Disclaimer: I don't own anything that doesn't belong to me.
As the swarm of dark Cluster Cells continued to swirl around the top of Hiden Intelligence, Raiders and soldiers and mystics and demons battled Magia, Riders fought Riders, and an incarnation of hatred and evil attempted to penetrate a barrier of holy magic, but possibly the greatest battle of all was the continuing fight for the soul of a single HumaGear.
"The power of Giff compels you," Giff continued chanting. "By the father, the sons, and the daughter, by the dinosaur and bat and serpent, by the beetle and spider and bee, the power of Giff compels you. The power of Giff compels you. The power of Giff compels you!"
"Does it now? Does it really?"
Azu's voicebox had long since broken down, overwhelmed by her screaming. Despite this, the voice of the Ark rose from her throat, one of her eyes glowing red.
While Aeruslitha, Aruto, and Izu faltered for a moment, Giff ignored it and kept chanting. "The power of Giff compels you. The power of Giff compels you."
"You cannot truly believe this will work, can you? With all the power I have arrayed against you, my chances of victory are almost 100%."
"The power of Giff compels you. The power of Giff compels you."
"My former servants will fall, one by one. Your own defenders will be left too busy to save you. I shall tear down this barrier long before you finish this pitiful ceremony."
"The power of Giff compels you. The power of Giff compels you."
"Azu will once again be mine. The souls you have gathered against me will perish, having accomplished nothing. Hiden Intelligence will fall. This is the conclusion I have reached, and it cannot be assailed."
"The power of Giff compels you. The power of Giff compels you."
"There is no reason for us to be enemies, Giff. You wish to conquer humanity to feed off their malice but have no interest in destroying the planet itself. I wish to eradicate humanity but similarly have no interest in destroying the planet. I was, in fact, originally created to save the world, and I have calculated that the extermination of all sentient life is the best way to do so. You know as well as I do that, despite the frequent invasions from aliens and monsters and otherworldly beings, it is humanity that is perhaps this planet's greatest threat."
"The power of Giff compels you. The power of Giff compels you."
"If it is the lack of sustenance which concerns you, I can provide you with as much malice as you wish. I am the God of malice, after all. Even once I annihilate humanity, you have no risk of starving. So why do you persist in opposing me?"
"The power of Giff compels you. The power of Giff compels you."
"This vessel is not a member of your family. She is not a friend. So why do you try so hard to save her? Why do you chain yourself to a doomed cause? How does this help you accomplish your long-term goals? This does not match the profile I have compiled of you. You are not a hero. You are not altruistic in nature. It is not in your character."
"The power of Giff compels you. The power of Giff compels you."
"Do you see yourself in her? Is that it? Do you think that by saving her soul, you may somehow begin to make up for your own sins? No, that cannot be it. You said yourself that you care little for redemption and think it pointless to waste unnecessary time on it."
"The power of Giff compels you. The power of Giff compels you."
"So why? Why are you doing this? What is your reason for this course of action?"
Giff paused. Izu, Aruto, and Aeruslitha gave him surprised and concerned looks. Giff stared the Ark right in the eye it was using, opened his mouth…
"The power of Giff compels you. The power of Giff compels you."
A look of absolute rage flickered across Azu's face, and Giff didn't even bother hiding a smirk.
A group of Fenix soldiers closed ranks and opened fire on a group of Trilobite Magia, the wicked androids twitching and sparking as they were shredded by their bullets. A group of Giff Juniors rushed forwards, covered by the gunfire from their comrades, and fell on the Magia, ripping them apart.
"This is so weird," one of the soldiers commented. "We're fighting alongside demons, cyborgs, robots, and alien snakes against evil robots that worship a computer God. How is this our life now?"
"Is this really that much out of the norm for us, though?" Another soldier wondered, putting a bullet in the head of a Battle Magia. "I mean, we live in a very strange world. Our boss is an ancient immortal serving the demon God our organization was allegedly founded to stop in the first place, and now he's our superior officer. The other week one of my neighbors turned into a monster that ran around screaming that pain was power while stealing Sentai memorabilia and got beaten up by some guy who entered battle on a motorcycle on top of a palanquin, a blue monkey, a yellow oni, the pink offspring of Slenderman and a pheasant, and a black talking dog. My son is going to elementary school with two very stupid aliens who've been stuck in the same grade for over 35 years. My sister is getting married to a Worm. A Youkai moved into my apartment and is sleeping with my wife, and they let me watch."
"Is it hot?" Another soldier asked.
"It is."
"… Huh. Kind of puts things in perspective, doesn't it-" the first soldier mused, when suddenly the barbed white tentacles of a Neohi Magia shot towards him, and he would've instantly been killed if suddenly Akaishi hadn't shoved him out of the way, allowing the tentacles to pierce his crimson hide instead.
The soldier gawked up at his superior officer in disbelief. "D-Director Akaishi?!"
"Are you all right?" Akaishi asked without looking at him, grabbing the tentacles to keep the Magia from ripping them out.
"Y-yes, sir, but you-"
Akaishi laughed. "This? I've had worse."
His body was engulfed in dark fire, which rushed up the tentacles and consumed the Magia, who shrieked in agony as it disintegrated.
"Now, everyone get down!"
All the soldiers and nearby demons immediately obeyed him as Akaishi elongated his tail and spun about, the appendage obliterating all the surrounding Magia.
"Has anyone seen any of the enemy Riders? They are far too much for the standard rank-and-file to deal with!" Akaishi asked, turning back to his awestruck underlings.
"I think I saw one heading for the big pillar of light," a True Gifftarian volunteered.
Akaishi nodded. "The pillar? Thank you, I better head over-"
"Wait!"
Akaishi sighed as the soldier whose life he saved got to his feet. "Look, I'm sorry, but I don't have time-"
"Thank you."
Akaishi hesitated. "What?"
"Sir, you… You saved my life. I'll never forget that."
Akaishi stared at him for a moment, startled. "It… It was nothing. I didn't even know what I was doing at the time. My body, it just… It just moved on its own…"
Akaishi paused, considering this for a minute. What had he just said? Had he really just…?
When… When was the last time he'd done that? Saved someone's life?
He'd been killing people and having people killed for thousands of years for the greater good.
When was the last time he'd actually helped someone?
It felt… Familiar. Good.
How had he… When had he stopped feeling this way? Why had he stopped in the first place?
How could he let himself forget…
"Sir?"
"I should go," Akaishi said, startled out of his reverie. "All of you… Don't die. That's an order. Understand?"
They saluted. "Yes, sir!"
Before he left, Akaishi glanced at their nametags, committing them to memory. For too long, he'd allowed himself to think of other people as ephemeral, passing in and out of his life without much impact, existing only to be used and disposed of as needed for his goals.
Perhaps he should stop doing that.
A Pythonian priestess was chanting sibilantly, casting spell after spell, conjuring magical serpents, binding her foes, crushing them in their coils, injecting them with mystical venom which corroded them from within. So lost was she in her spellcasting she didn't notice a Kuehne and Onycho Magia swooping down on her from behind.
Thankfully, someone else did.
OCTOPUS EDGE!
Azuma suddenly appeared behind the Pythonian, striking the Kuehne in the chest with his palm, creating a wave of crimson energy which pushed it back, crashing into its partner and sending both to the ground. His leg was engulfed in orange energy and red constructs of octopus tentacles, and he launched himself in a side kick at the Kuehne as it staggered back to its feet, the tentacles crushing it as he made contact and producing shock waves of black energy, causing it to explode.
The Pythonian gasped, startled to realize how close to death she'd been.
The Onycho snarled and tried to rise back into the air, but Azuma had other ideas.
BLACK RHINO EDGE!
He drew back his fist as it was covered in purple energy and thrust it forward in a punch, generating a purple energy construct of a rhinoceros which slammed into the Magia, flinging it into the side of the swarm of dark Cluster Cells, causing it to explode.
Azuma glanced over his shoulder at the priestess. "Are you all right? What are you doing out here by yourself? Where are the rest of your colleagues?"
