Chapter 16 : No Pain, No Gain
Disclaimer : I do not own both Kamen Rider and RWBY as they both belong to their respective owners, except for my OC(s).
Ruby, along with the ones who were not on a mission, received a call from Natsumi that a Kaijin attack was sighted in Vale. The latter also said that she would come along, too. The heroes were all geared up for the fight, searching through the streets and alleyways they could find. Until, George showed up in front of them. He was seen accompanied by Shuichi Kitaoka, who arrived alongside his companion to rescue the said man.
"Mr. Wilson!" Ruby called out.
"Ah, Ruby!" the man replied.
"What happened?" Yang asked.
"A Kaijin attacked his flower shop. I took him away from the fray." Kitaoka informed.
"Kaijin? Where is it?" Jaune asked.
"My partner's holding it off at the alley. All we need to do is to get this man to safety, now." The Rider stated.
"Then you must be a Rider, too." Ren said.
"Shuichi Kitaoka, Kamen Rider Zolda. I also came by with a frend named Ren Akiyama. He goes by Kamen Rider Knight." He introduced.
"Did someone say Ren?" Nora wondered. Her eyes beamed with childlike joy.
"Umm, me?"
"Oh no." Ren facepalmed.
"GUYS! REN IS A KAMEN RIDER!" Nora shouted.
"WHAT!?" the other Huntsmen screamed in unison.
"Really!?" Ruby beamed.
"Wha-no, no, no! It's another guy!" Ren corrected.
"But it's so cool if you're one!" Nora said.
"What the hell, Nora? I totally jolted when I hear it!" Yang joyfully remarked, noticing Nora's playful joke.
"Nora, please..." Jaune faceplamed.
"So it's not really true?" Ruby asked.
"Nora, as much as I also wished to be one, please don't try to confuse me with someone I don't." Ren stated.
"Aww, killjoy." Nora pouted.
"Oh well." Ruby flatly answered.
"Oh, so your name is Ren, too? What a coincidence." Kitaoka mused.
"Lie Ren, pleasured to meet you." He introduced as they shook their hands.
"Well, pleasantries aside, I believe we must go now before-"
Suddenly, Dai-Shocker Combatants showed up, surrounding the heroes. They had been chasing Kitaoka and George the whole time.
"They come in." He sighed.
The Huntsmen had their weapons prepared as Natsumi showed up in her BeatChaser, bashing away the Combatants in ease. She also used her sword to tear them apart. She then regrouped with the others as her bike dematerialized once she got off from it.
"Kitaoka, guys." She greeted.
"Ms. Hikari. About time." Kitaoka greeted back.
"Come on, sir! We gotta get you out of here!" Ruby said.
"It's okay, young Ruby. I can still walk away from here. Though, I actually want to see your heroisms." George answered.
"Then, I'll cover you! Those guys could be anywhere, by now." Ruby volunteered.
"W-well then, if you say so."
"We're leaving him to you then, Ruby." Natsumi said.
"Aye-aye!"
As Ruby saluted and escorted the man to a safe place far enough from the fight, the Huntsmen got their arms ready as the Riders prepared their gears.
"HENSHIN!"
CHU!
As Natsumi summoned her Kiva-la armor, Kitaoka changed in the same manner as Ryuki and Knight the moment he sled his Advent Deck to his V-Buckle. There were glass shards that soon stuck into his body, forming a green, militaristic armor. His silver torso armor was seen bulkier compared to his fellow Ryukiverse Riders. His grill visor momentarily flashed a red light that signed its activation. As he wielded his gun, he completed his transformation into Kamen Rider Zolda, the fierce gunsman of the Rider War.
Kiva-la and Jaune took the frontlines by attacking the Combatants in front of them. The knight swiftly swung his Crocea Mors while keeping his shield up to his composure. Whenever there was a hostile closing in on his left, he either swung his sword or bash his shield to it. He had also been starting to resort to his shield as en alternative when his sword couldn't reach the enemy in time. As for Kiva-la, she also noticed that Jaune might be leaving his blond spot open, especially on his back. Which is why the white Rider took liberty on defending his back. Their swords danced through from one Combatant to another relentlessly.
Yang and Nora, the heavy-hitters of their respective teams, exploited their specialties in the battlefield. The Brawler, while punching out the Grimms that the Combatants summoned, free-flowed from one enemy to another. She occasioanlly used her gauntlet blasts to easily navigate through the field, bashing away an Ursa when it got in her way. Meanwhile, the joyful hammer girl swung her weapon into a Beowolf's head, throwing it into a handful of Combatants. After she gathered the enemies into a line, she and Yang bashed them from both sides, spectacularly blowing them into smitherens as the two fist-bumped in the end.
Ren and Zolda shot their weapons to the hostiles on their front, keeping their range from them far anough as they took the role as gunsmen. Though Ren would sometimes resort to the Stormflower's blades, Zolda too, would resort on using hand-to-hand combat while closing in on an enemy and sometimes shot them at point-blank range. Not only that, Zolda also seemed to have another arsenal on his deck. He pulled out an Advent Card and inserted it into his gun's magazine card slot.
STRIKE VENT!
As per the Magna Visor's command, a weapon conjured in Zolda's right arm. It took a form of a green knuckle with two golden horns attached and a large nozzle on its front. The green Rider swung it to an Ursa nearby, piercing its abdomen before he bash it to a horde of Combatants behind him. Another Ursa charged at Zolda, on lt for its head to be blown apart by the Giga Horn's cannon portion. The fight went on as Ren traversed from one enemy to another, either by shooting the Beowolves or dismembering the Combatants.
"They're closing in to us!" George said, pointing his fear at the horde.
"Not a chance!" Ruby assured.
The horde had reached their position. Ruby was ready wih her Crescent Rose unfolded. She shot rounds of her Dust bullets to keep their distance from them. She would also close in to them, tearing them apart one limb to another. Two Ursas attempted to lunge her from behind. Noticing this, Zolda discarded his Giga Horn and took out another card.
SHOOT VENT!
A large, long green bazooka was summoned from the command, forming itself out of mirror shards. He quickly pulled the trigger and fired at the said Ursa's, caving their bodies before they disintegrated into black mists.
"Thanks for the sa-Whoaaa..." Ruby stopped to inspect the Giga Launcher Zolda was holding.
"Heh, me and my toys..." he mused.
Zolda continued his assault by pulling the trigger on his bazooka's rear grip. It caused the pincer behind to close itself.
"Heave... ho!"
He spun his weapon and hit the surrounding Beowolves, effectively crushing their bodies to one another. After he was done, he saw Kamen Rider Knight dashing away from the alley he was in. He seemed to have a trouble dealing with the Kaijin.
"Knight! There you are!" he rushed to his fellow Rider.
"We got another Rider, here!" Jaune shouted.
"That must be the Ren that Kitaoka talked about." Ren said.
"Are you alright, Ren?" Kiva-la checked on.
"Yeah, but the woman inside that monster won't last much longer." Knight replied.
"What?" Zolda wondered.
"That Kaijin, Zolda... had a human inside it." Knight reported.
"What? How!?" Kiva-la wondered as the Mirror Locust Kaijin arrived, wreaking havoc through the streets.
"You guys had probably heard about the abduction cases. According to our intel, it seems that Dai-Shocker had been experimenting on the victims and turned them into Kaijins." Knight informed.
"Do you know who's inside that Kaijin?" Ren asked.
"I did a scan on her, and her name is Maria Wilson." The Rider said.
"M-Maria? She's... inside that thing!?" George, who overheard it, staggered.
"Dai-Shocker... how could they!" Ruby growled.
"Dammit! Can't we do something about it!?" Yang growled too.
"There is a way, actually. I've manage to weaken it enough to reveal the woman inside, but it won't be enough if it's only me alone."
"Then we're doing it together." Nora firmed.
"Right back at 'ya. Me and Nora will give you a path through." Yang agreed, cracking her fists.
