*November 8th, 2030*

(POV: Third)

The time for the speech was drawing near. With the curtains hanging low, Eirik and Gale resided behind them, concealed from the audience's view. The two of them could hear the sounds of monsters and humans talking amongst themselves in the same crude, almost belligerent manner. As expected of old criminals. Gale looked over to Sinblade, who remained behind the stage, peered his eyes around the edge of the curtain. Observing the criminals upon Eirik's command, he was there to keep an eye on any possible troublemakers. The last thing that Eirik wished to have was a fight in such a condensed and closed space.

He was already starting to second-guess himself as the moments went by. It was past the required time and now he was waiting for the stragglers to join. His mind singled in on each voice, or at least attempted to, until he was overcome with the others. He nervously turned to Gale who continued to flick his wand around. "Gale, how do you think I should start?" Gale merely glanced over. "I mean… what do I need to do in order to get them to listen to me."

"Enforce power," Gale replied monotonously, spoken with a hint of disdain in his voice. "You've done that before."

"Right," Eirik mumbled to himself, soon taking in a nervous gulp. "I guess it's just the nerves. I never had to talk to this many people before."

"Just walk out there with Sinblade and have him display his might," Gale returned before shaking his head. "You're regressing faster than I thought."

"Probably because my brother isn't here."

"Don't know why," Gale mused quietly. "Not exactly a man of quality."

"He's my brother."

"Well, he's not here. Maybe he's scheduling another thing with CJ," he returned. Before Gale could say more, the audience from beyond the curtain started chanting their master's name. Sinblade hastily moved to Eirik's side as the calls for Eirik shook the auditorium. Over and over, the criminals shouted for the one they agreed to follow to the end.

"Master Eirik!"

"Come out, Master Eirik!"

"What are ya keeping us for?! Come on!"

Gale snickered. "Well, they seem easy to please, anyways. You have your work cut out for you." He approached the curtains, setting up the machinery to pull it up. "Too bad they're not getting anything."

The curtains bisected, revealing only Eirik and Sinblade at center stage. The two walked closer to the crowd as cheers and jeers echoed throughout the room. At first, Master Eirik was feeling excited over such support. He smiles, hiding the coming disdain over the fact that he had to work with murderers and horrible crooks to get this far. He nodded to himself; regardless of what he personally believed, life involved a numbers game. The leader signed before turning to his partner. Sinblade directed the sharp end of his blade to the floor, slamming it into the ground with great force. The loud THUMP was enough to render the entire room silent, giving Master Eirik the floor.

Master Eirik took in a deep breath, calming his nerves. He began to think of his brother, dreaming of the possibilities that would be given to them through this reformed future. With his brother in his heart, he was able to speak. "My fellow colleagues… the men, women, and monsters that have brought us to the cusp of success… I thank you. Without your necessary aid, this rebellion of sorts would only consist of a very few. However, I am proud to see that you all still carry Kyoya's old will in your hearts. It shows your conviction, and the fact that you're all here despite everything shows your power. In some ways, you are much better than what I can even hope to be….

When I was younger, I found myself hating this very world. A large number of heinous acts that shook this world was what made me willing to seek such change. Perhaps many of you have murdered. Perhaps many of you have stolen, cheated, and lied your way here, but was that not the product of this world? We are all a victim of how this world is run; if you have nothing, you will be treated like nothing." Mutters of agreement came from the crowd. Many of them nodded their heads and turned to each other. "Even when we pursue our dreams, even when we try to forge our way through, the ones in charge block us from our dreams. Many of us have hurt others because they were the obstacle to their dreams. I, in a way, have found myself wondering about this very thing. How is it that so many ignorant fools in our society can continue to live at the mercy of the tyrants that rule over us?

Not anymore. We have amassed an army of men, and we will face this masked world head-on. We will strike through the mask! We will show everyone just how counterfeit this society truly is!" Louder jeers came from the crowd, some raising their hands into the air. "I can safely say that we have found a man with unimaginable power. With that power, we will be able to obtain our desires, and force the world as we know to end. And then, when there is nothing but rubble and carnage, I will use that power to bring the world back from the ashes in our image!"

A sharp vibration was irritating Gale's right thigh. He pulled out his phone, reading the caller ID. It was Alvis. He hastily picked up the phone and, answering it with a whisper. Master Eirik's passionate voice filled the background as Gale attempted to learn Alvis's whereabouts. "That's a first; calling me."

"G-Gale, we have a problem!"

"What the hell? What do you mean? Where are you?"

"We've been had, Gale. Fucking had!"

"Speak clearly, Al. I can't make you out!"

"I'm hidden somewhere around the Buddy Police HQ. Barely anyone is there."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Before that, Sitri and I happened to walk by the DMW office, but barely anyone was there either." That last comment left Gale motionless. His mind was trying to piece together the worst possible scenario, and then it happened; upon his realization, his eyes hastily darted around the room before he uttered a putrid curse. "CJ's not home either. This can't be a coincidence."

"Come back as soon as you can."

"Don't you get it? The last time this happened they organized a counterassault to our guys!" Alvis replied. "Get Eirik out of there! Now!"

Gale shoved the phone back into his pocket. He shoved a part of the curtain to the side, allowing him to pass. "Sorry guys, the show's over for-" And then it happened. At the main door, armored individuals barged in with large riot shields protecting themselves. They began to surround the criminals, leaving them trapped in the center. Before the criminals could evacuate through the side doors, officers and lawful monsters appeared on those sides too. They barged the door down before slamming their shields into the heads of the fleeing criminals. The members were bashed back, forced back into the circle as cybernetic warriors emerged alongside the earthly officers. Eirik shook as his followers screamed out of fear and rage. They cursed the officers and pleaded for the chance that they would be damned. Gale hastily approached Eirik before the officers were able to make it to the stage. "Should I do it?"

