Alan was repairing the TARDIS' central control console. Once he was happy with the repairs, he closed the panel and started it back up. The central column glowed as the engine hummed. It was music to his ears.

"Sorry about that, girl," Alan apologized as he gently caressed the console's desktop. "I promise to be careful next time."

"Are you talking to your ship?" Misato asked as she came up behind him and he spun around in surprise.

"Jesus, Misato! You startled me!" Alan exclaimed. If he still had his super hearing, he might have heard her coming.

"I was trained to be sneaky," Misato boasted proudly. She has just finished changing, feeding and putting her daughter down for her nap before coming back to the control room. "So, is it fixed yet?"

"Yeah, it's fixed," Alan confirmed.

"You know, this ship of yours is amazing. I think calling it 'bigger on the inside' is a huge understatement," Misato praised.

"Thanks," Alan smiled as he turned back to face his console. "Now, let's look at the data."

"Data?" Misato asked as Alan fingers rapidly flew across the keyboard.

"While I was transmitting to Shinichi, I took readings on the timeline," Alan answered as he looked at the viewing screen. "The data will give us an exact estimate as to how long it will take before that unstable timeline solidifies."

"And once it solidifies, we're all gone," Misato concluded, frowning. Dying was one thing but having their entire existence rewritten or even erased was possibly a fate worse than death.

"No, I won't allow that to happen," Alan swore as he turned to face her. "I'm going to save all of you. That's a promise from The Traveler."

"And what if you can't?" Misato asked, crossing her arms. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Alan Smith." She already knew what would happen if Alan failed. If the timeline solidified, she and the others who were connected to Earth-83's timeline would be affected. To avoid such a fate, they would need to stay inside Alan's TARDIS. While it could provide them with everything they needed to make their stay comfortable, it was still essentially a prison for them.

"Look, Misato, I give you my word that everything will work out. And I'm not one to go back on my word. If I say I'll save you, then I'm going to save you. Various cultures have written songs about me doing just that and Shinichi's no doubt figured out what's wrong and will try to fix it," Alan assured her.

"But will he be able to?" Misato questioned. "He's all alone in a new timeline where he doesn't even exist so he's got no friends or allies. From what I've seen, this is huge and the only time he's succeeded with something this huge was with help from you guys."

"Yeah, and I know he's used to being a lone wolf but he knows how to find help when he needs it. Don't underestimate him," Alan reminded. "Oh, and let's look at..." The blood drained from his face when he saw the data. "Oh, no, no, no, no! This isn't good! Not good at all!"

"What, what is it?" Misato asked as she peered over his shoulder.

"If this data is correct, the timeline is not solidifying, it's degrading," Alan answered. "According to this, the aberration caused a paradox that broke time. Shinichi only has less than 24 hours before the entire timeline collapses and Earth-83 is erased."

"What!?" Misato gasped in panic.

Showa Chronicles: Legacy of Revenge

Act VII: Off the Slippery Slope

"Keep firing!" a resistance fighter shouted as he fired his weapon.

Outlaw Way was a Resistance base in the middle of the forest, and it was very much under attack. Tents were on fire and supplies were being tossed around. It was a total war zone as fighters in rugged clothing fired machine guns at the invading forces.

The Anti-GS Resistance was made up of people who strongly opposed GIN-SHOCKER's rule. They had become a thorn in GIN-SHOCKER's side as they did everything they could to disrupt the order that GIN-SHOCKER enforced. Naturally, the organization would send their soldiers to handle the Resistance.

GS soldiers were expendable cannon fodder, bred in cloning vats to be used and discarded by their masters as they pleased. They were programmed to be completely loyal, willing to throw themselves into battle without any regard for their lives.

Right now, however, their enemy was not the typical GIN-SHOCKER cannon fodder.

Something long and blood-red stretched across the camp and speared the Resistance fighter in the chest. He screamed in pain as he was dragged towards a monstrous abomination that looked like it belonged in a horror movie. It had a slim and hunched over body with black and white stripes all over its limbs. On its back were large leathery wings that kept it aloft. It was marked on the left side of its head with the number 04. Extending from its bifurcated mouth was a long harpoon-like tongue that it used to impale its prey's chest. It began to suck the fluids from its poor victim, rapidly turning him into nothing but skin and bones. With its meal spent, the mosquito Kaijin dropped the corpse and went to look for more prey to sate its thirst for blood.

Another creature had blue skin that seemed to have something squirming underneath the surface. The number 03 was stamped on its chest. Its face was hideous as it looked like someone had haphazardly stapled and stitched a paper bag together. It also had huge mechanical fists and legs covered in metal bands. The windup key on its back turned as it opened its mouth wide and vomited what appeared to be a swarm of flying ticks. The ticks latched on to several unfortunate resistance fighters before they exploded, sending blood and guts flying everywhere. The creature clapped and laughed childishly before it went to continue playing its sick game.

A creature with a body made up of jagged green crystal was unaffected by gunfire as the bullets bounced off its rock hard hide. Etched into its left arm was the number 06. It fired a beam from its diamond eyes at the Resistance fighters, turning them into crystal statues. Glowing on its chest were assorted gemstones and it fired them like bullets, shattering the crystalized resistance fighters.

A resistance fighter screamed as he was dragged underground and moments later a tower of blood gushed out of the hole like a geyser. The culprit burst out of the ground, blood staining its arms which had curved blades on them. From the waist down, it had the body of a centipede that was covered in skeletal armour. Its head resembled a human skull with sharply curved mandibles and long whip-like antennae. It was marked with the number 05 on its back. It lunged at a couple of resistance fighters, shrugging off their gunfire, and decapitated the both of them before it went back underground, lying in wait for another ambush.

