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Episode 3


OP Song:

仮面ライダーBLACK RX (RIDER CHIPS Ver.) · RIDER CHIPS


Insert Song: Start

Metal Gear Solid : Peace Walker - ''Heavens Divide''


PART 1

Everything was very quiet. There was just a silent foreboding sense that permeated throughout the air of this larger-than-the-outside laboratory, one that had sturdy marble walls that reminded one of a sci-fi flick, with various capsules and other pieces of scientific equipment simply tuck around the corner.

Shidou Itsuka, sporting a serious and pondering expression, was seated on a silver bench, and currently being embraced by his beloved daughter, Rio Sonogami, sitting on his lap and looking clearly worried for him. Rinne Sonogami, sitting just right next to Shidou's right side on the bench, would also show a worried expression.

It had been an hour at most since the recent battle that Shidou Itsuka—Kamen Rider Black RX had with a Lord of the Matthean Host. Based on what Azazel, the man with a lab coat, when he first laid eyes on the unconscious prisoner, would suddenly turn grim, with his eyes flashing with recognition.

"...A Lord of the Matthean Host...or as I also knew this creature, a Matthean Lord," Azazel muttered as he looks at the back of the Ridoron, looking at the prisoner that was all tied up with gel and still unconscious. "Been a while since I've seen their kind."

"You've seen them before, Azazel-sensei?" Shidou asked grimly.

"Ah," Azazel nodded. "I'll explain what I can later, but right now, I think it's best we deal with our guest first before he wakes up and take him somewhere where he won't cause trouble."

And at that point, both Shidou and Azazel would carry the body somewhere in one of the containment rooms. The containment room was one that Azazel had been saving as a potential contingency plan for the inevitable unforeseeable day when he would need to lock up something that would be too dangerous to roam free. That would be the prisoner that identified as a Lord of the Matthean Host. There were hundreds of sigils of a language that could not be understood by most humans all scattered through every nook and corner, and pasted on every wall, with a red dried painted circle that had multiple sigils in place. When Rinne and Rio first notice this place, they could not help but feel wary since they can feel a type of alien power, one that felt older, at work within all of these strange sigils that they could not understand. They never asked what they were, if only because both men appeared to be busy, conversing with one another on what had occurred.

Since then, the Sonogamis still could not say a single word, not with Shidou's expression clearly looking like he was going to cry again. And they still had no amount of idea as to what is going on here. Plus, they have not seen any sign of any Spirits who should have been here to comfort him and be by his side. But where were they exactly? Rinne personally and certainly does not see such a possibility that the Spirits could not be aware of Shidou being like this. But they were still nowhere to be found.

"...Ne, Shidou," Rinne carefully muttered. She sees something in his eyes. They were slightly widening, drawing out his attention as the amber-brown eyes, looking all worn out, weathered, and battered by many years of grief, made Rinne's heart stop dead in her tracks.

...Why? Why were his eyes like that? She needed to know. She wanted to know because she wanted to relieve the young man's...no, this man's sufferings. Calling him a young man would not do justice to his eyes. They were the eyes of an adult, one worn down by years of grief, and yet had a fighting spirit that remained hidden, still trying to carry on, even with the tears that were almost about to be shed.

Shidou, seeing Rinne's face, smiled softly along with his eyes. "What is it, Rinne?"

His soft, trembling voice made her soul crushed. It only emboldened her to ask away.

"...How long?" Rinne asked the first question, making Shidou grimace, making her anxious as if she just clicked one of the buttons that made him recall something unpleasant.

Shidou was very silent, with his first reaction being to take Rio by his left side and embrace her even more while thinking, his eyes seemingly looking north, very far away, like he was looking at a distance that he could not cross, or no longer be able to cross. The silence was not helping to the two Sonogamis. This was not like all of the times when they reunited with Shidou. This was completely different.

