Dr. X: And now, the thrilling conclusion.

Kamen Rider SideRide Chronicles: Oscura's Encore

Reality VII: Rising Calamity Phoenix

[Revolve On!]

Red-Pan switched up her armour, opting for more speed. The exhaust pipes released jets of flames as she conjured a vine from the ground. She placed both her feet against it and launched herself from it, dashing across the air towards Oscura.

The former Dark Empress was in a daze from the Boost-powered punch, which was why she didn't register that Red-Pan had caught up to her. The corrupted Rider cocked back her right arm, making vines wrap around it as she punched forward. The vines formed a huge fist that slammed against Oscura, sending her crashing through a convenience store. Red-Pan wasn't about to let up after that, however. She willed her vines to wrap around Oscura and when she landed on a nearby roof, she tore her out of the building and hoisted her into the air.

Red-Pan whipped Oscura to her right, smashing her most hated enemy into a building with enough force to break through the wall. But she didn't stop there as she kept raking Oscura through the building, busting through wall after wall before pulling her out of another wall that led into an alleyway, and then throwing her into another building. Red-Pan kept this up until she had levelled four structures in one swipe before reeling Oscura back in and snapping her vines upwards to throw her back into the air. The corrupted Rider, using the Boost Armour, jumped straight up, rising higher than Oscura before she spun around and came down with a flaming axe kick.

Oscura released a harsh gasp of pain as Red-Pan's flaming kick struck her in the abdomen, sending both of them hurtling towards the street below. Like a flaming meteorite, the two hit the street, causing a large explosion that lit up the area and shattered windows. Red-Pan jumped out of the crater she had formed and drew two spell circles that she combined into one, forming a bigger spell circle. From that same circle, she conjured a huge fireball that roared above her. With a fierce battle cry, she hurled the fireball into the crater, setting off a huge explosion that sent fissures spider webbing across the ground.

Red-Pan panted and then started to cackle maniacally with murderous glee. After all this time, she was now on top. She was the powerful one. The evil Empress, the dark being that plagued her nightmares and nearly brought her world to ruins, had finally been slain by her hands.

"Hehehehehe…Ahahahahahahaha…AHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAA!"Red-Pan laughed. "HOW DID THAT FEEL, OSCURA?! WHERE'S THAT COCKY ATTITUDE NOW, HUH?! WHERE'D ALL THAT BRAVADO GO?!" Red-Pan moved closer to the crater, smirking as she looked into the flames. "You thought I was weak! You didn't take me seriously! You didn't see me as a threat! You want to talk to me about 'arrogance'? You wasted your shot at killing me many times in the past. Even now when you could've used your strongest weapon, you decided not to because you thought I wasn't worth it! Well, am I worth it now?! Maybe you should've focused less on Amity and went after me instead! Your loss, bitch!"

"Are you done?"

"…Huh?"

Suddenly, the flames that were raging inside of the crater were snuffed out and dispersed into golden particles that danced in the air, revealing Oscura as she floated a few feet above the opening of the crater with an angelic pair of golden wings.

"…with all this?"

Red-Pan could not believe it. She had failed to deliver the killing blow as Oscura managed to survive. Her armour did not even look damaged despite the punishment she took.

"How…H-How?! T-there's no way! You should at least be half dead after the whaling I gave you!"Red-Pan shouted. Just what in Titan's name was Oscura made of?

"Let me tell you somethin', Bosch: Alt Luz and Alt Anne hit way harder than you. Compared to them, you're still nothing," stated Oscura, arms folded across her chest. To Red-Pan's full chagrin, Oscura was looking down on the infected Rider as if the former was a disgusting insect.

Red-Pan shook her head back and forth, refusing to believe that everything she had done hadn't caused any damage to Oscura at all. Oscura must be bluffing. Yeah, that was it, that wicked pain-in the-ass-royal-bitch was bluffing. Despite all her power, Oscura was still a weak human. They weren't as resilient and strong as witches and demons, so she definitely took some significant damage from that onslaught. Red-Pan was totally not in denial whatsoever!

"Heh, nice try! Trying to bluff your way out of letting me kill you! How dumb do you think I am, you human whore!?"

"You think I'm bluffing?"

"I know you're bluffing!"

"Okay."

Oscura disappeared in a flash of light and cascading golden feathers. As she vanished, Red-Pan swivelled her head in different directions to try and locate Oscura. In the blink of an eye, Oscura appeared in the last place she expected to look: right in front of her.

"Hey, Boscha."

"AAAH!"

Red-Pan jumped backwards out of sheer fright, which was what Oscura wanted her to do. The moment that Red-Pan landed, a hidden octagram started to glow, setting off an explosion that sent the corrupted Rider flying towards Oscura. The Rider of Darkness dashed forward and grabbed Red-Pan by her neck before slamming her into the street and then tossing her into a building that had not collapsed. Oscura gave chase, reappearing in the building just as Red-Pan came at her with a flying vine-covered haymaker.

Oscura didn't even move as a construct wing flared out and shielded her from the attack. The room suddenly lit up with the glow of several DesWizarSwordGuns, all in gun mode, and all of them trained on Red-Pan. The corrupted Rider noticed too late as all two dozen weapons fired, hitting her from different angles as she was pelted with magical energy beams. Oscura made the barrage cease so she could punch Red-Pan in the stomach. When she did, a construct clone of herself formed over her body and launched forward, effectively punching Red-Pan a second time but with greater force.

Red-Pan gasped as she felt the second punch, but it didn't stop there. The clone made another clone of itself as it threw an uppercut, keeping its fist against her jaw as it made yet another clone that grabbed Red-Pan by her face and took her for a ride. The clone smashed Red-Pan through one building after another while a chain of clones kept attacking her in succession before a huge golden hammer came down and smashed her into the ground.

Red-Pan groaned as she managed to stay standing, albeit a bit wobbly.