The last of the monsters had two resistance fighters skewered on its large jagged blades. Covered in golden plate armour, it looked like a demonic knight from hell. Spikes covered its pauldrons, gauntlets and greaves while a tattered royal purple cape hung from its back. Its head was covered by a golden helmet that was crowned by a large pair of horns and the number 10 was etched between them. Its jaw was left exposed, revealing its sharp fangs as it smiled cruelly.

"Attention all Resistance members! The NUMBERS have appeared at Outlaw Way! Repeat: the NUMBERS have appeared at Outlaw Way! All available hands, report!" Reina Ryuugu had just sent a distress call. They were being slaughtered so she needed to escape. Picking up a hatchet to defend herself with, she began to make her escape. Hopefully, she could get away amidst all the bloody chaos.

"Attention all Resistance members! The NUMBERS have appeared at Outlaw Way! Repeat: the NUMBERS have appeared at Outlaw Way! All available hands, report!"

Shinichi gasped when he recognized the voice coming from the radio.

"Rena-chan?" That was definitely his wife's voice and she sounded like she was in trouble. "We need to go now!"

"I know the way," Ranma claimed.

"Then let's go!" Shinichi urged as he headed for the door but Ranma grabbed his shoulder.

"Are you sure you're going to be OK?" Ranma asked Shinichi. He had just received news that his mother had been killed in this timeline. Something like that could affect him greatly and not in a good way.

"I just want to save my wife," Shinichi growled as he shrugged Ranma's hand off. "Now, Let's Ride!"

Reina fell on the ground and looked up in terror at the gold sword-wielding monster that stood before her. It grinned maliciously and raised its swords to add her to its kill count. She screamed when all of a sudden Showa appeared and blocked the monster's killing blow with his Chrono Sabers. The impact caused a loud clang to ring across the forest.

Showa shoved the gold monster backwards and slashed it twice across the chest with his swords before knocking it down with a side kick. He turned around and looked at Reina.

"Rena-chan..." he whispered as he saw her. She was dressed in a dirty brown tank top that had grease stains on it, green cargo pants and combat boots. She also wore black work gloves on her hands and she had bandages wrapped around her forearms.

"Watch out!" Reina screamed, pointing behind Showa. He immediately spun around to parry the gold monster's sword. It went for another slash with its other sword but Showa blocked it too.

"Go! Run!" Showa shouted at Reina. He pushed the golden monster back and delivered a double slash with his swords, sending it backpedalling. She did not need to be told twice as she ran for her life.

"Grr..." the golden monster growled as it glared at Showa for interfering with its kill. The other monsters soon came and joined it as the surviving resistance fighters managed to retreat with the help of the Riders. Zi-O, Decade and Jura quickly joined Showa to face this monster squad.

"What the hell are these things?!" Showa shouted as he saw the monsters. Rena's transmission said that the NUMBERS were sighted here but these creatures were not the NUMBERS he was familiar with.

"They're Another Riders!" Zi-O answered once he got a good look at them. "Twisted parodies of the real deal! They exist only to replace Kamen Riders and take their place in history!"

Showa saw the numbers marked on them and his eyes narrowed. So these were the NUMBERS of this timeline. He could already tell who they were supposed to be: Seras (04), Parasite (03), Petrifier (06), Dancer (05) and King (10).

"So, they're basically crappy bootlegs. Good to know," Showa concluded.

Another King pointed its right sword at the Riders and the Another NUMBERS rushed at them. Showa already picked his opponent and engaged Another King. Sparks flew as they clashed before their swords ended up locked together.

"Is that you, Kamiyami?" Showa asked the monster. Another King tilted its head in bewilderment. "Yeah, I thought it wasn't. He would've started bragging about how superior he was."

Showa broke the blade lock and jumped back to avoid Another King's massive swords. He then lunged forward and spun to land a hard slash with his swords. Another King blocked the slash with its own blades, countering with several swings that Showa parried. Another King jumped from another swing and hovered several feet up as if to taunt him.

"Don't even try it! Let's Ride: Skyrider!" Showa shouted, turning into Skyrider. He jumped into the air and tackled Another King. The two of them wrestled as they flew across the forest.

While Showa fought Another King, both Decade and Zi-O engaged Another Seras and Another Petrifier.

[ZIKAN GIRADE! ZYU!]

Zi-O drew his signature weapon and converted it into Gun Mode. He fired upon Another Petrifier but the bullets just bounced off the Another Rider's crystal body. Another Petrifier shot its eye laser at Zi-O who rolled out of the way. The beam struck the ground and History's Strongest Kamen Rider witnessed as crystal spikes sprouted from the spot.

"OK, don't get hit by the laser," Zi-O noted.

Another Petrifier's chest gems glowed and he fired a barrage at Zi-O who cried out as the explosions erupted around him. He was hit as well and sent tumbling by the explosive projectiles. He grunted as the Another Rider approached him menacingly.

"Alright, looks like I gotta fight with the power of music," Zi-O said as he took out a Ridewatch. He twisted the ring around the face before pressing the button on top.

[Hibiki!]

He stood up, placing the Hibiki Ridewatch on the right slot of his Ziku-Driver. He unlocked it before he spun the device. It locked into place after a full rotation, initiating the transformation.

[RIDER TIME: KAMEN RIDER ZI-O! ARMOR TIME: HIBIKI!]

