The Final Battle: “I Am Fate”

Aris and Eron reached the front gate of the school. “I think it’s time for us to return home,” said Aris. “Now that the Dragonborn is gone, we don’t need to waste anymore time here.”

“But what about our mission?” asked Eron.

“The United Front can try whatever trick they want to stop our scourges, but that’s just a fool’s errand. They don’t know anything about the drug Dracolax X and can’t hope to live after fighting against overpowered dragons with their senses still intact,” said Aris with a demented smile.

“Of course,” agreed Eron.

“Come, let us return back to our world,” said Aris.

“Aw, leaving already?” said a voice from behind them. Aris and Eron turned around to see Yong with the Sanryu tied up in front of her. “Are you really going to leave your comrades behind?” she asked them nonchalantly.

Aris glared at the Sanryu with cruel eyes and said darkly, “I have no more use for defective products like them. It appears that they’ve lost their usefulness after getting captured.” The Sanryu shivered in fear at his words.

“My, no wonder you’re called the Yellow Terror,” said Yong with a smile and a clap of her hands. “You’re just a heartless and cruel son-of-a-bitch who incites terror into your enemies and minions alike. I can totally see you having no friends and really needing therapy. Perhaps I can refer you to a very good doctor I know in Seattle!”

“Who the hell are you?” asked Aris with squinting eyes.

“Someone whose parents didn’t leave them when they were a child,” answered Yong cheekily.

“I have no time to deal with this bullshit,” declared Aris, turning back around to leave.

Yong then instantly appeared in front of Aris and leaned close into his face, startling him and forcing his body to bend backwards. “Before you go, how about a challenge?” offered Yong with a straight face. Aris was disconcerted by the Celestial Dragon’s straightforwardness. Yong retracted back and stood up straight. “How about it, Mr. Yellow Terror? I’ve heard of your reputation before and I know that you love to take on challenges. Well, as long as there is a prize.”

Aris scoffed and asked, “What are you proposing?”

Yong held out her right hand and a bright white ball started to materialize on her palm. The bright light gradually dissipated, revealing clearly a smooth and beautiful pearl the size of a small basketball. The pearl’s surface beautifully went through a repeated sequence of delicate and exquisite pale colors: red, purple, blue, green, yellow, silver, white, pink. The colors perfectly blended in with one another and the sequence was seamless and almost heavenly. “I believe you know what this is,” said Yong with a tantalizing smile.

Aris couldn’t believe his eyes. “T-T-That,” he stuttered, at a complete loss for words.

“This here is my treasure,” said Yong. “If you win this challenge, I’ll give it to you,” she enticed him.

“Is that really one of the Fifteen Dragon Treasures?” asked Aris with drool dripping out of the corner of his lips like a hungry dog.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” teased Yong with a cheeky smile.

‘If that really is what I think it is, I don’t have to worry about working for this organization ever again and can take over the universe with one wish,’ thought Aris greedily to himself. ‘I’ll be the richest dragon in the universe!’

“So what about it?” asked Yong with a hand on her hip.

“Lord Aris, I don’t think—,” attempted Eron.

“Quiet!” ordered Aris harshly. “Name your challenge,” he told Yong with a greedy smile.

“If you can defeat the Dragonborn, I’ll give it to you,” said Yong.

“Ha! I’ve already defeated him! That means I’ve already won!” declared Aris arrogantly.

“Actually, you didn’t,” pointed out Yong. “The Dragonborn is still up and walking,” she told the Yellow Terror, “and I’ve heard that he wants a rematch.”

“What?!” shouted Aris in disbelief. “How can he have recovered so quickly? I knew that he couldn’t die, but those injuries I’ve inflicted onto him should’ve taken a few months to heal at most!”

“He was given mercy by Kannon and brought back from Death’s grip by Jizo,” said Yong like a cheeky know-it-all.

“This time, I’ll just have to knock him through Yama’s gate!” announced Aris cruelly. A demented smile was then plastered onto his lips and he said, “Interesting. I should’ve known that fighting the Dragonborn wasn’t going to be easy. Looks like he’s a worthy opponent after all. But I’ll show him that mercy doesn’t come a second time.”

