Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 46 – The Queen's First Move 2019
"As it is written in this book, average high schooler Tokiwa Sougo embarks on a path which leads him to become the overlord of time, Oma Zi-O," Woz narrated as usual, the black void remaining as still as ever.
"Upon becoming Zi-O II, he acquires the ability to further alter the nature of the future than he has done before. Because of his latent abilities, he granted a new power to Geiz. The powers of the three Riders born of Remnant that also have possible futures on Earth. Thus it has set into motion Geiz's ascension to Geiz Revive."
Woz shut his book and walked off, "Will my Overlord's decision lead to a future where he reigns? Or will it lead him down a path towards destruction…"
Earth – Late February 2019:
The Time Jackers were currently enjoying the early evening on one of their latest acquisitions for a base, which was a rooftop patio with an indoor lounge area. They were currently in the outside area as they watched the noise of the city still persist alongside the many lights of the buildings all around. But there was still one star in the sky that shined brighter than any of them and could be seen with ease.
"See that star, the brightest one there?" Swartz asked.
"Yeah, so what…?" Ora asked as she leaned on a table in a bored fashion. She didn't really feel like humoring Swartz.
Uhr decided to humor their leader however, more so without taking a peak at the star above them, "Regulus, yes? It's the brightest star in the Leo constellation."
"I'm very impressed, Uhr." Swartz remarked. "However, that star shouldn't be shining quite this bright until the end of April."
"The Day of Oma correct?" Finis asked as they leaned on the railing to take in the view, "And here we are, despite it being close to the end of February, it's shining brighter and brighter."
"The Day of Oma is coming sooner than we think…" Swartz trailed as he kept his hands in his pockets, walking to head inside.
"Then what do we do?" Uhr asked.
"How about we just sit back and relax for now," Finis suggested as they glanced back towards their teammates. "I think we'll find that very rewarding."
Ora could only glance at Finis, she could tell that the Time Jackers tone gave away that they were planning something. What that plan was, she didn't know.
Earth – Futo City, Late February 2019:
A red and blue monstrous figure was currently leaping between the buildings of Futo, it running as fast as it could atop the roofs of the windy city. Giving a grunt it leapt forward, landing and cracking the ground as it arrived at its destination. It was an old office building that had been rented out by the up and coming Lovely Corp. Of course due to them being involved in black market dealings and their president becoming an Another Rider, the company was shut down quickly and the office stripped completely bare.
The creature gave a growl as it approached it, the nearby lamp post flickering on and off before managing to stay on.
[BUILD!]
The familiar form of Another Build was the creature's identity, though this Another Rider seemed different than before. It simply walked forward before grabbing the door knob and twisting it as hard as it could. The action broke the lock as it forced the door open.
Entering the bare office Another Build skulked deeper into it with a light scoff. It eventually stopped at where the main desk once was and looked around. It remained entirely taciturn aside from its grunts, drawing out a Blank Ridewatch before pressing it against the ground.
Purple and green energy began to spiral into the Ridewatch before it suddenly became the W Anotherwatch.
[DOUBLE!]
Tire screeching could soon be heard as Another Build turned, soon seeing that there was a box with a small blinking light above the door. It could only give another scoff as it realized the office was hit up with surveillance and security, him forcing the door open having activated a silent alarm.
It wasn't long before a few members of the police entered, flashlights on and guns trained forward. The officers however gave a stammer when they managed to catch a glimpse of Another Build.
The lead officer however steeled himself and moved forward, "Stay where you are!"
Another Build drew out a different Anotherwatch this time, clicking the button as dark wisps of energy encased him.
[CROSS-Z!]
Another Cross-Z soon emerged as its body lit on fire, it turning as flames began to spread from its wings before it launched directly through the roof. Several officers had fired and while most of them missed, any bullets that did get close were burnt and melted easily.
"Don't let him get away!" The lead officer called out.
But by the time the officers had all gotten outside, the flames that signified Another Cross-Z in the night sky had already shot off into the distance.
Earth – Zawame City, Late February 2019:
Zack wasn't sure what exactly was going on at the moment. He had been woken up late by Mitsuzane who had asked him to help check on the Chapel that had once been occupied by the Black Bodhi group. The warehouse that Kugai Kudo had used for his last stand had been tampered with. Right now the two had managed to make it to the abandoned chapel.
"So how exactly did you find out?" Zack asked.
"My brother," Mitsuzane explained. "He had made sure to tap both areas in case someone tried to come back and search for any available equipment."
"Smart," Zack realized. "So then with the warehouse hit first it's obvious this is the next target, right?"
"Yeah," Mistsuzane gave a nod as he readied his Sengoku Driver. "Let's go."
"Right," Zack said as he did the same.
The doors to the chapel suddenly slammed open as both Mitsuzane and Zack kicked them down. The entire place had been stripped bare thanks to the Kureshima Brothers cleanup of the stolen assets. Despite this they made their way in carefully as they tried to figure out where the perpetrator was.
[W!]
The two's heads quickly shot up as they both rolled to opposite sides, avoiding Another W who landed. Zack had ended up facing the monster rider's right side while Mitsuzane faced its left. The Another Rider had also unleashed a powerful whirlwind to force the two further back as it drew a Blank Ridewatch and slammed it against the ground.
[GAIM!]
Orange energy surrounded the device before it became the Gaim Anotherwatch. Another W could only chuckle as it tossed the Anotherwatch before catching it.
"An Another Rider of W?" Mitsuzane winced as he fully got up, readying his transformation, "Henshin!"
Zack gritted his teeth as he pushed himself up, "Henshin!"
[BUDOH ARMS! RYU! HOU! HA-HA-HA!]
[KURUMI ARMS! MR. KNUCKLE MAN!]
Another W could only stare straight ahead as the two Riders began to approach, the eyes of the two faces that made up its singular face beginning to glow.
[LUNA, METAL!]
Another W's halves both changed, its right half changing to its Luna form while its left half changed to its Metal form. Raising its arm it braced against the bullets that Mitsuzane began to unleash. It then used its right arm to stretch out, managing to get past Zack's Kurumi Bombers to grab him by the front of his helmet.
Giving a yell Another W turned and swung Zack, using its stretched out arm to swing the Rider like a wrecking ball into Mitsuzane. Both Riders gave a yell and a cough as they were rammed into each other, Another W releasing its grip on Zack as they were sent tumbling.
[CYCLONE, JOKER!]
Another W returned to its standard form before unleashing a cyclone of green tinted wind around itself. Using the wind it carried itself as fast as it could out of the chapel, heading out through the doors.
