Chapter Text
Bet none of you guys expected this at all, eh? Yeah, I think it’s time for another series to get the Cursed Energy treatment. Say hello to Sentai Daishikkaku. Hope you enjoy this fic
NS: You can thank me for coming up with this idea. You’re welcome.
Chapter 1: An Unacceptable Defiance
Amanogawa City: A city at the forefront of a floating fortress that hovers above the massive city. Thirteen years ago, Invaders came to the earth to declare war against humans. Their goal: World Domination. However, a group of heroes banded together to stop these monsters from taking over the world and hurting humanity: the Dragon Keepers.
Five heroes who wielded the power of the Divine Artifacts. Each Keeper was represented by a different color: Pink, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Red. With their combined power, they would defeat the Invaders, and save humanity. Even though it had been thirteen years, the Dragon Keepers had kept fighting, and would not rest until the evil Invaders had been vanquished!
At least, that was the story the world knew…The reality, however, was much different.
The war had actually ended much earlier than the public realized: in reality, it had only taken a single year for the Rangers to dispose of the Executives of the Invader Fortress. As for the remaining dregs, those comically fragile and weak Footsoldiers, the Dusters, a deal was struck in order to allow them to keep living…
“Hey, D. You gonna keep brooding over there or are you gonna help brainstorm for this week?”
Footsoldier D, who had been leaning against a rock wall, twitched, jolted out of his internal monologue. “Hah? Who’s brooding, dumbass? I’m just relaxing,” he defended himself, uncrossing his arms and putting his foot down.
There came a scoff from the toothy maw of Footsoldier G, distinguishable from D only by being marginally more portly and bulky. “With that pose? Please, like we wouldn’t recognize it. We’ve seen all the same movies you have!”
“Yeah, and shows too! I’m surprised you can watch those dumb anime like Highschool DxD!”
“I’m more surprised the Keepers gave us that, really…”
“What, you complaining?”
“I’ll definitely start complaining if any of you bastards start asking me to turn into any of the girls!”
“Who the hell’s gonna ask that?! …T, what the hell is that guilty look for?!”
“Shaddup!” D shouted angrily, stomping his foot. “They’re works of art, and are what we should strive for! World Domination and overwhelming strength! When we conquer the world, we can have that! All the riches, fame, and women too! Yes I, Footsoldier D, will become the Harem King!” He finished with his arms out, head looking towards the ceiling.
“…”
Everyone promptly ignored him. “So, what should the boss be this week?”
“We could try a Dragon!”
“Already did that years ago!”
“How ‘bout a kitty?” suggested the Footsoldier L brightly.
“The Dragon Keepers will kill us for making a boss people are supposed to like.”
“A tiger, then,” D spoke up with a raised hand. The other Dusters turned to him promptly, ready to hear him out. “We haven’t done a tiger yet. And in ancient myths, Tigers and Dragons are rivals. We can use it to represent our rivalry with the Dragon Keepers.”
Not like it would matter, since the ‘boss’ would be obliterated without any issue this week again.
“I doubt anyone considers us rivals.” Footsoldier O glumly voiced what no one wanted to admit.
“We’ve been doing the same ol’ song and dance for 12 years now. There’s no way anyone considers us rivals. We just put out a boss monster that we know is gonna get smashed and give the public a good show. That’s just the way it is.”
“What’s that kind of talk?!” shouted S angrily. “We’re monsters! We’ll make the humans quake with fear and defeat the Dragon Keepers once and for all!”
“How? We’re just footsoldiers. Our bosses are gone, so what can we do?”
“Well, we can-”
“Nothing, that’s what! Unless you wanna die, of course.”
Shivers went up the spines of every Duster. All of them knew full well what awaited them should they fail to live up to the Dragon Keepers’ demands.
But then… “...We gotta believe we can do it,” S mumbled, “If we can’t even dream about it, then maybe dying would be better.”
D, who had stayed out of the argument, felt another chill pass through his body. No, it went deeper than that; S’s words were nothing that none of them hadn’t thought of themselves once or twice in the past dozen years. To hear them out loud, though…something deep, deep inside D roiled about restlessly. In his head, he agreed with those words, but all of a sudden, he wanted to refute them with all his might.
He wanted to rampage. He wanted to show the humans that the entertainment they’d drawn from him and his kin was nothing but a sham. Monsters were supposed to bring despair, not succumb to it themselves.
‘This week will be different,’ he promised himself, ‘Even if they kill me afterwards, I’ll make those Keeper bastards’ faces twist in agony! Just for a second! That’s all I need!’
