Barbatos had felt it the moment it happened, she was gone, Lady Tiamat had been killed. How it happened was unknown to him, but the fact that Set had not appeared to him made it all the more dire a situation. It could not have been the Riders, they were fighting Nuckelavee, they had no chance to go back all the way to the castle. That only left one person, the mortal who stayed behind to watch the fight with them, Belos. Thankfully, Set's gift to him, his chaos construct arm, apparently foresaw or had an inclining that the mortal Belos might stab them in the back. As they were planning the same thing. So, it directly told him to go to a specific location.
The bestial Phantom traversed several miles until he happened upon another cave like the one that had once been the meeting place of the Phantom Generals. Barbatos walked through the dark cave, and as soon as he got deeper, he emerged into a large cavern. And at the center of this cavern, was an equally large Phantom.
Her lower half was that of a snake's trunk, with shimmering turquoise scales, and purple diamond patterns running along the back of it. At the end of the tail was a four-pronged pincer like appendage. The upper half had the torso of a voluptuous female, with four slender arms, and each one having long violet-colored claws for the nails. Her lips were colored violet, while her eyes were bright yellow with a black slit in the middle. Atop her head was a wide crest with a green gemstone in the middle. On her back were wings that were fanned out, the wings themselves looked like giant hands with membrane webbing in between them, and each end of the "finger" had a white spike.
Compared to Tiamat, she was almost the same size as the five-headed dragon, but there was something about her that made Barbatos wonder why she was here, and why he did not know about her existence until now. Just then, another Phantom appeared from another opening. This one stood two heads taller than Barbatos and was dark green in color. His arms and legs were muscular, along with his upper chest, but he had a large potbelly that would jiggle with each step the Phantom took.
This new Phantom had a brown leather war skirt on, with metal plates attached to them. The belt from which this was fastened to had a buckle that was in the shape of an oval, with molded eyes and a wide smile with sharp teeth. On his shoulders was mounted an armored mantle, with a black fur cape that ran down the back, and at the center of the mantle was a ruby gemstone. The beast held a Warhammer in his right hand, which was black as night, but gleamed in the faint light of the cave. His face was horrible to look at, with a long nose, pointed ears, and two fangs that protruded from his lower lip. The Phantom was bald but had piercing red eyes that glowed in the dimly lit cave.
The snake woman Phantom looked down at Barbatos and said, "Ah, so, Tiamat's hound has come to pay me a visit. Tell me, what news is there?"
"Yes, tell us, we've been cooped up in this cave for weeks now!" the other Phantom asked.
"Firstly, who are you two?" Barbatos asked.
"I am Echidna, the Mother of Monsters," said the snake woman.
"Goblin," said the stout Phantom.
Barbatos nodded and said, "Nuckelavee, the Phantom that has been preying on us, has been slain by the Riders."
Echidna sighed. "First good thing I've heard since we were told to go into hiding. So, am I still to function as the 'last resort', or is Tiamat wanting to mount a full-scale attack now?"
Barbatos lowered his head. "I am afraid to inform, but Lady Tiamat has been slain as well."
Goblin looked surprised to hear that information, but Echidna just narrowed her gaze.
"BY WHOM?!" Goblin asked.
"The Riders were busy fighting Nuckelavee, so it was not them. That leaves the mortal, Belos. The one our Master summoned us to deal with," said Barbatos.
Echidna crossed her lower arms under her bosom, while her upper arms placed their fists against her hips. "I take it then the other Generals have been eaten or destroyed as well?"
The beast Phantom nodded with a growl. "Yes, I fear that we are all that's left."
Echidna clicked her tongue. "Then it's come to this. Very well, I was hesitant to begin, but I guess I'll start now if we're going to do this."
Barbatos looked up at the snake woman and asked, "What are you talking about?"
Echidna smiled as she lowered her upper half to be closer to Barbatos' height. "I am the last resort. Tiamat feared what would happen if I was eaten by Nuckelavee. If my power were to have been absorbed by that creature, it would've spelt doom for everything."