Mitsuzane managed to stand up, rushing towards the door, "Stop!"
"Yeah, wait up you freak!" Zack called out as he followed after.
The two however were suddenly bombarded by a flurry of black petals, the two being forced to take a few steps back. Through their blurred vision however they managed to see a figure in red. By the time the petals ended they rushed out only to find whatever caused the petals alongside Another W were both gone.
"Just what's going on here?" Zack asked.
"I'm going to need to make a call in the morning," Mitsuzane admitted.
The Next Day
Earth – Tokyo, Late February 2019
At the Medal Research Center that was the birth place of Another OOO, there was various construction workers trying to finish fixing up the damages to it that had happened during mid October. Kougami had been slow and meticulous at fixing and refurbishing it. This was mostly because the main goal of the facility had been met. Ankh's restoration meant he had time to focus on creating new Core Medals just like he had done prior.
Of course this meant making sure the machinery and technology were more advanced than their prior iterations. This meant that a lot of the design and infrastructure had to be reworked as a result. Needless to say, it was progressing quite smoothly.
That was until a zipper appeared in mid air inside the main lab that was still being worked on. The zipper slid down to reveal a Crack which Another Gaim soon stepped out of, its makeshift portal closing up behind it.
Several workers could only give frightened yells as Another Gaim stabbed its sword into the ground. From its sword it began to swing and send orange waves of energy all around, causing enough chaos to get the workers to flee in terror.
Another Gaim then turned and pressed another Blank Ridewatch against the ground. Red, yellow and green energy pooled into it before it became the OOO Anotherwatch. Another Gaim raised its body and turned to see Eiji and Ankh run in from the entrance to the area.
Eiji's eyes widened, "Another Rider?"
"So it looks like that info Kougami got was right," Ankh said as he gripped his right wrist, he then reached within his pocket before drawing out the familiar Medals of the TaToBa Combo. Throwing them he began to back up, "Eiji, time to beat this guy."
"On it," Eiji quickly grabbed and slotted in his familiar trio of Medals into the OOO Driver before scanning it, "Henshin!"
[TAKA, TORA, BATTA! TA-TO-BA! TATOBA, TA-TO-BA!]
Another Gaim gave a scoff as it raised its large blade, ready to strike at Eiji once he got close.
Eiji quickly took his stance before rushing forward. He ducked underneath a swing and sent a palm strike forward. His attack managed to land against against Another Gaim, he worked on performing several more strikes, ducking and blocking his way against the enlarged sword.
Another Gaim gave a light growl as it was forced into an open position, soon getting sent backwards as a result of Eiji coming in with a fast series of enhanced kicks from his grasshopper legs. The Another Rider slammed its sword into the ground, vines erupting from where the sword stabbed and lashing out at Eiji.
Eiji gave a yelp as he jumped back, releasing the claws he had and clawing at the vines when they got too close for comfort, "Oh jeez!"
"Eiji, switch Medals!" Ankh quickly drew out another set of three before tossing them at Eiji.
Eiji quickly grabbed them before jumping out of the way of several lashing vines, quickly slotting them in and scanning them.
[KUWAGATA, GORILLA, CHEETAH!]
Eiji made quick work of utilizing the combination before him, using the stag beetle head to send out streams of electricity that countered and destroyed the vines. His cheetah legs were up next, allowing him bursts of speed as he dashed from side to side before closing in.
Another Gaim drew out and braced with its sword only to stumble from the power behind the hefty gauntlets the gorilla Medal granted. The Another Rider attempted to swing to retaliate only for Eiji to move quickly on his feet and come in with heavy swings and counters.
"Take this!" Eiji yelled out as he performed an upper cut, managing to send Another Gaim's weapon flying and jabbing it directly into the roof of the building. "Seiya!" His eyes shined before he unleashed another torrent of electricity.
Another Gaim quickly crossed its arms, vines erupting from all around and creating a personal domed shield that blocked against the electricity.
"Seriously…" Eiji gave a groan, "I need to get through those plants!"
"Then go for your new combo," Ankh quickly drew out the Mukade, Hachi, and Ari Medals with his right hand, "Poison to kill those damn weeds."
"Ah, good thinking Ankh!" Eiji called out as he held out his hand.
Ankh was ready to toss them like usual before he suddenly winced, reeling back in pain. He was lucky he usually kept his right arm in its Greeed state, as a bident had struck against his hand.
The bident was comprised of two blades the size of short swords, the blades curving as the points nearly met inwards, the blades being attached to a twisted black pole. It was currently being wielded by what appeared to be a girl in red cloak, the cape portion covering her whole body while the hood covered most of her face.
Ankh quickly jumped back to avoid it again, narrowing his eyes, "Who…?"
"Not a bad assortment if I do say so myself," The cloaked girl remarked, her familiar voice causing both Ankh's eyes to widen and Eiji to stagger a bit.
"T-That voice…" Eiji trailed in surprise.
"You…" Ankh narrowed his eyes.
The red cloaked girl reached down and grabbed the three poisonous animal Core Medals before pocketing them. She began to rise before quickly spinning and slicing a fireball in two with her bident, the two halves rocketing past her and removing her hood from the force.
With the hood gone the two could see that the girl before them was none other than Ruby Rose, her facial structure and hair being exactly the same. Though something that was definitely off was her eyes, the eyes being a bright yellow instead of the silver they usually were.
Eiji tilted his head a bit, already noticing the difference in eyes due to how apparent they were, "R-Ruby?"
Ankh though hissed out as he had his hand out, being the one who sent out the fire ball. He was pissed, not only did her first attack hurt but she stole the medals right from underneath his nose. He gave a glare, "Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Something that needed you to pull out those nice new Core Medals," The yellow eyed Ruby gave a smirk before lifting up her hood. "I have a lesson to teach and I'm going to need all the help I can get."
"Wait, what?" Eiji was confused by this.
"No hard feelings," The hooded girl remarked before quickly rushing out the lab area's entrance.
"Oh hell no," Ankh called out as he quickly assumed his Greeed Form, his wings spreading out as he quickly rushed off after her.
"A-Ankh, wait a minute!" Eiji called out before realizing he was in a fight. He quickly turned to Another Gaim's shield of vines only to find them all becoming limp, the vines drying out as Another Gaim had vanished entirely. "Just what's going on?"
After making sure there was no chance of a sneak attack, Eiji had rushed out to chase after his friend but only ended up finding the Greeed had smashed through one of the glass doors.
"What the hell kind of abilities were those?" Ankh questioned as he shifted back to his human form.
