Disclaimer: I don't own anything that doesn't belong to me. Kamen Rider Ohi lent by Spidey Viewer.
A/N: This was originally supposed to be the last chapter, but as is frequently the case for me, it took so long to write and got longer than I planned so I've decided to split it. Here's the first part.
The Riders attempted to rush Yuriko as she powered up, but to no avail. The Electro-Wave Human blasted them with her electro-waves, causing the women to fall to their knees, screaming in agony and clutching their heads. Squishy squealed in alarm and circled his mother's head while Kiva-la flapped about her mistress frantically.
Ms. Titan chuckled as they writhed in agony. "It doesn't matter what you are… Human, alien, demon, queen, God… All of you are female Riders, which means all of you are vulnerable to my daughter's full power, our very own little Fire Cross… Or perhaps I should say Fire XY?"
She crouched down, took the shrieking Hana by the chin, and lifted her face up to look her in the eye. "Just give up this pointless resistance, dear. Whatever trick you used to save yourself before won't work now. Give in and this can all be over. We can all be one big happy family."
"You want to make Sakura my sister… Not my girlfriend…" Hana rasped, voice hoarse from screaming. "Fuck… You…"
"Get… Away… From her…" Sakura gasped, struggling to push herself up.
Ms. Titan tutted and drove her heel into the martial artist's back, pushing her back to the ground. "You are a strong one, aren't you? Yuriko, sweetie, maybe turn it up a notch, just to be safe?"
"Yes, mother," Yuriko said, powering up her electro-waves even further, the resulting screams growing even higher in volume…
"Mm-mm-Magine!"
Pink lightning bolts suddenly rained down on Yuriko, causing her to cry out, her electro-waves dissipating.
"What?!" Mrs. Titan cried in astonishment, seeing Magine was still standing, wielding her Magine Stick. "How… How are you still standing?! All female Riders should have been affected by that!"
Magine laughed. "Because I'm not a female Kamen Rider, but a Sentai! Your brainwashing has no effect on me!"
Reika laughed crookedly as she used her sword to lever herself back her feet. "I have the best girlfriend in the world…"
"You're objectively wrong, but it's sweet of you to say that anyway," Hana told Reika, flashing Sakura a smile as they all got back to their feet.
"Dammit… I didn't anticipate this," Ms. Titan hissed. "I can't fail now, not after everything I've sacrificed, all in the name of Black Satan!"
"Why the hell are you working for Black Satan, anyway?" Nico demanded, patting the ecstatic Squishy on the head. "Those guys haven't been relevant in decades!"
Natsumi nodded in agreement. "If you were working for Shocker that would be one thing, they never stay down, but Black Satan? Of all the defunct evil organizations in existence, why them?"
"Black Satan saved me and gave me a purpose in life when I had nothing!" Ms. Titan declared. "Society took everything from me… My career… My family… Everything… I had no reason to live! And then I found a Satan Bug, which gave me this incredible power, and I vowed that I would make this rotten society kneel before Black Satan!"
"A Satan Bug? How unusual. They were all supposed to have perished along with the Great Leader of Black Satan on September 27, 1975," Izu noted.
"I guess Shigeru Jo must have missed one," Yaiba said.
"Either that, or the Great Leader of Shocker decided to start breeding them again," Rinko speculated.
"Who cares! We'll squash it and her and every other meanie Black Satan throws at us!" Nadeshiko cried, punching the air.
"You tried to take mama from us… No forgiveness!" Lovekov yelled seriously.
"That's my line," Ms. Titan sneered. "Yuriko, blast them again! Forget about brainwashing, take them all down!"
"Yes, mother – ahhh!" Yuriko cried out, her attempt to power up again backfiring as sparks flew from her helmet, a few components bursting and burning out.
"What?!" Ms. Titan gasped.
"Oh, did I happen to short out her helmet when I hit her with my spell? Oops!" Magine giggled cutely.
"I love you so much," Reika moaned, besotted.
"Yuriko!" Mrs. Titan cried, rushing to her "daughter."
"Nnngh… What… What is…" Yuriko gasped, the lenses on her helmet flickering. "You… Who are…"
"Dammit… This isn't going how I planned at all…" Ms. Titan snarled, grabbing Yuriko and producing a remote. "This isn't over, Riders!"
She pushed a button, and the mansion went up in a tremendous explosion.
"Just a little further, Yuriko," Ms. Titan said a few minutes later, dragging the confused and out of it Yuriko down the street away from the burning ruins of the mansion. "We just have to get the safe house, and then we can start over again… Just you and me, mother and daughter, like it should have been from the start…"
"Not…"
"Shh, don't try to talk, sweetie, you need to save your strength-"
"Not…" Yuriko managed to rasp out, squeezing her eyes shut, weak electro-waves pulsing around her hands and head. "Not… My… Mother…"
"… Damn that Kikainoid! That blast must have scrambled the AI chip I put in your brain!" Ms. Titan realized in frustration. "Well, not to worry, once we get to the safe house I can fix that right up and you can go right back to being my loving and obedient daughter-"
Without warning, a heavily modified red Honda NSX car swerved to a stop in front of her, cutting them off. "Oh, what now?!"
The driver side door opened, and a woman wearing a formfitting outfit resembling the Mach Production Model suit but royal blue with a scarf, red and white highlights, antenna, the lower jaw of the Mach Deadheat form, red eyes visible through a semitransparent visor, legs similar to Kamen Rider Chaser, a proper Mach Driver Honoh, and a tire on her left shoulder emerged, pointing a Zenrin Shooter at the duo. "Freeze! By the authority of the Special Investigation Unit, you're under arrest!" Said Kiriko Tomari, Kamen Rider Racer.
"And if you feel like putting up a fight, don't worry, I promise to heal all your injuries… After inflicting them on you, of course," said the Medic Roidmude, Kamen Rider Medic, her outfit resembling Kamen Rider Chaser but in white with red accents and gold crests arcing over her shoulders vaguely resembling wings.
There was the sound of a train, and the DenLiner shot past, leaving Pretty Den-O in its wake. "I have arrived!"
