Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Koihime Musou and Kamen Rider Gaim. I only own my OCs and plot twists. Enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 15: The End of a Legacy
Enshou's Army was moving hurriedly across a field of waist-high tall grasses. It wasn't the most ideal escape route, but it was their fastest way to return to Nanping so they could organize a defense against Sou Gi's invasion force or the pursuing Shoku army.
"I blame you for this, Reiha-neesama," Enjustu grumbled as she rode her horse through the tall grass.
"Be silent, Miyu," Enshou grumbled back.
"Our ancestors in heaven must be wailing a their hard work is about to go to ruin because of you," Enjutsu continued, heedless of her cousin's retort.
"Just be silent, will you? I will get us out of this bind, just you see."
"Oh like that would end well. Remember those 'Treasure Hunts' you invited me to? How often did we end up setting off the traps and getting nothing in the end?" the younger blonde retorted sharply.
Enshou glared at her younger cousin. "Must you bring that up now?"
The younger blonde sniffed disdainfully and didn't say anything, much to Enshou's ire.
"Enshou-sama, if I may make a suggestion," Keiichi spoke up. "We should hasten our march lest Kusanagi and his forces catch up with us."
"You think he could actually catch up with us, Gridon-dono?" Enshou asked worriedly.
Before Keiichi could say anything, Sasuke spoke up next. "Does it matter? If he shows up, I'll just crush him!"
"Calm down, Sasuke-kun! Don't be too hasty now! It's not only Shoku and Kusanagi that we have to worry about. There is also Sou Gi and Baron, remember?" reminded Keiichi.
"Bah! All we have to do is defeat him if he dares to appear! Then I'll crush that Banana and his Loli Mistress!" Sasuke boasted.
"That's the spirit, Kurokage-dono! No matter who we are fighting against, we will come out as the winner!" Enshou agreed with a haughty smirk. "There are only two results of a battle for the En Clan: to win elegantly or to win beautifully! That is the motto of the En Clan."
"You just made that up, Reiha-neesama," remarked Enjutsu dryly.
Just as Enshou was about to retort, she heard her name being called and spotted a messenger approaching.
"Enshou-sama!" the messenger panicked as he arrived and kneeled before the En Clan's Head. "Kusanagi and his army are approaching our position as we speak!" he informed her.
"WHAT!?" Enshou shrieked as soon as she received the report. "WHAT DID YOU SAY!?"
"Kusanagi and his forces were able to rescue Kouchuu's daughter, Enshou-sama," the messenger trembled as he bowed before Enshou. He really hoped she didn't have him executed for delivering such bad news. He was just the messenger, after all. "He now has Kouchuu on his side and they're closing in on our position as we speak!"
"That's impossible! Are you telling me Kusanagi is already pursuing us again!?" Enshou demanded, feeling panic began to rise.
"Enshou-sama! We mustn't waste time. We must continue to the capital as fast as we can. We do not have the advantage to battle at our current position," Keiichi informed quickly.
"I thought we WERE getting Kusanagi back after our earlier defeat? So why are we running now!?" demanded Sasuke hotly.
"It's because we can't set up a trap here to even out the odds for us," answered Keiichi. "No doubt that Lecheng's defense corps is now bolstering Shoku's numbers with Kouchuu joining Kusanagi."
"But didn't we outnumber Kusanagi's men by more than two to one in our favor?" asked Enjutsu. While she was smarter than Enshou, Enjutsu never delved too much in the art of warfare. She felt that such things were beneath her. She just left such matters to other people to enjoy her own honey water.
"Trust me when I say numbers will not matter against Kusanagi and his men. What we need is a strategy that will allow us to take them down," answered Keiichi wryly.
"Tch, just face them head on and we will be fine. Heck, I'll even deal Kusanagi by myself!" Sasuke boasted boldly. He had a Genesis Driver after all.
"We should move faster lest Kusanagi catches us," Keiichi informed Enshou as she nodded her head softly. No matter what happened, she couldn't lose here. Not after everything she had done so far.
Yamato's army was catching up with the En Clan army, thanks to Shion who had shown them a shortcut that only she and Riri knew. The soldiers and the Generals were all looking forward eager to their last battle with Enshou and her men, especially Pairen and Shion. No doubt they were eager for some payback for what the spoiled warlord had done to them.
"We will soon catch up with Enshou and her men very soon, Yamato-sama," Shion reported.
"Thank you for showing us this shortcut, Shion," Yamato said and Shion shook her head.
"It is my duty as your vassal to help you the best I can," Shion replied as she smiled. "Besides, I owe you so much for rescuing my daughter."
"Think nothing of it," Yamato smiled back at her. "And you are not only one of my vassals, but you are also one of my friends and comrades."
"I am very honored by your kind words, Yamato-sama," Shion inclined her head as a sign of acceptance and respect.
"You are very much like the rumors I have heard about you, Yamato-sama," commented Kikyou. "Strong, compassionate, and honorable."
Sei nodded at her words. "You have indeed described Yamato-sama's best traits, Kikyou-dono. Perhaps I should have joined you the first time we met, Yamato-sama."
"Better late than never," Yamato replied.
"Indeed," Sei nodded to Yamato, smiling.
"We better hurry before Enshou can get away from us again," Shuri urged.
"Not to mention we have to prevent them from setting up their own trap," Hinari added.
Yamato silently nodded at the advice of his little strategists. The stunt Enshou and her men pulled back in Lecheng would be the only and last time they would ever use something resembling a strategy in anyway. He silently swore he would make Enshou pay for blackmailing Shion by taking Riri hostage.
There were just some lines that shouldn't be crossed at all.
As the Shoku army continued their march after the En Clan army, the scout that Yamato had sent up ahead earlier had returned with a report.
"Yamato-sama, I have an urgent report!"
"Please speak. What is it you have to say?" inquired Touka.
"The army of Sou Gi was spotted nearby, a little deeper inside the En Clan's territory!"
The scout's report surprised everyone, especially the Ba Clan survivors. They never expected for Sou Gi to make an appearance here.
"You mean Sousou's forces are nearby too?" Yamato asked the scout. 'Shun...Are you going to be there?'
"Yes, and it looks like they are heading to Nanping."
"That explains why Enshou seemed to be panicking back then," Shion noted, a serious look settling on her beautiful face. "With Yamato-sama pursuing her and Sousou-dono aiming for her capital, Enshou is trapped between two very strong adversaries."
"My, looks like her impulsiveness has bitten her back this time," Sei remarked mercilessly. "Still, this could complicate things. I was expecting them to be much further from our current position."
"If Sou Gi is getting involved, the next battle could go in any direction," commented Shuri worriedly.
"At worse, we will be facing a three-way battle and the worst case scenario is we will face against En Clan AND Sou Gi," Kikyou pointed out.
The grim prospect of having to face the Gi Faction and En Clan caused everyone to look down. It was a battle against huge odds.
"B-But there's Baron-san in Sousou-san's army, right? He is Yamato-sama's long-time friend and perhaps Sou Gi could work together with us instead," Touka spoke up to lighten up the mood. Yamato smiled at her optimism. However, he was worried about Sui and her family. Would they be able to set aside their grudge against Karin?
"If we end up working together with Sou Gi, can you four set aside your grudge against them?" Yamato asked Sui, her sisters and cousin. "I'm not asking you to set it aside permanently, just for the next battle."
Sui looked up into Yamato's eyes and he could see a storm of indecision in her eyes. Yamato could understand that she had a valid reason for hating Karin. After all, she was responsible for the death of her father and clansmen
"...I can't really bring myself to forgive Sousou after what she had done to my family…" Sui spoke in a hushed tone. "However, I will set it aside, for now at least."
