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Chapter 08: Kamen Rider Kabuto Part 4 (Final)


Fortress of Doom

The Slayer stood, arms crossed, watching a broadcast from Faro City, Japan, Headquarters of ZECT.

An aged man sat at a desk and addressed the people. "A meteorite is currently headed towards Earth. If it hits...the Earth will be completely destroyed. However, do not worry. The space station has antimatter missiles that we plan to fire...to destroy the meteorite."

Having heard enough, the Slayer had Vega shut off the transmission.

The digital companion voiced his thoughts. "Based on the documents, the plan is at its second stage. Instead of a comet, they brought a meteorite."

The man cracked his knuckles. It was all bullshit. That floating rock was a cradle carrying dormant Worm Eggs.

"It will become a second impact event." Vega paused. "For ZECT, a product of humanity, to bring them to ruin, it is sobering to see it again. Should they succeed, extinction is near guaranteed."

The Slayer knew the reference ZECT made for the Elevator. Jacob received a ladder to heaven. But this… It was a false hope he'd seen many times before.

"ZECT prepared a launch pod to deploy the missiles within thruster range. Counting down to launch."

Another alert appeared on screen. The slayer raised a brow before Vega spoke.

"Incoming tachyon signals. Several Riders are advancing toward Jacob's ladder."

Narrowing his eyes, the Slayer contemplated on the reason. These Riders were supposedly affiliated with ZECT. They wouldn't attempt to climb the ladder unless they were attempting to stop the missiles. Perhaps not all the Riders on this planet were blind sheep to ZECT's goal. With a grunt, the Doom Slayer began walking toward one of the airlocks.

"Attempting access to the station. ETA six minutes. The Meteor will reach Earth's gravity well in ten minutes." Knowing the Slayer, Vega prepared for his departure. "Adjusting Ion Catapult position, now. Chamber emptied. Preparing for launch, Slayer."

Samur said it was a weapon, not a teleporter. In a way, he was right. The Doom Slayer just happened to be better ammunition.


Jacob's Ladder

They...were deceived by ZECT. ZECT... has joined with the Worms. Kagami's wife, Hiyori... left this world. He...can only... ...rely on Tendou now... He didn't need to come to the Ladder, but Tendou's fight...was his fight. Side by side, the duo made their way towards the Ladder. The launch of the shuttle was commencing.

At the base of the station stood a battalion of worms. Undeterred, Kagami and Tendou slot in their Blue and Red Zecotrs, respectively, and transformed. At faster-than-light speeds, these pests were destroyed in an explosion of ash and fire.

The duo reached the ladder in the last few seconds. From there, it was a race up the cylindrical elevator structure and past Earth's atmosphere. This was the first time they had used Clock-up for such a far distance. The strain was building up. At the last nanosecond, Kagami and Tendou managed to open the shuttle hatch and close it in time. As soon as they closed the airlock, they fell and rolled to a stop, reverting back to normal, losing their armor. Ragged breaths filled the room as they tried to re-orient themselves.

As the two looked around the room, they noticed, at the last moment, a cloud of violet rose petals above them. From the cloud came a man in a white hat, suit, and cape with black gloves.

Kagami and Tendou rolled away at the last moment, dodging an incoming stomp and follow-up roundhouse kicks. After evading several more punches, they separated themselves on the opposite side of the room.

The man in white turned to the others, revealing his affiliation with ZECT on his coat.

In turn, the Brothers in Law put their hands up, ready for a fight.

The stranger saw no threat from them. "Add to the color of my rose. The red blood of a traitor and your tears of humiliation." This was Issei Kurosaki.

Neither Kagami's nor Tendou's eyes ever left the man. "Henshin." "Henshin!"

After a brief Kata, a gold Kabutick Zector flew toward Issei and attached to his wrist strap. "Henshin!"

CHANGE BEETLE

Rotating clockwise, the Zector projected golden hexagons that formed into an armored suit of the same color, resembling an Atlas beetle and becoming Kamen Rider Caucasus. Most of the lower body was a black skin-tight material with metal braces. Its golden helmet had blue lenses and a tri-tip.