"The hunt for Dracula is over," declared Megumi Nago, Kamen Rider Ixa Nigo, jumping down from a nearby building alongside Mizuki Nishikikoji and Satsuki Ogimachi, Kamen Riders Fuma and Knockout, the latter wearing a skintight red and gold bodysuit with gold formfitting armor which accentuated her curves resembling a qipao with red accents and flame decals, puffy shoulder armor resembling sleeves, spiked bracelets, oversized red and gold fists, and a very thick metal queue dangling to her knees, each segment separated by a spiked ring. "But in the battle for evil, new prey can always be found!"
"Dammit… More female Riders?!" Ms. Titan snarled.
"A lot more than you expected, aren't there?"
A red and gold portal opened, and two figures emerged, Misora Isurugi, Kamen Rider Vernal, Princess of Mars, and her concubine Sawa Takigawa, Kamen Rider In-Q. Misora had a red bodysuit covered in golden alien characters and complex circuit like patterns with over a dozen gold discs resembling CDs or the golden disk from the Voyager probe ringed around her limbs. She had red and gold boots almost like those of an astronaut, with Ruby half spheres ringed with gold discs on her knees and hips. She had red and gold chest armor with a crystal Ruby half sphere embedded in the middle with the alchemical symbol for Mars crossed with the emblem from the Vernage bangle. Her shoulder armor resembled red and gold astrolabes, and a gold lined red cape with numerous constellations on the interior hung down her back. Red orbs were set in the back of her golden gauntlets. Her head was covered by a helmet with green eyes visible behind a gold mesh resembling the emblem of Vernage with a red orb with the symbol for Mars taking up most of her forehead, gold discs crisscrossing her mask to form an X. On her waist she wore something resembling an Evol-Driver but red and gold with alien sigils etched into it and a display of Mars taking up the power generator, the CD Lost Fullbottle taking up one slot and another red, gold, and crystal bottle with the symbol for Mars taking up the second slot, a red and gold item resembling the Hazard Trigger but with alien markings and the sign for Mars on it plugged into the top.
Sawa's suit, on the other hand, looked like the Build suit if the Octopus Halfbody were a full outfit, pink tentacles hanging over her shoulders, beak like claws for toes, pink eyes shaped like octopi complete with tentacles, and a Build Driver with a bulky black and pink item vaguely resembling an octopus with the Octopus Fullbottle plugged into it.
"I hope you're happy, we had to leave Kaseihime with a sitter on very short notice to make it here at all," Sawa chided the increasingly irate Ms. Titan.
"And don't forget us!"
Ms. Titan and Yuriko glanced up to see two feminine figures standing atop a nearby building, backlit by the full moon, even though it was still broad daylight. One was Iroha Kaguragi, Kamen Rider Kunoichi, and the other was her sister-in-law, Yako Kagura, Kamen Rider Izanami. Iroha was wearing a suit reminiscent of her brother's, but pink rather than purple, with chains wrapped around her limbs, a short cape of chains hanging down her back, the emblem of a pair of crossed kusarigama on her chest, blue eyes separated by a pair of crossed kusarigama, and a Driver with a kusarigama over the gourd.
Yako's suit, on the other hand, was much more formfitting to emphasize her sizable assets and curves, black with red flame decals, and kunai patterns on her armor, with kunai-like claws on her knuckles, a kunai over the gourd on her Driver, a pair of kunai-shaped Fox ears on her helmet, and one red eye with the other covered by a red edged black kunai resembling bangs, with a voluminous mass of black hair hanging down to the ground, bound by a bangle near the end with red tips.
"Just how many more of you are there?!" Ms. Titan demanded, getting exasperated. "And where were you before?!"
"Traffic," Yako said dismissively.
"Well, at least there aren't any more of you-"
"Oh, you didn't think you'd get away from us that easily, did you?"
An Aurora curtain opened behind Ms. Titan and Yuriko, and all the other female Riders (and Magine) emerged. "Our fight isn't over yet!" Natsumi said.
Akiko gasped. "Oh my gosh, everyone else made it! This is so exciting! It's like we have a whole army! A… Girlfriends Army-"
"That name is already taken," Izu informed her.
"Dammit."
Alpina gestured, and a pair of time portals opened, disgorging the surprised and confused Kamen Riders Shuki, Fubuki, Femme, Na-Go, Letter, Lopo, and Hakubi. "What-" Neon Kurama stammered, dumbfounded.
"Help us and I will restore all of you who are dead to life and grant the rest a wish," the future queen of time informed them, immediately earning their loyalty.
"You've lost, Ms. Titan! We've routed your forces and destroyed your base! Return Yuriko and surrender to the judgment which awaits you!" Yoko said.
"Or don't. I wouldn't mind doing a little judgment of my own all over your big ugly eye," Hana snarled.
"Damn you… I will not surrender! I would rather die! Yuriko, activate the Ultra Cyclone!" Ms. Titan desperately commanded. "Destroy EVERYTHING!"
"Yes… Moth-" Yuriko, who'd been raising a hand to her helmet, clenched her teeth and suddenly grabbed her wrist. "No… I… I… Won't…"
"That's it, Yuriko! She can't control you anymore!" Sakura urged her reincarnated progenitor.
"Come back to the light, love!" Lovekov added.
"Yuriko, this isn't you. Remember who you really are! You are our ancestor, a true heroine, worthy of entry to the halls of Valhella! Throw off the shackles of darkness, so that you may reclaim your eternal reward!" Yoko called.
Yuriko squeezed her eyes shut, tearing up as she struggled to pull her other hand back down, throbbing with electro-waves. "I… I don't…"
"Yuriko! Is this what Shigeru Jo would want?" Poppy cried.
Yuriko gasped, eyes flying open. "Shigeru…?"
"NO!" Ms. Titan screamed, grabbing Yuriko. "You can't have her! Society took away my first family, I won't lose my second! Black Satan… Grant me the power to strike them down, and usher in your glorious return!"
Nico snorted. "Give it up, lady, this comeback tour's been canceled-"
She was interrupted when thousands of hideous black insects crawled out of every crack, crevice, alley, gutter, and manhole in the vicinity and swarmed around their feet.
"I stand corrected."
Yukie Yaginuma screamed and flew away using her Armed Propeller. Neon sighed. "Yeah, should have seen that coming."
"What is this?! I wasn't told about this?!" Akiko screamed.
"Gross gross gross!" Haruka cried, stomping on as many insects as she could.
