September 22nd, 2030

(POV: Third)

*Dragon World, a settlement near Lord Tenbu's Sanctuary*

The sun had only just began to rise, only to be greeted with a small settlement unleashing the music of war. Members of the Fifth Omni Cavalry Dragons were sent to assist, hoping to stop the terrors that now occurred before them. Doble and Mizaru stood by their buddies, Rikka and Melanie respectively. Upon their arrival, they winced at the sight of the warring settlement only a bit aways from Lord Tenbu's settlement. The conflict was too close to their domain, and they had to put a stop to it.

At first, they could only watch on. Something didn't feel right about the quaint town they arrived in. They never expected such a small, peaceful town to be filled with the noise of unneeded warfare. Even so, Doble's body tensed up with anger as he saw his kind strike at each other with curled fists and life-ending blades. Without thinking, the dragon swordsman readied his weapon, ready to strike. "Rikka, go!"

His companion only had to nod. She prepared her fists, tightening her grip on the sturdy knuckles she wore. Her pink hair flung back as she charged at a nearby foe. She knew not to fatally wound these beings; unlike on Earth, fatal hits would not send the creatures back to their 'cards.' In Dragon World, she knew that she had to approach the situation with a slight sense of caution, especially when it came to how hard she would fight.

Doble engaged with a pair of dragons dual-wielding circular swords. The humanoid creatures eyed Doble, changing their focus to him. The cocky dragon grinned as he, with one swift and powerful swing, clanged the swords out of the hands of the opponents. The two dragons flinched, allowing Doble to look into them. Something had to be up; these peaceful, scrawny dragons could not have developed such a violent tendency overnight.

Mizaru and Melanie didn't want to engage just yet. These were not enemies, but friendly dragons that only broke out into a sense of insanity. Mizaru looked down to his buddy, watching as she pulled out a small wand. She had been practicing her magical abilities, becoming the second acting mage of the Fifth Omni Cavalry. She slowly closed her eyes, soon releasing a light-blue glow from her body. To her, sensing the problem was second nature. "… Something's afflicting them," she noted in a quiet, dull voice. "I'm not familiar with this power. It's so dark, and cruel."

Her buddy blinked, and with that his expression changed. He looked more concerned. "Is that what you're feeling?" He soon noticed Melanie starting to tense up. Something was attempting to afflict her too. The dragon calmly grasped Melanie's shoulder. It was at that moment, upon feeling her aura, that something familiar chilled him to the core. Within thinking, he tightened his grip on Melanie's shoulder, snapping her out of it. She stared at the empty space in front of her, soon turning to the one who broke her out of it. "Are you okay, Melanie?" Mizaru asked in a low yet soothing voice.

"Yes," Melanie returned dully, though her legs were still shaking. She could tell that Mizaru forced his calm demeanor. "That power… what was that?"

"I remember it too well," he returned. He looked on to Doble and Rikka, watching them as the two fighters unleashed the intense fury of the Fifth Omni Cavalry Dragons. He watched as Doble seemed impressed with Rikka's intensity and strength, especially since she was a human. One by one, the two continued their onslaught, making sure not to fatally wound the opponents before them. Doble's attacks were effortless in the making, while Rikka could punch the air straight out of a humanoid dragon's windpipes. "Doble, Rikka, be careful. We're dealing with the Disaster Force."

Rikka gritted her teeth. "She sensed it?"

Mizaru nodded. Doble couldn't help but growl lowly, for he thought that dealing with such power could only mean one thing. He remembered Kyoya Gaen attempting to take Yamigedo's power for his own. Using his buddy monster, as well as the power of the Disaster Force, Kyoya Gaen was able to get a sample of the horrific demon's power. "But he failed," he thought as he rammed his elbow into another foe. The dragon before him tripped down and fell flat. Doble spoke up about his confusion. "I saw it all within Gao's deck. He failed at that. How could he have gotten that power?"

Rikka swung her leg through another foe, sending him flying into a nearby wooden house. The dragon broke through a window, letting out a painful groan. The muscular creature cried out in pain before she fell unconscious. Immedietely, she turned to her buddy. "Who?"

Doble grunted back. "Gaen, way back when. If he was successful, then he made these innocents into sub-hundred demons."

Melanie interjected. "But he's been in trouble recently. It can't be him."

