Chapter 2

A Game Where It's Killed or Be Killed

Nothing like a dull day at school on a Monday to bore any teenager to death. More so if this was the first class in the morning and the clock seemed to go extremely slow, as if time was slower than usual.

"Adachi! You are spacing out again?!" The math teacher loudly slammed his hand against the whiteboard, prompting the students who were quiet until then to yelp in shock. One student was not alarmed. In fact, he had expected that reaction the moment he stopped paying attention to class and opted to stare outside."Hajime Adachi! I'm talking to you!"

"I was paying attention." Hajime answered, resting his chin on his palm, his gaze going back to the teacher." But all this stuff about solving for x is making me wonder "y"."

A chorus of giggles was heard around the classroom, causing the teacher to fume in anger."Adachi, one more word out of you, and I swear I'll throw you out of this class before the first period ends! Focus! This will be on the test!"

"Yes, sensei." Hajime leaned back on his chair, folding his arms as he stared at the board, but his mind was elsewhere.'Man, this is so boring. Why is everything so dull and mundane? Repetitive too. I could be doing a million other things right about now.'

Upon further reflection, he concluded that in fact, he had nothing else to do. He pulled out his phone and checked social media, finding nothing worth noting. Then he unconsciously reached for the breast pocket of his uniform, pulling out a strange box. It was black with the head of a dragon embedded in the front.'Ever since then, nothing else has happened. I just found his thing by mere chance and thought that life would get a little more exciting but...nothing. I mean, it sounded like the plot for a super cool adventure, kind of like an anime. But this thing does absolutely nothing.'

In fact, the box only seemed to contain strange cards inside. Hajime thought these were part of some card game he didn't know about, but he found no information regarding them. As far as he knew, someone probably dropped it and he just happened to find it one night.

"Though now that I think about it, that night was pretty crazy from what I heard." He mumbled to himself.'Right. That Noise attack. It happened across town, but it caused quite a commotion. A lot of people died too. And that dream that night..."

"Fight for your desires. Fight for your dreams. Fight the other Kamen Riders and grow strong enough to face me. Only then will you make your dreams a reality."

He vividly remembered the golden figure in his dream speaking to him before he woke up in a cold sweat. Oddly enough, he was grasping this weird deck he had found, even though he never had it before."Kamen Rider...what is that?"

Just then, the bell rang, prompting the teacher to stop his lecture as students walked out of the classroom for lunch. Hajime grabbed his bag and tossed it over his shoulder, exiting the classroom lazily. His school uniform consisted of black pants, white shoes, and a black jacket that he preferred to have opened up with a red shirt underneath. While this was against uniform rules, all they would ever tell him was to cover it up and that was it.

After a while, he finally reached one of the empty rooms located in the furthest wing of the school. Not many students went there since it was still being remodeled, but one of the rooms was still open for use. Once he opened the door, he was met with a few of his classmates inside. The tables were close to each other with stacks of papers, a radio, and a metal box in the middle.

"Okay, Furota-san, he's your cut for this game. Nice going, by the way. You really dropped the ball like we asked you to."

The football team captain growled under his breath, snatching the yen out of the boy's hand before walking out."Whatever. The money is good anyway and I don't care about the school going for the nationals."

Hajime stepped aside, allowing him to leave the room before closing the door behind him."I take it things went well, Kuroiwa?"

Kuroiwa, a thin young man with light blue hair combed to the side grinned at him, flashing a handful of cash."Yup. Here's our cut, boss. Who would have thought the football team captain would throw away their match for a few bucks? Hilarious!"

"Guess we're not the only ones with financial problems." Hajime scoffed, letting his body fall on one of the chairs and planting his legs on the table."This gambling business was a good idea after all. Guess luck is finally smiling upon us."

"No kidding. Anyway, Adachi, I went ahead and got started on the next game scheduled for two weeks from now. Apparently one of those fancy schools is going to play against some school for preppies, Shoju Academy."

"Yeah, I heard of that school. The elite students go there and stuff." Hajime grabbed a nearby school newspaper and scanned over it."And the other school?"

"Some low-class public school. Rich against the poor type of deal" Kuroiwa snickered at the irony of it all."A bunch of guys want to place their bets already but I told them we closed for business until after school."

"That's fine."

"So, what are you going to do with your money?"