Oscura had perched herself on the edge of a roof across from Red-Pan, and at her side were the Amp and Witch constructs from before. She had let Red-Pan run amok long enough but it was time to end it. Oscura pulled on the lever of the Fantasy Buckle, causing a large octagram to form behind her as it glowed with golden light.

Red-Pan noticed this and quickly initiated her finisher, pressing the Jyamato Buckle and twisting the handlebar of the Boost Buckle.

[BOOST TIME!]

The constructs of Amp and Witch shifted once again, taking the forms of Raging Heart: Justice Mode and Twilight Style respectively. Oscura's golden wings flared behind her back as she and her constructs jumped into the air at the same time. All three of their right feet were coated in a glittering golden energy field as the octagram released a burst of power that launched all three of them straight towards Red-Pan.

[FANTASY STRIKE!]

The corrupted Rider's right arm was once again wrapped in vines which suddenly caught fire, blazing red hot as embers danced in the air around her. With a fierce battle cry, Red-Pan thrust her right arm forward, making the flaming vines coil into a spear that shot towards Oscura.

[BOOST JYA-JYA-JYA GRAND VICTORY!]

The three Rider Kicks collided with the tip of the infernal vine spear, causing a powerful shockwave that cracked the street and surrounding buildings. Red-Pan was confident she could finish off Oscura. She had the Boost Buckle, so her victory was assured. But something was wrong. Despite the added power of the Boost Buckle, Oscura was still managing to maintain their power struggle, which didn't make any sense.

"WHY ISN'T THIS WORKING!? I'M STRONGER THAN YOU! I HAVE THE BOOST BUCKLE AND THE JYAMATO BUCKLE! YOU ONLY HAVE THAT ONE STUPID BUCKLE!"

"Because I figured out what this Fantasy Buckle can really do! It doesn't just give me magical power, it makes my fantasies into reality!" The golden lightning started to crackle around the three Riders as the Fantasy Buckle's octagram formed behind them, followed by a second, and third, each one bigger than the last one. Red-Pan's eyes widened as she started to feel uneasy from this phenomenon. "Imagination, willpower, my hopes and dreams! That's what gives me power, what this Fantasy Buckle uses to make me stronger! YOU MAY HAVE THE BOOST BUCKLE, BUT YOU'LL NEVER BE STRONGER THAN ME THE WAY YOU ARE, BOSCHA!"

The three Riders transformed into a comet of sparkling golden light which doubled in size until it was all that Red-Pan could see. The ball of magical light burned through the flaming vine spear, ripping it apart as it quickly approached Red-Pan and engulfed her in its brilliant light.

Red-Pan saw three streaks of light within the sphere that zipped around before coming together and striking her in the centre. Those same streaks of light reappeared outside of the sphere, reforming into Kamen Rider Oscura just as the sphere exploded into a plume of golden flames and golden particles.

Oscura panted heavily. Despite what she had said earlier, that fight was still rough on her. Either way, it was done. Red-Pan, Boscha, was gone.

"Augh…"

Or so Oscura thought. The Rider of Darkness groaned as she turned around and saw that Boscha had reverted to her civilian form. Now with the armour gone, she could clearly see the side effects of someone using a Raise Buckle that was specifically made for the Jyamatos' use: Boscha's face and hands had green vines crawling over them, a sign that her body had been infected. Perhaps that was the reason she was still here. Witches and demons were physically stronger than humans. Throw in a little Jyamato and this was probably the result.

"You just don't know when to give up, huh, Bosch?"

"S-Spare me!" Boscha managed to drag herself back to a standing position, panting as she used her right hand to wipe her mouth. When she did, she gasped upon seeing that her blood, which should've been red, was now green. "N-No way…"

"This is the price you paid, Boscha. You're not even a witch anymore. You're a Jyamato, a monster."

"If a monster is what it takes to finally end you, then I'll gladly become the biggest, baddest monster that ever existed!" Boscha threatened.

'She will do it, you know that. She's a danger to everyone. She's a danger to Amity, to our family, and you. We should've never allowed her to live all those years ago.'

"I never should've allowed you to live all those years ago!"

'She will take what's yours, your happiness, and your future wife!'

"You just want to take everything that I hold dear. Just like when I was fourteen, how everything got taken away from me!"

'She's too dangerous if you let her live. She could hurt Gus, Willow, Eda, and anyone else you still care about in the Demon Realm!'

"If I let you live, somehow, I know you'll find a way to hurt the people I love back in the Demon Realm, just to spite me!"Oscura accused.

A devious smirk befell Boscha's lips.

"Y'know, the thought never occurred to me, but now that you mention it…why not? Sure, I can't hurt you here, so why not hurt you another way? I can think of so many creative ways to screw with Half-a-Witch and that Porter kid! I can still make their lives a living hell just because they were friends with you!" Boscha threatened. Hearing this, Oscura's fists started to clench as she gritted her teeth. "Oh, that reminds me: I think the Owl Lady has a kid, doesn't she? And I think she named her after you, Oscura, or rather, Luz. Heh, why didn't I think of it before? I'll just make sure that little Luz Clawthorne gets aaaaaallll the punishment that I couldn't give you! I'll make sure her life is hell! And that for the rest of her life, she will curse your name!".

That did it.

'KILL HER!'

"DON'T YOU DARE HURT THEM, YOU BITCH!" Oscura reached out with her right hand as she formed an owl beast from hard light. The demonic creature took hold of Boscha in its claws and released a horrifying screech as it glared at her with its glowing eyes. "I'll kill you…I'll kill you…I'll kill you…I'LL KILL YOU!"

The owl beast construct opened its beak wide as it displayed its razor-sharp teeth. Boscha gasped in horror as she saw even more teeth lining the construct's throat when she looked down into its mouth.

'THAT'S IT! DO IT! END HER!'

Oscura was about to give the command for her construct to eat Boscha alive, but she paused, her eyes now fixated on something else. In front of her were two constructs, one that looked like Alt Anne and another that looked like Alt Luz. Both constructs gave her a sad expression as if saying that she didn't have to do this.