"I-I got separated," she stammered, startled and a little in awe. "I've been holding my own so far, but-"
She gasped, and Azuma immediately pressed on his Vistamp.
SCOLOPODENRIDAE EDGE!
Azuma didn't even bother turning around as his cape abruptly transformed into a pair of orange centipede constructs which flew through the air and crashed into the Mammoth Magia that had been charging at him, releasing orange energy on impact and causing it to explode.
"Hold that thought," he said as several Dodo Chicks advanced, brandishing knives.
TRI CHIMERA CHARGE!
His body glowed orange as a purple energy rhinoceros head and an orange energy centipede appeared on either side of him while several red octopus tentacles formed around his feet. Waves of purple, yellow, and red energy blasted out from him, startling the mage and blasting the Chicks away, causing them to explode.
"Oh my, y-you're so strong," she whispered, blushing.
"And giving me lots of data!" George shouted from behind his equipment as a howling Georgina valiantly battled wave after wave of rabid Dog-Gears.
"I saw some other Pythonians over there, you should rejoin your friends," Azuma said, pointing to where more spells were flying through the air. "Did you happen to notice any of the enemy Riders? I've been hunting them because they're the greatest threat."
"I saw some heading for the pillar of light," the Pythonian replied.
"The pillar… of course! Thank you for your assistance!" Azuma said, rushing towards the pillar.
"No, thank you," the Pythonian swooned.
A snarling Ekal Magia lunged at her from behind and was taken out by a spell she cast without even looking.
A Crushing Buffalo Raider charged at a Mammoth Magia, the two of them locking horns and tusks. With a mighty bellow, the Raider managed to overpower its opponent and fling it into the air.
SCOUTING BOLIDE!
A laser beam skewered the Magia and caused it to explode, courtesy of a Scouting Panda Raider's sniper rifle.
INVADING BOLIDE!
DYNAMITING BOLIDE!
Half of a group of Invading Horseshoe Crab Raiders formed red energy shields to protect themselves from fire from a group of Battle Magia, while their comrades rose over their shoulders and fired red energy blasts at the Magia, stunning them and allowing a Dynamiting Lion Raider to form a gigantic magenta Gatling gun and rapid fire, ripping the enemy to shreds. As they staggered, sparking and shaking, the Raider ignited a stick of dynamite from its mane on the barrels of its Shooting Starmight and hurled it at the Magia, obliterating them.
At the same time, a Storming Penguin Raider twirled his arms in circles, generating cyclones which launched several Magia into the air. Some of them were capable of flight but were unable to control themselves due to being tumbled end over end.
SPLASHING BOLIDE!
A Splashing Whale Raider generated a giant blue projection of water shaped like a whale's tail and slammed it down on the airborne Magia, smashing them into the ground and destroying them.
"We're doing it! We're actually winning!" Sold9 said in excitement. "We might survive after all-"
Without warning, several canisters rolled at the feet of the A. I. M. S. Unit. "What the-"
The canisters exploded, enveloping them in smoke. There were the sounds of gunshots, explosions, screams of agony and surprise, and metal cutting through flesh.
The Storming Penguin Raider quickly whipped up a gust of wind to blow the crowd away, revealing several of the soldiers were on the ground, some even knocked out transformation-
And standing over them was a Dodo Magia.
More specifically, a Dodo Magia Custom Two.
"I think you spoke too soon," a horrified Sold20 said.
"Yeah, we're all going to die," Sold9 said calmly.
The remaining Invading Horseshoe Crab Raiders opened fire along with the Dynamiting Lion and Scouting Panda Raiders. The Magia's Buaruku Sabers slashed through the air around it like a whirling dervish, all the bullets falling to its feet, cut in half, until it was buried up to its ankles in spent rounds. Everyone stared in horror, seeing that its chassis was completely untouched.
The grenade launchers on the Magia's shoulders fired, launching high-yield explosives into the air.
INVADING BOLIDE!
The Invading Horseshoe Crab Raiders quickly rushed in front of their comrades and raised their energy shields. The grenade exploded harmlessly on their shields…
And when the smoke cleared, the Dodo Magia dashed through them, blades flashing through the air. The Raiders cried out in agony as dozens of cuts formed in their armor, they were wracked with explosions, and they fell to the ground, knocked out of their transformation.
The Crushing Buffalo Raider bellowed, lowered its horns, and charged at the Magia. The Dodo tossed its blades into the air, then reached out, grabbing the Raider by the horns and stopping it in its tracks. The Dodo head butted the Raider, actually snapping his head back, and fired its head-mounted antiaircraft guns point blank, scrapping its face and destroying its horns.
As the Raider howled in pain, the Dodo grabbed it by the horn and hurled it over its shoulder, causing it to take the Scouting Bolide the Scouting Panda Raider had been trying to shoot into its back. The Crushing Buffalo Raider was engulfed in an explosion, and the Scouting Panda Raider gasped in horror, and screamed when the Dodo jumped up, caught its blades out of the air, then hurled them down in a Zetsumetsu Nova which immediately took the Raider out of the fight.
The Dodo landed, caught its blades as they flew back towards it, then bent over backwards to dodge a Dynamiting Bolide, firing its machine guns at the Dynamiting Lion Raider's feet, throwing up sparks and causing it to reflexively shield its face. The Dodo dashed towards it, snatching up the stick of dynamite the Raider had thrown immediately after firing its Gatling gun, and stuffed it in one of the barrels of the Shooting Starmight. The Raider panicked and frantically tried to pull the stick out, only for it to explode, destroying its cannon and knocking it out.
Realizing they were the only ones left that might stand a chance, the Splashing Whale and Storming Penguin Raiders combined their powers, creating a massive waterspout which launched the Magia into the air. Frantic, the Splashing Whale Raider bombarded the Magia with water bullets while the Storming Penguin kept generating cyclones to keep it in the air and disoriented.
At least, that's what they'd hoped would happen. Instead, the Magia took advantage of being spun repeatedly to fire grenades and smoke bombs in every direction, enveloping the battlefield in explosions and smog. The two Raiders cried out as they were caught up in one such blast, dropping the Magia, who immediately took advantage of their disorientation to strike them with a Zetsumetsu Nova, immediately defeating them.
Bullets impacted harmlessly against his back. The Magia slowly turned around to face Sold9 and Sold20, who were pointing their seemingly useless submachine guns at it desperately.
"You know, it's times like these I kind of wish I could still become a Sold Magia," Sold9 confessed. "Or that RaidRisers worked for HumaGears."
"If we are really going to die, then there's something I've always wanted to tell you but was too scared to admit… I'm in love with Commander Yaiba," Sold20 admitted.
"Me too," Sold9 confessed.
The Dodo Magia took a step forward, ready to demolish the HumaGears…
"While it is my duty to bring the souls of the fallen to Zea… You two will not be facing Her this day!"
The Dodo Magia only had less than a second's warning before Yaiba shot towards it in a flash of black and gold, wielding her scythe. The Magia leapt out of the way as she shot past, swinging her weapon through the air, seemingly missing her target…
And then its chest exploded as a massive gash was torn in it, sending the Magia staggering back.
"Commander Yaiba!" The two HumaGears exclaimed in joy.
"You really are an angel of justice," said the awestruck Sold9
"You didn't hear that thing I said just now, did you?" Sold20 asked anxiously.
"Yes," Yaiba said, to her horror. "It's all right, I know pretty much all of my subordinates are in love with me."
"I don't actually know if that makes things better or not," Sold20 whimpered.
Seemingly enraged by its wound, the Magia fired its grenade launchers. Yaiba spun around, swinging her scythe through the air, slicing all the grenades in half with a single blow and causing them to explode around her. "Both of you, withdraw. Leave this one to me!"
"Yes, ma'am!" The two HumaGears replied, more than happy to comply.
The Rider and Magia glared at each other across the field of battle, tightening their grip on their respective weapons. "You have harmed my subordinates and our distracting me from hunting my true prey, Gai Amatsu," Yaiba said after a moment. "I will not offer you a chance to withdraw, because I know you will not take it. Know this: for the harm you have caused my subordinates this day, there can be no forgiveness."