Barbatos shook his head at that assertion. "How much worse could it have possibly gotten than it already was?"
Goblin chuckled and said, "Lady Echidna is a unique Phantom. You'll see soon enough."
"Tell me, Barbatos, has our Master contacted you since Tiamat's death?" Echidna asked.
"No, the Master has not."
"Until now…"
Barbatos swiftly turned around and materialized his sword as Goblin readied his Warhammer. From the mouth of the entrance that Barbatos walked in from approached a figure. Their cape fluttered as they got closer, and once they entered the cavern, Barbatos snarled.
"YOU!"
Standing before the Phantom was the Golden Guard, Hunter. His expression was neutral as he stared at the assembled Phantoms, not showing the slightest bit of fear.
"The lackey of the pretender!" Goblin growled.
"What did your ruler do to Lady Tiamat?! Did he really destroy her?!" Barbatos demanded.
"He did, he used Set to create an artificial Philosopher's Stone. And has now become a Kamen Rider like Witch and Heka, and this child," said Hunter.
Barbatos raised an eyebrow when he heard that. "What do mean, 'this child'?"
Hunter's eyes soon glowed bright red as horns made of shadows appeared from out of his head. "It is I, my Phantoms. Your Master." A powerful aura suddenly flared out of Hunter's body. That same power descended upon the Phantoms, and nearly made them fall to their knees, or in Echidna's case, bow her head. The Titan dismissed his aura and allowed the Phantoms to rise again. "Are you satisfied that it is me?"
"Yes, Master!" Echidna answered. "But…how?"
The Titan scoffed and answered, "Belos suspected nothing. For years he has been creating these things, never knowing that I was watching him through their eyes. I learned of what he was doing through this husk and my own eyes. But my time is growing short now. Shorter than I'd like. The Final Gambit must be played now while there is still time."
Echidna bowed to the Titan and said, "So you have spoken, so shall it be, my Master." The tail tip of Echidna, where the four-pronged pincer was, parted and revealed an opening. Echidna pressed the opened spot onto the cave floor, and within seconds an egg was laid. Echidna kept doing this, laying one egg after the other as one became two, and two became ten, and ten became thirty.
Barbatos looked upon Echidna and asked, "What is she doing?"
"She is making an army. An army of pseudo-Phantoms," the Titan answered. "If that abomination of a Phantom had devoured Echidna, Nuckelavee would've descended upon everything like a plague of locusts, devouring everything, and spreading his nightmare throughout this entire realm."
Barbatos shuddered, no wonder Echidna was so well hidden. If Nuckelavee gained her power, he could breed an army of his himself and destroyed everything. No realm would've been safe from that nightmare. "What do you need of me and Goblin, my Master?"
The Titan glanced at Barbatos and said, "I need time."
A day had passed since the battle with Nuckelavee had ended, and Luz was still knocked out. Amity had informed her siblings she was going to stay at the Owl House until Luz woke up, and to help her, Edric and Emira decided to create a combined illusion clone of Amity. School was still cancelled for now as news was still spreading that the devil that was Nuckelavee was finally gone forever.
Amity had fallen asleep next to Luz when they got back, Eda had thrown a blanket on the young witch and let them be. Now it was morning, and Amity groggily awoke, when she did, her eyes adjusted and that's when she beheld the sleeping face of her girlfriend. Amity's heart raced a bit. She was but a foot away from Luz, it wouldn't take much to close the distance and, possibly, kiss her.
No, no! Control yourself, Amity! Do not kiss her!…Even though she's right there…and her lips look very…inviting…NO! She's asleep! Don't steal your first kiss! Amity thought.
Her face was turning red the longer she thought about this, so she turned to her right side to stop looking at Luz. This wasn't the first time she wanted to act on impulse. The first time was when she blurted out, "Stay away from my Luz!", the second time was when she grabbed Luz's hand and said, "We're getting that diary!", the third time was when she kissed Luz on the cheek, and the most recent occurrence was when she asked Luz if she wanted to go out with her before Luz was able to get it out herself.