"I…I didn't summon you! W-Why are you here?!"Oscura questioned. The Alt Anne construct walked up to Oscura and took the former Dark Empress's left hand with both of its own. "I…I have to do this! I-I-I need to stop her! This is the only way!" The Alt Luz construct moved closer and took hold of Oscura's right hand. "You don't understand! I have to protect everyone!" The Alt Luz and Alt Anne constructs shook their heads. "Why…Why are you even…?" That was when Oscura understood what was happening. The Fantasy Buckle made her fantasies into reality, so the Buckle was giving voice to her conscience, to the part of her that knew that this wasn't right. Even if Boscha was now a Jyamato, she was still alive, still a person. "I…I almost let her…" The owl beast construct slowly faded away, dropping Boscha unceremoniously back to the ground. The two constructs smiled and nodded at Oscura before they too faded away, leaving the two alone amongst the destruction they caused. "I'm taking you back to the Desire Temple. Maybe Tsumuri or the Game Master will know how to reverse this."

"Tch…I don't need your pity," Boscha scoffed.

"It's not pity, Boscha. I'm just tired of killing people."

Soaron used her jets to send her flying straight towards Newtonne to strike her foe down. However, at the last second, Newtonne rolled out of the way of Soaron's sword swing. She rolled along the ground before coming back on her knees and rising to her feet. Locking her Toron Cannons onto Soaron, she pulled her Command Cannon Buckle like a lever to activate the finisher system. The fins behind her extended and pierced the ground, anchoring her in place so that the recoil would not send her flying.

As Newtonne's twin cannons began to charge up, Soaron descended across from her and rotated her Driver.

[Revolve On!]

Switching to Cannon Mode before she landed, Soaron also pulled on the Command Cannon Buckle to initiate her finisher, anchored in place as her twin cannons glowed as they gathered particles into them, charging them up. She locked onto Newtonne, eyes narrowed behind her visor.

Finally, their cannons finished charging up the particles to be unleashed.

[COMMAND TWIN VICTORY!]

[COMMAND TWIN VICTORY!]

Simultaneously, both Soaron and Newtonne's Toron Cannons fired two massively charged particle beams. The azure beams tore up the street in their wake, and a moment later, they collided. A strong shockwave blasted through the area as the street buckled. Windows shattered, and cars were thrown several feet into the air before coming down to crash into buildings as well as numerous other things, some of which exploded.

The anchors of Soaron and Newtonne's armour dug into the asphalt, cutting grooves into it as their beams pushed against each other. Newtonne grunted as she stood her ground, unwilling to let her best friend, one of the two people she cared about most, continue to be used as someone's tool for vengeance.

'No matter what, one way or the other, I'm going to free you from this!'

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The visor and eyes of Newtonne's helmet glowed brightly as the Toron Cannons fired a second pulse of energy that flowed towards where the two beams collided. The pulse struck the point of contact, creating a powerful explosion that rocked the entire area. A huge cloud of smoke and dust was kicked up into the air, obscuring the space between the two Riders. The young genius kept a good grip on her sword as she knew that attack wasn't going to be enough. She won their beam struggle, but she wasn't sure if she managed to defeat Soaron or not.

Suddenly, Soaron blasted through the smoke cloud and flew straight for Newtonne in Jet Mode. Newtonne didn't waste this chance, noticing that Soaron was flying straight at her, right in her line of fire. The Taiwanese teen powered up the Toron Cannons and fired another beam, which was now on a direct course for Soaron. As the Toron Cannons' beams were about to hit, Soaron used her Raising Sword to cut through them, shocking Newtonne.

Soaron's sword glowed with the twin colours of orange and blue, catching Newtonne completely off guard as her friend closed in on her. One of the jets switched position, aiming out in front of Soaron. As she drew closer, Soaron pressed a button on the side of the Raising Sword, causing her sword to flare up with orange and blue light again.

[Raise Charge!]

The young genius Rider failed to defend herself as Soaron began spinning and slashing rapidly at her like a buzzsaw, creating streaks of orange and blue as sparks that filled the air around them. The thrusters stopped just as Soaron grabbed the sword with both hands, squeezing the trigger on the grip.

[TACTICAL RAISING!]

Newtonne could only watch as Soaron came down with her empowered sword and delivered a powerful slash right across the genius' chest. Another powerful explosion went off, obscuring both of them this time. When the smoke and fire cleared, Newtonne fell to her knees just before her armour disengaged, revealing her injuries. She had scrapes and trickles of blood coming from her nose and mouth as she collapsed to the ground.

"MARCY!" Oscura screamed when she saw Marcy was injured.

"Finally," Boscha huffed. "Now kill Oscura!"

With her command given, Soaron was about to walk in Oscura's direction, but suddenly stopped as something grabbed her right leg. Soaron looked down and saw that Marcy was now desperately holding onto her leg with both arms.

"I…I won't give up…I…I know you're in there…Sashy…! P-Please…don't let her use you…! D-don't let her turn you…into a…a murderer…!" Marcy begged.

Boscha facepalmed from the stubbornness that Marcy was showing.

"Oh, for the love of Titan! For a nerd, you're damn persistent. Sasha, use that new Buckle you showed me!"

"New Buckle?" Oscura wondered what Boscha meant. Soaron shook off the weakened Taiwanese girl, picked her up with one hand, and then tossed Marcy aside like a ragdoll. Marcy rolled across the ground until she came to a stop. In a flash of light, Oscura teleported to Marcy's side. "Marcy, are you OK?"

"...It's just a flesh wound," Marcy grunted. "Ow. Hurts to talk."

Soaron dropped her sword and removed the Twin Command Buckles from her Desire Driver before she took out a new large Raise Buckle, which looked like a pair of wings. She split the Buckle in half before inserting both halves into the left and right-hand sides of her Desire Driver at the same time.

