SD: *snoring* Mmmm… *alarm clock goes off* Huh…? *Checks date* O.o …NANDATO!? *rushes to Fen's bedroom* AIBOU! AIBOU! AIIIII~BOOOOU!
Fen: *wakes up in shock* UWAH! WHAT?! WHAT?! WHAT?!
SD: *Pulls out the calendar* It's been two months since we updated Season 2 of Wizard of Zero! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!?
Fen: …
…
…
…
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
SD: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! *begins running around like a crazy person* …WAIT! *Skids to a halt. Runs to treasure chest. Opens it. Music from Legend of Zelda when Link finds something* DA DA DA DAAAAAAAA! I've found our second chapter! XD
Fen: WOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! XD
SD: WHOOP! *high five* Well, now that we have that, hello, everybody!
Fen: What's up guys?! SD and Fen to finally give you the latest chapter of Wizard of Zero: Futatsuki no Wizard!
SD: And this chapter is a bit of a game changer as we learn more about Phoenix's role in the Magic World as well as more of the mysterious Kamen Rider Beast.
Fen: Yep, so let's get going aibou!
DRIVER ON! PLEASE!
SD: You got it!
DRIVER ON!
Both: Henshin!
FLAME! PLEASE! HII! HII! HII, HII, HII!
SET! OPEN! L–I–O–N: LION!
Disclaimer: Same thing.
In a forest, two figures were walking and seemed like they were walking aimlessly for hours. But no, these two figures knew where they were going. At least… one of them knew. These figures were actually Phantoms and they were none other than Phoenix and Medusa, the latter leading the former.
"Where are we going?" Phoenix asked annoyed.
Medusa rolled her eyes at Phoenix's question. "I told you before, we're going to see Wiseman. My master seeks your assistance in conquering this land and killing the ring-bearing wizard."
"Che. I play to my own tune." Phoenix scoffed. "Besides, I could've easily burned the Yubiwa no Mahōtsukai if you hadn't interfered."
"And you would have caused too much collateral damage in the process," Medusa retorted, turning to Phoenix and giving him a chastising look. "Master Wiseman would actually like something left to take over." She then got a scheming grin. "Besides, you help us… Master Wiseman may even help you get your revenge against the other wizard… The one you seem to want revenge on."
"Souma Haruto…?" Phoenix asked in surprise.
"Maybe." Medusa said before turning around again to walk. "Now come, our Master awaits."
"Hmph…" Phoenix scoffed before following her.
A few minutes later, they arrived at a cave like entrance and the two Phantoms went in. It was lit by torches and there stood Wiseman and Gremlin, waiting for them.
"Hisashiburi dana, Phoenix." Wiseman greeted.
"Che, the feeling's not mutual." Phoenix retorted. "In all honesty, you're the last Phantom I wanted to see."
Wiseman chuckled as he replied, "Oh, come now, Phoenix, there's no need for hostility. We both want the same thing: Kamen Rider Wizard dead. All I ask is your assistance and… restraint when it comes to causing extra damage. If you can help me conquer Tristain, I will send you back to your world so that you may hunt down Haruto Souma and get your vengeance for him banishing you to the sun."
"And why should I believe someone who used me for their own agenda?" Phoenix asked suspiciously.
Wiseman's tone became far more serious. "Do not mistake me for the same Phantom I was in the other world. Now that I am free of that weakling Fueki, I am far more powerful than I was before. Defy me... And I will inflict a torture on you far worse than what Souma inflicted on you, one that will make you wish you were not immortal."
"Gh!" Phoenix flinched. He now knew that he was serious. One wrong move and he'll never get his chance on getting revenge on Haruto Souma. "…Fine, I'll help you out… for now. But you better keep your word that you'll get me back to Earth when this is all over."
Hearing the fear in Phoenix's voice was music to Wiseman's ears and he loosened up again, chuckling. "Of course, my friend! …So long as you keep your word to follow my instructions."
Gremlin laughed in the background, leaning against a rock. "Heh heh heh heh! Looks like the once–proud Phoenix has finally been brought to heel, eh, Medusa?"
"Indeed." Medusa agreed. "Now we can move onto more pressing matters. And it starts with that Wizard."
(Cue Theme MASSIVE WONDERS by Nana Mizuki)
(Instrumental) A red magic circle appears as Kurogasa is seen in his Flame Style coat. He looks at the screen with a serious face as the circle moves over him, transforming into Kamen Rider Wizard. Just then, a gold magic circle appears, moving over Wizard, changing him into Koji, dressed in a primarily gold disco outfit. He then winks and points at the camera as the gold magic circle moves over him, turning him into Kamen Rider Beast. Two red magic circles and one gold one appear, summoning back Kurogasa and Koji. As several more magic circles of the various colors of both Riders' various forms appear, they summon the rest of the cast as the title logo appears.