Doble thought to himself, tense from the combat situation before him. "If this is really the Disaster Force, and this is the same power he took before … yet it isn't him… It must be The Will that Arkaid's been telling me about." He turned back to his comrades, raising his sword into the air. "We can't afford our brethren to maim and kill each other! We must defeat them, and bring them back to their senses!"

The battle-cry unified the four. Mizaru and Melanie couldn't stay out of the fight at this point; the time to act is now. Mizaru unsheathed one of his three katanas. He positioned himself just in front of Melanie, acting like her shield. The magician readied her wand. Her black cloak shook as her body became overcome with shifting auras. Her dark eyes began to glow. The spark in her eyes caught the sight of a charging foe, sprinting towards them with wild eyes. Melanie raised her wand to the foe, soon muttering a foreign chant. Her mouth released one last syllable, and with that came a bolt of lightning. The bolt shot out from the wand, striking the foe. The dragon's roar shook the village as electricity surged through his entire body. With the end of her spell came an end to the dragon's consciousness. He limply fell to the ground.

A sudden clang rang through her ears. Another opponent almost blindsided Melanie, but Mizaru was quick to ask. The mage gasped as she noticed Mizaru's blade scratching against the opponent's weapon. She was close to getting hit, but Mizaru was too quick to have his buddy ripped to shreds. The foe snickered as she planted her strong feet to the ground. Her thin body made for an excellent means of telling her specialty; speed. She went in for another quick slash, but Mizaru counterattacked. He rammed his left fist into the foe's stomach. The last Mizaru heard from her was the dragon gagging from the sudden loss of air. She was out cold.

Doble and Mizaru looked at each other. The blonde-haired dragon grinned confidently while Mizaru only rolled his eyes. Melanie patted Mizaru's shoulder, redirecting his attention to her. His reaction was similar to that of a dog, for he closed his eyes in content at the show of affection. To Melanie, Mizaru had the soul of a pure protector. Rikka couldn't help but come out of her tense, adrenaline-fueled mind by chuckling at the rather cute sight before her. "Maybe, Doble, you'll be less cranky if I'd pet you."

"I'm no lapdog," Doble returned harshly. "I'm a warrior."

"Chase isn't around. No need to play the role."

"Protecting Tenbu is the only one of two things on my mind right now," Doble returned. "The last thing we want is for these violent, mind-controlled dragons to rise up against any nearby towns and settlements. That'd cause chaos."

"One of two things?" Rikka asked.

Doble grumbled back. "Well, you're my buddy. I gotta make sure you're safe and all."

Rikka snickered. "Aw, so adorable."

"Lay off!" Doble exclaimed. "We have people to beat, and then save."

The four of them went to work. The enemies continued to engage, but the members of the Fifth Omni Cavalry were proving to be incredibly capable. With Melanie's spells, Mizaru's incredible defense, and Rikka and Doble acting as an incredible offense, the group were making the possessed enemies fall before them. However, there was another. Far away remained another humanoid creature, watching the events from afar. He appeared to be unpleased as he watched the possessed town fall by the hands of the Fifth Omnis. The creature thought to himself in an angry tone, prompting the question about whether or not the members of the Cavalry were really the laughing stocks that he had heard about. Unfortunately, he had underestimated them, and he knew that he had to rectify that.

*Tokyo, Japan*

Liam had a lead. After intercepting another contact for Dark Core Deck Cases, he managed to interrogate the individual with Demios's assistance. The address led them to a large building on the eastern edge of the city. There was no chance that he and Demios were going to miss out on such an opportunity. They were quick to arrive at the destination. It was still the early morning when the two arrived at the back door of the lonely, abandoned-looking building. Liam looked over to Demios, making sure that the dragon was in his SD form for the sake of stealth. He didn't want to rush the place; the last thing that he wanted to happen was cause another unfortunate soul to look like the remains of Hoshi.

He shivered at the thought of it, but quickly shook the guilt away from his mind. The man caught clues that the building could be empty; the windows showed no form of light coming from the inside. Although it was early in the morning, he at least expected people to be up ensuring the protection of their treasures. Liam turned to Demios with the dragon returning a reassuring nod. Liam couldn't hesitate now; he had to go in and get more information on The Will of Kyoya.