Eventually, Shidou had no choice but to speak in a serious tone, almost looking dead, and his smile would crack. "Years..." He said, grabbing the attention of the two who were in shock. Years?! But how long were the "Years" that he could be talking about?

"If I'm going to be honest, I should probably be somewhere around my late thirties or early forties I think...Keeping track of my age is kinda difficult when you've essentially been reborn and your age got reset back to the start," Shidou answered.

Late thirties? Early forties? That's...a very long time. But that doesn't explain why Shidou had been crying just like he was now, as if a part of him had been missing for so long, and it only found merely a part of its half upon the appearance of the Sonogamis int the New World. Now that Shidou answered the first question, Rio would follow her mama's lead and ask away.

"Papa," Rio muttered.

"Yes?" Shidou responded with a very kind yet sad smile, patting her soft hair which made her feel safe and comfortable, reminded of the times when her papa used to do this in Eden.

"Where is...Tohka-san?" Rio asked.

"..." Shidou made a grimace, making a hesitant sideways expression as he glance at Rinne, wondering the same thing.

"Yes, that's what I've been wondering as well. Where is Tohka-chan? In fact, where are Kotori-chan, Yoshino-chan, Kurumi-chan..." But Rinne could not continue, if only because each and every mention of a name seems to strike a cord in Shidou's heart and he was almost crying, making the mother-daughter worried for him.

"...Papa, why are you sad?" Rio asked, worried for her papa.

"...Rio, Rinne," Shidou muttered, making the pair pay close attention. "...They...are not here anymore."

"Eh?" Both the Sonogami pair would mutter in shock. Shidou did not outright said it, but the way he said it was obvious enough. They are not here. Not Tohka, not Yoshino, not Kurumi, not Kotori, not anyone...

"Hold on, what happened to them? What has happened since we have been gone, Shidou?" Rinne asked.

"...It's not just them," Shidou whispered with a sad smile, looking at them both. "It's the entire world."

"...!" They both gasped.

"No...I guess the more accurate way to phrase it is...that our universe no longer exists...meaning that everything that I had done, everything that I tried to do in order for both the world and the Spirits to be safe...was all for nothing..." Shidou muttered, his expression turning dark which would slightly scared the both of them, but they were more terrified by what they had just heard.

Their entire universe was gone?! How?! Why?!

"...In case you two may think of the one person who could have done all of what I had described, no, it wasn't Wescott since the bastard bit the dust before that even happened," Shidou's tone turned to one of subtle anger when the name of his once deadliest and darkest enemy, Sir Isaac Ray Peram Westcott, was mentioned. Yes, as his memory slowly returned over the years, so did his memories of the man who had been behind practically all of the suffering that Shidou Itsuka had to endure in the past back in his previous reality, the same man who had caused so much suffering to others...and yet, if it were not for that same man, he may not have even existed nor would he even meet the Spirits, because Mio Takamiya would not be summoned in the first place.

Needless to say, Shidou Itsuka hated Wescott for a lot of good reasons, and he still does to this day. His only consolation was that there was no sign of Wescott in this new world. Deus Ex Machina Industries does not exist in this reality, which could honestly be considered a good thing. However, that only went to further prove to Shidou that this was not his reality.

"...No," Shidou continued explaining with a dark tone, with an edge that made both Rinne and Rio anxious because they had never seen Shidou like this before. His hands may be gentle, but Rio could feel the sudden coldness, the numbness that came with a heavy burden that he had to carry all by himself, all this time, because only few could truly understand what his pain was. "No, if anything, we won. We won, Rinne, Rio. The world was finally free from that bastard, and the first Spirit, the one who created every other Spirit, Takamiya Mio, who you both may also know by a clone of hers as Phantom or Murusame Reine, had finally moved on, and the Spirits were all returned back to normal...well, for the most part, if you do not count one single incident from a one-year time skip, but we managed to take care of that too..."

