Bonds

[Date: 1/26 - Sunday]

[Time: 5:00 PM]

[Location: Sanctuary City - Northern Division]

I stared at Aermyth then held out my hand with the ring equipped. "Let's not waste any time..."

The ring began to shine brightly and awaken my Ryushen Form. My aura became different hues of purple and dragon armor began to materialize around my body. I was now covered in black and white, angular armor, giving off an intimidating and aggressive look. The sharpness of the armor also gave off a predatory vibe, as if I were constantly ready to strike.

The glowing purple wings were highly noticeable and signified flight capabilities or even the use of some kind of energy-based attacks. The armor was adorned with sharp spikes and claws, emphasizing its offensive capabilities. There were also several glowing purple orbs embedded in the armor, particularly on the chest, gauntlets, and wings.

Passion giggled as she bared witness to my new form. "In Mother Ryuni's name...you're so beautiful in that form..~ Mmph...you're just getting me all fired up and turned on right now!"

I smirked behind the helm of my armor, checking out my new armor that came with the form. I turned my gaze to Aermyth and got into my stance. "Let's take her down!"

{Mission START: Defeat Aermyth!}

{Easy Task: Break all Cores upon Aermyth's armor.}

{Normal Task: Force Aermyth to retreat.}

{Hard Task: Defeat Aermyth.}

{Luscious Task (Ambition/Passion): Liberate Aermyth and recruit her to your side as your Dragon Summon.}

I stretched and looked at Lust-E then smirked. "Ryujin Form."

Lust-E nodded and began to shift into her Dragon Form, her draconic energy flowing and sparkling around her. "I am ready, Master.."

I nodded and flew in the air, followed by Passion and Aermyth. Aermyth roared at us, launching fireballs at us from her mouth at high speeds. I began to evade the fireballs and pointed at Aermyth, Lust-E firing waves of energy blasts at Aermyth, each one landing their marks.

Aermyth spread her wings wide, letting out a taunting roar. She flew toward me at high speeds, aiming to ram into me, but Passion propelled herself forward, clashing heads with Aermyth. The two dragons growled as they began to try to overpower one another.

"Wow, they are really fighting that dragon up there..." Ruby said in awe as they watched the aerial battle.

"It's a sight I never thought I'd ever see. This is loco como el infierno," Mariana breathed, her eyes also glued to the battle above.

Passion let out a roar as she managed to overpower Aermyth then slammed her tail against her head, sending Aermyth crashing to the ground. Aermyth recovered and landed on all fours then let out an enraged roar, propelling herself back up.

Passion grunted as Aermyth rammed into her, knocking her higher in the air. Aermyth bit down on Passion's neck, causing her to roar and thrash about. Managing to finally shake her off, she flung Aermyth off her and Ambitia used her elven magic to heal Passion.

I rushed forward with a roar and aimed my strike at the core along Aermyth's right leg. "Lock-On!"

Lust-E locked onto Aermyth's core and ensured I couldn't miss my target. Landing a Dragon Destiny Flash upon her core, we noticed the core crack upon impact. Aermyth roared and the soundwaves of her roar pushed me away, forcing me to fly backwards.

"Those cores are not very durable...with a strong enough attack, I can break all six of them with just one hit. It sound ideal on paper, but it will take time to execute..." I strategized, watching Aermyth flying in the air in front of us once more.

"We'll stall! You just start gathering energy!" Passion called out, flying forward toward Aermyth with a roar.

Passion and Aermyth began clashing in the air, slashing their claws and launching powerful tail swipes to gain the upperhand on one another. They soared quickly across their air and rapidly clashed each time they intercepted each other.

Aermyth evaded Passion's next attack, rolling forward and knocked Passion to the ground with a powerful blow from her tail. She launched multiple fireballs at Passion then followed it with a beam of dragonic energy from her mouth.

Chloe gasped as she watched each projectile land their marks on Passion, covering her mouth. "Oh no! Will she be okay?!"

Lustie smirked as she watched, crossing her arms as she swayed her tail. "Will she be okay? This is Passion Longshen we're talking about here! Esoria's BEST dragon and the dragon Ryuni chose because of her undeniable potential and Dragon Soul!"