Liam slowly pressed on the back door. As he slowly pushed it in, the door nearly made no sound. The two of them quickly went in, immediately making sure to quietly close the door behind them. They both went low, and soon Demios tapped on Liam's shoulder. "I'll go one way, you go the other. Keep the Disaster Force at the ready," he muttered. Liam nodded back, allowing the two of them to go their separate ways.

He wasn't worried for Demios. If anything, he was more worried about himself. Demios was incredibly experienced in the ways of warfare and combat. Without him, Liam was at a distinct disadvantage. However, he knew he couldn't back out of it now; Demios trusted that Liam was able to take care of himself. That's what Demios wished to convey, and that was what Liam understood. He grinned to himself before getting low. Slowly, he motioned through the opening opposite to where Demios had gone through.

As Liam made his way into a kitchen, he prepared his Dark Core Deck Case. In a few moments, he went through his deck and took out cards that would be useful for certain situations he figured would be expected during this invasion. He pulled out a copy of Sword of Purgatory Knights Leader, Demios Sword, making sure that it was within his reach. He took out two other important cards. Even though one wasn't useful for his deck, he knew, after testing, that it was still useful to him as a means of conventional use.

He couldn't afford to lug around a large sword while searching the building, especially when there was a chance he could escape without the need for combat.

Liam glanced at his surroundings. He quietly rushed over to the sink and opened the cabinets beneath it. Nothing. He continued to rummage through the room, hoping to find some sort of important tidbits of information. However, as he continued to look through each spot, he could only locate sponges, paper dishes, plastic cups, and cheap silverware. There was no point in looking through the kitchen at this point; he knew he had to press on.

Creeping into the next room, he immediately noticed a person lying on a couch. He had reached a room resembling that of a living room. He looked over to the man lying on the couch. At first, the pale individual appeared to be asleep. Liam didn't think that any awake individual would not notice anything, especially when this person was incredibly close to where he first entered. However, the man turned over, making Liam retreat back in hiding. His eyes were locked onto the new target, watching as the pale man's eyes closed tightly. He yawned, greeting the new day.

He instinctually grasped a dark, purple object residing on a desk next to the couch. Liam recognized it instantly; it was a Dark Core Deck Case. There was no longer a shred of doubt in his mind that he had located a hideout for The Will. He had to subdue this foe, otherwise, he wasn't going to make any progress throughout the rest of the building. He looked down at his Core Deck Case, eying one of the cards. He didn't want to kill the guy, especially since Liam hasn't seen the guy do anything terrible. However, he understood that he needed to take him out quietly.

The pale man still had his eyes away from where Liam stood. This was his chance. Liam got low, practically hugging the floor. Fortunately, because of how the room was organized, Liam was unable to be seen. The couch, from Liam's view, was blocked by another couch. It was organized in such a reminiscent fashion of people sitting around a television to watch movies. This came as an advantage to Liam; since he couldn't see the guy past the other couch, neither could the pale man.

Liam crawled across the floor, slowly putting his right arm forward, followed by his left. He used his legs for slight leverage so that the man couldn't hear his body sliding against the floor. He was getting close. Liam soon found himself directly behind the other couch. His mind wasn't racing; something was keeping him incredibly calm. At that moment, the realization came as a slight shock to him. He couldn't help but wonder what was making him so calm.

He peeked over the edge of the couch, eying the foe as he slowly brought himself off the other couch. The man groggily stretched his arms in the air, soon letting out a long yawn. Liam used this man's current state as an advantage. As soon as the man released that yawn, Liam activated his Dark Core Deck Case. The device voiced a familiar command. "Disaster Force: Activated." The man was still in his groggy, yawning state so he only barely caught wind of it. By the time his sleepy brain processed the information, Liam had already jumped over the couch. Using his right palm, Liam slammed into the man's face. The two of them landed onto the couch with Liam holding down on the foe. The pale man was just about to yell out, but Liam already had a card at the ready in his left hand. "Black Drain." The card began to glow as the Disaster Force was finally utilized. The power manifested into Liam's right hand. Purple aura began to envelop Liam's hand, silencing the foe before him. The man pushed forward, using his remaining energy to try and force Liam off of him. It was not long before the power of Liam's Black Drain took complete hold of the pale man. He collapsed, sending him right back to a state of deep slumber.

