September 14, 2008 – Sunday.
The next morning, Taro opened another portal, just as he had the day before. This one, however, appeared larger than the last. He felt uneasy, but not afraid. He remembered the strength he gained from yesterday's battle against the goblins. Plus, his new blade was far superior to the wooden sword he'd used before. The only downside... he had to go alone. No Ema. No Vincy. No Yukiko. Just some of Enzo's magic. Without hesitation, he jumped in, sword in hand.
On the other side, he found himself standing in a silent graveyard. Dozens of graves stretched in every direction, each marked only by a skull symbol without names or dates. Taro walked slowly, cautiously scanning for anything unusual.
Suddenly, the gray eyes of some skull symbols began to glow green. Taro gripped his blade tightly, bracing for battle. Out of the graves, skeletal arms burst through the soil, pulling their bony bodies up from the earth. Each one carried a weapon... either stone swords or axes. Taro then dashed forward and began slashing through them.
Within seconds, the skeletons lay scattered around him. It was the first time he didn't need Enzo's help. But then, they began to rise again. Their bones reassembled as if nothing had happened. He tried slashing once more, but it was no use. He had a bad feeling about this.
And worse, more skeletons began climbing from their graves. Their numbers quickly grew overwhelming. While they were slower and weaker than goblins, their sheer quantity and ability to reassemble made them far more dangerous.
Taro retreated a bit, observing. He noticed something strange, the light inside their skulls. It pulsed like a living soul. He attacked again, this time thrusting his blade directly into a skeleton's eye socket. Instantly, the light vanished, and the skeleton collapsed, its bones crumbling apart for good.
He understood immediately. These weren't undead... they were vessels controlled by imprisoned souls. Destroying the light freed them. Without delay, he rushed back into the fray, targeting their glowing eyes. One by one, they fell and turned to dust.
But the glowing skulls on the graves didn't stop. Now, new ones began glowing blue. From these graves, new skeletons rose... but different from before. They wore cloaks and held staffs. These skeletons were wizards. Taro narrowed his eyes, clearly not pleased by the shift.
Meanwhile, at the Abodo's house, Yukiko sat in her room doing mathematics homework. Vincy, in the living room, was watching television with the volume cranked up... way too loud. Yukiko stormed downstairs, clearly annoyed by the loud noise.
"Oi kisama! What do you think you're doing?" She said, aggressively.
Vincy glanced at her, then back at the screen, his face blank... the kind of look that quietly insulted her, mocking her question:
"I don't know... maybe watching that 'clearly-visible TV' in front of you?"
"I can't focus! Turn it down!" She shouted, "Don't you have homework to finish?"
"Meh, I can finish it later," he said, uncaring.
"Oh! Quick question," Vincy added, why do you keep using non-English words while speaking?"
"Baka, isn't it obvious? I'm Japane–" She began.
"That's not the point, silly!" Vincy rolled his eyes, interrupting her, "I'm Italian, and I've never said anything in Italian."
"Can you even speak Italian?" She asked with a skeptical look.
"Not a single word to be honest," he admitted, ashamed. "Whatever. Fine, volume down... happy now?"
Suddenly, a breaking news report appeared.
"Aw man! That was my favorite show!" Vincy groaned.
"Oi! Turn the volume back up!" Yukiko demanded.
"I'm not your remote, you little–" Vincy muttered.
Before he could finish, she snatched the remote and turned it up herself.
The screen showed three portals had opened in Brookhaven: one downtown, one at the beach, and another near the park.
"Sheesh. Armageddon really went all-out today!" Vincy commented.
"Hurry and get changed!" Yukiko said, casting her {Equip Spell}.
"Again with that spell?!" Vincy shouted. "Teach me that when we're done!"
Vincy rushed to change into his costume. Moments later, someone knocked on the door. It was Ema, wearing her mask.
"Hey, you two! There's an emergency!" She said seriously.
"We know. We've got a triple trouble!" Vincy replied, putting on his mask. "I'll take the park. Ema, go downtown. And you handle the beach."
"What about Abodo-kun?" Yukiko asked.
"No time! People are in danger!" Ema said.
They all split up, heading to their assigned locations.
Back in the graveyard, Taro was dodging spells cast by the skeleton wizards. They fired in coordinated patterns, leaving no room to counterattack. Taro couldn't get close, trying to figure a new plan without getting struck by their spells. Then, he got one.
Calling on Enzo's power, he summoned glowing visual clones of himself. The wizards fell for it, blasting the illusions without thinking. That was their mistake, and their demise. Using the distraction, Taro closed the distance and struck... his blade stabbing the light in their skulls, ending them one by one.
After the last one fell, Taro settled down to the ground, catching his breath. Suddenly, his body began to glow faintly, becoming brighter and brighter than any moment before.
What's going on...? He thought, surprised.
After a few seconds, the glow faded... leaving him confused with no apparent change.
In an instant... before he could understand his pulse, a quake shook the ground. At the far end of the graveyard, a massive grave cracked open. Red light gleamed from the skull symbol on it, warning of something far worse to come.
A hulking skeleton stepped out, wearing a ronin's armor and helmet, holding two massive swords. Taro grabbed the sword from the ground, but he made a critical mistake. The ronin moved too fast behind him, it was a {Flash Step}, striking from behind with his swords.
However Taro could sense him, yet he barely managed to raise his blade for defense. The impact was so strong, it knocked his sword out of his hands and sent it away. He hit the ground hard as well, being unable to stand for a few seconds.
The ronin approached, raising one sword to finish him. Taro crossed his arms in front of his face, bracing for the worst... but something incredible happened. The glow returned, causing an unexpected move changing this terrible situation.
Back in Brookhaven, Vincy was fighting off monsters at the park while helping civilians escape. Ema did the same, guiding people with her {Falcon Eyes} and firing light arrows at those creatures in her way.
Yukiko found the beach empty, allowing her to focus completely. After defeating the wave, the portal began shrinking, a sign that the wave was ending... until it changed.
The portal suddenly expanded wider and darker. From it emerged a new figure: a knight in pitch-black armor, red eyes glowing beneath his helmet. He carried a massive sword, pulsing with dark energy.
She drew her second katana alongside the first. Without hesitation, she charged, slashing at him with both blades. He blocked with ease, countering her every move. She tried again and again. Still, nothing succeeded.
"This is pointless," the knight said, "you're wasting my time."
"You can talk?!" Yukiko gasped.
"I am Varnok," he declared, "I serve my king, Armageddon, and carry out his will."
He rushed forward, clashing swords with her in a fierce exchange. She landed a few glancing blows, damaging parts of his armor, but nothing major. Suddenly, he smashed the ground with his blade, sending a dark shockwave her way. She struggled to stay upright.
At that moment, Varnok charged with great speed, striking away her katanas in a single swing. She couldn't defend herself, and before she could react, a powerful kick struck her stomach.
Yukiko lay on the ground, stunned and unable to move. Her mask fell from her face on the ground. Varnok slowly approached, standing tall over her. He raised his sword and aimed it directly at her face.,
"Your courage is admirable," he said calmly, "yet you're not strong enough."
His blade started glowing with even darker energy. Then, raising it high into the sky, declaring:
"Perish for my king!"
Yukiko shut her eyes tightly, unable to move a muscle. The moment she opened them again... someone stood in front of her. He had arrived at the last possible second, blocking the fatal slash. Then he pushed Varnok away, creating a distance. TaroAbodo, who had just returned from his battle in the graveyard, unfolding out of his sleeve...
A glowing azure-colored shield!