AN: Sentences in italics are English
Chapter Two: Riders United
Kotori didn't know what to think.
For what seemed like ten minutes, she had stood in shock as the two Kamen Riders cut through anything in their path. The rest of her friends didn't seem to be coping much better, though Eli, Nozomi and Maki were trying the hardest to move everyone back behind one of the pillars. Flashes of light and fire punctuated each punch and kick, reflected in the tears of fear and confusion that ran down her face. Of course, she had heard the legend of the Kamen Riders and their sacrifices in protecting civilians from the evils of the world but to think she was closer to them that she had realised…squeezing her eyes shut in terror, she could only hope that this was just all a fever dream brought on by nerves for the third Love Live. However, that would mean that the performance on stage in front of thousands of μ's fans was also nothing more than a figment of her imagination and since they had all performed so well, that was something she just couldn't bear.
No, as much as she feared it, she had to face the facts that were in front of her. Kotaro was one of the Kamen Riders and, from the looks of it; he had been one for a long time. He hadn't tried to take the weapons of the humanoids facing him once and had easily disarmed and destroyed most of them with only a few hits. Of course, that wasn't accounting for the fact that those humanoid fighters just kept dropping down from the sky in waves. One or two had come close to the group but had been knocked back via Umi and Nozomi. The purple haired girl had picked up quite a bit of martial arts knowledge since living in Zawame but she had also, according to Eli, started to get more curious about the incident that had been covered up by Yggdrasil; something about plants almost covering the world or something. Whatever it was, it had been on their first overnight training mission and their pillow fight had blocked out the noise of missile detonations. A shudder ran down her back as she thought of the destruction that must have been caused. Had Kotaro been there in the middle of the battle…and which side had he been on?
"Kotori, you mustn't think of your cousin as a monster. We're all shocked about this about as much as you are but you do realise the Riders are humanity's hope, right?"
Opening her eyes, she found herself looking into Nozomi's warm gaze. Managing a slow nod, she forced herself to look up at the battle again with fresh eyes. She was utterly amazed at what she could see; Hongo fighting the forces at the front and sides with more power and force than she had thought he could muster for someone almost into his seventies. He was leaping into the air to deliver devastating punches and kicks, making whole groups of monsters explode with what seemed like just a touch. Some of his movements were slow in places but he showed blazingly fast speed in dispatching three creatures that were sneaking up on her cousin. As for Kotaro, he was busy dealing with those that slipped past Hongo's fists and feet, destroying them effortlessly before they could reach the huddled group. However, as Umi and Nozomi could attest to, some of them were just too fast for him. Two Riders facing insurmountable odds would easily rip through the forces but if they were preoccupied with defending them…Kotori's eyes widened as she realised they were the overall target.
"RX, you left them wide open!"
Cackling loudly as he leapt over the heads of the Riders, Dictator Bloody landed in front of the cowering girls and raised his dagger. Two Riders wouldn't be able to stand in the way of his plans, especially one the blood of the girl had fed one of the creatures waiting in the wings. He had been nurturing the others after stumbling upon them in the long abandoned ruins of Gorgom's base, though the one that needed the blood had only emerged a short while ago. From the energy he could taste in the air, he knew the barrier keeping other Riders out was still up – though it had a slightly different taste than what he knew. It was no great matter though and whatever music industry he allowed to exist under his rule would survive the loss of μ's…if his brain would allow Sunny Day Song to exit. His enhanced hearing picked up the sound of running footsteps coming their way but he paid in no mind. The disguise he had specifically chosen for the shield transmitter would ensure that no one would know on its existence until it was too late. Admittedly, he had stayed up rather late the past several nights wondering how to get the signal to penetrate the concrete.
"Eli, watch out"
Eli's eyes widened in fear as the deranged man slashed his dagger at her, barely missing her arm as she fell back. Nozomi grabbed under her arms and dragged her back from the fevered slashes of the madman as the others picked up whatever loose debris they could in an attempt to fight back. Feeling a whistle of air near her left ear, she lifted a shaking hand to it and felt a warm liquid running down the side of her face. Collapsing in horror, she stared at the monster as his dagger reached its final apex and she knew it would be the end for her. Surprisingly, she didn't feel any fear at all – only slight regret that she hadn't fully confessed her feelings for Nozomi. Oh well, they would be together soon enough and…
"Henshin!"
The second shout echoed through the air as a figure somersaulted over the heads of the group to land a powerful kick to Dictator Bloody's chest. Still enveloped in its transformation energy, it struck a pose as Dictator Bloody rubbed his eyes in shock, unable to comprehend what was in front of him. Hongo and Kotaro stopped fighting to look at the newcomer, amazement evident in their body language. A slight breeze picked up, blowing a red scarf through the air as the energy finally died down so Eli could look at her saviour. Aesthetically, it looked at lot like Hongo's uniform but with differences such as a slightly darker helmet, red boots and gloves and a single stripe down its sides. He was Hayato Ichimonji, also known as Kamen Rider Nigo and the second half of the Double Riders. He had been summoned here by Kotaro's request but had arrived too early and had managed to catch all of the third Love Live, capturing the smiling faces of the performers and crowd.