"I was planning on buying something for my sister." Hajime replied, saving the money in his pocket."I don't know. She's not into dolls no more. She's into that idol shit going on."

"Idols, eh? I can respect that. Your little sis is a lady of culture." Kuroiwa sat on the table in front of Hajime."At least you're nice enough to spend it on someone else. I, on the other hand, am going to go to the arcade today and stay there the whole day. Maybe even buy more cigarettes. I'm all out. Want to come with me?"

"To the arcade, sure. I'm not smoking anything though."

"Your loss. Say, we got a test tomorrow, right? Geography?"

"I think so, yeah." Hajime idly replied, browsing through his phone."Kagami-sensei said this is supposed to be the big test we'd been preparing for all semester. Can't afford to fail. On second thought, I can't go to the arcade with you."

"What?" Kuroiwa rose a brow, flabergasted."Don't tell me you gonna study!"

"Huh? No shit." Hajime gave him an incredulous look."I mean, I don't wanna make my grandma sad by failing, you know? You should do the same for your aunt."

"Meh, I don't need school." Kuroiwa placed his hands behind his head."I'll just get the family business when I grow up."

"You mean that ramen shop? I thought you didn't like ramen."

"I don't, but you gotta do what you gotta do to get by, right? Kind of like how we're doing right now. Taking bets and taking bribes so we can cash in. Not a bad business, really."

Before Hajime could say his piece, a knock on the door startled them. Kuroiwa narrowed his eyes, signaling Hajime to be quiet as he carefully went for the door. When he grabbed the handle, the door was pulled open, nearly causing him to lose his footing.

"So, this is where that famous gambling racket was." The purple-haired young man noted, catching Kuroiwa and helping him steady himself.

Hajime couldn't believe who had just busted them."Shit...isn't he..."

"Yosuke Yagami. The student council president and our senior." Kuroiwa bit his lower lip."How did he find us?"

"Turns out that the football team captain is willing to talk when his scholarship opportunity is involved." Yosuke entered the room, forcing the younger boys against the wall."Now, you're coming with me to the principal's office. Hajime Adachi. Juzo Kuroiwa."

Hajime felt a cold sweat dripping down his forehead, his legs trembling.'Most likely they'll take the money away from me and get me suspended...but I won't be able to buy Setsuna her gift...I can't go down like this..."

Kuroiwa immediately rushed towards the president, engulfing him in a bear hug."Run, Adachi!"

"Kuroiwa!"

"Just go! You have a sister to look after, right?! You got more to lose than me, so go!"

"Actually, both of you are coming with me one way or another," Yosuke stated, his expression remaining blank.

"I don't think so!" Kuroiwa released him, throwing a right uppercut that Yosuke easily evaded, delivering his own punch to his chin, knocking him down against the table.

"I do think so." Yosuke sighed, realizing that Hajime had bolted out of the classroom when he was distracted. He pulled out his phone and sent a text before rushing after the raven-haired teen.

"Shit shit shit!" Hajime ran through the empty halls of the remodeling wing, heading for the regular school building. He looked over his shoulder, only for his worse fear to become a reality. Yosuke was catching up to him. Fast."How is he so fast?! I had a headstart!"

"Stop right there, Adachi!" Yosuke hollered after him. The students cruising through the hallways served as a great cover for Hajime. He submerged himself in the sea of people, bending his legs slightly to avoid being easily spotted. Once he escaped from traffic, he ran up the stairs leading to the second floor, Yosuke hot on his tail. He grabbed a nearby trash can, tossing it in Yosuke's direction.

The Kamen Rider kicked the trash can back, taking Hajime by surprise and hitting him with it. The hazel-eyed boy tried getting up, but the president stood above him, hands on his hips.

"This just isn't my day..." Hajime groaned in defeat, accepting his fate. Or so he thought. All of a sudden, he jumped back to action, raising his fists.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to fight you." Hajime elaborated, jumping from one foot to another."I'm not going down today. Not by you."

"You sure you want to do this?" Yosuke sighed in exasperation."It won't end well for you. But if you really want to take a swing then-"

Yosuke grabbed Hajime's fist before it collided with his cheek."You better try your best."

