Chapter <ⅩⅧ>

It was already near dusk when the Axalara slowly descend from the darkening orange skies, landing alongside escort jets onto the Island hangars of Aurora isle, the Outland across the sea north of mainland Kingdeniom facing borders with proud Vilencia.

Haru peered out the window, seeing the golden curved tiled rooftops lining up the island up to the tree-filled mount at the far end, like sacred temples guarding solemnly what resides underneath the dark under the lush green.

As they descended closer to land, the gold over the island was not all of frames and buildings but also the men, the soldiers in golden uniforms rallied in line with hardened discipline and iron will, saluting as their Golden Exian Lord returned at last.

Far off near the top of the mount dressed in golden temples, a balcony reached outward, and on that golden balcony of red elaborated fences,

Haru saw,

a figure of long black hair and a soothing-hued kimono, stood alone, gazing at the landing jet, like a glowing presence of holy light gently beaming onto all at the foot of the mountain, inviting Haru’s curiosity magically even Haru didn’t realize.

Though Haru be melancholy of the departure with the Tenmei Akiro, our man, be such of haste without a proper farewell that might never be a second meeting in the lifetimes to come, this figure of the mountain balcony with warming aura from within that reaches to all that bare witness, calmed Haru’s heart and relieved the high school girl away from depression for a decent moment.

“ What are you looking at, Haru ?”

Miula Aki, Haru’s mother asked tenderly, curious of her daughter’s fixed gaze.

“ Someone’s on the mountain not far off.” Haru whispered, slightly squinting

“ That be Hayami Gozen, her ladyship Mio Al Seraphim, Queen of the Golden Company, rightful ruler by the Lord Golden Toshiumi the Awesome’s side, Ms. Miula.” Illustrious Rang answered with elegance

“ Be Toshiumi as Awesome can be, his ladyship’s beauty and benevolence as such or more so, for not a kinder soul have one been blessed upon and beauty none could rival across the vast Tenka. Alas, such an ideal presence be cursed by the treachery of a close indecent sibling.”

“ What curse ?” Haru asked, curiosity-driven by such a long and mysterious introduction that sounded pretty exaggerated for Rang’s speech.

“ Woo hoo, for the clan of which Lord Toshiumi and ladyship Mio were born beings of ancient powers of the Sun, raised and trained in Kaminosato the illusive valley under the protection of the Sun and its Light Shield plasma, so they rumored.”

Rang explained with lore.

“ Kaminosato…the place where the goddess daughter of the Sun Somalis Limaria rose from oblivion ?” Haru asked, excited by the lore.

“ Ikanimo.” Rang nodded assuringly, speaking in common Japanese of agreement and consent, proud that someone is also well-versed in the lore.

“ What lore ?” Miula Kenshi, Haru’s father gruffly asked, for a wrestler and mechanic energy weapons professor such as he wouldn’t be aware of the deep lore.

“ When the goddess daughter Somalis Limaria of the Sun helped goddess Yuidis wipe out the darkness and save the sacred Herunia eons ago, before the war ended, the daughter of the sun was struck by a blow that made her forget her memories.”

Miula Aki replied with more lore, though she be the wife of a mechanic and energy weapons professor, she is still a learned woman of the lore, and Rang was pleased.

“ And from where….she fell…….Somalis… Limaria rose again…regaining memories….through adventure…and hardship.”

Varis the homunculus continued the lore, for a strong artificial being though being fixed by said mechanic and energy weapons professor, she is still more well versed in lore through her years of research of the world’s data.

“ And there is the holy place and origin of the kin of the son, the Children of the Dawn some call.” Haru concluded the lore, all just to explain what Kaminosato and the lineage of Toshiumi the Awesome and his wife Mio the fare to her father Miula Kenshi, who shrugged incredulously under the weight of the deep lore.

“ Ah, yes.” Rang smiled as mostly all knew of the lore

“ They were called children of the dawn, Narn I hin Akatsuki, in Elden tongue. For the descendants of Somalis Lima bare the strength and blessings that comes directly from the Sun and the powers everblooming, yet, one of them descendants of Kaminosato, this dastardly Kaburagi Shisei, he all of us must not mention in Lord Toshiumi’s presence, this fiend and degenerate, tainted his sister that is the kind blissful ladyship Mio the fare and planted a curse upon her to make Lord Toshiumi suffer, causing an imbalance and trauma in her ladyship’s powers of the Sun, bringing upon lady Hanami Gozen of Seraphim a curse she cannot refuse, a strong destructive curse that is even more powerful than your Seed explosion, Ms. Miula, for this imbalanced tainted, and corrupted power of the children of the Sun, can wipe out a continent such as great Kingdeniom !”

All within the descending jet gasped in horror and enlightenment.

“ That’s why…they need me.” Haru realized

“ They need the Seed, to act as a gateway to blessed Herunia, and find a way to cure all curses with the Herunia’s miracles !”

“ Ikanimo.” Rang, again in fluent plain Japanese, agreed with Haru’s assessments and exposition.

“ But first, we have to separate you from the Seed.”

Miula Kenshi the mechanics and energy professor pointed out

“ Finally, My research in saving my daughter can continue. ”

“ Rest assured, for the Golden Company has the finest laboratories underneath the isle at your disposal. ”

Rang showed Miula Kenshi the facility through a virtual hologram projected out from the center of his feathered fan and Miula Kenshi was pleased.

“ Then... Professor Miula….” Varis stood up slowly to the professor, for her wounded self just healing from the lethal blow of the Ark’arios days before

“ Accept this….as a thank you…. for saving my life. ”

and Varis gave the Miula family, her two wrist gauntlets of advanced armor, the same ones Haru used to separate the Ark’arios from Tenmei our boy.

“ These... can harness the powers... inside….. Haru.”

Varis smiled and was about to take leave.

“ Wait, Varis! Where are you going ??"

Haru hurriedly asked before Varis the mysterious being was about to take off in her advanced rocket boots.

“ To save… Number 3...Tenmei...Akiro.”

Varis replied with a smile

“ Good Luck…..Haru….. it's been nice… knowing you. Goodbye. ”

And Varis as mysterious as she came, flew off Aurora island as mysterious as she went, vanishing far off the horizon.

Of all that descended the Axalara that had just landed, before the crew under Rang’s protection, Our Lord of Golden Exia and shivering might, of tantamount charisma and undoubting Awesomeness, Lord Toshiumi Al Seraphim, Brave of Zabanya and Savior of Neargogo the land of cats, flew off to the mountain as soon as the Axalara safely landed on the platform of his Golden company, to meet his wife and love Mio, who was there on yonder balcony of the temple of gold, their headquarters and villa, but more so a facility to contain the corrupting curse erupting inside of Mio the fare.

Like a superhero with a golden cape, Toshiumi ascended the balcony through his levitation and came to his wife.

After a long struggle for a cure, an arduous journey and strife for a remedy,

Toshiumi Al Seraphim, for his wife Mio Al Seraphim, has finally brought back the key to miraculous Herunia, the Seed.

But they two the young couple, stood before each other in silence, not of joy, and not of relief.

For how much has this strife cost?

How many lives have been taken, and sacrificed for her ailment?

How about those that have fallen, for her to heal?

The thought of Milina, Varche’s love, and her best friend never coming back, brought Mio to a grave sorrow deeper than the depth of the sea. For Mio knew, not just from the reports of the Golden Company, but her powers of the descendant of the Sun goddess Somaris Limaria, though cursed and tainted by her brother, still could sense the loss of Milina’s life force from afar, like sensing a disturbance in the force.

And just from a twitch of Mio’s eyebrow, a slight frown or a silent cough, like knowing of Autumn come of a falling of a leaf, Toshiumi knew of his wife’s tremendous sorrow, of how much this journey had cost.