"I'm with Sui-oneesama. While I can't forgive Sou Gi for destroying our home, I will have to set aside my grudges for now," Ruo added before she narrowed her eyes. "However, I will not hold back if they choose to attack us."
"It would be bad to fight Sou Gi now, right?" Sou asked with a slight frown. Sousou had a much larger and competent army and they weren't prepared to face them just yet. "Then I won't attack them unless they attack first."
"What Onee-chan-tachi said. Besides, our enemy right now is the bratty princess Enshou, not that skirt chasing Loli Sousou," Tanpopo remarked with a wry smile.
"Thanks, you four," Yamato smiled at them. He then turned to the rest of his officers. "We will continue our pursuit on Enshou. If we do encounter the Sou Gi army, treat them as a neutral party until they make their first move."
His generals nodded, acknowledging his orders.
It wasn't long until the Shoku army finally caught up with Enshou and her men. This was it, the last battle with the En Clan and Enshou. In theory, Shoku had all the advantages in this this battle with two Kamen Riders, several powerful generals, a better organized army and a good strategy for the battle, but Yamato knew better than believing only the theory. There were several X factors that might change the outcome of the battle and put things entirely against their favor.
"Alright, this is it. Are you all ready?" Yamato asked his generals.
"Yes, we are all, Yamato-sama," Touka answered for the rest of Shoku generals.
Yamato nodded in return before he relayed his battle orders. "Then let's move out like we planned! Sei and Ren are with me in the vanguard! Sui, Tanpopo, and Rinrin will flank us on the right while Ruo, Sou, and Pairen are on the left! Shion and the archer squad will provide support fire for us while Kikyou, En'ya and Miyabi will protect her, Touka, Shuri, Hinari, and Nenene! Is that clear?"
"Yes, Yamato-sama!" his generals responded at once.
"En'ya! If the Riders appear, I leave Gridon to you! He is the brown one who is usually armed with a hammer!"
"Understood, Yamato-sama!" En'ya nodded affirmatively.
"Sound the horns and the gongs! Let Enshou know that today the En Clan's Legacy is finished!"
Meanwhile, Enshou and her soldiers finally managed to get through the tall grass field when they heard the loud war horns and gongs nearby.
"W-What is it? Where did the horns and gongs came from!?" Enshou demanded as she looked around frantically.
Choukun gasped and pointed on a hill on the left side of Enshou's army's current position. "E-E-Enshou-sama! O-O-Over there!"
Enshou turned before the color seemingly drained from her as she looked in dread at where Choukun was pointing at. Lining the hill was none other than the Shoku army with the flags of their various generals flying in the air proudly.
Leading them in the frontmost of their formation was none other than Yamato Kusanagi, the Peerless Blue Swordsman, the King of Shoku, the first Messenger of Heaven, and the recently coined epitaph by his new generals because of his achievements: the Azure War God.
He was holding one of the Chou Sisters' crystal microphones in his hand. He tapped on it to activate it. Yamato wanted Enshou to hear him, loud and clear. He raised it to his mouth and shouted, "ENSHOU, YOU DISHONORABLE COWARD! COME OUT AND FACE ME!"
His loud, yet (personally) insulting call snapped Enshou from her brief, fear-induced daze. She then responded in kind, "How dare you call me a dishonorable coward!? Are you not the one who used dirty tricks to fight me!?"
"What I used against you is called a strategy, you imbecilic, spoiled, idiot, cowardly brat!" Yamato held nothing back on his insults for Enshou, causing the blonde to sputter and fume, outraged. "But what you had done back in Lecheng...Was utterly contemptible! Not even that, the whole reason for your attack into my territory was nothing but a foolish act of motivated by a petty tantrum! You have caused so much death and suffering to satisfy your insufferable ego! I won't let you get away from your sins!"
"What sins are you talking about!?"
Yamato raised his index finger, "First: You attacked Pairen's home!" He raised his middle finger next, "Second: You attacked my territory!" His ring finger then went up next. "Third: You blackmailed a mother by taking her daughter as a hostage!" His pinkie raised last. "Fourth: You made a little girl cry!"
"What in the world are you doing!?"
"I'm counting your sins, Enshou! Be prepared to face justice! Even if the gods forgive you, this Kamen Rider won't let your crimes go unpunished!" Yamato then flicked his wrist as he quoted Shoutarou Hidari from Kamen Rider Double. "Saa, omae no tsumi o kazoero!" he declared as he glared straight at Enshou challengingly. He then whipped out his Orange and Lemon Energy Lockseeds before activating them simultaneously.
"HENSHIN!"
"ORANGE!" "LEMON ENERGY!"
"LOCK ON!"
"SOIYA! MIX!"
Two Helheim Cracks formed above Yamato showing the Orange Armor Parts and also the Lemon Energy Armor Parts, before both fused together above him forming into a single entity. The Jimber Arms Armor Parts fell on Yamato's head before forming Gaim's Rider Wear as the armor unfolded and formed into the archer samurai armour of Gaim's Jimber Lemon Arms.
"JIMBER LEMON! HA-HA!"
"Now, let's dance on our stage!" Gaim declared boldly.
His new officers who had not seen Gaim in his Jimber Arms, stared at him with wide, awe filled gaze.
"Oh, a new form?" Sei inquired curiously.
"Ara, now you really look like an Azure War God, Yamato-sama," commented Kikyou with an approving look.
Shion gave Gaim's Jimber Lemon Arms form a lookover before her gaze landed on the Sonic Arrow he held in his right hand. She then gave another Gaim's armored form another one over before she whispered with slightly flushed cheeks. "Ara…"
En'ya then followed Gaim's lead and strapped her own Sengoku Driver to her waist and unlocked her Kurumi Lockseed as she called out, "Henshin!"
"KURUMI!"
As the Crack opened above her head, the Kurumi Armor Parts descended from it and hovered above En'ya's head. She then clenched her fingers around the Lockseed before thrusting it high to the air. She then locked it to the Driver.
"LOCK ON!"
Rock guitar music similar to Bravo's played from the Driver for a moment before En'ya sliced the Lockseed open with the Cutting Blade , revealing its core image of a sliced walnut. The lower image showed the Kurumi Bombers, the Arms Weapon of the Kurumi Arms.
The Driver played another guitar riff as it declared its transformation announcement.
"KURUMI ARMS! MISTER KNUCKLEMAN!"
The Kurumi Armor Part landed on En'ya's shoulder, forming her black Ride Wear Suit, before disassembling itself to form the Kurumi Arms. Her visor flashed yellow as the Arms glowed briefly to signify her complete transformation into Kamen Rider Knuckle.
"Mister Knuckleman? Really?" Tanpopo inquired with a teasing grin.
"Don't ask me. The belt always says that whenever I transform," Knuckle grumbled sullenly before glaring at her belt. "I know I'm a tomboy, but I'm still a girl, damn it!"
Despite the situation, Gaim and his generals chuckled at Knuckle's sulking. "I'm afraid you can't do anything about that. The Driver's announcement is tied to the Lockseed, so you're stuck with that until you get a new Lockseeed," Gaim informed his new general.
After hearing that from the person who knew so much about the belt and the lock, Knuckle hung her head and her shoulders slumped in defeat.
Enshou on the other hand glared at the Shoku army with all the hatred, anger, and rage she could muster to hide the despair and fear she felt. Boldly, she drew her sword and pointed it at the Shoku army as she ordered loud and clear, "Attack those upstarts! Show them the might of the En Clan!"