“Good morning. Are you here to watch the battle?” A young woman in a yellow and black tight suit asked calmly. She had long blonde hair that reached down to her lower back, with a bow at the back of her head. The suit did nothing to hide her large breasts and heart-shaped ass, instead clinging tightly to them. However, she had eyes that were pitch black, almost hollow, like she was dead inside or one of those yanderes.
‘Please don’t be a yandere…’
“This place is gonna be a warzone!” An orange haired, bright green-eyed young man exclaimed from beside her. He wore a similar tight suit to the girl, but his was white. “We will do everything in our power to keep you safe! That said, please be advised there could still be danger before proceeding.” He was the exact opposite of his partner, incredibly energetic and enthusiastic.
“Is it really necessary?” the disguised D asked. Currently, he had taken the form of a human, his specialty. His new appearance was that of a black-haired young man with brown eyes, mostly nondescript. He wore a white t-shirt and black sweatpants, even going as far as to create a backpack, though this made him look especially scrawny. This would surely fool the surface dwellers! “It’s been years since a civilian was last hurt, right?”
“It’s just standard procedure,” the blonde replied indifferently.
“You two must be something to become Rangers at such a young age,” D complimented them insincerely.
“You can be one too!” The orange haired young man exclaimed, showing the disguised Footsoldier a poster. ‘Recruiting Rangers’ was written in large letters at the top. “The Ranger Force is always looking for fresh blood to fight for justice! So join us, please!”
‘As if!’ The mere thought of even being near those bastards made his stomach lurch. However, he couldn’t show it. He was incognito, he had to blend in like a good invader should! “I’ll think it over…”
“It’s not difficult to sign up,” said the blonde listlessly, “Becoming one for real is a different story.” Despite her dead expression, the disguised Invader had the distinct impression that she had little confidence in his ability to make the grade. “The rest is…” She took D’s hand into her own, her empty eyes boring deep into his soul. “Up to how much you want it…” She gave a small chuckle, which sounded like she very rarely gave it. “But I’m just guessing.”
‘Could she be a Kuudere? Score! She will be the first of many girls in my future harem! If I survive that is…’ D nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.” The pair of Rangers walked with D towards a gate down the hall of the terminal they were at. In front of him was a flight of stairs.
“Please proceed.”
“Welcome to Amanogawa, the city on the front lines!”
As the Rangers urged the Duster to proceed, D trudged up a series of stairs he’d been introduced to for only the first time. He hadn’t bothered to explore the rest of the city before. Why would he care until now? Besides, even if he did, the Rangers would kill him if they found out.
‘No more.’ D’s fists clenched tightly. If he was a regular human, he might have drawn blood with how tight his fists were clenched. ‘If my death is gonna be today, I might as well figure out what I’ve been missing.’ As the Duster finally reached the top of the stairs, he shielded his eyes from the bright light of the entrance to the city. When he was finally able to adjust, his eyes were filled with wonder.
He could see the Floating Fortress, high above them all, from where he was standing. He had never taken the time to really look at his home from the ground like this before. It was amazing how it stood so high above the city, completely unsupported but held in place by a series of massive chains. He couldn’t help but swell with pride from the imposing sight. His eyes drifted then, and his amazement only grew.
His only impression of Japan so far had been what he had seen from anime, and the times he had gone to fight those damn Dragon Keepers. The latter was limited solely to the small arena where they were obliged to show up every Sunday. He couldn’t help but stare in awe at the buildings and people around him. There were so many of them, each differing in size and composition, made of materials he wasn’t too familiar with. Hell, he even saw billboards too. All they had to do was get rid of all the stuff that showed the Rangers and this place would be a paradise.
The Footsoldier shook his head abruptly. ‘Stop staring at everything, D! You have a plan to carry out today.’ And that was to sneak into the arena and fight alongside his fellow Footsoldiers before giving those bastards the pain they deserved!
In truth, he was not supposed to fight today. No one knew he was even doing this. Not even S, who had given him the spark in the first place. In fact, S was off duty too. But none of that mattered: the only thing that mattered was standing up for himself and the other Footsoldiers.
‘I don’t wanna resign myself to this fate anymore. Those damn Rangers! They can’t just keep doing whatever they like with us and get away with it!’ D’s face twisted into one of rage. For too long, he and the other Dusters had taken abuse after abuse for twelve years. The worst part was how he had nearly resigned himself to this fate too.
Not today. He would kiss the feet of those bastards anymore. It was time to show them not to underestimate monsters. ‘Especially the Red Keeper! He’s at the top of my list!’ Due to his anger, D did not notice a flow of dark, twisted energy formed around his body. It was there for only a second, before it dissipated as quickly as it had appeared.
“Presenting the Divine Dragon Rangers, otherwise known as the Dragon Keepers…Versus! The Nefarious Invader Army!” An announcer shouted over the loudspeaker. Currently, there was a large crowd gathered in the arena. It was large enough to host a soccer game, but that was not what the people were here to watch. The crowd roared in excitement for the upcoming fight that was about to begin, just like they had done for the past twelve years.