(Dare demo naku kimi no tame ni dekiru koto) The scene starts with the sun setting at Tristain Academy. Kurogasa was on the balcony of Louise's room looking at his Flame Style ring before looking at the horizon with Louise looking on from afar.
(Boku wa omou boku wa negau massugu ni) Meanwhile, Koji was doing the same thing, only this time looking at his Beast Ring before looking at the horizon with Kirche looking on from afar.
(Futashi~ka de katameta~) Henrietta and Wales look out from the balcony of their castle, holding hands, as Tristain and Albion forces battle each other.
(RUURU ni sugatte ita yo) Guiche is busy flirting with several girls before Montmorency pulls him away by his ear and Koji then picks up the girls.
(Iiwake de kazarareta kako~) Tabitha sits on the castle wall, reading one of her books, as is Colbert, however they both look up as an explosion is heard.
(KURIA shitai~) A swarm of Phantoms approach the Academy as Kurogasa and Koji, standing in front of it, nod to each other and prepare to transform.
(Tenjou no hoshi aku someru) Kurogasa transformed into Kamen Rider Wizard while Koji transformed into Kamen Rider Beast.
(Kiseki no tsubu hiroiatsumete) The two Riders then ran towards the Phantom Army before them with their WizarSwordGun and Dice Saber in hand respectively.
(Mada mienu yoru no saki ni) Meanwhile, Louise and the other students joined in the battle using their magic to fend off the Ghoul Phantoms.
(Tsutaetai yo maboroshi o yaburi) Then all of a sudden, a blast of energy exploded in front of them and the smoke cleared to reveal Phoenix, Medusa, Gremlin, and Wiseman.
(Yoiyami no tsuki boku o sasou) Kurogasa goes to fight Wiseman and Phoenix, changing through his four Dragon Styles, unleashing their special attacks.
(Madoi no VEERU keshisatte yuku) Koji, meanwhile, deals with Medusa and Gremlin, cycling through the four Beast Mantles.
(Kakushiteta zurui jibun) As the battle goes on, Sheffield appears, wearing the Ring of Andavari, leading a huge force of Albion forces to aid the Phantoms in battle.
(Yowasa mo zenbu uketometa toki ni) Beast and Wizard nod to each other, entering Falco Mantle and Hurricane Dragon Style, to fly towards them as Louise steps forward, preparing to unleash her Void magic but not until a flying Phantom kidnaps Louise.
(Jounetsuteki na~ kotoba wa iranai~) Louise stretches out her hands towards Kurogasa who was running towards Louise with his hand stretched out too, but just as they were about to reach, the flying Phantom flies faster and lands next to the elite Phantoms.
(Ima, koko ni iru koto sore ga bo~ku no~ shin~jitsu~) Kurogasa in rage then takes out the Drago Timer and goes into All Dragon Formation before jumping up and diving down for his Rider Kick towards the screen making it go white from the intense blast.
(Instrumental) The screen goes black showing the Wizard magic circle and Kurogasa and Louise faded into view in front of the circle back–to–back with their eyes closed and heads down before opening their eyes and looking up. The last scene then shows Tristain Academy and the camera moves up towards the sky before the title appears again.
Chapter 2: Lagdorian Lake Melee
It's been a few days since Phoenix crashed Henrietta's wedding reception and things were calm for the time being. Still, I couldn't believe that Phoenix from the actual show would show up. Now I know how Haruto felt when he fought him. I could barely put up a fight and barely survived, thanks to Medusa interfering. But the next time, we face each other again, there will be no more interruptions.
As of now, I'm sleeping in my futon, inside my Edo style Japanese home, however, I was about to get a rude awakening.
"KUROGASA! GET UP! GET UP!"
Aw geez Louise, can't I just sleep in?
"KUROGASA! GET! UP! NOOOOOOOOOOOW!" Louise shouted again. "Get out before I blast down your door!"
"Ugh…" I groaned as I rolled over in my futon. "Okay, okay… just give me a minute."
Derf bounced over to my futon and said, leaning against it, "Not exactly the kind of wake–up call you were hoping for, eh, partner?"
"That's the understatement of the day," I muttered before finally getting up, wearing nothing but a white kimono and blue hakama pants for sleeping clothes. And if you're wondering, I used the Dress Up Ring for that. I then walked over to the sliding door, opening it as I asked, "What the heck are you screaming about this early in the morning Louise?"
Louise gave me a look as she said, "Why else would I be waking you up this early!? Her Majesty wishes to see us!"
I quirked an eyebrow at that. "Henrietta? Did she say what she wanted?"