The Hibiki Armor pieces equipped themselves onto Zi-O, giving him pauldrons marked with yellow tomoe, a purple chestplate, and a new faceplate with red kabuki marking around the visor, oni horns and an oni's face on his forehead. His visor also filled up with the pink katakana that spelt Hibiki's name. Zi-O snapped his fingers and summoned Hibiki's signature weapons. They were crimson taiko drumsticks, or bachi, that were topped by miniature oni heads that were called the Ongekibou Rekka.

Another Petrifier fired upon Zi-O with its diamond lasers but he dodged them with leaps and flips. He quickly launched a counterattack, swinging the Ongekibou Rekka to throw explosive fireballs at Another Petrifier, knocking it back with the explosive blasts. It retaliated with its gem blast but Zi-O swiftly deflected them with his drumsticks, knocking them aside as they detonated harmlessly around him.

Another Petrifer roared and slammed the ground, sending a wave of sharp crystal surging towards Zi-O. However, History's Strongest Kamen Rider was faster as he executed his finisher.

[FINISH TIME! HIBIKI! ONGEKI TIME BREAK!]

Zi-O smashed through the surging crystal and closed the distance to strike Another Petrifier with his Ongekibou Rekka. The moment he struck, a large circular drum with Hibiki's tomoe materialized on Another Petrifer's body, immobilising it.

"Ongeki Da!" Zi-O declared as he raised his drumsticks above his head. "Kaen Renda no Kata!"

Zi-O began beating the drum, rising in beat and tempo as he gained a rhythm. With each strike upon the drum, waves of pure sound spread across Another Petrifier's body, causing cracks to appear all over the surface. Finally, with a final beat of the drum, Another Petrifer shattered to pieces.

"Yo!" Upon the creature's destruction, Zi-O put the Ongekibou Rekka away, snapped his fingers and flashed a reverse peace sign in front of his face.

"I guess since you're a vampire, I should do the same," Decade remarked as he took a card out and slid it into his Decadriver.

[KAMEN RIDE: KIVA!]

Quicksilver enveloped Decade's body and morphed before forming his Kiva form. Decade Kiva adopted Kiva's signature stance and rushed at Another Seras.

"KACHU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!"

Decade Kiva threw a chain of rapid-fire punches at Another Seras before launching it into the sky with an uppercut. He then drew another card and activated it in the Decadriver.

[FINAL ATTACK RIDE: KI-KI-KIVA!]

The chains around the iron boot of Decade Kiva's right leg shattered, allowing it to burst open. It now had bat wings on the side with a blood-red inner layer and three green gems going down his leg. He launched himself into the sky just as Another Seras corrected itself.

Decade Kiva struck Another Seras with Decade Kiva's signature Darkness Moon Break Rider Kick. Another Seras shrieked as it exploded, leaving Kiva's emblem hovering in place before it faded. Decade landed, reverting to his default mode.

Jura faced Another Parasite whose legs were spring-loaded as it bounced away from the Dino Rider. Jura chased after Another Parasite, using the trees as springboards to catch up. As Jura was gaining on it, Another Parasite fired its fists like rockets. They struck the Dino Rider in the chest, knocking him to the ground before returning to reconnect to Another Parasite's wrists. It laughed childishly as it made Jura fall. Growling, Jura kicked himself back up to his feet.

Punching its gut, the windup key behind Another Parasite spun as it vomited a swarm of flying ticks all over Jura. The ticks latched on tightly before they exploded. Sparks blasted off violently from Jura's body and he collapsed to his knees. Burns appeared all over his armour, but they were quickly healing up. Letting out a savage roar, he lunged, jumping from tree to tree as he avoided Another Parasite's rocket fists.

He grabbed Another Parasite's face as soon as he was right on top of him, flipping onto the ground with his feet first. His opponents still grasped in his palms, he threw the Another Rider to the ground, the monster rebounding from the freshly made crater. Then he spun around as his tail elongated, smashing it into Another Parasite to send it flying. The strength of his tail bash sent Another Parasite crashing through several trees.

Jura resumed his assault as Another Parasite stood back up. It reached behind its back and turned the windup key rapidly. A huge swarm of flying ticks came bursting out of its mouth. With such a large quantity, if they detonated simultaneously all over Jura, he could be crippled for life and that was the best-case scenario.

Not looking forward to finding out what would happen if he allowed those ticks to stick around, Jura pulled out a yellow crystal coin from his dispenser, this one with an image of a pterosaur. He pulled out his tyrannosaurus coin and switched it out with his pterosaur coin, causing his Fossirizer to glow yellow.

[PTEROSAUR!]

The coin set in, he bumped his fist down on the jaws. A yellow energy cocoon surrounded him as an image of a pterosaur appeared above him, screeching.

[RAMPAGE! THE PREDATOR OF THE SKIES! UNMATCHED IN THE AIR! PTERO SAURER! GAAAOO~!]

The cocoon shattered and the heat from the burst burned away the flying tick swarm, making them light up in flames from the intensity. As the heat from his transformation cooled down, Jura was now in a yellow suit with orange markings, thinner armour and the image of a pterosaur on his back. His helmet was also modelled after a pterosaur as it had a beak-like mouthplate with large red eyes.

He planted his feet into the ground as he generated leathery flaps under his arms. He dashed straight at Another Parasite, flying over the ground at breakneck speed. As he flew past Another Parasite, a strong gust of wind followed, blowing violently against the monstrous Another Rider. Then Jura flew past again, and then again, and again. He went back and forth, gaining speed as he became a yellow blur that was being chased by the wind. The wind tore through Another Parasite each time, ripping through its body as it squirmed wildly.

Jura flew several meters away, ricocheting against a tree with bent legs before shooting off with a loud boom, the noise blowing the tree to pieces. G-Force swirled around him as he rushed at Another Parasite, using the sonic boom as he flew past to shred it to pieces until it dissipated into nothing. He planted his feet on the ground and slowed as he came to a stop, a trail of twin trenches left behind him. He looked back at the spot where his opponent had stood and gave a thumbs down.

