Reviews:
Tigracho: I'm glad everyone ended up liking her. I was worried I had made her too dislikeable at the beginning. But as cheesy as it sounds, friendship and love bring out the best in people. Yes, tension will only continue to rise. We're just getting into the final battle after all.
Blitzdigital: Me alegra que te este gustando la historia. Si, mis favoritos tambien son Damian y Takeru. Aun que me gusta escribir a Allister y a Terunosuke por que me encanta escribir a desgraciados xD. Sobre quien tomara el manto de Abyss, eso tendra que esperar un poco pero valdra la pena. La identidad de Odin sera revelada pronto. Y sobre Ryuga y Ryuki, ellos tambien se terminaran enterando. Pero sobre que circumstancias? Haz empieza flojito, si te soy sincero. Y con lo de Miku parece empezar a dudar. Pero ya veremos que pasa con el. Sufrio muccho y todavia no tenemos la historia completa de que lo llevo a encontarse y formar un pacto con Loki. El quiere eliminar a toda la maldad del mundo y purificar a la humanidad a base de aniquilarlos a todos. Pero tendra la determinacion de completar su mision? Pero creo que te gustara lo que tengo planeado con el. Yo tambien soy un fan del KuroiwaxKirika y veremos mas de estos dos en AXZ.
Tenzalucard123: Only Damian and Zeke remain of the dolls. One good and another one evil. And another fight is about to happen. Chao won't let Bragard kill more of her family as he did before. Hajime is still sleeping. But is he going to wake up in time?
lordri25may2001: To be honest, Leiur technically dies last. But I just switched it since it's implied they died at the same time. The only timeline of that fight is weird since it's nighttime when they're fighting and then the sun begins to rise. But it doesn't matter I guess. Yeah, I always laugh when this happens. I guess they just threw Dr. Ver into a cell and since it's not a prison they just let him keep his clothes. Don't worry about Hajime and Hibiki, they will soon enter the fight. I never thought of it that way. How she might be dependent on him because her dad left him and vice-versa. I'll leave it up to the author to interpret this for themselves. It could be for several reasons and I don't want to state a single one as the absolute truth.
Guest: You mean seal him? Well...There will be some type of sealing involved, but it won't take him out as it did to Aizen.
Chapter 68
Divine Weapon Unleashed
Zolda quickly raised his weapon, shooting several energy bullets from his visor against Verde's face, twisting it around 180 degrees like an owl. With a sickening crunch, Verde's neck snapped back to normal.
"Heheheh! Nope! Sorry. That won't be enough I'm afraid."
"Yeah, but it doesn't hurt to try." Zolda chuckled, drawing a card from his Deck and activating it.
Guard Vent: Gigaarmor
Wielding his shield in one hand and visor in the other, Takeru faced off against Verde.
"What the hell is that supposed to be?" Verde guffawed."Are you trying to mock me by mimicking a night wielding a sword and shield? But that is no sword."
"But for me it is." Takeru began shooting a few rounds, but Verde was so fast, he looked like a blur.
Strike Vent: Bio-Arms
Takeru instinctively rose his shield, blocking Verde's forearm spikes."You've gotten a little stronger since the last time I saw you back when you fought me and Lady Carol."
"And I heard you took in Divine Power from Loki!" Zolda yelled, shoving Verde away before he leveled his gun to his face. Verde ducked at the last second, delivering a roundhouse kick that sent Zolda skidding on the ground.
"Word travels fast." Verde scoffed, drawing upon another card."Then again, we did have a little bird flying around telling people shit he shouldn't have!"
Advent: Biogreeza.
Biogreeza appeared out of thin air, spitting acid at Takeru, who raised his shield. Unfortunately, the acid corroded away his armor, just in time for Verde to kick him in the chin, launching him in the air."I was blessed by Lord Bragard! Sure, we used Loki's power, but even a God yielded to my Master's power."
Shoot Vent: Gigacannons.
Zolda flipped in the air, firing several rockets at Verde, who didn't even bother dodging and took them head-on. His right arm and half of his torso were gone, but he regenerated them in an instant."Shit! Nothing I do is leaving any permanent damage!"
"Of course not. Right now I have...well over 500 lives." Verde splayed his hands."And I haven't even used my God-like powers just yet."
"Yeah...I figured." Zolda swallowed the lump in his throat.'Still, I have to keep making him think I have nothing up my sleeve. That way I can start thinking of a strategy to use my new weapon against him. This shot has to count.'
Clear Vent
Verde vanished from view, prompting Takeru to tense up.
He scanned his surroundings, using his hearing to determine if there were any footsteps. His time as a mercenary had developed his tracking skills considerably, after all. And due to them being on the highway, the sound of concrete being stepped on was clear. He turned around sharply, bombarding the area in front of him.
Mucch to his surprise, there was nothing there. Suddenly, he received a kick to the back of the head, causing him to stagger forward."W-what?!"
He felt Verde's spikes slash his chest, creating sparks upon the armor being slashed.
'This motherfucker is using the lightposts to jump around like a monkey and because of that I can't hear where he's coming from!'
Zolda aimed his cannons at the ground, bombarding the area around himself. Both Zolda and Verde were sent rolling away, smoking coming off them after receiving the impact of the explosions.
Realizing his enemy's location, Zolda quickly drew a card and opened up his visor.
Shoot Vent: Gigamini
Zolda grabbed onto his minigun, immediately spraying around Verde and leaving his body with several holes.
His invisibility ran out, revealing a Verde full of holes through his body.
"Now you're looking like green cheese," Takeru smirked under his helmet.
"Miserable human...!" Verde sneered, healing his injuries in an instant."I guess it's no wonder why Damian trusts you to hold me back."
"Your friend didn't have it in him to kill you." Zolda grimaced."He doesn't want to see you this way. I have to put you down for your own good. You sure are a piece of shit though."
"Like I care. Damian can go straight to hell for all I care." Verde snickered."Everyone's been doing their job and he's the only one getting all pissy about it."
"Even your sister and your girlfriend?"
"Even them." Verde left no room for argument.
"I see." Zolda sighed, rubbing his nape."How sad. That's a miserable existence if you ask me."
"Sad...?"
"Yeah. You're really okay with letting the people you love die just because you want some recognition of someone who'll never give it." Zolda chuckled dryly."It's...sad. I feel bad about you, really. No wonder you're jealous of Damian."