"Let's go, Sasuke-kun! It's payback time!" urged Keiichi as he strapped on his Sengoku Driver.
"Oh yeah! I'm sooooo looking forward for this!" Sasuke grinned viciously as he strapped on his Driver, but it wasn't the Sengoku Driver. It was a different Driver, one that was mostly red with a pushable lever on the right hand side and a fixed one on the left hand side. It had several transparent pipes going from the core down to the glass pod under the core. The belt that wrapped around his waist was silver.
This Driver was the Genesis Driver, said to be the superior to the Sengoku Driver.
"HENSHIN!"
"DONGURI!"
"MATSUBOKKURI ENERGY!"
The new Energy Armor Part that descended from the Crack above Sasuke's head was no different than the ordinary Matsubokkuri Arms, save it was glowing much brighter with because of the amount of energy it contained.
Sasuke and Keiichi then locked their Lockseed into their Drivers. The Genesis Driver had no standby music and only played low-pitched, pulsing, humming noise over.
"LOCK ON!"
"LOCK ON!"
Sasuke then pushed the Seaboll Compressor lever on the right side to crack open the Matsubokkuri Energy Lockseed, which revealed a slice of pinecone as brown liquids flowed through the Vascular Duct pipes to fill the Concentrate Pod jar until it was full.
"COME ON! DONGURI ARMS! NEVER GIVE UP!"
"LIQUID! MATSUBOKKURI ENERGY ARMS! SEI, YOISHOU, WASSHOI!"
The Matsubokkuri Energy Armor Part landed on Sasuke's shoulders, covering his head and forming Genetic Ride Wear that was similar to his normal Ride Wear. As the Armor Part disassembled to form his Matsubokkuri Energy Arms, it didn't even look any different from the Matsubokkuri Arms. The only difference aside of the belt was the Arms Weapon which resembled the Kagematsu, only it had a three-pronged spearhead with pinecone decoration on the base and the ordinary pinecone-decorated spearhead was on the bottom of the weapon. The armor briefly flashed as his visor lit up yellow, completing his transformation.
Sasuke had transformed into the Genesis Rider version of Kurokage, Kamen Rider Kurokage Shin.
"Yes…!" Kurokage Shin clenched his fist before he twirled the Kagematsu Shin and brought it down as he struck a battle-ready pose. "I feel SOOOO powerful already!"
As the En Clan soldiers made their charge at the Shoku army, Gaim then called out to Shion. "Shion, prepare the archers for opening barrage! I'll leave the timing to you!"
"Understood, Yamato-sama," replied Shion as she mounted three arrows on her Hurricane Peng. "Archers, load your arrows! Prepare for a spreading barrage!"
As the soldiers mounted their arrows, Gaim removed his Lemon Energy Lockseed and locked it into his Sonic Arrow. He then tapped his Cutting Blade three times to enhance the power for his attack.
"LOCK ON!"
"SOIYA! ORANGE SPARKING!"
"Aim carefully for the enemy soldiers! Adjust your target…On my mark…" Gaim then followed Shion's instruction and carefully aimed for the incoming soldiers as he pulled the shaft of his Sonic Arrow to its fullest. Orange and yellow energy pooled into the weapon as he waited for Shion's mark to fire.
"Fire!"
"LEMON ENERGY!"
Gaim then fired his energized arrow at the same time as his archers. While the archers' arrow struck down the enemy soldiers they caught, Gaim's arrow morphed into an orange-tinted, giant lemon projection which bursts into hundreds of energy arrows that rained down explosively upon the En Clan soldiers.
As the En Clan soldiers fell into disarray after the first barrage, Gaim then ordered his soldiers. "Alright everyone, charge! Let's settle this once and for all! Stick to our plan and we will win this one! Leave the Riders to me and En'ya! Let's go!"
"You heard Gaim-sama said! Let's go! It's time to make these fools realize who they're messing with!" Sei rallied the troops.
"Let's go men! Time for Enshou to get some what she deserves for what she did to our home!" Pairen ordered her White Horse Cavalry unit.
"Provide support fire in regular interval. Aim carefully at Enshou's men only," Shion ordered calmly to her archer units, belying the fury she felt for Enshou for taking her daughter as a hostage in order to blackmail her.
(Play BGM: "EGO~eyes glazing over" by ICHIDAI)
Gaim led the vanguards' charge along with his generals and struck down any enemy soldiers that tried to stop him. He slashed down a soldier in the chest, pivoting on his foot and decapitated a spearman, before he ducked under a sword slash and gutted the soldier with his Sonic Arrow. He saw several archers firing at him and his generals, and he decided to counter-snipe them by firing several energy arrows. Gaim grunted when only three of his six energy arrows hit enemy archers while the rest didn't hit their marks, though not completely missing their target.
Sei who noticed this chuckled mirthfully, "Having some trouble, Yamato-sama?"
"Sue me, I never practiced archery much before. I'm a swordsman, not an archer," Gaim retorted dryly in defense as he stood back to back with Sei. He was not much of an archer, but if it was with swords, it was quite a different story. That said, he drew his Musou Saber, so he was now dual-wielding it together with the Sonic Arrow. "Right, now this is much better."
"Then why are you using archery if you have never learnt it before?" Sei asked curiously as she impaled a soldier and pivoted to duck under a spear stab before spearing its wielder in the gut.
"It's a personal thing and a matter of pride to me," Gaim answered as he casually blocked a sword slash with the Sonic Arrow's bladed bow and killed the opposing soldier with his Musou Saber.
"An overachiever, eh?" Sei chuckled before her spear flashed so fast to send several En Clan soldiers to their oblivion.
"When you aim for something, aim as high as you can. It will be more satisfying when you finally achieve it," Gaim replied as he struck down an enemy soldier with his Sonic Arrow before shooting down others with a well-aimed shots from the Musou Saber.
The blue-haired girl offered him a smirk as several soldiers went flying with a single swing of her spear. "It looks like I have chosen an interesting lord to serve."
"KUSANAGI!"
Gaim saw Kurokage Shin was bulldozing his way through several soldiers, charging at his direction. His Kagematsu Shin swung left and right to send any soldiers that got in his way flying to their oblivion. Kurokage Shin swung his spear down at Gaim, who blocked it with his weapons.
"So we finally meet! You don't know how long I've been waiting for this!" said Kurokage Shin in delight.
"Sorry, but I'm not interested in you, at all," Gaim retorted as he shoved Kurokage Shin away to break the deadlock. "Sei, leave him to me. You and Ren continue on to breakthrough Enshou's defenses."
"Understood," Sei nodded as she went ahead.
Gaim faced Kurokage Shin who glared at him. Gaim saw the Genesis Driver, causing Kurokage Shin to chuckle.
"Like what you see?" Kurokage Shin smirked smugly behind his helmet.
"You got your own Genesis Driver," Gaim noted with faux interest.
"Now you see, I'm not the same Kurokage as before," boasted Kurokage Shin as he twirled his Kagematsu Shin around. "I'm a Genesis Rider now, Kamen Rider Kurokage Shin! Now I'm much stronger than you are!"
"We'll see about that, Mook Boss," responded Gaim, causing Kurokage Shin to growl in anger.
"Don't call me a mook!" yelled Kurokage Shin as he charged at Gaim who smiled under his helmet.
"Predictable," whispered Gaim as he brandished his weapons. The Kagematsu Shin came down but Gaim blocked the strike with the Sonic Arrow before slashing Kurokage Shin across the chest with the Musou Saber. While Kurokage Shin was recovering from the blow, Gaim landed a kick to his chest that sent him tumbling.
