(September 29th, 2030)

According to my boss's text from yesterday, she had another group handling the issue concerning Hoshi's murder. Because of that, and also because my paid leave went past the time, I was finally able to return to work. Again, however, I was to report to the Buddy Police HQ instead of the DMW where Alvis and Abigail worked. It was growing to be particularly annoying, especially since I wanted to work with Alvis, Sitri, Abigail, and Bozo again. Ever since I came to Japan, it felt like I was growing farther and farther away from them with each passing moment. I hated it, and it didn't help that Liam was still nowhere to be seen or heard from.

He wasn't responding to any of my calls, any of my messages; I don't know what even happened since that one night. Arkaid could tell how antsy I was about the subject as we made our way to the HQ. My eyes weren't focused on my surroundings, even though people were staring at me funny. It was definitely because I had my rapier at my side now. But I didn't care; Liam was still missing. Finally, I heard Arkaid mutter a plea to me. "Please forgive me, CJ."

I was confused at the moment, and so was Alliot. I turned to the two of the two monsters in their SD forms. Arkaid stopped walking momentarily before sighing. She didn't even need to say anything; I knew why she blamed herself. After I told Alliot the situation, he appeared to understand it too. To Arkaid, it was her angry outburst that acted as the final straw that made Liam leave. Arkaid and Liam were particularly good friends too; they really seemed to get along. Hoping to cheer her up, I shook my head to her. "You weren't wrong, Arkaid."

Alliot's voice lowered as his throat grinded as he spoke. He found it hard to speak up, choosing his words carefully. "I mean, he put your buddy in danger."

I nodded in agreement, but that did not appear to calm Arkaid's feelings. She merely returned to her walk, making Alliot and I have to catch up to her. "It's also mine, Arkaid. I wanted to fight alongside you. And like you said, even if Liam found out about it later, he still didn't bother to tell us. Using it once in that one fight was fine, but not telling us as the weeks went by? You were entirely correct for-"

Arkaid's eyes glanced over to me. Her voice weakened, but she spoke with an innocent and vulnerable tone. "I hate that I make you speak ill of your friend."

"What?"

She found it difficult to calm herself down as she spoke. "You two have history. How could I make you say such things to him? He's your friend, isn't he?"

"That doesn't excuse him," I replied. "Besides, he's given me crap for some things, and I do too. It's like with Doble and Alliot, though much more friendly in comparison."

Alliot chuckled. "Lucky you," he snorted. "Listen, Arkaid, you acted the way you were supposed to. If I knew that kid was going to hurt our buddy, then he's crossed a line. There's no reason for you to be acting like this."

Arkaid paused for a moment. She took in a long breath of air before staring directly into my eyes. "If I can't protect you, then, at the very least, please understand that I want to protect your friendship with Liam." Her statement struck me like a swift blade to the chest. There was no pain, but I felt my body stiffen from how blindsided I felt from the comment. "The last thing I want is for you and Liam to end it all. That's why I regret my words." Arkaid solemnly turned away. "I'm your buddy. I say I want to protect you, but I end up hurting you, making your friends leave you."

I had to protest her words. My gut was forcing me to take an assertive role. "You're not doing any of that, Arkaid." I knelt down to her, making sure that we were equals where we stood. She was taken aback from the sudden act, surprised from how genuine I became in that moment. To destroy the tension from this conversation, I gave her a confident smirk, something that I always struggle with. "Besides, Liam's not that big of a wussy. I know him; he'll turn around."

That appeared to calm Arkaid down. She must have found the moment completely ridiculous, seeing as how I quickly threw away all tension the conversation had. Alliot took in a sigh of relief as all three of us continued to the HQ. Even though our conversations during our walk displayed calmness, I was feeling rather uneasy. I was happy that Arkaid took my word for it. However, in all honesty, I didn't know whether or not Liam took complete offense from what happened. In all my years of talking to him on skype, no such situation came up where someone close to me singled him out and made him uncomfortable. The closest thing I could remember to such a situation was seven years ago. There was a girl that another friend brought in; I believe his name was Isaac. The girl started acting like a complete jerk to any person who offered some semblance of criticism of her art or her actions in the chat. Most of the time, Isaac kept a blind eye to it while Liam and I would just privately chat with each other and, on occasion, leave the call entirely. Whenever Liam felt like he had no choice but to leave, it was never due to an extremely close friend of mine making him feel uncomfortable. Arkaid's more than a close friend; her own words state that she and I are eternal partners. For Liam to get barked at like that from Arkaid … it's incomparable to what has happened in the past. I couldn't let Arkaid know that, I just couldn't. I can already tell that she feels like she isn't doing "well" at her "duty" to keep me protected, despite me seeing and telling her the exact opposite. She has an incredibly high standard; she wants to protect everyone and everything and will see every small failure as a big one. It made me view her as someone who truly sought a sense of true, selfless justice, and I couldn't help but always admire her for that. Even Alliot, someone with his skills, seems to be in a rather selfish rivalry with Doble in terms of making each other stronger, almost to the point that they both appear to value it on even terms with their duties as members of the Fifth Omni Cavalry. Because of how serious Alliot treats his rivalry with Doble, and seeing how both fighters are incredibly fixated on getting strong, it makes me wonder if I'm truly not the only one who had selfish desires upon joining. I couldn't see Arkaid being selfish about anything, to be honest; I just viewed her too highly for that.