[Set Ascend!]

The logo appeared in front of Soaron, taking the form of phoenix wings with the name of her Buckle between them: 'RISING PHOENIX'. She stood straight and slammed her fists onto both halves of the Raise Buckle, activating it. The front panels of the Buckle spread apart as golden feather-like pieces sprung out from the sides of the panels. At the same time, a piece flipped down to cover her ID Core with the face of a phoenix.

[CALAMITY WING! RISING PHOENIX!]

A pair of flaming wings burst out from behind Soaron and then wrapped around her, becoming a tornado of flames which covered her. Then, the flaming tornado violently dispersed, revealing her new form.

Marcy and Oscura's eyes widened when they saw Soaron's new armour.

"Where...how...what...?" Oscura questioned, unable to believe what she was seeing.

"Final Form..."Marcy uttered.

Soaron's helmet had changed, gaining golden crests over the crimson eyes and a golden head crest in the middle which travelled all the way to the tip of her beak. On the sides of her helmet were wing-shaped crests as well. Her Entry Form suit had also changed, becoming blood red with gold accents. Her torso was covered in crimson armour with golden talons that hugged her stomach, and red and gold pauldrons that resembled wings. The golden image of a phoenix in flight was in the centre of her chest. On her forearms, she wore red gauntlets with golden accents, detailed with images of phoenixes. She wore an armoured skirt that hung from her belt. Her red greaves had straps that criss-crossed over her shins. On her heels, folded against the back of her legs, were metal talons. Finally, hanging from her back was a red cape with black lining.

[READY...FIGHT!]

Oscura stood up, gripping the Oscura Buckle tightly as she prepared to face Soaron herself. Her Fantasy Buckle might be strong, but it may not be enough against what Soaron had become now.

"Great, Sasha! Now take them both out!" Boscha yelled encouragingly. Honestly, she had nothing against Marcy. But if that idiot chose to side with Oscura, then she was an enemy too.

"Sasha..." Marcy pleaded. "Please, don't do this."

Soaron's eyes glowed yellow but then the glow faded and she shook her head, confused.

"Huh?"Soaron found herself in her Rider form. "Where am I...? How did I get here...?"

"Huh!?" Boscha gaped.

"Sasha?" Marcy asked carefully. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, of course it's…" Soaron paused when she took in her surroundings. There, a couple of feet from her, were Oscura and Marcy. Marcy looked beaten up and Oscura was protectively standing in front of her. Soaron looked around again and then at herself, as she realised she was in her new armour. "…N-N-No…did…did I do this…?"

"Sasha…you're back," said Marcy, happily.

"WHAT?! T-That's not possible!" Boscha yelled in disbelief. The only way to break out of the mind control was to use an antidote.

"MARCY!" Soaron ran towards Marcy before dropping to her knees to take her friend's hand. "PLEASE TELL ME I DIDN'T DO THIS TO YOU!"

"I wish we could," Oscura murmured.

"No…I…I don't even remember! Why am I here?! Did another game start?!" Soaron questioned as she began to panic.

"Wait, are you saying you don't remember anything? Not a single thing?" Oscura clarified.

"NO! It's all one big blur!"Soaron confessed loudly.

"Sash, what's…what's the last thing you remember?" Marcy asked.

"The last thing I remember was confronting Boscha about Noceda, about how she was defeated by two Riders that was another version of her and...Anne." Soaron's eyes widened and she remembered what happened after that. Soaron slowly released Marcy's hand and rose to her feet. She slowly turned until she was facing in Boscha's direction. "You drugged me…You held me down…and you drugged me. You lying, psychotic bitch…"

Despite how calm Soaron sounded, there was a disturbing edge to her voice that spoke of a fury that was building up with each passing second, threatening to erupt like a volcano.

"S-Sasha, wait! I-I'm sorry! I panicked! I didn't mean to do it! It was a mistake, but I couldn't undo it now that I did it! If anything, I was doing it for us! For both our sakes! My wish would've made it so that Oscura never existed at all! It would mean getting Anne back! That's what you want in the end, right?!"Boscha ranted, becoming completely desperate.

Soaron's aura started to flare up, slowly at first, but with each step she took towards Boscha, it got brighter and brighter. Boscha began stepping backwards with every step that Soaron took towards her, her mind working feverishly to try and reason with Sasha.

"SASHA, I'M NOT THE VILLAIN! OSCURA'S–!" Boscha screamed but she was cut off when Soaron let loose a violent war cry, causing her aura to flare like a raging wildfire. Flaming wings formed on her back as Soaron dashed straight towards Boscha, creating a wake of burning embers. Panicking, the triclops quickly transformed.

[JYAMATO!]

Within seconds Soaron was upon Red-Pan, her right fist cocked back as she delivered a haymaker right into the infected Rider's face. The impact resounded like thunder, sending Red-Pan flying in the opposite direction. Red-Pan skipped along the ground like a stone across the surface of water before finally slamming into a wall, back-first, causing her to release a painful cough as the wind was knocked out of her lungs. At this moment, Red-Pan wished she still had the Boost Buckle. Unfortunately, it had already abandoned her earlier when she failed to finish Oscura off.

But the fun wasn't over yet as a blazing comet crashed into Red-Pan, blasting her through the wall. Inside the comet was Soaron, holding the witch by her throat as she smashed her through one wall after the other. Soaron ascended quickly as she burst through the roof of a building and tossed Red-Pan towards the ground.

The Jyamato-infected Rider spun head over heel and was about to hit the ground. However, before she could, Soaron appeared in the spot where she would've landed and threw an elbow into Red-Pan's back. She let out a scream of agony as she felt her back break from the sharp impact with Soaron's elbow.