Kurokage Shin recovered quickly before he charged at Gaim once more with the Kagematsu Shin poised for a stab. Gaim dodged and weaved between the flurry of stabs and once Kurokage Shin overextended his attack, he struck with the Musou Saber. Gaim then pushed on with a horizontal slash with the Sonic Arrow and a diagonal with his sword, before he sent the still staggering Kurokage Shin tumbling with a powerful cross slash.
"GAH!" Kurokage Shin cried out as sparks flew from his armor and tumbled on the ground.
Gaim stabbed his Musou Saber to the ground before he aimed with his Sonic Arrow and pulled its shaft. Hearing the familiar beeping noise, Kurokage Shin dodged just in time to avoid an energy arrow that struck the ground. Gaim didn't relent in his barrage as Kurokage Shin dodged and parried the energy arrows with his Kagematsu Shin. Aiming carefully, he then let loose a continuous volley of three arrows which Kurokage Shin batted away with his Kagematsu Shin.
"Is that all you-GAH!" he didn't finish his boasting as Gaim already stuck him with a diagonal chop and sent him tumbling away.
The Azure War God then retrieved his Musou Saber before he brandished his weapons. "Looks like even when you have the Genesis Driver, you can't even come close."
Kurokage Shin growled furiously as he stood up and charged at Gaim, roaring furiously as he did so. "DON'T YOU DARE TO LOOK DOWN ON ME, YOU BASTARD!"
Gaim calmly met his charge and blocked his swings and stabs with both his Musou Saber and Sonic Arrow. Sparks flew from their clashing weapons as they traded blows back and forth viciously. Kurokage Shin swung his weapon down, but Gaim quickly blocked his strike with both of his weapons. The two Riders tried to push each other into a deadlock, glaring at each other as they did so. They broke the deadlock and jumped back to gain some distance.
They regarded each other cautiously before they charged at each other for another exchange of blows.
Meanwhile, Knuckle had just found her opponent. Gridon was casually bashing the Shoku soldiers away with his hammer as he strode through the battlefield. Having enough of him attacking her comrades, Knuckle dashed at his direction with one fist cocked back.
"Haaah!"
"Huh?" Gridon turned to see where the battle cry came from and his eyes widened to see Knuckle charging at him. "Wait, what!?"
Knuckle hit him square in the chest, causing sparks to fly as Gridon staggered painfully from the blow. Unrelenting, the female Armored Rider punched her brown counterpart several times in the chest and the face. As Gridon staggered several steps backwards from the assault, Knuckle leapt back before running at full speed and threw a powerful jumping punch at her opponent.
"Itai!" Gridon yelled as Knuckle's fist sent him tumbling along the ground.
The female Armored Rider pounded her Kurumi Bombers together and shouted at him, "Get up!"
Gridon groaned as he stood up slowly. "Shoku has another Rider!? I didn't know about this!" This was bad. He had only planned for on them facing Gaim and possibly even Baron. This new Rider was a surprising variable, one which he had not even considered while making his plans.
"I'm one of Yamato-sama's new generals! My name is Gien Bunchou, also known as Kamen Rider Knuckle!" Knuckle introduced herself as she banged her large fists together before settling to her battle stance. "Now let's settle this one-on-one!"
She had asked Gaim about the name of her armor and she had to admit that it was somewhat fitting with the large fist-like gauntlets it came with.
"Damn...Looks like this won't be as easy as I thought," Gridon cursed. While Knuckle was a person of this world, she was already skilled and powerful even before she got her Driver and Lockseed. Worse for him, the Kurumi Arms fit her fighting style just right.
In short, Gridon was so screwed that it wasn't funny anymore
'This is soooo not my day...' He mentally groaned. If only Kusanagi hadn't destroyed his Suika Lockseed…But then again, he still had to wait for it to recharge after usage even if he still had the Lockseed.
"Heh, you're just a rookie! There's no way you can defeat a senior Rider like me!" Gridon blustered.
"But I beat you up earlier, didn't I?" Knuckle pointed out dryly.
"You just caught me off-guard!" Gridon retorted, a little flustered for forgetting that particular part.
Knuckle didn't bother to reply to his retort and charged at her brown counterpart with one fist cocked for a punch. Gridon yelped as he dodged the first blow, but he was cleanly hit in the chest by the follow up straight punch. As the squire-themed Rider tumbled, Knuckle continued with a fast chain of one-two punches, left and right hooks, straight jabs, and finally a jumping uppercut that sent Gridon flying backwards.
Gridon landed on the ground painfully and rolled several times before stopping. He tried to stand up , but fell to his knee instead with a pained groan.
"Is that all?" Knuckle demanded. "You're just all talk!"
"Damn you…" Gridon growled angrily as he forced himself to stand up. "...You...And everyone else...Always looking down on me…!" He hated that feeling. He hated it when people picked on him for being a nerd. Now he had power, and yet there were still people looking down on him.
That made him so mad.
Knuckle just watched silently as she settled into a battle stance.
"I'll make you pay for underestimating me!" Gridon yelled as he unlocked his Hazelnut Lockseed.
"HAZELNUT!"
"LOCK ON!"
"COME ON ! HAZELNUT ARMS! FIGHT FOR HONOR!"
Now clad in Hazelnut Arms, Gridon roared as he swiped his Hazel Guards at Knuckle who nimbly dodged his wild swings. Once her brown counterpart overreached his blow, the large-fisted squire-themed Rider punished him by unleashing a brutal haymaker to his face followed by a series of rapid punches to his chest before sending him staggering with a powerful right hook.
Knuckle then decided to finish him off by tapping her Cutting Blade two times.
"KURUMI AU LAIT!"
Knuckle held her fists out to her sides as she spun around like a top, covered by a walnut shaped aura.
Seeing Knuckle was coming at him with a finisher, Gridon quickly sliced his Lockseed three times.
"COME ON! HAZELNUT SPARKING!"
Gridon joined his two Hazel Guards together as a hazelnut shaped aura formed around him.
When Knuckle's finisher attack hit him, an explosion occurred and the two Riders were flung backward and tumbled to the ground. Knuckle stood up first, panting slightly whereas Gridon stood up slowly, his breathing was labored.
"...I'm not...going to lose here…!" Gridon growled.
"Heh, so you've got some spunk. Not bad, but not good enough," Knuckle replied as she settled into a stance.
Gridon then roared as he charged once more at her while Knuckle responded in kind. The two then once more engaged in combat as vicious blows were exchanged.
Knuckle unleashed quick jabs and straights that Gridon blocked with some effort. The brown squire-themed Rider tried to retaliate, but his black colored counterpart didn't let up in her vicious chain of blows. A spinning hook broke through Gridon's guard and Knuckle capitalized the chance with a quick one-two punch and a mean haymaker that made Gridon see stars.
She then sent him reeling with another punch before striking her Cutting Blade.
"KURUMI SQUASH!"
"Hyah!" Knuckle leapt up and performed a dropkick while Gridon recovered. The brown Armored Rider screamed before he was hit, causing a huge explosion.
Gridon was knocked out of his transformation and rolled on the ground several times before he stopped, groaning painfully.
"Yosha!" Knuckle cheered for a moment. She then addressed to Keiichi who still groaning in pain and laying on the ground spread-eagle. "Now stay there until I get someone to tie you up!"
Meanwhile, not far from the battlefield, the advance force of Sou Gi led by Shun was quickly advancing towards the En Clan's capital, Nanping, when they heard about a battle between the Shoku Faction and the En Clan.
"Is this true?" Kakouton asked the scout.
"Yes, Kakouton-sama. The Shoku army is currently engaged in battle with the En Clan army as we speak," reported the scout.