“Thirteen long years have passed since the war began. Another large crowd packs the streets for another Sunday Showdown, which has become somewhat of a tradition.” The announcer continued. “The Rangers are on high alert! The excitement and tension in the air are reaching a fever pitch! Invader Researchers say there is a high probability the Invaders will unveil a secret weapon in today’s showdown! What kind of heated battle will unfold today! We will soon find out!”
‘What a load of garbage.’ D thought to himself as he sat in his chair, hiding amongst the spectators who were so damn loud! ‘They see these guys as such heroes…I wonder how’d these surface dwellers react if they knew their heroes were nothing but frauds.’ It would at least save his ears, that’s for sure.
“The excitement here just keeps building! And would you look at this! The Red Keeper has appeared just feet away from us! Zoom in! Zoom in! He’s making sure all the fans are happy!” The announcer sounded ecstatic, which only made D want to throw up…if he could. He couldn’t see the Red Keeper at the arena, but was able to catch the man on what he heard was called the ‘Jumbotron.’
The man was of average height, and wore a black and red, skin-tight suit, similar to the Rangers D had met earlier. However, unlike those two, he wore a white cape that billowed heroically in the breeze, and a red helmet concealed his face. The helmet covered everything from the nose up, leaving his mouth free.
D gritted his teeth, unable to hide a harsh glare as he stared at the one of his tormentors, displayed on the Jumbotron. His fists tightened as he thought of the amount of Footsoldiers lost whenever one of them did something that pissed him off, which unfortunately wasn’t hard to do. If he had one wish, it was to put that man in the same place as the Dusters he had killed. Suddenly, his eyes drifted to his arm, and his anger turned to surprise.
Just for a moment, he thought he saw, out of the corner of his eye, wisps of red seeping from between his fingers, pulsing. Just as soon as he noticed it, however, the phenomenon was gone. ‘That’s weird. Am I sick or something? Nah, can’t be.’
Suddenly everyone began shouting and pointing upward, and as he followed their attention, he noticed clouds of black dust flying down towards the Arena. A grimace appeared on his face. ‘So it’s finally started.’ As the particles made their way towards the soon-to-be warzone, they began to take shape. The other Dusters landed lightly with a flourish, the grunts posing around one additional newcomer.
The monster of the week was much taller than the Dusters. It was a bipedal tiger, with large black eyes, huge, clawed paws. It was extremely muscular too, giving off the appearance of immense strength, and large fangs sprouted from its mouth. This was supposed to be the boss monster, however D knew better, having seen them practicing making it.
‘Ah…who’s playing the monster this week again? C? F? Come to think of it, it might be O’s turn.’ In truth, the boss monster was a Duster in disguise. Since the Dragon Keepers destroyed all Executives 12 years ago, they’d had to create the illusion that they were still a threat. That’s what all these fights were. An illusion. An elaborate stage play. A hoax.
“The Invaders are here!”
“They just don’t know when to give up!”
“We’re not gonna lose!”
“Just go home already!”
…All to make the Dragon Keepers look good.
These were just a few of the cries from the crowd as they jeered at the Invaders. D’s lip curled in a disdainful sneer as he witnessed the surface dwellers throw trash at the monsters. It wasn’t anything new, unfortunately. If it wasn’t for the Dragon Keepers, they would have been killed on the spot.
“Ladies and gentleman, please refrain from throwing objects onto the battlefield.”
D’s gaze shifted to the other end of the battlefield, and his eyes narrowed at the newcomers. ‘They’re here.’
“So you’ve come, Invaders!” A voice all too familiar to D called out. The crow roared in excitement as the bane of the Invaders' existence finally came out, led by Red Keeper. “You won’t get your way. This planet belongs to humanity! And we’re here to defend it.”
An explosion erupted from behind Red Keeper and his team as they struck a flashy pose. “We are the Dragon Keepers!” They shouted at the same time. The crowd roared in response, the excitement reaching an all time high. While the crowd roared, D gazed at the other Keepers.
There weren’t many differences between the other Keepers besides their colors. Yellow and Blue were similar to Red, but D could identify Blue more easily from the visible scars on his mouth and trailing from under his helmet. Green’s helmet, unlike the others, covered the entirety of his face, completely hiding his face with a mask that resembled a jagged grin. Pink Keeper was the most distinct from the group, as the only woman among them. She was also the only one who showed her hair, long orange locks flowing in the wind.