"If that thing could regenerate itself quickly, we're gonna need someone to hold it long enough before it does." Jaune informed.
"Then that'll be our job." Zolda said as he and Knight nodded in agreement.
"Mind helping me pulling her out?" Jaune asked both Kiva-la and Ren.
"Say no more. We're in." Kiva-la voluntered.
"We got your back, Jaune." Ren agreed.
"Then it's settled; We'll begin our raid... now." Knight stated as the heroes armed themselves for the upcoming fight.
FORM RIDE : GHOST EDISON!
Back in the Mirror World, the heroes were also having a hard time themselves. As the Huntresses and the senior Riders held themselves against the Mirror Combatant hordes, D-Ghost went face-to-face against his archenemy. They shot their respective long-ranged weapons, with both of them seemingly balanced in terms of fighting prowess. D-Ghost managed to get close to Xiphon, using the Gan Gun Blaster's sharp edge to dent the latter's gauntlets. Xiphon countered him by swinging his sword right in front of the Rider, which he barely dodged and thus, having his chestpiece and chin guard seemed lethally grazed.
The Rider backflipped and shot an electric round to Xiphon as he set another card.
"That was close...!" he gritted.
FINAL FORM RIDE : GHO-GHO-GHO-GHOST!
GO! GO! GO! GO!
The FFR parka stroke a few hits at Xiphon before it merged with its user. Decade engaged the Dai-Shocker commander, using his mixture of both sword strikes evasions. It almost made the Rider seemingly untouchable.
The focus shifted into Ryuki and Weiss, who were going up against the Mirror Crab Kaijin. as much as they never wanted to hurt the woman inside the creature, they had no choice but to find a way through attacking it and going only in defense was never an option. Weiss tried to break its shell using her fire and ice glyphs, with the first one being backed up by Ryuki's Drag Claw flamethrower portion. Blake, Pyrrha, and Ryugen were drawing the Mirror Combatants away from the two.
"Well, it seems that you're far more capable than the last time we met." Xiphon complimented.
"As long as my friends are here, I'm sure I can save this world from Dai-Shocker." Decade stated.
"And how's that going for you?" Xiphon asked as they both clashed.
"What are you... talking about?" he gritted.
Once they ended their clash, Xiphon continued, "See, that's your problem; you threw yourself into a matter that you actually had no part of to begin with. Even without you here, the war would still go on. Yet, you chose to dance with the death. The Riders forced you into this, didn't they? Such animosity, coming from them."
"Forced me? no. They believed in me. They gave me a purpose when I have yet to had, and it's for a very good reason; they allowed me to fight for the justice that I believed in. And that, is to get rid of evildoers like you." Decade firmed.
"You knew that you could back away from this, didn't you?"
"Well, it wasn't even in my wildest imagination to go from a store clerk to world saviour. Seeing where I stand now, I won't lose this chance to become stronger and better."
"Well then, let's see if you can save a lingering soul inside this creature."
Xiphon snapped his finger as he backed away from the fight, calling upon the Mirror Crab Kaijin that the others were fighting. It went straight to Decade, grabbed him with its pincer and pinned him down to the ground. The Rider broke it free by floting in the air before he kicked it down. Once the monster hit the ground, Decade launched a Rider Kick, knowing that Weiss and Ryuki's attacks weakened its shell. Once he succeeded, he jumped back and used his dual sword strikes to further weaken it. The Kaijin's body started to show signs of cracks due to the damage it dealt against.
"All we need to do is to defeat it, right?" Decade asked as the other regrouped.
"Kyle, wait! What if Xiphon's lying? What if this isn't the way we should save her?" Weiss halted.
"Eh? What do you mean?" Decade wondered.
"We can't possibly destroy it if the woman's still inside!" Weiss objected.
"Well, maybe using a finisher could weaken it enough! Hopefully..." Decade said.
"Xiphon's words didn't sit right with me, too." Blake said.
"I know! But do we have any other choices, now?"
"Uhh, guys? Better make it quick!" Pyrrha said, noticing that the Mirror Crab Kaijin started to slowly stand up again.
"You better not keep her waiting, or else..."
As Xiphon continued, the Kaijin started to glow an ominous purple light from its cracks, signifying something unpleasant for the heroes.
"Oi, don't tell me... that thing's gonna blow!" Ryuki said.
"WHAT!?"
"The blast radius is enough to blow this entire place up! We need to hurry!" Ryugen ordered as he, Pyrrha and Ryuki shot their respective weapons.
"That's it! I'm going head on!" Decade said as he took out another card.
FINAL ATTACK RIDE : GHO-GHO-GHO-GHOST!
The heroes were commencing their plan. The brawler and the hammer wielder crushed countless of the enemy horde, with the former blasting her gauntlets upon close contact, bursting out a Beowolf's head, and the latter swinging her hammer from a group of Combatants to an angry Ursa. Both succeeded in making a way for the others to go through. Kiva-la thrusted her sword right to the Mirror Locust's chest, sending sparks out of it. she then delivered some cuts that grazed its thick skin. Knight was about to send a slash after the white Rider was done, only for him to abort it as the Kaijin spreaded its wings and took flight.
The monster ferociously dashed through the heroes using its razor sharp claws, and its movements were difficult to catch up with. Zolda attempted to fight back by shooting it alongside Ren. After a few successful shots, the Mirror Locust started to slow down and made its flight route predictable. Seeing this opportunity, Jaune once again proposed another strategy.
"Alright! All we need to do is to go up high enough to bring it down!"
"Umm, how are we supposed to do that if that thing's that high?" Ren doubted. Even with his own acrobatic jumps, he wouldn't be high enough to reach the monster's altitude.
"I got it covered, you two." Knight said, summoning his own Mirror Monster.
ADVENT!
"Okay, that's... convenient." Ren muttered in joy.
The bat monster picked the two Huntsmen up with its claw, gaining enough speed and momentum as it flew close to the said target. As Ren focused on the monster, Jaune was slightly terrifed from the experience, due to him being in a height. Once the said factors had been reached, it threw them directly at it. the knight momentarily screamed because of the adrenaline rush, but he quickly got over it once he and Ren reached the Mirror Locust Kaijin. they also used the monster to cushion them from the fall, which weakened it enough for the two to clip its wings and tear it apart as it turned into mirror shards. Once Jaune and Ren jumped back, Knight used his previous Advent Card to once again further weaken the monster.
NASTY VENT!
The sonic screech from Darkwing broke through the Kaijin's body, turning some of it into mirror shards that slowly revealed the woman inside.
"Now!" Jaune ordered. Both he and Ren pulled her out as Kiva-la stabbed her sword into the Kaijin's leg to delay its healing process.
However, it took them much longer to pull Maria out than they anticipated. Even if the Mirror Locust had already been weakened, it was still strong enough to pull the woman back to its body. It only got worse as a King Taijitu and a Nevermore were being summoned upon them. Zolda and Knight were left occupied defending the others from the Grimm. Yang and Nora were being outnumbered themselves and left exhausted.
"There's too many of them!" Yang complained.
"Yeah, no kidding!" Nora replied.
"It's... it's too hard! This thing's... still fighting...!" Jaune groaned.
"We don't have... much time... and power...!" Ren struggled.
"Can't... hold it... much longer...!" Kiva-la said, gripping her sword tight as her strength started to dwindle.
From outside the Battlefield, Ruby felt a rush to go in and help the others, but she had another duty to defend George from the enemy. It left the young Huntress conflicted.
Until George patted her shoulder.
"You must go, young Ruby."
"What? But, I can't leave you behind here." Ruby said.
"Your friends need you more out there. You are the only one left to help the others. Please, save my wife and save the day, Huntress. I wish you a great, good luck." He supported.
"I... I won't let you down. I won't let anyone down!"
Fully-determined, Ruby entered the fray with her high-speed Semblance. She sliced the horde that surrounded the brawlers, giving them room to continue their assault by finishing the remaining ones.
"Alright! Thanks, Ruby!" Nora said.