"No," Louise replied with a shake of her head. "She just said that it was very urgent."
"Uh… ok then. Let me freshen up a bit and then we'll go." I said.
Louise grumbled and rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine, just move quickly, okay!?"
"Okay, okay, sheesh." I said before I slid the door closed. "What's with her today?" I asked as I went over to a corner of my room to get my change of clothes.
Derf hopped along behind me. "It must be important. She seems rather cranky." When I gave him a look, Derf amended his statement. "Well… crankier than normal."
"Well whatever it is Henrietta wants to tell us, I hope it's nothing bad." I said.
Before too long, Louise and arrived at the palace. I had changed again into my typical clothes with my Land Style coat. I parked the Machine Winger at the gate and we were both quickly marshaled inside the castle. Henrietta was there in the throne room, pacing back and forth with a worried look on her face. Something was definitely wrong here. "Henrietta? Are you alright? What's happening?"
"Kurogasa! Louise!" Henrietta said as she ran over to us.
"What's wrong Your Majesty?" Louise asked worriedly.
"It's Wales! He's gone missing!"
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Louise and I asked shocked.
"How does the new King of Tristain just go missing?!" I cried out in confusion. "He just got married! Everyone would be wanting to know where he is!"
"I–I don't know but–" Henrietta said, starting to tear up a bit. Oh geez, I better calm her down first.
"Okay, okay, take it easy." I said before placing my hands on her shoulders. "We're going to find him, just relax."
Louise's growl sounded off behind me. I could easily guess why, but this was not the time for decorum! The woman's husband was missing for crying out loud! So promptly ignoring Louise, I continued, "What was Wales doing last? Was he acting different? Where was he?"
"Everything was fine." Henrietta said. "He wasn't acting strange, and last I saw him, he was turning in for the night. I was in a meeting with my generals last night about the latest incidents about Albion and when I was done and went in our chambers, he… he wasn't there. I searched all over the castle, but there was no sign of him."
That doesn't make sense. Wales doesn't just vanish out of thin air. There's got to be more to this.
"No signs of struggles, nothing was out of place?" I pressed. "Even if it seems mundane, did it just seem odd anyway?"
"No." Henrietta shook her head sadly.
"Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..." I frowned, thinking about it. How could Wales just disappear like that?
"You know, you could ask me." A new voice said. The three of us were alarmed and we looked around.
"Who's there?! Show yourself!" I demanded.
"Maa, maa, no need to get all hostile." The voice said, before something materialized at the corner of the throne room. My eyes widened when I saw a familiar lion armored warrior leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and he had the Chameleo Mantle on.
"Kamen Rider Beast!" I recognized.
"The man who uses the same kind of magic you do?" Louise gasped.
"You got it, foxy lady!" Beast chuckled.
Eh? There's that disco talk again. He sounds familiar, but I can't put my tongue on it.
"Where's my husband?!" Henrietta asked frantically running up to him and holding his shoulders. "Where is he?"
"Whoa, whoa, easy, I'll tell ya." Beast said before he got serious saying, "To be blunt and straight to the point, he was kidnapped."
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Louise and I asked shocked.
"No…" Henrietta gasped as she stepped back a few steps and was about to collapse, but I caught her.
"H–Hey, c'mon, don't go fainting on me now!" I panicked a bit.
"How do you know that he was kidnapped?!" Louise demanded.
"Easy. My familiar Griffon is tailing him now as we speak." Beast said. Walking towards us, Louise tense, but Beast just raised his hand in peace before he retrieved what looked like a hexagonal hand mirror before holding its reflection to us. The mirror glowed before it revealed what Griffon was seeing from its point of view. In its sight was an unconscious Wales and the one that was hefting him over his shoulders was…
"Phoenix!" I gasped.
"That monster!" Henrietta cried. "What does he want with Wales?!"
"Well, my best guess is the jive–turkey wants to drag the man back to Albion so to end any resistance for the new regime," Beast suggested.
"You're kidding me." Louise gasped.
"Not only that, he probably wants to bait Wizard so he can settle the score." Beast added.
"And I might as well bite and take that bait." I frowned.
"Have you gone demented?!" Louise shrieked.
"It's either that or let him take Wales to be killed," I frowned, "The question is: How did he even get inside to nab him?"
"Sounds like you've got a turncoat," Beast suggested.
"We can worry about that later, I'm going to save Wales." I said.
"Bring me too." Beast joined in. "You know how Phoenix is when he gets all hot–headed."
I stopped and glanced at the gold Rider. Common sense told me not to trust him since even if he had so far been helping, the mystery to his identity and possible ties to the White Wizard made him suspicious. On the other hand, something in my gut told me he was trustworthy. Why that was I didn't know. What won me over though was knowing his ability to drain mana from destroyed Phantoms. If I could just set him up for a deathblow, if he destroyed Phoenix, possibly he could drain all the mana that Phantom had before he could revive himself and thus stay dead.