For insurance, Liam confiscated the man's Dark Core Deck Case. He couldn't afford to have this guy wake up and attack him with whatever other cards he wished to make real.

As Liam put the Dark Core Deck Case into his pocket, his own had begun to shake. By the time he noticed, a sudden burst of pain went through him, causing him to wince and cry out in pain. He tried to keep the shout as quiet as he could, but the pain had come upon him so quickly that he just wasn't prepared for it. He fell to the floor as the dark energies of the Disaster Force started to cover his lower body. He was flat on the ground, and he felt something happening in his mind. His thoughts were being subdued like he was being manipulated.

He curled his hands into fists as he started to force himself up. The energy tried holding him back, making his body movements become more stiff and sloppy. The poor man even struggled to move his right hand outward. His hand shook as he grasped onto the couch. The actions of his arm served as a demand for the rest of his body; he was not going to be taken advantage of by whatever this was. With an intense growl, the energy dissipated from sight, leaving him exhausted. He collapsed onto the ground. Liam breathed heavily as he tried to catch his breath once again.

"What the hell was that?" He huffed to himself. Confused, he looked down at his Dark Core Deck Case. He saw the crystal at the front of it glowing with an intense scarlet. The sight of it almost frightened him; it was like the device was changing on its own. He wanted to observe it more and take a look at it, but he knew he was low on time. Quickly, he brought himself back onto the couch, shoving the sleeping man away from him.

Upon slinking into another doorway, he came across a staircase. Each step creaked as he motioned his way up the stairs. His eyes instinctively caught the sight of a window near the very top. Upon nearing the next floor, he noticed something outside. He went to the wall and peeked out the window, soon noticing that Buddy Police Officer Cars were coming from afar. If it were only one or two, then Liam could have easily assumed that they were just casually on patrol. However, there were about ten of them, and they were pulling into the expansive parking lot. Something caught him off guard. When one of the cars stopped, he recognized a few familiar faces as they stepped out of one of the vehicles. "That must be Alvis, and his buddy Sitri," he muttered. He recognized Alvis by his blonde, curly hair and fine skin. He watched as he went over to a somewhat tubby woman with a dog by her side, followed by a stern-looking woman with a white eagle on her shoulder. He definitely remembered the stern-looking woman; how could he forget about them, as he believes her to be rightly called, the bitch who blamed his friend for Hoshi getting killed.

He quickly looked away and swore under his breath. He needed to get with Demios before the Buddy Police Officers got inside. However, he looked around and saw nothing in the hallway. Liam had a passing thought about Demios being on the second floor too, which was then followed by him hoping for that to be the truth. With no time to lose, he rushed out of the room, heading into the hallway in hopes of reuniting with his buddy.

(POV: First)

*Dragon World – Lord Tenbu's Sanctuary*

We received Lord Tenbu's message rather late, but we came as soon as we could. I didn't want to assume the worst, but the urgency of the message, especially when Arkaid rushed us out of the apartment in such a hurry, told me that this was an event that needed to be taken extremely seriously. We didn't even have time to read it all; we read that Lord Tenbu needed us and Arkaid, immediately, prepared a portal to Dragon World. By the time we got there, we were able to go through the message and get the finer details.

According to Lord Tenbu, something was going awry in a nearby settlement. He sent Doble, Mizaru, Rikka, and Melanie to handle the issue, and the last he heard from them was when Mizaru contacted him with a messenger orb, informing him that the Disaster Force could be in play. But that was an hour ago, and since then he has not received any updates from either one of the four Cavalry members sent there.

I knew that Lord Tenbu wished he could just go off and assist his comrades, but he couldn't. There was a risk of him going anywhere, and we couldn't afford to lose the Fifth Omni Lord. It's for that reason we have the Fifth Omni Cavalry in the first place.

Arkaid and I quickly caught the sight of Lord Tenbu in his smaller form. I could only assume that he was in his weaker form due to his smaller size, making him a smaller target to hit. Although it came with a risk, I respected the tactic. The remaining Cavalry Dragons were still by his side, so he must've known that he still had enough defensive capabilities. Despite the thoughtful planning, there was no sign of confidence on the old dragon's face. His pink whiskers sighed as his beard lifelessly drifted with each rotation of his aged head. He noticed us coming towards him, reviving his spirits somewhat.

