GKC: What's up, everyone! This is GKC here bringing you another chapter of Remnant's Climax Heroes!

SR: Alongside his amazing crew! I have lots of excitement for this chapter! I'm hella hyper hyped!

GKC: Indeed, because this time it's a Koa-centric chapter.

SR: Anyway, we all know what to do!

GKC: Let's do it then!

All: HENSHIN!

Disclaimer: Same thing as usual.


Chapter 40: Shine On, Kurai!


It's been a whole month since our Rider heroes faced off against Chou-Dai-S.H.O.C.K.E.R for the fate of the multiverse. It was a tough battle, but when they won, the destruction across the multiverse was corrected, fixing all the worlds. And after spending two weeks reconnecting with their families from Earth, the teams decided to either relax, fix up their tech, or train for the upcoming Vytal Tournament which was a few weeks away. It was a pretty harrowing experience for the people from Remnant, but they're glad that they can finally get some rest and relaxation. But while this was happening, their enemies were spending this time plotting their latest scheme.

"I know it's supposed to be a strong Alter…" Emily said to Ogre, tilting her head. "But why is it a stinking Hermit Crab?"

She gestured to Azrael's latest Alter, which looked like part of its body was made up of a strong shell, another part including the face looking crustacean. Topping it off was its lower body armor and stomach bearing a White Fang markings.

"Maybe he had a pet hermit crab, what're you asking me for?!" Ogre exclaimed.

"In case you haven't noticed, blockhead, is that we don't exactly have other people willing to talk!"

"What'd you just call me, bitch?!"

The two butted heads and got ready to fight, when Rachel's blade whips the ground in between them.

"That's enough from you two!" Rachel said angrily to both of them, sheathing her sword. "This bickering is pointless."

"Indeed, it is. So if you argue about my Alters one more time, I will most certainly be miffed." They all turned to face their boss, Azrael, who glared at Emily and Ogre with his sharp yellow eyes.

"Y-Yes boss…" the two quickly said, knowing not to get on his bad side.

"In any case, this latest Alter shall ensure we won't have to deal with those bothersome Riders."

"What makes this one so unique, aside from the obvious?" Rachel remarked.

"Perhaps a demonstration will suffice." Azrael nodded to the Alter, who groaned as he pointed a hand towards a few White Fang Members.

"W-Wait what are you doing?!" One of the members exclaimed.

"No stop!" The other exclaimed as well. But their screams go unheard as the Alter charged up its arm and released a stream of… bubbles?

"That's it?! A fancy bubble show?!" Ogre shouted, a bit annoyed at such a stupid attack.

"Wait for it…" Azrael said with a smirk. The members chuckled in relief as the bubbles approached them. They smirk as they give the bubbles a few pops, before suddenly collapsing to the floor in a heap.

"Woah! Are they dead?!" Emily exclaimed as Rachel checked their pulses.

"Nope, out cold and asleep." Rachel remarked. "Doesn't look like they're waking up anytime soon."

"And that's exactly how we'll defeat our foes." Azrael stated. "My new Alter will send them into an eternal slumber from which they will never awaken."

"Which will give us the opportunity to kill them!" Ogre said, placing his fist into his palm.

"Exactly." Rachel said with a smirk, "A bit underhanded, but what the hell, we're bad guys."

"Makes sense, it's what we do." Emily nodded.

"In the meantime, where is the other one?" Azrael inquired.

"You mean Gou? He stepped out." Rachel answered.

"Hm…" Azrael narrowed his eyes at this answer.


"Um… remind me again why I'm doing this?" Koa asked with a sweat drop, as she was wearing a white tank top and black shorts. Her entire body was covered in patches and wires. "This looks oddly familiar…"

"Well, we need to test your body and the effects of Aura on it." Aaron said as he typed away on his laptop. "Hence why I developed this prototype of the Driver in order to do so. Heh… I'm such a genius, I amaze myself!"

"More like an airhead…" Orpheus muttered, trying to hide his blush from looking at Koa's beautiful body.

"C-Can you guys not stare?" Koa blushed in embarrassment. "I don't like how you're all gazing at me. Except you, Orphee, I don't mind you looking."

"Mmph!" Orpheus huffed, looking away to hide his blushing face and bloody nose.

"Geez, Ma…" Rei facepalmed.

Koa chuckled as she held up the prototype driver buckle, which looked like the ones the others use. The only difference was that the buckle was gray and didn't have an animal. As she strapped it on, Aaron pulled up data on her vitals as well as her Core Medal and Cell Medal information.

"Well, everything seems to be working fine. Now to begin Phase 2." Aaron said with a smirk. "Please insert the blank sphere into the prototype driver."

"Okay, HERE I GO!" Koa declared as she raised a blank sphere above her head, "Henshin!" She then proceeded to place the sphere into the prototype driver.

ERROR!

"Huh? Error?" Koa said in confusion, before her whole body got electrocuted by the driver. "GYEEEOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOOWOWA!"

*BOOM!*

Koa was covered in soot, her hair electrically standing on end as she gave a cough before falling over. "…I'm ok…" she gave a weak thumbs up.

"Damn. Just what could be wrong?" Aaron pondered as he looked through his schematics to search for errors. "It should have at least worked. What could the problem be?"

"Maybe it's because she's a Greeed?" Kurogasa remarked.

"No, that still wouldn't explain why it's not working…"

"Maybe a flaw in the system?" Orion guessed.

"Doubt it… I've run multiple tests and worked out the bugs on the system."

"Is it because Azrael made me?" Koa said, brushing herself off.

"No, that couldn't be it either. I think… it might be something you're subconsciously withholding."

"I… you lost me." Koa said, scratching her head.

"You mean like when Cross-Z was learning to transform?" Kurogasa said, leaning back in his chair.

"Exactly. Koa, is there something on your mind that could be preventing you from transforming?"

"Me?" Koa said, pointing to herself. "Psh, as if! You know how I wanna be a Rider so bad."

"And why do you wanna be a Rider?" Aaron questioned.

"I …um…" Koa began, before clamming up. She paused for a moment, being uncharacteristically serious. "Maybe we should try again tomorrow, 'kay?" She said as she removed the driver and moved past the group out of the dorm.

"What was that all about?" Orion pondered.

"I should've known." Aaron rubbed his chin. "She's holding onto something that's affecting her mentally."

"Ma…" Rei muttered as they and Orpheus looked towards the door.


Koa was on the roof of Beacon, staring at the sky as her thoughts drifted with the clouds. She looked at them as she reached out towards them, letting her hand change between a human one to a Greeed one.

She sighed as her mind drifted back, back to when she caused so much chaos and destruction as Azrael's servant. She thought about all the people she had hurt, and how people still look at her Greeed side fearfully.

'Do I even deserve to become a Rider?' Koa thought as she looked at her reptilian hand, 'After everything I've done as a monster? Can I really be as great as them when I've only ever been a failure?'

Koa groaned as she ruffled her hair in frustration before sitting up.

'Well to heck with it! A nap will make those negative thoughts go away!' She said as she slowly drifted to sleep, unaware of the bubbles floating towards Beacon Academy.


Aaron was looking over the prototype Driver, using data on his own Driver alongside the Exceed Masks to make necessary modifications.

"Hm, maybe if I adjust the flow of energy like this…" He said to himself, tinkering with the device as he wrote down mathematical formulas detailing the Driver's condition, designs, and functionality. "Tch, no good… that'll cause it to overheat without the proper regulators…"

"Having trouble?" Aaron turned to see Blake walk inside.

"Tuning this Driver to Koa's unique biological needs is proving to be a pain in the ass. It was a lot more simple when they just appeared around our waists." Aaron told the cat Faunus.

"Yeah… Hopefully it will be helpful against Azrael, and his cronies." Blake replied, hugging the leader of JOKR from behind. "I'm sure you'll figure something out… you always do."

