(BGM: The Gates of Hell- Bayonetta 3)
The Gates of Hell. A secluded establishment owned by Rodin himself, serving as both a bar for thirsty drinkers looking to knock back the finest and a Weapons Dealership that sells high-quality weapons, even ones of demonic origin. But even this location was still feeling the effects of the invasion, shaking from the blasts. All the news stations Rodin could turn into highlighted the invasion all over the world before his reception cut out. Enzo was heard sniveling as he looked at a picture of his family on his phone.
"Ed…! Edna…! Ah God!" Enzo sobbed.
"He tried to go outside, but I knocked some sense into him. After all, he still hasn't paid that tab." Rodin said before the area shook. "We'll be cool down here for a little while…a very little while."
"About that… Are you sure we're allowed in here?" Hilda asked.
"A very good point. Some of you are still minors, and we can't have you breaking the law by drinking while underaged…" Jeanne said, looking to Lysithea in particular.
"What are you looking at me for?! I'm not a child!" Lysithea argued.
"She's 18." Connor said. "Sorry, her age is a sensitive subject."
"Umm… I'm not allowed to enter bars too, for obvious reasons." Serena said. "I'm still young and in school."
"Anyway, you mean those weren't your playmates?" Bayonetta asked, referring to the invaders.
"Not my type. Although I did try shakin' hands. Those things ain't from Paradiso or Inferno. They're locals. In other words…they're part human." Rodin said.
"Human?" Jeanne asked.
"So, what the heck are they?" Connor asked.
"They're Homunculi." a voice said as Viola made her presence known, now fully recovered from the jump from her dimension to the Color-verse. "Manmade bioweapons."
"How about you tell us who you are first? Miss…" Rodin said as Viola slammed her fist on the table.
"Viola." Viola said as she looked at Bayonetta though she looked down a bit with a sad expression. "Bayonetta, I'm…" she started as Bayonetta looked at her with a calculative gaze before the area shook again. "Uh, never mind. Look, we don't have time! If we don't stop them, this world is history, and reality as you know it in this dimension get's wiped out for good!"
"And so you just led them right to us?" Bayonetta asked, approaching her with a lollipop before sticking it in her mouth.
"No!" Viola insisted. "If anything, they were brought here thanks to his screw-up!" she said, pointing to Connor. "They're like locusts, spreading through the Multiverse…destroying it as they go! Just trust me, damn it! We've got to hurry. Bayonetta…Jeanne… You both have to help! Same with you guys in the Alliance!"
Jeanne then instinctively fired off one of her guns in All 4 One at Viola, who to the surprise of everyone, invoked witch time and sliced down every bullet fired with her sword before time resumed.
"That was Witch Time you did just now… are you the same as Bayonetta, Simon, and Jeanne?" Lysithea asked.
"Why do you know our names? And who the hell taught you that bit of magic?" Jeanne asked.
"Well…in the dimension I'm from, we've already met." Viola said. "But it's gone now. Along with all of you and everything else! Plunged into darkness and barely holding on."
"And how do you know that?" Simon asked.
"Because my dimension is the exact same one Tormal is from!" Viola said, surprising the group.
"Tormal? As in the crazy evil alternate version of Spade?" Connor asked.
"Yes." Viola said. "The Homunculi helped him destroy my dimension, and now it's this one's turn. They're gonna tear through your dimension's Multiverse until there's almost nothing but a dark, empty wasteland!"
"On the off chance you're not insane, what do they want?" Jeanne asked.
"Hold up. This could be serious." Rodin said. "If what you're sayin' is true, then this ain't just a human problem. You guys already know this, but… Within the Trinity of Realities, the World of Chaos is actually made up of 30 universes, all stacked up together. That's our Multiverse… or the Color-Verse, that's what you guys call it. If Tormal's working with these guys to wipe out dimensions… Nah, 'wipe' out' doesn't quite explain it." he explained, grabbing six bottles and began shaking them. "He wants to break our Multiverse down. He's tryin' to fuse it together. Like runnin' thinly sliced wagyu beef through a grinder to make a big ol' juicy burger. And if he can pull it off, he'll get his hands on enough power to wipe out the whole Trinity in a snap." he finished, pouring a drink.
