Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 91 – The Hunter and the Hunted
Woz was currently at the Amity Communication Tower, watching as Pietro was currently talking to his daughter over his Scroll.
"As it is written in this book, Sougo Tokiwa embarks on a path which will lead him to become the overlord of time, Oma Zi-O," Woz said as he opened his book up, showcasing the Schnee Manor and Another Kikai, "The Time Jackers attempted to defeat my Overlord and Miss Rose via Miss Polendina who was forced to become Another Kikai."
Turning the pages, Summer could soon be seen creating the Rose Ridewatch alongside Ruby transforming into Roze's newest form, Rose Armor.
"Thanks to her mother, Miss Rose was able to surpass her prior limits via the Rose Armor," Woz continued to narrate before closing his book, "With her new form she is able to access the strongest weapons of each Rider and the abilities that come with them. Utilizing Ex-Aid's reprogramming she frees Miss Polendina of being an Another Rider. Together the two defeat both Uhr and Ora to force them to retreat. However the battle for Atlas still rages on and one of our two opponents is likely ready to take drastic measures."
Remnant – Atlas Academy, Ironwood's Office
Swartz and Ironwood were alone in the office, the former sitting on the desk while the latter sat at his usual seat. Ironwood had dismissed the Ace Ops so that they could prepare the Academy to eventually enter the battle. He knew that their soldiers wouldn't last as long as the Another Agitos and figured that getting some of the high ranking students from the Academy on the front lines would be an optimal strategy for an eventual turning point. Of course one of the orders he had was to give up on the search for Penny, which made Swartz wonder what plan Ironwood had.
"And you're sure?" Swartz asked.
"I am," Ironwood gave a nod, "If I'm to prove that I am the true savior of Remnant, then I will use the Another Rider powers you've given me to fully crush Salem alongside any opposition from Zi-O and his allies."
"Very well, I'm with you fully," Swartz replied, "What should we do with the missing Winter Maiden then?"
"If you somehow manage find her bring her to me still," Irownood replied, "It would do well to keep her under lock and key so that no one can get their hands on the staff. But she's not our priority target anymore."
"Very well," Swartz stood up and turned before giving a bow, he gave a smirk since his face was lowered and out of view as he already knew what was being done with Penny. He held a straight face however as he rose up to meet Ironwood's gaze, "I will make sure to get on that."
"Good," Ironwood said before hearing an alert on his desk, tapping a button to bring up communications, "Yes?"
"Sir, we have reports of a large mass of flying Grimm heading into the city," An officer spoke through, "What are your orders?"
"Keep putting the pressure on the front lines," Ironwood ordered, "And start making plans on getting all troops to the front lines so that we can fully deal with Salem's fortress."
The officer gave a nervous chuckle, "But sir, didn't you say if a large enough-"
"It's likely only a diversionary tactic. The civilians should be safe in the subway system anyway," Ironwood insisted as he interrupted the officer, "Prepare all remaining forces for the front lines. Is that understood?"
"Y-Yes sir," The officer said before cutting communications.
Swartz turned and went to exit the room, smirking as he walked through the halls, "The power of Another Zi-O, you definitely were the best choice to allow its power to grow greatly…"
Remnant – Monstra
Salem was currently making her way through the halls of Monstra alongside Narutaki and Evolt, the three walking in silence as they made their way to a certain chamber.
"To think you designed all of this yourself," Evolt finally spoke up, "Like, this isn't natural right?"
Salem and Narutaki stayed silent as they continued to walk forward.
"Regardless, I'd say you've got a knack for creating monstrous things," Evolt chuckled as he wasn't bothered by the silence, "I mean that entire army of apes with wings you sent out alongside your little pet into the city was very impressive."
"Are you sure you can help with this?" Salem asked, ignoring the compliment and instead wanting to get to the point.
"Hey now," Evolt said as he held a hand up to himself, "You saw me work on your little pet right? How with barely any effort at all I was able to put the necessary modifications in?"
"I did, yes," Salem said but didn't turn to face Evolt as she continued to lead the way.
"Well this next step will be childs play then," Evolt replied.
"Indeed," Narutaki agreed, "Though I am surprised to see that you already have a basis for us to use."
"Yes, well it's something I've kept onto for a long time," Salem admitted as she opened the door to a chamber, revealing a narrow path that led to a circular platform, the path and platform being surrounded by Grimm Liquid a pillar in the center with an opening that revealed a card floating within it.
"So what is this exactly?" Evolt asked as he and Narutaki followed after Salem.
"A woman named Summer Rose used this trinket to transform into what you call a Kamen Rider," Salem said as she walked forward before taking the card in her hands, revealing it to be the Kamen Ride Card for Rose. She then turned before holding it out towards Narutaki and Evolt, "This contains a Rider's power correct? Use this."
"Sure thing," Evolt flexed his fingers, ready to move forward before his wrist was grabbed by Narutaki, "What's the big idea?"
"Before we utilize this card," Narutaki said before looking over at it and giving a smile, "I do believe there is something beneficial we can do still."
"Oh?" Salem raised an eyebrow at this.
"Think of it as extra insurance," Narutaki continued, "While you can restore yourself with ease, having to do that constantly during a fight would surely be annoying."
"And just how will this extra insurance help?" Salem asked as Narutaki kept his smile.
Remnant – Atlas, Schnee Manor
"Well… if you're sure about this…"
"I am father," Penny said as she was currently in one of the halls of the manor talking to Pietro on her Scroll. With her was Ruby and Sougo who had decided to put their support in for Penny's decision, "I think I can do the most good outside of Amity. Not to mention my friends are here too."
"We'll make sure nothing happens to her," Ruby reassured.
"Yeah," Sougo nodded, "Just leave it to us."
"Alright, well… I suppose I can't argue forever against you kids. So good luck," Pietro said with a smile even though there was still some clear worry on his face, "I'll work on making sure communications keep on trucking along. Not to mention if you need any help on anything, feel free to ask."
"Of course Doctor Polendina," Ruby said, "We'll also give you any updates we can."
"I uh… thank you father," Penny managed to speak up, "Thank you for letting me do this. And also I will try to make sure I am careful."
"Of course, stay safe," Pietro said before hanging up.
"That was nerve-wracking," Penny admitted with a sigh as Ruby rubbed her back.
"Yeah, I'm sure it was," Ruby said before giving a reassuring smile, "At least he understood your feelings though."
"I am glad for that," Penny agreed as she put her Scroll away, "So what now?"