Yes, Shidou Itsuka remembers. The time when he would encounter a parallel version of Tohka Yatogami, one that had the Codename: Beast. She came from a world where events seemingly deviated from the normal timeline he was familiar with. Events like the school trip, instead of being held at Arubi Island, ended up in Okinawa where that Tohka won a food-eating contest against the Yamai sisters. There were other small details like cat ears being used in the school festival, or when Natsumi had transformed into Yuzuru rather than Yoshinon, or the confrontation with Nia with nurse outfits rather than bunny girl costumes, or Origami used fur seals rather than soft-shelled turtles as an energy stimulant, or Shidou transformed into Snow White in the fairy tale world.

There were many small things that deviated from the norm, but the main point of divergence was when that world's Shidou Itsuka had died, causing the Tohka of that world to fall into despair. And then, the end of the world literally came in a flash. All Spirits were gone, with the Tohka of that world converting their Angels into her blades, and eventually turning into the Beast of today. The aftermath would have the remnants of humanity live underground and the planet just turned into a barren wasteland with nothing but debris and rubble.

...Actually.

...He knew why that world's Shidou Itsuka died.

It was never really mentioned or explained how the Shidou Itsuka of that world had died, but Shidou Itsuka—Kamen Rider Black RX, the man who carries the memories of every Spirit, even those of a parallel reality, due to his status as essentially likened to a capsule carrier that was full of memories, knew the reason why.

It was Wescott. It had always been Wescott. The Wescott of that world. It made sense. It always made sense. Who else could have triggered the Tohka of that world to do what she inadvertently did? There was literally no one else that Shidou Itsuka could think of. He can see it, the memory that was quite vivid for him to see, like it was a day walking nightmare. It was one of many glimpses, one of his flashes that slowly comes back throughout the years. Four and a half years of being made to slowly remember his previous universe, or any universe that ever had Spirits in them, or even timelines that never truly happened for him and yet can somehow remember such as Shidou and many of the Spirits somehow ending up in Bell Cranel's world, the World of Orario, and he can discern truthfully on whether this or that memory was truthfully found within his memory or experience, or not.

It was both a headache...and a heartache. Being forced to slowly come to terms with his loss. The universe that he had given his best to protect. But that went all for naught as the universe...the world completely drowns in the flames of eternal war that no one could ever see coming. Nothing truly mattered in the end. All of his efforts were just burned to the cosmic funeral pyre.

What was the point of it all? That question was brushed aside by Shidou Itsuka rather vehemently as he wrestled with his own interior thoughts.

I met them! I met Tohka! I met the others! I met Rinne! I met Rio! That's more than enough! He shouted within his mind. But where are they? And then, he could only shake as tears roll down his face.

"Shidou..."

"Papa..."

Rinne Sonogami and Rio Sonogami would both mutter, gently touching the now crying Shidou Itsuka who was looking at the pair of them.

"For years...For years...I had to live with the fact that I was truly alone, that I was...I was the last man on Earth, my Earth."

The Sonogamis' eyes widened at the information. Now they would fully understand why Shidou would cry like this; seeing him distraught and filled with the raw pain of having to live with himself as the realization settled in. Before they came along, as far as anyone was concerned, Shidou Itsuka was truly the last man on Earth.

"Everyone we knew is gone, Rinne, Rio," Shidou answered grimly as he cried in tears. "Tohka, Yoshino, Kurumi, Kotori, Kaguya, Yuzuru, Miku, Natsumi, Nia, Mukuro, everyone that I knew, our entire world...gone...All of it...gone...!"

And so, the entire family would cry together. Tears would slowly form in the eyes of Rinne Sonogami and Rio Sonogami as the revelation settled in. They would cry, but they would also embrace Shidou as well in order to comfort him, knowing now what they knew.

...Everyone is dead.

"It can't be...Please tell me it couldn't be...Shidou..." Rinne's lips trembled as she cried.

"...Papa, it couldn't be true...right...? Right...?" Rio asked, her child-like voice growing more softer as sadness filled her little heart.