But need not a word of comfort Toshiumi used to soothe the melancholy, but with his actions, a warm hug around his wife that had long been lacking for his absence these past years of searching and strife, and that too was what Mio needed the most right now.

“ We’ll honor her,” Toshiumi promised with all his heart with deep determination

“ We will honor them all, and make sure their sacrifices are remembered, and never be in vain.”

Mio nodded, tears flowing nonstop in her husband’s warm embrace

“ Varche……”

Mio managed to whisper through her sobs and tears

“ We must help him……now that Milina’s gone……because of me….”

“ We will.” Toshiumi promised Awesomely

“ But Mio, this is not you to blame. For there is something you need to know, and I must not hide….”

Lo, Toshiumi, keeping no secrets in their relationship, as every healthy couple would, I guess, told Mio of what happened fully in the War of Helltron, of all that joined the fight against the Archdemon Ark’arios, the Seed’s helping and safe escort,

and of course,

of Arashi his second’s betrayal at the most untimely moment.

Historians and literature of the future may call Arashi many names, but none stood out most as one word most rightfully used in any conversation of the man,

a traitor.

…

………..

In the dark, Varche could still hear the vague voices,

the soft whispering of words undiscernable.

of Milina.

Ahh,

like a flash, their lives shone across his eyes, like a comet across the infinite space, and then it was gone, and an eruption of light,

of the final moments of Helltron strife, of the breaking of chains of the Archdemon Lord Slayer, of stopping the destruction of the world, a noble mission he granted himself to achieve,

only to fail, on all fronts,

and lose his love.

Though Milina’s voices still rang in his ears, they began to condense, merge into a cascade of muffled murmurs and became a noise no longer the one that could bring peace to his ears but a loud aggressive noise, a buzzing, a hissing, mourning, and screeching of death and regret, for his fears has finally come upon him that he has forgotten Milina’s voice and all left in his head were screams of dread.

NO.

Varche screamed himself to woking, to see the world of water over him, a wide cylinder tank of liquid Light resource he was placed with a breathing tube through his mouth to his lungs, a medical tank Flaming and Pablo set their King and Exian Lord to heal within.

NO.

And out of the tank with a series of crashing, the glass shattered to all sides, shards flying in full speed across the air to Saudi Arabia, and bursting out like a star born of the void, a wrathful red firey star, a new being wrought of rage and vengeance was given life, and it was the Reborn Varche Scrirocco, Oochi Goten King of Rage, punisher of the nine skies, Accuser for those responsible for his lost love and grace, Vanquisher of all Demons, and Revenger of Maiden Milina of Terminas.

“ King !!” Flaming and Pablo the two loyal clansmen knelt to their revived King’s descent from newborn rage burst

“ Your wounds are not fully healed yet! We’ll charter a second tank !” the two clansmen cried but Varche, with eyes burning with literal fire and nothing else held out a hand in the strong suggestion of

NO.

“ These wounds will never heal !”

hummed Varche Scrirocco the Revenger with vice and savageness of ten thousand rabid bears

“ Until those responsible are DEAD !!!!!”

“ My Lord !” Pablo the silent and quick-minded spoke up in haste and fervor despite his harmonious demeanor, eager to help his Lord

“ The Ark’arios has lost its host and be but a smog of villainy, kept away by the League under Akahanon Zabi’s scrutiny! Shall we stomp in their base tonight ?!”

Varche thought for a moment, in his fiery burning naked form, levitating before his two kneeling clansmen.

YES. YES. YES. YES. YES.

“ There are Three People responsible for Milina’s death. And I Will Kill Them all.”

Varche spake aloud to his men

“ Ark’arios MUST DIE. Nuff said."

Varche announced, raising one finger.

Flaming and Pablo nodded in agreement.

“ Akahanon Zabi and his League are keeping the Ark’arios alive. THEY WILL DIE.” Varche announced, raising his second finger.

Flaming and Pablo nodded in agreement still.

“ Arashi, the aide of Toshiumi, he who muddled all the plans and caused Milina’s death, HE WILL DIE.”

Varche announced, raising his third finger.

Flaming and Pablo nodded in agreement, gnashing their teeth with immense hatred.

“ And when all three are finished, I WILL END THE WORLD OF HAPPINESS !!!!!!” Varche screamed tyrannically with three fingers raised, and Flaming Genale and Pablo gasped in shock and terror

“ I strive to bring peace to the World, and after the Archdemon slain and the world back in its bliss and cheer, I will be the only one suffering in that peace !!!! NO…….NO…….!!!!!!

The World owes Me! I DESERVE MORE OF THIS WORLD !! Benevolence brings no grateful reward, and I walk that path no more !!!”

And off with a bang Varche the Revenger flew out of the hospital and headed north like a red supervillain bringing nothing but death to its enemies, and tyranny over all of Kingdeniom.

…

………….

At the outskirts of dead city Helltron, far away from the destruction and closer to natural habitats of trees and grassy plains covering what once were wide boulevards and buildings now mounds fauna and moss, a somewhat decent tourist attraction to some traveling folk, and as all tourist attraction be, there surely are small vendors selling snacks and simple foods to all and earn a fine amount of tourism cash.

One of them vendors was selling Ramen on a carriage pulled by his dingy bike, as the carriage itself was the whole deal, a simple table, a pot, and three seats. Surely when the season of tourism comes to outskirt Helltron the Ramen stall was mostly full of hungry passersby lured by the ample fragrance of soup and essence, but not now for Lasvet’s armies had just waged a war in Helltron, scaring the common folks away, but not this Ramen vendor, who seek to earn a penny or two in trying times, maybe the Tron soldiers will buy some Ramen takeouts, the vendor thought to himself.

And Lo, two customers, a young man, and a young woman, out of the fog and smoke of Helltron, staggering forth as the young lady dressed in armor and clothing of battle carried the man, also in armor and injured were his legs, upon her shoulders as the two wounded dire looking couple approached the Ramen carriage and sat down, falling to the seats like their legs could carry them no longer.

“ …..Two bowls of Ramen, please...” whispered the young man wearily, his face and armor covered in dust and debris, with slightly clean lines drawn downward by the constant sweat.

“ Right away.” the vendor swiftly began his cooking as he stirred his pot.

And with no longer waiting than five minutes, the ramen was served.

Immediately, the young lady quickly started slurping and swallowing all that was in that hearty smoky bowl of delighting noodles, and with but blinks of an eye, the bowl of ramen was finished.

“ ….another, master.” the young lady ordered, wiping her mouth with a tissue.

“ …..Right away….” the ramen vendor started another round of cooking.

The young man, however, barely took a single sip of the soup and partake in the soft sliding noodles in his big hearty bowl of ramen.

“ Griffon, if you don’t eat that, I’ll eat it for you.”

Nina said, after getting halfway down her second bowl.

“ ….I’ll eat it…..” Griffon muttered, but still his chopsticks unmoved after Nina downed her third bowl.

“ …….What now ?” Griffon asked solemnly, after Nina finally stopped after the fifth bowl of ramen

“ Tenmei gone, Ark’arios gone….I have totally failed my promise, and never shall I return to my clan. I am a Ronin now, a Parusefor without a home.”

“ Okay, ronin, what about your Ramen ?” Nina asked, caring more about the uneaten ramen than Griffon’s qualms.

Griffon sighed, slapping his palm to his face slowly

“ Ms. Zefield, stop thinking about my ramen. I am having an existential crisis here…”

“ Call me Nina, Griffon.”

Griffon looked up from his palm surprised.

Nina looked back, her eyes filled with nothing but the bright clear truth of pure heart, reflecting the Griffon man she now sees.

“ You saved my life.”

Nina spake, her voice clear and without hesitation.