"That's my sister!" Yang complimented.
Next, the red reaper charged towards the menacing King Taijitu, assisting Zolda along the way. she dashed through the Grimm's body, slashing its scales before she shot its black head.
SHOOT VENT!
The green Rider helped by blasting his Giga Launcher towards its white head as it was being distracted. Once the two heroes regrouped, they nodded to each other and continously blasted the King Taijitu. The attacks severly weakened it, giving Jaune, Ren, and Kiva-la enough time to pull Maria Wilson out of her literal misery. Without its host, the Mirror Locust Kaijin was also weakened to the point being easily kicked away by Jaune and Ren's double kick. Her next move now is to assist Knight in disabling the Nevermore.
"We did it!" Jaune said.
"Thanks for the assist, Ruby." Kiva-la thanked.
"All that's left is to go all out, now." Ren stated.
"Mind giving me a lift?" Ruby asked the gunner, waving her Crescent Rose to give him a slight of her idea.
"This'll be a bit bumpy. Doubt you'll like it." Zolda replied as he readied his launcher.
"Oh, I will." She grinned.
Once Zolda fixated his aim towards the flying Grimm, Ruby jumped towards the cannon's muzzle and connected her Scythe's muzzle with it. the two waited until their target was close enough to strike.
"Now!"
As she commanded, they shot each of their weapons and propelled the Huntress at high speed due to ths shot's heavy collision. She slightly lost her composure during the flight, but managed to regain it in a short time using her Scythe shots in mid-air. After reaching enough altitude, she landed on the Nevermore's back and sliced its right wing. It gave Knight to commence his finisher.
SWORD VENT!
FINAL VENT!
"Ruby, come in!"
"Eh?"
After Knight conjured his spear, his wing/cape enveloped both him and Ruby. The latter grinned knowing that she had to aim her Scythe to the bottom just as the Rider did. The cape formed a double-edged tendril and pummeled the Grimm down to the ground. The heroes had the monsters pinned down. Zolda had been waiting for this moment to unleash his most powerful attack.
"I've been waiting for this."
FINAL VENT!
The command summoned Magnugiga, a green combat mech of Zolda. The Rider connected his Magna Visor to the port on the Contract Monster's back, causing it to reveal all of its weaponries ranging from heat seeker missiles, cannons, and the like. Of course, Ruby was left awe-struck as always, started with a gasp that continued with her speechless amazement.
"This is the end... of your world."
The moment Zolda pulled the trigger, the mech fired all of its weapons at once towards the weakened monsters. The 'fireworks'completely obliterated them into black mists that went away with the wind.
The heroes rejoiced on their victory once the threats had all been eliminated. Both George and Maria had been reunited thanks to their valiant efforts.
"Maria! Oh, thank god you're okay!" the man embraced his wife.
"Wh-what happened? Wait... oh right, there was this creepy monster and... it was all black." The woman said.
"It's okay, it's okay. I'm here now."
"Don't worry, we're already safe now. Those freaks of nature won't be bothering us for a long time." Yang assured the couple.
"Oh, yes! These people saved you from the monster's clutch. I must thank you all for this! I-how can I repay you for this?" George cracked.
"Just wish upon our luck in fending the bad guys off. Remnant's already a dangerous place to begin with. And to that end, we fight for the people." Knight said.
"Hmm... what he said." Zolda grinned.
"Again, we are truly grateful for your help." Maria thanked.
Once the heroes escorted the couple home, they gathered at the Rider League's basement. Everyone was filled with joy of their success. Ruby also felt very grateful of her accomplishment as a Huntress. She was right to say that being a Huntress was very romantic. The hooded huntress then took notice of the newly summoned Magnugiga, inspecting every inch of its details with her starry eyes.
"Hey, Kitaoka! How did you get one of these?" Ruby asked the green Rider as the latter opened his helmet.
"It's not something you'll get from shops, or even black markets if you prefer." Kitaoka informed.
"We had formed a contract with each of our Mirror Monsters the moment we became Kamen Riders. And trust me, it's not like buying that Scythe of yours." Ren A. Said. His contract partner landed beside him and the former patted its head.
"Oh this? I built it myself. Aaand, that being said I'd formed a contract with my dear Crescent Rose." Ruby chirped.
"Well, impressive I must say, miss Rose. Anyways, I've noticed that you're being attracted to Giga." Kitaoka mentioned his partner.
"Of course! This guy's worth sightseeing! I mean, look at the bulk it has! And-and the cannons!" she exclaimed.
"Hmm? What is it?" Kitaoka asked the robot as it beeped something.
*Uhh... Kitaoka? I'm... not sure if I should be thankful or worried about this.*
"Oh, he says that you're making him uncomfortable." The Rider informed.
"Oh my, I noticed it too! I'm sorry, Giga. You're just too amazing to miss out!" Ruby apologized.
*It's fine. I'm glad knowing you too.* the robot beeped cheerfully, replied with the Huntress' gleeful smile.
"Whoa, wait a minute. You actually understand what this thing's saying?" Nora wondered.
"Nora, these Contract Monsters are more than just ordinary Mirror Monsters; not only they're stronger with the Kamen Riders, but they can also communicate with other people even if they only used their own voice. They even developed personalities of their own." Natsumi informed.
*Hello!* Magnugiga greeted the redhead.
"Oh, hehe... hello, too!" Nora greeted back, still trying to get used to the situation.
*These younglings are sure lively, Ren.* Darkwing screeched.
"I know, my dear. I know." Ren A. Replied.
"So uhh... you're Ren Akiyama right?" Ren asked the Rider.
"And you are?"
"Lie Ren, we shared the same name." He introduced.
"My, what a coincidence. Looks like we'll be getting along just fine." Ren K. Replied as the two Rens shook their hands.
"Likewise." Ren replied.
*He seems nice.* the female Contract Beast teased, causing Ren to flinch slightly.
"Thank you?" the Huntsman blinked.
*Oh, don't worry. I won't bite.* Darkwing teased.
"That's not the issue here." Ren A. Deadpanned.
"You know, I never actually witnessed two people who shared the same name being together in the same place." Yang whispered to Nora.
"Besides, we already got two Rens here! I mean, what could possibly go wrong?" Nora said.
FINAL ATTACK RIDE : GHO-GHO-GHO-GHOST!
Decade launched his signature Rider Kick towards the Kaijin, successfully removing its host from its exploding body...
"It's okay, you're safe now-"
However, his assuring words meant nothing to the woman who suddenly lit up in golden lights that slowly made her body vanishing. Decade was confused as much as the others did. He saved her from the monster's clutches, yet it didn't make her feel better.
"Wh-wha-? Hey? What's wrong? What happened!?" Decade wondered.
"It can't be! Her vitals are dropping!" Ryugen informed.
"But... he saved her!" Blake said.
"Oh my, did I forgot to mention that she dies once you remove her from the Kaijin body?" Xiphon said.
"What!?"
"As you've all known, she is our first test subject. Not only that, her treatment was... unlike the other hosts we captured. Her mutation is on a celular level, thus she needs to rely on her Kaijin body. And you've just taken it away."
"No way... so that means..." Pyrrha cracked, knowing the reality they were heading into.
"C'mon ma'am, you gotta hang in there! Don't give up just yet!" Decade softly spoke to the woman.
"I-it's better be this way..." she said, making the Rider raised his eyebrows in wonder.
"I... was the one... who conducted this experiment." She said.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" he asked.
"Dai-Shocker kept assuring me that my research... is for the better future of humanity. To mix human genes... with their synthetic Dusts. But... once I realized what they're using it for... I decided to ran away. I was too late to realize... that I've been... hurting people. Perhaps... this might be the way for me... to atone for my sins... somewhat." She brokenly spoke.
"No, you realized that it's wrong and you're willing to make it right. please, let us help you!" Decade said to the woman.
"You've done enough... to free me from this pain. There's no saving me... but... you can still... save the others. Please, save Remnant from them. Our future... lies in your hand... Kamen Rider."