“So I guess that you’ve accept my challenge, then?” said Yong.

“Where is he now?” asked Aris.

“Waiting for you at the top of the last stage,” said Yong. She pointed to the top of the school building. Aris followed her finger and smiled.

“Lord Aris, we should rethink this,” protested Eron.

“Shut up and follow me!” ordered Aris. Eron quickly shut his mouth and obeyed his leader. The duo quickly left for the school building.

Once they were gone, Yong made the pearl disappear and snapped her fingers, releasing her servants from their bondage. “We did it!” happily announced Miryu once he was freed. Yong flashed him an annoyed glare. Miryu gulped and shut his mouth.

“Are you three really this useless?” asked Yong disappointedly. “To be called defective products, you guys were pretty spineless to just accept his words. Maybe I should discipline you three more harshly next time. Maybe with a whip and some leashes.” The Sanryu immediately prostrated themselves before their master in apology. “Don’t think that you can please me just by being servile,” she told them with an evil smile.

Meanwhile, Aris and Eron walked to the school building and had approached the entrance when they were immediately surrounded by Tatsuya’s friends and the princesses and their Dragon Regalias. “What’s going on?” asked Aris harshly.

“Why don’t you play with us for a bit?” asked Sasuke with a smile. “After all, we need to pay you back for what you did to our friend.” His smile quickly became a scowl filled with hatred and vengeance.

Eron reached into his pockets and brought out a slip of paper, handed it to Aris, and said, “I’ll take care of them, Lord Aris. You must go destroy the Dragonborn. Auferte!” Immediately, Aris’ body turned into a beam of light and disappeared into space. With his leader now teleported to where he needs to be, Eron focused his attention on the group before him. He reached back into his pockets and brought out a stack of slips of paper. He then scattered the papers onto the ground. “Audi vocem meam, vitam tibi do! Verbum meum lex est! Servite domino vestro!” he quickly chanted. The slips of paper melded into the ground and gave rise to an army of giant earth monsters made up of dirt, rocks, and fallen leaves. “Ouroboros will win in the end,” declared Eron confidently.

“Well, we members of the Cultural Mythologies and Supernatural Research Club beg to differ,” said Sasuke with a warrior’s smile.

“T-That’s quite a mouthful,” commented Eron on the name.

“It’s not like we were the ones who thought up that name!” said Manami.

“Anyway, prepare to bow before the might of Ouroboros! Vivat Ouroboros!” declared Eron. Without any further discussion, both sides entered battle. As the army of monsters fought against the princesses and Daiki and Manami, Eron and Sasuke engaged in their own feud.

‘This is going as planned,’ thought Sasuke as he entered battle. ‘Now, it’s up to Tatsu to finish this once and for all.’

Aris reappeared on the rooftop of the school building. “I’ve been waiting for you,” said Tatsuya. Aris turned around to face the Dragonborn. Tatsuya got into a battle stance and was ready for round two.

“Well, well, well,” said Aris with an evil smile, “you must be starving for more pain, I see.” Aris touched his wrist and brought out his Dragon Regalia. “This should be fun,” he said with a demented chuckle.

“I have to pay you back for everything you’ve done up to now,” said Tatsuya.

“Oh? I’d like to see you try,” mocked Aris with a laugh. And then, like the madman he is, Aris quickly dashed forward with his swords poised to run Tatsuya through.

Tatsuya dodged the swords with a sidestep and landed an uppercut from under Aris’ chin, sending the Yellow Terror into the air. “That’s for beating me in our last battle,” said Tatsuya. Aris fell down and scrambled to get back up on his feet, however, Tatsuya took this moment to unleash a heavy punch straight at the dragon’s chest, pushing him backwards. “That’s for manipulating Mizu to take your drug,” said Tatsuya. As Aris tried to recover back from the attack, Tatsuya once again took the initiative and kicked him right across the face with a forward horizontal kick. “And that’s for trying to destroy the human realm,” he told Aris. Tatsuya threw another punch at Aris but was stopped by the latter’s swords clamping around his hands like a pair of tongs.