“ Even when your life is in greater danger and your legs broken, you still mustered your remaining strength to save me from certain demise. I owe you my life, Man Griffon. So if you hereby lack a place to stay, Castle Isandor’s gates shall always open for you, from this day onward, to its last day.”

Griffon opened his mouth, but the words didn’t form and silence took over his speech.

So Nina continued

“ But I am not going back home just now. My journey of daring ventures and exciting prowess has yet to begin, let alone the hunt for the best cuisines over great Kingdeniom. And perhaps you may not know, but they haven't killed the Archdemon yet.”

“ No?” Griffon uttered a grunt of shock.

“ That is what I saw. They captured it and brought it away in a vault, heading north from here. So your promise still stands. You can still kill the Archdemon…….if you so wish to…that is.”

And Griffon, though not the most bright and sensitive of persons, still could sense a gradual hesitance in Nina’s words from what she just spoke.

“ I must kill it.” Griffon replied with much sentiment.

“I see.” Nina looked away back at her five empty ramen bowls

“ Is it really just to be accepted by your clan ?”

“ ……..I made a promise, to the girl I have a crush on.” Griffon finally spoke of his plight, of the things he well kept to himself alone till now

“ I will not return without slaying the Ark’arios. And deep down, I too made a promise to myself, that if I slew the Ark’arios, I will propose to her, and ask her to be my future wife. I had it all planned out…..but my incompetence is beyond me. I never had the heart to murder Tenmei, neither have I the skill and strength to gain victory over that Demon….I am but a lame Parusefor, who has failed every promise he makes.”

“ If that is so.” Nina spake, before taking a deep breath

“ Then let’s make a promise, one that you will not fail.”

“ Huh ?!” Griffon was caught off guard by Nina’s logic, but went along anyways.

“ But…. What promise do you want from me ?” Griffon asked bewildered.

And Nina looked straight into Griffon’s eyes, her long brownish red hair swaying as she turned around, the blaze of the sunset dazzling upon her hair

“ Live, Man Griffon.” Nina spoke, in a serious tone of a warrior’s daughter

“ Live, even in the hardest and gravest of battles, even when the stars collide and the demons rampage once more, Promise me you’ll find a way to Live on, to survive.

Can you promise me that ?”

And through her eyes, her voice, and from the trainings of the Strike within all things life and lifeless, Griffon felt a never before sensation around him, a sense of a different atmosphere he had never known or could even imagine.

Griffon had no idea what this Strike forth is, but he surely felt it existing for that split second.

“........I can’t do it.” Griffon replied calmly

“ ….Unless you too promise the same. so that it seems fair….Nina.”

Nina made a silent gasp, but hid it well under her stern warrior face she makes in serious times like this

“ Very Well. I, Nina Zefield promise to you, man Griffon, to Live, even in the most arduous of battles and challenging of conquests. You have my word.” Nina promised.

“ And you have mine.” Griffon replied and the two of them made an oath, under the lush green moss covered ruins of Helltron outskirts, in the ramen carriage, with the ramen vendor bearing witness.

“ Master, another bowl please.” Nina ordered a sixth bowl of ramen to pass as an offering to said oath.

“ Right away.” the vendor once again, prepared another round of mastery ramen.

…

………..

“ This !! Is My Son !!!!"

Shouted notorious Lasvet Hikaru to all the generals, commanders, sergeants, rookies, and rocket launchers he gathered to castle Denteimong of the North of mainland Kingdeniom, just outside the Vilencian border

“ He died, But Did Not !! He was blown, but Not Blown !! He was deceased, Now Revived !!!!!! ALL HAIL HOUSE HIKARU !!!!!!!"

" ALL HAIL HOUSE HIKARU !!!!"

Shouted back all the subordinates of Lasvet, the armies of Tron, now joined in the Denteimong castle hall, to dine a mighty feasting in the name of the return of the Prime minister’s son, and drink to a battle for the North and the Seed.

“ Alright, what is it you want to say, my dear boy ?"

Lasvet Hikaru finally let his son Asuka Hikaru speak, after a long hour of speech and politicking prior to this moment.

“ Father, we don't need war right now. You have the Parusefors at the capital Tron and now this ?! Stop, Father !!"

Asuka implored.

“ Foolish, Asuka! “ Lasvet taunted with his glass of wine raised to his lips to sip countless amounts of liquor for celebration.

“ We are so close to my Vision, to the stabilizing of the nation, Asuka! Wait till I get the Seed Back from the North! Then I will be unstoppable! Now is no time to quiver, Son!"

" I quiver not, Father !" Asuka cried out, leading his father further away to the back corner to speak out his thoughts.

“ It must be stopped. Too many lives were already gone and more to be taken if you won't give in! Father, with all due respect, but killing your enemies makes only more of them, not less !"

" Then you've not killed enough. ” Lasvet chuckled sadistically in reply.

And Asuka Hikaru snapped then and there.

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“ LEON DIED BECAUSE OF YOU !!!!!!"

Lo, For Asuka Hikaru could hold back no more and flew to anguished rage, shouting out his reasonsoning that turned many heads towards him at the feast of Denteimong castle.

“ I NEARLY DIED BECAUSE OF YOU !!!! All my brothers in arms, all those good men, and women, and children !!!!! Are their Dreams and wishes nothing compared to your cruel vision ?!??!!!!! Should the World step aside while you slaughter your way to become what ?! A Supreme Leader of Tenka ??!?!"

Asuka breathed heavily, to catch his breath to shout more reason into his father, but all he got from his notorious father, was loud cackling howls of laughter

“ LEON ?!?!?!"

Lasvet laughed uncontrollably

“ Leon…Ha ha... your friend, I see. He is a warrior, I give him that.”

Lasvet smiled to all, and raised his glass to toast in Leon's name

“ Leon is a warrior. A Warrior Ant. "

and Lasvet laughed at his clever quote, but Lo !!!

A figure among the crowd of laughing, jeering generals and commanders, rushed up from behind to where Lasvet stood and gave the notorious Prime Minister a full-on slap across the Face !!!!!!!

Asuka Hikaru too was shocked by the slapper of his father,

Who turned out to be Yukari !!!! His friend and crush, sister of Leon !!!!

" HE IS MY BROTHER !!!!!" Yukari snarled with sheer hatred and fury.

“ If war is what you want, why not get on the Battlefield and fight the enemy yourself for once !!!!!????"

" Insolence !!!!!!" Lasvet screamed a Notorious scream of a pure Evil

“ Seize her !!!!!!!!"

Lasvet ordered and the Prime minister's guards rushed in and slammed Yukari to the ground, cuffing her arms to her back like vice.

“ Hold up !! Stop !!!" Asuka Hikaru demanded the guards but they listen only to Prime minister Lasvet’s orders.

“ Throw this delinquent to the dungeons below, and execute her tomorrow morn !!!

I'll be seeing a fine shooting for breakfast !"

And before Asuka Hikaru's eyes, Yukari was pushed away, sentenced to death by daytime.

“ You see, if that wench had died earlier, this wouldn't have happened. ”

Lasvet Hikaru spake to his mortified son ruthlessly.

“ Same to all things regarding Peace. When those that dare threaten my vision are all vanquished, the World will be a better place. ”

And Lasvet walked off, chuckling at his clever quotes, leaving Asuka alone, fuming with rage.

“ I can save her. ”

Whispered a voice from behind Asuka, and the young Lieutenant turned around, to see the Parusefor Master Striker of the Shambala desert Hassan Helsing! In a hood of optic illusions to blend in the feast.

“ No lock of Tron is unbreakable to a Parusefor. I'll bring her to a safe hideout. ”

“ Thank you, Hassan. Yukari and I owe you too much. ”

Asuka whispered his thanks to the Master Striker with much gratitude.

“ But one more thing, Asuka.” Hassan Helsing spake before he took his leave to the dungeons.