"I see…What should we do now, Shun?" Kakouen asked her leader. For this mission, Karin had made Shun the leader of the advance force.
Shun crossed his arms as he made thoughtful humming sound. "Isn't it obvious? We'll let Yamato handle Enshou. He's not going to need us to intervene with such an easy opponent. While he keeps her busy, we can take Nanping."
Kakoutou and Kakouen hadn't expected Shun to return back to camp with his resolve restored. He had even told Karin that he would not abandon her, even if he didn't agree with her. He had promised to fight for her and he wasn't one to walk out on a promise.
Breaking his promises wasn't Shun Murayama's style of dealing with things. When he said he would do something, he would do it.
Yamato wasn't the only one who could keep on moving forward and face the hardships of the world bravely. And while he was at it, he would face them all with a smile on his face. The twins looked at him weirdly because of his resolve, but Sousou merely smirked and wished to test him.
Hence Shun was chosen by her to be the leader of the advance force.
"That's a good idea, especially when it came from you," replied Kakouen, smiling teasingly at Shun.
"Oi, I do use my head once in a while," retorted Shun with mock disappointed sniff. "Unlike Ton-chan over here."
A cross-shaped vein popped on Kakouton's head. "Just what the hell does that mean, you idiot?!"
"Maa, it's just like what I'm implying," Shun shrugged unapologetically.
"W-Why you-!?" Kakouton growled dangerously as more veins popped.
"There, there, Aneja. You know he is just teasing you," Kakouen placated her sister with a sigh. At least the Shun Murayama she knew was back.
"Right then!" Shun clapped his hands together. "Let's head on to Nanping, people! On the double!"
With his order rallied, the Sou Gi army hasten their march to the En Clan's capital. As they marched, Shun unconsciously tightened his grip on the reins. 'Just a little more...And then, I can fight Yamato to prove myself. You better get stronger, buddy. I want to fight you at your best.'
Sui, her sisters, and her cousin were easily mowing down any resistance from the En Clan's soldiers. They demonstrated excellent teamwork, which was brought upon by familial bonds and a common goal. "Haah! Yahh!" Sui shouted as she sent several soldiers to oblivion.
Ruo had her horse charge forward to smash through the ranks of Enshou's men as she swung her spear around. Sou who had followed her was picking off any stragglers in the wake of her sister's charge.
"Mou, Ruo-neesan! Slow down a little! You're going to get surrounded if this keeps up!" warned Sou.
"Don't worry! Besides, we do have some great support!" Ruo grinned as several soldiers were sent flying with a swing of her spear.
Just then, hundreds of arrows rained down upon Enshou's men, cutting down their number even more.
"See what I mean?" the middle daughter of Batou retorted with a smirk.
"And I thought I was the reckless one here," Tanpopo grinned as her spear streaked the air and killed soldiers with each stab.
"Sou is right, Ruo, Don't break the formation now," Sui chided.
"Yes, Sui-oneesama," Ruo answered as she calmed down a little.
Meanwhile, Rinrin was having a blast as she sent several soldiers flying with a single swing of her spear. Enshou's men freaked out at the sight of a young child easily mowing down their numbers .
"TOOORYAAAAAAAAAH!" Rinrin yelled out as she twirled her spear around and charged ahead, easily killing the En Clan's soldiers in her path.
"W-What the heck-!?"
"Just what's with this girl!?"
"Regroup! Someone stop her!"
But it was all for naught as the petite redhead was mowing down any of En Clan's soldiers that tried to stop her.
"ORYAAAAAAH!" Rinrin swung her Viper Spear widely, killing many soldiers around her. She then rested her spear on her shoulder and struck a pose while grinning viciously. "C'mon! Is this all you can do?"
Pairen on another hand was leading her White Horse Cavalry trampling along the defenses of En Clan's soldier with righteous fury blazing in her amber eyes. Enshou killed her men and destroyed her home, so it was a fair game if she killed Enshou's men.
"Kousonsan-dono! Enshou's been spotted! What are your orders?" a cavalry rider called out to her.
When Pairen heard that, it was like she had heard the best news ever. She ordered with a fierce grin, "Separate her from her forces! I want to deal with her myself!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Without another word, Pairen urged her horse to dash forward as her men moved to isolate Enshou from her forces.
It was time for Enshou to pay for her crimes.
"Hah! Hah! Hyah!" Gaim shouted as he hammered into Kurokage Shin's defenses with his Musou Saber. The Ashigaru-like Rider was in a bind as Gaim was forcing him on the defensive. When he saw an opening, he thrust forward with his spear, only to hit empty air as Gaim dodged. At that moment, Gaim brought his Sonic Arrow down and swiped him across the back.
"Teme!" Kurokage Shin cursed as he turned, only to see Gaim aiming the Sonic Arrow at him after sheathing his Musou Saber. The shaft was pull to its fullest and at this distance there was absolutely no chance of Gaim missing. The Sonic Arrow was fired and an explosive bolt crashed into Kurokage Shin, sending him flying.
"AAAAAAARGH!" Kurokage Shin cried out in pain before he rolled on the ground several times. He stood up slowly with labored breaths while glaring at Gaim who regarded the Genesis Rider calmly.
"Give it up. You can't win against me," Gaim told him without dropping his guard.
"Don't you dare look down on me, you fucking orange bastard!" Kurokage Shin roared defiantly as he pushed the Seaboll Compressor Twice.
"MATSUBOKKURI ENERGY SPARKING!"
As Kurokage Shin prepared his attack, Gaim already had a counter ready.
"SOIYA! ORANGE AU LAIT! JIMBER LEMON AU LAIT!"
Kurokage Shin jumped and thrust his Kagematsu Shin at Gaim, corkscrewing as his entire body was surrounded with a pinecone-shaped aura. At that moment, Gaim swung his energized Sonic Arrow and formed a yellow arch of energy that connected with Kurokage Shin's attack.
An explosion occurred and Kurokage Shin was flung out from the explosion, his transformation cancelled just as he hit the ground. Gaim saw something else was flung from the explosion and heading to his direction. He caught it with his hand and took a good look at it. The object was Kurokage Shin's Matsubokkuri Energy Lockseed.
"So, this is my spoils, huh?" Gaim commented as he examined the new Energy Lockseed.
Sasuke growled angrily as he tried to stand up, only for him to be failing and fell over again. "...Give it back…! That's mine...! My power…!"
"And why should I give it back to you? All you'll use it for is to destroy and kill. I will use this power to protect those who can't protect themselves," Gaim replied.
"And how many have you killed yourself? You ain't no saint so don't go calling the kettle black!" Sasuke retorted.
"I admit my hands are not exactly the cleanest, but to change the world and to protect others, I will shoulder the consequences of my choices."
"...You goddamned hypocrite…!"
"Call me anything you want, but that fact will never change. I will keep moving forward without having any regrets." His piece said, Gaim then turned around and walked away.
"Where do you think you're going, you bastard!?" Sasuke demanded as he tried to stand up again. "We're not done here! Don't turn your back on me!"
"I still have a battle to win. I have no interest in picking on wounded opponents," Gaim retorted calmly.
Just when Sasuke was about to reply, a voice called out loudly and clearly through the battlefield.
"Soldiers of En Clan's army! I have defeated your leader, Enshou Honshou, in combat! You have the choice to keep fighting and get killed or to surrender and see another day! Choose wisely!"
As the soldiers of En Clan fell into stunned silence, Gaim smiled behind his mask.
"You did it, Pairen."