The three of us entered the HQ, welcomed by the concerning noise of silence. I could hear a few footsteps echoing throughout the building, but no one was in view. The secretary was not present; it must be much busier than I had originally thought. The buddy police officers must be spreading themselves thin if most of the employees were out. Arkaid and Alliot looked to each other in confusion while I took out my phone for any updates. There was nothing. I was starting to feel like nothing had changed; I was still out of the loop due to my coworkers seemingly going out of their way to keep me out of things.

When four figures suddenly came into view, you bet that the three of us were preparing our questions. However, Alliot's chin dropped to the floor when he managed to identify one of the figures from a distance. It was Count Dawn, the Seventh Omni Lord. The intelligent vampire immediately made Arkaid focus more on her mannerisms, clearly without any sign of expending any effort, while Alliot made sure to clear his throat. Count Dawn noticed us from afar; his sighting of us broke him out of a conversation he was having with the other three figures. I noticed Tasuku and Jackknife Dragon in his SD form, but there last person was a taller, blonde women with glasses and a red burette. Her name initially slipped my mind, but I soon recognized her as Stella Watson. Oddly enough, I hadn't seen her since that battle in the middle of Tokyo a few weeks back. She must have had some business in the DMW during that time. When the other three finally noticed us, Count Dawn nodded in our direction. "A pleasure to see you again, Agent Chase." He looked over to Arkaid and Alliot respectively. "Arkaid. Alliot. It's a pleasure."

Arkaid and Alliot rushed up to the group, leaving me behind. By the time I started closing the distance between us, Arkaid was bowing to the Omni Lord. "The pleasure is mine, Seventh Omni Earth Lord, Count Dawn."

Alliot nodded to the Omni Lord with loyalty. "It's great to see you. I didn't expect you to be here today of all days." Alliot finally got himself to chuckle. He was getting over the pressure rather quickly. "It's like a ghost town in here. I bet you had a good welcoming party," Alliot stated sarcastically.

"Unfortunately, recent news made us expend many of our resources," Count Dawn returned. "We are rather … erm…" He looked at Alliot at the moment. Count Dawn sighed, regretting what to say next. I could tell that he finished his statement with this just to describe how much we lacked manpower, but I'm sure that he could've thought of something better to say than "… short on manpower right now."

Almost on cue, Alliot tensed up as his hair went wild. He gritted his teeth as he angrily shut his eyes, attempting to control his anger. It was clear to me that words that could be associated to his height greatly bothered him. He continued muttering to himself as his hands curled into fists. "He's an Omni Lord. He's an Omni Lord. He's an Omni Lord."

Watson nervously chuckled, breaking the tension a little bit. She clearly didn't want us to get further sidetracked. "We were discussing the current issue concerning our small amount of Buddy Police. We are the only ones left now, and we still have to keep track of the prisoners still being checked in. One of them being…."

My eyes glanced away. "Gale Minas… How's he holding up?" I honestly wasn't curious, but any information is better than nothing. I wanted to forget the name, for it made me remember the specifics of Hoshi as well as how he was murdered. It made me sick just thinking about it.

"He's doing fine, but he's been feeling a bit too… confident, and that's when Count Dawn's predictions came true."

"Predictions?"

Count Dawn nodded. "You must recall that I was in that tournament a week or so back." When he noticed that my arms twitched, he didn't have to further question my memories. "I was there because of the increased cases of the Disaster Force. Admittedly, I was foolish to think of tackling it alone, so please accept my deepest apologies." Count Dawn, an Omni Lord, bowed to me. His purple suit seemed to sag a little with some of the dangling pieces of fabric drooping down his elbows. "Because of my curiosity, I put Kazane and her mother at risk." His face shrank, twisting with guilt as his eyebrows showed intense anger. It wasn't just at the murderer, but also himself. "If I had known that something so twisted would occur, I wouldn't have brought Kazane anywhere near there. Fortunately, only her mother and me know what transpired."

Arkaid nodded. "We don't want children to see things like this, so that was an intelligent decision."