“ To sever the origin of all hate takes more than one day or night. It takes years, even decades. Generations even. You cannot change one man, one nation to turn to good without lifetimes and generations' work….”

“ There's not much time left, Do We ?!" Asuka snapped, angered by the current situation of war and cruelty.

“ If something doesn't change tonight, millions, or maybe Billions will die tomorrow. And it's because I didn't stop what is about to come !"

" That is not how saving the World works, Asuka.”

Hassan Helsing whispered wisely and vanished with a poof.

While Asuka brooded on one side of the feasting hall, Lasvet was met with Akahanon Zabi and Austria Van Hillingdale of the League.

“ Austria my nerd...I mean strategist here has come up with a plan, Prime Minister. ”

Akahanon Zabi began with wide sneers.

“ It is to use the Archdemon as a weaponized being for us to harness. Like a beast that mauls your enemies and obeys your orders, but that Beast is an Archdemon. Things are getting pretty real now, Prime Minister….. imagine, what Vilencia would become under such catastrophic Demon's Wrath ??"

" It would be very much beautiful to my liking. ”

Lasvet Hikaru smiled, pleased by the news

“ When will it be ready ?"

" Tomorrow morning.” Akahanon Zabi replied snidely.

“ No.”

Spake Austria Van Hillingdale the darkstalker military genius ominously

. “ Tonight. Alongside our new spokesman of the League, the Director's New Disciple.”

“ How do you know that ?!" Akahanon Zabi asked incredulously, feeling his position as the head of the department slipping into this New Disciple's hands.

And Austria Van Hillingdale looked out the window at the pitch black skies above in a long gaze without a word.

Zabi and Lasvet followed the strategist's gaze at the ominous night sky.

“ ….. The League messengers texted me a while ago. ”

Austria replied after a long foreboding gaze at nothing in particular and turned back to the feast, sipping his coke

“ They will be here in an hour. ”

“ Then what was that for ?” Akahanon Zabi asked of them staring at the night sky but never got his answer.

“ Splendid !!!" Lasvet applauded with glee

“ I will show it to all my men !!! A Display Of My Undoubted Glory !!!!!"

Akahanon Zabi smiled with the Prime minister, but his lips were stiff, for his smile is of insincere motives, and plans under his sleeve he makes, as he eyed the son of the Prime minister, Asuka Hikaru with great interest.

…

……….

Many architectural structures of unique designs and engineered outlooks are well recognized and marveled throughout the Kingdeniom isles, of their symbolism as much as their weird looks in construct.

For example, the Freedom and Justice memorial tower from previous episodes, built in the means to commemorate the war for those two virtues its name literally eludes, its shape seen from afar like two thick marble pillars at the bottom then conjoining together at the middle portion before separating into two piercing sword-like turrets at the top.

Denteimong castle is built in a similar fashion, with one prominent tower, made up of four turrets circling and entwining each other at the back of the castle grounds to the top where the four curved turrets spread out to hold a wide oval platform, an elliptical platform long and round enough to carry three Axalaran class airships of 200 more meters lined up from tip to tip. Many had asked if the four arching pillars of Denteimong can hold such a wide structure up high and withstand an earthquake, which is quite a common occurence in the Kingdeniom isles, and not fall on its big head. Well, somehow, it just works.

But the high platform is not of importance for now, as Hassan Helsing, the Master Parusefor of archery sneaked downward, to the bases underneath the Denteimong castle grounds, where the dungeons were, and where Yukari was taken. As soon as Hassan entered the shadowy corridors of jell cells on two sides, he kicked a stiff-clothed object on the floor.

“ Hmm ?” Hassan observed what he just kicked.

Lo! It be a knocked-out guard! Laying on the rock floor stone cold! And not far away is the other guard, also on the floor, stiff and motionless.

“ Hmm ?!” Hassan sensed a fishiness among the dungeons and hurried forth, to see Yukari, free from her handcuffs, standing before a large strong glassed container lit up in the dark basement, alongside a smaller female figure with long pink hair cracking the sophisticated high-tech lock of the bright cell with much difficulty.

“ Perhaps it’s faster to find the key, you know.” Hassan heard Yukari suggest to the small pink-haired girl who went on trying to break the lock with all sorts of weapons, gadgets, and crowbars a couple of zombie dolls could find around the perimeter.

“ I don’t think this lock has a key.”

replied a voice of a young dude, slightly muffled was his voice coming from the strong cell, a voice which tingled Hassan’s alert senses of Parusefor instincts, a voice frequency he had once heard before, but altered through natural changes of growth!

But before Hassan can sneak further to investigate, he felt a nudge by his feet, and lo! A zombie teddy bear with nunchucks in those furry fingerless paws bumped into his shin, and the zombie doll screamed in terror.

Yukari and the small girl looked back vigilantly, as all the zombie dolls spun around in combat positions with the unorthodox weapons in their hands.

“ Wait !!” Yukari cried out to the dolls and the pink-haired girl, who was ready to pounce and murder someone.

“ He is friend, not foe !”

“ I am Hassan.” Hassan Helsing raised his empty hands to them zombie dolls to show his peace.

“ Yukari, I am here to save you. But it seems you have been saved.”

“ I killed them.” Lo, it was Luka, standing close by Yukari that replied, sounding like killing guards was a Tuesday business.

“ They were too noisy.”

“ Then we have to go, Yukari. Asuka wished for your safety.” Hassan suggested calmly.

“ But, they kind of need help.” Yukari motioned for Hassan the Master Striker to look into this high-tech lock

“ Can you break this, Mr. Hassan ?”

Hassan moved closer, and his eyes stopped not on the high-tech lock, but on the person that was within that cell.

“ YOU !!” Hassan Helsing uttered in shock, backing feet away in sheer astonishment at the sight of the young dude kneeling by the lock on his side of the strong cell

“ ……Tenmei….Akiro….!?!?”

Tenmei Akiro looked up at the frightened Parusefor master, he too uttered a gasp of shock.

“ You……you were there……” Tenmei stood up, his eyes wide with sudden sorrow

“ It’s you…..you tried to save Youki…and Mirai……”

“ …I tried to kill you.” Hassan whispered with immense guilt of his past actions.

“ To eradicate the Ark’arios….! Yukari, we can’t open this lock….!!”

“ It’s okay !!” Tenmei spoke up to the fearful Hassan to clarify his current state

“ The Ark’arios…it’s not in me anymore !”

Hassan jolted in such an unheard-of revelation and closed his eyes to feel the Strike Force within all things life and lifeless around his surroundings, and indeed as Tenmei Akiro so said, the Archdemon is somewhere else.

Far far above, at the wide oval platform held up on Denteimong castle tower.

“.......Incredible.” Hassan sighed with relief

“ Such a feat can actually be achieved. You are saved, my boy !!”

And with quick powerful points of his fingers, Hassan sent out sharp fast currents of air that shot forth at the high-tech lock, invisible arrows made of pure air breaking the whole device from inside out with the spreading air arrowhead and the glass cell opened.

Even the alarm systems stopped working for Hassan had also halted its work through air arrows that suffocated the electric wires.

“ Why didn’t you call him down earlier ?!” Luka scalded Yukari angrily at what she just saw.

“ Hey, I am a wanted fugitive right now! I can’t run around like that anymore !” Yukari argued back.

“ Go now, child. You are all free.” Hassan bade them young people as he headed off out of the dungeons cooly, with his star rock bow materializing out of thin air at his back.

“ But Mr. Hassan, how about you ?!” Yukari asked as the archer Master Parusefor reached the end of the hallway with just two steps, three meters in two elegant steps, you try it.

“ To finish what started it all.” Hassan Hellsing spoke with manly chad, loading his star bow with burning arrows of sheer piercing air

“ Hunt down the Ark’arios. Once and for all.”

