Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 80 – Advent of the Grimm Queen
Woz was currently walking down Atlas Academy's hallways, pushing his infiltration abilities to their limits as he forced the guards to sleep around him. Of course there was only a certain range and it would only work for so long but he kept up his pace.
"War has begun," Woz stated as he opened up his book to read, "As it is written in this book, recent graduate Sougo Tokiwa embarks on a path which will lead him to become the overlord of time, Oma Zi-O. As feared, General Ironwood has turned against us and wants us captured so he can complete an insane plan that involves moving Atlas away from Salem, the result sacrificing those still in Mantle. However Miss Rose and my Overlord stand against Ironwood and fight back in order to escape and regroup. I myself have been tasked with finding Sir Arc and his team in order to keep young Oscar safe."
He slammed his book shut before continuing down the halls, feeling the presence of Jaune and his team nearby and stopping his sleep inducement.
Remnant – Mantle
Evolt chuckled as he stood hunched forward on a rooftop as he was stepping onto a raised ledge.
"So they're pulling out before things are done, huh?" Evolt asked, "Not exactly the move I was expecting."
"Likely because of other forces at work," Sylphi said as she walked over before glancing towards the side, noticing how despite the darkness that was the slowly ending evening, there were some odd darker clouds in the distance, "This world is about to enter its turning point."
"Indeed it is."
Evolt and Sylphi turned to see the Jester walk out from an Aurora Curtain, the mysterious man's hands behind his back as the dimensional wall stayed open.
"You're still keeping up the disguise?" Evolt asked.
"The Time Jackers are all over the place at the moment," The Jester answered, "Once I have confirmation on where they are… I'll remove this since I'd rather show my face to those I hold interest in."
"So you've got a target in mind already?" Sylphi asked.
"Yes," The Jester nodded, "Sylphi, you're to head back. Evolt's all I'll need for the foreseeable future."
"Very well," Sylphi said as she walked past the Jester and into the Aurora Curtain, it soon vanishing afterwards.
"Alright then," Evolt fully turned before walking towards the Jester, "What exactly do you need me for?"
"You grow stronger though combat, correct?" The Jester asked but didn't wait for an answer, "I believe it's time to use this chance for us to get you some more combat experience."
Remnant – Atlas Academy
Woz hurried down a corner and soon saw Jaune, Nora and Ren staring in worry at an empty room.
"Oscar, where are you…?" Jaune asked.
"Sir Arc," Woz cleared his throat as he approached.
"Woz thank goodness," Jaune gave a sigh of relief, "What's going on?"
"Ironwood has sadly gone mad," Woz explained, "You all now have warrants for your arrest."
"Of course he's gone off the deep end," Nora frowned though being mad at Ironwood would have to wait, "Listen Woz, have you seen Oscar? He isn't in his room and we're worried because he has the Lamp."
"That was why I was sent here," Woz explained, "I'm here to help get you all to safety."
"We appreciate it," Jaune smiled.
"Let's get to it then," Nora said as she went to call out his name, "Oscar! Oscar?"
It wasn't long before Oscar walked out from around a corner, giving a smile.
"Oscar! There you are!" Nora smiled as she hurried over.
"NO!"
Nora paused and turned when she heard Oscar's voice from down the hall, 'Oscar's' smile turning to a frown. A second Oscar covered in scratches and dirt rounded the corner, running as fast as he could and punching the first Oscar in the cheek.
The first Oscar winced as they were sent flying down the hall. Pink glass shimmered and revealed his true form as Neopolitan who managed to land with a slide. The resulting hit had also managed to dislodge the fake Relic of Knowledge, it clattering by Oscar's feet.
Jaune and Ren quickly hurried over to Oscar and Nora alongside Woz, the Huntsmen and Huntress drawing their weapons.
"That crazy girl just showed up and attacked me," Oscar explained as he picked up the fake lamp, "But she looked like someone else."
Neo gave a frown and pointed an umbrella at them, a hidden blade sticking out from the end.
"Neopolitan," Nora gave a glare.
"You know her?" Oscar asked.
"We haven't exactly heard good things," Jaune admitted.
"No remarks or quips?" Woz raised an eyebrow.
"She doesn't like to talk from what we've heard," Nora admitted.
"Then this will do nicely," Woz smiled as he readied his Beyond Driver and activated the Quiz Ridewatch before slotting it in, "Henshin!"
[TOUEI! FUTURE TIME! FASHION! PASSION! QUESTION! FUTURERING QUIZ! QUIZ!]
Woz gave a smirk as he transformed into Woz Futurering Quiz. His smirk grew when he saw Neo's look of realization and confusion as she backed up slightly.
[TSUESUGI!]
Woz drew out his cane while holding his hand forward, "Now then, you can retreat or we can play a game."
"Yeah give it up, you're outnumbered and out smarted," Jaune said though he received a couple of bored side glances from everyone including Woz, "What?"
"Now then…" Woz began to walk forward carefully.
Neo took this as a challenge and began to speed towards him, her plan to maneuver around him and strike at a gap in the armor.
"True or False," Woz called out, "The five rings on the Olympic Flag are interlocking."
Neo raised an eyebrow but kept up her advance, ducking forward and ready to speed past Woz while everyone got at the ready.
"The answer is True," Woz stated as his right shoulder pad opened up, the O pad dinging.
Neo suddenly gave a gasp as she winced, red electricity coursing through her body as she was forced to stop and take several steps back.
"Okay maybe that remark made sense," Nora admitted as she glanced at Jaune.
"See!" Jaune called out.
"If you don't answer then you still get penalized," Woz chided as he wagged his finger, "How about a more violent question? True or False: A penny dropped from a tall building can reach sufficient velocity to kill a pedestrian below."
Neo narrowed her eyes before rushing forward while Woz was reciting the question, keeping her bladed umbrella extended as she leapt up to stab at him.
"The answer is False," Woz stayed where he was as he figured that she'd use any block of his to her advantage. His left shoulder pad opened up, the X pad giving a buzzing noise. The lights near Woz turned a bright blue before unleashing electrical shocks to block against Neo's stab before unleashing a burst that forced her skidding back.
Woz rushed forward, hooking Neo's weapon in his own and forcing the umbrella down before giving a yell and kicking Neo in the gut, but to his surprise she shattered like glass.
Ren's eyes widened, "What!?"
"What was that just now?" Woz asked as he looked around, "A Semblance?"
"It had to be," Oscar said, "So she can look like anyone and just disappear?"
Nora began to look around frantically, "Where did she go?!"
Jaune decided to check the hall, rounding the corner to try and find Neo only for an Atlesian Soldier to see him.
"Freeze!" The Soldier called out as he pointed.
"We gotta move now!" Jaune called out as he began to run off down the hallway they were in, Ren, Nora, Oscar and Woz all following after him. Though Oscar was starting to slow down and grow tired due to getting mugged before.
It was to the point that he ended up lagging behind far enough to where he had ended up losing them after he had rounded a corner to follow them.