Showa Skyrider and Another King crashed through the trees as they fought. The flying Rider gripped the Another Rider by the collar and repeatedly punched it in the face before he tossed the monstrous Another Rider to the ground with a kick.

Showa Skyrider landed but then felt something grab hold of his legs and drag him underground. It was Another Dancer. It had pulled Showa Skyrider into its killing chamber and he looked up at the monstrous centipede creature as it leered at him hungrily.

"Shin," Skyrider growled as his eyes flashed and his body morphed.

Up on top, Another King circled the hole, waiting for the usual geyser of blood which followed whenever Another Dancer caught its prey. Minutes later, something came out of the hole but it wasn't blood. Instead, it was Kamen Rider Showa Shin and he was holding Another Dancer's severed head by its antennae.

"You're next," Showa Shin growled as he pointed at Another King. The Another Rider raised its swords to cut him down but Shin smashed it across the face with Another Dancer's head, stunning it. He repeatedly beat Another King with Another Dancer's skull until it shattered and he discarded it. Faster than the eye could blink, he drove his fist into its chest. Another King was shocked as Shin easily broke through its golden armour. It dropped its swords and tried to pry his arm out but there was no hope for it now.

Showa switched Shin for Stronger as he decided to end it.

"One...Billion...Volts."

A powerful bolt of lightning struck both of them from the sky. Showa Stronger was unharmed but that was not the case for Another King. It screamed for several moments as it was being electrocuted before it finally expired and went silent. Stronger removed his arm from Another King's charred corpse and watched as it crumbled to dust.

"You may have been strong, but I am Stronger," Showa claimed as he reverted to his default form. After delivering the line, he went to rendezvous with the others.

While the Riders fought the Another NUMBERS, a huge aircraft that resembled a dragonfly hovered high in the sky over the Resistance group's base. It was not a machine but a biomechanical creature. Instead of metal alloy and glass, it was covered in technorganic chitin. Each of its legs ended in sharp claws which held large bombs. Finally, painted on the side of its body was the number 12.

Viviana sat in the cockpit inside Another Bomber's head, observing the battle below via a monitor screen. Her NUMBERS had killed many of the Resistance fighters before BLACK 13 showed up with another group of Riders. The five NUMBERS she had sent to attack the Resistance's base had all been killed but she would fix that issue soon. She zoomed in on BLACK 13 and narrowed her eyes as she smirked.

She knew sending her NUMBERS to attack the base would draw him out. He just couldn't resist playing hero and now she had him right where she wanted him.

"Auf wiedersehen, arshloch (Farewell, asshole)."

The long abdomen section of Another Bomber opened up to reveal a set of air-to-ground missiles that were modelled after dragonfly nymphs. She hit a button and fired them straight at Showa and others.

Showa rejoined the other Riders who had just finished off the Another NUMBERS.

"Wish we got here sooner," Zi-O - who had removed his Hibiki Armor - said as he saw the bodies of the people they had failed to save. It reminded him too much of another timeline he visited. One he tried not to think about.

"Don't think about the ones we couldn't save," Showa advised him. "Just think about the ones we helped to escape."

"Yeah, you're right," Zi-O nodded.

Jura - who had already switched back to his default form - suddenly stiffened as he felt something was wrong. Looking up, Jura saw the air-to-ground missiles coming straight for them and panicked.

"WATCH OUT!" Jura screamed.

None of them could react in time as the missiles dropped down on them and violently exploded. When the smoke cleared, the four of them were found lying in a smoking crater together.

ReVenge came hovering down before she landed gently on her feet. She put her Skyrider Ridewatch away and approached Showa's body. He was lying face down so she flipped him over with her foot.

"Guess I should let you sleep," ReVenge decided as she summoned her Zikan Nuken. "Permanently." She raised her weapon and brought it down to drive it into his heart when he suddenly disappeared in a burst of feathers. She stuck her sword in the ground just as he reappeared behind her. "What!?" He swiftly backhanded her and sent her tumbling across the ground, leaving her sword sticking out of it. He grabbed her sword and drew it out of the ground just as ReVenge got back on her feet. "So, you were just playing possum. I'll make a note of that."

"Give her back," Showa murmured as he gripped ReVenge's sword, his body trembling in anger.

"Huh?" ReVenge cocked an eyebrow.

"GIVE MY MOTHER BACK TO ME!" Showa screamed as he furiously attacked with her sword. She jumped back and dodged the oncoming slash but he came at her again for another swing. She caught his wrist and hit him point-blank with a nuclear blast, knocking him back as she retrieved her sword.

"Figured it out, huh? Then why don't you go join her in Hell?" ReVenge sneered.

"DON'T YOU TALK ABOUT MY MOTHER!" Showa snapped as he charged at her again. She swung her Zikan Nuken at the oncoming Rider and struck him with a flurry of slashes, ripping sparks off with each swing, before sending him tumbling with a brutal strike.

As Showa lay on the ground, ReVenge came at him to finish the job but Zi-O immediately came to the rescue and blocked her Zikan Nuken with his Zikan Girade in its Sword Mode.

"Why are you defending that murderer?" ReVenge questioned Zi-O as they locked blades.

"From what I've heard, you're the murderer here," Zi-O shot back. "You killed his mother."

"She was a necessary sacrifice to make sure a monster was never born," ReVenge justified.

