Inside of a meeting room…
Yonemura, Kamenashi, Yakamochi, Hachiro, and Ryuu were all gathered in the Castle's meeting room, keeping tabs on the Masquerade and the Hunt. Queen Ayame and King Ayrad stepped into the room.
"Men! How's everything looking?" King Ayrad asked.
"Everything is going smoothly, Your Highness," Yonemura replied. "Dachii has shown more capability in battle from his previous fights."
"That's great, great."
Queen Ayame watched the screen intensely. "Make sure none of them hurt him. Not a single drop of blood, got it?"
"We will do our best, Your Highness," Kamenashi said. "Some fighters on the field are a bit bloodthirsty, however. It may get overly intense."
"And if that happens, make sure you stop it!" she demanded. "The things he can do when pushed are incredible, but DANGEROUS, and it would be very bad if we hurt our esteemed guest. Keep those Hunters in line."
"What's your real reason for this event, dear?" Ayrad asked.
"I want to see if we can witness his power in a more…controlled manner," she answered. "We still have so much to learn about him, and our enemies have a years-long head start."
She also held her hands together. "Plus, it's for everyone to have fun! Aren't games like this fun?"
King Ayrad shook his head and left the room. Queen Ayame rolled her eyes. "He'll come around. You all, keep a close eye on the Hunt."
She left after. Yonemura turned his attention back to the screen, where Malkrith was descending.
"You all heard her. Be ready for anything."
At the S-6 Mansion…
Toru watched as Malkrith landed in front of them, General Shinjii's team on his back. "Kumagai."
Shinjii hopped off the back. "Nice job disposing of those weaklings! Now let's see how you and your team do in a real fight, Toru!"
He drew his axe, and Toru drew his lance. "Well, if it's a duel you want, it's a duel you shall get."
"That's what I like to hear!"
They clashed weapons in an instant, both attacking at speeds that no one else was able to keep up with.
"Since your General is occupied…" Malkrith remarked. "Now we can target our prey with no problem!"
He lunged for Dachii, but Nishiyama threw her hands out and stopped him, causing everyone on his back to fall off and hit the ground painfully.
"Damn, what magic is this?" Malkrith wondered. "And how can it work on a beast as large as me?"
"I've got the big one!" Nishiyama called out. "Can you two watch over Dachii?"
"Will do!" Tetsuya replied.
"Man, oh man!" Noriko worried, biting her nails. "Please don't be strong, please don't be strong, please!"
A large whip of hair darted straight for Dachii's body, but he managed to avoid it. As it came back for him, Tetsuya batted it away.
"Only one guy I know has this magic," Tetsuya groaned.
"Ahh, so you remember me?"
A dancing Voltian came into view, his hair rising like snakes in the grass. "I'm flattered! But of course you would! It's me! The famous—-!"
"Umeda Atsushi," Tetsuya interrupted. "Yes, yes, we've heard it so many times. Didn't get picked into a squad, so this is what you settle for?"
Umeda's face turned red. "Shut your mouth! They couldn't handle how special I am, that's all! Bunch of shortsighted idiots, that's all they are, damn those Generals!"
His hair furiously attacked Noriko, Dachii, and Tetsuya, but Tetsuya managed to keep them at bay. "That all? No wonder you didn't get picked!"
Umeda did a furious dance and his hair grew even more, forming long blades that were easily the size of a tree. "Care to say that again?"
"Oh, crap—-!"
Dachii had to pull him out of the way of a blade, as another came flying from behind, which Dachii deflected again.
"His hair…" Dachii thought. "Wonderful. His magic hair grows when he dances. Looks like another version of Medusa."
"Dachii!" Noriko called out. "Behind you!"
Dachii whirled around to find a giant white "tornado" coming at him, almost like a spinning top. It knocked both him and Tetsuya off balance, sending them to the ground.
"What was that?" Tetsuya asked.