Flirtoria floated in the air, watching the battle while filing her nails. "It's gonna take more than a few powerful blows to finish off Passion. Passion has a natural affinity for battle. The stronger her opponent...the stronger her Willpower and Dragon Soul becomes."

Passion let out a powerful roar and laughed, her veins glowing upon her scales. She growled lowly and her eyes glowing in a predatory manner. She began to enter her Primitive State, her mind slowly becoming more feral.

Conroy watched the battle with a blank expression, twirling a strand of his hair around his finger. 'What the heck is this..? Her power level just skyrocketed...'

Passion launched herself toward Aermyth, roared and biting her neck, a bright red glow forming in her mouth then a large explosion happened. Aermyth let out a pained cry as she was flung in the air then she recovered, only to be knocked around more by Passion's brutally percise attacks and blows.

After gathering enough energy, I flew toward Aermyth and began to try and land powerful blows upon her cores, but she began dodging my attacks along with Passion's. Aermyth fired a powerful fireball toward me to keep me back, but I held my hand out, catching the fireball and using my Fire Energy to absorb it and add it to my already gathered energy.

"Passion! Keep her still!" I roared, flying toward Aermyth.

Passion flew toward Aermyth and began trying to strike her, but Aermyth was now on the defensive, evading and dodging each of her attacks. Finally, Passion managed to catch Aermyth off guard with a slashing blow to the top of her head, shattering the core on her head and knocking her down.

I formed a volatile orb of energy in my hand then fully charged it, causing it to expand. "Take this Sigil Bomb!"

I hurled the orb of energy toward Aermyth and it hit her, causing a volatile explosion and knocked her back. Naomi and the other grunted as the high winds began to blow while my Love Demons watched with glee.

"Wooo!!! Now that's a collaborative attack right there! Shiro! Passion! Keep it up you two!" Lustie cheered.

Luckie yipped and couldn't sit still, wagging her tails excitedly. "Yeah! Go Master! Go Passion!"

Romancia watched with a smile, her spirit energy flourishing around her with excitement. "This is so exciting... I've never seen Passion move with such efficiency before."

As the smoke cloud cleared, in total five of her cores were shattered from the explosion: Her helm piece and the cores upon her four limbs. The only core that remained was the core embedded upon her chest armor.

Conroy watched, his eye subtly twitching but he calmed himself down then closed his eyes. "Aermyth...Enough playing around! Go Berserk!"

Aermyth let out a tiny whine then grunted as the core on her chest glowed red and began to make her go into a primitive state as well. She let out a wrathful roar, her scales faintly glowing red and her eyes shining brightly.

Passion and I watched as Aermyth began to go into her Berserker State, bracing ourselves for the next phase. I looked at my arm, seeing the Crest of Sensitivity glowing more prominently on my arm.

'She's hurting... she's in so much pain. I can feel it..' I thought, my gaze returning to Aermyth.

"Target Shiro Moji! Kill him now!" Conroy commanded, his tone echoing out in the air.

Aermyth roared and launched herself in the air, ignoring Passion and turning her body into lightning, striking me at lightning speeds then knocked me to the ground with a powerful blow to my back with her tail.

I groaned as I hit the ground, then groaned as multiple bolts of lightning crashed down upon me, causing multiple electrical explosions. Passion tried to fly toward my aid, but Aermyth dodged her attack and bit down hard upon Passion's neck, causing her to roar in pain and whine.

"Yes! Get that Love Demon out the way and finish off Shiro! If he falls, Karma will have no one else to lean on!" Conroy yelled, a cold detached laugh echoing in the air.

Aermyth flung Passion to the side and opened her mouth gaping wide, charging up a large fireball, aiming it directly at me. The fireball turned black and red as she began charging it to full power.

"We have to go help him!" Ruby yelled out, rushing forward, but Charismari stopped her.

"If you go out there, you'll die.." Charismari said, holding Ruby back and watched Aermyth with a nervous sweat.

"We can't just sit back and watch him die! We have to help him!" Ruby yelled, struggling against Charismari's hold.

Aermyth launched the fireball at me, the fireball landing and causing a powerful explosion and the black flames incinerating the lush greens around us. Everyone watched in awe and distraught while Conroy's smirk widened.