‘Hmm, is it wrong to want a Dragon Keeper in my future harem? Would it be that bad? It’s not like she’s that terrible to us in the first place.’ He couldn’t think of times where Pink had actively abused him and the Dusters outside of the Sunday Showdowns. Really, the main tormentors were Red and Blue. Although, something about Yellow sent shivers down his spine whenever he appeared at the fortress. Almost like he should avoid him at all costs.
“Get ‘em!”
“Kick their ass!”
‘Talk all you want now, surface dwellers. This Duster has some plans for today.’
“Dusters, assemble!” One of the Dusters called. The disguised Tiger boss and the Dusters gathered together into a crowd, bracing themselves for what was to come. It was the same script all over again. Monsters fight, Rangers look like they’re about to lose, they get back up, Dusters get blasted away with the Divine Artifact of the week, repeat.
“Hopefully they’ll use the Dragon Buster.” Footsoldier G commented. “Then we can get blown away and reconstruct. I can’t wait to hear your losing lines.”
“Crap, I haven’t thought of anything!” The disguised Tiger boss whispered worriedly.
“Oh, so it was you, O. I was wondering who was on duty this week.”
“D, how could you forget? You were at the meeting today, weren’t you?” Footsoldier H asked.
“Must’ve forgotten. How ‘bout ‘You’ll pay for this!’ for our losing lines? It’s cool, isn’t it?”
“D, that’s way too cliched.” Footsoldier G sighed. Suddenly, the group’s heads veered to the unexpected newcomer. “Wait, D?! You’re not on duty today!”
D shrugged, standing with the group in his true form. “Nope.”
“Then why are you here?” Footsoldier A asked.
The Rangers made another flashy pose, each one standing together, with two of them holding up a cannon type weapon with a Dragon's head at the front of the blaster. The Dragon’s head opened, as an orangish sphere began to form as the weapon gathered energy.
“I’m sick of this crap. All of it makes me sick. And to think, I resigned myself to it until today. No more.” D began to walk towards the Rangers, his fists clenched hard.
“D! Stay with the group!”
“Stop D! It’s almost over!”
“You’re right. It’s gonna be.” D muttered as his rage kept building inside of him. Over the course of the fight, his rage had slowly increased as he watched the same damn act from the stands as a spectator. He actually felt sorry for those surface dwellers. If they spent actual money on this, the Dragon Keepers should give their money back.
“Dragon’s Breath! Fire!” At the Ranger’s cry, the cluster of energy was fired at the monsters. The sphere purposefully missed its mark by several feet, thanks to the Rangers angling it downwards, and struck the ground and detonated, an explosion bursting forth with a satisfyingly deep *BOOOM!*, kicking up a big cloud of smoke and soot had spread out over the large arena. The crowd had to shield themselves from the shockwave. Luckily for them, it wasn’t enough to harm the arena.
“That has to be it!”
“Another victory for the Rangers!”
“Way to go, Dragon Keepers!”
The crowd began to rain down praises on the Rangers, much to the delight of the Red Keeper in particular. As his smile grew, two of the Rangers couldn’t help but sigh at the man’s antics: Pink and Green, though the latter’s expression was hidden under his helmet.
“That hurts! Ya know you can't just do whatever you want to us just because we can’t die!”
The Rangers’ eyes widened in surprise as D came strutting out of the dust cloud, streams of black dust swirling to fill in the holes in his body as he walked off the blast like nothing had happened. “They might not know it’s scripted,” D continued, “But every week, it’s the same ol’ thing, over and and over again. Don’t you think they want more? How about every once in a while…” The Footsoldier finally emerged fully, his skull-like face reforming as he gave the Rangers a harsh glare. “The Monsters come out on top!?”
“Hmph. We missed one,” Red Keeper grunted.
“Nobody told me this’d happen.” Yellow Keeper sighed.
‘If it wasn’t for my hatred towards Red in particular, I’d punch you first. Why do you give me the creeps every time you open your mouth?’
“What an idiot!” Green Keeper chuckled.
“Hey, Green. This could end badly,” Pink Keeper warned, before addressing D. “It’s not too late for you! Scurry back to your fortress.”
“Thanks for your concern, Pink Keeper. But I have a score to settle with him.” The Duster pointed at the Red Keeper. “No more rigged matches! Even if I die afterwards, I’ll make you feel despair for only a second!”
“Man, what’d you do, Red?” Green asked.
Blue Keeper’s lip curled slightly, but true to his on-camera persona, he said nothing aloud.
The Red Keeper let out a deep breath, before a smoke grew on his face. “What’s this?! A Duster with actual guts?! He seems like a tough one!”
“That’s it!”
“You can do it!”
“Nice work, monster!”