Amity sighed as she quietly spoke, "Luz, you make me act so differently from how I used to. Guess we really do make each other do stupid things when we're together." Despite saying that, Amity wasn't at all unhappy about that. This impulsiveness was something she could never do before. Everything was precise, controlled, predetermined, there was no room for something spontaneous in her life. Not until Luz arrived.
Just then, Amity froze up as she felt Luz reach out with her left arm and grabbed Amity's arm. Before she could do anything, Amity was dragged towards Luz, with the Latina pressing the young witch's back against her body, and her left arm draped around Amity's waist. Amity was now glowing bright red, Luz must've sensed another person close to her, and reached out to grab that person and bring them close for comfort.
OH, MY TITAN WHAT IS HAPPENING?! Are we…spooning?! We're spooning, aren't we?! I feel her body pressed against my back! Amity thought wildly.
Luz unconsciously sniffed at Amity's hair. "Mmm…"
"L-Luz…?"
"Vanilla…"
Amity shivered when she felt Luz nibble at a lock of her hair. The young witch's heart felt like it was going to explode. Part of Amity wanted to just let this continue and not wake up Luz, but at the same time there was another part of Amity that was telling her to stop this before Luz did something that she wasn't ready for.
"And what might that be?" Bast questioned.
I DON'T NEED TO DESCRIBE ANYTHING TO YOU RIGHT NOW!
That's when Luz, again, unconsciously, released the lock of hair. Amity sighed in relief. But that relief was short lived as she had to stifle a squeal when she felt Luz's lips and teeth bite down on her pointed her. The human teen gently nibbled at the tip of Amity's ear, and the young witchling was losing her mind right now. Luz tightened her grip around Amity's waist, bring her a little closer, as if saying "You're not getting away."
This was torture, this was heaven and hell, this was getting dangerous.
Luz for the love of Titan please stop! I don't know how much more of this I can take! Amity begged within her mind.
Thankfully, as if hearing her girlfriend's desperate plea, Luz finally stopped her nibbling and rolled onto her back, sprawling herself out. Amity quickly backed away from Luz and pressed her back against the wall as she panted heavily. Her left had was cupped around the ear her girlfriend nibbled on, and it felt hot, and slightly wet with salvia.
Amity could hear her heart thumping in her ears as she looked upon Luz, remembering that moment. That's when the lilac haired witchling shot to her feet and quickly exited the room. She marched her way downstairs, entered the kitchen, sat on the stool, and thumped her head against the kitchen island.
Eda, who was sipping on some Apple Blood, watched the spectacle and asked, "Rough night, kid?"
"Rough morning…" Amity answered.
"I'll bet." Eda took another sip and asked, "So, do anything with Luz?"
"NO!" Amity yelled as she shot up, eyes wide. "I-I-I would never–!"
"Calm down, I was just joking. No need to get your undies in a bunch," Eda assured.
Amity groaned as she sat up straight. "No, I'm sorry. I…I'm just still getting used to all of this. Being a girlfriend, having a girlfriend. Before now, I was used to some of the girls at school admiring me and commenting on how 'hot' I am. I got just as many compliments from the boys. But pursuing a relationship, any relationship, was never something I ever thought about. Until…"
"Until Luz showed up." Eda smiled. "Yeah, she has that effect on people."
"I just…I just don't want to mess this up. I want to be someone worthy of Luz, I want her to know that I'll be there for her, and never hurt her," Amity confessed. "But I'm scared…"
Eda raised an eyebrow at that and stood closer to the young Blight child. "Why? You and Luz are together, what's scary about that?"