Alliot sneered as he crossed his arms. I could hear him growling to himself as he spoke. "A weakling who murders like that. He took advantage of a killed man." It was then that my mind went back to our encounter with Sinblade. Alliot had to drill into the dragon's face to ensure the dragon's death, and even that was unsuccessful. It made me question the validity of his words. However, he seemingly read my mind, for he continued speaking. "I've killed people in gruesome ways, but for the sake of ending conflict. What happened to that man… killing the person wasn't enough; the murderer must have toyed with his body until nothing was left."

He could not have been more accurate. My body tensed up from the sheer accuracy of his words. Tasuku looked away; out of all of us, he was the only one truly out of the know in terms of the state of the body. As I recalled correctly, Jackknife made sure that Tasuku and Gao did not see Hoshi's remains. Tasuku looked over to his buddy, trusting in Jack's decision. "That's why Count Dawn is now here; we're now on Red Alert. Many of our officers are out there now; the DMW is giving us reports of criminal fighters giving them a hard time."

Arkaid raised her pointer finger to her chin, resting it there as she speculated. "Is that why this place is empty?"

Tasuku nodded. "We don't know why, but many criminals are attacking the DMW as we speak, but they're at a standstill." My buddies and I turned to each other. Those words confirmed my fears. Once again, I too was out of the loop. However, Tasuku's last comment truly set me off. "That's why I'm a bit shocked to see you three here. Weren't you three called there?" That set me off. My lungs took in heaps of air in one sharp, quick, and giant breath. My lungs were on the verge of bursting when, suddenly, heaps of anger flooded into my head. One could say that I went insane for a moment, for I recall completely blanking out for a few seconds. When I came to, I was still standing up. My head was fuming still, but I had calmed down. Each person in the room was staring at me with extreme concern. I found Arkaid's right hand resting on my left shoulder. I only then realized that I was panting heavily, feeling my insides burning from such a whiplash effect. It was then that I recalled what I had done; I heard the echo of a scream throughout the building, and it was my own. My own, incredible scream filtered into the building with such a ferocious volume and anger that I almost exploded from the sheer feeling of betrayal alone.

No one besides Arkaid wished to speak after that. I was regaining my breath after that moment as she continued the conversation. "… moving on, I feel as if you aren't telling us enough information. Our walk here was met with no violence or alerts about it at all. I know the DMW is across the city, but news should travel fast in this day and age."

The receivers of the question tried to formulate their words carefully. Jackknife had positioned himself in front of Tasuku after my blood-curdling scream. "It's currently at a standstill, as we've told you. The majority of our forces were sent there to force a surrender; there are too many people with Dark Core Deck Cases there; we need to make them stand down knowing that they will lose. If we fight them, then it's going to be too much to handle. Of course, I suspect that the individuals there are planning it out. And for you…" Jack turned to me. "I didn't expect an adult to forget about professionalism in the workplace."

I sneered back at them. "Implying I'm truly an employee," I complained. "I'm an agent for the DMW. I should be out there helping people, but so far the only thing I've been doing is filling out forms and essentially getting a paid vacation! And now you're telling me that there's a conflict on the other side of the city that I was not told about? They need more people there!"

"For right now, just assume that they didn't call you because they didn't need you," Jackknife returned. "Besides, we're the only ones left here. Appreciate that. We need to be careful just in case this is what Count Dawn fears."

"Another one?" I asked. "What else is there?"

It was then that Arkaid answered for me. "Almost all of our officers are at the DMW, and our prisoners are here." Arkaid urgently faced me. "If I'm right, then we must prepare if this conflict is nothing more than a distraction."

(POV: Third)

Ms. Fridrik was standing firm alongside her trusted partner. Halia was in her normal form, taunting the enemy with her impressive wingspan and weapons. Countless officers from the Buddy Police and the District of Monster Welfare were stationed around the building, facing outward at every conceivable angle. In the streets stood criminals in lines, sporting Dark Core Deck Cases at their sides. At least half of the fighters had buddies with them. The creatures appeared to be straight out of Darkness Dragon World, Danger World, and even Ancient World. Halia braced herself for possible combat. However, she was slightly worried; one of her best friends, CJ, had yet to arrive on the scene.

This only further annoyed Fridrik. Her arms were sternly crossed as her eyebrows appeared to be at war, clashing against each other as she continued to intensify her anger. Her frown was noticeable to the enemy. She didn't bother conversing with the officers and agents that were of equal rank and possibly higher; because one of her agents was not showing up, she secluded herself from the others. "You think you fucking know a guy," she growled. She raised her thumb and pressed it against her pointer finger, curling it an intimidating crack. "For giving me such a hard time, he sure is avoiding responsibility."

Halia spoke against Fridrik, but she did so in a soft tone. Even though she dearly cared for her friend, she couldn't bring herself to be as aggressive as she wanted to towards her buddy. "There's no way he's to blame. Something must have happened."