"Um… do I want to ask?" Eiji asked as he carefully approached.
"She just entered the window somehow and vanished," Ankh said before gesturing to the broken glass. "Trying to follow produced this result…"
"Entered the window?" Eiji repeated before dismissing his transformation. He held a hand up to his chin, "Just what's going on?"
"Kougami knows where she lives right?" Ankh asked.
Eiji immediately gave a more hardened look as he put a hand on his friends shoulder and gripped it tightly, "We did hear she has a team now and a hotline, we'll call her and figure out what's going on. There's something way off about this situation."
Ankh simply flexed his right hand, giving a glare, "I make no promises…"
Weiss couldn't help but feel a bit bored at the moment, which was odd since she did have the apartment all to herself. Granted she was still getting used to Earth and didn't know on what to do aside from leave the television on as she worked on some coffee for herself. She had gotten dressed and in the process woke up a bit more, so a late morning coffee didn't make too much sense. But she rolled with it anyway.
Blake and Yang had yet to return and Ruby was currently at the Daitenku Temple doing some training due to recent circumstances. All Weiss could do was stare at her coffee while she let the television faintly run on the background, barely paying attention to the programming on.
"There has to be a way to get her to open up a bit more," She muttered as she kept staring at her drink.
RING RING RING
Weiss perked up when she heard the Rider Hotline starting to ring, she wasn't surprised since recently they've been getting a few more calls. Taking a quick sip and grabbing the remote she lowered the television's volume before heading over with her coffee. She then picked up the ringing phone before giving an answer.
"Team RWBY Rider Hotline, this is Weiss Schnee of Team RWBY speaking," Weiss introduced.
"How compelling, Ruby had told me that she had reunited with her team but I did not expect to hear from one of them when I called."
"Um, who is this?" Weiss asked.
"Oh sorry, I'm Philip from the Narumi Detective Agency in Futo," Philip introduced. "I have her number but I figured going through the more official channels would give a better sense of urgency."
"Oh, you're half of Kamen Rider W, right?" Weiss asked, remembering what Ruby had mentioned. She raised an eyebrow at the idea of urgency though. "Is there something wrong in Futo?"
"Sort of," Philip admitted. "My partner is currently investigating for further clues but during the case of Another W the contract holder was the owner of Lovely Corp."
"Oh right, the Psycho Fans," Weiss recalled specifically that one story.
Philip couldn't help but chuckle, "Yes, I suppose that would be the best way to put things. Well after Lovely Corp was dissolved following the case, the office was stripped bare and tapped to just see if the police could catch any accomplices that had tried to hide for a while. And the alarms did go off last night at around 10pm…"
"Uh oh," Weiss realized, "I take it someone from Lovely Corp is looking for revenge?"
"Not… exactly," Philip admitted. "From what I was told a monstrous red and blue rabbit themed Rider was the culprit, before they turned into a white and blue dragon-like monster Rider. I decided to look details up and those match to Kamen Rider Build and Cross-Z, though I don't have much information regarding them."
"That's odd and concerning," Weiss admitted. "From what Ruby told me, Another Build and Another Cross-Z were the first Another Riders they took care of."
"I see, I'll find out what other information I can get from Shotaro," Philip replied. "I figured it would be best to give you a heads up."
"Thanks for that, I'll let the others know immediately," Weiss said before hanging up. She then began to pace around before taking another sip of her coffee, "Okay, I suppose I should…"
RING RING RING
"What?" Weiss turned in a surprise to hear the hotline ringing again. She carefully picked it up, hoping that it wasn't busted and answered, "Hello?"
"Weiss, is that you?" Mitsuzane's voice came through the other end.
Weiss' eyes widened a bit, "Mitchy? I just got off the phone when you suddenly rang, what's going on?"
"Someone was breaking into Kugai's old bases last night," Mitsuzane explained. "Zack and I managed to catch them in the act. It was a monstrous version of W. I think it was an Another Rider."
"Wait, Another W?" Weiss questioned before wondering something, "Mitchy, what time was it when you confronted him?"
"About… a few minutes till Midnight, why?" Mitsuzane asked.
"Because an old location belonging to an Another Rider contract holder got broken into last night in Futo," Weiss explained, "At around 10pm too. Something tells me this is connected."
"That isn't good," Mitsuzane replied. "Be careful trying to chase after the Another Rider though, we got stopped by this red figure, it used black petals to force us back."
Weiss raised an eyebrow, "Black petals?"
"Yes," Mitsuzane answered, "I'm not sure what they're after but if they've hit us and Futo then it's likely somewhere you guys are at is the next main target."
"Right, I'll be sure to let everyone know," Weiss replied before hanging up.
RING RING RING
Before she could even gather her thoughts the hotline was ringing not even a second after it had been hung up. Weiss' eye twitched as she heard this, "What is it…" She muttered before grabbing the phone and answering, "Hello?"
"Um, hello, who is this?" Eiji's voice came through, "This is Eiji Hino, Kamen Rider OOO."
"Oh, this is Weiss Schnee of Team RWBY," Weiss answered. "Is there an issue?"
"I was um… wondering if I could speak to Ruby." Eiji requested in a nervous fashion.
Weiss noted the nervous way of speaking but said nothing, "She's not home at the moment, is it possible that I can take a message instead?"
"Ask her where she is!"
"Hold on hold on," Eiji shushed the second voice. He gave a slight nervous chuckle, "Um, you wouldn't happen to know where she is would you? I kind of need to talk to her myself."
Weiss narrowed her eyes a bit, wondering if this was a trap given the second voice but shook her head. Takeru, Geiz and Tsukuyomi would be there so Ruby would be fine.
"The Daitenku Temple," Weiss explained. "She goes there every now and then because she's training with the resident Kamen Rider there."
Eiji gave a thoughtful hum, "The Daitenku Temple? Ah that's right, Kamen Rider Ghost!"
"That would be him," Weiss confirmed.
"So that's where she is," The second voice called out as a loud noise was heard, "She's going to pay for taking those damn Medals!"
"A-Ankh wait hold on, I just want to talk to her not scare her!" Eiji's voice called out before he quickly addressed Weiss, "U-Um, thank you for your time, I'll make sure my friend doesn't do anything rash!"
Weiss gave a groan as she hung up before taking a bigger drink of her coffee, nearly chugging it as she walked through the apartment, she placed it in the sink before rushing for the door. Making sure the apartment was locked she rushed to the main stairs of the apartment complex.