"Let's head to Weiss' room," Sougo suggested, "See how Nora's condition is with Klein on the case."
"Sounds good to me," Ruby gave a nod before leading the way forward, the three eventually making it to the room, seeing Whitley, Weiss, Blake and Klein all around Weiss' bed. An IV drip had been set up for Nora and it didn't take long for the orange haired Huntress to slowly but groggily wake up.
"She's waking up," Blake sighed in relief.
"That's Klein for you," Whitley said.
"No need to worry, miss," Klein spoke up, "You're going to be just fine."
"It's good to see you're alright," Weiss smiled.
"Y-yeah… fine… alright…" Nora muttered in a fairly dull tone, "Now what am I good for?"
Weiss and Blake exchanged a worrying look before hearing footsteps coming closer.
"Oh thank goodness, you are alright," Penny hurried over, Sougo and Ruby walking normally.
"Sorry Nora," Ruby apologized, "If I had Silver Roze then you wouldn't have had to do that."
"Thankfully you all did well in keeping her condition stable till I arrived," Klein complimented, "She should recover soon enough."
"We should see if we can get Jaune away from the others and over here," Sougo suggested, "Maybe his Aura Amp can speed up the recovery."
"That could work," Ruby said.
"Though we'd have to be careful about it," Weiss said, "Ren might want to tag along and uh… are we sure we want him to see her like this?"
"Oh… right…" Sougo said, realizing the scars had yet to truly fade from Nora's body, "Still though."
CRASH
Everyone gave a wince as they heard a thundery crash sound of from outside, and it didn't take long before the power suddenly shut off.
"Oh, that's just rich," Whitley sighed.
Ruby heard her Scroll ring before she pulled it out and answered it, "May?"
"Everyone okay back there?" May asked, "Just saw things getting pretty hectic, especially with the airborne Grimm starting to advance further inward."
"Looks like part of the city lost power," Ruby said, "We're okay though."
"Sorry I couldn't stick around, especially after that last attack. But I figured it might be best for me to head back to Mantle," May said, "That being said, are you sure you wanted your other friend tagging along with me?"
"I think it'd do you all some good to have some extra help so Philip going with you is fine," Ruby said, "There's enough of us here to hold the line and we haven't been found out yet."
"Right, just brace because it's looking like it's getting worse," May suggested as muffled explosions could be heard while she spoke up.
"Fascinating… are those… gorilla's with wings?" Philip's voice came through.
"Wait, what?" May asked before giving a light gasp, "Hey kid, when I said you should brace I mean now because you've got trouble."
"What kind of trouble…?" Ruby asked warily.
"This is unbelievable but a horde of Beringels are flying through the air," May said, "That shouldn't be possible but…"
Sougo heard this and closed his eyes, opening them up and activating his Semblance as he began to look around. It wasn't long before he saw a mass of red flying in the direction of the front entrance of the Schnee Manor.
"Salem…" Ruby narrowed her eyes, realizing that if modified Grimm were going deeper into the city, then Salem had found their location, "We'll figure… something out. Just keep on course to Mantle and stay safe."
"Roger, you too," May said before ending the call.
"I can confirm," Sougo said as he deactivated his Semblance, "We've got hostiles incoming."
"Okay this is becoming ridiculous," Ruby said as she went to lean against the wall and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Another attack?"
"Are you alright?" Penny asked.
"Just frustrated," Ruby admitted, "Despite everyone showing up we're only really able to keep things from getting worse and we're still fairly reactive in our approaches."
"That might be our best bet though," Sougo admitted, "As much as taking control of the board is an idea, we've still got plenty of unknowns to think about alongside making sure our resources and forces are in their best condition."
"Fair enough," Ruby nodded.
"One step at a time is definitely the best," Klein said as he looked over, "I'd say focus on the here and the now. If there really is some sort of second siege coming, then our best bet would be to at least have some sort of power running through these halls."
"Okay," Ruby gave a nod, "But how would we-"
"We have a generator near the edge of the estate," The answer had come from none other than Willow Schnee who was at the entrance and of course had a bottle of alcohol in her hand.
"So kind of you to join us, mother," Whitley huffed with crossed arms.
"Believe it or not, I am above drinking in the dark," Willow remarked before noticing Klein, "Oh, hello, Klein."
Klein looked over and gave a silent nod as to not be rude.
"SDC executives have their own auxiliary power supplies in case of a city-wide blackout," Weiss mentioned, "It's extremely unfair, but perhaps now isn't such a bad time for company perks."
Whitley meanwhile seemed to have an epiphany at that, "We don't just have perks."
Weiss looked over, "Hmm?"
"Huh?" Sougo tilted his head.
"We have the company," Whitley reminded, "The people down in mantle need help, right? We have rows and rows of cargo ships to do whatever we need them to do. They're just sitting in the hangars because of the embargo."
"And our own automated drones, like the ones at Snow Shoe Shipping," Weiss realized what her brother was getting at.
"That's… that's really good actually," Sougo admitted as he thought the situation out, "We can get supplies down there, send people up, down, etc... but…"
"But…?" Weiss asked.
"I think we should hold onto that idea for the meantime," Sougo said as he began to think a bit, "While Ironwood and Salem are facing each other, we don't know if they'll go after the ships if they find out they've launched."
"You're right," Ruby realized, "Our best bet would be keeping the ships until this battle is over. The Kamen Riders being in Mantle should be enough for the time being."
"Oh…" Whitley said before putting a hand to his chin, "I didn't think of that possibility."
"It's a good idea though," Sougo reassured, "Is there any way to get everything set up so we can just cut most of the hassle once we're ready?"
"Yes," Whitley gave a nod, "I just need father's computer."
"Then let's get that power back on," Ruby said.
Remnant – Mantle Streets
"And you're sure this is going to work?" Ankh asked with a skeptical expression.
"Pretty sure, it's not the most structurally sound idea but it's a good quick fix," Sento said as he watched various construction workers and local Huntsmen carefully pile on various damaged Atlesian equipment alongside metal debris onto the large gap in the wall that Mantle had. The genius physicist himself was currently standing alongside Eiji and Ryuga, the three having their transformations prepped.
It didn't take long for the workers and Huntsmen to start to slowly back away and clear the area as they saw the Riders getting ready.
Sento had loaded in his Whale and Fire Engine Fullbottles while Ryuga went with his Magma Knuckle the two turning their cranks while Eiji scanned his marine combo Medals of Killer Whale, Electric Eel, and Octopus.
"Henshin!"