Oscar began to look around in concern, "Guys?"
"They went this way!" A Soldier's voice could be heard.
Oscar gave a gasp as a hand came over his face and pulled him into a room he was standing in. He began to panic as the guards began to pass only to calm down a bit when he saw it was Nora who had done it. He relaxed as she let go and turned to walk off only to quickly throw himself back as she stabbed at him with Neo's umbrella. His eyes widened as Nora blinked, her eyes turning pink and brown. But what was more was she had the fake Relic of Knowledge attached to her belt.
Oscar gave a grunt as the disguised Neo performed a swing with her umbrella, smacking him in the face and sending him into a closed door.
"No, no, no…" Oscar gasped out, not concerned about the Relic but his allies coming across Neo-Nora.
"Young Oscar," Woz quickly hurried over, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Oscar said as he was helped up, "She also took the Relic."
"That's not our concern at the moment," Woz said as he went to lead Oscar to the others, the two coming across Jaune who was rushing forward after getting knocked down.
Oscar and Woz quickly followed after Jaune, the three watching as Ren attempted to attack the fake Nora only to falter at the last second. Ren was then smacked in the face, stunning him before getting tripped and sent to the ground.
"Stop!" Jaune called out as he rounded the corner only to backpedal slightly.
"Drop your weapons!" A grouping of Soldiers and a female Atlesian Officer were at the end of it, opening fire on Jaune who quickly braced and blocked with his shield.
"Fall back!" Jaune called out as he quickly ran back towards the others before passing them, Nora soon rounded the corner to follow him with Ren, Oscar and Woz following suit.
The grouping of Soldiers quickly hurried after them, the Atlesian Officer peaking down the hall before giving a smirk. She began to walk off, the fake Relic of Knowledge hanging from her waist as she had believed she completed her mission.
Ruby and Weiss were currently making their way as fast as they could to the medical facility that Fria was being kept in. Of course despite being a Rider, Ruby didn't want to go for a full blown confrontation and went for stealth and running as much as she could. But they did notice less guards and more damage as they got closer and closer.
"Ruby…" Weiss trailed.
"Just trust in Geiz," Ruby reassured as she kept her pace, "He'll keep your sister safe."
"It's not that," Weiss shook her head, "Was that woman really your mom?"
Ruby stopped where she was before giving a nod, "She is…"
"Ruby I…" Weiss started, unsure of what to say, "If there's anything…"
"There's so much going through my head right now," Ruby admitted with a frustrated sigh while ruffling her hair slightly, "So many questions to ask her, how I should even be feeling at this… it's a lot to deal with… and I'm just so confused."
"I'm sure you are," Weiss said as she put a hand on her partner's shoulder to give her reassurance.
"But as much as I want to get answers, we need to safely regroup first," Ruby replied.
"Right," Weiss said before walking forward, "We should hurry up then so you can get your answers."
Ruby looked at her friend in surprise before giving a smile, "Weiss?"
"Yes?" Weiss glanced back.
"Thanks for asking," Ruby said before following after her.
"I'm just glad you answered honestly," Weiss said with a smile before taking the lead.
Jaune had eventually led everyone to one of the training rooms, the group hiding in there for the time being. Woz had dismissed his transformation, figuring that it was now the time for them to make their escape via him.
"We need to go," Woz said.
Jaune looked over at the retainer, "But what about the Relic?"
"Considering our current situation, its best we retreat," Woz admitted.
"He's right," Oscar said, "If Neo can change appearances then she's already got a golden ticket out of here without any trouble."
"We weren't ready to become Huntsmen," Ren spoke up suddenly.
"That's not true!" Nora called out.
"Then why aren't we holding the Relic?" Ren asked, "Now Salem has the Lamp, Ironwood has the Staff, and we have nothing!"
"Ren, that's enough," Jaune said in a stern tone.
"There is no need to worry," Woz reassured, "As Salem doesn't-"
"Hello? Anybody there? Can you hear me?" Pietro's voice came through the communications line.
"Our Scrolls…?" Jaune's eyes widened as he brought out his Scroll, seeing a private group chat being opened up for everyone that was cut off, "Doctor!"
"I told you!" Maria called out triumphantly while laughing, "Finest mind in Atlas!"
"Maria!" Nora smiled, "What are you doing?"
"Grabbing a getaway ship so we don't stuff the Time Mazines up," Maria explained, "We need to hightail it out of here. Where are you? Did Woz get to you already?"
"I have," Woz said after pulling out his Scroll, "I'll get them all to you post-haste."
"They're in there!"
Everyone perked up as bullets began to fly towards them, Jaune quickly deploying his shield which extended out to form a Hard-Light barrier to block against incoming fire. Ren, Nora and Woz quickly got behind him.
"Now then," Woz was ready to unfurl his scarf when Jaune of all people stopped him, "What?"
"Where's Oscar?" Jaune asked as he realized Oscar was no longer with them, "Oscar!"
"Sorry, but you all need to go on without me," Oscar said over communications.
"What are you talking about!?" Jaune asked.
"There's something I have to do alone," Oscar said before cutting off communications.
"If he insists then I'll simply come back for him when we're settled!" Woz called out despite everyone's protests, putting his trust in Oscar. Without another word he unfurled his scarf and wrapped it around him and the others to teleport them away and directly into his Time Mazine.
Remnant – Atlas Medical Facility
Geiz was currently making his way towards the lower outer portions of Atlas, eventually finding the location thanks to Weiss. It was a large medical facility labeled M3 that sat at the edge of the facilities underneath Atlas.
"There it is…" Geiz said as he tried to figure out a way to enter, "Now to-"
BOOM
An explosive burst occurred as a hole was torn directly through the side of the building, Geiz narrowing his eyes as the cameras zoomed in to show Cinder holding onto both Penny and Winter. Geiz quickly opened up the hatch before readying his Geiz and Geiz Revive Ridewatches.
"Henshin!"
Penny and Winter meanwhile were both trying to force Cinder off of them, Winter managing to stab into Cinder's Grimm arm to force her to let go. This had ended up forcing Winter to drop into a freefall as a result.
[RIDER TIME! REVI-REVI-REVI! REVI-REVI-REVI! REVI-I-VE SHI-PPU! SHIPPU!]
Geiz used Revive Shippu to launch downwards before catching Winter in his arms before righting himself and floating in the air.
"You," Winter said in shock before giving a glare and aiming her sword at Geiz's neck, "What did you do?!"
"I'm sure you heard Ruby's announcement," Geiz remarked as he showed no reaction to the threat, "What do you think?"
Winter kept her glare, "The General is only trying to-"
"Trying to abandon half of his Kingdom for a plan that won't pan out in the long term and is acting like a dictator to do so," Geiz called out.
"That's not…" Winter sighed before looking to the side, "Why are you here?"
"Why else?" Geiz asked before looking up at the fight between Penny and Cinder, "To make sure the Maiden Powers don't fall into her hands and that you stay alive."
