Chapter 40: Judgement Time…
I've gotta believe!
(Kirito and Ex-Aid are back to back, facing a horde of Bugsters. They lift their weapons and charge as the title appears)
I don't wanna know heta na shinjitsu nara
(The SAO gang are chilling out together in a nearby café)
I don't wanna know shiranai kurai ga ii noni
(Suddenly, all bystanders all transform into Ride-Players)
Why? Why? Why? Why? Kizukeba I came too far
(Brave remembers the time that Yuko died, with Asuna's afterimage looking at him; Snipe remembers the time he was defeated by Graphite, with Sinon's afterimage looking at him)
Tomaranai kanjiru kono yokan wa
(The Riders and the SAO gang together walk towards the horde of Ride Players)
The new beginning
(The Riders hold up their Gashats)
Michi no ryuoiki ima wo kirihirakunda
(The Riders transform into their Lv 2 forms)
I've gotta believe!
(The SAO gang turn on Ordinal Scale)
(Turn it on!) soutou
(Together, they all charge at the Ride Player horde)
EXCITE! EXCITE! Takanaru
(Ex-Aid goes into Lv 20, and splits into XXL and XXR; Brave twirls into Lv 50, sending a bunch of Ride Players back)
EXCITE! EXCITE! Kokoro ga
(Snipe jumps into Lv 50, and rains fire upon the Ride Players; Ex-Aid jumps down in Lv 99, and slams the ground)
Michibiku ano basho e kakenukete ikudake
(The Ordinal Scale players make their way through the horde one by one)
(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now
(Klein, Lisbeth, Silica, Agil, and Leafa stay back, while six figures strike a battle-ready pose. Ex-Aid raises the Breaker to his face, while Kirito goes into his battle stance. Asuna also goes into her battle stance, while Brave flips his Sword around, so he could grab the blade with his free hand. Sinon and Snipe both their weapons tightly)
(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now
(A dark green Kamen Rider glares at them, with his eyes glowing)
EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa
(Ex-Aid and Para-DX smash their fists together)
EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa
(The SAO gang fight various Bugsters from all of the games from the Gashats)
(One!) kono te no naka
(Snipe and Sinon go back to back)
(Two!) susumubeki Life
(Brave and Asuna slash right next to each other)
(Three!) ikitekudake
(Ex-Aid and Kirito together jump up and slash downward, cutting back to the title)
Back in prison, a loud clunking noise could be heard. That was the sound of the prison doors being opened. A man was just released from his sentence after he was exonerated from the crime he didn't commit.
"Thank you." He said.
Once stepping outside, he breathed the fresh oxygen he had not been able to for 5 years. With that done, he put on his jacket, and silently walked down the streets towards his destination…
"The time has finally come!" Ren declared, looking away at something.
Afar, the pyramid of Kamen Rider Chronicle was displayed. It showed the low-tier and mid-tier Bugsters' Gashat-Trophies x-ed out, while the upper-tier Bugsters were still glowing.
"The lower and mid-tier Bugsters have all been defeated!" He announced, quickly brushing his hair aside.
"They even managed to revive Genmu and get him on their side, huh?" Graphite admitted. "Now, it's finally my turn!"
Pallad, who had been silently recovering from his attack from the previous chapter, now stood up.
"Playtime's over, boys." He smiled. "We'll crush every single one of those Kamen Riders!"
The three Bugsters all smiled together. Now, it was time for them to take the stage.
Back at the hospital, Hiro silently stared at the screen of Dan Kuroto (Sorry, Shin Dan Kuroto) and Poppy. Emu was just off the sidelines. The others are going to join them a bit later in the day.
"Okay, just don't come over here, okay?" Poppy asked.
The screen was now only separated by curtain sheet. Kuroto lifted up the sheet and looked at Poppy's pink room, which really contrasted with his black and white room, now complete with a Kamen Rider Chronicle poster and three balloons shaped like 6, 9, and 10.
"Hey, I said no peeking!" Poppy whined.
After just plainly watching, Hiro finally spoke up.
"Dan Kuroto." He said. "I have a question for you."
"Shin Dan Kuroto da!" Kuroto bellowed.
"Where are the Proto-Gashats?" He asked. "You had them with you the last time."
Kuroto, returning back to his side of the screen, sighed at that.
"They were most likely confiscated by the Ministry." He replied. "FYI, your girlfriend's data should be in Proto Drago Knight Hunter Z… since she was Graphite's victim."
Hiro paused to think on it. Kuroto then pixelated into the real world, as he just poured a cup of coffee. Poppy pixelated in as well, worried for Hiro.
"Hiro…" She muttered. "Are you going to revive Yuko?"
Emu was now interested too. If what Dan Kuroto was saying is true, Hiro could get his girlfriend back. He also kept in the back of his mind, that Shino would get her mother back. Hiro breathed in, and just said nothing. However, that's all they could mutter on for now, as the alarms went off. Hiro and Emu quickly dashed out of the building and towards the Bugster sightings.
The Ride-Player was just thrown back. He quickly stood back up, but his body seemed to be aching. Para-DX had just given him a punch, and Lovelica, along with his entourage of maid Bugsters, were just watching from the sidelines.
"You're all worn out." Para-DX admitted. "Just give up."
"What did you say?" The Ride-Player scolded, getting into a fighting stance. But when he did, he pulled his ankle, causing his legs to wiggle slightly.
"My, my…" Lovelica said condescendingly. "That kind of charm is worth zero, good sir. Zero."
Just then, Emu, Hiro, and Poppy quickly entered the scene. The Ride-Player covered his face in embarrassment, but the doctors paid no attention to him.