Several minutes earlier…
Shion was watching the battlefield with an intense gaze. She would command her archers once in a while to give some cover while providing support fire for the soldiers in the frontlines. The ex-Mayor was a little disappointed that she couldn't give that spoiled princess Enshou or that coward Gridon a piece of her mind for kidnapping Riri.
She could settle with helping Gaim and Shoku in ending the En Clan's legacy. After all, it wasn't only her that Enshou had wronged. There was Gaim who had his territory invaded and Pairen who had lost her home along with many of her men and family. From what her new lord had told her, Pairen had called dibs on Enshou's fate and Shion could live with that.
Speaking of the red-haired former commander of the Ryousei commandery, Shion saw her and her cavalry unit were closing in on Enshou's location fast, easily trampling against any resistance which stood in their way. The purple-haired single mother smiled when she realized what Pairen was doing. She was going to isolate Enshou from the rest of her men so she could deal with Enshou personally. She better give her a hand then.
"Men, do you see Kousonsan-dono's unit and their destination?" asked Shion to the archers who nodded affirmatively. "Now I want you to aim and fire at the location when I tell you. We will help Kousonsan-dono to secure a path and to isolate Enshou."
Shion then split her archers into several groups and they readied their bows and arrow as they waited for her signal.
"First group, ready?" About fifteen archers loaded their arrows and took aim to the position where they had been told. "Fire!"
As arrows rained down upon their target, Shion smiled. They had just won the battle.
Enshou watched as the battle went on nervously. Despite their numerical advantage, her army of 'chosen soldiers' was being easily dominated by the Shoku army. So much ease that she was beginning to freak out.
Not even Gridon and Kurokage could turn the tide for her as they were being overwhelmed by their own opponents.
It was supposed to be the other way! She was supposed to be showing how much superior she and her army were to Shoku! And yet...she was now losing this battle quite badly, even with the numerical advantages.
"Enshou-sama! Look out!"
Hearing Choukun's shout, Enshou barely managed to get her horse away as arrows rained down upon her position. Her horse panicked and Enshou tried her best to calm it down but to little avail. Enjutsu, Choukun, and nearby soldiers tried to help her, but another rain of arrows prevented them from doing so.
The next wave of arrow separated and isolated Enshou from her men, even her horse as she fell from it as she failed to calm it down.
"Ow…!" Enshou grunted before she tried to stand up. But before she could mount her horse again, a furious voice called out to her.
"ENSHOU!"
The head of the En Clan gasped in surprise and paled when she saw Pairen coming at her, riding on her personal white horse. Fury was written in her body language.
"YOU'RE MINE!" Pairen shouted as she swung her sword at her, causing Enshou to shriek in panic and duck just in time. Too bad her horse was wounded instead and by following its instinct, it fled as far as it could from danger.
"NO!" Enshou called out for her horse. She then slowly and shakily turned to Pairen who was glaring at her contemptuously.
"Not so tough now, are you?" Pairen growled as she dismounted from her horse.
Enshou gulped and tried to shake away her fear as she drew out her sword. She held it as threateningly as she could, but with her shaking so much that made the attempt futile.
"You have a lot to answer for," Pairen threatened.
"I-I don't have anything to answer to a mere commoner like you!" Enshou blustered. "I am Enshou Honshou! The proud head of the famous En Clan! Shoku and the likes of you will never defeat me!"
Pairen snorted as she entered her battle stance. "Not just dumb and deaf, but blind too? Your ancestors must be weeping right now."
"SILENCE!" Enshou roared as she charged at Pairen with her sword held high.
Pairen easily dodged her clumsy swings over and over again. It was clear that Enshou only used her sword as a decoration and scarcely used it to fight personally. Her stance and footwork were so horrendous and her defense was so full of holes. Pairen then raised her sword to parry her attack before shoving back Enshou to begin her counterattack.
She had to admit that her swordsmanship was nowhere near as perfect as Gaim's was, but Pairen was still an accomplished swordswoman nevertheless. Someone like Enshou was no threat for her and she showed it as she put the egotistical warlord on defensive. She continued to land blows upon blows on the blonde noble who tried to block with her sword the best she could.
"Haaah!" Pairen yelled as she swung her sword down, hard and fast. Enshou hastily blocked it with her sword and tried to shove the redhead away, but to no avail.
"Kuh…!" Enshou gritted her teeth angrily. "There is no way I can lose! I will not accept it! This is not happening!"
"Deny it all you want, but your delusions of grandeur…" Pairen then shoved Enshou with a battle cry, sending her tumbling to the ground and her sword flung from her grip. The blonde then felt cold metal was touching her neck and when she looked up, Pairen was glaring down at her. "...Has no place in the face of reality."
The defiant look on Enshou's changed into one of horror and disbelief as she realized her world had crumbled away before her eyes. "N-No...T-This...This cannot be…!"
(End BGM)
"You better believe it, Enshou. You have lost," Pairen told her with a self-satisfied smirk on her face. She had done it! She finally had her revenge on Enshou!
"No! This isn't over yet!" Enshou denied as she reached for a Lockseed she had stowed away for emergency purpose. Before she could activate it, Pairen quickly knocked it from her hand.
"This is getting old, Enshou," Pairen told her before she quickly smashed the pommel of her sword to the back of the blonde, causing her to gasp in pain and crumble down, unconscious.
Pairen stared at the prone form of Enshou and felt the urge to kill rising ever so slightly with each second's passing. She quickly stomped it down before it could get worse because she remembered what Gaim had said to her. To kill her would mean letting Enshou escape from her sins of killing her men, destroying her home and kidnapping Riri to blackmail Shion. Enshou had to live so she could pay for her crimes.
Pairen then decided to drag Enshou's unconscious body by her cape and rejoin her men who had been waiting for her. It seemed that her men had also managed to capture Enjutsu and Choukun who were now hugging each other in fear.
"Good job, all of you," said Pairen.
"Thank you, Kousonsan-dono. What shall we do with the prisoners?" a soldier replied as he motioned to Enjutsu and Choukun.
"Let them live. They're not worth killing. Tie them up and Enshou together tightly." The redhead then handed Enshou over to one of her men before reaching for the crystal microphone from the Chou sisters Gaim had given to her. She tapped it to activate the object and spoke clearly, "Soldiers of En Clan's army! I have defeated your leader, Enshou Honshou, in combat! You have the choice to keep fighting and get killed or to surrender and see another day! Choose wisely!"
The En Clan soldiers stopped fighting, surprised to hear that their lady was defeated in combat. Some of them looked crushed and ready to surrender to Shoku or commit suicide by trying to rescue Enshou, but some others wanted to fight on knowing that Kurokage Shin and Gridon were still fighting.
That however, changed so fast when Gaim spoke up next.
"If you decide to fight on, be our guests!" the Azure War God of Shoku then raised the Matsubokkuri Energy Lockseed high to the air, as if he wanted to show the En Clan soldiers what it was. "This is the proof that I have defeated the Emissary of the Black Spear Kurokage Shin. If you choose to continue this dance, then so be it!"
The morale of Enshou's troops sank like a rock after hearing Gaim's declaration and seeing the undeniable proof in his hand. It was then when they realized there were no way to win this battle. They were already outmatched even before the battle began. Soon many of them began dropping their weapons as a sign of defeat. They had lost this day.
Gaim smiled behind his mask before he unsheathed his Musou Saber and held it high in the air. "Victory is ours!"
The Shoku soldiers roared their celebration in triumph. They had won against Enshou and the En Clan.
"Alright people," said Gaim once his soldiers calmed down. "Round up the En Clan soldiers and tie them up. Same goes for their generals. They might be our prisoners of war, but treat them as humanely as possible."
