Year 605 of the Cray Calendar. Ravenous flames devoured the battered earth, paving the way forward for the advancing troops of the Dragon Empire.

The assault had been sudden. Too sudden. The outpost of Royal Paladins situated on the Eastern border of the United Sanctuary had been swiftly and secretly dismantled by the Empire's covert operations specialists, the Nubatama, allowing the powerful siege forces of the Tachikaze to crack an opening big enough for the Empire's main army to compromise the Sanctuary's integrity. The Kagerou. The merciless Kagerou.

By the time the Godhawks reached the Capital with news of the invasion, the isolated town of Reed had already been engulfed by the unforgiving flames of war…

A Lizard Runner paused as it approached the remains of a stone building. Its forked tongue snaked its way into the stale air..shivering.. sensing.

The muscles tightened around the hilt of the steel trident it clasped in its reptilian hands.

Then, as if satisfied that there was nothing, it stalked away down a cobbled road towards the town center.

Hidden amongst the rubble and ruin, a young boy heaved a sigh of relief, only to have a finger unceremoniously shoved into his lips.

"Shhhh! Do be quiet, Llew!" A blonde girl whispered after a few tense moments. "The monsters still might hear you! Remember what we were taught about dragons in school?"

The boy, who also had hair of bright gold, pulled her arm away in annoyance but nodded in solemn consensus.

"It's alright. He's probably a long way away by now." The deeper voice belonged to a blue-haired teenager who had just appeared from deep within the debris. While he looked around the age of 16, the younger pair appeared to be 12 or 13 years old.

"Are you sure, Alfred?" Llew asked, allowing himself to speak just a bit louder.

Alfred nodded grimly. "Positive. Don't worry about a thing. I swear I'll get both you and Salome out of here alive."

…

The King of the Knights, Pendragon, had his brows furrowed deep with worry as the landscape rushed beneath him in a turbulent blur.

A deep and ancient voice filled with wisdom resounded in the depths of his mind. "Something bothering you, Ambrosius?"

Startling slightly from being addressed by his real name, he replied, "No. I just hope we're not too late, my friend."

A grunt came in response, stemming from the maw of the King's loyal partner himself, the Sanctuary Guard Dragon.

"Let us not be bothered with unnecessary thoughts before we plunge into battle."

Pendragon turned towards the voice.

Behind him sat yet another warrior of the Royal Paladins, clad in magnificent armor of both white and blue. And in his arms was the legendary weapon of the United Sanctuary itself.

The Blaster Blade.

The King nodded. Knowing that the hero of the Sanctuary was by his side somewhat reassured him. But that moment of peace was not to last.

Black smog encroached upon the horizon, accompanied by screams and the distinct aromas of soot and blood.

Pendragon gritted his teeth, just as Sanctuary Guard Dragon growled in fury.

Without warning, azure shadows burst forth from the cloudscape, lunging forward like ferocious wasps.

"Tejas!" roared the King.

One of the Wyvern Strike soldiers rushed forward with his spear in an attempt to impale his opponent.

But Pendragon easily deflected the strike with his own blade, and sent the soldier flying off his steed.

Seizing the momentum, Sanctuary Guard wielded its own shining sword of light and sliced the wyern in half without a moment's hesitation. Tejas were fast and mobile, but they lacked the defensive capabilities that the Jarran variety possessed.

But the battle was far from over. More Tejas were swarming, impeding their progress and a battallion of Jarran were fast approaching.

"We can't let ourselves get stuck in the air like this," muttered Pendragon.

"Then we go down."

Before the King could react, Blaster Blade had already leaped off the holy dragon's back and was diving straight into the chaos raging below.

"That fool! The ground troops haven't even arrived yet!" Pendragon sighed. This wasn't the first time the hero had pulled a stunt like this.

"Leave him. He can handle himself. " commented Sanctuary Guard. "We have our own problems to deal with."

…

As the wind rushed against his face, Blaster Blade could feel it. He was here.

A Berserk Dragon snapped its jaws viciously as it rose to intercept him from the ground.

"BEGONE!"

A burst of lightning flashed from the tip of his blade, leaving not a single trace of the creature behind.

With a skillful somersault, the knight landed elegantly on the ground.

Glancing around, he discovered that his flight had brought him to the city center. And he was surrounded by what seemed to be an unlimited number of the Kagerou forces.

Dragons, dragonmen and dragon knights stared at him from their positions amidst the ruined buildings. They all knew exactly who he was and what his weapon was capable of.

But that was not what stopped them from attacking. The members of Kagerou didn't know fear. Didn't understand it. They fought solely for the joy of battle and victory, even if it meant the loss of their very lives.

So why were they still?

Because it had been an order.

An order from their one true ruler.

The Dragonic Overlord.

"So.. we meet again," an alien, bestial voice rasped from between the mighty dragon's fangs.

Blaster Blade nodded. Years ago they had fought and no winner had resulted. But this time, this time was different. And the fate of the United Sanctuary hung in the balance.

Dragonic Overlord raised his massive sword, brutal yet simple in design.

In response, Blaster Blade gripped his sword in a ready position, his entire body glowing with a powerful aura.

And with a combined roar, they both leaped towards their eternal rivals.

Their blades clashed with a sound like raging thunder.

And somewhere in the ravaged town, Alfred led Llew and Salome down the streets, unknowingly leading them closer to the very place where the two heroes now clashed..