“ Then I will follow.” Tenmei Akiro ran across the hallway to Hassan Hellsing’s side

“ It must be stopped, now it's in the wrong hands.”

And Hassan and Tenmei nodded at each other with firm recognition, forming a mutual bond through the Strike Force within all things you know, of the memories they share and the sorrows they bare.

“ Hey ! Aren’t we supposed to meet this Lord or something far away in Tron ?!” Luka asked annoyed by more and more side quests but followed Tenmei anyways.

Yukari too, followed them up to the Denteimong tower, her mind set on helping Asuka in this challenging time.

…

……..

And for Lasvet Hikaru’s next stunt to amuse his generals and fellow subordinates, he will display the Ark’arios he caught in Helltron.

Gathered were all the men to the oval platform far above on the tower of Denteimong, a huge specialized cell in the middle for all to see,

And lo, in that League-constructed specialized cell, was the dark smog beast, crashing and thrashing the strong enhanced glass filled with runes and energy wires sophisticatedly designed by the League, patent-pending, to hold an Archdemon within its constraints.

Those who saw either cow in fear or couldn’t move their eyes away, petrified but the monstrosity before their presence, a natural demonic force that could decimate them twofold if left unleashed.

“ And that is what I will do !” Lasvet Hikaru cackled to all his witnesses of his glorious stunt

“ I will open this container, and This Archdemon will still obey me !!!!”

“ NO !!!” cried and screamed the watching generals and soldiers in panic

“ Don’t open the container, Prime Minister! Please, noble heart !!! Don’t open!!”

“ I AM OPENING IT !!!!!” Lasvet announced, putting on specialized gears onto his elbows and wrists with the help of some cloaked masked League members, as they helped Lasvet put on the last piece of harnessing armor, a cosmic helmet with wires and probes on top, like a crown for a king of techno manipulation, again, a creation from the League, which is patent pending also.

Austria looked over the gears and gadgets over the notorious prime minister for a couple of seconds, before nodding to Akahanon Zabi, who sneered and waved to more cloaked figures standing not far behind, who also waved to the sky, ushering advanced flying drones to descend and hover on many sides above the Ark’arios container before projecting lasers of purplish alien glow, dark rainbow beams sizzling onto the Archdemon’s smog flesh as the dark burning rainbow light left a hardened substance as its lasers’ trails, slowly but steadily covering the agonized demon under a solid dark glimmering armor of purple and red and dark and many obscene colors, sharp and robust, bulging and grotesque were those armor burnt upon the demon’s black form, with a face mask of a monster shaped like none other, a cross between a bear, a wolf, a dingo, a devil, a croc, a snake, a shark, a panther, a combination of beastly appearances that brought shivers down those witnesses’ spines, and some even lose their ability to stand firm by the sight of what the Archdemon has now become, an armored dinosaur with weapons none could rival at its time of existence.

Two ultra beam canisters on both shoulders, machine guns and triple sharp long claws on both hands, missile launchers on the knee caps, waist, back, and shoulders, and a circular moaning engine twisting painfully in the center of the Ark’arios’s chest armor, a reality twisting beam cannon loaded onto that chest.

The generals and soldiers that bore witness began to whimper and pray in presence of such unholy existence.

Asuka Hikaru, standing next to his sneering aroused father, appalled and nerve-wracked was this lieutenant by this weaponized demon his father Lasvet has unleashed.

It seemed too late to stop his father now, with this abominable berserker in the Prime Minister’s arsenal.

“ Kind Yuidis save us…..” whispered many religious soldiers under their quivering breath.

“ Prime Minister….!!! This is unacceptable..!!!!” Shouted a veteran from within the terrified folk to the Prime minister, not fearing to upset his supervisor anymore that a greater fear is present

“ You…You have unleashed Doom onto our world! This…This BRADINN…! It cannot be !! Be Gone With It !!!”

“ This is not a Bradinn.” Austria Van Hillingdale called out with his microphone in a voice without any fear or sentiment towards what just transpired

“ But I don’t deny the inspirations I took from the elden enemy of man. This, is Barmidis, an upgraded Bradinn, if you will.”

“ NO, We Won’t !!!!” uttered the generals in panic, leaving as soon as they can

“ Lasvet !! You have gone too far !!!”

“ Gone Too Far, Have I ?!?!?!” Lasvet cackled and Lo ! He pointed his evil hand connected through wires to the gadgets and devices on top of his head and elbows and immediately, like invisible strings attached to the Ark’arios under the Barmidis armor, the Archdemon raised his huge sharp unbelievable weaponed arm towards the fleeing generals and let go did the armored hand a ball of dark energy bubble of pestilence that flew past the escaping men, turning them into rotting corpses, melting still as they crash to the platform floor with loud meaty splats while the acid and biological nano enzymes digest the flesh of the dead soldiers, right before everyone else’s eyes.

Some men lost it and shitted their pants.

Lasvet laughed maniacally at such an inhuman showcase of murder as the League members, Akahanon Zabi clapped with much enthusiasm, forcing all that wished to stay alive to clap along while trembling in fear.

Asuka Hikaru, eyes wide and mind blank beyond fury by the atrocity his father committed out of mere impulse, a deed so devoid of humanity done by the hands that raised him.

“ This has to stop….." Asuka uttered, pointing a shivering finger at his father's nose

“ Father, I beseech you !!! Stop This Instance !!!"

But with a ruthless slap of the back of his hand, Lasvet made quiet his rambling son, slapping Asuka to the floor with all the gears and wires in his arms.

“ Don't shame me in front of the Spokesman of the League, Son !!"

Lasvet hissed, addressing a suspicious-looking palanquin erected right behind where Lasvet stood, a tent held by four strong-armed cloaked figures of the League, and in that tent, sat a shadow of a person, looking through the cloth that covers the mouth of said tent, looking straight into Asuka's soul.

“ They sponsored my victory, I have to show some gratitude !!"

Lasvet Hikaru boasted and resumed showcasing his control over the Ark’arios under the Barmidis armor, per the permission of the Spokesman of the League.

“ Humph, it should’ve been me, sitting in that palanquin for my endeavors.” Akahanon Zabi snarled quietly to his personal nerd Austria, who couldn’t care less about Zabi’s qualms but was more absorbed by the data and output progress from Lasvet’s showcase of the Ark’arios Barmidis.

“ Something seems to be lacking.” Austria hummed brooding, eyeing the performance of the Barmidis with deep thought

“ Is it the motility….”

Suddenly, Austria leapt back away from his laptop with superior agility, like a cat escaping a car crash, surprising Akahanon Zabi who was more shocked to see Austria’s laptop screen burst apart, with an invisible arrow made out of thin air, piercing out of the broken keyboard of the trashed laptop.

“ ASSASSIN !!!” Akahanon Zabi hollered in a high pitch shriek, alarming all present on the platform tower.

The soldiers and generals all drew their pistols.

Asuka quickly sprang to action with his soldier instinct to protect his father, despite his anger towards the notorious man, he still sees him as his father, and wishes to turn him back through words and not violence.

But notorious Lasvet smirked at Asuka’s futile actions.

“ Silly boy.” Lasvet laughed, pushing Asuka to a side.

“ Now is prime time to show you what your Father is truly capable of !!!”

And Lasvet with his gadgets and wires, pulled the Ark’arios Barmidis up to full stance, ready to engage the assassin.

“ What is it, Master ?” Tenmei asked Hassan as they hid behind an airship parked far away from Lasvet’s showdown at one end of the platform, where Hassan Hellsing pulled his bowstring wide but hesitated to let go.

“ Something is amiss.” Hassan Hellsing whispered to Tenmei and Luka and Yukari, the three all hiding behind the Parusefor master, waiting for him to shoot

“ I aimed at the Prime minister’s head. But missed. I never miss.”