"Thanks, Blake. Hearing you say that has inspired me to keep going." Aaron said with a smile as he placed a hand on her arms. He kept looking at the prototype driver, before noticing the Aura Knuckler next to it. "Hmmm…"

With a gasp of realization, a strand of his hair stuck up. He grabbed the Knuckler then brought it over, sketching up new modifications.

"I've got it! I'll combine the Aura Knuckler as a conduit to absorb the excess energy!" Aaron said as he scribbled rapidly the new ideas forming in his mind. "Brilliance! Magnificence! Sheer Genius!"

Blake sweat dropped at Aaron's antics, before shrugging and pulling up a book to read.


As Aaron went back to work with Blake reading her book, a few bubbles floated and spread all across Beacon. Many people across the campus were baffled by this phenomenon.

"Huh?"

"Are those bubbles?"

"They look really pretty."

"I wonder who's making them?"

Many students and teachers were muttering over what was happening, unaware of the Alter that was spreading all those bubbles across Beacon. Nearby, Ruby, Orion, and Melody were doing a jog when the bubbles floated towards them.

"Hm?" Ruby stopped in her jog to see a few bubbles floating around. "Ooh~ pretty!"

"Hm?" Melody stopped and also awed at the bubbles. "Ooh, let's pop them!"

"Way ahead of ya!" Ruby told her adopted daughter as she was about to poke a bubble.

"Waaaait!" Orion shouted, stopping them from popping it. "Why are bubbles showing up in the first place?"

"Probably someone blowing them for fun?"

"But there's so many. Look around." Orion said. "Something is fishy. Wait… no way, is Wonder World showing up?! But… the scenery isn't changing."

"It's just bubbles. Look. Poke." Ruby said, poking a bubble which popped. "See? Nothing's wrong with-"

*SLUMP!*

Suddenly, Ruby collapsed to the ground, surprising the two.

"Mom/Ruby!" The two exclaimed in shock as they ran over to her. They turned her over, and sighed in relief that she was asleep and not dead.

"What happened? Why did she fall asleep?" Melody pondered.

"I don't know but it might have something to do with-" Before Orion could finish, a bubble landed on his head and popped. His own vision began to get blurry and drowsy as he toppled backwards, falling asleep.

"Dad!" Melody exclaimed, looking at the bubbles in shock. "N-No way… the bubbles… are evil!"

She quickly scrambled to reach for her Scroll as bubbles closed in around her. She tapped a number to call and waited for it to ring all while she tried to dodge as many bubbles as she could. Just when the receiver on the end had picked up, a bubble hit one of her ears.


Meanwhile…

"So… what do you think?" Weiss asked shyly.

"O… kaa-sama…" Yukina murmured.

"Ki… Kirei~" Kurogasa muttered with a heavy blush that was gradually growing on his face as he and his daughter looked at Weiss, standing there, as she was wearing the kimono that the former got from his vacation in Japan. It was a beautifully designed pale blue with melded lavender colors while the inner part of the kimono being dark red, a tan-brown obi with two lilies; one white and the other pink, and a kimono shawl that was light pink with pictures of lavender flowers and dark brown leaves.

Suffice to say, Weiss looked absolutely stunning in her kimono.

"You look absolutely beautiful, as always." Kurogasa smiled.

"Utsukushi, Okaa-sama." Yukina added.

"T-Thanks, you two." Weiss said as she blushed, until something caught her eye. "Hm? Is someone blowing bubbles outside?"

The two raised their eyebrows, turning around to see a few bubbles floating in through an open window.

"Weird. Is Nora playing a prank with Koa again?" Yukina pondered.

"No. Cause Nora's with Ren right now." Kurogasa said.

"So then…" Weiss got out, before a bubble popped on the tip of her nose.

*PLOP!*

With that, Weiss began to feel drowsy and fell over, surprising the two.

"Weiss!" Kurogasa shouted, rushing over to her. "Weiss, talk to me! Weiss!" He panicked, gently shaking her.

"What's going on?! Why did Okaa-sama suddenly collapse?!" Yukina questioned before a bubble popped beside her cheek.

"I don't know, but call the others and let them know!" Kurogasa said, before hearing a thud and seeing Yukina collapse as well. "Yukina!" He cried out, before the thought hit him. "No way… did those bubbles… gh…!" He then unsheathed Kage Ryuujin before slicing the bubbles. But then one of them managed to pop in front of his face. He began feeling drowsiness as he tried desperately to stay awake. "No…" He groaned before he took out his Scroll. "Aaron…! Help… Weiss and Yukina collapsed…"

*POP!*

"Bubbles… f-feeling drowsy…"

*THUD!*


"Do you think Koa is doing ok?" Pyrrha asked Orpheus as they alongside Rei and Jaune were walking down the halls.

"I don't know…" Orpheus said with a sigh.

"Ma rarely ever sounds serious…" Rei said, looking down. "Only bad stuff makes her that serious."

"I'm sure she just needs some time to herself." Jaune assured.

"Do you think it has something to do with her past?" Pyrrha remarked.

"She was an enemy that tried to kill us before. And she hurt people when she was still under Azrael's service." Orpheus stated. "I imagine her past is still haunting her even today."

"But she's a good person now. And your girlfriend too!" Pyrrha said.

"I know that!" Orpheus interjected. "But sometimes, it's difficult for others to forget their pasts. It's the same with Koa. She could ask for help whenever she wants but we just need to be there for her."

"Right…"

"Hey, what's going on over there?" Jaune asked, pointing at something. The others turned to see Team CFVY and CRDL looking at a bunch of bubbles that were floating around.

"If this is some kind of prank, I'm not impressed." Cardin crossed his arms.

"So you guys didn't blow these bubbles?" Coco remarked.

"No! We don't even like bubbles."

"I thought we did?" Russel said with a raised eyebrow.

"Shut up…" Cardin muttered to his teammate.

"They're kinda pretty." Velvet said as she curiously approached one.

*POP!*

*SLUMP!*

"Bun-Bun!" Coco called out as she rushed over to her fallen form as did Fox and Yatsuhashi.

"What the hell?!" Cardin exclaimed in shock.

"What just happened?!" Jaune also exclaimed in shock.

"…She's asleep…" Yatsuhashi said, after checking his partner's pulse. "But what could've caused this?"

Orpheus said nothing, as he turned to the floating bubbles that seemed to have multiplied. A few more teammates got hit by the bubbles, effectively knocking them out as well.

"Guys… we need to run."

"Huh?" Jaune asked.

"That bubble just caused Velvet and the others to go to sleep. And I got a feeling of who's behind all this."

"Uh Pa…" Orpheus turned around to see Rei pointing at bubbles approaching them from behind.

"Damn…" he cursed, "We need to get out of here and warn the others."

One of the bubbles went towards Pyrrha and Jaune instinctively got in front of it. It pops off his chest and he instantly collapses under the effects.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha said in shock. Jaune struggled to stand as he began pushing through the bubbles.

"Ngh… Run! I'll hold them… off!" Jaune said, using his Aura to try and keep himself awake.

"Pyrrha, come on!" Rei exclaimed.

"But what about the others?!"

"There's no time!"

Pyrrha turned to see the victims alongside Jaune, still protecting them as worry gripped her heart.


In the training hall, Yin and Yang were doing a friendly spar as they circled around each other. Nora, Ren, and Miko were watching from the sidelines as Yang delivered a right hook that Yin blocked.

"Hehe, is that the best you got mom?!" Yin said arrogantly as he delivered a kick to her gut, only to see her stopping it with her other hand.

"Just warming up!" Yang chuckled as she threw Yin to the ground. "You have a long way to go before you can beat Mama Bear!"

Miko felt her Scroll go off and pulled it out. "Huh, it's Mel. I wonder what she wants?" She pondered before answering it. "Hello?"

["Miko… help…!"]

"Mel?! What's wrong?! Mel!" Miko called out, alerting the others.

["Bubbles… evil…"]

*THUD!*

"MEL?! MEL!" Miko shouted, but there was no answer.

