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"From I know so far, there are soldiers of doom roaming freely in our world again," Rowen states, "Logically, this means two things. The first being that someone has opened the gates of the Netherworld to let them through. The second being that someone is giving them very specific orders: to target anyone with an armor. Now, the last I checked, Kayura was in charge of the Netherworld, and things were peaceful. Except someone over there has decided to cause a fuss again."

Cye jumped ahead, "So, whoever is commanding those soldiers wants all of us dead."

"I couldn't say for sure, but it's a possibility," Rowen replies. "It's also possible that we're just supposed to be captured and have our armors drained of their energy for some purpose- as Talpa once made a sword out of your armor's power."

"I remember that," Kento said. "Man, I'm just glad we got rid of all those guys."

"It would seem, if Heavens is correct," Batrias put in, "That we have not. You have suffered some ordeal, I can see, Hardrock. Please tell us about it."

"Well, I'm not exactly sure what happened," Kento said. "Except I was running in the desert in my boxers, being chased by this huge worm and then I woke up on a table. I think...I remember seeing Dais grab hold of something or someone, and they both exploded. I remember looking back as I left. It was some kind of laboratory."

"So, it's a repeat of the same thing I went through," Sage said. "Ryo, what have you been thinking about?"

"A repeat, exactly," Batrias says, "Things are repeating themselves, aren't they, Korin of the Wildcats?"

The torn shadow limped its way into Tokyo. It took the long way around, knowing what the tanks and helicopters could do, acting like someone had invaded their country. The shadow hurt- all those attacks, then all those arrows. It had been dormant, almost unconscious, for a time, and it wanted revenge on those that had struck against before it had a chance to figure out what it was. It wanted to rage upon those who had presumed it evil, when, in fact, it didn't know what it wanted.

---

Rowen stood up at once, and then grabbed his side. Something there felt a little off. "Damn it, we didn't get rid of it!"

Outside, a parked car exploded in a ball of flames.

"Wait a moment," Batrias says. "I thought someone said that the Inferno Armor had been destroyed. Was I lied to, or did someone discover another Inferno?"

"Well," Rowen rubs a hand on his neck, looking to Ryo. "You explain."

Something else blew up outside the apartment, closer this time.

"Ryo," Cye says urgently, "Now's the time. If we can summon the Inferno to kill whatever's doing that, I say we go for it!"

"Yeah, Ryo!" Kento pumps a fist into his palm. "Let's get ready to rock!"

"I'm with you, Ryo!" Rowen exclaims. "Just give the word, and it's go time!"

"Heavens!" Rowen shouts.

"Hardrock!" Kento yells.

"Torrent!" Cye cries out.

"Nimbus!" Sage raises his voice.

"Holy..." Batrias murmurs.

Together, the five warriors draw their armors, while outside, the sound of a rocket firing and impacting on the street shakes the little apartment.

Batrias is the first out the door, his sword drawn, ready to confront the shadow.

The Ronin Warriors, except for Ryo, get into position while Batrias engages the torn shadow. Each of them gives their energy to Ryo, balls of different colors bursting into Ryo's own.

"Now is the time, Wildfire!" Batrias calls. "We can beat back this monster to the hell from which it came!!"

Batrias stops in his tracks, looking back at Ryo. He felt...something...he can't put his finger on it. Except, for whatever reason, he feels that he must fight the Inferno Armor as well as the black, ragged creature before him.

"Ryo," He says, "Whatever it is, resist it. We've a job to do."