While Red-Pan was still suspended in the air, Soaron spun on her left heel and delivered a spinning roundhouse kick to Red-Pan's right side. The three-eyed witch finally hit the ground with a hard crash, creating a large crater upon impact. Surprisingly, Red-Pan managed to survive thanks to the Jyamato infection. She crawled out of the crater only to now be staring at Soaron's feet. She slowly angled her head up to look directly into the glowing eyes of Soaron. She felt as if Death was staring into her soul and was on the verge of pissing herself.

"S-Sasha…P-Please…don't do this…! Y-Y-You and me…w-we're the same! We both want the people we love…!"Red-Pan pleaded like the very worm she truly was. "We're doing all this…for them!"

Soaron reached down and grabbed Red-Pan by her throat, hoisting her up with no effort at all as she held the witch out in front of the furious phoenix Rider. Red-Pan choked as she struggled to pry Soaron's hand from her neck but the other Rider had a vice-like grip on her, threatening to snap her neck.

"I am nothing like you!"Soaron snapped back furiously, filled with murderous intent. "I don't force myself on the girl that I love! I don't drug the people I love! And I'm definitely not a monster! You are! And you know what Kamen Riders do to monsters, right?"

"S-S-Sasha! No! Please don't kill me! I'm begging you!"

Soaron swiftly released Red-Pan, drew back her left fist, and threw another haymaker. When her fist collided with Red-Pan's face, she didn't stop there. She drove her fist all the way and slammed Red-Pan down into the ground, kicking up a dust cloud as her cape fluttered in the air. Soaron pressed her knee into Red-Pan's chest and then started throwing one punch after the other, creating more thunderous shockwaves as she whaled on Red-Pan like no tomorrow.

"YOU'VE BEEN LYING TO ME THIS WHOLE TIME! YOU'VE BEEN USING ME! TRYING TO MAKE ME TURN ON MY BEST FRIEND, THE ONLY OTHER PERSON I LOVE, AND YOU TRIED TO MAKE ME KILL HER!"

Soaron's punches came harder and faster, causing Red-Pan's helmet to crack more and more until a star-shaped eyepiece shattered, showing Boscha's eye that was wide with fear. Soaron stopped her pummeling and dragged Red-Pan up with both of her hands before looking at the wicked bitch of the west straight in the eyes.

"I am Sasha–fucking–Waybright! Kamen Rider Soaron! I am not your slave, your follower, or your weapon! Oscura should've killed you, but seeing as she won't, I guess I'll have to do it!"

Soaron threw Red-Pan until she struck the wall of another building, with the wall being the only thing that was keeping her standing. However, a second after hitting the wall, Red-Pan's armour disappeared, returning her to civilian form.

"This goes without saying, Boscha, but our alliance is over!"Soaron shouted, and she slammed her right fist on the right half of her Raise Buckle.

[RISING PHOENIX STRIKE!]

Soaron's body burst into flames once again as she raised her right fist into the air. Those flames swirled around that fist until it was glowing red hot. With another eruption of flames, Soaron flew straight for Boscha, her right fist cocked back as she readied to deliver the killing blow.

Boscha groaned and looked at Soaron. Her eyes widened in terror as her former ally came flying towards her. Thinking quickly, she pulled out a potion bottle and threw it as hard as she could. The bottle shattered and released a thick cloud of yellow smoke. Soaron was blinded by the smoke and waved it away. When the smoke faded, Boscha was gone.

"BOSCHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Soaran roared in rage as her flames flared up with great intensity.

Boscha ran as fast as she could but tripped on the ground. Groaning, she picked herself. She did not understand it. How was Sasha able to break out of her control? That mind control potion was flawless and the only way to cure it was a counterpotion that only she could make. Did it have something to do with that new Buckle? Or were Sasha's feelings for her friend Marcy so strong that she was able to break free?

Whatever the reason, Boscha had lost her only ally in this game and Oscura was still alive. She let out a grunt as she felt a sting in her hand. She looked down and saw the back of her hand was covered in green vines.

"You appear to be in some trouble, Ms. Barbtalone," Mr. Butler stated as he stood before Boscha.

"You?" Boscha raised her eyebrow, surprised to see the manservant of the lounge standing in her way. "What the heck are you doing here?"

"I am the Butler of the Desire Grand Prix, young miss. I serve drinks, keep the lounge and temple tidy, and I take out the trash." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a black, purple and red Driver with a rectangular buckle and a screen in front. "And I also punish self-entitled, cheating, little twats like you."

[Vision Driver.]

He strapped on the Vision Driver and tapped the thumb scanner on top of it with his right thumb.

[Glare. Log In.]

Reaching into a holder on the right side of the belt, he took a transparent plastic keycard that was marked by a yellow eye-like logo in the centre.

"Henshin."

He swiped the card down the reader on the Vision Driver.

[Install.]

Five mechanical red, black and purple eyeballs appeared and shot lasers across Mr. Butler's body, materialising his armour before they attached to his chest, shoulders and knees.

[Dominate A System.]

Mr. Butler'sbodysuit was black with a four-pack on his stomach. He wore crimson gauntlets and greaves with silver trim. The bodysuit had grey highlights and crimson trim. Finally, his black helmet had a large purple visor that covered the upper half of his head with a pair of antennae extending from his brow.

[GLARE!]

"Kamen Rider Red-Pan, for violating the rules of the Desire Grand Prix, you will be removed," Kamen Rider Glare declared.

"Don't think you can scare me, old man!" Boscha snapped.

[Set!]

"Henshin!"

[JYAMATO!]

Red-Pan charged at Glare and threw a punch, only for him to casually slap her fist away before he countered with a punch to her chest, sending her staggering back. She threw a flurry of punches but he deftly blocked and deflected them with his forearms before striking her in the stomach with a kick, sending her tumbling to the ground.

"You...YOU OLD FART!" Red-Pan roared as she got up and drew a spell circle before unleashing a stream of fire at Glare but he jumped high into the air, avoiding her spell. While in midair, he took out his Providence Card and slid it down the Vision Reader.

[Delete.]