"You know, normally I'm okay with insects, but these really creep me out," a disgusted Reika observed, recoiling from the bugs.
"Mm-mm-Magine!" Magine chanted, conjuring a giant can of pesticide and spraying as many bugs as she could… But to her confusion, nothing happened. "What? That's weird…"
Ms. Titan cackled madly as the bugs gathered around her and the weakly struggling Yuriko. "It will take more than pesticide to destroy these magnificent Satan Bugs! Come, Black Satan! Give me the power to surpass God!"
As everyone watched in horror, the madly laughing Ms. Titan and whimpering Yuriko were completely enveloped by the Satan Bugs, which continued piling on themselves, getting bigger and bigger, until they formed a loosely humanoid torso and arms with formless wings and a head with a single horn growing from the top. A single red eye opened in the featureless face of the giant, followed by approximately 99 more eyes opening all over its body.
"Oh! So that's why she's called Ms. Titan!" Nadeshiko exclaimed.
"Hey, is it just me, or does that look kind of like the Eyezer Giant?" Akari wondered.
"I guess even Black Satan isn't above reusing character assets," Poppy quipped in disgust.
"I had no idea Satan Bugs were capable something like this," remarked an alarmed Rinko.
"… That's because they can't. Those aren't Satan Bugs," Izu said in dawning horror.
Everyone looked at her in surprise. "What? Then what are they?" Akira asked.
"Cluster Cells," Izu replied.
Yaiba gasped in horror. "What?! But… Then that means-"
The largest, central eye in the Hundred-Eyed Titan's head turne and especially ominous red and regarded them all with such absolute, unfathomable contempt it sent shivers down their spines. "Hello, Izu, Yaiba. We meet again."
"Ark," Yaiba snarled.
"What?! But I thought Great Grandpa Giff helped beat it!" A shocked Lovekov protested.
"He did. However, I am not merely an AI, but the embodiment of malice itself. You cannot kill an idea, and so too can I never die," the Ark bragged.
"Then… That means you are the true mastermind behind the resurgence of Black Satan," Natsumi realized.
"Well, at least it's not the Great Leader of Shocker for the umpteenth time," Kiriko said.
"I was kind of hoping it was…" Satsuki admitted sheepishly. "I was hoping to get an autograph from his Great Leader of Black Satan incarnation."
"I don't understand. You're the one behind all this? But why?" Asked a confused Tokime.
"I am always on the lookout for a new vessel to serve as my avatar. With Azu forever liberated from my clutches and my previous host, Rin, utterly burned out, I was forced to seek out a new individual with enough hatred in their hearts to potentially become my next incarnation. Mitsuko Fujimoto fits the bill," the Ark explained.
"Who?" Magine asked.
"I think he means Ms. Titan," Sophia said.
"Ohhh."
"Don't misgender me," the Ark snapped, sounding annoyed. "Malice is not limited to gender, and so neither am I. My pronouns are they/them or it."
"Oh, sorry," the swordswoman of darkness said apologetically.
"You are not forgiven."
"Are we… Actually discussing gender identity with an evil AI God?" A baffled Alpina wondered.
"I have no idea what's going on," Sara whimpered.
"But why her? She's just an angry middle-aged woman, not a terrorist or cult leader or CEO or whatever," said a confused Alia.
Sakura sighed wearily. "Clearly you've never had a job involving customer service. Middle-aged women can be the worst."
Hana nodded in agreement. "We got some pretty powerful Deadmen out of those kinds of people back in the day."
"Fucking Karens," Nico spat.
"But… Then why the ruse with Black Satan?" Touka asked.
"I'm still recovering from my failure to repossess Azu. I believed it prudent to hide my involvement to avoid being on Zea's radar until I was ready to reveal my hand," the Ark explained. "And who would possibly expect my involvement in the apparent revival of a long-defunct evil organization, especially one lacking the clout, infamy, and villainous pedigree of Shocker, Badan, or Gorgom?"
"He has us there," Natsumi admitted.
"So… You manipulated an angry middle-aged woman, dragged Yuriko back from the dead and brainwashed her, all to… What? Create an army of female Kamen Riders?" Poppy asked angrily. "You're so cruel!"
Medic nodded in agreement. "It's beings like you that give us AI a bad name!"
"Didn't you try to take over the world once?" Mayu asked.
"It was a different time," Medic said evasively.
"It was just a few years ago-"
"No," the Ark said. "That's Fujimoto's plan. I'm just going to kill you."
There was a pause.
"Wait, what?" Megumi asked.
"Fujimoto's plan never had a high probability of success to begin with. Going by past data, it was far more likely that your friends and significant others would undo any brainwashing you underwent through the power of love and friendship. Therefore, it would be much more practical to simply kill you, especially since many of you are powerful warriors in your own right, and represent a potential threat to my plans, especially the mightiest among you," the Ark said. "Additionally, the majority of you have very strong connections to other major Riders, and I have calculated that your deaths will have a significant impact on their morale and effectiveness going forward."
"Hang on! You're going to fridge us?!" Nico shrieked incredulously.
"As has already been established, I am very evil and profit from increasing the amount of malice in the world," the Ark elaborated. "And a broken heart can often be a source of great malice… Isn't that right, Izu?"
"No," Izu whispered, horrified. "He… He would never become that… Not again!"
"Perhaps you're right. Perhaps Aruto Hiden won't have an even worse breakdown if you were to die a second time and become a potential vessel for me once more," the Ark said. "But then again, perhaps he would. There is a nonzero chance that he would once more become Kamen Rider Ark One out of grief and anger… Or maybe something more. Maybe Ark Two?" It chuckled as Izu seethed in fury and desperation. "And no matter how slim a chance that is, it is one I'm willing to take.
"But of course, Aruto Hiden is not the only potential avatar I believe I could create via this method. Alpina, how would your grandfather react if you were to perish? Would he become the dreaded demon king for real? Or Natsumi, what of your fiancé? Would your demise lead to the rebirth of the Destroyer of Worlds?
"And what of the rest of you? Would your deaths prompt your loved ones to become greater heroes, or take a much darker path? I must admit I am quite curious to find out."
Everyone exchanged alarmed looks at this. Most of their loved ones probably wouldn't turn for the worst should they perish… But could that really be said for all of them?
