From out of nowhere, a giant Iwanbo outfit appeared, and Dan nimbly sprang into it. "Now you Seishi will discover my true power!"

"Watch out!" cried Kay as Iwanbo's massive arm lashed out, sweeping towards the Seishi. Everyone leapt out of the way, unharmed.

Hikaru stood up and faced Dan. "You guys go. I'll take care of this."

"But, Hikaru, you can't," protested Kay.

"I have to. I'm the only one who knows his secrets," she replied, determination rippling through every fiber of her being.

"But it's dang-"

"Go! The fillers must be destroyed before the workers come back! Hurry and go!"

Kay looked anxiously at Ryuuen no Miko, who nodded grimly. SaitouSano kicked the doors open, and Kay, Ryuuen no Miko, and the other Seishi filed into the room that lay beyond, casting a last, worried glance at their comrade.

The two combatants faced each other.

"Aw. How cute. The little heroine stays behind to fight the big bad meanie," mocked Dan.

"I will beat you," she replied calmly.

"Hmph. You can try."

As he advanced on her, she dropped into a defensive battle stance and awaited his attack.

"Stop right there!"

"Huh?"

"Who?"

In unison, Dan and Hikaru swung their heads towards the sound of the newcomer's voice. Before them stood a young man, who had the look of a martial artist. The young man approached the pair and introduced himself.

"I'm Daniel. I heard a rumor about the fillers being destroyed by the Seishi and figured I'd help out. And what do I see but this big bad meanie picking on this little lady. That really made me mad. So..." He dropped into his trademark Senjitsu stance. "Little lady, go on and help out your buddies. I'll take care of him."

Hikaru smiled happily. "Just be sure to leave some for me." With that, she winked and rushed off to join her friends in arms.

Daniel smiled at her remark and then focused all of his attention on Dan. "Come on. I haven't got all day."

Dan produced his ever ready smirk and marched towards him. Unaware that his cheerleader lay in his path, Dan approached Daniel. Without warning, Dan tripped over the prone figure on the floor and fell crashing to the ground.

Daniel blinked in astonishment. "Well that didn't take long." He walked over to Dan and crouched next to him. "You alright?"

Furious because the structure of the fallen, giant outfit prevented him from standing back up, Dan gnashed his teeth in frustration. "All my plans ruined! I would've gotten away with it if it hadn't been for you and those pesky Seishi!"

He waved one angry fist in the air, cursing his foes. His battered cheerleader renewed his sobbing, and Daniel merely scratched his head in bemusement.

Meanwhile, the Seishi had completed their tasks, Kaoru-chan placing the very last sticky note on a stapler, when suddenly the Entertainment X workers returned from their lunch break. Everyone stared at each other in surprise. After a moment, the Entertainment X employees frowned, taking in the sight of their workplace. Sticky notes littered every imaginable surface, nook and cranny. The scripts were gone. The cels were missing. And in a far corner, smoldering ashes were all that remained of the storyboard. The employees' frowns deepened as they surveyed the damage that had been done to their precious plans. Angered that their attempts to produce more fillers had been foiled, the Entertainment X animation team furiously charged the Seishi.

The Seishi employed the same tactics that they had used earlier against Dan's minions, this time Hikaru helping Kaoru-chan kick kneecaps. Finally, the last of the animation team was defeated. Dusting her hands, Ryuuen no Miko said, "Well that's that."

The Seishi and Kay laughed and congratulated each other, but unbeknownst to them, a lone, determined animator was slowly dragging his broken body to a hidden button in the wall. As he reached up with a shaking hand, Ketsukei spotted him out of the corner of her eye. She shouted out a warning to everyone. "Hey, that guy is setting off an
alarm!"

Okita Soushi no Miko and Giullia started out to stop him, but it was too late. As a loud, angry buzz resonated through the building, the man smiled triumphantly.

"That alarm will summon the president, and when he arrives, you'll be sorry you ever crossed us!" He threw back his head and let out a deranged laugh. That, combined with the noise of the alarm, caused everyone to cover their ears, grimacing. The man continued to laugh as, seething, Danielle stalked towards him and kicked him in the head. The man stopped mid-laugh and collapsed to the floor unconscious, a demented smile fixed on his face. Just as abruptly, the alarm ceased.

"What do we do now?" asked Kay worriedly.

Everyone looked to Ryuuen no Miko for guidance. She looked at each one of them and replied, "We summon Battousai."

TO BE CONTINUED