And with those words, the woman vanished into bright light, leaving nothing on its wake. The Rider simply slumped on his knees. He was failed to save her. His hands trembled knowing such horrible fact. His comrades could only look at his despair in sorrow.
"Oh no... Kyle." Blake muttered.
"She... didn't make it." Ryugen said.
Xiphon sighed heavily as he spoke, "Do you see now, Decade? Seeing that the very life you wanted to save lost in front of you? Don't worry, losses are natural... for the greater good."
"Xiphon..." Decade growled.
"Through every loss, we gain more power. Through every defeat, we gain more victory. Through every death, we gain more lives. Sacrifices are necessary. All for the sake... of Dai-Shocker's triumph! That, is what being a Dai-Shocker is all about!" he declared.
The heroes glared furiously upon Xiphon's atrocious statement. Sacrificing lives just to ensure their victory? A typical bad guy stuff, of course. But it was still infuriating to know such fact truly exists in the heart of evil like how the Dai-Shocker is always. Both Riders and Huntsmen despised such fact, and that was the reason why they waged the war against the organization.
"And what you see right now, Decade... is the true unfairness of this world. Despite your claims to save her life... your efforts are all for nothing. You ended up taking away her only way to live on. You killed her." Xiphon continued, pointing his sword at the mourning Rider.
"Don't friggin' screw with me...!"
"Hmm?"
"Me... killing her? No. You made me do this. You put your blame on me... just like those friggin' bastards."
Decade's body suddenly emanated a red raging aura. It went bigger as the Rider slowly regained his composure. He clenched his fists tightly. He hid his tears behind his helmet, ignoring his sorrow as he focused his sight on his one true nemesis...
Xiphon.
And Xiphon.
Alone.
"YOU MADE ME KILL HER, DAMMIT!"
KAMEN RIDE :
"Henshin!"
DECADE!
Changing back to his default form, Decade launched furious punch barrages at the latter. A predictable move, Xiphon thought. He decided to went on a simple defensive. However, the Rider's power levels spiked much further than he could remember, putting him at the odds much to his surprise. The Rider threw a huge rubble from a broken structure at him. Xiphon easily sliced it in half, knowing that the hit would damage him even if he guarded himself.
"You think that'll work on-"
However, Decade took the distraction opportunity by going under the Dai-Shocker commander, sending a heavy blow at the commander's gut that sent the latter meters away. It wasn't enough for the Rider. It would never be, probably.
FINAL ATTACK RIDE :
DE-DE-DE-DECADE!
Xiphon desperately tried to find a way to regain his stand, only for him to realize that Decade had him locked on with his Rider Kick that pummeled the latter to the ground. The impact created a large crater, in which Decade was beating up the commander once the dust settled.
"You kidnapped those people!" One punch he launched...
"You turned them into monsters!" continued with another...
"You made them to be killed already!" and another hit...
"And that's why... YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE TO BLAME!" Ended with another powerful punch.
"TELL ME WHERE THE OTHERS ARE! TELL ME NOW!"
"Oh, cut it out would you!?" Xiphon growled, blasting a powerful beam blast charged from his chest directly at the Rider. The blast caused Decade's Rider system to malfunction, detransforming him as he fell.
"But still, your power level in an interesting one. It increases just with a simple fit of rage. Yet it is... what I might call as a 'rude awakening'. Your new power still means nothing to me. Oh well, I guess I should note this myself." He said.
"What do you even want from me...?"
"Haven't I told you already? I want your power, your will, and your might for Dai-Shocker's cause. I know that persuading you would be very impossible to do now, so I conducted this experiment to further explore it myself, whether you like it or not." He confided.
"All this... is just for your experiment!?" Kyle grunted.
"Well, what else do you think?" Xiphon said, grabbing Kyle by his collar, "After all, Kamen Riders are originated from Dai-Shocker, especially the first one which was our experiment's pinnacle. You all belong to us, and I'm here to take their powers back to their rightful place. And then you came, Kyle Morgan; an utter waste of potential... and a weakling."
Kyle widened his eyes as the words struck him. Xiphon prepared his sword and was about to impale the helpless Rider, until Weiss intervened by freezing his armed hand. It was continued by Pyrrha's sniper blast to his helmet and Ryugen knocking the former away with his gun's rear end. Just as Xiphon managed to hold his stand, Weiss had already pointed his weapon right at his rear neck.
"We won't let you harm him further. Drop your weapon and surrender." Weiss threatened dreadfully.
Regaining his composure, Xiphon calmly stated, "Well then, it has been an eventful afternoon, indeed. Oh, and tell your other friends that I sent my regards. Adieu."
And with that, Xiphon teleported himself away from the battlefield, leaving the stunned Kyle and his comrades behind. The young Rider couldn't get any words out from his mouth after what happened. His eyes were soaked in tears. He had failed to fulfill a hero's one most crucial duty; to save a soul. He had to witness such harsh reality himself. He was confused, unsure of his own credibility. Could Xiphon be right about Kyle being much weaker than him? He knew that protecting innocents is always the right thing to do.
And yet, he couldn't fulfill it.
"Kyle? Are you alright? Kyle!" Blake called him out.
"I... I couldn't save her..." he muttered in sorrow.
"Kyle..."
"But our mission never changes." Weiss said firmly.
As Kyle looked up once he brushed his tears away, Kyle spoke, "My job... as a Huntsmen and a Kamen Rider is to protect innocents. She was dying right in front of me. Yet... I failed to save her. What good am I, if I can't even save a single soul? Do I even still have the right to call myself a hero after what happened?"
"Answer me." he softly said. No response came from neither Weiss, Blake, nor the others present. He asked one more time, raising his tone for a more, just clarification.
"I said, ANSWER-!"
WHACK!
Kyle received a loud slap to his left cheek as opposed to what he had last time, in courtesy of Weiss once again. Her expression was still as firm as always, like the impact did nothing to her. As much as he wanted to admire her resilience, he couldn't ignore the fact that one life vanished in front of him.
"You think I don't know that? You think I'm insensitive!? This is what life is all about! We're mortals, Kyle. We live, and we'll all die, someday. But this failure isn't gonna stop us from doing what we had to from the beginning! Dai-Shocker is our target, and we're gonna keep hunting them down no matter what it takes! You get me!?" she yelled.
"So what am I supposed to do with it? nothing!? Are you telling me to ignore a life that has just been lost!? Weiss, what you're saying is just like telling me to live on without any sense of guilt! That is the biggest sin I could never forgive!" Kyle countered.
"That's not what I'm trying to say!" Weiss rejected.
"I'll take it from here." Ryuki sugested, knowing the true meaning behind her words.
"Shinji..."
"You're right, Kyle; we can't ignore the lost ones like it were nothing to us. it's our human nature to mourn for the lost ones, especially right in front of us. but... We still need to go on. We're warriors, so all we can do, all you can do now is to fight back." The rider lectured.
"All... I can do now..."
"You should know that there are much worse things to face in the future, even than death. No matter what our efforts are to avoid it, we would always find ourselves in the most inevitable odds. We could never wish upon bringing back the death, but we could still ensure that her sacrifice won't be in vain." Pyrrha quipped.
After a bit of a silence, Blake took the liberty to further support him. "I know that you're a good person for your concern about people's lives and I admit, I respected you for that, Kyle. But... this life won't be long enough just for you to mourn. Our objective is right in front of us. we can't possibly back down from here on. So I ask you; what are you going to do now?"
The Rider let out a sigh, knowing that he still had a mission to go on. He strengthened his resolve once more, slowly regaining his stand. The show must go on, no matter what the cost. There were still more people to save. It wasn't a game over, yet. Getting back on his knees, he stated,
"It's obvious, right? I'll fight them back. I can't waste my time moping around here. Those scums are gonna pay for what they did, and I'm not letting them get away with this. Now, let's go saving people like what a hero would do. After all, I'm a Huntsman... and a Kamen Rider! "
Suddenly, a red light emanated from the Decadriver. It took a form of a mechanical red eastern dragon, with its tail looked like a sword. It stared idly at the Rider, inspecting the young man.