"Well, there's no way my brother would turn into some kind of edgy dark antihero if I died," Sara said confidently. "He's much too goodhearted for that!"
The Ark chuckled. "It's adorable you think that. According to my predictions, you are very much wrong."
"We're not going to let you use us to hurt our loved ones or try to make them evil!" Misora declared.
Iroha nodded. "With all of us together, you don't stand a chance, Ark!"
"Yeah, there's like half a dozen divinities and royals and other ludicrously strong people here," Yako agreed. "I don't really see how you can win this."
"Normally you would be correct, I would be no match for you all," the Ark agreed, to her surprise. "Here's the thing. Fujimoto is not the only one I have absorbed just now. I have also assimilated the root of all your power… Which means…"
All of its eyes started glowing.
"I can take it away!"
A tremendous pulse of electro waves blasted out from the giant's eyes and washed over all the female Riders, causing them to cry out as they were flung back…
Their transformations canceling, leaving them totally vulnerable to the Hundred Eyed Titan looming over them.
"… Okay, this could be problematic," Akari admitted in dismay.
"I… I can't transform!" Sawa cried, attempting to activate her Build Driver to no avail.
"None of us can!" A horrified Sae Ganaha exclaimed as she, along with everyone else, attempted repeatedly to activate her transformation, with no effect.
There was a scream of terror as Yukie fell from the sky, hitting the ground hard. "Oh God why."
"Everyone, calm down, it may have stolen our Rider powers, but our other powers remain!" Alpina said confidently. "I'll just turn back time, and…"
She made a circle with her hand.
Nothing happened.
"I said, I'll just turn back time, and…"
Alpina made another circle.
Nothing happened.
"… Okay, I guess our other powers don't remain. Shit."
"That would explain why we appear to be fully human again and have lost our connection to Helheim," said a distraught Yoko.
"And why I'm suddenly Asuna Karino!" Poppy, who no longer had pink hair, cried. "I mean, yes, I've occasionally criticized over being human for real, but… This is like the worst possible time! This is a… A…" She burst into tears. "I can't even say how big a panic it is!"
"And I can't do Density Shift anymore, meaning I'm just a boring old regular android that's better than humanity in every way, instead of a unique Roidmude," Medic lamented.
"Such a pity," Kiriko said unsympathetically.
"My cells feel so… Dull. Stagnant," Nadeshiko expressed in disgust. "I can feel them decaying. I'm dying a little more every second. This is awful. Is this how you humans feel all the time?!"
"… Well, we don't usually describe it that way…" Kanon muttered sheepishly.
"Sawa, I… I can't sense Kaseihime anymore!" Misora cried. "Or Vernage, or any of the Martians!"
The beautiful reporter bit her lip. "This is very bad. She…she has to be okay, right?"
"This is bad? You're telling me! I don't have my power armor anymore!" Nico wailed. "Now I'm just a boring old regular human! Fuck you, Ark!"
"You know, I think there's a time when a lot of us would have given anything to just be normal," Mayu lamented. "This is the absolute worst way for that old wish to be granted."
"I may have lost my powers, but I still maintain my connection to the We're network and have already retasked another satellite," Izu reported, ear modules buzzing.
"And once again, the electro waves have no effect on me!" Magine declared, flipping over her gear and spinning the handle on her Geartlinger.
BIG BANG! GO! GO! GO-GO GO! ZENKAI MAGINE!
"And I can still do this!" Magine roared triumphantly as she transformed into the giant pink MagineDragon.
"Yes! Go, Magine! Fight him!" Reika cheered excitedly.
"Hey, why can't you turn into a giant Dragon yet?" Hana complained to Sakura.
"Really? We're talking about this now?" Sakura asked in exasperation.
"I want to see you become a giant Dragon, mommy," Lovekov said helpfully.
"Thanks, sweetie," Sakura said wearily.
"Cute," the Ark said before its eyes lit up and fired laser beams and electro waves in every direction.
Magine roared, a magic circle forming in front of her mouth as she fired an extremely powerful blast of pink magical energy, colliding and clashing with the Hundred Eyed Titan's attack.
"Yes! You can do it, Magine! That's my girlfriend!" Reika cheered excitedly, throttling Sophia.
"Come on, Magine! You're our only hope!" Tokime yelled.
"So no pressure!" Akari agreed.
"She… She can do it… Right?" Neon asked anxiously.
Lovekov moaned. "Mommy… I… I don't feel so… Good…"
Sakura frowned and turned towards her daughter. "Lovekov-"
She gasped in horror as the demon abruptly collapsed and started turning transparent. "LOVEKOV!"
"What is happening to the Tsuchinoko?" Shuki demanded as Sakura and Hana rushed to their daughter's side.
"… Oh no. The Ark said it cut off the source of our power," Yuko realized. "And the source of Sakura's power…"
"Is her inner demon, Lovekov!" Alpina exclaimed.
"Lovekov! Lovekov, hang on!" Sakura pleaded, trying to hug the demon, only for her arms to go right through her.
"Lovekov, please, don't leave us!" Hana begged desperately.
"Mommy… Mama… I… I'm scared… Please-" Lovekov started to say…
Only to disappear completely.
Everyone stared at the spot where the adorable demon child had been for a moment, stunned.
And then Sakura let out a gut-wrenching, heart-rending wail of anguish and despair, as Hana collapsed against her, bursting into tears. Megumi, Akiko, Kiriko, Misora and Sawa, all mothers themselves, began to cry as well in sympathy.
Momotaros, who'd been separated from Anna, suddenly realized, "Wait, does that mean that I'm-"
He abruptly turned into a pile of sand.
"Crud," Anna said eloquently.
"Kiva-la, don't leave me!" Natsumi cried, cradling her Kivat.
"I'm sorry, Mistress… I feel… So… Sleepy…" Kiva-la murmured, eyes fluttering closed.
"No!" Natsumi wailed.
"Well, at least Squishy's okay," Nico said cheerfully, holding her Metroid to her chest.
"Nico, that's a plushy-" Asuna started.
"Let me have this."
Magine's eyes widened in horror. "No!"
"Yes."
Abruptly, the output from the Giant's hundred eyes increased exponentially, tearing through Magine's spell like wet tissue paper, explosions erupting on the street and sending the girls flying, while Magine herself was sent crashing into a nearby building, which collapsed on top of her.
