"Step Three!" Matt said, raising a hand to generate a disc of energy that Hugo roughly landed on. "And this step is absolutely critical!"

Reaching behind his back for a moment, he produced a grenade in each hand, with a wide grin. "Chuck a shitload of grenades!" Laughing with the ambition of a madman, Matt began lobbing a never-ending stream of heavy grenades at Diablo. Some exploded, preventing Diablo from taking action, while others clustered around the demon, unactive.

Diablo growled in ever-increasing anger as each grenage exploded, preventing him from escaping and murdering the annoying boy. It wasn't long before he was practically buried in the human explosives, and he struggled to escape.

When I get my claws on that one, he thought furiously, I'll tear him into a thousand pieces!

===At Egypt===

"Here," Michael said, producing the pipe and herb for Gilgamesh. He turned his attention back to the battle. "You'd think those two would have learned their lesson for dying, anyway," he muttered.

"Step Four!" Launching himself down at Diablo by pushing at the air behind him with his legs, Matt created a large garbage can lid with a flash of light. "Seal abovementioned hole!"

Unceremoniously, Matt slammed the lid down over the hole, trapping Diablo inside as the lid melted into the earth, sealing the demon within.

"And now," Matt said, suddenly very serious, "we come to the last step of the Master Plan." He turned around. "Step Five..."

Matt suddenly broke into a sprint, running from the sealed hole. "RUN AWAAAAAAAAAAY!"

It was about this time that all of the undetonated grenades in the large hole exploded, all at once, with such astounding force that it blew the lid clean off and fire erupted in a bold, straight pillar upwards from the hole.

R.D. was knocked to the ground from the very force of the explosion, which sent debris and smoke hundreds of feet into the air. The explosion was defeaning, and the rumble continued long after the fire was obscured by the smoke.

R.D. pushed himself up from the ground and looked at the smoke, and the massive, jagged crater created from the blast. There was no sign of Diablo; it had seemed that the demon had been completely vaporized by the blast. R.D. fell onto his back and exhaled, exhausted. "We really can't keep going like this," he groaned.

"I suppose their IQ is the same height as their SQ." Gilgamesh said wisely, taking the pipe from Michael and lighting it with a tiny flame that floated over the tip of his thumb.

Matt had been flung into a dramatic roll by the tremendous blast, which was enough to disrupt the control he had over the energy disc that kept Hugo afloat. The little Mettaur let out a holler as he fell toward the ground, only to plop right on Matt just as he finished rolling and his body laid out flat.

"You SUCK!" Hugo shouted, kicking Matt hard in the back.

"OW!" Rolling over, Matt would've been able to swat the little robot if Hugo hadn't leapt away at the last moment. "Hey, what the hell are you hitting me for?! I freakin' blew him up, you should be thanking me!"

"After throwing me around like a PINBALL!"

Helena sighed. Thank God that was over. Flapping her wings at a slower pace, she eased herself toward the ground, to join her friends.

R.D. raised an eyebrow. He could hear a faint whistling sound in the air, and he stood up, looking around. Something caught his eye, and his head shot up. "Oh no," he muttered, then shouted, "Run!"

Hundreds of fireballs were raining from the sky, soon reaching the ground and causing hundreds of explosions. The rain of fire quickly descended on the group, rending the earth around them apart.

The smoke suddenly cleared, revealing a slightly charred and absolutely furious Diablo, his claws glowing red, his right arm held out at them. "Did you really think that'd be enough to stop ME!?" he roared.

"YES!" Matt shouted back at Diablo, completely ignoring the devastation that had happened around him. "THAT WAS THE ENTIRE POINT!"

Growling, Hugo released his lightning whip with a short gesture of his pickaxe. "You'd better have another plan, or we're screwed!"

"I think I've got one trick left." Taking a step foward, closer to the large cracks in the earth before him, Matt slid his hands in his pockets, eyeing Diablo. "Maybe it wasn't enough to stop you," the denim-clad said, peering over his glasses, "but I bet one more good shot can take you down." Taking his hands out of his pockets, Matt held out his arms and spread his fingers, leaning backwards. "Kaiseeeeeeeeeeer~!"

Noticing the new developments, Helena laid a claw on the barrier as Matt took his stance. This attack looked familiar...

Diablo's claw curled into a fist, and the deadly rain of fire stopped abruptly. He slammed the fist into the ground with earth-shattering force, and large pillars of stone burst from the ground right underneath Matt and R.D.

The amnesiac teen found himself thrown into the air, only to get blasted away as Diablo caused the pillars to explode by unleashing a gigantic column of flame beneath them. R.D. struck the ground hard, and it was all he could do from passing out.