"Please, get out of here!" Emu requested. "It's too dangerous!"
The Ride-Player just whispered something of a reply, and was quickly escorted away with Poppy. Emu and Hiro put on their Gamer Drivers and confronted Para-DX and Lovelica.
"Been waiting for you!" Para-DX smiled.
Emu and Hiro both raised their Gashats, but something made them stop.
"Well, ain't this a reunion?" called a voice.
They both turned and saw Graphite on top of one of the small structures. Graphite had his signature smirk, looking pleased.
"Graphite?!" Hiro spluttered.
"You'll be fighting me!" called out a voice.
Taiga, with Nico behind him, just walked in. Graphite smiled at the presence of his killers.
"Time we settle our score, once and for all…" He smiled.
Graphite reached into his shirt and pulled out the normal purple BugVisor. Pressing the A button, he activated the standby sound and placed it on his right arm.
"Baiou…" He said.
INFECTION!
LET'S GAME! BAD GAME! DEAD GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!
THE BUGSTER!
Graphite changed into his Bugster form. However, this time, it looked different. Instead of his usual green color, or the black color when he used the Proto Drago Knight Hunter Z Gashat. He was now crimson red, the only color difference being his silver dreadlocks. Even his former black bottom is now a slight shade of red.
"He evolved…!" Poppy gasped.
Despite this though, Emu, Hiro, and Taiga stood firm. They just put on all of their Gamer Drivers, and just raised their Gashats.
"Once we defeat you all…" Emu said. "All that's left is the last boss!"
They all activated their Gashats, one by one.
"Proceeding to Level 50." Hiro stated. "Henshin!"
TADDLE FANTASY!
DUAL GASHATTO!
GACHANN! DUAL UP!
TADORU, MEGURU! RPG! TADDLE FANTASY!
"Phase 50." Taiga said. "Henshin!"
BANG BANG SIMULATIONS!
DUAL GASHATTO!
GACHANN! DUAL UP!
SCRAMBLE DA! SHUTSUGEKI! HASSHIN! BANG BANG SIMULATIONS! HASSHIN!
"Max Dai Henshin!" Emu shouted.
MAXIMUM MIGHTY X!
MAXIMUM GASHATTO!
GACHANN! LEVEL MAX!
MAXIMUM POWER! X!
All three doctors transformed into their respective Rider forms. Hiro is now Brave Level 50, Taiga is Snipe Level 50, and Emu is Ex-Aid Level 99. Then, they all jumped forward to take on each Bugster. Brave took on Lovelica, Snipe took on Graphite, while Ex-Aid went at Para-DX.
Poppy and Nico quickly guarded the Ride-Player, who was still cowering. Poppy also had her cyan BugVisor out, with Kuroto on the screen. Anytime he would curse out Pallad's name. She would just smack the screen.
"Nico, you're actually well-behaved today." She commented.
Nico rolled her eyes, and told her that Taiga will only allow her to fight to land the finishing shot. And, on that note, the two stayed quiet, guarding the Ride-Player.
Brave swished his cape around and landed several punches. However, even when they landed on Lovelica, all of the attacks were registered as misses.
"No, no, no!" Lovelica teased. "In my dating game, violence is a minus to your charm."
The Bugster maids behind him made a booing noise at him, but that didn't irk Brave in the slightest.
"There is nothing I cannot cut!" He declared, pulling out the Gashacon Sword.
He then made several slashes on Lovelica, but still, they were all registered into misses.
"Tsk tsk tsk…" Lovelica commented again. "No lady will ever take a glance at you, my friend."
He then turned around and got the attention of his Bugster entourage.
"Ladies, if you'd please~?" He asked gently.
Then, all of the Bugster maids spewed out hearts that formed into anothr giant heart on Lovelica's hand. Then, turning to Brave, he launched the attack with a loud "Love!" Brave blocked the attack for as long as he could, but eventually he was knocked back.
Meanwhile, Snipe was fighting Graphite. At first, they just exchanged fists, but when Graphite pushed back Snipe to get some distance, Snipe saw a chance. He fired the cannons on his gauntlets, but Graphite pulled out his blade weapon and twirled it, deflecting nearly all of the bullets. Snipe then quickly got up on his feet and swung his arms down for a swing. However, Graphite blocked it.
"I have transcended evolution!" He declared, throwing off Snipe. "I'm now… Level 99!"
"What, is 99 the magic number these days?" Snipe joked.
Graphite, scoffing at that joke, twirled his weapon around. A streak of crimson flame twirled around, as he posed for an attack.
"Transcedance Technique…" He growled. "Exploding Dragon Fury!"
He slammed the blade down, and a long dragon shot forth from his blade. It flew around until it met Snipe. Snipe tried to block it again, but he was too knocked back by the attack.
Brave and Snipe both fell on the ground, behind Ex-Aid, forced out of their transformation.
GASHUNN! GASHUNN!
Ex-Aid, who was just exchanging punches with Para-DX, was briefly pushed back as well. However, he was still in the fight, as he is still able to keep up with the Bugsters. Even so, he still couldn't fight them all in a 3-on-1 battle.
It was at this moment the Ride-Player finally cracked. He yelled as he just pushed Nico and Poppy aside and ran to the battle. However, he didn't engage the Bugsters. He just stepped in between Ex-Aid and Para-DX with his arms stretched out.
"Stop right there!" He said bravely, his arms still shaking though.
Para-DX sighed. He didn't have the patience for this.
"Move it, half-pint." He growled.
