I do not own the Kamen Rider franchise. I do own this series as it is one that I created. Any characters that I use that do not belong to me will be credited to their original owners and creators at the end of each chapter. Please R & R.
Chapter 3
Rise of the Akushi! Shadow & the Divine Order: Imminent Battle!
Author: Toku Warrior
Rated T+: for Strong language, violence and suggestive dialog
'SLASH!'
'CLANG!'
It was the usual sounds of battle for the Divine Order. Today was no different from any other. Though things could be said a bit differently now. There were usually more demons and monsters to fight but in the past couple of months their numbers dwindled due to the appearance of a certain demonic Rider. Of course, there were still plenty of them roaming around. Currently, Cerica and a few other Divine Order members were taking care of a group of demons that had ransacked a local night club.
The demons that they were currently fighting were nothing more than Valanx demons. The Valanx are a group of demons that look like smaller yet sleeker version of the Violator demon of hell and with an appetite for blood to match. There were currently six of them but they were outnumbered due to the sheer numbers of the demon hunters flanking them. One of the Valanx's struck out at female hunter who quickly ducked under the swiping claw and then drover her golden lance that she was wielding straight through its head, from the soft part of its jaw and out through the top of its spiked skull. The demon fell over dead as a door nail only for two more to takes its place.
They both let loose at the woman with their own claws but soon found themselves ensnared by a few pairs of glowing red lassos that had been wrapped around their arms, stopping their attacks. The demons looked back only to see a big black spinning dagger disc fly right at them, decapitating them on the spot. The weapon lodged itself in a rock on the ground, making a crater on impact. The other three remaining demons saw this and knew that it was time to run. They turned to flee only to see the white armored form of Exis standing in their way.
"Tsk, tsk," she said while shaking her finger at them as if they had done something wrong. "Now where do you filthy demons think you're going?" The Valanx demons glared at her angrily as they looked around for another escape route. "Sorry, but your reign of terror ends here. Eris, now!" With the shouted command, she then lowers her rapier down to where the hand guard faces her buckle. The gem on the guard begins to glow as Eris let's out a small howl.
"Angelic Charge!" Eris shouted out as she mixed her energy with Cerica's, adding power to the weapon.
After a quick moment to allow the weapon to charge, Exis began to swing her weapon around in front of her, making glowing golden symbols in the air in front of her. The Valanx looked on in fear and quickly made a break for it. Too little too late on their part though as Exis then slashed the three glowing symbols at them.
"I don't think so! Heaven's Gate!" she shouted out as the glowing symbols flew at the demons, striking them. Upon contact the demons froze in their tracks, the symbols glowing a bright white color as the sounds of trumpets could be heard emanating from the symbols. It was as if the pearly white gates of heaven were opening, raining down pure holy energy into the souls of the demons. Screeching in pain, the demons quickly blew up in a ball of glowing fire as their bodies were torn asunder from the angelic power. After it was over both Exis and her team mates looked at the spot where the demons had stood.
"It seems we are victorious my lady." one of the hunters said to Exis as she deactivated her armor, allowing her rapier to reattach itself to Eris's head and become her gas cloud body once more.
"Maybe…but I think that was a bit too easy of you ask me." another hunter spoke up. Cerica agreed with his statement. That had been too easy. Or maybe they could have gotten stronger. She would have to check with the council to make sure. As she turned around to lead the others back to the temple her cellphone began to ring. Taking it out, she flipped her silver phone open and placed it to her ear.
"Hello? Yes…yes…Of course. We'll be right there." She quickly hung up her phone and returned it back to her pocket before looking back at her comrades. It seems the council wishes to have an emergency meeting as soon as we get back." The others looked at her and nodded. Within the blink of an eye, they quickly disappeared in a flash of light, heading back to the temple of the Divine Order.
—
Opening Theme – "What I've Done" (artist: Linkin Park)
—
The sky was clear without a cloud in the sky as Lucas sat in the lotus position on top of the roof of his apartment complex. He liked to use the early morning hours during sunrise to meditate and clear his mind. Mostly just used for helping in keeping his demonic power flux under control, mediation was also a way for him to let his mind wander around the area around him, giving him the ability to survey his surroundings. As he continued his mediation, Draconis floated next to him, performing his own style of mediation. Mediation was also a good way of improving the synchronicity between the two of them.