Conroy, closing his eyes and chuckling maniacally, began to turn away to prepare his next move. As he walked off, he heard my Tribal Howl, pausing in his tracks and turning around. He stared at me, noticing me still standing and now tapped into my Jigoku Form.

'His Jigoku Form...also known as his War Form or Wrath State. However, it doesn't feel like a Berserker State...it's more controlled despite his appearance,' Conroy thought, staring at me with a slight smirk.

"Hmph... Aermyth! Do not hesitate! Strike him again!" Conroy ordered.

Aermyth stared at me, her gaze meeting mine and hesitating.

'You don't have to do this...You don't have to listen to him. Just listen to my voice,' I spoke to Aermyth telepathically, my Crest of Sensitivity glowing on my arm.

Aermyth stared at me, slightly tilting her head and her gaze softened for a moment.

"Aermyth! Do not make me say it again! Strike him down if you know what's good for you, you lowly beast! I made you and you will listen!" Conroy commanded, his voice reaching out to her.

Aermyth closed her eyes and grunted in obvious pain then she let out a roar at me, landing on the ground and charging toward me. I got in my stance and dodged her claw strike then evaded her tail swipe. I rushed forward and Lust-E locked onto her final core.

"Master, just destroy her core! Don't think about Liberating her! Destroy her now!" Lust-E called out.

"Wait! She was listening to us! We can Liberate her, Master! Let's try talking to her one last time!" Suru called out to me.

{Choose the Path of Peace.}

[Choose the Path of War.]

I noticed my options and everything felt like it was going in slow motion. I had an important choice to make, one that I knew could make or break everything about this battle. I felt my breath hitching, knowing both options had benefits and consequences.

'Obviously Aermyth is in pain...and I don't want to see her suffering like this. At the same time... there's no guarantee that she will listen to us if I set her free," I thought, thinking about what Path I should choose.

Time was running out, and I knew I had to make a decision. Before I made my move, a third option appeared in front of me.

[Choose the Path of Balance: Kill Conroy, Save Aermyth and Karma.]

As I stared at the third option, I knew what I had to do. "Naomi! Give Raymond the Thunder Cannon! Raymond come with me!"

Naomi noticed that look in my eyes, nodding her head and tossing the shotgun to Raymond. Raymond caught the shotgun then turned his gaze toward me. He noticed my serious eyes and my nod then looked at Conroy.

'I'm sorry, Conroy...but I have to do this,' Raymond thought, rushing forward and aiming his shot gun at Aermyth, firing a lightning slug at Aermyth's core.

The bullet slammed into Aermyth's core, electrocuting her and causing her to roar in pain. Aermyth was now temporarily immobilized and stunned, falling to the ground. She stared at Raymond, watching him walk forward and look up at Conroy.

Conroy stared down at Raymond, a smirk playing on his face. "Well, well, older brother. We finally meet face to face once again! I suppose it's time we finish what we started two years ago!"

Raymond stared at Conroy, handing the shotgun to me and stepping forward. "Conroy, this game ends now! You use everyone around you as tools, pieces to a game that you know you can't win!"

Conroy's smirk grew even wider at Raymond's words, a laugh escaping his lips. He took out a remote and pressed a button on the remote then his power suit flew toward him and began to equip itself to Conroy's body.

"Since everyone else failed to kill Shiro, I'll take matters into my own hands! Say hello to your next opponent, me! Shiro Moji, say your final prayers! It's time for you to die!" Conroy laughed, the helmet of his power suit appearing on his head.

Conroy's armor resembled that of a futuristic samurai with broad shoulder plates, a helmet reminiscent of a kabuto, also known as a traditional samurai helmet, and even a fur-lined collar, evoking the regal and imposing stature of a warrior leader.

The armor was primarily black and dark grey, which emphasized stealth, strength, and an air of foreboding. Red accents are used sparingly but effectively to draw attention to his armor's most dangerous features, such as the clawed hands, helmet visor, and samurai-esque swords.

"All Mech Units, attack Karma! Leave Raymond and Shiro to me!" Conroy ordered, pointing a sword at Naomi and the others.