Then, with one punch swing, he just swiped the Ride-Player aside. The Ride-Player flew into the air, and landed on a wall with a loud crash, cancelling out of his transformation as well, revealing who he was. They were quite surprised too.
"Eh?!" Nico spluttered. "Recon?"
Recon, or IR name, Nagata Shinichi, quickly covered his face to avoid suspicion, but the secret was revealed.
"Wait, what?" Ex-Aid muttered.
But he quickly realized that he couldn't do anything about it until he could get away.
"Let's pull back for now!" He suggested.
Then, with Hiro and Taiga struggling up, our heroes quickly made a quick getaway, back to the hospital, leaving the Bugsters behind.
The SAO players wasted no time getting over to the hospital. Suguha came over the quickest, not for any particular reason. She quickly rushed into the patient's room, and saw that Shinichi was just lying on the hospital bed. Emu and Hiro had just finished looking him over.
"How's he doing?" Suguha asked.
"He's infected with Lovelica's game disease." Emu explained.
"Lovelica?" Suguha asked. "You mean that Bugster that goes on about love and whatnot?"
"That's the one." Emu answered.
Hiro had a question himself. But he had to finish writing down something on his clipboard first. Once he was done, he put the clipboard away, and approached Shinichi.
"Why are you playing Rider Chronicle?" He asked.
Shinichi sighed pathetically.
"I… was jealous." He admitted.
That got everyone's attention. Shinichi was never the jealous type, according to Suguha. This was a development.
"I was jealous of how you fought the Bugsters… and… I just wanted to help." He said. "So, I thought… maybe… I could revive everyone if I managed to beat a Bugster and clear Kamen Rider Chronicle…"
"But I… couldn't even beat a single one…!" Shinichi groaned, slamming a fist on the bed. "I'm pathetic!"
Everyone was quite impressed, Suguha especially.
'So that's why he's been looking so down lately…' She thought.
Then, in a surprising way, Suguha reached out and held Shinichi's hand, surprising him.
"You're not pathetic." She said gently. "You've been fighting all this time."
"You can relax now, little guy." Emu added. "We'll cure you of your game disease."
Shinichi smiled at that. However, he knew that this was his second time being in their care. So, he sat up. Suguha helped him at that.
"Is there anything I could do?" He asked.
Emu and Hiro thought for a moment, but Hiro had an idea. He grabbed Shinichi's phone that was just laying on a small table beside the hospital bed.
"There is." He replied. "If you would do it, I mean."
"I'd be glad to do it!" Shinichi answered confidently. "What do I have to do?"
Hiro turned around and gave Shinichi his phone.
"Your father's a part of Gashat development team, right?" Hiro asked. "Does he have connections to the Ministry?"
"Well, yes." Shinichi replied. "Why do you ask."
"I need you to ask him to ask the Ministry to let them give the Proto-Gashats they confiscated from Dan Kuroto to us." Hiro requested. "Can you do it?"
Shinichi thought for a moment, but he wanted to help.
"I'll try!" Shinichi replied, grabbing his phone.
After that, they asked Shinichi to get some rest. When they left the room, they all began to leave for Hiro's office.
"Shinichi may act a little bit giddy, but he's a good guy." Suguha smiled.
"Oh really?" Emu responded, raising an eyebrow.
However, Suguha understood the implication, so she immediately denied saying that, but still blushed nonetheless.
"All the more priority to clear Kamen Rider Chronicle as fast as we can." Hiro stated.
Emu and Suguha nodded on that, and the three proceeded down the hospital hallway and down to Hiro's office.
Cutting to the GENM Corp. building for some reason, the CEO's office was now occupied by someone. The man from the beginning of the chapter breathed the air in, and then breathed out, feeling some kind of freedom.
"How nostalgic…" He muttered. "Five years, it has been…"
His hands scanned over the desk until he reached a drawer. He pulled out that drawer to reveal… another cyan BugVisor and another Rider Chronicle Gashat. He took a close look at it, but then the employees of GENM quickly entered.
"Dan Masamune CEO!" One of them called.
Masamune quickly closed the drawer and then addressed the group of employees that have come to greet him.
"They finally released you?" asked another.
"I was exonerated after my son was revealed to be behind Zero Day." Masamune replied.
"Thank goodness!" sighed a female employee. "The new CEO's been doing whatever he wants, and a made a huge mess for us to deal with!"
"I've heard about this new game of ours." Masamune added. "Don't worry everyone. I will restore this company to what it once was."
The employees murmured amongst themselves, relieved to have their old CEO back. However, a shout of acknowledgement stopped the murmuring. Ren entered the room.
"I figured they'd release you sooner or later." He admitted.
Masamune quickly told the employees present to be dismissed. All of the employees obeyed, and quickly filed themselves out of the room. That left Masamune and Ren alone in the CEO's office.
"So, you're that new notorious CEO I've been hearing about?" He asked.
"I believe… that is my seat." Ren said bluntly, ignoring Masamune's question.
"I won't let you control this company as if it was your plaything…" Masamune then said coldly, opening the previous drawer. "Bugster."
He then aimed the cyan BugVisor at Ren. However, Ren didn't seem fazed by this, as he just simply pushed the BugVisor away from his face.
"Bravery and recklessness are two different things, my good sir…" He chuckled.
He then went around the back of Masamune's desk, explaining something.
"Your son designed that BugVisor II (Zwei) for a Bugster to use." He explained. "If a human were to use it, he would be infected with an immeasurable amount of the Bugster virus and… vanish."
Masamune looked at Ren questioningly as Ren just blew on a rose, breaking it into a rain of petals.