Arriving on the rooftop to the apartment complex she looked around before bringing out Myrtenaster and stabbing into the ground. She began to concentrate as she brought out a Summon Glyph. Soon enough her Queen Lancer Summon formed as she jumped on. In an instant she had her aerial summon fly out in the direction of the Daitenku Temple.
At the Daitenku Temple Geiz was currently in front of the altar that was open for guests to pray and meditate at. Geiz was currently doing neither, simply sitting as he stared at the inactive Geiz Revive Ridewatch in front of him. It had yet to activate, and he wondered why it didn't. The requirements to create the Ridewatch were correct, so what was missing?
Granted he had a feeling what was missing and he hated to admit it but it was likely that Shiro-Woz, Blake or Yang were going to push him in that direction. Even then despite his original mission, his time in the present day had changed him. His meetings with Riders all last year and this year had ended up drilling into him that his usual mindset and desire to defeat Oma Zi-O might not work out.
And yet here that mindset was, staring him directly in the face as a small trinket. He wondered if the only way to truly move forward was to fight with Sougo. He wouldn't have to think on that for long however.
"Someone should really make sure they have breakfast," Ruby remarked as she called from the side as she walked over and set a tray of breakfast and tea outside the prayer area.
Geiz was broken out of his thoughts and rolled his eyes, pocketing the Ridewatch before standing up and walking over, "I don't need you to take care of me."
"You forgetting your breakfast say's otherwise," Ruby replied.
"Shouldn't you be training?" Geiz asked as he sat down to start eating.
"Finished a while ago," Ruby admitted. "You were so deep in concentration we thought you were asleep till we saw you stretch a bit. Like we were worried the loud noise was distracting but you didn't say anything."
Geiz could only give a slight stare in surprise as he finished a bite of his food, "Really?"
"Really," Ruby confirmed with a slight grin before clearing her throat. "Despite you refusing Onari decided to make you a portion of breakfast anyway. Tsuki had me bring it to you since she's doing some research."
"What kind of research?" Geiz asked as he continued to dig into his food.
"Not sure but she said there's been a lot of odd activity recently," Ruby admitted. "She's looking into what it might be."
"Time Jackers are the most likely cause," Geiz gave a nod. "Unless they pull out weird picks like Another Ryuga, then it has to be a Rider they haven't picked yet."
"I mean true, but…" Ruby trailed, not sure if she should really mention the fact that Kuroto had somehow escaped custody of CR. But given how Geiz was looking she decided to skip that detail for now, "Who knows, it could just be a random rider related issue."
"Where is she?!"
Both Geiz and Ruby perked up when they heard a distant voice before a loud crash could be heard in the direction of the front courtyard. The two looked at each other before quickly rushing to see what was going on.
Ankh had currently landed directly in the courtyard while keeping his Greeed form. He was ready to move forward when he was currently blocked by three of the residents, two monks in training, Shibuya and Narita along with the co-head of the Temple, Jabel.
"Is… is he a Ganma?" Shibuya questioned.
"Nah the eye buckle isn't there," Narita pointed out.
"Intruder, state your business!" Jabel called out as he brought out a wooden pole, twirling it around before pointing it forward.
"Bring me Ruby Rose this instant," Ankh demanded before spreading his wings out to make a point, "Or else…"
"We will not be intimidated by threats monster!" Jabel called out as he rushed forward and stabbed with his pole. To his surprise the Greeed had grabbed it and reeled it in before snapping it in half. The former head priest could only yell out as he was smacked onto the ground.
Shibuya and Narita both gave yelps as they hurried over to assist their fallen comrade.
"T-That's it!" Jabel gritted his teeth as he stood up fully, "GUNDARI!"
…
…
Silence, despite the loud declaration, nothing had even happened after the supposed command was shouted.
"Uh Jabel…" Shibuya trailed.
"You can't do that anymore remember?" Narita reminded.
Ankh could only scoff before walking forward, stopping and giving a sigh, "More idiots?"
It was Takeru this time who had stepped out, "You… aren't you with Eiji?"
"What if I am?" Ankh asked.
"What are you doing here? Why are you attacking the temple?" Takeru asked as he got in a defensive stance.
"I'm here for Ruby Rose," Ankh said as he gestured towards himself, "Bring her to me."
"Why do you want Ruby?" Takeru asked.
"Just give her to me this instant," Ankh answered.
"I won't get her until you tell me why you want her," Takeru answered stubbornly.
"Takeru… what's going on?" Ruby asked as she made her way to the front with Geiz.
"Isn't that the Greeed that's friends with Eiji?" Geiz asked.
"Huh," Ruby soon noticed Ankh in his Greeed form, "Ankh, why are you here?"
"You know exactly why I'm here," Ankh hissed out as he turned towards Ruby, "Now give me back the Mukachiri combo you stole from me this morning."
"Wait…" Ruby trailed before tilting her head in confusion, "What?"
"Don't you dare play dumb about this," Ankh nearly yelled out. "Were those stupid Watches not good enough for you?"
"Hey bird brain, she has no idea what you're talking about so back off," Geiz called out as he got ready for a fight.
"Ankh seriously I have no idea what you're talking about," Ruby called out as she stepped forward, "Just calm down and let's talk this out."
Ankh gave a growl before moving to rush forward only to suddenly feel his body getting pushed against. He gave a gasp as he was suddenly pulled before getting stuck to a gravity Glyph.
Soon enough Weiss descended on her Queen Lancer, the huntress dismissing her summon and landing between her partner and Ankh.
"Now then," Weiss kept Myrtenaster pointed upward while also keeping up the Glyph, "I don't take threats against my partner so lightly."
"I feel like I'm out of the loop here," Ruby admitted.
"You and us both," Geiz answered as he glanced at Takeru, the two sharing a nod.
"Bad Ankh, bad Ankh!" Eiji called out as he finally ran over, coming from the entrance. He began to pant as he tried to catch his breath. He gave a sigh as he looked up, "Go back to normal now, we are not fighting."
Ankh turned towards Eiji, "But!"
"But nothing," Eiji called firmly as he crossed his arms, he glanced over at Ruby, noticing while she held a confused look, her eyes were the calming silver coloration she normally had. "There's more to this than we know."
Ankh gave a growl before dismissing his Greeed transformation, his body relaxing as he stopped resisting. "Fine… but I want my-"
"You're usual payment," Eiji put a hand up as if he knew what Ankh was going to say, "I'll double it this time too."
"You drive a hard bargain," Ankh scoffed. "Now get me off of this damn thing."
Eiji looked towards Weiss and gave her a slow nod, to which Weiss responded back with her own before releasing the Gravity Glyph.
"So…"
"So?"
