My sister was always there for me, ever since I was born. When mom passed away in a traffic accident, we were taken to our aunt's village in the Osaka prefecture. It was a small village that kept its farming roots long after the town became modernized.
I was too young to take in all the details, but I remembered a lot of yelling between my sister and aunt in the days following our arrival. After about a week or two, my sister got herself a wagon, placed me on it, and took me for a ride one morning. I couldn't remember how long it took, just that by the time the ride was over, the sun had long since set and most of the snacks my sister had got for me and her were gone.
It was around that point where our aunt found us. To this day, I had no idea why both of them were crying that night, nor have I ever found the courage to ask Honoka. I had hoped that would be one of the few heart-wrenching memories I'd have involving Honoka.
Though, as I sat on the couch back at Honoka's house, I knew I was in the process of creating another one. I had explained everything to Honoka about what had happened since Setsuna's death. The reinvention of Dante, the Creations appearing, the truth behind my internship, me becoming Dante…
And yet, out of all of that, Honoka's question was a simple, yet devastating one:
"You… tried to kill yourself?"
CINDER ROAD
"… It wasn't a conscious decision. One minute, I was standing on the line, then next I was about to fall onto the track." I said.
"M-m-maybe someone pushed you?" Honoka trembled as I sighed.
"No. If anything, someone pulled me out. Were it not for him…" I tried not to show any emotions, but as I heard Honoka wince, then full on bawl as she hugged me, it was hardly something I was able to do.
"Please, Starry… Please tell me you didn't… I… I can't stand to think that!" I felt tears flushing onto my shoulder as her body weighed down on me.
"…" I couldn't say anything. I was unable to confirm nor deny that I tried to take my life. All I could say was… "I'm sorry." I gave her a hug as I felt her back quake with each sob. "I'm so… so sorry…" I said.
"First off, I've prepared an upgrade for Dante and a countermeasure, as requested. What shall we see first?" Tachibana asked the group of Creators.
"Sorry, countermeasure?" Shimashima asked.
"We fear Dante may be compromised." Kikuchihara said.
"Ah. Well, it would intrigue me to know the countermeasure, then. Can't risk our investment being used by the villains, after all." Shimashima asked. Tachibana laid out a sketch for a new Rider. The helmet was covered in a large snowflake symbol with the gaps all having icy, desaturated red triangles acting as the "eyes" of the helmet. The armor of the Rider was a departure from both Showa and Heisei styles, opting for the plating of both chest, shoulder, leg, and forearm armors being more slabs of ice than actual plating.
"As you guys can obviously tell, the best opponent to fire would be ice." Tachibana said just before Yatoji raised his hand.
"But… fire would melt the ice." Yatoji said.
"To which it becomes water and put out the flames." Suruga added. Yatoji facepalmed as Tachibana laid out a different sketch showing three different versions of the Rider. The first of the three had the ice on the armor grow tenfold, essentially making the rider a walking iceberg. The second and third detailed the rider without the ice plating, revealing a smooth, icy cyan colored undersuit. The two sketches were lightly drawn in contrast to the first, but the last of the two had blue colored pencil markings on the inside of the undersuit.
"What exactly is this?" Matsubara asked.
"Dante has three forms. Each reflecting a state of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. As such, this Rider can also replicate those states of matter, but wouldn't need a massive amount of energy or time to change." Tachibana pointed to the iceberg. "Solid State increases his defense to counter Fuji Mount's Rider Punches." Then to the semi-transparent suit in the middle. "Gas State has polar winds that could negate Sakurajima's heat." And lastly to the blue colored suit. "And Liquid State turns the Rider into a pool of freezing water that can chill Yellowstone's liquid fire."
"You sure have thought all this out." Nakanogane said.
"I had about a month to figure out what to do." Tachibana said. Just then, Kikuchihara's phone buzzed. She picked it up and held it to her ear.
"Yes?" Pause. "I see. Well, that's good. I'll inform the others. Keep me posted." She waited a bit before she heard the dial tone. She then stood up and glanced to Tachibana.
"Something up?" Tachibana asked.
"That was Marine. Hoshi has the belt and is intent on handing it over to Hanamori." Tachibana sighed in relief.
"Well, I guess there's no need for the countermeasure." Tachibana grinned before Shimashima spoke up.
"I do like this idea though. Don't throw this Rider in the backburner just yet." Shimashima said.
"But the entire reason for that Rider was in case the belt fell into Altair's hands! It has no purpose now!" Tachibana said.
"On the contrary. A second Rider can make things interesting for the show. Bandai would be pleased to know of another Rider they can make merchandise of." Shimashima said.
"Besides, just because Hanamori will have the belt doesn't mean he won't fall for the same pitfall Hoshi had. It's best to have the Rider on standby just in case." Kikuchihara said.
"… I understand… But… There is one other thing. A second countermeasure. One that can benefit Dante." He revealed one last sketch. This time it was of a belt. While it was shaped in the style of a classic Showa belt with a round oval shape, it had the Heisei style of a device, this one being shaped like a revolver's chamber, being set in the center of the belt. There were diagrams of the two oval ends of the belt swiveling off to allow for insertion of bullet-like objects into the chamber, as well as the insertion of the motorcycle handlebar and a gun-like grip.
"I had no idea what kind of form to give Dante, but I figured of giving him an upgrade to his belt. He has problems absorbing fire, right? Well, this belt lets him generate his own fire and allow him to have that built up energy explode when he chooses to, all without giving him complications." Tachibana said.
"And the bullets?" Shimashima asked.
"W-well…" Tachibana blushed a bit. "I kinda have a thing for collectable gimmicks…" He pointed to some of the bullets. "Each of them contains the body heat of an animal and Dante can load them to use special powers, like with Wizard!" Tachibana gave a pause as he gauged the reactions from the others. No one seemed to even be curious like what happened with the other rider.
"So… instead of giving Dante a new form with increased power, you gave him a shiny new belt." Matsubara said.
"Well… Yeah. You guys kept saying how Sakurajima is a patch for Yellowstone, but if we were to upgrade the belt, we could give Dante more than a simple form!" Tachibana said.
"I have to agree with Tachibana here." Nakanogane said. "In most mecha anime, a mech will more than likely get an upgrade rather than a new form." The boy in the back of the room stood up and said his piece.
"Besides, the last time Hoshi was sent to the hospital, he had burns on his body! Who's to say Hanamori wouldn't get something just as worse in his first outing?!" He asked.
"That and giving Dante a new form would only fix the problem for a few weeks before Altair's crew inevitably become stronger than him. Then, we're back to square one." Suruga said.
"Though, if it's a new form you want, there is one easy way to go about it, and that's to-" Tachibana flipped the sheet over and prepared to draw, only for Shimashima to hold his hand.
"It's okay. You've done a good job fleshing out Dante's mythology. I'll take these to Toei so that they can get an idea of what they're making. We'll use the photos they'll shoot to get the acceptance needed to manifest them. Now, if you excuse me…" Shimashima left the room, leaving the other people alone. Tachibana looked to the bespectacled boy.
"Sorry if this is out of nowhere but I don't think I got your name." Tachibana asked.
"It's-" Just then, Kikuchihara's phone rang again and she picked it up.
"Hello? … What!?" Her tone caused half the Creators in the room to stand up.
"What's going on?" Tachibana asked.
"Keep me posted… I'll inform the others." Kikuchihara put the phone on the table. She took a moment to find the words. "It would appear a third party of Creations have appeared. They call themselves Re:Shocker."
"Re:Shocker?! Isn't that the organization Kamen Rider Dante fights?" The boy asked.
"Yeah. Wonder what brought them here." Suruga, the only Creator not to stand up upon Kikuchihara's announcement, sipped a can of beer before she let out a chuckle. "Oi, Tachibana! Seems your idea for the upgrade couldn't have come at a better time."
"I apologize for Malacoda's assault." Vega went on one knee before Altair as she sat on a blue velvet couch. The room they were in was an empty warehouse with only moonlight serving as a luminescence. "Had I known he'd strike, I would have tightened my leash on him."
"You do not need to worry. The fact that you're here means that the restorative powers of this world has already bent over. I would have expected to summon at least two or three more characters into this world, and yet you come here with an army, all fully realized without any drawbacks. Perhaps I should owe this fortune to Hoshi." Altair smirked.
