THE LEGACY OF CAIN
Part 35: The Gentle Giant
MADRID, SPAIN
"Well, we're here," said Yuji. "Now where is that Orochi?" He was with Alan. Sheila had alerted them of a Spark Core that had gone active and that usually meant that an Orochi had awakened. The two heard screaming and spotted several people running in their direction.
Alan grabbed one of the runners and asked, "What's going on?"
"There's a monster in the bullring!" the man shouted and Alan let him go to join the rest of the fleeing people.
"Monster?" Yuji asked.
"Orochi," Alan concluded. "Let's go." The two dashed off towards the opposite direction of where the people were fleeing from. They arrived at the Plaza Del Toros and went inside to be treated with a sight they never expected to see.
The Orochi stood at a towering 10ft, clad in full bronze armor from head to toe with a purple shawl around his waist. His arms were huge and his hands were the circumference wrecking balls. At the moment, the creature was busy juggling a bull and a bullfighter who was screaming for it to stop.
"Is he juggling a bull and a bullfighter?" Yuji asked.
"Yes," Alan answered, "And no, you're not seeing things."
"Well, let's take care of this then," said Yuji as he cracked his knuckles. Alan fired his ring, encasing the bull and bullfighter protectively in green spheres, pulling them away from the Orochi who was juggling them. He set them down. The bullfighter fled as did the bull in different directions, wanting to make as much distance between them and the Orochi. The bronze Orochi stared at his empty hands in confusion and scratched his head. Yuji was already running towards the distracted Orochi when a wall of stone erupted in his path. Yuji's feet skidded along the ground before he stumbled and stopped. "Huh?" Yuji blinked.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" a young boy shouted. Yuji walked around the earthen wall and saw that on the Orochi's shoulder was a young boy. He had black hair and green eyes and looked to be eight years old. He was clad in a brown shirt and matching pants that seemed worn out and dirty. He was barefoot and his eyes were glowing. Hanging from his neck was an amber pendant. A red light glowed from his right arm and Yuji could tell what this boy was from the second he saw him.
'Another Manakyte,' realized Yuji.
Alan was hovering in the air and he swooped down to save what he assumed to be a hostage only for the boy to shout, "Up there!" The Earth Orochi swung one of his huge fists up and knocked Alan away and into the wall.
"Alan, I think this kid's with the Orochi!" Yuji called.
"You don't say," said Alan as he rose back up and dusted off his clothes.
"Kid, it's OK," said Yuji. "We're not trying to hurt your friend."
"Good, because he just woke up and he's cranky," said the boy.
"What's your name?" Yuji asked. "I'm Yuji." The boy leapt down from the giant's shoulder and landed at the Earth Orochi's feet.
"I'm Daiki," the boy replied. "And this big guy says his name is Tsuchi-Gnol."
"That confirms it," said Alan as he stared up at the Orochi of Earth who stared back down at him. "So, how did you two meet?"
Daiki explained that he found himself under the Plaza Del Toros when he fell out of a silvery veil (Dimensional Rift). That was when he met Tsuchi-Gnol who had just taken form. At first Daiki had been scared but Tsuchi-Gnol didn't hurt him. When a piece of the ceiling nearly fell on top of Daiki, Tsuchi-Gnol had shielded him. They both went up to the surface and saw a bullfight going on. Tsuchi-Gnol was suddenly compelled to have some fun and started juggling the helpless bull and bullfighter. The sight of him at his height and armor made people flee in a panic.
"So, why did you scare all those people?" Alan asked Tsuchi-Gnol who hadn't spoken. Could he talk?
Tsuchi-Gnol answered, "Because they said it was fun."
"Fun?" Alan repeated. "Do you mean WHITE 14 and Gnol?"
"I…don't remember," Tsuchi-Gnol said slowly. "I'm hungry."
"That's fine. I'll find you some food, but can you be smaller?"
"Smaller? OK!" Tsuchi-Gnol then started to change shape right before his eyes. He shrank down and assumed human shape. He was a tall man in his mid-twenties, measuring at 7'2", with short black hair, bushy eye brows, square chin, and beady eyes. He wore a black shirt with torn sleeves, a brown vest, black jeans, and large iron shackles on his wrists and ankles with dangling chains. "How does this look?"
"That's fine," said Yuji. "Hey, Daiki, how about you and your friend come with us?"
"Why?" Daiki asked suspiciously.
"Because the cops are coming," said Yuji. A Teleportal opened up, startling Daiki and Tsuchi-Gnol.
"What's that shiny, swirly thing?" Tsuchi-Gnol asked.
"Our way home," said Alan. "Now, hop on in!" He jumped in first, followed by Yuji. Tsuchi-Gnol and Daiki hesitated before jumping in. Seconds later the Teleportal closed, winking out of existence.
After bringing Daiki and Tsuchi-Gnol to the Hive, Alan heard from Sheila that the NEO-NUMBERS were in trouble so Sheila opened a Teleportal to their location. After sending the NEO-NUMBERS, who'd been turned into gold statues, back to the Hive with Hanyuu, he'd flown after Shinichi and hoped he wasn't too late. When he arrived he saw Kin-Gnol trying to break Showa's Spark Core while the Rider could do nothing to defend himself as he was stuck as a gold statue. Alan and Kin-Gnol fought and the Orochi of Metal was defeated when both Alan and Showa used their sacred swords and killed him.
Alan and Shinichi exited the Teleportal and Shinichi was relieved to see that everyone was back to normal. However, there was still another issue to address. The two brothers took the elevator up to the cafeteria and Shinichi could only watch in astonishment as there was a stack of empty plates on the table that Daiki and Tsuchi-Gnol were sitting at. Tsuchi-Gnol had food piled up in front of him. He was shoveling food down his throat and declaring, "Yummy! So Yummy!" every time he tasted anything new.
"Is that…" Shinichi began.
"Yes, the Orochi of Earth. Yuji and I found him in Spain," said Alan. "The kid there's Daiki. They're friends."
Daiki was shoveling food at the same rate and released a burp. "That's good," the Manakyte boy said.
Tsuchi-Gnol released a belch that was louder, much louder, and Daiki laughed.
"I'm surprised you haven't attacked him yet," Alan commented as Shinichi just stared at Tsuchi-Gnol.
"I'm thinking about it but I've learnt to trust your judgment," Shinichi answered. "Still, I gotta ask, are you sure about this?"
"He seems harmless enough," Alan reasoned.
"Harmless…? Like the Hulk is harmless?" Shinichi frowned skeptically.
"Look, I know he's an Orochi but just look at him. I doubt he would hurt a fly," said Alan.
WHAM!
CRASH!