"Why care about me?" Winter kept herself from looking at Geiz, "So long as the power is safe then-"
"Because you may not care about your life but your sister sure does," Geiz answered sternly before loosening his grip so that Winter could move more easily, "Regardless, you may have orders to detain me, and I may not like Ironwood. But right now we have a common enemy and it would be stupid to fight against each other."
"I suppose we do," Winter agreed reluctantly before bringing out a summoning Glyph.
Cinder meanwhile was grappling with Penny before tossing her away, forming a flame-coated black glass sword and kicking it towards Penny.
Penny activated her jets to right herself before catching the blade between her hands. The sword grew brighter before exploding, Penny screaming out as she was sent tumbling through the air. Managing to get her bearings she activated her jets again and flew back upwards.
"I have come too far to be stopped by some toy!" Cinder growled out, keeping herself afloat by creating her own fire jets via her magic.
"It's not just her you're fighting," Geiz called out as he came into view.
Cinder turned as her eye widened, "Who are you?!"
"Geiz!" Penny gave a smile.
Geiz said nothing as he suddenly blurred out of existence, a blue fireball passing through and striking Cinder by surprise. The culprit was Winter who was now riding her Manticore summon.
[SPEED CLAW! TSUME RENZAN!]
Geiz launched high into the air before slashing forward with his Jaclaw, sending a rain of blue energy darts down towards Cinder. He then sped downwards with them as Cinder summoned two flaming glass swords to bat away the darts. Geiz used this to his advantage, using the darts as cover as he zoomed straight at Cinder and punched her in the face while flying past her.
Cinder howled out as she was sent spinning, Penny and Winter both rushing in and charging at her now that she was open. The two managed to land hits via Floating Array and the Manticore summon as they tried to strike her from multiple angles. Cinder herself managed to quickly regain her composure, bringing out a sword while coating her hand in fire. She blocked and blasted at the two women as best she could, just barely able to force them to back off.
Geiz gave a yell as he sped forward with his Jaclaw, slamming into Cinder and clashing his claw with her blade briefly before kicking her away.
Cinder yelled out before righting herself in the air with her magic, giving a glare before noticing something. She quickly held her hand out and summoned numerous glass swords before launching them towards Geiz.
"That's not going to work!" Geiz called out as he launched forward with Penny, only for the swords to detonate and make a massive smoke screen before they could even reach the two combatants.
"What?" Penny asked.
Geiz gave a yell and spun, using the force of swinging his arm to clear the smoke only to find Cinder was gone, "Crap!"
Winter had decided to leave the fighting to Geiz and Penny, realizing that Geiz would likely be able to beat Cinder. What she wasn't expecting was Cinder to notice her heading back to the M3 Tower.
"Where do you think you're going?!" Cinder called out as she flew towards Winter and dove below any fireballs that were shot in retaliation. She used her sword to slash through the bottom of the Manticore, sending Winter plummeting. She then gathered a fireball before launching it at Winter who was trying to right herself from being thrown off her mount.
Before the fireball could hit Winter, Geiz was suddenly in front of the specialist batting the fireball away before launching towards Cinder, ramming into and grabbing her as he sped towards the M3 tower.
"Penny, get Winter!" Geiz yelled out, "I'll deal with Cinder!"
Penny gave a nod before flying after Winter before catching the Specialist in her arms.
"What are you doing!?" Winter asked, "My life doesn't matter!"
"We disagree," Penny said, speaking for both herself and Geiz as she flew back towards the tower.
Geiz meanwhile had managed to send both him and Cinder crashing back into Fria's room via the hole the Fall Maiden had made earlier. Cinder landed near the pod Fria was in while Geiz was nearby the hole. Geiz got to his knee and picked himself up while Cinder got up with a yell.
"Just what the hell are you?!" Cinder growled out as flames escaped her mouth, "How is it that you're so fast?!"
"I should be asking you that first question," Geiz said as he fully noticed the Grimm arm grafted to her body, "But if you really want to know, I'm a Kamen Rider."
"Well Kamen Rider…" Cinder hissed out as she began forming fire in both of her hands, creating two large fireballs, "Try and dodge this!"
Geiz watched as Cinder sent two fireballs out at him, the fireballs splitting into multiple small fireballs which created a makeshift wall. The wall of fireballs would normally be too hard to even dodge past, but that wasn't an issue for Geiz. But while he could use Shippu's speed to dodge the projectiles, he felt like shutting Cinder up some more. Gripping the Revive Ridewatch he spun it to initiate his form change.
[POWERED TIME! RE-VI-I-VE GORETSU~! GORETSU!]
The wings of Shippu closed up and formed the Goretsu Form of Revive, the fire impacting against Geiz and bursting off against his armor as the rest of the fireballs scorched the wall behind him.
"I shouldn't blame you for underestimating me, you've never seen a Kamen Rider in your life," Geiz said as he walked forward, "But even if you did see me the last time I was here, it wouldn't have prepared you for this."
"Shut up!" Cinder growled out as she shot fireball after fireball at Geiz who merely walked forward, the attacks bouncing or bursting off him. She gave a yell as she stretched out her Grimm arm, trying to grab and toss him.
[POWERED NOKO!]
Cinder screamed as she quickly retracted her Grimm hand, it having grabbed Geiz's Jaclaw in its saw formation. Luckily it had just barely dug into her before she pulled away.
Geiz gave a scoff as he watched Cinder rush forward with a sword, the black glass weapon merely clanging off his front armor. He watched as she attempted to swing at him again, so instead he swung his arm out, smacking Cinder away and into the pod holding Fria.
"I will not be denied what is mine!" Cinder grabbed the door to Fira's pod with her Shadow Hand, using her enhanced strength to rip it off its hinges before tossing it at Geiz. The constant muffled yelling and fighting alongside the sudden breaking of the door was enough to get Fria to stir.
[NOKO SETSUZAN!]
The saw from his weapon extended as he swung and slammed the door away with ease, sending it crashing into the glass that led into the observation room. He gave a glare beneath his helmet before flipping his Ridewatch again.
[SPEED TIME! REVI-I-VE SHI-PPU! SHIPPU!]
"She's had her time in the sun, but now it's up!" Cinder called out as she raised her Grimm hand only for Geiz to grab it, pinning Cinder against the other nearby pod.
"Shut up already!" Geiz yelled out.
"Yes," A voice said as both of them turned towards Fria who was awake, "I've been waiting here… for some time, I think. What was I waiting for?"
"Me," Cinder hissed out as she tried to move only for Geiz to keep her in place.
"No," Fria said as light blue flames erupted from her eyes, "I had a job to do."
Geiz was ready to pull Cinder away from Fria when the Winter Maiden suddenly sent out a strong pulse of blue energy. The energy was potent and strong enough to knock both Cinder and Geiz backwards, the two being forced away from each other. Both of them looked up to see Fria floating in the air, a powerful blue whirlwind around her as the entirety of the room began to freeze and frost over.
The whirlwind was so strong it ripped the second pod door off its hinges and launched it at Geiz who sped out of the way. He gave a light gasp however when he touched part of the frosted over floor, his legs starting to freeze over.
