Chapter 7: The Killer Mantis

A/N: Here's the next chapter for this story! Now that Kerberos's World is out of the way, here's Kabuto's World!

Before you read it, here's a bit of information regarding this World's Kabuto. Tendou Souji is the Kabuto of this World, meaning that this is the actual one and not the one that Tsukasa met. However, this takes place before the last few episodes of Kamen rider Kabuto. So you'll be seeing most of the riders except for Tsurugi Kamishiro, also known as Sasword.


The wind was blowing strongly, making the leaves of the trees rustle as it passed through. It was getting chilly as well. As people made their way to their houses, two individuals were sitting along a bench in a park.

One of them was sitting with his legs crossed and his arms folded. His black hair was messy and his eyes were as cold as the wind blowing at him and his companion. His was wearing a black trench coat with the left sleeve ripped out. Underneath his trench coat was a white sleeveless shirt and a pair of black baggy pants. On his waist was a belt, the Rider belt belonging to the Hoppers.

His companion was fidgeting with his fingers as he stared at the ground. Like his companion, he was wearing a black trench coat, but the difference of the trench coats was that he had his right sleeve ripped out instead of the left. Underneath his trench coat was a red sleeveless shirt and the same black baggy pants. On his waist was a similar belt to his companion, the Rider belt.

"Aniki..." The second man started, gaining the first's attention. "Let's find somewhere to sleep."

The first man shook his head. "Kageyama, there's a lot you still have to learn. The darkness is where we sleep in. After all, we have been through hell and back. The comfort of the light has been lost to us."

Kageyama sighed. "You're right, Aniki. We're not wanted in the light. So we embrace the darkness." The first man smiled as he placed an arm over Kageyama and embraced him, like how a brother would to his younger brother.

"The darkness is our home and nothing will change it, aibou," said the first man.

Then, a figure stepped into the light shining from the nearby lamp. As the figure appeared in front of the two, they could see that the figure was a male, dressed in a black tuxedo and with a cane in his hand. The man was in his mid 40s. His hair was black with the exception of a few white hairs. In his right wrist rested a red bracelet with what seemed to be a pad in the middle of the brace.

"Are you two Sou Yaguruma and Shun Kageyama?" The man asked.

Both of the two nodded, with Yaguruma narrowing his eyes on the man. "Who are you?"

The man smiled and bowed. "Nice to meet you two. My name is not important. But you may call me 'Mantis'." Then, he lifted his cane and pointed it at the two men. "I am here to kill you two."

"What?!" Kageyama exclaimed as he scrambled to his feet. He grabbed Mantis by his collar and growled. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't beat you to a pulp."

Mantis smirked as he grabbed Kageyama's hand and removed it. Then, he twisted Kageyama's hand, causing the man to cry out in pain.

Yaguruma got to his feet and swung his left foot at Mantis, knocking the middle-aged man away. "Stay away from my aibou, or you'll be dragged to hell." Yaguruma raised his hand up and something jumped onto it, revealing to be the Hopper Zector. Yaguruma lowered the Zector to his waist and opened his belt, revealing a panel before he attached the Zector to it. "Henshin!"

- Henshin! -

A green glow emitted form the belt as it formed a small hexagon before it began multiplying, engulfing Yaguruma's body. Then, as the glow faded, Yaguruma was cladded in his KickHopper form, a black bodysuit with green armor resembling that of a grasshopper with red visors.

- Change! KickHopper! -

"Oh?" Mantis raised an eyebrow. "You're using the KickHopper form already? I'd expected it to be used later."

"Shut your mouth and die!" Yaguruma cried as he swung his foot at the man. Mantis, however, dodged the attack with ease. He had a smirk on his face as he deflected the rider's foot with his cane. Then, as Yaguruma tried his third swing, Mantis caught his foot.

Mantis then began talking. "A mantis waits patiently for its prey. Then, the mantis strikes." Mantis released his grip on Yaguruma's foot and pushed it aside before executing his own kick, knocking Yaguruma back. "However, with you two as preys, I think I'll play with you two a bit."

