CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE: THE ACADEMY’S COUNTEROFFENSIVE PART X: THE PROTOCOL EXCALIBUR PART III: THE SACRED HALL OF RYUUJINN PART II: PRINCIPAL GUIDING FORCE

Reis walked to the teleportation crystal.

"Delay long enough and I will begin to attack students aboard Benedict's Ark" Reis recalled Galigaos' threat.

"For now I will grant you access to the protocol 'Excalibur' which will allow you to expel this foe from the Ark when you come into contact with him" Reis recalled the words the Academy's Director had spoken to him when he entered the Ark during the Fair in Ryugaeia.

Reis selected the location 'Sanctum Of The Water Kings'. He placed his hand on the teleportation crystal.

"It's finally time to end this" he said and disappeared.

He appeared in a hall with walls that appeared to be made out of ice crystals. Rivers flowed everywhere and one of these rivers flowed from the entrance of the Sanctum to its heart. On top of the rivers were bridges made out of gigantic water lilies. Reis walked on the lilies into the heart of the Sanctum.

There, he found Galigaos.

"I've been awaiting you for a while now" Galigaos said calmly.

"You didn't have to get any of the students involved" Reis said calmly.

"I thought I'd give you a little motivation. I know that by now you've garnered the means to expel me from the Ark so I thought I'd make things a little interesting. I challenge you to a battle. Technically, a battle of swords, a duel could be considered an exhibition of talents am I right? Whoever loses will be expelled from the Ark" Galigaos challenged Reis.

"You can't be serious" Reis scoffed in disgust.

"Oh but I am" Galigaos said.

"That is an interesting challenge but he won't be the one you will be fighting" a voice suddenly said from behind Reis.

It was a voice so familiar it evoked so many feelings. Galigaos on the other hand seemed shocked at first and then he began to chuckle in excitement.

"I too have been waiting a long time to finally settle things with you Galigaos!" the voice declared.

Reis turned around and saw a man with long silver hair and strong blue eyes but at that moment, his eyes were sparking threateningly. Reis was surprised to discover how much he resembled the man.

"It's been quite a while Reis, my son. I knew you'd make it here. Well done" the man said.

"So the Principal Guiding Force finally shows his face. Jinrai the Lightning Blade, no one's actions have ever blinded me as much as yours!" Galigaos declared.

"If that's the case then I'm very satisfied because it means Aurora and Jared are still safe" Sir Jinrai said.

For a while, there was a stare down between the two arch rivals.

"You intend to challenge me to a duel again Jinrai? Have you already forgotten how our last duel went? You ended up trapped in here while I was free to wander the world. Doesn't that tell you a bit of the power balance between us? While you've been stuck in this peaceful place, I've been traversing a world in turmoil. I have fought countless battles, even wars. That should tell you that compared to the last time we fought I'm many times stronger" Galigaos bragged.

"You talk too much" Sir Jinrai said.

"I must say though it certainly is an idea filled with merit that I trounce you in the presence of your son" Galigaos declared.

"After all this talk I certainly hope you are not disappointed" Sir Jinrai said with a slight chuckle.

Galigaos withdrew his sword.

"All these years, there is one thing I've only ever dreamed of. Delivering an utterly crushing defeat to that overly inflated pride of yours" Galigaos said as he rushed to attack Sir Jinrai.

Sir Jinrai parried his attacks with little effort but Reis could clearly see that Galigaos was aiming for a deathblow.

"If my pride is overly inflated, then I suppose yours is tremendously inflated" Sir Jinrai said with a slight chuckle.

Galigaos leapt back.

"Why are you not attacking, Jinrai?" he asked.

"I'm holding back for your own sake" Sir Jinrai said.

"How naïve do you think I am?! If you're not going to take this fight seriously, then die holding back!" Galigaos roared as he assumed the fighting stance of Irik the Devil.

Sir Jinrai sighed.

"I'm not bluffing you know?" he said.

"I've faced Irik the Devil's fighting style twice now and I used it once when Armageddon took control of me so I know how it works. It is a battle style that focuses primarily on dealing deathblows. The vitals are the prime target. But precisely because the users of this technique are so focused on dealing deathblows, you can predict where their attack will be aimed at and parry them" Reis thought to himself.

Galigaos stomped the ground and charged with amazing speed towards Sir Jinrai. Sir Jinrai took in a deep breath and the force of his presence began to permeate the Sanctum. In an instant, he had phased past Galigaos and sheathed his sword. Galigaos had an astounded look on his face. A moment later, his blade shattered in half and a terrible wound appeared across his chest. He fell to the ground, bleeding.

"H-How is this possible. You've been in this peaceful place for a long time so how could you possibly be stronger than I am?" Galigaos questioned Sir Jinrai.

"I guess that's what happens when you're stuck in a peaceful place surrounded by students each with the capacity to defeat the darkness plaguing their worlds. You underestimate this place Galigaos. Each of the students here is just about as strong as you are if not many times stronger and you did call this tussle of ours an exhibition of talents right? Well guess what happens when you can 'exhibit such talents' in a duel against such strong people with a timespan that exceeds centuries after all this place isn't subject to time" Sir Jinrai said. "I suppose you will be the one to leave Benedict's Ark…permanently!" Sir Jinrai said as his eyes reassumed their threatening glow. "I'll be taking this" Sir Jinrai said as he reclaimed his Crystal Key from Galigaos.

"I Reis Dragonhaart, student aboard Benedict's Ark invoke the protocol 'Excalibur'. Target; Galigaos!" Reis declared.

A bright light surrounded Galigaos and in an instant he found himself back in prison. His spirit was broken after he had discovered that his arch rival was many times stronger than he was. He would never attempt to escape again.

Meanwhile back aboard Benedict's Ark, Reis was so glad to have finally met his father after a long time.

"It's been so long, my son" Sir Jinrai greeted.

"Dad" Reis shed tears.

"Don't cry. Not when you're so happy to see me. I understand that this was difficult for you, our separation that is, however…it was necessary. We needed to keep the ones that would be instrumental in Armageddon's defeat separate from one another for two reasons. The first was so that they would not all be discovered at the same time and the second was so that our enemy would not discover what we were up to. I decided this with my wife, your mother and my father, your grandfather. Your mother took charge of raising Reia, your sister separately, your grandfather chose to raise you and I chose to protect and raise the heirs to the Saggeesian throne till they were old enough to join the Dragon Rangers. But it appears the time has finally come for a reunion" Sir Jinrai said as he patted Reis on the head.

"But why did Galigaos call you 'The Principal Guiding Force?'" Reis asked curiously.

"I honestly have no idea, however if I were to venture a guess I'd say a guiding force is one who lives out the virtues so strongly that he becomes an embodiment of the virtues. That's what Zan would call a 'Soul Of Virtue'. In living out the virtues, their lives end up becoming beacons for many others who come after them and you hear their names resounding throughout history, especially in times of great need. The ones whose lives guide an entire age in great times of need become known as 'The Principal Guiding Forces' for that age. They are like a star that shines brightly and pulls other stars with them. You could also call them lives great enough to affect many other lives positively" Sir Jinrai explained.

"Dad, while you've been in here, a lot of things have been going on, especially recently" Reis said.

"I'm aware of it all. I have been watching through the Ryugaeia here though I was unable to affect anything. I also saw you become Ar?lpheisl, the Wise One Of The Unison Courts" Sir Jinrai said.

Reis laughed.

"It was right around that time that things started taking a turn for the worse" he said.

"Well what do you expect? Before the Dawn arrives, there is a period of deep darkness in the night" Sir Jinrai said.