"Alright, let's go then." I said.
"Take me with you!" Louise insisted.
"EH?!" I asked stunned.
"Maybe my Void Magic can help somehow!" Louise said. "And it's a good time to test out the Founder's Prayer Book too."
"Maybe if we unlocked something more than Explosion," I retorted. "And Phoenix isn't exactly the type I can hold down while you're busy chanting." There was no doubt Void magic was incredible, what the Explosion Spell Louise used, utterly destroyed Reconquista's invasion force. But the downside was that it was incredibly long to chant compared to normal spells. Against Phoenix, I didn't have the time to protect Louise and fight him at the same time.
"I can handle it!" Louise huffed. "If I could survive Wiseman's attack on me then I can survive this!"
"Louise–"
"I'm going! And that's final!"
Beast gave me a look and shrugged. "I don't think you're gonna have much say in the matter. The chick seems to be pretty adamant about coming along."
"'Chick?'" Louise repeated in a mix of confusion and annoyance. "I am a noble, sir, and would expect that–"
"Hai, hai, hai," Beast replied in a dismissive manner with a wave of his hand. "The point is, we need to get moving if we want to save the guy."
I slumped, knowing there was no way I could win, "Fine, but when I say to do something, do it. This is not the situation where you can put your pride before anything else."
"I'll listen." Louise rolled her eyes.
I get the feeling, you won't anyways…
So with that, Louise, Beast, and I went back to the Academy. Beast waited at the entrance while Louise and I went to Professor Colbert and explained the situation. When I did, he used his magic to get the now repaired, Zero Fighter out of the hangar the Academy made for it and Louise and I immediately went in the cockpit to start the engine with Louise sitting sideways on my lap.
"Wow. Groovy ride," Beast admired, sitting in the copilot seat. "That Gandalfr mojo let you fly this thing?"
"Pretty much." I shrugged before I started the engine and it vroomed to life.
"Okay! You're good to go!" Professor Colbert shouted over the engine noise.
With a nod, I hit the throttle and we started moving. Thanks to the runes on my hand, we were able to get enough speed to clear the wall, taking off in the direction of Wales and Phoenix, hopefully before anything bad happened to the king.
As we flew in the sky, Beast started a conversation. "So… are you and the chick… you know, dating?"
"Uh…" I looked to Louise who frowned in suspicion. "Nope. Not with anyone at the moment."
"Really, you sure~?"
"Yes." I stated plainly.
"I mean really, really sure?"
"He said yes!" Louise snapped.
"Okay, okay, chill girl." Beast raised his hand in defense. "Tsundere much…?" He muttered.
"What was that?" Louise growled.
"Nothing."
Okay, there is definitely something familiar about this guy. For some reason, I know him, but I can't figure out who.
"You seem rather… familiar."
"Well, of course I do. You know me," Beast replied nonchalantly.
I looked to him stunned. "I… I do?"
"Mhmm…" Beast replied with a chuckle. "…After all, we did fight together before."
If I wasn't in the airplane, I would have fallen down anime style. He played me there. "I know that, but–!"
"Hang on! Griffon's got something!"
"What's Griffon seeing now?" I asked.
"A lake, a big one," Beast replied, looking into his mirror. "Phoenix seems like he's waiting for something. I don't like it."
"The only lake close to the Academy is…" Louise began.
"Lagdorian Lake." I finished before I stepped on the throttle. "Hang on!"
The plane went faster, increasing speed in hopes that we can get there in time. Wales was not only Albion's last surviving member of the royal family, he was a Gate. And I bet that Wiseman will do all he can to bring Wales into despair and extract his Phantom out. Well, I'm not gonna let that happen. Not on my watch.
The lake appeared in the horizon and I tensed, knowing that there was likely a good chance Phoenix was expecting us. The plane wasn't exactly subtle in a world like this.
And then comes the unfortunate event of the engine dying out.
Beast gave me a look. "I'm guessing that we're in for a rough landing? I'm no pilot, but I don't think that sound is good."
"Yeah… that isn't a good thing," I replied as I checked the displays on the plane.
"Y–You mean…? We're going to crash?" Louise got out.
"Yeah."
She was silent for a while until she broke the silence. "Kurogasa…" Louise muttered darkly, with her head bowed down, the bangs of her hair covering her eyes, "How do you say idiot in your native language?"
"Baka."
"I see… in that case…" Louise said as the engine finally died down and then… we nosedived down towards the lake in a spiral. "BAKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
I tried to pull up on the controls of the Zero to try and keep us from completely slamming into the lake. "Urgh… must… not… go… straight… Down…!"