Aris’ face was bruised up pretty bad, but the Yellow Terror wore a very excitable smile—he enjoyed this ruthless behavior from the Dragonborn and relished in this bloodthirsty challenge. “You’ve gotten stronger after recovering from our last battle,” said Aris, “But that won’t change the fact that I’ll tear you down to shreds.”

“I still haven’t paid you back for all of the things you did,” said Tatsuya through gritted teeth.

“Oh? And what are they?” asked Aris in a mocking tone.

“First, all of those innocent dragon lives you’ve wasted by forcing them to take Dracolax and act as terrorists,” said Tatsuya, “And secondly, for planting a weapon of destruction to use against the human realm if this plan fails.”

“I’ll admit to the first reason, but I absolutely have no idea regarding the second,” said Aris.

“Ouroboros planted a golem to be used against the human realm,” explained Tatsuya. “But my friends and I were able to put a stop to it.”

“Seriously, I don’t know anything about a golem,” said Aris with a frown.

“Deny it all you want, but you better take responsibility for throwing innocent lives away just to advance your idiotic ideals!” Tatsuya told him.

“To be honest, I’m not much a proponent of Ouroboros’ ideology,” admitted Aris, smiling like a mischievous child. He pushed with his swords and forced Tatsuya back. He then brought his swords down to his sides. “Since you’re about to lose anyway, why don’t I just tell you my entire role in this?” offered Aris. “First of all, I am a very powerful man back in the dragon realm. I own Fafnir Bank, the largest financial institution in the entire dragon realm. It was because of my bank that Ouroboros was able to make their plan of using terrorists a reality. We were able to dish out loans to those who decided to live in the human realm and easily made them indebted to us through clever uses of business tactics such as rising interest rates by manipulating the trade market. Once it reached a point where they can’t pay it back, we offer them two choices: either we get them arrested on financial charges, or they can pay us back with their own life as collateral. This made it easy for us to distribute the drug and create our army of terrorists. The plan was a success!” Aris laughed maniacally out loud to himself like a madman.

“You bastard!” cursed Tatsuya. “Be ready to laugh in hell once I’m done with you!” He rushed forward and jumped into the air to execute Technique 64: Diving Dragon Kick—a descending jump kick aimed for the enemy’s chest.

Aris ducked under Tatsuya’s leg and replied with his own kick to the Dragonborn’s back, sending him flying forward and landing on his stomach. “My, aren’t we impatient today,” admonished Aris with a shake of his head.

Tatsuya climbed back up to his feet and said, “Don’t think you’ve won yet. I’ll defeat you and then I’ll bring down Ouroboros for sure. I’ll be the one to stop your messed-up ideology from being a reality!”

“Don’t get me wrong,” began Aris, “I enjoy being a part of Ouroboros, especially the freedom and power it gives me. However, I couldn’t care less about the organization’s ideal. You see, I’m not a revolutionary or heretic or cultist or whatever else you may think of. I only have one purpose in being a member of this organization and taking part in its goals.”

“What’s that?” asked Tatsuya suspiciously.

“One word,” answered Aris with a wide smile, “business.”

“Business?” came Tatsuya, confused by the answer.

“I am a businessman at heart,” began Aris. “The organization can do whatever it wants or use whatever method they choose to advance its goal for all I care. I’m not interested in the politics or the philosophy. However, there is something to be said about the economic side of it all. For example, if dragons are able to take control of the human realm, then all of the human realm’s riches will belong to us! And if I can help to advance their goals and achieve a high position within the organization myself, then once we win, I can take all of the riches for myself! Possessing the acute sense of a businessman, I could tell that this was the best way to amass the greatest fortune the universe has ever seen! And I could tell, too, that Ouroboros possesses a strong chance to make it a reality, what with the influence they have over the dragon realm and the destructive power they possess. I would be stupid if I let this chance slip through! Additionally, if the organization perhaps decide to not exterminate the human race in its entirety or only a portion of the population, I decided then that humans could very well be used for slave labor! I mean, humans are nothing but brainless monkeys anyway. So becoming slaves to higher beings such as us is becoming of them!”

“Why you—,” said Tatsuya with a scowl.