Yang was currently lying on the bed of the hotel they were currently staying at. Yang had somehow managed to haggle a good deal for a nice extended stay. Blake meanwhile was sitting on one of the chairs near a desk, checking for news updates on her phone.
"It's been awfully quiet since Another Kikai," Yang mentioned.
"True," Blake agreed. "And even though Geiz did get the Geiz Revive Watch, nothing seems to have happened yet."
"You think Shiro-Woz knows why it's a Blank Ridewatch?" Yang asked.
"I could care less about what he thinks," Blake admitted. "It's just a waiting game, given what we've heard about Blanks, it's likely there's a trigger for it."
"I still wonder what that could be." Yang admitted before growing a bit silent, "I just… I want this to be over with. I want to make sure she's safe."
"I know what you mean," Blake gave a nod. "Geiz Revive is basically our ticket to stopping Oma Zi-O…"
"I just… I just wish Ruby would see how dangerous Sougo really is," Yang gave a bit of a frustrated sigh.
"Have you tried talking to her?" Blake asked.
"I doubt she wants to see either of us right now, especially given we walked out," Yang added as she rolled onto her side. "Not to mention we still haven't really gotten over that fight…"
Blake stayed silent as she listened to her partner talk, finding a few interesting reports as she began to look into them. "Hmm…"
"I just… could you give me your honest opinion?" Yang asked. "No trying to be nice, I promise I won't be mad. I just need to hear it… do you think Ruby's right? That I'm basically a hypocrite for what I did?"
Blake bit her lip, of course Yang would make this difficult, and while she'd love to lie she knew that her partner would be able to tell. Taking a deep breath she spoke up, "As I said, I'm fine with your reasons as to why you kept it a secret… but."
Yang began to sit up to look at Blake, "But?"
"But… she is right," Blake saidas she continued to search a bit before glancing over towards Yang. "If only because you were one of the ones to push the hardest against Ozpin. I get why you didn't tell me… given well, everything we were going through so I don't feel that hurt by it. But I'm surprised you didn't tell Weiss or at the very least Ruby since that is a family issue in regards to Raven."
Yang gave a heavy sigh as she sat up before standing and stretching, "Yeah… I guess you're right."
"Sorry if that was a bit harsh," Blake apologized.
"No, no," Yang shook her head before moving her prosthetic's wrist joint around, "Honestly I really needed to hear it from you. I guess I just need to reevaluate everything and realize things aren't as black and white as they might seem."
"Maybe next time you see Ruby you can let her know that," Blake suggested, "Though it's going to be tough given how we've currently set ourselves apart from everyone else, even Geiz."
"You'd think he'd understand," Yang sighed.
"Honestly…" Blake started as she stared at her phone, reading through her searches, "I'm starting to wonder if this whole Oma Zi-O situation is as black and white as we assumed and he knows that…"
"You're not having doubts, are you?" Yang asked.
"I'm still afraid of Oma Zi-O and what kind of threat that might pose for not only Earth but Remnant," Blake answered, "But I'm wondering if we're missing something…"
"You really think we are?" Yang asked.
"Something just feels off," Blake admitted, "But for now we can only hope that things will turn out well."
"Right…" Yang gave a nod before looking over, "So what have you been looking at?"
"I was actually going to say," Blake said as she held her phone out, "I just started finding out about an odd case in town alongside Futo and Zawame."
"Wait," Yang went over to look at the article on the phone, "Seriously?"
Ruby and everyone else had moved to the dining room of the Daitenku Temple, Onari and Takeru working on helping Jabel recover from his assault while Shibuya and Narita kept watch outside. Everyone was currently exchanging information, what Eiji and Ankh had gotten from Kougami alongside the information Weiss received from Philip and Mitsuzane. It was all added onto by Tsukuyomi who had finished up her research just in time.
Ankh meanwhile had begrudgingly sat down as he watched Ruby take everything she had out before placing it on the table. This allowed her to confirm that she didn't have the Core Medals.
"I knew something weird was going on but I didn't think it was to this level," Tsukuyomi admitted. "A basketball court, fitness gym, and construction site were all shown to have monsters lurking around. Add in Lovely Corp and Kugai Kudo's chapel he used alongside the place where King OOO was brought back…"
"Someone's targeting the birthplaces of prior Another Riders," Geiz deduced as he crossed his arms.
"Not only that but the fact that they're Another Riders you all have beaten before," Weiss pointed out. "Another Build, Another Cross-Z, Another W, Another Gaim…"
"Not to mention the likely ones of Another Ghost and Another OOO," Ruby pointed out.
"So we're dealing with multiple of them," Geiz remarked. "That isn't good."
"Actually, when I said Philip mentioned two Another Riders, I meant that he said that Another Build had transformed into Another Cross-Z," Weiss added, "At least from what the police mentioned."
"That's even worse," Tsukuyomi frowned. "An Another Rider who can shift into others?"
"Don't forget the supposed copycat," Ankh scoffed.
"That too," Geiz replied before looking at Ruby, "Any idea who it could be?"
"Honestly I can't think of anyone aside from maybe two people from Remnant but I'd rather not think about the idea that people there are traveling over here," Ruby admitted.
"The hard part is tracking them down," Weiss replied. "We have no idea where they'll likely strike next."
"What Another Riders are left?" Eiji asked. "Maybe you can track them down that way."
"They've hit some of the far ones…" Ruby trailed before counting on her fingers, "The Another Riders for Ex-Aid, Faiz, Ryuki, Kuuga and Wizard are left."
"Let's cut them down a bit for now," Geiz replied. "Another Kuuga was born in an excavation site, Another Wizard was an abandoned lab, and Another Faiz was in a defunct Smart Brain facility. All places they could easily get to without us knowing."
"That leaves Another Ryuki which was a hospital and Another Ex-Aid which is Genm Corp," Ruby listed.
"Then we have our plan, we'll split up," Geiz replied. "I'll take the hospital while you take Genm Corp."
"If you dig too deep on this you might run into Shiro-Woz, Blake or Yang," Tsukuyomi warned. "I know you've been deep in thought on this and…"
"I'll be fine," Geiz reassured. "Ruby, try and get Zi-O in on this too, he has the main Armor Times on him."
"Right," Ruby said as she stood up and went to make a call.
"We'll get to the bottom of this and return your Medals," Weiss stood up and gave a bow to Eiji and Ankh.
"We're counting on you," Eiji gave a smile.
"Like hell we are," Ankh spat out, "I'm going with-"
Eiji continued to give a smile as he grabbed the back of Ankh's head and forced him to bow, "Like I said, we're counting on you."