“ I heard you’ve been stranded in a desert for a long time, so it checks out.” Luka shrugged while Yukari tried to stop Luka from humiliating the Master Striker.

“ What I mean is, there is another force that pushed my arrow to hit that computer.” Hassan Hellsing explained, pointing at the air around the platform

“ Do you see it, Tenmei?”

Tenmei Akiro our man closed his eyes to take a deep breath, and reopened them, seeing not with his physical eyes, but with the senses of the Parusefor training to see with the eye of Strike, to sense the flow of the powers within all things, and indeed Tenmei saw an invisible force field looming over the perimeter of Lasvet’s gang, but unlike the Ark’arios’ corrupting field of demonic air, the one that loomed upon the Tron soldiers was colorless, emotionless, but of natural organic energy from a powerful individual within, emitting this sensory network vigilantly.

“ I see it.” Tenmei replied

“ I think it spreads out from the Prime minister. But it is not the Ark’arios’ doing. How did he do it ?”

“ Not him.” Hassan surmised, breathing slowly to collect more information of this perculiar atmosphere force field

“ I think…it’s from that palanquin tent behind the prime minister.”

And there, Hassan pointed for the others to see, a palanquin suspiciously stood behind, a figure there sat, looking back at Hassan Hellsing’s soul through the cloth.

“ He saw us !” Luka hissed urgently

“ I’ve heard of this palanquin, it’s for the New Spokesman of the League !”

“ What League ?” Yukari asked curiously, but Hassan Hellsing suddenly uttered a cry of ancient Parusefor tongue to the others with great urgence.

“ Enough of league !! Here it comes !!! SPLIT NOW !!!” Hassan shouted as Lo !!!

An airship flew straight at them, crashing forth into the airship they had been hiding behind, and all exploded into flame and smoke, metal planks and engine parts flying to all sides.

Luka grabbed Yukari at the waist and rode a long-armed monkey zombie doll out to safe ground, while Hassan and Tenmei spread to two sides of the platform, facing the tall, hulking shadow of the one and only,

Barmidis Ark’arios.

Weapons all raised and loaded, to kill in an instance.

“.........Boy…….” Tenmei heard the archdemon Ark’arios groan under the grotesque armor.

“ …Ark’arios.” Tenmei addressed the Archdemon with serious gravity.

“ ….You could leave, yet you returned…..to die……Why is it ?” the Ark’arios asked.

“ ……You will kill billions if I don’t stop you.” Tenmei Akiro answered with calm sincerity.

“ Or maybe……I just can’t leave you behind, like this, perhaps.”

“ Then it pains me……that we meet as adversaries.” the Ark’arios Barmidis bent down, ready to strike as Lasvet demanded through his controls

“ The Prime minister……stop him, then you stop this armor.”

And began the missiles launched out of the Ark’arios’ back and shoulders, tracing both Tenmei and Hassan as the two Parusefors zigzagged across the platform of airships, dodging blasts and explosions all over the place, while the armored Archdemon burst out of the flames and smoke, cutting and slashing with its arm blades at the two fast dashing men, pestilence beams and lasers scorching the plain, igniting the Denteimong tower into a pillar of fire in the dark among the mountains, those from afar even the ramen vendor of Helltron outskirts saw the fiery pillar as clear as the sun of the night.

“ Ha ha…..ha aha ha ha…hahahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA !!!!!!!” Lasvet cannot resist his primate urge for destruction and murder, as he controlled the Barmidis Archdemon like a crazy gamer playing a dynasty warriors hack-and-slash game with overpowered levels and equipment.

“ I am the Lord….the Rightful Lord of Kingdeniom !!! Stronger than any Exia or Strike in the galaxy !!!!”

And Lasvet with a right hook punch made the Ark’arios Barmidis punch Hassan, but Hassan was like a cloud of black smoke, for a second he was there, but as Ark’arios’ smash landed, Hassan was gone.

Tenmei too, as Lasvet turned to catch Hassan, leapt out from behind the Archdemon and tried to break the weaponry on its back. And with a slam on its own back, Lasvet saw that Tenmei was gone, and Hassan out of nowhere, blasted the Barmidis armor’s ankles with a flurry of burning purple flames air arrows, forcing the Archdemon and its armor to a painful kneel.

Akahanon Zabi looked around secretly at the Spokesman in the palanquin, to see if the mysterious Spokesman was disappointed and angered by the prime minister’s ineptness, but the figure within the tent just sat unmoving like a statue, watching the fight in eerie silence.

“ I think he is unamused.” Akahanon Zabi whispered to Austria his strategist, who was busy tracking the performances of the Barmidis armor with his second laptop.

“ I am unamused.” Austria volleyed back, sounding frustrated.

“ I finally understand what is bugging my calculations, it’s Lasvet. He is inept.”

And Austria hurriedly came to the frenzy VR gaming Prime minister’s presence and asked calmly.

“ Prime minister, I need you to return the gadgets to me.”

“ Shut up !! I can win this !!” Lasvet Hikaru snarled back, not even looking at Austria but at the two, Hassan and Tenmei dashing here and there like night monkeys with strong critical attacks over his Barmidis’ weak points.

“ Father, I don’t play that many games, but even I know that you are losing!” Asuka Hikaru joined in with Austria to persuade his father to give up the controls of the Barmidis Ark’arios.

“ Shut up !! SHUT UP !!!!” Lasvet hollered and tried even harder, but the Barmidis Ark’arios failed even harder.

“ Stop back-seating me !! I WILL KILL THEM !!!”

And at that moment, Hassan flew up to the night sky and landed far behind Lasvet, Asuka, and the League members, and with the simple mind as notorious Lasvet Hikaru possesses, the prime minister immediately controlled the Barmidis Ark’arios back, flying towards himself and the League gang.

“ You didn’t just—” Austria, the hardcore gamer uttered in disbelief, but indeed Lasvet did, throwing the bulky armored beast straight at themselves, crashing where they stood, many league members and generals tumbling all over the place,

except that one palanquin and the mysterious figure within, unperturbed by all and sat still,

watching coldly.

Lasvet himself was thrown to a side, and before he knew it, Tenmei Akiro was upon him, with an air arrow he borrowed from Hassan, Tenmei pierced it at the probed helm on the prime minister’s head.

“ NOOO, YOu DOn’t !!!!!” Lasvet shrieked, landing a speeding right hook with immense power on Tenmei’s jaw, taking Tenmei Akiro by surprise. As you might remember from past chapters, when Lasvet and Miula Kenshi wrestled, this Prime minister is a man of caliber.

Still controlled, The Barmidis Ark’arios slammed a right hook, which Hassan dodged with ease and began shooting countless air arrows at the gap between the chin and the chest plates of the Armor, piercing the Archdemon’s neck.

Tenmei Akiro quickly rolled up to his stance, but Lasvet was upon him, grabbing Tenmei by the throat and began punching our man with countless punches of madness.

Tenmei Akiro was too taken by surprise, by the strength and ruthlessness of this old prime minister that Tenmei struggled to react.

The Barmidis Ark’arios however, imitating what Lasvet was doing, started banging on the platform with its fists, banging nothing in particular while Hassan stood at the Archdemon’s back, shooting another round of purple flamed arrows at the neck until finally, the armor started to crack !!

“ Just a little more…..!!!” Hassan whispered to himself, finally able to vanquish the Ark’arios, as he so pledged years before.

Asuka quickly crawled up to his feet, to see his father, struggling at the hands of the enemy !!

“ Father !!!” Asuka cried, producing his pistol from his waist, and pointing the gun at Tenmei. But the two of them went on brawling, twisting and kicking, rolling and fumbling across the shacking imbalanced platform that the four arched pillars could no longer hold firm.

The gun in his hand, trembling in that grip.