HENSHIN

Kagami and Tendou first transformed into blue and red heavily armored suits resembling a pupa, their Masked Forms. While Kabuto was unarmed, Gatack had a set of two shoulder-mounted rotary cannons on each shoulder. A single shot was powerful enough to destroy a Salis Worm from a kilometer away. Unfortunately for him, these guns wouldn't be fast enough for Caucasus.

With a flip of their Zectors horns, they transformed once more.

CAST Off! CHANGE BEETLE

CHANGE STAG BEETLE

The excess armor disengaged and flew off their bodies, revealing new armor underneath. Kabuto and Gatack's Rider Forms were sleeker and more offensive-based. Kabuto's helmet had blue lenses and a V-shaped forehead horn resembling a Japanese rhinoceros beetle. His trademark Kabuto Kunaigun rested on his hip. Similar to Kabuto, Kagami had the Gatack Double Calibur.

Now, Blue and Red readied themselves against Gold. The duo moved when the last of the petals fell to the floor.

The cramped quarters of the spacecraft reverberated with the sound of clashing metal and the sparks of energy as the three Kamen Riders fought. Kamen Rider Gatack and Kamen Rider Kabuto charged toward Kamen Rider Caucasus. Caucasus stood his ground, his ZECT Kunaigun held tightly in his grip.

As Kabuto lunged forward with his Kabuto Kunaigun in Kunai Mode, Caucasus expertly dodged his attack and countered with a swift kick, sending Kabuto crashing into a nearby console. Gatack used the distraction to swing his Gatack Double Calibur towards Caucasus' legs, but the latter expertly blocked the attack with his ZECT Kunaigun and retaliated with a blast of energy that sent Gatack reeling.

Kabuto recovered quickly and switched his Kunaigun to Ax Mode, landing a hit on Caucasus' shoulder. However, Caucasus regained his footing and fired a barrage of energy blasts at the two Riders, forcing them to split up and dodge.

Kabuto switched to Gun Mode and fired a series of ion beam blasts at Caucasus. Caucasus deftly blocked the attacks with his ZECT Kunaigun and charged toward Gatack. Gatack swung his Double Calibur towards Caucasus' midsection, but the latter blocked the attack and countered with a punch.

Kabuto saw his opportunity and lunged toward Caucasus, aiming for his chest with his Kunai Mode Kunaigun. Caucasus sidestepped the attack and swiftly kicked Kabuto's back. Meanwhile, Gatack charged toward Caucasus, his Double Calibur glowing with energy. The two clashed, their weapons colliding in a flurry of attacks and counterattacks.

Despite their best efforts, the three Riders seemed evenly matched. Kabuto switched back to Ax Mode and swung his weapon towards Caucasus' legs. Still, the latter dodged the attack and retaliated with a blast of energy that narrowly missed Kabuto. Gatack seized the opportunity to swing his Double Calibur towards Caucasus' head. Still, the latter blocked the attack with his ZECT Kunaigun and fired a blast of energy at Gatack, sending him flying across the room.

With Gatack temporarily out of commission, Kabuto and Caucasus continued their intense battle. Kabuto switched back to Gun Mode and fired a powerful blast of energy at Caucasus, but the latter blocked the attack with his ZECT Kunaigun. The force of the blast, however, sent Caucasus flying back, leaving him vulnerable.

Gatack quickly recovered and charged toward Caucasus, his Double Calibur glowing with energy. With a fierce cry, he delivered a devastating Rider Cutting attack, striking Caucasus with a powerful blow. Caucasus staggered back, clutching his side but still refused to give up.

He charged towards Gatack and Kabuto again, his ZECT Kunaigun held aloft. The three Riders clashed again, their weapons colliding in a flurry of strikes and parries.

Caucasus swiftly blocked the attack with his ZECT Kunaigun and countered with a powerful punch, causing Gatack to recoil.

Kabuto saw an opening and rushed in, his Kunaigun in Ax Mode. He swung his weapon, aiming for Caucasus' legs. Caucasus dodged the attack and fired a blast of energy at Kabuto, who managed to block the attack just in time with his own weapon.

