Soon the Zodiac Palace on the Peak of Placidus came in sight.
"We're there!" Tamie was happy she'd finally reunite with her beloved.
"Yes, but we must be careful. If this Byakuya guy of yours has indeed attempted to take revenge on the Council in my brother's name, the guards will already be on the alert," Getsuryuu gave the friends his message telepathically as was the custom for all dragons in their dragon forms.
"Leave the guards to me and Nina," Enya said. She was sitting on Fireball's back together with Nina and Scott. "We will take care of them. You, youngsters, rush in".
"I will help out the ladies. One Dragon Tamer is enough to beat the Council," Scott winked at Tiger, who was sitting on Getsuryuu the Moon Dragon with her friends.
They descended in front of the Zodiac Palace. Indeed, it wasn't long before they heard the cries of the guards:
"His reinforcements are here!"
"Get them! It's the Rose Cruce Order!"
"Ugh, so it has already started..." Riza frowned.
"Well, act as planned!" Scott cried. When Nina and Enya jumped off Fireball's back, he cast his incantation: "Aries Style, Tamer Art, Beast Mode - Fusion!"
Scott fused with Fireball. His Yellow Dragon spirit emerged and growled in an infernal voice, sending shivers down the guards' spines.
"Let's go!"
Tiger and her friends jumped off Getsuryuu's back and let him turn into a human. They all rushed into the Palace while Nina and Enya unleashed their respective powers of the Ocean Water Snake and the Purple Poison Pegasus and attacked the guards alongside Scott.
The friends - Tamie, Tiger with her pets and the Moon Dragon, Kokuyo, Riza, Edmund, Goldmund, Nick, and Erisa - ran through immense and richly corridors of the Zodiac Palace.
"This Palace should already be full of our enemies. We must be careful".
Kokuyo had placed his hand on the handle of his katana, ready for any sudden clash. He was right - in one of the corridors, they were met by two Council members. Greatly for Tiger's surprise, it was her grandparents - Georg and Sandy Braun.
"W... What's going on?" she was surprised - why were they opposing her?
"Tiger, what's the meaning of this?" Georg raised an eyebrow, "How come your order is attacking the Zodiac Council? It is against the laws of the entire Zariel realm!"
"But grandpa, there is a disaster going on! The Zodiac Council... They did such terrible things behind your backs!"
Tiger retold them the whole story of the twin dragons and the von Drachen Clan annihilation, behind all of which stood none other than Marvin Wagner - the former Council member who was well acquainted with the current Council leader Guy Hernandes, who happened to be his son-in-law. Georg and Sandy grew shocked. Georg heaved a sigh:
"Sorry, Tiger, we cannot let you through. It is against the Zodiac Council policy, and we both have been loyal members of the Zodiac Council for many years now".
"You can't be serious, grandpa! What is more important - the Zodiac Council or the balance of the whole zodiac circle that has been shaken?"
"Well then, let's make an agreement," Georg took a battle pose, "Beat us and we'll let you pass!"
The friends got frightened - beat Georg Braun the legendary Bearer of the Taste and Silver Venus Celestial Lord, and Sandy Braun the Ocean Nine-tailed Fox?!
"So be it," Tiger sighed, "I cannot let my friends down. I shall fight you!"
They heard a glisten of a sword - Kokuyo had unsheathed his black-handled katana blade.
"I shall fight side by side with you, Marienne".
Tiger brightened - he was such a devoted boyfriend!
"You take my grandma, and I'll deal with grandpa".
"No! Please, let me fight Lord Georg Braun!"
Everyone looked at Tamie in a stupor - was she serious? Georg Braun was too strong!
"Please! Lord Georg is the Silver Venus Celestial Lord - a Libra like me. I wish to prove my might and get a hold of the Silver Venus gem!"
Tiger nodded at her. Tamie was right - it was her chance to become a Celestial Lady too. It'd be better for grandpa to give his gem up, anyway - he was already too old for it.
"Go for it, Tamie!" she then turned to Kokuyo: "Sorry, dear, you will have to go ahead. Leave this fight to us sisters".
Kokuyo put the sword back in its scabbard:
"Alright, be as you wish".
"Well then, if you've already decided, we'll get ready," Georg said, "But be sure, Tiger - we will not go easy on you".
"Bring it on!"
"Good luck, girls!" the friends ran off ahead.
"Do your best, Tamie!" Nick gave his sister an encouraging smile.
"Thank you, Nick, I will!"
Tamie watched her brother disappear behind a door with her friends. Only after the door was shut, she cast an incantation and got embraced by her giant White Tiger spirit:
"Libra Style, Writer Art, Demigoddess Mode; Tiger Spirit, Ring Nine - White Air Tiger!"
"Libra Style, Battler Art, Emperor Mode; Dragon Spirit, Ring Twelve - White Air Dragon!"
Georg unleashed his giant White Dragon spirit which possessed feathered wings like all the other Air dragons.
"Oh, quite a nice Dragon spirit!" Getsuryuu remarked.
"Pisces Style, Sneaker Art, Ninja Mode; Dog Spirit, Ring Twelve - Ocean Nine-tailed Fox!"
An enormous Light Blue Nine-tailed Fox embraced Sandy and placed her in its core.
"Ah, Pisces?" Getsuryuu smiled, "Quite interesting... A fellow Water element..."
"Yeah, but as you know, the Earth is strong against the Water. When it comes to our fusion, we have three Earth users including me. With your Moon Water added up, we have a clear advantage. Virgo Style, Tamer Art, Predator Mode - Fusion; Ox Spirit, Ring Eleven - Green Nature Ox!"
Blizzard glowed in the Yellow Zen, while Christo and Astra took on the Green Zen colour. They all merged with Tiger's Green Nature Ox. Getsuryuu, as Tiger's new dragon companion, glowed in his Blue Zen energy too. He merged with Tiger's Green Ox and transformed it into a dragon-like beast with blue-to-green energy. Tiger got astounded:
"Huh? Since when do I have a Dragon spirit?"
A more astonishing event was still forward, though - her order ring beeped and announced her level rise. She had become a Beast with a Twelfth ring spirit.
"Huh? How come I raised a rank just by transforming?"
Getsuryuu's telepathic message sounded in her head:
"Dragons are the highest-level creatures in this universe. When you become a Dragon Tamer and acquire a dragon companion, if your spirit is not a Dragon (as it is in your father's case), it takes on a dragon form and becomes a dragon-like creature. Now your spirit is the supreme form of a Dragon Tamer Virgo Ox - the Green Nature Dragon Ox. As for the other issue - due to my large energy reserve, our fusion made you raise a rank. My energy merged with yours and gave you a large power boost - even larger than a casual muse can give to an Artist Class pursuer".
Tiger jumped with happiness inside the Dragon Ox spirit's core:
"That's so awesome! Well then, let's take care of this battle!"
The Dragon Ox spirit roared and charged at Sandy, while Tamie's Tiger attacked Georg's Dragon.