Verde's dilated, and before Zolda knew it, he was right on top of him. He received a kick to the chest, launching him across the area.
"You motherfucker!" Verde screamed, drawing a new card.
Zone Vent: Green Zone
"I'll fucking kill YOU!" Verde proclaimed as trees began to sprout around the area, converting the highway into a whole forest."You say my existence is sad?! That I'm jealous of Damian?!"
Verde began leaping around the tree trunks, striking Zolda from all directions before he could react, slashing away at his armor. Takeru purposely jumped off the tree trunk, risking falling to the ground."Why would I be jealous of him?! I was chosen by Lord Bragard as his right hand! I have otherworldly power!"
Verde tossed his helmet aside, using his tongue to swing around. He swung into Zolda kicking him against a tree and breaking through the trunk.
Hissing in pain, Zolda began rapid-firing his missiles, but all of them missed their mark, with Verde jumping around and maneuvering around the trees. Even if the missiles destroyed the trees, they began to quickly regrow as if nothing happened.
"Not only can my body regenerate almost instantly, but so can my trees." Verde hung upside down, watching as Zolda grappled onto a tree branch, raising his visor."Go ahead, human. Try your worst!"
"You asked for it!"
Energy Vent
Suddenly, Zolda's body was covered in a green aura, and two muskets appeared in his hands. He jumped off the branch, firing said muskets at Verde, who received them without issue.
"What's this?" Verde pondered, his wounds healing."He's creating weapons with energy?"
Takeru manifested two rockets on his feet made of green energy, using them to blast himself toward Verde and creating two SMGs, spraying his opponent.
"What?!" Verde jumped away to avoid being hurt.
"What's wrong?! Not so confident about taking my attacks now?!" Zolda created an RPG, firing it instantly as it collided against Verde, sending him crashing through several trees."Afraid you'll run out of lives?!"
"Don't be absurd!" Verde cried, spewing his tongue out and latching it onto a tree trunk, pulling himself away before the missile exploded."What?!"
Final Vent: End of the World
Magnugiga displayed its equipment, with Zolda standing behind him and inserting his visor into the slot in its back. Pulling the trigger, Zolda unleashed Magnugiga's full power, firing rockets, missiles, bullets, and beams of energy. And thanks to his Energy Vent still being active, the firepower was multiplied. Verde leaped around, trying to avoid the firepower coming his way. He landed on a tree branch, only to realize the whole tree had been blasted by the attack.
Zolda began to spin around with his monster, destroying a good portion of the forest to try and gain an advantage.
"Phew..." Zolda took a deep breath, grimacing upon noticing the trees regrowing back, even taller than before. If he had to estimate, the trees were about 60 meters tall each. And the forest was thick. He didn't know where the city was anymore."Guess I better stop playing around."
Suddenly, he noticed a shining object in the distance, before it was engulfed in wind, transforming into a tornado. He quickly ducked his head, barely avoiding having his head pierced by an arrow. He glanced around, realizing that Verde was nowhere to be seen."He used his Clear Vetn again! I definitely can't mess around anymore!"
Zolda drew upon his Survive card, creating a barrier of green energy around him that blocked off the various arrows from all directions. Upon inserting the card, the barrier expanded in size and combusted, destroying the trees around him just before revealing Zolda in his Survive Form.
Survive: Chikara
"So, finally taking me seriously?" Verde observed from afar, invisible."I once was afraid of that power, you know? But now I have something much...much better."
"Is that so?" Takeru taunted."Well, why don't you show me that divine power of yours then?"
"Do you really want to see it?" Verde snickered."First, you have to give me a reason to use it. Like I said, I have something even better than Survive. So this doesn't worry me at all."
"Really?" Takeru trailed off, immediately inserting a card into his Deck.
Shoot Vent: GigantoAssaulter
A compacted rifle appeared in Zolda's hands and he immediately aimed where the voice came from."Then I'll just have to make you."
"You can try."
Zolda quirked a brow at that, but that's when he heard a noise behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the same arrow that he had dodged a while ago, coming straight to him."Huh?!"
To make matters worse, Verde had fired another arrow, mixing it with wind and forming another tornado. Zolda leaped out of the tree, as the arrows collided, creating a great gust of wind that sent him rocketing against another tree.
"But I had my eyes on him...Even if I didn't see him, he was running his mouth constantly so I could hear where he was." Zolda composed himself, taking a deep breath."I get it. He must have controlled that arrow with the wind. That's how he caught me by surprise."
"Very perceptive for a human."
Zolda gasped, bending his knees and avoiding having his head chopped off by Verde's spikes as he materialized above him. Jumping to another branch, Zolda began shooting his railgun, the bullets of blue energy going directly toward Verde.
Hold Vent: Bio-Winder
Using his yo-yo, Verde spun it around in a circular motion, blocking the projectiles."These aren't bullets! What in the world is this?!"
"This is a railgun." Zolda grinned, continuing to pull the trigger and shooting more projectiles. This time, he aimed at the branch sustaining Verde, causing it to break and for him to fall. Taking this opportunity, Zolda lunged at him, tossing his weapon aside and materializing his visor.
Strike Vent: Gigantoblasters
Two gauntlets in the form of the cylinders of a revolver appeared around Zolda's arms, winding his right fist back.
"What in the hell is-GRAAAH!" Verde screamed as the fist collided against his belly, causing the cylinder to rotate and releasing an explosion.
"Not done yet!" Takeru went in for a second punch, blasting Verde's right arm away.
"S-stop that!" Verde screeched, attempting to retaliate but Verde collided with both of his fists, increasing the explosion potency several times. Verde's lower half was blasted away as he yelled in pain, free-falling to the ground. He used his tongue to grapple a tree branch, black dust swirling around his body as he began to restore himself.
"Damn. He wasn't kidding." Zolda leaned against the trunk."I keep blasting him apart but he just keeps regenerating like it's nothing. At this rate, I'll only exhaust myself and lose in the long run. I have no choice. I have to use the card Elfnein-chan and Tobias-kun prepared for me. It's the only way I can beat him and prevent him from coming back."
Zolda drew the card he wanted, feeling the power already emanating from it."Elfnein-chan...Tobias-kun. You adorable kids. If this works out I'll treat you to something delicious. Baked by me. Uncle Takeru is on the case. But for now...I have to keep my promise to Damian."