"Sometimes, I'm scared that I'll become like I used to. That I'll do or say something that's the same as the old me. I've accepted that, I've accepted that me from before is a part of me, and I own what I did. I'm not running from it. But…"
Eda gently placed her right hand on Amity's shoulder as she said, "Hey, I don't think you have to worry about something like that happening. Luz just has a way to making you want to be a better person. Whether intentional or not, it just happens. Heck, there are days when I look at myself in the mirror and I can't believe how much I've changed from the person I used to be. I used to be an outlaw with a devil may care attitude. I didn't care what laws I broke, still don't, if it meant getting what I wanted. And I never looked back on what kind of trail of destruction I left in my wake."
Amity smirked a little as she replied, "Kinda sounds like you right now."
"Yeah, but now I think about Luz all the time. 'What happens if I do this, will Luz be alright?', 'It would be so easy to steal that, but then I'd have to listen to Luz gripe about how stealing is wrong.' These were the thoughts that rang in my head ever since she's been here. King acted more like a little adorable tyrant, so he was all for the way I did things, he was more my partner in crime than anything. But now…we're a family," said Eda.
Amity's smile became more heartfelt as she thought about her girlfriend. "I guess it's no wonder she became a hero. Without knowing, she inspired me to be one. Granted the only reason I became a Rider was so that I could gain the power necessary to protect her. But I realized that Luz wouldn't just want me to protect her, she'd want me to protect everyone as a Rider."
"Heh. Let's face it, Blight. I think we'd both be miserable if she hadn't ever appeared," Eda admitted.
"I wholeheartedly agree."
Just then, the ground rumbled and shook. Pots and pans clattered and clanked as they were jostled about in their cupboards. Some were shaken right out and fell onto the floor with loud clanking sounds one after the other. Some jars filled with various substances and spices were thrown off the shelves and smashed upon the floor, scattering their contents and glass. Amity held onto the kitchen island as did Eda, both of them trying to keep from getting thrown to the floor themselves. After one long minute of continuous rumbling, it stopped. Silence reigned over the Owl House for a moment as the inhabitants within tried to understand what just happened.
"You okay, kid?" Eda asked.
"I am, but what was that?" Amity questioned.
"A quake…but…that's not possible. I'm going to go check on King and Hooty, go upstairs and check on Luz," said Eda.
"Oh, my Titan! Luz!"
Amity rushed out of the kitchen and up the stairs. The strangeness of the quake momentarily made her forget that Luz was just in a sleeping bag and had multiple things in her room that could fall on her and hurt her. Amity threw open the door to her girlfriend's room, but paused when she saw that Luz was fine, in fact, most of the objects in the room seemed to have fallen around her instead of on her.
Nevertheless, Amity was thankful to see that Luz was unharmed. And apparently still sleeping soundly, still in the same position she left her in. I don't know how, but I'm thankful either way. Still, what caused that quake? Amity closed the door and decided to let Luz sleep a little longer. No need to wake Luz unless it's an actual emergency.
"WE'VE GOT AN EMERGENCY!" King called out.
"Of course…" Amity ran down the stairs and hurried to the living room where she saw King, Eda, and Hooty gathered around the crystal ball. "What's going on?!"
Eda looked up at Amity and said, "You might want to have a look at this."
Amity got closer and that's when she saw the image of a shadowy horned figure, and behind that figure was a large Phantom and a slightly smaller, but stout, looking Phantom, and lastly, there was Barbatos. "What is this?!"
{Attention, wretched parasites, today is the day that you will all die. The Phantoms were brought into this world as a means to finally eradicate your existence, but thanks to the Riders and the fool known as Belos, you have forced me to accelerate my plans. And as such, the Phantoms will now launch a full-scale attack with an army of our kind.}
"What did he just say?!" King exclaimed.
Amity couldn't believe what she was hearing. "An army…that's not possible, didn't Luz say that there were only thirty Phantoms?!"
"S-She did…I didn't think that they had that many," said Eda with dread.