He came back down, extending his right leg as purple energy gathered around his foot. Twisting his body, he delivered a spinning roundhouse kick into Red-Pan's head, sending her flying and cancelling her transformation. She landed roughly on her back with blue static crackling across her body.

Tsumuri stood beside Glare. She sighed as she brought up the list of players on her tablet and marked Boscha as retired.

"You have lost your qualification as a Kamen Rider. Goodbye," she said neutrally as Boscha's ID Core vanished.

[Retired!]

"No!" Boscha denied as she picked herself up. "No, this isn't fair! I'm the best! I'm the star! I'm supposed to win!" Boscha screamed as her body was consumed by blue pixels before vanishing from sight. As soon as she vanished, her Desire Driver clattered to the ground.

[Mission Cleared!]

After receiving the notification, Tsumuri checked her tablet to see the results.

"Game Master, all Jyamatos in the Jyamar Area have been eliminated," Tsumuri reported.

"Good, bring the players back to the Desire Temple," Glare ordered before he warped away.

At the end of the Zombie Game, the players returned to the Desire Temple. Up on the holographic screen, the results were on display:

Amity Blight/Gato: 21,000 pts.

Luz Noceda/Oscura: 10,000 pts.

Marcy Wu/Newtonne: 800 pts.

Sasha Waybright/Soaron: 500 pts.

When Amity saw how low Marcy and Sasha's scores were, she wondered what had happened. It was not like the two to get such low scores.

"Good job, Amity!" Luz praised, wrapping her arms around Amity in a hug when she saw her fiancée was in first place.

Sasha saw her and Marcy's scores and frowned. Their fight had cost them a lot of points and she felt awful about it. Luz noticed this and decided to do something.

"Tsumuri, could you waive Sasha and Marcy's penalties?" Luz requested. "It wasn't their fault."

"I understand, but Riders are not allowed to fight each other," Tsumuri informed her.

"I get that, but Marcy was only trying to help and it was Boscha's fault," Luz explained.

"Wait, what did Boscha do?" Amity asked.

"She drugged me with a potion and had me under mind control," Sasha answered, causing Amity to gasp.

"Is that why she's not here?" Amity asked. She had noticed her former friend's absence but thought she had been eliminated.

"Red-Pan broke the rules and was disqualified as a result," Tsumuri explained. Amity looked relieved. She no longer needed to worry about Boscha.

"She got off easy," Sasha complained, and Marcy put a supportive hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, so what happened was Boscha's fault. You can't punish Sasha and Marcy for it," Luz argued.

"I'm sorry. While I sympathise with what happened, rules are rules," Tsumuri said firmly. "Only the Game Master can overturn these results. If you plead with him, you could convince him to reconsider the results."

"Noceda, it's OK," Sasha said appreciatively. "I'll accept these results. It was my fault for trusting Boscha in the first place."

"And I'd risk all my points to save Sasha again in a heartbeat," Marcy added. "But thanks nonetheless."

"Was Boscha the Mole?" Amity asked hopefully. If there was no longer a Mole among them, that meant they could stop being paranoid and suspecting each other.

"I'm sorry, but the Mole is still among you. As Red-Pan was disqualified, no players will be voted off tonight."

That was not something any of them wanted to hear. Boscha's actions could have already outed her as the Mole, but she clearly was not. It was still one of them.

"Great, now I have something else to worry about after seeing my mom again," Amity grumbled.

"Wait, are you saying you saw your mom?" Luz asked, puzzled. The last time she had seen Odalia was before she got killed by a Jyamato.

"Yeah, only it wasn't really my mom," Amity answered, earning a puzzled look from her fiancée. "It looked like her, but it wasn't really her, and yet it acted just like her. It even knew what to say to break me."

"During the Labyrinth Game, I fought a Jyamato that used illusions to make itself look like Anne. This could be just the same thing," Sasha suggested.

"No, this wasn't an illusion." Amity shook her head. "I know what my Mom was like and that thing was exactly like her."

Luz frowned, contemplating this information. The Jyamatos had been evolving. First, they could access Rider forms of their own and now they could assume the form of fallen players. The last time Luz had seen Odalia, she had died while trying to kill the human to avenge her death. But then, her body just disappeared, like Penn's did. What happened to her after she died?

"Tsumuri, could I ask you something?" Luz asked.

"Certainly, Ms. Noceda," Tsumuri smiled warmly.

"I need to know what happens to the players after they die," Luz requested. "I know their bodies vanish with their Drivers and ID Cores, but where do they end up?"

"Why do you wish to know?" Tsumuri asked cautiously.

"Because Amity just saw and fought her dead mom," Luz answered. "Only it was a Jyamato that assumed her form."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Noceda, but I can't tell you."

"Can't or won't?" Luz challenged, eyes narrowed. "Tsumuri, I've already figured out that the DGP is responsible for the Jyamatos." Tsumuri's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, don't give me that look. You guys pretty much control the Jyamatos' movements for these games since you breed them to be enemy NPCs. It's how you know when and where they'll strike. What I want to know is how the fallen players are related to them."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Noceda, but I really can't tell you."

"Fine," Luz huffed. "Then let me talk to the Game Master."

"I'm sorry, but the Game Master must not be disturbed."

"You people in the DGP," Luz scowled. "You love to play your games, don't you? As long as players like us entertain you, it doesn't matter if civilians get hurt, do they? Human lives don't matter 'coz you can just reset and respawn them like some NPCs. Fine, I'll just have to figure it out myself."

Luz sat at the bar area of the lounge, taking a swig from a soda bottle as she let out a sigh. The Zombie Game had been incredibly hectic and difficult. Ironically enough, not because of the Jyamatos, but because Boscha had finally and truly snapped. Luz wished she could say that she was shocked when she learned that Boscha had used a potion to control Sasha's actions, but then again this was Boscha she was talking about. Luz would've been surprised if the triclops didn't have a mind control potion. Even though the game ended with no one being voted off and Sasha being freed from the potion, it still left a bad taste in her mouth.

