1.20: The Bond of Brotherhood.

The lieutenants decided to get rid of any of the soldiers who were still alive. Rodgers with the Smoke Prowess, whereas Kagutsuchi used Lava Prowess. These two sub-elemental Prowesses complemented each other in various ways, which made them a significant threat together.

"Did I ever tell you about the day I got my cowboy Hat?" Melvis asked eagerly to begin his favorite tale.

"Yes, you repeat it EVERYTIME we are in battle."

"WHAT! I didn't even notice; how many times has it been now?"

"EIGHTEEN TIMES WE HAD TO DEFEND, EIGHTEEN YEARS, SO I HEARD IT EIGHTEEN TIMES!!!"

"Oh yeah, that is why I never get tired of it, HAHAHAHAHA!!"

The two grown men kept quarreling, and that was a chance Genti knew he had to take. ("If I manage to get my way out of here, this will give me more time to find Su.")

He then slightly stood up to start crouching away, but yet again,

Crack!

He stepped onto a branch that somehow appeared to have been at the same place again, at the worst of times.

("HOW MANY DAMN BRANCHES ARE LAYING AROUND HERE DAMMIT!?!?")

He thought to himself until he realized that Rodgers and Kagutsuchi had gone quiet.

"Did you hear that, Kagutsuchi?"

"Branches don't break by themselves, do they?"

Genti held onto his mouth and tried his best to stay quiet.

"That does not amuse me at all," Melvis said with such an immoral face.

"What made you think that?" Kagutsuchi asked.

"I don't talk about my story because I want to make time pass. I say that story knowing that we have already won the battle!"

He began charging up spirits. "I don't know about you, but I'm about to eradicate a Bush!"

Kagutsuchi walked next to him and also began to charge up spiritas.

"You're wrong. I'M GOING TO MELT THAT BUSH!!"

Genti began to shiver as no matter what he would do; it would end up with them finding and eliminating him. ("THESE GUYS ARE BOTH CRAZY!!")

Right before they both fired their attacks, the female lieutenant came by. Rodgers and Kagutsuchi both stopped and stood still the moment she arrived.

"What the hell are you two doing?"

"US TWO?! No, nothing. We were…trying to see who could charge up more spiritas." Kagutsuchi tried to clarify.

"You guys were fooling around, or am I wrong?"

"Jeez, lay us loose, Lanna?"

Lanna Os-Blancos(3), the Three-star Lieutenant, had arrived. Still, while pursuing Leah, she caught more attention from Genti.

"Don't you see that we have a reputation to carry?" She said.

"And that is what I and Kagutsuchi are doing. You see that bush over there?" Melvis pointed at the bush where Genti was hiding.

"It looks like someone is hiding there." 

"Oh please, are you guys quarreling over that? Learn your roles as Lieutenants!"

She yelled at them as Genti breathed relief, thinking she had convinced them to leave.

"Rodgers, Kagutsuchi. Please stop this right now...because I will destroy that bush."

Genti then scrammed inside, realizing she was just like them both. ("THEY'RE ALL CRAZY!!!")

She began to charge up spirits, and they smiled and joined her. "Superb, Lanna. Responsible, but always cold." Rodgers said.

"Guess with the three of us, we might destroy the buildings behind it too," Kagutsuchi said.

"Just aim right and don't mess up."

BLAST!!!

The blast from all three lieutenants tangled and formed a devastating attack. Genti had no choice but to move, but when he looked back, he froze at how broad the attack was.

~LIGHT PROWESS: LIGHTS AND SHINE!!

~CASSOULE PROWESS: CHAINED ANVIL!!

TWIISHHH!! 

BOOOMM!!!

As Rin and Makoto appeared before Genti, their attacks clashed against the lieutenants. Franco arrived with Yuro on his shoulder, and Leah and Adrian joined the group. The entire Elite Force was now standing against the three lieutenants. Ado was still missing, but they remained hopeful for his safety.

"Guess we came to help you just in time, Shark boy," Franco said as he laid Yuro on the ground. Makoto looked at the lieutenants and came up with a plan.

"All right, everyone, I have an idea. Yuro, Adrian, do you guys think you could lure the other two again?"

Yuro woke up, and Adrian looked at Makoto.

*Whispers* "Do you want us DEAD OR WHAT?!" Adrian asked as he panicked.

"Yeah…I ain't going anywhere near that guy again!" Yuro added.

"That was not what I asked. CAN YOU, or not?"

They saw how serious Makoto was about this plan. They followed the others and yelled at their predator without doing anything else, and this time, they tried to attract a different enemy, Rodgers for Yuro and Kagutsuchi for Adrian.

