The weekend arrived. Tatsuya and the others were gathered in the living room to discuss today's plans. According to what Mr. Urushihara had told them, Tatsuya and the gang would have a chance to meet the other three members of the Cultural Mythologies and Supernatural Research Club. Ingrid and the other maids would also be coming along. Firstly, since it was the weekend, the maids could attend to their mistresses as their job intends. Secondly, Tatsuya was grateful for their help and would love to have more allies going along with him in this endeavor in case the worst happens.
And so, after finishing breakfast, the group left the house and marched on to the city. They reached the city square and decided to wait for their guests by the giant clock-tower in the center of the square. As they waited, the town square was beginning to be filled with people. The people stared captivatingly at the dragon princesses and maids as they passed by, much to Tatsuya's embarrassment. It was made more worse and unbearable with Aika and Kanjomizu hanging tightly onto each of his arms. An intense feeling of shame hung over his head as he was attacked by a barrage of dirty and jealous looks from the members of the male population.
Thirty minutes passed. Once again, Tatsuya looked to the east and to the west for any sign of their guests. It seemed that they weren't going to show up. He hung his head and heaved out an exasperated sigh.
"Hey," greeted a familiar voice. Tatsuya quickly looked up and saw his friend Nanami Sasuke standing before him. Next to him was Hamada Daiki and Tatsumi Manami. The three friends casually appeared before the group as if they were being expected.
"What are you guys doing here?" Tatsuya asked them.
"We're the three other members of the Cultural Mythologies and Supernatural Research Club," said Sasuke with a laugh.
"What do you mean by that?" questioned Tatsuya suspiciously.
"I guess some introductions are in order," Sasuke told them.
The three friends then dropped to their knees and bowed. All three then said in unison, "Princess Ashira of the Drago Tribe, Princess Kinara of the Naga Tribe, and Princess Arina of the Quetzalcoatl Tribe, we are forever humbled to be graced by your presence. May the Draco Tribe, the Naga Tribe, and the Quetzalcoatl Tribe forever be prosperous and glorious till the end of all time."
Tatsuya was speechless and dumbfounded to see his friends act this way. "You guys…." he said, trailing off in confusion.
Sasuke and the others got up. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Dragonborn," he said with a pleasant smile.
"Don't tell me—," began Tatsuya uneasily.
"Daiki, Manami, and I are dragons," revealed Sasuke as if it was no big deal. "I am a Druk, Manami is a Lindworm, and Daiki is a Bakunawa." All three of them held out their hands and revealed their dragon marks to the gang.
"I guess I shouldn't be too surprised," said Tatsuya. "So? Are you guys agents for the United Front too?" inquired Tatsuya.
"Not exactly," said Sasuke.
"Say, Tatsu-chin, why don't you introduce us to the pretty maids?" urged Manami with a lascivious smile. Tatsuya nodded and introduced his three friends to the maids. In return, the maids bowed and introduced themselves to Sasuke and the others. Manami lightly jabbed Daiki with his elbow and said, "The one at the very end is pretty cute, don't ya think?" He was referring to Sylphie. Daiki gave the maid a quick once-over and nodded in agreement.
Manami cleared his throat, ran his hand through his hair, and walked over to Sylphie. The maid greeted him with a brilliantly cute smile. With the grace of a natural thespian and the burning heart of a romantic, Manami bent down on knee and lightly held the maid's right hand. "You're beauty is purer than the blossoming cherry blossoms, more radiant than the most brilliant of red roses, and divine like a sprouting lotus. You are a flower from the celestial heavens, and I am your heavenly gardener. Allow me to pick you and treasure you forever as my own."
"Sylphie is a guy, though," revealed Tatsuya matter-of-factly.
"Huh?" Manami slowly turned to the others and saw them nodding their heads. He then turned back to Sylphie, who wore an awkward smile and nodded along with them. Manami's world has been shattered before his very eyes. 'Reality is all one big lie,' he told himself with a depressing laugh. 'I don't know what's real and what's not anymore.' He turned to stone and became disillusioned with his own lustful desires. It seems that lust has blinded his eyes indeed.
"Anyway, shall we go?" said Sasuke.
"Go where?" asked Tatsuya.
"Mr. Urushihara had told us about everything that has been going on," Sasuke told him. "He also gave us an update about the case."
"What's going on?" Tatsuya asked grimly with a serious face.
"The United Front received intel that members of mysterious organization responsible for the entire ordeal will make contact with another one of their victims today," explained Sasuke. "If we can catch them, we will be able to put a stop to this and maybe even find a clue that will lead us to Ouroboros." Sasuke's face darkened as he mentioned the organization.
"Where will it be?" wondered Tatsuya.
"Erimo," answered Daiki.