Some part of them couldn't believe it. They couldn't. But Shidou Itsuka couldn't lie about something like this. They would not even dare to think about such a possibility. It was just...too hard for them to bare. And there was nothing to be said except for tears to be leaking from their eyes.

Shidou simply cried, saying. "...I...I wish it wasn't...I wish they were still here...But...But..."

He could not continue saying anything. He could only cry as he embraces Rio who also embraces him, crying as well. Rinne, who was also crying, would embrace Shidou as well. The family of three would cry softly. Shidou's cries most especially echoed a mixture of depression, tragedy, raw pain, and an existential crisis that showed that...yes...he was truly and deeply all alone.

He was the Last Man on Earth. The only survivor.


Azazel, looking from outside the one-way mirror, would sport a grim expression. He felt for the boy and for his family, the only family that as far as he knows are the only ones left still alive. He can understand how and why Shidou would feel this way since he too had lost his universe, and like Shidou, would live in this new universe as well, along with his wife who had lost her own universe too. There were so many things that were lost in the cosmic conflict; things that even he as old as he was can still remember, having fought in it as a soldier and as a general.

Now, after looking back at Shidou and his family, his eyes turn back to his current work, to the silver tablet in his left hand, and he can see something being shown on the screen. It was detecting anomalous signatures that made him pay close attention. It appeared that something strange is happening to the timeline of this universe, like there were contradicting elements that should not even

In his left hand, he was holding a tablet that had been detecting anomalous signatures that were centering around Tenguu City. Odd was the first thought in his mind. These anomalies were detecting a unique type of energy that is all typically associated with the Spirits of Shidou Itsuka's old destroyed universe, and they appear to be making slight ripples in the timeline. Whatever effects could be calculated in his scanners cause him to frown.

"...What in the world?" Azazel muttered, his eyebrows scrunching.

He would eventually walk a few meters north towards the Down-Wave, one of the most highly advanced supercomputers in the entire world, invented by yours truly. He would press a few buttons, managing to sync his tablet with the monitor, and would see for himself the following dots that detect multiple temporal signatures that were making their way into this reality. He would type a few letters on the keyboard, then press enter. He would see the computer arranging the data, comparing the signatures to the ones that he had scanned on Rinne Sonogami and Rio Sonogami, and from what he could find...

"...!"

He can see every picture being shown to him from the monitor screen. Aside from Rinne Sonogami and Rio Sonogami, there were other young women that were being shown. Pictures that were showing many young women, some of who were young girls, and Azazel recognized them all. Kotori Itsuka, Tohka Yatogami, Origami Tobiichi, etc. etc., inhabitants from the previous universe who were supposed to be dead. What's common about all of them is that they were all Spirits.

"Down-Wave, begin to put up a thorough examination scan throughout Tenguu City and compare these anomalous signatures to the designated identified residents of the city. I want to know what I'm dealing with here," Azazel said, speaking in a serious tone.

"Order confirmed." A female voice erupted from the computer as it begins to perform the scans.

Azazel needed to make absolutely sure. The fact that elements from the old world, one of the old worlds, are falling into the new world is a cause for concern. Once he gathers the necessary data, he would need to have a proper talk with Shidou Itsuka and his family of two young women. He has a few suspicions, and if any of them are confirmed, then his fears are realized and it could explain why the Matthean Lord was now tasked to perform a little sweeping due to the potential dangers.


PART 2

The Last Great Time War.

That was the name of the terrible cosmic war; the deluge that wreaks havoc upon everything; a conflict unlike any other that can never be so again. When one tries to describe this war, there tends to be a bit of difficulty in actually discussing these things. Most of all, even Shidou Itsuka would find it very difficult to actually discuss something of this magnitude. A time of eternal darkness that saw nothing but war and death. A conflict of many names, where universes were mere specks of dust not worth much beneath the higher races that waged battles beyond mortal comprehension. Horrors from various corners doing whatever they tend to do, either they try to run or they join this conflict. It was also a conflict that saw history itself as the most basic of weapons.