"Sis what's wrong?!" Yin exclaimed as he and Yang ran over alongside Nora and Ren.

"I don't know! Mel's in trouble! Something about… evil bubbles?"

"Huh?" Nora said, confused.

"No evil bubbles are gonna mess with my niece and get away with it!" Yang said as she ran towards the exit.

"Ma, wait!" Yin shouted, going after her.

"We should probably go after them." Ren suggested, which the others agreed before they followed them.


Aaron wiped his brow, smiling in satisfaction as he pulled out the completed Driver. The Buckle looked to resemble a golden snake tail that held the Aura Knuckler in place, the claws over a transparent crystal as if it was taking ahold of it.

"Finally! It's complete!" Aaron exclaimed, a strand of his hair standing up high. "I give you… The AuraKnuckle Driver!"

"Interesting." Blake said as she looked up from her book to see the device.

"It's better than interesting. It's pure genius!" Aaron said excitedly. "Now Koa just needs to test it… if she can move past what's keeping her from transforming."

"Give her time. You know how I needed time when everyone found out I was a Faunus." Blake replied, hugging Aaron.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Aaron sighed, before his Scroll went off. "Hm?"

"Who is it?" Blake asked as Aaron pulled out his phone.

"It's Kurogasa. Probably wanting to say how awesome Weiss looks in a Kimono." Aaron said nonchalantly, before picking up the phone. "Hello?"

["Aaron…! Help… Weiss and Yukina collapsed…"]

"Wait, what?!" Aaron got out.

*POP!*

["Bubbles… f-feeling drowsy…"]

*THUD!*

"Kuro! KURO! Damn it!" Aaron cursed as he got up.

"What happened?!" Blake said, concerned for him as he got geared up.

"Kurogasa is in trouble. Something about bubbles." Aaron explained. "I think an Alter is involved."

"Bubbles? What kind of Alter would use bubbles as a weapon?" Blake asked, grabbing her Gambol Shroud.

"I don't know, but we need to find anyone that hasn't been knocked out by them!" Aaron said, before grabbing the new Driver.

"You're bringing the Driver too?"

"In case we run into Koa. The best way to test equipment is in the field."

The two run out of the dorms, quickly finding Orpheus, Rei, Pyrrha, Miko, Yin, Yang, Nora, and Ren. "Yang!" Aaron shouted, getting Yang's attention.

"Aaron!" Yang called out as her group ran towards them. "What's going on? Miko got a call from Mel about some evil bubbles."

"I got the same call from Kuro. He mentioned bubbles too." Aaron explained. "Leave it to Azrael to cause trouble…"

"Him again?"

"Yeah, Kuro said these bubbles were making him feel drowsy before he collapsed." Aaron said.

"That's exactly what happened to CRDL, CFVY, and Jaune!" Pyrrha added.

"The same thing must've happened to Melody…"

"Oh Mel…" Miko said worriedly.

"Let's calm down for a minute, we need to find the Alter that's making these bubbles." Aaron said. "If we find the Alter making them, then defeating it will undo the bubbles' effects on everyone.

"How do you know that?" Blake asked.

"It's been the case with certain monsters the Riders faced." Orpheus replied.

"Same with us in the future." Rei added.

"Focus. Anyone know where the bubbles originated?" Aaron asked the team. "If we know the direction, we can pinpoint an estimated location of where they might be coming from."

"I got a call from Mel, and she said that she was going to jog with Orion and Ruby." Miko recounted.

"The track and field is on the northern side of Beacon." Pyrrha said, remembering the layout of Beacon from times she had to help Jaune find classes.

"We'll start there then." Aaron said, "Ready your Drivers and weapons. Be sure to pop any bubbles from a distance and don't let them touch you."

"RIGHT!" Everyone said with a nod.

"Alright, let's go!"


The Alter was having a joyful time as it danced around, letting its bubbles fly around and let the wind carry them.

"There it is!" The Alter turned around, seeing Aaron and his friends running out onto the field and seeing countless teachers and students fast asleep.

"All this damage from an overgrown Hermit Crab?!" Orpheus exclaimed.

"Kinda makes me hungry for seafood." Yin admitted.

"I want crab legs!"

"Well one steamed crab, coming up!" Yang said, roaring as she charged towards the crab.

"Yang, wait!" Aaron told his girlfriend. But it was too late, as the Alter aimed its shell arm at Yang and blasted her with a full stream of water that sent her careening into a wall. "YANG!"

"You're getting it now!" Nora shouted, charging towards the Alter.

"Nora, no!" Ren exclaimed, chasing after her. The Alter launched a stream of bubbles that the two hit and collapsed into each other.

"Nora! Ren!" Miko screamed, as Yang roared in anger. She unleashed her Semblance and charged towards the Alter.

"Yang, stop!" Aaron shouted.

She tried punching it in a wild haymaker, but her fists could barely dent the monster's outer shell. It then delivered another stream of bubbles directly into Yang's face as she screamed.

"YANG!" Aaron shouted as his girlfriend collapsed face first on the ground.

"Ok that's it!" Yin said, summoning his Driver. "Come on Dad! Let's send this Alter to the cooking pot!"

"No, we can't just charge in blindly!" Aaron said. "We have to be smart about this."

"Oh c'mon, it's right there!" Yin snapped.

"Listen to him, Yin." Blake said. "He's right. If those bubbles hit us, we can't help anyone."

"T-Then what the hell are we supposed to do?!"

"We do the best thing we possibly can…" Aaron told his son as he glared at the Hermit Crab Alter…

…then turned around to comically run.

"RUN AWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!"

"GODDAMMIT DAD! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO PULL A JOJO ON US?!" Yin shouted.

"THE FACT YOU KNOW THAT, MEANS I DIDN'T FAIL AS A FATHER!"

"Nii-san, c'mon, let's just go!" Miko urged.

"Tch… fine, but this still sucks!" Yin snapped, before the siblings headed off.

"Let's follow them." Blake said, to which Orpheus, Pyrrha, and Rei nodded before following Aaron's example.

"Where the heck is Koa during all of this?" Orpheus couldn't help but wonder.

"Knowing her, she's still napping." Rei deadpanned. "And this is before the whole bubble thing started."

"I'm surprised she could sleep through all of this." Pyrrha sweat dropped.


"Mmm… Man, that was a great nap." Koa gave a little stretch as she yawned from her long nap. "Welp, let's see what everyone is up to."

As she walked into Beacon, she hummed unaware of the damage caused by the Alter.

"Man, everyone must've been tired…" Koa said as she noticed students in the hallways fast asleep. "Maybe somebody drugged the drinking fountains again?"

As she was walking past the sleeping forms of Jaune, CFVY, and CRDL, drawing funny pictures on their faces another thought occurred. "Wait, did anyone ever drug the drinking fountains before?"

She looked around, seeing more students and teachers fast asleep, "This is weird… Everybody on campus is tired except me. Hello? Hellooooooo? Anybody awake?"

She then began getting nervous, seeing so many people asleep and not waking up.

"M-Maybe they're just super tired…?" Koa said to herself nervously. "H-Hey… somebody… anybody! …WAAAAKE UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP!" She screamed as loud as she could. Panicking, she ran over to Jaune and picked him up, slapping his face multiple times. She tried using a loud alarm clock, an air horn, even an electric guitar. But try as she might, nobody was waking up from their sleep. "No way… I'm… all alone."

Her fears were starting to fester in her head as she fell to her knees holding her skull. "No, no, no, no, no, please don't do this to me… don't do this…" Koa whimpered in fright.

"Koaaaaaaa!"

"Orphee?!" Her head shot up.

"ORPHEE JANAI!"

Koa breathed in relief when she saw Aaron, Orpheus, Blake, Pyrrha, Miko, Rei, and Yin running towards her. "Thank goodness! What's going on? I tried to wake up, Jaune-y boy here, and he's… I think he's dead!" She panicked.

"No, they're all asleep." Aaron sighed. "No thanks to that Hermit Crab Alter."