"Oh..." The color drained completely off Hajime's face. He threw another punch, but his opponent was faster, blocking it with his forearm. Yosuke threw a quick jab, which much to his surprise, Hajime was able to react to and dodge. Intrigued, he decided to put the younger boy to the test and began assaulting him with a barrage of punches. Hajime could block some, but the others landed on his body, slowly breaking his will. When he took a punch to the face, he fought back the pain and winded his fist back, punching Yosuke in the chest and momentarily knocking the wind out of him.

'What the hell is this guy's deal?!' Hajime grabbed his bleeding nose.'Those are some karate or kung fu moves! He's not normal!'

'Not bad at all.' Yosuke praised him, keeping it to himself to not boost his ego.'He has no fighting style whatsoever and hasn't received any martial arts training. But he's a natural brawler. No doubt a delinquent like him has seen his fair share of violence.'

The teens got in their respective fighting stances. Yosuke, deciding to put an end to this, moved at great speeds, using his military training to overwhelm Adachi and chopped him in the nape, knocking him out.


Hajime made his way home, pouting as he kicked a rock. As expected, he had gotten in serious trouble, but Kuroiwa had taken the bigger hit for him. After all, he considered Hajime the reason why he had managed to raise a considerable amount of money with the gambling ring. That, and because he didn't care about school. This didn't stop Hajime from getting his fair share, however. Fortunately, not many students were praying for their downfall. They were fair and paid when it was due. The people who lost their money were the ones snitching them out. So all he got was detention for a week and his current payday taken from him and sent back to all students who took part in the deal.

"Suckers..." Hajime snickered, pulling out a few bills from his socks."Good thing I kept some hidden. I can at least buy Setsuna something with this. Still, that was some bad luck. Getting caught like that. Which means that my good luck will recover soon and I'll score something big."

Hajime Adachi was 15 years old. He had kept short black hair that leaves a V-shaped fringe between his hazel eyes. He was fairly tall and had a slight muscular appearance to him. But despite that, he didn't practice any sports. He did, however, do a bunch of chores around the house that kept him fit and in shape.

After a while, he finally reached his house. A small apartment that he shared with his grandmother and sister."I'm home."

"Welcome home, dear." He heard his grandmother in the kitchen.

"Haji! You're home!" His younger sister, Setsuna Adachi, beamed at him. She had short, dark brown hair that is tied up to the top of her neck with twin pigtails and brown eyes.

"Hey Setsu." Hajime sat on the living room couch.

"Brother, what happened?" Setsuna pointed at the bandages around his face"Did you get in a fight again?"

"What? No, of course not." He lied, not wanting to upset her."But hey, I got some money from my... part-time job. And I wanted to give you something special. Just for you."

"Really?! Then could you buy me Tsubasa's new CD?! It's going on sale like right now!"

"Tsubasa? Who's that?" Hajime cocked his head to the side.

"Huh?! You don't know who she is?! Big bro, you're living under a rock." Setsuna guffawed at her sibling."I thought guys your age were into idols."

"I am. I'm currently a big fan of Maria Cadenzavna."

"Who?"

"She's a new idol. But she's already going up in popularity." Hajime explained."She's pretty cute and all. And she's mature. I think she's 20 or something."

"Does that mean you're into older women? That's so scandalous, Haji."

"Not really. I mean, I get the appeal but I prefer girls my age, thank you very much. Not like you need to know about my love affairs. Anyway, so you said you want a CD, right?"

"Yup! I really hope I can enroll in Lydian next year so I can meet Tsubasa in person and ask her for an autograph! I can't wait! I'll go right now and buy that CD!"

"Nah, I'll do it. Let your big brother handle this." Hajime smiled, tapping the table as he got up."I'll be back soon. Tell grandma to leave my food in the microwave."

"Hold it right there, young man." His grandmother grabbed him by the ear, earning a high-pitched yelp."Don't think I didn't get a call from school about what you did!"

"Ma, please! That hurts!" Hajime was reduced to a sobbing mess, his sister laughing at his expense.

"If you wanted to buy something, you could have told me." His grandma released his ear, glaring at him."I could have given you the money. I know we don't have the luxury to be spending much but for my grandkids, I'll make an exception."

"Ma..." Hajime gently guided his grandmother outside of their apartment, closing the door."Look, it's not for me, okay? I wanted to...buy Setsuna something. A classmate and I came up with the idea a few weeks ago. See, we thought it'd be good if we started our gambling ring to get money. It's all good business, I promise. We just gather students who bet what team is going to bet who and then we split the earnings accordingly."

