I was back with the government team, the "internship", alongside Hoshikawa and Akagi. On one hand, there was a sense of nostalgia in meeting up with the others, something I didn't know I longed for… On the other hand, considering how I left on bad terms with a few members, I felt as though I wouldn't be welcomed back with open arms.

Out of the group of people I was reacquainted with, one stood out as new: a businessman with black hair, most of it combed over, to the point where you could see a bit of his scalp. Everything else about him seemed clean shaven. I wasn't sure who he was, though it was not my place to ask, especially at the moment.

I sat next to Hoshikawa, someone who I had, up until an hour ago, had no idea was a Creation. From what I read in transit to the offices, Hoshikawa Hikayu was the love interest of a dating sim called "The Milky Way of the Starry Sky". Unlike most dating sims, which allowed for different choices for girls, Hikayu was unique in that she's the only choice and that you were basically playing out a romance novel as her boyfriend, Masayuki Sunohara.

At least… that's the family version of the game. The fact that her story also has an X-rated version was most likely the source of her crying in my arms. I had no idea how to properly comfort someone in emotional distress, so I mimicked what my sister would do and place a supportive hand at the back of her head.

"Considering our theory, this kinda makes sense." Matsubara was the first person to interject after the news broke to Hikayu that her story was a game. "She's popular enough to be 'accepted' into our world." He caused that question to drive back into my head: 'What is making the Creations appear?'

Before I could ask, Celesia asked something that changed my thoughts:

"All the other Creations up until now had some form of abilities for combat." She had a point. Even Magane and Jorougumo were able to put up a fight with their powers despite being from a light novel series that has no battles. "So, it's kinda weird to see a Creation without any combat capabilities."

"I'll make arrangements to contact someone at the studio that published her game." Kikuchihara said to me.

"So, what about this dude?" Yuuya patted Akagi on the back.

"He seems to be a character from Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger, a parody of Super Sentai backed by the very company that made the franchise." Meteora said.

"That's… almost five years ago! The other Creations are practically babies in comparison!" The businessman said, though following a glare from Celesia, he cleared his throat. "My apologies. It is shocking to see you exist here, Nobuo Akagi. You were popular in your time, yes, but now you're just a footnote in Sentai's history. If anything, it should have been Zyuohger or even Ninninger."

"I would have personally preferred Burai or even the Rinjyuken warriors in my place. Give them a second chance, you know?" Akagi said.

"Or even Gai Yuki." As soon as the businessman said that, Akagi's eyes lit up and he pointed to him.

"Yeah!" In kind, the businessman also pointed back and squeed in delight. The other Creators and I just stared wide-eyed at the two as they began to spout out different characters, such as Bull Black, Mika Koizumi, Naoto Takizawa, Mikoto Nakadai, and even the Nezirangers, an evil Sentai.

"Does… anyone have any idea who they're talking about?" Rui asked. The duo's banter muffled even Hikayu's crying.

"Shimashima, even though seeing you get delighted is interesting, we should steer the topic back." Kikuchihara spoke up and the businessman immediately stood back up straight. "Out of all the Creations to have appeared, you two are indeed unexpected. Hikayu is a little more obvious, but you… Shimashima has a point. How are you here when every other Creation is from a work that's current?"

"… I wish I knew." Akagi shrugged. "I can say that I appeared here at the end of June of 2013, after the second season of my show ended."

"You were there for that long?" It was rare to see Meteora so surprised.

"Yeah… Though, after about a month, I was unable to transform into Akiba Red. It wasn't until a couple of months ago before I regained it. That's around the time you guys heard reports of a Military Uniform Princess, right?" Akagi asked.

"Yes…" Kikuchihara nodded.

"So… it's possible that the world's restoration powers are able to fully make a Creation a powerless human. Though… as for how you regained your powers…" Meteora began to ponder before Souta spoke up.

"It must be due to Altair." As he said that and my eyes looked at him, he looked over to me, giving me a slight nod before he turned his attention away.