"A… what now?"

"A Hermit Crab Alter. It apparently makes bubbles that put people to sleep."

"Oh…"

"But more importantly, I'm here to give you this." Aaron added, before presenting to her the Aura Knuckle Driver. "It's ready."

Koa squealed with joy as she took the Driver and paraded it around like it was her newest toy.

"Mom, c'mon, get serious!" Rei snapped. "We still have to deal with that Alter!"

"Or you can handle us."

The group stiffened as they all turned to see Team ROGE suddenly show up out of nowhere, walking towards them.

"Oh great. You assholes now?" Orpheus groaned.

"Exactly, us assholes." Ogre grinned, punching his fists. "We were thinking of putting you to sleep first before we kill ya, but this is fine too."

"Once we deal with you guys a lot, the rest will follow." Gou added.

"So don't think for a second that you can get away that easily." Emily said.

Aaron growled at this, before looking at his ex-girlfriend. "By the way…" He said, causing ROGE to stop in their tracks. "Rachael… I gotta thank you."

"Huh? Thank me for what?" Rachael sneered.

"…for looking after Nina."

The blonde went silent as she stared at Aaron for a second before glancing at her teammates, "Take them down."

"With pleasure, boss!" Ogre cackled before he and Gou took out their Aura Spheres and inserted them in themselves, changing them into the Bull and Oni Alters respectively. "I'm gonna enjoy pounding your sorry asses into the ground."

"It's not the same as killing Kuro…" The Oni Alter muttered, pointing his sword at the group. "But killing you all will make his death all the more sweeter."

"Aaron… leave the Alters to us." Orpheus said with a nod, as he, Miko, Rei, and Yin moved away with Gou and Ogre following.

"We will handle Emily." Pyrrha said, drawing her weapons as Blake followed suit. As they and Emily moved away, leaving Koa and Aaron to deal with Rachel.

"Just you and us, Rachel." Aaron said, to which his ex clenched her fists.

"Mentioning your lil sister like that… how cheap of you to use that against me." Rachel growled. "Leave Nina out of this… this is between me and you alone, especially since I don't need another freak interfering with it."

"Huh? Freak? Where?" Koa asked, looking around, before turning to Aaron. "Aaron, do you see a freak anywhere?"

"She's talking about you, idiot…" Aaron facepalmed.

"Oh… hey!"

"To be fair, you are kinda freakish at times. It's like looking at another Nora."

"Ouch." Koa looked away, with anime tears rolling down her face. "Even Aaron calls me freakish…"

"Enough!" Rachel shouted at the two of them. "My patience has just about run thin with you idiots!"

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Aaron said with a smirk.

"UGH!" Rachel groaned in frustration. "I'm going to settle the score with you if it's the last thing I do! Henshin so we can end this!"

"Alright, you asked for it." Aaron said, before his Aura Driver appeared around his waist and took out his Exceed Mask and Burst Bracer.

EXCEED THE LIMIT! BRACE YOURSELF!

He placed the Mask over the 'face' of his Driver then after slotting his Aura Sphere into the gullet of the wolf, he placed the Burst Bracer in afterward with the ring of the bracelet covering the lower jaw.

PREPARE FOR POWER! PREPARE FOR POWER!

The electronic tune with a synthetic voice began to play as Aaron got into his stance before crying out, "Soul Burst Henshin!" Then slammed down on the wolf's head as it 'bites' down on the Bracer, which suddenly clicked open and flipped up a black pair of 'sunglasses' that locked over the Exceed Mask and covered the eyes until they shone a brilliant yellow.

EXCEE~D BURST!

THE CRIMSON HUNTER EVOLVES UNDER THE FULL MOON!

Two Aura wolves flew around, biting and clawing at a few enemies before merging with Aaron in a brilliant light. The light fades, and Aaron has once again changed into his Exceed Burst Form.

"Just so you know, I've gotten stronger since last we met." Kurenai said as he cracked his knuckles. "So, I'm gonna be tough to beat."

"You're not the only one." Rachel scoffed as she took out her own Aura Sphere and inserted it into herself. She then changed form into the Arachne Alter, but something about her was different. Aside from the eight legs that sprouted from her back, her legs became the thorax, leaving only the upper half of her body and her mask now had twelve eyes instead of eight, making her appear more beast-like.

"And I thought you were ugly before…" Kurenai mumbled.

"Alright, let's try this baby out!" Koa said, taking out her Aura Knuckle Driver.

"Hah! You… trying to become a Kamen Rider?" The Arachne Alter scoffed.

"And what's wrong with that?!" Koa snapped.

"Did you forget how many people you hurt, monster? I'm sure they didn't forget about you."

"W-What?" Koa stuttered.

"Oh? What's wrong? Finally figured out that you're still a monster?" The Arachne Alter taunted. "I mean, what did you think was going to happen if you kept playing human?"

"I…" Koa stuttered as she looked at her Driver. Kurenai looked to see that even though she was willing, the Greeed was hesitating.

"Admit it!"The Arachne Alter mocked, pointing at her. "You're nothing but a monster pretending to be a hero!"

"N-no! I'm not! You're wrong!" Koa tried to deny it, but the mocking was getting to her. "I can be a hero! I'll show you! I'll transform with this driver and prove you wrong!"

She angrily slammed the Driver against her waist, only for the energy to shock her and sent her flying to the ground. This threw the Arachne Alter into vile laughter, mocking Koa who whimpered in pain and embarrassment.

"Pathetic. Azrael was right about you. Just a sad excuse for an existence. I'm doing you a favor by putting you out of your misery." The Arachne Alter mocked as she materialized a spear made out of metal and webbing.

"As if I'd let you." Kurenai said, getting between the two. "Get out of here Koa, I can handle her."

"B-But…! I…" Koa looked down. She felt completely useless, not being able to help Aaron, and she hated it. It made her punch the ground in frustration.

"This is no time to argue! Go!" Aaron ordered. Koa groaned and started running off.

"Pushing people away now Aaron?" The Arachne Alter said, cracking her neck. "That's what you do best, after all!"

"Rachel, must we fight? You and I both know that this isn't you." Kurenai said, turning towards her. "Granted I deserve your hatred, but we both know you would never resort to killing!"

"Shut up! Stop talking like you know me!"

"I mean, we dated so-"

"Oh for the love of-! Just die already!" The Alter roared as she lunged at Kurenai.


Back with the others, they were having difficulty dealing with Ogre, Gou, and Emily. Two of them had transformed into their Alter forms and were making short work of them.

"I would've preferred to battle against Kuro and have my revenge, but killing you will have to suffice!" Gou said as he blocked Kunai and bullets with his sword.

"Well, you ain't gettin' near him anyway!" Nero said, as he swung his kunai, but the Oni Alter blocked with his katana and the two were in a deadlock. Kamen Rider Shadow also joined in the fight, pushing her katana against the Oni Alter as well.

"What has he ever done to you?" Shadow asked.

"Plenty to earn my vengeance!" The Oni Alter snapped, kicking Nero back to deliver a few slashes to Shadow.

"Haven't you ever heard of 'letting go of the past'?!" Shadow said as she had to dodge the strikes she couldn't block. "And maybe thinking of a better future?"

"The only future I plan on having is one where I gut Kuro, but not before defeating you!"

"Sorry, but that's never happening!"

Nero comes in from above to send a few kunai towards the Oni Alter, who was forced to dodge. With Pyrrha, she and the Bull Alter were charging towards each other and as he delivered a punch, which Pyrrha jumped over. She opened fire, hitting him in the back, making him roar in frustration.

"HOLD… STILL!" The Bull Alter said as he kept on trying to hit Pyrrha. "Stop moving around so I can flatten you!"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not going to let that happen!" Pyrrha said as she shot the Bull Alter in the face. The Alter was getting angrier and angrier as it kept trying to punch her.

With Blake, she was using Gambol Shroud to block Emily's attacks, as she was using the Blades of Chaos to slash at her. There were a few close calls, where a shadow clone would save her at the last second.