"NYAAAA!" Matt cried out as the pillar suddenly expanded underneath him, sending him up and disrupting his charge.

"Watch out, Matt!" Hugo shouted, just as fire course through the column of rock, detonating it, sending shards of rcok flying. "SHIT!"

From the smoke, Matt shot forth, knocking aside the flying earth with the sheer speed of his movement. He landed as solidly as he could, with a bit of a stumble. Gritting his teeth, he assumed his full posture. "Now I'm pissed off." Rearing back again, violet energy quickly gathered to his outstretched hands.

"Kaiser Wave!" Throwing his hands foward, Matt launched a wide, dark violet fireball at Diablo, with such a radius that it could easily strike the demon's entire torso.

R.D. vaulted himself up onto his feet, watching as Matt counterattacked with a very familar attack.

He took long, tall, and ugly's attack? he thought distantly.

The Kaiser Wave slammed into Diablo's outstretched claws, and the force of the blow sent him backwards as he tried to fend off the attack. His talons were cutting deep grooves in the ground, before he finally sank them in and stopped, holding the Kaiser Wave before him.

The demon chuckled, then lifted the violet blast upwards, and threw it right back at Matt.

Beyond the barrier, something could be seen flying in. A draconic voice echoed in Helena's mind. Get out of the way, youngling!

Piercing the clouds, the cobalt form of Bahamut, King of Dragons, dove right at the barrier from an angle, intense amounts of energy gathering in his jaws. With a terrible roar, Bahamut unleashed the Mega Flare against the barrier. Light flared and thunder crashed as the beam struck. Soon, a massive explosion happened, and cracks spiderwebbed out across the entirety of the barrier, and within moments it shattered like glass.

Diablo spun around in shock, growling when he saw Bahamut hurtling through the air straight at him. The King of Dragons collided solidly with the Lord of Terror, tackling him to the ground, and soon the two powerhouses were a flurry of slashing claws and furious roars. Bahamut's wings and Diablo's back spikes shredded the ground, their yellow eyes flashed dangerously. Their tails smashed the ground, bringing up clouds of dirt and dust as the earth was shattered by the blows. Their claws and talons tore at each other's hides, and their bellows and roars filled the air.

Edited by RisingDragon on May 5, 2007 at 15:15:51.

Michael looked back at Houka with a grin on his face. Think I'm an idiot, eh? he thought amusedly. "What'd I tell you?" he chuckled, "They don't stand a chance."

Everything happened quickly-as Matt crossed his arms to create a defensive shield to counter the Kaiser Wave, Helena was ripped out the scene before her when she suddenly felt a large spike of energy behind her, rapidly approaching. As Bahamut's words reverberated through her brain, the energy grew even more intense. Uh oh-!

She turned and bolted, just as the Mega Flare smashed into the barrier, sending her flying with the impact.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Hugo demanded, crouching to reduce the sheer force charging past his body from the attack. "What the FUCK'S going ON?!"

Matt's eyes widened, his arms still crossed before him. "That's...Bahamut!"

The King of Dragons and the Lord of Terror met in devastating combat, tearing at each other like animals possessed. Uncrossing his arms, Matt bent over, preparing to rush foward. "About time we got some reinforcements!"

"Take me with you!" Hugo demanded.

"Hugo, though I admire your willingness to throw yourself into ridiculous danger..." Matt looked back at the Mettaur. "Do you REALLY want to get into THAT?"

Without waiting for an answer, Matt sped toward the fight.

Diablo finally mustered the strength and shoved the dragon off of him, throwing Bahamut into the air. The King of Dragons spread his wings and took to the sky, flipping around and unleashing a furious gout of flame, which swallowed the demon whole and prevented Matt from moving any closer.

R.D. ran forward, getting near to the battleground, just in time to see Diablo burst up from the flame near Bahamut and strike him harshly in the snout. The dragon roared and fell back, wrapping his tail around Diablo's talon and plummeting. Diablo bellowed as he was dragged down, and at the last moment, Bahamut veered off and released his grip of the Prime Evil, slamming him hard into the ground. Diablo quickly stood up, glaring up at the soaring dragon.

Edited by RisingDragon on May 6, 2007 at 1:40:12.

Kalmar nodded and listened as Ellie explained about the Daughters of Dawn, intrigued by this 'organization'.

"Who is this 'new girl'?" he asked after they were done speaking.

"Here I come!" Matt shouted, running at high speed toward Diablo and Bahamut.

That is, if his feet suddenly didn't stick to the ground, as if connected by sticky gum. With this sudden twist of events, Matt promptly fell flat on his face, nowhere near the ensuing fight.

"Oh, COME ON!" he shouted, lifting his head. "Why'd you have to mess up NOW?!" He frantically began trying to pull his feet free.

