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"-Still no clue as to the individuals responsible for the recent rash of kidnappings and ritualistic murders. Authorities suspected the Lords were involved, only for a representative of the Overlord to hold a press conference denying involvement, claiming his master was done with that phase of his life. In other news, the production by Kurama Foundation featuring Ace Ukiyo has been rocked with further scandals after the superstar in question deliberately leaked footage of him playing some bizarre tabletop game completely in the nude with costar Neon Kurama, personal trainer Sae Ganaha, and two unidentified individuals with copious amounts of making out between all involved. This is just the latest controversy to come from the increasingly troubled production, whose release date has been pushed back yet again and is massively overbudget thanks to the star's insistence on endless reshoots and changes to the script, with reports that Ace has been spending money like water on strange and unexplained frivolities like buying a failing restaurant in Okinawa, paying people to beat up Quiz King Daichi Isuzu, deconstructing his entire mansion and rebuilding it a few inches to the left because he didn't want to cut down the tree blocking the view from his bedroom window, attempting to change the legal definition of beroba and kekera to something fairly derogatory, and gifting an entire herd of cattle to a construction worker named Michinaga Azuma, claiming it was an inside joke. When questioned about the star's strange activities, Kousei Kurama, head of the Kurama Foundation, started tearing out his hair, screaming Ace was deliberately trying to bankrupt him, and started yelling for the 'Goddess of Creation' to grant his desire and erase Ace from existence, claiming someone named 'Niram' owed him.

"The only thing people are talking about more than what weird thing Ace Ukiyo will do next is how the next round in the year-long competition between the Diningers and Youkalien Star Hegemony, which will take place tomorrow, will go. The Diningers have been on a hot streak since the Kusarikokon Festival and the Youkaliens have been on the back foot due to reports of instability in the regions they've conquered both here and abroad, and careful observers have noted that the cordial, close relationship team leader Akira Tyruga and Hegemon Kyukogo once shared has become increasingly strained and cool lately-"

"Turn that crap off, the game is on!" mildly sloshed salaryman Go Tezuka yelled, angrily shaking his glass at the screen. Several of the other barflies in the pub echoed this demand with varying levels of sobriety, and the bartender obliged them by switching the channel to the baseball game.

"I take it you're not a fan?"

"Well, my home team didn't make the playoffs, so I don't really have a stake in who wins-" Go admitted.

"I mean of the other game."

"Oh. No," Go grunted, partially sobering up. He glanced to his right, at the incredibly beautiful woman that had just taken a seat beside him. A skintight sparkling red dress with a short skirt, long, luscious legs, an hourglass figure and breasts the size of her head, long, flowing dark hair, full red lips in a sensual smile… He blinked and glanced at his glass, certain he hadn't drunken enough to hallucinate someone this gorgeous talking to him.

The woman smiled sadly at him, and his heart fluttered. "So, which side are you against? Diningers or the Youkaliens?"

"Not exactly fond of either of them, considering the Diningers have turned this into a game," Go growled, taking another sip from his glass. "But I'd still pick them over the Youkaliens. I don't care how friendly they are, they're just another bunch of greedy aliens trying to conquer humanity. Also, my family happened to be in one of the districts they've annexed, and it's been hard for me to keep in touch with them since. So yeah, not a fan. Was almost tempted to join the Children of Bakano, but those guys are crazy, and I don't want to wear a mask that ugly, it looks ridiculous, and probably really uncomfortable and hard to breathe in."

The woman nodded sympathetically, ordered him a drink, then said, "Tell me more."

Smiling, his lips loosened by social lubricant, Go did just that.


One drink turned into a dozen, and a couple of hours later, Go was so drunk he could barely see straight, though thankfully his very beautiful new friend offered to take him home.

She hadn't specified which home.

In his current state, he wasn't sure he cared.

"Where… Where we goin'?" He slurred after they had been walking for several minutes – well, she'd been walking, he'd been leaning on her – and he realized nothing looked familiar. (Granted, he wasn't sure he would've recognized the area anyway in his current state, but still…)

"Just making a scenic detour," the woman – what was her name? Surely she mentioned it at some point, right? – Assured him as they cut through a park, pausing before a large monument of several roaring dinosaurs with stone swords buried before them. "Do you recognize this place?"

Go squinted at the monument, and after his vision stopped swimming and he realized there were far fewer dinosaurs than he at first assumed, muttered, "There… There wash shome big battle here, right? The…Dracoknightshshshsh and… Epoch?"

The woman chuckled. "Close. This monument was erected to commemorate the final battle between the Ryusoulgers and Eras, which happened on this very spot. Did you happen to witness it?"

Go shook his head, and very nearly threw up. "No. Wash ashleep, like… Like everyone elshe. Had the mosht wonderful dream."

"I hear the Red Ranger died… Must've been quite a battle. A shame I couldn't see it myself," she lamented.

He nodded. "Yeah."

"It's even more of a shame he didn't stay dead."

He nodded "Yeah… Wait, what?"

Rather abruptly, she shoved Go away, and he landed on his rear, hard. "Hey, what… Whatsh the big idea-"

Skeletal arms burst out of the ground and grabbed him by the wrists and ankles, and he screamed, threw up, and pissed himself.

The woman chuckled and stood up straight, somehow seeming taller than before, her shadow darker as it fell over him, blotting out the moon and the stars. She gestured, and baleful red light emanated from the ground as a magic circle formed beneath him. "You're not the best sacrifice, I suppose, but I'm a little short on time, and I'm fairly certain you'll still suffice regardless. All the practice my master has had me do has paid off in spades."

"What is this?!" Go screamed, terrified into sobriety. "What… What are you doing?!"

"Why, I'm giving you a gift of course," the woman said, reaching up to her face… And Go howled in terror as she ripped it off, a much more sinister, monstrous visage leering out at him. "Tomorrow," she said as her skin peeled away, crumpling at her feet like a deflated balloon and revealing her true form. "Everyone on this pathetic planet will die screaming. You, however, will avoid all that… Since you're going to die first. Am I not merciful?"

"No… Please, don't-" Go stammered.

The monster ignored him and began chanting, producing a dagger. "Aku to arasoi no kodai no rei wa, daraku shi ta hito ni hitotsu no atarashii mei wa atae masu. Aku to arasoi no kodai no rei wa, daraku shi ta hito ni hitotsu no atarashii mei wa atae masu. Aku to arasoi no kodai no rei wa, daraku shi ta hito ni hitotsu no atarashii mei wa atae masu…"

Go's screams rang throughout the park, only to be rather abruptly cut off.

Nobody noticed.

Nobody cared.

That would change soon enough.