Some time ago, inside of a castle…
"You wish…to use my power…?"
"Yes, Master. I would like access to portals for my plan to use the Raijin Arena properly."
Inside the castle, Ionix was standing in front of the Master, who appeared to be deep in meditation, his eyes closed.
"Raijin Arena…it's been…so long since I've heard of that place…"
"Venire and attended it last year for a large event, but that Amasani girl cut through the competition. We were planning to host the competition ourselves this year, and lure Dachii to the arena to make it easier to capture him."
The Master sat quietly for a moment, before his raspy voice filled the room again. "Can…you do what your peers could not…? Can you retrieve Deity…from the hands of the enemy?"
Ionix nodded. "Yes, sir."
The Master stood up. "I will lend you my power…Ionix. Use your willpower and strength…and retrieve that which belongs to us."
"I will."
The Master placed a hand on his head, and suddenly a purple energy went from his hands into Ionix's body, and Ionix felt a rush of strength flood his limbs. The Master stepped back, sitting in his chair.
"The mission…is now yours to complete."
Ionix bowed and left the room. Soon after, Runea walked into the room.
"Master, are you confident they can do this?" she asked. "After all, Ossix, Nullus, Raylon, Alterna, Prismar, and Vapron have all been taken out of commission by our enemies, and I fear Venire and Ionix could be next."
"That is…a thought to consider…but even still…their will, it shall carry them to victory, without fail."
But then the Master opened his eyes. "But if it shall not…then we take more…drastic…measures."
She bowed. "As you command."
Present Day…
As Ionix's body shook violently, he looked around at the Voltians around him, and the crowd all watched in horror as he began to shake faster and faster.
"Wow…I've been…defeated…?"
Aoki landed in front of him, her blade still in hand. "You sure did."
Ionix looked at her for a moment before smirking. "Hmph."
He snapped his fingers, and every member of the crowd disappeared, along with the remaining Zharians. "Guess the show is over."
He looked at Marachii, who was still unconscious on the ground. "That boy…maybe Master will have use of him in the future…"
And he looked at Dachii, who had collapsed to the ground. "And you…Dachii…you win this round, that's for sure."
Dachii managed to look up at him, his eyes struggling to stay open.
Ionix glanced at Squad S-2, who were all battered and bruised. "Still weak, but that's okay."
Aoki held up her blade. "Anything else you want to say, before I make you stop talking?"
"There's nothing more to say to you, girl. I've finally realized one thing, the thing I should have realized from the beginning…"
She cocked an eyebrow. "And what is that?"
"I've tried to gain strength for many decades now, I've abandoned many people on this path, I've faced death, destruction, and despair in my youth, but it took this moment, this very moment to finally realize my conclusion."
His eyes glowed once more. "The Elites were always supposed to capture Deity. And they WILL bring you down."
Aoki's eyes widened, but Ionix ignored it, still seeing a glimpse of Tsumika behind her.
"One day…I will find you…"
And then he disappeared in a puff of black smoke.
Himeka wrapped her arms around Hikari, Kazue, Kanai, Tsugumi, and Tetsuya. "We did it guys! We did it! We won the long-fought battle!"
"Ow…ow! Sister, you're crushing my ribs," Hikari moaned.
Dachii looked around at Marachii and the others before putting his head down. "Yay…now can we please go back home? Ugh…"
Akari walked up to both Dachii and Marachii, wrapping her arms around both. "Good thing you're both still alive! It would be such a huge loss if you died!"
"Gee," Dachii groaned. "Thanks."
Just then, portals opened above them, dropping out all of the previous competitors. Ayana, Haruto, and Grishna landed next to Dachii.
"Hey, we're back!" Haruto cheered. "Thank the Gods!"
"See?" Ayana remarked. "I told you, patience. The wait might be long, but the outcome is worth it."
"Really? It only felt like I was gone for 3 minutes," Grishna noted.
They looked around at the chaos, and the empty arena, and they finally noticed all the injured soldiers on the ground.
"Is it just me, or did we just miss like, an EPIC battle?" Haruto asked.
"SOMEONE definitely fought here," Ayana remarked. "Look, there's Dachii!"
They all approached Dachii, who was helped to stand by Akari.
"Oh, it's you three!" Dachii realized. "Now you come back, after everything is over?"
Grishna shrugged. "Sorry."
Ayana put a hand on Dachii's shoulder. "Well, regardless of us, I'm proud of you! Taking on two powerful warriors and winning? That's impressive, especially for a human!"