As they meditated, they didn't hear the door that led to the roof top open up to allow a person onto the roof. Walking up to and stopping behind the two meditating partners, the person waited for them to return to reality. The wind began to pick up some, sending the alluring smell of perfume that had suddenly come onto the scene to go past both Lucas's and Draconis's noses. The two friends turned around to see the beautiful image of Carol standing behind them in her full angelic glory. Unlike her human guise, her true form had flowing blonde hair and bright white wings. She wore a white tunic and some light angelic armor around her torso, gold gauntlets and arm bands, leg guards and a sword sheathed into a gold scabbard that was strapped to her hip. Lucas looked into her soft, gentle and warm silver eyes and smiled at the sensation of warmth that her presence had.
"Good morning Lucas." Carol said with a tender smile. He smiled back as he got up, followed by Draconis.
"Good morning to you too, Lady Carol." Lucas bowed politely which caused the angel to blush slightly. "So, what brings you here so early on this beautiful morning?" It was at this that her bright smile turned into a small frown. Lucas noticed this and grew concerned. "What? What happened?"
"Lucas, you should know that a majority vote has been passed about Shadow." She looked him in the eyes and frowned even more. She had come to tell him the news of the emergency meeting, feeling he had a right to know. "The council has decided that until they can personally talk with you that you will be considered an enemy threat. And as such you are to be brought in…by force if necessary."
"So, is that why you're here? Are you going to take me in for just being a half-demon?"
"No, I'm not. Emily and I both voted on your behalf, saying that you should be considered an ally to the Order. But many of them were against the notion because you're part demon."
"So I'm guessing they want my partner here to be brought in. To find out his true intentions for being here in the first place. I would be correct in assuming this, right milady?" Draconis asked kindly. He liked both Carol and Emily as they were nice to Lucas and hadn't revealed his secret to anyone so far. Carol just nodded in response to his answer. "I see." He turned his attention to Lucas, "Best be careful from here on out my friend."
"I guess you're right." Lucas said. He then turned back to Carol and smiled. "Thank you for letting me know ahead of time Lady Carol. And don't worry; I'll make sure to tread lightly."
"That's good. Well, I need to get going. I have to finish packing." This made Lucas quirk an eyebrow as he had heard nothing about Carol going anywhere from Cerica at school.
"Are you going somewhere?" Lucas asked out of curiosity.
"Oh, I'm taking both Cerica and Emily on a small family trip to the mountains where they have a local hot spring. The waters there are good for healing and replenishing holy energy. So we'll be out of town for the next few days. I'm counting on you to take care of any high level demons while also being wary of the council."
"You can count on me then. Go and relax and let me worry about things here." Carol nodded her head and flew off before vanishing in a glow of holy light. "I've got to learn how to do that." Lucas said to himself as he and Draconis headed to the door to go back downstairs and get freshened up.
—
Driving down the main street of the city, a black '94 Cadillac with a cross hood ornament made of pure silver was heading towards the mid-class apartment complexes. Inside the car were two people, an older gentleman dressed like a minister and a young girl. The young girl appeared to be only five years of age with chin length black hair and bright blue eyes. She wore a white t-shirt with a picture of Hello Kitty outlined in pink on the front, a red skirt, a pair of white socks and a pair of red sneakers. The older gentleman wore the symbolic black shirt, pants and white color band of a minister. He also wore a pair of black shoes and socks and a silver Rolex. He had a wooden cane sitting next to his car seat and also whore a black fedora and a black overcoat.
Coming to a stop at a red light, the minister looked at a set of directions leading to an address. He sighed and looked back at the young girl. He was taking her to see the young man that had brought her to him a couple of months before. He just smiled an old gentle smile when she looked up at him and smiled brightly.
"Father Roland, will I get to see Lucas once we arrive?" the young girl asked the minister.
"Of course you will. I doubt he'd turn you away." Father Roland replied. He looked back towards the road as the light turned green and sighed again. "That young man has a soft spot for those who no longer have loved ones to protect them. He sees himself in them and goes out of his way to make sure that they find a good home."
"So does that mean he'll help me find a new home too?"
"I believe so my dear. I truly do."