"You can't run forever, Blake!" Emily said as she kept on swinging the chains of her blades. "Sooner or later, you're going to tire out eventually!"

Blake gritted her teeth as she tried her best to dodge the blades. Suddenly, her eyes widened as she saw the battlefield was getting filled with bubbles. The Hermit Crab Alter was getting really agitated as foam bubbles from his mandibles.

"Aw crap." Nero jumped back as he avoided another attack from the Oni Alter. "Don't let those bubbles touch you!"

"Easier said than done! WOAH!" Shadow said before ducking under a slash. "At this rate, we'll be overrun!"

"Don't give up! Aaron will figure something out!" Blake said before Emily clashes blades with her own.

"Wanna bet?!" Emily remarked as she kept on attacking.

Back with Kurenai and the Arachne Alter, the two were moving around fast trading blocks for blows and vice versa. The Arachne Alter swung around on webs, slashing at the rider whilst her twelve eyes tracked his movements.

"Try as you might, you'll never escape my sight!" Arachne Alter said, turning to deflect Kurenai's kick before smacking him away.

The crimson Rider rolled before recovering back to his feet. This time he was equipped with the FangHowler in Gun Mode as he fired energy bullets at the Arachne Alter. She readied her claws as she blocked a few by swiping, only to get a kick to the side by him.

"Come on, Rachel, this isn't you!" Kurenai said, trying to reach her, to which she shook her head furiously.

"Shut up! I am me! And if I'm ever gonna move forward, I have to go through you!"

"Then you leave me no choice." Kurenai said as he pressed a button on his weapon then with a flick, brought it back into Sword Mode. "Dammit Rachel, even though you say you hate me, you still cared about Nina!"

"Shut up! I told you not to bring her into this!" Arachne Alter screeched, now deciding to do a haymaker on Aaron who blocked it with the flat side of his blade as he skidded backwards.

"She's my sister. How could I not?" Kurenai remarked as he rolled forward then stabbed the Alter, sending sparks flying from the impact. The Arachne Alter screamed in pain as she staggered back. "Tell me what you're really feeling, Rachel! You're holding something back! I know it! You wouldn't be like this if you had no intention of keeping me in your life!"

"Stop talking like you care!" The Arachne Alter roared and fired multiple strings.

The crimson Rider slashed a few of the strings with his gunblade but one snagged his left arm and another ensnared his neck. "Grk!"

"The only reason I gave any attention to your sister was because she wasn't everything that I despised about you!"

"Then why do you sound like you're in pain?!"

"I don't want to hear another word from you!" She then turned towards the Hermit Crab Alter who had just arrived. "Now!" She shouted at it.

The Alter aimed and fired a bubblebeam at Kurenai, as it engulfed him while the Arachne Alter managed to let go before the bubbles touched her.

"Dammit… no…" Aaron grunted as he was forced out of his transformation before falling to the ground face first.

"AARON/DAD/PAPA!" Tora, Shadow, and Blake shouted, realizing what had just happened.

"God dammit!" Nero cursed, before the Bull Alter managed to snatch him out of the air. "No!"

"Orphee!" Pyrrha shouted before trying to use her Semblance. "You let my cousin go, you big-"

*POP, POP, POP!*

Three bubbles hit her in the back, making her stumble a bit before falling to the ground.

"PYRRRRHAAAAA!" Nero screamed in shock and rage, pounding on the Bull Alter's hand.

"That tickles." Bull Alter said before slamming Nero on the ground once, twice, three times until it went up to ten.

"DAD!" Orochi shouted in shock.

"Enough, Ogre, Gou. Let the Alter finish them off."

A portal opened up and stepping out was none other than Azrael.

"You're dead!" Tora shouted.

BITE! FLAMING TIGER!

"Nii-san, da-me!" Shadow shouted, but it was no use as Tora jumped up and dived down for a Rider Kick with his kicking foot enveloped in flames while his Aura in the shape of a tiger enveloped it.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Hmph, weak and futile."

With just one finger, Azrael stopped Tora's attack, shocking the orange Rider. "How…!?"

"You're a hundred lifetimes too late to match me, spawn." Azrael said before flicking Tora in the face with enough force to send him into the dirt.

"NII-SAN!" Shadow screamed in shock, flinching as Azrael turned towards her. Blake was quick to stand protectively in front of her daughter.

"Don't you dare lay a finger on her…" Blake hissed venomously.

"Mama…" Shadow mumbled

"I won't have to do anything… He will."

Blake's ears twitched too late as behind the two were the Hermit Crab Alter and Arachne Alter.

BITE! HYDRA INJECTION!

"Stay away from them!" Orochi shouted as they jumped up and was about to dive kick into the two, but the Hermit Crab Alter sprayed bubbles on Orochi then immediately, they fell short and dropped straight to the ground.

"REI!" Shadow exclaimed, trying to slash the Hermit Crab Alter, only for her claws to bounce off its shell. The monster turned and grabbed her by the face.

"LET HER GO!" Blake screamed and tried to shoot, only for the Arachne Alter to grab her arm. She pulled Blake and proceeded to bind her with her strings.

"I wouldn't do anything reckless. I would hate to damage that pretty face."

"Damn you." Blake hissed before seeing the Hermit Crab Alter drop Miko after hitting her with a bubble before aiming it at Blake.

Orpheus coughed up blood as he turned to see Blake collapse. He winced, taking in the fact that he and Yin were hopelessly outnumbered in this situation.

"Kaa-chan… Miko…" Yin grunted as he tried to get up, only to be stomped on by the Bull Alter. "Gahhh!"

"Stay down, brat!" The Bull Alter grunted, as the Hermit Crab Alter approached the last two Riders.


Koa was leaning against a wall in frustration, tears dripping down her face.

"It's not fair… it's not fair!" Koa punched the wall in anger and sadness, glaring at the buckle. "Why can't I transform?!" She leaned against the wall and slid down to the ground. "Maybe she's right… I'm not like everybody else… just a weak, stupid monster…"

"You're wrong, Kurai…" a faint, yet familiar voice whispered in her ear.

"Who's there?!" Koa looked around, in shock to see no one there. "No one… I'm going crazy!"

"Oh, but you are crazy." The voice whispered.

"Shut up! Where are you?!" Koa searched around frantically. "Show yourself!"

She turned around and froze, seeing her reflection… only it wasn't her human appearance but rather her Greeed side in the reflection.

"Running from another fight? Since when did you start running like the worst villain in history?" Her inner voice remarked in a snarky tone.

"Shut up! I'm trying to be like the good guys here!" Koa countered, fiddling with the buckle. "Once I figure out this darn thing, we can beat up the bad guys, wake up everyone for a muffin party then sleep till noon!"

"You already know why it rejects you… because you reject your past… you reject me." The reflection said, making Koa hesitate.

"I… no, I… You're wrong!"

"Then why do you hesitate? Why not just transform into your Greeed form and defeat them?!"

"Because I'm no monster!"

"But you are!"

"Shut up, I'm not!"

"If that were true, you wouldn't bleed coins and would actually be able to transform!"

"THEN WHY AM I STILL A USELESS FAILURE?!" Koa shouted, hitting the reflection. "What am I supposed to do alone…?"

"You're not a failure, Koa… Your friends and family. They're counting on you to save them. Are you just going to abandon them to die to Azrael and his minions?"

Koa stared at the reflection, turning towards the Driver in her hand. She kept staring at it, before her grip tightened as she knew what her answer was.


Back with the others, Team ROGE alongside the Hermit Crab Alter found and gathered all of the teams JOKR, RWBY, JNPR, MYYR, and CFVY along with Miko to the front of the campus. There, the five nodded to Azrael who floated down in his Alter form before changing back.

"Good, you five actually managed to do something right for a change." Azrael mused, much to the others annoyance. He then turned towards the group. "Finally… we can get rid of these annoyances and move onto the next incarnation."