Once they both got up, the tornado subsided, revealing a messy-haired boy with dark eyes, and a casual, lazy smile. "Hello. I'm Shogo. I just used Spin Magic on you guys. Self-explanatory. I can make anything or anyone spin."
As if to demonstrate, his arms started spinning, causing mini vortexes that blasted everything back. "So, I suggest you hand the kid over. It'll save you a lot of trouble, and pain."
Tetsuya shook his head. "Never in a million years. We're gonna win this thing!"
"I don't think you heard me," Shogo stated. "Daigo. Show them."
A tall young man came forth, raising one hand and causing Noriko, Tetsuya, and Dachii to drop to the ground, unable to stand.
"I can't…think!" Noriko cried.
"I can't move!" Tetsuya shouted.
"Guys?" Nishiyama called out. "What's going on back there? I can't hold this thing forever!"
"No," Malkrith stated. "You can't."
Shogo yawned. "Daigo here is my best pal, so I know all about his magic. It's Vertigo Magic. Basically, your entire perception is inverted. You think you're upside down, but really, you're just on your knees, coughing and about to throw up."
"Give up the boy and it will stop," Daigo ordered. "My magic doesn't have a time limit. We can drag this out for hours if you won't submit."
Umeda's hair formed blades that pointed at the tip of each of their necks. "Perfect, you're right where we want you. Beneath my feet!"
"Guys, what do we do?" Noriko asked. "They've got us stuck!"
Dachii prepared to punch the ground with his gauntlet, but Umeda used his hair as a whip and wrapped it around his arm, preventing him from moving it.
"Nope. I already saw you use THAT trick on those weaklings over there." He gestured to Genji and the others.
"Oh, really?" Dachii said.
"Yes, really," Umeda snapped back. "I just watched you do it, you stupid buffoon, don't you dare insult my intelligence—-!"
"BULLET MODE."
Dachii's body began to glow gray, and he felt very light. Unnaturally light, even. In the blink of an eye, he was on the ground, and then…
BOOM.
He was gone.
"What—-?"
Tetsuya and Noriko gasped as Dachii reappeared behind Daigo, using a gauntlet to smash his face in. "Ack!"
"When did he get so fast?" Noriko asked.
"I don't know, but I'm loving it!" Tetsuya cheered. "My head feels clear again, let's take them out!"
He got up and charged at Shogo, who quickly had to spin his body around to keep Tetsuya at bay.
Nishiyama was still trying to hold Malkrith still, but Ken walked up in front of her, as impassive as ever. "It's impressive you can hold a creature so big, Ms. Kimura."
Before she could respond, he delivered a punch to her stomach, causing her hold to break and Malkrith to fall down, once again able to move.
"Good," he snarled. "Now I can hunt my prey."
She crawled back. "Guys! Guys!"
Dachii turned around, noticing Malkrith stalking toward them, while Shinjii and Toru continued their furious duel.
"Not gonna throw in the towel, Toru?" Shinjii laughed.
"Never, Shinjii," Toru coldly replied. "You know me better than that!"
"Great," Dachii noted. "We're outmatched."
Tetsuya, Noriko, and Nishiyama fell back, regrouping with Dachii as the opponents got closer. Umeda's hair stretched out, forming more deadly blades. "Well? Surrender!"
"Hell no!" Tetsuya insisted.
"Wait, don't be so hasty!" Noriko pleaded. "They've already got us trapped!"
"Come on, Noriko! We can't throw in the towel! Especially not on national TV! We'll be laughing stocks!"
"I'm with Tetsuya!" Nishiyama exclaimed. "I can't give up in front of thousands of potential fans, I'll lose my credibility!"
Noriko grabbed Dachii's shoulder. "Dachii, please! What do you think we should do?"
"It doesn't matter either way, honestly."
"Hmph!" she pouted. "We're gonna get killed!"
"Well?" Umeda asked.
Tetsuya batted one hair blade away. "Do your worst! Let's bash these guys!"