Weiss couldn't help but give a smirk at this before following after her partner.
It was a quiet morning at 9-5-DO, with both Geiz and Tsukuyomi gone, it was about as quiet as it was before Ruby had shown up. It was just Sougo and Junichiro Tokiwa, Nephew and Uncle, sitting quietly at the table.
"It's kinda quiet in here, isn't it…" Junichiro remarked, he was a bit sad that Ruby seemed to be coming less and less, and with classes essentially done, that meant Weiss could take a break for a bit too.
Sougo looked up and gave a polite nod as he had to agree on the sentiment.
"Please excuse me," Woz called as he entered the dining room.
"Kuro-Woz? Good morning…" Sougo greeted in slight surprise, not the person he expected to come by first but it was still welcome nonetheless.
"Pardon the intrusion," Woz apologized.
Junichiro however was extremely excited about Woz suddenly barging in, standing up and gesturing to sit down, "A friend of his, a friend indeed! Welcome, welcome! You'll eat with us, right? I'll be back in a flash!"
Sougo couldn't help but smile a bit at his uncle's enthusiasm, but he turned towards Woz, "What's wrong?"
"Geiz and Tsukuyomi's departure may be more trouble than we anticipated," Woz admitted as he sat down. "The burden is now upon me to keep you appraised."
"So what's the scoop?" Sougo asked.
"Well…" Woz started before stopping.
Soon enough the Faizphone X began to ring on Sougo's end, the future king quickly answering it.
"Hello?" He asked.
"Hey Sougo it's me Ruby, we've got a bit of an issue…" Ruby answered.
"What kind of issue?" Sougo asked.
Woz couldn't help but give a soft chuckle, "Leave it to Miss Rose to still be a useful asset."
The Genm Corp presidential office was relatively the same as it was back in 2016, at least in terms of architecture. In terms of design it was a vastly different room than when Kuroto was in it. The most evident being there was several banners of the new president's iconic games were draped down on the windows. Those posters were of the 'JuJu Burger' and 'Buddhist! Priest! Of! Temple!' games respectively.
Not to mention the fact that all over the office were various plush or plastic toys of burgers, a few Mighty plush toys and even a plush toy of the mascot of JuJu Burger, Burgermon. The current head of Genm Corp was Tsukuru Koboshi, former game developer who managed to work his way up to CEO after the Kamen Rider Chronicle incident.
He was currently at his desk looking over various dealings with the company so far, giving a small hum as he continued his work. At least that was until suddenly several black parkas with thin orange eyes phased through the window behind him, passing him and causing him to yell a bit.
[GHOST!]
The parkas soon spun together to form Another Ghost, the monster rider giving a chuckle as it turned to face Tsukuru.
Tsukuru began to wheel his chair back, soon hitting the glass window that was the edge of his office, "Z-Z-Zombie?!"
Another Ghost could only give a scoff before taking out a Blank Ridewatch and pressing it on the ground near the presidential desk. Pink energy poured into it before it formed into the Ex-Aid Anotherwatch. The Another Rider pocketed the Anotherwatch before taking out another and activating it.
[BUILD!]
With that announcement the Another Rider had shifted forms from Ghost back to Build. The rabbit and tank themed Another Rider soon began to walk towards the elevator, clearly wanting to make a spectacle of its intrusion.
Tsukuru could only stammer a bit as he quickly wheeled over and pressed a button on the phone on his desk, "I-I need all security on the lower floors this instant, there's a monster in the building!"
"Huh, we're the first one's here."
After finishing up breakfast in a hurry and getting dressed, Sougo had gone with Woz to arrive at Genm Corp. Surprisingly the two had managed to make it first thanks to Woz's ability to quickly travel, with time of the essence the retainer had wanted to spare any issues that bike travel might have.
"Regardless, it is good that we've found a pattern," Woz admitted.
"Yeah, this was where the Bugster Emu and Another Ex-Aid were born," Sougo gave a nod as he began to head for the doors.
"Correct," Woz answered. "Just like how the other sightings were at places Another Riders were born in."
"So why is the Another Rider going to all these old places?" Sougo asked.
"And then there's this mysterious helper…" Woz trailed. "I have a most ominous feeling about this…"
"Let's go see if we can check inside and keep an eye on things," Sougo began to hurry to the doors before stopping.
It wasn't long before gunshots were heard inside as employees and those visiting were rushing out of the doors like a stampede. Woz held Sougo close as he pushed his way through the crowd, the two managing to find various security officers fighting against Another Build.
They had all tried firing, sparks flying off the Another Rider though it seemed entirely undamaged by the attacks that had struck it. It quickly hopped forward, spinning out and launching out a series of energy tank treads, the treads snaking out and smacking all the security guards away.
"Another Build… so the tips were true," Sougo said as he readied his Ziku Driver. "But how is it back?"
Another Build immediately turned its attention to Woz and Sougo, quickly using its rabbit's agility to launch towards the two. It managed to force them to split, grabbing onto Sougo to try and keep him from transforming.
Sougo however had managed to load in both his Zi-O and Build Ridewatches before rotating his Driver, "Henshin!"
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER ZI-O!]
Sougo was lucky that the katakana that spelled out Rider for his visor shot out every single time, it being enough to force the Another Rider off of him. He allowed the Another Rider to charge forward, the Build Armor forming between it and him.
Another Build swiped at the armor, but ended up breaking it apart to initiate the Armor Time, the armor splitting causing it to be forced backwards.
[ARMOR TIME! BEST MATCH! BUILD!]
Sougo rushed forward and lunged with the handheld drill he had, it spinning rapidly as it closed in on the Another Rider. It was a miss however as Sougo's opponent was fairly adept compared to the prior Another Build's, it dodging out of the way.
Another Build managed to avoid a few swipes before kicking at Sougo to force him back. It wasn't expecting a drill to the chest in retaliation. It closed in to try and grab it only to get kicked back, it was ready to back up before it was struck in the chest again, it's body sparking as it rolled against the floor of the front lobby.
[FINISH TIME! BUILD!]
"I'll end this now!" Sougo called out as he jumped into the air, a straight energy chart forming as he slid down on it.
Another Build just barely managed to stand, wobbly finding its footing as it braced with both arms.
[VORTEX TIME BREAK!]
Sougo charged up energy in his weapon before drilling forward, striking and breaking past Another Build's defense. He struck the Another Rider directly in the chest, releasing the energy and jumping back.
Another Build gave a groan as it rolled backwards before suddenly exploding. It seemed as though using Build Armor on it had done the trick.
"That should do it," Sougo slid his finger across his antenna.