Shoot Vent: GigantoRailgun
A sci-fi-looking sniper rifle appeared in Zolda's arms. It was huge, almost as big as he was but he was able to carry it without problems. He pulled the trigger to fire a round but noticed an energy level indicator on the side. As he continued to press it, the percentage began to slowly go up."I see. So the more I hold onto the trigger, the stronger the attack. So if I can reach 100%, I'll be able to defeat him."
"YOU DAMN HUMAN!" Verde swung his arms, releasing sharp slashes of wind from below, forcing Zolda to jump higher up the tree."Stop running!"
Zolda ignored him, jumping from branch to branch, with a furious Zeke after him."Tch! Piss off already!"
Zolda jumped back, punching Verde through several trunks with one of his gauntlets."20%. Just have to keep charging!"
"Don't mock me!" Verde's fingers were embedded with wind and fired several wind bullets at Zolda. He used his rifle to block them, but was unable to block all of them and received damage."Still holding onto that thing?!"
"It'll blast you away!"
"Then go on! Try it then!" Verde formed a hurricane underneath his feet, propelling himself toward Zolda.
"Fuck! 50%! I hope this is enough!" Zolda aimed, as the scope materialized in front of his eye. Pulling the trigger, the recoiled was strong enough to knock him off the branch, a blast of energy firing straight at Verde.
"W-what?!" Verde didn't even have time to yell as the blast disintegrated the upper half of his body, causing the lower to fall all the way to the ground.
"S-shit!" Takeru yelped landing on another branch with his rifle."That was...intense! And it was only at 50%!"
Meanwhile, Zeke continues falling to the ground, bewildered at what just happened. Despite missing half of his body, he was still conscious.'I...I can't regenerate...But how?! How did a human generate enough power to blast me clean off like that?!'
His body fell to the bottom of the area, where the highway once was, laying there motionless.'I'm supposed to be...Lord Bragard's knight...I was blessed with the power of a God to protect him...'
"I swore to protect him...Because...I failed him..."
Zeke was now in a black void in his Autoscorer form, trying to reach for the lonely star above him."I let him die. I couldn't save him from that darkness. I let all of them die..."
"Lord Bragard chose me to be one of his Royal Guards."
Zeke shifted his gaze to the human version of himself from all those centuries ago, standing next to him."He gave me his blessing and asked me to keep him safe. I should have protected him at all costs. It was my duty. But instead...I let him become what he is today. Because I wasn't able to prevent him from succumbing to that darkness. Phara and Micha died because of me."
"Zeke!"
Autoscorer Zeke sat up at the voice he hadn't in centuries. There, a young Bragard stood. He was different from the current Bragard. This one had black hair and blue eyes."Lord Bragi..."
Bragard smiled at his knight, giving him a gentle nod.
"Lord Bragard I'm sorry!" Zeke crawled to his feet, bowing his head."I'm sorry! I failed you!"
"No." Bragard touched his head."You have not. You can still...save them. Save me."
"I can...?"
"That's right." The human Zeke approached them."You have the power bestowed upon you by His Majesty. You can help him change the world. Make a new path for a new species. You must see his dream be fulfilled."
"I'm counting on you, Zeke." Bragard grabbed Zeke's cheeks."You are my most precious knight. My most loyal attendant. Can you do it for me? Can you help me in my crusade?"
"Lord Bragard...I will fulfill my duty." Zeke muttered, kneeling in front of the prince."I swear it."
"Then embrace it, Zeke. Embrace the power I gave you. It's time...for the birth of the Divine Weapon."
"Did I kill him?" Zolda peered down below, but the leaves made it impossible to see down to the ground."Damn...I wish...things didn't go this way. He didn't have to die."
Zolda took a seat on the branch, leaning against the tree to catch his breath."Man...That could have gone a lot worse, that's for sure."
All of a sudden, a pillar of green energy emerged from the ground, taking Takeru by surprise. Zeke's limp body flew toward the sky, holding Biogreeza's card in his hand.
"What the fuck is going on now?!" Zolda jumped back to his feet, alarmed.
Zeke's body began to be surrounded by white particles, as his eyes and mouth turned white. The leaves began to corrode, changing from green to black and the tree trunks turned grey.
"This...what the hell is this power...?" Zolda gaped, feeling the intensity of the power around Zeke."I have to kill him now!"
"You...You dare mock Lord Bragard..." Zeke muttered, white lightning surrounding the pillar of energy as his energy surged."I am...God's right hand...I will not fail him again! I will help him...BECOME THE RULER OF THIS WORLD! SO BOW DOWN! YOU INSIGNIFICANT, PUTRID, UTTERLY DISGUSTING-"
Another beam of energy shot through Zeke, this time desintegrating his head and his body fell back to the ground. However, the energy combusted, releasing a powerful shockwave that threatened to knock over all trees in the artificial forest.
Advent: Biogreeza
Zolda grabbed a hold of the tree trunk, holding on for dear life. Once the light died down, he peered down below, noticing a black mist covering the ground. He heard distant laughter growing louder and louder.
"Allow me to show you, the power granted to be by my Lord!" Out of nowhere, a black entity emerged from the dark mist, flying past Zolda and into the peak of the treeline."The power of a God!"
When he took a look at his appearance, Zolda was terrified of what Zeke had become. His torso was attached to a giant black chameleon made of a dark substance that seemed to leak everywhere. His upper body was now completely grey, and had black markings on his arms, reminiscing of detached sleeves. His hair had become black and his teeth were crimson red. Instead of a single short horn, he now sported two horns curving upward and his sclera were black except for his green eyes. To top of his appearance, he was wielding a black bow made from the same substance the chameleon was and had two skeletal wings sprouting from his back.
"The stage is set for the final play!" Zeke cackled, prompting the chameleon to spit out black acid as Zolda jumped out of the way. And he was thankful he did, because the branch he was on corroded in seconds, leaving nothing behind.
"Holy shit!" Zolda gasped, leaping out of the way of an incoming arrow that grazed his sides. Instantly, he felt agonizing pain that paralyzed him."Fuck!"
"Now, don't be so surprised." Zeke snickered."The play is just getting started. I'm sure Micha will love it when she sees it."
"Micha...?" Zolda blinked, puzzled."What are you talking about...?"