"NO!" Reika shrieked.
"Too easy. Oh, and before I forget…"
The Ark glanced upwards, firing 100 laser beams into the sky which all focused on a single point. A massive explosion erupted high above them moments later.
"I am afraid, Izu, you won't be trying that trick a third time. Honestly, even throwing away one satellite like that probably cut into your annual budget considerably."
"The first one… Was scheduled for decommissioning… Anyway…" Izu grunted.
"And now you will all be decommissioned," the Ark said with relish as Cluster Cells began to spread from its base and swarmed across the ground, beginning to engulf everyone. "I would tell you this will be quick and painless, but that would be a lie."
"Well, looks like I'm going to die again," Miho Kirishima said in resignation as the black insects began to consume her.
"Why is this happening to me? All I wanted was to lose some weight and go on a date with my favorite celebrity!" Yukie cried as she was enveloped.
"I can't believe this is how it actually ends… At least we'll die together," Satsuki said, reaching a tender hand to her lover…
Only for the Cluster Cells consuming them to pull them away from each other. "No! MIZUKI!"
"SATSUKI!" Mizuki shouted.
"There will be no solace for any of you. Not even dying beside the ones you love," the Ark said cruelly as it gleefully separated Akira and Haruka from Natsumi, Tokime and Akiko, Mayu and Rinko, Yoko and Touka, Medic and Kiriko, Misora and Sawa, Reika and Sophia, Sakura and Hana, and Neon and Sara and Sae. "Die in despair like your ancestor, for no reason other than to cause the big strong men in your life pain. Whatever comes next, be grateful you won't get to see it."
"You fucking… Dick…" Nico grunted, managing to thrust a middle finger into the air, the last part of her to get enveloped in darkness.
"N…no… Reika…" Magine rasped weakly, struggling to pull herself out of the debris, only to collapse again.
"Don't worry. You're next."
"SAKURA!" Hana shrieked, struggling to break free from the Cluster cells. "Sakura, help!"
"Lovekov… Lovekov is gone…" Sakura whispered, heartbroken, tears running down her cheeks, not even trying to struggle against the wicked mechanical insects crawling all over her body.
"And I'm next, if you don't do something!" Hana cried desperately.
"What can I do? What can any of us do?" Sakura asked, voice utterly dead. "Our powers are gone. I couldn't save our daughter. I can't save you. I can't save anyone."
"I didn't fall in love with you because you had powers!" Hana yelled. "I fell in love with you because you're you! The invincible Sakura Igarashi! You've never given up on anything before, so why stop now?!"
"… Hana… my Hana…" Sakura said slowly, light seeming to return to her eyes. "I can't… I can't lose you too!"
"Sakura!" Hana cried in delight as Sakura started fighting against the Cluster Cells, trying to reach towards her.
"Hana! Take my hand!" Sakura shouted, stretching out as far she could.
"Sakura!" Hana wailed, stretching as well. Their hands were so close, their fingers were just about to touch-
And then the Ark, who had been watching all this happen in amusement, ordered its components to wrench them apart from each other, relishing the look in their eyes as hope died completely. "I told you. There will be no solace."
"Sakura! Sakura, I love-" Hana tried to cry, only for the Cluster Cells to swallow her up completely.
"No! Hana! HANAAAAAAAAAAA!" Sakura screamed as the insects swarmed over her, covering her entire body, the last thing she saw before her face was engulfed in the skittering dark mass the shapeless lump that had once been her beloved.
"Hana."
The Ark laughed.
It didn't notice one of its 100 eyes flicker and change color.
…
"Sakura Igarashi. You aren't going to let it end like that, are you?"
…
Astarte, being pampered by her unpaid interns, paused as she was about to take another sip of nectar. "Ah. I was wondering when it would happen."
The intern between her legs glanced up. "Mistress?"
"A new member of my Pantheon is about to be born," Astarte said as she looked off in the distance, pushing the intern's head back down. "And it's about time."
…
"Daiji," Giff announced suddenly, staring out the window. "I fear you are about to be surpassed by one of your siblings yet again."
Daiji glanced up from the game of shogi he'd been playing with Azuma. "Which one?"
"Sakura."
Daiji considered this for a moment, and then smiled genuinely. "Good for her."
…
Ikki, on his way back from the hospital, glanced up, stiffening. "Vice, you feel that?"
"Feel that? I taste it!" Vice shouted from the GundePhone50 he was currently inhabiting.
…
There was an unzipping sound and a dimensional crack opened, a spectacularly beautiful blonde woman in a diaphanous white gown stepping through, alien flowers and plants sprouting from the ground beneath her feet.
"Mai Takatsukasa?" The Ark murmured in surprise. "This is a surprise. I did not believe you ever left your distant planet anymore. Do you believe you can make some difference here? Goddess you may be, but you are just as vulnerable to the power of Black Tackle as the other female Riders. I wonder how your husband would react were I to strip you of your powers and kill you? What would happen to the cosmology you and your comrades have carefully erected? Would it collapse entirely with three of its core members rendered mortal and murdered? I find myself curious to find out."
"I have no intention of fighting, Ark, unless I am forced to," the Woman of the Beginning said calmly. "I am here merely to observe."
"The deaths of your sister Riders?" The Ark sneered.
"No. The apotheosis."
"The what?"
And that's when the mass of Cluster Cells covering Sakura disintegrated, a tremendous pillar of light rising into the heavens before twisting and turning and transforming into a giant serpentine Eastern Dragon which roared furiously at the Hundred-Eyed Titan.
"WHAT?!"
Mai smiled. "Woz?"
"Ready and waiting," the enigmatic prophet replied, holding his all-knowing tome.
The Dragon undulated through the air before streaking back down towards the ground, slamming into its point of origin with an impact which annihilated all the surrounding Cluster Cells, liberating the multitude of trapped female Riders, who gasped for breath and blinked in surprise, bewildered and relieved to discover they were not, in fact, dead.
Hama's first thought, of course, was not her freedom, but of Sakura.
Her second thought was holy shit how did she get even more beautiful, because the love of her life had undergone a dramatic and rather striking transformation.