[KUJIRA! SYOUBOUSYA! ARE YOU READY?]
[GOKUNETSU KINNIKU! CROSS-Z MAGMA!]
[SHACHI! UNAGI! TAKO! SHA-SHA-SHAUTA, SHA-SHA-SHAUTA!]
Flashes of light and bursts of magma occurred as Build, Cross-Z and OOO all stood together while staring at the wall before them.
"Alright," Build patted Cross-Z's back, "Start melting."
"Alright," Cross-Z pounded his fists together as magma began to build. He then began yelling out and punching forward, unleashing bursts of magma that struck the damaged metal equipment, superheating and melting it. Once it had reached a solid melt point, both Build and OOO began unleashing water and cooling blasts against the molten equipment, the two working on covering as much areas as they could. They switched off with Cross-Z who went to melt certain portions to make it fit into the gap better, before they went back to cooling down the metal.
The melted down metal alongside the hardening magma had essentially created a makeshift sealant that would give the wall a temporary but needed extra defense. This would keep the Grimm from trying to enter as easily as they had before.
"Crap, Grimm from both sides!" one construction worker called out from a high vantage point as several Beowolves were coming from the Tundra while a few Sabyrs were coming out of alleyways from inside the city and rushing for the wall that was being repaired.
"That's going to be annoying," Build clicked his tongue, "Eiji I'll-"
"Keep it up!"
Several bullets were launched towards the Sabyrs, halting their assault. It didn't take long for the Auto Vajin to drop down, sliding into view. From behind, Faiz began slashing through the Sabyrs with his Faiz Edge.
[STRIKE VENT!]
"Take this!"
A stream of fire suddenly launched against the Sabyr's, burning them and causing them to dissolve as Ryuki ran over, brandishing Dragreder styled gauntlet.
"We'll help hold the line," Faiz said as he flicked his wrist.
"Thank you," Build said before getting back to work alongside Cross-Z and OOO.
"That's good but we still have Grimm outside!" A Huntsman called out.
"Leave it to me!"
It wasn't long before a gold blur wrapped in an orange whirlwind flew over the wall before landing on the other side. It was Beast who patted his stomach a bit.
"I think I've got one more good fill in for me and you guys are going to be a great lunch," Beast pointed towards the incoming Beowolves before swapping rings.
[BUFFA! GO: BU-BU-BUBUBU-BUFFA!]
Exchanging his Falco Mantle for his Buffa Mantle, he drew out his Dice Saber before spinning it and slotting his ring in.
[FIVE! BUFFA! SABER STRIKE!]
"A high roll baby, yeah!" Beast called out as he swung forward, sending a horde of Buffalo familiars towards the Beowolves. It didn't take long for the summoned creatures to easily plow through the Beowolves, Beast allowing his Driver to suck up the remaining magical energy that was left, "Thanks for the food!"
Kanon Specter was with Gaim who was currently utilizing Kiwami Arms, the two deeper in the city. They had decided to help by volunteering to try and draw attention towards them to lessen the amount of Grimm heading for the wall.
"So how exactly are we going to do this?" Kanon Specter asked.
"Oh, I brought some eager help along," Gaim admitted.
Cackling could soon be heard alongside screeching as a black and green blur suddenly smashed down into the open street in front of them.
[OODAMA MODE!]
Gaim stayed still, his cape flowing in the wind while Kanon Specter had held up her arm as she braced from the sudden shockwave of wind that occurred from the crash.
"Huh?" Kanon Specter stared in surprise.
"She's uh… she's really excited about this," Gaim chuckled nervously.
Before them was a Nevermore that was completely smashed into the ground, its body slowly dissolving as the Suika Arms was currently on top. It began to roll off before bouncing and shifting shape.
[YOROI MODE!]
The Suika Arms entered its mechanical warrior mode, Maria being seen sitting inside the cockpit.
"Alright kiddos, let's rough up some Grimm!" she called out as the Suika Arms brandished the double bladed sword it had.
It turned out that completely taking out a Nevermore was enough to get the attention of any Grimm lurking around. Sabyrs and Beowolves came out of hiding while Teryx and Manticores began to land.
"Alright, let's go," Gaim called out as he rushed forward.
"Right," Kanon Specter nodded and followed after.
Maria simply laughed out as the Suika Arms began charging towards the Grimm near it, punching away a Manticore that tried to dash at it while slicing through a Beowolf.
A Beowolf swiped at Kanon Specter who blocked it before performing a thrust with her free hand and striking the Grimm hard in the stomach. She then spun before kicking it back.
[BUDOU RYUHOU! DONKACHI!]
Gaim summoned the Donkachi, smashing it into a Sabyr's head before aiming and firing at Teryx that tried to swoop at him, the rapid fire of bullets keeping it stalled before piercing through and killing it.
"Not bad," Kanon said before grunting as a Beowolf managed to blindside her, forcing her to take a few steps back.
"Kanon," Gaim quickly discarded his weapons before he turned his belt's key twice, "Have some gifts!"
[MELON DEFENDER!]
Kanon Specter quickly raised her arm as a Sabyr pounced at her, the Melon Defender shield being summoned and blocking it as she pushed back to shove it away.
[ICHIGO KUNAI!]
Kanon Specter then felt something in her free hand, looking down to see the strawberry themed kunai now in it, "Thanks Kouta!"
It didn't take long for Kanon Specter to rush in, using the Melon Defender to bash through before spinning and slicing into her opponents with the Ichigo Kunai.
Gaim meanwhile heard a series of strange noises coming from an alleyway, turning as a horde of Swindlen began to leap out of an alleyway to try and ambush him.
[WATERMELON GATLING!]
With a simple turn of his key he formed a watermelon themed version of the Melon Defender, except this variation had minigun styled attachment at the bottom. Taking aim he began firing rapidly as he tore through the group of Swindlen with ease.
"Looks like we're doing a good job," Gaim said before hearing more laughing and turning to see Maria in the Suika Arms grab an incoming Teryx by the neck before slamming it into an approaching Beowolf, "She is really having a lot of fun… huh?"
Remnant – Atlas, Schnee Manor
Whitley and Weiss had both gone to Jacques' office in order to utilize his computer while Blake, Sougo, Penny and Ruby went downstairs to head outside. At the door was Summer who was keeping an eye on the situation, turning when she heard footsteps.
"It's just us," Ruby said as she held up her Scroll to shine a bit of light in the room, "We're going to restore the power."