As they continued to drive down the road a dark being stayed hidden within the shadows of the buildings; watching the two of them as they mad their way to their destination. The two of them wouldn't suspect a thing. This creature had a target and what it wanted…was the little girl.
—
It was a bit brighter out now that it was a little after ten in the morning and Lucas was making his way towards the shopping plaza of the city. He had told Jacob and Sam that he'd meet them later on in the day and the two agreed. Lucas made his way wearing a black long sleeved over shirt that was unbuttoned, a white t-shirt, black pants and black shoes. His sacred rosary dangled from its usual spot from around his right wrist. Draconis kept himself hidden with Lucas's shadow so as not to draw attention.
As the two made their way they spotted the silver hair and familiar figure of Cerica walking out of a small convenience store with a couple of bags. Coming closer to the young woman, Lucas smiled as he called out to her.
"Hey Cerica, good morning." Cerica turned her head around and noticed the young red headed man walking up towards her. She smiled as she returned the greeting.
"Hey Lucas, strange seeing you out and about so early on a weekend morning. I thought you'd be the type to sleep in." Cerica stopped in front of her silver motorbike that was designed after a Honda VTR 1000 SP-1. It was silver in color and trimmed in gold with the symbol of angelic wings surrounded by a glowing halo on the sides of the gas tank. Lucas approached and starred in wonder at the lovely machine but also at its rider.
"So, what are you doing out so early in the morning?" Lucas asked, starring into Cerica's soft blue eyes. Cerica like the way he looked at her as he had calm looking eyes with a gentle aura to them. But that look also made her feel excited at the same time.
"Oh me, I'm just getting some last minute things for a small family trip with my mother and sister. We're going to the mountains for some spiritual cleansing so I'll be gone the whole weekend." Lucas just nodded as he opened up the back bag compartment on her bike for her, allowing her to put her bags inside. "Oh, well thank you.
"You're most welcome Cerica." Lucas, not wanting to hold her up any longer, decided to continue on his way towards one of the local cafés. "Well, I should be going. I don't want to hold you up from finishing getting ready." With that he waved and went on his way.
Cerica frowned a bit, seeming a little disappointed. She had wanted to take him along on the trip so that she could get to know him better but remembered being told it was for family only. She would take such family trips before and would also take Lilith, Drake or both with her as well. Over the past couple of months Cerica had begun to develop feelings for Lucas, feelings that she never experienced before in her entire life. She didn't fully understand those feelings but whenever they were alone she always felt like she had butterflies in her stomach. Then, realizing that she had wanted to ask him something, she reached out to stop him from leaving.
"Hey, Lucas, wait up for a sec." Cerica called out as she ran up to him. Lucas stopped and turned around, wondering what she wanted. "I wanted to ask you something real quick."
"Really? Well, what's up?" Cerica's cheeks began to blush slightly as she tried to form the question properly.
"W-well, you know about the fall dance that's a couple of weeks away, right?" Lucas nodded and Cerica could feel her heart pounding fast and hard in her chest. Just what were these feelings welling up inside of her? "W-w-well, ya see…I-I w-w-w-was wondering if y-you'd like…." She was starting to clam up more and her blush was becoming more maroon red. She was known as one of the school goddesses and was also considered a bit of a tomboy. She had plenty of guys always asking her out but this was the first time a guy had ever made her feel this way without even trying. Could she have fallen for him?
Lucas just smiled and placed his hand to her cheek. His rosary helped seal away a lot of his demonic power and also enabled it to where his youki couldn't be detected very easily. Cerica began to blush madly as Lucas used his finger, placing it under her chin and lifting her head slightly, creating eye contact. He could see how red her face had gotten and just smiled even more.
"Cerica…" Cerica quickly grew quiet as she paid attention to him. "Would you like to go to the fall dance with me?" Completely speechless, she could only nod as she went wide eyed and blushed a deep crimson. "Good. Then it's a date. I'll see you when you get back from your trip and then we can discuss what we'll wear and do during the dance in the next few weeks."
"O-o-o-okay." Cerica couldn't believe it. She had tried to ask him out but he asked her out instead though she figured it was because he could tell by the look on her face. Lucas then removed his hand from her chin and grabbed on of hers, lifting it up as he lowered his head down some and gently placed a kiss on her hand. Her blush deepened to the darkest shade of red as she held her breathe; her heart feeling like it had skipped a few beats.