"And you did all that for Setsuna? And all those little gifts you been giving her recently was all you?"

"Yes...I just wanted to give her something. I couldn't give her a gift on her birthday and I felt really bad about it. I promise to not do something like this again, Ma. But please let me use my leftover money to buy her a CD. She really loves this idol and it would mean so much to her!"

"It would also mean a lot for her if her brother wasn't getting in trouble at school and on the verge of being expelled." She pointed out, hands on her hips."Listen, I appreciate you looking after your sister. I really do. You make me feel at ease knowing that she has such a caring brother looking after her. But you also need to worry about your well-being. Start paying attention at school and stop doing these kinds of things to get money. You are close to losing that scholarship. I dread to think what we'll do if you lose it."

"I won't, I promise!" Hajime hugged his grandmother when he noticed the tears forming in her eyes."I wouldn't do anything to make you feel safe, Mama. I'll be a good kid from now on. Just...please?"

"Okay, dear." His grandma patted him on the back, kissing him on top of the head."Now you be careful out there. And come straight home. If anything happens, you run to the nearest shelter and wait there."

"Nothing's going to happen." Hajime kissed her on the cheek before rushing out the door."I'll be back for dinner!"

"What am I going to do with that boy?" Kiyoko Adachi, their grandmother, watched as her grandson ran down the street."But...I still can't shake this uneasy feeling in my chest. It's not an omen..."


Somewhere else, Yosuke and Tsubasa walked from Lydian after he had offered to pick her up.

"You didn't bring your bike today?" Tsubasa inquired, gazing at the sky.

"I had to take it in for repairs." Yosuke responded, yawning."Very early in fact. I went to bed late yesterday because of that Noise attack and had to wake up earlier for this before school started."

"I take it you had a rough day today?"

"This dumb kid at school was caught organizing a gambling ring." He groaned at the memory."He made me chase him around and then he started fighting with me. It turns out that they returned all the money and a vast majority of people stuck out for them so the punishment was minimal. It was a long process."

"Sounds like you had something happening today, at least." Tsubasa sighed."The thing that stands out the most for me was this girl who almost bumped into me and had food over her face."

"I don't suppose she got nervous from seeing you and asked for an autograph?"

"That's the weird part. She just stood there and didn't say a word. I just kept walking." She shrugged.

"Is that so?" Yosuke trailed off, not having anything else to say.

Ever since the catastrophe 2 years ago, their relationship had sort of changed. They barely spoke and interacted for their own reasons, deciding to shoulder their pain by themselves. Though Yosuke did miss the old days and tried his best to at least be friends, Tsubasa didn't seem willing to cooperate.

Suddenly, an explosion was heard a couple of blocks away, prompting the teenagers to rush to the scene. Once they got closer, they noticed that all the ruckus was coming from a bank. The door had been blown off somehow, and the yelling of civilians inside could be heard.

"Is it Noise?" Yosuke got on guard, ready to grab his Advent Deck.

As if to answer his question, a figure emerged from the bank, covered in armor and holding bags of money.

The perpetrator was clad in a black bodysuit covered in grey armor and a red horn protruding from their left shoulder. Their mask resembled the face of a rhino and to top things off, the belt around their waist had the figure of one.

"A Kamen Rider?!" Tsubasa was in shock.

The police had surrounded the area, and had their guns drawn at the Rider."Stop right there! Hands-on your head and slowly get on your knees!"

"What is this? Are they serious right now?" A masculine voice finally identified the Rider's gender."They think they can stop me?"

Without a care in the world, the Rider took normal steps, as if he was strolling around town.

"Last chance! Stop right there!"

After realizing he wasn't going to comply, the chief sent the word on his radio, prompting every officer to start shooting at the Rider. The masked man cackled as the bullets bounced off his armor as if they were merely toy guns.

"Let's give them hell." He settles the bags on the ground, drawing a card from his Deck, and tossing it in his Metalvisor located on his left shoulder.

Advent: Metalgelas
ATK: 4000

A humanoid rhinoceros emerged from thin air before charging at a police car, easily throwing it against a building.

"Tsubasa, let me do this." Yosuke turned to her."You don't need to get involved."

"Fine." Tsubasa relented, folding her arms."Be careful. He seems strong."