"So that was Tormal's plan all along." Connor said, looking to Ace. "He was bankin' on the Homunculi invading from the very start and biding his time till they got here. The Alliance with Kaido and Zenos Road was just a backup plan."
"He played us from the beginning." Ace said.
"Thank you, professor." Bayonetta said as she drank it before turning to Viola. "And what do you expect us to do?"
"Right. There are two things we have to do." Viola said. "Jeanne, I want you to find a scientist named Sigurd. He's somewhere in this world, and he can help us. And Bayonetta, I want you and the Alliance to come with me to help find more of these." she said, pulling out a strange mechanical sphere emitting a purple glow inside it. "This is a Chaos Gear. The key to beating Singularity, the leader of the Homunculi, Tormal's true ally. And the only one who knows how to use them is Dr. Sigurd. Without both of them, we can kiss this dimension goodbye." she said as the area shook again.
"Well, since solitaire in a literal man cave isn't exactly riveting-" Bayonetta started as she held a small wooden doll and a set of cards before dropping them. "I suppose we'll be your chaperones. That will help restore some sanity, right? We'll have a bit of girl talk along the way." she said.
"O-okay…" Viola said nervously.
"Now that we got that outta the way, can I be the first to ask this?" DW typed. "Does anybody happen to be the owner of an oversized, freaky-looking cat that looks like Garfield if he got dragged through hell? "
The rest of the group then noticed a large cat-like demon as it had a purple fur coat, while his belly is striped yellow and orange, with a strip of yellow hair on the top of his head. He has stout limbs ending in long purple claws, and his left ear is notched or missing. His head has a left cyan-colored eye and a right eye that has multiple red rings on it, several smaller red eyes that surround the pair, and a large mouth of sharp teeth and vibrant colors within in the shape of a grin, smoking a fancy pipe.
THE LOST OUTCAST
CHESHIRE
Cheshire then took another puff before patting his belly as he spat out a high-wheeler bicycle and hopped on top of it as spotlights shone on him, performing a balancing act on it.
"Huh?" Viola saw Cheshire before seeing her sword was missing from its sheath. "Oh, damn it Cheshire! You know you're not supposed to pop out like that!" she scolded as she began chasing after him.
"Cheshire…" Bayonetta muttered in familiarity.
"So is that thing an Infernal? Sure doesn't look like any one we've seen before." Ragna said.
"It appears to be linked to Viola's sword." Elisabeth said.
"So to recap, all we have to do is go across the Color-Verse and find these chaos gears?" Hilda asked. "No sweat! We're used to traveling all around the Color-Verse in our ships, this is gonna be easy!"
"It's not as simple as you think." Viola said, having caught Cheshire and sealing him back up in her sword. "This isn't gonna be like traveling all over the place like you guys usually do."
"How do you mean?" Simon asked.
"I'll explain on the way to where we're going. You guys mind if I ride with you in your ship?" Viola asked.
"Hold up kid." Rodin said, stopping Simon as the rest of the group left. "Mind if I borrow two of your guns? I saw that awakening and thought I'd might forge them into something special."
"By all means, go ahead." Simon said, handing Ember and Riptide to Rodin before leaving.
The Skies of Bayonetta's world, Aboard the Edens Zero…
"The Homunculi Leader's name is Singularity, and as I said, he and Tormal are working together. They have been for a long time, in fact, he's the reason Tormal even escaped my dimension to torment Spade in yours all those years ago. Declaring his own world the Alphaverse, he and Tormal began destroying the other dimensions Multiverses one by one. There's only one way to stop them- take the fight to them in the Alphaverse." Viola explained.
"Okay, but the one thing we don't get is why we can't just travel around our Multiverse to find these Chaos Gears to get to them." Makoto said.