"Sounds good but it looks like we've got company," Summer said as some howls could be heard echoing in the distance.
"I know," Ruby said, "Which is why we'll need to split up."
"I'll come with then," Summer said, "Strength in numbers after all."
"Sounds good," Sougo said, "You and Blake go get that generator working. Ruby, Penny and I will deal with whatever's coming."
"Wait, really?" Penny turned in surprise, fully expecting to be sent to work on the generator.
"Are you sure?" Blake asked.
"Two Riders and a Maiden should be enough," Ruby replied, "There's a chance this might be Salem trying to get Penny, but we won't let her."
"If that is the case then she's getting desperate," Summer noted.
"We should get going," Sougo said after he heard a few howls get louder. He then pushed the doors open and headed outside with Ruby and Penny following after him.
Blake meanwhile led Summer towards the edge of the estate so they could get started on restoring power.
"You ready?" Sougo asked.
Ruby however noticed something off, "Penny? You okay?"
"I am… a bit nervous," Penny admitted as she looked down and clasped her hands, "This is the first fight I want to participate in fully but… I worry that I may mess things up."
"Penny…" Ruby muttered before she got an idea, "Do you have an idea of what you want to do after our battle in Atlas is over?"
"Huh?" Sougo was confused by this question at first before snapping his fingers when he realized what Ruby was trying to do.
"What I want to do…?" Penny looked over.
"Yeah," Sougo said picking up on the idea before holding up his Ziku Driver, "I want to be a King and Kamen Rider, even if I lied about where I came from at first, that's one part of me that was never a lie. Someone who protects those that follow him, that wishes to make the world a better place."
"I want to make a difference as a Huntress, but I also want to protect people as a Kamen Rider," Ruby explained as she drew out her Ziku Driver, "No matter where I am, I want to fight for the futures of both Earth and Remnant."
"I see…" Penny said before shaking her head, "I am not sure what I want to do after this."
"Then let me make you a promise," Ruby said as she put a hand on her friends shoulder, "When this is all over, how about you come with us to Earth? You won't have any of the added burdens of being a Maiden, and you'll get to do what I know you absolutely love which is helping others."
"R-Really…?" Penny asked as she looked over.
"Yeah," Sougo reassured, already figuring that Ruby was likely going to offer this idea up. If she didn't he would have suggested it since he had also gotten the idea earlier, "I'm sure someone like you can help us do a lot of good over there."
Penny looked over at Sougo before giving a nod, "I think I will do it. When this is all over, I will go with you all."
Sudden thuds and howls broke the three out of their moment, Beringel Grimm landing and folding up their wings before The Hound landed in front of the platoon of Grimm in its humanoid form.
Of course it was modified from its last appearance. It had additional red armoring on its arms, chest, and legs, having an almost serpent-like shape and molding to it. Any bone white spikes on it were tipped in red and oddly enough it had strange lines on the top of its mask, the lines making almost what seemed to be a constellation of sorts. Additional parts were two red cobra-like plates of metal over its normal ears.
"Take the girl… ehehehe…" The Hound spoke out, with an oddly familiar raspy tone and chuckle.
"Uh… you know for an odd Grimm that Yang mentioned… that looks odder," Ruby said as she took a step back with a shudder. Something else was off as she felt as though she recognized the voice from before though…
"It seems to be not of this world somewhat," Penny said as she tried to scan the Grimm but was getting interference from the newly added portions, "I cannot scan it to see what is going on with it."
"Something tells me it wasn't just Salem getting desperate," Sougo said as he drew out Zi-O II, "Either way we need to deal with this."
"Right," Ruby said as she drew out both the Roze and Rose Ridewatches.
"Henshin!"
[RIDER TIME!]
[KAMEN RIDER~! (RIDER~!) ZI-O! (ZI-O!) ZI-O~! II!]
[KAMEN RIDER ROZE! ARMOR TIME! KAMEN RIDE! YEAH! ROSE! ROSE! RO~SE~!]
The Two Riders stood in their upgraded forms alongside the Winter Maiden who brought out her Huntress weapons, the three standing their ground.
"Get them…" The Hound rasped out before howling, the Beringel's all howling out as well. It then launched its left arm forward, stretching it forward to grab at Penny.
Zi-O immediately got in the way, drawing out the Saikyo Girade and batting the hand away with a hard swing. The Hound followed up by stretching its right arm forward, only for Zi-O to bat it away with the newly summoned Zikan Girade.
"Deal with the Beringel's, I'll fight this thing!" Zi-O called out before yelling and charging towards The Hound who began charging at him while running on all fours.
"Roger," Penny said as she flew forward before slashing at a Beringel that tried to pounce at her. She used the jets in her legs to dodge past another Beringel before bringing up Floating Array in a circular formation, spinning it rapidly to block a few punches from another Grimm.
Roze went to summon Crescent Rose only for the Roseiber to be formed instead. She gripped it in her hands and gave a surprised hum, "Well, wasn't expecting that."
A few Beringels charged at Roze who dodged and ducked against a few swings before slashing past some of the Grimm. She then noticed that she was surrounded on all sides, quickly manifesting a card she slotted it in the Roseiber before stabbing the weapon into the ground.
[ATTACK RIDE: BARRIER!]
A circle appeared around Roze, a white net-like dome forming over her before fully filling itself in and spreading outwards. The Beringels all ran into the dome and howled out, a burst of light occurring as they were turned to stone, crumbling to the ground nearby.
Blake and Summer meanwhile had managed to make it to the power shed, Summer pulling down on a lever and initiating the startup sequence.
"Now I suppose all we have to do is make sure this works properly," Summer said before the sounds of fighting could be heard, "Hopefully they'll be alright."
"I'm sure they will be," Blake said before looking away and holding her arm a bit.
"Is everything alright?" Summer asked.
"You're… you're not going to leave again, right?" Blake asked as she glanced at Summer.
"Why do you ask that?" Summer asked as she raised an eyebrow.
"It's just, Ruby and Yang have both been through a lot," Blake replied, "And I know what it's like to leave them and then just come back and the sort of tension that occurs for a while after…"
"Oh," Summer said before realizing what Blake meant, "I'm not sure if I can be around all the time, they are grown girls now. Or if things will ever go back to the way they were. But I don't plan on abandoning them ever again."
"That's all I wanted to hear," Blake admitted.
