade on his Driver twice, activating the finisher function on his Driver.

"SOIYA! ORANGE AU LAIT!"

Gaim readied his Sonic Arrow as the bladed bow glowing with orange-yellow energy before he pivoted on his foot as he slashed his weapon, firing a projection of orange and lemon hybrid slice which caught the Inves.

"JIMBER LEMON AU LAIT!"

The Shishi Inves' body was smoking in the aftermath of the attack, managing to survive the blow if only barely. It stood up slowly and since it knew it couldn't win against Gaim after his upgrade, it gave in to instinct and tried to flee using its wings to fly.

"I won't let you get away!" Gaim then removed the Lemon Energy Lockseed from his Driver and locked it into his Sonic Arrow's Drive Launch Unit.

"LOCK…ON!"

He then pressed his Cutting Blade switch once to add extra firepower behind the finisher.

"SOIYA! ORANGE SQUASH!"

Gaim aimed at the fleeing Shishi Inves and pulled the shaft of his Sonic Arrow to its fullest length as yellow and orange aura covered the bow and arrowhead. A row of orange and lemon slice projections appeared alternating each other between Gaim and the Shishi Inves as Gaim adjusted and corrected his aim before he fired.

"LEMON ENERGY!"

An energy arrow flew from the tip of the Sonic Arrow, empowered by the finisher function, through the orange and lemon projections, empowering it further and shrouded it with yellow and orange energy. The energy-shrouded arrow slammed right into the Inves, completely obliterating it.

(End BGM)

Gaim lowered his Sonic Arrow before he let out a sigh as he finally defeated his opponent. He then turned to Kada who approached.

"Thank you for your help, Kada-sensei," Gaim thanked the physician. "If it wasn't for you giving me the Genesis Core, then I may not be able to defeat that Inves."

"It is no problem. The item I gave you is only a tool and a tool is only as useful as how its user uses it," Kada replied.

Gaim nodded. "I'd like to ask some more questions, but I think we can save them for later once we dealt with these White Clothes."

"That would be a wise course of action," conceded Kada. "Let us go, Gaim-dono."

Gaim then rushed back to his friends and allies and saw they were still locked in battle against the White Clothes Army—Aisha and the rest of the Alliance—and the Inves pair—Baron and Ryugen.

Baron twirled his Pumpscyther as a makeshift shield to block off the fireballs from the Komori Inves. He then took off running using the maximum speed his new Arms allowed him before he jumped. He took the Komori Inves by surprise when he reached its height and slashed down his Pumpscyther with all of his might, striking the flying Inves down to the earth painfully.

Baron landed on one knee before he stood up and twirled his Arms weapon with one hand. "Heh, not so high and mighty now, are you?" he taunted with a scoff.

The Komori Inves shrieked before it fired fireballs at Baron who this time dodged them all the while making his charge at the Inves. It tried to take to the air again, but Baron was faster and swung his scythe at its chest. Baron didn't relent on his attack and unleashed a chain of swift slashes that sent the Inves reeling from blows to blows. A powerful two-handed swing sent the Komori Inves sprawling backwards.

"Alright, let's end this!" declared Baron as he sliced his Lockseed twice.

"COME ON! PUMPKIN AU LAIT!"

Orange energy gathered on Pumpscyther before Baron swung his weapon twice, firing vertical and horizontal orange energy arcs. The finisher attack hit the Komori Inves squarely, ending its life in a blaze of fire.

"Now that's what I call going out in a blaze," Baron grinned at his handiwork as he rested his Pumpscyther on his shoulder and his index finger rubbed the spot on his faceplate where his nose should be.

Meanwhile, Ryugen bashed her Pine Iron at the Seiryuu Inves several times before she wrapped its chains around the Kaijin's neck. She then pulled it and lifted the Inves into the air and slammed it to the ground as she loosened the chains. The Inves tried to stand, but Ryugen simply bashed it with Pine Iron again and again before she twirled and swung the Pineapple-shaped flail, smashing Seiryuu Inves' flank.

