Despite them still having the advantage in numbers, it remaining four on one, with his new form, Responder and the others could sense and even see the immense power that night now wielded, seeing Knight's being continue to emanate with a psionic red energy.
"Before I destroy you, I will give you some mercy." Knight said as he held his hand out. "Join me. Agree to surrender and serve me and you will be spared, if not, you will face my wrath."
"I think you know our answer already, Knight." Responder said as he and the other Vigilant prepared to fight, causing the corrupt CEO to chuckle darkly.
"I offered you a chance to witness the new world, one led by my brilliance, but you spat in my hand." Knight said with a continued superiority in his voice.
"Sad, and I had such high hopes for you, my dear Eri." Knight then said, triggering both Cosmic and Frequency as they moved to attack Knight, with Cosmic jumping into the air, ready to slam her fist against Knight's face, followed by Frequency casting out a series of small discs from his gauntlets, with both wanting to pay Knight back for his little trick to turn Eri against them.
However, much to their surprise, both Cosmic Knockout's fist and Frequency's attacks collided with a red energy barrier around Knight's form, causing Cosmic to jump back, before looking in shock as several red energy orbs, each looking like eyes, appeared around the villain's being.
"I am beyond any of you!" Knight yelled as the orbs fired blasts of red energy, hitting both Cosmic Knockout and Frequency as they were sent flying back, both crying out in pain as their outfits were greatly torn and their visors cracked, leaving the pair on the ground and groaning, not only feeling a great physical pain, but also a mental one, as if the Knight's power had actually attacked their minds.
Letting out a feral growl at the sight of his allies in their agonized states, Razor Wolf then charged at Knight, Responder alongside him with his energy blades out, ready to take the villain on, before their eyes widened to see Knight bring his right hand out, red energy forming in it, before a large, white metal sword appeared in his hand, which he used to quickly block the pair's attacks.
"Insects, all of you!" Knight let out with a continued rage as, with little effort, he pushed both Responder and Razor Wolf back, where they too came to witness the same pain Cosmic Knockout and Frequency felt, leaving both down and damaged.
However, not giving up, the Vigilant got up and resumed their fight, knowing that they could not fail as they tried to land a blow on Knight, while doing their best to dodge his attacks, using their combined speed and teamwork to try and land a combo hit on the villain, but found his personal barrier to be too strong.
All their attacks were doing was pissing Knight off.
"Enough!" Knight let out in rage as he brought his arms together, gathering energy in them, before unleashing a powerful blast of energy, sending the four Vigilant flying back in pain.
When the light faded, Knight saw the Vigilant on the ground, with Razor Wolf reverted back to his human form, while Responder's helmet was broken in pieces before him, leaving Knight watching as the four heroes tried to get up, all the while, red aura starting to form around them, which earned a small scoff from the psionic villain.
Below, as the police and heroes tried to keep the mind controlled civilians back, each one started to hear whispers in their minds, the sign that Knight's power starting to grow stronger as they tried to ignore it.
"Do you not see? These pitiful people, these misguided individuals who cannot control themselves, that crave for someone to guide them, to rule over them? Only I can guide them, bring the peace they so desperately yearn for. Only I am meant to rule over them!" Knight said as he outstretched his arms, feeling his power growing, and knowing that soon, not even the blockers would keep him out of the minds of all in the city.
However, much to the arch villain's shock, Knight felt another presence, one that was growing, and challenging his own, causing him to look down, where his eyes widened in surprise to see Responder getting up, a blue aura now forming around the green haired boy, one that spread and surrounded his teammates as they slowly got up as well, causing Knight to demand with a tone of disbelief and shock. "What is this?"
At one of the other towers the Protectors couldn't get to, the four abomination guards were on the ground, cybernetic cables being retracted from their bodies and to their owner in a black hoodie as Infiltrator put the cables back into the tower.
Though the hacker couldn't turn the Tower off, another idea came to mind, having another hooked up to the psionic network like Knight was, someone whose own will could match and defeat the megalomaniac's, and he could think of no one better than Haru.
"You have always toyed with others... You break them, steal from them, take advantage of them! And now you are trying to take over their very lives, trying to destroy everything just because of your ego. I will not forgive that!" Responder yelled as his aura grew, expressing and giving off a great power, one that Knight actually began to fear.
Down below, meanwhile, all the mind controlled civilians stopped suddenly, even Cyberstriker let out a sigh of relief as Azumi's staff stopped inches from striking his head, where he looked up to see her eyes now glowing blue instead of red.
"Give... give us our lives back..." Azumi said in a distant voice as others amongst the mind controlled hordes began to whisper similar things, expressing their rebellion against Knight.
And though they were not being controlled, the police, StarCorps and Protectors could all feel it, a powerful will to protect the future, a drive to protect those in danger and stop those who would deny them such a dream.
All the while, amongst those being controlled, a lone, short blonde haired girl whispered lightly. "Haru..."
Back at the top of the KnightCorps tower, feeling the ratio of those at his command drastically decreasing, Knight felt a great dread fill him.