He then let go of her hand and smiled before turning around and walked away. It took a few minutes for the new information to fully sink into her brain but when it finally did she began to smile brightly and started jumping up and down, hooting and hollering.
"Yes! Yes! I got a date! I actually got a date on my first try! Yes!" She then stopped as she noticed many of the people were looking at her strangely. She didn't really care though but then decided she wanted to enjoy the moment. She then headed back to her bike and strapped on her helmet before turning on the ignition and riding off back towards the temple. As she made her way home Lucas continued on his way towards the café until he sensed a presence he hadn't felt before. It was dark and demonic but it was unlike anything else he had ever encountered. And, it was very close.
—
As Father Roland and the young girl got closer to their destination they had come to another stop light. It had been about thirty minutes since they got within the mid-class apartment complex area and now it was nothing but twists and turns and stop lights. Waiting for the light to turn green they watched as many families went about their business. The young girl looked at all the kids and how happy they looked, being with their parents. Her face developed a saddened look to it as she lowered her head, remembering her father. She had never known her mother; the young girl having been told she gave her life to bring her into the world. Her daddy told her that mama was in heaven now as had become an angel. Father Roland looked down at the girl and noticed her face.
"My dear Rachel, what's wrong?" asked Father Roland as he placed his hand atop her head, ruffling her hair slightly. Rachel just looked at him and smiled.
"Nothing is wrong Father. I just…miss my papa."
Father Roland could understand how she felt. She wanted to see her family again. Unfortunately she was all alone in the world. She had no other living relatives so she had no where else to go. As the minister tried to cheer her up something else was about to take place.
—
The dark being that had been following the two within the black car looked at the young girl hungrily. Something about her aura really wet its appetite. It then looked around to see if it could spot the auras of any demon hunters and noticed a few close by. It could care less though as it knew that neither the Hunters Guild nor the Divine Order had anything that could stand up to the might of itself or the rest of its kind. Its hunger now getting the best of it, it took one last look around and then jumped into the air, coming down in front of the black Cadillac.
—
A few members of the Hunters Guild had gone on patrol with some members of the Divine Order. Both demon hunting organizations had agreed that Shadow had to be taken in for questioning since he was letting off youki. Having youki and possessing Rider powers was something that neither group liked very much. They believed that either only those chosen by heaven or people with just hearts could use such powers. Or to be more precise, only pure humans or angle/human hybrids.
As they continued to make their way around the city they soon heard a loud crashing noise followed by dozens of screams. Looking ahead of them they could see a small dust cloud. Letting their senses reach forth towards the screams they could sense a strong amount of youki coming from the location. They needed to move fast to stop whatever it was that was causing trouble.
—
Cerica, Emily and Carol were now on their way to the mountains to perform their spiritual cleansing. Cerica had gotten home just in time as Carol and Emily were ready to leave. Shoving the groceries into a cooler in the back she got into the front passenger seat and buckled up as her mom pressed down on the gas pedal. Emily and Carol quickly noticed upon Cerica's return home that she was extremely happy. She hadn't told them why she was happy yet though but she said she would fill them in later on during dinner. She just wanted to enjoy the blissful feeling she was in for just a bit longer.
—
Lucas was wondering what it was he was sensing when he heard a crashing noise followed by a loud boom and lots of screams coming up ahead of him. He had been following the dark presence for about half an hour until the large boom went off. Knowing something was wrong he quickly took to the alley ways, just in case he needed to transform.
—
Just as the light turned green, allowing Father Roland to continue his driving, he quickly came to an abrupt stop when a big black monster came crashing down in front of his car, causing it to tremble from the impact shockwave. After a few seconds he looked up and noticed a big pair of glowing red eyes looking at both him and Rachel. When Rachel saw those eyes she began to cower away, digging herself more into her seat.
Many other people started screaming at the site of the monster and ran for their lives, not wanting to die. It was then that Father Roland noticed several demon hunters coming on to the scene, their weapons drawn and preparing to strike.