"Right." With that out of the way, Yosuke pulled out his deck and brought it forward, a belt appearing around his waist."Henshin!"

Sliding the deck in his V Buckle, Kamen Rider Knight appeared. Knight jumped in the air, drawing his card.

Nasty Vent: Sonicbreaker
ATK: 1000

Darkwing appeared above Knight, releasing a supersonic screech that paralyzed Metalgelas.

Knight landed in front of the police."Back up! I'll take it from here!"

"Hey, that's-"

"A Kamen Rider. The one who's been defending the city."

"Oh?" The grey Rider mused."Things just got interesting."

"I'm Kamen Rider Knight. Who are you? And why are you doing this?"

"I am Kamen Rider Gai." Gai introduced himself, hands on his hips."As for why I'm doing this...because I can, I guess. Do I need reasons other than I have this awesome power?"

"But that's wrong. You shouldn't use your power for something like this." Knight insisted."It's immoral!"

"Immoral? Says who?"

Knight bit the inside of his cheek."A Kamen Rider...is supposed to protect people. To defend them and keep them safe."

Gai erupted into a fit of laughter, holding his stomach."Oh, man. Oh, man! That is the dumbest and most childish thing I ever heard. What, you're a kid? Thinking the world needs a hero of justice and all of that? Grow up a little, will ya? I'm sure you know that the purpose of a Kamen Rider is to fight others and get stronger. That voice in my dream said it before. One of us can get their wish granted."

"That's Kamen Rider Odin." Knight felt a shiver down his spine."He's the mastermind behind all of this. The Gamemaster. We're just puppets entertaining him. But there is no way a singly Rider can beat him. We have to work together to stop him and get our lives back. Please, you have to listen to me! Odin is out of this world. My friend tried fighting him and...he lost his life. There was nothing he could do."

"Odin, you say? I see. Well, now I know who to thank for bestowing me with these sweet powers." Gai splayed his arms."Be it a god or a demon, he gave me a chance to get what I want. And honestly, I don't care about that wish. All I care about is doing whatever I want and living an easy, and wealthy life. But if you want to stop this little game that he created, then that makes you my enemy. Sorry, nothing personal, kid."

Strike Vent: Metalhorn
ATK: 2000

A gauntlet derived from Metalgelas' head appeared on his right arm.

"Wait, I don't want to fight you. I'm not your-" Knight was forced to bent his body backward, avoiding the thrust."Odin is our enemy! We're his toys!"

"He gave us a chance to do whatever we want." Gai proclaimed, smacking Knight across the head and sending him crashing against a police car. Knight was about to stand up again, but his body instantly ducked down, avoiding being pierced by the horn.

Knight rolled away from Gai, who received a round of bullets courtesy of the officers.

"So annoying." Gai groaned, kicking the car toward another car, causing them to explode and scattering the flames.

'I have to capture him before he causes more chaos.' Knight thought, drawing his new card and inserting it in his visor.'If we can stop him and negotiate with him, he could very well help us in stopping this madness.'

Trick Vent: Shadow Illusion
ATK: 1000

From Knight, a total of 8 clones separated from his body.

"I don't think so." Gai activated his card.

Confine Vent

The clones disappeared as quickly as they appeared, leaving Knight flabbergasted."He canceled out my vent?"

"Here's another trick for ya." The rhino-themed rider chuckled, tossing another card toward his visor.

Shock Vent
ATK: 1000

Metalgelas began stomping on the ground extremely hard, causing the ground to shake as if it was an earthquake. Everyone lost their balance, falling on the floor. Cars flipped, and windows broke.

"You said your friend died fighting Odin, didn't he?" Gai approached a fallen Knight, who was struggling to get his bearings."What do you think that makes him? You say Kamen Riders are supposed to be these selfless heroes and yet your friend fought Odin to get his wish granted."

"He had no choice!" Knight snapped, finally finding his voice. Gai knelt in front of him."His girlfriend...our friend...our dear friend died that day to save us from the Noise. He just wanted to get her back..."

"So you get to judge what wishes are just and noble? Is that why you're asking me for help? Because you want to get your little playmates back? And what do I gain out of this? You want the wish to make things as they were, right?"

"No...we have to stop Odin to prevent more incidents like that from ever happening again." Knight continued pleading with him."There is no way for us to beat him individually. This isn't a game! Lives are at stake!"

