An update!
I might not post daily for a day or two after this, mainly because I've finally caught up with my backlog, and my beta reader is sick right now. Once she's healthy and all, I'll make sure to get back to posting! The break might not even happen, depending on the circumstances!
Kamen Rider Saber: Tale of Two Worlds
仮面ライダーセイバー：二つの世界の物語
Kamen Raidā Seibā: Futatsu no Sekai no Monogatari
First Book: Beacon of Hope
初の書籍：希望の烽火
Hatsu no Shoseki: Kibō no Hōka
Chapter Nineteen: A Dangerous Mission, to Rescue Him.
第十九章：彼を救うため、危険な使命。
Dai Jūkyū-shō: Kare o Sukuu Tame, Kiken'na Shimei.
The red dragon of bravery, that fights alongside the wielder of the holy sword of flame.
炎の聖剣を振るう者と一緒に戦う勇気の赤いドラゴン。
Honō no seiken o furū mono to issho ni tatakau yūki no akai doragon.
As the three generals of the Megid stood within the confines of their base, they held what appeared to be more Alter Ride Books of some kind. And Calibur stepped forwards, holding another Alter Ride Book. However, there was something much more different about this Alter Ride Book, compared to the ones that the Megid normally used.
While the Alter Ride Books already had a bit of an ominous aura, the only thing radiating from this book was darkness. And evil. The amount of chains that bound the book was also much more than before, which seemed to make things even more frightening.
The three generals would open the respective books in their hands, as an evil aura emanated throughout the room. This was a ritual. To open the bound book that has been chained for fifteen years.
NUMANAKA SURU FENRIR!
沼中住むフェンリル！
Numanaka Sumu Fenriru!
NIHON NO HANMYOU!
日本のハンミョウ！
Nihon no Hanmyō!
SHI NO UTAUHONE!
死の歌う骨！
Shi no Utau Hone!
As the three Alter Ride Books were opened, the pages would begin flying out of the books. And as the pages would fly out of the books, flying around the four figures, the chains began to unbind around the Alter Ride Book. The book slowly began to open, as the pages would attack the chains, disintegrating them.
The chains now unbound, a dark voice emanated from the Alter Ride Book.
DESAST!
デザスト！
Dezasuto!
Kuen and Nora were sent flying backwards, as they crashed into one of the nearby trees. Even though they fought with all of their might, nothing was really clashing with the Megid, except for one of Nora's attacks. As Kuen detransformed from Dragon Peter into Brave Dragon once more, he would groan, struggling to get up. Nora did the same, as she tried to send another wave of electricity.
That was the only type of attack that could work against the Megid at this point. Unfortunately, the two Riders were weakened to the point that even the wave of electricity barely did anything but sting the Megid slightly. The Hanzaki Megid rushed forwards, slashing at the two Riders. And that caused them to be on the brink of de-transformation.
"Fucker..." Kuen lamented.
"Why are my attacks not hitting?!" Nora screamed in frustration.
Suddenly, however, they heard a portal open from somewhere. Both Kuen and Nora heard the sounds of pages flipping, the two swordsmen recognizing where that could come from; it was a member of the Sword of Logos. But who was it?
And as they got up again, they saw the portal, as a figure stepped out from it. It was Ryo once more, as there was a fuming expression on his face. The swordsman of earth walked towards the Hanzaki Megid, the ground underneath him trembling.
"So I finally found you, Megid!"
And he took another step.
"First! Bastard servants of evil..."
Another step.
"Second! The rage of the earth trembles before you..."
And another step.
"Third! I'll face you head-to head! No point in arguing!" Ryo slammed the Dogouken in his hand into the ground, as it crashed with a loud thud.
Kuen gulped a little, taking a deep breath. He remembered when Ogami confronted the three Megid that provided him and the rest of his teammates trouble; he'd used the same introduction tactic. But this time, there was much more to it than just sheer intimidation.
"He's furious..." Kuen muttered.
Ryo pulled out the Genbu Shinwa Wonder Ride Book, flipping it open.
GENBU SHINWA!
玄武神話！
Genbu Shinwa!
There was once a God Beast possessing a strong armor that acted as one of the four holy beasts...
かつて四聖獣の一角を担う強靭な鎧の神獣がいた...
Katsute shi seijū no ikkaku o ninau kyōjin'na yoroi no shinjuu ga ita...