"Because the Chaos Gears are all hidden in four different alternate versions of Bayonetta's world, each one in a specific universe, but cut off from them at the same time. You can't get to them the normal way. But there's one place that connects them all. A legendary island created by the Umbra and the Lumen to study and reach out to the unknown- The secluded island of Thule!" Viola said.
"Are you sure your fantasy island is real?" Bayonetta asked.
"Believe, and the path will open…" A mysterious voice said.
"Believe, and the path will open…?" Bayonetta asked.
"Look, there it is!" Viola said, pointing to a large mountain-like island with multiple ruins floating around it.
"Guys, check it out!" Hilda said as everyone looked at the screens. "It's a little scattered, but… we're picking up the tracking beacons on Spade and the Shadow Knights!"
"So this is where they've been the past few months. They've probably been on this island, going between worlds looking for Tormal." Ignatz said.
"Then we'll find them here." Simon said.
"Hmm… Someone seems very interested in our arrival." Bayonetta said.
"Is it…them?" Viola asked. "Let's land fast. It's not safe."
"Wait, where's Connor?" Rebecca asked.
"He went to the Dress Factory. He said he wanted to stop cosplaying and pick an outfit that really screams him now that he's got that relic that's always been his." Hilda said.
"Give him a few minutes. He'll be done in a bit." Zi-O said.
"Well, I'm glad he's stopped trying to pretend to be someone el-" Betty said before they were hit with something. "Whoa!"
"We're under fire!" Noel said.
"Where's it coming from?!" Mai asked.
"Down there, look!" Lysithea said, noting that at the nearest tip of the island were two Homunculi that resemble a four-legged turret, with a long gun barrel.
Light Ranged Support Unit
CAVUM
"We cannot get the Edens Zero close to the island with those support units firing upon us. You're all going to have to jump from the ship to there." Witch said.
"Wait, seriously?!" Viola asked.
"You got any better ideas?" DW typed as the hatch was opened.
"Hey Connor! If you're done changing, it's go time!" Ragna called.
"I'm ready, don't get anything twisted!" Connor called as he walked up, now sporting an entirely new outfit. He had dropped his homage outfit in favor of a look completely all his own. He was now wearing a red armored vest over a white undershirt with black long sleeves, adorned with silver gauntlets on his arms. Around his neck was a red and white dual scarf that reached his back so it flew in the wind, and on it was a silver and red pin depicting Ichiaivals Aufwachen Waveform. HIs bottom half still consisted of blue jeans, which were now fastened by the belt and buckle made from programmable matter that holstered his Revolvers on both sides, his Sawed-Off shotgun in the back, and his rifle slung over his back. The look was completed with a new red and black version of his mask, his tried and true stetson hat, and studded cowboy boots with black leather pads on his legs. He even styled his short white hair into a neater cut, as it was pointed straight to his left side.
"Wow, you clean up nice." Shantae said.
"You look cool in your new attire, Connor-san!" Hibiki commented.
"Not bad, marksman." Gunvolt added.
"Gotta admit, your new look is way better." Chris also added.
"Thanks. Figured I'd do a look that better envisions me now than just cosplaying." Connor chuckled. as he rubbed his head. "Alright, enough with admiring my new wardrobe. Let's get to work!" he said as he jumped out of the hatch with his team, followed by Spirit Force, Team XDR, and Bayonetta.
"Wait, hold on, I'm not ready yet…!" Viola stammered.
"Ah, don't be a wuss, you'll be fine!" DW said as he slapped Viola in the back as she lost her balance and fell out of the hatch, Darksquad following her as they all landed on the island safely, Viola being the last in free fall.
"Oh, shiiiiiiiiiii-!" Viola screamed before Cheshire caught her in his right paw as Bayonetta sighed and approached the Cavums with the others. Viola recovered and got ready to fight herself as the Cavums were backed up by a squad of Stratus.
"Quite the warm welcome. Now who'll be carrying our luggage?" Bayonetta asked as they got to fighting.