“However,” continued Aris, “I assume that the human race will likely become exterminated after all. So even though your race may not see the day when you all become slaves, we dragons will still win in the end and rule the universe like the days of old. But as I said before, I’m only in it for the riches. Soon, all of the treasures of the earth and of humankind will be mine! I hope human treasures aren’t just pieces of worthless junks…but then again, humans are pretty useless creatures, so I have pretty low expectations for their worth.”

Tatsuya let out a menacing roar filled with all of his anger towards the dragon and rushed forward with the speed of a rocket with his right fist tightened and pulled upwards ready to land a blow. He reached his target and brought down his fist, but before it could connect, Aris swung his left sword horizontally and sent Tatsuya flying backwards into the air. With Tatsuya now down on the ground and struggling to get back up, Aris dashed forward and wildly swung his swords like a psychotic maniac.

“You’ve already lost, Dragonborn,” taunted Aris arrogantly. One of his swords struck Tatsuya in the face from below, sending the Dragonborn up into the air. While Tatsuya was falling back down, Aris jumped up into the air and brought both his swords up, poised to push the Dragonborn back down. As he was about to bring his swords down on Tatsuya, he caught a glimpse of the latter flashing him a smile—one that was unnerving and triumphant, as if to say that this was all according to plan. The smile caught Aris off guard and his hands stayed frozen where they were.

“Now!” shouted Tatsuya.

Suddenly, out of the shadows, two mysterious figures (Nekoyashi and Torahime) jumped into the air and released a smokescreen that surrounded Aris within a blanket of thick smoke, hindering his vision and catching him off guard. The Dragonborn escaped from his view and he couldn’t tell what’s left or what’s right anymore. The only thing he could see was a world gone completely grey.

While falling back down, Tatsuya shifted his body forward and landed on his knee. Torahime and Nekoyashi appeared next to him, clad in their dragon slaying ninja suits. “Thanks,” he told them.

“You better not lose this time,” Torahime told him harshly.

“Of course,” replied Tatsuya with a nod.

As the smoke was gradually clearing up, Tatsuya caught a glimpse of the Yellow Terror’s right leg out in the open. He brought out the dagger he had received from Shurai from before, which was attached to his waist all this time and forgotten about in the last battle because of his emotions getting the better of him, and unsheathed it. With all of his strength, he rushed over to the Yellow Terror and drove the dagger straight through his leg.

Aris let out a painful scream. The smoke had cleared out by now and the Yellow Terror clutched his bleeding right leg. He flashed Tatsuya a murderous glare and said, “You really think that such a low trick can get the best of me?” He brutally pulled the dagger out of his leg and threw it away to the side. “I’ll kill you for underestimating me,” he threatened in a dangerous voice. Aris’ eyes glowed a bright golden color and his body began to change. Tatsuya jumped back and watched as his enemy transformed into his dragon form. Aris’ body grew to a titanic size and became the color of bright, polished gold. His skin was replaced with scales that looked like shiny golden coins, his face became reptilian-like with a flat alligator-like mouth, his eyes were pure silver with golden slit pupils, and a large beautiful tail with a sharp needle-like tip protruded from his backside. Leathery golden wings folded along his body and eight triangular fins adorned his body from his head to the base of his tail. His legs were like giant columns with sharp talons and his arms were thin and long with needle-like claws. Once his transformation was complete, Aris let out a terrifying roar into the sky. “Do you think you can still beat me?” taunted the Yellow Terror. “I’ll send you to hell right here and now with one blast.”

Tatsuya closed his eyes and took a deep breath. And then, with the stubborn confidence of a child who’s in over his head, he opened his eyes and shouted out loudly, “Do it then!”

These words startled Aris and made the dragon lean back in disbelief. He regained his composure and wore a nasty snarl. “If there’s one thing I hate worst than humans, it’s cocky bastards like you!” shouted Aris aggressively. He opened his mouth and a large beam of pure golden energy formed. “DIE!” he shouted as he released the beam of energy straight at Tatsuya.

Tatsuya brought his hands up and the Mark of Marduk began to glow. The invisible mystical barrier granted by the mark appeared and shielded Tatsuya from the intense beam. Despite being safe from injuries, the force of the beam still pushed him back.