"Hey, Scarf head, hope you'll still have hair on while chasing me!" Adrian taunted Kagutsuchi, who didn't take that very lightly. He charged up spiritas, and lava began to cover his legs. "So you want to die that badly?!"

Adrian took off while Yuro took advantage of the situation. "Hey, Geyser, hope that hat doesn't fly off when you turn into dust!!"

He tried to taunt Melvis, but he kept his composure. "Geyser? Really? That's the best you could come up with; how old do you think I am?"

The silence broke between everyone just as Yuro took a guess. "Nothing below 80!"

A vein bulged on Melvis's head as he charged up spiritas. Yuro used his fire to speed him up as Melvin went for the chase.

"Taunting us to separate us. Is that your genuine plan?" Lanna asked.

"You're wrong. I planned for you guys to set a homing zone for my attack!"

~FALLEN BLAST!!

BLAST!!!!!

Makoto fired his homing attack at full speed. Due to the charged-up spiritas, she could not react to it very quickly. But the light of his plan dimmed for the second time.

~HALO BLAST!!

BOOOOMM!!!!

Everyone was confused, thinking Makoto guarded his attack.

"Hey, Makoto, that blast right now. That was you, right?..." Adrian asked.

But Makoto didn't say anything; he froze in place, and so did Franco. A smoke screen covered the other lieutenants, but another person was beside them this time.

"That move is not yet at its best. To think you trained after all these years."

Makoto began to pant as sweat fell from his face slowly. Franco's eyes were wide open, only focused on the smoke screen.

"Guess who decided to arrive at the nick of time," Melvis said.

"Sorry, I wanted to see how you would fend for yourselves."

The mysterious man took out his sword and swung it fast enough for the smoke screen to disappear. Adrian looked at the man, then back at Makoto.

"WHAT!?!?" He yelled as the Elite Force glared at the man.

"You haven't changed a single bit, little brother."

"Malcolm! Where were you all these years?" Makoto yelled at him.

Malcolm Blake (4) is the elder brother of Makoto, but unlike him, he wields a sword instead of a gun. Malcolm was devoted to the Quarts and his role as the eldest son. However, their father disappeared before the 9th apprehension, leading Malcolm to form a guild to search for him. To his surprise, both his and Lanna's guilds were attacked and eliminated by Hajiman. They fought back bravely, but ultimately, they were offered protection by the AR if they joined them. From that day forward, Malcolm worked his way up to the top of the AR and hoped to cross paths with his younger brother to fight him.

"HEY NOW!! HOW DARE YOU CALL THE GENERAL BY HIS NAME!?!?" Dazai said as he arrived with Yaryura. "He is the man closest to the General, and yet here you are casually calling him out?!"

Franco and the others needed clarification. 

"Wait, Dazai? What are you talking about?" Adrian asked as Dazai took off their guild cloak and revealed what he was wearing. It was a blue shirt similar to the four lieutenants, with the initials 'AR' written on it.

"Do you get it now?"

Franco stood up, walked aside from Makoto, and quickly whispered to the others. "Team, I want each of you to take a lieutenant with you. Rin and Genti, you guys take Leah and fight the female. Yuro and Adrian, you guys know your opponent. Leave Malcolm to us."

Adrian hesitating to disagree with his choice, Yuro walked ahead and ran towards the right side of the city.

"He's yours, Melvis," Malcolm commanded.

"Rodger that!" Melvis replied to his order. He burst into smoke and then followed the trail of fire. Yuro left, and then Genti took Leah on his back.

"Rin. Since you're good at attacking while moving, you'll fight, and I'll hold onto her."

He nodded and followed Genti at the rear side of the city.

"Don't lose them, Lanna."

"Affirmative." She replied and formed dark crystals to skate her way to them. Adrian gave up on his fear and took a stand for himself.

"Franco, Makoto. Don't you guys die out here, alright?"

Franco had a dull face on him. "Don't die? You're one to talk."

He then ran forward and went to the left side of the city.

"Good luck Kagutsuchi."

"Not going to need it!! HA!" He then turned into lava and sank underground to chase Adrian from below. All that was left was Makoto, Malcolm, and Franco.

 "I'm impressed to see that you guys split us up. But I feel like battles against one will disadvantage you all." Malcolm said.

"Well, why don't we put it to the test then?"

"NOT IN MY WATCH!!"

BOOM!!!

Another ronin appeared on the battlefield, landing right between Makoto and Franco. Before Franco could react, the man hugged him and kept his arm around his back.

"Well, isn't this a good reunion for us four!"

"Oh, BIG BROTHER!" Franco recognized that it was his older brother, Bison Cassoule. He was one of the ronins from the guild Frost Bite. At 18, he was just as strong as Franco and had a mythical prowess.