Malkrith laughed and delivered a loud roar that shook Tetsuya to his core.
"Umm…how about plan B? Let's run!"
"If that's your idea," Dachii said, nonchalantly. He grabbed Tetsuya and Nishiyama with either arm and bent down, allowing Noriko to climb on his back.
"Please don't go too fast!" Noriko shouted.
Dachii got into a jumping stance, and in one motion, he leaped over the mansion and was long gone, stunning the opponents.
"Hmm," Toru noticed. "They fled. Not a bad strategy, but I'll punish them for it later."
Shinjii, oblivious, continued attacking Toru, while Ken shook his head. "Everyone, after them. They cannot escape, lest another team claims them before we do."
They got back onto Malkrith's back, and Ken called out to Shinjii. "We're going after the prey!"
Shinjii briefly knocked Toru back. "Good! Grab him!"
"Shouldn't we bring him along too?" Shogo asked.
"He'll keep their strongest fighter occupied," Ken pointed out. "Which leaves them at a massive disadvantage. Let's go."
Malkrith took off after the group, leaving the two generals to duel it out in the Pit.
Meanwhile, somewhere else…
Fujii and his team were walking the streets of Asuka, checking every house and store they could find, even at the confusion of homeowners and customers.
"Excuse us! Coming through! Seen any Dachii and friends lately?"
After scouring some more houses, they finally stopped to take a moment.
"Where's the GPS pointing us?" Yoritomo asked.
"It says he's north, still in Asuka…" Fujii read. "Hmm, maybe he could be at one of the S-Mansions!"
"No way Dachii would be so foolish as to hide in such an obvious spot, right?" Aoki pointed out. "That is child's play."
"Well, let's start with Toru's mansion," Fujii ordered. "If he's in any, that's the most likely—-"
BOOM.
A loud thud sounded as an object landed in front of them. When the dust cleared, they noticed Dachii, with his teammates clinging tightly to him preparing to jump again.
"Oh crap, go, Dachii!" Tetsuya exclaimed. "Go, go, go!"
"Okay," Dachii replied.
Before Fujii and the others could process what happened, Dachii jumped into the air again, clearing rows of buildings and disappearing from sight.
"Well, I think we just found them," Yoritomo said.
"Right, we did!" Fujii agreed. "Let's go!"
As they started to move, Malkrith flew over their heads, moving like a speeding bullet.
"Hmm, seems we've got some competition for the prey," Fujii noted. "Well then, I guess it's a race!"
???…
Haruto's eyes opened, and he found himself locked in a dark, deep cell, with a bed attached to the wall and a sink.
"Where am I…? Hello?"
He stood up, checking his surroundings. The walls of the cell seemed old, ancient, and he pressed his ear to them, almost confident he could hear something on the other side.
"Voices…" he thought. "But they don't sound human. Have I been kidnapped by Voltians? No, they don't use material like this. Who did this?"
He walked up to the door of the cage and sighed. But as he touched it, it suddenly swung open. "Unlocked?"
He looked around before tiptoeing out the door, aiming to make as little noise as possible. He made his way down the damp hallway, turning a few corners. He then found an open door that he walked through, spilling into a large throne room, with a dark black throne seated in the middle. It was empty.
"A castle? How did I get here? I was just home!"
A voice spoke behind him, making him shiver and fall to the ground.
"That's a good question. How DID you get here?"
A "woman" was standing behind him, beautiful, but her skin was black, cracked, and her eyes were gray, and her dark hair was at her back. She had a blade in her hands.
"Well?"
He quickly backed away. "A Zharian? What? How? When?"
In an instant, she was face to face with him, and another Zharian, holding a guitar, appeared by her side.
"♪ Runea! What have you brought today? What have you come to sayyyy? ♪"
"On second thought, Melodar. I have a better idea."
Her glowing eyes pierced right through his body. "Haruto, was it?"
The mention of his name gave him chills.
"You're going to be very, very helpful to me."
—-