Tsuchi-Gnol had been trying to swat a fly but had broken the table in half instead. "Oops," he uttered.
"Not a word," Alan warned Shinichi as the Rider opened his mouth. "Come on, we need to get to the lab."
"Does Dr. Magi need us for something?" Shinichi asked.
"No, it's Yuji and he says he's found a breakthrough in this case," said Alan.
The NEO-NUMBERS and Hanyuu were all collected in the Hive's lab. Yuji stood before them. In a case on the table were the Spark Cores they had in their possession: #04, #05 and #06.
"As you all know," Yuji began, "Shiro has been using these Spark Cores to revive the fragments of the Orochi, the Heads. After we destroy an Orochi, a Spark Core will be released and it is revealed to be drained of power."
"We know that," Daichi remarked, "Get to the point."
"Hold your comments and questions until the end, please," Yuji said, pointing at Daichi seriously. "Well, the Spark Cores are drained of their normal energy but if that was the case why would Shiro want them so badly that he would break into the base and steal them back? Well, I decided to examine Misato's Spark Core and that was when I discovered this." He tapped a few keys on the console and the screen showed a graft.
"Um…what are we supposed to be looking at?" Yokoshima asked.
"Didn't I say hold the questions until the end?" Yuji questioned.
"Sorry."
"What you are seeing are the results of my own scans. It would appear that these Spark Cores now hold negative energy," Yuji explained, "That is energy that comes from negative emotions."
"Negative emotions that Darkloids cause so that they can feed on it later," Shinichi added.
"Exactly," Yuji confirmed. "We all know that the Orochis are all in actuality Darkloids and each of them represent a negative aspect. Hanyuu, if you will take the floor."
"Oh, OK," said Hanyuu as she walked over and took Yuji's spot. "Well, according to my research the Orochis we have faced so far each represent an element and a negative aspect." She listed the Orochi's one by one, "The Orochi of Fire represents Wrath, the Orochi of Ice represented Despair, the Orochi of Water represented Impurity, the Orochi of Metal represented Greed, the Orochi of Lightning represented Loneliness, the Orochi of Wind represented Deceit and finally the Orochi of Darkness represented Fear." She took in a deep breath and requested, "Water?" Chiaki poured her a glass and handed it to her. "Thank you."
"You're forgetting the one eating in our cafeteria," Shogo pointed out.
"Oh, and the Orochi of Earth represents Ignorance," Hanyuu finished.
"That explains it," mumbled Shinichi. Tsuchi-Gnol just wasn't smart enough to be evil.
Yuji continued, "Shiro's harvesting negative energy using the Spark Cores. I can't be sure what his plan is but I doubt it's any good. We have three and Shiro has three. We may not know what he plans to do with them but what we do know is that we can't let him have the Spark Core inside Tsuchi-Gnol."
In the previous year, ARMOR had attacked X-SHOCKER's Island Base and destroyed it. It should've been the end of X-SHOCKER but it wasn't as Gebok had once again been another decoy. Her death drove Shinichi on a hunt for Gebok, destroying X-SHOCKER facilities one at a time until he found Gebok. X-SHOCKER's true headquarters was on the moon but they didn't know that until later. It was on the moon that Project Armageddon was stopped and Shinichi finally defeated Gebok and found his closure. Of course, while the island base location had become deserted, that did not mean it didn't have its uses.
Under the island base was a metal cylinder which went miles deep into the waters below and connected to a large, pyramid-like structure encased in a thick, glass dome. There were lights turned on around the pyramid which meant that it was active. This was the backup underwater base which had not been touched until recently.
Shiro Juuyon had found this base one day while investigating the ruins of the X-SHOCKER Island Base. He found a secret express elevator which he rode down into the pyramid-like fortress. Since then he'd claimed it as his own and used it as his base of operations. He'd even invited Gnol to live with him in the base. The Pyramid Base was well hidden from detection and so Shiro could work without anyone attacking him.
Shiro was currently working on a new project. He was tapping the keyboard rapidly and looking at the data that scrolled along the screen. "Alright, almost done," he mumbled and then he moaned, "Yeah, that's right, baby. Clean daddy's pole."
Kneeling in front of him with her head bobbing up and down on his cock was a blonde Bakeneko girl with long and wavy hair. She was in a string bikini and servicing Shiro eagerly as he worked. She was giving him a heavenly blowjob and while he was busy with work he was able to multitask and enjoy a blowjob. All work and no play made for a dull day.
Shiro grunted and released his 'milk' which the Bakeneko girl eagerly drank and swallowed. She licked her lips and purred, "Delicious."
"Yeah, you love daddy's milk, don't you?" he asked. "Now, get over there," he ordered and the blonde Bakeneko girl obeyed, sauntering over to a metal table with a set of clothes laid out for her. She put on the garments and then lay down on the table. She wasn't the only one lying on a table. Aside from the blonde, there was a redhead with her long hair in a braid, a girl with short and straight blue hair, a girl with short and spiky green hair and a girl with pink hair in pigtails. They wore identical clothes which were short-skirted and sleeveless ninja outfits over fishnet bodysuits. They wore black boots and gloves with metal plating on the back of their hands. Around their foreheads were headbands with metal plates in the front which had Shiro's XIV mark on them. Including the blonde, they wore scarves corresponding to their respective hair color.
These were his elite Cyborg Bakeneko Kunoichi. His artificial semen actually contained nanites which would modify their bodies upon entry. The process was barely noticeable. Another effect of the nanites was their total obedience to him. He had infected more than five with his nanites but he chose only the five most gorgeous girls to act as members of his harem and army.
Gnol entered the room and saw the Bakeneko Kunoichi slumbering. He commented, "Was the only reason you brought them here was so you could have them at anytime?"
"There is that, but also because I need foot soldiers as well. Besides, they are attractive, are they not?" Shiro asked without looking up from his screen. Gnol couldn't deny that these Bakeneko whores had nice and soft bodies. They were also tight in all the right places and made beautiful noises as they were fucked. Gnol went and looked over Shiro's shoulder.
"So, what is it you're working on?"
"Back in the Dark Hatred Society, Gebok developed a system that would allow him to summon living duplicates of various monsters to fight for him," said Shiro. "It was called the Kaijin Call System and it used cards. Of course I am thinking of doing something way more efficient."
Gnol revealed his true form which was almost complete. All he was missing was the armor on his right leg. "When do we claim the Orochi of Earth?" Gnol asked.
"Once he's collected a large amount of negative energy," Shiro answered. "That Spark Core should be filling up as we speak."