"So, you know how to use that sword, kid?" Ragna asked Viola.
"I was just about to ask kitty the same question." Bayonetta said.
"The fuck? Don't call me 'kitty!' Trust me, I can take care of myself!" Viola said.
"Language!" Maria scolded.
Despite her mouth, Viola handled herself well, being able to handle a sword and dodge quite well. The Homunculi were soon cleared out as Bayonetta dispelled the barrier with a snap of her fingers. Dispatching the Homunculi also made them drop crystallized tissue of their remains.
"Sweet, stuff to give Rodin as currency in the Gates of hell!" Makoto said, picking them up.
"They're not Halos, or Orbs… what are they?" Simon asked.
"They look like plant seeds, so… how about we call them just that? Seeds." Raphael suggested.
"Yeah, sounds fitting." Al said.
"Think Rodin will accept them as money?" DW typed.
"Maybe we'll find out next time we see him." Lei said.
The group then advanced up a part of a mountain before Bayonetta stopped as she saw something. Purple, Mirror-like portals in the sky, looking into different worlds, the group barely making out what was inside.
"You're all seeing that off in the distance too, right?" Bayonetta asked as she saw a strange pillar slowly vanishing.
"Are those… other worlds?" Tsubasa observed.
"Sure looks like it in my opinion." Kanade replied.
"Viola, do those portals up there lead to places all around the Color-verse?" Lysithea asked.
"Yeah, pretty sure those are other worlds in your Multiverse. I bet the people who built this place used to watch over different worlds the same way…" Viola said.
The group then continued on, fighting more Homunculi before reaching an altar of some kind.
"This trip has been full of surprises, hasn't it!" Bayonetta said.
"Is this… a Multiverse portal generator?" Viola asked. "Bayonetta, wait. It might be a bad idea to mess with that." she said before walking ahead and examining one of the archways.
"You said we needed to go into different worlds in other universes around our Multiverse to find Chaos Gears, right? This thing can probably get us to where we need to go," Connor said.
"Exactly. So are you all coming, or do I have to do everything myself?" Bayonetta asked.
"Right behind you." Simon said.
The group then approached the altar as letters lit up on each archway they went through before stepping onto it as it activated.
"Too late for regrets now, I'm afraid." Bayonetta said.
"Guys, wait..!" Viola called.
"Separate vacations for now, then. Good luck!" Bayonetta said as she and the group found themselves in a strange realm. It glowed a purple hue as there were several bright purple stalactites scattered around and translucent creatures swimming around as well.
"Where are we?" Noel asked.
"The space between all worlds across all 30 universes, apparently. The rift in chaos, Ginnungagap." Lysithea said.
"The Demonic Realm." Emil said in recognizement.
"So we're somewhere between our reality and Inferno right now?" Giovanna asked.
"Most likely, and it's likely at the end of this path, it'll take us to the world we'll first reach." Simon said.
The group then went down the path, fighting off any Homunculi they came across. Bayonetta revealed along the way she could use Demon Slave on demons other than Gomorrah, as she was able to summon forth her personal demon partner Madama Butterfly.
"So, Bayonetta, what was with that freaky Devil Trigger-like state you went into on the cruise ship?" Hitomi asked.
"Oh, that? Rodin didn't tell you in detail? It's a new trick I picked up, one Simon's still learning how to do. I call it Demon Masquerade." Bayonetta said. "Certain toys I can use physically link me to the Infernal it was forged from. When I desire it, I can merge with the demon inside, giving me a new look and all sorts of ways to play."
"And you're going to be able to use it too, Simon?" Hilda asked.
"Yes, once I have the appropriate weapon matching the Infernal I have a contract with." Simon said.
"Geez… it always seems like people from the Umbra side of things level up anytime the bars are set higher." Hitomi said.
The group then stepped onto a platform with a glowing purple light shining on it before they suddenly found themselves…in a metro train.
"(The doors are about to close.)" A voice said in Japanese on the intercom as the doors slid close.