Suddenly, a group of mech units flew out of the base and prepared to strike down Naomi and the others. I sent Lust-E and Suru with my Cross and Monarch Index to go help the others while I stayed behind to deal with Conroy with Raymond.

Conroy leaped down from the roof of the base then landed in front of the both of us, the visor of his mask glowing brightly. "It's time...for you two..to die.."

I stared at Conroy and my eyes shined brightly then I launched myself toward him. I went for the first strike, but Conroy evaded my attack swiftly, countering with a powerful knee to to my stomach then knocked me away with a powerful punch.

I landed on my feet and launched myself toward Conroy once again, combining my Wind and Fire elements together to create the Lightning Element. I began to launch strikes at him at lightning speeds, but each attack only met the air as he swiftly evaded and maneuvered around my strikes.

"You can't win this, Shiro! I can forsee your every move!" Conroy laughed, parrying my next attack then grabbed my wrist, draining some of my energy.

I grunted heavily as he began to drain my Life-Force, but I jumped up then drop kicked him back, forcing him to let go of me. I stood up slowly, rubbing my wrist gently. 'He can actually forsee my attacks..? Can he actually see into the future..?'

[Stamina has fallen to 65%]

Conroy chuckled and combined the Water and Earth elements to create Mud Element then launched a wave of mud toward us to wash us away then flew right toward me. I grunted as I maneuvered my body to dodge, but he read me like an open book, landing a powerful blue to my face.

Before he could land another hit, Raymond rushed forward and blocked Conroy's next strike for me. He pushed him back then aimed his Cerberus MK I at Conroy, firing three bullets at him per shot. Conroy dodged all three bullets then stomped his foot on the ground, casting a golden field around us.

'No way... that's my Luck Zone..!' I thought, my eyes widening in shock.

Raymond began firing more bullets at Conroy, but by a stroke of miracle, the wind currents caused each bullet to curve around Conroy, missing their marks and hitting the ground. Raymond grunted softly and began to reload his bullets, but Conroy took this moment to strike.

"Stand still," Conroy said in a commanding tone, preventing Raymond from moving.

Raymond noticed her couldn't move then groaned as Conroy smashed his fist against his face. Raymond stood his ground then went for a counter strike, but Conroy sidestepped and unsheathed one of his swords, slashing and landing his attack upon Raymond then knocked him away.

Raymond grunted as he rolled backwards and recovered onto one knee. He slowly stood up and grit his teeth behind his helmet visor. "He's a lot stronger than I anticipated...and faster.."

"How do you like my new power suit? It's named after Shiro...The Luscious Mech is the name of this unit. This is my ULTIMATE toy! It has all of the abilities retaining to Shiro and even some of Rebecca's, Ruby's, and even those like Kismet and Vance! You can't win! You can't!" Conroy laughed, stomping his foot down.

I stared at Conroy with a glare, reverting out of my Ryushen Form. 'If he has all of my abilities with my Nine Love Crests...this will be difficult to fight against. Not only does he have my abilities, but the abilities of my past enemies as well...'

'It will be like fighting against myself, except he knows me better than I know myself. He can forsee my every move... probably due to Sixth Sense that is available from the Crest of Sensitivity coupled with Unleashed State. This one is a tricky fight,' I thought, my gaze finding the gaze of Conroy's menacing visor.

Lust-E began to fire rays of Heavenly Energy at the mech units in the sky while watching me and Raymond fight against Conroy. "Shiro is in danger..! We have to return to him!"

"But if we leave Naomi's side to go help Master, Naomi is at risk of dying! I know you love Shiro a lot, but he sent us to help Naomi and the others for a reason!" Suru said, using the Monarch Index to blast away a Juggernaut Unit to protect Naomi.

Naomi looked back at Suru and Lust-E then heard a police car approaching with a few motorcycles following behind. She looked back and noticed Phoenix stepping out of her car. "Phoenix!"

Phoenix walked forward and took off her police jacket then tossed it aside. She awakened the Philosopher's Stone within her and fiery energy formed around her. "Sorry for behind late. I even brought Calista and a few of her Mafia members."