"I know she'll want to be on the front rows to see it." Zeke continued on his rambling, scratching his head with his enlarged nails and cutting his skin, which was instantly healed."And Phara! Phara always goes on about how she loves Leiur's plays. But I can make something more unique. Heheheheh! So, will you help me? You can be my main actor."
"You're insane!" Zolda screamed, leveling his rifle but Zeke was not about to let him shoot again. The chameleon opened his mouth, firing a ball of red energy at Zolda. And everything turned white.
"Is this...what's left of her?" Tsubasa frowned upon seeing the mangled torso of Phara on the grass.
"So it seems." Ogawa nodded."Her attack didn't destroy her entirely but left her completely immobile."
"And she's not regenerating," Yosuke noted.
"Indeed. Only my brother and Damian are designed with that function." Phara's body creaked, and her eyes rolled forward to stare directly at them."I must say, your song was quite sublime, Little Miss Sword. The perfect cursed melody!"
"Just give it up, Phara." Tsubasa shook her head."You lost. "
"Lost?" Phara laughed maniacally."That's where you're wrong! You've been playing into our hands...right from the very beginning."
"Explain!" Maria demanded.
Phara giggled."You've had a mole in your midst all this time. By the time you find it, it will be too late! Certain death awaits you."
"Who?! You're not talking about Damian, are you?!"
"Isn't it obvious?" Phara grinned."I suppose there is no need to keep it a secret anymore. It's your beloved little friend, Elfnein."
"Impossible!" Yosuke barked."She would never do something like that!"
"Indeed, she wouldn't." Phara agreed."But this wasn't up to her to decide. Our plan was divided into two. Garie, Micha, Leiur, and I were assigned to help Master Carol with her plan to dissect the world, while Damian and Zeke were to help Lord Bragard in wiping out all human life. For Master Carol's plan, she required a more careful procedure than Lord Bragard."
"Procedure?" Jades folded his arms.
"First, the enchanted blade's cursed melody. The role of us 4 was to cause the Gear users to sing that song and record it in our bodies for later use. First, Master took the cursed melody into her own body. The rest was simple. We only had to goad you into using the Ignite Module."
"That's why...that's why they died?!" Tsubasa yelled."We danced to your tune all along, just so you could just be sacrificial pawns?! You were people, for crying out loud!"
"People...Again with this childish story." Phara sneered."I do not recall any of what Damian said. We all had a job to do. He just decided to go rogue. Right now, my brother must be having the time of his life with his new power, killing off your friends. As for me, my part is done. So there is no need to stick around.
Phara's eyes glowed, initializing her self-destruct sequence."AND YOUR PART IS ALSO DONE! DIE-"
"Phara, this is Zeke. From now on, you will both be brother and sister.
"Brother and sister...?" Phara saw memories of her past life, in particular, the day when her mother introduced her to Zeke and his father.
"Go on, Zeke. Don't be shy. Say hi to your older sister." Zeke's dad pushed him forward.
The young boy meekly walked closer to Phara, as she met him halfway through."Hello...My name is Zeke Crowley..."
"Ara, aren't you just the cutest thing?" Phara pulled on his cheeks."You're my little brother now. I am Phara Suyuf. Let's get along."
A few years later, Zeke was in their backyard, practicing with his wooden sword against an oak wood tree."Damn it! This is so hard!"
"What's wrong, Zeke? Are you okay?" Phara approached her brother with concern.
"I'm trying to improve my swordsmanship. But I don't feel like I'm progressing too much."
"Is that so? Why would you want to do that?"
"Because I want to become a knight!" Zeke responded."I want to be able to provide us with a better life and serve my kingdom. I want us to live in a nicer house and for you guys to be happy. You too, Phara...So I decided I wanted to become a knight. But..."
"Zeke..." Phara bent her knees to be at his level, pulling him for a hug."Worry not. I can teach you the ways of a sword."
"You can...?"
"I am quite an experienced swordswoman." Phara kissed his cheek."I'd be happy to teach you the basics."
"Really?! Thank you, Phara! I love you!"
"I love you too, Zeke."
"Phara, look!" Zeke ran to her room two years later, just as she was combing her hair."Look!"
"What is it, Zeke?" She arched a brow."Did something happen?"
Zeke held out a gold and red insignia in his hand."I was accepted! I was accepted to be a Royal Guard for Prince Bragard! I did it!"
"You did!" Phara tossed her comb, rushing to bring her brother closer for a bear hug."Thank the heavens! I am so proud of you!"
"It was all thanks to your training, Phara!" Zeke cried with joy."I will be able to serve my kingdom and have the honor of guarding His Majesty! And I can provide for you guys too!"
"I'm so proud." Phara sniffed, her own tears of joy streaming down her face."I know you'll do a good job."
Her final memories were of her escaping on a horse with Princess Lucine, watching as a red wall of energy expanded from within the kingdom, almost reaching them. In an attempt to save the princess, she pushed her off the horse just as the energy grabbed a hold of her, and everything turned black. Her last memory before she died that day.
"Zeke...I'm sorry." Phara closed her eyes as the explosion went off.
"Damn!" Jades stomped the ground."She's dead!"
"She self-destructed." Ogawa grimaced."That's..."
"Did she have no concern for her life? Or her brother's?" Tsubasa pondered, but Yosuke placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I saw her eyes before she exploded." Yosuke sighed."Those were eyes full of regret. But also I saw love in them. Her feelings for her brother were genuine. Right before she died."
"I can't contact HQ." Ogawa held his phone against his ear."It seems these floating particles bust be chaff. She jammed all communications in this area to prevent us from alerting the others."
"Then we must go to HQ ourselves." Tsubasa shifted her gaze over to her father."Father. We'll be going now."
Yatsuhiro nodded, and the group rushed to get in their car.
A huge explosion covered the whole forest, destroying a good chunk of the tall trees with the power alone. Zolda had jumped off the tree in time, but the explosion was so big he still took the brunt of the shockwave. He landed on a branch on his back, causing him to spit out blood due to the force of the impact.
"I noticed how that weapon in particular hurt me." Zeke's voice echoed through the area, his body turning invisible."I suspect that those little runts made it exclusively to kill me. It took a lot of lives when you first shot me. Had I not unleashed this power, I would have been a goner. I am new to this power, but wait until I have grown accustomed to it."