Asuka had never feared to fire at the enemy, he was never afraid to pull the trigger. The echoing deafening shots of gunfire never frightened him, but now,

Seeing his father moving drastically within his aim,

Asuka felt a deep urge, a racing heart of excitement, pumping the blood within his gun-holding hand that trembled with each quickened heartbeat.

He should free his father,

free his father from the enemy that now pierces his probed helmet,

or should he see it,

as relieving his father, of the duties he cast upon this Hikaru House to terrorize the world.

Freeing the world from the notorious Prime Minister’s grip.

There is a way to save his father,

and there is also a way to save the world,

And choosing one means dooming the other.

Asuka quickly used both hands to hold his gun more firmly, but he was wrong.

One hand raised the gun up at the enemy and his father,

while the other hand pushed his gun down.

He, Asuka Hikaru, was at a crossroads.

And at that moment,

“ DIE !!!!!!”

Lasvet shot out both arms, grabbing Tenmei’s throat, and slammed Tenmei to the floor.

And the Barmidis Ark’arios did suit, with immense force, slammed both bulky arms down onto the platform, and the whole oval wide floor tilted, and the world swayed to one side.

The generals fell, some League members fell off the platform,

and the whole platform began to slide.

And from that impact, Asuka Hikaru felt a hard push backward at his hard-clenched hands, and a scream soon after.

Asuka looked up, seeing his pistol ready to be reloaded, and a small streak of blood flowed down the tilted platform, to his feet, and down it went, flowing off the brink of the platform.

And then, it came,

rolling slowly to his shivering feet,

the stiff body of what once was the prime minister of great Kingdeniom, political leader of Tron capital, rolled to a stop at his feet,

a small red orifice at the side of the notorious prime minister’s head.

Lasvet Hikaru, is dead.

And there, in the enemy that brawled with his father’s hand, is the probed helmet, and a bloody arrow in the other.

Tenmei looked at the bloody arrow in his hand, and then at the dead body at Asuka’s feet.

Asuka looked at his pistol, one bullet less, and then at the bloody arrow in Tenmei’s hand.

And it was the drastic tilting of the platform that brought the two young men to their senses, and Asuka quickly reached out a hand, to grab his father, who tumbled with all abiding to gravity, fell faster and faster,

and off the edge, Lasvet’s body went.

Asuka uttered a cry from the depth of his heart, a sorrow he cannot contain, and he too lost his footing as the platform tilted more and more. The son of the deceased Lasvet Hikaru was falling off the edge as his father did, and Asuka cannot resist.

But someone else resisted his fall.

“ ASUKA !!!!!” and breaking his fall, pulling the saddened son of primus up the fallen edge,

was Yukari his friend, his mental support, his love.

“ …Yu….Yukari……” Asuka stammered, tears bursting out of his melancholy eyes.

“ Asuka….don’t fall…..” Yukari begged, holding Asuka’s arm with dear life

“ Please….Don’t fall…..!”

And before Asuka and Yukari knew it,

The platform suddenly sprang back up to balance, as if a big hand hoisted the falling platform back to its former position on the arching pillars, and all was back to its rightful place, except those that had fallen.

Both Asuka and Yukari rolled over to the now balanced platform, and so did Akahanon Zabi, who crawled back up from the edge, breathing heavily in relief, only to see Austria descending down, standing on his levitating feathered fan calmly with ease.

“ Where’s Lasvet ?” Akahanon Zabi asked Austria, but the darkstalker didn’t reply.

Hassan quickly rolled up to his feet, star bow in hand.

“ Tenmei !!!!” Hassan Hellsing shouted to our man

“ The Neck !! Focus on the neck !!”

Tenmei with the sharp arrow as his blade, looked forth as the Ark’arios, now without the prime minister Lasvet’s control, stood up its own Demon, no more strings attached.

“ Tenmei……..” The Ark’arios boomed, under the ravaged Barmidis armor, standing tall before it former host.

“ Ark’arios…..” Tenmei panted, standing before this Demon that once was his burden.

The Archdemon grunted in satisfaction.

“ Now…….Let the best man win.”

And with cries that convey each of their determination, both man and Demon dashed forth at each other, fists bash, blades clash, pestilence cannons blasting, missiles soaring and exploding all over the place, but still the man and demon clash.

Tenmei with quick moves and daring attacks, still managed to hold his ground, fighting the Archdemon to a standstill.

Akahanon Zabi watched in awe and anger.

“ Someone let that homunculus out !!!” Zabi hollered and brought out his gun, ready to shoot Tenmei from behind, Lo, a big bear doll slapped Zabi to the floor as many dolls of all sizes and shapes came to gang up on the long-nosed Zabi, kicking and beating the sinister man up.

“ Serves you right !” Luka returned, summoning more and more dolls to assist Tenmei Akiro’s fight against the Ark’arios.

Hassan Hellsing too shot forth armor-breaking arrows of sheer air nonstop from a safe distance.

But this Ark’arios is not the Lasvet-controlled version, but its own Archdemon, and with a deafening vibrating roar, that pushed all his assailants back, the Ark’arios pulled out its long crooked cursed blade,

The Lifthrasir, on its own.

“ Here.”

The Ark’arios then pulled one of its Barmidis wrist blades off of it arm and tossed it to Tenmei Akiro.

“ Let our battle be legendary.”

“ ……Sure.” Tenmei took the huge curved Barmidis wrist blade and charged.

With a smash of the Lifthrasir, parts of the platform burst to pieces, as Tenmei dodged off the blow and slashed back, only for the Ark’arios to block with his armor as the demon landed blow after blow, its speed accelerating after each strike, its blows hitting harder after each smash, and Tenmei Akiro too, fought back faster and greater, the two of them equal with each other in strength and skill.

Akahanon Zabi ripped a doll clinging to his face and saw, of the battle between man and Demon, a glow of blue shimmering light began to bloom from within Tenmei Akiro, a great brightness dazzling more and more as Tenmei and Ark’arios traded blow after blow until the whole Denteimong tower blazed with such blue majestic light,

and on Tenmei’s chest, glowed the magnificent rune of the Blue Exia.

This,

made the figure in the palanquin move.

“ You.”

Tenmei looked up, sensing a voice from the deepest corners of his ear speak to him in a tone of grand absolute, like a mountain erecting from the earth right before Tenmei’s eyes, like the rain showering the large canyons into the sea.

“ I want your Rune.”

And all of a sudden, Tenmei Akiro could not move !!

The Ark’arios sensed Tenmei’s abrupt pause and stopped his cursed blade in mid-air.

And from the cloth covering the entrance of the palanquin that slowly flew up by itself, revealing a tall thin figure in pale garment, a black veil of contrast flowed slantingly across that chest, and a hood the figure wore over his head, with a black cloth covering his eyes, revealing only the nose and lips, the lower half of a face of a well-carved face, like a statue, like an art, like a drawing of a holy figure walking out of the canvas, with mysterious powers that dim Tenmei useless with but a glance of the eyes sealed under the black cloth.

This deity-like being exited his palanquin and stood before all that remained on that Denteimong platform,

and with a slow gentle raise of his hand, as if feeling the night breeze of altitudes high above sea level,

ripped Tenmei Akiro’s rib cage wide open.

Tenmei could but utter in extreme pain, as all gasped in shock and horror.

“ TENMEI !!!” Luka shrieked and summoned all her zombie dolls forth to the figure before the palanquin, but as soon as Luka’s zombie dolls started to step forward, the divine being turned his hand slightly downward, like letting water flow off gently off his palm, and the zombie dolls all exploded into blood and gore one after another and the unseen force traced back to Luka and like being hit by an invisible train, Luka flew back with extreme forth and crashed afar near the edge of the platform, motionless and covered in her own blood.

Yukari quickly rushed to the bloody Luka’s side to check if the girl was still alive.

Asuka couldn’t comprehend what was going on.