Meanwhile, back down below, Tatsuya’s friends and allies were battling hard against the strong and durable earth monsters of Eron’s army. Shurai, who had by now completely recovered from her exhaustion, was smashing earth monsters left and right with her hammer when the bright glow of the Yellow Terror’s beam from above caught her attention. “Tatsu-kun,” she said softly to herself. Her eyes showed worry and her heart sank a bit as she wondered about his safety.

As her attention was turned elsewhere, one of the earth monsters snuck up behind her and held its arms up ready to hammer the Druk princess flat. However, before it could successfully carry out its attack, a snapping sound rang through the air and the monster suddenly exploded into a mess of dirt and rocks. Shurai quickly turned around and noticed the defeated pile of earth in front of her.

“My, my, didn’t your elementary school coach ever teach you to always stay focused on the game?” said Yong, shaking her head disappointedly. She appeared before Shurai and wore a mischievous smile. “Do want to go help your boyfriend so badly?” she asked the Druk princess.

“I—,” was all Shurai could muster in response.

“I’m waiting,” said Yong, leaning in with her left ear cupped.

Shurai lowered her face and her eyes became sad. “I want to go help him,” she said in a quiet voice.

“A little louder, please?” said Yong.

“Tatsu-kun has helped me ever since my first arrival here in the human realm,” began Shurai, “He was kind and he often spoiled me at his own expense. I’m not a smart person and I took his kindness for granted. But as I got closer to him, I realized that I’ve been taking advantage of him, yet he didn’t mind it at all. It took me this long to finally realize something that was so obvious. I know that I can’t just rely on Tatsu-kun to satisfy myself. I’ve done nothing for him ever since I got here.” Tears formed in the corner of her eyes. “What I really want is to repay him back for his kindness. But I know that I’m not capable of something like that. I’m not like the other princesses.” Her heart was hurt like it was slowly rupturing apart, and a very strange feeling began to overtake her. “And now, every time I think about Tatsu-kun and my desire to help him, my heart beats very fast and my stomach feels like it has butterflies and a very strange feeling washes over me.”

Yong heaved out a sigh and shook her head with a condescending smile. “Ignorance may be bliss, but this is really on a whole new level,” she said. “Listen, princess, I won’t tell you the answer, but I will help you find it for yourself.”

“Really?” asked Shurai.

“Tell me, what is it that you want to do right now?” asked Yong with a smile, her eyes shining brightly like glistening jewels.

Shurai closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She then opened them and said confidently, “I want to help Tatsu-kun!”

“Good answer,” said Yong with a wink. She grabbed Shurai’s shoulder and the both of them suddenly disappeared in a show of sparkling golden light.

Back on the rooftops, Tatsuya defended well against Aris’ beam attacks and stood his ground. However, the dragon didn't look like he will stop anytime soon and unleashed yet another beam of pure energy at the Dragonborn. And again, Tatsuya used the Mark of Marduk to defend against this attack. Aris was getting tired of the hero’s stubborn defense and decided to disrupt it. He picked up one of his dragon feet and stomped the rooftop, causing it to rumble and sending shockwaves that knocked Tatsuya onto his back.

“Tatsu-kun!” called Shurai, who had appeared with Yong on the school rooftop.

Tatsuya turned his face and was surprised to see her here with him. “Shurai, what are you doing here? It’s dangerous. You have to go back,” he told her.

Shurai rushed up to him and helped him back up to his feet. “I can’t,” she told him with sad eyes. “I have to help you somehow.”

“It’s alright,” reassured Tatsuya. He flashed her a smile. Shurai, once again, felt butterflies in her stomach and her heart speeding up a few hundred miles per minute. Her cheeks became a light red color and she turned her eyes away from him.

“So a princess appears to help you,” mocked Aris with a laugh. “If you’re really the hero you said you are, then why don’t you end me with your own power?” he taunted.

Tatsuya couldn’t take the enemy’s mockery of him. “Go,” he told Shurai. “I can’t have another incident happen like last time. I’m not doing this for your sake, but my own.” He then put on a small smile and concluded with, “If you somehow get hurt because of this, I won’t be able to forgive myself.” He turned to her and added, “I promise that I’ll end this quickly. And then we can go eat ramen together. It’ll be my treat, so you eat how much you want.”