The Inves with the wall painfully before it slid down. It struggled to stand and glared at Ryugen before unleashing torrents of flame at the Jade Devil Dragon who jumped over the desperate attack. As she was in the mid-air, Ryugen decided to end this one-sided battle by slicing her Lockseed twice.

"HAI! PINE AU LAIT!"

Ryugen tossed the Pine Iron at the Seiryuu Inves and let its chain wrap around it neck once more before she tugged it strongly. She then extended her right leg forward for a flying side kick as she went through several pineapple slice projection, coating her leg ina yellow aura. When her kick connected with the Inves' body, an explosion occurred as Ryugen broke through the explosion, unharmed, and landed on the ground in a crouch.

She turned to see the result of her handiwork, the ashes which was the remains of Seiryuu Inves fell to the ground.

"That's that, I guess," Ryugen sighed before turning to the still ongoing battle between the Alliance and the White Clothes Army. "All that left is to deal with those cultists."

"Shun! Yuki!" Gaim called out to his friends as he approached them.

"Glad to see you back, buddy," replied Baron as he and Ryugen joined him. He then noticed the change in his appearance and whistled appreciatively. "So you managed to access your Jimber Lemon Arms. Not bad, that would come handy."

Ryugen noticed the red-haired man standing next to Gaim. "Who is he, Yamato?" she questioned.

"An ally and the one who gave me access to Jimber Arms. I'll explain more once we deal with these White Clothes," answered Gaim.

Ryugen accepted his answer with a nod. Baron then cracked his knuckles, expectantly. "So, are we going to kick their asses or what?"

"I have a better idea," Gaim smirked behind his mask before removing the Lemon Energy Lockseed from his Driver and locked it into his Sonic Arrow before he sliced his Orange Lockseed thrice.

"LOCK…ON!"

"SOIYA! ORANGE SPARKING!"

Yellow and orange energy started to pool on the Sonic Arrow's tip as Gaim pulled its shaft to the fullest and aimed at the air above the battling armies.

"Aisha, Touka, Karin-dono, Renfa-dono! Get our army away from there now!" Gaim called out urgently.

Aisha turned at her lord briefly in surprise before she noticed what he was going to do. She then immediately ordered, "You heard Gaim-sama! Pull back!"

While the others were confused by the sudden order, they did as they were ordered to. The White Clothes tried to pursue their enemy, but Gaim wasn't going to let them.

"LEMON ENERGY!"

Gaim fired and his energized yellow-orange energy arrow soared above the White Clothes' head before it morphed into a giant lemon/orange hybrid projection. The projection then suddenly burst into multiple energy arrows that rained down upon the helpless White Clothes army explosively and killed many of them.

As the Alliance soldiers and White Clothes watched the destruction in muted awe, disbelief, and horror, Gaim lowered his Sonic Arrow before he addressed to the White Clothes.

"You have the chance to surrender or to continue this meaningless battle. In case you haven't noticed, you have already lost. Your leaders have long escaped along with the Riders on your side. If you choose to surrender, you have my word that you will be treated as humanely as possible as our Prisoners of War. But if you choose to continue to fight…" Gaim trailed off as he readied his Sonic Arrow in melee combat stance. "…Then you will be dealt with extreme prejudice. Choose wisely."

Baron and Ryugen also tensed themselves for possible battle continuation and so did the warriors of the Alliance.

There was an uneasy silence for about a minute before one of the White Clothes growled out, "You may have won today, Kusanagi, but our justice will prevail! One or another, we will kill you and your friends to save this world!"

"You're welcome to try, but don't think I will make it easy for you," Gaim shot back as he exerted a portion of his pressure.

The remaining White Clothes flinched upon feeling the focused intent and hurriedly drew out a talisman from their robes. The army then disappeared in a flash of light as one of them shouted, "We will back!"

After making sure that the White Clothes had truly left, Gaim relaxed his stance and exhaled audibly while Baron and Ryugen followed his example.

"And that's that," Gaim sighed as he closed his Lockseeds and reverted to his unarmored persona.