"That's probably our best bet. I spent a month in Akihabara never once touching the Volcano Belt and yet I was still able to transform. Altair's presence might have bent the restorative powers to the point that it's unable to strip anyone's powers away. Not helped by Re:Shocker's presence." As I said that, I prepared for myself to get court marshalled for bringing them into my world, even if I had no control of them appearing. To my surprise, no one had even once considered me responsible.

"Indeed. Since their appearance, there's been a few spikes in electromagnetic activity, though they quickly dropped as soon as a monster from them has been defeated. However, it's with that spike that might have led to more Creations coming to our world. Since the last time we saw Altair, we had reported at least 7 new Creations, not counting the Re:Shocker monsters." Kikuchihara said.

"We're looking at one of them right now," Tachibana pointed to Hikayu.

"And two of them we know as the people behind Re:Shocker." Souta said.

"So that leaves four unknowns, potentially more if the opportunity arises. Chances are at least half of them have allied with Altair already or are in her sights." Meteora added.

"We only know a few details though." Shimashima laid down his laptop and opened it up, revealing a few eyewitness tweets regarding sightings of a robot. At first, I thought they referred to the Itasha Robo, but descriptions of the robot were contrasting what I saw. Black as night, humanoid, capable of flight… I immediately turned to Nakanogane.

"It's gonna be complicated to figure out who this is. Gundam is still pretty popular and there's quite a few dark colored mechas in the franchise. That's not even factoring in other mecha shows." Nakanogane said.

"The sooner we find out what mecha this is from, the better. We could incorporate them into the story." … Wait, story? Marine seemed to have a similar look of confusion… Though I quickly noticed, from her parted lips, it seemed more like concern. For what, I didn't know…

"Speaking of," until Matsubara spoke up, "we have to include these two into the Chamber Festival too, right?"

"Chamber Festival? What are you talking about?" I asked him. The room went silent and glances were quickly exchanged to each other. Almost like a silent game of "not it". Tachibana sighed and spoke up.

"We have a plan to stop Altair. It involves creating a story that can trap her in a position where she'd be unable to use her powers. However, it involves every Creation getting involved for the fight… Including you." As he said that, I remembered that night a few months ago… The night Mamika died.

How I lost control of myself and attacked my allies… The flames that almost destroyed my body… Celesia's impalement… Then I remembered Honoka's injury and the flames that told me to kill. As I glanced at Hikayu, I noticed the wording… Every Creation… She looked at me, though I couldn't hear her words, as the image of her being stabbed was all I can see.

"Hoshi!" I could hear Souta's voice before my body felt light, almost as though I was flying and then…

Thud.

Cinder Fall

"…shi… oshi… Hoshi!" My vision began to blur, then focus. I was lying on a couch, with Souta looking over me.

"Why…" I was going to ask why he was by my couchside despite the rant I gave to him. "What happened?" I instead asked a sensible question.

"You fainted. Your body temperature is at 96 degrees, so you didn't overheat." Souta said as I felt a wet, cold towel pressed over my head.

"It might be because of my belt. A lot more controllable…" I said. I sat up before looking at where I was.

Thankfully, I wasn't at the hospital. Rather, I was lying on a couch at the office. Marine, Tachibana, and Hikayu were there with Souta, with Hikayu holding the towel. I thought back to what was said.

"… So… a fight?" I asked.

"… Yes. We're writing stories that'll tie into the event. That way, we can achieve the approval from the audience." Souta said.

"Will it work though?" I asked. It gave Souta pause. "We're relying on people who'll spectate on the battle. They get to decide whether we'll win or lose… And… given how popular Altair is…" Tachibana then stepped in.

"That's why we're giving it all we got to make the story as acceptable to the audience as it can be." Tachibana said.

"And if it isn't, what then?" I asked. No one had a clear answer. "I… I can't let anyone else die."

"Hoshi, I know it's hard to comprehend, but Celesia and the others are willing to fight if it means defeating Altair." Marine said. As she said that, I remembered my fight with Altair, where I unlocked Sakurajima Mount and I nearly took her down with my Rider Kick. If there were just one or two more cards that were right, I might have defeated her…

And yet, I was unable to think about anything other than the possibility of failure and seeing everyone die… I shook my head and shed a tear.