When we approached, I noticed that four members of the Cavalry Dragons were watching from afar. They must have been observing the surroundings, preparing themselves if there was a threat trying to catch us by surprise. However, two of the dragons were new to me. I recognized Meglax instantly, for his green attire and bow made him stand out. Alliot's small height (about 5' 3"), and his similar appearance to the Drum Bunker Dragon, was enough for me to get by, but then I noticed two other dragons. A large, crimson dragon covered in dark-blue armor remained the closest to Lord Tenbu, acting as a sort of defense for the aged Lord. He looked to be a foot taller than me, making him just over seven feet tall. Two horns shot upward in a demonic fashion, but the dragon looked at me with a hearty smile. He had a thick build to his physique, which was more than enough to tell me that my arms were like toothpicks to his. His boisterously wild red hair gave him a much more brawler characteristic to him, which surprised me when comparing it to the other new dragon near him. The dragon appeared to be rather slim in appearance. His physique was similar to mine, including the height. To an extent, he looked a bit like Arkaid, making me think they were of the same species for a moment. His armor was a fine and pure white, but his eyes were sly-looking to me. They were slanted and carried an intense, stern look to him. He frightened me for a moment. The back of his head was draped in white cloth, showing that he had a much more characterized look to him than just being a simple knight in armor. The dragon humanoid carried some features that I found to be slim and quick.

Tenbu noticed my intrigue, prepared to introduce the dragons for me. "I see that you've finally met the remaining members of the Cavalry. Fuad wanted to meet you, but Merak has been skeptical like the rest."

With that, I was able to see why the red dragon smiled at me. That had to be Fuad, though I recalled Doble referring to a dragon named 'Faud.' He must've meant this big guy.

Arkaid interjected on this introduction. She had no time to waste; she needed to get to the bottom of the issue. "Lord Tenbu, you contacted CJ and me due to the disappearance of Doble, Mizaru, Rikka, and Melanie. Where were they sent?" Her voice was calm, yet grim. She understood the gravity of the situation the most out of all of us, but she appeared to be less affected out of the both of us. With each passing second, my heart raced even faster than previous. This was a situation that could lead to an all-out brawl if my anxiety was correct.

Lord Tenbu was quick to respond, though his voice was weak and tired. Even though not much time has passed, his concern for his comrades sent the dragon into a fragile state of mind. "I sent them to the nearby settlement of Takir. Everything else is what I told you in the message."

Noticing that the coast was clear, the other four Cavalry dragons approached the Dragon Lord. As they drew closer, I noticed that most of them had burn marks on their armor. A portion of Meglax's cloth armor appeared to be scorched in several areas. Arkaid gasped at the sight of her allies. "Did enemies break through?"

Meglax shook his head, but he did so that showed signs of being embarrassed. "Unless you want to address Lord Tenbu as an enemy, then yes."

Even though I was initially confused, Arkaid complained to her Lord as if this was a common thing. "Lord Tenbu, how many times have we instructed you to control your temper? We cannot keep holding you down."

I looked over to Arkaid, feeling out of the loop. "Wait, he did this?"

Arkaid shook her head to the Omni Lord, ignoring me somewhat. "One day, you won't snap out of it in time. What would happen if you killed one of us in your blind rage?"

Lord Tenbu's face weakened. It was stained with guilt. His eyes cowardly looked away from Arkaid's cold glare. I found myself swearing under my breath, finding the situation ridiculous at first. I was able to get it after thinking for a moment. It made sense to lash out once you believe your comrades could've been taken out, and one would wish to take action. However, Lord Tenbu's protection is important. The Fifth Omni Cavalry Dragons cannot afford to leave their Dragon Lord unprotected. Fighting him in his rage was protecting him from leaving.

Even though the four Cavalry Dragons appeared winded, Alliot appeared rather content with himself. He huffed at Arkaid with a stubborn grin. "We can take him on. No need to worry about us."

Meglax sighed. "Either way, we can save this discussion for a later time. Recovering Doble and the others should be important. Whatever they did, the issue appears to have subsided, but they haven't returned."

I was half-expecting Merak and Fuad to say something. When I looked over to them, I noticed that Merak was staring at me. He gave me a cold and calculated look, analyzing me and all of my features. I had my rapier at my side, sheathed up and prepared for combat. However, he appeared to recognize my lack of true combat training with the said weapon. For a moment, the dragon sneered. He glanced back at my face and turned away.