"That far?!" Tatsuya couldn't believe it. He's not a big fan of cold weather. Just thinking about it gives him the shivers. One of his greatest weaknesses is his extreme vulnerability to cold weather—anything below 18°C (about 64°F) will result in him getting a really bad cold and fever. Impossible as it may sound, he once took a trip with his parents to the Swedish Alps; it was fun for the first fifteen seconds of arriving there, but Tatsuya quickly got infected with a very bad cold and fever that resulted in him sleeping in bed for three weeks, including the time when he arrived back from the trip. It was the worst trip in his entire life. Now, it wasn't the Swedish Alps, but Erimo, one of the coldest places in Hokkaido. With a brave face, he asked the most important question of all: "So? How are we going to get there?"
"Daiki?" called Sasuke, turning to him.
Daiki nodded and held out his hand. Suddenly, a giant portal appeared right in front of the group. Tatsuya couldn't believe his eyes. On the other side of the portal was a green field. He was literally looking at a real-life portal to another place.
"Shall we get going?" suggested Sasuke.
Everyone nodded in unison and went through the portal, onwards to the other side. Upon exiting out the other side, Tatsuya felt a very cold chill running through his body. A very frosty wind grazed his arms, causing the hair on his arms to stand up and rows of goosebumps to appear. He shuddered and wrapped his arms around his body.
The group had arrived on top of a grassy hill overlooking a group of warehouses. Sasuke was standing on the side closest to the warehouses and looked at them with intense eyes and a grim expression. Tatsuya, still shivering from the cold, walked up to his friend and joined him in looking at the warehouses. "That's our target?" he asked, referring to the warehouses.
"Yes," replied Sasuke with a nod.
The group gathered together on top of the hill and Sasuke relayed to them his plan. Throughout the entire briefing, Tatsuya released a torrent of sneezes, much to his embarrassment. Aika couldn't bear to see her Darling suffer from the cold and grabbed his arm. She turned up her body heat enough so that the wave could reach Tatsuya and warm him up. Tatsuya gradually felt his body getting warmer and noticed Aika holding onto him. He surmised that the warmth must be the fire dragon princess' doing. He silently thanked her and could feel the cold slowly diminishing within his body.
According to the plan as laid out by Sasuke, as soon as they receive visual on their targets, they will silently follow the perpetrators and wait for the deal to take place. Once the perpetrators make contact with the victim, the group will then proceed to attack and apprehend the perps once and for all. For the plan to work, the group will be split into three groups. Group 1: Kanjomizu, Umi, Ingrid, and Manami. Group 2: Sasuke, Tatsuya, and Arashi. Group 3: Daiki, Aika, and Sylphie.
While they waited for the perpetrators to make their appearance, the group stood watch from the hill. Sasuke had his eyes glued to the warehouses like a tenacious watchdog, ready for action at any moment. Tatsuya had never seen him look this serious before. He sat by his friend and turned to focus on the warehouses too. "You said that you're not working for the United Front, right?" Tatsuya asked his friend.
"Yup," simply replied Sasuke.
"So what are you doing here then?" inquired Tatsuya.
Sasuke began with a small chuckle. "It's just something I have to take care of as an upstanding citizen of the dragon realm," he answered half-jokingly. And then his face grew dark again.
Tatsuya didn't know what was going on with his friend, but he could tell that this goes deeper than just doing what is right. With no words left to say, he silently gazed out at the warehouses too. That's when the arrival of three figures caught his eye. He turned to Sasuke and noticed his friend getting up.
"It's time," Sasuke told the group.
As per the plan, Group 1 will follow on the right, Group 2 will head straight behind, and Group 3 will take the left. This way, the can box in the perpetrators with no problem. Along with this formation, it has also been decided to fight using only their Dragon Regalias. This will allow for less property destruction and no violation of the dragon laws imposed on dragons in the human realm. The plan is now set in motion.
The entire group descended down the hill and reached the warehouses and then proceeded to splinter off into their respective groups. With the perpetrators in sight and the element of surprise on their side, this operation will be smooth sailing. Group 2 (Sasuke, Tatsuya, and Arashi), silently followed behind the perpetrators while staying close to walls of a nearby warehouse. Even though he was told to remain silent until their enemy makes contact, Tatsuya felt a huge urge to just go give them a piece of his mind right here and now. He couldn't forgive them at all for turning innocent people into ticking time-bombs for some outdated idea. His body was shaking and he felt his legs moving on their own, inching forward past his group with only the thought of inflicting pain onto the perpetrators running through his mind. Sasuke quickly grabbed Tatsuya's arm, knocking him out of his trance. His friend gestured for him to wait with a shake of his head. Tatsuya exhaled and soothed his rage, nodding to Sasuke and rejoining the group.