"About time! I'm dying to kill Orion right now!" Ogre growled, cracking his knuckles.

"This is it." Gou said, drawing his katana pointing it at Kurogasa. "You are still unworthy, but I will make your death quick and painless."

Emily felt hesitant as Rachel stood over Aaron's body, clenching her fists. Everything about what the Rider said to her irked and annoyed her greatly. "A damn fool… all the way to the end." Rachel said, glaring at Aaron. "Why did you have to go and mention her of all people?!" She gives Aaron a few good kicks to vent out her frustrations.

As she drew her sword, Emily took a deep breath as she summoned the Blades of Chaos once more to which Azrael smirked deviously.

"SAN KEMONO KIRI!"

Just as Team ROGE were about to finish off Team JOKR and their friends, they were suddenly stopped by a slash of energy.

They turned to see Koa, holding her sword in hand as she morphed into her Greeed form.

"Step away from my friends." Kurai growled, pointing her sword at them. They stare at her, looking at each other, before laughing in a mocking way.

"Oh Kurai, you amuse me." Azrael mocked, wiping a tear from his eye. "But in the end, you're simply nothing."

"WRONG!" Kurai shouted, for once the force in her voice caused Azrael to raise an eyebrow. "You forget that it was you that created me. You gave me life. I was born from desire."

"What of it?" Azrael asked.

"It's what I lacked all this time. Desire. And my desire… is to protect my friends and family!"

"And what good will that do against us killing them and you?" Rachel mocked. "What could you possibly do this late in the game?!"

"Yeah, in case you haven't noticed, there's six of us and only one of you, you miserable bitch." Ogre pointed out with a cruel smirk.

"Maybe so. But it's because I'm alone and up against the wall, that I can make a comeback and kick all of your sorry butts!" Kurai pointed at them mockingly. "Or are you all chicken to face a fellow 'monster'?"

This got Team ROGE angry, only for Azrael to eye them putting them in their place. His yellow eyes returned to his former creation, "You seem to be making a lot of talk. But I know your limits, Kurai. You cannot hope to win."

"Won't know unless I try!" Kurai roared as she charged forward, grabbing her sword with both hands. Azrael gave a huff, as he aimed a palm at Kurai blasting her with a full blast of his dark powers. "AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!"

Despite this, she urged her body forward as Cell Medals dripped from her body.

"It's useless. Accept the inevitable." Azrael taunted.

"I-I won't… not till… I win..!" Kurai groaned, almost reaching Azrael, which greatly annoyed him.

"Must you continue to be stubborn? Such a disappointment."

With a flick of his hand, more dark power hit Kurai, sending her flying backwards with lots of Cell Medals littering the ground. She hit the ground hard, causing a small crater as team ROGE laughed mockingly at her.

"Get it through your thick head, Kurai." Azrael said coldly. "You are weak, you are alone, and you are nothing."

Koa rolled over to look up at the sky, tears streaming down her face. 'Darn… I was so close… and yet so far… I'm sorry everyone… I wasn't strong enough… to save you.'

"Geez, Koa, since when did you give up?"

'Huh?!'


The voice made Koa sit up in surprise, only to find herself in the pure white void.

"Hello?" She finally said after a minute's pause.

"Over here, brat." The voice said, attracting her attention. She turned towards the voice, gasping at who it was.

"Yo." Waved the astral figure of Aaron Jaeger, whose entire body was a solid crimson color save for the pure white eyes that stared at the Greeed girl.

"Aaron?! Is-I-You-Uh… What?!" Koa exclaimed before the figure placed a hand over her mouth.

"Stop talking. I'm a spiritual construct and even now I'm getting a migraine from how loud your voice is." The astral being stated. "To correct you, I am not Aaron Jaeger. I am the piece of his soul he had put into this Driver."

Koa looked at the driver before looking down. "A lot of good that does for me now… I can't use it, Aaron. I'm not like you, or Kuro, Orion, or even my boyfriend! Without you guys… I'm just a screw up."

"And?" The spirit pondered.

"And I can't win! Even when I was Azrael's servant, I just kept failing!" Koa retorted, hugging her knees. "How am I supposed to win when all the chips and cards are all stacked against me?!"

"You think the others haven't experienced that? Every Rider before them has had the odds stacked against them yet they still fought. You wanna know why?"

Koa looked back up at him, prompting him to continue.

"It's because even when their bodies were at their limit, their strength diminished… their hearts and will proved stronger. They had something to protect. So I ask this of you, Kurai- no, Koa! What does your heart tell you?"

"My…heart?" Koa said as she got up. "My heart… What my heart wants…"

Memories of her friends and family began to fill her mind, as she heard a heartbeat.

"My heart…"

A faint light began to glow from her chest.

"What my heart wants… IS TO PROTECT THE THINGS THAT I LOVE!" Koa shouted, with newfound confidence and determination. The light from her chest bursted outwards, much to her shock. The symbols of her Core Medals appeared from the light, flying all around her before taking three large shapes. When the light faded, Koa stood before a large Greenish Yellow Cobra, a giant Yellow sea turtle, and a massive Orange crocodile. But one thing that made them unique was the golden markings and gold ornaments that adorned their astral bodies.

The astral version of Aaron nodded, "Congratulations. You have passed the trial. My restrictions on the Driver are lifted and a new power is born. Farewell." With that said, the astral being disappeared into thin air.

"Thank you, Aaron." Koa smiled, before turning to the three large Aura Beasts. "Are you three… the same as Team JOKR's?"

"Yesss we are." The Cobra hissed in a western accent. "I am the Cobra of Dessssire."

"You may call me the Turtle of Grandeur." The Sea Turtle spoke in a calming tone.

"And I am the Crocodile of Luck, Amiga!" The Crocodile boomed in a Spanish accent.

"We're here to grant your very desires." They said in unison. "Tell us what you desire and we shall grant it."

"There's only one thing that comes to mind!" Koa smirked, pointing to them. "My desire is to protect my friends and family! What do you say to that?!"

"BWAHAHA! I like this Amiga, she has spunk!" The Crocodile guffawed.

"Very well. If that is your will, it will be done." The Turtle nodded.

"It issss time for you to transssssform." The Cobra said. Koa beamed at that as they all swirled around her, becoming light as they landed in her hand. She giggled in excitement and delight as light encompassed the entire void.


Azrael and ROGE turned to deal with the heroes, when Rachel stopped when she heard something. Koa groaned as she slowly began to pull herself out of the crater. "Ow… gonna feel that in the morning." Koa rubbed her head as she slowly got back up. "Come on, baddies… I'm not down and out yet."

"Oh, you gotta be shitting me..." Rachel growled at Koa's tenacity.

"I grow tired of this." Azrael shook his head before glancing at Team ROGE. "Kill her."

"With pleasure, boss…" Ogre smirked, cracking his knuckles.

"Hmph." Gou muttered in compliance.

"Hold up!" Koa said, causing them to stop. "Before you do, I gotta do this." She said, before pulling out her AuraKnuckle Driver. She smiled as she took the Aura Knuckler from it, flipping the claws backwards. This changed it from Claw Mode to Knuckle Mode.

AURA KNUCKLER!

"This is gonna be Hella Hyper Hype!" Koa smirked, before placing the buckle on her waist.

AURAKNUCKLE DRIVER!

A silver belt with gold medals depicted on it, began materializing on her waist, alongside a holster. This caused Azrael and ROGE to stare at Koa, stunned by what just happened.

"Another Driver?!" Emily shouted in surprise.

"How?! She wasn't able to do that a minute ago!" Rachel exclaimed in shock.

"Then that means…" Gou muttered.

"No way!" Ogre added. Azrael, meanwhile, was absolutely speechless. In all the timelines he destroyed, and not one of them Koa was able to do what she was doing now.

"You four… kill that stupid Greeed…" Azrael said, gritting his teeth in anger. "NOW!"

The four flinched and charged at Koa, who snickered as she held up three Aura Spheres. She held the Cobra Sphere, a Greenish Yellow sphere with a gold cobra depicted inside, and inserted it into her Knuckler.