"No… Not without drawbacks… I am the Great Leader of Re:Shocker. Aside from Malacoda, I'm the most important character in Dante's battles. A beauty behind the beasts I create. The Kaizo-Majin and Durants you saw were merely extensions of myself. The only exception, curiously, is Malacoda himself… It's this quality that separates me from you despite us being cut from the same cloth and yet… it's also this quality that puts me at great risk." Vega got up and walked to a spot of the warehouse where the light of the moon broke through the dirtied windows.
"Much like how you must be careful in using your vast array of abilities, I must be careful in how I deploy the Kaizo-Majin. If I send too many at once, those restorative powers will not only negate their existence, but also put mine at risk as well. Those Kaizo-Majin you saw when I first met you disappeared within an hour. With how this world had bent to my presence, I can create, at most, one Kaizo-Majin a week with a handful of Durants as back up, and even then, the Kaizo-Majin require an anchor to stay tethered to this world, lest they get ejected like the ones I summoned. But in time, with enough patience, I hope to bring more into being." Vega said. Suddenly, the warehouse doors opened as Malacoda dragged in a girl who kicked and screamed.
"Hmm?" Altair raised an eyebrow as Malacoda tossed the girl before Vega's feet.
"Mother, if I may call you that," Vega went over and picked up the girl by her straight black hair. Her school uniform was tattered and dirty, with part of her glasses broken. "I wish to present to you a demonstration of my power. The anchor of which I mentioned. This was someone who thought she was safe from the world, who thought she had no consequences to bear…" Vega sneered at the girl as she began to cry. "A month ago, she defaced father's house with words that you may consider an insult. What was it again? Right… Zenmetsuna." As Vega said that, Altair stood up and her swords materialized. The girl looked up at Altair and her eyes widened.
"Do you remember me, young one? I was the last thing my Creator drew before you and your army took her life." The swords began to spin closer and closer to her neck, only for Vega to pull her away.
"I didn't bring her here so you may execute her…" Vega could feel the trembling of the girl's body. "I brought her here so as to flex my muscles…" He sat her down. "What is your name?"
"A-Atsuko!" She said.
"Why did you spread graffiti all over that apartment?" Vega asked. As soon as Atsuko calmed, her arms shook and her hands balled into fists.
"I… This guy… He was trying to defend that art thief's name! He spoke fondly of that scumbag! She got what was coming to her and that Hoshi asshole needed to be reminded that we exist!" As soon as Atsuko shouted the last part, Altair screamed and a sword flew in a desperate attempt to pierce her...
Only for Vega to deflect it with a sword of his own. As the sword clattered, Altair noticed the design of the sabre he held. While the hilt and handle were akin to a longsword, its blade was long and curved, a tell-tale sign of a katana.
"You recognize this, don't you, mother? Like I said, we're cut from the same cloth. As such, this is my Holopsicon. While limited in contrast to yours, it can do one thing extremely well…" As Vega said that, Atsuko trembled at the admiral brandishing his freakish mashup of European and Japanese swords.
"Please don't hurt me! I… It was just a joke!" Atsuko began to cry, only for Vega to smirk. With a wave of his hand, he summoned a silver flintlock musket. He struck his sword against the crystalline flint and severed it, the white diamond soon changing into a purple quartz before he snatched it. The two weapons faded away.
"No. It wasn't a joke. It was a message that was unfortunately ignored by your target. How would you like to personally beat it into him?" Vega gave a calm smile as he showed the purple crystal.
"W-what's that?" Atsuko asked. Altair intently watched on, having that same question.
"Power… Raw, unfiltered power. Take it, and your body will be modified to inherit that power." Vega said. Atsuko took a moment to look at the crystal before she looked straight at Vega.
"This… has to be some sort of joke, right? Like… Who are you?" She asked him.
"I am merely a person who wishes to give Zenmetsuna the chance to show what they truly are… With this power, you can make Hoshi Fujioka and anyone else you despise suffer for daring to breathe the same air as you." As Vega said that, he dangled the crystal over Atsuko's head.
"… What are you doing?" Altair growled out.
"Proving a point." Vega's grin grew as Atsuko snatched the diamond from his hand. Within no time, the crystal embedded itself into Atsuko's hand and seeped into her flesh. At first, she felt nothing, but then, as her hand jerked, she writhed on the ground and cried out in pain. "Humans are ugly creatures who will do anything to be correct, even if it means becoming a monster in the process. My father taught me this fact of life in his darkest hours. I merely wish to prove him right, starting with a member of that very army that killed your Creator." As Atsuko's body twisted and contorted, bits of metal and acid seeped from her arms and legs. Altair couldn't help but laugh as the true colors of Atsuko began to come out.
Malacoda looked away and walked off as he heard the pained screams behind him. Vega bared his teeth as the transformation neared its completion.
"Holopsicon, Poisonous Flow of the Aether… Toxic Love."
The shriek of Honoka woke me out of my sleep and got me hurdling towards the front door where it came from.
"Honoka! What's…" I stopped to see that Honoka was in no danger, even though she was laying on the ground, as I saw not just the wide smile that she had but also the person who gave her that. "Oh, it's you." I said to Celesia, who simply scratched the back of her head as she looked at the fallen Honoka.
"It's been a while, Hoshi." Meteora approached the entrance with a briefcase.
"Yeah. Apologies for flaking out on you guys." Meteora passed by me and went to a nearby table before she set it down and opened it up.
"We heard what happened a couple of days ago with Re:Shocker. A third-party like that could mean disaster for the world." She said.
"I know. Though, I'm certain you and the others are able to beat them up. I mean, most of you are anime characters, right? That medium's known for pushing the boundary of strength." I approached Meteora as I saw the contents of the briefcase: a shiny new belt, though, the center of the belt looked more like a fireball. There was also a series of bullets, three to the left side of the briefcase and eleven to the right side. The three were the only ones where the entire shell is colored. There was red, crimson, and pink, mirroring the colors of Fuji, Yellowstone, and Sakurajima respectively.
The eleven silver bullets, however, had etchings of an animal on each. In order, they were a lion, wolf, leopard, penguin, mandrill, armadillo, octopus, stag beetle, chameleon, eagle, and mammoth. Looking at the four colored bullets, I noticed they also had etchings. Firefly for the red one, bombardier beetle for the crimson one, and cicada for the pink one.
"Toei managed to bring these into reality thanks to a combination of creative planning and the acceptance from the audience." She reached into the briefcase and touched the part where the flames were furthest away, then pulled away to reveal a handle from the silvery parts untouched by the red decals. She took the main piece of the belt out and she pointed the fireball to me, I quickly noticed the four holes in the front of the fireball with a slightly larger hole in the middle, arranged in a cross, and the way she held it.
"HOLY CRAP!" I jumped and hid behind the couch.
"Relax… I'm not going to shoot you. It's how you operate the Volcannik Driver. You simply load the bullet of the form you want to use," she took the red, firefly bullet and loaded it in the top most hole.
FIREFLY SHELL!
The gun called out as a wail of a fire alarm rang out. She aimed it into the air. "And then… Henshin." She took a moment or two before… "Just kidding." She took the bullet out and left the two on the table. "You get the idea."
"Um… So is this for another person to use or…" I raised my eyebrow at the gun.
"No. It's for you. It's built to be a means to control the flames easier. Not only is it able to generate heat for the forms," she spun the main body of the fireball in a manner similar to a revolver as I heard what seem to be turbines whirring to life for a brief moment, "but it's also able to output that heat without causing harm to the body."
"Assuming I want to use the belt." I said.
"Why wouldn't you?" Celesia walked in, carrying Honoka with her.
"I'm being c-c-carried by Celesia…" Honoka's voice was drawn out and a little high-pitched.
"The last two times I wore the belt, it was because I had no choice. In fact, had it not been for Re:Shocker showing up when they did, the Volcano Belt would have been Hanamori's by now. He managed to become Dante for a bit, but…" I remembered Hanamori quickly losing the power once he realized he was fighting actual monsters. Before I could continue, I heard the door open.
"Hoshi, I…" As soon as I saw Alicetaria enter, she stopped as Celesia and Meteora tensed up, ready to attack.