“Tatsu-kun,” said Shurai in a small voice. She could hear the sound of her heartbeat filling her ears. This strange feeling had successfully taken hold of her and her mind went into a small state of shock before it hit her—this feeling may be strange and different, but at the same time it felt very familiar, a feeling that she instinctively knew because it is a primordial force that was encoded into the genetics of life since the dawn of time. “Is this love?” she asked herself. Before she allowed her mind to process more clearly, she grabbed Tatsuya by the collar of his shirt and turned him to face her and then leaned in forward. This all happened very quickly and Tatsuya found himself caught up in yet another incomprehensible situation. His lips and Shurai’s were locked in a deep kiss. However, this kiss was unlike the one he received from her before.

“By George she’s got it!” said Yong to herself with a satisfied nod.

Shurai finally let Tatsuya go. “S-S-Shurai,” stuttered Tatsuya confusedly.

“I’ll be cheering for you, Tatsu-kun,” Shurai told him with a smile.

Aris watched the entire thing with disgust and spite. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” he raged furiously. “I’ll destroy you for showing me such a disgusting sight!”

Suddenly, the Mark of Marduk glowed brightly on Tatsuya’s hand and a familiar energy filled his body. He could feel electricity coursing through his body as if he was a powerful conductor. His skin became a bright neon yellow color color and his hair turned electric yellow with electric blue streaks. His eyes became sparkling yellow diamonds with electric blue slit pupils. Bright yellow scales appeared around his forehead. A pair of bright and bold yellow lightning-shaped wings sprouted out of his back and blended in well with his new body that it looked like they weren’t there at all. The nails on his hands and feet became sharp claws. His mouth protruded forward a bit like a snake’s and his teeth transformed into serrated fangs with his canines protruding out. A long and elegant tail protruded from his backside and ended in a lightning-shaped tip. Shiny metal lightning-rod-like spikes protruded from his back, beginning from his neck and ending near the tip of his tail. The transformation was complete.

“What is this?!” screamed out Aris in anger. “This can’t be! What hellish ghoul just popped out?!” he cried hysterically.

Tatsuya pointed a sharp finger at the Yellow Terror and said, “You’re evil ends here, Aris. Be prepared to pay for your crimes in hell!”

Before Aris could have a chance to reply, Tatsuya dashed forward with the speed of lightning and unleashed a powerful kick at the dragon’s chin from below, sending him stumbling backwards. Aris couldn’t have possibly seen this coming—it appears that Tatsuya had also gained the Druk tribe’s signature ability of god-like speed. “That can’t be happening,” he grumbled.

Tatsuya used his newfound speed to his advantage and unleashed a flurry of attacks at Aris. He began with a punch from the left side, struck back from the right, dealt an uppercut from below, dropped a titanic kick from above, and executed a multi-hit combo from the front. Aris couldn’t do anything but accept these attacks, earning bruises on his face and being forced to stumble backwards. However, Tatsuya wasn’t done yet. He used his wings to fly up into the air and hovered above the Yellow Terror. He could feel the electricity running through his veins and decided to end this with a bang. He brought his arms to his side and focused on drawing out the electricity from his body like a supercharging battery.

Down on the rooftop, watching the entire thing from a safe corner, Yong knew exactly what Tatsuya was going for. Impressed with his idea, she cupped her mouth with her hands and shouted, “Alright, let’s end this with a bang!” And like a little kid doing roleplay, she held out a finger and said in a commanding voice, “Pika-Tatsu, use Thunderbolt!”

Tatsuya’s body successfully generated a ton of electricity, turning his body into a literal live wire. He held out his hands in front of his body as a way to focus his attack and shot it all out straight at his enemy. The giant intense electrical attack struck Aris like a divine arrow and encased him in a blinding display of electrical power. Tatsuya descended back down onto the rooftop and watched as his enemy was being practically consumed by electricity, letting out futile roars of anger and pain. Tatsuya's dragon transformation became undone and he quickly reverted back to his usual self.