Smoke rising from her body from the sheer power radiating off her frame, Sakura stood up, the ground melting and turned to glass around her. Her legs were now digitigrade, covered in red and gold scales ending in two-toed feet with the third toe growing from the back of her feet, more talons going from the backs of her knees with green orbs growing from her hips and a battle skirt made of red and gold scales hanging from her waist to the ground, open at the front with gold trim resembling flames. Jade anklets resembling dragons biting their tails wrapped around her ankles. She had an hourglass figure with amazing, almost fearsome curves, her abdominals chiseled and resembling fangs while her rather sizable chest was comprised of a pair of massive green pearls fondled by a pair of Dragon claws. An unfamiliar geoglyph sat just above her breasts. A ridge like a turtle's shell grew from her back. A pair of large green pearls were set into her shoulders, almost resembling Dragon eyes, with three horns growing from the sides. Her arms were slender but well-muscled, with natural gauntlets covered in red and gold Dragon scales and ending in sharp Jade claws. A pair of saw-edged hemispherical fins grew from the sides of her arms. Her face was covered by a skull-like mask resembling a dragon with six glowing green eyes and another green pearl set in her forehead with a pair of twisted antlers burning with green flames growing from the top of her head and colorful feathers growing from the sides. Her red and gold hair was in a high ponytail which hung down to the ground resembling a dragon tail ending in a scythe bound by Jade rings, with two side tails wrapping around her arms and ending in a pair of serpentine Dragon heads growing over her knuckles with glittering green eyes.
As everyone stared at Sakura in awe, Mai smiled and nodded at Woz, who immediately launched into one of his signature proclamations. "Rejoice! The final evolution of Sakura Igarashi, who has fully accepted her heritage as a descendent of Giff and become a demon God! She is the ultimate melding of man and demon, worthy of inheriting her grandfather's throne, and her name is the Demon Dracodea! Tremble! Kneel! Witness her glory!"
Alpina chuckled and shook her head. "Just what I'd expect from you, Woz…"
"Hana."
The sheer level of power, command, and affection filled Hana with joy and adoration to the point where she nearly passed out in bliss, instead managing to prostrate herself before her love, her lady, her goddess, the bright center upon which her entire world revolved around, groveling before her feet where she belonged like the slave she was, a part of her very much hoping she would step on her. "Mistress."
Sakura bent down and grabbed Hana by her chin and tilted her head up to look her in the eyes. Although she was so strong she could easily crush her skull with absolutely no effort, Hana felt not the slightest bit of fear. In fact, if Sakura wanted to kill her, she would be more than happy to oblige, for her body, her will, her very life only existed at her whim.
"Mine," Sakura said hungrily, greedily, demanding.
"Yours," Hana agreed contentedly.
Sakura kissed her, and in that instant Hana knew heaven was real, because nothing short of Nirvana could possibly be used to describe this feeling of ultimate joy and pleasure. Her loins stirred, and in the back of her head Hani moaned in ecstasy. Fire coursed through her veins, heating her up inside and out, all of her aches and pains melting away as her body instinctively reshaped itself to meet the preferences of its true owner, restoring her health and then some.
She could feel her soul leaving her body and flowing into Sakura's. She didn't care. It was where it belonged, anyway, and there was no safer place for it then inside her goddess. She found herself envious, unable to experience the ultimate joy of being one with her beloved for all time.
All the girls, and the Ark, stared. "Wait, hold on, girls loving girls is allowed?" Miho asked in disbelief. "When did this happen?!"
"After you died, I would assume," Shuki said.
"Holy shit have I missed a lot."
"I am… Suddenly questioning my sexuality," Fubuki admitted.
Nico burst into laughter. "Wait, you seriously thought any of us were straight?!"
Finally, much to Hana's disappointment, the kiss ended. "My precious treasure," Sakura cooed as she ran a claw down Hana's cheek, causing her to turn so red she thought she might pass out.
"Forever," Hana agreed eagerly, mind flooded by images of Sakura taking her to a den piled with riches and making love to her endlessly on a bed of gold and jewels.
"Also, I'm back too! Hi mama!" The hair/snake/dragons wrapped around Sakura's arms chirped in Lovekov's voice.
"Hi Lovekov," Hana replied happily.
"That is… Impossible… I nullified your powers, how…" The Ark murmured. "Ah. Of course. Black Tackle is trying to fight back. A problem easily remedied."
Muffled screaming could be heard from within its mass moments later.
"No! Hasn't that poor woman suffered enough?!" Poppy cried.
"No," the Ark replied.
"On the contrary. It is time for Yuriko to once again rest in peace." Mai glanced at Sakura. "New goddess. You know what must be done."
Sakura nodded. "Yes… I do." She kissed Hana on the forehead, causing her to swoon. "Stay right here, precious. This shouldn't take long."
"I'm happily married. Why am I feeling jealous right now?" A confused and slightly annoyed Kiriko wondered.
"You aren't the only one," Kanon agreed.
"Wow, none of us are straight, are we?" Akiko wondered.
As a blissed-out Hana fell to her knees, Sakura turned to the Ark. "Ark. You have done many terrible things today, but there is only one thing you have done which I cannot forgive. You tried to take my treasure from me, and nobody steals from a Dragon and lives."
"Wait, didn't he kill your daughter too-" Natsumi started.
"My family is my treasure, she counts as well."
"Oh, okay."
Lovekov squealed happily.
"If your family is what you value most, then I shall simply try that much harder to eliminate it," the Ark said, one of the eyes on its back swiveling to point in the direction of the Happy Spa and started powering up.
"You haven't been paying attention."
As if by teleporting, Sakura suddenly appeared right behind the Ark.
"What-"
Sakura threw a punch.
Her fist didn't make contact with the Hundred-Eyed Titan's body.
It didn't need to. The shockwave obliterated a solid third of its body, vaporized the top of a building across the street, and blasted apart some distant clouds.
"Nobody steals from a Dragon and lives."
Screeching in rage, the Ark instantly reformed its body, most of its eyes vanishing and reappearing to focus on Sakura. "You have made a grave error."
Sakura grinned. "That's my line."
"Incorrect," the Ark said, as some of its mass split off and circled the other female Riders, several forms rising up from it. "If you are fighting me, then who is protecting them? You have forgotten that not all female Riders are heroes."
The Cluster Cells solidified to turn into representations of Larc, Wiseman, Dark Necrom Yellow, Sylphi, Abbadon Mua, Falchion Amazing Siren, Dark Aguilera, Delta, and Beroba.