The three Riders continued to exchange blows, their weapons clanging together in a dazzling display of skill and power. Despite their best efforts, none of them could gain a significant advantage.

As they fought, the spacecraft shook violently, the impact of their attacks rattling the walls. Sparks flew from the damaged equipment, casting an eerie glow over the combatants.

Gatack saw an opportunity and seized it. He dashed forward, his Double Calibur glowing with energy. With a mighty swing, he aimed for Caucasus' head. Caucasus blocked the attack with his ZECT Kunaigun, but the force of the blow sent him reeling.

Kabuto saw his opening and fired a barrage of ion beam blasts at Caucasus. The blasts hit their mark, causing Caucasus to stagger backwards. At the same time, they flipped the lever of their Zectors. "Clock Up."

CLOCK UP

Kabuto and Gatack sprinted toward their enemy at faster-than-light speeds, but Caucasus was not worried.

Faster than them, Caucasus flipped a lever on his belt.

HYPER CLOCK UP

Caucasus sprinted behind and past them before they even realized what was happening. When Kabuto and Gatack realized their target was gone, they were struck by an even faster golden blur, sending them to opposite walls. Like human pinballs, they were struck by Caucasus, who never let up the assault. The ship started sustaining significant damage.

HYPER CLOCK OVER

In less than seconds, only Caucasus was left standing.

Gatack grit his teeth. 'He's faster than normal Clock Up.' He needed something to level the playing field. Eyes darted for something, landing on a lever marked Artificial Gravity. Wasting no time, he flipped the lever up. The effect was immediate. Their body weights multiplied. Even Kabuto struggled to get back up.

Caucasus strained his body to stay standing. "A Gravity device? How boring."

HYPER CLOCK UP

Once more, Caucasus flashed forward, kicking Gatack in the face. Just as Kabuto got back on his two feet, he too was struck. Both landed on the floor with a hard thud as electrical sparks and fire filled the area.

"Gravity cannot beat my Hyper Clock Up." He dashed forward and attacked the two several times more. "Your goal from the beginning was this Hyper Zecter, right?" He gestured to a Rhinocerous Beetle-like device on his hip. "To make me appear you made the Riders wipe each other out. Then you just waited for me to appear. However, it's no use. The cradle carrying the Worm eggs is already here."

Gatack attempted to grapple Caucasus but was easily countered and swatted away.

He went on to describe the Worm Meteor Plan. The missiles would awaken them like a kiss from a prince. Caucasus had no care for humanity. He lifted Kabuto by the throat. "Whether it's the Worms or the humans, it doesn't matter. The one who finds the rose is the strongest and most beautiful. I fight just for that." Caucasus tossed Kabuto against a wall. "A rose means "love." Scatter with my love." He slowly flipped the lever of the Zecter. "Rider... Kick!"

MAXIMUM RIDER POWER

Energy arced from the Zecter to Caucasus's horns. Tendou watched as Caucasus ran toward him. Just as his leg raised, a blue blur intercepted the finishing blow, grappling onto the limb.

Gatack yelled as the energy of the attack flowed across his body. They needed to finish this. Seeing Tendou's location, he knew what they had to do. "The door, now!"

Not missing a beat, Kabuto opened the airlock. He swiped the Hyper Zecter off Caucasus's belt before kicking the man through the door. Caucasus charged his fist to break it open, but Kabuto pulled a lever, releasing the Golden Rider into the vacuum of space.

Gatack lay limp on the floor. The Maximum Rider Kick had taken a toll on his body. Soon his armor faded away, leaving a bloodied and bruised man but still alive. With deep breaths, Kabuto got down on his knees to his Brother-in-law.

The lights in the room seemed to shift. A nearby terminal lit up, displaying a blue circular symbol. "Greetings, Red Rider. It appears you have a solution for your planet's impending worm infestation. Is that correct?"

Kabuto was wary of the strange voice but nodded. "I do." Was it someone from ZECT?

"Worry not. My associate will ensure that no other outside elements interfere with your mission. I recommend getting your other friend evacuated quickly."