After flipping the book close, he would then slot it into a place on the Gekido, as it began to play its standby loop.
Rows upon rows of gray bookshelves would form behind Ryo, as a giant manifestation of the Genbu Shinwa Wonder Ride Book manifested. Said manifestation would then crash onto the platform behind him, a flurry of rocks erupting from the crash.
And as Ryo pulled the trigger on the sword, the Wonder Ride Book on the sword would open to its third page.
GENBU SHINWA!
玄武神話！
Genbu Shinwa!
Ryo would twirl the heavy sword in one hand, laying it on his back, as he began his transformation sequence.
"Henshin!"
As multiple rocks would swirl around Ryo, attacking any Megid who would dare intrude in his borders, he slammed the sword down. A rock formation emerged from the chaos, as it would then form armor around Ryo, the gray and brown rocks sticking to his body.
Ittō Ryōdan! Butta kire! Dogo! Dogo! Dogōken Gekido! Geki-do jūhan! Zettai sōkō no daiken ga hokuhō yori ōinaru ichigeki o tatakikomu!
一刀両断！ブツた斬れ！ドゴ！ドゴ！土豪剣激土！激土重版！絶対装甲の大剣が北方より大いなる一撃を叩き込む！
Ittō Ryōdan! Butta kire! Dogo! Dogo! Dogōken Geki-do! Geki-do jūhan! Zettai sōkō no daiken ga hokuhō yori ōinaru ichigeki o tatakikomu!
Kamen Rider Buster has returned.
"Give me back my son!" Ryo screamed, as he prepared his finisher.
Taking out the Genbu Shinwa Wonder Ride Book from Gekido, he would scan it on the finishing slot of the sword.
GENBU SHINWA! DOGON!
玄武神話！ドゴン！
Genbu Shinwa! Dogon!
Swinging his sword around, Buster would stand amidst the rubble, charging up the power in the blade. As the orange edge of the sword began to glow brightly, he continued preparing himself. Nora realized what this meant, as her eyes, underneath her helmet, widened in panic.
"Get down!" She screamed.
And as Kuen and Nora got to safety, Ryo then charged at the Megid, sending his blade downwards. A gargantuan projection of the Gekido would also crash downwards, striking the Megid down.
"Dai Dandan!" Ryo screamed.
Kaishin no Geki-do Randoku Geki! Dogon!
会心の激土乱読撃！ドゴン！
Kaishin no Geki-do Randoku Geki! Dogon!
大
断
断
And as the blade collided in the Megid, an explosion erupted, the battle coming to an end... for now.
But yet, there was nothing. No Sora, no Ruby, no Yang, no Jaune. There was no different. Nothing appeared. Even when the remaining members of Teams WB and PR returned, there was nothing they could report on. There were no signs of them.
The three swordsmen present on the battlefield de-transformed, as Kuen could only look downwards in sorrow.
It accomplished nothing.
It felt like nothing changed when they returned back to the Northern Base of the Sword of Logos. Except this time, it felt much worse. There was an air of tension beginning to brew within the confines of the room, as Kuen could only look down in abject frustration.
He wanted to rescue Sora. He wanted to rescue the rest of his teammates. That was all that he could focus on right now. Besides the fact that there was still one more loose end that Kuen could look for to rescue Sora. The Onryou Megid was still on the loose. Maybe that fucker had the answers that Kuen needed.
In that moment, however, Ryo snapped. Claiming about how nobody could understand what he was going through as a parent. Kuen was no parent, but he could understand that feeling
Fear.
Horror.
Worry.
There were a lot of things going through Ryo's mind.
"Sora... I'm sorry..." Kuen could hear Ryo mutter, his voice trembling with fear.
"I'm... going to find Sora. I... promise." Kuen stated, ready to head out.
"And so? Your promises have done nothing. Do not take such promises lightly! Do you not understand my feelings as a parent?! This whole thing was your fault!" Ryo held Kuen by the collar, screaming into his ears.
Kuen was unable to respond, a mixture of emotions stirring within his heart.
And as Ryo let go of Kuen, the latter could only fall onto the floor. The rest of his teammates could only watch, as they figured it was best not to intervene... as much as they wanted to. Kuen simply got up, walking towards the entrance of the Northern Base.
"I wish I could say I don't understand. But I do. I've lost everything, when I was thrown into this world." Kuen stated, closing the door behind him as he left.