Cinder meanwhile had to keep moving, jumping to the observation room through the now broken window.
"Damn it," Geiz realized that Fria wasn't mentally all there due to her age, quickly bracing while switching his Revive Forms again.
[POWERED TIME!]
Fria meanwhile grasped her head and cried out as the whirlwind around her intensified so much it blasted a hole through the ceiling, freezing air escaping from the hole in the ceiling as well as the hole in the wall.
Penny and Winter had landed on the roof just as Fria's outburst had started, Penny staring in awe while Winter stared with concern.
"What is that?" Penny asked.
"That's the power of a fully realized Maiden," Winter hurried over and tried to reach towards it only to wince as her Aura flickered rapidly. She pulled her hand back while stepping away, "It's too cold, we have to do something!"
Penny stared at the hole and looked down at her hands before gripping them and running forward, jumping into the hole to reach Geiz and Fria.
"Penny!" Winter called out.
Penny had landed in the room, fighting against the torrent of freezing winds as she tried to make her way towards Fria. She could just barely tell the entirety of the room had been frozen over by ice and gave a light gasp as her right foot began to freeze to the floor, but quickly used her jets to break free. Looking over towards Fria at the center of the whirlwind still levitating, she stepped forward. Slowly and gently she went to rest her hand on Fria's ankle. This had managed to get Fria's attention as the as the Winter Maiden gave a gasp and looked down, the fire erupting from her eyes fading away.
"Are you okay?" Penny asked.
"I had a job to do," Fria said, "I was supposed to protect the power of the Maiden until I was ready. I worry I may have lost track of time. But you can tell James that I'm ready now."
"Ma'am, if you do that…" Penny trailed.
"I'll be gone," Fria looked down at Penny and smiled, "I know I have a hard time remembering, but I remember that."
Penny quickly hurried over to catch Fria who lowered herself to the ground, gently lowering the older woman onto her back. Penny looked around, only now just seeing how thick the layer of ice was. Her eyes went wide as she saw Geiz was trapped in it. The Rider had gone Goretsu in an attempt to power through the cold air only to get frozen against a wall.
Fria shivered a bit and looked up at the girl she was with, "What's your name?"
"It's Penny, ma'am," Penny said.
"Penny," Fria smiled, "Are you the one?"
Penny suddenly realized what was going on and looked over her shoulder at the hole in the ceiling which had frozen over. She wasn't sure if Winter would get in fast enough and Fria was close to…
"I…" Penny trailed, unsure of what to do as this was the deciding moment, "I… I…"
Suddenly the ice shattered nearby as Cinder blasted her way through the wall that was covering the observation room, "She's mine!"
Penny gave a wince and held Fria close to her as Cinder launched her Grimm arm out towards them, only to perk up when she heard Cinder give a scream. Winter had managed to arrive in through the hole on the side that was still open, having cut through Cinder's arm in order to stop her from grabbing Fria.
Winter looked around the area before a moment of realization hit her when she saw Penny and Fria, "No…"
Cinder screamed out in agony as her Grimm arm grew back, hyperventilating due to the pain as she gave a glare towards Winter. She shouted as she summoned black glass swords and knives in her hands while throwing them at Winter who was forced to block and dodge. Winter was slowly forced back before Cinder gave a yell and landed a clean hit with her sword against Winter.
Winter could only cry out in pain as her Aura shattered in that hit, being sent to the ground in a stunned state as the result.
"Now you die!" Cinder screamed as she slashed at the downed specialist.
[RE-VI-I-VE GORETSU~! GORETSU!]
The ice over Geiz exploded outwards, Cinder being forced to step back to avoid it hitting her. Geiz quickly rushed forward, giving a yell as he swiped at Cinder to force her back further.
"Stop getting in my way!" Cinder screamed.
"Hell no," Geiz called out as he marched forward, enduring the fireballs and glass swords that Cinder tossed his way.
Penny could only watch the fight in worry before she felt Fria's body start to slack. She looked over at Fria who was losing consciousness and she realized that she wouldn't make it to Winter in time. Fria went to close her eyes, with Penny quickly clasping Fria's hand, a white light blue aura swirling around both of their hands.
"Just drop dead!" Cinder yelled out as she rushed forward and slashed at Geiz, her glass sword shattering, "I need to take that power!"
"Like I'm going to let you even think of-" Geiz cut himself off when a snowflake drifted past his visor.
Cinder's eyes widened as she saw more snowflakes fly past them, the two staring at each other before slowly turning to look.
Snow began to rapidly flow around Penny who soon opened her eyes, green fire being unleashed from them signifying that she now had the powers of the Winter Maiden.
"Winter! Geiz!"
Cinder turned in surprise to see both Weiss and Ruby had both just arrived at the observation room. The Fall Maiden gave a light gasp however when she saw Ruby had a Ziku Driver on.
"Cinder…" Ruby glared as she brought out the Silver Roze Ridewatch before splitting it, "This ends today!"
"No way, you're like him?!" Cinder called out in disbelief as she was frustrated with Geiz. Now the girl she hated most arrived and was also just like Geiz? This was getting to be too much for her. She needed a plan, she needed to escape…
CLICK
Winter and Penny turned in surprise to see Geiz, Weiss and Ruby all stuck in place, their bodies being glitch and static filled.
Finis soon appeared, walking up to and standing beside Cinder who backed up in surprise.
"Time Jacker…" Winter narrowed her eyes as she pushed herself into a standing position.
Cinder glanced back at Winter before looking over at Finis, "Time Jacker…?"
"You know it was funny to think we had our eyes on the Schnee when there's a more capable person right here," Finis gave a chuckle before narrowing their eyes, they released two indivisible pulses, one launched Geiz back, sending him slamming into one of the ice walls. The other had struck Ruby and Weiss, both girls yelling out while flung backwards as they slammed their backs against the observation room wall.
The resulting blast had also forced Ruby to let go of the left half of her Silver Roze Ridewatch, it clattering to the floor in the room below.
"Now then, we need to get you out of here," Finis said as they put a hand on Cinder's shoulder before pulling Cinder away, the two vanishing after a few steps.
Ruby gave a sigh as she instinctively pocketed the right half of the Silver Roze Ridewatch, her mind in too many places to realize she had dropped the other half. Especially since her eyes finally wandered over to Penny who had the Maiden flames coming from her eyes soon realizing what had happened.
"Winter," Weiss gasped as she quickly hopped down into the main room, "Are you okay?"
"Weiss," Winter sighed while holding a concerned look, "Are you really going to do this?"
"Winter please, it's not too late," Weiss walked over and took her sister's hand, "We don't have to do this Ironwood's way. Sougo and Team Zi-O, there's more Kamen Riders where they came from. If we work together we can save Atlas and Mantle, save Remnant."
"It's not that simple," Winter pulled away from her sister's hand and looked away, grabbing her left arm with her right hand.