"You're making fun of us, aren't you?" Yaguruma growled. "Kageyama, henshin now and help me. We can take him on together."

Kageyama complied to his partner's words and his own Hopper Zector leapt into his hand after appearing from the ground. "Henshin!" Kageyama quickly attached his Hopper Zector to his belt.

- Henshin! -

- Change! PunchHopper! -

Just like Yaguruma, Kageyama's transformation was similar but the only difference was the color of the armor and the visors. His armor was brown and his visors were gray. Also another difference was that his Hopper Zector was attached the opposite way compared to Yaguruma.

"Let's get him!" Yaguruma cried as the two Hoppers began their assault on Mantis.

Mantis chuckled as he tossed his cane aside. "A mantis is swift as it attacks its prey." As Kageyama approached him, the rider went straight for a punch. Mantis sidestepped him and he jabbed Kageyama's side with his index finger and middle finger. Kageyama jerked forward and gasped as he grasped his side where Mantis had struck. Then, he saw a foot knocking him on his back.

Yaguruma stepped into Mantis's path and executed a side kick, which Mantis quickly deflected using his left hand. Then, Yaguruma pushed forward with a swing of his foot. This time, Mantis rolled under Yaguruma and raised his arms up, blocking Yaguruma's foot from striking his face. Mantis lifted his hands, pushing Yaguruma off and causing the rider to stumble back.

As Mantis got to his feet, Kageyama tackled him. The two fell with Kageyama landing on top of Mantis. He scoffed. "Not so tough now, huh?" Mantis, however, grinned as he raised his leg up, knocking Kageyama off of him.

Mantis began to laugh as he got up once more. "You two work well together. Why don't I separate you two, huh?" Then, he snapped his fingers.

Before the Hoppers knew it, they were surrounded by Salis Worms that had appeared from nowhere. The Salis Worms had outnumbered the two riders, 10 to 2. Five of the Worms attacked Kageyama while the other five piled onto Yaguruma.

However, Yaguruma was able to knock the Worms off of him. "Aibou! Hang on!" With a final kick to the last Salis Worm standing on his side, Yaguruma made a dash towards Kageyama. Unfortunately for him, Mantis was in his way. "Move aside or I'll have to end you."

"I think not, Yaguruma-san," Mantis said as he raised his hand to show his bracelet. "You see, you and your partner are a team I cannot take on alone. So I had to split you two up. Now, I'm going to kill you, alright?"

"Like real," Yaguruma growled as he leapt over Mantis and continued his way towards Kageyama.

Mantis sighed. "You just don't get it, do you?" Then, as Yaguruma approached Kageyama, something leapt at him, slashing at his chest and causing sparks to fly. Yaguruma was knocked back and the object kept on attacking him. The Hopper was desperately trying to get away from it but the object was fast. It was as if he was being attacked by a praying mantis.

Then, the attacks stopped. Yaguruma looked at Mantis and his eyes widened when he saw something crawling on Mantis's arm. The object crawled onto the bracelet and it lowered itself, folding its 'legs' along the sides of the bracelet. Then, Mantis turned his arm to reveal the object to be a praying mantis. "Say hello to the Mantis Zector, Henshin!" Mantis placed his hand on top of the introduced Zector and gently pressed it down.

- Henshin! -

Green hexagons began appearing all over Mantis's body and soon, he was cladded in a black bodysuit. On his chest was an armor plate in the color of green. The armor extended out to his shoulders which had mantis legs attached to them. His helmet was green as well, with a pair of red insect eyes and antennae above the eyes. On his left hand were a pair of curved blades that were folded back.

- Change! Mantis! -

Yaguruma stared at the new rider in front of him. He had never heard of this rider before when he was still in ZECT. So who was this new rider? Did ZECT programmed a new rider? He had questions that needed but right now, he was going to have to fight to get to Kageyama.

Mantis chuckled. "Surprised? I was chosen by the Mantis Zector. It seemed to like the killing intent I have. I was glad that it chose me too. Because now, I can kill all I want and get away without any witnesses." Mantis flicked his left hand, causing his curved blades to unfold. The new rider chuckled as he approached Yaguruma. "Call me Phonoi, the God of Murder. And you two shall be my tenth and eleventh preys."