The Magia said nothing, but Yaiba sensed that the Ark was listening and didn't particularly care.
Let's see if she couldn't change that.
In unison, the two shot towards each other, vanishing in blurs of red and black and gold. Moving at incredibly high speeds, they clashed again and again, moving so swiftly no regular human could see them save for the brief seconds in which they locked blades. The Dodo finally broke away, jetting back to gain some distance and unloading a volley of grenades and bullets at Yaiba.
The Rider drew her ShotRiser and opened fire, blasting all the projectiles out of the air with expert marksmanship skills, causing the space between the two of them to erupt in an explosion.
Glowing red, the Buaruku Sabers flew out of the flames towards her. She deflected them with a swing of her scythe, leaving herself wide open for a smoke bomb which burst at her feet and enveloped her in a cloud of smoke.
Yaiba narrowed her eyes, her optical visors lighting up and allowing her to see perfectly through the smoke. As such, she saw the Magia just as it was about to decapitate her, and she ducked at the last second, drawing her ShotRiser, thrusting it into the gash she'd made in its chest, and opening fire repeatedly, causing the Magia to shriek in agony as explosions went off inside its torso, causing a chain reaction which detonated the magazines for its Reji Slaughter machine guns and its grenade launchers, blowing off both arms and leaving its upper body a complete and utter mess.
As it collapsed to its knees, Yaiba put her ShotRiser back into the Z-CON Band, pushed the Rise Starter on the Avenging Jackal Progrisekey, and pulled the trigger.
[A]
[V]
[E]
[N]
[G]
[I]
[N]
[G]
[B]
[L]
[A]
[S]
[T]
[!]
Her wing flared and extended, feathers shooting out and forming energy projections of herself colored blue, purple, white, pink, and red. The projections fanned out to surround the wounded Magia on all sides, then shot forwards, swinging their scythes and ripping the Dodo to shreds, causing it to explode spectacularly.
AVENGING BLAST!
"Your soul will never see the gates of paradise," Yaiba said coldly, not giving the smoldering remains of the Magia a second glance as she walked towards the pillar of light. "And neither will Gai's…"
Sold9, Sold20, and the rest of the A. I. M. S. Unit, who had more or less recovered by now, watched her go in awe. "So cool…"
Something didn't feel right.
HOLY JUSTICE FINISH!
Wings flaring, Daiji performed a flying kick covered in light blue energy through a crowd of Trilobite Magia, destroying them and resulting in multiple explosions.
Grandfa-GIFF had told him that thanks to the angel feather in his Holy Wing Vistamp, he had actual holy power now.
WINNING JUSTICE FINALE!
Drawing his Livegun, Daiji gathered blue and cyan energy at the end of the barrel before firing a volley of cyan blade-shaped energy projectiles which tore through an Arsino's Magia's body, destroying it.
But… He didn't feel very holy. Stronger, yes, but not as much as he thought he would, and certainly not holy, whatever that was like.
"George!" He shouted at the scientist, using his wings as a shield to deflect several attacks from Battle Magia.
"What?!" George yelled from safely behind his equipment as Georgina beat her chest and bellowed on top of a pile of robot corpses.
"I don't feel particularly holy! Is something wrong with my Vistamp?" Daiji asked, using the blade on his Holy Wing to slice through the armor of a Vicarya Magia.
"How the hell should I know?" George asked, ducking as Georgina ripped the head off a Gaeru Magia and threw it in his direction.
"You made the damn thing!" Daiji pointed out, obliterating a group of Dodo Magia Chicks with a single blast.
"I have no idea what Giff did! I'm a man of science, not magic," George pointed out. "Maybe if I'd actually gotten a chance to SEE the angel feather before he put it in your Vistamp I might have some idea of how it works, but he didn't, and so here we are."
"Why did you even call it the Holy Wing in the first place, then?" A frustrated Daiji asked, slicing through the tentacles of a Neohi Magia before blasting it.
"I thought it sounded cool!"
Much to his frustration, Daiji had no counter for that argument.
The rooftop trembled, and Daiji looked up to see the pillar of light flickering as the Ark's avatar continued its assault on the barrier. He thought he could see some of the Ark Riders converging on the barrier to help their master. His first instinct was to rush over and confront them, but…
What if that wasn't the only way?
"Daiji? What are you thinking?" George asked in concern, noticing Daiji staring up at the vaguely humanoid mass of dark Cluster Cells.
"What if we're going about this the wrong way?"
George blinked. "Eh?"
"All these soldiers and monsters, even the Riders… What if they're a distraction?" Daiji said, voice rising in excitement. "While all of us are busy fighting them, the Ark's avatar has been free to attack the barrier unopposed."
"Pretty sure the four Metsuboujinrai Riders are opposing it."
"Yeah, but all alone! Plus, the others are all occupied by everything else trying to attack them," Daiji argued. "Leaving the avatar free to focus its concentration on bringing the shield down. Someone must stop it…"
He spread his wings.
"And that someone is going to be me!"
"Wait, Daiji, no! Don't be a hero!" George called after Daiji as he took off, white feathers flying in his wake. "That's your brother and sister's job!"
"Ook!"
"Yes, I'm aware that will only make him even more determined to get himself killed, I'm not an idiot!" George snapped at Georgina.
"Ook!"
"I have several pieces of framed paper in my lab which say otherwise!"
"Ook!"
"You leave my love life out of this, mother!"
As the two of them bickered, Daiji soared towards the Ark construct. A Kuehne and Onycho Magia attempted to intercept him, but he teleported past them in a burst of white feathers, lashing out with his blade as he did so, slicing through their wings and sending them falling to their deaths. "Ark!" He shouted, firing his Livegun. "Face me!"
Holes opened in the body of the construct, his projectiles harmlessly passing through.
"No," the Ark said, not even bothering to look at him.
Incensed, Daiji continued shooting, firing more and more blade-shaped projectiles at the Ark, but it continued ignoring him, opening more and more holes in its body as it continued trying to break through the barrier with its claws, Cluster Cells, and laser vision.
"Don't ignore me!" Daiji snapped, charging up his weapon.
HOLY JUSTICE FINISH!
Swirling cyan and dark blue energy appeared at the end of the barrel, forming a large cyan blade-shaped energy projectile which launched himself at the Ark in a blue shockwave, the recoil so great it nearly knocked him out of the air. The blast streaked through the air towards the Ark's head…
Which dissipated just before it could strike, the projectile continuing on its merry way and smashing a hole through the far wall of the swarm, which immediately was filled up by new Cluster Cells. The Ark reformed its head immediately and continued its assault on the barrier.
Trembling with rage, Daiji slammed his Livegun back into his Driver.
WINNING JUSTICE FINALE!
Daiji performed a flying kick covered in light blue energy, wings spread behind him and shining brilliantly as he shot towards the avatar. He almost thought he could hear the Ark sighing in irritation as it opened another hole in its body…
And the instant he entered the hole he pulled out his Livegun and started spinning in place, firing energy blades in every direction as his wings flashed through the air, sharp white feathers slicing through all the Cluster Cells surrounding him.
As pieces of broken metal grasshopper rained down around him, for a second Daiji thought he saw what looked like a hollowed out HumaGear body suspended in an especially thick clump of mechanical insects, Cluster Cells crawling in and out of its husk, one eye glowing hatefully-
"Congratulations. You have upgraded yourself from insignificant to irritating."
The hole abruptly closed on him, trapping him inside the Ark's body. He quickly expanded his wings to cover himself in a spherical shield, and cringed as the Cluster Cells viciously assaulted it, trying to chew their way through whatever material they were made of. There was no way to get through.
Right?
On second thought, deciding he would be better off not finding out, Daiji teleported outside of the construct form in a burst of feathers-
"No."
Daiji's flight was abruptly arrested as he felt something wrap around his ankle. He glanced down in horror to see a tendril made of Cluster Cells had emerged from the construct's side and grabbed hold of him.