I was about to turn towards Fuad when I blinked. As soon as I opened my eyes, a sharp, metallic object was right in front of my face. My legs straightened and tensed, shooting me back as I yelped from the surprising show of speed. Arkaid, somehow, kept up for it, for she was already in the middle of yelling back to Merak at the act of intimidation. When I finally looked over at Fuad, I saw the large dragon laughing. His laughter was deep and incredibly hearty. As I brought myself back to my feet, Arkaid acted incredibly defensive. "Now that was just unnecessary, Merak!"

The calm dragon replied back to her. He sounded incredibly cold as he spoke, though his voice gave off the intention of relaying 'facts' to her in a somewhat emotionless way. "Doble told me about him. I just wanted to see if he could actually react to it like Rikka and Melanie did. Turns out that he is outperformed by the both of them."

"Still, there was no need for that, especially right now of all times."

Alliot snickered. "You weren't even here when we calmed Tenbu down. I needed the laugh."

Fuad spoke up. "I simply appreciated Merak showing a 'humorous' side to him for once."

Merak flanked over to his comrade. "Comedy wasn't the reason for it."

"That's okay, little guy," Fuad laughed as he wrapped his right arm around his comrade. "It's good to be funny sometimes. You just gotta let go."

The four of them turned back to their Omni Lord. I didn't know why, but the four of them must've expected the silly events to raise the Dragon Lord's spirits. I guess they had already forgotten that he, unlike them, actually appreciates me being here. Tenbu's expression was unchanged, almost like he was oblivious to what even happened. It told me that he didn't even pay attention enough to look at his comrades with disgust. When I turned to Arkaid I noticed that she was no longer by my side; she was in front of Tenbu, kneeling before him. "Lord Tenbu, what do you wish for me to do?"

"… Take your buddy, and one of the Cavalry Dragons with you," Lord Tenbu sighed. He looked away for a moment, gritting his teeth in private. "I would give you two, but… my rage… and I 'need to be protected.'" The aged dragon stated that last part in a mocking voice. He didn't like the position he was in one bit, but he understood the reason for it.

Arkaid thought for a moment. As I walked to her side, she looked at each one of the remaining Cavalry Dragons standing around her. "… I don't believe I can afford to take Meglax away from you, Lord Tenbu. You'll need someone who can engage enemies, or you, from afar."

Meglax nodded to her. "I agree. I'll stay here. As for your overall formation, I recommend taking someone fast."

Arkaid nodded. "Understood. Since we're doing a form of reconnaissance, we'll need someone quicker, so that leaves Fuad out."

Merak made himself known with a slight wave of his weapon. When I finally got to look at it clearly, the weapon was a spear, but the sharp end itself was of a light-blue color, the same color as his scales. "I recommend taking me, then. I believe I'll be of much use to you."

Arkaid shook her head. "I'll be taking Alliot."

"I find your decision to be rather questionable, Arkaid," Merak replied. His voice carried a hint of confusion. "If you have a reasonable explanation, however, then I'm in agreement."

"I believe I do," Arkaid returned. "I will not associate with someone who threatens my buddy." I gasped as I looked to her. She meant every single one of her words. Her composure was regal as usual, but she looked unbreakable to the core. She glared at Merak, and I watched as the opposing blue dragon merely looked away. "Even if it was a feint, it was a step above what the others have done." She turned away, leaving us all rather dumbfounded in her actions. She had already started walking off when she finally looked back to us. She didn't appear to be walking out of the settlement initially, which I first found odd. "CJ, let's get you some armor. Alliot, aren't you coming."

Arkaid's eyes looked ahead to the town before her. Even though she remained firm, she was feeling uneasy. The lack of noise made the town of Takir appear lifeless. She paused for a moment, slowly beginning to glow. "I'm having difficulties sensing anything," she voiced. The glow around her body began to fade as she turned to Alliot. "They're either not there anymore, or something is making them appear weak. They could be exhausted, or worse."

Alliot smirked. "Don't be such a downer, Arkaid," the dragon returned as he lifted his spear over his shoulder. The three points of the sturdy spear resembled that of three separate drills. As I watched his weapon, the three points rotated slowly. "If anything, Doble's having a hard time. It's great that you took me along. Now he'll owe me one."