The Hopper felt himself shiver. This was the first time he was feeling fear ever since he had gotten the Hopper Zector. Could there really be someone more frightening than him? He may have already gotten his answer. Yaguruma performed a side kick, but Phonoi ducked under the attack and tackled him. Yaguruma fell on his back and groaned as he felt punches assaulting him. He quickly raised his arms up to defend himself but it wasn't enough. Phonoi's curved blades slashed at his arms, causing sparks to fly as well as making the rider scream in pain.

"ANIKI!" Kageyama cried as he smashed both of his fist onto the Salis Worm holding him. As the Worm fell, Kageyama pulled the 'legs' of his Zector. "Rider Jump!"

- Rider Jump! -

Kageyama crouched as the Worms all charged at him. But as they came nearer, Kageyama leapt into the air, leaping higher than he usual does. Then, he descended towards Yaguruma and Phonoi. Kageyama grabbed the 'legs' of his Zector and returned it to its original position. "Rider Punch!"

- Rider Punch! -

As his fist was charged up with power from the Zector, Kageyama's descend became quicker. Then, he thrust his fist forward at Phonoi. However, one Salis Worm had gotten in the way of the attack with its arms stretched out, protecting the God of Murder. As Kageyama's punch connected with the Worm's face, it exploded into a fury of green flames.

Phonoi realized this and executed a roundhouse kick as he got to his feet. Kageyama fell onto his side and the rest of the Salis Worms all crowded around him as they began hitting him and kicking him.

"Kageyama!" Yaguruma cried out as he tried to get back up. However, he found himself back on the ground again when Phonoi pressed his foot against the Hopper.

"Pitiful," the God of Murder yawned. "Both of you are nothing when you are separated. This is good for me." He lowered himself and grabbed Yaguruma by his shoulders. As he lifted the Hopper up, Phonoi pulled back his left arm and thrust it forward, stabbing his curved blades into Yaguruma's armor plate.

"ANIKI!"

Phonoi laughed. "Relax, Kageyama. I haven't killed your partner, not just yet." He dropped Yaguruma and kicked him onto his side. "It will be a waste of my play time if I don't toy with him. Besides, I want to test the two former TheBee users. I heard from the troopers of Shadow that you two were formidable until you two lost the TheBee Zector."

"How do you know about ZECT?" Kageyama demanded.

Phonoi smirked. "My previous targets have been troopers of ZECT. The Worms pay good money to me for the death of the troopers. But I wonder how much they'll pay if I kill ZECT riders."

"You...you'll have to do a lot more than this to kill us," Yaguruma said. "Also, we're no longer ZECT riders. We've lost that position long ago. We're rouge riders."

"Still good money to me," Phonoi shrugged as he grabbed Yaguruma's helmet and lifted him up once more. "The Worms will probably pay me anyway if I get rid of riders who they might think as threat. And guess what? My play time is over." The God of Murder released Yaguruma from his grip and he pulled back the Mantis Zector's 'forelegs'. "Rider Strike!"

- Rider Strike! -

A glow appeared on the Zector before it travelled through Phonoi's suit. The glow stopped briefly at his belt and then it went all the way to his curved blades. A spark of static appeared in the middle of the blades and it was followed by many more as he thrust his curved blades forward. This time, it pierced Yaguruma's chest. The Hopper gasped in surprise as the blades came out. Pain consumed him as he dropped onto his knees. The Hopper Zector ejected from the Rider belt and it hopped away into the dark night as Yaguruma collapsed onto the ground, eyes wide opened and staring at Kageyama as a puddle of blood formed.

"YAGURUMA!" Kageyama screamed as he pushed the Worms aside and scrambled to his feet. "I'LL KILL YOU!" He lunged forward with his fists out and he started throwing punches at the God of Murder.