—
The many demon hunters had their swords drawn and prepared to charge at the demon when it turned around and looked at them. Starring at them as they charged it, it just let out a dissatisfied snort as it brought up one of its clawed hands into the air and then swung it down in a downwards diagonal backhand swing, creating a force of pure energy and wind. The force and power of the swung arm rammed into the demon hunters and knocked them off their feet, sending them into a couple of cars behind them.
Lucas exited the alleyway as he saw dozens of people fleeing and screaming, doing what they could to get away from the area. He then looked over at the fallen demon hunters and then over to the car and starred in shock and awe at the demon before him. He had never seen such a demon before. It was big and muscular, standing a good six feet tall. It had a black colored body with a boney armor in the shape of ribs covering its body around its sides, outer arms and legs. Its hands and feet ended in sharp claws as it had a skull shaped face with glowing red eye and razor sharp teeth. (Think of Skeletor from the He-Man movie for the face). It held a big black battle staff in its left hand and wore a set of silver armor on its chest, shoulders, forearms, lower legs and a loin cloth.
"Just what is that thing?" Lucas asked aloud. Draconis rose out from his partner's shadow but stayed within the alleyway, keeping out of sight. He looked at the creature and recognized what it was. He had seen them once before, long ago from ancient times.
"It can't be." Draconis said as he starred at the demon. "They were supposed to have been destroyed. I guess we were wrong" Lucas looked behind him at hearing this. He knew his friend knew something.
"Draconis, you know what that thing is?" Draconis nodded his head but then both he and Lucas snapped their heads back at the demon upon hearing a set of screams. They saw the creature using the bladed end of its staff to slice off the top of the black car. Lucas peered into the car as he heard the scream of a little girl and went wide eyed when he saw them. "Oh no! Draconis," Lucas shouted as he looked back at his partner. "Both Rachel and Father Roland are in that car!"
Draconis looked on in shock as the monster grabbed Father Roland and threw him out of the car. Lucas was about to intervene when he noticed one of the still conscious demon hunters jump up and save the old man, catching him in mid air and gently bringing him down to the ground. Lucas then heard more of Rachel's screaming and noticed the monster grabbing her, hoisting her above its head as it growled happily, enjoying the fear it saw in her eyes as she began to cry. Draconis and Lucas couldn't take it anymore as they both backed deep into the alleyway.
"Draconis, what is that thing? Lucas asked as his familiar phased through the front of his body and exited from his back, the dragon familiar's gas cloud body now taking on its black blade shape, becoming the Shadow Sword.
"Yes, I do. It's called an Akushi. They were an ancient demon that feed upon flesh and take power from the souls that they devour. They were first spotted in Japan about two thousand years ago. The locals called them Akushi which means 'Death Devils'." Draconis said as he flew around Luca's left side, allowing the young Rider to grasp onto the hilt of the sword, blade facing outwards while the pommel faced inwards. "The last user of my powers, along with a few other warriors, had original destroyed all of them back then. But I guess a couple survived the battle and have since then slowly repopulated."
"Then I guess we'll just have to finish the job." Lucas popped off Draconis' head from the pommel of the sword. Upon doing that his waist was encircled by a black cloud that had begun to form around his body. After a moment the black cloud hardened and formed a black belt with gold trim. On the left side of the belt were to pouches which contained his two Soul Stones. As Lucas brought Draconis' head in front of his face, a flute could be heard playing eerie music in the background. Lucas then slipped the dragon head buckle into the slot on the center of the belt, activating the final part of the transformation. "Henshin!" Lucas shouted as he let the power flow through his body.
"Demon Burst!" Draconis shouted, signaling the power transfer. Black eerie clouds then formed over Lucas's body, hardening and then shattering away a moment later, leaving Kamen Rider Shadow in his place. "Let's go!"
"Hai!"
—
Deep within the temple of the Divine Order, both the Order and the Hunters Guild were having a meeting when their two mystics began to howl in pain from detecting the powerful youki that they were searching for. The most respected elder of the Council walked over, asking for a report.
"What is it? Has Shadow appeared?" the elder asked while everyone looked at the two mystics in silence.
"Yes, he has." said one mystic, a young woman.
"But so has something else. Something old, something very ancient and…very…dark." said the other mystic, a young male.