"This is impossible!" He yelled as he gathered energy into his hand, clenching his fist as he charged at Responder, who remained with a determined look on his face, before dodging the attack with ease.
"As you can see, we don't need someone to guide us, we need monsters like you locked away, unable to harm us. You had the technology to shape this world for the better, for others, but you used it for your own selfish gains." Responder said as he quickly brought up his left hand into a fist, slamming it into the side of Knight's head, shocking him greatly as the attack went through his barrier and hit the side of his face, causing him to be pushed back a few feet, while his eyes widened to see his armour cracking.
"That's telling him, Responder!" Frequency let out, feeling his strength returning, as did Cosmic Knockout and Razor Wolf, where the heroes then rose back up, before the blond helped Cosmic to her feet, leaving the three glaring at Knight and what he had become.
"This can't be happening! This is impossible!" Knight yelled, raising his arms and gathering all his power to take the Vigilant down once and for all.
However, before he could even blink, Knight saw all four Vigilant had jumped in the air together, their arms glowing with the blue psionic energy, gathering strength from not just each other, but everyone in the city wishing to be free of Knight once and for all.
"This ends now!" All four Vigilant declared together as they slammed their fists into Knight's face, forcing him to the ground as the area around him exploded in a blast of blue energy, looking like a pillar of blue light coming out of the top of KnightCorps.
As this was happening, all the towers around the city, which were now glowing blue, began to surge with energy, the feedback from Haru's connection overloading their systems as the constructs all exploded at the same time, where all over the city, people collapsed as their minds were freed from the mind control, the light over KnightCorps dying down.
Acting quickly, Cyberstriker caught Azumi as she collapsed, where she opened her tired eyes and commented cheekily. "Not exactly how I was expected to end up in your arms..."
The tai-chi hero could only blush at Azumi's comment, while the police went to work helping the civilians out, glad to see the control over Odaiba seemed to come to a halt.
Back on top of KnightCorps, the Vigilant stood over a crater as Knight, now back in his suit, which was torn in places, and his helmet broken, looked up at the heroes and said through his pain. "Damn you... damn you all...! I could've made a paradise, but you...!"
"It's over, Knight." Haru said with a smirk, where the white haired maniac then cut in and bellowed. "I know who you all are... And I'll make sure everyone else does too..."
"Go right ahead and let them know." Haru replied, confusing his friends, before the green haired boy added. "Let the world know a couple of high schoolers kicked your ass. I'm sure the media would love to hear all about that."
From Haru's words and knowing it wasn't a bluff, while also knowing such publicity could ruin him forever, Knight grit his teeth, especially as he heard sirens coming from below the building, causing Haru to nod to his teammates as they they left, feeling a sense of accomplishment after a very long time.
At the next moment, Fighting Fury and Cobalt Warrior came in with a few officers as they surrounded Knight, where the blond hero then said with a smirk. "Knight Unryuuji, you are under arrest."
Knight couldn't hold back his anger anymore as he let out a cry of rage, one heard for over a mile away, where the Vigilant landed on a rooftop a few streets away to relax for a moment and let it sink in.
They had won, they had finally stopped Knight for good.
The group sat for a moment, before sensing someone coming before looking up to see V-Force and the other flying members of the Protectors above them, while the other members landed on the rooftop with them.
Though surprised to see the top heroes before them, the Vigilant then widened their eyes as they realized their outfits were ruined and most people could see their faces.
"Haru Shinkai." V-Force said with some surprise as he landed before the Vigilant, shocking them even further that V-Force knew who Haru was, where the hero brought his hand up to tell them it was alright and that he had no ill intentions, before he then reached up and took his helmet off, surprising all four to see V-Force's real face.
"Davis?!" All four yelled in surprise, causing Davis to smile and say with pride. "We all owe you guys a debt. You guys saw what was going on with KnightCorps while we were too focused on other issues. If it hadn't been for you guys, things could have ended badly. But I know if the Protectors ever need outside help, the Vigilant will have our backs."
"Good, and I'll be there if they need me." Everyone then heard Infiltrator say through all their comms, causing HiTech to have a mini freak out as to how he got into their systems again, before the hacker then said. "While I was hacked into the tower, I had access to Knight's personal files, which have been passed onto the police. Along with the events of tonight, KnightCorps is finished."
"Thank you, Infiltrator." Haru said with a smile, before Davis, being the type to always see the good in people, then began to say. "You know, Infiltrator, you don't need to remain in the shadows and..."
"Thanks for the offer, but I'll pass. You hero types follow too many rules." Infiltrator said in reply, before a small chuckle was heard on his end. "Besides, someone needs to stay in the shadows to help you find the problems before they grow."
"How did you find out about Knight's plans?" HiTech then asked with a growing curiosity, where Infiltrator replied. "That's my secret."
"Haru, I believe our debts are paid now, I wish you and the other Vigilant luck until the next time our paths cross. Take care." The hacker said as he closed the comm, giving the heroes a moment to think on what they heard, before Davis took out another communicator and handed it to Haru.