"So," Summer gave a sly smile, "Any particular reason why you asked that…? I mean you saw Ruby and I make up so it's definitely not because of her…"
"I uh…" Blake kept facing away as she gained a blush, "I just want to-"
BEEP
"Oh would you look at that!" Blake said before turning to see that the startup sequence was completed, it wasn't long before the lights turned on in the shed, "I think we should get ready to head back, sounds like they're having some trouble."
"Of course," Summer said as she stifled her laughter.
The two Huntresses walked out of the shed only for the ground to rumble, several Centinel Grimm erupting from the ground. Summer brought out the Roseiber while Blake brought out the Gashacon Sparrow, splitting it into its sickle form. The two were ready to rush forward when the ground erupted once more, this time a Cenitaur bursting out. It was similar to a Centinel but this time had a pair of sharp bladed hands alongside a bulbous toxic sac visible on its underbelly.
"How did these things get more disgusting…?" Blake winced in disgust.
"Oh Grimm will find a way," Summer said as held her weapon forward, "Grimm always find a way…"
Whitley and Weiss were both in Jacques office, the younger brother immediately jumping at the computer screen once it flickered back on. He began to rapidly access the computer itself, knowing his Father's passwords and where everything was since he was the current heir.
Weiss could only watch with a bit of an impressed look as her brother operated the computer with great skill and speed. That was until she heard the comm piece in her ear ring.
"Blake?" Weiss asked.
"Weiss," Blake replied, "Summer and I are going to be preoccupied with some burrowing Grimm. We'll clean them up but the fighting sounds intense near the manor and we won't be arriving anytime soon."
"On it, I'll provide backup," Weiss said as she pulled herself away from the desk, looking back, "Can you handle this?"
"Assuming you can handle that," Whitley remarked.
Weiss let out a groan and began to run out of the room, "We still need to work on your attitude."
Willow meanwhile had decided to stay in Weiss' room after the loud thunder strikes had managed to unnerve her. Deciding to sit down and relax she was hoping that she'd be able to calm her nerves but wasn't able to once the sounds of fighting and crashing began to occur.
"I do hope they're alright," Klein said only to give a slight look of disappointment when he saw Willow grabbing the bottle of alcohol while shakily heading over to a corner of the room.
Willow attempted to pour herself a drink once she got a glass she could use. Of course that ended up failing, the bottle and glass slipping out of her grip, causing both to shatter against the floor.
"Madame, please try to calm yourself," Klein spoke up.
"I can't do this," Willow said as she began to run towards the door, "I can't do this!"
"Willow, please come back!" Klein beckoned only for his pleas to fall on deaf ears. He then looked over to Nora who was still somewhat conscious, "Don't worry miss, everything will be alright."
Remnant – Mantle, Time Jacker Hideout
Swartz sighed as he currently was staring at both Uhr and Ora who were on the couch while looking down.
"So not only did you lose your gifts," Swartz listed before raising an eyebrow, "But you also lost the Winter Maiden?"
"We don't need to hear it again," Uhr muttered with a frustrated growl.
"We failed, we get it," Ora hissed out.
"To be honest I'm more surprised than anything," Swartz admitted as he walked over to his desk, placing his hands on it as he leaned forward, "How? You already told me what happened but you never told me how."
"That stupid Roze," Uhr called out in annoyance as he threw his arms up before giving a huff and crossing his arms, "She just got some stupid new form and was able to deal with our trick that way."
"Something about using Ex-Aid's strongest weapon for reprogramming or something," Ora gave a bored more specific answer to show her current feelings on wanting to talk about this particular subject.
"It's not as though we need the Winter Maiden anyway," Finis spoke as they were off to the side with Another Shinobi and Cinder.
"From what Finis told me, you all don't really care about the Relics," Cinder said as she held up her left hand and formed a fire within it before crushing it in her palm and extinguishing it, "You just want to crown a new King or Queen. And I'm your best bet at that."
"So she's the one you've chosen," Swartz turned towards them and placed his hands behind his back while giving a smile, "Welcome to the Time Jackers."
"So what exactly is our next move?" Finis asked.
"Right now I've currently given Ironwood the power of Another Zi-O and he's going mad with power just like I expected," Swartz said as he looked around the room, "The fool has completely forgotten about his original plan and wants to stand his ground to crush Salem."
"Why give him that kind of power?" Cinder questioned as she narrowed her eye.
"You are right that we need a King or Queen," Swartz gave a nod, "However, I believe for us to secure victory in the end, we need a King and Queen. And while you have proven to be a worthy successor, I need Another Zi-O's power to cultivate more, and our dear General will be what we need to do so."
"I see…" Cinder relaxed a bit at that response.
"As such our next move is to see this battle through to the end before heading back to Earth," Swartz said as he began to walk over to his desk before sitting in it, "Any preparations you think need to be done, do them before the battle ends."
Remnant – Atlas, Schnee Manor
Zi-O yelled as he slashed at The Hound with both of his weapons. To his surprise the extra armoring of the Grimm began to shift and expand, creating sturdier shielding that was able to hold up against the two blades. The future king gave a light gasp before The Hound pushed forward, spreading its arms out and forcing Zi-O to take a few steps back.
"What a pain…" The Hound rasped out as its armoring went back to normal, "Hehehe…"
"What's so funny?" Zi-O questioned before watching as the Grimm extend its right arm out to grab at him with its hand. Zi-O rushed forward to slash at the hand with both weapons, but to his surprise the hand expanded and grew at the last second, allowing both weapons to cut into it, "What-"
The Hound had immediately extended its other arm out, grabbing both of Zi-O's legs with its hand and swinging its arm, lifting the Rider up before slamming him into the ground. The result forced Zi-O away from his weapons, The Hound tossing both the weapons and Rider away from each other as it chuckled further.
Zi-O could only give a groan as he tumbled against the ground while The Hound continued t its raspy chuckles while turning towards the door.
"What?" Roze saw this as she slashed through a Beringel before dodging out of the way of another, "I thought it was after Penny!"
"That is the only theory that makes sense," Penny agreed as she switched Floating Array into its funnel formations, firing off blasts while moving backwards to avoid the Beringels trying to attack her. She gave a gasp as she saw another Beringel above her that dropped down to strike at her. Raising her hands, she unleashed a pillar of fire out from them with her magic, the Beringel becoming scorched and being launched backwards.
"Hostage… hehe…" The Hound chuckled further as it began to approach the door.
Everyone paused when they heard this, Penny and Roze dodging out of the way of incoming attacks while the latter tried to figure something out. The bulk of the Beringels were going after her and Penny, and they were further away The Hound than Zi-O was. Quickly slotting in a card into the Roseiber, Roze tossed it forward.