"I think we're in Tokyo." Aya said.
"Kokonoe, where's our Universal Positioning?" DW asked.
"Lemme see…" Kokonoe said, getting a radar out. "It's just like Viola said, we're in another Universe in our wide Multiverse, but this place isn't technically part of a Universe itself. It's there, but not at the same time. As for what universe we're in…it's the Standard Universe still."
The train soon departed as the group walked through the cars. But then suddenly, Stratus' broke through the windows.
"Sorry, but you can't board the train if you don't have tickets!" Hitomi said, entering her beast form and slashing at the Stratus' with her claws.
"Get lost!" Ragna said, kicking some of the Stratus out.
"Uh guys? I think we have a BIG problem." Al said.
"How big exactly?" Medina asked.
"THAT big!" Piccoletta said, pointing outside to refer to a large Homunculi swimming towards them. Its body resembles a large shark, and its outer structure is made of the white and gold plating that all Homunculi have in common, while the inner structure is made out of a mass of fused Strati like other large Homunculi. Its body is also surrounded by a form of energy field expanding beyond its head.
Mega Aerial Raid Unit
IRIDESCENT
"Hey, isn't that the big fish freak who flooded the city?" Hilda remembered..
"Yeah, looks like it decided to invade this one." Zero said.
Iridescent dived under the tracks as if it was swimming in water.
"Uh oh… brace yourselves, guys! I think we're about to derail!" Peacock said.
"We will be changing to another track. If you are standing, please hold on to a handstrap or a rail." The intercom said as the car the group was in was sent flying.
Bayonetta then activated witch time. "AVAVAGO!" she chanted, summoning Gomorrah as the car went inside the portal he was about to come out of. Gomorrah then emerged with everyone on his back as he dived down onto the building and started running through the city at incredible speed, despite his size.
(Cue- Ride On Gomorrah!- Bayonetta 3)
"Whoo-Hoo! We're riding on the back of a giant dinosaur demon! This is so crazy, and I love it!" Peacock said.
"Glad to know at least someone's having fun with this!" Hilda sarcastically yelled.
"Hey, you rode on a flying wyvern, Hilda! You had no trouble with that!" Starlight mentioned.
"Hang on to your britches, people!" Simon called.
As the group rode on Gomorrah, they caught sight of fighter jets firing missiles at Iridescent.
"The military's here? How are they able to respond to the Homunculi?" Noel asked.
"I guess Homunculi can physically be seen by us humans." Connor said. "They don't operate on the same rules as Angels or Infernals."
"Well whatever the case, we need to keep the heat on the big fish." Aya said.
The group continued riding on Gomorrah as he ran across the buildings before reaching a river as he began jet skiing on boats before ramping off a building as the Iridescent met the group head on. Gomorrah swiped his claws at the Iridescent a few times before he kicked off it and charged up his flames.
"Unleash it!" Bayonetta said as Gomorrah fired a few fireballs. Iridescent powered through them as it continued its charge.
"Jump!" X said.
The group leaped off just in time as Iridescent chomped into Gomorrah, incapacitating him for awhile as the group landed in what appeared to be Shibuya.
"Poor Gomorrah…" Marianne said.
"Don't worry about him, little priestess. Infernals don't actually die in the real world, they are sent back to Inferno to recuperate for a time." Bayonetta said before spotting a small glow on the underside of Iridescent.
"Guess you won't be using her for a while. But at least you have other Infernals at your disposal." Zi-O replied. "Also, what is that?"
"Might that be the Chaos Gear Viola informed us about in that beast's stomach?" Lorenz asked, also seeing the object inside Iridescent.
"Greedy little thing. Perhaps it's time for a crash diet." Bayonetta said.
"Well, there's something you don't see everyday." Al said, spotting the statue of a familiar police dog mascot.
"What's a Lappy statue doing here?" Connor asked.
"You know this thing?" Hilda asked.
"Long story." Chris said.
"Say… if I know my cliches right…" Peacock said as she shot the statue with a few of her long ranged weapons, spilling out a bunch of Halos. "Booyah!"