"That's... Dragredder. You finally unlocked your access to my powers!" Ryuki noted.
"It's your, uhh... partner, right?" Blake asked.
"We called them Contract Monsters. You might know it as... domesticated Mirror Monsters. By forming a contract with them, the Riders in my universe can gain access to their powers, even using some of their body parts as a weapon." Ryuki described.
"A contract?" Weiss wondered.
"At first, the purpose of making the contract is to feed them energy from other Mirror Monsters. But after the Rider War ended, the Contract Monsters, mine and my partners', decided to stay loyal to us. they feed on... well, whatever we eat." He added.
*What is it that you seek, human?* the creature growled.
"Whoa." he startled. The dragon somehow managed to get his words through him, even with soft growls. This might surprised Kyle, but he quickly answered the dragon's question.
"I want a strength to rise up when I'm at my lowest. I want to be strong for those I hold dear to me. please, lend me your strength so that I can fulfill my duty as a protector." Kyle stated.
*I sensed no farce in your words. Very well, I shall become your strength. But be warned, human; do not let the power corrupt you, or you will quickly fall from your grace, for you are the wielder of many... the wielder of the legion.*
The dragon entered his Decadriver once again, thus giving him a new set of cards, which obviously held the power of the Rider War's true victor. He closed his eyes for a moment to regain more of his senses, putting aside his remorse and worries of what the future will hold. He had enough people to support him through thick and thin. It was more than he could have ever asked for.
"Let's go save those people, like a boss." He remarked. The others could only grin upon his last statement. Nonetheless, they were glad to have their comrade back.
"Alright, the prisoners are on the lowest level of the building. We might encounter some combatants inside the building, so keep your eyes out for them. We'll divide into two teams. Decade, Ryuki, and Weiss are going to raid the main generator and destroy it. Pyrrha and Blake are going with me to rescue the civilians. Questions?" Ryugen informed.
Weiss was the first one to raise his hand, "Wait, a generator? For what?"
"To stabilize the distortion this place had caused in order to maintain the fort's structure. Building any structures in the Mirror World would cause them to rupture easily if it wasn't for the generator." Ryuki answered.
"Then destroying it would bring the fort down along. Understood." Weiss complied.
"Well, you guys better wait for us and the civilians to clear out." Pyrrha said, knowing that destroying the generator first wouldn't do them any better.
"Say, how are we going to get the civilians out? They're not gonna fit in our rides." Blake wondered.
"I saw a mirror nearby this complex. They must've used it to go in and out. Also, Pyrrha's right about waiting the civilians to clear out first. The last thing we ever wanted is a broken escort out." Ryuki informed.
"Any other Kaijins we should worry about?" Kyle asked the green Rider.
"No, but the Combatants could've been preparing the facility's defenses inside. Be ready for any odds inside." The latter replied.
"Hope the other civilians aren't as infected as we feared." Blake hoped.
"They'll be alright. I'm sure of it." Pyrrha replied.
"Alright, team. We're moving in!" Ryugen barked.
Xiphon delighted upon his own success.
He had gained a very valuable data that would ensure his project to start. However, he should note to himself that angering Kyle Morgan in such way was not a best idea possible. He knew that firing his beam from his chest was just a lucky hit. Who knows what the Rider could do to assess the problem in the future. Kyle Morgan would surely get back on his feet and start kicking again and for that, he too, must prepare.
The commander took out a syringe gun from one of his work desk, filled with a glass purple liquid. He injected the said substance to him, letting out soft sigh after he pulled it out. His mind was at ease once again, ready to continue on... whatever he thought would do best.
He packed his work desk into his armor. He decided to pay a visit to his partner-in-crime, who had been active in the business, once again. While not robbing Dust stores anymore, which Xiphon commented on him as a relatively stupid move, he was now inspecting the Dust transports in Vale. Remaining covert was the best option, as the Riders and Huntsmen were currently keping their tabs on their business, especially after the bravado nights ago.
"How's it going?" he asked.
"Nothing much to worry about. Delays were getting minimal, these days. I gotta say, you setting the minor sites up to draw the Riders' attention really smoothed this work well. Must be fun to play them around, eh?" Roman smirked at his friend's work.
The minor site is the term they use for the mining sites that had a relatively small amount of Dusts. while still transporting Dusts from the said sites, they also used them as a cover for the mining sites that actually had loads of Dusts that they could ever afford to have. The 'real' mining sites were the ones that they prioritize to mine Dusts from. That way, they could covertly operate in ease.
"You bet. Our actual sites are built with strong disruptors and jammers. I know it's a bit too much, but it's effective though." Xiphon replied.
"I still want some payback with 'red' and 'pinkie', though..." Roman lamented. Xiphon snickered upon his nickname to his rival. 'Pinkie' was rather accurate, seeing the Decade armor actually composed of a bright magenta color, which people often kept dubbing it as pink. From one of his datas, the first Decade, Tsukasa Kadoya, hated that remark very much. Who knows if he still is, or Kyle would have the same thing, though.
"Don't worry, there would be a time for that. Remember, Rome: patience is the key."
"You keep telling that like you're underestimating me, Xiphon. I mean, are you even doing any better?" Roman irked.
"Well, I don't want you, or any of us, to underestimate them either. I want to prove everyone in this world that Dai-Shocker is not the same failure they used to be. We evolved, enhanced ourselves by learning from our mistakes. Errors might be inevitable Roman, but I believe it's for the greater good of becoming stronger." Xiphon stated.
The trickster whistled, simply amused by his friend, "Nice speech. Well right, you got a point there. Now, if you excuse me, I got another checking to do at Hangar-B. See you soon."
"Then 'Rush-B', it is." Xiphon smiled, allowing Roman to go.
"Ugh, you're going with that, now?" Roman scowled. Rush-B was a term from a particular game that Xiphon usually played, meaning for the players to go to 'Site-B' quickly. he had to admit that Xiphon's sense of joke was quite fun to see, no matter how crude or cringey it would be.
And of course, he complied with the command.
The heroes, having been divided into two groups, each fought their way to their designated objectives. Ryugen, Blake, and Pyrrha encountered several Combatants, the normal ones, each armed with standard-issue Dust rifles manufactured by Dai-Shocker itself as seen on the rifles' symbol. The rifles, of course, didn't do much to harm the three heroes. Blake swiftly dodged every shots aimed on her, occasionally using her shadow clone Semblance to further improve her evasive succession rate. She flailed her Gambol Shrould sickle towards the Combatants, disarming them and knocked some of them away. When the Combatants managed to get close to her, she quickly stroke them with her weapon's cleaver/sheathe portion while using her gun to shoot those that were far from the vicinity, or even at point blank range that caved a Combatant's head.
Ryugen and Pyrrha shot their weapons back-to-back. The green Rider might have his Budou Ryuhou as his best weapon to push the Combatants back, seeing as it was essentially a sub-machine gun, but Pyrrha was surprisingly good enough with her Akouo's Sniper mode. Usually, snipers stay in a place far from the enemy's reach for better aim. Even some of them resorted to cloak themselves in stealth mode if they have the tech to do so. Ryugen mostly saw Pyrrha firing her weapons without even bothering to scope first. Such skill was plausible for an olympic champion like her.
As more of them closing in, Pyrrha quickly switched her weapon to lance mode, the one that she favors the most. As for Ryugen, he took out another Lockseed at his disposal. This time, it took a depiction of a green kiwi fruit. The Lockseed's code was 'L.S-13'. Ryugen the replaced his Budou Lockseed in favor of this one.
KIWI!
LOCK OFF! LOCK ON!
HAI! KIWI ARMS!
GEKI, RIN, SEI-YA HA!