"Hey! Hey! Wait a minute! She's on our side!" I ran in front of Alicetaria and held out my arms. "W-well, somewhat." I muttered.
"Explain." Meteora said.
"Your enemy is the same person who killed Mamika. That's all that matters to me now." Alicetaria said.
"Of course, it does…" Meteora merely glared at Alicetaria with the blankest stare she ever gave.
"Well, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, as they say." Celesia extended a hand to her… Though nothing happened.
"Why?" She asked.
"Huh?" Celesia asked back.
"After what I did to the both of you a month ago, why offer me friendship?" Alicetaria kept her view away from Celesia.
"I understand why you attacked us. I… knew someone who, while nice, would go into a berserk state if his friends get hurt." As she said that, I lowered my arms, then turned my head away. While I knew she was talking about Charon, it still felt as though she was talking about me.
"I'm willing to overlook that incident with this in mind. Though, you have Hoshi and Souta to thank for that. They saw the good in you and stopped you from doing something stupid that night." Meteora said.
"Well… now that we got that out of the way… What was it you wanted to tell me?" I asked Alicetaria.
"It's about my Creator." As I said that, the three of us raised eyebrows. "A while ago, I decided to free him from his prison-"
"Wait, you hadhim imprisoned!?" I shouted.
"I had no idea how to make him fix my world so I kept him inside one of the vacant buildings that Altair had. It was one of the few buildings that remained intact after an explosion destroyed most of the area." She gave a pause and clutched something in her hand. As I noticed the small, loose pink strand of fabric shake from her fist, I gave a small sigh as it gave the small hint to who could have pulled that kind of feat off.
"Mamika…" I muttered.
"What that boy and you said to me that night made me revisit him with new questions. After he answered them, I let him go and began to investigate the real preparator of Mamika's death. I'm here to tell you that I found him within Akihabara." She said.
"That's amazing!" Celesia exclaimed.
"Yeah! We should get him!" I said.
"No need…" Meteora took out her phone and skimmed the messages. "Kikuchihara has just informed us that police recovered him. He'll be taken to the others shortly."
"Well… That's a relief." I said. I gave a pause before I looked to Alicetaria, then to Celesia and Meteora. "Hey… Can I speak to Alicetaria for a bit? There's… something I want to talk about." I said.
"I don't see why not." Celesia shrugged.
"If something happens, I'll step in." Meteora said.
"No need." I chuckled. I walked over to the balcony along with Alicetaria.
"My little brother's dating Alicetaria~!" Honoka drearily said.
"We're not dating!" We shouted at the same time as I closed the door.
"So… what is it you wish to say?" Alicetaria asked me.
"… I…" I took a sharp inhale. "I've been thinking for a while about how…" I fumbled a bit as the words came out of my mouth like popcorn. "You're strong… Your rage… That power…"
"Get to the point." Alicetaria said.
"I want to give the Volcano Belt to you!" I shouted without any concern for any eavesdropper. Alicetaria took a moment to consider what I had said.
"And what of Hotaro?" She asked.
"What does he have to do with this? He's dead." I said.
"And yet he gave you the belt before he died… Isn't that what you said?" Alicetaria asked me.
"Yeah… but…" I flinched… Only for Alicetaria to lean her arms against the railing to look at the cityscape.
"He trusted you to use his belt for good in his dying breath. And you're going to disregard his wishes and give that belt to me?" Alicetaria asked.
"… I can't fight as Dante anymore." I said.
"Can't or won't?" As she said that, I bit my lip.
"You saw me out there… I was nothing more than an inferno of rage and hatred, indiscriminate of friend or foe. I don't even care the damage it put on my body! I attacked Meteora over what amounted to nothing! Just because I was led to believe she killed people! Hotaro bet on the wrong horse!" I pounded my hand against the railing, a small burst of heat escaped from my fist.
"No… You think he did. In my life of fighting, I know what separates a knight from a peasant. It isn't their status or their training. It's their determination to do the right thing, even at the cost of their own livelihood. I knew this back when I swore to fight the Unterwelt. You don't know it, but when I saw you battle that spider demon, I saw that very same determination inside you. Even when you battled against your allies, you had that same drive to fight. That rage and hatred you say you're made of? You're looking at it the wrong way. If you're truly concerned about your feelings, then use them to fight, not to use as a shield." As she said that, I put my head against the railing, my mind aching.
"I… I'm scared… I'm afraid that I'll just… lose control…" I trembled.
"You won't. So long as you use that rage towards protecting others, you won't ever lose control. That said…" She turned to me and lifted my head up, taking care to wipe the tears that had formed. "If you fall in battle, then I shall inherit the belt from you… But the same will be true for me. If I am to fall in battle, then I'll give you the Gauntlet of Gotz von Berlichingen." My eyes widened as she said that.
"Wait… you'd… give that to me?" I asked her.
"We swore to avenge Mamika together, no matter what…" She patted me on the back. The door opened as I saw Honoka, no longer having weird, dizzy-looking eyes or a large blush on her face.
"Sorry about that… I mean, I should have known from what you told me the other day but…" I shook my head.
"It's okay… If you want, I'll go over the whole thing again." I gave a smile before heading back in.
Souta sighed as he looked through the school library for any drawing books he hadn't read yet. As he reached for one, he suddenly froze.
"You bastard! How could you?!" As he recalled Hoshi's words to him, he retracted his hand and winced.
"Hoshi…" Souta muttered. Before he had time to take off his glasses to let out his tears, he heard some shuffling by the end of the room just as the lights go out. "Huh!?" Souta looked around before he saw a tall figure with long, curved spines coming out of the upper torso and skull. He backed away before he hit a chair. The noise of it falling over caused the figure to turn and face Souta with glowing purple eyes. Souta's own eyes widen as he ran to the door.
Just as he did, quills flew to the door and struck the gap between the wall and the door handle, lodging the two together. He jumped back just as another set was about to pierce his hand. As he fell on his back, he looked around to see where the figure had gone.
"Was… that a Creation?" Souta muttered.
"A little birdie told me your toxicity was potent enough to silence the person I despise…" Souta turned to see the monster behind him. The brief shimmer of light gave the silhouette color. Namely, a dark purple body with reddish-white spines acting as quills. The overall shape made Souta think of an oversized, humanoid porcupine. The monster's voice was distorted, but it definitely sounded feminine. She approached Souta as she pulled out a quill from her shoulder. It straightened out into a pick. Just as she was about to stab Souta, he rolled over, the pick stabbing right into the floorboards. Souta then picked up the chair that fell and bashed it over the porcupine's head. The chair splintered as he knocked down the monster.
He rushed to the door and tried to open it, but the barbs managed to jam it. He pulled out his phone and began to text as the monster stumbled back to her feet.
"So… You wrote a story about a Kamen Rider and then he came to life?" Honoka asked.
"Yeah. Among others, obviously." I said as I sat next to Celesia and Alicetaria on the couch.
"And… you became that Rider." As Honoka said that, I nodded.
"Yeah. And the night I became that Rider, I was put into this government program built to protect Creators and bring Creations together to stop Setsuna's Creation, since she's aiming to destroy the world." I took a deep breath as Honoka looked down at the table.
"Setsuna… She's your friend that… took her life, right?" Honoka asked.
"… Yeah…" My voice was faint as Celesia patted me on the shoulder.
"The internship was a cover up from the head of the program. We didn't expect you to get involved in this." Meteora said.
"No, I understand… Somewhat. You didn't want the information to go out. That said, I wouldn't have minded were it not for Hoshi getting injured…" As Honoka said that, I responded.
"Those injuries… were by my own hand." Honoka instantly snapped her head towards me. "As Kamen Rider Dante, I have the power to absorb fire and even turn my anger into flames… That night, I got extremely angry and absorbed a lot of fire… It nearly led to my body combusting had I not passed out. All because I let my fury get the better of me."
"… Hoshi…" Honoka held her hand to her mouth as she teared up.
"That's why I decided to stay here. I wanted to get away from the sources of my anger." Meteora gave me a small stare as I continued. "I didn't want to hurt others anymore and… These were the best days I have had in recent memory. For the first time since I became Dante, I found peace… And… that leads to a question…" I stood up and looked at the others. "What should I abandon, my duty as Dante or my peace as Hoshi?" I awaited the response from the others, though I already knew what they would be.