Blake and Pyrrha were left stunned by what Kuen had said.
'Thrown into this world?'
The rest of his teammates rushed after Kuen, worried for his mental state. Rintaro also excused himself, following after Kuen.
And between those who remained, the aura of tension seemed to ease a little.
As Kuen scrolled through the rows upon rows of books in the libraries, both Rintaro and Blake looked at the swordsman of flame, very much confused.
"Why are you looking through the shelves?" Rintaro asked, confused.
"When Nora and I fought the Megid earlier, his body was very slippery. It made it hard to deal any form of attacks except ranged attacks," Kuen recalled, as he scrambled through the bookshelves, searching for the thing he was looking for. "Besides that... the Megid said itself that it was not a lizard."
Kuen briefly recalled the Hanzaki Megid's words when asked that very question.
"How dare you, I'm no lizard!"
Pyrrha then immediately began trying to figure out what exactly it was. "Then what would it be?"
Kuen continued scrambling around the bookshelves, particularly the ones in relation to the animal section. "It's got to be around here somewhere..."
Kento walked towards Ryo, as the former would simply state, "Please do not misunderstand Kuen. None of Kuen's promises were made without consideration..."
Those words immediately caused Ryo to scoff. "Even if it wasn't made without consideration, then what, huh?"
Kento mulled over his choice of words, before he then responded. "I might have just known him... but the expression he made when dwelling over what to do earlier... there's something about his backstory that's plaguing him more than we realize."
"Like Touma's memories of what happened fifteen years ago... I understand his feelings all too well." Kento finished, as Sophia and Daishinji observed the conversation unfolding between the swordsman of lightning, and the swordsman of earth.
"Touma?" Ryo asked in confusion.
Kento didn't elaborate any further. The swordsman of earth suspected it had something do with Kento's own backstory.
The swordsman of lightning would then pull out a yellow Wonder Ride Book, the words 'Needle Hedgehog' decorating the front page of the book. Holding it out to Ryo, Kento would then ask, "Please, lend him your support. Will you put your faith in him?"
Ryo... was deep in thought.
Kuen finally found the book he was looking for. "Found it."
His five remaining teammates, alongside Rintaro, walked towards him, observing the book he was flipping through.
"An animal encyclopedia?" Weiss asked.
Kuen continued flipping through the pages, until he landed on a page that labeled an entry titled 'Salamander.'
"Right here. This must be him." Kuen observed some notable differences, but for the most part, it seemed to be similar.
"The Mistralian great salamander?" Blake asked, very confused.
"The Amphibia Urodela Cryptobranchoidea, I believe," Rintaro then added. "More commonly known as the Japanese great salamander. I don't believe I've ever seen one in the flesh."
In that moment, Kuen could tell what Japan's counterpart was in Remnant. Mistral, it seemed.
"This must have been it. If it's not a lizard, it must have most likely been a salamander. But what kind...?"
Kuen would let Rintaro hold the encyclopedia in his hand, as he rushed towards the fairy tales section of the library, scrolling through some of the books. He was hoping that a book related to the topic he desperately needed. And finding a book labeled 'The Folktales and Superstitions of Mistral ~Rivers and Watersides~', Kuen's eyes widened.
This must have been the one. He's only ever learned about one kind of salamander growing up, so this must be the correct book. Flipping through the pages, Weiss was even more confused.
"Then what is he exactly?" Pyrrha asked.
And Kuen found the page, as he then explained. He chose to read the pages to them, seeing that it was much easier than explaining with his own words.
"A sanshouuo salamander, also known as the Hanzaki. They were called that because there was a belief in Mistralian culture that even if they were ripped, also known as saku, in half, also known as han, they could continue to survive, and even regenerate."
Pyrrha's eyes widened. "So that's why Sora and the others must have not returned..."
"I see..." Rintaro responded. "But that would raise another question. As you said earlier... why would the Hanzaki Megid gather all those people? What would it want...?"
Kuen was caught by surprise by the question, mulling over it. "Well..."
And he had a flashback to the other words he distinctly remembered the Hanzaki Megid speaking.
"I won't let you get in the way of the birth of our king!"
Kuen's eyes widened, as he pulled out his Scroll. Immediately opening DustNet, the search engine installed into the device, he would then search a few necessary keywords.
Hanzaki.
Salamander.
Birth of the king.