Pyrrha and Blake witnessed another giant fruit armor summoned above the Rider from the depths of Helheim forest. Once he twitched his Driver's hammer down, the fruit descended towards him as his previous armor dissolved into a juicy purple liquid. The new armor opened and reconfigured itself into a kiwi-like chinese warrior armor. His torso armor also had a green, sliced kiwi ornament. His shoulder pads were big and sturdy enough to provide him some mild protection. His Kiwi Men helmet changed his visor and horns, resembling dragon horns.
"A kiwi this time, huh?" Blake mused while slicing more Combatants on her twelve.
"Wonder if it's edible." Pyrrha joked, pointing her lance at the enemy.
"Oh you'll lose your teeth real quick if you do." Replying the comment, Ryugen took out his Arms' weapons, being a pair of green huge slicing discs dubbed as 'Kiwi Gekirin'.
The green Rider mainly spun himself to slice the Combatants apart. He effectively shielded himself against the Dust blasts using either his shoulder pads or discs. He would often fling his discs at farther targets at high velocity, tearing off the unsuspecting Combatants. Even trying to flee from it was impossible.
Pyrrha herself also had little-to-no problems on charging in towards the armed Combatants. She could simply use Milo to shield her up, or even disarm the enemies before she punctured them with Akouo. Seeing how Ryugen threw his discs, it reminded her at how she also used her shield in the same manner. She then resorted to the said attack in order to give Ryugen an idea for their next move, in which he did.
As more Combatants turn into black mists, more of them kept coming. Assessing the situation, Ryugen and Pyrrha both nodded at each other, knowing what tactics they should use to mow them down.
"Blake, you might wanna stick with us." Pyrrha alerted. The Kunoichi simply nodded to comply.
"Pyrrha, can you keep the momentum on with your Semblance?" Ryugen asked, having known his companion's Semblance firsthand.
"Sure thing."
"Now!"
KIWI AU LAIT!
Once the Au Lait function charged both of their discs and shield respectively, The two heroes flung their weapons. It formed a huge spinning saw barrier that kept the Combatants from closing in. As Blake and Pyrrha fired their weapons, Ryugen searched for any visible doorways that could led them into the captivity. His helmet's radar pinged several life signs inside the door on his left.
"Life signs detected. I'm going in!" Ryugen commed the two Huntresses, activating another function from his Sengoku Driver.
KIWI SQUASH!
Ryugen's right boot was surrounded by green projections of kiwi discs, spinning around it to help him deliver a strong Rider kick towards the gate. He didn't have much time to look for any security locks, or maybe he didn't have to. He's a Kamen Rider. He can break through any automated doors. At least that's what he kept telling himself.
True to his calculations, the door broke apart. Inside the room, there were a handful of abducted citizens: men and women of varying ages who were mostly weak in health, possibly due to the lack of nutritions. He approached the citizens as Blake and Pyrrha were finishing off the remaining Combatants.
"There's no need to panic! We're here to help!" Rygen assured.
Kyle, Weiss, and Ryuki were walking through the hallways, looking for the said generator. They were slowly closing in to the said place. So far, there hadn't been any disturbances along the way. they didn't even need to go covertly. This place is going to fall apart, anyway. The group started looking for any clues of the generator's whereabaouts, seeing the lack of the fort's schematics. This could give the other team more time to clear the citizens off the building.
Surprisingly though, Weiss was the one to start a conversation after their long, silent walk.
"How are you holding up?" she asked the Rider. She couldn't ignore the fact that she had made a huge slap at him.
"I'm getting there." He replied her friend's hospitality.
"Look, I just wanted you to know... that everything I said back there, it's all for the sake of this mission's success." She confessed. Weiss remembered that all Kyle wanted to do was to understand her motivations behind her actions. It might be unnecessary for her to tell that to him, but at least she was trying to be the best teammate she could ever be.
"I know. I'm not gonna argue that." Kyle replied awkwardly. He could tell that Weiss had been pushing herself to say that to him.
"This mission concerns the citizens' safety. One thing goes wrong, it's all over." She added.
"I get it now. You want a perfection." Kyle quipped.
"Well... you're not wrong."
"I'm jealous of you." Kyle confessed with a little chuckle.
"Of what?"
"Your will to move forward. To become better at everything you could be. I mean, look at you: your fighting techniques are far more polished than I do. You mostly surpassed my academic rank. Hell, you came from a family with bucks of Liens at your disposal. Well, I could care less about the last one, but what kind of person who doesn't wanna have that much of a fortune?" Kyle was lost in such thoughts he had.
Weiss was a bit startled by Kyle's statement. She let out a sigh before replying him. "I gotta admit it myself; you're doing quite well, for a guy who's literally out of this world."
"Look who's talking: Weiss Schnee, the Queen of Ice-Cold Sass." Kyle teased the so-called Ice Queen.
"Ouch." Weiss sarcastically winced.
"Well, I'll try not to screw things up again. I promise." He chuckled while keeping his little promise.
Weiss simply hummed in agreement. The ice breaking was fun while it last. She could tell that despite his seemingly strong commitment of his way of life, he didn't bother not to live up people's expectations for him. He couldn't stay apathetic forever against people's critiques towards his behaviour. Like any other human, he tends to make mistakes either. The sudden pressure of his previous error surely had the best of him at the time. he musn't let it happen again.
Ryuki, who was overhearing the conversation, could only let out a small smile under his helmet. He was glad that the power of the new Decade was in the right hands
"Everything alright back there?" Ryuki went on for a check.
"Still no signs of any threats. Not even a single generator." Kyle reported.
"Can't your armor at least tell us something?" Weiss asked the red Rider. She was clearly agitated by their dead-end.
"Sadly, no. I've been checking through many doors and rooms existing in this place. Looks like the Dai-Shocker's stubborn enough to keep their generator away from any intruders." Ryuki replied.
"Hmm, makes me wonder which one's harder: their heads or my fists? Bets, anyone?" Kyle mused.
"I'm pretty sure that it'll be one-sided for you." Ryuki noted.
"We got company!" Weiss alerted.
The group was suddenly surrounded by the Combatants. Not only rifles, some of them were also armed with Dust miniguns, even launchers with a large chunk of Dust round. The enemy had been expecting them to come to the location. Given the situation, the heroes must've arrived at their destination.
"Holy mother of love..." Ryuki swore beneath his helmet.
"Open fire!" one of the Combatants ordered.
The Combatants fired their weapons mercilessly. Weiss immediately used her Glyphs to create an ice barrier. The miniguns' firepower might not be as much as rifles did, but their quick firing rate was enough to slowly deteriorate her barrier. The Dust launchers were much worse. One single hit could've deplete one's Aura to roughly 70 percent. Weiss herself was even barely holding herself up. They wouldn't stand a chance if none was able to break their concentrated firing.
That's where Kyle came in.
"So much for a welcoming party, eh?" Kyle huffed. He quickly drew Ryuki's Kamen Ride card from his Ride Booker.
KAMEN RIDE :
"Henshin!"
RYUKI!
A red, flaming energy construct of Dragredder soared from his Decadriver towards the surrounding Combatants. the Driver belt also released dozens of glass shards that soon covered the Rider's body. It also formed a rough-textured Rider armor, which soon exploded to reveal his own Ryuki armor once he retracted his right arm. The explosion also caused Weiss' ice barrier to explode too, scattering around the Combatants that disoriented their focused firing.
"Ah, crap!" a Combatant swore.
"My eyes!" another one wailed.
D-Ryuki completed his transformation as his pair of red-eyed visors lit up beneath his helmet's grill.
"Our only way to win... is to fight!" he declared.
Weiss was a bit taken back when her ice barrier also exploded. However, the Combatants who stopped firing due to the disorientation proved the main point of his action: it is time to fight back. She let out a small grin upon knowing this.
"Way to go, Kyle!" Ryuki complimented.
"We have our momentum. Let's finish this!" Weiss barked.
The heroes had finally started their counterattack. Weiss quickly disarmed them by freezing their weapons until they broke. She also used her gravity Glyph to pull the enemies towards her before puncturing the Combatants. the latter froze upon contact with the Myrtenaster.