The Shoku soldiers followed the orders of their king and went to tie up the surrendering En Clan soldiers. Enjutsu and Choukun had put a little fight, refusing to be tied up like their soldiers, but eventually the soldiers had been a little forceful and the master-attendant duo were tied up.
Some soldiers also went to tie up Sasuke and Keiichi when red energy arrows coming from out of nowhere and struck them down.
"What the-!?" said Gaim in surprise.
"...Another enemy?" Ren asked as she and other generals tensed.
Jumping down in front of Keiichi was none other that another Rider, a Genesis Rider as indicated by the Genesis Driver strapped to his waist. Locked into his belt was an Energy Lockseed, modelled after a pair of cherries with the code ELS-02 written on its cover which was split to reveal a pair of sliced cherries. He wore a black and silver Genetic Ride Wear suit that had metal shoulder pads. He also had thick fur wrapped around his forearms and shins like some kind of barbarian. He had a blood red chest plate with a circular section over the right side that had a strange helmet symbol on it. The armor on his left shoulder was red and double-layered with green stem-like extension on the top. His helmet was mainly silver, looking like a metal cap with two large red eyes and a silver mouthplate. The back was black, decorated with red cherry-like studs that had green stem-like horns coming from it.
"Another Rider?" Sei asked warily.
"Sigurd..." Gaim identified as he tensed for another confrontation.
"Do you mind giving these two back? We need them for our plan," spoke Sigurd casually.
"That voice...Saji, isn't it?" Gaim figured out from Sigurd's voice.
Sigurd chuckled as he replied to the King of Shoku. "That's right. Figures you would uncover my identity so quickly, Kusanagi."
"You're here to save those two?" Gaim asked with narrowed eyes behind his visor.
"They still have their uses," Sigurd answered he entered a battle stance. "Now I'm not going to ask nicely again. Hand them over."
"You want them then you have to go through me!" Gaim challenged.
"Heh, good answer," Sigurd replied with a fierce grin as his bloodlust skyrocketed. "I always wanted to get you back after what happened back in the museum."
"Leaving a fight unfinished always left a bitter taste in my mouth. Now come on!"
With a roar, Sigurd charged at Gaim with Sonic Arrow held ready for melee combat which the Azure War God responded in kind. Sonic Arrows clashed and sparks flew from them as Gaim and Sigurd exchanged fast and furious blows. Gaim struck with a quick chop which Sigurd blocked and the viking-themed Rider retaliated with a series of furious slashes which Gaim parried and deflected.
The two of them slashed their weapon at the same time, causing them to be locked in a deadlock as they tried to push against each other, struggling for domination against each other.
"You're getting stronger, and I'm not talking about your armor," Sigurd commented as he pushed his weapon closer to Gaim's direction.
"Heh, I'll take that as a compliment from you," Gaim replied before he shoved Sigurd away.
The Viking-themed Rider quickly jumped back to dodge a powerful horizontal slash before he fired his arrow. Gaim quickly rolled to the side before letting loose a fast barrage which missed Sigurd as he maneuvered in the air. He landed and fired two arrows which his Samurai-themed enemy batted away as he charged at his direction.
"Good! That's how it's supposed to be!" Sigurd roared as he met Gaim's charge and the two Riders traded blows yet again.
The others could only watch. Gaim didn't want them to interfere. This was a battle between Riders.
Rinrin cheered, pumping her fists, "Come on, Onii-chan! Kick his butt!"
"Yeah, you can do it!" Tanpopo joined in. Loud cheers for their leader came from the soldiers as well.
"They're evenly matched," Sei stated with critical eyes.
"Yeah, I can barely follow their moves too," Sui added her two-cents.
"Amazing…" Sou said in awe as she watched the duel, completely enraptured.
"So this is what a real battle between Riders looks like…" Ruo commented, her fists clenched subconsciously.
Gaim swung his leg in a roundhouse kick but Sigurd managed to block with his right arm. However, Gaim then followed up with a punch to his opponent's chest, sending him reeling before landing a spinning slash across his chest.
"Guh! Why you-!?" Sigurd didn't finish his line as a giant fist met his face and knocked him backwards.
"En'ya?" Gaim questioned.
"Gaim-sama, we can take him together!" declared Knuckle.
"Don't interfere!" Sigurd roared as he lashed out at Knuckle, hitting the Seaboll Compressor at the same time.
"CHERRY ENERGY SQUASH!"
Sigurd slashed Knuckle across the chest, sending her flying as sparks exploded from her chest. She went tumbling along the ground as her armor vanished after taking the finisher.
"En'ya!" shouted Gaim.
"Now that she's out of the way, just you and me, Yamato Kusanagi!" Sigurd roared as he engaged Gaim again.
Gaim then growled angrily before he roared back at Sigurd, Sonic Arrow poised to strike. "SAAAJIIIII!"
Sparks exploded as the two resumed their clash. Gaim was absolutely furious and was hammering down on Sigurd with his Sonic Arrow. Sigurd grimaced as he blocked the heavy blows from his opponent who seemed to be getting stronger.
Sigurd quickly dodged out of the way of a shot and fired his own, knocking Gaim's Sonic Arrow out of his hand. He smiled viciously and closed the gap to strike his opponent down, but Gaim swiftly drew his Musou Saber to parry Sigurd's strike.
"What!?" Sigurd exclaimed. Gaim still had his sword in this form!?
Gaim pushed him back and landed several brutal slashes across Sigurd's chest before sending him flying with an uppercut.
"I'm not just a one trick pony, Saji," Gaim spoke confidently as he shouldered his Musou Saber. He released his pressure and everyone felt it. Then Gaim focused it on Sigurd.
Gaim held Musou Saber in one hand while his free hand ran at the back of his sword before bringing it to his side. Everyone could feel something was building up inside Gaim and was about to be released in one gesture.
Gaim was a trained kendoka, trained in his family's own kendo style. His grandfather saw potential and raw talent in him which had been sharpened to such a degree that Gaim himself had become akin to a sword himself. Tempered, sharp, and once drawn would be pointed to cut down an enemy.
His title as the Most Talented Kendoka in his generation wasn't just for show.
"What...what is this...? What are you!?" Sigurd shouted.
"Kusanagi-Ryuu…" Gaim whispered in low tone before he moved. "Senkou Issen!"
It happened so fast that everyone had missed it. Gaim was already holding his sword in a post-movement stance when Sigurd was sent flying with large sparks flying off from his armor.
"W-Whoa! What was that!?" Sui blurted out in surprise.
"So...Fast…!" Ren said with wide eyes.
"So this is what Yamato-sama is truly capable of," Sei commented with narrowed eyes.
"Gah..." gasped Sigurd as he rose to his feet. "You..." He removed his Cherry Energy Lockseed from his Driver to load it into his Sonic Arrow.
"LOCK ON!"
"Take this!" Sigurd stretched his Sonic Arrow to full length, charging up his weapon. All the while, Gaim was prepared his next move.
Gaim brought his sword to his face as whispered, "Kusanagi-Ryuu…" He then lashed out with wide swing. "Shinkuuzan!"
Just as was Sigurd about to fire, he was struck with an unseen force that sent him reeling, cancelling his attack in process. "AAARRGH…!"
Sasuke and Keiichi watched the duel with wide eyes. All this time, Kusanagi had been holding back when he fought them. They would've gotten creamed once Gaim went all serious on them. They didn't know whether to feel insulted or relieved for him to be holding back against them.
"Keiichi?"
"Yeah?"
"We need to get stronger. Much stronger than we are now."
Keiichi only nodded silently as he watched the duel between Gaim and Sigurd.