"… I… I need time. This is a lot to take in." I said.

"It's okay. We're here for you. You're not alone." Marine said… And yet, it feels like I am.

"Hoshi, if you feel like you can't fight, I can take your place." Tachibana said. I immediately looked at him.

"W-what?!" I asked.

"There's not really much left for me right now. You have a lot to live for, though. Say the word and I'll be the next Dante." Tachibana said.

"And Hanamori?" I asked him.

"He's mainly acting as an understudy. In case the both of us can't fight, he can." Tachibana answered. Hanamori… I saw his fight against Re:Shocker, namely how he gave up the moment he realized he was actually fighting monsters.

"I don't want to have innocents involved." With that, I glanced to Hikayu. "That includes Hoshikawa. Poor girl's been through enough and now you want her to battle what amounts to a god?"

"We can give her the means to fight, though. The Volcannik Driver was made as a means to upgrade your powers for the Festival. If we can do that, then we can give Hikayu the means to fight as well." Tachibana said. I paused, then spoke to Hikayu.

"… Only if you want to. Celesia and the others were born to be heroes, so there's no talking them out of it, but you never been in a fight, have you?" I asked her. She shook her head.

"Well, I argued with Masayuki that one time but… Not like what I saw back there." Hikayu said.

"Then the decision is on you. I'm not letting anyone else make the decision for you." With that, I got up, stretched my arms, then headed out of the room.

I spent a considerable amount of time outside the office, mainly to get some air. I stayed by the building they were situated in, in case anyone needed me.

"Hey," I noticed a person approach me. He seemed like a rather regular guy with short brown hair, tanned skin, a denim jacket, red shirt, and navy jeans. "Is this the Elimination Chamber Festival planning facility?" He asked me.

"It apparently is. You are?" I asked him.

"Takarada Gai, mangaka of Alicetaria of the Scarlet." My eyes widened as he said that.

"Takarada!? I heard you were rescued but…" I stuttered, though Takarada sighed.

"Well, it took me a while to get back to everything. I kinda understand what's happening now." He paused for a bit, then looked at me. "You wouldn't happen to be Hoshi, right?" He asked.

"Y-yeah. That's my name." I said.

"Alicetaria told me about you. I… didn't expect my manga to have that much of an impact." As he said that, I couldn't help but remember my attempt. "I'm just as surprised as she is that a story as bleak as that gave someone hope."

"It helps when the heroine fights for justice when you feel like your world lacks it." I said.

"Yeah, it's often fun to pretend you're doing the right thing, but then, once the lines of justice blur, it's kinda hard to justify the heroine's actions. I guess you felt that too when you wrote Dante, didn't you?" Takarada asked me.

"You read my journal on PicLive…" I said.

"It was the first result I found when looking you up. I know what it's like to burn out. Before all this, I wanted to just wash my hands clean of writing manga and buy some idol CDs. But looking at this whole thing, I realize I can't just run away from a project I put my heart into. Even if I had resented a part of it, deep down, I want to finish the story. Not because fans want a conclusion, but for my own sake. Do you feel the same way for your story?" Takarada asked.

"Honestly, I don't know anymore. Sometimes it feels like I'm living out the story rather than writing it." I said.

"It's going to get better… Don't worry about it." He gave me a smile before he looked at the building. "I doubt I'm going to contribute much to this production. Alicetaria is in more control of her story than I am at this point. The best I can do is tell the others to support her." With that, Takarada walked into the building. I took a bit more time before I went inside as well.

"Maaaan, this is the life…" Magane looked over the city skyline in her penthouse, having consumed a full carton of milk. "So much conflict going on in one world… A lot better than my world…" She chuckled before pulling a yen note off of her leg. "I think I'll like it here…" As Magane said that, she heard her door open.

"Hmm?" Magane turned around and saw Yudai. "Ah! Not-Souta! Come to enjoy the view with me?" She asked.