"Whatever, murderer!" Zi-O rolled his eyes as he broke the blade lock before driving her back with a kick. "It's normally against my code to fight a girl, but I'll make an exception for you!" He was about to charge at her when Showa roughly shoved him aside.

"She's mine!" Showa snapped angrily. This was personal.

"Showa, wait!" Zi-O shouted but Showa was too clouded by rage to listen. His body flashed as he united the power of the Hinamizawa Treasures within him, transforming into Kamen Rider Showa Hinamizawa Guardian. He summoned his Higurashi no Yaiba and gathered elemental energy with his weapon.

"Oni Element Slash!"

Showa delivered a combined elemental slash of wind, lightning and fire that surged towards ReVenge. She raised her hand and stopped the attack in its tracks before sending it back to Showa who cried out in shock as he was struck by his own attack. The force of the attack drove him back but he managed to stay on his feet to continue his assault.

"Cho Dai-Shuriken!"

Showa removed the giant shuriken from his back and hurled it at ReVenge. The Cho Dai-Shuriken multiplied and sliced through the trees before converging on ReVenge. As they closed in on her, they began to lose speed as they became covered in rust and turned to dust.

"Is that all?" ReVenge taunted.

Showa ignored her taunt and ran his hand across the blade of the Higurashi no Yaiba, the sword shining with emerald energy. He then rushed at ReVenge with his energized sword before he suddenly stopped in his tracks. His armour glitched like his powers earlier. He dropped to his knees as his body convulsed and his Hinamizawa Guardian Armour vanished into temporal particles.

"What's the matter? Having performance issues again?" ReVenge mocked Showa as he drew the Sword of Ascalon.

"I'm just getting serious! Bring Order to the Chaos!" Showa shouted as he raised Ascalon. Just as he was about to assume Ascalon Form, the Sword of Ascalon crumbled into fading temporal particles. Showa gawked as the Sword of Ascalon vanished before his eyes. The timeline was catching up to him. The Hinamizawa Treasures and Ascalon were gone because he was never born in this timeline to claim them.

"Do you see it now? You don't belong in this world anymore," ReVenge claimed as she activated another one of her Ridewatches.

[Stronger!]

"And now it's time I corrected things with the power of Heaven!"

A lightning bolt came crashing down and Showa screamed as he was zapped. She mercilessly electrocuted him for several minutes before he finally collapsed.

"Now, let's erase you from this world," ReVenge growled as she reached down to her belt to execute her finisher.

"MOUKO TAKABISHA!"

A golden Ki blast struck ReVenge and knocked her to the ground. She grunted and picked herself up to see Decade walking towards her with his hands outstretched after firing his signature Ki blast.

These interferences were getting on her nerves.

"Guess it's time for a blast from the past," Decade quipped as he drew a card from his Ridebooker. The card's face had a headshot of Kamen Rider Showa in his classic form and the card's back was marked by Showa's symbol. "Let's Ride!" He flipped the card around and inserted it into the Decadriver before resetting the buckle's position to activate it.

[KAMEN RIDE: SHOWA!]

Decade dusted his hands together as his armour was enveloped by glowing green puzzle pieces that changed him into a copy of classic Kamen Rider Showa in his original monochrome armour. When the puzzle pieces all fused together, the eyes flashed green as a bright burst of energy erupted and a scarf jutted out from the back of his neck. He drew his Ridebooker and pulled the grip to extend the blade.

"Heh," Decade Showa snorted cockily as he brandished his blade. "A cicada for a cicada. Let's get it on."

ReVenge narrowed her eyes as she got back on her feet and charged at Decade Showa. He dodged a slash before countering with his own, striking her across the chest. He then proceeded to deliver a flurry of slashes but she retaliated in kind, causing sparks to fly as they clashed violently.

"Now, will you calm down?" Zi-O asked as he helped Showa up. "I know you're mad but if you fight with your mind clouded by anger, you've already beaten yourself. So, don't beat yourself up."

"Alright," Showa accepted. "How did a kid like you become so wise?"

"I had some pretty good teachers," Zi-O answered with a proud grin. "Now, let's take her down and set things right!"

"Music to my ears!" Showa went with Zi-O to join Decade.

Decade Showa knocked ReVenge back with a jab and just as she was about to come at him again, Jura roared and attacked from her blindside. She staggered from the blow and he proceeded to hack and slash at her like a wild animal before sending her backpedalling with a kick. She was sent spinning right as Zi-O and Showa punched her in the face together, knocking her to the ground.

"Verdammt!" ReVenge cursed as she activated two Ridewatches simultaneously.

[Shin!]

[Amazon!]

"ROAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHH!" She discarded her sword and tossed her head back with a roar before she savagely attacked them. Via the Amazon Ridewatch, she could access the corresponding Rider's agility and savagery which was boosted by the Shin Ridewatch.

Her claws raked across Jura's chest, sending him reeling. She then jumped into the air as Zi-O tried to attack her from behind before she latched onto his back. He tried to throw her off but she held on tightly before she threw her body back, swinging Zi-O over to send him crashing to the ground on his head. She lunged at Decade Showa who sidestepped her attack but she recovered and bounced off the ground to try again only to leap straight into Showa's fist.

[ZYU!]

Zi-O converted the Zikan Girade into its Gun Mode as Decade Showa did the same with the Ridebooker and they fired upon ReVenge. Sparks blasted off her chest with each shot, forcing her to back away.

"Legacy Ride: Showa!"

Spectral figures of the Legendary Showa Riders appeared and merged with Showa's body, releasing a golden flash. As the shine faded, he was shown in one of his most powerful forms yet. He wore a gold helmet with a silver strip that went down the middle to bisect his green compound eyes. His torso was covered by a silver and gold armoured bodysuit with golden gauntlets and boots. Golden armour with broad, wing-shaped, triple-layered spaulders protected his torso while golden faulds hung from his belt to provide reinforced protection for his crotch, hips and thighs. Mounted on his back was a cicada-shaped backpack.