"Hey, Max. You'll scare the girls away if you keep that face on!"

Makoto came back to be. "S-Shut up. I told you guys never to call me that."

"Ha-ha! You do look like Mal!! What are the odds?!"

Unlike Franco, Bison had a tough time controlling the loudness of his voice. He always shouted what he wanted to say, which made him very unbearable to be with.

"YO! MAL!! LOOKING GOOD IN THAT BLUE CLOAK!!"

Malcolm had a vast annoyance against Bison, just as Makoto had against Franco. In the blink of an eye, Malcolm appeared in front of Makoto and stabbed him in his right abdomen.

"Gwah!!!"

"MAX!!!"

Franco tried to hit Malcolm with a right hook, but he ducked and hit him in his right eye with the pommel of his sword.

"AHHH!!"

Bison stabbed Malcolm with his Immortal Armament from behind but realized that only the cloak was hanging on his claws. He looked around but couldn't see Malcolm anywhere.

~BEAST PROWESS: ONE MILLION SENSES!

He gained the eye of a Bison and, in a fast-paced reaction, blocked Malcolmm's attack from above.

"Beast Prowess. I hate that move." Malcolm said, retracting his sword.

"I'll show you hate!!"

They began clashing and vanishing all over the place, guarding every one of their attacks. Malcolm then took a stance aside and summoned his second blade.

~Sallie!!

This one had a Salamander's head at its central ridge and a hole where the mouth was. And instead of a rain-guard, it had a lip plate where he positioned his mouth.

~Heavenly Salamander: CHESLINE'S PIPE!

FLUUUUUUU!!!

He blew into the lip plate; the eyes of the dragon then glowed blue, and a massive wave of blue fire burst from the point.

BWOOSH!!

He burned all the buildings that faced them into ashes. Franco cast a zone around him and Makoto to keep them safe, and Bison pierced his claws into the top of the building to stay above the impact.

***

Back at the Anti-Ronin hideout, the leader of the Five Generals sat on his throne, watching the fight from Dazai's camera. He was amazed to see someone who could fight head-on against the Vice.

"Azahii. Could you tell me who that new guy is?" he asked the Colonel.

"As you wish, General." He then displayed the file of Franco and then clicked his surname. It displayed Bison on the side. "His name is Bison Cassoule. He is also the son of the current Cassoule Star Trigger. He has the steel and bone prowess. Age of 18 and…"

"Wait, did you say bone prowess?"

He looked at Azahii. "That's correct, Sir."

He rubbed his fingers on the side of his hair. "If he attacks the Vice, does that make him an AR threat?"

"If you mean, will anyone strike a Five Star rating, then yes, that is possible."

After Azahii said that, he stood up and took his Immortal Armament. 

***

"!!!"

Malcolm found himself struggling against Bison's fierce attacks. Bison used his limbs and even grew horns on his forehead to launch a brutal offense. Despite Malcolm's attempts to parry the attacks, he lost his footing and could not maintain his stance. Bison's claws became entangled with Malcolm's sword in one particularly forceful blow, causing it to project away. Malcolm was left defenseless against Bison's onslaught.

"What's the matter?! Having trouble?!"

"Tch!"

It all came to the point where Malcolm got cornered between two buildings. "That marks that, Mal. TAKE THIS!!"

Bison charged at Malcolm at full speed. But as he aimed his claws at him, they suddenly shattered into small portions.

"Huh?"

"...?"

Bison could not move anymore and began to levitate from the ground.

"You did well, Malcolm. Let me take care of the rest."

"General?" Malcolm immediately took a knee down, in due respect. The leader of the AR arrived with his cloak and his mother-loving smile. He looked into Bison's eyes and held his finger to his face.

"You lose, Cassoule boy."

He flicked his finger up and left, and Bison flew through an entire building.

CRASH!!!

The building broke in half and began to collapse above Franco and Makoto's location.

"DAMMIT, this is bad!!" Franco noticed the danger through his one-eye vision and had to act fast.

~ZONE PROWESS: THE ZONE!!

BWONN!!

Franco made a barrier to shield him and Makoto from the falling parts.

"Nice try! But I would not make it THAT easy to survive."

The leader gestured towards the building and mimicked a crushing motion with his arms. As a result, the buildings began to compress onto them, making it difficult for Franco to expand the zone due to the limited space. Therefore, he had no option but to hold it for as long as possible. "Let us make it fun. I'll give you ten minutes to say your final words to each other. Make it fast, for I won't stop with the compression!"

The unknown mythical prowess of the leader: The prowess that can separate the strongest of prowesses, metals, or even solids. The power that took down the first Fushigiri King. He was the first Anti-Ronin recruited by Melvis, none other than:

MERCEDES!