"Beep, beep, beep," Mia's computer chants as sits down to record her students' grades.

"What is this? It's another one of grandfather's poems." she double-clicks on the file and begins reading it aloud. "Demon? Oh, my god! It can't be.. Talpa!" Mia covers her mouth with her hand. "I've got to find the guys."

"That won't be necessary, Mia," a voice states. "They're already on their way."

"Lady Kayura!" Mia turns around quickly, her mouth in an "o" of shock. "My god! What's happened to you?"

The four ex-Warlords' look severely beaten. The robe covering Kayura's Cruelty armor is shredded, as if a huge cat had sliced it to pieces. One of her shoulder pieces hangs onto the armor by a thread.

Cale's armor isn't much better. It's covered in scratches and the claws on his armor-covered hand are broken and dull. One of the horns on his helmet and his chestplate are broken.

Three of blades on Dais' Chi Lin Tou hang limply on his back. His armor is scratched up and chipped also.

Sehkmet's armor is the worst; several pieces of the armor has been completely removed and all six of his katana blades look as if they have been sliced in half.

"We were attacked," Dais states as he powers down to his sub-armor. "By Talpa's new Warlords."

"Hey, Kento! Wait up!" Kento looks behind him, as his friend, Rowen, races to catch up. "Where ya headed?"

"Home. Almost time for dinner," he grins widely. "You wanna come over?"

"I would, but I'm going to head over to Mia and see how she and Yuli have been doing. It's been a while since I last visited."

"Yeah, it has," he smiles. "How about you come eat at my place, then we'll head over there?"

"Sounds good," he smiles.

"Hi, Cye!" Ryo waves as he sees him at the restaurant from across the street. Cye glances up from his food.

"Ryo. Long time no see," he smiles as Ryo takes a seat.

"Yeah, it has been a long time. How've you been?"

"I'm doing fine. I start college in England at the end of this year. What about you?"

"I'm going to attend the college in Kyoto," he picks up a menu. "Have you talked to Mia lately? I've got this sudden urge to go see her."

"You too.. I've been have these strange feelings that something's going to happen soon. But Talpa's gone.."

"I think we ought to find the others and head over there just in case."

"Good idea," they both stand and he drops several bills on the table. "My car is this way."

They both get in the car and head in the direction of Mia's.

As they reach the end of the street, Ryo notices a head of blond hair.

"Look. There's Sage," he says as Cye drives by him. Cye does a U-turn and slows the car beside him.

"Hi, guys!" Sage smiles, then frowns as he notices something is wrong. "What's up?"

"Get in. We'll tell you on the way to Mia's."

He opens the car door and gets in.

"So, Talpa's back," Ryo growls. "Why can't he stay dead?"

"The poems states that he has nine more armors in his possession. The tenth has yet to arrive," Mia rereads the poem.

"What's the deal with these new armors?" Cye frowns. "How did he get them?"

"There's a legend that goes along with them," Kayura states. "Long ago, before Talpa had gained control of the Netherealm, a meteor, made of a strange unique metal, fell into its atmosphere. Before it hit, it split into ten pieces, each landing in a different province. Each province's skilled craftsmen found all and each one decided to make a set of armor and give it to his/her lord. Each set, because of the metal reacting to the atmosphere of the Netherealm, was rumored to have magical powers."

"The Ancient, aware of this, snuck into the Netherealm and asked for the armors," Cale continues. "Nine of them were hidden in various places in the Netherealm while the tenth was hidden on Earth."

"We believe that Talpa was not destroyed," Dais scowls. "I believe that somehow escaped to another realm. I also suspect that he knew of the armor's existence, maybe even already had possession of them, before we defeated him. If Talpa gets hold of all the armors and combines them with your armors and ours, his power will increase 100 fold."

"Damn.." Kento mutters.

"We have to find Aerostar before Talpa gets her," Sehkmet crosses his arms. "Otherwise, the Earthrealm is doomed."