And this was the nightmare that Shidou Itsuka had sometimes as his memory would slowly get restored.

He recalls flames. There were flames. They were everywhere. A burning field that would engulf everything. The entire city was burning. But wait...? How come he can hear screams...? When...When everyone is already dead...? That was the problem in this war. The boundaries of life and death, once respected during the old days, were now torn down. Ghosts wander the burning fields, restless and scared. Ghosts being scared? That was quite a novelty indeed. What could scare something such as the dead? Simple. Whatever did all of this? The darkness that was seen in the skies.

From the skies, he can see stars blinking in and out like lights on a Christmas tree. There were even times when the lights would move from one direction to the next. These were stars, planets, or anything you could think of getting hurled like an off-stage gunfight.

He wants to leave...

He wants to leave...

He wants to leave...

He wants to leave...

He wants to leave...

But he could not leave. How long had he been dying? Too long I suppose. When time is stuck looping back and forth between peace and war, he did not know what to keep track of anymore. Now...if only he could move his neck. Yes, he could move it just a bit. To his left, he would look into the eyes of a dead young girl with brown hair. Oh...the look in her eyes. It bothered him...truly...And yet, he could never take his eyes off of the dead ones.

He was bleeding and bruised from several angles. He could not even breathe properly as poisonous fumes of oxide scattered across the burning plains.

This was not the first time he died like this. How many times has this happened to him? Too many to count, and too painful to remember. He does not know the exact number this time. He did not even seem to care anymore.

What was the last thing he remembered before ending up like this?

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"EXTERMINATE!"

Oh yes...just right after he just let loose a frustrated scream like there was no tomorrow, he was shot in the back for good measure, feeling a thousand volts enter his body, feeling excruciating pain as darkness took him. And then he somehow ended up back in his house, looking all dead fish-eyed. His heart felt completely numb at this point. What was the point of carrying on when you keep dying over and over and over again?

And then...

"...!"

He woke up. He can feel sweat covering his body. He can feel his breathing being even faster than before. Another nightmare.

"Here."

Shidou turned to his left to find Kotori Itsuka, the blood-related one instead of his adopted one, looking at him with a concerned expression. Her ribbons were black now, meaning that she needed to be taken seriously. She was offering a glass of warm milk that Shidou gladly consumed. Afterwards, he gave the cup back to Kotori and simply said. "Thank you." He just simply thanked his sister who was nodding at him with a concerned expression; he did not even bother to question why Kotori was here this early in the morning. And this is not the first time Kotori had been offering Shidou a warm glass of milk to calm his nerves.

Then Shidou looked around. He looks at his clock, the number still being about 3:00 am. Quite a bad omen to be waking at this time. But then again, this was not the first time something like this had happened. He looks back at Kotori.

"I don't think I can sleep right now..." He muttered softly.

"Do you want to watch tv with me?" She asked.

"Yeah," Shidou nodded, not hesitating for one bit as he would immediately get out of his bed and head outside of his room.

Until 6 am came along, the Itsuka siblings only watched television together, with Kotori simply putting her head to Shidou's left shoulder.

"Shidou...just don't try to be too hard on yourself...okay..." Kotori would say softly.

Shidou smiled as he gently patted Kotori on the head. "Okay..."


PART 3

Right after the Itsuka Family had dried up their tears and had a brief moment of silence, Shidou Itsuka would continue his story. He only briefly explained the cause of how and why everyone that they all knew are dead while careful not to mention his own suffering and experience for the most part. There was a cosmic conflict that changed everything. Every happy ending turns sour. Time would be broken into infinity. The natural laws were overturned and no longer respected. People kept dying over and over.