Gai seemed to ponder over his words, humming to himself."Fine. You convinced me."

"Huh?" Knight rose his head, watching as Gai stood up, offering his left hand."Seriously?"

"Yeah. You're right. This reminds me of those MMORPGs. Sometimes you gotta assemble with buddies to beat a really strong boss." Gai explained his reasoning, helping Knight up."Besides, we Kamen Riders got to stick together."

"Thank you...thank you so much!" Knight bowed down, giving him his back."Let's take you back to the base. I'm sure Genju-"

Out of the corner of his eye, Knight saw a nearby window of a shop. There, he saw Gai winding his arm back before thrusting his arm horn forward, aiming toward his head.

Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri tron...

Heaven's Wrath

Tsubasa's sword increased to the size of a truck, bringing it down on Gai. The rhino-themed Rider blocked the attack with his gauntlet, gritting his teeth as his feet sunk into the concrete. With a battle cry, Gai pushed the sword back, knocking Tsubasa a few yards away with Knight.

"Well, look at this." Gai chuckled upon noticing Tsubasa, standing in front of Knight."Seems like you weren't alone after all. Were you waiting for me to fall for your trap? Nonetheless, you got yourself a girlfriend. I'm impressed! But she fights your battles. That's lame."

"Just now..." Tsubasa furrowed her brow, ignoring his comment."Were you about to kill him?"

"Yeah." Gai shrugged nonchalantly."Like I told you, I don't want this game to end. And seeing you on his side made me realize that there are more people opposed to this. Tell me...that friend of his and his little girlfriend. They meant a lot to you, didn't they? How sad. They died a pointless death. And when that girl died, he probably went insane and challenged the Gamemaster. Ha, how pathetic! Who in their right mind would throw their life away for bullshit like that?"

"Shut up," Tsubasa growled, tightening her grip on her sword.

"Friendship and bonds mean nothing." Gai forged on, a sardonic smile under his helmet."They are easily broken. And you're all kids. Once you graduate high school, you'll forget about all the people you met. Or they'll die like those dead kids you mentioned."

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Tsubasa screamed, jumping in the air.

One Thousand Tears

Ame no Habakiri conjured thousands of energy blades that were shot down toward Gai.

Gai tanked the attack with the help of Metalgelas, his armor receiving minor damage.

"Impossible!" Tsubasa cried out in shock.

"You shouldn't be surprised. My armor is the strongest." Gai boasted."I have the strongest defense and the strongest piercing. That's right! I'm the best!"

'But still, that attack packed a hell of a punch.' Gai thought to himself.'And if Knight starts helping her, this could get troublesome. And they are obviously well organized. Perhaps some sort of organization is backing them up. They could send reinforcements at any time. The last thing I want is to fight at a disadvantage, so I should probably retreat. Fuck, I wanted the money. Oh, well.'

"What's he doing?" Knight muttered himself.

Gai drew a card, snorting once he realized what it was."It's been fun. But I have to get going."

"You're not going anywhere." Tsubasa declared, ready to start singing.

Final Vent: Heavy Pressure
ATK: 5000

Metalgelas landed behind Gai as the latter jumped in the air, grabbing onto Metalgela's head with his legs, and pointing his Metal Horn in front of him. The humanoid rhino began running at full speed toward the heroes.

Knight jumped in the way, saving Tsubasa from being skewered alive. But this was all part of Gai's plan, he skewered a car, running towards another and another until he finally crashed against a building, causing the cars to explode.

"He killed himself?" Knight was bewildered by what he had just seen.

"Unlikely. He said it himself, his armor is tough. He couldn't have died from that." Tsubasa shook her head."He created that explosion as a distraction. The whole block is on fire and we won't know where he'll come out from. It's pointless to follow him."

"I see..."

Out of nowhere, Tsubasa slapped him across the helmet, stunning him before grabbing him by the shoulders."What the hell were you thinking?!"

"I-"

"You nearly got killed because you thought you could talk that sociopath down?! He's a criminal! Look at the bank! Who knows how many people were injured-"

"I know that!" Knight barked back, his voice full of desperation."I know that, okay?! But what other choice do I have? Tsubasa, you, Goro, and I are humanity's only defense against the Noise. Just us three. And if we fall, humanity...no, the world is finished." His voice broke down, the teenager dropping to his knees."I'm scared out of my mind of that possibility. Of everything I love and cherish just dying. I'm tired of all this fighting too. And now, as it turns out, I have to fight other Kamen Riders when we're supposed to help each other. I just...want all of this to end."