"I got this!" Beast shouted as he opened up the canopy and suddenly… leaped out of the plane!?
FALCO! GO! FA! FA! FA! FALCO!
"Time to boogie!" Beast called, as he fell through the air and an orange magic circle flew over Beast's right shoulder, forming the Falco Mantle. Flying up underneath the plane, he tried his best to push the plane up as I continued to pull back on the stick so we wouldn't crash nose first into the lake.
But the momentum was too much and I had no other choice but to bail out. "Hang on Louise!" I said before putting on my rings.
DRIVER ON! PLEASE!
After materializing the WizarDriver with the Driver On Ring, I shifted the Hand Author to my left.
SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO HENSHIN!
"Henshin!" I shouted as I placed the ring in front of the Hand Author.
HURRICANE! PLEASE! FU! FU! FU, FU! FU, FU!
I hit the release to the cockpit and allowed the canopy to open. I leaped from the seat with Louise in my arms. My armor quickly changed and formed my emerald form, quickly taking control of the air around me to begin flying. Seeing me already bail out, Beast got out of there and the Zero Fighter nosedived down towards the lake and it crashed with a big splash.
"Not again," I groaned.
"Hey, at least we're out of there." Beast said.
"Yeah, yeah." I sighed. Beast and I then flew to the ground, Louise still safely in my arms as we landed on the land at the edge of the lake. Safely ashore, I put Louise down as I looked out at the Zero still partially sticking out of the water. Honestly, it kinda reminded me of Luke Skywalker's X–Wing being stuck in the swamp of Dagobah. "Man, Siesta's family would be really upset if they saw the Zero like that."
"Don't worry," Beast said as he walked over, his Falco Mantle disappearing, "I'm sure there's a way to get it out of there eventually. But for now, we should go find Wales."
"Right," I said with a nod before turning to Louise. "Louise, you alright?"
"Yeah…" Louise mumbled.
"Well, well, well, if it ain't the Yubiwa no Mahōtsukai!" A voice said. The three of us turned to see Phoenix approach with an unconscious Wales hefted over his shoulder.
"Wales!" I shouted.
Louise defiantly stepped forward, glaring at Phoenix. "You ill–mannered ruffian! Unhand His Majesty this instant! As a noble of Tristain, I command you surrender the king immediately!"
"Uh, Sweet Thang, watch what you say," Beast said cautiously. "Phoenix is a loose cannon and not exactly the take–orders type."
Phoenix laughed at Louise's outburst, keeping his grip on Wales. "Hahaha! Pinky's got some guts, huh?"
"'P–PINKY!?'" Louise fumed angrily.
"Louise, don't go blowing up on him!" I warned. I knew I shouldn't have brought Louise. She was just lucky that Phoenix thought it was funny instead of getting angry. That wouldn't last long if she didn't shut up.
Phoenix continued to grin maliciously as he said, "Looks like the little girl has a temper." Giving a glance to Wales who was still unconscious, he then said, "Well, I guess I can let him go."
That didn't sound good.
Phoenix then tossed Wales off of himself… and towards the lake!
"NO!"
However, Gremlin then leapt out and caught Wales. Phoenix looked to the giggling Phantom and said, "There you go. You can go take the little royal there and start turning him into a Phantom for Wiseman. I don't need him anymore now that the Yubiwa no Mahōtsukai is here… him and the ancient wizard, too. They took the bait."
"You got it!" Gremlin giggled before going to leave.
CHAIN! NOW!
Numerous iron chains suddenly flew from several magic circles which captured Gremlin and Wales.
"Nani?!" Beast gasped.
"You're not taking the noble anywhere." A voice said. We all turned to see a familiar white clothed masked mage come out of the forest.
"Shiroi Mahōtsukai!" I recognized.
"Well shoot, another annoying Mahōtsukai." Phoenix grumbled.
"Hey! Let me go! Let me go!" Gremlin complained.
"Three wizards all in one place," Phoenix snickered, cracking his knuckles. "First day on the job and I already get a bonus!"
"I will return the noble to the princess. Deal with Phoenix!" The White Wizard said.
"Oh no you don't!" Phoenix bellowed, summoning Catastrophe before slashing a flame wave at the White Wizard.
"I don't think so!" I shouted, flying towards the White Wizard and switching rings, before flipping the Hand Author.
DEFEND! PLEASE!
A green wind formed a barrier and it snuffed out the flaming wave before it could reach him. "You're going through me, first!" I then switched rings again and flipped the Hand Author twice.
CONNECT! PLEASE!
A magic circle appeared and I stuck my hand in before pulling out Derf. "About time you got me out partner!" My WizarSwordGun said.