"Sougo, take this!" Roze called out as the Roseiber embedded itself into the ground as the blade began to glow a bright white coloration, "We'll handle the Grimm!"
"R-Right…" Zi-O coughed out as he grabbed the Roseiber before gripping it tightly and rushing towards the manor. A few Beringels jumped in the way but he quickly spun and slashed past them, the burning white blade easily slicing through them as they dissolved soon after.
Weiss quickly made it to the staircase in the main hall only to hear a sudden crashing sound, the door being busted open as The Hound entered.
"It's here…?" Weiss raised an eyebrow.
"Hostage…" The Hound rasped out as it began to move forward.
"Like I'll let that happen," Weiss glared, soon stabbing Myrtenaster into the ground as a Summon Glyph formed in at the base of the stairs. It wasn't long before two enlarged arms formed out of the glyph, grasping at the ground. Soon enough a Glyph Summon of the Evolved Shika Inves formed and pulled itself out of the Glyph. Though it wasn't as big as it normally would be, its size still matched The Hound's.
The Hound stretched its arm out at the Evolved Shika Inves, the Inves batting the arm away before punching The Hound in its face. The Hound staggered back trying to grab at the Inves' face only to grab its other arm, it was then thrown into the nearby piano that was in the main hall.
The Evolved Shika Inves began to move towards The Hound, it planning on finishing the Grimm off with its brute strength. To its surprise, The Hound quickly launched onto one of the walls before launching towards Weiss.
[ATTACK RIDE: SHINE!]
A crescent wave of white energy hurtled towards The Hound, striking it in its gut and sending it slamming against one of the knight statues in the room. It could only give a yelp as the statue itself fell apart and began to fall on top of it.
"I made it in time…" Zi-O gasped out as he entered, Roseiber gripped tightly in his hand.
"Sougo…" Weiss let out a light gasp, having brought up a glyph and braced just in case. She lowered her weapon while dismissing the Glyph.
"Whoa…" Zi-O turned towards the Evolved Shika Inves, "You did that?"
"I did," Weiss gave a slight chuckle.
"Weiss, it's moving!"
"Huh?" Weiss heard her mother's voice as she put a hand up to her communicator, "Mom?"
The statue pieces suddenly launched outwards, Weiss and Zi-O both bracing as the Evolved Shika Inves was struck and send tumbling to the ground. The Huntress and Rider's eyes widened as they saw a red dome in place of where The Hound was. The dome began to shrink and retract before revealing that it had extended out from the red enhancements it now wore.
The Hound leapt onto the second landing of the main hall before crawling out of sight and into the hallways of the manor.
"Crap," Zi-O called out as he hurried over to Weiss who dismissed her Summon.
"Mom, was that you?" Weiss asked on communications.
"I… I can see it," Willow spoke up, having seemingly gotten past her desire to drink due to her fear and had activated the various cameras in the manor, "It's outside Winter's old room. I- You can kill it? Can't you?"
"What is it doing?" Weiss asked as she began to head further up the stairs to follow after The Hound with Zi-O.
"I'm not sure. It's acting strange. Why is it here?" Willow asked.
"It's playing dirty, that's what it's doing," Weiss narrowed her eyes, realizing when it said hostage it didn't mean her, "Just keep an eye on it so we can track it down."
"Right, right. Okay. It's moving again. Heading towards… Oh dear, no…"
Zi-O and Weiss both looked at each other before quickly rushing forward, the two instantly knowing what room it would be for Willow to react like that.
"Alright, a bit tough having to plan in advance with no way of knowing the situation," Whitley muttered as he continued to type away, "But I can do this."
"Whitley," Willow spoke up from his Scroll.
"You are the last thing I need," Whitley groaned as he immediately hung up on his mother, "All that's left should be…" he paused when he heard the door creak, "Okay now see-"
"Hostage…" The Hound pushed open the door with its hand and ducked into the room, though Whitley was now nowhere in sight. It sniffed a bit, "Yes… smells like a hostage… you'll be good to bargain for the girl with…"
Whitely was currently hiding behind the desk, curled up as he began to shake. It wasn't long before The Hound began to loom over the desk, it raising its arms only for a squeal to be heard. It turned and was suddenly slammed and pinned into the wall by a large Borbatusk Summon.
Whitley quickly backed away from the desk and stood up, turning to see Willow at the door with a fresh Summon circle nearby.
"RUN!" Willow screamed out as Whitely immediately rushed out of the room.
The mother and son began running through the halls, the Borbatusk Summon being thrown out and dissolving as The Hound quickly rushed out of the room to chase after them. Whitley attempted to slow The Hound down by shutting the door that led into the next hallway. But The Hound was able to tear right through it. After chasing the two Schnees for a long enough time it leapt forward to pounce at them only for a wall of ice to suddenly form, blocking its path.
Whitley and Willow looked in surprise before turning to see Weiss and Zi-O, the two having their weapons raised.
"I'm not going to let that thing hurt you," Weiss said as she gave her family a reassuring smile.
Zi-O couldn't help but give a soft smile underneath his mask as he saw the small heartwarming moment between the Schnee family only to get his guard up once the ice wall visibly cracked in the center.
"Go to my room, you'll be safe there," Weiss said as she summoned the Chalice Arrow, aiming it forward.
"We'll make sure it keeps its attention on us," Zi-O added as he gripped the Roseiber with both hands.
Willow and Whitley quickly ran past, Willow glancing back one last time at the two before giving a soft smile and a nod. She then rushed off to keep up after Whitley while both Zi-O and Weiss stared at the wall of ice that cracked further.
"Dead… you're dead…" The Hound spoke up in an annoyed tone as it began to break through the ice.
"Jeez, how many burrowed underneath the estate?!" Summer questioned as she slashed through two Centinels that tried to lunge at her.
"I'm not sure but we need to end this soon!" Blake called out as she dug her sickles into one Centinel before using Shadow to dodge out of the way of acid spit.
The Cenitaur began to crawl forward while using its bladed arms to slash at Blake who was backing away.
Summer soon noticed the positioning of the Centinels near her and the Cenitaur. She holstered her Roseiber and drew out Argent Venator, combining it into the blades into its rifle mode and firing at the Cenitaur's back. The Cenitaur turned and spat acid at Summer who quickly dodged out of the way. Summer kept firing as fast as she could, having fully loaded her weapon with standard bullets beforehand. The result was the Cenitaur completely ignoring Blake as a result of Summer's assault on it.