Out in the canyon, Tsuchi-Gnol was giving Alice and Celine both a ride on his broad shoulders. The two little girls cheered as the gentle giant ran around with them, laughing cheerfully with them. Junior and Lockheed even joined in the fun and games and chased after Tsuchi-Gnol. Meanwhile, Shinichi was keeping a close eye on the Orochi of Earth.
"So, what do you think?" Yuji asked as he walked up to stand next to Shinichi. "You think he's a threat?"
"To be honest I don't sense the same kind of malevolence I normally sense from Darklings and Darkloids from him at all. He's just a child in an adult's body. Hanyuu even confirmed it. Aside from the fact he's got super-strength he's not dangerous at all. In fact, I'd say he's the complete opposite of the other Orochis we'd fought. You could say he's the 'black sheep' of the family."
"But that's not the only reason you're keeping an eye on him," Yuji observed.
"He's got Saisen's Spark Core," said Shinichi.
"How can you be sure?" Yuji asked.
"I'm just guessing but considering the pattern it's the only logical conclusion," answered Shinichi. "The others were revived with the Spark Cores of Jin, Goemon, Koichi, Misato, Kamiyami and Todoriko. It just makes sense that this is Saisen's."
"It could be yours," Yuji suggested.
"Shiro wouldn't give up a Spark Core that powerful," said Shinichi. "He'd keep it for himself. It's what I'd do."
"Make sense," said Yuji. "But if this is Saisen's Spark Core so why hasn't Tsuchi-Gnol gone crazy and started shooting everyone in sight?"
"Guess the Orochi of Earth's personality is much stronger," answered Shinichi. "Hey, where's that kid Manakyte?"
"Hana and Michiru are giving him a bath," answered Yuji.
Hana and Michiru had Daiki cornered. Michiru was holding a towel while Hana was holding a sponge and scrub brush. Daiki was pressed against the wall, frightened, and shaking his head back and forth. "No bath!" he protested.
"Little boy, you're filthy so you need a bath," said Hana.
"Now, let Hana-neechan and Michiru-neechan get you nice and squeaky clean!" chirped Michiru. They jumped and crashed as Daiki zoomed away, leaving a trail of dirty footprints.
"Alright, no more Ms. Nice Spider," said Hana and she transformed into Arachnea before spitting webbing at Daiki. The webbing stuck his feet to the floor, causing him to trip as he screamed and tried to crawl away but the webbing would not break.
"Hana-chan, that was a little rough," chided Michiru. "We're supposed to be gentle with kids."
"He needs discipline. Now, it's time we give him a bath."
Arachnea tied up Daiki in a cocoon of spider silk and carried the struggling Earth Manakyte over her shoulder. She could paralyze him with her venom but that would be way overboard.
After Arachnea tore the silk away, Michiru and Hana stripped Daiki naked and put him on a stool before pouring water over him. There were two communal bathing rooms, one for the girls and another for the boys. The girls' bathroom had pink tiles with a large tub filled with hot water.
Daiki yelled when the hot water touched his skin, "Hot!"
"That's good," said Hana as she and Michiru had on one-piece swimsuits in their respective colors. "The hot water will rinse off some of the dirt on you."
"Now, it's time we lather you up," said Michiru as she held up a sponge and a bottle of body wash.
"After that we'll scrub you down," added Hana as she held up the brush.
"Do you think they'll get him clean?" asked Shinichi.
"It'd take a while. That kid had a lot of dirt on him," Yuji replied. "But then again he's an Earth Manakyte and they are at home in the dirt. I'm also pretty sure he's an orphan."
"Because of the dirt?" Shinichi asked, "Or the rags he was wearing?"
"Both," Yuji replied, "I think he's homeless and something happened to him. That's why he didn't trust us at first."
"Until you told him you were like him," Shinichi concluded.
"Exactly," Yuji nodded. "I'll try to get more information out of him."
"Hey guys," said Alan as he came out of the base and saw his daughters playing with Tsuchi-Gnol, "They seem to be having fun."
"Yeah, that are," agreed Shinichi and Yuji.
"So, where's Daiki?"
"Bath."
"And now you're squeaky clean!" cheered Michiru.
The dirt had been completely washed off Daiki and he even smelled nice.
"Why do I smell like this?" Daiki asked, wearing only a towel.
"It was rose-scented body wash," Hana replied. "And now it's time we got you dressed."
"So, I can finally get in my clothes," smiled Daiki.
"Actually, we threw those away," said Michiru.
"What!? Why would you do that!?" he yelled.
"They were filthy and falling apart," Hana reasoned. "But don't worry, we got you something else to wear."
Daiki's eyes widened in horror as he saw what Michiru wanted him to wear. "No, no, no, NOOOOOOOOO!"
Tsuchi-Gnol was now juggling Alice, Celine, Junior and Lockheed. They didn't seem to mind. In fact they were laughing with glee.
"I'm thinking of adopting him," said Alan.
"You?" Shinichi asked, surprised. "I almost thought Yuji was going to do it."
"It does seem that way," Yuji agreed. "So, what brought this out?"
"Well, a while back I met this homeless kid while on duty," said Alan. He seemed saddened by the memory, "You see, his planet was in the middle of a civil war and he was trying to get food to feed his brothers and sisters. I tried to help but then they got caught in the crossfire and I was unable to protect them."
Shinichi knew Alan had trouble taking about the painful moments in his past. After all, Alan was a Green Lantern and was supposed to be a hero, but each failure would always have a lasting effect on him. However, Alan never let himself be discouraged for long. He still felt regret but that was what made him human.
"Daiki may not want me, but he needs a home and a family," said Alan.
"And here he is!" announced Michiru as she and Hana brought Daiki out of the base, all cleaned up and dressed. He wore a white buttoned up shirt with a red bowtie and blue shorts held up by black suspenders. On his feet he wore white socks with blue sneakers. "Doesn't he look cute?"
"Why do I have to wear this?" Daiki questioned in annoyance as he tugged at the bowtie.
Tsuchi-Gnol walked over with Celine and Alice still on his shoulders. "Daiki, you look different," the Orochi of Earth stated the obvious. He sniffed, "You smell different."
"Yeah, I got cleaned up and put in this," Daiki said, tugging at his suspenders. Celine and Alice slid down Tsuchi-Gnol's arms and landed on the grass before looking at him. "What?"
"You look cute!" Alice chirped.
"Mau!" Celine agreed.
"Thanks…I guess…" muttered Daiki as he blushed. Alan knelt down facing him. "What is it?"
"Daiki, I understand that you don't have a home here, and I also understand you're an orphan," began Alan. Daiki flinched after the last observation, "I won't ask questions about that but I want to ask if you'd like to live with me."
"Live with you?" Daiki asked.