Hugo sighed. "Guess it's up to me after all!" With that in mind, he began running toward Matt and the fight, as fast as his little feet could take him.

R.D. crested the hill, watching the dragon swirl in the air.

Bahamut thrashed his tail in midair, growling at Diablo. In response, Diablo raised his claw up, and clenched it into a fist, causing red lightning to swarm about it. Bahamut narrowed his eyes as the Prime Evil pointed the electrified claw at the King of Dragons.

But Bahamut's eyes widened as Diablo smirked... and re-aimed the claw right at R.D..

A massive beam of red lightning exploded from his claw, hundreds of bolts compressed into a seething torrent that ripped through the air straight at the amnesiac teen, who was frozen in horror at the sight. There was so much raw, dark power radiating from the Red Lightning Hose that anything struck by it would be killed, and he was too shocked to dodge--staring into the face of death, and he flinched.

Bahamut streaked through the air like a cobalt blur, a sonic boom released from the movement. R.D. shouted in horror as the King of Dragons moved his gigantic frame between him and the attack. Bahamut roared in fury and pain as the energy crashed into him, flowing around and through him. The impact slammed the dragon backwards, past the wielder of Lumiya.

The crimson lightning suddenly cut off, yet it danced around Bahamut's form for several more moments. R.D. stared with tear-filled eyes as Bahamut released a mournful deathcry and collapsed.

R.D. tore his eyes away from the sight and stared at Diablo, hate brimming in his eyes. Power was filling him, causing him to glow in a bright aura. Behind him, Bahamut's dying body fell forward towards R.D., suddenly transforming into bright azure energy. The transformed energy collapsed onto the wielder of Lumiya and coalesced, silhouetting him as the light blinded everyone else. The roar of unleashed power obliterated sound.

===At Germany===

"I don't know," Ellie said flatly, "I just said I don't know anything about her. I haven't been able to talk to her, seeing how I'm dealing with you two."

Matt wanted to swear at the fall of Bahamut to Diablo's powerful attack, and dammit, he tried, but as R.D.. suddenly absorbed Bahamut's fading energy and let it loose, sound didn't exist for a minute. All he could really do was widen his eyes at the remarkable display. If he wanted proof that R.D. could pump out the same energy levels as he could when the heat was on, here it was. But what was he going to do with it?

Colors swarmed around him in a peaceful whirlpool of energy, as if it were another world. He floated in it, basking in the power that surrounded him. Yet it was anger and grief that permeated his soul as that power flowed at the edge of his consciousness.

"I never wanted any power. All I wanted was to protect my friends so they could live in peace. That's all."

His voice was being projected to everyone connected to him. To Alasea, to Matt, to Hugo, to Helena. To Juno and Mars, to Re-Tuul and others. Everyone heard his mourning voice in their minds.

"I still want that! I still believe in it!"

His body descended into the center of this strange world, the edges of his form blurring in a steady pulse. He lifted his head, revealing the determination in his eyes. He righted himself, and the immense form of Bahamut, King of Dragons, materialized behind him, curling his wings protectively around him, his face looking down at him, his tail coiled beneath him.

"And if I have to defeat this monster in order to achieve that goal, then I'm willing to give up everything!"

R.D. looked up, determination welling up within him. He opened his soul up, and power flooded into him. The Third Cipher had been unlocked. And as Bahamut's body seemed to disintegrate around him, R.D.'s body blazed with intense light in the strange realm.

"NOTHING ELSE MATTERS!!!"

===At Japan's Pillar of Dawn===

Tears streaked Alasea's face as she felt Bahamut's death from miles away. But her eyes widened as she heard R.D.'s voice echo in her mind.

===At the battlefield===

Diablo stared in shock and awe at the pillar of prismatic light that had consumed the boy. It had extended into the heavens, piercing the clouds and reaching through the atmosphere into space. But it was slowly shrinking, turning from a pillar of light into a maelstrom of power as it was absorbed back into R.D.

"Don't think this changes anything! I will still destroy you all!" the Prime Evil roared at the emerging entity as the light began to mold itself onto R.D.'s form.

The light broke, making a sound of shattering glass and revealing the amnesiac teen to the world. Full plate armor, colored in the violet-blue of the ocean and silvery-blue of pale moonlight, covered his entire frame. Violet and cobalt gauntlets clad his hands and forearms, ending with oval rubies at the elbows. His cobalt boots extended halfway up his legs, also with the oval rubies over the kneecaps, while the greaves covering his upper legs and lower torso were made of a silvery blue metal. The pauldrons were colored with violet-blue metal, and the cuirass surrounding his chest was adorned in cobalt armor, a large, circular ruby set into the center of his chest, flanked by two smaller rubies. A triangular kite-shaped shield was attached to his left arm, adorned with a dark blue edge, polished silver center, and a thin, pointed gold cross in the center. The helmet was cobalt, with a three-pronged golden crest, set with another ruby, rested in the center of the forehead. The face was left open, revealing the emotionless face of R.D., and his angry eyes, which once brown, were now a blazing emerald color.

