Xastra shot by, and R.D. fell back, avoiding the blow with practiced ease. As the Sadistic One shot past him, R.D. aimed a hand, which held a shining violet-white sphere of energy, at his backside.

"Mega Flare!"

The sphere blasted forward, erupting into a massive wave of energy nearly ten times the size of the Sadistic One. Once it'd hit, the blast would unleash a torrent of explosions all around Xastra as R.D. dropped back down to the earth, landing in a kneel.

The world was bathed in dark, violet-black light as the Demi Bomb was created; it was an attack that had troubled them to no end during the fight with Bruno. Alasea watched on in horror as Xastra sent the globe of hellfire down at R.D., who stood there, watching. Yellow eyes flashed, and a memory of Sheena surfaced in his mind.

There was a terrible crash as the Demi Bomb hit, and its outer edge dug into the ground, burning away at it. But R.D. was untouched by it, standing calmly, holding an arm out at it. Between his open hand and the Demi Bomb was a single shining light, glowing gold against the dark color of Xastra's attack.

"Always we have to fight freaks like you," he growled, his voice carrying over the hurricane-force winds emanating from him and the attack. "Always pursued for what we have."

The light pulsed faster. "I'm not gonna give in to the likes of you, do you hear me!?"

Blazing light shone from the orb in front of R.D., rays of it blasting outwards with a thunderous crash. R.D. forced the light forward, and it erupted into a single beam of golden energy that crashed into the Demi Bomb, slowly pushing it backwards at Xastra. The beam suddenly grew wider, its radius larger than R.D. himself.

"I am the wielder of Lumiya, and I deny your power! Taste my revenge! Giga FLARE!!"

Rays of golden light pierced through the darkness of the hellfire, and a shining light arose from its center. The Demi Bomb was shattered as the massive beam ripped through it, incinerating the air as it sped towards the Sadistic One.

Even as the Giga Flare was pushed back, R.D. grit his teeth and stood firm. The point of the attack was curling in on itself, spiraling into a point. R.D. smirked, and leapt forward. His body dove into the Giga Flare, letting it blaze around him as it drilled its way through Xastra's attack. The opposing beam was breaking part, exploding outwards in a furious chain reaction. He could feel his armor being melted, becoming hot, from the friction of the attacks, but R.D. wouldn't let it stop him.

"Shell!"

The propeller on his back began to spin rapidly, launching him forward. The energy accelerator spun rapidly, sucking the Giga Flare into itself, and even some of the dark energy of Xastra's attack. It burned through the Shell Bullet, and the armor felt aflame. It didn't stop him.

"Bullet!!"

R.D. screamed forward at the Sadistic One, barreling through his attack as the others watched on in amazement. As the energy of Giga Flare was completely absorbed into his fist, R.D. burst out from the dark beam's top right in front of Xastra, his damaged and burned armor glowing with the absorbed power, and his fist swung out in a brutal punch at Xastra's chest. As it traveled, shining gold and blood-red rays of light burst out in all directions.

"BURST!!!"

R.D. stared down at the being, and slowly lowered himself to the ground. His armor was burned and fractured; much of the Shell Bullet had been ripped away. Despite this, R.D. stood calmly, and activated the matter converter. As the central ruby glowed, the Shell Bullet was deconstructed and used to repair the armor. In a matter of moments, missing the angular helmet parts, larger arm, and propeller, the Dragon King Armor shone, good as new.

The visor slid open and R.D. stared at Xastra. Green eyes met red, locked in a struggle of wills.

"So, what?" he muttered, "You fought me just to show off your real form?"

Bryant gulped at the majestic site of Xastra, his true form. He couldn't stand it, it was unbearable to just to watch. Bryant felt his trigger finger tense, almost wanting to shoot himself, just so he wouldn't have to bear the tortures this creature could create. Then a gleam of hope came from Xastra himself. A favor. Bryant's eyes lightened, his life and the life of his friends could be saved after all. He, as did Veronica and Brandon, let out a sigh of relief

Alasea took a step back as Xastra showed his true form. Her heart was beating wildly in shock and fear, but she made sure not to let it show on her face. Her eyes looked over the enemy group, of Xastra, Lee, and Draco. R.D. watched Xastra approach warily, subtly shifting himself into a ready stance in case something happened.

Xastra's offer caught him off-guard, but he didn't let himself show it. He continued to watch Xastra, his teeth grit in frustration. "Fine," he said finally, "My favor is this. Leave here, and never return. Take Lee and Draco with you, and no one else."

"I don't need anything else from the likes of you," he spat, "There'd be a catch if it were anything else. Just leave. The likes of you aren't wanted here."

R.D. watched the three of them leave, making sure to stand as long they were within his sight. When at last all three of them had disappeared in the distance, R.D. took one shuddering breath--

--and collapsed.

"R.D.!" Alasea shouted, running over to him swiftly. She caught the teen in her arms and slowly lowered him to the ground, now noticing for the first time the various bandages beneath his clothing and hair. All of them were stained with fresh blood; the wounds he had taken at the hands of Dragon Drive FINAL had reopened.

Slowly, she brushed his hair out of the way and took hold of the Pillar's energies, using their subtle flows to heal him.

Once the creatures began off, Veronica noticed that they left the girl that the evil being possessed was now gone. She slowly walked over to the crater, passing Alasea and looking down there she was still, unconscious, at least that is what Veronica hoped. Veronica then slid down the crater and came closer to the girl, putting a ear to her chest. She could hear her breathing and could feel her chest slowly rise then fall. It was slight and slow, not the best sign in the world, but she was alive.

"Bryant, Brandon!" Veronica called and Bryant quickly slid down, followed by Brandon. Once they saw what Veronica was doing, witch was looking over the girl for any other injuries, Bryant knelt down.