And he found his answer.
He showed his search results to Rintaro and the rest of his own teammates, as he opened the article.
"The Legend of the Man-eating Salamander?" Ren asked, though he seemed to be familiar to some extent with the story.
Kuen would read off the article.
"The story about a salamander which ate a lot of people, allowing him to become the king of its kind."
"That means the Megid captured Sora and the other citizens to become its' prey!" Nora pieced two and two. She also grabbed the Scroll out of Kuen's hands, skimming through the article.
"He did say something about 'the birth of our king', after all... he most likely must be creating a giant king salamander using people as its prey..." Blake added.
"That's gotta be it." Kuen concluded. "We need to return back to Wonder World, and search for where they're being held... and the enemy as well."
Rintaro agreed, as they prepared to head out, placing the books back on the shelf. Kuen would also snatch his Scroll back from Nora's hands, as he placed it in his pocket.
"Hold on just one second," Weiss stopped them. "Last time we went in, we couldn't find them! How are we going to find them this time?!"
And the nearby emergency exit door suddenly opened, as a figure stepped into the confines of the library. Weiss paused, as the rest of the team turned to face... Ryo Ogami. He stared at Kuen with a worried expression, though Kuen could understand why.
"Ogami-san..." Kuen stated softly.
"Tell me. What did you promise my son?"
Kuen paused for a bit. "I promised him to show the wonders of Vale, and I promised to take care of him..."
The atmosphere remained silent, before Rintaro popped a question of his own.
"Kuen... why are you so enamored with promises?"
That caused Kuen to begin crying a little, a small tear forming and pouring down his right cheek.
"It's complicated..." Kuen took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself. "I promised my brother that we were going to get something at the mall together. I wanted to get him a gift, considering it was his birthday coming up soon..."
Kuen began to tear up a little. "Right before we were about to head out... I got whisked to Remnant. I couldn't do well on my promise to my brother... a failed promise... so I promised something to myself. To him. To make it back home, back to Earth... so I can do what I wanted to do."
And the swordsman of flame stared at Rekka, as he pulled it out of its sheath. Holding it in his hand, he continued, wiping his tears with a part of his coat. "Still... to be granted with this power... to save others... I figured. I should use it wisely. Because I can. Not just for Sora, but for everyone else as well."
Everybody was left stunned, before Ryo simply nodded. "I see..."
The swordsman of earth would simply walk past them, as Kuen looked worried. "Was it something I said?"
"Let's get a move on!" Ryo simply replied.
Kuen looked at Ryo, before a small smile formed on his face.
"Right!" Kuen uttered, wiping off the tears on his face determinedly.
"Kuen..." Pyrrha stated to Kuen. "You're going to have to explain everything to us eventually."
"Right."
Kamen Rider Calibur stepped outside of the confines of the base of the Megid for the first time in ages. Stepping into what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse barely off the outskirts of Vale, he pulled out the Alter Ride Book that he had unsealed hours earlier.
"Megiddo that hath been sealed... I now free you from your chains."
DESAST!
デザスト！
Dezasuto!
A black orb of darkness exited the book, before crashing into the ground behind him. From the orb of darkness, a figure emerged, resembling... something. There were elements of the three different categories of stories that formed him.
The figure, Desast, sat in a crouching position.
"I smell it... the world, its books, its swords, they chafe against one another," Desast said, as he would stand up. "A remarkable scent, in both the best and the worst ways."
Calibur gave a passing glance to the Chimera Megid, as he then asked, "It's been 15 years since you were last outside. How are you feeling?"
Desast simply scoffed at the question.
"I don't need to tell you."
As Kuen, the five members of Teams WB and NPR, and Rintaro and Ryo rushed through the outskirts of the city, they noticed something that alarmed them. It was another one of those white books, similar to the one that had consumed Sora and the remaining team members. As the book closed, Ryo would figure that this could provide a helpful link to where they were.
As Gekido would glow dimly for a few seconds, a book portal would open in front of them. And as the eight prepared to walk through the portal, they were suddenly interrupted by a voice calling out to them.
"I thought there was a nice scent..."
Desast would suddenly emerge from his hiding spot behind one of the trees, much to the shock of Ryo. There was a look of recognition on his face, as the Chimera Megid would then wonder.
"The swordsman of fire is here, I presume...?"