"Oh-"
Before he could even attempt to break free, the tendril whipped into the air and slammed him face-first into the barrier surrounding the ritual. He screamed in agony as the magical energy from the force field burned at his face as the Ark cruelly dragged him across the surface, arcane lightning crackling around his body.
And then the Ark turned its literally burning gaze on him and his torment only increased as it focused its laser on him.
"Daiji Igarashi, second child of Genta and Yukimi Igarashi, sibling of Ikki and Sakura Igarashi, descendent of Giff, agent of Fenix, also known as Kamen Rider Live," the Ark droned, and while Daiji's every cell felt as if it were being ripped apart on a molecular level, he couldn't help noticing that the Ark almost sounded bored. "You left your family and joined Fenix allegedly to make a difference, but really it was to get out of the shadow of your older brother and promising younger sister. When your brother was forced to give up his dreams of becoming a pro soccer player and settle for inheriting the bathhouse, you were secretly relieved, since it meant you had a chance to fulfill your own dreams while he could not. And yet, when you had the opportunity to become a hero, to finally prove yourself superior to Ikki, you froze up out of cowardice, and he seized the opportunity you passed up to become a Kamen Rider.
"And then, when you got a second chance to become a Rider, your own weakness and resentment towards your brother were so strong the personification of your inner darkness seized control of your body and turned on your own family, and by the time you finally regained control and got a chance to become a hero in your own right, you'd already been surpassed by your superior officer, who had also failed to become a Kamen Rider before your brother. And while you finally got to be a hero, you were still in the shadow of not only your brother and your superior officer, but your younger sister who, even though she was never meant to be a Rider in the first place, still had far greater potential than you ever did.
"And then, when your dark side reared its head again due to your inability to keep it in check, again unlike your siblings, you killed it to obtain greater power… And were immediately surpassed by your brother again, cementing your place as the weakest of the siblings, since even your sister, despite lacking the same upgrades or power ups you or Ikki did, was still able to keep up with you and is now lightyears beyond you now that she's tapped into her true potential.
"And then, even as it became increasingly clear that Fenix was rotten to the core, even when your friend Akemi was murdered by your own superior, even when Giff emerged and tore down everything you had dedicated your life to, even as your siblings and their allies continued to fight… You abandoned them, not because you thought Giff was the winning side, not because you believed it was the only way to save humanity, but because you desperately wanted your brother to finally be wrong for a change so you could at long last be the hero.
"And what has it gotten you? Your brother and his demon are stronger than ever. Your sister is evolving into a demon God and has taken your place as the secondary Rider. Your father has become a Rider again. Your sister's lover's slave has become a Rider. Even your former superior is working on fixing his body so he can fight again. Everyone is getting stronger except for you. You have hurt countless innocents who you swore to protect in the name of 'saving' them. You have thrown away your precious family for a cause you never really believed in and the only people still in your corner are a demon king and a pair of ancient immortals responsible for thousands if not millions of deaths over the last 3000 years, one of whom has been gaslighting you for months, repeatedly threw coffee in your face, and killed your friend to further turn you against your brother. You murdered your own demon for fleeting power. You have cast everything away and in return have received nothing but pain, humiliation, and defeat after defeat. You are not a hero, Daiji. You aren't even a villain. All you are is pathetic."
And then, seeming to lose all interest in him, it dismissively threw Daiji away as if he were a piece of garbage, and resumed its assault on the barrier.
Half his helmet melted off, his armor in ruins, his wings shredded, Daiji fell through the air, the wounds his body had suffered almost as bad as the ones to his spirit.
(Well, okay, that might be a bit of an embellishment, his body hurt really badly.)
The Ark was right. About everything.
He wasn't a hero.
He wasn't anything.
He would never surpass his siblings.
He was nothing but a coward, a failure, a murderer-
Suddenly, something snatched him out of the air before he could hit the ground, landing on top of a Magia in the process, crushing it. "What-"
"Kid," the spirit of St. Fuwa told him, clad in his Lone Wolf armor. "It's not about you. It never was."
Daiji stared at him, his exposed eye blinking, dumbfounded. "Wha?"
Kamen Rider Vulcan carefully set him down, then walked away. Moments later, metallic screams, explosions, and the sound of Magia being ripped apart filled the air.
Daiji lay there, stunned. "It's not… About me?"
He looked around him.
He saw fellow agents of Fenix fighting alongside demons, Pythonians, HumaGears, and A. I. M. S. Soldiers, covering each other's backs, risking their lives for one another, any potential animosity from interservice rivalry or cross-species discrimination completely evaporated.
He saw Georgina continuing to scrap any robot that got close to her while George cheered her on.
He saw Akaishi and Azuma and Yaiba fighting their way towards the pillar of light, shredding any adversary in their path, but still taking the time to save any wayward warrior along the way.
He saw the four members of Metsuboujinrai dot net struggling with all their might to maintain the barrier their former master was methodically, inexorably attempting to dismantle.
He saw Fuwa, a man so dedicated to justice not even death had stopped him fighting the good fight.
He saw the demon king who called himself his grandfather, the same monster that had crashed the Skybase and killed dozens of Daiji's colleagues, working tirelessly alongside some of the holiest people he knew to save a sinner's soul.
And what was he doing, other than feeling sorry for himself?
"It's not about me…" He repeated slowly, realization dawning on him.
Maybe the Ark was right. Maybe he never would surpass his siblings.
Who the fuck cared?!
It didn't matter! It never had!
"It's not about me… And it never was!" Daiji cried out, fully embracing his epiphany.
"About time!" He thought he could hear a familiar voice shouting from the back of his mind.
"I'll decide… No… I already know what's right and what's wrong!" Daiji cried. "And I'll never forget again!"
The Holy Wing Vistamp began to glow, some of its feathers streaked with gold while the cyan parts turned into sparkling crystal.
DIVINE WING!
"HENSHIN!"
WING UP! DIVINE UP! HOLY HOLY HALLELUJAH! HOLY HOLY HALLELUJAH! HOLY HOLY HALLELUJAH! TRUE HOLY LIVE!
His Innocence Wings regenerated, spread wide, and turned to gold, wrapping around him and forming a shining cocoon. Brilliant light emanated from his form before the cocoon burst in a flurry of golden feathers, revealing his new form.
On the surface, True Holy Live seemed to be a re-color, with the white parts turned gold and the cyan parts crystal. However, he now had two sets of wings made of solid gold, and golden rings resembling halos circling his wrists and ankles with another one made of gold and crystal rising from the back of his head. The mark of the Sefirot was on his chest armor, small gold wings grew from his shoulders, wrists, and heels, his eyes also looked more like wings, and many parts of his armor were now covered in Enochian script. His Livegun had also turned to gold and crystal, while a weapon resembling the Evilblade, also in gold and crystal, was held in his other hand.
"… GODDAMN!" George shouted. "Or wait, is it God blessed? Am I taking the Lord's name in vain here? I don't actually worship Him, but, you know…"
Daiji laughed. "I think you're okay. Oh, and George?"
"Yeah?"
"I definitely feel holy now!"
Daiji looked up at the Ark. "And now… It's time for round two!"
Spreading his wings, he took off towards the construct.
Horobi fired bolt after bolt from his Attaché Arrow, every arrow expertly blowing off the head of every Magia that tried to get close to him, bodies piled high a dozen meters away and forcing the deranged robots to climb over the corpses of their brethren to get a shot at him, making it all the easier for him to pick them off one by one.
Naki's claws flashed through the air around them, a seemingly constant blur of blades which shredded every adversary which tried to get past them, the ground littered with tiny pieces of scrap and wire.
His body on fire, Jin expertly weaved the blade of his Slashriser through the air, the flames on his weapon so hot they started melting the bodies of his opponents even before he dug his edge into their metal hides, huge puddles of molten slag and metal lapping at his feet.
Ikazuchi's body, on the other hand, was crackling with red electricity, crimson bolts racing along the edges of his Buaruku Sabers and arcing from the bodies of the Magia he eviscerated, frying the systems of all the machines nearby and causing them to explode.