When they were told slowly, even in spite of the fact that it was a summary, Rinne Sonogami and Rio Sonogami could not help but feel horrified, especially more so about Shidou Itsuka's personal experiences of getting burned alive to the point of near insanity, and this process tends to repeat itself over and over. He felt death so many times that it just made it more and more numb. Shidou did not want to think about this part. He did not want to remember all of that. The darkness overshadowed everything and turned everyone's happy ending into a non-existent reality. But he knew at least that they needed to be provided with a brief but satisfactory answer. They at least deserved it most of all.

"...And...right after the War, many universes had been formed from various destroyed realities along with borrowed elements from existing ones. This universe, the one that I live in, is one of them. It's kind of like someone put a bunch of glue and duct tape, brought them all together, and you get the new universes, including this one. This new universe...was now my new home...after I have been reborn once again. Of course, I did not remember all of this right away."

Shidou continued crying...

"...The only reason I would slowly remember is when, by my thirteenth birthday, I would end up in the claws of one of my future enemies, Gorgom, a dangerous cult notorious for its terrorist activities in the name of world domination and racial superiority over humanity, had ended up kidnapping me and my best friend, Takamiya Shinichiro, and brought to an isolated place where no one could find us. And then...we were surgically operated on."

"EH!" Both Rinne and Rio exclaimed in worry, automatically embracing Shidou even more.

Shidou...had been surgically operated on?! That made their hearts stop.

"That's right," Shidou nodded. While he cried, he tried to smile in order to reassure them both. He was even patting Rio's head in order to calm her down while drawing Rinne towards him by gently pushing her back. And he would also wipe his tears as he tried to continue. "You see, when I was reborn, it was at the same time when a solar eclipse would happen. My best friend, Shinichiro, was also born on that same day. Gorgom had unfortunately noticed this, and they deem that we were both entitled to be heirs to their leader, the Creation King, and one of us would have to take his throne as his successor, and that would have to be decided upon a ritual where that first involves selecting the two Century Kings, humans who have both been born on the day of a solar eclipse. Once two candidates are chosen and approved by the current Creation King, they are both given a special artifact called a Kingstone and remodeled into different superpowered identities, with one becoming "Black Sun", that would be me, and the other "Shadow Moon", and that would be my best friend."

Shidou continued further. "The two Century Kings are then made to duel each other to the death, with the winner becoming the Creation King of Gorgom upon slaying his rival."

"...!"

The mother-daughter pair did not like where this was going, their mouths trembling.

"Of course, we would not go through some twisted scheme, so Gorgom prepared a contingency plan for that inevitable flaw...by forcibly remodeling us and brainwashing us into going along with it...turning us into cyborgs." Shidou would look at the woman he loved and the daughter he loved, he could tell, showing an expression of horror. "Yes...I can no longer truly call myself a human being. Well, I was never a normal human being to begin with in my previous universe anyway if you want to get technical, but I was truly one in this universe. My humanity had been stripped from me, turning me into a machine, one with the potential to kill for evil..."

Shidou smiled a bit when he got to this part. "But then...just as my best friend and myself are about to be brainwashed completely, my sensei, the Original Kamen Rider Black and Kamen Rider Black RX, Minami Kohtaro, managed to intervene and stop Gorgom's plot against us, and we all somehow managed to escape alive beneath the skin of our teeth..."

Then Shidou's expression turns grim, trying to control himself and would not like to cry again. "But...something happened to me during that time too. It appeared that the moment the Kingstone had been inserted into my body, that was the time when I would start to slowly regain my memories...starting with Tohka... As I slowly regained my memories, at the same time, I was fighting against Gorgom with the help of my best friend...and with a little help, help that came from the Itsuka Kotori and the Ratotoskr of this universe."

"Eh?" Rinne and Rio were surprised.

"Yes, you two would probably be confused about that part," Shidou said. "Well...you two should both know that this world also has its version of Kotori, along with most of the people that we knew back in our previous world. I did say that this universe was one of many universes where various destroyed realities and borrowed elements from existing ones had gathered together. So, most of the people that we knew, barring Tohka and the bastard and a few others like you two, are also here in this reality, effectively different people from the ones that we knew."