{Kamen Rider Witch…Kamen Rider Heka…I issue you this challenge. We will meet on the field of battle. Do not worry, you'll know where it is soon enough. And once there, we will have our last and final confrontation. Today is the day we see if you are truly worth your titles as heroes. But rest assured, no matter how hard you fight, the result will be the same. All creatures that exist upon this land will die…}
The crystal ball shut off right then and there, leaving the inhabitants of the Owl House, indeed, probably the entire island, speechless and shaking in their shoes at the thought that an entire army of Phantoms was about to march on all of them. Amity's left hand shook a bit at the idea of it. They had only just defeated Nuckelavee, and she still felt tired even a day later and after consuming so many sugary products it would've sent anyone else into a diabetic coma. But even with that, her body felt sore, but she could feel that her magic was still strong.
"What do you want to do?" Bast asked.
They're not giving us any choice right now, either we fight, or we don't and the whole island pays for it.
"Guess I'll need to go and wake up Luz…"
"Nah, you don't have to." King, Amity, Eda, and Hooty turned towards the archway, and when they did, they saw Luz standing there with a smile on her face. "That was a great nap. Got anything sweet in the kitchen Eda?"
"Luz!" Amity exclaimed as she rushed towards her girlfriend and wrapped her arms around her.
Luz blushed and hugged Amity back. "So, what did I miss?"
One short explanation, and an obscene amount of sugary treats later, Luz was ready.
"Wait, seriously?" Eda asked.
"Luz, are you sure?" Amity asked.
"Don't get me wrong, I still feel tired, too. But after all of this, we can't just not answer being called out," said Luz. "Besides, this might be our one chance to finally defeat all the Phantoms at once."
Amity hummed in thought. "Well, you do have a point. If all the Phantoms are going to be there, then we can take them all out in one fell swoop. Which means we'll have to go all out, hold nothing back."
Luz fist pumped as she remarked, "Exactly! We can't back down! One final battle between the Riders and the Phantoms!"
"Hoot! Hoot! Incoming crow phone!" Hooty warned as he opened the door.
Just as he said, a crow phone flew directly to Amity. She quickly picked it up and said, "Hello?"
Emira's voice came out of the crow as it said, {Mittens! We heard the announcement, are you–?}
"Yes, I did. And Luz and I are going to fight."
{We figured. Dad wants you to come to the factory. He said he has something for you.}
Amity raised an eyebrow at that. "Huh? Okay. I'll have Luz send me there. Thanks, Em."
{No problem. Please be careful, Amity.}
"I will." Amity released the crow phone and then turned to Luz. "Sorry, Luz, but do you mind sending me to the factory?"
"Of course, I'll come pick you up on my Witch Speeder in a few minutes," said Luz.
Luz rushed upstairs and got her Connect ring, once in hand, she raced back down and activated it.
[Connect, Please.]
A magic circle opened before her, and once it had, Amity nodded to Luz and the Owl House residents before jumping through it. A second passed as Amity landed on the other side, appearing right in front of the factory owned by her family. Amity ran up to the gates, passed the Abomaton guards and into the factory proper. Once inside, she looked for her father in his workshop, and thankfully, that's where he was waiting.
"Dad!" Amity called out.
Alador turned around and looked at Amity as he said, "Amity, good, you arrived. I assume you heard the announcement."
"I have, Witch will be here shortly to take me to fight with her. Emira said you had something for me. Is it another item to power up my Rider form?" Amity asked.
"Not quite. Please follow me."
Alador and Amity walked out of the factory and towards one of the various warehouses in the back. The patriarch of the Blight family walked up to the door of the warehouse and placed his hand on a pad. It released a thin line of light over his palm before a light screen barrier dispersed over the door and unlocked itself. Alador opened the door and ushered his daughter inside before him.
Amity hadn't been inside one of their warehouses in quite some time, the inside was filled with crates of merchandise that were ready to be shipped out to various buyers across the Boiling Isles. Mostly home defense systems and weaponry, as the Abomatons were shipped or marched to the Emperor's castle. Amity followed her father further inside, and that's when she saw something that was covered by a white tarp.
"During these last few months, I've been focusing on trying to increase your combat power in order for you to not only stand on equal grounds with Witch, but to also guarantee that any Phantom you face will be no match for you. But because of this, I have neglected your mobility," Alador explained.