Now, the entire party have assembled. Kazuto, Asuna, Rika, Keiko, Ryotarou, Shino, Suguha, Yui, Hiro, Taiga, Nico, Emu and even Andrew were here. Kuroto was silently working away on his laptop a bit away from them. Everyone else was huddled by the table. Kazuto and Suguha had their Kamen Rider Chronicle pyramid up on the display monitor, so everyone could have easy access to it. Emu slammed his hands on the table to grab everyone's attention.
"Just a bit further until we clear Kamen Rider Chronicle!" He declared.
Everyone had a little murmur of jubilation, but this was still premature.
"So, we have nine Gashat-Trophies so far…" Hiro commented.
"All that's left is Pallad, Graphite and Lovelica." Taiga explained, looking at the monitor.
Nico got puzzled by this though.
"Wait, aren't there 13 games?" She asked. "Aren't we short by one?"
"Well, Pallad is two games in one, so he counts as two, right?" Shino suggested.
"Right on the money, Shino!" Kazuto complimented.
Nico pouted as she just sat down.
"But keep in mind." Emu warned. "They are high level, we can't do anything rash."
"Yep." Kazuto agreed. "Fighting high-leveled enemies on your own would be too dangerous."
"So…" Asuna suggested. "Will we be working as a team? All of us?"
"Looks like it." Hiro replied.
Then, all eyes fell on Kuroto. Kuroto smiled, and put his laptop away. He then stood up and approached the debating players.
"So my talents are needed, yes?" He smiled.
Nico cowered a bit, but Kuroto assured that he would keep himself in check. With Kuroto's help guaranteed, Suguha then began to make up a plan.
"Alright then!" She started. "First, we're going to beat Lovelica, so we can cure Shinichi of his game disease."
Everyone agreed on that. As per due to the doctors, the patient always comes first. Just then Yui had a thought. She quickly flew off of Asuna's shoulder and over to Kuroto.
"Um, Kuroto?" She started.
"Shin Dan Kuroto da!" Kuroto suddenly bellowed.
Everyone rolled their eyes at that. But Yui still had to answer her question.
"Shin-Kuroto..." She asked again. "Who's the final boss of Kamen Rider Chronicle?"
Kuroto smiled evilly at that question. He was hoping someone would ask that in the future.
"The final boss is the ultimate Bugster…" He smiled. "…Gamedeus."
Everyone got stunned for a bit. They were surprised by the claim. The "ultimate" Bugster? What was that supposed to mean?
Coincidentally, the Bugsters were wondering the same thing.
"Just who is this Gamedeus?" Graphite asked. "And why hasn't he showed himself to us?"
"Unfortunately, we have no idea who it is either." Ren replied. "The only person who does… is Dan Kuroto."
"Does it matter who the final boss is?" Pallad asked. "It's not like we're going to lose to a bunch of humans!"
"Gamedeus is an almighty Bugster god, more powerful than all of the games combined." Kuroto explained. "When all of the stages are cleared, Gamedeus will descend upon this world."
"However…" He continued. "No one can beat Gamedeus!"
Everyone was in shock now. Just how powerful is Gamedeus?
"Players will challenge the impossible and be cruelly killed!" Kuroto declared. "Thus… the legends of dreams and adventures will continue forever!"
Everyone didn't know how to respond. Another unbeatable game final boss?
"IS this guy serious?" Nico asked.
Hiro angrily slammed his fist on the table.
"Are you saying that Rider Chronicle could never be cleared?!" He shouted.
"This is another Sword Art Online…" Rika muttered under his breath.
"Oh, on the contrary, my good doctor and player…" Kuroto smiled. "Unlike Sword Art Online… Kamen Rider Chronicle… can be cleared. In theory at least."
"If someone holds the power of the legendary warrior…" He revealed, pulling out a Kamen Rider Chronicle Gashat. "Kamen Rider… Chronos."
He then showed everyone the boxart of the Gashat. While it did depict the other Riders in black, the main Rider, up in front of the boxart, had green features highlighted.
"Kamen Rider Chronos…?" Kazuto muttered.
"However, as I said, in theory." Kuroto corrected. "Unless someone has developed the perfect antibody to every strain of the Bugster virus up until now… we can only hope for a miracle."
Everyone sighed. Even when there is hope, it is like a light emanating from a tiny hole.
"What is it with you game developers and making such difficult games?" Asuna asked.
Despite this though, Emu was up for the challenge. He smiled at it, and looked over to the monitor.
"No matter at all!" He said. "Let's work together, and clear this game!"
And with that, the meeting was adjourned. They gave each other three days to rest and recover before they engaged the Bugsters. As the SAO players left to get a break and visit Shinichi, Emu quickly spoke with Hiro and Taiga about something.
(Cue Excite!)
Now, over the next three days, the doctors and the SAO players all focused their energy on prepping for what was potentially the final fight of this whole ordeal. However, the Riders had a little surprise.
Kazuto and Suguha woke up bright and early to practice kendo. They did for the entire morning. However, when they took a break, a mailman rang their doorbell, saying they have a package for the two. Suguha and Kazuto accepted their packages, and quickly opened them to see what it was. To their surprise, it was the Drago Knight Hunter Z and Shakariki Sports Gashats. There was also a small letter. Suguha quickly read it, and quickly understood what it meant.
They weren't the only ones who had gotten this type of thing. When Asuna got home from the meeting, she first emptied out her purse. One of the things that fell out was the Taddle Quest Gashat, not the Gashat-Trophy. Asuna was surprised by this, but she couldn't do anything about it.