What was most distinct about this suit was the chestplate which held the face of his classic default form in the centre while being surrounded by miniature faces of the Showa Riders whose powers he possessed.

This was his true Ultimate Form: Kamen Rider Showa Legacy.

Fortunately, Showa did not experience any kind of glitching with this form. Good, it was stable. At least, for now.

"Ridol Whip!" Showa shouted as he summoned X's signature weapon into his hand. He lunged forward and slashed ReVenge, cutting trails of golden energy across her armour.

ReVenge let out an angry shout as she swung her sword again, but he twisted the Ridol Stick around and knocked the weapon from her hand, delivering another slash with the Ridol Whip as he ran past.

"Revolcane!"

Showa's Ridol flashed and was replaced by the signature weapon of Black RX. He delivered several more vicious slashes, forcing her to backpedal.

"Blaster Arm!"

Passing RX's Revolcane into his left hand, Showa changed his right arm into Riderman's Blaster Arm. He fired multiple bursts and knocked ReVenge violently to the ground, cancelling her transformation.

"You're finished, Eisenberg," Showa said, lowering his Blaster Arm.

"It's not fair," Viviana muttered through her clenched teeth.

"What?" Showa asked as he paused.

"It's not fair!" Viviana screamed, startling him as she picked herself back up, her body morphing into the monstrous form of Another Showa. "It's not fair at all! You killed hundreds of innocent people, tore apart countless families and you think you can call yourself a hero?! And then you get rewarded with a wife and a brat, and even get to be a princess' goddamned consort?! How fucked up is karma?! After everything you've done, all the deaths you've caused, you get to live a perfect life while your victims rot! That's not right! A monster like you doesn't deserve any of that! So why!? Why did you get blessed with everything?!"

"And you think what you're doing is any better?! Is the world a better place now!? Wake up and open your damn eyes!" Showa yelled back, spreading his arms. "GIN-SHOCKER has taken over, people are sleeping on the streets, hooked on drugs, or have become corrupt! The world is on the brink of collapse and you're either too blind or too stupid to even care! I became a hero so I could atone for the sins I committed as BLACK 13! I have to live with those sins every day and I have nowhere to look except the future! It's funny how you're so angry about how I killed your parents but then you went back in time and murdered my Kaa-chan! She was completely innocent!"

"It had to be done for the good of the world. She had to die so a monster like you would never be born," Another Showa justified, snarling. "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Now you feel all that pain you caused me years ago."

Showa's eyes glowed angrily as he started to inch forward. He was done listening to her justify her actions. As he was about to reach her, a swift blur cut in front of him and pounced on Another Showa.

"Shinjiro?!" Showa yelled in shock as he watched his son go on the attack. No, it was more like Jura had gone berserk.

"You killed Obaachan!" Jura screamed as he straddled Another Showa and punched her repeatedly in the face. Growing up without a father, Shinjiro was raised by his mother and grandparents. He was particularly close to his grandmother Shiori. When he decided to join this mission, he tried to keep his anger on a tight leash. However, when Viviana carelessly dismissed his grandmother's death as just a means to hurt his father, he just lost it.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Another Showa yelled as she tried to fend him off. However, it was like trying to fend off an angry lion as he struck with intense ferocity.

"You killed Obaachan! You killed Obaachan!" Jura repeated as he rained blows down on her.

"Get off me!" Another Showa fired an optic blast straight into Jura's eyes. He screamed as he threw his hands up to his face. She used this chance to throw him off her and get out from under him.

"Jiro!" Showa shouted as he rushed to his son's aid. "Are you OK!?"

"I'm fine," Jura assured him as he removed his hands from his visor. There was some damage but nothing too serious.

"You bitch!" Showa cussed at her for hurting his son.

"He made me do it!" Another Showa defended. She saw Zi-O and Decade Showa coming at her for an attack and her eyes flashed as she released an energy pulse, freezing them in place. She did not just freeze the two Riders. She had also frozen time. "Looks like we need to continue this some other time, BLACK 13. But allow me to leave you with a few playmates to entertain you." She spread her arms and opened nine portals behind her. "Auf wiedersehen." Withdrawing from the battle, she stepped into one of the portals and it vanished once she went through it. As soon as she was gone, time resumed and a new group of Another NUMBERS emerged from the remaining portals.

The first of the new Another NUMBERS resembled a humanoid hornet. Its body was a technorganic nightmare of yellow chitin that was marked by black stripes and mismatched armoured plating that was bolted together. It had one compound eye and a visor bolted on the left side of its face, with a targeting system built-in. For weapons, it had a harpoon launcher mounted on its left arm and a minigun mounted on its right arm. Tattooed on its left knee was the number 0. This was Another Zero.

Another Zero was followed by another monstrous nightmare with a head that looked like a skull that was fused with a heart monitor. Power cables could be seen hanging from its spinal cord. It had suction cups on its fingertips and circular mouths in its palms that were lined with sharp teeth. Its right forearm was marked with the number 01. This was Another Scanner.

Next to Another Scanner was a creature that had a slim figure with a huge skirt that resembled a spider's abdomen. Like a spider, it had eight limbs, six of them being its arms. The chest area was decorated by a set of eight eyeballs that rolled around in all directions. Its head had spider-like mandibles, a thin red visor and eight spider eyes dotted on its forehead. The markings on its skirt made the number 07. This was Another Arachnea.