The purple-haired boy used his visor to help himself up."You're lucky, in a way. We're treated like some sort of gladiator. Trapped in a world filled with nothing but despair in a game where it's killed or be killed. Gai tried to kill me. Maybe me next time I'll...And you saw it yourself. Odin can't be beaten. I try to convince myself that maybe if we all band together we'll stand a chance we'll beat him but...I dread a repeat of 2 years ago will occur."

"Yosuke..." Tsubasa winced, feeling guilty for yelling at him."I didn't-"

Their communicators went off simultaneously, alerting them. Tsubasa picked up the call."Uncle?"

"I detected another signal similar to Knight's just a moment ago. Did..."

"We found another Rider called Gai. As we suspected, some Riders are not allies."

"I see." Genjuro sighed. He knew that some people would be tempted by the wish. But now was not the time for that."We'll talk about it later. There is a problem."


Hajime had his phone out, camera recording as he and a group of people stood frozen after hearing screams around the corner. No one knew what was going on. He was going on his way to the store to buy the CD when he heard a car crash and then an explosion followed by screams.

"What is going on?" One person asked.

"I don't know. People just started screaming but it's completely quiet now." Another responded.

"Someone has to call the police! A car crashed!"

"Wait, I hear footsteps." One of them hushed the group.

Footsteps grew louder and louder, and their rhythm increased. Whatever was walking was now sprinting towards them. A group of Noise. Chaos soon followed. People began running over each other in a frenzy. Hajime put his phone away, opting to run down a hallway to avoid the Noise."Gotta find a shelter! No, wait. I have to call home!"

The startled boy nearly yelped when he ran into a girl in the alleyway."Fuck! You scared the hell out of me!"

"I-I'm sorry!" The cream-haired girl quickly apologized between pants. She was holding a younger girl, possibly one who had managed to escape from the Noise.

"Look, it's not safe here, miss." Hajime glanced over his shoulder to see if he had been followed."Quick introductions. My name is Hajime Adachi."

"I'm Hibiki Tachibana." Hibiki introduced herself.

"And you?" Hajime knelt in front of the child.

"Y-Yui Kanzaki..."

"Okay, Kanzaki-chan." Hajime turned around."Get her on my back, Tachibana-san. It'll be easier that way. Her legs aren't as long as ours so if we have to haul ass then it'll be up to us."

"Right." Hibiki nodded, helping Yui onto his back. Once she was secured, he stood up, grabbing her by the legs."Okay. How far is the shelter from here?"

"Pretty far...but we have no choice."

With a nod, Hajime and Hibiki continued running towards the exit of the alleyway. Much to their dismay, there was a stream right at the end. And Noise had gathered on the sides. Furthermore, Noise had caught up to them, blocking the way they had come from. Hajime grabbed Hibiki's arm and jumped in the water with her. He held Yui up to avoid her from drowning.

"Shit...there goes my fucking phone." Hajime wished he would just die there."Guess my luck hasn't recovered."

Once they crossed to the other side of the stream, they continued running as fast as they could."We're never going to make it."

"No, don't say that!" Hibiki patted him on the back. Her memories of 2 years ago are still fresh in her mind."Don't give up living. There's an abandoned factory over there. Maybe we can get be safe if we get the high ground."

"Oh, you're right. We'll have to wait this out." Hajime nodded, feeling hope return to him.

It took them a few minutes to reach the factory and thankfully, the gate was opened for them to squeeze through. They headed for the tallest building they could find with a ladder, the skies above them providing less light due to the sun setting.

Hajime stopped abruptly, causing Hibiki to do the same.

"Adachi-kun?" Hibiki asked, confused at his demeanor.

Hajime's gaze lowered to the floor, smiling."I have a younger sister. Her name is Setsuna Adachi." He walked behind Hibiki, helping Yui latch onto her back."I came to your guys' help because I imagine her in your place."

"Adachi-kun, what are you doing?" Hibiki gave him a concerned look.