"I hope so," Ms. Fridrik replied. Halia bared her beak at her buddy aggressively, but Fridrik barely put any attention towards that act of aggression. "Watch yourself. If he got hurt on the way here, then he's injured yet still the person you look up to." Halia lowered her head. The large eagle, that stood even taller than Fridrik by a foot, felt embarrassed for her immature display. Ms. Fridrik sighed. "I'm sorry. You really care about him a lot, huh?"

"Very," the bird muttered back with sorrow.

"Well, he was always good with birds," Ms. Fridrik stated with a slight shrug of her shoulders. "He told me that he had a normal cockatiel for 12 years before he had to give her away; none of his family members wanted to take care of her for him, so you must feel some pity for him."

"… No, it's not that," Halia murmured. "… Never mind. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Ms. Fridrik returned. "I'm not really happy that I won the bet, but…."

"You can't deny that you're a little scary," Halia nervously replied. "Maybe that's why other monsters didn't become buddies with you."

Unexpectedly, Ms. Fridrik found herself chuckling at the remark. Such a sign no longer made Halia nervous. "I can't deny that. I'm just fortunate that you can put up with it."

Halia soon found herself giggling at the comment. "Still, sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I won; if you did get a buddy. Would you have gone through with the deal?"

"Of course," Ms. Fridrik. "I know how much you like him, but I need you. If I got another buddy, you'd be free to go. I'm a monster, sure, but I'm not a monster." Ms. Fridrik glared at the eyes of the enemies before her and her officers. Her easygoing mindset had fizzled away. Her frown returned as she saw the monsters on the other side of the street gazing at her army. "But these guys? If they make any moves, I will become that monster." The criminals continued to look forward, refusing to retreat. Even the amount of countless officers Fridrik was working with was not enough to scare away the criminals. They must have all been equally insane or loyal to appear so willing that they would fight a losing battle. Still, no one wanted too much bloodshed.

Halia nudged her head affectionately against hers. However, this display of affection was just a way for her to have a reason to keep her beak close to Fridrik's ear. "Isn't that what Liam and Demios are for?" Halia muttered quietly.

Her buddy did the same, stroking her fingers against the large eagle. "Yes, of course. Not for right now, of course; I sent them on another mission."

"Interesting."

"Since many criminals are out, I figured many left their bases less … fortified," she continued. The two separated themselves from each other as they both shared confident looks. "Don't worry. He'll handle these matters for us. Hopefully, the information he collects will be useful."

Fridrik suddenly felt a vibration from her uniform pocket. She quickly whipped out her phone, with Halia looking at the screen to see who it was. It was Chase. Without much thought, Ms. Fridrik answered the call and yelled into the phone. "Where the hell are you?!"

The voice on the other side of the line was a nervous one. It made Halia nudge her buddy, hoping that she would go easier on him. "B-Boss! Wait, so you DO need me there?!"

"What the fu- YES! Why aren't you here?! Where are you?!"

"I'm at the Buddy Police HQ!" Chase's voice exclaimed. "Tasuku just told me that you guys are at a standoff!"

"Yes, that's why we need you here!" Fridrik demanded. "W-wait…." Her voice lessened in tone and authority. She was finally befuddled at what she was hearing. "… You're at HQ? With Tasuku?"

"Yes!" Chase's voice complied with the question. "My paid leave was done so I came to work today. Tasuku, Jack, Watson, and Count Dawn are the only ones here now."

"Let me talk to him."

In no time at all, Tasuku's voice was now on the line. Ms. Fridrik knew how loyal Chase was, but the actions of the agent made her feel guilty; the man was doing actions on the triple, not just on the double. "Agent Fridrik, it's me."

"Is he telling you the truth?" Ms. Fridrik ordered. "Is he at the HQ?"

"Yes Ma'am, and I've been here all morning. He brought Arkaid and Alliot with him too."

"Alliot?"

"A Fifth Omni Cavalry Member."

"Oh," Ms. Fridrik returned. Halia found herself smirking at the edges of her beak. Even though she wasn't Chase's buddy now, she was rather content with the fact that he was no longer as alone as before. "Did you check his phone?"

"Well, if someone did call him, then Chase deleted the info. There's no info like that on the phone saying Alvis called him."

"No, he wouldn't delete it," Ms. Fridrik returned. "He's very precarious about evidence and the like. He wouldn't delete that."

"What do you mean?"

"As I've told his coworkers, Halia and I know more about him than you think," Ms. Fridrik returned. "It's nothing bad, but it showed me the type of person he is. He wouldn't do something like this."

"Should we keep the three of them here?" Tasuku asked.