"It never is with you types of people," Geiz remarked as he dismissed his transformation and walked over, "The fact of the matter is though, the Time Jackers were keeping an eye on you until Cinder showed up. I hope you realize what that means for the rest of the military."
"It won't come to that," Winter protested as she kept facing away from the two.
Penny finally looked over at Ruby as the flames over her eyes faded, gaining a look of realization as she knelt down and placed her hand on top of Fria's. Grief soon overtook her as she covered up her eyes with her hands.
"Are you alright?" Ruby asked as she hurried over, "Penny, what happened?"
"She's… gone," Penny managed to speak up as she lowered her hands.
"No," Winter spoke up in an almost bitter voice as she kept facing away from everyone. While she was relieved that the Maiden Powers were safe, they weren't with her. And the likelihood of Penny leaving was high, "She's a part of you now."
"Winter…" Weiss trailed.
"You don't have to make this any harder than it has to be," Winter said as she clenched her hands, "If you surrender and comply with the General's orders then this can all be over."
"We can't do that," Weiss shook her head.
"Then you need to run," Winter said.
"Weiss, you aren't getting through to her right now," Geiz insisted as he could hear the hum of a Manta approaching, "We need to go."
"I…" Weiss gave a sigh before nodding, "We all have to carve out our own way."
It wasn't long before the Manta arrived next to the hole in the wall, the door sliding open to reveal Yang. Inside was Blake with Tsukuyomi, Tsukasa, Summer, and Pietro, while Maria was at the controls.
"Guys you're…" Yang trailed when she saw the situation before them.
"We need to go," Ruby said, looking over to see Weiss board the Manta immediately. She exchanged a glance with Penny before going to board the Manta herself.
Penny looked over at where Ruby was before looking over to Winter who just barely glanced over at her. The two exchanged a brief look before Penny hurried over and boarded the Manta.
"I've got my Time Mazine," Geiz said, "Get going."
"Roger," Yang gave a salute before shutting the door, the Manta taking off.
Geiz walked over to the hole in the wall, the Geiz Unit Time Mazine swooping in as the hatch opened up.
"You've dedicated your life to this job, I get that," Geiz said as he stopped right at the hole, "But you need to figure out how much your job and title means to you over doing the right thing. And I genuinely hope you make that decision before someone makes it for you."
Winter didn't say anything, merely glancing over her shoulder as she watched Geiz board his Time Mazine before it took off. She gave a sigh and walked forward, surveying the room before noticing something. Walking over she knelt down and gave a light gasp as she picked up the left half of the Silver Roze Ridewatch.
"This is…" Winter stared at the incomplete Ridewatch for a while before pocketing it.
Remnant – Atlas Relic Vault
Ironwood was standing alone in the Atlas Vault, staring at the golden door that he needed the Winter Maiden to unlock it. It wasn't long before he closed his eyes when he heard the distant ping and whirring of the elevator behind him.
"Winter, thank you," Ironwood said as he tried to console who he assumed was coming down to greet him. "I know that must have been difficult. I... I'm so sorry."
Upon turning however he noticed that it wasn't Winter who was coming down, it was Oscar who was resting on his cane in front of him. Oscar waited patiently for the elevator to dock before walking towards the General, using his cane to help steady him.
"And... whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with?" Ironwood asked.
"Still just me," Oscar admitted.
"I'd question why you don't have the Lamp but I suppose you don't have to hide that it's fake anymore, huh?" Ironwood mentioned, "You couldn't even trust me with the real deal, huh?"
"More like we couldn't risk Salem getting her hands on it," Oscar admitted, "As for trust… that is what I'm hoping to fix. I know we can still figure this out, all of it, together. Please."
"Do you intend to fight me?" Ironwood asked.
"No. That's exactly what she wants," Oscar reminded, while he knew that fighting and fleeing was a necessity, he still wanted to talk things out. He hoped that if he got the General while he was alone for a good while, that he'd have a chance. He looked over his cane, "I guess it's because of Oz, but... holding it helps calm me down when I'm afraid."
"You still think I'm afraid?" Ironwood asked.
"We all are," Oscar insisted, "It's what we do in our fear that reveals-"
"That's easy for you to say!" Ironwood shouted as he began to walk towards Oscar who backed away, slowly moving towards Oscar's right while the farm boy was forced to move to his left, ending up at a portion of the platform that extended to the side. "You can label me whatever you'd like, but the fact of the matter is I was right! The minute I softened, let my guard down, that's when Salem had her opening."
"If you abandon Mantle, you abandon our best chance of reuniting the world," Oscar called out, "You abandon Remnant, leaving millions to fend for themselves so a few can survive. What kind of-"
"All excellent philosophical points that won't matter if Salem wins," Ironwood rolled his eyes at this.
"Listen to me!" Oscar pleaded.
"No, you listen!" Ironwood gave a glare as he began approaching Oscar again, forcing the farm boy to back away to the very edge of the platform, "I am done letting others' inability to see the big picture get in the way of doing what's right, Robyn, the council, this Kingdom... even you."
"Then you're as dangerous as she is, James," Oscar admitted.
"James is what my friends call me," Ironwood drew out his gun and took aim, "To you… it's General."
BANG
Oscar could only gasp out as the single shot was enough to break what was left of his Aura, the shock of it sending Oscar off the edge to plummet down below.
"You're right."
"Another disturbance...?" Ironwood perked up and turned to see Swartz approaching him from the direction of the closed vault doors. He then took aim at Swartz who stopped with raised hands.
"Not a disturbance," Swartz smiled, "I'm someone who wishes to help you do what you need to, someone who wants to see you take your rightful place as Ruler of Remnant."
"Who are you?" Ironwood asked as he lowered his weapon.
"I am Swartz, the leader of the Time Jackers," Swartz gave a smile as he kept where he was, amused by the whole situation, "And I can give you the power you need to crush Salem once and for all. As well as the power to subjugate those who defy your commands."
"The Time Jackers… Sougo told me about you all," Ironwood said as he holstered his gun, walking over to Swartz, "Granted, I'm unsure how much of that is true at the moment."
"Oh, and what exactly did he tell you?" Swartz asked as he slowly approached, "I'd like to know, and I won't take no for an answer."
Oscar meanwhile was plummeting through the pit in the hollow underside of the vault chamber. His eyes were half open and the Long Memory was falling near him at close to the same speed.
"Oscar."
Oscar's eyes gave a soft yellow glow as he opened his eyes. The glow faded before he gave a groan and shook his head. He spotted the cane and reached for it, grabbing the cane and extending it while holding it in front of him. Closing his eyes he pressed down on the cane's lever, the gears in the handle beginning to turn. The cane began to build up a yellow glow as Oscar fell further and further down.
Opening his eyes he spun and jabbed downwards with a yell as he reached the bottom of the pit. A transparent green orb of energy surrounded him as he impacted against the bottom of the pit.
This resulted in Oscar blowing a hole through the bottom of Atlas, now freefalling with his arms spread out as he fell down towards the ground below. He holstered the cane on the back of his coat before closing his eyes, concentrating.