"Yeah? Well..." Zolda was sweating bullets."I guess if I said you're wrong you won't believe me, huh?"
"Normally I wouldn't, but seeing as how you people have a god on your side, I believe that weapon is embedded with Divine Power to counter Divine Power. Interesting." Zeke took aim from far away, licking his lips."But that weapon is wasted on trash like you!"
The arrow was shot, this time way faster than any arrow he had ever fired. Zolda instinctively moved aside, but the arrow was infused with wind Alchemy, gracing his arm and leaving a laceration on his right arm. Blood began to drip down his armor and onto the ground."Shit!"
Zolda began jumping from tree to tree, dodging the various arrows that circled him and continued being shot at him.
"Dance! Dance, human! Hahahaha!" Zeke continued lunging from tree to tree, invisible to the naked eye. The chameleon released another blast of energy that destroyed the trees in front of Zolda, followed by a powerful explosion that temporarily blinded him. One of the arrows pierced through his thigh, earning a pained scream as he felt the wind tear through his flesh. Biting his lower lip, he took the arrow out and smashed his Gigantoblaster against another arrow. However, unlike before, the arrow was too powerful and broke apart the gauntlet, leaving him with only one left.
He reduced the energy output of his GigantoRailgun from 60 to 30 and began rapid-firing at the arrows with the energy beams. Much to his relief, his weapon was doing a good job at repelling the projectiles.'Must be because of Thor's power.'
"Surprise! We're moving to the rising action!"
Zeke appeared in front of Zolda, sending an energy blast from his mouth that collided against his stomach. Zolda screamed for his life as the attack launched him far above the trees. He wrestled out of it, watching as the attack exploded in a huge light show. Holstering his rifle on his back, he materialized his visor and drew upon a new ability.
Wing Vent: GigantoJet
A jetpack appeared on Zolda's back, attaching to him and keeping him in the air.
"Oh? The main actor has encountered a new power-up?" Zeke clapped in excitement."Let's see how well that suits you!"
"Here's another one for you!" Canons sprouted out of the jetpack and began shooting lasers toward Zeke. The puppet cackled, raising a hand and creating a barrier of wind that blocked the lasers.
'I'm going to go all the way.' Zolda thought, watching as the percentage began to increase slowly."So it's true. After 50%, the charge time becomes higher."
A volley of blasts was shot from below, forcing Zolda to fly away deeper into the woods. Zeke followed him close as the chameleon lunged from tree to tree extremely fast, picking up the pace.
"So not only is he huge, but he's fucking fast?!" Zolda cried, shooting from his Magnuvisorzwei in hopes of keeping his enemy at bay."This is so unfair!"
All bullets seemed to bounce off Zeke, who looked euphoric."This power suits me nicely! You can't beat me, human!"
"We'll see about that!"
Shoot Vent: GigantoBits
Drones in the shape of Magnugiganto's heads appeared around Zolda. A total of 8 drones spread around, each of them having two barrels on the sides of their heads and a cannon in their foreheads.
"Go my children!" Takeru flew away, his jetpack blasting him, and leaving the drones alone with Zeke. The drones got to work, moving at high speeds around Zeke, who sneered in annoyance.
"Leaving me with your little toys?!" Zeke seethed, using the skeletal wings to block the lasers being shot from the drones. A few of them flew toward him, ramming against him and breaking part of his body. Eventually, the Divine Weapon was attacked from all directions, the chameleon hissing.
The drones kept moving around to be as unpredictable as possible, shooting their lasers in all directions and forcing Zeke into one place.
Meanwhile, Takeru laid on his stomach on a branch, setting up the rifle, and began charging it up further, keeping an eye on Zeke with his scope. He winced, feeling his wounds acting up but ignoring them.'If this doesn't work, I'll have to worry about way more than this shit...'
Suddenly, the chameleon rose its head, releasing a huge energy blast that exploded into several smaller ones, each of them targetting a drone and destroying them, homing for Zolda in the distance.
"You gotta be fucking kidding me!" Zolda pulled the trigger several times, hoping to destroy as many blasts as he could to no avail. The tree he was on was destroyed, and a few of them hit him head-on, launching him off the tree. He used his jetpack to avoid falling to his death but only managed to safely land on the ground, skidding on the grass and crashing against a tree.
"You're so pathetic. These little toys of yours won't work against me!" Zeke laughed hysterically."You need to charge up that weapon of yours, right? Otherwise, you would have shot me by now."
"No one likes someone who knows too much for their own good," Zolda said, picking himself up from the ground. Zeke landed in front of them, standing tall around 30 meters thanks to the chameleon he was attached to.
Zolda shot a few rounds, prompting Zeke to begin jumping up the trees. This was just a distraction, as he began running away to gain some distance.
"Running now? But the rising action is continuing!" Zeke began spitting energy balls from the chameleon's mouth. The explosions went off behind Takeru, who kept trying to charge up the rifle in his hands."Still 70%?!"
"That's right! Run! Run!" Zeke's tongue wrapped around Zolda's ankle, causing him to trip onto the ground. Takeru quickly used his remaining gantlet to blast the tongue away and drew a new card.
Energy Vent
Various energy weapons floated around Takeru, shooting on command at Zeke. The Autoscorer covered himself with his skeletal wings while chuckling.
Using the energy of his card, Takeru concentrated it on his remaining gauntlet, causing it to shine in a green aura. He thrust his fist forward, creating an energy version of Magnugiganto's fist, immediately smashing it against Zeke and shooting him toward a tree. Takeru then smashed the real gauntlet against his stomach, blasting a hole through him but Zeke continued to laugh uncontrollably. Growing sick of this, he manifested an energy revolver in his hand, followed by a thousand revolvers behind him. Pulling the trigger, he shot his gun, followed by the countless weapons behind him.
"Too bad!" Zeke quickly created a giant ball of energy, using it to block all bullets.
"Woah!" Takeru cried, watching in horror as the ball began releasing several small attacks. Takeru created an energy turret, trying to shoot them all away but they were too many. He attempted to block with his gauntlet, but even that began tearing apart as well as his armor. Once the barrage was over, he fell on his knees, his rifle falling onto the ground.
"And now, to finish you." Zeke compacted the sphere into a smaller one before it went inside his mouth, powering it up more. As soon as he shot his attack, someone kicked his chin, forcing his jaw close and making him swallow the attack.