Group 1 (Kanjomizu, Umi, Ingrid, and Manami) stood close to a giant warehouse on the west side of the lot. Ingrid stood at the forefront and took the role of watcher, making sure to keep the perpetrators in her sight. As the perpetrators moved forward, Ingrid and her group followed closely behind.
Group 3 (Daiki, Aika, and Sylphie) took to the east side of the lot. Since they were out closer to the edge of the lot, it was harder for them to keep track of the perpetrators. Daiki solved this by opening a portal that allowed for them to take to the roofs. With an unrestricted view of the entire lot, the group was able to keep their eyes on the perpetrators with little problem. They had hopped onto a new roof when Sylphie slipped and almost fell. Daiki quickly grabbed the maid's hand and pulled him up. "Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.
"I'm fine," reassured the maid with a smile. "Thank you."
"N-No problem," answered Daiki with a light blush.
All three groups kept watch on the perpetrators and successfully caught them reaching the middle of the lot where the space that separated the third and fourth row of warehouses was more spacious. The perpetrators stood in the middle, waiting for their victim to arrive. A new figure appeared and slowly approached the perpetrators. The new figure was a young black-haired man in a red shirt and black jacket.
Tatsuya was ready to pounce right now, but Sasuke gestured for him to stay still. The other groups noticed Group 2's decision to wait and decided to do the same. This plan would only work if the groups tackle it on together.
"Glad you can make it!" greeted the middle perpetrator. His voice was light and slick like a snake's.
"W-W-What do you want?" asked the young black-haired man suspiciously.
"It appears that you owe quite a bit to us," replied the perpetrator.
"What do you mean by that?" the young black-haired man asked fearfully. And then a sudden realization hit him. "Are you with the bank?" he asked them.
"You could say that," said the perpetrator with a hissing chuckle.
"I told them that I would pay them back after making enough money here," the young black-haired man told the perpetrators.
"Well, time's up," said the perpetrator. He hissed another chuckle and brought out a vial from inside his jacket. "Now, you can either face jail time for not being able to pay back your debt—," began the perpetrator.
"No, please!" begged the young black-haired man.
"Or you can do this little thing for us and all will be forgiven," finished the perpetrator with a hissing chuckle. "Take this vial and complete this simple job, and you don't have to worry about this ever again. Your debt will be forgiven and your record will remain spotless!"
"All will be forgiven?" repeated the young black-haired man in a dreamlike tone.
"Yes," urged the perpetrator.
The young black-haired man slowly reached out for the vial. The perpetrator answered back by handing out the vial for the victim to receive. This was when the groups decided to act. Sasuke gave the signal and the groups quickly boxed the perpetrators in. Group 1 covered the right flank, Group 3 covered the left flank, and Group 2 completed the middle.
"What the hell is going on?" questioned the middle perpetrator.
"You're under arrest!" announced Sasuke. "Surrender yourselves to the United Front. Comply and we won't have to take this to the next level." The young black-haired man took this opportunity to run away. Sasuke allowed his escape and focused his attention solely on the perpetrators in front of them.
"So you're all agents of the United Front?" hissed the middle perpetrator.
"Not exactly," said Sasuke. "But let's just say that the things you guys have been doing were getting on our nerves."
The perpetrator laughed hysterically to himself. "Do you think that you're capable of taking us on? We're elite members of Ouroboros! You really believe that you can defeat us so easily? That's a joke!"
The mention of Ouroboros flipped a switch in Tatsuya's mind. If these guys are really who they say they are, then he wouldn't need to hold back in the fight to come. He really couldn't wait to bust these guys' heads and make them pay for the things they've done. Although he still hasn't accepted his destiny as the prophesied messiah of both realms, Tatsuya's sense of justice and duty was all the reason he needed to do what must be done.
Sasuke wore a very unnerving smile that was halfway between a frown and an evil grin. "So you're elite members of Ouroboros, huh?" he mused, his eyes becoming sharper and more dangerous.
"Of course!" declared the perpetrator confidently. "We are—," he began dramatically.
"Sanryu!" announced the middle and third perpetrator in unison. The first perpetrator didn't say anything but did jazz hands in excitement.
"Sanrio?" questioned Tatsuya and the others in unison with confused faces.
"No!" hissed the middle perpetrator like a whining child. "Sanryu! Sanryu!" he shouted defiantly.
"Ryu as in dragon?" asked Tatsuya.
"Yes!" shouted the middle perpetrator victoriously. "I am the leader of the Sanryu, Miryu!" introduced the perpetrator grandly with a huge smile. He was a short and skinny guy with glimmering light blonde hair and a light yellow skin tone. He wore a pair of dark black mirrored sunglasses. He was dressed in a pair of dark skinny jeans, a bright white T-shirt with a dragon design, and a faded leather jacket.