"She's alive?" He questioned, Veronica nodded,

"Yeah, but she's not in a very good state, I guess when Xastra exited her body so suddenly like that it took a toll on her." Veronica guess and Brandon quickly picked up the girl.

"Then staying in this crater won't do her any good." Brandon said as he would then carry her up out of the crater and lay her down next to it, Veronica and Bryant slowly climbing out. Bryant saw that RD was currently falling over, but thanks to this Alasea, he was being healed, just as they were. He walked over.

"Hmmm...seems like he got a toll taken out of him as well." Bryant said thoughtfully and knelt down.

"We shouldn't keep these people on the cold floor like this, do you have any beds or something that is nearby?" Bryant questioned. Even if both would be fine, they each would need rest and what better place to do such than in a bed?

Alasea looked up at Bryant and nodded her head. "Just give me a moment to heal R.D. and I'll look after her, I--"

She was cut off as she felt Awai's presence in the immediate area. She looked up at his disturbed face and sighed at the question. She looked back down at her friend, whom she was still healing. His wounds were quite severe.

"R.D. just... showed up somehow. I don't know how, but before I could ask, Lee showed up. I tried to reason with him, told him I could help him," she explained, "He refused though, and tried to fight us. Then Draco showed up, and not before long, Xastra appeared."

She looked over at Maya's unconscious form sadly. "He challenged R.D. to a battle. He accepted, and the two fought. It was... I don't know how to put it," she continued, "R.D. actually won. He defeated Xastra in a one-on-one fight.

"Then he showed his true form," she said bitterly, looking back up at Awai. "He tricked us into fighting him. The battle between him and R.D. overloaded Maya's body. It allowed him to escape into his true form, and that he could reach his full power. He granted R.D. one favor, and all R.D. asked for was for him to take Lee and Draco and leave this place, and not come back."

She looked back down at Maya and R.D.. "R.D. passed out once they left. He's still alive, and so is Maya."

Despite the healing, R.D. did not wake up, his mind having taken too much of a beating for it to recover immediately. Alasea smiled in thanks at Mercy and looked over at Maya. "Think you can heal her the same way, kiddo?" she asked kindly.

She stood up and looked at Awai wearily. "He's an Ancient, Awai," she said, "His form was that of an Ancient."

She lifted her hand, and a misty window appeared beside her. Silently, it showed the final stretch of the battle between R.D.; where the Giga Flare smashed through the Demi Bomb and when R.D. absorbed both his own attack and some of Xastra's to deliver a final, crushing blow to the Sadistic One. The scene progressed to Xastra's emergence from Maya's form, and the discussion between the Sadistic One and the wielder of Lumiya, the words muted from the world.

"I think I understand why he's got a grudge against Juno," she said, "Something must've happened between them in the past."

Brandon and Veronica stood up, watching the fight once more. They gave a grimace from when Xastra regained control of his true form. Brandon's eyes shifted to Awai and the child, suspiciously. Though they had no evil aura around them...he just didn't like them at the moment. Maybe all this time in jail made him prefer people with a mixed aura, not a pure good one. Either way he had a slight distaste suddenly for them. Veronica could sense this vibe off her brother in law and elbowed his side slightly. She gave him a look saying 'what's wrong?' he just looked down to her, plainly and looked back to the group. Veronica was only confused by this.

Meanwhile Bryant looked over RD some more as the child healed the teen, being sure the child didn't do something amiss to him. Nothing seemed off and so Bryant sat next to him, breathing out. Finally there was some peace and some more allies. At least at the moment he could just relax.

Alasea's eyes widened in real fear this time, but seeing how Awai was here as well, she didn't think there'd be trouble. Carefully, she reached out and took Kuro's hand, shaking it.

"Alasea," she said, identifying herself. "I thought you were dead."

"He is, sort of," said another voice, one much younger. Michael exited the trees, walking over with a smirk on his face. Alasea felt a sense of wrongness, of corruption, radiating in cold, sickly waves from the gray-haired boy. Inadvertently she snatched her hand away from Kuro's and put it on her sword. This one she did not trust at all.

Michael, on the other hand, completely ignored the action and went on talking. "He didn't want to be in Heaven, and Hell's a bit against taking him in, so Kuro's soul is free to wander as it pleases."

"Seeing the kid beat Xastra into the ground was a bit more entertaining," he said offhandedly, "I enjoy watching interesting battles, seeing how your Seven Beasts pretty much wrecked all of the entertainment on the planet."

Alasea's eyes narrowed as she stared at Michael. She didn't like the feel of his power, or of the wrongess wafting off of him. "Who are you?" she demanded, keeping her hand on the hilt of the Megami Tsurugi.

"The product of society's failure," the boy returned, "A pleasure to meet a hottie such as yourself."

The young man suddenly frowned and used a bit of conjured water to put out the flame on his hair on the side of his head. Alasea had responded by firing a beam of fire from her hand at him, deliberately missing. "Alright, I get the picture," he muttered, "No flirting. Gotcha."

Michael shrugged. "It's not like his name matters to me," he said, "I haven't found a book talking about him yet."

"So what is his name?" Alasea asked for former Dark Balance.

"Wonderful," Alasea muttered, looking off into the distance, "So now he's got your power and the Seven under his command."

She looked off over to Shayol Ghul, "Meanwhile, He's just biding His time for the right moment to strike."

"What can I say?" Michael said, laughing, "Life's a bitch."

"He won't," Alasea said quietly, watching the dark, floating mass, "He'll just wait until Xastra is defeated, or weakened greatly. Whoever wins the battle, the other side will be diminished... and then... He'll have the perfect opportunity to wipe them all out."

She looked down at the ground, troubled by the burden placed on her and the other four Daughters of Dawn. "He's really patient... He's waited all of these years. He can wait a little longer."