Shidou continued. "And aside from Kotori, there were my other two friends, Tonomachi Hiroto and Tobiichi Origami." The girls paid close attention, recognizing the two. "Origami, and the rest of the Anti-Spirit Team, in this world are not called the Anti-Spirit Team, because Spirits do not exist in this new universe. Rather, they are called the Valkyrie Legion. They are all under Kotori's command and one of their official tasks is to help me in any way they can, in most cases, working to ensure that the civilians are safely evacuated when the fighting starts, or even assisting me at times when the fighting starts. They were a very big help. Tonomachi...well, he's a lot different from the Tonomachi that I knew, seeing as he was more interested in technology and engineering instead of dating sims and siscon dilemmas...He was a big help when it came to tracking down Gorgom's movements."

Shidou continued on. "Of course, they are not the only enemies that I would eventually fight. There were others as well..."

And so, Shidou explained further on and on. He would further expand the fact that with elements of their universe and other universes all gathered to form this one universe, naturally, enemies from these elements would naturally manifest themselves in different shapes and forms. One enemy that Rinne and Rio had felt quite an impression on, one that had a mixture of horror in it, was that of something called a Horror, demonic creatures originating from the Makai Realm which feed on humans once they crossover, creatures usually dealt with an international shadow organization called the Makai Order, one that polices the world against the Horror threat.

...To think such an enemy like that existed. It was a miraculous wonder that Shidou managed to survive such creatures.

One enemy aside from the Horrors that made the Sonogamis pay attention due to the way Shidou's voice took a darker turn when he is describing something called the Crisis Empire.

Who are they?

One of Shidou Itsuka's main enemies besides Gorgom, if not more dangerous than the latter. They are an infamous intergalactic spacefaring empire that wished to conquer the Earth and its resources. They had already conquered dozens of planets and even other dimensions such as the Demon World, a realm outside the observable universe.

Similar to what he had done with Gorgom, he somehow managed to defeat them and their twisted Crisis Emperor, along with a little backup, whether if it was Kotori Itsuka and Ratotoskr, or his best friend Shinichiro Takamiya, or his other best friend named Rock the Haze, originally a human from Earth who willingly allowed the Crisis Empire to convert him into a cyborg, losing all memory of his past and his actual name in the process, before it got rectified with his help and that of other people, or there would be his fellow Kamen Riders, either on this world or in other worlds, who joined up as one to defend this new world from the threat of an invasion.

The battles that happened at that time were devastating of course. Multiple Crisis Empire spacecraft were seen coming out of hyperspace and appearing in orbit as they encircled the planet, and many of the ships would try to commence planetary bombardment on several major cities. Ratatoskr was on full high alert, given the full authority from the United Nations to do what needed to be done for the sake of global security, unleashing the airships designed for many types of combat, including space flight. Everyone around the world banded together as one against a common threat that wanted the Earth. Plasmic hot fire rained down from the skies, creating craters. People were being sent to the underground shelters in droves, waiting out the darkness that was rumbling on the ground. And that was also the time when the Kamen Riders came in all of their glory. His sensei, Kohtaro Minami, was there as well, helping Shidou to hold the line as much as they can.

He can still remember the smoke that was seen across various distances, the destroyed landmarks of several buildings, and the craters form from the Crisis Empire ships that kept on firing before the Ratatoskr ships, including the Fraxinus herself, would intercept and destroy the Crisis Empire ships.

The battle was fierce...but so were the Kamen Riders...

It was a long hard-fought battle, but they eventually won and managed to cripple the empire down with the defeat of their emperor, and with its aftermath, it freed many of the peoples throughout several galaxies and dimensions that were under the Crisis Empire's thrall, with the Rebellion gaining more and more ground until finally they were totally defeated beyond full recovery and the intergalactic community was free from its tyranny.