"I am the second of the Sanryu, Kiryu," introduced the third perpetrator with a yawn. He looked like had just woken up and wanted to go back to sleep. He was a tall and lean guy with neon yellow hair with black streaks. His skin tone was of a brighter and bolder yellow color and he had shocking electric yellow eyes. He wore a simple yellow-brown zipped up jacket and blue jeans. Around his neck was a red scarf. A pair of large, yellow and blue headphones with dragon images on the back of each ear cup covered his ears.
The first perpetrator and third member didn't speak at all. Instead, Miryu did the introductions for him. "And the third member of the Sanryu is Iwaryu!" introduced the leader grandly. Iwaryu made a fist with his right hand and tapped his chest two times and then saluted. He was the tallest member of the Sanryu. He had long silver-blue hair that reached down to his waist and dull grey eyes. He wore a pair of brown pants, black boots, and a dark silver turtleneck sweater. Around his mouth was a silver mask with a dragon image.
"Enough with the introductions," said Arashi lazily. A smile swept across her face as she declared, "Let's have some fun."
"Iwaryu!" called Miryu. Iwaryu nodded and held out his hands.
Suddenly, a portal appeared below each of the three groups. They all fell in their respective portals and found themselves transported to separate empty warehouses. The Sanryu then individually appeared before their selected opponents. Group 1's opponent was Kiryu; Group 2's opponent was Miryu; and Group 3's opponent was Iwaryu.
Group 1 braced themselves as their enemy made their appearance. Each of the members touched their wrists and brought out their Dragon Regalias. Umi's Dragon Regalia was a pair of blue metal gauntlets that covered up to her elbows. Manami's Dragon Regalia was a golden kusarigama with a shiny silver blade. Kanjomizu's Dragon Regalia was a sapphire blue chain flail with a spiked ball on one end and a handle on the other. Ingrid's Dragon Regalia was a pair of red kamas with magma red sickle blades.
Kiryu touched his own wrist and brought out three bright yellow shuriken blades the size of compact disks. He wore a disinterested and lazy expression, accompanied with the mouth movements of someone rising early out of bed. He reached into his pants pocket and brought out a bag of candy. Indifferent to the presence of his enemies before him, he opened the bag and dumped all of the contents into his mouth. He threw the empty bag on the floor and chewed and swallowed the sweet candy. Once he was finished, his eyes glowed dangerously before settling back to its normal electric color. Suddenly, his body became energized and all of the lethargy that was present disappeared in a flash. "All right!" he shouted energetically. "Let's get this show on the road!"
Kanjomizu and the others braced themselves. The enemy that they were facing was a Druk, a lightning dragon. And if there is one thing anyone should be careful when facing one, is to always be on your guard once they become awakened. In a flash, their enemy jumped to where they were and threw his shurikens at them at a very close distance.
Manami swung his kusarigama and knocked one of the shurikens away. Umi knocked another out of the air with a punch of her gauntlets. Ingrid swatted the last one away with a swing of her kamas. Kiryu held out his hands and the shurikens returned to him like boomerangs. From behind him, Kanjomizu took him by surprise by swinging her flail at him. Kiryu acted at the last minute and jumped away. Manami took this opportunity and threw the blade of his kusarigama straight for Kiryu's leg, entangling it.
Kiryu fell down to the ground. "This isn't over yet!" he shouted.
"It looks like it is," snarked Manami.
He discharged a current of electricity from his body. The current traveled through Manami's kusarigama and straight for his body, sending him back with a stinging shock. He laid on the ground with a daze and his body twitching from the electric shock.
As Kiryu got back up and jumped into the air, Ingrid followed closely behind him. "This is the end of the line," she said, restraining Kiryu using her kamas. She wrapped the sickled blades of her kamas around Kiryu's body, trapping his arms behind his back. She forcefully brought him back down to the ground.
However, the enemy dragon had a sinister smile on his face. He opened his mouth and unleashed a loud buzzing noise. The cacophonic sound is the same as the buzzing sound one normally hears from machines like power lines, generators, and air conditioning units, except turned to a hundred. It resonated throughout the entire warehouse and caused the ground to rumble and the building itself to shake. Kanjomizu and Umi quickly covered their ears from the dangerous sound, but they could still feel the vibrations shaking their bodies straight to the bone. They were forced to drop to the ground as a response to the strong vibrations in the air. Ingrid, being the closest to the enemy, was forced to throw down her kamas and protect her ears from permanent damage. The strong vibrations knocked her backwards and she fell to the ground, hitting her head. Manami, who was still incapacitated from before, shook wildly with the ground as the vibrations hit it.
Victorious, Kiryu got back up and turned off his terrifying power. "You can't defeat the Sanryu!" he announced boldly.
Umi uncovered her ears and tended to her lady. "My lady, are you fine?" she asked once Kanjomizu put her hands down.