It seemed that the man who walked the path of Heaven was given a boon from the universe. He carefully picked up Kagami and carried him to a nearby escape pod. What Tendou was planning to do should be a one-way trip. After strapping him in, Kabuto ejected him back toward Earth.

Tendou prepared himself his whole life for this moment. He attached the Hyper Zecter to his waist and pulled its lever.

HYPER CAST OFF

CHANGE HYPER BEETLE

Kabuto's armor opened up and spread further on his torso, and his helmet horns grew outward. This was Kamen Rider Kabuto - Hyper Form.


Outer Space

Caucasus would not be so easily stopped. At the last moment, he grabbed onto one of the maintenance rails of the craft. Thankfully, his armor had limited life support systems. Just enough for him to survive space. He pulled himself around the hull, hoping to find a nearby window. Those two would not leave this craft alive on his watch. However, just as he regained his footing on the large face of the space shuttle, he felt a sudden crash. The entire ship shuttered and drifted a little to the left.

The Doom Slayer stood firmly on the spaceship's hull, his Praetor suit emitting a low hum in the silence of space.

'Who the hell was this?' Caucasus stared at the strange armored intruder. He didn't recognize it. Had ZECT made another Zecter? In any case, Caucasus had his Kunaigun at the ready.

Caucasus started in Gun Mode, firing high-intensity ion beam blasts at the Doom Slayer. The blasts exploded harmlessly against the Praetor suit's armor as the Slayer charged forward, his Super Shotgun in hand.

As they closed in on each other, Caucasus switched to Ax Mode, bringing down the bladed butt of his weapon towards the Doom Slayer. The Slayer narrowly avoided the blow, dodging to the side and firing a blast from his Super Shotgun at point-blank range. The blast struck Caucasus directly, sending him flying back several meters.

Caucasus quickly regained his footing and switched to Kunai Mode, unsheathing the short-dagger weapon. He lunged towards the Doom Slayer, who deftly dodged the attacks and countered with his own punches and kicks. The two combatants traded blows in a furious exchange, their movements slowed by the low gravity of space.

While he couldn't use hyper, Caucasus activated his standard Clock-up, moving at faster-than-light speeds, trying to gain an edge over the Doom Slayer. The gold rider also expected his opponent to Clock-up, but he didn't.

In the few attacks that followed, he saw the Doom Slayer speed up to keep up with his own speed. By the time his clock-up timed out, the Slayer activated his own speed boost, his suit propelling him forward at even faster speeds. If Caucasus didn't know any better, he would have thought the Slayer got a hold of a Hyper Zecter.

The two warriors collided in a thunderous clash, their weapons striking each other with bone-jarring force. The Doom Slayer's chainsaw tore through the Kunaigun, rendering it useless. Caucasus, undeterred, switched to Ax Mode once again, bringing down his weapon with all his strength.

The Doom Slayer caught the attack with his bare hands, his immense strength allowing him to hold the Ax Mode weapon at bay. He pushed back with all his might, sending Caucasus flying back several meters.

Caucasus was not finished yet. He activated his final attack, the Avalanche Break, swinging his weapon in a wide arc towards the Doom Slayer. The Slayer responded with his own finishing move, the BFG 9000. The massive energy blast struck Caucasus head-on, engulfing him in a brilliant explosion.

The Doom Slayer walked toward the ashen remains of the Rider, picking the Golden Caucasus Zecter in intrigue. Suddenly another thud was heard. Turning around, he saw a red armored rider with yellow wing-like protrusions on his limbs. Their eyes seemed to meet behind their helmets. Understanding the Red Rider's intent to save humanity, the Doom Slayer gave the man a thumbs-up.

With a nod, Kabuto's jetpacks deployed, directing him toward the meteor. "I walk the path of heaven. I will save my little sister. My grandmother once said... "Turn the tea bag inside out when the food is extremely bad."

Back on Earth, those monitoring the mission were warry of Kabuto heading for the meteorite carrying the Worms, unsure of what Kabuto would do now. However, the transmission of a conscious Kagami assured them that things would turn out okay. "It's okay. He...walks the path of heaven. He's the man who will rule over everything."