"Just keep your edge sharp. We're not going to have an easy time of this!"
"You got it!" Derf said.
"Ikuzo!" I said before flying towards Phoenix.
Beast then magically pulled the Dice Saber out of his Beast Driver as he rushed after me. "Hey, don't think that I'm gonna let you hog all the action!"
Phoenix growled as he ducked under my slash and then blocked a blow from Beast, parrying his sword to the side, sending Beast stumbling as he turned back towards me. "Kiero!" He shouted as he blasted a fireball at me, knocking me back before charging at the White Wizard. Phoenix slashed at the White Wizard repeatedly, swinging Catastrophe with remarkable speed and power. The White Wizard, though, managed to either deflect the attacks with his HamelCane or dodge them. When he managed to put some distance between himself and Phoenix, he grabbed a ring and scanned it on his WizarDriver.
EXPLOSION! NOW!
The white gold magic circle appeared in front of him and went towards Phoenix and when it came in contact–
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
"GAAAAAAAH!" Phoenix was sent flying back before catching himself. "Onore…"
FLAME! DRAGON! BOU! BOU! BOU, BOU, BOU!
A fiery version of Dragon flew around me as a red magic circle flew over me, changing me from Hurricane Style to Flame Dragon Style. "Ready for this, Phoenix!?"
"Mind if I join in?" Beast asked as he grabbed one of his rings, a blue one.
DOLPHI! GO! D–D–D–D–DOLPHI!
The navy blue magic circle appeared and swept over Beast's right arm, forming the Dolphi Mantle. "A little bit of fire and water!"
"Let's do this then!" I said before Beast and I charged in.
"HAH! You're just a broken record!" Phoenix roared before he used Catastrophe to swing two large waves of flames at us.
"I don't think so!" Beast countered, spinning the wheel on the Dice Saber before inserting his Dolphi Ring on it, and it stopped on a number.
SIX!
A trumpet fanfare played shortly before it said–
DOLPHI! SABER STRIKE!
"Groovy!" Beast shouted as he dropped into a crouching stance. "Get ready to face some dolphin power!" He then slashed through the air six times, creating six blue magic circles. Out of each of them appeared a magic energy dolphin. As they let out a cry, they charged at Phoenix, ready to slam into him.
"Now for the fire power!" I shouted as I grabbed the Kick Strike Ring.
VERY NICE! KICK STRIKE! FABULOUS!
The red magic seal appeared below me and a swirl of fire surrounded my kicking foot. I then leaped forward, doing a cartwheel before leaping through the air. I aimed my kick at Phoenix as the energy dolphins surrounded me to amplify the power and a red magic seal appeared in front of me, before it kicked it and the magic circle stretched into a cone of circles before becoming rings of fire. The swirling fire around my kicking foot then took shape in the form of WizarDragon's head as it opened its maw up.
Phoenix knew he didn't have time to dodge the attack, so instead, he raised Catastrophe up to try and absorb the attack. I pushed down on the Phantom with the combined weight of mine and Beast's attacks. "Urgh… Onore… Yubiwa no Mahōtsukai!" Phoenix shouted before my attack finally connected. It wasn't enough to destroy him, but it sent him flying backwards, crashing through a tree.
"Dang…" Beast growled, clenching his fingers tighter around the Dice Saber. "He managed to survive that one…"
Phoenix pushed himself to his feet, growling angrily with his sword and his chest having blackened marks on them. Turning to Gremlin, he slashed through the chains that were holding him and commanded, "Get moving! Take the punk and drive him into despair!"
"I don't think so." The White Wizard said before he sped towards Gremlin, placed a ring on him, flipped his Hand Author twice, and grabbed Gremlin's wrist so that the ring was in front of his Hand Author.
TELEPORT! NOW!
"HEY!" Gremlin shouted as the gold magic circle appeared below his feet. The White Wizard took off the ring from Gremlin's finger and jumped back before the magic circle glowed and Gremlin disappeared.
He then quickly caught the falling Wales and safely set him down on the ground. Looking to us, the White Wizard shouted, "Wizard! Beast! The young king is safe!"
"Kisama!" Phoenix shouted. "Kiero!" Phoenix's body then began to steam up and glow with brilliant heat as fiery wings erupted from his back. With a growling roar, he unleashed a powerful burst of fire towards the White Wizard.
"Crap!" I gritted. I won't make it in time!
"Wizard, catch!" I heard Beast shout as he threw two rings at me. I caught them and looked to see that they're… the Hurricane Dragon and Thunder Ring?!
As I stared at the Rings, White Wizard activated a Ring of his own.
BARRIER! NOW!
White Wizard deployed the shield to protect himself against the blast. However, while the shield, at least for the moment, was blocking the blow, it was pushing back against the white Kamen Rider and moving him towards the lake.