With a yell Oscar formed a green orb of energy around him, it slowing his fall down and impacting against the ground to act as a shield. Oscar soon landed on his feet, none the worse for wear. He had ended up at the edge of one of the slums in the Crater of Mantle.
"That power, these memories," Oscar said in realization, "You're back aren't you? You saved me."
"Actually you saved us," Ozpin admitted, "Oscar I-"
"Stop," Oscar shook his head, "What's important for us is that we figure out how to help Ruby and Sougo save Atlas."
Remnant – City of Atlas
"Why did you take me away from there?" Cinder asked.
"Did you really think you had a chance?" Finis questioned as they glanced towards the Fall Maiden, "After experiencing the power of Geiz Revive?"
Cinder and Finis were both on a rooftop in one of the lower levels of the topside of Atlas. The two were currently looking over Atlas Academy from a distance as Finis had brought them to a spot for them to lay low for a bit.
"So she has that same armor just like he does?" Cinder asked.
"She does and it's been especially annoying to deal with," Finis nodded before giving a smile, "However you and your mistress are in luck. The Time Jackers would be happy to ally themselves with your cause due to us sharing common enemies."
"Could you give me the power to end Ruby Rose's life?" Cinder asked as she kept staring forward.
"I could," Finis admitted, smirking as she saw Cinder quickly glance towards her, "I escorted you out of there for a reason. And I want to see if my hunch on you being the kind of Another Rider I need is right."
"I see…" Cinder said, inwardly smirking at the fact that she had caught Finis' interest. She then turned upon hearing footsteps, seeing Neo walk over with a confused expression. Cinder gestured towards Finis, "We have a new ally now."
Neo shrugged and simply presented the fake Relic of Knowledge in the palm of her hand.
Cinder walked over and grabbed the Lamp before walking away, not acknowledging Neo after addressing her question. Finis gave an amused scoff before following after Cinder, much to an annoyed Neo's displeasure.
Remnant – Skies of Solitas
The Manta was currently flying away from Atlas in order to make a landing in Mantle. Accompanying it was the Geiz Unit with the Woz Unit soon flying over in its vehicle mode as well. It didn't take long for the Zi-O Unit to join the other three vehicles.
Geiz meanwhile worked on connecting the communication channels between the three Time Mazines and the Manta. Maria was having a one on one call with him in order to help him out before pressing a button.
"Alright, we should be good to start our mid-flight conversation," Maria said.
"This is Sougo. Qrow and Robyn are safe and sound and with me," Sougo called through.
"Woz here, I have completed my mission for the most part," Woz said, "Oscar ran off on his own, once we land I will go and search to bring him back. We lost the Fake Relic of Knowledge however."
"Wait hold up," Jaune's voice interrupted, "That was a fake?!"
"Where's the real one?" Ren asked.
"Back on Earth," Geiz said before giving a sigh, "A lot of things happened on my end, as well as Team RWBY's."
"Yeah," Tsukuyomi said as she walked over to the front of the Manta, "We need to find somewhere to hide and discuss our next move."
"I think I've got a place we can use," Robyn said, "I'll put in a call to my Huntresses. I need to start coordinating something anyway now that Ironwood's abandoned Mantle."
As everyone was discussing what was going on, Penny was sitting down still trying to come to terms with what happened. Ruby and Weiss were on her sides, the two resting against Penny's shoulders to help her relax.
Pietro and Summer couldn't help but give a smile at the interaction, though Summer herself looked to the side as she kept further away from everyone. Tsukasa meanwhile brought out his camera, standing at the back and snapping a photo of everyone in the Manta.
The conversation was interrupted however when an emergency broadcast from some pilots cut in.
"We've got multiple hostiles on radar. Is anyone else seeing this?" A male pilot said.
"These readings can't be right," A female pilot said in disbelief.
The Manta and Time Mazines were making their way to turn and head down to Mantle when they saw what the pilots were talking about.
Everyone could only stare at the sky near Atlas in surprise, thunder rumbling as the sky grew darker and moved steadily towards Atlas. From within the storm clouds a strange silhouette could be seen when red lightning flickered every now and again. A massive whale-like Grimm, Monstra, slowly drifted out from the clouds. The whale was only able to float thanks to the Gravity Dust embedded on its underside and back. Of course it wasn't alone as it was accompanied by a massive army of flying Grimm. There was no doubt about it, Salem had arrived and done so in a grand manner.
"Yeah… we need to get to Mantle and start planning immediately," Sougo said as he realized this was their time to decide the fate of Remnant.
"Well good news, we've got our hideout," Robyn said before transmitting it through the private chat network, "Head here, the girls will be waiting for us."
Remnant – Mantle, Burger Bar
Joanna, May and Fiona were all waiting for everyone at an abandoned restaurant that had plenty of hiding space nearby. There they had the Time Mazines and Manta all huddled up and ready to go at a moment's notice. Woz immediately left, wanting to start his search for Oscar so the others wouldn't be worried.
Robyn went to go greet her teammates, the three briefly hugging it out over Robyn's safety before the leader of the Happy Huntresses went to work figuring out a game plan for Mantle. The four soon overtook the kitchen as they worked on figuring out all their resources and allies for the coming storm.
Of course one issue that was likely to derail everything was Summer Rose's appearance. Mostly in that if Qrow saw her immediately then it would likely take forever to get things done. So Tsukasa had opted for bringing Summer in via Aurora Curtain, having her sit in the storage space behind the kitchen to keep her out of view for a bit. Ruby and Yang had dismissed themselves in order to get a much needed talk with their mom, while everyone else met in the main restaurant space.
Everything was discussed when it came to making sure everyone was caught up. How Team Zi-O made an alliance with Robyn back during the early days of arriving in Atlas, Ironwood's current plan to raise Atlas via the Staff of Creation, Penny getting the Winter Maiden powers, the Relic of Knowledge being a fake, and finally of course for Pietro and Penny's sake, Ruby ending up on Earth and a quick summary of the events that led to them returning to Remnant for a second time including the true origin of Zi-O, minus anything involving Oma Zi-O.
Pietro was surprised to say the least, especially when Tsukuyomi had brought out the projections she usually showed of Earth. Penny was in slight awe, the idea of Sougo and the others being from a different world managing to help alleviate some of the stress she was feeling at the moment.
"So then… was I never supposed to figure out how to replicate the Ridewatches?" Pietro asked.
"You weren't and I only agreed for you to study them because I knew you couldn't," Sougo admitted, "A Genius Physicist back on my world was unable to ever figure them out either. So don't feel too bad."
"I suppose that makes sense," Pietro chuckled, "I feel like you'd need to be leagues beyond my knowledge to figure out how to work those things."
"That's why we felt comfortable with you studying it," Geiz added.
"We mostly just wanted a way to be able to visit Mantle more," Tsukuyomi admitted.
"Not to mention I really wanted to hang out with you and Penny," Sougo explained with a smile, "Despite the lies to Ironwood, I genuinely enjoyed our time working together."