The next Another NUMBER had a brown and silver body with elongated limbs. It carried a fiddle while large speakers were mounted on its shoulders and chest. Its head resembled a cricket's but half of it was covered by a white Phantom of the Opera mask. Etched on its left shoulder was the number 08. This was Another Musician.

Rolling out of a portal beside Another Musician was a creature with a big and fat body that was covered in thick armoured plating. The shell on its back was covered in spikes and instead of hands, it had spiked balls. Lacking a head, its beady black eyes were set on its chest with a large mouth on the stomach that was stitched shut. Painted on its right leg was the number 09. This was Another Armadillo.

Flying out of its portal was a creature with a slender build that was draped in a black coat with a mantis' head on its chest. It had long spindly arms with sharp scythe-like blades that grew out of its forearms while twisted thorns covered its lower legs. The head looked demonic, like the skull of an oni, while the horns resembled curved sickle blades. Strangely enough, it was wearing a witch's hat that was crooked at the top and a garland of dead orchids around its neck. This creature also rode a large pink scythe like a witch's broom. Stamped on its right hand was the number 11. This was Another Carmen.

Finally, the biggest of them stepped out of its portal. Standing at ten feet tall, he had a white body that looked like it was wearing a jumpsuit and chitinous exoskeleton armour. Its head was orange with a set of horns but it lacked visible eyes. Mounted on its shoulders were large termite heads. On its stomach was a skull-like face. Spikes grew from its arms and legs. Instead of hands, it possessed a pair of wicked chainsaws. It was marked with the number 02 on its right side. This was Another Slasher.

The new Another NUMBERS surrounded the four Riders, ready to move in for the kill. Another Bomber was also prepared to drop another salvo on them in case they managed to survive. Standing back to back, the four Riders stared down the Another NUMBERS who looked ready to rip them to shreds.

"Well, guess we're going to have to fight our way out," Decade decided as returned to his default form. He cracked his knuckles and got into a fighting stance.

"No, they're mine," Showa growled as he had already calculated the best way to dispatch them.

"Alright, be my guest," Decade permitted and Showa obliged as he called upon his power. Four portals manifested to orbit around the four Riders. Fortunately, they did not glitch this time. Eyes glowing brightly, Showa called out the name of his attack.

"Chronicle Crusade!"

The portal rotated around them, shooting out laser blasts at the Another NUMBERS and sending them scrambling for cover. Now that they were divided, it was time to conquer.

"Now, let's play," Showa growled. He flew at Another Zero who fired its minigun at him. Showa's body flashed as he turned into water, flowing past the hail of bullets until he reached Another Zero. Once he was within range, he reformed and sliced Another Zero's head off with his Bioblade. Its head rolled off its shoulders and oily black blood burst out of the stump like a fountain.

Another Scanner fired dark beams from its hands to try and absorb Showa's energy. The gold Rider simply leapt over the beams to land a dropkick that threw Another Scanner to the ground. Pinning Another Scanner down with his foot, Showa grabbed hold of its head with his bare hands and ripped it off along with its spinal column. He dropped the head and crushed it under his foot.

Another Slasher came at Showa next but he just leapt high into the sky and used Kamen Rider J's power to grow his right leg to gigantic size and squash Another Slasher like a bug under his foot. As his leg shrunk back to normal size, he saw Another Carmen coming at him with its scythe. He successfully trapped it with Riderman's Net Arm. While Another Carmen was bundled up in the net, he swung it like a wrecking ball to smash Another Arachnea to the ground.

The spider-like Another Arachnea scrambled to its feet and fired lasers from its six arms to paralyze Showa but the beams just bounced off his armour. He warped right in front of Another Arachnea and delivered a Rider Chop that cleaved it straight down the middle. Another Carmen managed to free itself from the net only to be hit in the head with a Cross Shuriken. It exploded, blowing its head clean off and its headless body dropped beside Another Arachnea's remains.

Another Armadillo came rolling towards Showa who was ready for him. Gathering nature's energy into his fist, he waited for Another Armadillo to come within striking range before he delivered a powerful and explosive Super-1 Power Hand-enhanced punch. The blow blasted Another Armadillo's armour to pieces. Completely exposed, nothing could protect it as Showa tossed it a Focus Bomb. It caught the explosive on reflex and it exploded. When the smoke cleared, only Another Armadillo's legs remained as its upper torso was blown up.

Another Musician hit Showa with sonic blasts as it played its fiddle. After gathering energy into his Spark Core, Showa unleashed V3's Reverse Double Typhoon. Not only was Another Musician blown away by the attack, but its body was also completely obliterated.

"OK, not bad," Decade admitted as they just witnessed Showa use his Showa Rider powers to single-handedly destroy the Another NUMBERS. Zi-O was awed by his level of power as Showa proved himself to be a one-man army against the Another NUMBERS.

Showa was not quite done as he took to the sky to engage Another Bomber. The dragonfly-aircraft hybrid monster began firing at him with the large laser guns it had mounted on its body. Showa ignored the laser fire and executed Skyrider's Sky Drill. He flew straight through Another Bomber, spinning his body to pierce the living aircraft's hull like a drill before he burst out the other end. Explosions went off all over Another Bomber's body as it plummeted and crashed far from where the Rider's stood and blew up.

Landing on the ground, Showa exhaled as he reverted to his default Chronicle Form. Dispatching the Another NUMBERS like that had taken a lot out of him.

"I know what we have to do," Showa decided. "We're going to go back in time to save my mother."

"You mean kill Eisenberg before she kills your mom," Decade translated. Showa said nothing to refute this, seemingly confirming Decade's words.