"No. I merely came to ask what our next step is. Utilizing the Yakuza was good and all, but it didn't accomplish our overall goal of breaking Hoshi." Yudai said. Magane shrugged and gave her shark-toothed grin.

"You ask as if I have a plan. I just wanted to get the Yakuza involved for the fun of it." She chuckled.

"… So that whole time was for nothing!?" Yudai growled.

"Not for nothing. You're making the buzz your master wants, after all." She increased the volume on the TV. Yudai looked and saw that there was a funeral service held for Mizuki, an Aid Setsuna member who he turned into Diving Stingray. He checked his phone and saw various tweets accusing Zenmetsuna for killing Mizuki. He gave a smirk. "I care more about making landmines than I do plans. Your job is to plant them somewhere and make them go kaboom!" She jumped in the air and spread out her arms to illustrate her wording.

"So, I guess then the next question is… what is our next landmine?" Yudai asked.

"That's easy. The Military Uniform Princess has already made one for me." Magane smirked and sat on a couch.

"And that is?" Yudai asked. Magane just leaned in and proceeded to reveal the landmine.

BASH!

Alicetaria's lance pierced through the body of a Durant before she swung and struck another. Both of them fell down and exploded. All that was left was the Kaizo-Majin, a ladybug-themed monster.

"I was expecting to fight Dante… But you'll do just fine." The ladybug said as the shell on her back and translucent, rainbow-colored wings sprouted out of it. She then took flight, right towards Alicetaria…

Then vanished, before reappearing again to her side. Before Alicetaria can get a counter hit in, the ladybug teleported once more and reappeared, striking her back. Alicetaria struggled to keep herself up by leaning on her lance. She could hear the ladybug flying around. Alicetaria closed her eyes and began to mutter.

"Götz von Berlichingen… With the speed of the star of dawn, bring me swift defeat…" As soon as she heard the ladybug close in, her gauntlet sparked with purple lightning. "TO MY ENEMIES!" She then turned around and, right as the ladybug was about to teleport away, deliver a thunder-charged punch that knocked the ladybug monster down. The ladybug's body writhed with electricity before it went limp, its form shattering into blue glass. In its place was a teenage girl who was breathing.

"If you had put a little more force, you might had beaten me…" Alicetaria said to the defeated person before she fumbled to get a cellphone out of her armor.

"So, you're the knight Blitz was talkin' about." Alicetaria then noticed someone approach from behind her. Another teenager, this time a boy. Alicetaria could tell just from his appearance of a red hoodie he had over his head, a black vest jacket, black track pants and a bunch of silver rings on his fingers that this was a Creation.

"Identify yourself." Alicetaria coldly said. He sighed before taking off the hood. True enough, his hair was an unnatural blonde and he wore a navy headband.

"Name's Syo Hakua. I was wondering if you knew where a certain man is." Syo said.

"You'll be disappointed, then. I fight alone." Alicetaria turned her focus to finding her phone and awkwardly stumbling to dial a number.

"So, you hadn't encountered a man by the name of Yuuya?" He asked. Alicetaria stopped. "Ah, there we go. Tell me where he is and I'll be on my way."

"Given how you mentioned Blitz, you're working with the Military Uniform Princess, correct?" Alicetaria asked.

"Nah, not really. I only came here because she told me Yuuya's here. I don't really care what their goals are." Syo shrugged.

"Even so, I don't know where he is." Alicetaria gripped the handle of her lance.

"If you're thinking I'm gonna fight, don't. I'm focused on beating Yuuya and only Yuuya. So long as you're out of my way, I'll stay out of yours. If ya don't know where he is, then I'm wasting time." Syo leaned back with his hands behind his head, then walked way. Alicetaria hesitated a bit before she made the call.

Syo walked about thirty feet or so before someone called to him.

"Oi, what do you think you're doing?" Syo noticed a man wearing a black leather jacket with tufts of white fur at the collar. Syo shook his head.

"You've been following me?" Syo asked Charon.

"The Military Uniform Princess made it clear that we're not supposed to interact with the others. You're gonna put our biggest advantage at risk." Charon said. Syo put up his hood.