"Well, what is this other thing that you sense? And is it involved with Shadow?" Asked one of the three Generals of the Hunters Guild.
"It is not…" started the girl.
"…involved with the Rider. The Rider…" the boy added.
"…seems to be heading out to slay the creature. The creature…" the girl added on.
"…is attacking innocent lives. One of which seems familiar to the Rider. Another innocent is a minister. He seems knowing of the Rider…" the boy added on again.
"…and is not threatened" the girl added on as well, finishing the sentence.
The two organizations thought about this information for a moment. While Shadow had appeared so had a powerful demon. This would be a problem. For now, they knew what had to be done. The Council Elders and the Three Generals looked over to Drake and Lilith who had joined them for the meeting and gave them their orders.
"You two, take a group of thirty slayers with you. Assist the Rider in slaying the demon. Then, once the creature is slain, bring both its body and Shadow back here with you…by whatever means necessary."
"Sir, yes sir!" they shouted with a salute. Drake and Lilith then went to gather thirty volunteers for the mission and after a minute, quickly headed for the battlefield.
—
(Insert Song – Roots of the King: by Tetra-Fang)
Father Roland and the lone conscious demon hunter looked on at the Akushi as it dangled Rachel above its mouth, the kaijin opening its mouth wide so that it could devour its meal. Rachel kicked and screamed, not wanting to become a snack for the demon. She looked down at the gaping hole which was the demons' throat and her eyes went wide in fear. She didn't want to die and screamed again as she prayed to be saved.
Her prayers were answered by a familiar savior.
'BAM!'
The next thing anyone knew was the sight of the Akushi being sent flying through a store window as Rachel fell down to the ground. The young girl, after a few seconds, opened her eyes and noticed that she wasn't on the ground but was being held in the arms of her savior. She looked up at his head and noticed those big red menacing eye pieces that had scared her on her first encounter with him. She smiled with joy as did Father Roland. The demon hunter sat there with a dumbfounded look on his face as the Akushi slowly made its way out of the store window.
"Yami! You came! You came to rescue me!" Rachel squealed as she hugged the demonic Rider, not wanting to let go. As the hunter helped Father Roland up both Drake, Lilith and the thirty volunteers arrived at the scene. Seeing the sight of Shadow holding onto and protecting the little girl was something they didn't think a demon would do. They then looked over to the window as they heard a low growl and noticed the Akushi jump out of the window, sailing through the air and landing right in front of Shadow.
The Akushi looked at the Rider angrily as Shadow set Rachel down and motioned her towards Father Roland. He didn't want her anywhere near the fight. The Akushi was about to lash out at the girl when Shadow grabbed the demon by its wrist, holding it in place.
"You dare?" the creature growled in anger.
"Damn right I do." Shadow said in a monotone response. The Akushi then looked Shadow over and then went a little wide eyed as it freed itself from Shadow's grasp and stepped back a bit.
"You! You're the one that nearly killed my kind off two thousand years ago!" The Akushi raised its staff and swung it like a club, trying to decapitate the Rider in one swing. The bladed edge made contact and cleaved through Shadow's body. The Akushi smiled only for it to gawk as the Riders' body faded away in a puff of black smoke. It looked around for a moment until it was sent flying forward from a hit to its back and straight into Father Roland's Cadillac, causing the vehicle to explode on impact.
"Nice try. But it'll take more than that to defeat me." Shadow quipped as he brought down his left leg, apparently having used a forward thrust kick to send the monster flying. Drake and Lilith just looked on, waiting for their chance to strike.
"Just what is that creature?" Drake asked aloud to the hunter that had saved Father Roland.
"I don't know sir. But whatever it is…" he looked over at Shadow and smiled slightly. "…it's dangerous. But apparently, so is he." Lilith scanned Shadow's aura and found herself feeling somewhat nostalgic, as if she was experiencing déjà vu. It felt somewhat familiar to her. They all winced as the Akushi was sent flying into a street lamp from powerful right hook from Shadow.
The lamp bent over the demon's body upon the force of the impact and toppled over, sparks flying everywhere from the shattering of the glass and light bulb. Shadow then dashed at the monster and swung his sword down, striking at the monster. The Akushi then showed that it was not as slow as it appeared and, in a feet of strength, broke free of the bent street lamp to counter the Riders' sword strike with its staff, knocking Shadow's sword out of his hand.
