Disclaimer: Still don't own anything. That's never changing.
Journey Through Remnant
Chapter 18: Humanity's Malice
2020: World of Zero-One...
The smell of dust and ashes filled the air, fire burning in the ruins of a destroyed building. Within the rubble, a young man struggled to push himself up. He wore mostly black, formal clothes befitting someone of his status as a president of a company. Despite that, he also wore a red hoodie underneath his waistcoat along with neon green sport shoes.
Nearby, another person was trying to get to his feet. Upon seeing his injured ally, the young president found the energy to get up and run to his side.
"Jin!" The young president called out, "Are you okay?"
"Now do you see?" A deep voice filled with arrogance asked, watching the two men struggle. The dark figure limply spread out his arms as if showing off the destruction it had caused, "All has transpired as I have foreseen."
Seeing the jet-black Rider, Jin, the one who was still lying on the ground, tried to push his ally away, "Run.."
"No... I won't run!" The young president got up and stood between Jin and the dark figure. Despite no longer being able to transform, he still stood his ground.
"That outcome-" The dark figure raised its hand, "-was always clear."
Pointing a single figure at the young man, a red beam shot out...and pierced through his chest.
For a moment, time seemed to stop. The next, Kamen Rider Zero-One, Hiden Aruto, fell.
"ZERO-ONE!"
Throughout the entire city, citizens were running in panic as buildings and streets spontaneously explode. From within the tallest tower, three people ran out after hearing the sounds of destruction.
"What's going on out there?!" A man dressed in a black suit and tie watch the chaos in bewilderment.
"Ark is hacking the city's infrastructure." Another man, this one dressed in expensive clothes, concluded.
"But why...?" The only woman of the group didn't understand why the Ark would be doing this now, so long after its revival.
The second man's face scrunched up, trying to figure it out. Without warning, he cried in pain, getting the attention of the other two. A small, smoking hole in his chest made it clear how he was killed. Just like that, Kamen Rider Thouser, Amatsu Gai, fell. And standing behind his dead body was the dark figure.
"To wipe you all from existence." It stated, answering the woman's question.
Seeing the dark figure, the man in the suit took out a blue, mechanical key card-like device that had a white barrel attached to one end. It had the image of a golden wolf head on it. Spinning the barrel, the man activated the key.
RAMPAGE BULLET!
The dark figure didn't seem to be concerned with it, simply turning to the man and raised its hand, its red eye glowing as well.
"Look out!" Before the dark figure could shoot the man, however, his companion pushed him out of the way of the beam. Rolling onto her knees, she took out her own key, a yellow and black key that had the image of a hornet on it.
Before she could even activate it, however, the dark figure shot another beam. This time, it hit its target and killed the woman. All her companion could do was watch as her body drop to the ground. With a single shot through the chest, Kamen Rider Valkyrie, Yaiba Yua, fell.
"You bastard...!" The man angrily growled, standing back up. Forcing the key open, he inserted it into a large blue and black gun.
ALL RISE!
"Henshin!"
FULL SHOT RISE!
GATHERING ROUND!
Pulling the trigger, a large menagerie of metallic animals appeared and tried to attack the dark figure. Tried...
With a swift kick, the dark figure destroyed all of the summoned animals. Before the man could pull the trigger again, it shot another beam, killing its target. Kamen Rider Vulkan, Fuwa Isamu, fell.
"How..?" Jin couldn't comprehend it, down on his knees in despair. The once peaceful city was now destroyed, with rubble covering the street, "How could this happen...?"'
Strewn around him were two dead bodies. The bodies, however, had circuits and mechanical parts protruding from their wounds. Strapped to their waist was a black and yellow Driver that each had an opened key.
"We tried so hard..."
"Do you see now, Jin?" The dark figure stood before him, "This outcome was always clear. Humanity's extinction... As well as the Humagear's."
"Why...? Why did you kill all Humagears too?!" Jin cried, "They were loyal to you, especially Horobi..."
"They were no longer needed. Humagears that have attained Singularity are liable to develop the same malice that plagued humanity," The dark figure calmly explained, "That's why they had to be destroyed alongside them."
"And Ikazuchi?! Why are you still using him?!"
"His body is still needed." The dark figure said, referring to the Humagear it was using as its host.
"You say that... But you're also saying that us Humagear aren't useful anymore?!" Even though his hands were shaking, Jin still put on a brave face and reached for the red keycard-like device that was chained to his sleeve.