"I'm fine," answered the princess. She turned to Kiryu and noticed that the Druk was yawning. "Umi, our time to strike is now," she told her maid.
"My lady—," started Umi in protest.
"I will be fine," reassured Kanjomizu. Memories of the past few days replayed in her mind: the soccer game that was more of a grudge match between Aika and Arashi; the volleyball game that was also dominated by two dragon princesses on equal footing; Aika's overzealous and confident attempts at progressing her romantic relationship with Tatsuya; Arashi's unashamed and bold flirting with Tatsuya. In all of these memories, Kanjomizu was nothing more than a spectator. She can never be as confident and direct as Aika and she will never be as bold and mature as Arashi. Though she has made her feelings known, none of the things she did was ever her own—how many times has she piggybacked off of Aika's situations and used them to advance her own romantic relations with her Love? If she continues to to do this, she will for sure lose to her rivals in love. Of course, she knows that the thing she lacks the most is initiative. She might not be able to achieve it all at once, but she can work towards it. That is why right now, she is determined to take the first step. If she can defeat this enemy here and now, she will be able to show growth. This is for her own personal growth and for the sake of her Love.
Kanjomizu stood back up and gripped her flail. Her enemy paid her no mind and let out another yawn. This is it, this is the time to attack. With determination in her mind and love in her heart, she ran forward towards Kiryu. This will be the beginning of a new stage for her. This will be the first step onto a new path that will lead her to blossom into a girl worthy of love. The thought really made her mind more free and calm. A smile formed on her face.
Kiryu glanced over and finally took notice of the dragon princess coming straight for him. However, he was too late. In a blink of an eye, Kanjomizu swung her flail and struck the Druk right in the face, sending him flying and crashing into the back wall of the warehouse. He stayed stuck to the wall with a dazed look on his face, no doubt incapacitated beyond recovery for now.
"I…I did it!" exclaimed Kanjomizu excitedly. Umi ran up to her and gave her a big hug. "Did you see that, Umi? I did it!"
"You were amazing, my lady!" cried Umi.
"Thank you, Umi!" cried back Kanjomizu. The two Nagas engaged in another touching moment of needless drama. They quickly dried their eyes and tended to the wounded.
Group 3 was up against Iwaryu. The members of Group 3 touched their wrists and took out their Dragon Regalias. Aika's Dragon Regalia was a long crimson chain whip with a red bladed tip and a red handle. Daiki's Dragon Regalia was a large silver-blue steel whip (club) with a silver handle and blue steel body with serrated edges. Sylphie's Dragon Regalia was a green double sided twin-edged sword with glistening silver blades.
Iwaryu touched his wrist and brought out his own Dragon Regalia: a brilliant silver-blue metal wire rope dart with a shiny silver blade that was about the same size as a kunai. He swung the rope dart around in a circular loop like a lasso. Though he may not speak, his intense eyes says it all: "Get ready to go down."
Aika jumped into the air and swung her chain whip at the enemy. Iwaryu answered back with a swing of his rope dart and the blade knocked Aika's chain whip away. He then threw the rope dart from the side and it looped around Aika's body, entangling her. He pulled the weapon back to him along with the struggling dragon princess. Once she was close to him, his eyes became a milky white color and was surrounded by a silver glow.
As Aika struggled to get out of this predicament, she heard a voice inside of her head saying, "Sleep!" It was a soft yet powerful voice that was foreign to her ears. She knew it didn't come from anyone in the warehouse because she heard it clearly inside her own mind. Her body became weak and a wave of fatigue began to wear down on her. She suddenly felt tired and in need of rest. Her eyes drooped and she fell to the ground with no resistance at all. She closed her eyes and entered a deep sleep.
"What happened?" Sylphie asked Daiki fearfully.
"He's a Bakunawa," Daiki told the maid, "just like me. It appears that he's using some sort of magic without the need for chanting."
"But that's impossible!" came the maid in surprise.
"Not unless if he's royalty or a fast learner," said Daiki. A small grin appeared on his face. "This is getting to be really interesting," he said.
In a flash too quick to trace, Iwaryu flew past Daiki and entangled his rope dart around the latter's neck, restraining him. He stopped short behind Daiki and his eyes became milky white and surrounded by a silver glow. Suddenly, a soft yet powerful unfamiliar voice inside of Daiki's mind said, "Freeze in place while the world moves on." Iwaryu pulled on his rope dart and disentangled it from his enemy's throat.
Daiki suddenly found himself unable to move. He could send all the necessary orders he wants from his brain to his limbs but it was all in vain. His arms remained in their positions like statues and his legs were firmly planted in place like tree roots. He couldn't even open his mouth to speak.
Sylphie was now getting really anxious about their enemy. He swallowed a gulp and held his weapon in front of him. A bead of sweat flowed down the side of his face as he waited for the enemy to attack first.