The crowd now began to seemingly cheer on D for his efforts. It would have been refreshing…if D didn’t know the truth. ‘They just want to cheer on a pathetic guy like me to struggle before I get my ass kicked. And you’re only able to go along with it because of this asshole. Screw him! I’d love to see your reactions when your precious Ranger actually gets punched in the mouth!’ The Duster began to dash, his rage funneling as he kept the Red Keeper in sights.
“I’ll handle this.” Red said with a growing smirk. In a flash, the Red Keeper was in front of the grunt, a cocky smirk visible as the man dared him to strike him. “How about I let you get one good punch in before I send you packing? We can talk about your punishment after that.”
‘This guy…!’ This asshole wasn’t even taking him seriously. He didn’t see him as a threat at all! He was an Invader, damn it! So what if he was just a grunt, that didn’t give him the right to look down on him. He didn’t care if it wouldn’t amount to anything, he would oblige his offer and give him a good punch.
D charged forward with a yell, cocking his fist back. The Red Keeper’s smirk remained unchanged, crossing his arms as he waited for him. How dare this asshole just stand there smirking while D was unleashing his resentment! Did he really believe he was above everyone?! That all of this was just a way to boost his already massive ego? ‘No more, you bloated tick! Stop looking down on me with that stupid smile on your face!’ That put D’s rage at a boiling point, as he finally unleashed his punch on the leader of the Dragon Keepers.
Unbeknownst to D, as he finally put his fist into motion, red energy began to gather around it. The Red Keeper’s expression finally changed to one of surprise, but before he could do anything, D surged forward. The footsoldier screamed in frustration, putting as much strength as he could into the blow, fuelled by 13 years of helplessness and humiliation. Everything swirled together, losing cohesion, forming into a single point of raw emotion and crystallizing…
Black Flash.
The arena suddenly erupted with an echoing *KABOOOOOOOM!* almost like thunder, and the air was rent with crackling, forking, pitch black lightning bolts. Red Keeper’s head snapped back, and he was lifted off his feet, spinning through the air at least three times before landing in a heap on the ground, rolling slightly, limp as a ragdoll. Blood flowed freely from his mouth onto the ground, and the side of his helmet had a hole smashed through it.
For a few seconds, the entire arena was frozen. Not a sound escaped the lips of the onlookers, and the Dragon Keepers looked on, their minds attempting to process what just happened.
Then, the screams began. Civilians shrieked at the sight of the Keepers’ leader lying on the ground so grievously wounded. They began to run, stampeding for the exits.
However, Footsoldier D heard none of this. He stared off into space, that thunderous crash still echoing through his ears…it felt like it was echoing through his body, even.
‘…What was that…?’
Slowly, he looked down at his arm. Duster bodies were so much more fragile than humans’, his hand and wrist had disintegrated on impact, and was currently reforming. However, as he looked at it, he saw more than just his regrowing hand. It felt almost like his eyes could pick up each and every particle of dust as it flowed back into place. And even once it did, he realized that he could feel those grains shifting about subtly, as part of his supposedly solid body.
But he wasn’t really solid, was he? In the aftermath of the explosive punch, it felt like something had shifted in his mind. All that burning fury and resentment, it felt like it had condensed, solidified and cooled, almost detached from him. He felt good. And more importantly, as he stood there, motionless, he looked at himself with his mind’s eye and made a realization.
‘Wow…I really am made of dust. Right down to my soul. My soul is dust. My mind is in everything. Even if my body is blown away, my mind and soul remain.’
A slow, shaky grin lifted the corners of his mouth as his fingers curled into another fist, and red energy billowed out from inside his hand- no, the soul of his hand. ‘I don’t know how this happened…but I think I could get used to this feeling.’
“A Black Flash?! But how?!” The Pink Keeper exclaimed in shock.
“I don’t know how, but he sure gave Red a good punch.” Green laughed, acting as if Red got a minor workplace injury that he could have avoided altogether if he was smarter.
“ Ahhhhhhhhhhh! ” Meanwhile, Red was on the ground, screaming in agony as he writhed on the ground holding his jaw. D’s grin couldn’t help but grow. He really did it. He really made the Red Ranger feel despair. Now if only he knew how or why. And what the hell was a Black Flash?
…Oh wait, nevermind, it was probably that punch just now. ‘Wow, I am out of it right now…’
“Pink! Heal that useless asshole!” Blue ordered, charging forward to save face.
“Yeah, hurry up. His screaming is gonna be bad for the ratings,” Yellow added in a far more flippant manner, as his eyes shifted towards Footsoldier D. He seemed to be looking at the Duster with a hint of curiosity. “Well now…and here I thought they couldn’t produce enough Cursed Energy to use it. This is an anomaly.”
‘Cursed…what? I don’t know what you’re saying. Is that why I broke Red’s jaw? Ahhhhh, I hate thinking!’