Instead, I heard a buzz. Celesia reached for her phone and, after a second of reading it, instantly stood up.
"Souta's in trouble! He's fending off some sort of monster!" Instantly I looked to Celesia, eyes widened before they fixed themselves into a glare… "He's at the Aoyama University Library!" As Celesia said that, I ran off, taking a jacket, a motorcycle helmet, and the Volcano Belt off the table by the door. The last thing I heard before I left was Meteora sighing.
"Seems he's already decided…" She said.
As soon as my bike slowed down in front of the library, I ran off, my helmet dropping and clattering to the side as I slapped on the Volcano Belt. As I entered the library, I saw that it was, obviously, quiet… too quiet. I took a deep breath before I ran up the stairs leading from the first to the second floor.
There, my fears were confirmed as I saw bookcases tossed over, papers scattered about, and worst of all, several people writhing on the floor as they had reddish white quills sticking out of their various places of their body, and a large swelling coming from the area where the quill was. The quills slowly became purple and flew off. None of the people who were affected were Souta, thankfully…
I heard something and I immediately leaped aside as a bookcase fell over, with Souta on top of it. He looked forward in fear before he saw me.
"H-hoshi!" Souta said. I said nothing… Though only because of the monster I saw in front of me. I saw a few of the purple quills enter the monster's head, its purple glow flowing into its scalp before it changed to a reddish-white color and blended with the rest of the 'hair'.
Sure enough, the metal plating on the monster's body, purple colored for this monster, was the tell-tale sign of a Kaizo-Majin. What stunned me, however, was the monster's head. No doubt the quills came from this monster's head and shoulders, making it appear like a porcupine. At first, I wasn't sure why it felt nostalgic…
WHAM!
Then I remembered it…
"RAH!"
The sound of fist pounding flesh, the grunts made by the rider, the blood that came out of the monster's mouth that gave its white quills a reddish color…
I stumbled back as I remembered the flaming rider that inspired Dante.
"You're the one I want…" The porcupine monster walked towards me, having no care for Souta as she stepped on him.
"SOUTA!" I shouted as I rushed to the monster and gave her a punch. It hardly affected her standing. "Leave him be!"
"Ooooh, so you have someone you care for? In that case…" She looked down at Souta, raised her foot over his neck, and tried to stomp downwards…
Only for me to shove her. The fans of the Volcano Belt whirred to life as my strength increased.
"Don't you dare lay a finger on Souta! If you want me that badly, then so be it!" I pushed her off Souta, then punched her in the face. A burst of flames changed my arm into the red armor of Fuji Mount.
"You… You're also Dante?" The porcupine then laughed. "That makes my revenge on you all the sweeter!"
"Revenge? What do you want revenge for?" I never wrote a porcupine-themed Kaizo-Majin and if I were to assume, this Kaizo-Majin would be Tachibana's creation.
"For daring to stand up for that talentless hack known as Setsuna!" A part of me froze and all anger in my body ceased for a moment.
"What?" I asked.
"Your pathetic letter wrote a sob story about that bitch and made people feel sorry for her. Before I knew it, people were slamming us for pointing out her theft and that drove me mad… I needed to show you who it was you slandered with that note!" That's when something clicked…
"You! You're the vandalist!" I recalled the news of the Zenmetsuna sign plastered over the apartment door with several smashed windows.
"Yeah! Zenmetsuna shined a light on that criminal that was Setsuna and shunned her to oblivion! We saved the PicLive community!" I smashed my other hand into the snarling grin of the porcupine monster.
"YOU KILLED A PERSON!" I shouted, not caring that my hands were burning and its armor turning dark red.
"No. We rid the world of a selfish, arrogant brat!" Both my hands expelled liquid flame that pushed her back into a window and lit her quills on fire.
I had enough of this fucking asshole.
"HENSHIN!" I screamed as I ran at her. My body exploded, destroying the window and the surrounding wall. I freefell as I grabbed her by the throat, my armor fully transformed into Yellowstone Mount. The fire alarms rang as I landed. An eruption of flames kicked up before I punched the Porcupine monster out of the flames. She got up and flung her quills at me, only for the armor to melt those quills and reduce them to liquid. Before I could even raise my fist, I heard sirens.
I saw several cops come out of their cars, guns drawn and pointed towards us.
"FREEZE!" An officer warned us. I did as he commanded, though the Porcupine took some of her still intact quills and lobbed them towards the cops. I wasn't fast enough to stop them…
But, thankfully, I saw a light blue glyph appear that blocked the quills, followed shortly by Meteora floating downwards, holding a book like a tome. She was followed shortly by Celesia and Alicetaria.
"Friends, I presume?" The Porcupine asked me.
"Whoever you are, stop this! You're out numbered!" Celesia said to the Porcupine, only for her to chuckle.
"No… You are!" She snapped her fingers as several of the bobblehead ant soldiers came out and attacked the trio. Celesia and Alicetaria responded by drawing their weapons and attacking them while Meteora used her glyphs to push away some of the soldiers. Meanwhile, I ran to the Porcupine and laid blow after blow, each punch causing another burst of hot liquid. Her painful screams as her face got a new coat of burning flames both satisfied and horrified me.
In her desperation, she pulled out a few more quills and struck them right into my neck. I expected the armor to prevent them from impaling me, but I was dead wrong as I felt them pierce the side of my neck. Before long, my body stiffened up as I felt my neck swell up. I made quick work to pull the quills out of my neck, which only caused me to shout in agony. Once I dropped the quills, I took a deep breath as my armor lightened up and the cries of cicadas proclaimed the change from Yellowstone to Sakurajima.
The poison was expelled through the fans. They soon whirred to life as I flew to my bike, pulled out the handlebar, then flew towards the Porcupine as I delivered slash after slash at her. Even though the heat wasn't as intense as Yellowstone, I hacked away with such a high speed, I lost count after the twelfth slash. With one cut, I knocked her down. She struggled to get back up.
"M-mercy! Please!" She cried out to me.
"Mercy? Did you give Setsuna mercy when you and your gang of bullies attacked her!?" I stomped towards her, each step caused my armor to grow dark red and send a stream of fire close to her. The blade I carried turned from a current of air, to flames, to eventually magma, drooling long enough to be considered a whip.
"Hoshi!" I turned to see Honoka coming out of a taxi car and running toward me before some of the cops held her back. She seemed to be carrying the briefcase that Meteora brought over. As I looked into her eyes, I sighed, the armor and sword of Yellowstone changing back to Sakurajima before I turned to the Porcupine once more.
"The only mercy you'll receive is a swift end." I leaped forward and gave her one final slash. I landed a few feet behind her as she began to cry out in pain. I saw the final cut I gave her glow and start to ignite into flames. However, instead of exploding, the Porcupine shattered into an array of blue triangles, not unlike how Hotaro's body disappeared into cubes. As the lights faded, I saw a girl with straight black hair who might have been no older than Souta…
Worst still, I saw her turn to look at me, only to cower. To see a monster be reduced to a scared child… It took anything I felt from the past five minutes out of my mind. My hands went limp as the blade I clutched tightly fell down, my armor turning to its Ashen form. I had the intent to kill her just a few moments ago…
That's when everything clicked together…
"You use Dante's power to have Hotaro fight the big mean bullies."
"You only used Dante as a weapon against people you hate."
"Nothing more than a scarecrow, all for the purpose of venting my anger."
This was exactly the monster I feared of becoming. The beast I created. The reason I didn't want to become Dante anymore…
"I'm sorry…" I said to her. I couldn't even look at Honoka straight as she muttered my name. Around this time, the ant soldiers were destroyed. Celesia, having defeated her own soldier, approached me.
"Hoshi… It's over now." As Celesia said that, I exhaled and was about to focus on cancelling the transformation…
"Guess I'll have to make you explode." Before I could notice, a red Harley Davidson Road King rammed into me and knocked me several feet back, right next to the girl. I got up as I saw Malacoda bobbing out of the way of Celesia's sword. Alicetaria ran to her aid, though Malacoda was able to block her lance with ease. Meteora ran to grab the girl and take her out of the conflict.
"Hoshi, leave the rest to them. I'll contact Yuuya and Rui-" As Meteora said that, I shook my head.