Rika and Silica were just as surprised. They went home together, and they stopped by a food stall to grab dinner. However, when they were looking for money to pay, they were surprised to see Gashats. Rika found Mighty Action X in her pocket, while Silica found DoReMiFa Beat in hers.
Ryotarou returned from a hard day's work. When he came home, he plopped down on his couch to watch some late-night TV. However, he sat on one of his jackets, but what was interesting was that it made a clacking sound. He quickly stood up and looked at his jacket. He searched in one of its pockets, and to his surprise, he found the Bakusou Bike and GiriGiri Chambara Gashats. He was ecstatic, but he kept in under wraps as he didn't want to disturb his neighbors.
Andrew worked silently in his café. Emu actually came by and came for a drink. He grabbed a cup of coffee, and then proceeded to the register, which was operated by Andrew. He left the money on the counter, and quickly left. Andrew took the money, but he also felt something solid within the money. He soon realized that it was the Gekitotsu Robots Gashat. He was actually confused by this, and just put it away in his pocket.
Hiro walked into Shinichi's room. He wanted to know what happened. But the answer isn't what he was hoping for. Shinichi told him that the Proto-Gashats went missing. Hiro was shocked, as he just had to linger on the fact that they're gone.
Dan Masamune walked out of his office, holding a small black case. He smiled as he walked down the hall and towards the elevator.
Taiga was just sitting on bench. Nearby, Nico was on a swingset.
"Time we settled the score, huh?" Nico called out.
"Yeah." Taiga replied. "I'm going to pummel Graphite."
He then stood up and walked away. Nico jumped off the swing and quickly went after her. Then, something called out Taiga's name. Taiga turned around and a white doctor's coat was flung toward him. He saw that Shino had walked up to him, smiling.
"Then you better do it." She joked.
Taiga smiled, and tossed two things to Shino as well. Shino caught them, and to her surprise, they were Bang Bang Shooting and Jet Combat Gashats. Shino was about to ask, but Taiga had thrown on that doctor's coat and left her behind.
Kuroto looked at the two Gashats he had, and he growled quietly.
"Pallad…" He growled. "You will pay for going against me…"
Meanwhile, the Bugsters were prepping as well.
"It's time for the final curtain to be raised…" Ren said.
"Once all of the Kamen Riders are defeated…" Graphite continued.
"The ending will follow right after!" Pallad finished off with a smile.
And finally, Emu looked out of the window of his house, as the sky turned into a dark blue. Poppy was nearby, albeit in her pixie size. She was sitting on one of Emu's books that was lying on his desk.
"If we win this battle…" She said.
"Let's end it." Emu declared. "Kamen Rider Chronicle."
The day of reckoning has arrived. It was time for the final battle to commence. Emu, Hiro, Taiga, and Kuroto all walked slowly toward the Bugsters. Speaking of which, the Bugsters were patiently waiting for them to arrive as well. They watched as the doctors approached them, Gamer Drivers on, and stopped just shy of them. The Bugsters greeted them warmly, but the doctors did not return the sentiment.
However, the doctors weren't alone. Poppy and Nico quickly scuttled behind a wall, waiting to move in.
"Wait till they're ready, I'll support you from the back." Poppy assured.
"You got it!" Nico smiled.
With this said, though, the SAO gang also came into the scene. However, they let the doctors do all the talking.
"Bugsters." Hiro called out. "Your existence is a no thank you."
"Well, well, well…" Ren smiled. "It will be the same whatever you try!"
"Graphite…" Taiga scowled. "I'll pummel you into the ground this time…!"
"Is that so?" Graphite smiled. "Then get ready to say hi to death for me!"
"Pallad…" Kuroto warned. "I will punish you for betraying me."
"Emu!" Pallad smiled, completely ignoring Kuroto. "This is the decisive final battle!"
"I will defeat all of you…" Emu declared. "And clear Kamen Rider Chronicle!"
Then, with the chatter aside, all of them transformed. First, the Bugster took the stage first.
"Baiou…" Ren said, pressing the A button on his BugVisor.
INFECTION!
LET'S GAME! BAD GAME! DEAD GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!
THE BUGSTER!
"Baiou!" Graphite called out, pressing the A button on his BugVisor.
INFECTION!
LET'S GAME! BAD GAME! DEAD GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!
THE BUGSTER!
"Max Dai Henshin!" Pallad called out, inserting the Gashat into his Driver and opening the Driver.
DUAL GASHATTO!
GACHANN! MAZARU UP!
AKAI KOBUSHI TSUYOSA! AOI PUZZLE RENSA! AKA TO AO NO KOUSA! PERFECT KNOCK OUT!
The Bugsters all turned to their respective forms. Ren became Lovelica, becoming enveloped in bouquets and flowers, Graphite turned to his monster form, with the shade of red all over his body, and Pallad, he transformed into Kamen Rider Para-DX Level 99.
Now, it was the doctor's turns. They all raised their Gashats, and transformed.
"Proceeding to Level 50." Hiro called out. "Henshin!"
TADDLE FANTASY!
DUAL GASHATTO!
GACHANN! DUAL UP!
TADORU, MEGURU! RPG! TADDLE FANTASY!
"Phase 50." Taiga called out. "Henshin!"
BANG BANG SIMULATIONS!
DUAL GASHATTO!
GACHANN! DUAL UP!
SCRAMBLE DA! SHUTSUGEKI! HASSHIN! BANG BANG SIMULATIONS! HASSHIN!
"Grade X-0." Kuroto called out. "Henshin!"
MIGHTY ACTION X!
DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!
GASHATTO! GASHATTO!
GACHANN! LEVEL UP!
MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGH~TY ACTIO~N! X!
A GACCHA!
DANGER! DANGER! DEATH THE CRISIS! DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!
"Max Dai Henshin!" Emu called out.
MAXIMUM MIGHTY X!
MAXIMUM GASHATTO!
GACHANN! LEVEL MAX!
MAXIMUM POWER! X!
Now, all of the doctors have transformed. Hiro became Kamen Rider Brave Level 50, Taiga became Kamen Rider Snipe Level 50, and Emu became Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Level 99. Kuroto, on the other hand, turned into Kamen Rider Genmu Zombie Gamer. This was due to the effect of using the Dangerous Zombie Gashat.
Just then, Para-DX looked behind them, and saw the SAO players just standing by. They were in the Ordinal Scale forms.
"Hey!" He called out. "You can join in too! Just don't touch Emu, okay?"
Kirito shrugged the comment off, and just turned to his friends.
"You guys ready?" He asked.
"Uh-huh!" Asuna smiled.
Then, with that, they all raised their Gashats.
DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!
TADDLE QUEST!
BANG BANG SHOOTING! JET COMBAT!
BAKUSOU BIKE! GIRIGIRI CHAMBARA!
MIGHTY ACTION X!
DOREMIFA BEAT!
GEKITOTSU ROBOTS!
SHAKARIKI SPORTS!
Then, they all pressed their Gashat one more time.
D-D-DRAGO! KNI-KNI-KNI-KNI~GHT! DRA! DRA! DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!
A dragon appeared in the air. Then, the dragon spilt apart and flew down to Kirito. The sword arm of the dragon attached onto his right arm, and the gun arm attached onto his left arm. The legs folded back and attached onto his legs, and the main body landed on Kirito's body.
TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!
Asuna got a small shield that covered her lower left arm, and she also got blue gloves. Her outfit also slightly changed as well, the color changed to the blue of Taddle Quest. And, in her hands, the Gashacon Sword appeared.
BANGBABANG! BABANGBANG! YOW! BANG BANG SHOOTING! A GACCHA! JET! JET! IN THE SKY! JET! JET! JET COMBAT!
Sinon got the garments and colors of Bang Bang Shooting, complete with neon yellow changes on her outfit, and the sash over her neck. Then, the small Jet Combat robots appeared in front of her. It nodded, and then flew to her back. Its arms were placed just behind her legs, and the its body became her armor. She also gained a special visor that resembled a pilot's helmet. The Gashacon Magnum also materialized into her hands.
BAKUSOU! DOKUSOU! GEKISOU! BOUSOU! BAKUSOU BIKE! A GACCHA! GIRI! GIRI! GIRI! GIRI! CHAMBARA!
Klein's red garments all slightly changed to a shade of bright yellow. Then, the GiriGiri Chambara robot appeared and spilt apart. Its legs flipped around and attached onto his arms. Then, its arms flipped around and attached onto his legs. Then, the head of the robot, flew around and then pasted itself onto Klein's head, giving Klein a badass samurai helmet. Klein almost fangirled, but he kept himself in check. The Gashacon Sparrow appeared in his hands.
MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!
Lis's red faded into a bright shade of pink. Then, surprisingly, her hair also turned into the shade of pink. She brushed it, making comparisons to her ALO hair. The Gashacon Breaker also appeared in her hands.
DO-DO-DO-RE-MI-FA! SO-LA-SI-DO! OK! DOREMIFA BEAT!
Silica's blue attire stayed the same, but the DoReMiFa Beat robot turned in. The robot split apart and flew around her. Its arms attached together and pasted onto her right arm, and its legs attached and passed onto her left shoulder. The rest of the robot fell on her torso, even giving her a small cap and a mic.
BUTTOBASE TOTSUGEKI! GEKITOTSU PUNCH! GEKITOTSU ROBOTS!
Agil was kind of taken back by the sudden appearance of the Gekitotsu Robots robot. Its arms split off and attached together. It then fell into his right arm, and the rest of the body attached onto his body.
SHAKARIKI, SHAKARIKI, BAD! BAD! SHAKATTO, RIKITTO, SHAKARIKI SPORTS!
Leafa looked around and saw the Shakariki Sports BMX bike ride around her. Then, it jumped up and twisted itself. It then attached onto her torso, surprising her a bit.
Now, the stage was set. All combatants of each side were now ready to begin their fight.
"We will now begin the Bugster excision!" Brave announced, raising his hands as if was preparing an operation.
"Mission start!" Snipe shouted.
"I'll clear this… even with continues!" Genmu shouted.
Ex-Aid waited a bit, as he pulled out the Gashacon KeySlasher and stepped forward.
"I'll clear this…" He said. "With no continues!"
That was the signal. Both side charged at each other. This was the battle. Who will win?
First, the group separated into three. Snipe, Sinon, Kirito, and Asuna took on Graphite. Brave, with Lisbeth, Silica, Leafa, fought Lovelica. Lastly, Ex-Aid and Genmu, with Agil and Klein, fought Para-DX. Poppy and Nico stayed back, knowing that they can't intervene yet.
So far, it was just an equivalent exchange of blows. Graphtie swung his blade down, and Snipe blocked it. Thay gave Sinon and Kirito an opening to fire. However, Graphite threw off Snipe and quickly deflected all of the attacks. This distracted Graphite long enough. Asuna quickly came in and landed two slashes on Graphite. While not doing much, that got Graphite attention. Snipe then laid fire on him, sending him back a bit.