'For all intents and purposes, this is still a reality TV show. They must've seen it when Boscha drugged Sasha. But only after it was over did they disqualify her. Did they really not know that she had done that until the fight? Or did they already know and just let it continue to see how far it would go?' Luz wondered.

She was hoping for the former, because the latter entailed that DGP Management didn't care what they did to each other, so long as it was in the name of entertainment. So long as the ratings were good, they could either break or bend the rules, until it became an inconvenience to management at least.

'And then there's the clones or 'illusions' of fallen Riders.'

Hearing that Amity had fought a Jyamato that perfectly mimicked her deceased mother was shocking, but then Sasha told her of another Jyamato who had done something similar during the Labyrinth Game and how it mimicked Anne perfectly. Something was wrong about all this. Luz had speculated that the Jyamatos were possibly engineered antagonists for the Desire Grand Prix. After all, the Riders needed enemies to fight against. Since the rules forbade Riders from directly battling each other, creating enemy NPCs sounded like a logical step. But, what was the point in making them look, sound, and even act like deceased Riders?

'Some kind of psychological warfare? A way to demoralise us? Or is this just by random chance? No, no. The fact that Odalia appeared before Amity, and Anne showed up for Sasha means that they were targeted, and they became those specific people because they knew that they would cause maximum psychological trauma. Either this is something that the Jyamatos have evolved to do on their own, or the DGP Management is trying to get a rise out of us.'

Just then the door to the lounge opened. Luz was still deep in thought regarding the DGP's questionable choices and actions. Since Boscha was gone, she didn't have that much of a need to turn around to see who it was.

"Hey, Noceda," Sasha called.

Although, there were exceptions. Luz looked over her shoulder and saw Sasha standing behind her, keeping a respectable distance between them.

"Hey, Sasha," Luz replied.

"Can we talk?"

"Sure," Luz accepted. "Do you mind if I bought you a drink?"

"Yeah, that would be good."

They sat at the bar and Sasha awkwardly shifted in her seat. Mr. Butler served Sasha her drink and left them alone.

"So, are you OK?" Luz asked.

"You're asking me that?" Sasha scoffed. "I nearly killed Marcy and I also tried to kill you too."

"Hey, that wasn't your fault. Boscha had you under mind control. If it's anyone's fault, it's hers."

"I know, but I hurt Marcy and I would've killed her too if I didn't manage to snap out of it," Sasha admitted, ashamed. "I can't believe Boscha would do that to me."

"I do," Luz retorted. "Boscha was a bully in Hexside and she's the type to do anything to get what she wants, even trample over others and manipulate her friends."

"Yeah, I can see that," Sasha sighed.

Confessional: Sasha Waybright/Soaron

"I admit it. I was an asshole. Not just to Luz, but to Marcy too. I owe her an apology and I owe one to Blight because I was a huge bitch to Luz. I just can't believe Boscha would do that to me. She was so much like me, but maybe that's why I thought I could trust her. I was right, she was like me: manipulative, controlling, possessive, all my worst qualities. Guess it took learning the truth and being put under her spell for me to see who she really was. Boscha, if you're watching this, you can go to Hell."

"At least, we don't have to worry about her anymore," Sasha said, relieved.

"Yeah, we can breathe easy knowing she's gone." Luz paused. "...You know, I think this is the longest conversation we've had where you did not threaten me."

"I know," Sasha agreed. "And...I owe you an apology."

"OK, what's going on here?" Luz asked, surprised. "Who are you and what have you done to the real Sasha?"

"I had a talk with your fiancée and I found out how you were originally reformed. You were saved by another version of you and...Anne."

Luz looked away, turning to gaze at her drink.

"Yeah, the other me and the other Anne saved me," Luz admitted. "I actually brought them both together to use them. Instead, they became the cause of my defeat and allowed me to get a second chance. That's why I need to bring Anne back. I know she's not the same person, but I feel like I owe her that much."

"I get that," Sasha understood. "And...I'm sorry I kept blaming you for her death. I just...I was mad because you couldn't save her and it was easier to say you caused her death when...when it was my fault. Anne died saving me. She sacrificed herself for me. I felt so guilty about it that I could not accept it and blamed you. The truth is, I'm mad at myself for not being strong enough! How messed up is that?"

"Sasha, stop," Luz interrupted. "If there's anything that I learned from the time when I was Oscura, it's that blaming each other and figuring out who to blame does nothing but cause more pain and suffering. Amity blames herself for casting the Everlasting Oath and for not removing it when I begged her to. Lilith blames herself for cheating and for not confessing to it after everything that happened. Eda blamed herself for not teaching me properly. Willow blamed herself for not trying harder to turn me away from the path I was going down. And me? I blame myself for not knowing when to just cut my losses and go back home when I had the chance, instead of staying and making myself suffer more. And I also blame myself for everything I did as Oscura, and for not using the Buckle to end the fight sooner before Anne was killed." Luz reached out and placed her hand on Sasha's shoulder. "We can play the blame game until we're blue in the face, but what matters in the end is what we do now to fix our mistakes. And right now, we'll fix the mistakes we made by bringing Anne back. That being said, does this mean that you don't want to fight me one-on-one in the finals?"

"No, I still want to fight you," Sasha resolved. "Not just for Anne, but for me. It's something I need to do. I need to prove myself."

"Well then, Sasha Waybright." Luz offered her hand to her rival. "I look forward to facing you in the finals."

"Me too, Noceda...Luz," Sasha smiled as she took Luz's hand, gripping it tight to cement their promise.

{Are you OK, Sasha?} Ted asked his daughter.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Dad," Sasha spoke into her Spider Phone as she walked along the hallway that was outside the players' rooms.

{That's good. Honestly, when I saw you being put under mind control, I should have done something. I should file a complaint.}

"Please, Dad, don't. If you do that, they could boot me out of the competition."