"Where did you get these?" I asked Beast.
"No time to discuss that now," Beast declared as he grabbed one of his rings. "Let's go help the White Wizard before Phoenix turns him into a Thanksgiving turkey!"
BUFFA! GO! BU–BU–BUBUBU–BUFFA!
A red magic appeared near Beast's arm and went through before he donned in a red mantle with the head of a buffalo, the Buffa Mantle. Meanwhile, I slipped on the Hurricane Dragon ring and flipped the Hand Author before scanning it.
HURRICANE! DRAGON!
The green magic circle then came out of me and slowly went towards me before it paused right in front of me and a windy aura of Dragon flew around me.
BYU! BYU! BYU, BYU! BYU, BYU!
As soon as Dragon entered me, my coat section of my suit turned bright green as my chest armor became silver, resembling a dragon's head. My shoulder armor had turned to silver triangular plating with triangle emeralds in the center. My helmet had also changed slightly as well, sporting a gold head ornament like Dragon would wear with a triangle emerald embedded in the center.
BGM: Blessed Wind by RIDER Chips feat. Ricky
Twirling my WizarSwordGun, I shouted, "Ikuzo, Beast!"
"Hai!" Beast replied as he rushed in first. Leaping over Phoenix's head, he joined the struggling White Wizard and spun his Dice Saber.
FOUR!
"Dyn–o–mite!" He then inserted the Buffalo Ring into the sword.
BUFFA! SABER STRIKE!
Four crimson magic circles appeared as Beast cut them, projecting four energy buffalos. With their combined power, they helped strengthen the White Wizard's shield and began pushing back against Phoenix's blast. As the two continued pushing back against Phoenix, Beast then yelled, "Ike, Wizard!"
"Our finale!" I declared, slipping on my new ring and scanning it over my belt.
VERY NICE! THUNDER! FABULOUS!
A windy aura of WizarDragon came out of and circled around me before entering me and his wings grew out of me. I then flew towards Phoenix as electricity enveloped me and meanwhile…
"EXPLOSION!"
EH?! LOUISE?!
I turned to see that Louise was using the Founder's Prayer Book and that she chanted the spell the whole time while we were fighting!
Louise shot a beam of what I could just call raw magic power at the same time I fired my Thunder. Both attacks were launched straight at Phoenix who was still attempting to block with his sword. I wasn't sure if he noticed the incoming attack, but I was sure hoping he didn't. All I know is that when the attacks collided–
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
End BGM
My memory of the immediate moment after is fuzzy. All i really recall is bright light, the sparks of voltage, and a lot of force pushing me away from the epicenter. It seemed my attack and Louise's had combined to create some kind of Void Thunder attack. Wow.
My senses came back and I felt that I was on the ground. Shaking my head, I looked around to see what had happened. To my shock, a huge crater was now in the spot where Phoenix was and it was filling with water from the lake since it was close enough to breech the shore. Beast was a few feet away from me, standing up and shaking his head. The White Wizard was on the other side of the crater, leaning against a tree and shaking his head. Louise was further back than me or Beast, swirly-eyed and covered in soot.
Despite that it was powerful, I am now scared of Louise and she's capable of. I better not tick her off in the future.
Just then, small embers gathered on the said crater where Phoenix once stood and it grew and larger before reforming back into Phoenix. However, he was banged up pretty bad. Parts of his armor was scorched and smoking badly. It did make me pause, wondering why he hadn't simply regenerated those aspects of himself along with the rest of his body. Did something interrupt the process, was he low on mana, or was it because of the nature of Void Magic?
"Onore…" Phoenix growled, staggering. "You're going to pay for that pinkie!"
I grimaced and pushed myself up with Derflinger. This was not going to be an easy fight. Maybe if I had Water Dragon…
Just then a black portal appeared out of nowhere and out came… Wiseman!
"I believe that's quite enough." Wiseman said.
"Gh…! Wiseman…" I grunted.
"What do you want?!" demanded Phoenix. "I'm fighting here!"
"I believe this calls for a tactical retreat." Wiseman answered.
"WHAT?!" Phoenix roared.
"You heard me. We are temporarily regrouping. It seems bringing the royal boy to despair will be more difficult than expected." He added looking at the White Wizard. Wiseman clasped Phoenix' shoulder before the pair of them vanished into another portal. I sighed and dropped to my knees.
"Mou, that took forever." I sighed in relief before I fell on my back with my arms sprawled out and went back to civilian form.
"Munya~" Louise mumbled, still feeling dizzy.
"Foxy lady has some bang to her," Beast panted, trying to no doubt get the ringing noise out of his head.
"Is everyone alright?" the White Wizard asked as he approached us with the unconscious Wales in tow.