Shadow shook his hand in pain as the Akushi got back up on its feet and lashed out at Shadow with its clawed right hand. The claws slashed over Shadow's chest plate, sending sparks flying and causing the Rider to scream in pain as he was flung across the battlefield and into a wall with a thud. Shadow let out a grunt from the impact and looked up quickly to see the Akushi already upon him. The demon grabbed the Rider by his neck and picked him up before slamming him into the wall repeatedly, the back of his head first.
Not liking where this was going, Shadow quickly dug his clawed armored finger tips into the demons arms before releasing some of his own demonic energy, ripping the Akushi's arm off.
"!" the Akushi screamed in agony. No one had ever hurt it like that before. Shadow then retaliated again by repeated punching the demon in its chest several times before slamming one of his elbows in its boney face, knocking it backwards. The Akushi dropped its staff as it held its face with its remaining hand while stumbling backwards. "Damn you, you bastard! I'll kill you for this!"
The Akushi then rushed at Shadow and lashed out with its left hand, trying to swipe at the Riders' head. Shadow reacted by ducking under the strike and used a backward kick to send the creature stumbling forward. The Akushi ended up running face first into the side of a bus. Some of the demon hunters snickered at this sight and this served to royally piss the ancient demon off. It got its bearing back and lunged at Shadow again. Shadow would have none of this though as the black demonic markings on the right side of his armor began to glow an eerie violet color as he took hold of the rosary latched around his right wrist.
Drake, Lilith and the hunters watched this carefully as Shadow held the top of the rosary like a sword hilt, the cross arms acting like a hand guard and the bottom leg acting like the blade. He then produced a red and violet colored energy blade form the rosary before using it to slash the Akushi across the chest, sending sparks and blood flying everywhere.
"Amazing!" one of the hunters said as Lilith slightly scrutinized the fact that a demonic being was using a holy item like a weapon. Drake noticed the look on her face and he too began to develop the same look. Shadow then let go of the rosary, allowing it to dangle from his wrist once more, while he brought his left index and middle fingers together, forming a red energy tip at their pointed ends.
The Akushi charged again as Shadow lashed out with the same blood whip he had used once before on the pack of werewolves two months prior on his first battle in New Metro city. This attack caught the demon by surprise as the force of the blood whip sent it flying back into the bus. Shadow lowered his arm and then lashed out the whip again, this time wrapping it around the blade of his fallen Shadow Sword, retrieving the weapon.
"Let's finish this aibou." Draconis said which Shadow nodded in agreement with. He took the blade into his right hand while using his left hand to grab onto Draconis' head, turning the head two times counter clock wise. This caused the dragon's snout to face upwards towards Shadow's head while the top of the dragons head faced the bottom of the ground. The demonic markings on the right side of his armor began to glow once more, but now in a pure black color. The energy flowed from his body and into his sword, the three red gems situated within the center of the blade glowing a bright crimson red. He held his sword close to his body.
The Akushi, being too proud to accept defeat, ran straight at Shadow, powering up a destructive ball of energy in its left hand. Shadow stood his ground for only a moment until the demon was close enough to strike. He then took one step forward with his right leg while bring his sword up above his head before swinging it down in a left downward diagonal slash, unleashing a powerful dark demonic energy slash.
"Shadow Slash!" Shadow shouted out as his dark sword cleaved right through the Akushi, splitting it down from its left shoulder down to its right hip. The monsters' body fell limp for a brief moments before its body split in two, causing it to explode in crimson red energy. Where its body once stood was now a pile of flames. The fire burned for a moment before dying out, leaving a small black gem in its place.
(End Song – Roots of the King)
"Aibou, quickly, absorb its power into my body by touching it with the tip of my blade!' Draconis quickly instructed Shadow which the Rider did. In an instant, the black gem melted and merged with the Shadow Sword, its power now becoming Shadows. Shadow felt the energy course through his body momentarily before it then settled down.
Shadow then felt something small and soft run up to him and glomp onto his left leg. He looked down and noticed Rachel quickly hugging him. He smiled underneath his helmet. He then looked up to see Father Roland come over next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder while smiling a gentle old smile.