[EX-AID!]
That was until it emerged from the smoke as Another Ex-Aid.
Sougo straightened up, "No… it didn't?!"
Another Ex-Aid let out an audible chuckle as it leapt forward, using its great leaping abilities to grapple onto Sougo. It managed to hold on tight as it threw both it and the Rider to the ground. It then kicked Sougo as it flipped back onto its feet.
Sougo barely had a chance to get up, using his drill to block a stomp before rolling and getting to a knee. He readied himself as the Another Rider rushed to stomp at him, he blocked with his left arm before slamming his drill into the Another Riders gut.
The Another Rider gasped out as it staggered back, soon seeing Sougo approach with another drill attack. It was a swipe instead of a lunge this time, catching it off guard as it was thrown backwards. Despite this Another Ex-Aid's video game-like athleticism kicked in. It kicked off a wall before flipping and performing a dropkick against Sougo.
Sougo gave a yell as his suit sparked heavily, skidding backwards as he tumbled onto his back.
Another Ex-Aid was ready to move forward, leaping at Sougo before Woz could get the chance to assist.
[PARA-DX!]
Suddenly a blur was thrown forward, it slamming into Another Ex-Aid and sending it flying back. The Another Rider gave a groan as it slammed onto its back as a result.
[WEAPON TIME! GASHACON PARABRAGUN!]
The weapon was in fact Parad's Gashacon Parabragun, it bouncing back as Ruby stepped into view, already transformed into Roze. She quickly grabbed the weapon as it came back, readying it as she stood her ground.
"Miss Rose," Woz said in surprise, he was ready to retreat but if there was anyone who could flip the odds then it was Ruby.
"Sougo are you alright?" Weiss quickly hurried over to help the future king up.
"Y-Yeah… he just caught me off guard," Sougo said as he was lifted up.
"Decade Armor Ex-Aid, we'll beat him with super co-op!" Ruby called out as she switched her weapon to its gun mode before tapping the secondary button three times.
[ONE! TWO! THREE! THREE RENSA!]
Ruby took aim and fired off three curving bullets towards Another Ex-Aid, the recovering monster rider getting pounded and forced back by the enhanced shots. The huntress rider then switched her weapon back to its axe mode before charging in.
"Alright, let's do this," Sougo charged forward while switching his Ridewatches.
[ARMOR TIME! KAMEN RIDE! WOW DE~CADE!]
In a flash of grey holograms Sougo entered into his Decade Armor as he ran forward. He drew out the Ex-Aid Ridewatch, raising it to slot it in when his arm was suddenly grabbed, "Eh?"
"Muchiri… Muchiri…"
Ruby turned in surprise while both Weiss and Woz stared in shock at the sight before them. Ruby, Sougo and Woz immediately recognized the being before them as a Greeed. It had a black body with some leather components, but it was also predominantly yellow, a mixture of centipede, ant, and bee parts all over its body as it held a gold buckle with a gold orb.
"This is… a Greeed?" Sougo asked before he gasped out, a hexagonal shield forming from the hand the creature was grabbing with. It in turn formed a barrier that blasted Sougo backwards as a result.
"Muchiri… Muchiri…" The insectoid Greeed repeated as it began to move towards Sougo.
"Wait… centipede… ant… and bee?" Ruby questioned as she took a step forward. "But that's impossible… a Greeed shouldn't exist from those Core Medals. There was only one set made and they were made out of pure desire!"
"Desire is easily corruptible…" A familiar voice rung through the area as a familiar ringing noise also echoed. "How do you like the new creation of life? The Greeed named Muchiri?"
Ruby and Weiss froze when they heard the voice, the voice sounding exactly like Ruby herself. Or rather the two of them recognized the voice as being that of Mirror Ruby's. Sougo and Woz both stared in confusion the two having not met with Ruby's Mirror self.
Out of a nearby window the hooded Mirror Ruby walked out, her arm sticking out as she rested her bident on her shoulder. She tossed her hood back to reveal her glowing yellow eyes, as she gave a smirk. Throwing back her cloak she revealed that she was wearing the outfit Ruby wore while in Mistral.
"Long time no see… real deal," Mirror Ruby remarked.
"You… but Another Ryuga was… you shouldn't be here anymore!" Ruby called out as she aimed her axe at her mirror counterpart.
"If you had accepted your faults you wouldn't be seeing me right now," Mirror Ruby answered. "It's as you said, I'm not you. So as a result I was cut from your existence and allowed to exist on my own. And in that case, I shouldn't be called Ruby Rose…"
"Wait, what?" Ruby questioned.
"My new name is Kagami… Kagami Rose," Kagami answered with a smirk as she twirled her bident around before aiming it at Ruby. "And I'm here to make your life a living hell."
"Okay but how did you make a Greeed?" Sougo questioned.
"Well let's just say my powers allow it," Kagami admitted. "But I needed a big base first…"
[OOO!]
Another Ex-Aid soon transformed into Another OOO, giving a chuckle as it brandished its claws.
"And this guy here has a real big desire," Kagami answered, "Enough to pump out plenty of Cell Medals to form a body."
"My Overlord…" Woz trailed.
"Ruby…" Weiss drew out Myrtenaster, readying herself.
"Sougo, everything's coming up OOO, so let's keep to the beat," Ruby said as she readied the weapon time for the Tajador Combo Ridewatch.
"Right," Sougo drew out the OOO Ridewatch.
[FINAL FORM TIME! O-O-O-OOO!]
[TAJADOR COMBO! WEAPON TIME! TAJA SPINNER!]
Sougo quickly went into his Final Form Time for OOO which was the Tajador Combo, drawing out the Heisaber and readying himself. "Seiya!" He called out as he rushed for Muchiri.
Ruby meanwhile held out her left arm as the Taja Spinner formed on it, she quickly took aim and fired at Another OOO.
"Muchiri fight!" The Greeed yelled out as it hunched over and rushed for Sougo. It suddenly tumbled forward before rolling, its roll picking up speed as it began to curl into a ball, becoming a spinning wheel that dashed for Sougo.
Sougo gave a yelp as he quickly kicked up managing to flip just barely over the Greeed. He turned only to see that Muchiri had turned in its wheel form, launching up and slamming straight down at him. Sougo could only brace with his Heisaber as he winced, skidding backwards as a result. Taking the dial of the Heisaber he began to turn it before getting to what he needed.
[HEY! WIZARD!]
"Muchiri, Muchiri!" The Greeed chanted as the centipede that acted as a hairpiece began to glow. It soon threw it forward before unleashing dozens upon dozens of yellow energy needles towards Sougo.