Kabuto grew closer to the rock. "Come for a drive with me. I'll let you meet with your friends from seven years ago." Just as he made contact, it started. "Hyper Clock Up!"

HYPER CLOCK UP

In a flash of light, the Meteor was gone.


Later

Fortress of Doom

The Doom Slayer and Vega observed Earth from their station. Vega detected a temporal anomaly as soon as the Meteor disappeared. The Slayer could guess what had happened. People often speculate that traveling to the past can change the present. However, the rules of time across all creations varied. Here, the temporal changes echoed throughout this timeline. Weather anomalies popped up all over the globe. It seemed this world would soon have a slow death to oblivion. It was a shame. The Slayer had hoped the people would have a chance to pick up the pieces and move forward.

"Warning spacial distortion detected within the Fortress. Intruder detected."

Immediately, the Slayer felt the nearby disturbance. He deployed and raised his Super Shotgun at his target in a swift and smooth motion.

A Japanese brunette in and black and magenta suit looked back at the Slayer with a sweatdrop. "There's no need to be rude during the apocalypse."

The Slayer's digital companion attempted to alleviate the situation. "One would consider trespassing on the Slayer's domain rude as well. I am Vega. Please, identify yourself."

"Apologies... Vega?" The man raised a brow at the monitor. Few of the worlds he visited had the technology of this level, reminding him of the Humagears. In any case, he turned to the marine. "Slayer? That is an apt name. I'm just a passing-through Kamen Rider." While the stranger held a calm demeanor, he was still cautious. The aura of the Slayer promised pain to any enemy and was not to be taken lightly.

Hearing this, the Slayer raised a brow. He glanced back to a workbench with a damaged gold beetle.

The stranger shook his head. "If you need a name, call me Tsukasa. I may be a Rider, but much like yourselves, I'm not from here."

"The Slayer has his own reasons for coming to this world. Why are you here?"

Gazing back at the planet, the Rider felt it. "That."

"You are familiar with this phenomenon?"

Tsukasa nodded. "Indeed. There are many worlds with many Riders" The legendary Rider snapped his fingers. Silver windows appeared on their right and left, each showing a different Rider fighting monsters. One in red performed a somersault kick against a turtle-themed monster. The impact resulted in an explosion spanning the surrounding city. The other looked half green and half purple. Similar to the first one, they performed a flying kick. Mid-flight, the two halves split, each performing an explosive kick on a lava monster. "The power of the Kamen Rider is a counterforce for whenever evil decides to rise to power. Born from said evil, it's a Rider's sacred duty to protect the world from that evil whenever it appears…" He sighed. "Well, for the most part."

At this point, the Doom Marine pointed his weapon downward. There was unmistakable sincerity in his words.

Tsukasa chuckled. "From what I saw in your hanger, you have already visited Rescue Squadron GoGoFive."

'GoGoFive?' The Slayer blinked, having never heard the name. However, he did notice a common theme of the letter V on the Lightspeed Ranger tech.

Sensing his expression. The Rider hummed. "Perhaps you met the American Rangers instead." With a wave of his hand, the silver curtains disappeared. "I have no doubt you could have ended the Worm threat with little effort, but you still let the fledgling Riders fulfill their duty." His lips turned up. "You have my thanks. If veterans like us came in and solved all their problems, how would they grow and become stronger?"

Doom Slayer crossed his arms. With every world he visited, he wanted assurance that they would still be fine without him. At some point, you need to let them do things on their own. To survive is one thing. To prosper is another.

"It's not my job to interfere with the journeys of such young Riders. Every Kamen Rider has to complete his or her own journey. It's only when all hope is lost for a world that's where I step in."

A Vega drone gave its own version of a nod. "And what would that be?"

"The outcome of a Rider's mission directs the world's fate, whether they be worthy of destruction or not."

The Slayer seemed agitated by those worlds, a grip forming on his gun.

Tsukasa continued to stare at the planet. "Me and another watch over this side of the wider Omniverse. With destruction comes creation. Before a world succumbs to its own darkness, I have a choice to make things anew."