"Peachy…" I muttered as I sat up. "How's Wales?"
"I teleported him directly to the throne room where the Queen cannot miss him," the White Wizard replied. "He will be in good hands. However, it doesn't answer the question of how the Phantoms got him. This Phoenix is not subtle."
"Like I said, they might have a turncoat in their court." Beast shrugged.
"Possibly." The White Wizard pondered. "We can discuss this another time. Right now, you need to get the Void user to a healer." He said to me. "That Explosion spell she did, despite being powerful needs great refining."
"No kidding," I agreed, looking at the destruction wrought from just a spell.
"We shall meet again." White Wizard said before using his ring.
TELEPORT! NOW!
I sighed and forced myself to my feet before moving to Louise. I glanced over at Beast, "You want to hitch a ride back?"
"Nah, I'll fly back home." Beast said before using his ring.
FALCO! GO! FA! FA! FA! FALCO!
After donning the Falco Mantle, he then said with a wave, "I'll catch ya on the flip side… aibou."
EHHHH?!
"Wait…" I blinked before Beast took off into the air. "KOJI?! KOJI IS THAT YOU?! IT IS YOU, ISN'T IT! YOU JERK!"
That disco spouting jerk kept pulling crap like this on me! Winding me up and then dropping a bomb on me.
Beast, now confirming he was Koji, laughed as he flew away and shouted back, "Too you long enough, Kurogasa! You're still thick–headed as ever, buddy! I'll be seeing you very soon!" And then, he was out of sight.
"Baka…" I said with a grumble, shaking my head. But then… I couldn't help but smile. "Koji is here… I'm no longer the only one from my world here."
Derf looked to me as I picked him up and asked, "Who is that guy, buddy?"
"My best friend from back home," I replied, still smiling. "I can't believe he's here, though… How did he get here?" Just then, I heard Louise stirring. "Louise!" Rushing over to her, I dropped to my knees and helped her sit up. "Daijobu? I mean, are you okay?"
"What… happened…?" Louise mumbled.
I gave a soft chuckle as I said, "You just saved the day, Louise. You blasted Phoenix with your Explosion spell and… surprisingly enough, when he regenerated, he came back still partially injured. I don't know how, but I think your Void magic may provide one of two ways to possibly destroy Phoenix forever."
Louise looked stunned, "R–Really?!"
"Yes, really."
Louise looked to me in surprise. "Wow… Wait, what is the other way you were thinking?"
"The other Rider, Kamen Rider Beast, has the ability to eat mana. He might be able to defeat Phoenix as well by devouring his mana."
Louise looked concerned. "Speaking of him, where is he? And the White Wizard? …AND WHERE IS HIS MAJESTY!?"
"Beast went home and the White Wizard went back home too after he transported Wales back to the castle."
"Phew… thank goodness." Louise sighed in relief.
Finally pushing herself to her feet, Louise said to me as I stood up, "In that case, we should probably go back, too. The queen will no doubt want to hear from us."
"Yeah, but first… we gotta get the Zero Fighter out of the lake." I sweat dropped.
Louise looked to me with a cold glare before she sat down on a rock, crossing her arms, and stating, "You mean you gotta get the Zero out of the lake."
"EH?!" I gawked.
"Don't 'eh' me. You're the one who crashed the plane in the first place." Louise huffed. "So it's clearly your responsibility."
Anime style tears started pouring down my face as a metaphorical rain cloud appeared over my head. "Oro…"
Derf then said comfortingly. "It's okay, buddy, I'm sure you'll figure something out."
"I guess…" I sighed.
This is gonna be a long day.
SD: Well, there you have it, folks. Most of you correctly guessed it, but it is now confirmed that Kamen Rider Beast is in fact Kurogasa's best friend, the disco–loving Koji Shinamori.
Kurogasa: That jive–turkey is gonna get it! He always does that to me!
Fen: Uh… actually, this is the first time he ever did something like this.
Kurogasa: You get my point!
SD: Um, not really… '.' *coughs* Ahem, anyway… aside from that, we also learned a surprising truth about Louise's Void magic in regards to Phoenix's immortality. It would seem that her powers allow her to damage Phoenix in such a way that even when he regenerates himself after one of his deaths, he still comes back wounded.
Fen: So what does this mean for our hero?! Will Phoenix eventually be gone forever? Well, you're gonna have to stay tuned to find out!
SD: So come back next time to see what is next for our heroes! And next chapter, Koji makes his first true, unhenshined appearance as he arrives at the Tristain Academy! But more questions are raised: How did Koji arrive in the Magic World? How did he gain the powers of Beast? What has he been doing all this time?
Fen: All will be answered next chapter! So stay tuned!
SD: Later!