Phonoi chuckled as he dodged each blow with ease. Then, after the fifth punch, he went straight for his counterattack. Phonoi grabbed Kageyama's arm and he maneuvered himself so that he would be behind the Hopper. Then, he pressed his foot against Kageyama's back and pushed, bringing the Hopper to his knee. As the Worms all gathered around the two, the God of Murder smirked. "Watch and learn, boys. This is how you kill a rider!"

Without hesitation, Phonoi snapped Kageyama's arm, causing the rider to scream out in pain. Then, he released his hand and kicked him, knocking the Hopper onto his back. Kageyama clutched his broken arm and groaned as he towered over him. "Farewell, rogue rider. Rider Strike!"

- Rider Strike! -

Once more, Phonoi charged his curved blades using the Zector's power. Then, in a blink of an eye, he had stabbed Kageyama in his heart.

Silence filled the air as the curved blades were removed from Kageyama's chest. The Hopper Zector ejected from his belt, cancelling the transformation and revealing the gapping hole on his chest. Kageyama had his eyes widened and his mouth agape. Blood was pouring out of his mouth and chest rapidly, forming a puddle of blood.

"That's how it's done," Phonoi finished as he removed the Mantis Zector from his bracelet. The Mantis Zector beeped a few times as it leapt from his hand and went on crawling into the grasses.

Then, all of a sudden, all the nine remaining Worms exploded.

Phonoi flinched at the sudden explosions and he looked around, searching for the cause of it. He stopped when he was face to face with Hellhound and his two companions.

"Well done, God of Murder. Well done," Hellhound praised as he looked at the two dead Hoppers. "Your combat skills are very impressive."

Shrugging, Phonoi replied. "Well, I am the God of Murder after all. My combat skills has to be at the top if I want to live up to my title. So, who are you three? I've never seen Worms like you lot before."

Hellhound chuckled. "We are not Worms, God of Murder. We are Undeads, Kaijin that were created from the true evil. The Darkness."

"Don't tell me that the darkness that those two I killed was true. Because they were just plain stupid," Phonoi said, eyeing the three Undeads with caution. Phonoi headed over to his cane and picked it up. He examined it for a moment and dusted the leaves off of it.

"We want to hire you, Phonoi-san," said the female Undead.

That caught his attention. Phonoi turned and faced the Undead with his eyebrow raised. "I'm currently working with the Worms and they're paying me millions just for killing specific people. What could you three possibly pay for my services?"

Hellhound laughed and raised his hand, creating a small holographic earth. "You will gain control of the whole world. We guarantee it. All you have to do is the same job as you are doing already. That's a far more better deal, isn't it?"

Phonoi felt his feet weakened from the surprise deal. The whole world?! Was there even such a deal possible?

"Do you have doubts, God of Murder?" The second male Undead asked.

"Yes I do," Phonoi replied. "The whole world? That's impossible! No one can rule the world."

Hellhound shook his head as he approached the God of Murder. "But what you do not know is that the true Darkness can make the impossible possible. It can do wondrous things to people who follows it. This is a deal of a lifetime, Phonoi. You can either be a millionaire...or you could be the ruler of the entire world. Make your own rules, do whatever you want and get away with it, all the riches in the world, isn't that what all humans desire?"

"Of course I want that!" Phonoi said. "But if you ever backstab me, you're dead."

"You have our words," Hellhound cackled as he placed a hand on Phonoi's bracelet. "Here's a gift we have for you. The power of the Darkness shall grant you a small dose of its power." A dark aura emitted from the Undead's hand and the bracelet began glowing. Then, the bracelet grew spikes along its sides.

"What the hell did you do?!" Phonoi demanded.

"I gave you an 'upgrade' as what you humans call. You'll like it once you transform," Hellhound smiled. "We'll see you again when the job is finishing. I would suggest that you don't engage Kabuto first. He is a threat that could only be dealt with if we help you. But now, we have business to finish. Have fun, Phonoi."

Then, the three Undeads faded away within a dark cloud, leaving Phonoi alone under the lamp.

Phonoi blinked. "The whole world in my hands..." His mouth turned into a grin. "This is going to be so worth the kills. I wonder who my next target will be..."