"Well done my boy. Your grandfather would have been proud." Father Roland said.
As much as they three of them wanted to relax Shadow then began to tense up as he noticed the demon hunters coming closer before stopping a good ten six feet away from him. Wanting to make sure no innocent people got hurt, Shadow motioned for Rachel and Father Roland to get behind him. He the looked Drake and Lilith straight in the eyes, a stern look on his face which couldn't be seen due to his helmet. He knew of Drake and Lilith and thought of them as friends. It was only that they didn't know about him and his dual identities.
"What is it? What do you hunters want?" Shadow asked coldly. He wasn't a real nice fan of demon hunters. A lot of demons and half-demons had bad blood with demon hunters and it never ended pretty. After a few seconds Drake stepped forwards, closing a bit of the distance between them.
"Kamen Rider Shadow…" Drake started out with a firm tone. "…I, Drake Richards, am hereby placing you under arrest by order of both the hunters Guild and the Divine Order." Shadow just looked at him, not budging an inch while Rachel glared at the young teen.
"Really? On what charge?" Shadow asked in a monotone voice.
""For being a being that shouldn't exist. For being a demon." Lilith said, stepping up next to her boyfriend, giving him support. "You are hereby ordered to surrender immediately and return with us to the temple of the Divine Order so as to be questioned of your true motives for being here and to explain on your acquirement of your Rider powers."
"I don't think so." Shadow said as he took a defensive stance. He motioned for both Father Roland and Rachel to get back, not wanting them to get caught in the middle.
"I'm afraid you don't have a choice." Drake said as he got into a fighting stance alongside Lilith. The other hunters also drew their weapons, preparing to get ready to throw down with the demonic Rider. This could only end badly.
—
Driving through the town, a black limousine pulled up to the apartment complex in which Lucas resided in. After coming to a stop the driver got out and went around to the other side and down to the back, opening the door once he got there. At first a couple of body guards came out, two male and one female. They all wore black suits and ear pieces and a pair of pitch black sunglasses. They were then followed out by the three important occupants.
One was a young girl, no older than sixteen. She had long silver hair tied in a ponytail that reached the back of her knees. She wore a white silk shirt with a black silk over coat and a red ribbon around her collar. Eh also wore a black mid-thigh high skirt and black leggings that reach mid-thigh as well. She also wore black leather shoes. Her eyes glowed a red crimson color as she starred at the building.
Next to her was an older looking woman who seemed to look like she was in her late twenties but was probably older than that. She had short shoulder length brown hair and soft gentle blue eyes. She wore a solid black dress that attached itself around her neck, leaving her collar and shoulders bear. She wore long, fingerless black gloves that went up to her shoulders. The sides of her dress were split to reveal her luscious and shapely legs. On her feet were brightly polished black high heel shoes. She had her purse slung over her shoulder while a pearl necklace dangled around her neck.
And, finally, next to them was an young looking older man. He somewhat resembled an older looking Lucas. He had short spiky auburn brown hair and crimson colored eyes. He wore a three piece gray suit with black colored shoes and gold pocket watch set within his outer coat pocket on the left side. He also wore a pair of black sunglasses. He had an intimidating look to him and his eyes were stone and showed almost no emotion at all.
The man slowly took off his glasses as he looked at the building and sighed. He couldn't believe the boy decided to live here among the public where he would possibly be considered a threat instead of returning to the safety of his family home where he could live a life of peace and luxury.
"So…this is where Lucas lives?" The man just let out another sigh as he pocketed his sunglasses. "Well, my son…it's time we had a…family reunion."
—
Ending Theme – With You (by: AAA)
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Toku Warrior: Yeah, okay, don't even ask. This chapter took me well over two years to write. I've been having major writer's block with this series and with so many fan-fiction story ideas it's getting hard to keep my attention focused on one thing for too long. Sorry for the EXTREMELY long wait for this but I hope everyone who is still reading this story likes it. We finally get to see the main kaijin enemy of the series appear, the Akushi. We also get to see the beginning of the upcoming battle between Shadow, the Divine Order and the hunters Guild. I did day I was going to have them fight this chapter but I decided to introduce the kaijin for this series first instead. Also, who could those people in the end be? I'll let you think on that. Until then, R&R and take care my friends.