"Only if Count Dawn wants to," Ms. Fridrik continued. "Hell, he overrode my demand to have you come here. Apparently, he's afraid of something and wanted you there, so if he thinks CJ should be there too then fine." Halia greatly appreciated how much Fridrik calmed down during the span of the conversation. However, Fridrik's tone immediately went low. "Put my agent back on the line." She heard someone snatch the phone away from Tasuku. It startled her for a moment, but once she heard CJ's voice she knew that he must have been listening in to the call. "CJ, I just want to ask you this. Did Alvis call you at any time this morning?"

"Wait, Alvis was supposed to call me?!"

"Answer the question, CJ," Fridrik replied in a darker tone. "Did. He. Call. You?"

"No, he didn't," CJ sternly replied. "I didn't receive any call, and I certainly didn't get any call from him. Is he with you?"

"Mother of God," Fridrik muttered to herself. "Another thing I have to waste time on." Fridrik didn't want to, but she knew that she had to get this sorted out when this was all over. Because it was CJ's word against Alvis's, she knew that she was going to have to lead an investigation on the two individuals. Not following an order, especially at the fragile stage everyone was in now, was a crime in itself. What was worse was that it had been some time since she last saw Alvis. She didn't know the exact location of where he was stationed; last she saw him was a while back when she was in a meeting; upon seeing Alvis walk in, she asked him to handle the call. This realization was making things even worse for her; she lost track of two of her agents in such a short amount of time. Such an incident was unthinkable back in the States. Fridrik groaned, expressing a great deal of annoyance. "CJ, I hope you know what to do."

"I'll comply in every way, possible or otherwise," the voice replied.

"Good," Ms. Fridrik returned. "I just need to confront Alvis about this and then we can-"

"OH GOD!" Chase's voice cried out on the other end. Both Fridrik and Halia froze as then immediately heard glass shattering on the line. Strong beats from wings could be heard, hiding the cries and orders from the others in the building. They were helpless, eyes widened as they heard Tasuku yelling to everyone to get into position. Count Dawn's voice was heard too, but he let out a hard scream before his voice was not heard again on the line. They heard Arkaid speak of a retainer, which made Fridrik and Halia tense up. It was like what CJ told them when he was in Dragon World. However, as the last bits of glass were heard when they fell to the floor, a roar erupted from the phone. It was not the roar of a humanoid dragon; just by hearing the roar, Fridrik was able to get an idea about the sheer size of it. She knew that the other side of the line was dealing with a true and giant dragon. The dragon's size must have made the floor shake with each goliath of a step, for they could hear the phone rumbling on the other end. The last thing they heard was CJ letting off a cry to battle before nothing but the sound of crushed plastic and static remained.

Fridrik and Halia looked to each other, and it was only then that they realized that the other officers and agents were able to hear what transpired on the call. When Fridrik looked at one criminal from across the street, she noticed that he was smiling.

(POV: First)

I felt the brunt of it; shards of shattered glass pelting against my face as the large beast swept in, unyielding to the Cavalry Dragons. I was only able to barely cover my eyes with my right arm. There was no way I could risk losing my sight, not now. My ears continued ringing; everyone's voices was clouded and hidden by the intense and sharp noise. When I checked my ears I noticed that my earlobes bled, scratched and cut by the glass shards. When I finally opened my eyes, I saw the large dragon land. The dragon was clad entirely of black scales, but his wings beat with crimson webbing. This demon appeared to swim in blood as he flew through the large room. He infiltrated HQ, heading for the door leading to the prisoners. Arkaid and Alliot readied themselves. Tasuku, Watson, Jack, and Count Dawn had already left for the cells, almost instinctively. They had seen someone that I hadn't. On the back of the dragon was a lone man, pale in skin with his hair draped around him. Finally, he looked over to me. His violet eyes struck me, but it wasn't with scorn. It was curiosity. Maybe admiration? Something about him didn't scare me. I found myself staring back, amazed by the display before me.

My hearing returned, and Arkaid's voice was calling out to me, bringing me back to reality. Her words were muffled at first, but I started making sense of a few of them. However, she quickly grasped my shoulder and pushed me towards some cover. It was then that I realized my phone wasn't in my hand; I must've dropped it. I couldn't look back, for Arkaid soon threw me behind some cover as the great beast turned back to face us. Each step from the dragon shook the floor. Alliot came to my side, taking over for Arkaid as he proud and firm with his drilled-spear in hand. Arkaid, knowing that eyes were on the enemy, found the time to quickly inspect me. Everything was happening so fast that my eyesight was losing focus. Either my body was still attempting to catch up to the adrenaline, or I was losing myself. It must have been the former; as Arkaid began to tend to my slight cuts with her magic, I began to feel empowered. My heart rate accelerated. I felt reborn. It was like when I used 'Dragoguts!' but only a fraction. The Disaster Force wasn't activated, however. Something within me was pushing me forward despite my fears towards this demonic dragon.