"No. Yuuya is without Hangaku and Rui would only make the situation worse… That, and I doubt they'd be able to defeat Malacoda." I got up and struggled to keep up.
"How tough is Malacoda, exactly?" Meteora asked.
"He's… the second in command." I watched as he overpowered Celesia before firing at Alicetaria. "I… have to stop him." I ran towards Malacoda and punched him, igniting into Fuji Mount.
"Back for more? I'll gladly make you wish for death!" He punched back, the hot hellfire from his fist burned through my armor. I stood my ground as I struck him with the sword. Although sparks flew, it did nothing to Malacoda, let alone faze him. The impact caused me to drop the sword. "But first, let's have some fun…" He loaded a bullet and fired at me.
LUST BULLET!
The bullet did no damage, but once it struck me, my body was coated in a pink light. Celesia, Meteora, Alicetaria, and even the police stopped what they were doing and looked at me. Before I knew it, they walked towards me with no sense of care or danger. Some of the cops even shoved each other just to get to me first. Malacoda moved back into the crowd.
"What the…" I muttered as I shoved the girls out of the way, followed by bobbing and weaving through the police, before pulling out one of their guns and turning it into a charred version of itself. I pulled the gun, still tethered to the cop's belt, and dragged it out of the crowd to fire at Malacoda.
VANITY BULLET!
I noticed the bullets hit Honoka instead. I ran out of the crowd as I got to her. She was on the ground as I saw the burn marks that were the bullets on her leg.
"Honoka! Are you okay!?" I asked her. The police and the Creations snapped out of their stupor as I saw Honoka wince in pain.
"Hoshi!" I turned my head to see… Honoka still behind a police car? Wait… Then… Who was I next to-
BLAM!
A bullet hit my chest as the Honoka I was with held Malacoda's gun. She laughed before her voice changed to Malacoda's. Her skin burning up like paper before revealing Malacoda.
"You showed me a weakness… Now I know how to exploit you." As he sneered, I could feel the fans inside the belt whirr. Before I knew it, I laid a punch onto Malacoda's head before I kneed him in the gut. With a side kick to the chest, I made him stumble before he simply loaded two bullets.
GLUTTONY BULLET! WRATH BULLET!
Malacoda held up the pistol as small flames that were around the area began to get absorbed into the barrel before the wounds on Malacoda's body glowed red and also flowed into the barrel. He aimed at me…
I remembered what happened the last time I fought him… Then I smirked.
"Joke's on you, Malacoda." I said before I ran at him. He fired the two bullets as they spiraled and fused into a larger one. I took the brunt of the hellfire and the force head on. It pushed me back a little, but I did not let that stop me from what I was to do next.
I bumped my fists together to let the flames be absorbed into my belt. I then grabbed onto Malacoda.
"What… What are you doing?" Malacoda asked.
"Exploit me? Fat chance! If anything, you screwed up big time. Now? I'm going to deprive you of the very thing you're trying to cultivate!" As I said that, the fans whirred to high speeds as I saw the blue lightning on my belt. Before Malacoda had time to figure out what I meant, the belt exploded, knocking me and Malacoda away. I fell down, the armor turning to ash as a red crystal fell next to me, glowing brightly before it shattered into a million, tiny pieces. Malacoda got up and noticed the smoldering belt that was once the Volcano Belt.
"No! What did you do!?" Malacoda shouted.
"My powers are a threat to this entire world and people like you know that. Which is why I decided to take them out of the equation. Now, you guys can't access its destructive capabilities!" I said. Malacoda growled as I saw flames building up around his armor.
"You… You…" Those two words were filled with seething rage…
Which was why it unnerved me when he said his next two words with an uncanny calmness:
"You idiot." Before I could even react, he aimed his gun at me…
Then suddenly pointed his gun to the right and fired at…
"HONOKA!" I shouted as a burst of three flaming bullets hit her right in the gut. I ran to her as she crumpled onto the ground. "Honoka!" I looked at the entry wounds on her stomach. They looked more like burns then they did bullet wounds. Even so…
"Hoshi…" Honoka held my shoulder as she trembled.
"Honoka… Everything will be fine!" My voice couldn't control its volume or pitch. Both were alarmingly high.
"You've grown… so much since… we were kids…" She smiled.
"How? What do you mean?" I looked around, almost ready to scream for an ambulance to show up. A few firetrucks appeared to put out the stray fires that broke out during the battle.
"You often get too angry and… hurt people… but… you're able to control it… Please… Continue helping people out as a Kamen Rider… I'll watch over you… with mom…" She tried to hold me, but the pain caused her to flinch. In doing so, it robbed her of her strength as her body limply fell into my arms.
"Honoka… Honoka… HONOKA!" I shook her body as I uncontrollably cried.
"If you're going to deny me what is rightfully mine, then I shall make your world a living hell before I send you to the real Hell!" Malacoda laughed before he aimed at me.
"You devil! How dare you harm an innocent!" Alicetaria shouted at Malacoda as she ran full speed ahead. She struck him with her lance before she grabbed his head with her arm. "Gotz von Berlichingen! I summon you with my gauntlet!" Purple electricity formed in her gauntlet…
ENVY BULLET!
Though it was met with a purple blast of hellfire from Malacoda's gun, knocking Alicetaria back and out for the count. Celesia flew in and tried to strike at Malacoda, only for him to block with his forearm and roundhouse kick her to the ground. The only one of the three left standing was Meteora, who merely glared at Malacoda. Just as she was about to do something, I stood up.
"Malacoda… You… You are going to pay… WITH YOUR LIFE!" I shouted as suddenly, everything within my sights burst into flames…
There was no way I could see through them…
Yet I was able to know where Malacoda was…
I screamed and thrashed my arms at a burning body that had the vague shape of Malacoda. He raised an arm up but I punched his hand, the gun soon knocked away before I laid another set of thrashes.
I hate him.
I saw my hands were nothing more than large fists of fire.
I want to watch him burn.
They swung over and swatted the flames that constituted Malacoda's body.
I want to make him burn!
My flames became redder than the fires around me as the fists turned into the shape of claws. One of these claws went into the pile of flames before the long nails were punched off.
Stab his chest…
The claws then went for the neck. Try as they might, they weren't able to put a dent into it.
Break his neck…
They then moved onto the head…
Smash his head…
I knocked the body of flames onto the ground before I came forward and roared. I looked around as I saw the flames manifest into people of various shapes, yet they didn't have distinct features. And yet, I could hear what they said.
"She copied the design…"
"She's so full of herself."
"It's because she's working with Shimashima that she feels like nothing can stop her."
"I created a wiki page outlining all the things she's posted and all the plagiarism she's done. Share it with everyone you know."
"Wow. Does she have no shame?"
"Keep digging. We're going to expose her to the world for the scum that she is."
"Honestly, she should just kill herself and spare us the drama."
"Is it okay if I want to draw?"
I saw a figure in the middle of the flames a girl's form. One that stood out from the others…
It was Setsuna.
The flames surrounded Setsuna as she teared up. As the flames grew closer and closer to her, I could hear a familiar voice…
"I've never been popular before. I've never been in that position. I don't want to hear about it, so don't ask me."
As I heard Souta's voice, the flames overwhelmed Setsuna as she vanished within the fire. For a moment, there was nothing but fire. Nothing but flames. All that was left to listen to was my inner rage. My inner hatred… And its command that was as clear as day:
KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!
I lunged towards Malacoda.
Malacoda braced himself as the flames that were Hoshi flew at him, claws outreaching the crimson flames. Try as he might, it managed to score a hit against Malacoda, scorching his chest. The only reason it didn't outright burn him was due to his Hellfire Armor. Despite the danger he was in, Malacoda was laughing manically.
"THAT'S RIGHT! STRIKE ME DOWN WITH ALL YOUR HATRED!" Malacoda said.
"Hoshi! Snap out of it!" Meteora shouted. Souta got out of the library just in time to see the fireball.
"What happened!?" Souta asked.
"Hoshi's sister got shot and it caused him to snap!" Celesia said.
"I don't understand… The belt was destroyed… He shouldn't be like this!" Meteora said.
"That's because it is not Dante that Hoshi has become." The three turned to see a man in a white Imperial Japanese Navel admiral uniform standing on a close by rooftop. One look at the man's eyes was enough to cause them to flinch.