"Takeru-san!" Raia grabbed onto Zolda as he flew by using Evildiver. Imperer jumped on top, securing himself on the monster to fly away from the explosion. The explosion went off, destroying Zeke from the inside out and destroying a chunk of the forest, leaving a huge crater.
Raia commanded Evildiver to fly up to the top of the trees to outrun the explosion, grimacing upon feeling the shockwave. The 3 Riders landed on top of a branch, managing to outrun the explosion.
"You boys...You're here..." Takeru sighed in relief, a piece of his helmet missing and revealing his disheveled face and blood pouring from a gash on his forehead.
"Sorry we took so long." Raiden examined Takeru's wounds."You're wounded, Takeru-san..."
"Oh, this?" Takeru chuckled, staring at the wound on his thigh and arm."Just a scratch..."
"Chris-san is going to get mad at you." Imperer pointed out.
"Yeah..." Takeru sweatdropped, imagining Chris reprimanding him for his injuries."Still..this guy is no joke. If all members of the Divine Disasters of Valhalla have power like this..."
"Didn't that card that Elfnein-chan give you work?"
"Yeah..." Takeru examined his rifled charged up to 80%."But it takes forever to charge. And this guy isn't giving me any openings. Once it reaches 100%, I have one shot before the energy vanishes."
"Uh...guys?!" Imperer gasped, pointing at the ground below them. The black bits that were left from Zeke began to combine together, forming Zeke once more. However, this time, there was no chameleon underneath him. He stood around the same size he was before and was wearing black pants and no shirt. He now had a long black tail made of a black substance and a green fleshy sword in his hand. To top off his appearance, he had black eyeliners around his eyes that trailed down as lines down his face.
(Play Kettosha no Hime Taru Omoi)
His hair had grown longer, reaching past his shoulders, and his eyes were now a deep crimson red, like Bragard's.
"Finally..." He sighed, examining his body."Like I told you, just wait until I grow accustomed to these powers. I can feel it. This...is Divine Power. It's time for the climax of our play."
"Boys."
"Right."
Both Imperer and Raia rose their respective Survive Cards. Energy began swirling around Imperer and a psychic barrier surrounded Gaia as their visors began to morph.
Imperer's visor changed from being on his knees to an actual weapon. He now held the Gazellevisorzwei, a double-bladed spear with two drills at the end.
Survive: Seishin
Survive: Rasen
Imperer's black bodysuit now had brown spots around the thighs and arms, and the horns around his armor became more protruded. The horns on his head grew in size and now had spiral horns from the sides of his head pointing forward. On his arms and feet, he had the shapes of gazelles and golden highlights across his armor.
"Power up all you want." Zeke began levitating in the air."But my head has never been clearer. Ever since I got this power, I knew the truth. I was a real person a long time ago. And all of the other dolls were as well."
"Wait...so you knew?" Takeru inquired, perplexed."Then why are you-"
"I know Micha is dead. And so is Phara. That was the plan after all." He closed his eyes in thought."But we've been dead for so many centuries. We aren't the real humans that carry our names right now. We were sacrificed for Lord Bragard's wish. We were given a second chance to make sure he and Lady Carol succeeded. You ask why I didn't do anything about it. The answer is simple. There is no point."
"No point?" Andreas repeated.
"Like I said, we already died. We are just dolls implanted with the memories of our former selves. There is no future for us. There never was. We were created simply to further our master's goals. So that one day we can be revived as humans again." Zeke splayed his arms, a wicked grin appearing on his face."All of this happened because of me! I failed to save Lord Bragard back then. I wasn't able to keep him from taking the path he took. And I wasn't able to protect Micha or my friends. They all died because I was too neglectful of my duties as a Royal Knight, hahaha! But now I can take it all back! All I have to do is kill you and kill your friends!"
"You're insane." Raia scowled."Do you really think this will help anybody?!"
"You have no fucking idea how it feels like to let the people you love down!" Zeke barked, a ball of energy appearing in his hand."That simple mistake was all it took to make everything go to hell! You DO NOT UNDERSTAND!"
Aiming his index finger forward, Zeke shot a beam of raw power, blasting Takeru in the chest and launching him several miles away. The explosion that followed decimated a good number of trees. The once thick forest was looking more and more destroyed.
"Takeru-san!" Raia cried, but that's when he felt Zeke next to them. He tried turning around, but the Divine Weapon kicked them both away simultaneously.
He spat black liquid onto the ground, and from it, large carnivorous plants began to form from the black puddle.
"What's going on?!" Imperer began to backflip to stop his momentum, landing on top of a tree branch. The plans began firing beams of energy around, forcing the Riders to split up.
Hop Vent
Springs integrated into his armor appeared in Imperer's legs, increasing his mobility. He jumped against a tree, heading directly for Zeke. He thrust his spear forward, but Zeke easily parried with his sword.
Sword Vent: Exo Blade
The edges of his bow-like visor became sharp like blades, wielding it from the middle as if it were a double-edged sword. Raia lunged at Zeke from behind, but the tail swatted him away like he were an insect. He then swept Imperer's legs, causing him to fall to the ground. Taking advantage of his opponent being on the ground, Zeke raised his sword to deliver the killing blow. However, Imperer kicked the ground, and with his springs managed to leap out of the way and draw a card.
Spin Vent: Terazellestab
Two drills appeared in each of his hands, activating them with the press of a button. Imperer lunged at Zeke once more, but the Autoscorer sidestepped, grabbing Imperer's leg with his tail and slamming him on the ground.
"Ah!" Imperer cried in pain before Zeke began to slam him repeatedly, causing him to gasp in pain.
"Leave him alone!" Raia rushed at them, but Zeke simply threw Imperer against him. A few of the plants bombarded them with energy blasts, prompting Imperer to grab onto Raia and leap out of the way.
Zeke slashed the air, releasing an energy slash that cut the tree that they landed on, causing them to begin falling.
Shoot Vent: Exo Arrow - Type Divider
Quivers equipped to Raia's waist, and he wasted no time grabbing an arrow. He aimed and fired it at Zeke. The arrow was divided into a hundred arrows, covering a wide area of attack and destroying the carnivorous plans. Zeke was unperturbed, and rose his hand, casting a tornado that pushed away all arows and prevented them from reaching him.