"Desast..." Ryo muttered, as Rintaro and Kuen would take notice. Kuen was shocked by the swordsman of earth's recognizing of this figure, though he chalked it up to past events.
"You're still frolicking with these contraptions?" Desast wondered, as he pulled what appeared to be... a Wonder Ride Book?
And it was a red one too... Kuen was caught by surprise even more by that.
"A Wonder Ride Book! How do you..." Pyrrha wondered.
"He's killed his fair share of swordsmen..." Ryo responded.
Kuen would then step forward, holding the Seiken Swordriver (with Rekka inserted) in his hand. "He's after me. Ogami-san... Rintaro-san... you go with the rest of my teammates and save Sora."
Ryo was in consideration for a bit, having flashbacks to what Kento had told him hours before.
"Will you put your faith in Kuen?"
And he simply let out a soft chuckle, before he then stepped forward. Kuen was confused.
"Nope! This guy's all mine!" Ryo said, as he pulled out the Needle Hedgehog Wonder Ride Book.
Tossing it to Kuen, Ryo then continued, "I'll leave Sora to you seven."
And Ryo would then pull out Gekido, preparing to transform.
Ryo pulled out the Genbu Shinwa Wonder Ride Book, flipping it open.
GENBU SHINWA!
玄武神話！
Genbu Shinwa!
There was once a God Beast possessing a strong armor that acted as one of the four holy beasts...
かつて四聖獣の一角を担う強靭な鎧の神獣がいた...
Katsute shi seijū no ikkaku o ninau kyōjin'na yoroi no shinjuu ga ita...
After flipping the book close, he would then slot it into a place on the Gekido, as it began to play its standby loop.
Rows upon rows of gray bookshelves would form behind Ryo once more, as a giant manifestation of the Genbu Shinwa Wonder Ride Book manifested. Said manifestation would then crash onto the platform behind him, a flurry of rocks erupting from the crash.
And as Ryo pulled the trigger on the sword, the Wonder Ride Book on the sword would open to its third page.
GENBU SHINWA!
玄武神話！
Genbu Shinwa!
Ryo would twirl the heavy sword in one hand, laying it on his back, as he began his transformation sequence.
"Henshin!"
As multiple rocks would swirl around Ryo, attacking any Megid who would dare intrude in his borders, he slammed the sword down. A rock formation emerged from the chaos, as it would then form armor around Ryo, the gray and brown rocks sticking to his body.
Ittō Ryōdan! Butta kire! Dogo! Dogo! Dogōken Gekido! Geki-do jūhan! Zettai sōkō no daiken ga hokuhō yori ōinaru ichigeki o tatakikomu!
一刀両断！ブツた斬れ！ドゴ！ドゴ！土豪剣激土！激土重版！絶対装甲の大剣が北方より大いなる一撃を叩き込む！
Ittō Ryōdan! Butta kire! Dogo! Dogo! Dogōken Geki-do! Geki-do jūhan! Zettai sōkō no daiken ga hokuhō yori ōinaru ichigeki o tatakikomu!
Ryo had returned into Buster once more.
"You'll keep your promise, won't you?" Ryo asked, wielding Gekido in both of his hands.
Kuen nodded, sentimental for a brief moment. "I will!"
And Kuen would turn to the rest of his party. "Let's go."
The seven would head into the portal, travelling into the Wonder World, as Buster stared down Desast.
Sora was stuck in this orb of his. Trapped within a bubble, alongside all of the various other victims the Hanzaki Megid had taken in his onslaught, he could only curl up.
"Father..." Sora softly muttered to himself.
And the other members of Teams RY and J would suddenly jolt awake, crashing into the walls of the individual bubbles they were trapped in.
"Huh...?" Ruby muttered to herself. "Where are we?"
And they took a minute or so to orient themselves with the surroundings they were in. It was an almost-impenetrable bubble from the inside. Not even Ruby's and Yang's projectiles could do anything. Sure, they left the bubble, but they weren't causing any holes big enough to form that could allow them to escape.
So Ruby and Yang devised a plan. Jaune could only nod along, having no role in this plan.
This was going to be the best escape plan yet!
The blue lion of the chronicles of war, that fights alongside the wielder of the holy sword of water.
水の聖剣を振るう者と一緒に戦う、戦争の記録の青いライオン。
Mizu no seiken o furū mono to issho ni tatakau, sensō no kiroku no aoi raion.