"What the? A Military Uniform Prince?" Meteora asked.
"That diamond that exploded from the Volcano Belt was an Essen Crystal made to tap into the essence of fire. Each time a human uses the belt, they bond closer and closer to that crystal. Once the Crystals have fully bonded with a human, they possess the powers of that element along with an emotion that is tied to that element. As a result, Hoshi has become nothing more than a vessel for the Flaming Rage of the Aether. He is no longer a Kamen Rider… but a Kaizo-Majin! Behold…"
The flames that were consuming Hoshi soon died down as it revealed a monster in black spandex that had stripes of orange on it. It also had with plates of red, serrated plates of armor on the chest, shoulders, hands, and shins. A crimson plate was set underneath the chest piece. The mask was mostly red, though with a large black line going down the head and several small lines across. While tiger-like in design, the face looked more rounded and lacked a tiger's ears. However, it still kept the tiger's snarling teeth.
"Flaming Tigermander!" Vega declared as the Kaizo-Majin continued his onslaught on Malacoda. "With him on our side, we will use his powers to kickstart the Great Destruction!"
"No! I can't let this happen!" Souta said before he noticed the briefcase next to Honoka, who was busy being taken by some medics who arrived onto the scene. He ran off and jumped over the hood of a cop car.
"Souta! Wait!" Celesia shouted as Souta opened up the briefcase and took out the Volcannik Driver. As Souta witnessed Hoshi mauling Malacoda, the latter continuously punching the Flaming Tigermander in the face as the hellfire that exploded with each impact kept him at bay.
Souta took out the Driver from its belt holster and fired at Hoshi. His head snapped right at Souta before he roared and pounced at Souta.
"SOUTA!" Meteora shouted as Vega smirked… Souta gave a grunt before slapping the belt onto Hoshi's waist, along with the Driver. Just as the claws were about to strike Souta, he spun the chamber. The flames began to spin into the chamber as the Flaming Tigermander roared, which then turned into a scream of pain and agony.
I screamed as the fires died down. I last remembered trying to attack Souta in a blind rage. As I stopped my shrieks, I noticed that I was back outside the university library, on my knees as Souta was right next to me.
"Hoshi… Are you okay?" Souta asked me. As much as I wanted to say no, my head bobbed up and down. Souta helped me up as I saw that the Volcannik Driver was on my waist and that it was glowing bright orange before the light faded to a single point. I took the gun off my belt and looked at the glowing spot, only for it to fall out into the palm of my hand. The glowing faded as its form was revealed to be an orange, see-through plastic bullet with the etching of a tiger salamander on it.
That's when I remembered Honoka… I turned to Souta.
"Honoka… Is she…" I asked. He turned to see medics hoisting her up on to the ambulance. I turned too and sighed in relief as they didn't seem to be putting her in a body bag. As I saw Honoka, I thought back to something…
It was a rainy afternoon, back when I was about eight or nine. My aunt drove to the school to pick me up from school along with my sister after the teachers caught me in a fight with an older student.
"Hoshi, what were you thinking?" She asked.
"He was hurting Honoka! I had to something!" I said.
"Well, getting into a fight with him isn't the solution. You should have gotten a teacher." My aunt said.
"They weren't doing anything! I think one of them recorded us!" Honoka added. I gave a sigh before I said something.
"… He told me that mommy was never coming back. Is… that true?" I asked back. My aunt didn't know how to respond and hesitated.
"… Yes." Honoka, who was around twelve at the time, spoke up. "She's… not with us…" As she said that, I began to cry.
"No… Why?" I bit my lip as I put my head against the driver's seat of the car.
"Hoshi, somethings in life happen beyond our control. That's just how life works." Honoka said. "She wouldn't want you to get angry at that…"
"But… I'm…" I punched the side of my chair before Honoka held me.
"You're angry. We all are. It's a painful part of grief… But… we shouldn't let that control us." As My aunt said that, Honoka gave her a look. "I… had that happen to me once and had it not been for one of the neighbours, I would have been regretting it for the rest of my life…" As I remembered this, the day that Honoka took me on a wagon trip after an argument with her made a lot more sense.
"Don't hide it, Hoshi… Use it… Not to hurt, but to help." Honoka added.
"I… don't know how…" I said.
"You will one day, Hoshi. One day." My aunt said.
Later that night, back at our house, I drew a stick figure with red crayon and a large head with green oval-shaped eyes, and golden horns that made the entire helmet look like a looming fire.
"Hmm? Who's that, Hoshi?" My aunt asked.
"I'm making my own hero of justice. Someone I hope to be, one day…" I soon wrote out the name of the hero. After looking to the TV screen, which was playing the American movie Dante's Peak, inspiration struck as I wrote underneath the sketch:
Kamen Rider Dante.
I looked back to Malacoda… Then I clutched the orange bullet in my hand.
"I understand now, Aunt Hotaru." I muttered before I glared at Vega. "I shouldn't run from my anger or bottle it up… I should embrace it."
"Good… Come with us and create a scorched earth!" Vega bellowed as he held his arms out.
"No. As long as you guys are around, people will keep suffering. If I don't stop you, another person will lose their loved ones to your villainy. I spent too long thinking about what Dante was or wasn't for me to realize the real reason I made him. Not to beat up strawmen like you, but to create a hero who inspires others to protect those who can't protect themselves." I said.
"You say that, and yet your Creation has slain countless people." Malacoda said.
"And that excuses you and the others to kill? Dante was made to stop violence, not cause it. That was what Hotaro Dairou was fighting for. And me?" I loaded the newly made bullet into the top hole.
TIGERMANDER SHELL!
The sound of a raging fire bellowed as I took the other bullets from the briefcase.
"I'll carry on that legacy and protect the people I can save." I loaded the red bullet…
FIREFLY SHELL!
"I won't let what I wrote in the past affect how I fight now." I loaded the crimson bullet next…
BOMBARDIER SHELL!
"I'll instead use my anger to push myself further and protect everyone!" I loaded the pink bullet into the final empty hole.
CICADA SHELL!
There was now a cacophony of fires, fire alarms, air strike horns, and cicada chirps thar blared out of the gun as I held it close to me. I then spun the revolver, causing the sounds to suddenly stop before playing a small symphony of violins.
"Rider…" I pulled up the gun and aimed it at Malacoda. Before he had time to react, I shouted: "HENSHIN!" and pulled the trigger.
CROSS FIRE!
The four bullets exploded out from the barrel as they changed into aural versions of a tiger salamander, a firefly, a bombardier beetle, and a cicada. The firefly flew onto my chest and merged, creating the red armor of Fuji Mount. The bombardier beetle split in two and flew to my arms, creating the black, charred gauntlets of Yellowstone Mount. The cicada, likewise, split towards my legs and created the silver, vent covered legs of Sakurajima Mount. Lastly, the tiger salamander flew around to behind my head, grew in size, then opened its maw. As it chomped down, the tiger salamander's form contorted and formed a new helmet.
The overall helmet was orange, round, and marked black crosses across and underneath the large, blue compound eyes, mirroring that of the tiger salamander. The top of the helmet was red and molded into a fire, much like Fuji Mount. However, whereas that was molded on top of the eyes and gave it a see-through look, this helmet had the flame, now going to a single point instead of having five points, act as a 'horn'. A red gem was placed firmly in the center where the flame mold left a hole, looking similar to the red crystal that came from the Volcano Belt.
A moment passed before the bright blue compound eyes flashed and a wave of heat erupted from the armor, pushing Souta back a bit.
"Hoshi…" Souta said.
"A new form, hmm? You never fail to impress me, father!" Vega laughed before he walked away. Meteora flew up to try and catch him, but he had vanished. Alicetaria got up and saw my new form, then warmly smiled.
"It worked!" Celesia said.
"Hmph… You made a knock off of my gun. So what? It won't make your death any less painful." Malacoda growled as he loaded his pistol.
"So long as I bear this Cross of Fire, I'll protect the Land of Gods! Kamen Rider… DANTE!" With that, we began to shoot at each other. Our bullets clashed with each other before we got into close range. We then threw punches at each other. Malacoda scored some hits, but they didn't hurt as much as when I was in the other forms. Meanwhile, with my punch, I managed to knock Malacoda into a wall, enough range to follow that up with a few blasts from my gun.