The dragon mage sighed back. "I only took you because you were quick enough and, ironically, smarter than Merak."

Alliot sneered. "Ironically?"

"Take the compliment," Arkaid sternly replied. "Merak's actions left me in a sour mood, so I'd appreciate it if you would refrain from doing that."

"Jeez, Arkaid. Would it kill ya to take the joke?" Alliot asked.

She ignored the comment, soon looking over to me. Arkaid soon found herself calming down, soon smiling at me. At the time, I wasn't really acknowledging her doing so, for I found myself incredibly distracted. Even though I had the entire run here to become acclimated to my set of armor, I still couldn't bring myself to get used to this attire. After my entire life of wearing nothing but business suits and casual attire, I was finally wearing armor. It was unlike the medieval armor worn by knights back home, but it appeared to have some similarity to the way the Fifth Omni Cavalry Dragons wore their armor; mostly cloth, but had metallic armors protecting important areas of the body. In my case, my most protected places on myself were my knees, elbows, and shoulders. My brown shoulder plates rested comfortably on my shoulders, while the knee-guards acted as an attachment to my brown boots. Even though these areas were where my armor was, the rest of my body was still fairly fortified. My torso was protected by a tight, jacket-like piece of armor that resembled leather but wasn't as restrictive in terms of movement. My collar was relaxed, though it was high enough to reach the lower edges of my cheeks. The collar itself was of a crimson color, resembling the piece of cloth wrapped around my waist. My leather leggings felt extremely condensed in a way, but it didn't restrict my movement at all. I understood the point of such armor; the cloth and leather were used because, even though it isn't as protective as metal-based armor, it doesn't restrict my movement due to it being light and maneuverable. However, that by itself wasn't what made Arkaid raise in spirits. I found myself acting child-like as I wore it. I wasn't super crazy about it, but I observed it like I had discovered something incredibly new, and I wanted to understand every little aspect of it. That was when I glanced over at her and noticed her smiling at me. Because I was caught off guard by it, I simply waved.

"CJ, you look ready to take on the Cavalry itself."

"O-Oh, thanks!"

Alliot scoffed, soon rolling his eyes at such an annoying sight. "Let's just keep going."

"But Arkaid didn't sense anything," I returned. "Shouldn't we be more careful?"

"No need. Look at all of those knocked out civilians. The situation was taken care of."

The three of us reached the entrance of the town with a significant decrease in confidence. Alliot growled lowly as he began to look around for more details. However, the only things we could see were the collapsed humanoid dragon civilians that the others must have dealt with. Several of the houses were damaged severely, with the wood breaking apart while some areas were a bit singed. It was a sign that Melanie was here. The group of four definitely went through here and, based on the looks of things, they did a hell of a job.

But it didn't seem right to me, and I'm sure that Arkaid shared my sentiments. As we looked around, the town looked less like someone came to the rescue and more like something along the lines of an invasion. As we continued to walk through the eerie town, the only thing that we saw was more destruction and additional unconscious dragons. It was then that we noticed one of the civilians beginning to stir. Alliot was at the ready in a few moments. He didn't charge, but he gritted his teeth and slowly inched forward, watching as the opposing light-blue and thin dragon began to awaken.

As soon as the dragon noticed Alliot, the humanoid yelped with fright. He went onto his back and covered her head for protection. She was about to rush off when Alliot cornered her. "Hey-hey-hey, you're fine, everything's fine." The dragon must've recognized the speaker as Alliot. She stopped sprinting, but was heaving heavily as her heart raced. "Do you know what happened here?"

"N-no, I… can't remember anything past yesterday," the dragon strained to reply. "… I only remember my husband attacking me… but it was so weird; it was unlike him."

"What happened?"

"He was fine at first, but then his eyes turned a bright red," the dragon steadily replied. "The last thing I really remember was trying to escape, and then I was ambushed by some caped dragon, clad in black armor… and that's it."

Arkaid mumbled to herself. "A caped dragon, clad in black?"