"I saw them. They saw us coming here. We won't make it at this pace and if we don't take a minute or two to catch out breaths, we won't be able to climb that ladder. That's why I'll be the distraction. No ifs, ands, or buts."

"Huh? But-"

"I said no buts!" Hajime yelled, startling her."Sorry. But you have to get going. I'll be fine. I can probably outrun them. But you and this kid need to get to safety. I'll meet you up there later. Pinky promise."

"Adachi-san..." Hibiki muttered at his gesture.

"Call me Hajime." He said, feeling deep down that he wasn't going to make it."Now go. Hurry."

Pushing Hibiki forward, the girl gained momentum to resume her jog."Please be safe, Hajime-kun! And you can call me Hibiki!"

"Duly noted, Hibiki-san!" Hajime waved at them, running in the opposite direction."Take care of Yui-chan!"

With that done, Hajime looked around him, finding that the Noise had scattered around the area."Hey, I'm right here!" He clapped, earning their attention. He began whistling and screaming, prompting more to head in his direction."Right here! Follow me!"

The Noise were running after Hajime, and more kept entering the area.'Shit, how many followed us here? There's no way the attack is this big!'

His legs felt like jelly and had the worse headache ever, but he didn't stop running. His body forced him to continue in fear of dying. He had to admit it was amazing the capability of the human body to push past someone's limits in a life or death adrenaline he was feeling numb all the pain again. But most of all, he was sick to his stomach to admit he was having the time of his life.

A big goofy grin was plastered on his face as he ran. All this time he had been looking for entertainment and interesting things to happen to him, so this was ideal for him. Despite knowing he could very well die, he wanted to make sure to make this as fun as possible for him. So he started jumping around from one crate to another, lifting himself up a wall onto a small building. He ran along a pipe, giggling like a child. However, he stepped a little bit too far, causing him to fall to the ground, and bashed his head against the concrete.

"Ow..." He groaned, feeling something wet on the side of his head. Blood. Wheezing, he helped himself to the wall, wobbling along and leaving a trail of blood behind. Unfortunately, he reached a dead end, and the Noise found him.

"Stupid..." He said under his breath before getting louder."STUPID! STUPID! STUPID!"

The Noise, unbothered, were not slowly approaching their victim, knowing he was trapped.

"So this is it, huh..." Hajime sighed, reaching for his pocket for his phone."Right. The water. Huh?"

He took the black box with the dragon symbol out, examining it."Oh, right. I forgot I brought this. I thought it was long gone by now but no." He took a card out, showing a red dragon in it, and brought his arm out, showing it to the Noise."You want to eat me? Go ahead and try! I'll smack you in the face with this, you pricks!"

After he said that, he felt something weird around his waist. The source was a silver belt that was strapped around his waist."Woah, what is this?"

A red dragon came from the sky, firing a fireball at the Noise and incinerating a few of them."What the hell?! Did...this card do that?"

There was a black space in front of the belt, which resembled the shape of his box. Curious and with nothing to lose, he inserted it into the belt. A red light engulfed him and the dragon descended down to him, creating a powerful shockwave that knocked the Noise back. Once the light died down, the boy in his school uniform was no more. In his place stood a figure clad in a red bodysuit and armor around his body and a red gauntlet with the head of a dragon in his left arm.

"Huh? HUH?!" Hajime yelled, examining his body."What happened?! What's with this outfit? And this armor. Wait, no." Glancing down, he noticed his Advent Deck in his belt."This box thing did it. So it was useful after all! That dream was true after all!"

Alerted by the attack, the Noise began approaching him wearily.

"Finally, something fun." Hajime laughed, striking a fighting pose."Okay, you animals. Let's see how you do against someone who can fight back. Call me...Dragon Knight!"


And that settles it for chapter 2. This came rather fast but the next one might take a few weeks since I have to rewatch both Symphogear and Ryuki to get more familiar with the feeling of the series. There were two easter eggs in this chapter, so if you got them, do let me know in the reviews. I'll be accepting card ideas since I noticed that some Riders have only a handful of cards. Imperer, for example, only has 3. I added one for Gai today but if you want to support the story with your own card ideas, let me know and I'll give you a shoutout.

What do you think of the new Ryuki? Like him, hate him, want to see more? Same thing for Gai.

As always, if you enjoyed the chapter do let me know in the reviews and leave your favorite and follow. It motivates me to improve and continue the series. Until next time!