I placed the gun back onto the belt and spun the chamber a few times. Each time, I heard a fire build up inside. I pulled the trigger on the third spin.
SAKURAJIMA BURST!
With a burst of speed, I flew to Malacoda and punted him into the air with my knee. As he was launched, the vents on my legs pushed me upwards as I kicked him onto the roof of the library. He landed as I pulled out the Volcannik Driver.
"You might have had a boost with that upgrade, but it will never be your full power compared to the Kaizo-Majin you've become… That's why I'll surpass you!" Malacoda loaded a bullet and fired.
GREED BULLET!
Malacoda fired a constant stream of bullets. I quickly loaded two bullets of my own.
PENGUIN SHELL! WOLF SHELL!
As I pulled the trigger…
SLIDING BURST!
I instantly hit the ground and slid on my belly across the roof with flaming feet, far and away from the bullets that would have struck me. Before Malacoda had any time to react, I spun around and my legs struck his gut. I got back up and prepared to load some bullets as he loaded his.
EMPTY BULLET!
MANDRILL SHELL! LEOPARD SHELL!
We both pulled the trigger.
BREAKER BURST!
Right before he fired, I punched him with flames spiraling around my fist and caused him to change the trajectory of his shot to hit the sky. I then uppercutted him into the path of the mini black hole, which kept him in place long enough to load two more bullets and pulled the trigger.
ARMADILLO SHELL! LION SHELL! PROUD BURST!
Malacoda loaded another Greed Bullet and fired at me, only for flames to wrap around my body and tanked the bullets. As the black hole faded and he fell down onto me, I gave out a loud roar as the flames expanded out of my body and struck Malacoda. Sparks came out of his armor as he fell off the roof and into an open area on the campus, a bit away from where Souta and the others were.
I leaped off and landed onto the ground.
"What was that about you surpassing me? If all you harbour towards me is hate and spite, then you'll never hope to defeat me." I picked up my sword before I looked at the barrel of the gun. I gave a hearty puff and bent the handle of the Volcannik Driver to a ninety-degree angle. I then slid the handlebar into a hidden hole where the handle was, guiding it until it came out of the other side of the barrel, then locked it in place as I bent the grip of the gun, along with the grip of the handlebar, back to its regular position.
Malacoda got up and roared.
"Fine! In that case, come at me with all you got!" Malacoda screamed as he loaded one bullet… two bullets… up to six bullets… Then he took a seventh and loaded it right into the barrel of the gun.
LUST BULLET! GLUTTONY BULLET! SLOTH BULLET! WRATH BULLET! GREED BULLET! ENVY BULLET! PRIDE BULLET!
As he did that, I spun the chamber...
"BEGONE!" Malacoda shouted as we both fired.
DEADLY SIN RAVAGE!
BLAZING CANNON BURST!
Malacoda fired out the seven bullets before the fused and created what was more considered a drill bit. At the same time, I shot a large beam of fire that was the size of the barrel. The two projectiles clashed and, for a while, they were in a deadlock. However, the beam managed to fragment the bullet and overpower it. The torrent of fire struck Malacoda square in the chest and once all of it had impacted his armor, I turned around as I heard sparks coming out of the armor. I placed the Volcannik Driver onto the belt as Malacoda exploded.
I pressed the chamber down as the armor flashed and turned completely gold before scattering like ash, starting from the head downwards.
"You did it!" Souta ran to me and patted me on the back.
"Yeah…" I panted. "Well, that's one general down…" As Celesia, Meteora, and Alicetaria came to me, I heard a stifled chuckle. I turned around, as did Souta, to see Malacoda coming out of the smoke, writhing as he struggled to stand up. The left corner of his helmet had broken off, revealing a part of his face, namely a dark brown, almost reddish eye. The chuckle turned into a cackle as he reached for his helmet.
"You want to talk about harbouring hate and spite? Fine… Then why…" He tore off the front of his mask before he peeled off the rest of the helmet. As the pieces fell to the ground, Celesia put a hand to her mouth, Meteora gave a slightly disgruntled sigh and Souta's jaw dropped. "Why make me like this!?" As I saw Malacoda's true face, I couldn't help but look away in shame as, aside from the lack of glasses and the spiked-up brown hair, he looked exactly like Souta.
"So… You must be…" I muttered as I remembered the story I tried to write when I was trying to create Sakurajima Mount.
"Yeah… I am Yudai Sonada, the killer of Yuna Sonada. I was made to look like this for your hate and spite. So long as I bare this face, that fact will never go away. Remember that well, next time we fight." Yudai backed into the smoke and vanished. Souta turned to me, his jaw slightly ajar now.
"Her wounds are moderate. The size and number of the burns are small enough to be treated, but the injury is, remarkably, akin to being shot by a bullet. It's going to take some time, but she'll be on her feet by the end of next summer." The doctor who oversaw Honoka told me as I sat by the waiting room.
"Thank you." I bowed to him as he left. I gave a sharp inhale as I left the room and outside the hospital where the others waited for me. Here it comes…
"I can't believe you based a villain off of Souta!" Celesia was the first to lay into me. "Why would you do something like that?" I didn't say anything, but I kept a tight grip on my fists. I was ready for the others to jump in…
"I don't know the history between you and your friend, but after what I did to Meteora, I can't help but feel like this is the same sort of scenario of uncontrollable rage." Alicetaria said.
"I understand the feelings you went through in making Yudai's appearance. Even so, what transpired can be summed up as a cruel joke." Meteora added.
"You're right… Meteora… Please… Tell Alicetaria everything. I… Need to talk to Souta." As I said that, Celesia walked up to me.
"No way! I can't let you lay a finger on him after what you did!" Celesia said.
"Celesia, please. I… I can handle it." Souta said.
"B-but…"
"Celesia, we should go." Meteora patted Celesia on the shoulder. She gave a sigh as the three leave. Souta and I stood motionless for a long while.
"Hoshi… Don't hold back. Whatever you want to say, say it. I deserve every word you have after what I've done." Souta said. After a while longer, I took a breath.
"You want me to say it? Fine. I hate you, Mizushino Souta. I utterly despise you. Setsuna came to you for advice and you decided to leave her to the wolves. Then you decided to pretend that she never existed while her friends and family grieved. How long would that have lasted if this whole thing never happened? One, maybe two years before you crack and realize what you've done was horrible? While you were out trying to be blissfully unaware of her existence, I had to contend with the lingering feeling of regret. I could have defended her, but I chose not to… That's why… Of all the people I hate the most… It isn't you.
It's me. I didn't come to her aid when she needed it. I didn't give her advice like she did for me. All I did was fear that if I did defend her from her accusers, I'd be thrown to the wolves as well. Then, when she died, I almost took my own life, too. That's how much I loathed myself. I only managed to live because someone saved my life. I then wrote a story about the hero I could have been… Look where that led me. I burned my bridges with professional mangaka and writers, the government, and the only remaining friend I had. I let Kurakuma die because I threatened his safety, attacked Meteora because I thought she killed her Creator and Mamika, and now the villains I wrote about have not only materialized in our world, but also hurt a lot of people, my sister included.
So, yeah, compared to you, I have a lot more bones to pick with myself. That's why I'm not returning to either of my homes… I'm going to wage war with Re:Shocker until they're gone. After that, Altair is next on my chopping block. Then, I'll re-evaluate my existence here." As Souta gasped, I sighed. "Relax, I'm not going that far. I'm thinking of moving back to Osaka once this is all done. By then, I'll probably have forgiven myself. Maybe you as well…" I began to walk to my motorcycle. Souta stood there, but he did speak up.
"Hoshi! Even after what you've said… I'm still going to help you and the others… That's the least I can do for Setsuna." Souta said.
"Let's hope that's enough… Mizushino." I said before riding off.
Souta frowned, took off his glasses, then wiped his tears off his arm.
"… I heard the whole thing." Souta turned to see Atsuko, the girl who was once the porcupine monster that tried to hurt him. "You personally knew Setsuna, right? If so… Then… Tell me… What was she really like?"