"Congrats, kid. Alan's here wants to adopt you," Yuji answered.
"Yay, we have a brother!" Alice cheered, hugging Daiki.
"Mau!" Celine hugged him too. Junior and Lockheed ended up joining in the group hug causing them all to go tumbling to the ground.
"Well, they seem happy," Shinichi pointed out the little girls' reactions.
Daiki stood up, rubbing out the wrinkles in his clothes as Celine and Alice beamed at him. "OK, but what about Tsuchi?"
Tsuchi-Gnol pointed to himself, "Me?"
"Well, he's kinda big," said Alan, "And I think it's safer if he stays here in the canyon."
"Then I'm staying too!" exclaimed Daiki stubbornly. "I'm not going anywhere if Tsuchi can't come along!"
"But, Daiki, Tsuchi-Gnol here is…well…he's in danger," Alan said, trying to be diplomatic. He couldn't tell this kid who'd befriended Tsuchi-Gnol that his friend was a fragment of a malevolent demon who might be coming for him soon.
"You mean dangerous," Daiki glared.
"No, I-" Alan began to deny.
"That's what everyone else back home said about me," Daiki growled. "They said I was a monster and they were right. I killed my parents!"
"That can't be true," Alan denied.
"I dropped the house on them!" Daiki snapped. The ground began to shake due to his powers. He was causing an earthquake.
"Well, if they died because of that, it means they weren't your biological parents," said Yuji. Daiki looked at him and the tremors ceased. "Kid, you and I are what are called 'Manakytes'. We're dragons and I doubt a house falling on them could kill your parents if they were Manakytes. Maybe the people who you thought were parents found you and raised you as their own child."
"But, that just means my real parents didn't want me," said Daiki, looking to the ground.
"Or they were just trying to give you a normal life or maybe they were in danger," Yuji suggested. "Kid, you're not a freak. Those people were scared and ignorant. They didn't know any better. I am not condoning their actions. They should've understood it wasn't easy for someone your age to handle that kind of power. They just took the easy way out instead."
"But I'm dangerous," said Daiki, looking at his hands. "Are you sure you want me?" Daiki asked Alan.
"Of course I do, and just because Tsuchi isn't coming with us does that mean you can't visit him here," said Alan.
"Daiki can come every day," Tsuchi-Gnol understood. "The food here is good. I am happy."
"If you say so, big guy," said Daiki, wiping a stray tear from his eye.
"Alright, now I think it's time we see what you can do," said Yuji.
"What I can do?" asked Daiki.
"Alan's adopting you but I'm gonna teach you all about what it means to be a Manakyte!"
"Something's wrong," said Shiro as he sat in front of his computer.
"What do you mean?" asked Gnol. Shiro tapped the screen which showed the image of a gauge.
"You see this gauge? It measures how much negative energy a Spark Core has absorbed. Right now I'm monitoring the one I used to revive the Orochi of Earth. It hasn't filled up in the past several hours."
Now this caught Gnol's attention. A piece of him had yet to collect negative energy. The others had done so but why hadn't this one. "Why?"
"I don't know," said Shiro. "Sensors show he's alive but for the life of me I just don't know why he hasn't started wreaking havoc yet." His eyes narrowed, "Something's up."
"Do your sensors tell us where he is?" Gnol asked.
"Yes, but let's not go just yet. Let's give him a few more hours and if there hasn't been any changes by then we'll go and investigate," said Shiro.
There was a party at the canyon. In fact, the party was in honor of Daiki's adoption. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves until a black VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Lift) vehicle hovered over the canyon.
"What's that?" asked Yokoshima as the VTOL began to descend and land on the grass. A door opened up and two very familiar and unwanted guests exited. One was Shiro, dressed in an immaculate white suit and wearing an eye patch and the other was Gnol in his human form. Alan immediately put himself in front of his daughters.
"What do you want?" Shinichi questioned angrily.
"We're here for the Orochi of Earth," said Gnol. "Hand him over."
"What for?" Alan asked.
"That's none of your business, now hand him over," ordered Shiro.
"You just want the Spark Core inside of him," Yuji retorted. "Isn't that right?"
Shiro, upon hearing this, put on a huge and arrogant grin. It was like he'd won the lottery and in a way he had, "Looks like you have it all figured out, or have you? Well, since you now know what I've been doing with the Spark Cores, I guess there's no harm in telling you. He explained, "You see, I've been using those Spark Cores to not only revive the Orochi Heads, but also to harvest negative energy. The Spark Cores would then become Nega Cores so I can use them for future plans. Since Tsuchi-Gnol over there is just wasting resources, we decided to cut out losses and absorb him."
"Absorb?" Shinichi questioned.
Gnol assumed his demon form, revealing his almost completely armored form. Only his right leg remained unarmored. The armor on his left leg sported a kneepad shaped like a dragon's claw and his foot looked like a dragon's head. "Yes, absorb," repeated Shiro. "Remember the last six Orochi you defeated? Well, when you destroyed them their essences were reabsorbed by Gnol."
"What?" Alan was stunned.
"That's right, you stupid heroes! All you've been doing is making Gnol here stronger!" Shiro taunted, patting the Darkloid General on the back.
The revelation shocked them. Was it true? All this time they had been playing into Shiro's hands and accomplishing his plans for him. He'd been playing them for fools this whole time.
"You should've known better or maybe you did but you were wrong," Shiro mocked, "Now we just need one more piece to complete the set."
"You're not getting him," swore Yuji. "Look around. You're on our turf, outmatched and outnumbered."
"Doesn't matter," Shiro said and he snapped his fingers. The five Bakeneko Kunoichi appeared out of nowhere and they all stood at Shiro's side before going down on one knee as he introduced them, "Meet my elite foot soldiers, the Cyborg Bakeneko Kunoichi Corps!"
"Catgirls?" gawked Yokoshima.
"Crap, I can't fight girls," cursed Alan.
"Yes, catgirls," grinned Shiro. "Catgirls which will do whatever I say." He patted one on the head and she purred. "These girls are the best of the best and with my modifications have become perfect weapons."
"So, there are still just five of them and like Yuji said we have you outnumbered," stated Daichi.
"Those numbers didn't mean squat against Kin-Gnol, or have you forgotten?" Shiro taunted.
"That's in the past. Now we're ready for anything!" added Yokoshima.
Shiro smirked, "Oh, really? Girls, show them what you can do!"
"YES, JUUYON-SAMA!" the girls answered before performing identical hand seals, "KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!" There was a huge explosion of smoke and when it cleared each of the Bakeneko Kunoichi had created ten clones each so now there were fifty five of them surrounding the NEO-NUMBERS and their allies.