Calista smiled as she got off her motorcycle then walked forward, her dual pistols in tow. She looked at Dante who was on the defensive and fired a golden bullet at the mech units, the bullet piercing through the helmet of the mech suit and killing its wielder.

Dante looked back, noticing Calista then smirked. "Well, this is certainly a surprise. It's nice to see you again, babe.."

Calista twirled her pistol around her finger and smirked, closing her eyes then tossed Dante one of her pistols. "Let's take down these meddlesome Syndicates."

With new allies Naomi's and the others' morale was boosted and they all began to face off against the mech units together. One by one, each unit began to fall. In a few short moments, with the help of the reinforcements that Phoenix brought in, Conroy's units were all taken down.

"Yeah! We did it! We took them all down!" Chloe celebrated, wrapping her arms around Mariana.

Mariana smiled and nodded, feeling a slight weight lift off her shoulders. "Yeah, we did it.."

Axel noticed how outnumbered he and Conroy was now then decided to retreat for the moment. 'You're on your own Conroy. There is too many of them and I am not gonna call my forces just to have them fall..'

Conroy noticed Naomi and her allies in the distance as well as his fallen allies then smirked behind his helmet. "Oh...so you think you have me beaten?! Axel! Come out and help with defeating Karma!"

There was no response and Conroy brought up a digital interface inside his mask, looking inside the base and his eyes slightly widened as he noticed his own figure piece was fallen on the ground.

"No...you dare leave me as well and lay my figure on the ground as if this is checkmate?! You dare betray me as well?!" Conroy yelled then turned to face me and Raymond. "Fine...I'll just do this myself!"

Conroy targeted all of his dead units and began to absorb their essence and Death Energy, using Rebecca's ability to control death energy and its properties. He laughed as his mech suit becamed empowered.

"If you want something done, you have to get it done yourself!" Conroy bellowed, his suit beginning to glow red as he began to tap into his suit's Awakened State. "I hope you're ready for my full power! There's no way you can beat me! Luscious Mech: Deus Ex Mode!"

His suit began to hum with power and the visors of his helmet began to shine iridescent colors and the chest piece of his armor opened, exposing an iridescent orb in the center. Conroy bellowed as multicolored energy flowed around his body.

"This power! So this is what the Crest of Love feels like! This power feels amazing even if it's synthetic! I feel like I can take over the world with this power!" Conroy laughed.

My Crest of Love began to glow on my chest as I watched Conroy grow even stronger. I closed my eyes and began to awaken the Love Sigils within the women that were nearby. Chloe, Mariana, Naomi, Ruby, and Phoenix grunted as their Love Sigils began to glow on their chest, orbs of light entering my body.

Everyone began to notice orbs of light appearing from around the area and entering my body. Raymond watched as iridescent energy flowed around my body and felt my power level rapidly growing.

"Your Deus Ex Mode is just a fake knock off of the real thing! You are just a falsified version of what I am, Conroy! You can only imitate the power of the Crest of Love, but you can not truly harness its true power when you have no one to Love!" I called out then opened my eyes, my eyes glowing iridescent colors.

Conroy looked at me and his smirk grew wider. "I am the PERFECT version of you! I have all of your skills without their drawbacks! You can't hope to defeat me!"

I chuckled softly and multicolored lightning began crackling around my body. "Perfect?! No one can be me better than ME! Look what you had to do to imitate a fraction of my power! Now I will show you what the true power of the Crest of Love looks like!"

I let out my Tribal Howl, my aura surging powerfully around my body as I began to transform into my Redeemer's Form and mixed my Nigoku Form on top of it. Raymond grunted as my aura began to generate powerful winds strong enough to push him before.

Conroy stared at me, his usual smirk now replaced with a look of awe. "Wait...what is this form..? My data didn't show me this form..!"

I opened my eyes and my power beads appeared around my neck. I stared at Conroy, a serious gaze playing on my face. "This...This is my current strongest form. This is my Redeemer's Form fused with my Tribal Roots, my Nigoku Form."

"Conroy...you may not have my stamina drawbacks, but you don't have the actual strength needed to push your abilities to the level I'm at now. You're finished," I said calmly, my gaze fixated on Conroy and my aura flowing majestically around my body.