Nothing prepared us for what happened next. A man's scream echoed throughout the cold and empty roads. We were able to recognize the voice almost immediately. It was Doble. Alliot's confidence from before had all but vanished, and in that exact moment, he roared back. The adrenaline in his body must've spiked, for the intensity of his very being was almost palpable. He turned to the woman, and that was when I looked at his eyes. An intense spark set him off. "Stay here!" He led the charge, and Arkaid and I followed closely behind. Although the scream was short, Alliot appeared to know exactly where the source was.

We were in the very center of town. Surrounding it were multiple other civilians, unconscious, most likely from the work of the Cavalry members. As we rounded a corner, the sight of our comrades shook us all. The closest to us was Mizaru, curled up and incredibly wounded. Blood seeped from deep cuts around his shoulders. His black scales were not enough to hide the bruises on his back. Arkaid gasped before approaching the wounded dragon. She observed his wounds, and soon discovered the reason as to why the unconscious dragon was curled up. His arms were wrapped around Melanie. The sight of her condition sent a chill through my very soul. Mizaru was only half as bad in comparison to her. The young teenager was coated with blood, soaking into her hair.

Arkaid immediately checked for their pulses. She finally let out a relieved sigh, telling us that they were fine. We didn't even notice her when she was trying to heal our comrades, for Alliot was staring intently at who stood in the very center. Arkaid glanced up and saw the same very sight ahead, watching as a dragon from hell stood emotionlessly still. The humanoid dragon towered over us by one and a half feet, yet his slim and dastardly figure was hidden behind a black cloak with red patterns I couldn't make out. His armor was black, just like the woman from before said, and the dragon's wild red hair was stretched to his backside.

In his left hand was a long, black sword. Ghostly flames emanated from the blade. However, our eyes were caught on that. As the dragon held that blade by his side, in his right hand was Doble, being held up by his neck. Alliot yelled out. "Doble!"

Soft and weak groans left the defenseless dragon. The enemy twitched as he directed his head towards us. We braced ourselves, preparing to engage. Arkaid materialized her staff out of thin air, setting it to her side with a determined look. Alliot held out his spear, rotating a part of his weapon to cause the drills to spin. My heart began to race; this monster was willing to kill us, and he definitely was nothing like the shadow shades. As I finally saw Rikka, the woman who beat me to a pulp, limp on the ground, I knew I wasn't prepared for this.

The black dragon finally dropped Doble from his hand. Doble gagged as he collapsed on the ground, falling beside his fallen buddy. He looked over to Rikka with nothing but sorrow as he struggled to grab her. It took everything he had to get himself back on his feet. The dragon held his buddy over his right shoulder and limped away from the scene. He knew that he would only get in the way at this point.

It was then that I noticed Mizaru coming to. His eyes slowly opened, but I appeared to be the only one to notice him; Alliot and Arkaid continued to keep their focus on the enemy. When I looked back to Mizaru, the dragon motioned behind us with his buddy cradled in his arms. "I'm so sorry, my breathren…." He groaned weakly. Alliot and Arkaid nodded to him, and he started limping away.

This didn't pose as a worthy distraction to the enemy dragon. The purple flames on his sword continued to grow, practically making the sword itself catch fire. As he got even closer, the helmet he wore over his face became more signified. The sigil on the helm was almost scratched off, practically ineligible. The sight of such a thing finally led me to the dragon's eyes. They were bright red, void of any emotion. Even though the dragon appeared to be weakened, he was not willing to leave the town just yet. I had no choice but to activate my Disaster Force. The Dark Core Deck Case activated, allowing the dark aura to envelop my body. However, as I did this, the black-armored dragon stopped in its tracks. Finally, its voice emerged. He spoke with emptiness. He exhaled slowly, but his voice started cutting off near the ends of each exhale. It was like… he was laughing. The dragon's confidence made Arkaid wince. "… Now I know."

I turned my eyes to her, still maintaining my stance. "What?"

"I know who this is. This dragon is one of Azi Dahaka's retainers."

Alliot exclaimed with shock. "For the Demonic Dragon? Gaen's buddy?"

"Ex-buddy, and yes," Arkaid noted. She continued looking ahead, watching as the dragon slowly began to draw near. The creature began to give off a dark-purple glow. I grimaced at the very sight of it, for I recognized that energy almost immediately. It was the Disaster Force, a power to be feared. "A dragon serving under the flag of Dragon Zwei. If I'm correct, this has to be him. It's Sinblade Dragon!"