The Huntress also used her Glyphs to further navigate the grounds, searching for better ideas to mow down more Combatants while skewering them in the process. She then stumbled upon pipes that channeled methane gas, which was flamable as stated by sign on it. in fact, the pipes surrounded most of the room around her. Weiss quickly froze the pipe and broke it as soon as she got the idea. She also taunted the Combatants to come at her.
"Hey!" she shouted.
As the Combatants were drawn to her, she quickly jumped away from them and used her weapon's fire dust round to sey the room ablaze. True to her calculations, the pipes exploded, bringing the poor Combatants down with it.
D-Ryuki launched a Combatant with his flaming left hook. His left punches were stronger than his right one thanks to the Drag Visor reinforcing his armor's kinetic muscles. He then summoned the Drag Claw to further strengthen his right fist.
ATTACK RIDE : STRIKE VENT!
D-Ryuki quickly threw more fiery punches at the remaining Combatants. he even used the Dragon-headed gauntlet to crush a Combatants skull. The Rider's helmet detected an attack from behind, being a Combatant who fired a heavy fire Dust round from its launcher. D-Ryuki quickly caught the blast using the Drag Claw's jaw, returning the blast to where it came from. It completely obliterated the Combatant to dusts, leaving its launcher for D-Ryuki to make use of against the horde.
SWORD VENT!
Ryuki was managed to snatch a rifle from a nearby Combatant and sprayed its Dust rounds towards the incoming Combatants. on his left hand was his very own Drag Saber. He fiercely swung his sword from one Combatat to another while still effectively fired his rifle. Feeling that it wasn't enough to eliminate more Combatants, he suddenly had an idea of how to get the job done.
GUARD VENT!
The red Rider summoned a pair of his Drag Shields that attached to his shoulder guards. He rammed one minion to another, snatching more weapons with the shields' pair of dragon claws. The claws grabbed a weapon for each of them, which soon configured Ryuki's very own weapons loadout: a pair of rifles on the shields' front claws and a pair of Dust launchers on the rear claws. He soon took notice of one thing that was still needed to complete the loadout.
The Drag Claw.
STRIKE VENT!
Once he summoned the gauntlet, he felt the surge of adrenaline coursing through his veins. He summoned all of his weapons and stole some of his enemies' guns. How could he not be excited by this? Summoning all of his gears were always fun, now that he think about it.
"Yeah baby!"
The Drag Shields' claws pulled the triggers of their respective guns, firing Dust rounds both light and heavy. He swung his sword and gauntlet towards a large number of Combatants. his weapons were all powered by his flame element. He was literally a walking flamethrower, spewing terror and throwing lead at the hostiles. None of the Combatants survived the Rider's wrath.
However, they still needed to clear more rooms for them. D-Ryuki knew how to get it done as usual.
"Weiss, Ryuki, on me!"
ATTACK RIDE : CROSSATTACK!
The attack coordinates were transfered from D-Ryuki's mind to the other two via energy surges, giving them a general idea of what to do. First, Weiss stabbed her Myrtenaster to the ground, summoning a large gravity Glyph that sucked a large number of Combatants in, even cratering the ground in the process. The Riders nodded to each other to launch their attacks once the enemies were in position. they jumped with their launchers aimed at the ground to give them an altitude boost. Their weapons, now empowered, started throwing stronger flame (Dust) rounds that burned the Combatants down. It caused a large explosion once they were finished.
" 'Rocket Jump'? really?" Ryuki chuckled, knowing that D-Ryuki's combo attack somehow took a reference from a particular multiplayer shooting game.
"Hey, I didn't become a video game geek just for nothing." D-Ryuki remarked.
"You and your boy stuff..." Weiss sighed in joy.
This was it, the Combatants were done for. Or so it seems.
More and more Combatants spawned inside the room. It was truly the best defense that the fort could afford to have. Like minion archetypes, a sheer number and non-stop spawnings of Combatants could be very overwhelming, be it for Huntsmen and Riders. The goal of the assault was to exhaust the heroes, seeing that the latter's main source of energy being their stamina. A brilliant strategy indeed, unless our heroes could find the source of the Combatants' production.
"We can't hold on much longer like this! Guys, how're the civilians?" Weiss checked on her Scroll comms.
"All done and clear here, Weiss. The civilians have cleared the area. You guys are free to wreak havoc." Blake answered the call.
"You two heard that?" Weiss checked on the Riders.
"I guess this is it then, Decade." Ryuki called his junior.
"Yup. Finally, some cleaning to do." D-Ryuki remarked.
The two Riders took out their respective summoning cards: Ryuki being his Dragredder Advent card, and D-Ryuki being his FFR card. They inserted the cards into their respective devices. There was no need to hold back anymore. It's time they put their total annihilation specialties to use.
ADVENT!
FINAL FORM RIDE : RYU-RYU-RYU-RYUKI!
The former's Dragredder rose from a mirror shard above him as the Rider sheathed his weapons. As for D-Ryuki, his current Rider armor detached from him, returning the Rider to his default form. The armor became Ryuki's own phantom that soon dislocated its limbs to become its own Dragredder, with all of its arsenals attached as the body parts. The double dragon had arrived to finish the job once and for all.
The dragons wreaked havoc throughout the facility, searching for any potential rooms that could be containing the generator. They soared and blew their fires to every place they could find. Fortunately, it didn't take them to long to find the generator, which turned out to be located inside a heavily fortified secret door. The door was hidden well enough so that it blended with the walls. It was also thick enough to hold the dragons' initial attacks. However, the hole that they made against the wall proved enough evidence of the said dark matter-filled generator.
"So much effort for a hidden door." Decade huffed.
"Let's get this thing done real quick, Decade." Ryuki said.
"Copy." He answered.
And with that, they prepared their respective finishers.
FINAL VENT!
FINAL ATTACK RIDE : RYU-RYU-RYU-RYUKI!
The two Riders went on their stances. They jumped high as their Dragons spun around them in order to help them gain enough altitude. Once it was enough, the dragons behind them breathed their flames behind their respective Riders, giving them more speed to execute their double Rider kick. The attack, of course, successfully disabled the generator. They landed gracefully once the generator exploded.
As our heroes predicted, the facility, even the skies inside the distorted dimension started to crumble. Outside the facility, Blake, Pyrrha, and Ryugen had been waiting for the other team to come out of the facility. From the crumbling walls of Dai-Shocker's fort, came out the other group. both Dragredders were seen clutching their respective Riders, with Weiss being brought by the FFR one. Once they landed, Ryuki's Contract Beast disappeared into bright mirror shards and the FFR reatteched itself to Decade, turning him back into D-Ryuki.
"We better hurry, guys. This place won't hold out much longer anymore." Ryugen informed.
"So, where are the citizens now?" Weiss asked.
"Don't worry, they're being sent into the Vale Kingdom Hospital. They'll be taken care there." Pyrrha answered.
"Whelp, that takes care of it. now let's get outta here." D-Ryuki said.
The heroes revved up their vehicles at high speed. The Mirror Kaijins outsied the fort were also seen disintegrating themselves. They just had to ram them on their way out. The crumbling distortion behind them left nothing but a crack that was about to close itself. The Mirror World itself still remained intact. They could finally breathe in ease as they located their fellow warriors outside the Mirror World.
The heroes were heading towards Tsukasa's residence. Meanwhile, D-Ryuki, who was riding behind his comrades, held an uncertainty behind his helmet.
Yusuke Godai was busy sweeping the fallen leaves away from the house. He was known to be the most critical one of their house's sanitation. Once he finished collecting the leaves to throw them into the trash can later, he saw the Mirror World strike team exiting from the house's window. He quickly put the leaves and his broom aside to call the rest of the heroes out, while Ryuki and Ryugen disengaged their armors.
LOCK OFF!
"Hey guys! They're already here!"