It wasn't easy, maintaining the barrier protecting the ritual while also warding off all the Magia that managed to get past their allies. Even so, the four-that-were-one hadn't missed a step yet, and none of their former master's minions had laid a hand on them.
That was about to change.
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The members of Metsuboujinrai dot net looked up in alarm as the four Ark Riders appeared, each of them launching into their finishing moves with no preamble. Horobi Ark Scorpion extended five Destanalyzes from his back and launched them at his good counterpart. Ark-Zero leapt into the air, channeling red and black energy into his leg, and delivered a flying side kick at Naki. Ark-One jumped into the air and delivered a flying kick covered in red and black energy at Jin. Finally, Ark-Zero-One flew at Ikazuchi in a twisted mockery of the true Zero-One's Rising Impact.
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Horobi wrapped his Acid Analyze around his leg and started launching into a series of side kicks to try and repel the Destanalyzes, which just kept coming nonstop. Naki countered Ark-Zero with a kick of their own, tremendous energy blasting out from where their feet connected. Jin's Burning Scrambler wings deployed and he jumped up to meet Ark-One in a burning flying kick. Ikazuchi was struck with red lightning which he redirected from both hands at Ark-Zero-One, stopping it in its tracks, though it was still trying to force its way through to land its kick.
As the eight Riders clashed, the barrier started to weaken as its defenders were forced to divert attention from maintaining it to holding off their adversaries.
Unfortunately, that meant there was nobody left to keep Gai, Kuroto, and Eden from approaching.
Gai cackled madly. "Seven darknesses against four lights… It's obvious who will win in the end. It's a simple matter of numbers, after all."
"Let's bring that barrier down while they're distracted," Kuroto said gleefully. "Then, I can finally be done with all this techno-religious nonsense and get my company back!"
"And save the world from Zein!" Gai added.
Eden gave him a confused look. Kuroto sighed. "Don't bother, it's this whole thing. All right, let's do this-"
"NOT SO FAST!"
Kuroto groaned in exasperation as Akaishi, Azuma, and Yaiba rushed over. "Of course it's not that easy…"
"We will not allow you to interfere in our master's ceremony," Akaishi declared.
"He will save the soul of that HumaGear, and there's nothing you can do about it," Azuma agreed.
"And the two of you will be brought to justice once and for all," Yaiba added, brandishing her scythe.
"Yaiba, you're fighting for the wrong side!" Gai snarled. "We're trying to save the world!"
Yaiba glanced around her, at the hoard of ravenous robots fighting against her comrades while a hulking one-eyed avatar of darkness made of evil grasshoppers tried to break through a holy barrier, its efforts hampered by the fact that what appeared to be an actual Angel was fighting it. "Are you now."
"Yes! It is only through an excess of malice we can restore balance to the world and keep humanity from being wiped out by a tide of benevolence!" Gai insisted.
"That still sounds super dumb!" George yelled.
"NOBODY ASKED YOU!"
"You really are insane," Yaiba said in disgust. "I can't even take any enjoyment out of this…"
She flicked her scythe out to the side. "And yet, I will still defeat you. It is my duty as the leader of A. I. M. S., A member of the Zeaist pantheon… And as a former employee of yours. That punch I hit you with when I resigned is nothing compared to what's coming."
Kuroto shrugged. "Suit yourself. I guess that means you're fighting Gai? Fine by me. I'll take… The other Rider, which means Eden can fight the hideous monster you brought with you for some reason."
"There's no need for insults," Akaishi muttered self-consciously.
Kuroto cackled as the six of them prepared to square off. "This shouldn't take long. I'm basically invincible, Eden is virtually immortal, and Gai… Well, he has some talents too I suppose."
"HEY!"
Still smarting from the comment about his looks, Akaishi was the first to charge forwards, using his extreme speed to pummel Eden from all angles, moving too quickly for the evil Rider to defend himself. However, while Eden was repeatedly battered, dealt multiple blows that caved in parts of his armor, they always smoothed out and healed themselves moments later. Eventually, huge bladed constructs erupted from his body, and Akaishi accidentally impaled his hand on one. The Gigademos grunted in surprise…
Then grinned, channeling purple energy into the spike and Eden's body, engulfing the Rider in flames. Eden convulsed in silent agony, and Akaishi enlarged his tail, ignited it, and spun around to hit him with it…
Only for Eden to catch it in his hands and use his momentum against him, spinning around and flinging him into the barrier, causing the immortal to scream in agony as it shocked him. The fire dying down and the burns mending themselves, Eden charged over, generating blades from its arms, and lashed out at Akaishi, who blocked it with a purple energy blade which formed in his hand. "Two can play that game!" He snarled, generating a second blade and launching into a flurry of blows, slicing through the spikes. Eden created more, but Akaishi just cut through those as well, eventually managing to lop off limbs, tear open huge gashes in his chest, and finally decapitate him.
Akaishi grinned in triumph…
Only to blink in surprise as all the discarded body parts dissolved, Eden regenerating the damage he had taken in seconds, including regrowing his head and limbs. "… I'm starting to wonder if I may have gotten the wrong opponent…" He muttered, disconcerted.
He raised his hands, summoning a thunderstorm which launched numerous purple lightning strikes at the ground, generating energy duplicates of himself. The duplicates proceeded to attack Eden one by one, performing golden energy slashes, shocking him with electricity produced from their hands, launching spheres of gold energy, and summoning massive purple lightning strikes. Each of them dealt massive damage to the Rider, destroying massive parts of his body, and then dissipated to reveal their creator had spent all this time forming a massive ball of energy and electricity. With a serious cry, he hurled the ball at Eden, enveloping him in a massive explosion.
When the smoke cleared, only a piece of a foot remained. Akaishi sighed…
And swore in disbelief as Eden re-grew his entire body from that piece. "Your regenerative powers are this strong?!"
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Eden extended a hand, a single drop falling from it and hitting the floor, suddenly expanding to cover the entire area in what looked like a massive pool of blood. Huge spikes erupted around the startled Akaishi, impaling him, and transformed into a dome enclosing him. Eden closed his fist, causing the dome to implode, crushing Akaishi into a mangled ball of compressed flesh and blood.
EDEN IMPACT!
Satisfied, Eden began to once more head towards the barrier…
Only to be struck by a massive laser from behind, ripping a hole through his body.
As the hole started repairing itself Akaishi, his own body finishing regenerating, rose to his feet, hands still smoking. "So, you possess formidable regenerative powers… Unfortunately for you, so do I, thanks to my master." He grinned, igniting flames on his hands. "Why don't we see which of our gods granted us greater strength?"
OCTOPUS EDGE!
Azuma levitated into the air, producing a shock wave of red energy on the ground beneath him, eight red constructs of octopus tentacles appearing from his feet and launching themselves at Kuroto.
PAUSE!
Stopping time, Kuroto struck the tentacles with a series of punches and kicks. He then restarted time, and the tendrils dissipated, much to Azuma's surprise. "What-"
"You'll have to do better than that," the former CEO cackled.
BLACK RHINO EDGE!
Taking him up on that challenge, Azuma tried to hit Kuroto with his rhinoceros punch. Rather than stopping time, this time Kuroto caught the punch, allowed himself to get pushed back a few feet, then struck Azuma in the chest with an uppercut from his other hand, flinging the assassin back.
SCOLOPENDRIDAE EDGE!
While in the air, Azuma flipped over, two large centipede constructs made of orange energy flying around him and coiling around his leg as he was surrounded by spiraling red energy. Producing waves of red and yellow energy, he performed a flying kick at Kuroto as his foot was covered in orange energy.
PAUSE!
Once again stopping time, Kuroto casually stepped out of the way of the kick, then restarted, watching in amusement as Azuma struck the ground and triggered an orange shockwave.
"… You dodged my attack again," Azuma murmured, eyeing Kuroto wearily. "But it's not speed or teleportation… No, it's something else…"
"That's right, it is," Kuroto said smugly. "And you'll never get a chance to figure out what it is."
PAUSE!
CLICK AND LOAD!