"Nice, some loot." Rutee said.
The group then continued on for a bit as they saw a group of JSDF soldiers taking position behind some vehicles as a tank drove up.
"(HQ, target sighted at 50 meters. Target is continuing northeast. Over.)" One of the soldiers said as a Floccus was seen approaching.
"(This is HQ, roger that. Engage when ready. Over.)" A voice on the soldier's radio said.
"(Over.)" the soldier confirmed as he and several other soldiers took aim.
"(Ready…aim…FIRE!)" he ordered as they opened on the Floccus. "(Anti-tank rockets up! FIRE!)" he ordered again as two soldiers fired RPGs at it, but with no effect. "(HQ… Target is intact. Our weapons have no visible effect. I repeat, our weapons have no effect!)" he said as another Floccus was forming behind them as they both quickly decimated the soldiers before Bayonetta fired on the one that spawned, forming a heart shape on its back as it noticed the group.
"Why don't you pick on some people who can actually hit you harder, you big oafs?" Hitomi asked.
"Wouldn't want to step on anyone's toes." Bayonetta said as she danced for a bit before finishing with a pose. "Don't worry, we know this song by heart." she said as the other Floccus joined in.
"Split em up! Take em one at a time!" Connor called as the group divided and conquered, splitting the Floccus duo up.
"ALOK!" Simon called, using demon slave for the first time to summon Alighieri.
"Whoa! So that's your brand new demon familiar, huh?" Connor asked.
"Yup, say hello to Alighieri." Simon said as he danced. Alighieri engaged the Floccus and swung his sword, slicing through it several times before impaling it and tossing it into the air before it crashed back down.
"Nice one, Simon! Now it's our turn!" Narve said as he and Makoto went in front. "Icy Breath!" he said, casting his powerful ice spell and freezing the Floccus over. "Go, Makoto!"
"Big Bang Smash!" Makoto called, punching forward as a portal opened next to her and a larger version of her fist popped out and punched the frozen Homunculi, shattering it.
=ZIKAN GILADE! ZYU!=
Zi-O summoned his personal weapon and fired charged shots at the Floccus' weak points to stun it, allowing Miku to follow up by firing a purple laser with her Armed Gear at point blank range, incinerating it.
Tòngkū (Lamentation)
With both Floccus down, Bayonetta dispelled the Homunculi barrier so they could move forward.
"Let's cut through the Shibuya 104 shopping center." Connor said.
"Right." Ace said as the group entered the building and found a few Stratus imitating some of the mannequins on display. As soon as the group stepped inside, the Stratus stopped imitating and attacked.
"Ambush!" Noel said.
The group engaged the Stratus ambushers as they fought inside the mall. At one point, one of the Stratus got lucky and landed a hit on Connor, sending him crashing into one of the store windows.
"You'll pay for that!" Narve said blasting the Stratus who hit Connor with a fireball, incinerating it.
"Hadangeki!" Zero called, performing a heavy overhead slash as it sent out a wave of energy.
"Whoa…" Vent said with awe. "I know Zero was strong, but not this strong."
"This is the power of one of the legendary Maverick Hunters, Vent. Never underestimate them." Model Z pointed out, speaking from Vent's armor.
"Yeah, though he can use special techniques compared to how I and Aile do things." Vent noted.
"He is quite more advanced than us. But I don't mind." 2B said cutting some Stratus down with Virtuous Contract.
"Then I'd better step it up!" Vent complied as he prepared his ZX-Sabers and slashed the other Stratus' left and right before finishing the remaining one with an X-slash. Then he fused them into a double blade and threw it at the other Stratus group like a boomerang, slicing them in their backs before it was returned to his hand.
"Not bad, kid." Zero said.
"Thanks. I had to live up my title as one of the Chosen MegaMan." Vent replied. "Although Biometal Model Z was once owned by my late boss, Girouette."
"He must've been a good man." X said.