Once the electrical assault was over, Tatsuya noticed his enemy’s body had become darkened like charcoal with smoke rising out of it. Furthermore, Aris had his eyes closed and his body became still. Was this it? Has Tatsuya finally beaten his opponent? Tatsuya took a few steps forward. It appears that his enemy was indeed out of it. He took a few more steps forward and got within a good two meters from him.

Suddenly and unexpectedly, Aris’ eyes opened, catching Tatsuya off guard and freezing his body in place. In one swift motion, Aris swung his right arm and sent the Dragonborn flying backwards through the air. Tatsuya fell down hard on the rooftop and his body rolled backwards until eventually stopping on his back. With a groan, he slowly picked himself back up. Once he was back on his feet, he noticed Aris had his mouth open and was in the process of finishing a brand new energy beam. Just how is Tatsuya supposed to defend himself against this attack?

“Hey, Hero!” yelled out Yong from behind him.

Tatsuya turned back to see the Celestial Dragon throwing to him a much missed apparatus—his silver pen. He caught it and quickly uncapped the pen, revealing his sword, the one and only Gram. Aris released the beam from his mouth and the attack came at a speed quicker than the fastest bullet train. Tatsuya lifted his sword above his head and quickly brought it back down, splitting the beam in half with a powerful slash that traveled through the air and struck the Yellow Terror in the face, forcing him backwards.

“Your fate is sealed!” shouted Aris defiantly. “The fate of the human world is sealed! Soon, this worthless world will crumble and dragons will once again rule the universe! Your treasures will be mine to rule! It is my fate to become the king of all riches! Hear that, Dragonborn?! You can never escape fate no matter how hard you try!”

“Fate, fate, fate,” said Tatsuya in an annoyed tone. “Is fate all that you care about?! What do you mean that my fate is sealed? What do you mean that it’s your fate to rule the universe’s riches? That doesn’t mean shit! You’re just a greedy bastard who only cares for himself! Your fate does not control me, and neither does my own. You can say that I’m naïve to think like this or just plain stupid or hardheaded, but I don’t give a damn about what you think.”

“I’ll show you the fate of all those who try to oppose me!” announced Aris.

“I’d like to see you try,” came Tatsuya with a scowl.

Aris opened his mouth and prepared another beam of energy. Tatsuya gripped the hilt of his sword tightly and marched forward, gradually getting faster and faster until he was practically running. This will determine the battle once and for all.

Yong cupped her hands around her mouth and happily said, “Say, finish this once and for all, Hero! And don’t forget to add a cool catchphrase! All the heroes have a cool catchphrase, whether it’s a part of their character or just used whenever they finish off a villain. Something like, ‘I’ll break that illusion!’, or ‘Dattebayo!’, or if you want to go western, you can say, ‘Yippie-kay-yay m*****f***er!’ Something along those lines!”

Tatsuya jumped into the air and had his sword brought up above his head. He was definitely going to end this once and for all. Aris noticed the Dragonborn’s change in position and lifted his head until it was at the right angle to release his beam. Tatsuya smiled—it appears that his enemy fell for his strategy—and brought the sword back down to his side but with the blade still pointed for the enemy. He then bent forward and changed his trajectory from the dragon’s head to his chest. By the time Aris noticed this change, it was all too late. “There’s only one thing I have to say to you,” began Tatsuya. He reached close to Aris’ chest and made a declaration that will forever be echoed through the universe and became the Yellow Terror’s last ever words to hear: “I am fate!” (“Unmei wa watashida!”) Tatsuya thrusted his sword into the Yellow Terror's heart with the merciless will of a true hero.

Aris’s body immediately glowed a bright golden color before suddenly imploding like a bomb and disintegrating into nothingness. Tatsuya landed on the rooftop on one knee and watched as his enemy disappeared before his very eyes. Finally, it was over. Aris, the Yellow Terror, had been defeated once and for all.

Below, the bright glow from Aris’ destroyed body caught the attention of Eron and Tatsuya’s friends. Eron couldn’t believe it and halted his earth monsters. “We’ll finish this another time,” he said before retreating back and disappearing into the darkness, turning his army back into piles of earth.