"Ahem," Akari interrupted. "He had a lot of help."
"Shhhh, Akari! You're ruining my moment!" Dachii whispered. "Anyway, yeah! Me, Dachii, I am definitely a strong warrior among our ranks."
Akari slapped her forehead, but Ayana and Haruto just laughed.
"He's funny," Haruto commented.
"I know," Ayana agreed. "Hey, Dachii, how about you come visit us sometime? We stay in a village not too far from Asmana Forest! You should check it out!"
"Aye, you should come sail the seas to my home, too," Grishna added. "Us orcs would love to have a special soldier like you for company. What do you say?"
Akari waved them off. "Yes, yes, he can do all that in time. Now it's priority we get him away from this crazy arena and back to our home."
Dachii coughed. "Sure, I'll…try."
"Great!" Grishna replied. "Now, I'll have to find where Zar landed. His family won't be happy if I leave him behind. See ya, mate."
"We should get going too," Ayana said. "Haruto's mom won't be too happy he stayed this late past his curfew."
"Right, I forgot all about Mom! Later, Dachii! I've got to go!"
He took off running for the exit, and Ayana gave Dachii one last wave before leaving as well.
"What interesting people…" Akari remarked. "And also, you're never seeing them again."
"What?" Dachii exclaimed.
Marachii groaned on the floor, and Akari leaned down to check on him.
"Is he alive?" Dachii asked.
"He is," Akari answered. "But it's probably better if we get him out of here as soon as possible."
She slung Marachii over her back. "Now as for getting home, anyone have any ideas?"
Just then, a large ice dragon crashed into the center of the arena, and when it disappeared, General Fujii was standing in its place.
"Kenshi Fujii, at your service!"
Himeka's eyes lit up as soon as she saw him, and she pulled him into a hug. "Kenshi! Nice to see you!"
"Himeka! Sorry for leaving you to fight in a dangerous tournament on your own, but hey, you wouldn't be a General otherwise, right?"
She winked at him. "Right!"
He then walked up to Kanai. "Vice-General Kanai! Still kicking, I see!"
Kanai rolled her eyes. "No thanks to you."
"Same attitude as well. Heh."
He noticed Tsugumi, Tetsuya, and Kazue. "Look at this new trio! Kazue, how's your magic looking?"
"Uhm…" she stammered. "It's looking well, sir."
"Nice! And as for these two, I assume they're finally getting along?"
Both Tetsuya and Tsugumi shared a look before abruptly looking away. "Guess that means yes!"
He turned his head, peeping Squad S-1, who were gathered together. "Look at you guys! Growing fast on me, aren't ya?"
"Hi, sir!" Hikari greeted.
"General Fujii! How'd you get here?" Akari stated.
He rubbed his chin. "The old-fashioned way! With my own two feet!"
"You WALKED here?"
"Yep!" he answered. "Record time, too!"
He examined Dachii and Marachii. "Woah. You two have seen better days."
"Yeah…" Dachii groaned.
"It was crazy!" Hikari exclaimed. "Marachii got taken over, and Dachii unleashed some strange new power!"
"Oh?" Fujii lifted an eyebrow. "Now that is a story I've GOT to hear."
"Sir, there's one more thing," Akari stated. "That girl over, Aoki. Do you know her?"
"Aoki?"
Fujii turned around, but when he looked, Aoki was nowhere to be found. "She was here?"
"Wait…but…" Akari stammering. "What the hell? She was standing right over there!"
"Maybe…she's actually shy…?" Dachii coughed.
"HER and SHY do not go together, Dachii!" Hikari pointed out.
"I guess she's still avoiding me after all this time," Fujii remarked. "But hey, what do you guys think of her?"
"She's weird," Akari said.
"She's mean," Hikari added.
"She's…scary," Dachii stated. "But kind of cute."
Hikari and Akari both glared at him, but he simply just shrugged. Fujii chuckled, taking in the atmosphere.
"Well, I can feel the lightning in the air. Let's head back home, folks!"
"But how will we get there?" Hikari asked. "Don't tell me we're walking!"
Fujii snapped his fingers. "Don't fret, my young soldier! Your general always has a backup plan!"
Immediately, a massive tank crashed through the side of the arena, easily reaching the height of the walls.
"WHAT—-?" Hikari gasped.
Himeka and her Squad looked at the tank, surprise on their faces. "What is that? Is it a monster?"