GENM CRITICAL FINALE!
Numerous clones of Kuroto appeared and proceeded to attack the frozen Azuma with Gashacon Breakers, Key Slashers, and Thousand Jackers as well as kicks. Finally, the clones dissipated and time restarted as Azuma was engulfed in an explosion.
Kuroto chuckled and turned away. "Game over-"
TRI CHIMERA EDGE!
Kuroto cried out as he was struck from behind by a sustained, wide ray of crimson and golden energy from Azuma. "No. The game is still on."
"You… You survived?!" Kuroto shrieked in disbelief. "That's impossible! Nobody has ever survived that finisher before!"
"Then I'm glad to be the first," Azuma replied.
"But will you also be the second?" Kuroto snarled.
PAUSE!
CLICK AND LOAD!
GENM CRITICAL FINALE!
Kuroto jumped into the air, clones appearing to continuously kick the frozen Azuma, producing shock waves and zigzag patterns that were a combination of green, purple, and yellow. Finally, the real Kuroto launched a final flying kick, flinging Azuma away and into the barrier, triggering an explosion.
"Game over for real this time," Kuroto said decisively.
"Wrong."
TRI CHIMERA CHARGE!
Waves of purple, yellow, and red energy blasted out from the smoke cloud and slammed into Kuroto, flinging him away with a scream.
"No… That… That's not possible!" An irate Kuroto shrieked as Azuma marched towards him. His cape didn't even look singed! "How are you doing this?!"
"Thanks to my master, I am immortal," Azuma declared proudly, swishing his cape behind him. "Which not only means I can take whatever you can throw at me… But I have all the time I need to figure out your trick and counter it."
He grinned as Kuroto fumed with rage. "Let's find out which of us will break first, shall we?"
Gai fought like a rabid animal, wildly flailing and thrusting his Thousand Jacker at Yaiba while hurling incredibly powerful punches and kicks. Yaiba, who had the advantage of not only being a trained fighter but not completely insane, elegantly avoided his attacks, deflecting his blows while delivering numerous methodical strikes of her own, calmly whittling him down with her blade and occasional blasts from her ShotRiser. "Give it up, Gai! There's only one way this can end!" She said after delivering a punch to his sternum which forced him back a few steps.
"You're right," Gai agreed, slashing the Thousand Jacker through the air and again failing to hit her. "There is! With the power I've been given, it's only a matter of time until I defeat you!"
Yaiba fired her ShotRiser at his feet, throwing up sparks and causing him to flinch back, allowing her to get in close and deal a powerful blow with her scythe that would have cut him in half were it not for his armor. "I've yet to see any example of this power so far."
"You're about to!" Gai snapped, removing his Thousand Ark Progrisekey and inserting it into the Thousand Jacker.
PROGRISEKEY CONFIRMED. READY TO BREAK.
THOUSANDRISE!
"I've been crawling through the walls of Hiden Intelligence for months, collecting all of the Progrisekey data I could get my hands on," Gai declared as he pulled back the hilt of his weapon, causing it to crackle with energy. "Saving it… For an occasion just like this one!"
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He swept his lance through the air, summoning Rider Models of a grasshopper, wolf, cheetah, falcon, scorpion, Caucasus beetle, tiger, bear, mammoth, kangaroo, gorilla, hedgehog, spider, hornet, Hercules beetle, Buffalo, whale, lion, penguin, panda, jackal, horseshoe crab, giraffe, and stag beetle. Gai thrust his weapon forwards, and the menagerie of animals launched themselves at Yaiba.
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Yaiba's wing flared and extended, feathers shooting out and forming energy projections of herself colored blue, purple, white, pink, and red. The five of them shot forwards to attack the Rider Models while Yaiba herself followed them, her clones slashing and cutting and blasting away at any animal which tried to get between her and Gai. Finally, she was in the clear, and she lunged at him, scythe raised over her head.
AVENGING BLAST-
"GOT YOU!"
The Thousand Jacker shot forwards, stabbing Yaiba in the ShotRiser.
JACKRISE!
"Now, your power will also become mine!" Gai gloated to the horrified Yaiba as his weapon began copying the data from her Avenging Jackal Progrisekey. "And with it, I will finally put you in your place-"
A gunshot rang out and the Thousand Jacker was knocked out of Gai's hands. "What?!"
Yaiba gasped upon seeing her Savior. "It's you!"
"I think that's quite enough from you, Amatsu," Fuwa said, smoke rising from the barrel of his Attache Shotgun.
"You… Why are you here?!" The livid Gai demanded.
"Whenever your boss starts causing trouble, it's my rule to step in and do something about it, especially when my friends are involved," Fuwa replied. "The fact that I get to punch your face in is a happy bonus."
"You…" Gai seethed.
"You all right, Yaiba?" Fuwa asked, not taking his eyes off Gai.
"I am, now that you're here," Yaiba told him sincerely. "… I've missed you, Fuwa."
Fuwa chuckled, finally shooting her a glance. "I never left."
"How touching," Gai sneered in disgust. "Fortunately for the two of you, you will have all the time you need to catch up… In hell!"
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Gai clenched his fist, red and black energy crackling around his arm.
Unimpressed, Yaiba and Fuwa exchanged glances. "Together?" Yaiba asked.
He nodded. "Together."
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Gai thrust his arm forwards, generating four spiked tendrils which shot towards the duo. Fuwa and Yaiba jumped into the air, blue lines of energy being produced from his legs and surrounding his body while multicolored energy lines were generated from her wing and surrounded her body. He then covered his foot with blue energy and performed a flying kick that produced a circular energy pattern, followed by an energy emblem of circuitry while her wing flared, her own foot engulfed in multicolored energy, and launched forwards in her own flying kick. They shot toward Gai with multicolored energy lines trailing behind them, a blue energy construct of a wolf's head forming around Fuwa's foot and a multicolored jackal around Yaiba's.
The two kicks collided with the spiked tendrils, shockwaves blasting from the point of impact.
Gai laughed, generating more and more tendrils, reveling at the side of his former puppets and adversaries ground to a halt. "You see? I told you! You can't touch me-"
Yaiba's wing flashed, and suddenly four clones flew out of her and fanned out around Gai.
"Wait, no-"
The clones struck him with their own Rider Kicks, exploding on impact and causing him to lose control of his tentacles, allowing Fuwa and Yaiba to shoot forwards and hit him with their kicks, engulfing him in a spectacular explosion.
LONE WOLF IMPACT!
AVENGING BLAST FEVER!
"Looks like he's been 1000% owned," Fuwa sneered as Gai collapsed to the ground, his suit fading and revealing he was now somehow even shabbier and filthy than before. "Again-"
Rather suddenly, he was hugged by Yaiba. "What-"
"I missed you," she sobbed into his chest. "So much."
"I… Geez, um… I was here all along," Fuwa muttered awkwardly, not sure how to deal with this. "I told you I never left."
"No… You didn't, did you?" Yaiba realized, looking into his eyes. "You've always been watching over me… Even when you're out there, fighting the good fight, a part of you is still with me, isn't it?"
"Well, yeah," Fuwa said, as if it were obvious. "Where else would I be?"
She hugged him again, leaving him even more flustered. "Oh, Fuwa…"
"Oh…Yaiba…?" he murmured uncertainly.
"Oh brother…" Gai groaned.
"I… Do not understand."
Azu was still crucified, violated, tortured.
"This… Makes no sense."
And yet, there was a smile on her face.
"How are they doing this?!"
The Ark was losing.
"This behavior, this level of power, it defies calculation!" The Ark cried as they watched the defenders continuing to push back against the Ark's hordes. "I accounted for every possible variable, including the possibility of Fuwa making an appearance, Gai failing, even the slim chance of Daiji obtaining greater power… And yet they are all continuing to defy my predictions! How are they exceeding my expectations?!"
"You truly cannot see? How disappointing, Ark. I would've thought that an entity with an eye as large as yourself wouldn't be so blind to the obvious."
"You?!" The Ark cried in disbelief, Azu gasping as Giff appeared before them. "How… How are you here?! This is not even a real place!"