"What are you doing?" Blake asked before realizing that Summer was drawing the Cenitaur towards the remaining Centinels.
"Just trust me," Summer quickly rolled past the Cenitaur while splitting and holstering her weapons. She then drew out a card alongside her Roseiber, loading it in.
[ATTACK RIDE: ONGEKIBOU REKKA!]
Summer turned and slashed forward, multiple fireballs being unleashed from the Roseiber and striking the ground in front of the Cenitaur and Centinel's causing them all to hiss out and back up as some of them caught on fire.
"Finish them, now!" Summer yelled out.
[GIRI GIRI CRITICAL FINISH!]
Blake leapt up while spinning, soon slashing forward and unleashing several waves of purple energy that crashed down against the Grimm, completely tearing through them as the fire began to die down. The Cenitaur and Centinels could only screech out as they dissolved due to the attacks agains them.
"I thought you couldn't use your cards anymore?" Blake asked.
"My personal cards," Summer stressed, "Tsukasa was nice enough to lend me his old ones."
"That must certainly be useful," Blake mentioned.
"Somewhat," Summer admitted as she began to walk towards the gate of where the shed was, "But I still need to be careful."
"Well luckily you aren't fighting alone this time," Blake said as she followed after.
The Beringel Army continued to advance in an attempt to incapacitate Roze and Penny, the Rider and Maiden managing to fend them off well for the most part. Though the Grimm were so scattered to the point that it was becoming harder and harder to quickly deal with them.
"Penny," Roze looked over, "Think you can create a whirlwind to suck the Grimm into?"
"I believe so," Penny gave a nod, "But why?"
"Just get them all in one place for me and I'll finish them off," Roze said as she held up the W Ridewatch and shook it a bit.
"Alright, I will do just as you asked," Penny held up her arms before concentrating. Green fire erupted from her eyes as she accessed her magic, a green vortex of wind beginning to form around her as it began to suck anything nearby into it. The Beringels all gave howls as they tried to fly away but Penny turned up the force of the vortex, the wind pulling them inwards and forcing them to spiral around in the green tornado that was forming.
"Good," Roze had made sure she used Petal Burst to keep herself far away enough as she dug her boots into the ground to keep from being sucked in. She then loaded the W Ridewatch into her Rose Ridewatch.
[FINAL WEAPON TIME: D-D-D-DOUBLE!]
[PRISM BICKER!]
The lettering on Roze's chest changed to showcase the weapon she was utilizing as the shield and sword of W's final form, the Prism Bicker, formed in her left hand. The five memory slots of the sword and shield combo soon shined as the Gaia Memories were formed within them.
[PRISM!]
[CYCLONE MAXIMUM DRIVE! HEAT MAXIMUM DRIVE! LUNA MAXIMUM DRIVE! JOKER MAXIMUM DRIVE!]
"Bicker… Finalusion!" Roze called out as she shifted the front part of the shield to initiate the finisher and gather the energy within it. She then held the shield forward, unleashing four beams of light that were green, red, yellow and purple respectively.
The beams weren't just for show however despite all of them wildly lashing out in different directions before beginning to slowly overlap. Any beam that struck a Beringel completely tore through and destroyed them. Soon enough a massive rainbow colored beam formed once all four beams overlapped, striking through the bulk of the Beringel's that were in the center and causing an explosion to form.
Penny lowered her arms as the whirlwind began to dissipate, the only thing left of the Grimm army being the black specks that rained down slowly.
"Alright," Roze held up a fist before she withdrew the W Ridewatch to dismiss the Prism Bicker.
"Are you two alright?" Blake asked as she hurried over with Summer.
"We're good," Roze gave a thumbs-up, "What about you two? That took a while."
"We ran into Grimm," Summer explained, "But Blake did call Weiss to come back you up."
"Where's Sougo anyway?" Blake asked.
"Uh oh," Roze said before realizing what was likely taking Weiss a while and rushing for the door, "Just follow me!"
Blake, Penny and Summer all exchanged glances before hurrying off after Roze, the three catching up just as they made it into the main hallway.
[TORNADO!]
[ATTACK RIDE: SHINE!]
The group watched as a burst of wind occurred from the right upper hallway, The Hound being thrown back as a white slash of light dug into its shoulder, parts of its goopy body burning away as it landed on the center of the main staircase.
The Hound turned towards the left hallway, noticing it was empty only for it to hear something above it. It looked up as a blur passed it, Weiss soon landing and blocking off the left upper hallway.
"That's enough," Zi-O called out as he held up the Roseiber and came into view, "You aren't going anywhere near her family!"
"Hmm…" The Hound gave a low growl before turning towards the entrance and seeing the Huntresses, Rider, and Maiden all before it, "Hehehe… hahaha! I will… take the Maiden…"
"Huh?" Zi-O turned before realizing everyone else was at the bottom, wasting no time and rushing towards The Hound to strike at it before it could do anything.
"Like we'll let you take her," Weiss moved forward to strike in tandem with Zi-O.
"You will…" The Hound chuckled as its goopy skin began to bubble before unleashing its next attack in an instant. Two extra arms sprouted out of its back while lashing outwards while it stretched its arms towards the group at the bottom of the stairs at the same time. The resulting attack had managed to grab Zi-O, Weiss, Roze and Penny by their heads, soon reeling them in and keeping a tight grip causing them all to gasp and shriek due to the pain, "Oh you will…"
Blakes eyes widened, "Guys!"
"You're going to regret laying even a single finger on them…" Summer hissed out as she walked forward, giving a glare as her silver eyes shined brightly before she closed them. Opening them up a bright flash of light engulfed the room.
The Hound hissed out, its extra appendages being burned away as it skin bubbled wildly, dropping all four of its hostages. It stepped backwards before throwing itself into the window that was at the back of the staircase, shattering it and falling outside.
Weiss and Zi-O gasped as they landed near the window, Roze and Penny tumbling down the steps slightly before stopping.
"Are you guys alright?" Weiss asked as she quickly hurried down the stairs.
Zi-O meanwhile glanced at the window before hurrying down the steps as well.
"Y-Yeah… we're fine," Roze shook her head, "Good thing I had the armor on."
"What about you, Weiss?" Penny asked as she shook her head.
Weiss rubbed her temples slightly, "I think I'll have a migraine, but that's not too-"
THUMP!