[WIZARD! DUAL TIME BREAK!]
Sougo braced with his Heisaber, bringing out a large red magic circle that acted as a barrier against the onslaught of needles. When he released the shield he gave a light gasp.
Muchiri had closed the distance fairly fast, swinging forward with the stinger on its right arm, managing to strike Sougo a few times before forcing him back with a yell.
"Sougo!" Ruby called out before quickly bracing with the Taja Spinner, blocking a kick from Another OOO with it. She gave a wince as she staggered back before aiming and sending fireballs at the Another Rider.
Another OOO simply scoffed, its claws glowing bright as it began to smack and bat away the various fireballs that were being launched out.
[EX-AID!]
Leaping into the air Another OOO shifted back into Another Ex-Aid, forming several brown blocks all around it and Ruby. It landed on a block in mid-air before jumping to another when Ruby shot a fireball at the block to destroy it.
"You want to play, then fine," Ruby drew out Brave's Ridewatch, "Weapon T-"
"Not so fast!" Kagami suddenly sped near Ruby, a burst of black petals being unleashed from her as she landed to cover her movements slightly. She twirled her bident before slamming it down on her real counterpart.
Ruby's eyes widened as she raised her left arm to brace against the bident, managing to stop it by the pole to keep the blades from coming down fully.
"You won't win by fighting alone," Kagami remarked as she tried to keep pushing down.
"Shut it…" Ruby winced as she kept her arm raised with all her might.
"Still not willing to admit your faults huh?" Kagami questioned before glancing to the side, giving a click of her tongue as she quickly leapt backwards.
Weiss' Boarbatusk summon spun through, managing to succeed in its goal to force Kagami back. It then rolled into a ball and span around rapidly before launching itself past Ruby. It quickly struck at Another Ex-Aid who had tried to strike Ruby from behind.
Another Ex-Aid was forced back, skidding across the ground before slamming its foot down. It leapt into the air and grabbed onto the back of a block, kicking it down and slamming it against the Boarbatusk to send it tumbling.
Weiss gave a wince as she quickly recalled her summon, bringing out a gravity glyph to draw Another Ex-Aid towards it and keep it in place mid-air.
"We need a way to turn things around!" Weiss called out.
"I hate to admit it but we're really getting back up against a corner!" Ruby admitted as she quickly used Petal Burst to speed away from a lunging strike that her mirror counterpart had attempted.
"Our best option is to retreat!" Woz called out as he began to make his way forward. He drew out his book before launching out a multitude of pages from it.
Sougo gave a gasp as he was struck by Muchiri's stinger, sparks flying as the Greeed had managed to break through his defense with its attack.
The Greeed was ready to move further when the pages began homing in and latching onto Muchiri to slow and hamper its movements. Several pages managed to get onto its face, "Muchiri!" It gasped as it stumbled backwards.
Not giving anyone the option to disagree Woz quickly unfurled his scarf, it extending and spiraling around Sougo before warping him away, quickly moving over to Ruby to warp her away before moving back to Weiss and himself, the duo vanishing as the scarf retracted from view.
Another Ex-Aid gave a groan as it landed, with Weiss no longer in range the glyph had vanished. Dark wisps began to cover it before it dismissed its transformation.
In its place was an unfamiliar person, it being a young man around Sougo's age who was currently wearing a fairly casual wear, jeans, a grey shirt and a red sports jacket with grey sleeves. "See ya around, Sougo Tokiwa…" He trailed, already knowing Sougo's full name despite only just fighting him.
With Woz's presence gone the papers all became limp as they fell off Muchiri, the newly born creature looking around in confusion, "Gone…?"
"Well that went better than I imagined," Kagami admitted as she dismissed her weapon before walking over to Muchiri and giving a smile, "You did good out there." She said as she placed a hand on its head and rubbed it back and forth.
"Muchiri…" Muchiri gave an almost purr-like sound as its body relaxed when Kagami petted its head.
"I still don't get why you wanted my power to create that thing," The young man remarked.
"A Queen needs her subjects," Kagami said as she placed a hand on the Greeed's shoulder before giving a bit of a laugh, "But seriously… he's here to make sure we can keep proceeding with our plans. Had it just been you or even the two of us we would have been in trouble."
"Whatever…" The young man remarked, putting his hands in his jacket as he started to walk off.
"Come on Muchiri," Kagami gestured to follow as she walked after the young man.
As the young man, mirror image and Greeed walked away black petals began to erupt from behind Kagami's cloak, the petals covering up the trio as they faded from sight before they even reached the doors.
Sougo gave a wince as he began to open his eyes to an odd locale. He was on a rocky beach that held a heavy blue tint over it. It was so dark that one would be fooled into thinking that it was night time but it clearly wasn't the case. Regardless the stars could be seen in the sky as one shined brighter than the rest.
There was a very peaceful feeling to the current location, Sougo looking up in awe, "What a beautiful star…" He trailed before taking notice of what was below him. He was on a ledge that overlooked a shallow shore with several rocks sticking out as two familiar faces were below.
The two figures were none other than Geiz in his base form alongside himself as Zi-O II. He could only watch as the two Riders circled each other before charging forward.
To Be Continued…
Next Time:
"Just what are Swartz and Finis up to?"
"What's the purpose of collecting these Another Rider powers?"
"Did you two create that Another Zi-O?!"
"You and I are fated to cross paths over and over."
"There's an Another Roze?!"
Chapter 47: Rozes of Another Zi-O 2019
Author's Note: There were a few questions I wanted to address. The goal for the current Arc is basically to get both Oscar and The Lamp back, so once both are obtained, chances are they'll head back to Remnant soon after that. And second, I'm surprised no one really asked or maybe I didn't see but someone finally asked about what Roze's transformation callout sounds like. I'd say it's very close to Geiz's in how it's said.
But here we have it, the start of one of the arc's in the show I really wanted to write. I should mention as a result of just everything I've added and had to change in certain areas, Another Zi-O and now Another Roze will be taking up six chapters in total instead of the usual four episode run it was in the show. So strap in folks, it's going to be a kind of long ride this time. This arc in particular was also one of the reasons why I decided to push for a weekly release as well.
That being said, for this chapter I really enjoyed writing up the opening scenes with the various Riders figuring out something is up and going to Ruby in varying degrees. Also yes, I am bringing in Muchiri from Memory of Heroez because of course. I needed like a good third guy to hang around Hiryu and Kagami just to make things a bit more dangerous and he fit the bill well. With all that said, thanks for reading and I'll see you next time.