“ You….” Hassan spoke with the anger of the seven seas and he vanished.

And Lo !!!

Hassan was everywhere !!

In the skies, a million Hassan Hellsings were, with their star bows widely stretched and at the same time all the Hassans let go, and a million arrows as strong as comets with speeds of light shot down at all directions at the divine being all at once !!!

But the burning arrows all stopped an inch before touching the sacred being’s clothes, and shot back twenty thousand times faster than its initial speed from whence it came, and all the Hassans burst into supernova explosion and the real Hassan fell back onto the platform, burnt and smoked.

And finally, the figure moved forth to collect the Blue Rune out of Tenmei’s opened chest, only to be smashed into a pulp right in front of everyone’s eyes, crushed deep into the floor by the cursed blade Lifthrasir itself, as the Ark’arios with its Demon powers pushed Tenmei back, and sealed Tenmei’s rib cage with demon pus, as he did to Tenmei’s wounds all this time.

But the Lifthrasir on the ground slowly rose from where it struck deep despite the Ark’arios holding it down with all its strength and out came this divine figure once again and with two hands clapped together like a monk preaching in peace,

The Ark’arios was crushed but unseen force and held down with such a force that squeezed the Archdemon into a ball, along with the Barmidis armor, all crushed into a ball of trash metal.

“ I need you, Ark’arios.”

Spake this being of immense power calmly.

“ To kill the Exian Lords, so I can harvest their Runes. I Need You To Comply.”

And with that, this magic supreme sorcerer deity sealed the dark Ark’arios ball into his robe pocket and looked up, at those that opposed him and failed.

“ Now, Tenmei A—”

KABLAAAAAAAMMMMMMMM

Before anyone could react, a comet of red burning flame crashed down onto the speaking holy magician and the whole platform soon erupted in a sea of flames, as from where the red blazing comet landed,

a tall muscular naked being, with long messy red hair flowing rapidly behind that handsome back, be The Oochu-Goten King of rage, the Leader of the Celestial Beings, and Lord Bearer of the Red Exian Rune, King Varche Sccrirocco, First of his name, King of the Exia-men and the First Folk, Protector of the Upper Realms, the Dragon of his people, the Majestic, Lord of Terminas and Ruler of Universe, and Now the punisher of the nine skies, Accuser for those responsible for his lost love and grace, Vanquisher of all Demons, and Revenger of Maiden Milina of Terminas,

Varche Scrirocco himself,

now a burning Revenjaja. Yes, a Revenjaja, a monster filled with hatred and revenge, as Kingdeniom folklore so calls a being such as Varche right now.

“ I SEEK THE ARK’ARIOS AND THE LEAGUE AND ARASHI!!!!!!!”

This Varche Scrirocco the Revenjaja cried out to the whole wide Tenka, even aliens from a different solar system can hear his cry

“ AND I WILL DESTROY THEM !!!!!!!!!”

And as soon as Varche announced his coming and purpose, the figure in pale cloth and eyes wrapped by black cloth, rose from the flames of the Revenjaja, unburnt and clean like a pure lotus in nirvana, came slowly this holy figure to Varche and this did he whisper

“ I Am The League.”

“ GOOD.” Varche replied, and sank his fiery masculine punch of sheer rage of a million lifetimes through the figure’s stomach, flames of Hel burst out of the mysterious pale cloaked man’s back.

But Varche didn’t stop, he punched another punch, a punch that scorched all the plains and the mountains red with fire, a fire that spread throughout the lands of Tenka and inextinguishable for thirty-two years, all condensed into that second punch that went down on the League being’s cheek, the whole head burst into flames, but mysteriously, no blood.

And Varche still would not stop, and this time Varche opened his mouth, and was about to spit fire onto the League man’s presence, only to stop!!

Stopped !!! By one hand raised to Varche’s lips, that deemed Varche’s actions all futile !!!

And this man, this holy unscathed being rose up from the flames that could cook a planet without a single scratch nor burn on his robes as he rose bigger than before, into a big man, and this time, the holy being punched forth, a slow humble punch forward at Varche’s stomach,

And Varche flew away to oblivion and disappeared !!!

But Varche’s rage led him back from one franchise back to his own and like a red comet he descends once again, and flurry after flurry of punches and fire blades and fire whips and lasers and beams all shot down with his return,

and with the power of all his Rage,

Varche forced this League man back, and the holy deity of unseen power raised both arms to deflect all the coming flames and weapons and lasers from all sides, and while deflecting, Varche gave out a HAH and burst into nothing but sheer burning fire, and all the Varche fire spread out and drew itself on the night sky, becoming a huge Exian Rune of Red that spread endlessly across the skies and the milky way, children in their bedroom windows all witnessed Varche King’s Red Rune Resolve, and all the Rune drawn in flame landed down like the Skyfall of fire onto the Kingdeniom soil, burying Tenka in an infinite sea of fire.

But the League magician raised both hands to the sky, and Lo !!!!!

Powers of transparent nothingness burst upwards against the fiery Skyfall of Varche, and in each spec of flame, the holy being saw a Varche coming for his life, each atom of fire is a Varche of his own power and fury, burning him that even his pale cloth now had caught fire, forcing the being to let go of his burnt cloak and with that cloak away, like a restraint released, the magic deity erupted himself into a trillion atoms of colorless force, each atom of the holy being battling with an atom Varch Revenjaja, as all the gazillion particles of immense power striking each other just above the Denteimong tower, erupting one after another bursting sea of fire against anti-fire that swept the land and sky and sea and universe for a long defining moment, until it all stopped,

Stopped, into an abrupt silence,

where on the scorched black platform, Varche knelt, exhausted,

And the pale clothed mysterious being stood, calm.

And the next second, the whole Denteimong tower collapsed, it should have collapsed early on but somehow it managed to stay erect until the Lords clash, and with the crumbling that echoed throughout the whole north, lasting for longer than an hour, until all that could fall has fallen and the whole crumbling subsided.

There, atop all the rubble that was once Denteimong, Varche knelt on all fours, breathing heavily in utter defeat,

While the figure, this League man, this illusive person that has been watching all this transpire in his palanquin, eventually proved his power and menace through simple waves of his hand,

stood before Varche Scrirocco, and spake calmly

“ I Want Your Rune As Well.”

the League man leaned down to Varche’s face, calm and threateningly.

“ But you are still of use to Me. You are spared, for now.”

And the League man walked off, in search of the Blue Rune in Tenmei possibly under the Denteimong rubble.

“ Who…….” Varche tiredly asked in a croaking whisper

“ Who……Are…..You………”

The League person stopped at his trail and turned slowly back at Varche King, tilting his neck in an eerie pose

" I am the New Spokesman of the League, the Illuminatus League.

And you may call me, Kaburagi Shisei, of Kaminosato.”

Varche looked up in utter shock at the man, for Varche knew that name.

That name his sworn brother Toshiumi will never forget.

“ My Lord ?!” Mustangoo cried, seeing Toshiumi the Awesone suddenly tilt to a side, leaning on the side wall of the corridor as they walked through the Aurora island facility.

“ Lord Toshiumi ?!?! What ails thee ?!” loyal Mustangoo cried, but Toshiumi quickly got back onto his feet and rushed up the island grounds as fast as he could, to see his love Mio Al Seraphim, lying in bed surrounded by doctors and Rang the genius, as the poor maiden panted in grave distress.

“ It’s him.”

Toshiumi spoke in an awesome whisper of intense foreboding, his eyes, those golden pupils wide with immense hatred, looking afar at the chaotic night sky,

the same starless night that loomed over our wounded heroes, Tenmei Akiro, Luka, and Hassan Hellsing, laying at the back of a stolen van, their wounds tended by Nina Zefield,

while Griffon drove the van out of the Denteimong region, out to safety.

[.............to be continued]