Rinne and Rio Sonogami had a lot of feelings bubbling in their heart when they hear Shidou's stories and adventures as a Kamen Rider. Even after all of the pain of knowing that he was the only one left in their old world, it still did not make him stop. If anything, the guilt only made him drive further towards something. Call it trying to distract oneself as one particular reason, but Shidou Itsuka is not the type of person who would never abandon anyone to suffer. If he had been given the power, he was not the type of person to just waste it.

Even now, even in this new world, he was and is still is Shidou Itsuka. He was the man that Rinne Sonogami loved and the papa that Rio cared for.

"...You know," Shidou said, bringing the mother and daughter's attention. "...I really did miss you both. When I...I saw you two again, I couldn't believe it...I just...I just let loose what I felt at that time."

"Shidou..." Rinne muttered.

"Papa..." Rio muttered.

"...I promise," Shidou muttered, his expression turning serious but gentle as he looked at the pair. "I promise that I won't take this for granted this time. How you both got here in the new world is a mystery that we need to solve, that's true, but...I'm just grateful that you two are even here...I won't let you two go again...not now...not ever..."

There was nothing except a very warm embrace from all three of them together with their eyes closed and smiling. An image of one happy family, reunited again, sharing as well the sorrowful revelation that they may possibly be the only ones left in their universe. Come what may, this time, Shidou Itsuka would not be alone on his journey this time. This time, he has them now. Just as he would like to protect them from any harm, the two Spirits would also offer their own support. Just because they are powerless does not mean they can do nothing.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

"Hm?!"

Everyone would be surprised at the sudden beeping sound. Shidou would notice the sound whose point of origin was in his shirt pocket. He took out an advanced black-colored cellphone and would notice the name on the screen.

"Ah? Rock?" Shidou muttered in concern, with the two Sonogamis paying close attention due to recognizing Shidou Itsuka's best friend. He would give a silent shush gesture to the mother-daughter pair before eventually pressing the confirm button and putting the phone on speaker mode. "Rock?"

"Ah! Aniki! Where are you?!" Shidou's old friend, Rock the Haze, a young man who was the same age as him, would speak with a worried expression and tone.

"Eh? Why? What's the matter, Rock?" Shidou asked, sporting a curious and cautious expression.

"Give me the phone, Rock, now," Shidou would suddenly hear a familiar voice, one that exuded authority, and also belonged to none other than his blood-related sister, Kotori Itsuka. "Shidou! Where. The. Hell. Are. You?!"

"In Azazel-sensei's laboratory," Shidou answered immediately. He did not even wonder how she managed to find out that he had skipped town and was actually somewhere in another town called Kuoh, a few hundred or so kilometers away from Tenguu City. With the near-infinite resources of Ratatoskr, she'd probably somehow managed to have caught the scent of the battle that he had with the Matthean Lord. Plus, last he checked, it was already 3 in the afternoon. Time flies by a lot.

"Then I'm coming over," Kotori spoke with a serious tone. "Oh, and I'm bringing Origami, Tonomachi, and Shinichiro too. The same goes for you too, Rock."

"Eh? Bu-"

At the same time, the phone line was cut off, leaving Shidou to blink for a few moments. Then his thoughts turn to worry as he looks at both Rinne and Rio.

How exactly was he going to explain to them about his current situation?

Rinne, sensing his hesitance, made a comforting smile. "It's alright, Shidou, I'm sure everything would work itself out just fine...and besides, since you told me about the people of this world, the best place to probably start would have to be the ones closest to you after all."

"That's right, papa," Rio muttered cutely. "I would like to meet papa's best friends...and...I would like to meet Kotori-oneechan again...even if it's not really Kotori-oneechan...right, papa?"

Shidou smiled a bit, patting Rio on the head. "Alright..."


Insert Song: End


ED Song:

Dareka ga Kimi o Aishiteru


New Characters:

Rock the Haze - VA: Noriaki Sugiyama