“Gahhhhhhhhh!” Red roared as he stood up. Even despite the efforts of Pink, there was still leftover blood pouring from his mouth. D didn’t need to see his expression to know he was pissed. “How fucking dare you?! I’ll kill you! I swear I’ll kill you!” Clearly she’d healed his jawbone first and not the damaged gums.
Grinning, D stretched his arms over his head. “Yeah, good luck with that, dipshit!” he jeered back, letting his control over his body slacken, the pseudo-flesh dissolving into dust and streaming away. “Seeya next week!”
“Get back here, coward!”
On the rooftop of a building overlooking the city, dust began to cluster and gather. Soon, the cluster began to take shape, before finally forming into Footsoldier D. He stared down at the fist that had knocked Red Keeper to the ground silly and caused him to have a meltdown. ‘What the hell was all that about? That was amazing!’
It had been on his mind ever since he’d traveled up to the roof to escape the Keeper’s wrath. He may have wanted revenge, but he knew he would be better off retreating in order to digest what he had just done. Hey, come to think of it…
‘I just traveled here willingly. That shouldn’t be possible.’ Normally, he and the other Footsoldiers could only let the wind carry their particles when they dissolved entirely. Their only other option was to will themselves back towards the Fortress. And yet, just now, without even thinking about it, in his particulate form, he’d moved of his own will. ‘Ever since that Black Flash thing, I’ve been aware of myself. My body…no, my soul. Or, are they the same thing? Damn, I’ve gotten philosophical all of a sudden.’
D’s attention shifted to the view below him, and his eyes were filled with surprise. ‘The city looks even better from up here than down there.’ A wide grin appeared on his skull-like face. ‘That settles that. When I take over the world, I want a building that gives me this type of view!’
The Duster paused, his hand beginning to rub his chin as he put himself deep into thought. ‘I hate thinking, but I really need to think this through. I knew I didn’t have much of a chance to hurt that damn Red Keeper. Yet…I did. I made him feel pain. And I know he’s pissed about it.’ His fists clenched tightly. ‘I can’t go back there…’
It was one thing to defy the Dragon Keepers. They probably would have laughed it off and dispatched him easily, blowing him back to the fortress without him even landing a single serious hit. Not this time. He’d shown that he was a threat. That he had to be taken seriously, at least somewhat. If he went back, Red Keeper at least would bring his Divine Artifact, let alone the others. And if he brought that with him…
‘I’ll die.’ Whatever he had done just now, he knew it would be hard for him to replicate it. He didn’t even know what Cursed Energy was, just from overhearing Yellow Keeper. Nor anything about ‘Black Flash,’ besides being able to deal way more with it than normal and now being more aware of his…body? Soul? Ah, forget it!
Wait… “Shouldn’t I warn the other Dusters!?” D exclaimed aloud as he put his hands to his head, having overlooked this one crucial detail. The Dragon Keepers wouldn’t just target him, they’d take their rage out on everyone else! Even an idiot like him should have realized this sooner.
D began to fade away, the area where he once stood now replaced by his dust particles, before he began to sail towards the floating fortress. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be too late.
“Good work everyone!” Footsoldier O said as he congratulated his fellow henchmen.
“I gotta wonder. What happened to D?” Footsoldier F wondered aloud, seemingly worried about his fellow footsoldier.
“Eh, I wouldn’t worry too much.” Footsoldier B waved off. “He probably got his ass handed to him by the Dragon Keepers and is coming back here.”
“Guys!” Speaking of their comrade, the Footsoldier came up to his fellow dusters in a panicked hurry. “We gotta get outta here!”
“Leave?” Footsoldier G asked with a furrowed brow.
“Yes! The Dragon Keepers are going to be coming this way soon, and they’re pissed! ” D explained.
“What for? What did you do?!” Footsoldier B asked.
“I broke Red Keeper’s jaw!” D revealed, expecting there to be shock amongst his fellow comrades. Instead, there were nothing but scornful and disbelieving looks sent his way.
“Pfft, as if.”
“We’ve all imagined doing that, but aren’t you going a bit far with the daydreaming, D?”
“TURN ON THE DAMN RADIO!” D urged them angrily, frustration building at their lack of belief in his capabilities…even though he knew they were probably right to doubt him.
“Fine.” One of the footsoldiers walked over to the radio where they would always get the news from. While they had a TV, there were no channels, just a CD and video player. The Footsoldier turned the dial to the news. And then…
“Shock in Amanogawa! A lone Duster is making waves today for punching the Red Keeper. While Pink Keeper did her best, Red Keeper is said to be currently in the hospital, looking for treatment for his broken jaw. It seems that the rumors about the Invaders having a secret weapon were true after all. What could this mean for the future of our city- no, our world? We will update as more information arrives.”