Brave, Lis, and Leafa did everything to Lovelica. However still, all of their attacks were registered as misses. Lovelica chuckled, and just swiped them all aside. Silica even tried with her music attacks, but they were all registered as misses too.
"Come on out, my lovely girls!" He called, clapping his hands.
Then, a group of Bugster maids appeared right behind him. This made the girls all groan in disgust.
"Why are dating games even a thing?!" Lis groaned.
Ex-Aid saw this, but was currently locked blades with Para-DX. However, when he threw him off, Klein quickly intercepted with his Sparrows.
"We got this, Emu!" He called. "Help the girls!"
"Right!" Ex-Aid replied.
He then turned around and pulled out his Gashat. He then inserted it into the KeySlasher.
MAXIMUM GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!
He then aimed the KeySlasher at the Bugster maids. Lovelica quickly reacted, and he raced towards Ex-Aid.
"I will not let you harm my ladies!" He shouted.
However, a bike wheel soared through the air and bounced off Lovelica. Lovelica tumbled on the ground, but quickly got up. He saw Leafa catch the wheel and reattached it to her shoulder.
"I don't think so!" She smiled.
Then, she ran forward and held down Lovelica. Graphite saw this, and quickly went to assist his comrade.
"You're in the way!" He shouted.
He raised his blade, but Sinon quickly fired a flurry of bullets. That made Graphite drop his blade, and Kirito and Asuna quickly landed several strikes on him. Following that, Snipe fired two shots, sending him back.
"That's my line!" He shouted.
Para-DX, still exchanging blows with Klein, turned to see what Ex-Aid was doing. Agil used that distraction to go in for a punch. However, Para-DX was attentive. He quickly threw off Klein, and grabbed hold of Agil's punch. He threw him into Klein, but when he did Genmu jumped in and clashed blades. Para-DX didn't waste time, as with one slash, Genmu dissipated.
"Emu, your fight is with me!" He shouted, running over to Ex-Aid.
However, Genmu's CONTINUE pipe shot forward, and Genmu sprang up from it. Life meter decreasing to 96, he kicked Para-DX away from Ex-Aid, and growled.
"No, it is with me!" He shouted.
"Emu! Do it!" Leafa shouted.
MAXIMUM MIGHTY CRITICAL FINISH!
He pulled the trigger, and the Bugster maids panicked. They didn't know what to do. The blast was now coursing its way over to them.
"Don't! Stop!" Lovelica pleaded.
But it was too late. The blast hit the Bugster maids, and they dissipated away. Lovelica was heartbroken, as he just stopped wincing and grunting from Leafa's grasp.
"My… honeys…" He moaned.
Then, Leafa stood up, and then kicked Lovelica as hard as she could. This time, the attack was registered as a hit. Lis then stood him up, and then slashed down his back.
"Wow, that felt good!" She cheered.
"Now, we can cut you out!" Brave shouted, pulling out his Sword.
"Poppy! Nico!" Silica called. "Now's your chance!"
Nico and Poppy then quickly came out of their hiding spots. Poppy put on her BugVisor II, while Nico just raised her Gashat.
"Let's do this thing!" Nico cheered.
Then, out of nowhere, a strong pulse eminated from somewhere. It was so powerful, that even all of the fighters had stopped fighting to gather themselves from it. When the pulse was gone, the sky had suddenly turned to pitch black. Then, there was a loud gonging sound. It was like that of the Big Ben. Everyone turned to where it was coming from, and found it. A large green clock had appeared at the top of some steps, with candles lighting the way up to it.
"Wait, why is night all of a sudden?" Nico asked.
Then, a figure just blurred past Nico and Poppy. However, once he had slown down to become visible, everyone saw who it was. No one knew, but Poppy and Genmu did.
"Kuroto's… father?" Poppy muttered.
"Why… how are you…" Genmu spluttered.
"Ladies and gentlemen…" Dan Masamune said, walking past the fighters. "This… is an illegal game."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sinon asked, landing gently on the ground.
"You're in the way! Beat it!" Graphite ordered.
Masamune ignored them, and just walked up the steps until he was in front of the large clock.
"Kamen Rider Chronicle is a game the world should be proud of." He stated, facing the fighters. "Its contents are supposed to be loved. I can't just let you finish a game like that."
The clocked ticked once, and Masamune turned his attention directly at them.
"Well done, Kuroto…" He said. "No… Dangerous Zombie."
"And Perfect Knock Out." He continued. "You two have completed my Kamen Rider Chronicle in my absence."
"Is this some kind of joke?" Para-DX spluttered.
"Kuroto's Talents and the Bugsters are nothing more than mere products of GENM Corporation." Masamune went on. "It is I, who created GENM Corp."
"Not you… and most certainly not you." He retorted, turning to Genmu and Lovelica. "I… am the CEO."
He then raised the BugVisor II to his head, and then put it on his waist.
GACHANN…
"Now…" He said, raising a Kamen Rider Chronicle Gashat. "It's time for judgement."
The clock ticked one more time, and the clock now struck 12. Gonging noises could be heard, as Masamune pressed the Gashat.
KAMEN RIDER CHRONICLE…
He pressed the A button on the BugVisor II, and started the standby music. He then silently inserted the Gashat into the BugVisor.
GASHATTO…
"Hen… shin…" He said, pressing the button underneath the Gashat port.
BUCKLE UP…
TEN NO TSUKAME RIDER! KIZAME CHRONICLE! IMA KOSO TOKI WA KIWAMARERI…!
