"No, Uncle!" Edmund yelled in horror as he saw his dearest uncle, who was like a kind father to him - Goatee - had fallen, to the hands of that gruesome man. He sneered at Gustav, whose face portrayed an arrogant and satisfied smile: "You... freak!"

Rick's powerful poison blast approached him, so he had to dodge the shot. Rick cackled:

"I'd advise you to focus on your own battle, Edmund!"

The young Magister snarled and charged at him. Gustav, as he had disposed of his opponent, looked at his target, Edmund, again, and faintly smiled:

"Now to take care of our own business..." he proceeded on with his Purple Snake spirit, but a powerful Red Dragon spirit blocked his way, with the familiar Sun Celestial Lord in its core. Gustav widened eyes, but then calmly chuckled: "I would never imagine meeting you here, Byakuya von Drachen. I thought my damn father and his Bearer friends had sealed you right after your precious cousin, fourteen years ago..."

"That is none of your concern. Don't think just because you dislike your father Wilhelm Jaeger I will have pity on you. I detest all of Wilhelm's off-springs, as well as the whole Zodiac Council. I shall dispose of them in a short while. But before that, I shall obliterate that one pest who is also Wilhelm's off-spring!" Byakuya's gruesome Red Dragon spirit opened its mouth, gathering celestial fire in it.

"So you too have your own vile plans, eh? But I'll gladly show you what we Scorpios are capable of!" the Purple Snake spirit of Gustav hissed and dashed at the Red Dragon.

A bloody battle began between the Snake and the Dragon spirits. The Dragon was unleashed at full force - the Emperor Mode of Byakuya - and threw fire and light rays at the Snake, which swiftly dodged the blasts and instead used purple poison shots against its opponent. 

Meanwhile, the others fought fiercely too - Nick's and Yolanda's Shell and Boulder Oxen dashed at each other and their Ultimate Defense Horns collided at full force, letting the first one's shells and the second one's pebbles crack and break, new ones straightly forming on their bodies. 

"Ugh, fall already!" Yolanda was getting more and more agitated, furiously hitting and bumping her spirit's horns at Nick's one, but the boy remained calm and collected, his Shell Ox spirit adroitly dodging the shots and getting ready for the final hit which he would land in a short while when he had more or less disposed of Yolanda's Guardian Mode ultimate defences.

The 'sisters' had unleashed full powers too - Rianna's Shell Boar spirit of Cancer Style roared like a raged beast, throwing its enemies around with its sharp shell-protected fangs. Cherrie's Leo Style Red Fire Tiger had gone all out too, gruesomely growling and using its Battler Art against the enemies. Olivia had unleashed multiple paintings and assisted them with her Water Pegasus spirit. Jannah swiftly moved with her Blue-to-Green Water Snake and used Ocean power against multiple enemies at once, just like any powerful Pisces Ninja would do. As for Tamie, she had unleashed her White Air Tiger at Ring Five (the maximal ring she possessed for now) and yelled with rage, swinging paws against the Ring Twelve spirit of Nine-tailed Fox of Julia, and tried to bite her with the Tiger's fangs, while the Fox fast evaded her hits and swung all of its nine tails to hit her hard with her Lava form of the Fire she possessed as a Sagittarius.

"I'll crush you!" Julia shouted.

"We'll see!" Tamie scribbled something on her scroll, "Libra Style, Writer Art, Summoner Mode - Summoning: Ronna!"

Ronna - Tamie's green female dragon of her stories - emerged from the scroll and gruesomely roared, blasting fire out of its mouth. Julia widened eyes and quickly shielded herself with her foxtails.

"Ugh, you pest! I hate you Artists' summonings!"

Byakuya meanwhile fiercely fought against Gustav. Both of them had gone all out - one swung his sword from inside his Dragon's core, amplifying the Dragon's power with his Emperor Mode of Sworder Art, while the other had activated his Black Orbs and tried to deplete the opponent's energy, but to his complete stupor, could not.

"Huh? What the heck is wrong with you? My Black Orbs don't work! You can't have Black Orbs too. You're not a Sneaker!"