{Just be careful, OK, honey? Oh, by the way, how is the new Buckle?"

"Works like a dream."

{Glad to hear it. Good luck, Sasha.}

"Thanks, Dad."

Sasha ended the call. She stopped in front of a door and knocked on it. A moment later, Marcy opened her door and saw Sasha standing there.

"Sasha!" Marcy gasped.

"Are you OK?" Sasha asked in worry.

"Oh, I'm fine. After the game ended, all my injuries vanished," Marcy assured her.

"Marcy, I'm so sorry," Sasha apologised. "I nearly killed you."

"It's OK. That wasn't you. That was Boscha messing with your head. I forgive you."

"No, it's not OK, Marcy. I should have listened to you instead of Boscha. You were right, but I had my head so far up my ass that I just wouldn't listen. Anne's death broke my heart and I just wanted to blame someone, anyone, so that it would hurt less. I blamed Luz because it was easier than blaming myself, and when Boscha told me about what Luz was like as Oscura before, I didn't see anything wrong with it because I thought she was some villain. But Anne chose to save me. That's just the way she was. She cared about us and was willing to throw her life away just to save me. I just forgot to honour her sacrifice because I was so mad."

"You called Luz by her name," Marcy observed.

"Yeah, we've come to an understanding," Sasha admitted, and Marcy smiled happily.

"That's great! That means you both won't have to fight," Marcy said hopefully but Sasha did not reply. "Sasha, you both won't have to fight, right?"

"...There can be only one winner, Marcy," Sasha stated somberly. "And if we're the only players left standing, we'll have to fight."

"Seriously?" Marcy was annoyed.

"Luz is fine with it, though," Sasha added. "She's not gonna give me the win. She's going to make me earn it. I can respect that."

Confessional: Marcy Wu/Newtonne

"OK, so I'm split on this. On one hand, it sounds like Sasha and Luz are beginning to get along. But on the other hand, they're still going through with their duel during the finals. I know Sasha's right, that there can only be one winner. Still...isn't there any other way to determine the winner?"

"Sasha, please tell me the truth. Do you love me as just a friend? Or something more?" Marcy questioned.

"W-Why do you want to know?" Sasha asked, surprised by Marcy's sudden question.

"Because…if I end up winning, then I want to know if there's a chance we can all be together. And if you win, then you'll know how I feel and you can make it happen. So, I'm asking you, Sasha Elizabeth Waybright…do you love me as more than a friend?"

Sasha blushed hard and clenched her fists. Marcy was asking, she was asking the question she had wanted to ask her and Anne for so long, but now it was happening and she was afraid. Why? Why was she afraid?

{Game Master!}

The masked man, the Game Master, turned around as he saw a holographic screen pop up behind him, showing the furious face of Theodore Waybright.

"Yes, Mr. Waybright?" the Game Master asked.

{How long did you know that my daughter was under the effects of a mind control drug?!}

"Ah, yes. I figured you would be calling about that. Well, firstly, to answer your question: we knew from the beginning, ever since it happened to be more precise," he answered.

Ted looked incredulous after hearing the Game Master confess so nonchalantly.

{How could you allow that three-eyed freak to do that to my daughter!? That violates the rules and should've grounds for immediate disqualification!}

The Game Master nodded his head in agreement, which angered Ted even more, believing that he was simply nodding to placate him.

"I do agree with you, Mr. Waybright, and while you are an important Sponsor, you are far from the only one. We also have our audience to consider." The Game Master spread out his arms, and a moment after, dozens upon dozens of camera eye drones appeared around him. "The audience wanted to see where this would go, believing it would cause further intriguing encounters and quite a bit of drama, which it did, and the ratings boost we achieved from it was significant."

{You can't be serious!? That little bitch was about to ruin my daughter's chances of winning, and you would've allowed it!}

"We believed that she would go as far as manipulating your daughter into acting as a bodyguard," the Game Master calmly replied as he placed his hands behind his back. "We didn't expect her to be plotting murder. But, again, the audience demanded to see how it would all end. Which, amazingly enough, somehow ended with young Ms. Waybright breaking free of the mind control on her own. I must admit, that was quite unexpected. However, given that Red-Pan also used a Jyamato Buckle and nearly killed two of our three top earners, it was decided that she needed to be removed."

Ted furrowed his brow. His daughter was in more danger than she had been during any of the previous games.

"But you should be relieved, Mr. Waybright," the Game Master added. "That dangerous element has been permanently removed from the roster. Now she cannot return to cause harm to your daughter or the other players. So, I'd say that this all worked out in the end, all things considered."

{If you pull another stunt like that again, I swear I'll–!}

"You will do nothing, Mr. Waybright. Do not forget your place. We require the assistance of your company, as well as many others, to keep our activities here in this universe quiet and out of the limelight. And be aware, just as easily as the Goddess of Creation can grant wishes, they can just as easily be taken away."

Ted didn't say another word, opting to end the call and leaving the Game Master alone in his private office space.

'However…Oscura is starting to become a little troublesome. She deduced that the DGP is a reality game show, and it seems she's starting to question the Jyamatos as well. Left to her own devices, Luz Noceda could potentially be a problem for us.'

Zombie Game Results

Amity Blight/Gato: 21,000 pts. (Winner)

Luz Noceda/Oscura: 10,000 pts.

Marcy Wu/Newtonne: 800 pts.

Sasha Waybright/Soaron: 500 pts.

Boscha Barbtalone/Red-Pan: (Disqualified)

Dr. X: And so ends the Zombie Game with only four players remaining. However, the Mole is still among them. Who could it be? Stay tuned to the next exciting chapter of Oscura's Encore!

Ravencroft: This was a big one folks! 3 Parter and shit went down! Boscha's out (good riddance), and Sasha finally got her head out of her ass and has joined and is finally going to start working with Luz, Amity, and Marcy. Still, as Dr. X said, there's still a Mole among them. Who could it be?