Vega contemplated. "With the current temporal anomaly, I can assume you have already decided."

"The branches of time have been pushed in a new direction." Tsukasa shook his head. "This timeline is being culled to foster the new one. Here, Humanity was already on its last legs. Unfortunately, I do not have the power to preserve such things. For me, I can make sure it's not a slow death."

Both Vega and the Slayer saw the merit of such a mercy kill. This death would be a natural one.

Tsukasa turned to the two. "Before I get to work, it's safe to say that I'll see you two more often." He reached into his suit and held out the broken Drake Zector. "How about this? A token of goodwill. You and your friend are smart enough to use this and the gold one. Consider it a peace offering."

The Slayer slowly took the Dragonfly, and it seemed to react to his touch. The little guy looked up in curiosity. After a few seconds, it weakly flapped its wings before resting on his shoulder cannon, feeling snug. Amused, the Slayer rubbed a finger on its head.

"Seems like he'll fit right in. If someone name Diend asks, you didn't get this from me."

"You wish for us to continue our crusade?" asked Vega.

Tsukasa sighed. "... Not everyone has a happy ending. At the very least, you give them a fighting chance. Now, allow me to show you what kind of Rider I am."

Tsukasa took out his Neo DecaDriver, a magenta and black-colored belt buckle with the other 18 Heisei Riders' symbols excluding Zi-O surrounding a circular glassed center, and put it on his waist. A strap came out of the side of the Neo DecaDriver and wrapped around his waist.

Pulling the Driver's sides, the central part of it turned clockwise, and a slot revealed itself.

The RideBooker, is a thick metallic white box with a small cylinder on one of its sides, with a black stripe and a symbol of a barcode-like mask in the stripe.

Taking out one of his Rider Cards, this one depicting the figure of a magenta Rider with the helmet having green visors and five black 'cards' sticking out of it, a yellow gem in the center card, and the words Masked Rider Decade, he said the magic words.

"Henshin!"

Tsukasa flipped the card and inserted the card into the slot in his Driver, with the barcode symbol could be seen through the glass in the center, closed it back, a hologram manifesting in front of the Driver displaying the name of the Kamen Rider and announcing it.

KAMEN RIDE: DECADE

To the naked eye, a Rider's transformation was instantaneous. In turn, the full sequence was on display for the Slayer.

Several shadowy translucent figures appeared around Tsukasa and converged on him, a full-bodied armor materializing on him. The armor had an 'X' shaped black line with thick white outlines along the right shoulder pad to the chest piece. The suit was a bit bulky and black and grey, with some white on its inner legs and arms, except for the green visors.

Several 'cards' emerged from the Neo DecaDriver and flew towards Tsukasa's head, attaching themselves to the helmet and forming its horns. The yellow gem glowed briefly before magenta-colored the suit, between the horns on his head, the shoulder pads, outer legs, arms, and chest.

Standing in the center of the room was the Destroyer of Worlds, known as Kamen Rider Decade.

Vega and the Slayer were intrigued by the transformation. Their initial estimates would put Tsukasa around the strong fighters he has met.

Decade turned to the two. "If you ever come across the King of the Kamen Riders, don't be too hard on him. There is more to ZI-O than one may realize." In the back of his head, he chuckled should the Slayer meet the Lords. With that, Decade gave his goodbyes, opening a curtain back to Earth. He had felt the Slayer's Keep leave this reality.

A thought appeared in his head. He had noticed the various trinkets of different origins amassing in his ship. Would he grow something else as he continued to redeem the darker timelines?

His Ridebooker glowed white. Opening it, Tsukasa found a new grayed-out card. 'A surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one,' he mused. Contrary to his expectations, the silhouette seemed more like that of a classical white knight in armor, akin to that of Ixa. "Kamen Rider… Sentinel?" Decade shrugged. He would cross that bridge eventually. For now, he would continue his work Into the Rider-Verse.


AN:

Coming Soon: Into the Rider-Verse - An Anthology Series. So long as Evil exists in this vast Omniverse, a Hero born from that Evil will rise.

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