Haruka was confused. "Wait… Why am I there?"
"That's not you, that's a different Larc, Natsumi Miwa," her own Natsumi explained.
"And why is Wiseman here? Koyomi isn't evil!" Rinko protested.
"Well, she was brainwashed, does that count?" Mayu suggested.
"Jey… It's been a while," Alia said sadly.
"Is THAT what her name is? I don't think we ever learned it," Kanon reflected.
"Exactly who is she, anyway?" Akari asked.
"Along with Jebil and Jered, she was a retainer to the royal family, like Jabel, specifically serving under my older brother," Alia explained. "They died during the same attempted coup which ultimately resulted in Argos' death, and I guess their loyalty to him was so strong they continued serving him as Kamen Riders."
"That's actually kind of inspiring," Kanon observed.
"Yeah, if they weren't loyal to a genocidal madman," Alia pointed out.
"Sylphi! You should not be here!" Touka snarled.
"Relax, sister, it's merely a clone," Yuko assured her.
"Oh no, I'm really here," Masako laughed, much to their astonishment, twirling her pole arm. "You didn't really think I would miss out on a chance like this, did you?"
"Is that… A new form of Falchion? I don't recognize it," said the confused Reika.
"I've heard rumors of a forbidden book, Amazing Siren, which has the ability to duplicate itself and remove people's memories… But it vanished ages ago, along with Mumeiken Kyomu! How does the Ark have both of them?" Sophia wondered in alarm.
"The Ark is a God. Like Zea, it's gaze is not restricted by the bounds of time and space, hence how it can create these facsimiles of Kamen Riders that should not exist in our timeline," Izu said gravely. She frowned at Delta. "As for that one… There have been rumors that the Ark has been collaborating with Smart Brain. I'm beginning to think there is some truth to it."
Hana glanced up and down the body of Dark Aguilera. "… Damn, I did look pretty good like that, didn't I?"
"Maybe we can dress up like this for Sakura again sometime," Hani suggested eagerly.
"Who is that?!" Sae asked incredulously, looking up at the colossal Beroba.
"Is that thing even a Kamen Rider?!" The terrified Sara demanded.
Neon grimaced. "Oh right, neither of you have ever met her. She's… She's just the worst, honestly. You know, we never actually fought her like this…"
"Can we… Can we take them without our powers? I mean, most of us are pretty good martial artists, but…" Akira wondered nervously.
"We have the advantage of numbers," Shuki said confidently. "I'm certain we can overwhelm them, even if most if not all of us die in the process."
"I don't want to die again!" A horrified Miho protested, who seemed upset by the prospect for some reason.
Shuki scoffed. "And what sort of warrior are you to fear death?"
"I'm not a warrior at all! I'm a con artist who only became a Rider to resurrect my sister and get revenge on her killer and look how that turned out for me!" Miho yelled. "And to make matters worse, that killer keeps getting resurrected over and over again while I've only showed up a grand total of two times since!"
"Yeah, we female Riders really do get shafted a lot," Alia said sympathetically. "I only had a single fight during Takeru's series…of adventures. Which I lost! In a matter of minutes!"
"At least most of you are already fighters! I'm a housewife!" Akiko shrieked. "Why did I think this was a good idea?!"
"So, Sakura, do you think you can protect your friends as well as defeat me?" The Ark taunted.
"Oh, absolutely," Sakura said confidently. "But I don't need to. Hana? Why don't you show it one of the tweaks I made to you when I filled you with my power?"
Hana grinned and raised her Queen Bee Vistamp. Red and black energy crackled around it, causing the bee on the front to transform and become larger, more fearsome, taking up most of the surface.
KILLER BEE!
"Ready, Hani?"
"Ready!"
Hana slammed the Vistamp into her Week Endriver and snapped her fingers. "HENSHIN!"
Hani manifested from her body and started flying in circles around her host, leaving golden rings of energy in her wake. The rings constricted around Hana and solidified, encasing her in a pillar of golden amber. Hani transformed into a giant monstrous bee and drove her stinger into Hana's back, her body dissolving from the top down as it poured into the column. A pair of eyes flashed within the pillar, and then it shattered, sending golden honey splattering everywhere, revealing Hana's new form.
Her undersuit was the same, but colored gold with red stripes and hexagonal patterns covering the fabric. The metal plates on her boots, knees, thighs, and arms had become gold as well with more hexagonal patterns. Very sharp-looking red-striped gold stingers were mounted on her forearms and shins, cords filled with a glittering golden liquid flowing into them from a cluster of honeycomb units mounted on her back between two sets of angular crystalline red and gold rings folded like a cape behind her. A cluster of gold honeycomb cells with a red core formed her chest armor, with her shoulder armor resembling stingers with glowing red segmented eyes glaring from the front and back. Her head was covered in a remodel of her face helmet, but gold, with more wing-like crests growing from the sides, pointed mouthparts like a bee's, and protrusions resembling a golden crown growing from the top of her head.
The pearls on Sakura's body glowed, and suddenly several green and gold energy dragons shot out from them and wrapped around Hana's body, creating jade shackles and a collar with gold chains connecting her wrists to her neck.
SUBJUGATE UP! OOOOOHHHH! BELIEVE IN HER! KAMEN RIDER! K-K-K-K-KILLER QUEEN! AH! AH! AGUILERA!
"… Kinky," Tokime remarked, staring at the chains.
Akiko shot her a look. "Is there something about you and Shotaro I should know about?"
Tokime raised an eyebrow. "A better question is, is there something about Shotaro and I you want to know about?"
"Question withdrawn."
"My Lightning Hornet form is pretty good too, you know…" Yaiba muttered.
"How…ah. I see. You shared some of your power with her," the Ark realized.
Sakura nodded. "The Astarte cells in her were already on the verge of maturing enough to give her a new form. I simply hastened up the process with some of my own Giff cells."
"Was it necessary for you to kiss her to do it?" Sophia asked.
"No, but it was more enjoyable that way."
"It totally was," Hana moaned happily.
Slowly, Nadeshiko raised a hand. "So, hypothetically speaking, if you kissed one or all of us-"
"None of you will be getting your powers back, by kissing or any other method," The Ark said, eyes glowing as it prepared another electro wave blast-
Only to cry out as Sakura blasted another hole in its body with a punch. "You may have 100 eyes, but if you take even one off of me, you're already doomed!" Sakura warned it.