"He is. Even when I'm in another multiverse, he still watches over me, Ciel and the others, and we'd better not let him down despite Model W's destruction." Vent replied. "Ciel also knew about Giro as a friend."
"You'll have to tell us that story later, when we get the time." Axl said.
"Sure thing, Axl." Vent smiled. "Also, Model Axl sounds way better than Model Albert."
It wasn't long before the mall was cleared out, the others going to check on Connor.
"You okay, Connor?" Medina asked.
"Yeah, just got knocked into this shop… thank god these new threads are armored…" Connor said.
"Huh? Hey, something's in your hand, Connor." Picolletta noticed.
As he was getting up, Connor just now noticed he was holding something in his right hand. It looked like the ridewatches Zi-O used, both his Zi-O Ridewatch to transform, and the Kuuga Ridewatch to don the KuugaArmor, but this one looked way different. It was a different shape than the other Ridewatches, looking a bit longer which is enough to fit another Ridewatch to its side. It also has the visage of another Rider entirely, who looked to have green eyes and magenta face with magenta and black colors.
"Ah! Why, that's…!" Woz recognized it, surprising some of the group as he appeared out of nowhere. "Zi-O, we have found it at last! The Decade Ridewatch!"
"You've gotta be gacking kidding me." Zi-O responded with wide eyes. "How the heck did it end up here of all places?!"
"I know that chrono tech Einstein made was a prototype, but I did not expect it to show up here." Starlight commented.
"Well… at least I finally found my long lost Ridewatch." Zi-O smiled, taking the Ridewatch from Connor's hand. "Thanks Connor, I owe you big time for this."
"Why are you thankin' me exactly?" Connor asked.
"Permit me to explain." Woz said. "Kamen Rider Zi-O has the ability to use special armors from the 19 Heisei Riders and use their abilities. In addition to his Zi-O Ridewatch, there are 19 Heisei Ridewatches from which these powers come from. However… the Ridewatch harnessing the power of the 10th Kamen Rider of the Heisei Era, Decade, was the only one not in Zeo's possession at the time that he became Zi-O due to an… accident when transporting his belongings to the Zi-O Liner."
"And it just so happened to end up in our neck of the woods, you're saying?" Bayonetta asked.
"Something like that, Miss Umbra Witch." Woz replied. "Nevertheless, with this, Zi-O has obtained an even more powerful armor that surpassed his other ones. But, the DecadeArmor is not even his Final Form."
"He's right." Shirabe added. "There's also Zi-O II, Zi-O Trinity and lastly, Grand Zi-O, the latter being the strongest one."
"Cool! Do you have those watches on you right now?" Makoto asked.
"Makoto, I don't think it's that simple. Kamen Riders gotta have to go through power developments just like everybody else. It's likely Zeo doesn't have those three watches on him right now." Connor said.
"He's right." Zi-O confirmed. "That also means if I want to get those last three ridewatches, I have to undergo the same trials as my predecessor, Sougo Tokiwa. I am not looking forward to fighting my mirror self to get Zi-O II, but it will be worth the effort."
"Patience is a virtue, I suppose." Lorenz said. "But let us be off. We cannot dawdle, especially because our world is fated to end should Tormal and the Homunculi are allowed to do as they please."
The group exited the mall to continue forward and soon heard music playing, as they found a gramophone floating in the air next to a red portal.
Bayonetta then turned around and aimed one of her guns as the group saw it was Rodin.
"Getting me confused for them? Must be off your game." Rodin said.
Before Bayonetta could shoot herself, Connor quickly quickdrawed and shot right past her and Rodin as a Stratus was shot dead in one go.
"Never been more on." Bayonetta said as the Stratus left behind a seed.
"Well all right." Rodin said.
"So what brings you here, Rodin?" Connor asked.
"Thing is, with all this mess going, on, Halos are hard to come by…but chaotic economics has its own unique charms." Rodin said, picking it up and walking past the group.
"And you'd like us to help you diversify." Bayonetta said.