Amity was confused by that explanation and remarked, "Dad, I've haven't had any problems with my mobility. I'm very fast in battle."
"That is true, but unlike Witch, you lack a means of conveyance. I deem to rectify that today." Alador drew a spell circle in the air and wrapped the tarp in a thin layer of his magical energy. With a flick of his wrist, the tarp was thrown off, revealing what lied underneath.
Amity gasped as she looked upon the huge piece of machinery. It resembled something akin to Luz's Witch Speeder, but with a somewhat bulky design. "Dad…did…did you make me my own flying machine?"
"Now you can fly alongside Witch and get to wherever you need to fast. I've made the necessary adjustments and added a few features that should aid you in the fight to come. But like all my inventions concerning Kamen Rider technology, once you take hold of it, your magic will shape it into something that fits your specifications.
Amity furrowed her brow a little and walked up to the newest invention. The witchling took a deep breath and mounted the machine. As soon as she did, her magic immediately went to work, coating the entire contraption in her gold and purple aura. Within a matter of seconds, the metal was molded and recolored, elongating just a bit. Once the reformatting was complete, Amity gasped.
The machine looked as if it were made of gold. The nose of the speeder had the Heka magic circle engraved on the front, On the sides were two half rings that hovered a foot away from Amity, and on their edges, they had four diamond shaped spikes each. Below the machine was a glowing sphere of bright golden light, its warm glow reminded Amity of the sun. The console had a readout for the machine's propulsion, the handlebars that reminded her of the Witch Speeder, and something else that looked humanoid.
"Dad, this is fantastic! Now I can really call myself a Rider," said Amity.
Alador rubbed the back of his head, he looked worried. "Amity…I'm fully confident in your magical abilities, as well as the Rider System I created for you. But…um…"
Amity smiled at her farther and said, "I'll be back, Dad."
Alador sighed and put on a small smile as he nodded at his daughter. The Blight family patriarch drew another circle, and once he had, a panel on the roof opened wide enough to allow the machine to fly up. "So, what will you call this machine?"
Amity thought for a moment and then looked up to see the sun shining above them and remembered the warmth of the golden light sphere under the machine. "The Solar Chaser."
Alador smiled again and reached into his pocket. He walked closer and handed Amity a new ring. Once in hand, the ring shined and took on an insignia for the new machine.
Amity quickly put on her Driver ring and held it over her waist.
[Driver On.]
"Henshin!"
[Ready, Open!]
[Roar of the Heavens!]
[The Goddess Descends!]
A purple magic circle appeared in front of Solar Chaser. That same circle passed over the machine and Amity, transforming her into Kamen Rider Heka. Heka twisted the throttle of the Solar Chaser and listened to the engine as it whirred to life. The golden Rider nodded one last time to her father before the Solar Chaser lifted off the ground, angled itself, and shot straight up through the opening in the roof.
Once outside, Heka started to fly around with her new vehicle, performing loops, rolls, and tight turns as she got a feel for her new mode of transportation. She stopped for a moment to appreciate the view of the world from such a high altitude, she had yet to ride Ghost, but flying on her Palisman for the first was going to be just as enjoyable as this.
"Amity?!"
Heka glanced to her right just in time to see Witch, in her Light Owl Style, and brandishing the Owl Timer, slow down in her Speeder.
"Hey, Luz."
"Whoa! Where did you get that?!"
"My Dad made it, my magic reformed it, but now I can fly alongside you," said Heka.
"¡Muy guay! ¡Realmente genial! (So cool! Really cool!)"
As if on cue, a pillar of dark energy was shot into the sky a fair distance away. Heka and Witch turned their vehicles in that direction as they looked on, knowing what that meant.
"Looks like they're ready," said Heka.
"Yeah, they are," Witch replied.
Heka glanced to her right and asked, "Do you think we ware?"
Witch turned to her girlfriend and partner, raised her left hand and clenched it into a fist. "I know we are! For our friends!"
"Our family!"