"I'm far superior to the miserly powers you stole," Byakuya held his sword up high, "Leo Style, Sworder Art, Emperor Mode, Red Zen - Roar of the Celestial Dragon!"

The Dragon spirit opened up its mouth and blew out a large number of red flames, accompanied by a thunderous roar. Gustav got hit and thrown back to the ground. Even his Purple Snake spirit vanished, so great was the damage he received.

"Ah!"

"Now the final hit..." Byakuya accumulated the Red Zen with his sword, aimed it at downed Gustav, and pronounced his most powerful incantation: "Leo Style, Sworder Art, Emperor Mode, Final Craft - Blast of the Sun!"

As the powerful red-to-yellow ray - the ultimate planetary blast, the Blast of the Sun - came towards him, Gustav chuckled evilly and stood up. Byakuya got stupefied - he had still so much power left after his Celestial Dragon Roar blast?! However, the worse was still forward...

"Scorpio Style, Sneaker Art, Ninja Mode, Purple Zen, Final Craft - Blast of Silver Mars!"

The powerful red-to-purple ray came forward and collided with the Blast of the Sun, making a huge explosion. Byakuya covered himself with his Dragon wings and sighed with relief - his Blast of the Sun power had saved him... but how come Gustav had so much power left? And he was the Scorpio Celestial Lord?! As the Scorpio Lord, he would have... 

Dreaded, Byakuya immediately unfolded his wings again to quickly land another hit before it was too late, but to his complete horror, the vile incantation sounded, accompanied with a proud chuckle:

"Scorpio Style, Sneaker Art, Ninja Mode, Final Craft - Blast of Pluto!"

An enormous black ray came straight towards him and hit him at full force before he would even react. He wheezed and fell, and his Red Dragon vanished. Blood poured off his chest as he collapsed to the ground. His sword fell off his hands and vanished in purple light.

He should've known... Scorpio Celestial Lord... Scorpio was the only sign to have two guardian planets - Silver Mars, and Pluto - the blackest and the most gruesome of them all! However, there was one more person who got truly terrified by such an outcome - Tamie shrilled with distress, ditched her fight, and ran towards him at the speed of the wind:

"Byakuya!!!"

"Where are you running?" Julia cackled and her fire hit Tamie from the behind, knocking her down. Her Tiger spirit vanished as she coughed hard from the injury.

"Tamie!" Nick instantly unleashed his ultimate attack: "Cancer Style, Keeper Art, Sage Mode, Final Craft - Blast of the Moon!" he shot the ultimate blue ray at confused and frightened Yolanda and sent her off flying, and then quickly crossed Julia's Fox spirit's path towards his downed sister: "Get off her!"

"Oh, the Cancer Celestial Lord? You're rather a nice adversary..." Julia charged on, now against Nick.

Tamie caught the moment of Nick interfering in her battle, trotted towards downed Byakuya whom Gustav had left lying on the floor, and began shaking him, with tears in her eyes:

"Byakuya! Byakuya! Answer me, please!"

"T... Tamie..." the sweet deep voice miserably whispered as the young man coughed out blood. His soft, weakened manly hand touched her on a cheek.

"Byakuya, don't die! I beg you..."

"T... Tamie..." Byakuya coughed and, to Tamie's stupor, began vanishing in purple light!

"Huh? What's happening?! What did he do to you?" she panicked and clutched his shoulders tightly as if trying not to let him slip off her hands as he was slowly dissipating in the purple light.

"Tamie, do not grieve. J... just go to the Peak of Placidus, in the cavern situated right there, and, shoot the cube... with Libra Style..."

"Huh? Wait, no!" Tamie yelled, not understanding his words, but the young man completely vanished. "Byakuya!"

She let out a desperate shriek in agony - the only man she had ever had feelings for, had gone! But... what did he mean with those final words of his? As she could hear the explosions and blasts all around, she slowly blacked out, collapsing right at the place where Byakuya was lying some minutes ago before he disappeared in the purple light.

"Shoot the cube... with Libra Style..."