"Here, in case you ever need us, or we ever need you. Now get some rest, you all deserve it." Davis said with a smile as he put his helmet back on, where the Protectors then left to help clean up the damage brought on the city.
All the while, the Vigilant looked at one another and smiled, happy that their fight was over.
After closing his chat with the heroes, on his end, Infiltrator opened another chat link, where he said. "Thank you again for your assistance."
"Yeah, yeah, now where's my money?" Kouki asked from his end, standing outside his suit in a warehouse at the edge of the city.
He might work for money, but even Black Wyvern had his standards, and psycho megalomaniacs with mind control were not on his list, so betraying Knight was no issue for him.
"You'll find money transfered from Knight's hidden accounts to your own, enjoy." Infiltrator said, where Kouki moved his phone to see the transfer and the amount, his eyes widening as he said with glee. "Heck yeah, I could start my own merc outfit with this much money!"
"But first I'm going to be smart and get the heck out of this city." The merc then said as he got back in his suit and vowed never to return to Odaiba again... Unless the price was right, that is.
-Meanwhile-
From the throne room of the Dark Fortress, the Dark Legion watched as Knight's followers were being placed into police cars, while Airu and Nanami were both laughing as Lady Beauty struggled and yelled at the cops for ruining her 'perfect' looks, before the group watched with a smirk to see Knight being lead into a police car as well.
"That's one less pain in our backs." Ken said with a smirk, while on her throne, Kari smirked as well, now seeing one less obstacle in her plans, while thinking bitterly. 'If Knight had gotten into Davis' head, I would have personally ripped his off.'
-The next day-
Out in the fields, Eri and some of the other cheerleaders were practicing their routine for the next game, the pink haired girl smiling as they got it right after a few tries.
"Great work, girls." Eri said with a smile, breaking from her pose as she set her pom poms down to grab at her drink bottle, allowing the cool contents to pour down her throat, before setting her drink aside when she noticed the bouquet of flowers beside her.
Turning her head, Eri smiled, not only to see Tora standing beside her, holding out the small gift, but at seeing him smiling at her, expressing such confidence in himself, which she found endearing.
But as pleasant as the moment was, Eri felt some frustration when the other girls cut in.
"What do you think you are doing here, shrimp?" One of the girls asked, staring down Tora, before the second added with an equally harshness in her voice. "Don't you know a girl like Eri is way out of your league?"
About to continue to talk down the blond, a small smile appeared on his face when he saw Eri set her hands on their shoulders, dragging the duo off for a private conversation.
"Ok, there's going to be a few new rules from now on. First off, I choose who I talk to. Second, you will be nicer to Tora. And third, if you see me with Tora, you won't bother us, that is unless you want to get on my bad side." The pink haired girl said with a sweet smile the whole time she spoke, sending chills down the cheerleaders' spines and causing both to nod nervously, too afraid of this side of Eri to speak.
"That's better." Eri then said, keeping her smile as she headed on back to Tora, where he held his arm out and she set hers' around it, before resting her head on his shoulder as they headed off, no longer afraid to hide their feelings or care what the others thought.
"Wow, they make a cute couple." The cheerleaders then heard a familiar voice say, where they turned to see Kari and Davis walking up, with the pair looking at Tora and Eri with encouragement, causing the two cheerleaders to look at one another for a moment.
"Yeah, I guess he's kind of cute." One the girls then said, before the other then added. "Yeah, totally!"
Davis rolled his eyes at this, while Kari smiled and rested her head on his shoulder.
Nearby, Haru and Yujin watched Eri and Tora interacting, smiling to see them together finally, before Haru gulped a little as he turned to see Ai walking towards him.
"Haru, can I talk to you for a moment, please?" The blonde then asked.
Blushing at the request, but feeling he couldn't turn her down, Haru gave a shaky nod as he began to follow Ai, finding his blush increasing as she grabbed his hand in her own and guided him around the corner, with Yujin laughing lightly at the whole scene.
With it just being him and the girl he had a crush on, Haru stammered out with a continued nervousness. "So umm... what do you want to talk about?'
"I just wanted to ask what is it like being Responder?" Ai asked with a smile, causing Haru to freak out a moment, before he questioned in a continued shaky voice. "But... what... how did you...?"
Smiling even more, blushing herself, Ai kept hold of his hand as she said in an honest voice. "When you were connected with everyone, I felt the same emotions that I feel when I see you, the same emotions that make you the sweet and caring Haru that I came to love."
Surprised at Ai's words, Haru found himself unable to speak, not only from the rise of his emotions, but at Ai's lips suddenly on his, engaging him in a loving kiss.
And after allowing his feelings for Ai to kick in, as well as taking a page from Eri and Tora, Haru returned the kiss, pulling Ai closer to his body and holding her in his arms, which brought joy to the blonde, so happy to be with what started as her childhood friend and was now her boyfriend.
All the while, Haru knew that if danger ever arose, the Vigilant would be there to save the day.
AN: And that's the end of Knight and KnightCorps, but other evils still lurk about, and the Night Queen is still at large. Tune in and enjoy the rest of this story as it unfolds.