Baron and Ryugen followed his example to de-henshin. Shun rolled his neck and massaged his shoulder with a groan. "Man, I don't mind an action packed day, but I'd be lying if I said I'm not looking forward for a good rest."

"You have no argument from me," Yuki sighed. "But we still have to figure out what happened here and find where Toutaku is."

"About that," Kada interrupted. "Before I helped Kusanagi-dono, I had helped Toutaku-dono and her advisor, Kaku-dono, escape from the Imperial City. When we learned about a fight between the Alliance and the White Clothes, I had Toutaku-dono and Kaku-dono hidden in an empty house not too far from here. With your permission Kusanagi-dono, I'd like to pick them up."

"Very well, you may go Kada-sensei," Yamato nodded at the physician. "Be careful, those White Clothes may have left, but we still don't know what they may leave behind just to spite us."

Kada bowed before he went to pick up Toutaku and her advisor. Yuki watched the man left before she turned to Yamato, "Is that man who I think he is?"

"Yeah, that's this world's Kada Genka," answered Yamato. "What are the chances to meet him here in the middle of battle?"

"One in a thousand?" Shun shot back rhetorically with an arched eyebrow.

"Yamato-sama!" Aisha called out to him as she, Touka, and the rest of his generals approached him.

"Aisha, Touka, everyone," greeted Yamato, smiling as she saw they were unharmed. "I'm glad to see that you're all unharmed."

"We too are happy to see you doing well, Yamato-sama," Aisha smiled back. The relief on her tone was so obvious that anyone could feel it.

"I hope I didn't make you worry too much."

Touka shook her head before she said, "We were worried when we saw you have to fight one of enemy Riders, but we have faith that you will come out victorious because we believe in you, Yamato-sama."

Yamato smiled in return, "Thanks."

It was Hinari who noticed the addition on Yamato's Sengoku Driver. "Ano, Yamato-sama…Is that…"

The King of Shoku looked down to his Driver. "Oh yeah, someone gave me the Genesis Core to be used together with my Sengoku Driver. Now I have access to my Jimber Lemon Arms."

"No wonder your armor looked so different back then," replied Shuri in realization. She caught the glimpse of Gaim in Jimber Lemon Arms when he ordered the Alliance army to retreat before he unleashed his finisher attack and when he all but ordered the White Clothes army to retreat.

"Wow, you were so awesome back then, Onii-chan! Just one attack and then…Boom!" Rinrin gushed excitedly while gesturing with her hands.

"Wait, you mean that Kada guy only gave you the Genesis Core?" inquired Shun in surprise.

Yamato removed his Lemon Energy Lockseed from his Driver and held it so his friends could take a good look on the S-Rank Lockseed. "Believe it or not, I found this one on my first foray to Helheim Forest with Aisha. Just look for a dried and withered tree with only one Helheim Fruit."

"Seriously?" Yamato nodded to Yuki's question. The bespectacled girl shook her head. "Talk about a lucky find."

Miyabi tapped her foot impatiently with a frown on her face, "Well this talk is good and all that, but where is Yue-sama? We're here to save her, remember?"

"Yeah, we have to hurry or something bad could happen to her!" urged Nenene while Ren nodded her agreement.

"Don't worry, a friend of ours is picking her up now as we speak," Yamato replied before he turned at the approaching footstep. "Looks like they're here. Perfect."

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

The other had short, shoulder-length light blue hair and purple eyes with pale complexion. Like the green-haired girl, she too had petite stature and her modest build made her look younger than she actually was. She was wearing a set of elaborate blue robes with yellow trim and dark green sleeves. Her skirt was red and very long as it was sweeping the floor and she was also wearing white, fur-like shawl that draped across her shoulders and arms. She was also wearing other accessories such as red, string-like ribbon tied to her hair, a piece of jewelry hung by a string around her forehead and a black headdress with transparent veil.

"Yue-sama! Ei-sama!" Nenene called out as she approached the girls with Ren and Miyabi.

The blue-haired girl gasped in surprise upon seeing Nenene, Ren, and Miyabi. "Nenene…Ren…Miyabi…"

Kada wisely stepped back as the three Generals surrounded the former empress and her advisor.