"Ninjas make really good soldiers. It's like I have my own personal army," boasted Shiro. "Now, girls, GO!" The Bakeneko Kunoichi army drew their ninjato and charged as the NEO-NUMBERS transformed.
"NEO-NUMBERS, attack!" Zero ordered.
"Daiki, go inside with Alice and Celine. Junior, you and Lockheed go in too," ordered Alan. "Hurry!"
"Come on, Daiki!" Alice shouted as she pulled the Manakyte boy along with her.
"Tsuchi! Tsuchi!" Daiki shouted to his friend as he reluctantly went into the base for safety.
The Cyborg Bakeneko Kunoichi did battle against their foes, the NEO-NUMBERS and their allies. Attacks were thrown about and it was chaos in the canyon. The Bakeneko Kunoichi were fighting hard and strong and despite being knocked down they would always come back for more. Nothing seemed to be able to stop them. However, the NEO-NUMBERS still kept trying.
The Bakeneko Kunoichi battling Carmen and Arachnea surrounded them before slashing with their swords but Arachnea took down the clones with her dual Spider Kama. Carmen then showed off her talents for illusion and then started landing blows. At the same time, Slasher and Meta were trying to fight their Kunoichi adversary only for her to duck and dodge. Meta stumbled and his hands landed on her chest. He instinctively squeezed her breasts and with an outraged yell kick him in the crotch as she haughtily declared, "Only Juuyon-sama may touch me like that!"
Yokoshima was in Blue Beetle mode and slashing with his swords but the Bakeneko Kunoichi parried his attacks. Musician tried to take the others down with a sonic blast but they dodged the attack instead by warping around. Zero's attack kept missing as well as he shot his needles before he was suddenly struck from behind. He then spun and filled her with needles. That would've defeated her but in a puff of smoke she was replaced by a log and Zero got hit in the side. The Bakeneko Kunoichi purred and licked her sword.
The other Bakeneko Kunoichi were fighting against Yuji, Shinichi and Alan. Alan, due to his family's law of never, ever fighting girls, kept dodging the swipes from the sword. He couldn't tell apart the Shadow Clones from the real ones so he couldn't risk hurting them. As for Shinichi and Yuji, they were defending themselves from the Bakeneko Kunoichi's swords as well. They tossed kunai at them which had explosive tags stuck to them and when they struck the ground they gave a command and they exploded, causing dust to blind the Manakyte and cyborg.
These Bakeneko Kunoichi had been cybernetically enhanced to be strong and fast enough to keep up with the likes of Alan and his reluctance to harm anything female was used to their advantage. Even Shinichi and Yuji couldn't harm them too much. They were just innocent victims under WHITE 14's evil control. Their Shadow Clones were fair targets but there were just so many of them.
"Man, these girls may be sexy but they're really getting on my nerves," Yuji growled.
"I know," agreed Shinichi as he coughed from the dust that invaded his lungs. "But we have to get them out of the way so we can help (cough) Tsuchi!"
Meanwhile, Gnol was making his way towards Tsuchi-Gnol and spoke sinisterly, "You are part of me. Now, become one with me again." He ordered, "I order you to come to me, Orochi of Earth!"
"Do what he says and we promise it'll be painless," promised Shiro.
Tsuchi-Gnol's answer was a simple one and he did it without any words but actions. He reared back his fist and clocked Shiro in the face, launching him across the canyon. He crashed and was embedded in a deep crater in the canyon wall.
"So you wish to make this hard on yourself," Gnol realized.
"I'll make it hard on you," Tsuchi-Gnol retorted as he cracked his knuckles
Gnol dashed forward and punched him in the gut, only for the Orochi of Wrath to blink and look up at the Orochi of Ignorance who didn't even flinch. Tsuchi-Gnol responded by bringing his arms up and then swinging them down like a pair of hammers as he chopped into Gnol's shoulders with great force. The blow stunned Gnol and Tsuchi-Gnol followed up with a grapple as he lifted Gnol and mounted him across his shoulders as he kept the General in place with his strong grip.
"Let's go for a ride!" Tsuchi-Gnol cheered as he began to spin in a circle, going faster and faster. The dirt and rock began to wear away at his feet as a tornado of earth formed around the two due to Tsuchi-Gnol's spinning.
"Let! Me! Go!" Gnol demanded as his complexion turned green and unhealthy.
"OK!" Tsuchi-Gnol obeyed as he jumped up, swung Gnol around and launched him into the ground, creating a huge crater as rock shattered and rose in sections. Tsuchi-Gnol landed with a loud crash and threw up his hands victoriously.
Gnol broke out of the crater and propelled himself through the air by using his wind powers and launched a torrent of water at Tsuchi-Gnol like a water hose as the Orochi of Earth slipped and fellback with a thunderous boom. The General then erected a whip of fire and lashed at the downed giant, tearingaway his clothes as the burns marked his skin. Tsuchi-Gnol growled and grabbed the whip despite the pain and head-butted Gnol, sending him tumbling. The Earth Orochi slammed his fists together as he grew bigger and was decked in his solid bronze armor. He balled his fists and erected a piece of rock that molded into a perfect sphere. Conjuring a chain of energy, Tsuchi-Gnol lashed at the piece of stone and began to swing as he now swung the makeshift flail over his head. He swung the flail at Gnol, who sidestepped it and got into range as Tsuchi-Gnol lost the weapon. Gnol went for an uppercut and it connected. However, Tsuchi-Gnol merely shrugged off the punch and popped his neck to the sides. He then grabbed Gnol's head and began to crush him in between his giant hands. Gnol growled in discomfort and delivered an electrified uppercut to Tsuchi-Gnol's forearm, forcing the Orochi to release his counterpart.
Suddenly, Tsuchi-Gnol was hit from behind and fell onto his hands and knees. Standing behind him, shouldering the Oathbreaker, was WHITE 14 (Darkness Mode). "You ungrateful fool," said WHITE 14 angrily. He then kicked Tsuchi-Gnol forward and started striking him in the back like he was whipping a disobedient slave, "I BROUGHT YOU TO LIFE AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME!?" Tsuchi-Gnol grunted and then backhanded WHITE 14 violently, knocking him aside painfully. The white pseudo-Rider went tumbling and then got back to his feet. "YOU BELONG TO ME!" He then corrected himself when Gnol stared at him, "I mean, TO HIM!"
"That's right. Now, just be a good fragment and come back to me," said Gnol as he slowly approached Tsuchi-Gnol.