"No, no, it's fine," Pietro reassured but gave a sigh, "To think the General would go this far though…"
"He's well intentioned, but he's panicking and hyper-focusing too much," Sougo said, "I won't allow him to abandon half of his people just because he arrogantly thinks he has the key to beating Salem."
"Then what do we do?" Penny asked.
"We're going to war with two factions essentially," Qrow replied, "James isn't going to see reason if what you've said is true. We need a good plan or we're screwed."
"We should wait for Ruby and Yang though," Jaune said, "Where are they again?"
"Taking care of personal business," Weiss spoke up.
"Did they have a fight?" Ren asked.
"Didn't look like it," Qrow said as he remembered his niece's expressions, "They seemed kind of nervous though, everything alright?"
"Um… sort of…" Blake said, unsure of how to really break the news, especially since she knew her leader and partner would want to do that themselves, "Let's just leave them be for now."
"Then I'd like to ask something," Ren decided now was his chance to speak up, "Why exactly keep us out of the loop with the Relic of Knowledge and Robyn?"
"I kind of wanted to make the fake Relic as believable as possible," Sougo admitted, "And that meant having a genuine enough response to wanting to keep it safe."
"Not to mention you all had just found your resolve to see through our Relic mission," Geiz replied, "I'm not sure if you all would have accepted continuing had we said we had a fake."
"A bit harsh," Jaune admitted though he gave a nervous smile, "Granted… given prior experience I get it."
"I mean in the end, it isn't that big a deal," Nora shrugged before giving a smirk, "Panic aside, it is fun that we got a jump on Neo and Cinder though."
"And in turn Salem," Qrow replied before chuckling, "She's not going to be happy about that."
"While the Lamp is inconsequential, I still feel as though it's a bit insulting you couldn't trust us with your involvement with Robyn," Ren spoke up in a slight tense voice.
"Given your attitude around election night and beyond that, do you really think we would've told you?" Geiz asked as he looked over with a light glare, recalling what Ruby had told him of Ren's remarks on the way to Robyn's party alongside what he saw himself, "What exactly would you have done had we said that? Especially given how easily you've been going along with Ironwood's decisions."
"Let's not get too harsh," Jaune raised his hands, not wanting a fight to break out, "But you make a good point…"
"If there was anyone else we probably would've told it would've been either Qrow or you Jaune," Tsukuyomi admitted as she looked at Team JNR's leader.
"Wait," Nora spoke up in surprise, "Why not me?"
"No offense Nora but given your attitude about Mantle to begin with, I feel like you wouldn't have been able to hold it in," Sougo said with a sheepish smile.
"You know what… yeah," Nora sighed as she admitted defeat on that sticking point, "Especially given how much I've been harping on Ironwood."
"Are they seriously still not done?" Qrow asked with a bit of a groan while tapping his foot further, while he wasn't one to be impatient he was surprised at how long his nieces were taking, "I think I should tell them we don't have a lot of time."
"Wait," Weiss spoke up in a hurried fashion as she quickly moved in front of Qrow to keep him from moving forward, "Please just wait. This is… what they're dealing right now is a lot for them, and it'll be a lot for you especially. So just give them the time they need."
"A lot for me…?" Qrow raised an eyebrow, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Don't worry, you'll find out really soon," Blake stressed, "Trust us."
"If you say so," Qrow sighed.
In the storage room, Summer was currently leaning against the back wall, Tsukasa leaning off to the side while both Ruby and Yang were standing in front of them. There was a large amount of awkward silence though even Tsukasa couldn't blame either party for that. Despite this however, everyone was internally agreeing that something needed to be said.
"You know… you're going to have to talk eventually," Tsukasa spoke up before walking forward and looking between both parties, "We have a world to save and this kind of down time might be the only chance you have to say what you need to say."
"Why?" Yang finally spoke up.
"There we go," Tsukasa sighed as he backed up.
"Why?" Yang repeated as she stepped forward, "Why did you leave us?"
"I was being selfish," Summer admitted as she stepped forward, "I thought I could defeat Salem to let you all live peaceful lives, that my Silver Eyes could be the thing that at least could stop her in some way. To put a stop to the endless war Oz and Salem are in. I was stupid, and I lost for thinking I could even do anything."
"Mom…" Ruby muttered.
"How did you even survive?" Yang asked, avoiding the obvious answer in the room.
"Tsukasa saved me," Summer replied, "He saved me and helped me recover."
"Why didn't you come back then?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah, couldn't he have just brought you back?" Yang asked, "Or even at least told our family that you were alive?"
"It's not that simple," Tsukasa said as he stepped forward, "I mean, back when I had saved her the dimensional barriers of the worlds were more structurally sound. It took very specific instances for me to interact with Remnant and I couldn't do it as easily as I can now. After saving her I couldn't access Remnant again no matter how hard I tried."
"Not to mention our family would know no peace if I suddenly reappeared to you all," Summer answered a bit more firmly, "Not even counting my Silver Eyes, Salem would still want me dead because of what else I pulled out against her. And if she found out I had returned to my family? Can you imagine what that would have done to your lives?"
"Trust me, she feels bad about this whole thing," Tsukasa reassured, both Ruby and Yang looking over at the Rider with raised eyebrows as there was actually a hint of a genuine nature in his tone, "There's not a day that passes where she doesn't wonder how you two are fairing. She was even spending ages trying to figure out how to approach you two."
"I wanted to do it a bit more tactfully," Summer admitted before giving a fierce look, "But damn if I was going to let that stupid witch talk down to my daughter like that."
"I'm… I'm happy that you're back," Yang admitted, "But well… that doesn't change what happened. How we had to move on after we thought you… you were gone for so long…"
"I understand," Summer said, "And I understand if you can't forgive me immediately. But know that I'm not going anywhere and that I will help you fight against Salem."
"There's just one thing bugging me," Ruby admitted as she looked at her mother, "How do you know Tsukasa? And why would he save you?"
"Well despite it all Tsukasa is a big softy," Summer gave a goofy grin before it turned into a more wistful smile, "As for how I know him? That's… a heftier story that'll take a lot more time to explain, something that we don't have the luxury of at the moment."
"True," Yang sighed before pointing at her mom, "Just because we've sort of cleared the air though doesn't take away everything, alright?"
"Of course," Summer agreed with a nod, "You two have a right to be mad."
"Uh, maybe make that three?" Ruby reminded.
"Oh right Qrow's here isn't he," Summer said before realizing something, "You didn't bring him with you?"
"We kind of wanted to sort everything out with us first," Yang admitted before heading for the door, "I'll go get him."
"Lovely, more awkwardness," Tsukasa said as he took a picture of Summer and Ruby as they stood across from each other.
"Like you and your sister weren't like that?" Summer asked.
"First off, she lovingly embraced me when we reunited," Tsukasa pointed a finger forward, "And second… she only tried to murder me via Onodera. There was no awkward tension to speak of."
Summer and Ruby could only stare at the 10th Heisei Rider in near bafflement.