Everyone turned towards the window as they saw The Hounds claw come into view. The second claw came into view before The Hound dragged itself back inside to reveal it was only heavily damaged. Of course the reason why it didn't fully die soon became clear as its body had lost most of the goopy substance that made it up. Thus, what truly lied beneath was finally exposed, showing that… it wasn't pure Grimm.
The inner most core of The Hound could be seen as the neck and head Silver-Eyed male fox Faunus could be seen. His head was slightly decrepit, as white veins covered his right eye and ran all around the right side of his face.
Everyone there could only stare with wide eyes in horror at what they were even witnessing. Summer quickly clasped a hand over her mouth, starting to feel sick, Roze's head visibly shaking as she glanced towards her mom.
"Take… the girl… take the girl…" The Faunus rasped out before gasping as the red extra armored portions began extending themselves, filling in what was lost from the Silver Eye blast before the veins turned red, a clear red visor forming over his face as red liquid-like armoring began to form around the head like a helmet, covering the Faunus' mouth.
"That… hurt…" The familiar voice spoke out again as it fully took over The Hound, the cobra-like eyepiece visor being one that Roze recognized as belonging to Kamen Rider Evol Phase 1, "But now that it's weakened… I'm able to have a bit more influence… and I will be taking the Maiden…"
"E-Evolt…?" Roze barely managed to speak up as she finally recognized the voice.
Zi-O glanced at Roze before looking back at The Hound and gripping his fists tightly at what he was seeing.
It wasn't long before The Hound took a step forward, fully planning on utilizing everyone's shock to its advantage.
Everyone began to back away, well everyone except for Zi-O who had dropped the Roseiber once he realized that Sliver Eye powers weren't going to be able to deal with the thing before him. He took a deep breath as he looked up, his visor showing that he was looking into the future. He could only lightly shudder before taking a deep breath.
Without a word he drew out both of his weapons, stabbing them into the ground as he watched The Hound slowly walk down the stairs.
"I will be taking that Maiden kid…" The Hound spoke up as it continued to lumber forward.
[SAIKYO FINISH TIME!]
[RIDER FINISH TIME!]
Zi-O began initiating the combination for his Saikyo Zikan Girade, fully forming it while he prepared his belts finisher as well. He watched as The Hound began to get closer and closer, gripping his sword with one hand as the energy began to build up within it. Once The Hound was close enough it began to raise its arms, but that was enough for Zi-O who rotated his Driver to initiate the finisher.
Everyone began to back up further when they realized what Zi-O was planning on doing.
[KING GIRI GIRI SLASH!]
[TWICE TIME BREAK!]
Zi-O gripped his sword with both hands and raised it high, yelling out as he slashed downwards and unleashed a massive amount of energy against The Hound. Everyone could only shield their eyes as the explosive blast occurred.
Once it fully began to die down, everyone began to wince as they allowed their vision to readjust. Standing at the base of the steps was Zi-O with the Saikyo Zikan Girade at his side. His head was lowered as black dust spiraled all around him. The staircase had ended up taking a bit of damage and was partially broken, but other than that there wasn't much other damage to speak up.
Zi-O dropped his weapon as he fell to his knees while breathing heavily, his transformation dismissing itself alongside his weapon.
"Sougo!" Weiss called out as she ran over, "Are you alright?"
"Y-Yeah…" Sougo took a deep breath as he his hands shook a bit.
"You idiot," Weiss frowned as she grabbed Sougo's hands with one of her own before she used her free arm to wrap it around his shoulder, "You clearly aren't."
Roze choked out a few gasps as she dismissed her transformation, her eyes watering as she immediately hugged Summer who was broken out of her shock. Summer hugged Ruby back instinctively, the mother and daughter having a startling realization of what could have potentially happened had Summer not been saved by Tsukasa.
Unbeknownst to the group, during the explosive blast, a piece of red liquid had launched itself out near the window. The red liquid began to slink off, sliding out the broken window before slipping away from the Manor.
Remnant – Monstra
"Oh?" Evolt lowered his hand and shook his head, "Well then…"
"Is there an issue?" Salem asked, observing a new addition to her wardrobe courtesy of Narutaki, a black ring with a white gem at the center.
"Your pet is dead," Evolt said as he flexed his fingers, "Because I implanted my genes into it, I could feel its death from here."
"So in the end even with your help it was a failure," Salem clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"Now, now," Narutaki raised his hand, "It just shows that hastily adding Evolt's powers to an already existing creation isn't our best bet."
"You're right about that," Evolt said, "I could only do so much with infecting another creature with my genes… that being said…"
Standing before the three in the center platform of the chamber they were in was Kamen Rider Rose, her head lowered as she remained still.
"Impeccable work," Salem mused, "It looks just like her."
"Because it very much is a clone of her that I built around that card you had," Evolt said before backing away with a bow and allowing Salem to step forward, "Now then… it's all yours."
"Very well," Salem said as she raised her arms, the pool of Grimm Liquid beginning to bubble before it began to shift, the liquid spiraling upwards and moving towards Kamen Rider Rose. It wasn't long before the liquid began covering the cloned Kamen Rider, it slowly but surely engulfing it with no resistance.
"There we go…" Evolt chuckled while Narutaki could only smile at this.
The Grimm Liquid continued to spiral around and cover Kamen Rider Rose. Once the cloned Rider was fully covered the liquid began to constrict, slowly taking shape and molding itself around the Rider. A pair of piercing red eyes could be seen beneath the liquid on the head as the liquid continued to solidify and take shape.
To Be Continued…
Next Time:
"Neither can take priority…"
"It never gets easier, does it?"
"There is one thing to keep in mind however."
"I am… Briar Rose…"
"We'd do well to claim that power for ourselves."
Chapter 92: Arrival of Briar Rose
Author's Note: I figured The Hound realistically wouldn't last long even if it was a heavily enhanced Grimm. After all, Roze has Rose Armor now and Zi-O II is not a slouch in the slightest. Add in that Summer's with the group now, plus Penny isn't struggling for control like in canon, it's obviously going to be a lot tougher to give it actual presence.
Cue me supplying it with an army of the Flying Beringels to add to the Centinel and Cenitaur that show up in canon. Next, add in some Evolt genes to The Hound to make it sturdier, stronger, and creepier, and voila! Of course Evolt isn't done getting involved yet if the closing scene is of any indication, but that's best saved for next time!
That being said, glad to see no one had Rose Armor on their bingo cards, even after I revealed Summer as specifically a Decade/Diend styled Rider. Always fun to blindside the audience in addition to fulfilling expectations when it comes to guesses lining up correctly. With all that said, thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time.