"I'm not interested in whatever you guys are doing. I care only to beat Yuuya." Syo said.

"You don't care about what your god can do for you?" Charon asked. Syo laughed.

"Blitz asked me the exact same thing. And I'll tell you what I told him." Syo turned around and grabbed Charon by the collar. "First, I make Yuuya pay. Then I'll think of the rest."

"You care solely for revenge then? Pathetic." Syo noticed Charon's eyes and how they had lost its "light", being nothing more than colored disks. "Say you do kill Yuuya? It's not going to bring your sister and mentor back."

"Puh, you read my story, huh?" Syo tossed Charon onto the ground. "Dumbass! I'm aware I can't revive them! But you know what? I made peace with that! All that matters to me now is to punish Yuuya for his betrayal. Unless you wanna help me find him, lay off!" Syo walked away, hands in his pockets… That's when he heard Charon grunt and get up. He turned around once he heard him run, only to see that Charon was already in front of him, one of his swords drawn and right on his neck. Syo then noticed a trickle of blood come from his neck as it slid down Charon's blade.

"I'm talking from experience. I avenged a dear friend of mine by murdering her killer, and all I felt was emptiness. I still hurt from losing her and I used that pain to fight the Avalon Brigade. Even when I had a more promising life ahead of me, all I thought was to never stop making them pay. Eventually, that became my whole focus… To defeat the Avalon Brigade… It became an obsession for me. A career… This blade to your neck? This is me showing restraint. I could have freely killed you were it not for the Military Uniform Princess insisting you be alive." Charon took his blade away and Syo immediately held onto his wound. He felt around it and sighed in relief that it wasn't deep.

"Now that I know there's a way to eradicate the Avalon Brigade and bring back those they've killed, I will serve under the Military Uniform Princess in order to make my god obey me. Do what you want, Syo, but leave us out of it." Charon put his sword in his sheath and walked away. Syo massaged his wound and chuckled.

"Such speed…" Syo muttered.

I returned to the offices, my mind now cleared up. I had thought about my role in the Elimination Chamber Festival and how I'd play it. No doubt about it, I was drawn to being the hero that inspires others, even if it meant there was a chance we'd, as a whole, fail. I wasn't sure what Hikayu would want to-

"KYAAA!" I heard her screams and instantly ran off to where it came from. Instinctively, I pulled out the Volcannik Driver and inserted the Firefly bullet into the topmost barrel.

FIREFLY SHELL!

"Rider…" With no time to lose, I spun the barrel. "HEN-" As I was about to get into the office, I noticed that Hikayu wasn't being attacked.

Well, I mean, she was, but not in the sense that a Kaizo-Majin was in the office, actively attacking people. More like she was forcing a guy off her. Thankfully, Kikuchihara was able to pull him away from her. I noticed Tachibana look at me, or rather, my Volcannik Driver. I instantly took the Firefly Shell out and discreetly put it away before anyone else noticed.

"The hell's happening here?!" I asked Tachibana.

"This is apparently Hoshikawa's Creator." Tachibana said. While I would jump in to Hikayu's defense, it seemed some of the Creators were already doing that for me, with Celesia being the more violent of the bunch, outright punching him and pushing him back with some kicks. In a way, the slapstick kinda made me chuckle. For a moment, I was put at ease, as though the fate of the world didn't depend on me and Hikayu putting our lives on the line.

It ended once Kikuchihara slammed her hand on the table.

"Ohnishi, this isn't some idol meet and greet. This meeting is about how to increase Hoshikawa's powers." She said. Ohnishi relented and sat down.

"Um… Actually…" Hikayu spoke up. "I thought about it and… What use is there?"

"Huh?" I muttered.

"I'm just a high school girl… How exactly can I save the world?" As Hikayu said that, Celesia sat next to Hikayu and patted her on the back.

"I… knew someone who was also a high school student. But, when the opportunity arose, he became one of the strongest heroes in my world." I sat down. It was obvious she was speaking of Charon, though I recalled a conversation I had with her…

"I wasn't given a role. My day-to-day life? That's my story. In the end, I'm just some nobody. I'm not even supposed to be here..."