"Everyone…You're alright," said Yue with a smile before a worried look crossed her features. "Where is Shia? Is she alright?"

"She now serves Sou Gi under Sousou while the three of us now work for Kusanagi," answered Miyabi.

"Kusanagi? As in Yamato Kusanagi of Shoku?" asked Toutaku in surprise.

"That is correct," answered Yamato as he made himself known to Toutaku. "We finally meet, Toutaku Chuuei. I am Yamato Kusanagi, the King of Shoku. Although…" he trailed off as he kept his gaze at Toutaku who tried to not to squirm under his scrutinizing gaze. "You look nothing like I expected."

"Hey! Just what do you mean by that, Kusanagi!?" protested Kaku in the defense of her friend.

Yamato raised his hands in apologizing manner. "I don't mean any slight against Toutaku-san here, I'm just surprised that she was this young. I was expecting someone older," his expression then tightened briefly. "That shows just how low those White Clothes can go to push their agenda forward."

His sentiment was shared by everyone present. The White Clothes had made themselves an enemy of Shoku by their actions so far.

Toutaku fidgeted a little before she spoke up, "A-Ano…Thank you for taking my friends in. You have my gratitude for that." The former empress bowed gratefully.

"Don't worry about that, I'm just doing the part of my bargain to them." Toutaku looked confused at his reply, so he decided to elaborate further. "Ren, Miyabi, and Nenene will join me as my generals in the condition I provide asylum for you and your advisor."

Violet eyes widened in surprise before Kaku asked suspiciously. "You would provide asylum for Yue and us just like that?"

Yamato nodded to her question. "That's correct. You're free to do anything you want after we returned to Xizang as long as it is not detrimental or a form betrayal toward Shoku."

Toutaku looked at Yamato with wide eyes before she looked down shamefully, "B-But…This is all my fault…"

"What are you saying, Toutaku-dono? If there is anyone to blame, then it would be those White Clothes for putting you into this position," said Aisha.

The blue-haired girl shook her head in regret, "But if I was stronger, then this wouldn't have happened…And those soldiers wouldn't have to die meaninglessly." Tears started to well on her violet eyes as she added, "It would be better if I just die so I can make up for my mistakes…"

Kaku and her former generals gasped in surprise at her statement. "Yue! You can't be serious!" demanded Kaku pleadingly.

"I am, Ei-chan," she replied to her friend before she turned to Yamato. "Yamato-sama. My life is yours to take. Please allow me to die and repent for my sins." Toutaku was trying her best to not allow her tears flowing down from her cheek. "Could you please look after Ei-chan and the others after I leave?"

Yamato stared at her for a moment before he sighed audibly. "If I kill you now, then I would be going against my own word to your generals. Besides…" he then crouched to her level and his hands holding her shoulder firmly yet gently. "If you want to make up for your mistake, then live on. Live your life to its fullest to atone for your sins. If you choose to die, then it would be the same as trying to escape from your sins."

"B-But…" Toutaku tried to argue but Yamato wouldn't have any of it.

"Live on, Toutaku-san. Live for the sake of those who had died because of all this 'Toutaku the Tyrant' nonsense. Live to count and atone for your sins. If you can't accept it as a request from me and your friends, then consider this as a condition so I could grant asylum for your friends."

Toutaku looked at Yamato in no small amount of surprise and awe. She had heard of his accomplishments against the Yellow Turbans during their uprising, but to see him in person and learning of his character first hand…It was an indescribable experience. He was strong, yet compassionate, kind, and just. She could see it in how he carried himself and the presence he exuded. His speech earlier to her conveyed his charisma even without him noticing.

She could feel her cheeks were getting warm upon meeting with his calm and determined gray orbs.

"V-Very well," replied Toutaku, with her cheeks flushing before she smiled. "Thank you for your generosity and kindness, Yamato-sama."

"Thank you, Yamato-sama!" echoed the former generals of Toutaku as they followed their former mistress' action to bow to him. Kaku also followed, but it was noticeably stiffer than her friends. No doubt she was still wary of Yamato.