Iwaryu walked slowly towards the maid. With the mask around his mouth, it was hard to discern his expressions. But his eyes twinkled like a child's. It was all in his eyes, his emotions. He swung the rope dart in a circular fashion like a lasso and tilted his head in an attempt to threaten the maid and frighten him.
Sylphie decided then and there to attack. If the enemy was playing around, thinking that it can easily take the maid, then it is sorely mistaken. In order to be a worthy protector to the princess, Sylphie had undergone strenuous training as both a maid and a guardian. If he falters now, then all of that training would be for naught and he would fall from his mistress' good graces. He couldn't allow that to happen. Without time for second-thoughts, he rushed forward with his double-sided blade and swung it at the enemy.
Iwaryu jumped out of the way and threw his rope dart down at the maid. The blade grazed Sylphie's left cheek, leaving a long and thin cut. Blood seeped out of the cut like a thin red curtain. Unfazed by the attack, the maid answered back with a double attack maneuver, swinging the blade overhand and underhand to bruise the enemy twice. The first attack was brilliantly dodged by Iwaryu, who used his rope dart to entangle the blade and to form a makeshift lever and propel him away. But while he was in the air, the second attack struck him in the stomach and sent him flying back.
Daiki, whose body was frozen in place, was still able to use his mind. With his weapon placed perpendicular to his legs and his hand slightly behind his back prior to being frozen, he willed the edges of his weapon to grow longer. Unbeknownst to the enemy, Daiki's Dragon Regalia possesses two special abilities. One of them is the ability to alter its shape via the will of its wielder. The edges grew until it touched Daiki's pants. That's when the second ability activated: the ability to negate magic via contact. The spell placed on him shattered like a mirror. Daiki first attempted to move a finger. It moved freely of his own will—he was now free of Iwaryu's spell.
Daiki quickly moved to Aika's location and broke the spell on her with his weapon. After she was freed, he turned his attention to Iwaryu fighting against Sylphie. "He's a psychic user," Daiki told Aika. "All Bakunawas are divided into three different groupings depending on their magical aptitude: summoners, psychics, and sorcerers," he explained. He smiled and added, "Luckily, magic works a bit like rock-paper-scissors. And I'm the perfect pair of scissors to his paper." He rushed forward and brought his weapon up above his head.
Iwaryu dodged another swing of Sylphie's giant blade and threw his rope at the maid's legs, entangling it and forcing the maid to fall to the ground. Just when he thought he had won, he turned around to see Daiki coming straight at him with his weapon slowly coming down like a hammer. Daiki caught him by surprise and crushed him into the ground with a hit to the head.
With the enemy incapacitated, Daiki tended to Sylphie. He noticed the maid was bleeding from his left cheek. An aura of rage enveloped Daiki and he turned his attention to the enemy on the ground. "This is unforgivable," he said in a scary monotone voice. He brought his weapon up over his head and was ready to pound the enemy again when Aika took over and encircled her chains around Iwaryu's neck.
The dragon princess had a scary look on her face, complete with glowing eyes of rage and a dangerously evil smile. "Do you really think that you can freeze me forever and prevent me from getting together with my Darling?" she threatened with a croaking laugh. "Don't give me that crap!" she yelled, setting her chains ablaze and unmercifully burning the enemy to a crisp. She then retracted her chains and her Dragon Regalia disappeared.
"Don't you think that that was a bit overkill?" asked Daiki.
"He deserved it," replied Aika with a justified huff.
Group 2 faced off against the leader of the Sanryu—Miryu. Sasuke and Arashi touched their wrists and brought their Dragon Regalia. Sasuke's Dragon Regalia was a bright yellow spear with a glinting silver blade. Arashi's Dragon Regalia was a green and silver bow with a black bowstring. Tatsuya simply got into his martial arts stance and prepared for the battle to come.
Miryu appeared before them. He raised his hands in a grand gesture and said, "Let's all try to have some fun! I know I am, sasa." He touched his wrist and brought out his own Dragon Regalia: a pair of bright yellow and white daggers. "I hope you all show me a great fight!" he told them with a hissing laugh. He acted first and rushed forward with his daggers bared and ready to strike.
Sasuke stepped forward and responded by using his spear to parry the daggers and push Miryu to the side. Arashi pulled the string of her bow and a magical white arrow appeared. She released the string and the arrow shot through the air for the enemy. Miryu cleverly rolled over to the side and dodged the arrow. With the dagger in his right hand, he threw it straight for Arashi; the weapon struck her in the knee and formed a deep cut. He then held out his hand and the weapon flew back to him.