Alliot gestured with a nod, though his eyes were still glued to the foe before him. The ghastly dragon lowered his head, allowing the reader to approach the door. Alliot gritted his teeth, watching as the man looked over, observing the trio. His eyes gazed over to me, and I instinctively grabbed my sword. "Get into position. Arkaid! There's no doubt this is who I think it is."

Both Alliot and Arkaid vanished in a quick puff of smoke. Their bodies changed, reverting back to their true forms. Their strength replenished as the will to battle invigorated them. Arkaid replied with a worried nod. "Yes. It's another retainer. Retainer of the Demonic Dragon, Fernyiges."

The man gazed over at me some more before turning to his dragon. "Don't hurt him, Fernyiges." The dragon seemingly purred with a soft growl. The long snout of the dragon bared sharp, devilish teeth as the reptile slithered his teeth against his teeth. He looked rather disappointed. However, the man reminded the dragon of something. It was strange seeing a dragon taking orders from a man that's shorter than his snout. The dragon, if not careful, could thrash around and destroy this entire room. "You can feel it; I know you can." The dragon licked his teeth, and soon his eyes glistened with… terror? The dragon tensed up, fearing something, but I couldn't know. All I knew was that his eyes were on me. It was then that the dragon grinned, seemingly embracing the fear. It was horrifying. "You do feel it. Do not harm him."

The dragon roared back, leaping towards us. His leap sent quakes through the room, shaking the foundation before landing right in front of us. Before I knew it, the man disappeared, intruding through the doors Tasuku and the others went to protect. I couldn't recall what the initial plan was, but something told me that the others took protecting the prisoners as a major priority. The last thing we needed was for the criminals we worked so hard to arrest to return on the streets. Besides, I had the Cavalry Dragons on my side.

I unsheathed my sword. I only had my Buddy Police uniform, for I always made sure I was dressed for the job. Regardless, I knew it was not the kind of armor I'd want, but it would have to do. My rapier glistened against the countless shards of glass on the floor. I walked to my buddy's sides, both of them turning to me with concerned looks. Alliot gritted his teeth. "Stay back, CJ. Arkaid and I can handle this one. He may be big, but he doesn't have the same power as that Sinblade."

Arkaid agreed. "Size means nothing; the power this dragons is weak compared to that fiend."

I shook my head, disregarding their concerns. "I'm a member of the Fifth Omni Cavalry." I positioned myself and prepared for the fight. Although Alliot and Arkaid were concerned, they decided to oblige to my spirit. I thought back to the fight with Sinblade, remembering the feeling of his sword skewering my abdomen. It was a horrid feeling. Still, I couldn't let fear control me. I knew the risks. I don't want to let Arkaid down. And now, I don't want to let Alliot down. I couldn't let my buddies fight alone. My body braced itself for combat as I felt myself ease into my fighting position. With precision, as well as my right arm slightly bent, I directed the tip of my rapier at the dragon before us. "I won't let you fight alone!"

Fernyiges took a mighty step forward. The quadruped slammed his right claw into the floor, shaking the area. I heard something technical crack; it had to be my phone. More annoyed than anything, I tightened my grip on the weapon even more. Alliot motioned his head back, reminding Arkaid to keep her distance. Alliot turned to me as Arkaid leaped away, preparing her magical attacks. "You're faster than me, so follow my lead."

Alliot took the initiative, rushing forward as the drills at the end of his spears echoed throughout the ruined room. He leaped at least five feet into the air when Fernyiges targeted him with his claw. As the giant claw was coming towards the cavalry dragon, the drills punctured the incoming thrash. Feryiges scowled angrily as the drilled whirred into his scales. Using most of his strength, he started to roll, sending Alliot towards the wall. As his body tumbled, I rushed forward with my rapier at the ready. The only hope for me was to get close to his face and puncture very sensitive areas. My weapon was not for hacking, only direct and precise puncture wounds and cuts. My first thought directed me to go for the eyes. The dragon was almost finished rolling when I rushed towards him. Arkaid unleashed a flurry of magical arrows towards the foe, catching the attention of the dragon. Fernyiges was too slow, catching most of the arrows as they pelted against his scales. I was so close to the dragon's eyes, but his head twitched. Using his snout, he thrashed against my body, sending me to the ground. When I looked up, only to see that the dragon was attempting to flatten me with his left claw, I immediately got back to my feet and leaped away. Alliot came from behind Fernyiges with his spear whirring from the drills. He leaped onto the dragon's back, causing Fernyiges to begin another roll. However, Alliot saw this coming. He leaped at just the right moment and directed his spear downward. By the time he started to fall, Fernyiges's roll made him reveal his stomach. Alliot took this chance and thrust his spear into the dragon's torso. There was no blood, for our world's physics prevented buddy monsters with truly being wounded. However, Fernyiges still felt immense pain. Because we were on Earth, Alliot could only hope that Fernyiges would retreat back into his card to heal. At that point, they would destroy the card, removing Fernyiges from existence.