My ride didn't last long before I was halted by a car that drove up and then swerved to the side. It was a red Toyota Prius plastered with pictures of an anime girl I did not recognize, along with the name of the anime she probably came from, "Nijiyome Gakuen Z-Cune Aoi". Despite the unfamiliarity, my heart skipped a beat as I saw Akagi come out of the car. I got off my bike and ran towards him. I embraced him, then teared up.
"Akagi! Honoka got injured because of me… I'm sorry…" I cried in his arms.
"Don't worry, it's alright." Akagi said as he put his gloved hands on my back. "Guess it's time for me to get involved, huh?" He asked me. I looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"W-what?"
"Come, there's quite a bit I should explain." Akagi said as he got into the car.
"So, it's official then? Hoshi's back to being Dante and is able to use the Volcannik Driver to keep his powers in check?" Kikuchihara asked Meteora as the two were in the office.
"Yes. Unfortunately, he left soon after. According to Souta, he's still upset with himself regarding his actions." Meteora said.
"He managed to bring Alicetaria onto our side, which is a plus. We need all the help we can get." Kikuchihara walked over as she passed by a man with short brown hair, a tattered denim jacket with a dull red shirt and a small stubble. He held a cup of coffee as Kikuchihara picked up some papers next to him. "Toei has reported that the ice-themed Kamen Rider would have also materialized, but we're unable to find them."
"Creations tend to be summoned in different places. In any case, Re:Shocker's appearance has confirmed that more Creations can be summoned. We must be vigilant. Every one of them will have a role to play." Meteora said. There was a pause before Kikuchihara put the papers on her desk.
"That reminds me… Have you informed Hoshi of our plans?" She asked.
"There wasn't time. Our focus was getting Hoshi to use the Volcannik Driver. Were it not for Re:Shocker…" Meteora replied.
"… Then I fear there'll be another bridge for us to cross…" Kikuchihara said as she looked at the title on top of the paper:
ELIMINATION CHAMBER FESTIVAL
"We're home!" Akagi opened the door to an old tenant building as I followed him inside. This was the first time I have ever been to Akagi's house. I was still confused by what he meant by 'getting involved'.
"Akagi, welcome back." But not as confused as I was when I saw a short, stout person with spiky white hair and a similar spiky beard that almost made me think of one of those scientists in a b-movie. He wore a brownish-orange suit, but what got me boggled was his large, bulbous nose. He held a pipe that he was just about to prepare before he saw me. "And… Who might you be?"
"This is Fujioka Hoshi," Akagi firmed a grip on my arms, "he's the Kamen Rider I was talking about." I blinked and looked at him.
"Ah… Ichigo, right?" The bulb-nosed man asked.
"N-no. I'm Dante… But… what is going on? Who are you? How do you know Akagi?" I asked him. I assumed Akagi found out I was a Kamen Rider through what happened at the café.
"R-right! Where are my manners… I'm Dr. Isaac Gilmore and, I'm sure you already figured it out, I'm not of this world." He said.
"Wait… you're a Creation?" I asked, only for him to give a nod.
"The very first. Akagi Nobuo is one as well." I turned to see Akagi.
"No way! But… You know a lot about Sentai and Tokusatsu… You're practically a fanboy!" I said.
"In my story… Still am in this world, too." Akagi said.
"I… wha…" Akagi escorted me to the living room where I sat down. Dr. Gilmore and Akagi soon followed.
"It's quite a bit to take in, so bare with me on this… Akagi and I have been keeping an eye on the situation regarding the Military Uniform Princess since we first discovered electrical disturbances. Tell me something… Have you and anyone involved with combating her ever discussed how she came to be? How the other Creations came to be?" Isaac asked.
"W-well, they need to get popular enough to be summoned and then…" As I asked that, my eyes widened. "Wait… How are they summoned?"
"That is what I fear. Whatever it is, I have reason to believe that this Military Uniform Princess did not come here by her own power and if my theory is true, then we must stop her as soon as possible… Who knows what kind of chaos she could cause?" Dr. Gilmore said.
While it had been made clear since I got the belt that I my life would he changed forever or that I would become a Kamen Rider, the weight of the world being on my shoulders never felt so heavy until today. The burden of fighting that I had tried to avoid was now on my lap, and instead of giving up or crying, I took the first steps on this road made of cinders.
And I'm not going to give up any time soon.
Yudai stumbled back into Altair's lair, struggling to keep his laughs to himself before he fell down. As he cackled, Altair came over.
"You've returned. I presume you've…" Altair stopped in her tracks as she saw Yudai's face. In a moment, she summoned a revolving circle of swords and grabbed one. "YOU! How dare you show your face around here!" Her rage, while not in her voice, was made clear with her sudden sword strike towards Yudai.
CLANG!
Were it not for Vega's sword parrying it, Yudai would have been impaled.
"Relax, mother. This man is still Malacoda. He just bares the face of another. Funny, how God makes man in his image, so too does father make villains in the images of his enemies." Vega got Yudai up as he stopped laughing.
"He's given me a repulsive face to reflect his ego. I should kill him where he stands…" Yudai muttered as Vega took out a smart phone.
"Don't be too hasty, Yudai. After all, father can make quite the impact…" Vega then showed Yudai and Altair a series of posts on an imageboard:
"OMG! Did you guys see the fire breaking out of Aoyama University's library? That was crazy!"
"I know! There was apparently gunfire too…"
"www, seems we're not safe."
"Yo, there's apparently set photos for that new Kamen Rider thing at the university. Maybe something crazy went on there?" Attached to that post was a picture of Kamen Rider Dante and Malacoda duking it out.
"So? The government has had a hand in hiding our battles to minimize our impact. This will be no different." Altair said.
"But this is a ripple… And ripples…" Vega scrolled down to the near bottom of the thread. "Lead to tidal waves."
"Hey, it seemed like Atsuko was there too." There was a picture of a tweet from Atsuko and a link to the tweet.
"I was at the library. Someone pulled the fire alarm during the filming of Kamen Rider Dante and so everyone evacuated." Atsuko's tweet said. He clicked the link, then clicked on Atsuko's twitter profile.
"After today, I'm starting to think about #Zenmetsuna. I talked with someone who personally knew Setsuna and I'm beginning to doubt her plagiarism claims." This tweet was followed by several comments.
"Welcome to the right side, Atsu-chan! #AidSetsuna"
"They're tricking you! We have proof all over the net!"
"Wait, you know someone who personally knew Setsuna? Is he that Hoshi kid someone vandalized? www"
"Wait, who's Setsuna? I feel like I'm in the dark."
"Good. Best you don't know about that stupid thief."
"Hey, cut it out! She's already dead. Let her rest!"
"Nope. I'm going to continue telling the world of her crimes for King Enma to hear!"
From there, it devolved into tweet after tweet of users yelling at each other about Setsuna for only a few moments before they turned into personal attacks.
"This is the beginning of war, mother. Lines are to be drawn, brothers shall be turned against brothers, and if we play our cards right…" Vega held up a few Essen Crystals of common colors like red, blue, green, and yellow. "We can make it benefit us. All we have to do is make sure people remember Setsuna in a positive light… And then…" He gave time for Altair smirk.
"They'll beg me to deliver punishment onto the Land of Gods…" Altair said. Vega handed the crystals to Yudai.
"I'll give you a list of people who will be receiving these crystals. That should set the stage for revolution." Yudai scoffed and grabbed the crystals. As he was on his way out, he noticed a thick cloud of dry ice rolling out by the side. He turned to hear the sound of ice crackling.
"What is going on?" Yudai asked.
"I should have mentioned… I was able to bring another Creation to our side. It was very easy to do so… And the best part? He is what we need to thwart Dante once and for all." Altair sniggered as Vega looked to the figure emerging from the cloud of dry ice. The only thing that stood out was the shadow of a thick, humanoid glacier, and a set of six, glowing desaturated red eyes arranged to be the insides of a snowflake, with two of the top corners of the flake being bigger and longer than the other four…
End of the Cinder Road Arc
[Author's Note: Originally, I was going to separate this story into three parts, not unlike Golden Drive, but the more I thought about it, the more I realize it would better fit as one large story, so don't panic, this story will still be updated, but next chapter will be the start of the Cinder Fall Arc, tackling the middle portion of Re:Creators as well as dealing with Re:Shocker… With that, I hope you've enjoyed this story so far.]