"How…how is there another Rider here? The barrier should have…"
Ichimonji shook his head at his words. There had been no barrier or transmitter anywhere, just a cracked slab of concrete and a slightly dazed tourist wandering around. He had noticed a faint aura of power coming from him but had managed to point him in the right direction, though he was still wondering why he kept muttering about being in the wrong place. He supposed he could look for him after the fight to see if he had vacated the area but right now, he had a plot to put to an end.
"There was no barrier and your time is over, Dictator Bloody!"
Dictator Bloody shook his head in denial. His plan was slipping through his fingers and there was nothing he could do to salvage it…except, maybe they could turn the tide for him. Reaching out with a telepathic touch, he deftly slid open the lock on the hidden cage and waited to see his creatures emerge into the light. Interestingly, the mirrored beast that had been the last to emerge slunk out first. As he travelled internationally on a semi-regular basis, he was required to understand other languages. English was his strongest language after Japanese but he couldn't really understand the ramblings of the creature that had been birthed from the reflective surface. Apparently it was the last of its kind and had been trapped in Japan for quite a long time, absorbing the powers of the Mirror Monsters that had popped up several years ago for a brief period.
"What? What is that?"
Nico blinked in amazement as the creature emerged into the light. Although it had an overall resemblance to a humanoid spider, it was covered in some sort of silvery sheen – almost like a mirror. Its claws glistened wetly in the light and she could only imagine how potent the venom that dripped from its four fangs was. Taking a step back, she turned at Hanayo's squeal of fear and felt her heart leap into her throat as several similar looking creatures emerged from various nooks and crannies around them; some squeezing out from impossibly tiny gaps. Paused in the middle of holding a Chap in a chokehold, Kotaro's blood ran cold.
"Spider Mutants…but I destroyed all of Gorgom with the Creation King!"
Dictator Bloody laughed as he rubbed his chest, willing the last remnants of pain and shock to fade. He would never tell RX where he had found them and they would surely spell doom for his family. Ichimonji clenched his teeth together and hoped that he could drive them all away before they injured or killed some or all of them. Leaping up, he pushed power to his right fist and slammed it against the mirrored creature. To his concern, it didn't explode the way most creatures did when they were hit with his Rider Punch but slowly turned towards him as if sizing him up.
"You are not who I would battle normally but you will do for now"
Blinking at the English coming from its maw, Ichimonji almost couldn't defend himself from the assault of blisteringly fast slashes, kicks and web blasts that the monster threw at him. Falling hard onto the ground, he looked up at the monster to face his own death with dignity when it was blown away by five blasts of energy. The battle paused for a second time as the five figures that had fired on the seemingly indestructible monster came into the light, eliciting a shared gasp of recognition from the three girls who worked in Zawame City. That figure was clad in a white bodysuit with almost Samurai-esque markings on the lower arms and legs. Protecting its upper chest was a set of armour that almost looked as though it had been created from the skin of a muskmelon and its helmet was shaped like a samurai's. Around its waist was a black belt with a strange cutting board device on it and something that looked like a sliced open melon. In its outstretched hand was a weapon that seemed to be a cross between a gun and a sword with a yellow set of lights that seemed to indicate its remaining ammunition. The figure shot the weapon again, sending energy blasts whizzing through the air to impact against the creature once more.
The second figure seemed to be, for all intents and purposes, a chimera of sorts with a red birdlike head, green insect-like legs and yellow arms that ended in tiger claws. On its chest was a symbol that combined all three animals and a strange coin-holder-like buckle and there was a strange sword in its hands, though it seemed to contain a coin slot and a dispensing lever. Next to it, another figure stood in somewhat simplistic blue, white and red armour patterned after a dragonfly, holding a robotic dragonfly-like weapon. Honoka's eyes widened as she barely made out the words on its buckle – they were of the company ZECT that had tried to buy the family store a few years ago. Of course, they had failed and, soon after, the company had collapsed. To think that the company had Kamen Riders that had been working for it was almost unthinkable but, she supposed, you could easily get anything with money.
On the other side of the white warrior was a figure that looked similar to the Unidentified Life Form 4 that had been seen more than a decade ago; though its armour looked much more elaborate and stylised. Its helmet seemed to be patterned in the likeness of a Chinese Dragon and there was a strange yellow oval around its waist. The last figure wore gold-trimmed blue and grey armour that seemed to be organic in places, pulsing weakly like it was alive. A medium sized design of the Ace of Spades was on its chest and its buckle was shaped after a deck of cards. On its left hip hung a holster that contained a medium-sized sword that was decorated with the motifs of the suit of Spades and its helmet was modelled after a Rhinoceros Beetle. Kotaro breathed a sigh of relief, while Dictator Bloody let out a scream of unholy rage at the sight.
The Kamen Riders had arrived.
TBC…
AN: Next chapter involves a lot of exposition and, perhaps, the arrival of someone who doesn't belong in this world…