The demonic dragon howled from the pain. Almost without thinking, he braced himself and forced himself back outside the building, bringing Alliot with him. The cavalry dragon screamed as he was thrown to the side, tumbling down the stairs just outside the building. Fernyiges must have realized that fighting in such a tight space hindered him so. Concrete from the ruined wall rummaged against the grass and dirt. Arkaid and I rushed outside, watching as Alliot quickly returned to us. Besides bruises and scuff marks, Alliot appeared to be fine. He was grunting with his teeth bared at the dragon us. "So much for not hurting you, huh?" Alliot said, referring to me. He was right; the man told Fernyiges not to harm me, yet I was thrashed and thrown aside. It was weird. However, as Fernyiges brought himself back onto his four legs, he began to explain himself.

"I … want… to … know…." Fernyiges muttered. His voice was low, weakened, but not from our fight. It was disjointed and disorganized. He had the mind of a maniac. "Chase…. Hallows… Chase… Hallows…." His voice sent chills through my spine. The beast suddenly smiled, revealing blood-stained teeth as his crimson gums released hungry saliva. He licked his mouth before further speaking. Alliot and Arkaid quickly stood in front of me, preparing for the worst. My mind was so focused on the enemy that I couldn't even bring myself tell my buddies to stop protecting me. "You're… good…. Eirik… was right… hehehe…."

"Master Eirik?!" I exclaimed. "Was that him? Was the man you brought him?"

"Master… Eirik…. Master…. Chase…." Fernyiges heaved as he spoke. "Become… my … master…."

Alliot gritted his teeth before directing his spear at the demonic dragon. "Like hell he would be your buddy, ya bastard!"

Arkaid knew she had no reason to speak. Her protective actions would prove more than enough that she was no willing to lose me. Even so, I found myself bewildered and stiff from such foreboding remarks. It was difficult, but I finally managed to bring myself to speak. "Whatever you are, I'll never join you!"

"So… you… say… Master…." Fernyiges bellowed demonically. Hearing his slow, disjointed laughter was enough to make all three of us falter. This demon of a dragon knew no fear. "Your… time… will… come…. You… will… be… mine…."

"He already has buddies!" Alliot roared back. I directed my rapier at the demon dragon, bolstering Alliot's resolve. "Like hell we'd let you like either. The Fifth Omni Cavalry will bring The Will of Kyoya down!"

Fernyiges bellowed once again, further angering my body. However, as I glanced over at Arkaid, I noticed her eyes widening. Something wasn't right. She was sensing something, but I couldn't tell what. It was then that Fernyiges sighed slowly with a grin slithering and wrapping itself around the beast's snout. "What… Cavalry…?" Fernyiges paused. "Heh…. Heh… today… they… will… fall…."

I took in nervous gulp as I heard those last words. Alliot noticed Arkaid shaking, yet she maintained her strong composure. "I can feel it too," Alliot muttered. "That power… that murderous instinct… the Disaster Force…."

Arkaid nodded. "That's right," she mourned. "I can sense Sinblade."

(POV: Third)

A stray criminal must have lost his way from the pack. Maybe he was ordered to leave, maybe he was sent off because he acted out of line. It would not be too surprising; most of the criminals working for The Will of Kyoya were rather unintelligent or impulsive. Little did most people understand, this man left the pack out of boredom; the standstill was boring to him. He was a few dozen blocks away from the DMW office, and he honestly could not be bothered to just stay there. He was promised some action, but his fellow criminals were ordered to just stand outside of the DMW office, hoping that the officers would look to find a nonviolent way to subdue everyone. Unfortunately for him, the other side wasn't going to budge; there were just too many people for the officers and agents to just stand by and accept. Besides, the criminals weren't inherently doing anything wrong besides intimidation. If the agents and officers attacked the criminals then and there, sure, they could be justified, but could they be sure that this was not a trap? The officers and agents needed to understand that, hence the standstill. Unfortunately, for this criminal, he came for action. He wanted some action. He wanted to fight and bring the Buddy Police and DMW to their knees. This was probably his motive for leaving the pack. Either way, this criminal was alone. With his Dark Core Deck Case in hand, he attempted to spook each civilian that dared to pass him. With each person, couple, or child that just so happened to come across his path, the man would fake a punch, taunting the people before him. He brought himself to a laugh as he covered his head with his hood. Unfortunately for him, Rikka was going to come across this man's path.