AURA SPHERE CONNECTED! COBRA! CHARGING~!

A remixed version of a western tune began to play as team ROGE got closer. She pulled her arm back, smiling as she pulled the trigger before punching the air in front of her.

COBRA BREAKTHROUGH!

Her Aura Beast Cobra shot out like a typhoon, hitting each member and sent them flying with a shockwave. The beam approached Azrael, who was shocked to feel such power behind it. "Impossible!" Azrael exclaimed as he tried to block the attack, only to find he was being pushed back. An explosion followed, and Azrael skidded away from JOKR, JNPR, MYYR, RWBY, CFVY, and Miko.

"Did you like that?!" Koa smirked with glee. "But wait! There's so much more!" Koa then took out the sphere and re-inserted it.

AURA SPHERE CONNECTED! COBRA! CHARGING~!

She did a little spin before she slotted the Knuckler into the brand new Driver, summoning the Cobra Aura Animal.

EXCEEDING LIMITS!

A Western theme with a techno remix began to play as the cobra danced around Koa. The Greeed giggles with glee as she brings her arms out, spinning them like the hands of a clock before pointing to the sky, her other hand on the Driver's trigger.

"Henshin!" Koa declared, pulling the trigger which caused the claws to flip out, much like how it would grab something.

KURAI AURA-FLOW!

The Cobra gave a hiss as a clawed hand made of aura guided it into Koa, enshrouding them with greenish yellow light as the hand morphed into metal armor pieces that combined as well.

SANDSTORM OUTLAW! KURAI STORM! YEEHAW!

When the light faded, Koa was replaced with a brand new Rider. Covered in a white and gold bodysuit, with armor on her torso and arms, resembling a cobra's dark brown scales with a greenish yellow poncho wrapped around her shoulders. On her legs were a pair of cowgirl type boots that reached her knees with the same scale pattern as well as greenish yellow cobra fang designs along the heels. She had golden arm guards and green gloves with brown fingertips, while a golden scarf hung around her neck. Her helmet was white with a gold and brown snake mask, with lime green reptilian-shaped visors and a wide brim western hat on the top.

"I am… an actual Kamen Rider!" She cheered in excitement before pointing to the antagonists. "You baddies can call me Kamen Rider Kurai!

Team ROGE, the Hermit Crab Alter, and Azrael were left speechless. Their weakest traitor of a monster was somehow able to push past her limits and become a Kamen Rider!

"Inconceivable…" Azrael gritted his teeth in anger. "Don't just stand there you idiots! Transform and kill her already!"

"Y-Yes boss!" ROGE quickly said as they charged towards Kurai, three of them transforming into their Alter selves, and Emily readying her blades.

"Alrighty! Let's get this show on the road!" Kamen Rider Kurai declared, charging towards the Alters. They launched all their attacks at once at the new Rider, who slid underneath and past them on her knees before jumping up. "Haha! Missed me by a mile!"

"Why you!" The Bull Alter roared as he went to punch her, only to miss and noticed his fist tangled in the golden scarf. Kurai had slid past him, landing on his other shoulder and pulled the scarf which hit him in the face.

"Stop hitting yourself! Stop hitting yourself! Ooh, why are you hitting yourself?" Kurai teased as she did it three more times, knocking the large Alter to the ground. She gracefully lands, brushing her hands before looking back to the villains. "Alrighty, who's next?"

"I will cut you into ribbons…" the Oni Alter said coldly as he sped towards Kurai and swung his katana.

"Hm, nope." Kurai said matter-of-factly as she brought up an arm. Her Turtle Sphere glowed, summoning an energy projection of a turtle shell. When the blade made contact with the shield… it shattered into pieces.

"What?!"

*WHAM!*

The Oni Alter had the wind knocked out of him as Kurai used the edge of the turtle shell projection to bash into his stomach before following up with a large uppercut to his chin. "Shoryuken!" Kurai declared, sending the Oni Alter flying and eventually to the ground.

"C'mon, is that all you got?" Kurai taunted.

"What are you doing, you blithering idiots?! Kill her!" Azrael ordered.

"With pleasure!" Emily shouted as she used her Semblance to summon throwing knives which she used to… well, throw at Kurai.

"Woo! Too slow! Missed! Try again!" Kurai laughed as she kept jumping and dodging all the knives thrown at her.

"Ugh! I really hate this brat!" Emily growled.

"Ready or not, here I come!" Kurai declared as she dashed towards Emily.

"S-Stay away!" Emily shouted as she summoned a Gatling gun, unleashing a storm of bullets. Kurai giggled as she began slithering around to avoid getting turned into Swiss cheese. Emily gasped as she saw Kurai slip underneath her before jumping up and chopped the back of her neck, which rendered her unconscious.

"Three down, one to go." Kurai, looking at the Arachne Alter. "You're next, honey."

"I'm gonna enjoy ripping you to pieces." The Alter growled as she cracked her knuckles.

"That is if you can!" Kurai smirked behind her helmet as she decided to change spheres, this time using the Turtle Aura Sphere. She took out the Cobra one and slotted the Turtle one into the Knuckler.

AURA SPHERE CONNECTED! TURTLE! CHARGING~!

EXCEEDING LIMITS!

"Soul Change!"

KURAI-OVERFLOW!

"As if I'd let you!" The Alter sent out multiple spears made of webbing and metal at Kurai. Suddenly, her sea Turtle materialized and blocked all the spears with its shell before the aura hand guided it into her with a bright yellow light.

SHELLSHOCK AMAZON! KURAI TURTLE! AMAZING!

When the dust settled, Kurai's Western Cowgirl theme was replaced by an Amazonian gladiator theme. The green has all been replaced by yellow armor, as well as adding new yellow shoulder pads and knee pads that reach down to her ankles. Turtle shell shield on her back as well as mini shell shield on her forearms, and her helmet was now a mix of a turtle and a gladiator.

"Let's see how you handle this change in pace." Kurai said, her tone now calm and collected, as she drew the shell shield from her back. "This time, I will protect them!"

"Don't underestimate me! Even as a Rider, you're still nothing compared to me!" The Alter screeched, charging towards Kurai who blocked her advance with her shield.

"How long do you intend to continue this pointless endeavor? Don't you see that Azrael will cast you aside when he gets what he wants?" Kurai says, pushing the Arachne back, "Take it from someone who has been abandoned by that maniac!"

"Shut up!" The Arachne Alter screams, throwing Kurai away before the Hermit Crab Alter appears. "Don't just stand there! Destroy that bitch!"

The Hermit Crab Alter roared, firing a stream of water that was blocked by Kurai's shield. Kurai jumped over the beam as she threw the shield, making it smack against the two monsters. Her orange Crocodile sphere glowed, as she was coming down to drop kick them both.

She backflips over towards her sword and takes a hold of it, her aura transforming the blade. When it faded, her sword had changed a bit, the tip of the blade resembling a fish hook as well as the barrel of a gun. The Medal Slot was also replaced by a larger slot that looks to hold an Aura Sphere instead.

"Now that's a sword!" Kurai said as she readied her sword and shield. "C'mon, aren't you supposed to actually try and kill me?""

The Hermit Crab Alter charged towards Koa, attempting to hammer Kurai with its claws, but Kurai blocked it with her sword and bashed it with her shield. She then flipped over the Hermit Crab Alter, and the latter sprayed bubbles. Fortunately, Kurai dodged, but unfortunately, Rachel was in the line of fire.

*POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP!*

"Why…" Rachel groaned before falling asleep.

"Grrrrrrrr! All of you are useless!" Azrael snarled, as he snapped his fingers and Team ROGE disappeared, retreating to a different location.

"It's just you and me, Azzy." Kurai said, staring down at him.

"No, it's just you and the minion. Ta ta!" Azrael said before he vanished as well, leaving the Hermit Crab Alter by its lonesome.