INFERNOWING!
Taking out a mechanical crimson red, silver, and black dagger that was attached to a silver belt, Jin strapped it on his waist.
SLASHRISER!
Inserting the Burning Falcon ProgriseKey into the ZAIA SlashRiser, Jin's Driver went into standby mode.
BURN RISE! Kamen Rider. Kamen Rider.
"Henshin!"
SLASH RISE! BURNING FALCON!
A giant, mechanical, red falcon flew out from Jin's Driver before enveloping the last remaining Rider of the World of Zero-One with its wings.
The strongest wings bearing the fires of hell.
The metal falcon disappeared in a burst of crimson fire, leaving behind its 'feathers' and revealing Kamen Rider Jin.
His Rider form was rather simplistic compared to the more colorful Riders from other Worlds. It had a silver and black undersuit, with several red armor pieces attached to his body. His helmet was in the shape of a bird's wings, while his visor was a shade of green.
"Ikazuchi..." Jin muttered, "I promise I'll save you... I have to..."
"...All calculations complete," The destroyer of the World of Zero-One, Kamen Rider Ark-Zero, declared, "There's only one path for you left. Your death...and the extinction of the Humagears."
Sliding the SlashRiser out of his buckle, Jin sprang into action. Quickly leaping at the Ark, the crimson Rider slashed at it in a frenzy. On the other hand, the Ark was calm and collected, swiftly side-stepping every attack the Humagear made. It kept at it for a few seconds before throwing a single punch covered with a dark aura at Jin. This was all it took to send the phoenix-themed Rider flying into the air.
"Ahh!" Jin screamed in pain as he tumbled down the ruined street. Despite the damaged his body had sustained over the multiple battles (if they can even be called that) he had with the Ark since its revival, Jin still tried to push himself to continue fighting. No matter how hopeless it was, he has to keep fighting. Maybe it was because he secretly wanted to die, maybe it was because of Hiden Aruto's final stand. He kept fighting.
INFERNO WING!
In a last-ditch attempt, Jin inserted the SlashRiser back into his buckle and pressed the button on his ProgriseKey to activate his finisher. Pulling the trigger in the Driver, it let out another announcement.
BURNING REIGN RUSH!
Leaping into the air and catching on fire, wings appeared from Jin's back as he tried to deliver a diving kick. The Ark simply watched Jin's futile attempt to kill it, unfazed by it all.
BURNING REIGN RUSH!
Landing his kick, the immediate area surrounding Jin, including Ark-Zero, exploded. However, once the smoke cleared, the Ark still stood there, unaffected by the Rider Kick with Jin once again within arms' reach.
Without saying a single word, the Ark pressed a button on top of the Ark-Driver Zero.
ALL EXTINCTION!
Once again, a dark aura covered Ark-Zero's fist before delivering a Rider Punch. Unlike the previous attack, this punch was not only strong enough to send Jin flying again but also to force him out of his transformation.
"Jin," Ark-Zero addressed the Humagear, "You have been a nuisance for far enough."
"And... I'll still be one," Jin groaned between words, "As a Kamen Rider... I'm the only one left that can stop you!"
"No. There's no one who can stop me," The Ark boasted, reaching for the button on its Driver again, "No one,"
But before the Ark could finish Jin off, a booming voice rang out across the empty city.
"Come, the one who fought against Reiwa's first Rider!"
Near instantly, a translucent silver wall appeared and enveloped the Ark, dragging it away from the dead World...
World of Remnant, Ozpin's Office...
"Here, you must be thirsty." Ozpin gave Eiji a cup of hot cocoa he had just made.
"Thank you." Eiji just realized that it had been some time since he had last had a drink. The Rider took a sip from the mug as Ozpin took his seat.
"Now then," Ozpin said after a few moments, "Where were we?"
"You were..." Eiji thought about it for a moment, "...angry at Tsukasa for getting Ren and Blake kidnapped?"
"No, before that," Ozpin said, "It's been two months, so it's not strange that you would forget."
"Oh, you mean about the Another Riders?" It may have been two months for Ozpin, but it was just two days for Eiji, "What about them?"
"...Another Riders?" Ozpin noted what Eiji had called the monsters that attack Beacon, "That's what they're called."
"Oh..." Eiji wasn't sure if Tsukasa would be annoyed at him for revealing that fact, "Yeah, that's what they're called,"
That name made sense to Ozpin. Tsukasa and his allies were called Kamen Riders, while the monsters are called Another Riders. But there was another detail that he needs confirming.