He made not a sound, but the intense power of the Third Cipher energy radiated from him. Diablo snarled at him, and readied himself for battle renewed.

Gilgamesh nearly nodded, but then shrugged. "Eh, they seem to do fairly well for a duo of morons. At least they have figured out that concentrating power is for their good."

Kalmar nodded, having hoped that the woman would let something slip she was trying to hide.

He flexed his right arm and realized again that the limb was no longer corrupted. He began drawing power from the spirit within him, waiting for the corruption to taint his energy. To his surprise it didn't.

He formed a ball of energy into his right hand and stared at the opaque white orb. He quickly formed another orb in his left hand but this one was the corrupted energy he knew.

The two balls disappeared as the Demon Hunter realized what he was doing, and looked at Blazen and Ellie to make sure he hadn't missed anything.

"What are we to stop you? Go and find out about her!" Blazen said, almost commanding Ellie. Then a thought came to him. "Or maybe we can. Though I don't suppose you know where she is?" He questioned.

"You've got better things to do than harassing girls like us," Ellie giggled, "You should be fighting the minions of the Seven Beasts and such. I hear MegaMan Juno has made some army. Go to Kattelox, you... wait."

Ellie had suddenly felt something. A growing power at the mountaintops. She looked back and up the mountain.

"No way. That's where it's been this whole time?" she said, "Wierd. Hey guys, want something to do?"

"...the hell is that?" Matt asked, managing to get up without the glue on his shoes impeding him. He sensed a dramatic increase in power coming from R.D....he could only guess it was a rather convinenent awakening of another power of Luminya.

"I dunno," said Hugo, walking up to Matt, "but I bet that now we've got a chance to take Diablo out."

Helena also rose uneasily to her feet, her newly-grown tail flickering out in a improvised means to balance herself. She sighted R.D. and the power that came from him. Bahamut's power...he gave it to R.D.? Even now, it feels so strong...

(OOC: Um, aren't you up on Dokuro, Reckoning, and Electra, Juno?)

Clad in the Dragon King Armor, made from the very essence of Bahamut, R.D. stared at his foe as Diablo fell back into a ready stance, claws flashing. The teen's face was suddenly obscured as his helmet closed in, forming a dark T-shaped visor. He opened himself up to the Third Cipher energy, feeling his new armor embrace the power as well. A strange interface appeared in front of his eyes, locking onto the Lord of Terror and scanning him for weaknesses. He narrowed his eyes as the pupils in them contracted, and light broke into his mind. His only thought had a grim finality about it.

I'm going to end you.

While Diablo's snarl was menacing, it was nothing compared to the fury and hatred that R.D. felt for the demon right then. He rose into the air slightly and curled his limbs inward, then threw them out with a furious roar. A golden, flaming aura of power exploded around him, shaking the land at the incredible burst. Within a single moment, the thrusters that were imbedded ignited, and R.D. rocketed forward, the ground shredding apart along his path.

Diablo's claws, glowing with a cold light, flashed out in a vicious, twin-hitting strike as the amnesiac teen neared. With blurred movements, R.D.'s body avoided both strikes, and his blazing, armored fist rocketed upward into the demon's jaw. Pain blossomed in the demon's head at the raw power behind the blow, and his head was knocked backwards. That head was suddenly knocked to the side as R.D.'s shield slammed across his right horn and face, and sent downwards towards the ground as R.D. finished up with a Godhand-enhanced strike between the demon's eyes and crystalline horn.

R.D. landed on Diablo's arm as the demon staggered, and backflipped himself over and behind the demon, his back turned. With a sudden cry, he spun around and lashed out with an armored leg, his roundhouse kick striking the Prime Evil squarely in the back and sending him into the ground.

Edited by RisingDragon on May 7, 2007 at 23:09:23.

Blazen sighed, he wasn't sure if she were serious and it was important, or she was just going to send the two off on a wild goose chase. Regardless, Blazen nodded a bit.

"Sure, but what is it?" Blazen asked.

Ellie pointed up the mountain. "Up there is an extremely powerful weapon," she said, "Guarded by an extremely powerful monster. If you kill that monster and get the weapon, you'd have a powerful edge against your enemies."

Knowing it would have just the right effect, Ellie grinned and gave Blazen a sidelong glance. "Unless you're scared, of course."

Omega sat in a corner,eating a strawberry and wonders what's going on.