"What are you talking about?" Matt looked up as well.

Alasea looked up, and soon saw what the girl met--above them was a sea of blackness. There was not a single silver cloud to be seen. "What in the world...?" she muttered, squinting. She looked harder.

Then she realized it. The silver clouds weren't just gone--the black ones were missing as well. It was a filmy barrier of pitch black.

Barrier.

Alasea cursed. "Matt, we've been had!" she shouted, twisting to look at him. All around her, her wards suddenly triggered, causing lights to flash in the short distance surrounding their camp. The air distorted and colored altered before their eyes as the barrier set into place all around them.

"I TOLD you it was a trap!" Matt snapped. "But NOOOOOOO. We had to stop in the middle of the obviously evil booby-trapped forest, you DINGBAT!"

"Shut up and get ready!" Hugo cried out. "Helena! Fire wall! I want whatever comes in here to BURN!"

"Got it!" The weredragon threw out her claws and exhumed a burst of flame. Controlled by her power, the flame crawled around the camp in a ring, springing up with a whoosh.

Lightning flashed overhead, highlighting the unusual color in the barrier. Movement flickered at the edges of the clearing; something was in the forest, surrounding them. Ileyna took to the air, calling upon her powers as Alasea drew her own weapon and began weaving protection spells for the others.

And then he stepped out into the clearing, across from the group. The light from the flames danced off the sleek black armor he wore, casting him in an eerie glow. The sharp V shape of his helmet's visor glowed an infernal red. Upon seeing the man, the color drained from Alasea's face.

She stepped back, her expression twisting into abject horror. "No," she breathed. "It can't be you."

The man in black continued forward at a slow pace.

"It can't be you!" Alasea cried, backing up in fear. Her hands began trembling.

Clenching his fists, Matt swerved his glance around at the newcomer.

"Who is he?!" Ileyna exclaimed, beginning to freak out.

"Daemonus," Alasea whispered in fear.

Daemonus stepped through the flames, which licked at his armor and black cape without even harming him in the slightest. "Perceptive," the man said in a cold, booming voice. "Just as Re-Tuul said you were. Yes... I am Daemonus."

"You wanna explain who this guy is, Alasea?" Matt remarked, slowly easing into a fighting pose.

"He's... the highest of Ziatoch's generals," Alasea replied, her voice still a whisper. Her whole body was trembling.

"The only thing that you must know about me is that I am your executioner," Daemonus said. He lifted up his right hand, and something flew from his waist into it. He brushed a single piece of it, and the red jewel hovering above it elongated into a long, blood-red blade--a Phase Blade.

"Lord Ziatoch has decreed you a menace to be destroyed," he said slowly as he brought the Phase Blade around to grip in both hands. "Now prepare yourself, Matthew Willard. May whatever higher power you believe in have mercy upon your soul."

He settled into a combat stance, holding the blade securely in both hands.

"Because I will not."

"Whoa ho ho!" Matt laughed, raising his hands. "Someone's being really dramatic. I mean, I barely know you and you want to murder me. Well, I'm sorry."

He kicked his heel up, jabbed his foot into the earth.

"But I don't kiss on the first date, if you know what I mean."

Matt kicked out, pulling up a sheet of dirt and rock forward to fly at Daemonus head-on.

"Matt, no, that won't--!" Alasea cried, but was cut short.

Red light flashed as Daemonus swept his Phase Blade down, slicing the sheet in half. He pushed forward on his feet and attacked, blade flashing across to strike at Matt's head.

"Nyagh!" Matt yelped, twisting his body so the Phase Blade just skimmed the air down past his gut. His fist cocked back, then launched at the general's head, bits of rock condensing around his arm to form a gauntlet of earth. "Stone Knuckle!"

Daemonus released his Phase Blade with one hand, and thrust it out at the incoming fist, causing it to halt in midair. "Your powers are meaningless against me," he taunted, bringing his blade back up. He sprung forward, attacking rapidly with his sword.

"Shit!" Matt scrambled back, narrowly avoiding the swings.

"Capture Option!" Hugo's energy net shot out at Daemonus. "Burn him up, Helena!" The weredragon reared back, taking a massive breath to prepare for a flame attack.

Alasea felt energy charge the air as Daemonus swung out with his Phase Blade, and waves of sonic force rocketed out from him. The capture net was knocked out of the air.

"This is pathetic," Daemonus growled, stepping forward. "I fail to see how Re-Tuul and the others fell to you constantly. I fail to see why Malvettix would hold such an obsession with this... pitiful display of power."

"Matt, use the Phase Blades!" Alasea yelled. "Your powers won't hurt him normally!"