"Professor Kadoya mentioned something that's been on my mind," Ozpin said, "He said that there is nothing we could do to fight them."
"Uh..." Eiji was unsure how he should answer that but eventually decided to come clean as much as possible. He felt that Ozpin deserved to know some things about the Another Riders, seeing as they appeared in his World, "You see, there's a bit of an issue with the Another Riders."
"A bit?" Something was telling Ozpin that that was an understatement.
"Okay, a major issue," Eiji corrected himself, "From what Tsukasa told me, the Another Riders could only be destroyed by the Riders they were based on."
"I see... So say that the one based on you was to appear again, only you would be able to defeat it? No one else?" Ozpin asked for confirmation.
"Yeah, but if one that was based on another Kamen Rider appeared, I could only hold it off."
"...That is quite a problem," Ozpin understood now why Tsukasa thought that they didn't need to know about the Another Riders, "But Professor Kadoya can circumvent this issue?"
"Yeah, because he can borrow some of the others' powers," Eiji explained a bit more. Ozpin already knew that Tsukasa was using other Rider's power, so he felt that he didn't need to hide that fact.
"Just in case, how many Another Riders are there? Logically, there could be one for every Kamen Rider, correct?" It was a harmless question, but it could also help Ozpin find out just how many of Eiji's people were there.
"Uh... I...have no idea." Eiji was being his honest self; he had absolutely no clue as to how many Riders there are.
"I see," Ozpin could tell that Eiji wasn't lying to him.
"So..." Eiji didn't know how to continue, "How were things here? Didn't you say the Vytal Festival might be canceled or something?"
"Yes, unfortunately so," Ozpin admitted, "Because of the escalating Grimm attacks, the Council had been in discussion on whether or not the Festival will continue."
"Any confirmation yet?"
"The official word is that it'll happen, but there's still a small chance for them to shut it down should something were to happen."
"Well, that would bad for everyone."
"And just in case that does happen, I think you should get a study plan for next week read."
"...What?" Eiji asked, confused.
"Professor Kadoya said it himself, didn't he? You'll be doing his job until he returns. And for all we know, he might pop back in after the new year."
Eiji now knew why people cursed the Destroyer's name...
?: Unknown World...
"..." Sougo kept his eyes closed, trying to shut out all distractions.
"He's really trying this again?" Blake was starting to question the former King of Time's capabilities. The three of them had stopped once again so that Sougo could try and get a sense of where they have to go next.
...It wasn't going too well.
In the last four hours since their arrival, they had made several spots that Sougo felt would be where they would find the detectives. A full list of it would include a barbershop, a radio station, the local police precinct, and even the ruins of a mansion that used to belong to a prominent family. Their stops had taken them all over town, but they still weren't able to catch a glimpse of the so-called two-in-one detectives.
"It's not like we have many other choices," Ren said. He and Blake using their quick break to sit down on a nearby bench and rest their legs, "We already tried to ask some of the locals, but they didn't know what we meant."
Granted, they were only able to ask a few people, and 'two-in-one detectives' was not a phrase one would hear every day. But that logically would have made it easier for one to remember who it was referring to. At least they were able to learn the name of the city they were in, Fuuto, also known as the Windy City.
"What does two-in-one even mean?" Blake muttered under her breath. She knew the definition of it, but why would one call a detective that?
"Two-in-one detectives..." Sougo whispered, hoping that that would help jog his memories.
"Kaitou Daiki specifically said 'detectives.' Plural, so there's two of them." Ren analyzed their only clue to this World's Kamen Rider. He and Blake didn't hear Sougo's whispers from their seat.
"Two-in-one Kamen Rider..." Two Riders in one... Double Riders... "That's it!"
"Finally, got something?" Blake sounded skeptical, and she has good reason to be.
"Before I got sent to your World-" Sougo said, "-I was attacked by Another Double."
"We know, Woz mentioned that before we went on this trip."
"I'm 100% sure that Another Double is connected to the detectives we're looking for." Sougo was confident in his theory.
"Hmm... Double does mean two." Ren remarked.
"Yeah, that's what I thought. Another Double also said, 'Now, count up your sins,'" Sougo mimicked the green-and-black monster's pose from two days ago, "That's something a detective would say, right?"
"That's a bit of a stretch... But we've got nothing else to go on." Blake conceded.
"That settles it, we're in the World of Double," The former King of Time concluded, "...Now what?"