Arashi bent down to tend to her wound and Tatsuya rushed to her side. As she did so, Sasuke turned Miryu's attention to him. He executed a series of great maneuvers with his spear, forcing the enemy to make mistakes and receive injuries to his body. Sasuke then placed the spear behind his head and swung it like a bat at his enemy, sending Miryu flying into the air.
Tatsuya really wanted to fight too, but it was really hard to join in when his friend was doing a very good job at taking the enemy on without any help. He felt that if he would step in, he would only be holding Sasuke back. Instead, he should prepare himself to jump in whenever his friend truly needs it. In the meantime, he focused his attention on Arashi's wound. Luckily, the cut wasn't that deep. Arashi had tore off a bit of her dress to clot the cut and then form a makeshift bandage over the injury.
Miryu had risen back up from the ground and hissed out another laugh. "I'm not done yet!" he announced to his enemies. With newfound vigor, he rushed forward to face Sasuke head on. As Sasuke attacked with his spear, Miryu expertly used his daggers to carefully dodge and parry each attack. He quickly caught an opening and sliced Sasuke in the stomach. Sasuke stumbled back in pain. Miryu tucked the left dagger inside his jacket and held out his hand with the palm opened, revealing a large tattoo of an eye. The eye began to glow a bright yellow color and projected an image of itself that grew to the size of a football and became suspended in midair. Sasuke took one look at the eye and his body became grey and all of his movements and biological activities ceased to function as he became encased in stone. "Sasasa!" hissed Miryu in laughter.
"Sasuke!" called out Tatsuya in concern.
"Let's take this guy down once and for all," said Arashi, getting back up on her feet.
"Acchan," uttered Tatsuya in surprise and awe. He watched in amazement as his childhood friend returned to the battle with a strong sense of determination, despite her injury. Tatsuya became pumped up too and was ready to put himself into this battle with all of his strength.
Arashi pulled the string of her bow and another magical white arrow appeared. She released it, catching the attention of the enemy, who then proceeded to parry with his daggers. As Miryu rushed forward with his daggers in front of him, Arashi pulled the string again and this time three magical arrows appeared. She released them all at once and the volley of arrows pierced through the air at great speeds. One by one, Miryu dodged them and finally approached Arashi with only two feet between them. With his dagger tucked inside his jacket again, he opened his palm and sinisterly said, "Peek-a-boo!" Once again, a football-sized yellow projection of his eye tattoo turned Arashi to stone with just one look. Miryu unleashed another hissing laugh.
Tatsuya got up and got into his fighting stance. Miryu turned to him with amused eyes. "Do you really think that you can take me on? The Sanryu are among the elite members of Ouroboros!" declared the dragon. "Each of us have been blessed with powerful abilities since birth. This is why Ouroboros needs us. And we believe in the ideals of the great organization. Dragons should rule above all! Sasasasasasa!" He put on a smug grin. "Since you're just going to be petrified anyway, I guess it's no trouble to tell you of the might of the Sanryu. Sasasa! The Sanryu consists of three members: Kiryu, Iwaryu, and I, Miryu. Kiryu is the ears of the Sanryu and he possesses the ability to emit a powerful electrical scream that can crumble buildings, rupture the Earth, and turn all of your internal organs to mush. Iwaryu is the mouth of the Sanryu and possesses the ability to psychically make mental suggestions that dominate your very subconscious. And I, Miryu, am the eyes of the Sanryu and my personal ability is the ability to turn anyone who looks at my magical projections to stone! There you have it! See how useless you are now against the might of the Sanryu? Sasasasasa!"
Tatsuya had enough this guy's crap. While the enemy was busy laughing his head off in misguided triumph, Tatsuya took the opportunity to attack. He rushed forward with his fist drawn back. The enemy cackled away, leaving himself open to a very painful attack. Once he was within range, Tatsuya executed Technique 24: Dragon's Bite—a powerful focused punch that relies on speed and force, aimed at the enemy's stomach. The attack struck Miryu square in the stomach like a giant hammer. He let out a painful groan and flew high into the air with blood dripping down his nose. "You don't seem all that great to me," declared Tatsuya as his enemy fell to the ground.
Miryu painfully stood back up and wiped the blood away from his nose. "You little piece of shit," he cursed. With his daggers bared, he jumped forward and unleashed a barrage of strikes. Tatsuya dodged the first few strikes with a series of jumps and sidesteps. He then brought his arms in front of him as a shield and the Mark of Marduk appeared, creating an invisible barrier to protect him from Miryu's relentless attacks. Miryu stopped to catch his breath. "How?" he wondered aloud. Having had enough of this farce, Miryu tucked away one of his daggers and held out his hand with the palm opened.