"Get back here, Azzy!" Kurai shouted, but to no avail. "Fine, I'll make crab soup out of you!" She pointed her sword at the Hermit Crab Alter. The Alter snarled before it unleashed another barrage of bubbles at Kurai. The reptile Rider dodge rolled to the side to avoid them.

"Alright, let's go wild with the last one!" Kurai said, taking out the Turtle one and slotting the Crocodile Aura Sphere into the Knuckler.

AURA SPHERE CONNECTED! CROCODILE! CHARGING~!

EXCEEDING LIMITS!

"Soul Change!"

KURAI-OVERFLOW!

The Aura Crocodile came out of the Knuckle Driver and rushed over, swiping its tail at the Hermit Crab Alter sending it flying before it went back to Kurai and glowed an orange light.

JAW CRUNCHING PHAROAH! KURAI CROCODILE! CRIKEY!

When the light faded, Kurai's armor had changed into orange crocodile armor themed after a Pharaoh from Ancient Egypt. The yellow was replaced by the orange armor and the edges of her armor and suit were jagged and the surface of her armor were scaly. The headdress of her helmet had a Pharaoh's crown mixed with a crocodile on it too. And topping it off was her gauntlets resembling a crocs serrated tail while on her legs were a pair of serrated armor that resembled.

"Alrighty Amigo, let's see how you like these!" Kurai said, charging forward with her arms, slashing and blocking the Alter's own claws and shell. The Hermit Crab Alter shrieked as sparks flew off their armor as it staggered back. It tried to shoot bubbles, but this time Kurai gripped its arm with her legs, doing a roll that caused the shell to crack. Kurai saw that it was trying to aim it's other claw at her, so she slashed the Hermit Crab Alter's mouth.

The Alter roared in pain as it held its mouth. When it removed its claws, the mouth was carved clean off, leaving a spongy patch of black flesh that pulsed like a tumor.

"Eww, yeah~ I'm gonna have to hold back on that." Kurai blanched. "Welp, no use crying over spilled milk."

SANDSTORM OUTLAW! KURAI STORM! YEEHAW!

Changing back to her Outlaw Form, she readied herself for her final attack. "Alright, time to finish this!" She takes her three Aura Spheres then slots them rapidly through the AuraKnuckle before flipping it back to Claw Mode.

GRAB! TRIPLE OVERFLOW!

Kurai enters a stance as her Aura Animals materialize around her before they flow down to her boots. With a quick jump in the air, the enemy gathered at her boots, molded until they formed three different animal heads of a cobra, turtle, and crocodile. "HIIIYAAAAAA!"

STORMING BURAKAWANI!

The three animals spiraled into her boots as she came down, rapidly kicking the monster as the sheer force was pushing it backwards. She delivered one final kick that sent it flying as she landed, turning around to slide the brim of her hat. "Victory!"

The Alter struggled to stand, before the energy made it roar out in pain before exploding. When the smoke cleared, a sky blue Aura Sphere depicting a Hermit Crab rolled towards her feet, as she picked it up.

"I did it… I actually won!"

With that, Kurai fell to her knees, out of breath as she then looked around. The bubbles began to pop, as some of the students and teachers began to slowly awaken.

Teams JOKR, RWBY, JNPR, CFVY, MYYR, and Miko slowly started to wake up as well.

Aaron yawned, "That was a nice nap."

"What happened?" Ruby groaned, as she rubbed her eyes before noticing the Rider in front of them. "Huh? Who's that? Do you guys know?"

"Never seen them, but they got some fashion sense." Coco commented.

"Oh, that must be Koa. She finally turned into a Rider." Aaron said dryly as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH?!"

"T-That's Koa?" Weiss stuttered.

"K… Koa?" Orpheus got out.

"Ma?" Rei managed to say.

"Oh hey, you guys are okay!" Kurai said with a thumbs up, before collapsing to the ground and going back to civilian form.

"Ah, she exhausted herself." Aaron said dryly.

"Wait, Koa… finally turned into a Rider?" Kurogasa got out.

"Yep, she just needed to believe in herself." Aaron remarked as he stretched his body.

"Well dang…" Orion got out.

"I'll say." Yang agreed.

"But wait… you mean… she took on ROGE and Azrael, and that Hermit Crab Alter… all by herself?" Blake asked, upon realizing the implications.

"Yep, she really threw my expectations out the window." Aaron said as he collected the AuraKnuckle.

"Whoa…" Jaune got out.

"Okay, not going to lie. That's pretty awesome." Nora commented.

"She certainly has come a long way." Ren added.

"I think she's truly become one of us now." Pyrrha smiled.

"Indeed. For now, let's get her to bed. She looks like she needs a nap." Aaron stated. Everyone nodded before they all went to help Koa.


"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Azrael roared as he threw a large object at the wall shattering it into pieces. He may have been angry before, but now? Now he was absolutely livid. "THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE! MY CREATION BECAME A RIDER?! RIDICULOUS! UTTER LUDICROUS AND INCONCEIVABLE! I SHOULD HAVE GUTTED THE CORE MEDALS FROM THAT FAILURE AGES AGO!"

"Trouble in paradise?" A voice asked as Salem appeared, coming out of the shadow.

"What do you want?" Azrael snarled.

"I came to see how you're faring, considering that your plans are tearing at the seams."

"What's it to you?"

"Perhaps it's time you start thinking about my proposal." Salem smirked.

"Tch, like I'd start serving you. You might've convinced Cinder, but I'm no fool. I will kill those Riders."

"And yet you haven't." Salem said. "You guaranteed me that these… outsiders would be eliminated swiftly, but now your plans are prolonging progress."

"Let me ask you this. Did I ever rush you on your plans? Considering you've been alive for millennia? I will kill them when I get an opportunity."

"Then you best do it soon. Because that window of opportunity is closing real fast." Salem warned, before sinking into the shadows once more.

"Tch, pompous old hag."

"I heard that."

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Azrael roared in anger, letting his dark aura flow outwards, before taking a deep breath to calm himself down. "Fine. If this is how it will be then I will simply have to stop using kid gloves. It's time I got back my original power."

He turned his gaze to the dark glyph that held the mysterious Aura Sphere, three out of the four sides colored and pulsing with power like a heartbeat.

"Get ready, Kamen Riders…" Azrael said with a dark chuckle.


A/N: And that is the end of the chapter.

KR Duelist: CRAP! WHAT DID I MISS?!

GKC: Ah, he's alive. To answer your question: A lot. But you're here now.

Fen: Aww man, I can't believe I missed a whole chapter!

SR: Don't worry amigo, we still have the rest of the volume!

KR Duelist: Yeah, I guess… anyways, we'll be starting Vol. 3 proper?

GKC: Indeed. However, Volume 3 will be completely different from what we know.

SR: Oh? How so, boss?

KR Duelist: One, Pyrrha is not dying. As much as her death was used to have JNPR grow as a team, she's too precious to leave this world. So we're saving her!

SR: And not to mention the most heartfelt ship second to Renora too.

KR Duelist: Also different we're showcasing Team JOKR's fight in the Vytal Festival as well as… manipulating the results so-to-speak. Besides, Cinder's not controlling the matches. We are! MWAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

*BONK!*

KR Duelist: ITE! NANDAYO?!

GKC: No evil laughter. I want no DIOs in this.

SR: Run the tape?

GKC: Run the tape.


PREVIEW


Announcer: Jikai! Remnant's Climax Heroes!

Port: And now ladies and gentlemen! The first round of the Vytal Festival Tournament is about to begin!

Kurogasa: Showtime.

?: So you're our first opponents, huh?

Ruby: This is gonna be so awesome!

Next Time: The Vytal Festival Begins!

JOKR: Henshin!

TURN/OPEN UP

CHANGE


SR: Be sure to stay tuned, follow and review, as well as take a look at our other stories too!

KR Duelist: Er-hem! I don't have any, remember? :/

GKC: I'm sure you'll post something eventually. Anyway, peace out, everyone!