"NO!" Tsuchi-Gnol protested as he slammed his huge fists down, causing spikes of stone to shoot out at Gnol. He conjured vacuum blades that cut through the stone and scattered the pieces before continuing on his path. He stretched a hand out and then a bolt of lightning hit Tsuchi-Gnol in the shoulder, blowing off a chunk from his shoulder which caused the giant great pain. He drew back a fist and punched it forward but Gnol stopped it with his own hand before ice started creeping up Tsuchi-Gnol's arm. He withdrew it and shattered the ice with his other fist and then knocked Gnol to the ground with a kick to the head.
"Stubborn and stupid like a typical muscle-head," scoffed WHITE 14. He raised his sword and added, "Time to cut my losses." The ground suddenly shook and WHITE 14 lost his balance as he stumbled around, "Damn it…fucking earthquake…"
Tsuchi-Gnol rose on his feet and stomped as the holes in his body were filled with earth and reformed into his lost pieces. He then slammed his colossal fists together, generating a stronger earthquake as his body turned completely gold. The power he was generating was literally ground-breaking as all other battles in the canyon ceased to watch Tsuchi-Gnol and his upcoming technique.
"Everyone, brace yourselves! This is gonna be big!" warned Shinichi. He could sense the power coming from Tsuchi-Gnol. He was definitely one of the strongest Orochi fragments so far.
"BURSTING GAIA CRUSHER!" Tsuchi-Gnol shouted, "YAAAAAAAAAGH!" as he slammed his fist into the ground, erecting spikes of solid rock and pillars of stone as the canyon was almost torn asunder by the power of the Earth Orochi. Many Bakeneko Kunoichi Shadow Clones puffed out of existence as they were hit by showers of rock and stone.
"OK, warn me to never piss that guy off," Blue Beetle gulped. The others nodded, stunned by the incredible display of power.
"Man, he's a one-man wrecking machine," Carmen admired.
"Glad he's on our side unlike the others," said Meta.
Even Gnol and WHITE 14 were thrown for a loop by the Orochi's awesome display.
"I don't get it," said WHITE 14. "How can he be so strong when he hasn't tried to absorb any negative energy? I mean, he's a Darkloid too, isn't he?"
"There's something different about him," analyzed Gnol.
"Oh, besides the obvious?" WHITE 14 shot back. "He's resisting far too much."
"Ignorance means being stubborn as well," Gnol said, "The inability and refusal to learn anything new. That means he doesn't understand how futile his resistance is. All he is doing is delaying the inevitable."
WHITE 14 commented, "You sound like you're having fun."
"I am, and I've been waiting for a chance to test out my power so far."
Tsuchi-Gnol wasn't going to go down without a fight. He would not allow these two to take him away from his new friends so he got down on all fours and let out a roar as he tossed his head back. His skin turned to stone as his body began to expand and change. Daiki watched as his friends began to transform into a dragon of stone. WHITE 14 and Gnol simply watched impassively as Tsuchi-Gnol continued with his transformation. His hands became feet with sharp claws and he had a tail which had stone spikes near the tip. His entire body became covered in stone spikes and his neck grew long as his teeth became sharp. His eyes became red as blood as his head became crowned in multiple stone horns. He finally achieved his full size and towered over WHITE 14 and Gnol like a skyscraper. They were both impressed by his dragon form. The Orochi of Earth stood on all fours like a turtle and snarled at them, swishing its tail back and forth.
"Tsuchi…?" Daiki questioned as he watched via the Hive's surveillance monitor. This was his friend at full power?
"Guess he still wants to fight us," said WHITE 14, "How ignorant. He isn't even aware of who he's dealing with. Gnol, show him what's what."
Gnol grinned as his body ignited with dark flames that consumed him. The flames grew larger and burst into a pillar that surged high into the sky. Then, out from the flames came a draconic head that was attached to a long serpentine neck. It wasn't alone as six other draconic heads revealed themselves, each topping an individually long neck. Slithering out from the flames was the long body of a snake but this snake was massive and gigantic as it towered over Tsuchi-Gnol. The flames died to reveal the seven-headed serpent that Gnol had turned into.
WHITE 14 declared proudly, "I present to you the Seven-Headed Orochi!"
Musician nearly fainted at the sight of such a huge snake monster. His fear of snakes was so great that he went pale and catatonic at the sight of the gargantuan serpent and its seven heads just made it worse.
Tsuchi-Gnol was not intimidated and with a roar stomped the ground. Waves of sharp rock erupted underneath the Seven-Headed Orochi but then its body turned into water and it flowed through the rocks before catching Tsuchi-Gnol by surprise. It wrapped its long body around the Earth Orochi's stone body and all seven heads bit into its neck. Tsuchi-Gnol howled as the Seven-Headed Orochi's fangs buried into its stony hide.
"No, Tsuchi!" Daiki shouted. He ran out of the base despite Alice's protests. Stepping out onto the battlefield, his eyes glowed and the canyon wall began to crack before large chunks of it shot through the air and hit the Seven-Headed Orochi. It flinched with each hit and Tsuchi-Gnol finally managed to release himself from the seven-headed serpent's grip by extending the stony spikes on its body. The Seven-Headed Orochi hissed and removed itself from its prey. Tsuchi-Gnol then spun around and slammed its spiky tail into the Seven-Headed Orochi's body, knocking it away.
WHITE 14 suggested, "Gnol, show him why you're all powerful."
The seven heads opened their mouths and fired off an elemental storm attack. A stream of fire, a surge of water, a blast of ice, a burst of wind, a wave of darkness, a hail storm of metal spikes and a bolt of lightning all came out and hit Tsuchi-Gnol, causing the Earth Orochi to cry out.
"Alright, that's it," said Alan. He couldn't let this go on anymore. "Yuji, Shinichi, let's help him out!"
"Alright," Shinichi agreed. He ducked under a sword and dug his fist into the Bakeneko Kunoichi's stomach causing her to explode into smoke.
"You're the boss," agreed Yuji as he grabbed two of Bakeneko Kunoichi by the arm and tossed them away.
"Go ahead, we'll deal with these ninja girls!" volunteered Zero. He shot needles down at the Bakeneko Kunoichi, hitting the Shadow Clones which exploded into smoke as soon as they were hit. Musician helped make a path for them by blowing away the Bakeneko Kunoichi in their way.
"Just do what you gotta do!" added Musician.
"Thanks," nodded Shinichi.
WHITE 14 spotted Alan, Shinichi and Yuji running towards the battle, the Riders transforming along the way. He scowled but then grinned as he put a hand to his chest. He then shouted, his voice amplified like he was talking through a megaphone, "HEY, SHINICHI! YOU MUST BE WONDERING WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR OLD SPARK CORE!"
Showa looked up at WHITE 14 who grinned down at him.