Sigurd hastily raised his Sonic Arrow to Block Gaim's Musou Saber as the latter descended on him. He then shoved Gaim away and tried to counter with a wide slash, but Gaim leapt back and fired his Musou Saber's gun which Sigurd dodged by rolling to his side.
The Viking-themed Rider was about to retaliate by firing his Sonic Arrow when Ukitsu's voice spoke in his head. "Don't get too carried around, Saji. Remember your mission."
Sigurd obviously didn't look too happy with Ukitsu's reminder. WIth a grunt of displeasure, Sigurd lowered his Sonic Arrow, surprising Gaim and his generals. He reached for a Himawari Lockseed and unlocked it to summon three Elementary Inves who leapt through the opening Crack.
"What is the meaning of this, Saji?" Gaim demanded as he eyed the three Inves warily.
"My job is to pick up those two, not to fight you. You can have fun with them," said Sigurd before he tossed several Lockseeds in front of the newly summoned Inves. The Inves quickly grabbed the Lockseeds and began scarfing them down like candy before they began to transform into Berserker State Inves.
Sigurd quickly turned to Keiichi and Sasuke. "Come on you two! We're out of here!" He said.
The two rogue Riders nodded and stood up wobbly as Sigurd approached them.
"Wait!" Gaim tried to stop them, but the Shika, Byakko, and Yagi Inves got in his way as they started attacking him.
Sigurd drew out a talisman and threw it to the air. The talisman flashed brightly, blinding everyone, while Sigurd and his cohorts disappeared.
"Damn it!" Gaim cursed as he dodged under the swipe of the Byakko Inves.
The Yagi Inves barreled at him with its horns pointing forward and missed the Rider as he side rolled and blocked the punch from the Shika Inves before he shoved it off. He then struck it with a swift cross strike and sent the Byakko Inves staggering with a powerful horizontal slash. The Yagi Inves charged at him again and the blue Rider avoided the blow.
Gaim rolled along the ground and picked up the Sonic Arrow, dual-wielding it along with the Musou Saber. Deciding he had enough of those Inves, he tapped his Cutting Blade twice.
"SOIYA! ORANGE AU LAIT! JIMBER LEMON AU LAIT!"
Gaim executed his finisher, performing a slash with both of his weapons that produced a giant lemon slice made of energy. He sliced through the three Inves which perished explosively.
Gaim panted and then yelled out in frustration.
"Are you alright, Yamato-sama?" Sui asked tentatively once he calmed down.
"...I'm alright," Gaim sighed as his closed his Lockseeds, reverting to his civilian persona. "It's too bad that I let those three get away."
"It is unfortunate, but we managed to capture the one who is responsible for this battle," said Shion as she joined her lord.
"Indeed," Sei nodded as she looked at Shoku's POWs. Enshou who had regained consciousness for some time looked angry and humiliated at the same time. Her cousin, Enjutsu, and Choukun could only look down in shame. "What do you have in mind for them, Yamato-sama?"
"Let them stew on it for a while. For now, we're returning home," answered Yamato.
"Ano, wouldn't it be the best if we also claimed Enshou's capital as well?" Shuri suggested.
"I think we should leave that to Pairen. Enshou destroyed her home, so it's only fair that Pairen takes hers." Yamato then turned to Pairen, "Well, what do you say, Pairen?"
The red-haired commander seemed to consider the option before she shook her head. "...No matter how much I want to take Enshou's capital, we still have to consider Sou Gi who are probably the closest to Nanping right now. We don't have the time or manpower to deal with them." She then added with a grin, "Besides, crushing her insufferable ego is enough for me."
"That's what I thought," Yamato nodded before turning to En'ya. "Are you alright. En'ya?"
"Yeah, just a little sore," En'ya replied as she rubbed the spot where Sigurd had struck. "Such power...Is the gap between a Sengoku Rider and a Genesis Rider that much?"
"Pretty much, but the belt and lock alone are not enough to be deciding factor. The most important part is the belt's user. Like any other tools, the Driver and the Lockseed can only be used as far as the user is capable of utilizing them. In fact, it is possible for a Sengoku Rider to be as strong as a Genesis Rider with enough experience."
"I see…" En'ya answered before narrowing her eyes. She swore that she would pay Sigurd back.
"Alright everyone! We're done here today! Let's head back to Xizang and have a little celebration because today...Is another step forward to our dream!" Yamato proclaimed loudly in the end.
The Shoku soldiers and generals cheered loudly. Today was indeed a big victory for them as they defeated the En Clan. It also stood as a warning for their rivals and enemies in the future. Shoku might not be interested in conquest, but they were not weak in any sense. They would retaliate a hundred times fold if they were attacked.
The flags of Sou Gi now currently flew as Nanping had been taken by Sou Gi's forces. Shun, however, wasn't satisfied by this victory. It felt cheap, somehow.
"I feel so cheated," Shun grumbled in discontent.
"At least we have obtained the reason why we are here in the first place, have we not?" Karin retorted with an arched eyebrow.
"Still...This victory means almost nothing, Karin-sama," Kakouton protested. "It's like picking off Kusanagi's scraps."
"Not everything can turn out as expected. Sometimes victory comes at the cost of many lives and blood spilt. Other times victory can come as easily as we have just experienced," spoke Karin.
"A victory without bloodshed and a conquest without humiliation, huh?" Shun mused out loud, catching Karin's attention.
"What was that Baron?"
"Those were the words of a great conqueror that nearly united the world under his rule," answered Shun with a grin. "His name was Alexander, or by his title, Alexander the Great, the King of Conquerors."
"He sounds like an interesting man," Karin noted.
"Yep, a father to his men and a conqueror with a grand dream," added Shun before he changed the topic. "So, what will we do now, Your Loliness?"
Karin's eyebrow twitched a little when she heard how Shun called her. She took a deep breath to calm herself and replied, "For now, we return to Luoyang and prepare ourselves for the next campaign. We still have a lot of things to do before uniting the land under my banner."
Kakouton and Kakouen nodded at her words before they left to relay the order to their soldiers. Karin was about to leave also when she noticed Shun was staring into distance. If she wasn't mistaken, he was staring at where Shoku's territory was.
"...When are we going to attack Shoku?" Shun asked without looking at Karin.
"Eager, aren't you?" the Empress of Sou Gi inquired with a knowing look. She had heard his reason to fight: to prove himself stronger than Yamato. It was a simple yet a good reason and an ambitious goal with how strong Yamato was, and Karin liked people with ambitious goals.
"I just want to know how long I have so I can prepare myself for my fight with Yamato," answered the brunette.
"Perhaps soon. I will let you know when it will be," Karin replied to him as she walked away. "You better get stronger before your battle with Yamato, Baron."
Shun nodded and kept his gaze on the distance. Sou Gi might have captured the capital of the En Clan, but the one who had dealt the finishing blow to them was Shoku under the leadership of Yamato Kusanagi. A wave of resentment and jealousy hit the brunette when he thought of his best friend's achievements, but he quickly stomped it down. It didn't matter what kind of achievements or how many Yamato had, because Shun would prove himself to be stronger.
Shun then left to follow Karin and the others to return to Luoyang as the sun set on the former capital of the En Clan, bringing another chapter of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms to an end.
A/N: And with this chapter, the En Clan arc is finished. Not much I can say here beside I hope you enjoyed the chapter as much as I enjoyed to write it. Read and review, and please have a nice day. See you on the next update!
Translations:
Kusanagi Ryuu: Senkou Issen - Kusanagi School: Flash Strike
Kusanagi Ryuu: Shinkuuzan - Kusanagi School: Vacuum Splitter