D felt a host of eyes on him, as his fellow Dusters looked at him in complete and utter shock. ‘That’s better!’ he thought smugly as he got the reaction he was expecting for his efforts. His pride continued to swell as the entire fortress was left in complete silence.
“D…” It was Footsoldier F who spoke up, his eyes just as wide as his companions’. “What did you do?”
D rubbed the back of his head. “Well…I was tired of being the Keeper’s lap dog…then I got really angry…and next thing I knew, I hit that bastard really hard.”
“DO YOU HEAR YOURSELF?!” F exclaimed in disbelief.
“Yeah, what do you mean you broke his jaw?! Do you know how hard that is?!” Another Footsoldier added.
“We’re super weak! That’s how it’s supposed to be! We’re not supposed to hurt the Rangers! It’s impossible!”
“The only ones who could are all dead! So how can you do it-?!”
“I don’t know!” D yelled, silencing the rest of the Dusters. “I just discovered this…power today. I don’t know anything about it myself. I don’t know what ‘Black Flash’ or ‘Cursed Energy’ is. Nor am I smart enough to figure it out without it being spelled out to me. All I know…” The Footsoldier clenched his fist. “Is that I did it. And more importantly, those Keeper bastards were scared by it. They know what this power is, and they think that we shouldn’t be able to do it. Now we are. So, I ask you, fellow Dusters…what the hell are we gonna do now?”
You could hear a pin drop in the room, the fortress completely quiet as the footsoldiers processed D’s speech. “I’d say…that you're our best chance to fight back.” Footsoldier F said, slightly resigned, as he walked up to D.
“F, what are you saying? We can’t fight against them-”
“We didn’t think we could damage them either, right?!” F fired back, cutting the Footsoldier off quickly. “But, for some reason, D can do it. We have no way of knowing if we can too. So, all we can do right now is put the hopes of all us worthless dusters on his shoulders!”
“But, what if he fails? We’ll incur the wrath of all the Dragon Keepers, and-!”
“So what?!” F shouted, silencing the entire room. “We’re monsters, aren’t we? We’re supposed to fight against the Dragon Keepers! And yet…” The Footsoldier trembled in rage. “We let ourselves become…this! We’re not in a partnership, we’re just their slaves! Our pride as monsters has been torn down, all just so we can survive another day! And for what? What’s waiting for us if we just survive like this?! Where do you see us ending up once they get tired of letting us live?”
No one responded to F’s passionate speech. D knew why. He had been like them before. Despite being monsters, they had let themselves become leashed by the Dragon Keepers, all because of fear . One strike from their Divine Tools, and they would die, never to reform again. And none of them wanted to experience death. It wasn’t like they could fight back either, they weren’t even in the same stratosphere as the Keepers.
“Do you all want to waste the one chance we have and continue to stay as slaves? Or…” F pumped his fist into the air. “Shall we put our hopes on D and prepare for the day we fight back?!”
“I…” O began to speak up, his hand raised. “I don’t want to be under the Ranger’s thumb anymore! Please D, help us!”
“Yeah, help us, D!”
“Where do we start, D?”
D couldn’t help but smile, as he watched new fire light under the asses of his fellow dusters for the first time in over a decade. It wasn’t completely like it was when they were all hell bent on World Domination, but it was better than the complete surrender they had before. And now, he had an answer for where he should start.
D patted his friend F on the shoulder, about to thank his friend for backing him up and creating new life amongst the footsoldiers, when he noticed something…off as he touched his fellow Duster. ‘What is…this?’ It was like he was feeling a host of particles that made up his friend, almost as if he could feel… ’This is his soul?’ D realized, recognizing the feeling. After all, he had become aware of his own soul after using Black Flash.
“D, is there something wrong?” F asked his friend, confused by the look of shock currently on D’s face. However, he wouldn’t get an answer, as his friend was now deep in thought, trying to figure out the implication of being able to feel F’s soul.
‘If I can feel his soul…what else can I do?’ D wondered as he kept his hand on his friend’s shoulder. He kept his focus up, feeling every single particle of dust his friend was made of. But…was that all he could do? As he kept feeling his friend’s very soul, he suddenly felt a shift of a singular spec of dust move slightly. ‘Did it just…move? No…did I move it?’ If he could move one single spec, what else could he do?
“Uh, D…why is your hand still on my-?” F’s question was cut short, as his eyes snapped to his left arm. Everyone else stared in disbelief as F’s arm began to shift, and morph slowly. It expanded, growing bigger, bulkier, and larger than the rest of the footsoldier’s body. To F’s shock, his arm had now become as large as his entire body,
“F! What happened to your arm?!” One of the Footsolsdiers yelled, frantically pointing at the now enlarged arm.