"What about Kaa-chan?" Jura asked. Didn't they need to go find her to make sure she was OK?

"If this works, then everything will go back to normal," Showa assured his son. He opened up a space-time portal that would take them to the past but then the portal glitched and vanished completely. He tried to open the portal again but it failed to appear this time. "Dammit!"

"Looks like your powers aren't quite stable yet," Decade observed.

"Ranma, you can take us back to the past," Showa demanded. The Dimensional Walls could take them through time and space across the Multiverse so the Destroyer of Worlds could easily take them back in time.

"Yeah, about that. Sorry but I can't," Decade shook his head. Showa was instantly upon him, angrily grabbing him by the collar.

"And why the hell not!?" Showa demanded. "You said this world is about to be destroyed in less than 24 hours! If we stop Eisenberg before she changes the timeline, then we save my mother and the whole world!"

"Look, if I could take us back in time don't you think I would've taken us there already?" Decade retorted. "Or do you need proof?" He raised a Dimensional Wall. "There, go ahead."

Showa released Decade and approached the Dimensional Wall. He walked towards it but he could not pass through. He tried to force his way through but the wall barred him entry.

"Dammit! No!" Showa shouted as he slammed his fists against the Dimensional Wall. "Let me through, dammit! Let me through!"

"Eisenberg knows that you'll try to stop her from killing your mom so she made sure nothing could stop her," Decade explained as he dropped the Dimensional Wall.

Showa let out a cry of frustration and collapsed to his knees. Tears welled up in his eyes, thankfully concealed by his mask.

"All this power...what's the point in having it if I can't even save Kaa-chan...?" This feeling of powerlessness was the same feeling he had when his mom got hit by a car and he could not use Return to the Past to undo it. Now, if he wanted to go back in time, he would have to find a Weeping Angel and hope it sent him to the right year. While those creatures were more than likely to send him further back in time and trap him somewhere to feed on his potential time energy until the end of his life, it was a risk he was willing to take so he could save his mother.

"Tou-san..." Jura spoke softly as he knelt beside his father and gently rubbed his back. It must be killing him that he could not go back in time to save Shiori.

"Look, it's not hopeless," Zi-O assured Showa. "If we defeat Eisenberg and destroy her Anotherwatch in the present, then we can go back in time and stop her before she kills your mom."

"Are you sure about that?" Showa asked. It sounded like a long shot.

"I am," Zi-O nodded reassuringly as he offered Showa his hand. "Everything will turn out OK. I promise." Trusting Zi-O's words, Showa took his hand and let him help him up.

"Wait, does anyone hear that?" Jura asked.

"Hear what?" Zi-O questioned.

"Listen."

The Riders listened and heard the sound of an engine growing louder and drawing closer. Suddenly, a bike soared over the crater and hung in the air before it landed in the crater with them.

A dark figure dismounted from the bike - a Harley Davidson with a skeletal motif. The rider wore a black leather bodysuit that had a gunmetal grey chestplate bolted on. The chestplate was sculpted to resemble pectorals and a six-pack. Over his top, he wore a leather biker jacket with metal shoulder pads.

Around his waist was a belt with a skull-shaped buckle that had holsters for his twin sawed-off double-barrel shotguns. Black elbow-length gloves and knee-high boots with gunmetal grey armour plating adorned his limbs while a red scarf hung from his neck.

Finally, his head was covered by a gunmetal grey helmet that resembled a human skull, with a mouthplate that made him look like he was grinning. A slash mark went over each of his red eyes to resemble scars.

"Director Smith...?" Showa questioned as the stranger's suit resembled Warren's Skull Rider Wraith costume. It was also what inspired his own Black Skull costume.

"I saw how you destroyed those things," the Skull Rider said, pointing at Showa. "Good job, by the way."

"You were spying on us?" Showa accused.

"No, I was observing and I can tell you're just the kind of people we could use in the Resistance."

"The Resistance?" Jura asked. "You're fighting against GIN-SHOCKER, aren't you?"

"That's right," the Skull Rider confirmed. "And you're definitely not with GIN-SHOCKER."

"How can you tell?" Showa questioned. "You don't even know us."

"I have a gut feeling that you're not with GIN-SHOCKER and I always trust my gut."

"Are you the 'Skull Killer' I heard about on the news?" Showa asked. This guy appeared to fit the name.

"Yeah," the Skull Rider confirmed. "That's what they call me but I actually go by 'Skull Mask'."

"And you're an assassin."

"I'm whatever the Resistance needs me to be."

"I see. Your gut tells you to trust us but if you want us to trust you then we need to meet face to face," Shinichi said as he disengaged his armour.

"I see. No problem," Skull Mask didn't hesitate to remove his helmet, revealing his face. He was an older gentleman who looked like he was nearing his fifties, with blue eyes and shaggy black hair that was turning grey at the roots. He had some thick stubble and dark rings under his eyes like he did not sleep well.

Shinichi instantly recognized him. He had seen pictures of him and while he might look older than in the pictures, Shinichi knew who he was.

"Tou-chan...?"

END OF ACT 7

Dr. KRC: So this chapter was intense. We see the Another NUMBERS, vicious monsters that serve Viviana in the Altered 91. We also learn that the Riders are unable to go back to 1968 to save Shiori because Viviana blocked access to that time. Also, the Skull Killer appears and Shinichi is surprised by the man under the mask. Meanwhile, Alan is going to attempt to break through Viviana's blockade to help his brother. Hope he succeeds. Shinichi is going to need his help.

Tailsmo4ever: Another action-filled chapter, with Shinichi finally meeting his father. I imagine him being voiced by Takehito Koyasu. That guy needs no introduction.