Sasuke and the others had smiles on their faces. They immediately ran up to the roof and joined Tatsuya, Yong, and Shurai. Torahime and Nekoyashi had also joined the group on the rooftop. They all praised Tatsuya for his victory. As they laughed together, the bright glow of the rising sun caught their attention. Before they knew it, a new day was beginning. The group turned to the sun and watched in awe at the beauty before them. Tatsuya was happy to be able to witness this beautiful sight. If he had given up back then, he might’ve never been able to watch this beautiful sunrise. But he didn’t—in fact, it was because of his friends and allies that helped him to push through. This sunrise is a symbol of their strong bonds, a sign that no matter how hard things get, there is always a chance to reach for a new day. This was the fate that Tatsuya believed it. He wants to cherish this moment forever and to have more moments like these. As long as he believes that he is the master of his own fate with the power to change it, he knows that he can have more moments like these forever. That’s right...Tatsuya is his own fate.

After that fateful battle, Tatsuya and his friends made it their mission to spread the news. Once everyone involved knew of the defeat of the Yellow Terror, it reinvigorated their spirits and the entire scourge crisis was quickly taken care of. The entire school grounds was fixed with magic and the evacuated people were brought back. The humans’ memories of the events were altered and the only things people remembered was that the festival was stopped because of an accident. But now that everything was fixed, the festival was back in action. The Heiwa High School Student Body Council even made an announcement that the school festival will continue on for another day to make up for the accident that caused it’s sudden closure.

As the United Front was ready to head back to the dragon realm with their patients, Nobi thanked Tatsuya for his service. He and Mr. Urushihara said their goodbyes and Aika gave the prince a hard slap to the face after the former clung a little too tightly onto her. Once they were gone, Mr. Urushihara and the servants (Ingrid, Umi, Sylphie, Vajra, and Rocco) expressed their admiration for Tatsuya and his victory over the Yellow Terror.

“Good job, Tatsuya!” congratulated Mr. Urushihara. “I knew that you could do it!”

“It was your victory that ended this wild carnage,” said Ingrid. “And for that, thank you,” she concluded with a bow of her head.

“I agree that you did very good work indeed,” began Vajra, “but I believe I could’ve fought the Yellow Terror on equal ground because of my experience as a knight. To be honest, I didn’t really expect much, but to see that you’ve succeeded, well, I feel very grateful for that. Your achievement truly deserves praise.”

“Um, thanks,” said Tatsuya. He was split on whether he should uppercut the butler here and now or accept his gratitude no matter how acidic it was. He decided to go for the latter so as not to ruin this otherwise joyous atmosphere. “Anyway, thank you all for your hard work,” he told the servants with a bow. “It was with all of your help that the people managed to evacuate safely and the school was protected from damage.”

“Our achievement was only a necessity. It pales in comparison to yours,” said Ingrid.

“Well, praise from the Dragonborn and the hero of the battle is something you don’t receive every day, so I am grateful for your words,” accepted Vajra with a bow.

Shurai walked up to her butler and shamelessly made an announcement that shook the entire group, especially Aika, Sunaji, Torahime, Vajra, and Sasuke. “Tatsu-kun and I kissed,” she announced.

“K-K-Kissed?!” exclaimed Aika, Sunaji, Torahime, Sasuke, and Vajra in unison.

“P-P-Princess, what do you mean by that?” asked the butler shakily.

“I love Tatsu-kun and we kissed,” she told him.

“L-L-Love?!” exclaimed Aika and Torahime.

Sasuke let out a sigh and wore a small smile, “I guess I kind of saw it coming.”

“Princess, don’t you understand what that means?!” asked Vajra hysterically.

Shurai nodded and said, “It means that I love Tatsu-kun.”

“This can’t be happening! We were only supposed to stay with the Dragonborn for protection from the enemy, so how did it come to this?” he asked himself. He then turned to Tatsuya with a scowl and said, “What did you do to my princess, you scoundrel?”

“I-I-I…,” stuttered Tatsuya helplessly.

“Vajra, that’s enough!” ordered Shurai.

“But, princess!” protested Vajra. He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. “Princess, you know what a kiss signifies, don’t you?” He turned to Tatsuya with a glare and pointed at him with accusing fingers. “In short, Princess Shana, he is now your betrothed.”