"Smooth, real smooth," whispered Shun to Yuki with a grin.

The girl sighed at his antics before addressing to Yamato, "What would we tell the other warlords who didn't join this alliance and the people, Yamato? They too are angry at her because of this 'Toutaku the Tyrant' problem."

With a mischievous smile, he answered. "Toutaku was dethroned and banished from the capital to the wilderness with nothing to carry. We had help from her former generals who betrayed her because they had enough of how she treated them and the daughters of two nobles who Toutaku had punished unjustly."

"Ah, that makes sense," commented Shuri as Hinari nodded. Yamato was going to lie to the other warlord by providing a cover story.

"No one knows what Toutaku-dono looks like thanks to the White Clothes and we can use this to our advantage by spreading this story."

"I hate lying, but there will be times we need to lie for a good cause," Aisha conceded.

"Then it's settled, right? Welcome aboard, everyone!" beamed Touka at the former Tou contingent.

Toutaku smiled and blushed faintly. "Please everyone, call me by my true name seeing that I cannot use my common name anymore. It is Yue like how Miyabi and the others call me."

"Are you sure about this Yue?" questioned Kaku.

"It can't be helped, Ei-chan. This is the only way," answered Yue with a sad smile.

"I'm sorry to have your name dragged through the mud like this, but we need to pacify the people for now," apologized Yamato.

"Please Yamato-sama, you have no need to apologize. You only had to do what you had to do and I cannot blame you for that," replied Yue.

"Just one more thing, though. What happened here?" asked Yuki.

"Yeah, this place is the capital of China, but now it looks like a ghost town. What happened to the citizens?" added Shun.

"I can answer to that," said Kada as he stepped forward. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kada Genka, a physician of the sect of THE WAY OF THE FIVE GRAINS!"

Everyone, sans Yamato who had experienced his quirk firsthand before, was surprised when Kada shouted the name of his sect like that.

"Hey, what's with the shouting all of a sudden like that!?" demanded Shun.

"A-Ano…The Way of the Five Grains?" questioned Shuri,

"No, no, no, you said it wrong, young lady. When you say THE WAY OF THE FIVE GRAINS! You have to call it out loud with the most dramatic fashion all the time. And please don't forget the appropriate emphasis. It is a must!"

Yuki stared at Kada dumbfounded for a moment before she sighed. "Ugh, forget I asked. That was both the craziest and the stupidest answer I have ever heard."

Yamato cleared his throat to dispel the awkwardness. "Anyway, what happened here Kada-sensei? And why are you here in Luoyang?"

"I was in the middle of tracking a magic book called the Crucial Keys to the Way of Peace in the possession of a man named Ukitsu," Kada's answer made Shoku's official narrowed at the mention of the magic book. So their suspicion about whoever pulled the string behind Toutaku was also the one who caused Chou Sisters to rebel in the first place was proven. It was clear that Ukitsu and his cronies were the true enemy here.

"Well, the title didn't sound so bad," joked Shun.

"Please believe me that what that book contains is far more darker than what its title implies," replied the redheaded physician.

"Don't judge the book by its cover, literally," nodded Yuki.

"That book also caused the Yellow Turbans Rebellions in the first place," supplied Aisha. She didn't mention the name of the Chou Sisters. Those girls didn't need to suffer further when they had a second chance to be better.

Kada then continued, "My tracking finally led me here to Luoyang several days ago before your attack at Shisui and Hulao Pass. I then snuck into the palace and encountered Toutaku-dono and Kaku-dono as they tried to escape from the guards and helped them to sneak out of the Imperial Castle."

"And what happened to the citizens here?" asked Aisha impatiently.

"It seems Ukitsu had put them into an enchanted sleep using a spell from that book and I managed to put a counter-spell which would wake them up in half-an hour or so," answered Kada.

"Huh, makes me wonder what their aim is for putting the people to sleep like that," Shun mused.