"HERE'S A HINT!" shouted WHITE 14 as he pointed his fingers at the heroes, "LET'S RIDE: ALL KAMEN RIDERS!" His eyes glowed brightly as he said this.
"What!?"gawked Showa and all of a sudden a wall of green energy rose up in front of Alan, Showa and Liger Zero. Showa's eyes then went wide as fifteen familiar figures walked out of the green wall which vanished behind them. "No way!" Showa shouted in disbelief as standing right before him were all the Kamen Riders whose forms he'd assumed before.
WHITE 14 put a hand to his chest and boasted, "I HAD IT THIS WHOLE TIME! I WAS JUST WAITING FOR THE RIGHT TIME! NOW, BOYS! DEAL WITH THEM!"
The fifteen summoned Riders (Ichigo, Nigo, V3, Riderman, X, Amazon, Stronger, Super-1, Skyrider, ZX, BLACK, RX, Roborider, Biorider and Shadow Moon) obeyed and charged at the three.
Showa was forced to deal with the Double Riders (Ichigo & Nigo), V3, Riderman and X. Liger Zero had to face Amazon, Stronger, Super-1, Skyrider and ZX. Finally, Alan had to face the Century Kings (BLACK and Shadow Moon) and the three incarnations of the Prince of the Sun (RX, Roborider & Biorider)
Showa was knocked back by a Double Rider Punch before being sent flying by V3's Screw Kick. X activated his Ridol Rope and ensnared him before slamming him to the ground which allowed Riderman to pin him to the ground with his foot and start shooting at him pointblank with his Machinegun Arm. Showa cried out as he was being repeatedly hit by the spray of bullets but he managed to grab Riderman's leg and toss him off before getting back to his feet.
Meanwhile, Liger Zero was dodging Amazon's claws. ZX tossed his Cross Shurikens which hit him in the side. They exploded and Liger Zero was sent flying only to be air-tackled by Skyrider. Super-1 activated his Eleki Hands and shot bolts of lightning at Liger Zero. Stronger joined in the assault as well and used Electro Fire to electrocute Liger Zero. His armor smoking, Liger Zero growled and unfolded his claws and blocked a blow from ZX before slashing him across the chest. Amazon grabbed his arm and sank his sharp teeth into it.
RX and Shadow Moon slashed at Alan with the Revolcane and the Shadow Sabers respectively. He dodged their blades but then was shot by Roborider. Fortunately, he was invulnerable and so he countered and fired with his ring, knocking Roborider back. Biorider rushed at him and he tried to fire his heat ray but the beams only passed through Biorider's liquid body before he slashed at Alan. He grasped the Bio Blade but this left him open for a Rider Kick from BLACK who knocked him off his feet and sent him tumbling.
Back with Showa, he activated his Great Fists and spun around, slapping the Riders away. However, he was sent flying when Ichigo and Nigo performed a Rider Double Kick that sent him flying before he tumbled along the canyon's grassy floor. WHITE 14's summoned Riders came charging at him and he decided not to hold back and summoned his Burst Cannon. Gripping the handles, Showa got to his feet and charged up the cannon before unleashing a point blank blast with the cannon, sending the summoned Riders flying.
Alan punched Shadow Moon and RX so hard they were sent flying. Biorider came at him in liquid form but he used his ice breath to freeze the blue Rider. Next was Roborider who threw a punch at him but Alan blocked the attack and punched him hard in the gut, causing his body to fold in half before knocking him to the floor with his elbow. BLACK came at him and Alan caught his fist before knocking him back with a hard kick. Shadow Moon and RX recovered and rushed at him with their swords but Alan had a sword of his own and summoned the Kusanagi no Tsurugi. He parried their swords with the sacred blade and with a single swing knocked them down with an explosion of sparks.
GaoLiger, GaoPhoenix and GaoTyranno had been awoken by the noise and when they saw the Seven-Headed Orochi, they knew instantly that he was the enemy. GaoPhoenix rushed at the Seven-Headed Orochi, flames bursting from her body as she performed a nosedive but the Seven-Headed Orochi grabbed her by the neck with its fang and began to constrict her. GaoLiger slashed his claws across the Seven-Headed Orochi's neck, forcing it to release GaoPhoenix and then he let out a roar as he lunged but he got blasted by fire and wind, knocking him across the canyon and straight into the wall. GaoTyranno roared and grabbed the Seven-Headed Orochi's tail in his mouth and started spinning around, and around and around, but the Seven-Headed Orochi melted into shadow matter which crept all over GaoTyranno's body and began to squeeze the life out of him before reforming. The seven sets of fangs bit into GaoTyranno's hide, paralyzing him before releasing him.
GaoPhoenix attempted to attack again but was hit with seven elemental attacks in a single burst which immediately knocked her out as she plummeted to the floor.
"Crap," Liger Zero cursed as his personal Power Animals, not to mention the one belonging to his brother, were defeated by the Seven-Headed Orochi, aka Orochi no Gnol, the self-proclaimed most powerful of the Darkloid Generals. Meanwhile, Tsuchi-Gnol was forced to face this fiend alone and they were being distracted by these Riders Shiro had summoned. "Out of my way!" Liger shouted as he activated his belt.
"JAGER FORM!"
His armor turned blue as he dashed past his opponents, landing lightning quick claw swipes that knocked them away. He ran across the canyon to reach the Seven-Headed Orochi. "Take this, you snake!"
"FULL CHARGE!"
"Strike…Laser…CLAW!" Liger Jäger roared as he slashed at the Seven-Headed Orochi, leaving blue lines of energy which were cut across its body. However, the cuts were sealed up and Liger Jäger was then struck by lightning before the Seven-Headed Orochi's tail knocked him aside.
Tsuchi-Gnol tried to attack again but it had no affect on Orochi no Gnol. The seven heads lunged and sank their teeth into his body before suspending him in the air. Daiki witnessed this and screamed, "TSUCHI!"
Tsuchi-Gnol's body was caught in the seven jaws and then torn to pieces as Daiki watched in horror. Each of the heads began to swallow, the pieces going down their individual throats before settling in the giant seven-headed serpent's stomach. Suddenly, a new head burst out from the Seven-Headed Orochi's body, attached to a long neck. The head began to choke and then hacked before it spat out something that rolled along the grassy canyon floor. It stopped at Daiki's feet.
The young Manakyte picked it up with shaky hands and stared at the Spark Core which was marked by XII. "Hey, gaki," said WHITE 14 as he stood before the horrified boy. "That's mine. Give it here," ordered Shiro as he extended a hand towards Daiki.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Daiki shouted as the ground broke apart and spikes of stone erupted. Shiro was tossed through the air but he did a backflip and landed next to Gnol who'd reassumed his demon form. He looked his partner over and saw that he was complete with Tsuchi-Gnol's essence covering his bare leg in armor.