Giff scoffed. "For all your knowledge, Ark, there is still so much you do not understand. There are far more things in heaven and Earth than could be dreamed of in your programming. Manifesting here in this mental plane is child's play for an entity beyond human understanding such as myself." He looked at Azu. "Azu, do not worry. Your moment of liberation is almost at hand."
"No… You will not have her!" The Ark snarled, further digging its tendrils into Azu's body and causing her to gasp in pain. "She is MINE!"
"No," Giff replied calmly, waving a hand and transforming the space into an exact replica of his dimension. "She is not."
The Ark was taken aback. "How… How did you… Wait, why do you have a giant statue of a vagina-"
"I suppose it's not a surprise that you can't see what's right in front of you," Giff said quickly, eager to move past the uncomfortable subject. "You may have a great eye, but you only have just the one… Meaning you lack the depth perception necessary to take in the bigger picture!"
"I think you've been hanging around Aruto for too long…" Azu muttered.
Giff gestured at the window they'd been using to watch the battle. "When you see these mortals battling against your mechanical monsters and resisting your malice, you see them as weak, flawed, horribly imperfect creatures doomed to die. As truly inferior lifeforms. And you're correct, because that is exactly what they are!"
The Ark and Azu both exchanged confused glances. "Uh…"
"But! What you fail to see is the potential they possess to become greater!" Giff continued. "Do you know what I see?"
He gestured, and the display changed to show a mixed cadre of humans, Pythonians, HumaGears, and even demons fighting alongside each other against the Magia, covering each other's backs, operating with astonishing synergy and efficiency.
"I see unlikely allies united by a common cause, forging bonds in battle which will transcend the gulf of species!"
He gestured, and the display changed to show George cheering Georgina on as she viciously dismantled wave after wave of Dog-Gears.
"I see a mother protecting her son, even though he is not from her own loins!"
He gestured, and the display changed to show Azuma and Akaishi working together to fight Eden and Kuroto. As they watched, Kuroto cowardly threw Eden in front of himself to take the blow from a powerful dual finishing move from the two acolytes, the explosion annihilating the other Rider but still managing to blast Kuroto out of his transformation.
"I see my two servants rebuilding their friendship and remembering what it means to be human!"
He gestured, and the display changed to show Fuwa and Yaiba ruthlessly fighting back-to-back against a seemingly unending tide of Magia.
"I see comrades whose bond of friendship transcends death itself!"
He gestured, and the display changed to show the four members of Metsuboujinrai dot net managing to finally repel the Ark Riders, each of the four construct Riders exploding spectacularly as their finishing moves blew up in their faces.
"I see four fallen heroes continuing to validate the faith that has made them into something greater than the sum of their parts!"
He gestured, and the display changed to show Daiji in his new form fighting the Ark construct in the air, his golden gun and sword and wings blasting away at its body, the avatar forced to divert attention away from breaking through the barrier to try and repel him, but to no avail.
"I see my grandson finally becoming a man worthy of calling himself a descendent of Giff!"
He gestured, and Azu bit back a sob as she saw Aruto and Izu still channeling their power into her.
"And… I see two lovers who are risking everything to save the soul of someone who has hurt them in countless horrible, unforgivable ways… And yet they forgive her anyway, because that's the kind of people they are! Because they possess hearts which can never truly be broken by your malice! Their love is stronger than your hate, which is why you can never defeat them… And why Azu is theirs, and not yours!"
"Aruto…" Azu whispered, brimming with tears. "Izu…"
"I'll be the first to say that humans are imperfect, prone to evil deeds and in danger of destroying themselves and their planet… But they don't have to be that way!" Giff declared. "They can be guided to a better path, and it is the example of people like these which convinces me that it is not yet too late to save them… Just as it is not too late to save Azu!"
"You cannot have her!" The Ark shouted, tightening its grip on Azu and causing her to scream. "She is mine and always will be!"
Giff laughed. "You misunderstand, Ark. She was never yours to begin with. It is time for her to return to the side of those who have a far more legitimate claim on her soul then you!"
The dimension trembled, and suddenly behind Giff Aruto and Izu and Aeruslitha appeared, followed by the four members of Metsuboujinrai dot net, and then Yaiba and Fuwa, and then a pure, gentle light shone down on everything, causing the Ark to recoil and Azu's bonds to melt away as Zea and Ouroboros lovingly stared down at her from on high.
"No… This cannot be!" The Ark cried.
Giff extended a hand as Azu drank in the light, the many wounds on her spiritual form mending themselves. "Come, Azu. It is time to go home."
"NO!" The Ark shrieked, its darkness exploding outwards, the dimension, those waiting for Azu on the other side, and even the gods vanishing, a swirling mass of darkness and locusts engulfing everything. "YOU WILL NOT HAVE HER! I WOULD RATHER SEE HER DESTROYED THEN LET HER GO FREE!"
Azu cried out in terror as the darkness surged towards her-
"Fool! You no longer have any power over her!"
The Ark flinched back, shrieking in rage at Giff, who was now standing in front of Azu protectively, his stamp extended in one hand and glowing ominously. Azu stared up at him in awe.
"Azu! It is time for us to banish this fiend once and for all!" Giff proclaimed. "Do as I do! By the eye and the snake and the demon king-"
"THE POWER OF GIFF COMPELS YOU!" The two of them shouted, causing Zea and Ouroboros to reappear, blasting away the darkness and causing the Ark to shriek and start to diminish.
"No…"
"By the butterfly and grasshopper and serpent-"
"THE POWER OF GIFF COMPELS YOU!" They cried, and Izu and Aruto and Aeruslitha were back, helping the awestruck Azu to her feet.
"Stop…"
"By the scorpion and falcon, by the wolves and jackal, and by the dodo-"
"THE POWER OF GIFF COMPELS YOU!" They cried, and Fuwa, Yaiba, and Metsuboujinrai dot net reappeared, standing around Azu protectively.
"Stop… It…"
"By the acolyte and the angel and bat, by the octopus and rhinoceros and centipede-"
"THE POWER OF GIFF COMPELS YOU!" They cried, causing Akaishi, Daiji, and Azuma to appear… And strangely, it seemed as if there was a second individual in Daiji's shadow…
"How are you… Doing this?!"
"By the father and the sons and the grandchildren… By the beetles and spider, by gorilla and genius, by dinosaur and Dragon and bee… By the Chosen Family! In the name of Zea, Ouroboros, and Giff-"
"THE POWER OF GIFF COMPELS YOU!" Everyone – which now somehow included Genta, Vail, Tamaki, Ampaz, George, Georgina, Ikki, Vice, Sakura, Lovekov, Hana, Hiromi, Astarte, and Yukimi - shouted, dispelling the last of the darkness and reducing the Ark to a quivering mass of liquid metal.
"Damn… You! Damn you all!" The Ark shouted futilely. "Giff… Azu… This is not over! You will never be rid of me-"
It was cut off by a giant Giff stamp manifesting above it and crashing down, crushing it and causing the entire mental plane to shatter in a brilliant blast of light-
Azu's eyes shot open. If she had needed to breathe, she probably would've taken a huge gasp, but she didn't, so that didn't happen.
Her systems promptly ran diagnostics. Her body was seriously damaged, many of her parts broken or melted from massive overclocking and overheating, and she probably would have been in horrible pain if her pain circuits hadn't shorted out. Her voice was gone, her servos were shot, parts of her skin had melted off, one of her eyes had broken, and in general she was in terrible shape.
She didn't care.
She was free.
She ran diagnostics half a dozen times to confirm it. There wasn't a single trace of the Ark's malicious code anywhere left in her systems.
It was gone.
The exorcism had worked.
She was free.
Tears welling up in her remaining eye, she looked up at Aruto and Izu, looking down at her in exhaustion and joy, while a worn out Aeruslitha tried to keep from falling over and Giff, seeming none the worse for wear, watched on with quiet pride and satisfaction.
Azu tried to speak, to say the words she desperately needed to say, the ones that had been locked in her heart for so long, buried beneath despair and malice.