The criminal didn't see it coming. By the time he faked a punch, Rikka thrusted her fist at the man's head, knocking him out immediately. She cracked her right knuckle, feeling her fingers under her metallic gauntlet. Doble and Meglax approached in their SD forms as Rikka looked around. People were staring at her, but soon decided to go on their own way. They must have noticed the criminal's antics and decided to let justice take its course.

Rikka rolled her eyes. "What a moron," she growled as she stared down the unconscious criminal. She noticed something in his left hand. Curiosity got the best of her; she knelt down and unwrapped the criminal's still fingers. She managed to recognize the device as the Dark Core Deck Case, the same type that she recalled Chase having. "Interesting. Didn't think I'd be this lucky."

Meglax urged her to cease her actions. The green dragon clothed with green leather and cloth performed a slight bow as a part of a plea. "Please, do not consider using that device. You heard what Arkaid and Liam spoke of. This device-"

Doble intervened. He hopped up and grasped the Dark Core Deck Case with his two small hands. He observed the device quietly before looking to his buddy with concerned eyes. "As much as I'd love to see you kick intense butt with this, I agree with Meglax; this is not something we should toy around with this."

Rikka shrugged. "I've dealt with worse crap in my life," she argued before taking the device back. "A little box is not going to scare me. Besides, I don't plan on using it anyways."

Meglax sighed. "I guess that is alright… but don't even think about using it!"

Doble interjected once again. "But, if it's an emergency…."

"Even if it's an emergency," Meglax returned with a cautious tone. "I doubt Liam has a weak will, so for him to admit that he was losing control of the Disaster Force-"

"Liam's weak. What the hell are you on about?" Doble returned with a cocky grin. "He's about as short as Alliot and pretty much cried after getting yelled at by our sis, and she wasn't even at her worst at that time." Doble chuckled to himself. "You know I'm speaking the truth when I say that even CJ is stronger than him."

"I cannot agree with you on the matter," Meglax returned. "For Demios to choose Liam as a buddy, for Arkaid to trust CJ as much as she does, I can no longer say that either one of them is weak."

Rikka joined the conversation as she placed the Dark Core Deck Case in her pocket. "It doesn't matter; CJ's proving himself anyways and Liam isn't involved with us. We shouldn't worry about him anyway." In all honesty, a part of her despised Liam. Meglax was right about there being something behind the unexpected team up, but to imply that Liam has some unseen potential? Liam was not a warrior to her, and it made no sense to her that Demios saw anything in him at all. The fact that Liam had no will to stand up to Arkaid, only for him to leave? Either he didn't want to bother at all, meaning that he was lazy, or he was scared.

Before Doble could make a response, screams filled the streets. Everyone's attention turned to a car whizzing past them at terrified speeds. Not terrifying; terrified. The driver was panicked. Civilians quickly fled the area as Rikka looked up and noticed the source. Doble and Meglax did so too, but their confident grins were reduced to bewilderment as an old foe returned to face them. Rikka lowered her head with her teeth gritted. She tightened her grip on her weapon; a gauntlet coating her fists and forearms. She took in a deep breath as she curled her fingers, feeling the density of the harsh and strong metal coating her fingers. Doble and Meglax emerged into the normal forms with their weapons drawn. Meglax retreated a few dozen yards behind Rikka, preparing to utilize his bow from a distance. Doble unsheathed his massive broadsword, coated with the intense flames of a lava dragon. Rikka exhaled before looking before her. With a steady eye, she looked at the humanoid, demon dragon before them. "You know… I didn't think we would meet again so soon."

A few hundred feet away stood the dragon clad in black armor. His long, crimson hair cloaked the back side of his neck and shoulders as he drew his burning sword. The flames of hell seemed to bathe the blade as he directed it to the cavalry members. Doble smirked confidently as he prepared for combat. "Still not a word? Alright, you're gonna die anyway. We're gonna make you retreat to your card form, and then we're gonna burn it. You will vanish from this world. That's what you get for hurting my comrades!"

Sinblade's cape was the closest thing to an emotional response the cursed dragon would give. The cape came to a halt, ceased by Doble's words. Sinblade lowered his sword. Soft chuckles were heard from the demon. Meglax couldn't help but wince as he realized that the demonic dragon before him was not feeling any sort of urgency or fear. "We need to get Melanie or Chase. We need backup, Doble."

"No, brother," Doble returned by stretching out his sword. "This is the time. We know what to expect now. We're ready for this!"

"Don't be foolish, brother," Meglax returned. "If we do this, we're done for."

"You don't have faith in me?" Doble asked in a disappointed tone. However, he spoke like he took it like a joke. "I mean, sure, I guess he looks tough, but that hasn't stopped us before. Or, do you want to leave?"

Meglax sighed before shaking his head. "I would never leave you to face this foe. Not after what he did before."

"Good," Doble returned. "Now, Sinblade, it's time you realized why you don't mess with us!"