"FOR THE BOILING ISLES!"
"FOR THE BOILING ISLES!"
Once their resolve had been affirmed, Witch and Heka flew through the air and towards where the pillar was showing. As they flew over Bonesborough, both Riders caught a glimpse of the people below, cheering them on as they rode off to do battle and save the Demon Realm from the evil of the Phantoms. The town gave way to the sea of trees, and within a few minutes they were able to clear the trees, giving way to a wide-open field. The two Riders continued to fly straight, watching as the pillar got bigger as they got closer. Finally, they arrived. Witch and Heka came to a stop in the air, and that's when they saw it. The army.
The one leading this army was none other than Barbatos. Behind him was an army made up of hundreds of Phantoms, but these Phantoms were different from the ones they had faced before, and from the looks of it, there were three different types. The first one was humanoid in shape and stature, standing at about nine feet tall. It had a hunched posture, with long arms that almost grazed the ground. Its skin was grayish blue in color, with gray, almost bone-like armor covering its shoulders. The same armor covered its forearms and comprised its claws. The same armor covered its shins and feet, and on its chest that armor appeared in the form of a ribcage design. The Phantom's head had no eyes, instead, the top half was comprised of the gray bone armor which formed a jagged "U" shape. Below that armor was its mouth, which had a protruding upper and lower jaw with razor sharp teeth jutting out.
The second looked like dogs and were seven feet tall. They're bodies had no fur and had dark orange skin. They possessed the same gray bone armor, with some of it covering their shoulders, paws and claws. The top halves of their head was nothing but that armor, similar to how King's head was. These creatures had violet glowing eyes as they snarled and bared their fangs. The ribcage armor design appeared on them as well, but instead the rib bones were connected to a spine that ran the length of its back and came out to a wagging, sharp, bone tail.
In the skies there were flying Phantoms. They had dark green feathers, and resembled Garudas of ancient Indian mythology. Their faces were covered in the bone armor, but it seemed as if they could move their jaws as they would occasionally release a terrible squawking sound. Their talons were made of the same gray armor, and the ribcage design persisted on their chests, too.
"There's something odd about these Phantoms," said La Lechuza.
"Yes, they remind me of the Ghoul foot soldiers, but…at the same time, they don't," Bast remarked.
"Whatever they are, we have to take them all down here and now," said Witch.
The hero of hope jumped off her bike, and Heka followed suit. Both Riders landed on the ground with no effort and stood tall as they faced down the army.
"Just you, Barbatos? Where's the rest? Tiamat and Set," Heka questioned.
Barbatos scoffed. "They're dead."
That caught the Riders off guard.
"Wait, what do you mean 'dead'?! How, why?!" Witch asked.
"Tch, it doesn't matter. Because soon you won't be around long enough for that to be an issue!" Barbatos struck the ground with both of his fists, a flash of light went off as he pulled out both his long sword and cudgel and got into an attack stance. "This army was created with one objective! To destroy the Riders and lay waste to this island of mortals!"
Witch twisted the dial on the Owl Timer until it was now in the yellow section and pressed on the button. At the same time, Heka took out her Griffon Ax Arms ring.
[Set Up.]
[Start.]
[Call to Arms: Griffon Ax!]
Heka dismissed Lady Luck and swapped it out with the Griffon Ax.
[Connect, Please.]
Witch reached into her magic circle and pulled out the WizarSwordGun, switching it into sword mode.
Now armed, the two Riders took a step forward and slowly walked towards the army. Barbatos smirked as he raised the long sword in his right hand. The Phantom army behind him snarled, screeched, and growled, itching to take on the Riders at his command. Barbatos lowered his sword and gave the signal to attack. All at once the army charged, the ground rumbled with their stamping feet as the air thudded with the wingbeats of the flying Phantoms. Witch and Heka changed from a walking pace to a full-on sprint. Heka raised her ax, and Witch readied her blade. The two opposing forces met in the middle and upon that meeting a great explosion erupted. The battle had begun.