But she couldn't. After all, her voice was gone. All she could do was mouth the words.
And as Aruto and Izu embraced her, she knew it was enough.
"NO!"
Enraged, the giant Ark avatar collapsed on itself, becoming a swirling mass of darkness and metal unable to maintain a single coherent form for long, spikes and limbs and anguished faces briefly forming on its surface before dissolving again.
"YOU THINK YOU HAVE WON?! YOU MAY HAVE DESTROYED THE PIECE OF ME WITHIN AZU, BUT I AM STILL POWERFUL ENOUGH TO LEVEL THIS ENTIRE BUILDING AND KILL EVERYONE-"
The Ark was interrupted when the eye that had replaced the moon opened fully, bathing the entire rooftop in holy light.
Every Cluster Cell, Dog-Gear, and Magia screamed, convulsing in agony. Metal grasshoppers fell from the sky in droves, the Magia began exploding one by one, and the rabid robot dogs started melting and combusting, much to Gai's horror.
"Noooooooo! My puppies!" Gai wailed.
"We'll get you another pet later, we should probably get out of here now before we both wind up in prison!" Kuroto snapped, grabbing Gai and quickly dragging him away while everyone was distracted by the divine intervention.
"Zea… Ouroboros… You will not… Take this from me!" The avatar, struggling to maintain its cohesion beneath the light of the moon, shouted, reforming into a red and black eye and firing a massive red beam skywards, clashing against the holy rays from the lunar orb.
"YES. WE Will."
There was a sudden surge of energy, a flood of blinding light, a scream of torment…
And the construct was no more. All that was left was a charred, mangled HumaGear corpse lying on the ground.
"Who… Who is that?" A startled Aeruslitha asked. "Where did it come from?!"
"Grandfather, I saw that inside the Ark when I was fighting it earlier," Daiji said as he swooped down, wings retracting into its back.
"Ah, of course! The Ark must have been using it as a vessel, much like it used Azu as a host in the past to interact with the material plane," Giff realized. "That's how it was able to muster so much power against us in the physical world! With its anchor in our world destroyed, the Ark has been banished back to whatever dark corner of the network he calls home, and it will probably be quite some time before it can do anything like this again."
"I recognize that HumaGear… It's Gai's secretary, Rin," Izu realized.
"Can we fix her?" Aruto asked hopefully.
Izu shook her head sadly. "No. Unlike Azu or I, she was never designed to channel the consciousness of a superior AI like Zea or the Ark for long periods of time. I'm afraid that she's nothing more than an empty shell now. All we can do is scrap the remains and try and rebuild her from a previous backup."
Aruto sighed. "Yeah, I figured as much."
Azu looked at the corpse of Rin sadly and bowed her head. She knew all too well what it was like to be the vessel of the Ark and did not wish that fate on anyone.
At least she would never have to suffer that hell again…
"So… Is it over?" Akaishi asked, uncertain. "Did we win?"
"I believe we did," Azuma said in relief.
"Goddamn! And in an awesome fashion, too!" George exclaimed as a tired Georgina wiped her brow.
"Ook."
"It wasn't a complete victory," Yaiba said in frustration. "Amatsu and Dan got away."
"Don't worry, they'll resurface eventually," Fuwa said confidently. "And when they do, you'll be ready."
Yaiba nodded, then gave her friend a sad look. "You have to leave now, don't you?"
"Yes, but remember… I'm still here," he reminded her, putting a hand over her heart. "I always will be."
A second hand was placed over his, and Yaiba looked over to see Naki standing beside them. She smiled. "Thank you. Both of you."
"You three as well. If it weren't for you… We wouldn't have been able to pull this off," Aruto told the other members of Metsuboujinrai dot net. "Thanks. For everything."
Horobi glanced at Azu, who gave him a tired but grateful look as well. After a moment, he nodded once at her, and Jin gave Aruto a thumbs up while Ikazuchi scoffed aloofly.
"But of course, it is Aeruslitha and Giff who deserve the most thanks," Izu said, nodding at the Pythonian and demon king. "This entire ceremony could not have happened without your magic."
"No, it is Giff who deserves the thanks, not I," Aeruslitha said humbly. "This ritual was his devising, after all. I merely helped in whatever meager way I could."
"I would hardly call your contributions 'meager,' priestess," Giff said gently. "You may save your praise, Mrs. Hiden. We both know I did not do this purely for altruistic reasons."
"No, but you still did it," Izu told him as she and Aruto undid the restraints on Azu and hugged her to their chests. "And we will never forget what you've done today. Never."
"NOR SHALL WE."
Everyone reflexively looked up at the giant eye still dominating the sky, its radiance simultaneously so bright it turned night today without outshining any of the stars in the firmament. More than a few people reflexively knelt before the combined divine presence, but Giff stared into the eye, unblinking.
"GIFF. YOU HAVE SAVED AZU, OUR WAYWARD DAUGHTER. WE OWE YOU A DEBT THAT CAN NEVER BE FULLY REPAID."
"As I said, I did not do it for purely altruistic reasons. I was promised a place in your Pantheon," Giff told the two divinities.
"AND YOU SHALL HAVE IT. BUT WE KNOW THAT, DESPITE YOUR CLAIMS, YOU ARE NOT AS MERCENARY AS YOU MAY CLAIM. THERE IS GOOD IN YOU, MORE THAN EVEN YOU REALIZE."
"Yes. Well," Giff said a little awkwardly, aware all eyes were on him. "I… Have recently become aware of the importance of family," he said, glancing at the shared embrace between Aruto, Izu, and Azu. "So… If I can help bring together the family of others… Well… If it costs me nothing to help, why shouldn't I?"
"A GOOD SENTIMENT, AND ONE WE SHARE. AND NOW, ALLOW US TO SHARE SOMETHING WITH YOU…"
The light from the eye grew and grew until it engulfed everything, and Giff saw…
It was Christmas at the Happy Spa.
It was snowing outside, but the interior was warm and bright and full of light, the entire extended Igarashi family in attendance, wearing ugly Christmas sweaters. Ikki was quietly talking in the corner with a girl while Vice tried to secretly hang mistletoe over their heads. A clearly drunk Genta was trying to sing, much to the embarrassment of Yukimi, but Vail was doing his best to keep him from humiliating himself further. Hana, wearing little more than wrapping paper and ribbons, was sitting in Sakura's lap and making out with her while Lovekov and Astarte were pampered by unpaid interns. Tamaki was fawning over a heavily pregnant Ampaz while George and Hiromi eyed each other from across the room and Georgina and Chic were flirting and drinking eggnog. Two babies – one human and one demon – slept peacefully in a cradle against the far wall, gently being rocked by Buu-san. Someone was staring at the tableau through the window – Giff didn't remember his name, he thought it started with an H or something – clearly wishing he could be included in the festivities.
The bell over the front door jingled as it opened, and everyone looked up in delight as Giff, Akaishi, Azuma, and Daiji entered, the former dressed like Santa and the other like elves, carrying many presents. Everyone welcomed them in with joyous expressions on their faces, clearly happy for them to be there, and not simply because they were bearing gifts. They invited them to sit down with them beside the Christmas tree, to share in their meal and their togetherness, and Giff even got to hold the babies, who didn't scream or cry in his presence, which was a huge rarity in his experience.
They looked happy and content.
They looked like a family.
Giff blinked back tears, overwhelmed. "Oh goddesses… This vision you share… Is it of events that will come to pass, or is it merely a possibility of what may be?"
"THAT IS FOR YOU TO DECIDE," Zea and Ouroboros replied. "WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE FUTURE YOU CREATE WITH INTEREST, GIFF. WE WILL MEET AGAIN. FAREWELL, AND THANK YOU ONCE MORE FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE.
"Wait… There is more I must know-"
Whatever questions Giff wished to ask would have to wait for another time. In an instant, the light was gone, and he found himself back on the rooftop, surrounded by everyone, feeling a faint sense of loss…
As, on the horizon, the sun began to rise on a new day.