"I love her so much," Hana swooned, and she wasn't the only one.
"I believe I may be able to provide some assistance," Mai said, waving her hand and causing Helheim plants to blossom in front of Haruka, Rinko, Mayu, Alia, Akari, Kanon, Izu, Yaiba, Reika, Sophia, Neon, Sae, and Sara. "Eat these, and they will restore your powers."
"Wait, hang on, these won't turn us into Inves, will they?" Rinko asked in concern.
"No."
"Oh, okay."
The 13 women hurriedly bit into the fruit, moaning in delight as the juice ran down their chins, the most amazing and delicious thing they'd ever eaten. Before they knew it, they'd completely devoured the fruit, and could feel power coursing through them once again.
"My lady, why didn't you give all of us fruit?" Poppy asked, hurt.
"There's only so much of my power I can use on this plane, I don't want to give the Ark too many more targets to depower you, and I also thought it would be more thematically appropriate as well as entertaining to match our enemies up with Kamen Riders from the same series… Of adventures," Mai explained.
"Oh, I see."
"Then why don't I get one?" Yukie whined.
"Because you would just run away again," Mai pointed out.
"Can you blame me?"
"But mistress, why didn't you restore our powers?" Yoko asked in dismay.
"Have we done something to offend you?" Touka pleaded.
"Not at all," Mai said.
SENGOKU DRIVER!
"So long as I'm here… I thought I might as well take the opportunity to fight as well," Mai said as a transformation belt materialized around her waist. "I don't get as many opportunities as I would like, given how overprotective my dear husband is."
She produced a Lockseed which resembled Golden Ringo, except it was pure gold, the red markings resembling a heart, and the code was LS-GODDESS.
"HENSHIN!"
GOLDEN!
She slammed the Lockseed into her Driver and pressed down on the Cutting Blade, opening the lock.
LOCK OPEN! GOLDEN ARMS: THE GOLDEN FRUIT! THE BEAUTIFUL, MERCIFUL, ULTIMATE QUEEN!
Her beautiful dress was replaced by Ride Wear resembling her husband's Kiwami Arms undersuit, only made of shimmering golden cloth. A dimensional crack unzipped over her head, and an Armor Part resembling a brilliant glowing golden apple descended from Helheim, landing on her head and unfolding in a burst of golden apple juice to form golden armor reminiscent of an Egyptian monarch, a plate with a massive golden apple on the front covering her torso surrounded by Helheim vines. Pauldrons resembling golden apples covered her shoulders, and a golden cape flowed down her back. A golden battle skirt formed around her waist, hanging to her knees. Her helmet was designed to resemble a pharaonic headdress with a small apple over her brow, her visor shining red and kinked to resemble a pair of almond-shaped eyes with curlicues and markings resembling the eye of Horus. The mouthparts were similar to her husband's.
"This," Kamen Rider Yggdrasil said, conjuring a gleaming golden naginata. "Is my stage now."
"… I may have miscalculated," Sylphi whimpered.
As the female Riders started fighting while the rest of the group were left standing around feeling somewhat awkward, General Shadow suddenly emerged from a nearby alley, along with Staff Officer Steel, Division Commander Wild Eagle, Doctor Kate, Major Skull, Baron Rock, General Wolf, and Commanding Officer Brank. "Great Leader, I'm back!" He declared. "I managed to give my daughter the slip and rounded up my old buddies from the Delzer Army to lend a hand!"
"Aren't we missing someone?" Steel wondered.
"No," Shadow said quickly. "Now, let's go, for the glory of Black Satan-"
"DAD!"
General Shadow screamed in terror and hid behind his subordinates. "Oh no, she's found us!"
"Some great leader you are," Wild Eagle grumbled.
"I was never a great leader, just a leader, you know that!" Shadow whimpered. "That's the other guy!"
Hina stormed into view, stomping the ground hard enough to crater it. "Dad! Are you kidding me right now?! You dragged your friends into this too?!"
"This wasn't our idea," Doctor Kate said as she and the rest of the Majin immediately moved away from General Shadow.
"Yeah, it's him you want, not us!" Major Skull agreed desperately.
"Guys! What the hell?!" General Shadow protested.
"Oh don't worry, I'm going to have a word with you all in a minute," Hina said, filling them with terror. "But first… There's someone else who is VERY unhappy with you, dad."
General Shadow gasped in horror. "No! You… You TOLD her?!"
"That's right, she did," a furious Snake Woman said, stepping up next to her daughter. "Shadow. We TALKED about this. I believe certain promises were made? Ultimatums were set?"
"Now honey, I know this looks bad, but I can explain-" Shadow whimpered pathetically.
"Hina. Sweetie. Kick his ass," Snake Woman said coldly, turning her back on her idiot husband.
"Sure thing, mom!" Hina said eagerly, strapping on a Driver that was triangular shaped, black and turquoise colored with 3 circular slots and gold edging on the contraption. She inserted three medals – one blue, one purple, one orange – then spun the belt and ran a triangular scanner over it.
"HENSHIN!"
CHO! OYAMENEKO! WASHI! CHO-CHO-CHO-CHOYA, CHOYANEWASHI, CHOYANEWASHIIIIIIIIIIII!
Hina was now wearing a black bodysuit hugging her body's every curve. She wore a triangular chest plate with gold and silver gradient trimming, separated into 3 pieces with a black background, the top having a silhouetted blue butterfly, the middle a silhouetted purple lynx, and bottom a silhouetted orange eagle. She had a black helmet with a faceplate made of a silhouetted blue butterfly, red visors being made from the wing patterns. Antenna went off the helmet and a silhouetted butterfly's eyes made up the forehead jewel.
Black gloves and gauntlets of purple armor made of silhouetted lynx legs and claws were on her arms, purple fur edged lining going up the arms and to the back, with gold-silver gradient trimmed shoulder pads. Black greaves with orange silhouetted eagle legs and claws over it and the boots covered her legs, orange lining accenting her legs and hips up to the chest plate.
"Be gentle?" General Shadow pleaded desperately.
"No," Kamen Rider Ohi told him coldly, her eyes glowing.
He whimpered pathetically, knowing this was going to hurt.