“I don’t know…” F said as he stared at the arm. “But I think D has something to do with it.”
“D, what did you do this time?!” A host of foot soldiers asked at the same time.
“I…changed the shape of his soul,” D answered dazedly, trying to find the right words to describe it. “His soul was like a bunch of dust particles. I dunno, I just…when I touched it, it felt so natural that I could mold it.” He looked down at his own hand, releasing his comrade. “I couldn’t do it before, so it must be because of Cursed Energy.”
“Hey, D. Do you think you could uh…change me back?” F asked as his eyes pointed to his arm.
“I think I can.” D touched the back of F, feeling the dozens and dozens of particles that made up his soul. He was shocked to find that not only he could feel the new shape of F’s soul, but also remember its original shape perfectly. With a thought and some focus, his arm was brought back to normal.
“D, is there anything else you can do with that power?” Footsoldier O asked.
“Dunno.” The Duster said as he looked at his hand. Slowly, his expression morphed into a sinister grin. He didn’t know anything about this Cursed Energy stuff. And frankly, he probably didn’t have much time to waste figuring it out here. However, he knew where he wanted to test his power. ‘I’m glad those idiot surface dwellers gave me the idea.’
“D?” F uttered as his friend appeared silent the entire time. He began to reach out for his friend, when…
“ALRIGHT!” D shouted, as he pumped his fist. “Listen up! Play nice with the Keeper for now. Tell ‘em I got blown away. They’ll not take my defiance lightly, and they’ll look to kill me for hurting their precious leader! Keep cooperating like nothing’s changed for now!”
“What will you do, D?”
“I’ll hide amongst the surface world and try to learn more about my powers.” The entire room grew silent upon this declaration, the group of dusters staring at their comrade in shock. “Frankly, I’m not smart enough to know how long it’ll take, or if it’ll even work. All of this is way too new to me. But know this: even in the face of death, I promise, WE WILL HAVE OUR REVENGE!”
“That’s right, D!” S, the one who had inspired the Duster to commit to his brazen action, was the first one to support him. Soon, the entire fortress with the rest of the Footsoldiers joined him, cheering their new savior, their last hope in the face of the damn Dragon Keepers.
“You can do it, D!”
“I believe in you!”
“Show those Rangers what for!”
“And…” His grin became more perverted. “We will be able to live out our dream of World Domination, where I will finally get my harem!”
“Really, D?”
“You do you, but really?”
“I’m embarrassed you are our last hope.”
“Shut up!” D shouted in a heap of embarrassment for his dream being shut down. It was possible! He sighed, before he brought his hand to his head to salute his fellow foot soldiers. “Everyone, it has been an honor.”
The Dusters returned his salute, some of them with tears threatening to spill from their eyes, as they realized this could be the last time they would ever see their friend. D couldn’t help but feel a host of emotions as he witnessed the utmost support from his fellow footsoldiers, feeling a sense of melancholy as he realized he would have to leave his home.
“I’ll be back. Don’t die before then, you got it?” He turned his back towards the Dusters, then deconstructed himself, slithering out of the fortress in a black stream.
“Oh, it’s you.” Suzukiri addressed the currently disguised D. Currently, the two were a couple miles away from the arena. “I can’t afford to talk for long. I’m busy. Haven’t you heard about what happened?”
“About the Footsoldier who injured Red Keeper? What’s up with that?” D asked, feeling a swell of pride that people were taking what he did seriously.
“Yes. It’s very strange how a mere footsoldier could injure one of the Keepers. I can’t help but find it impressive.” The blonde’s dead eyes looked straight into D’s, as if analyzing his very being. “Now, what do you want?”
“I wanna join the Rangers,” D said with firm resolve, his eyes blazing from determination. “I want to be able to fight like the Dragon Keepers and put an end to the invader menace!” He cringed internally at having to say this garbage, but it was his best chance to start his quest for revenge.
Suzukiri smiled. Even when she smiled, it seemed somewhat off-putting and creepy, not reaching her eyes at all: personally, D really liked it. “If that’s all, then go ahead and sign up. I know Sakurama will be pleased. But, just know that it’ll be tough. You might not even have the talent to make it.”
D grinned. “I think I’ll fit in just fine.”
“Suit yourself. Don’t say I warned you. That said, if you make it, I’m looking forward to working with you.” Those were the blonde’s last words before she walked away.
‘I’m coming for you, ya shitty Dragon Keepers. Just you wait!’
End Chapter
Welcome to the story dump. Since my muse insists on riding every idea it sees like a college girl, I decided to make this place for story ideas I am not ready to make into stuff I'm actively working on. Hope you like this one, it's pretty fun. Shout out to NSG for Betaing and giving me the idea too. And let me know what you think