Fujii pointed at the tank. "This, my dear comrades, is the King's very own special defense vehicle! It took me a TON of persuasion for him to allow me to use it, but due to the dire situation, he finally let up! And as for your driver of this lovely little thing…"
A window at the top rolled down, and Morino popped out, patting the side of the tank. "Hop in, kiddos!"
"Grandfather?" Dachii wondered.
"Are we all going to fit in that thing?" Akari asked.
"To be honest, I haven't actually seen the inside yet, so…how about we group girls and guys separately?" Fujii suggested. "Just in case it gets a little cramped."
"That's…one…cool…tank…" Dachii remarked, before passing out.
"Yes it is, Dachii," Fujii replied. "Yes, it is."
A large door at the side opened, and a ramp shot down. "Also, it'll be about a 4-hour drive home since this thing is low on fuel, so everyone bring some snacks!"
Kazue sighed. "I'm on it."
And one by one, they started entering the giant tank.
Meanwhile, in a castle…
Mar hung his head down as he walked through the hallways of the castle. The area seemed unnaturally quiet, and he finally made his way to his destination: the throne room.
"Mar…"
On the throne sat the Master, who was accompanied by Akuma, sitting on the ground next to him.
"Master, I'm sorry to say this, but Ionix and Venire have been…defeated. Venire in particular is currently trapped in the shadow realm."
"She…will be freed…" the Master acknowledged. "So…the plan has failed…?"
"Yes. There were some unexpected occurrences, and that boy unleashed a power I thought only the strongest could use."
"The Unleashed Technique," Akuma muttered. "For him to use such a powerful move with such weak strength, he must have had a ton of willpower…"
The Master leaned forward. "They've tried their best…and that is all I ask for…now then…let us move on…to the next phase."
He snapped his fingers, and portals opened all around, dropping various Zharians out of them. Mar as each one landed and bowed to the Master, who stood up.
"Runea…" he announced. "One of my most loyal companions, your blade shall strike down the enemy where they stand."
She nodded. "Of course."
He turned to Melodar, who was strumming his guitar. "Melodar…your keynotes shall be the demise of all who dare to listen…"
"♫ Will doooooo! ♫"
He turned to a younger-looking girl, who had long indigo hair. "Sirena…you have the mental prowess of a god. Use that adept mind of yours, and cause havoc for those vile creatures…"
She blushed. "Okay, no problem!"
He turned to Mysteria. "Young Mysteria, your Element may bear resemblance to their powers, but your magic has no limit to its potential. Use it, and terrorize the wicked."
She giggled. "Anything for you!"
Radiux was up next. "You have a duty to your kin, Radiux. Use that strength, and the force of your vicious attacks, to annihilate those who would harm her."
He simply nodded.
The Master then looked toward a boy with wild, white hair and a carefree smile. "Galeth. You are a free mind and spirit, but the winds are yours to command. Go into battle with the air lifting you upward."
"Hehehe, you should join in, Master."
The Master then looked toward a young woman with long, flowing teal hair. "Vortessia, you still believe yourself to have much to prove, but let not even the fierce storms contaminate your heart. Harness it for your goals."
Her voice came out, quiet but confident. "I will, Master."
The Master then looked toward a young man with red hair, red eyes, and a fierce smile. "Ravos…let your passion burn through all your foes. Fight with honor, strength, and courage."
He grinned. "Like a true warrior."
The Master turned toward the biggest Zharian in the room, a massive man with long brown hair. "Ohara, crush all who oppose us with your sheer strength and power. Render them nothing but dust."
Ohara crackled his knuckles. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Master."
Finally, Akuma stood in front of the Master, who looked down at him directly.
"Akuma…you hold dark secrets in your heart, and an even darker one in your sheer being. Use your weakness and turn it into a gift. Cut down the fools who would dare curse you, and lead your Order into battle."
Akuma's eyes started to glow blood red, and he looked right at the Master.
"Yes…Master Titan."
Titan summoned a large greatsword and stabbed it into the ground, letting it echo all throughout the room.
"Let all those who would defy the Order suffer a fate beyond comprehension. Let us rise once more, and defeat the scourge of the Earth: The Voltian Empire!"
"YES, MASTER TITAN!" they all cheered."
"Your mission is simple," Titan ordered. "Find Dachii Jones, and bring him here, alive…"
Titan held out his hand, and a portal emerged, showing Dachii being transported back to Voltiana by Fujii and Morino.
"…no matter the cost."
—-