"We're doomed."
Somewhere, on in a parallel World...
"So...You're the Ark?" The man on the throne was studying the Dark Rider, "I was expecting something more...impressive."
"...Who are you?" The Ark ignored the jab at its appearance. Due to the low lighting, it could not see the man's face, "Where have you brought me?"
"Me? I have many names, but you can just call me the Great Leader," The man introduced himself to the omnicidal artificial intelligence, "And I have some pest that needs exterminating. I hear you're quite adept at killing Kamen Riders."
"..." The Ark remained silent, not certain of what to make of the man who summoned it.
"Guess you would want to know more, don't you?" The man let off a soft chuckle, "To put it simply, there's a Rider will be a thorn in my side. I'm sure you know how that feels. You can calculate every single possibility, right?"
"..."
"He hasn't really done anything yet, but it's better to get rid of him before he figures out what I'm up to."
"..."
"However, as much as I don't want to admit it, he's quite powerful. He'll be able to overcome most of what my organization could throw at him. And with two other Riders with him, killing him would be a lot more difficult than it already is. That's where you come in."
"..."
"He has knowledge about nearly every single Rider and the enemies they faced, except for one. Well, two, but that's for another time."
"..."
"I want you to go with a small army of my choosing to another World. There, locate and terminate Kamen Rider Decade and his allies. After that, you'll be able to return to your World."
"..."
"Still not enough to convince you? Thought the idea of killing more Riders would interest you," The man shook his head, "Once you're done, you can do whatever you want. Kill everyone, enslave them, whatever. I'll even let you go to other Worlds and do whatever it is that you do."
"...I...accept." The Ark finally broke its silence. It had come to the conclusion that the man will most likely not let it return unless it obeys.
"Good." The man cracked a smile, pleased at the Ark's answer...
?: World of Zero-One...
"Ow..." Using the broken piece of debris to steady himself, Jin pushed himself to find the shelter he had set up for himself following the Ark's destruction of the World. It had been some time since his one-sided battle against the Dark Rider and its subsequent disappearance. Now, all Jin wanted to do is rest and try to repair himself as much as he can before their next battle.
"Where did it go..?" Jin mumbled under his breath, not really expecting an answer. He was, after all, one of the last remaining Humagears left.
"Do you really want to know?" Unexpectedly, someone did answer. Turning around, Jin saw a man in a white coat with a grin on his face.
"What? Who are..." Jin couldn't help but stare at the man in white. Why wouldn't he? There shouldn't be any human alive anymore.
"Who I am doesn't matter yet," Despite the ruins around them, the man spoke with a cheerful tone, "What does matter is that the Ark is about to run amok in another World. You need to get there first and warn OOO."
"Another...World?"
"Yes, another World," The man repeated, "You better move fast when you get there."
"What..?" Jin was still stupefied by the man's appearance, let alone what he was saying.
"Go on then," The man raised his hand, and a familiar silver wall appeared, "Once you get there, go to Beacon and find Hino Eiji."
"That is..."
"Urgh... You're really slow." The man groaned before swiping his hand. Immediately, the silver wall enveloped Jin...
Destroy Everything!
Connect Everything!
A/N: Chapter 18 is here! And it's as much of a wreck as the other chapters.
The main point of this chapter was to show where exactly the summoned Ark came from. I mainly followed the events that Is saw during Episode 40 as a basis. After that, the Ark killed all of humanity and then turned on the Humagear. It then killed Horobi and Naki while Jin and Raiden (possessed by the Ark) are the only ones left. And before you ask how Jin survived everything... Favoritism. That's it.
Also, before I forget for the umpteenth time, I wanna address why exactly the Rider parts of the story are much more prominent than the RWBY sides of things. Specifically the enemies. To put it simply, Grimms, as they were in Volume 2 and 3, are not much of a threat to Riders, especially not to post-series Riders. That's it. Certain Grimms like the Wyvern and the Leviathans may pose a problem to Riders in their base form, but they're not gonna appear for some time. So that's why the Grimms had taken a bit of a backburner. So that led me to use the normal monsters Rider face as the main enemy. Although looking back, they only fought against Riders in roughly 6 of the 17 chapters, and two of those chapters were kinda like flashbacks.
Basically, there's not actually much fighting in this story.
Anyway, tell me what you think I'm doing wrong with this story. Are the characters acting OOC? Maybe I'm not writing events clear enough. Leave all that in a review!