"Whatever it is, we managed to thwart them for now. We will have to watch out for them in the future now that we are certain those White Clothes, Ukitsu, Saji, and their cohorts," said Yamato. He then turned to Shun and Yuki. "Could you relay this to Karin and Renfa?"

Shun nodded as Yuki replied. "Got it. I will report this to Sonken-sama."

Yamato nodded back before a smile graced his features. "Now then, I think this success calls for another feast, grander than the one we had two nights ago. Think you're up for it, Shun?"

"Oho~? Is that a challenge I hear?" Shun grinned. "You want a grand feast, you got it!"

"If that is the case, then please feel free to use any ingredients in the Imperial Castle's kitchen," added Yue with a smile. "At the very least, I want to make my people happy as my last act as the last Empress of Han Dynasty."

"Then you shall get a feast worthy of this commemoration! I swear by my honor as a cook!" replied Shun enthusiastically. He then turned to Yuki and said, "And please don't come anywhere near the kitchen, Yuki. I don't want you to mess it up."

"I get it already," Yuki sighed dejectedly. Did Shun have to bring up her less than stellar cooking every time? "Anyway, I'll also convey this to Sonken-sama. She would be happy to accept another invitation from you."

"Don't forget her Loliness, now," added Shun, grinning.

"Alright if that is all, then we're done here. Dismiss our army and count up our losses in this battle. Don't forget to relay about the feast in this evening to our army and every single person who had participated in this Alliance. We have won this campaign!"

There was a cheer from the Shoku contingent and the Messengers of Heaven. At long last, this campaign against tyranny and those who pulled the strings from the shadows had come to an end. All that left is to enjoy the fruit of their hard work.

No matter how short it was.

With the Han Dynasty finally collapsed without someone to lead it, the open warring era was about to start. Ambitious warlords would wage war against each other to prove their superiority and become the next ruler of the land. Yamato sent a discreet glance toward his friends, most especially Shun. If history repeated itself, then sooner or later Shoku and Gi would face one another. Karin's personality and perspective would make the possibility of their eventual fight higher and that meant he would be facing against his best friend. It was quite a daunting thought.

"Hey, Yamato. You're alright?" Yamato heard Shun called for him, causing him to shake his head.

"I'm alright, just deep in thought."

Shun nodded as he hummed and walked next to Yuki to chat with her.

"Yamato-sama, are you really alright?" asked Touka, worry was evident in her tone.

"I'm alright, Touka. Don't worry about me," assured Yamato with a smile.

"Are you worried with what will happen in the future?" the pink-haired girl pressed further, her blue eyes filled with sympathy and understanding,

Yamato sighed, unable to lie in front of Touka's earnestness. "Yeah, I'm really worried with what the future may bring. Now that we entered the open warring era, I'm worried even with my power, I couldn't protect all of you and our kingdom."

He was surprised when Touka held his hand in hers, smiling gently as she addressed him. "You are not alone, Yamato-sama. You have me, Aisha, Rinrin, and the others to help and support you all the way so you don't have to bear the burden alone. Our bonds are what make us stronger, remember? We too will improve ourselves so we could be a better help to you." She then gave his hand a gentle and firm squeeze. "Like you said when we first met, if you don't believe in yourself, then believe in those who believe in you."

"Touka…" A smile then tugged on Yamato's lips as he squeezed Touka's hand. "Thank you. I guess it's just the pressure getting the best of me. I must've acted out of character, huh?"

Touka giggled as she replied. "It's alright, Yamato-sama. We are in this together, all of us."

Yamato felt more assured at his second-in-command's encouragement. The future might be full of uncertainty and unknown, but together with his trusted comrades and allies he would face them with his head held high. No matter what might happen, he won't let his resolve shaken. Not after everything he had done so far.

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And that's a wrap! I hope you all enjoy this action packed chapter. Gaim vs Bravo, Baron vs Kurokage, and Ryugen vs Gridon. A triple treat plus the debut of Jimber Lemon Arms. As always, please leave a review on your way out. I want to hear your opinion on this chapter. That's all I can say for now. See you around and have a nice weekend!