Drill Vent
Imperer grabbed his right arm, pointing his index finger at Zeke, who stared back curiously. He then released a drill of energy from his hand that expanded in size until it overshadowed Zeke.
His eyes show wide open, flying higher into the air to avoid the attack. He stared back at the drill that destroyed the trees on impact, but this left him open to Raia, who had drawn a new card from his Deck.
Shoot Vent: Exo Arrows - Type Titan
Raia shot the arrow, which then became several times bigger than a truck as it headed for Zeke.
Zeke flew down but noticed the ground below him breaking before Imperer appeared out of it, thrusting both of his drills against Zeke and releasing spiral energy that sent him rotating at high speeds back to the sky and into the arrow. However, he slashed the arrow apart with his blade and took advantage of his spiraling condition to send various slashes of acid around. One of them struck Imperer in the face.
"AH! RAIDEN HELP!"
"Take your helmet off, moron!"
Imperer immediately removed his helmet before it melted away, sighing in relief.
"Got you now!"
Zeke appeared between them, slashing them away with his blade. Their armors cracked, and blood trickled out of their suits.
"O-ow..." Andreas moaned, grabbing his sides and becoming startled when he saw the blood."I-I'm bleeding!"
"Superficial wounds..." Raia growled, noticing how the wounds weren't that deep."He's just playing with his food..."
"Any more tricks before I kill you?" Zeke chuckled."Or should I end it here already?"
"Yeah...Just one." Raia drew a new card from his Deck, as did Imperer.
"Still wanting to fight, huh? You like to get hurt?" Zeke asked in a derisive tone."Don't bother. Not only do I wield Divine Power, but I was also upgraded using the battle data from your Survive and Ignite transformations. It's obvious you will never defeat me."
"Even so, we promised our family we would beat you." Andreas huffed, opening up his visor.
Final Vent: Tera Drill Breaker
Gigazelle appeared momentarily in front of Imperer before increasing in size and evolving. It now had larger horns, spiraling forward like a goat, two wheels on its back, and its knees bent slightly. It looked more like a beast than a humanoid as it did before, and now had two drills at the end of its elbows and shoulders as well as wielding its spear. Then, all the gazelles he summoned morphed into more animalistic monsters, resembling actual gazelles and standing on four legs. The gazelles covered the whole forest as if they were actual wildlife living in it.
Final Vent Psycho Dive
Zeke glared behind him, receiving a physic beam that forced his body in place."This is...?"
"Now you won't be able to move as you please!" Raia cried riding on top of Exodiver as they circled the area, watching the stampede get closer and closer. The gazelles began to close in on Zeke."Andreas!"
"Got it! Charge!" Both boys inserted the cards given to them by Tobias into their visors.
Co-Link Vent: Psychotic Stampede
The gazelles galloped in unison, resembling a huge stampede that covered the whole area.
"This changes nothing." Zeke broke free from the psychic energy, floating above the gazelles. Much to his shock, the others were able to jump toward him, and one of them ram into him, taking him back to the ground where he began being rammed from every direction. He spat acid on the floor, creating a large puddle of acid but this proved to be useless since the gazelles merely leaped over it and continued striking him with their horns. Meanwhile, Terazelle turned into a bike, which Andreas rode toward his enemy as the stampede began to end. Once there were barely any gazelles, four of them turned into restraints, attaching to his arms and legs, wrapping themselves around him before burying into the floor, forcing him into place. Both Riders were engulfed in their respective powers, a giant drill of energy forming in front of Andreas' bike and an arrow for Raia's.
"Combining your powers to achieve something you can't on your own won't save you!" Zeke declared, beginning to break through his restraints."It might have worked for your sisters against Micha, but I am far more than any of them!"
"We've also endured a lot of pain!" Raiden declared."We know exactly what it feels like to let people down! People whom you love! But that doesn't mean we'll throw everything away because it seems pointless! There is one thing you didn't account for!"
"Yeah?! What?!"
"Humans get stronger and stronger every day! We have unlimited potential! We've grown stronger during this fight just like Takeru-san has! And that's something you can't replicate because you're an Autoscorer! So don't go thinking you can...!"
Raia and Imperer met in the middle, colliding against Zeke before jumping away, leaving the god-like being screaming in agony before they both yelled."UNDERSTIMATE HUMANS!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! T-THE PAIN!" An explosion went off and Raia quickly created a barrier of psychic energy to protect himself and Imperer.
"Or not! Did you fall for it?! HAHAHAHAHA!"
Both Raia and Imperer gasped, watching as Zeke flew from the explosion, his wounds healing and punching them in their stomachs, breaking their chest plates and causing them to spit out blood. He then flew into the air, raising his hand and creating a sphere of energy."Say goodbye to life, you weak meat bags!"
Zeke released his attack on the ground, forcing Raia to use a new ability.
Psychic Vent
Raia formed several barriers in front of the attack, each of them breaking slowly as it began to get closer to the ground.
"It's useless!" Zeke cackled, flying higher into the air to avoid the incoming explosion."I cannot be measured by your usual standards anymore!"
"And we will show you...we can break past our limits!" Imperer cried out, inserting a card into the slot of his visor.
Shoot Vent: Terazelledrillers
Two gauntlets appeared in Imperer's arms, with two drills at the end of each. He aimed them toward the attack, firing both drills at it. The ball of energy began to pulse, and Raia instinctively surrounded it with a barrier to soften the explosion. And just in time, since the attack went off, breaking through the barriers and destroying almost the whole forest.
Zeke observed from above, cackling in insanity at his handiwork."Huh?"
Once the smoke cleared out, he noticed both Andreas and Raiden on the ground, covered in wounds.
"That's odd. I was expecting the attack to disintegrate their bodies." He rubbed his chin before shrugging."Oh, well. They're dead."
The former knight flew down to the ground, hands on his hips as he leisurely walked around, inspecting the area."Such a beautiful forest reduced to nothing. They took plenty of lives out of me. I shouldn't have played around that much. I'm down to 234 lives. But still, thanks to my Divine Power, I should be able to restore myself by sacrificing a version of me from an alternate universe."
Zeke touched a tree, staring at his monstrous hand before staring down at his body."This...is me. I have absolute power, but...I wonder what Micha and Phara would say..."