"Heh…sharp as ever, Bayonetta." Rodin said before approaching the gramophone and flipped the record as it played a familiar tune.
(BGM: The Gates of Hell- Bayonetta 3)
Before long, the group found themselves back inside the Gates of Hell as it was summoned right where they were.
"Welcome to The Gates of Hell." Rodin said. "You can expect a fair rate for now too." he said, tossing a few seeds in his hand before putting them on the table. "Of course, I'll gladly accept any halos you bring in. Might even have something special for you."
"Does anybody wanna buy anything?" Connor asked.
"Unless he has weapons we can actually use in stock, I'm not so sure." Ignatz replied. "Some of us have Heroes and Sacred Relics, so we're already set."
"Got any special handguns up for sale? I could use some variety." Kiana requested.
"Thanks for the reminder, kid." Rodin said. "I just finished fine-tunin' Ember and Riptide for Simon for his new partner."
Rodin pulled out an open box from under the table to show something new for Simon. Ember and Riptide were in there, but along with them came a pair of twin single-edge wrist blades fused with one of each gun.
"Ooh, very nice." Simon said, putting on the cuffs the gun blades were attached to.
"Ember and Riptide are now Hypnos and Nyx." Rodin said. "They'll link ya to Alighieri so you can use him with Demon Masquerade."
"Fancy new toys Simon. They scream you." Bayonetta said.
"Oh, and I haven't forgotten about you, Bayonetta." Rodin said as he turned around and grabbed something under the accessories counter. "Saw that Demon Slave and figured you could handle it. Take special care of my baby."
Rodon plopped on the bar counter a massive-looking weapon twice Bayonetta's size. It looked to be some kind of a dual club and high-caliber rifle combined with the top part resembling Gomorrah's head.
"What on earth is that?" Lorenz asked.
Bayonetta stroked her hand across the barrel before stabbing it into the ground and pole dancing around it a bit before swinging it around as it left a purple flame trail and hefted it over her right shoulder. "Very nice."
"I call it the G-Pillar, one of my finest works yet." Rodin said. "Y'all be careful now."
The group soon left and continued on, taking a route underground as they fought more Homunculi before reaching the surface as they entered a trainyard and saw several tanks firing at the Iridescent before a new Homunculi soon spawned as it took a jellyfish-like form.
Light Rotation Combat Unit
PANNUS
It then spun its blade-like appendages as it quickly destroyed the tanks.
"Careful with this one guys." Kokonoe said. "Crafty thing'll split in two if its hit with Demon Slave attacks."
"Then why don't we try a more attentive approach?" Bayonetta asked.
"Take it down with nothing fancy? Sounds good to me!" Raphael said.
Its trick now figured out, Pannus attacked anyway, now on its own. It wasn't a slouch in combat, though it didn't split apart, able to charge forward with great rotational force.
"We gotta slow this thing down somehow!" Ragna said.
"Razmi! Hex this thing!" Connor called.
Razmi materialized from Ajna's inner realm, now that she was fully awake, and was able to make contact with Pannus.
"If I must." Razmi said as she glared at it and burned it with a single flicker of fire, slowing it down.
"Alright! Let's take it down!" Leonie said, charging forth with her spear and stabbing Pannus in its bulbous body. Travis followed up by bashing it with his club straight to Lorenz.
Pannus tried to attack Lorenz using his momentum, but Lorenz was ready as it came right at him.
"Do you know who I am?" Lorenz asked before meeting Pannus with a stab of his spear on his mount before rapidly thrusting his spear all over it, whipping up a Rose petal tornado. "You should be ashamed!" he said, finishing Pannus off by sending the tornado outward as it was ripped to shreds inside it.
"Very well done, my dear nobleman." Bayonetta said as she then dispelled the barrier.
Suddenly, the area around them distorted into purple, as they saw some sort of large boar-like Homunculus knocking down what looked to be an alternate version of Jeanne, with someone reaching to her from above. Bayonetta curiously touched the visage of Jeanne, as something flashed into the group's minds…