Suddenly, Masamune began to change. The numbers of the clock formed around in front of him, and then a green Rider image appeared over his head. When the clock numbers fall into the BugVisor, the green Rider image shot down Masamune, turning him into a green Kamen Rider. However, not everyone knew who it was, but Genmu did. Still, everyone else still had questions.
"H-How is able to transform with the BugVisor II?" Lovelica spluttered.
"That's… the legendary warrior…" Ex-Aid muttered.
"Kamen Rider… Chronos!" Genmu finished.
Chronos, having made his entrance, now stepped down to the Rider's levels, and then told something very interesting.
"Patient zero of the Bugster virus…" He began. "Wasn't just you, Maximum Mighty X."
Ex-Aid winced at that remark, but just listened on.
"16 years ago, I infected myself with the Bugster virus…" Chronos went on. "Developing the perfect antibody."
With that said though, no one had made a move. Ex-Aid moved first.
"Recon's life is at stake here!" Ex-Aid shouted, running towards Chronos.
"Don't interfere with our operation!" Brave shouted, going for Chronos.
"Get lost!" Taiga shouted, running towards Chronos.
"Wait!" Genmu shouted, running to stop the others.
Leafa, Brave, Snipe, and Genmu all ran at Chronos. Chronos just stretched his hands out in response.
PAUSE…
Then, everything stopped. Nothing moved an inch. He made shushing sound, and then turned to Riders.
"Please, please…" He said. "Order in the court."
Then, everything resumed. Explosions engulfed the Riders, and even the SAO players. They all cancelled out of their transformations. Poppy and Nico rushed over to assist them. However, they don't know what just happened.
"What… what was that just now?" Asuna asked, grunting.
"When did he attack us?" Taiga spluttered.
"Wait… 'Pause'?" Kirito mentioned, helping Asuna. "Is that…?"
"Yes…" Kuroto answered. "That… is the legendary power… that can defeat Gamedeus!"
Chronos stood silently, having delivered his so-called judgement to the Riders. The Bugsters, on the other hand, were not easily pleaed by this.
"You're an eyesore!" Para-DX called. "Beat it!"
Then, he jumped into the air for a downward slash. Graphite grabbed his blade, and launched a firestrike. Lovelica, not having any abilities, just ran at Chronos. However, Chronos pressed both buttons of his BugVisor again.
PAUSE…
The clock behind Masamune ticks four more times, each tick slower than the other. Then, with one grunt of Lovelica, everything came to a grinding halt. No one moved a muscle. Even the candlelights had stopped. Chronos, on the other hand, was the only that could. He slowly inched over to the Bugsters.
First, he went over to Para-DX.
"Misbehaving children…" He commented. "Are the worst."
GACHANN…
He put on his BugVisor in its blaster form, and fired a shot onto Para-DX. The impact did meet him, but the Pause still stopped any movement.
GACHANN…
Chronos then moved onto Graphite. He turned his BugVisor into its chainsaw form. He slashed upward, launching Graphite into the way of his attack.
GACHONN…
Finally, he moved onto Lovelica. He had something planned for him though.
"You, on the other hand…" He remarked. "Have lost all commercial value to me."
He put on the BugVisor on his waist again, and pressed the B button twice.
GACHANN… KIMEWAZA…
CRITICAL CREWS-AID!
A large image of a clock appeared below him and Lovelica. The small clockhand was on Lovelica, while the big clockhand was on Chronos. When he twirled, the big clockhand followed his feet. Chronos delivered a devastating backkick that struck Lovelica when the big clockhand struck the small one. When Chronos turned around, the attack was on Lovelica, but still, nothing had happened.
SHUEN NO ICHIGEKI…
"Toki Meki Crisis…" He declared. "Is no longer in stock."
He then pressed both buttons on his BugVisor, resuming time.
RESTART.
The night returned to the bright sunny day, but the Bugsters had just finally received their attacks. They were all consumed in a large explosion, catching the Riders off guard. Graphite and Pallad, reverting back to their normal forms, tumbled out of the explosion, unscathed, but still injured. Lovelica, on the other hand, was not so lucky. He fell on his knees, and then… he just simply… evaporated.
GAME CLEAR!
Suguha smiled to herself, as she thought that Shinichi was now cured of his game disease. But still, no one had spoke a word. They had just witness a someone defeat an enemy they spent unknown amount of time trying to beat. Graphite, on the other hand, just scoffed.
"Do what you want." He taunted. "Lovelica is a complete Bugster! He could be revived as many times as needed!"
Graphite outstretched his BugVisor, but nothing happened. Chronos tilted his head to Graphite condescendingly. Graphite pressed the button on his BugVisor, confused by what is going on.
"Wha-, why can't I revive him?" He spluttered.
Chronos decided to enlightened him.
"Those that meet their death in the midst of stopped time cannot continue on." He declared. "He is trapped in that moment of death… permanently."
Graphite and Pallad were horrified by this. All this time, as they are complete Bugsters, they had no point of worrying about death. Now, permanent death is now possible to the Bugsters.
Chronos now turned to the others, but addressed everyone in the area.
"From this moment forward, I shall administer Kamen Rider Chronicle." He said. "And I shall judge all of your fates."
"I…" He remarked. "Am now your god."
And on that chilling note, Chronos then pixelated away, leaving the stunned warriors behind. No one uttered a single sound. They were too stunned by this. Pallad, however, clenched his chest, shaking silently.
"Lovelica… dead?" He muttered under his breath.
Emu looked over, and saw Pallad's scared disposition. The atmosphere of this situation is now intensely grave. What was supposed to be their final battle, was just the debut of another villain.