Oh, yeah! He forgot about those. Matt's hands dived for the Phase Blades, and with flicks of his wrists, they flared out with a whoosh of energy. "Come on, baby," he said, his feet juking and jiving in a little jig. "Let's see how you dance!"

"Hmph. We shall see."

With a flourish of the black cape, Daemonus rocketed forward, his Phase Blade cleaving down at Matt, and they began to exchange blows. Out of the shadows, more demons began to appear, other shadow-cloaked monsters with glowing eyes.

Hugo pointed towards some of the eyes. "Helena! Change of plans - shoot them down!"

On that command, Helena exhaled, firing a long blast of flame at the gathering shadows.

The darkened beasts snarled and roared as the attacks flew out from the camp, but it wasn't enough to drown off the sounds and flashes as Matt and Daemonus traded blows with their Phase Blades. Electric blue light flared as the blades made contact with one another, like sheet lightning.

Thunder rolled overhead. The demons began their assault on the others, screeching as they charged through the flames.

Hugo's G-Stone exploded into life. "Take 'em down!" the Mettaur shouted, directing the charge with a wave of his pickaxe.

Alasea's blade flashed out as the first one neared, sinking into the blackness on one side and coming out the other, coated in blood and sizzling. The demon snarled in pain as it collapsed backwards, and Alasea quickly drove the sword through its chest before it could continue to attack.

Daemonus and Matt soon reached a stalemate--there was no way to tell if Ziatoch's general was tired or worried; his helmet gave no room for interpretation. His hand was steady, and he held his ground. "You're weakening," he taunted," expertly holding back the two blue Phase Blades with his red one. "You can't possibly hope to defeat me like this."

"Yeah, thanks for the input, Vader," Matt remarked. Still, this guy's defense WAS pretty solid. Gritting his teeth, he lifted his foot and stomped the ground, quaking the earth immediately around them in an attempt to get Daemonus to stumble.

The shockwaves seemed to make everyone stumble, but even then they appeared to be ineffective against Daemonus. His armor seemed to gleam in the fire. Daemonus' twisted his wrist around, parrying the two Phase Blades aside in a single move, and lifted up his weapon to deal a deathblow.

"Matt!" Ileyna cried out from above. "Call the mecha dragon!"

Oh, yeah! They were back in Alasea's world, and that meant...

"Rise, Tamaran!" Matt called, and snapped his fingers on high.

It started off barely noticable over the wind--a dull roaring noise that was soon grew louder--thruster engines at full burn. Something in the blackened sky hurtled towards the camp, and smashed down into the forest with incredible force. The darkened beasts snarled as they backed away, and even Daemonus broke off his attack.

Tamaran stood up to his full height, blue optics glowing menacingly at the demons. A mechanical growl cut through the air as its long neck and head hovered protectively over the others.

"Good boy!" Matt laughed. "Now, would you be so kind as to smash these guys for me?"

With a snarl, Tamaran thrashed his tail about as a blue light began to blaze from his mouth. With a roar, the mecha dragon unleashed the Crystalis Aura, shining a brilliant azure light down upon the demons. Screeches of anger and fear cut through the air as the demons shied back and fled, unable to deal with the divinity-negating light. Even Daemonus stepped back.

But he still did not retreat. "So, you too can control the beast," he spoke, looking up at Tamaran. "Then, it is time to put an end to its threat once and for all!"

"What are you talking about!?" Alasea demanded, eyes going wide. This was a trap!?

Lightning arced in the distance, lighting up the sky--the black and silver clouds hung above them, discolored through the barrier keeping Alasea from teleporting them to safety. But behind Daemonus, in the forest, the lightning only served to reveal the silhouette of something gargantuan towering above them all, including the mecha dragon. Tamaran cut his roar shut to glare up at the black figure.

"... Matt," Alasea whispered. "Time to get serious."

"Sounds good to me!" Chambering his left fist near his waist, Matt crossed his right arm over his chest, angled diagonally. He slowly swept the arm in front of him - when his flat hand floated in front of his shoulder, he chambered it into a fist, brought it down while the other arm crossed in front of him. "Fusion!"

(OOC: ... was it really necessary to mention that?)

With a roar, Tamaran bit down on Matt, swallowing him whole. Instantly, as the two energy signatures between the Omega Essence and the Ao-Gem synchronized, the mecha dragon lifted into the air and began to transform. The head and tail split off as the body transformed. Claws snapped together into arms, the neck and tail reforming into legs. The tail piece and head quickly merged into the main body, and Doragon's head quickly emerged over the completed mechanoid.

Doragon's feet slammed down on either side of the camp, and in its chest, Tamaran growled menacingly.

"You might wanna back up!" Matt called from Doragon. "Things are gonna get crazy!"