Thanks to the trees being cleared out for the most part, Zeke had a good view of the city, and noticed a huge tower in the distance."The Overall...It doesn't matter. I must help Lord Bragard with his ideals. Nothing else matters. I will not let him down a second time. I made it this far and all of the others are dead, except Damian. But soon...everything will be-"
He stopped in his tracks, a cold sweat dripping down the back of his neck. He slowly turned around, coming face to face with a bloody Takeru, holding onto his GigantoRailgun."You...! You again! How?! You were supposed to be dead!"
"Like hell I'm giving up...when I promised Chrissy I would return alive." Takeru panted, his rifle shining brightly and brimming with power, indicating it had been charged to 100%. There was a hole in his armor, revealing his burnt chest after receiving the attack earlier."I have to bite my tongue to keep myself from passing out from the fucking pain. Hurts like a bitch. But I promised Damian...I would put you down for your sake. And now I have to protect my kouhai. I am not about to drop dead just yet. They risked their lives...to give me this final shot..."
Both warriors stared at each other intensely, the sound of their breathing serving as the only noise in the desolated area. A gust of wind made the dead leaves on the floor rustle, and the early rays of sunset could be seen from afar, starting to illuminate the area.
Takeru perked up his head, alarming Zeke who morphed his blade back into a crossbow, creating an arrow of energy before engulfing it with wind Alchemy. The orange-haired Rider quickly raised his rifle, not bothering to aim with the scope, and shot his attack, releasing an immensely powerful blast of energy just as Zeke released his arrow for them to meet in the middle. The arrow was completely engulfed in the attack and destroyed, heading straight for Zeke.
"W-w-what?!" Zeke cried, unable to move out of the way as the blast engulfed him. He released a bloodcurdling scream, feeling the intensity of the blast start to tear through his body as it took him high into the sky at insane speeds.
"T-t-this is n-n-nothing!" His voice cracked, forcing a grin."I can regenerate!"
However, once he tried regenerating his deteriorating arm, it only accelerated the process and his body continued to crumble, realizing that his lives were being shaved off at an alarming rate."No! It's desintegrating my body and I can't regenerate in time! But!"
Several copies from alternate universes of Zeke appeared beside him before returning to him, but this did nothing to help him."It can't be! So this attack is infused with Divine Power...countering my own Divine Power and preventing me from regenerating?! NO! I CAN'T! I CAN'T DIE LIKE THIS!"
Memories of his life flashed through his eyes. The attack went past the clouds, heading for the stratosphere. His body was crumbling away fast, leaving him with no arms and legs, and soon, only his torso and head remained.
"From now on, we're going to be comrades in arms." He remembered Damian stretching his arm out for him the day they met."We'll both protect the young Prince with our lives."
"Only I get to have that honor." He grumbled, but shook his hand in return."But sure. We'll protect him. Always."
"Phara, must I really accompany you to this ball?" He had complained before, standing in front of his older sister as she fixed his tie."I don't want to go..."
"You need to relax every once in a while." She chided him, poking him on the forehead."Besides, I don't have a partner to dance with. I'm sure my little brother will help me. Won't you?"
"Huh?! Why would I do that?!"
"Well, girls might become interested in you if they see you dancing with an older girl~."
"Bad idea!"
His last memory was that of Micha, sitting next to her as they enjoyed the weekly play in town."Thank you for coming out with me today. I know you don't really enjoy these things but they mean the world to me."
"Don't think much of it." Zeke waved his hand dismisivally."I just couldn't let you come here alone and look weird by yourself."
"Aw, so you came to look weird with me? I knew you cared~!"
"Stop hugging my arm, Micha!"
"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" Zeke began to panic, shaking his head frantically as his body was disintegrated at a molecular level."PLEASE, SAVE ME! DAMIAN! MICHA! PHARA!"
The blast combusted, disintegrating every particle from Zeke's body and creating a powerful explosion that covered a huge portion of the sky, illuminating it along with the sun. Verde's Deck was destroyed along with Biogreeza, leaving a green stone falling back to the ground.
"It's...over. We won." Takeru released his armor, taking a deep breath."But...It's a shame it had to end this way, Zeke Crowley."
The orange-haired teen limped around, grimacing upon applying pressure to his wounded thigh. He had ripped part of his bodysuit and made a makeshift tourniquet to stop the bleeding. He limped over to where the boys were, hoping to check their pulse."You fought bravely. I hated you for what you said about Chris but I admire your loyalty. Your loyalty that unfortunately wasn't rewarded. Just like how I was back when I was still working as a mercenary. My Dad...was a role model to me. I worked so hard to appease him even though he never really loved me nor had the best intentions."
He sighed in relief after checking the boys' pulses, realizing they were alive and well."Had I continued being obedient, I would have turned out like you. And died for a cause not worth fighting for. But Chris saved me. When I met her, I took a different path. But you chose to give up and simply succumb to a lost cause. Maybe because it broke you. I don't know how you were as a human, but you were a loyal servant to the person you trusted the most until the very end. And for that, you have my respect. I hope you can rest in peace with your sister and girlfriend. Zeke Crowley. Huh?"
Takeru stumbled upon a green stone, picking it up from the ground."This...Is this an Advent Stone? But I'm sure the blast must have disintegrated Zeke's Deck and his monster. Could it be...there's something that prevents the Decks from permanently being destroyed? Regardless, I should...should..."
His vision grew hazy, and he felt extremely lighthearted due to his injuries and the blood loss. He shook his head, and in that second he closed his eyes, he collapsed on his back, losing consciousness. The remaining trees around them began to wither away upon Zeke's death, finally announcing his defeat at the hands of S.O.N.G.
Damn, this list is updating forever. It might or might not get even longer in the next few seasons.
Kamen Riders Remaining:
Ryuki: Hajime Adachi
Knight: Yosuke Yanagi
Zolda: Takeru Sakamoto
Tiger: Jades Demetrios
Imperer: Andreas Kagatsuchi
Raia: Raiden Amaterasu
Odin: ?
Ryuga: Hazuki Kaburagi
Gai: Terunosuke Kuwana
Ouja: Allister Albedo/Code Cypher
Femme: Chiaki Nakahara
Abyss: Damian Schwarzer
Alternative: Bragard Second Hyperion
Defeated Riders:
Scissors: Goro Tanaka (Killed by Ouja)
Alternative Zero: Dr. Ver (Deck destroyed by Ryuki)
Verde: Zeke Crowley(Killed by Zolda)