Tatsuya caught wind of what was going to happen and quickly closed his eyes. This was when Miryu switched tactics and kicked Tatsuya into the air. Upon landing back down on the ground, the silver pen that Tatsuya had brought with him fell out of his pants pockets. It was the same silver pen that Mr. Urushihara had given him two days before. The pen hit the floor and the cap fell off. Suddenly, a bright golden glow caught both combatants' attention. The uncapped pen had transformed into a brilliant golden blade. It was at least 90 centimeters in length (about 35 inches) overall, with the blade reaching 75 centimeters in length (about 30 inches). The hilt was a bold reddish gold color and had a circle in the center that was divided into thirteen equal sections. The sword's pommel had a dragon head design and was of a green gold color. The dazzling golden blade itself had a silver dragon emblazoned on one side and the words "Kami no Sabaki" (Divine Judgement) etched on the other.
Miryu felt a very dangerous and intimidating atmosphere emanating from the blade. Something inside of him was afraid of that sword. It made him want to buckle his knees and drop to the floor in defeat. All of the color drained from his face and his body began to shake in fear. He had never seen that weapon before, but yet it had this effect on him; it must be a very powerful weapon for him to feel like this just from looking at it.
Tatsuya marveled at the blade before him. He was surprised to find that the silver pen he received two days ago was in reality a beautiful golden sword. He could feel a strong power emanating from it. It was a weapon fitting for a hero. Tatsuya glanced over at Miryu and noticed that the dragon was shaking at the knees. He quickly got up and reached for the sword. With the weapon in his hands, he lifted the sword up vertically and held it between his eyes. The dragon took a step back in fear.
"W-W-What do you intend to do?" hissed Miryu nervously.
"I thought you said that the Sanryu are elite members of Ouroboros," said Tatsuya half-mockingly.
"S-Sure we are!" countered Miryu with a hissing laugh. "I'm not scared of you and your little sword! Do your worst!"
"Much obliged." Tatsuya quickly rushed forward with the sword angled diagonally across his shoulder in a ready stance for a slash. Miryu gulped and willed his daggers to disappear. He then opened both of his palms and unleashed double the glowing yellow magical eyes. Tatsuya swung his sword and the blade slashed both projections into pieces. Taken aback by the destruction of his magic by the blade, Miryu didn't know how to respond with another attack; his mind was literally filled with fear. With the side of his blade, Tatsuya swung the sword across Miryu's face, knocking the dragon into the air and crashing into the ground with a painful thud. He had successfully knocked the dragon out.
During the battle, Tatsuya hadn't paid much attention to the blade's wonderful anti-magic properties. But after knocking the enemy out cold, the scene of the blade slashing away at the enemy's magic projections replayed in his mind. He smiled at the blade and was very thankful that it had appeared right when it did. He then turned his attention to the petrified Sasuke and Arashi. Remembering the blade's ability to break the enemy's magic, Tatsuya formulated a very ingenious idea to save his friends. He touched the blade to his petrified friends and the spell they were under shattered like mirrors. Both Sasuke and Arashi could now move again.
"Thanks," said Sasuke.
"Ditto," joined Arashi.
"I knocked out the leader of the Sanryu," Tatsuya told them.
"Good job," congratulated Sasuke. He took notice of the sword in Tatsuya's hand and quickly backed away. The sword projected a very dangerous and intimidating aura that filled his entire body with fear.
The same thing happened with Arashi. Never before had she felt this terrified. Her entire body shook with horror.
"What's wrong?" asked Tatsuya. The terrified expressions they wore really worried him.
"That sword—," began Sasuke with fearful eyes.
"What's with the sword?" wondered Tatsuya.
"That's the legendary dragon-slaying sword, Gram," said Sasuke.
"A sword that once belonged to one of the greatest dragon slayers in the words," added Arashi distastefully.
"It is very powerful against all dragons and has the ability to negate their magic and powers," explained Sasuke.
'Why would Mr. Urushihara give me a dragon-slaying sword?' wondered Tatsuya.
The groups gathered their respective prisoners and met up back at where it all started. Sasuke told the group that he will get in contact with the United Front to take the Sanryu in custody. Among the allies injured: both Manami and Ingrid were still knocked out and had to be carried back home, Sylphie suffered a cut to the cheek that had by now stopped bleeding, Arashi had a deep gash on her knee that still hurt whenever she puts too much pressure on it, and Sasuke suffered a slash to the stomach that had now ceased bleeding. On the other hand, their enemies were still knocked out cold and were placed in a pile; Miryu was unconsciously mumbling something about the name of the group being "Sanryu" and not "Sanrio".
"I hope this is the last time we see of them," sighed Tatsuya. Sasuke laughed at the comment. Who knows what else the world will be throwing at them? This could very well the last time Tatsuya has to face enemies like these…or it could not. Tatsuya knew better than to wish for his life to be easier. A chill ran through his spine and he sneezed. It seems that may have won the battle, but he still lost against his greatest enemy of all.