"You may be just a human, but you can be a hero."

However, my situation and even Charon's were different. We didn't choose to be heroes. It just fell on our lap. Hikayu would basically choose whether she will be a hero or not.

"But… what can I do? I… can't do much." Hikayu said.

"Indeed, and in regards to the audience, it'd be hard to gain acceptance if you gained powers inexplicably." Meteora said.

"Nonsense! All I gotta do is write a fandisk!" Ohnishi said.

"… What?" Shimashima muttered.

"It's basically an expansion pack to the original story." Tachibana said.

"That might actually work! Something similar happened to a visual novel called Triangle Heart 3, where there was a spin-off game that turned the protagonist's little sister into a magical girl. Ever since, that spin-off got more popularity than Triangle Heart 3. It's even compared to mecha!" Nakanogane said.

"Magical girl…?" Souta muttered. He then looked at Ohnishi.

"Well… If you're all confident in me… Then, I can give it a shot." Hikayu said.

"That's the spirit!" Yuuya gave a fist pump.

"But… I don't know how to… well, be a hero." Hikayu then stood up and walked over to me. We had an awkward looking at each other before she bowed her head. "Please teach me how to be one!"

"W-what!?" I asked. The rest of the room seemed to either follow my confusion or liked that Hikayu chose me out of everyone in this room…

"Blitz…" Altair stood in the middle of a torn down warehouse, showered with moonlight. Blitz approached her. "It's obvious at this point that you know my plans…"

"Yes… I do." Blitz smoked from his cigarette.

"Then why remain with me?" She asked.

"Because you're weak." Altair turned around as Blitz said that. "You were drawn and written to be fragile, so that you may sympathize with the weak. In a way, you're strong, but not in the sense of power. Especially since you do not wish to save people with that strength. Like a castle that's only built to be destroyed." He tossed his cigarette down and stomped on it.

"I'm impressed that you've noticed that about me… I feel as though you wish to protect me because I remind you of your daughter." Altair asked. While Blitz remained hesitant, she smiled. "It's admirable… though… I wish for you to not partake in the final battle."

"Out of the question… I can't let you come to harm…" As Blitz said that, Altair held up her hand as thousands of blue, holographic sigils appeared.

"I am infinite and unbound. The more people write stories of me and the more the restoration powers get bent, the more powerful I become. And that includes stories that make me weak…" She then focused on one sigil in particular, a circular ring. There, sixteen coats of arms, each having a different symbol and name, were arranged and evenly balanced, eight on the left side, eight on the other. "Such as the one the Seeker wishes to create for me. However, it will be an interesting final battle, to say the least." She smirked as a few coats of arms began to move.

"So… You know every move they're making?" Blitz asked.

"Precisely… The clown has tempted the manticore to join her side, for instance…" She saw two coats of arms, with one of them, the symbol of a snarling lion and the title of "MANTICORE: YUDAI SONODA" overlapping the other one, a symbol of a clown with sharp teeth with the title of "CLOWN: MAGANE CHIKUJOUIN". She then eyed the second pairing. A blazing fire enveloped around the top shield with the title of "INFERNO: HOSHI FUJIOKA" and the shield it overlapped was a princess with the title of "EMPRESS: HIKAYU HOSHIKAWA". "And the empress has finally settled into her position." She smirked.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Blitz asked.

"I called for her to this world because she is something the inferno needs: kindling. Vega informed me of the inferno Hoshi had become when his own sister was shot and it was one of the catalysts that made him join our side. His fire even began when he failed Setsuna. As such, it might be possible to destroy Hoshi simply through Hikayu… And if we do that," she then dismissed the holographic, "we'll have won."

"So, all I gotta do is kill this Hikayu person and Hoshi will explode once more?" Yudai asked.

"That's the idea, at least." Magane said.

"Heh… In that case… You know what to do, Yoshi…" Yudai tilted his head back at Yoshi, who simply hissed, his chimera form only a silhouette in the light.

"Chabok…"