The Huntsmen and Riders inside the house went outside to greet their fellow heroes, with Ruby being the one who asked first.
"Hey guys! How's it going?" she asked.
"The citizens were rescued. They're already in the hospital now." Weiss answered.
"And Dai-Shocker?" Ren A. Asked.
"Disappeared without a trace." Shinjii said.
"Well, one thing to be least worried about." Tsukasa remarked.
"Oh, and Tsukasa? Your kid unlocked Ryuki's Totem." Shinji informed.
"Now that's another good news." The former cheered.
"Oh! So, what can he do with that?" Ruby asked.
"The main point is, he can now summon a dragon." Mitsuzane replied.
"A dragon!? Y-you mean, the giant... fire-breathing lizard?" she asked again, making her own gesture of the animal's description.
"Yup. And the cool-looking one." Shinji said.
"Awesome!"
*I don't recall myself being called as cool* the Dragredder huffed via Shinji's Advent Deck.
"Don't worry, Drags. It's been a colorful world here, isn't it?" the latter grinned.
"Anyway... where's Kyle?" Jaune asked. True to his words, Kyle was nowhere to be seen, let alone his bike.
"Wha-how did he...?" Weiss was confused.
"Well, he was right behind us when we got out." Pyrrha said.
In the midst of the confusion, Blake went to check on her Scroll, especially in her chatting app group to text him. Just as she turned it on, she saw a notification from Kyle himself. He gave a reason why he wasn't with them. Blake's eyes frowned, knowing what really happened to him once she saw the text.
"Guys... I have a theory."
Kyle : I'm already outside of the Mirror World. Need some time alone. Don't bother looking for me.
The Rider leaned on his usual bench on top of the Beacon's dorm. He was thankful that the place had little-to-no crowds unlike the rest of the academy. For whatever reasons the other students were uninterested to go there, save for his friends, he always got the vague feeling that the spot was meant for him. It wasn't like he cared about it, anyway.
Once he put his Scroll inside his pocket, he got up from his bench and rested his arms on the fence in front of him, looking throughout the horizon from his Huntsmen academy. It had been a long day for him, like and unlike any other. he had spent days and weeks learning how to fight in the academy while hunting down the Dai-Shocker at the same time. he knew it wasn't a bad thing to become Remnant's savior, and yet he had no idea of such pressure coming to him: the guilt of unable to save a human.
Although he might had said to his friends that he could get over it, the insecurity inside him just wouldn't disappear. It drove him away from gathering with his very friends. He didn't want to worry them much more just by looking at his face. At least he let his friends know where he was. But still, why? Is this what the warriors always felt in the midst of the battle?
Perhaps, Ozpin could give him the answer.
"Mind if I join you?" the professor asked.
"Oh, not at all, sir." Kyle answered.
"Please, Kyle. There's no need for any formalities, here. 'Professor' would be just enough for that." Ozpin said.
"I always prefer such formality, sir. It suits me."
"If you think so, then it would always is."
"I know, right?" Kyle chuckled.
"So, mind telling me why you're not with your friends?" the veteran Huntsman asked.
Kyle was silent for a moment, not knowing how to exactly explain what truly happened. "I'm just... not in the mood to tag along. Not that I had any problems or... conflicts with them."
"Is it about the mission?"
"Umm...yes?"
"Kyle, you need to hide nothing from me. You knew from Tsukasa that I and the Riders had been together for a long time. even we're still maintaining contacts with each other. not to mention, I always checked on your missions with them, along with the abduction case you're currently working on. So please, let me help you with whatever problems you're having now." Ozpin pointed out. He had indeed been fulfilling his duties as a headmaster by doing such things.
The Rider pushed himself to find the right words for it. "Sir... what does it feel like when... you lost the chance to save someone you cared about right in front of you?"
Ozpin was processing the thought. He might've had the idea for it. "Is that what you're having a problem with?"
"Yes, sir. I always thought when I became a Kamen Rider, I could save everyone. But I was wrong. An enemy of mine tricked me into killing her. I took away her only chance to live."
"My condolences. What about the mission, then?"
"It's a success indeed. The rest of the victims are safe. I can get over the reality, but... I can't get this feeling... this guilt... off my chest. That's why I tried to brush it off alone, giving me some space to... cope up with everything. Until you came, that is."
"My apologies if I'm disturbing you, then."
"No need to be. In fact, I think I could use some advice from a veteran like you, sir. I wish to know what would you do to assess this problem I'm dealing with."
Understanding the problem, Ozpin leaned closer and looked into Kyle's eyes once again. "For many years I've fought many battles, Kyle. And for many years, I've seen death in front of my eyes, even in the similar case you're having, now. So I tell you: a human's death is always inevitable. We're currently living in a harsh environment, where the likes of Grimms... and Dai-Shocker are lurking. We must always be prepared for the worst. This war we're waging against... it's always about gambling our lives. That's why I built this Huntsmen academy, in order to prevent more deaths due to the lack of knowledge."
"And in regards of your feelings, Kyle... it is normal. It's a very concrete proof that you still have the sense of humanity. That is why, I can always say that you are the right man to be a Huntsman, and a Kamen Rider."
"You think so, sir?" Kyle asked, unsure of his headmaster's words.
"Why shouldn't I? You are fully aware of your actions and those that are happening around you. You always take this matter seriously, by committing yourself to protect the innocents and those you care about. You are still willing to make things right despite the mistakes you've done. And that's why, I ask you to fight for that reason."
A reason. He was right. how could he forgot it? all he needed to do was to take it as his reason to keep fighting. He could never back down from this anymore. Fighting this war isn't just about defeating an enemy nor facing the fear itself, but it's also about protecting the innocents. He could never let himself down by his failures. He should rise up and fight back once again for those he cared about... and those who had been lost in the midst of the battle.
Perhaps, Kyle had just been waiting for someone to slap those words right in front of his face, after all.
"You're right. thanks for the advice, sir. I won't let my failures get the best of me." he thanked.
"Anytime, Kyle. After all, we humans are meant to help each other."
With Ozpin bid his student farewell, Kyle had made another vow. The next time he meet Xiphon or any Dai-Shocker subordinates, he should prepare to voice out his will right in front of their faces. Just like how Ozpin did it to him. Clenching his fist, he had renewed his vow to fight for the innocents.
Oh, and speaking of new...
Kyle reached his Scroll and went to immediately contact his mentor. It seems that he had struck with a new idea for his crusade.
"Tsukasa, how do you say 'new' or 'custom' in japanese?"
(A/N)
Hey there! Chapter 16 is done! Finally...
I apologize for the long wait. The college finals kicked in, so I barely got the time to continue and properly think about the best ides for this and future chapters. Oh, and RWBY Vol. 5 has finally come to a close! Wonder what else the CRWBY has in store for the next volume. I heard it's gonna be out this fall. Plus, that RWBY: Combat Ready entry inside the site's show tab got me more curious than ever.
Truth to be told, this chapter could be one of the most influential to Kyle, I say. As a warrior, he had to learn that he couldn't possibly save everyone. He was just like any other humans who can only do as best as he could. However, he must overcome his failure in the best way possible. Also, Kyle having a pep talk with Ozpin is the best way I could think of giving him more advice, seeing that Ozpin rarely communicates with students on screen. Now if I may ask: how did I do so far?
Oh, and as you may have seen, I gave the Contract Monsters some speech from their nondescript voices. Figured that it could give you readers (and our heroes) some clarification of what they're trying to say. Kinda like the "I am Groot" thingy from GOTG and Drive's Shift Cars, except that the literation is for everyone. As for Darkwing's gender, I based it on his girlfriend a bit.
Kyle has gained the access to Ryuki's powers by resolving to keep on fighting. Meanwhile, more and more Dusts are being shipped without the heroes' knowledge. Why did Xiphon inject the liquid to himself? What will our heroes face next? And what kind of idea Kyle has in mind? Stay tune for more chapters!
Please leave your comments below and remember, BE CONSTRUCTIVE.
Until next time.