"Yeah; they'll need the room, and we need our escape," Eirik urgently whispered. It was then that Sinblade stepped in front of the incoming guards. With his hellish sword, the dragon swung at the officers. They barely had enough time to protect themselves with their riot shields. The sheer power of Sinblade caused the shields to crack upon impact. The force sent the guards flying off the stage, crashing into some of the criminals in the crowd. Sinblade eyed both stairs leading up to the stage, making sure that no one could bypass him. He knew he had the strength to fight; he was one of the Retainers for Azi Dahaka, the dragon of the apocalypse. There was no way he would let up so anytime soon. However, he hunched over, giving out a low growl. His eyes singled out the ones who acted as secondary support; the Fifth Omni Cavalry.

(POV: First)

I wasn't used to my surroundings. Officers were keeping criminals and monsters at bay by acting as a giant wall. I was barely able to keep my mind focused as everyone around me continued to shout profusely at the other side. It wasn't like I was protected either; in this cramped situation anything could go wrong. However, according to Ms. Fridrik, that was an advantage too; the criminals were being pressed back into a corner in which any form of protest would prove futile. Even though my anxious mind made me hesitant, I pulled out my sword from my sheath. Clad in the armor the cavalry gave me, I stood alongside Arkaid and Alliot. My eternal partners gazed into the center, observing the creatures writhing in the center with their criminal companions. Arkaid occasionally glanced at me as my eyebrows folded downward. The best I could do was become as intimidating as the rest. It wasn't acting; my fear for facing Alvis had turned into contempt.

In order to get a better understanding of the room around me, I scanned for the others. Rikka's group was on the eastern side of the room, getting in the faces of the panicked criminals. Melanie's group had Mizaru and Merak working in the front while Melanie observed behind the protection of her comrades. She was too young, yet it was agreed that she should at least see these events unfold. Finally, as the sounds of screaming filled my eyes, my eyes met the man standing alongside Sinblade and Gale. I recognized him as the man who rode that horrible beast into the Buddy Police HQ. It was Eirik. As I stared angrily into his eyes, I was met with a cheery smile. It didn't feel right; I had an inkling that he still felt like he was ahead. "CJ, you've made it!" Most of the yelling appeared to cease for the moment. The speaker's words made the criminals submit, and the officers and cybernetic heroes had ceased their aggressive shoves. There was something about the man's innocent voice. He sounded like he was genuinely excited to see me. That only made me tighten the grip on my sword. He smirked. "Everyone, my colleagues, please gaze upon the man with the Disaster Force rampaging within! This man is the key to our power!"

I gritted my teeth. Arkaid stepped in front of me with her staff drawn. Her eyes struck out like cold daggers. It even made the energetic and excited man waver. "I will not let you lay as much as a finger on him!"

"You two look close," Eirik smiled. The comment was met with Arkaid's aggressive posture changing. Her staff began to glow. "Please, please, there's no need for fighting yet. I'm actually excited to see how much you two have connected. Tell me, how close are you two?"

"Why ask such an irrelevant question?" Arkaid asked with a stern huff. "Alvis asked the same. Why is our bond so important to you?"

"I can't say that yet, now should I?" Master Eirik then gazed upon the crowd before him. His followers turned to him, faces expressing sincere pleas. They didn't want to die or be arrested here. Things were coming to an end too soon. Master Eirik's face warped. His stature weakened as he turned to Gale, nodding to him. "What should we do?"

"You have two options," Gale returned with a sigh. "Run to save ourselves, or save our forces so they can fight another day."

"… No," Eirik mumbled back. "We're doing both."

"… Do I have your permission?"

"Do it."

All at once, a sudden burst of corroding energy shot out from Gale's body. The officers and allied monsters braced themselves. The officers demanded everyone to prepare for the worst. It was happening so fast, but Master Eirik's face curled into a smirk. He gazed at Gale's power as the aura expanded. It seemed that he was amassing more power by the second. My allies and I protected ourselves, watching as Gale's power soon became tangible. The force of it began to weigh on the shoulders. It felt familiar. It partially felt like something I had. Eirik called out to me with corrupted eyes. "Torn minds fuel the Disaster Force beyond any comprehension. Gale! Bring us home!" Sinblade and Eirik followed Gale as they rushed to the edge of the stage. In one leap, the three of them shot into the air. In those few seconds, we watched as Gale amassed all that energy into one single point; his hand. His hand was darkened to the point it looked rotten. The corroding fingers twitched as the energy began to expand in front of his fingers. Just as he landed on the ground, he slapped his hand against the floor. Almost immediately, the floor appeared to vanish; a circle, from Gale's position, expanded in mere seconds. I felt nothingness under my feet, and soon everyone in the room fell victim to the move. A void was the only thing beneath us. In that moment, everything vanished from my sight. I tried calling out into the darkness, but the sound of screams filled my eardrums. I couldn't see anything, and it soon felt like I was falling forever.

"Alliot!" I cried out. "Arkaid! Arkaid, where are you?!"

Amongst the screaming, I was somehow able to hear Eirik's voice. He must have been beside me for that one moment as we all fell together into the darkness. "You'll now fight in my domain."