"How do you feel?" asked WHITE 14.
"Like I can devour the world," boasted Gnol.
"Good, now let's deal with our enemies before-"
KRACK-KABOOM!
That was thunder. Storm clouds rolled in from above with bolts of lightning crashing to the ground.
KRACK-KABOOM!
That was another crack of thunder, followed by a flash of lightning.
KRACK-KABOOM!
There it was again.
What was going on? What was causing this?
WHITE 14 noted that Gnol was starting to tremble and had his finger pointed forward. Curious, Shiro looked and saw Alan.
Only it wasn't Alan, at least not the way he knew him. His silver hair was spiked up and electricity sparked all over his body. A green aura with sharp edges burst from his body. He looked up, his eyes sparking with electricity. The Kusanagi in his hand was also surrounded by an electrifying aura.
"Shiro, I think we should retreat," suggested Gnol.
"Because of some lightshow?" WHITE 14 snorted. "All Riders, attack Alan Smith!" the bio-android ordered. The summoned Riders all leapt towards Alan but then all of a sudden there was an immensely loud crack of thunder.
KRACK-KABOOOOOOM!
A massive bolt of lightning came crashing down and it was so powerful that it shattered the ground. It crashed upon Alan and the summoned Riders which had attacked him but only the summoned Riders were caught in the blast and were instantaneously vaporized.
This shocked WHITE 14 but not as much as what happened next as Alan suddenly stood before him in a flash. The electrifying green eyes bore into WHITE 14's shocked ones and then Alan simply said, "Die."
A bolt of lightning came down from above and struck WHITE 14 directly, causing him to scream out in agony, "AAAARGGGGHHHHHH!"
"JUUYON-SAMA!" the Bakeneko Kunoichi cried out in horror as their master was being attacked. They leapt to his defense but then hands of emerald energy burst from the ground and caught them.
"I don't fight girls," said Alan as he looked at the five Bakeneko Girls, "So don't force me."
WHITE 14 was still being electrocuted by the continuous bolts of lightning which struck him. The assault ceased and WHITE 14 collapsed onto his hands and knees, in human form, with his entire body covered in electrical burns. Finally, Alan swung the Kusanagi no Tsurugi and slashed Shiro's body straight down the middle from the top of his head all the way down to his crotch. His body then exploded and two Spark Cores leapt out of the explosions. One was Shiro's while the other was Shinichi's original.
Alan turned his gaze towards Gnol next and while the Darkloid General had been confident he could fight against Alan, now he was sure that facing the enraged Green Lantern/Storm God now would be suicide. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his chest as black blood burst from the wound? Had Alan struck him? He didn't even see him move. Several more painful cuts accompanied by bursts of blood covered his body. Not wanting to find out how Alan managed to inflict those injuries, Dark wings burst from his back and he fled as fast as he could. The Bakeneko Kunoichi also fled the scene, climbing back into the VTOL before it took off.
"And don't ever come back!" Showa shouted. He then looked to Alan, feeling disturbed and concerned. "Alan?" He tried to put his hand on Alan's shoulder but withdrew it when he got zapped. He knew Alan was silently grieving so he backed away to give him some space. He then spotted his Spark Core and picked it up but as soon as his hand touched it he could feel energy being transferred from it and into the Tri-Color Spark Core which had taken its place. The 'spirits' of the Showa Era Riders were flying into his body and as they did his belt strap became decorated with their symbols. Once the last of them had entered him, Spark Core #13 turned into dust. He collapsed onto his knees, his armor disappearing into nothing at the same time.
"Hey, you OK?" Yuji asked Shinichi as he helped the cyborg up.
"Yeah," said Shinichi, gazing intently at his hand. "I'm just fine."
A gravestone was planted in honor of Tsuchi-Gnol. There was no body to bury since it'd been eaten by Gnol but a funeral was still necessary. Alan felt guilty over his death. He hadn't been able to save Tsuchi-Gnol despite the power he had. They had lost another friend and he wouldn't be coming back again.
There were words carved onto the gravestone and they said, "Tsuchi-Gnol. Though we only knew him for a short time, he showed us that goodness could exist in the most unlikely of places."
Shinichi stood next to Alan in front of the gravestone. Earlier, Alan had consoled his daughters when they had cried over Tsuchi's death. Alan had to explain to them why their friend wouldn't be able to come back. Explaining death to children was not easy, especially ones so innocent. "How's Daiki doing?" Shinichi asked.
"Like the girls he's pretty upset," said Alan. "He just witnessed his only friend in this world die before his eyes. It'd take weeks for him to get over the trauma."
"It won't be easy. Fortunately, he's not alone anymore. He's got you. You're his family now," Shinichi stated.
"Yeah, that's right, and I'm gonna raise him the best I can. No, even better," swore Alan. Daiki hadn't blamed Alan for Tsuchi's death. The ones he did blame were WHITE 14 and Gnol Gnauh.
"How about you? Are you OK?" Shinichi asked the young Corpsman.
Alan shook his head, "No, I'm not OK. He died because I wasn't strong enough."
Shinichi then added, "That's not all. Gnol's complete now. All he needs is his body. I know it's cold of me to say but you need to get over his death now. He would want you to continue fighting. We need to stop Gnol before it's too late." Shinichi put down a small bouquet of flowers and poured sake over the gravestone as a sign of respect. "Guess there's always a good one among rotten fruit."
Alan stood in silence for a moment. "No, I won't get over it. I'll embrace it. Use the rage and the pain and the hate. And I'll NEVER make them stop paying for what they did."
Shinichi nodded and then walked away. He glanced at Alan for a second before moving on.
Alan closed his eyes tight as tears began to flow. His fists were clenched in anger as he swore, "Never…never make them stop paying."
KAMEN RIDER CHROME: And so ends the Orochi Arc. What did you guys think of the action? Anyway, it looks like Gnol is at full power but not yet enough to face against Alan Susano-O Mode. Also, Shinichi regains the Rider powers he'd lost. That's good news. He would've celebrated if Tsuchi-Gnol hadn't died and gotten absorbed by Gnol. The Yamata No Orochi is going to destroy the world if they don't stop him now. Oh, and for Shiro-haters, please rejoice that he is now dead but considering his Spark Core is still intact he may return. What will he return us? You have to prepare yourself then. I'd like to thank Bushido for his help and also Tsuchi-Gnol's demon form was based on Granmarg the Rock Monarch and his dragon form was based on Megarock Dragon, both from the Yugioh OCG.