"HOW IS THAT BETTER?!" The two shouted.
"Whoa," Tsukasa blinked a few times, "You really are mother and daughter…"
Summer and Ruby stared at Tsukasa before looking back at each other, laughing sheepishly when they realized they had spoken at the same time and reacted similarly. Tsukasa could only give a small smile at this.
"So…" Ruby said as she glanced at her mom, "When exactly did the barriers between worlds make it easier to hop back and forth?"
"Back when you were taken from Remnant to Earth," Summer explained, "Tsukasa tested it a bit and what we thought was impossible was easier to do now."
"Oma Zi-O…" Ruby muttered as she realized who exactly could have weakened the barriers between both of their worlds.
"Tsukasa and I were trying to figure out what was going on," Summer said, "But we couldn't exactly pinpoint what until the Another Riders started showing up."
"And then you found out about me, right?" Ruby asked.
"I managed to catch the end of Another Ryuki's fight," Tsukasa said, "That was when I had full confirmation for Summer."
"At the time well… I wasn't sure how exactly to go about things," Summer admitted, "But I supported you in whatever way I could. Be it helping your friend get to Remnant back in December, or even leaving you a bit of a gift when you got back."
"Wait," Ruby soon had a sudden realization as her eyes grew wide, "You were the one behind hooking my bank account up with that much money?!"
"I have some connections," Summer smiled, "So I figured I'd give you something to make your life easier, especially given I guessed correctly that your team would be coming with you."
"I uh… wow," Ruby said, realizing that despite it all her mom was still supporting her all this time. Her ears twitched however, soon turning as she heard footsteps.
"What did you want me to see?" Qrow's voice could be heard.
"Just… brace for this," Yang said as she soon led Qrow in, "Ta-da…?"
"Ta-da for…" Qrow slowed down as he locked eyes with Summer, "for… what…"
Summer gave a gulp and looked down, "Qrow…"
"S-Summer…?" Qrow asked as his eyes went wide, quickly hurrying over to her and grabbing her by the shoulders. He gave a gasp as he backed away, "You're not an illusion…? You're… you're really here?"
"I am," Summer gave an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry about everything."
"You should be!" Qrow called out in anger as he grabbed her again, his grip tightening, "Do you realize what that did to Tai?! How you left Yang and Ruby?! How guilty I felt because I thought I should've stopped you?!"
Summer looked down, "I have… for a long while honestly…"
"Why didn't you come back?" Qrow asked.
"A lot of reasons…" Summer said, "Some that would take too long to explain right now."
"Of course it would," Qrow sighed before releasing his grip and giving Summer a hug, "You're back right?"
"Of course I am silly," Summer chuckled as she hugged back, "I'm not going to abandon you all, especially now."
"With that all settled," Tsukasa clasped his hands, "I suppose we should meet with the others."
"You're right about that, the world isn't going to save itself," Summer agreed as she and Qrow pulled away from each other.
"You really think we can win this?" Qrow asked.
"I mean, the odds are heavily stacked against us," Summer admitted before giving a smirk, "But what Kamen Riders do best is taking those odds and completely ignoring them."
"I suppose you are right about that," Ruby gave a soft smile, recalling all of her close calls in the past, "I think we can do this."
"What are you, Sougo?" Yang asked with a laugh.
"Hey don't be like Geiz saying I can't use his catchphrase," Ruby huffed before turning to face away from her sister.
Yang couldn't help but snicker a bit while Summer and Qrow chuckled. With the tension eased and everyone settled, the five went to head back and meet with the others.
Everyone continued to wait patiently, a few people being confused when Yang had pulled Qrow away for a while as well. Of course it didn't take long for Ruby and Yang to re-enter with everyone else.
"Everything good…?" Jaune asked before starting to stammer when he saw Summer enter, "I uh…"
"Everyone," Ruby said before gesturing to Summer, "Meet my mom. She'll be helping us from here on out."
"Hello there," Summer gave a smile before looking around, "It's nice to see that my daughter made so many friends."
"This is uh…" Jaune started.
"Surprising?" Nora asked.
"Yeah, that…" Jaune nodded.
"Whoa…" Sougo trailed in surprise before looking at Geiz, "Did you think this was going to happen?"
"Not in the slightest…" Geiz said as he stared at Summer in surprise before recognizing her voice as the woman that had sent him to Remnant the first time, "Wait a minute…"
"Now then," Ruby looked around, "Where's Woz?"
"Still searching for Oscar," Sougo said, "But even with Oscar and the Happy Huntresses we're going to need more allies."
"But where are we going to find them?" Ren asked, "It's not like we can call for help on Remnant. And even then, Huntsmen and Huntresses won't be enough for Salem."
"You're right about that," Geiz replied, "But you're thinking too inside the box, or world in this case."
"Yeah," Sougo gave a nod before looking over at Tsukasa, "But we'll need Tsukasa's help for this to work."
"Hey if it means giving the middle finger to Salem again then I'll gladly do it," Tsukasa raised his hand.
"Wait did he say again?" Weiss asked.
"He did…" Blake trailed.
"I already have an idea of what you want," Tsukasa went to cross his arms, "But the Heisei Riders are a cheeky bunch, it'll be hard to convince them."
"Says the cheekiest one of them all," Summer scoffed.
"Well they may be cheeky to you," Ruby pointed out, "But the ones we've met have plenty of good memories and experiences with Sougo and I. They'll answer the call if they know it's for us."
"All of them?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"Not all of them," Ruby shook her head before looking at her friend, "I don't want to cut down Earth's defenses just in case something happens while they're gone."
"Then until Woz brings in Oscar, we should figure out which Riders to bring in," Sougo suggested, everyone nodding or agreeing with him, "Let's get to work."
To Be Continued…
Next Time:
"What's occurring now is a war you cannot possibly win."
"The Time Jackers are here to help us."
"This… this is a fake."
"We've got to split up into three teams."
"Oh I think we can have a lot more fun now…"
Chapter 81: Forging a New Path
Author's Note: And with that we're done with Volume 7, but Volume 8 is still a part of the A New Age for Remnant Saga so we aren't done just yet. And the changes continue as Winter didn't get grievously injured, and Salem of course is about to get a fake Relic. With our heroes not playing by the rules anymore, expect continued changes in Volume 8 especially. Some things might remain the same but others… well… there's a reason the Saga is named the way it is.
There is one thing I do need to address, and that was me hinting at potentially doing a Special for Arrowfell in the Gaiden story. Unfortunately plans fell through once I started writing it as adapting a game, especially one like Arrowfell, isn't the easiest. I had one kind of worthwhile idea but it wasn't worth it to write a massive story adapting Arrowfell's plot just for that one idea. So as of now it's very much a scrapped idea with the most presence it'll have is references being made of it. Now I do potentially have a "replacement" I'm jiving more with that I'll be posting sometime before we end this Saga, but I figured I'd update you all on that front.
That being said, not much else to say other than thank you for reading and I'll see you next time.