"The team has returned, Professor Kyofu," Weapon B reported. B was a tall man in a tuxedo with a metal mask on his face. He stood across from Professor Kyofu who sat behind his desk while he had his Cyberdeck turned on. On the wall to his right, he hung his numerous PhDs, a large portrait of himself with a smug look on his face and next to it was a tiny portrait of Gebok that he used as a dartboard. A shelf full of books stood against the opposite wall.

"Oh, how did Operation: SUBTRACTION go?" Kyofu asked expectantly with his hands steepled on his Italian maple desk, eager to hear the good news.

"They attacked the village as ordered and managed to wipe out half the population before they were ordered to withdraw," B answered.

"Were the NUMBERS killed?" Kyofu wanted to hear that the cyborgs were permanently scrapped.

"The NUMBERS designated as 02 and 08 were killed by Weapon M and Weapon X. The rest managed to survive."

"DAMMIT!" Kyofu cursed. He was hoping to wipe out all those pests in one fell swoop but they were just as persistent as an infestation. "I HOPE you don't have more bad news for me."

"...Weapon C and Weapon K did not return with the team."

"WHAT did I just SAY!?" Kyofu yelled as he stood up, slamming his palms on his desk, rattling his Cyberdeck and binders. He exhaled and calmed down before sitting back down. "What's their STATUS?"

"Currently, unknown," B answered. "We lost our connection with them. It is likely they have been killed."

"Che," Kyofu clicked his tongue in annoyance. "They LOSE two and we lose TWO as well. FINE, whatever. They can be REPLACED and MOST of them did RETURN. Is there any MORE bad NEWS?"

"It appears that the EMP did not completely hamper all of the NUMBERS, Professor. 09 was able to put up a fight against Weapon V using some kind of biomechanical implant that allowed him to generate weapons. And 11 was able to create a horde of creatures that wiped out our remaining Psycho Soldiers as the team was about to withdraw," B reported.

"11 possesses the ability to create ILLUSIONS so it was just one of her TRICKS," Kyofu countered. "But this does SOUND concerning. Perhaps the EMP could not PREVENT her from ACCESSING her powers. As for this NEW development with 09, it's probably something Magi had given him so that his PET project had a bit more POWER. The EMP may not be able to affect something BIOMECHANICAL."

"There is one other thing, Professor. Weapon H informed me that he fought a Rider that we have no records of and he claims that he could change into some sort of werewolf-like form."

"An UNKNOWN Rider? And it's a werewolf?" Kyofu wondered.

"There were also others at the scene fighting our forces besides the NUMBERS," B informed Kyofu whose eyes narrowed.

"Tell me MORE," Kyofu ordered.

"There was a young alien woman with psychic abilities, a woman with green skin that could manipulate green energy to create hard-light constructs, a woman with super-strength, a blonde woman who wielded unknown energies, a silver-haired woman and a child who both possess lupine features, a woman and a child with plant-like abilities, a blonde woman who could transmute her limbs into weapons, a flying woman with pink hair who trapped our soldiers in pink crystal, a little girl who sent one of our Psycho Soldiers flying with a single punch and a young boy with geokinesis," B listed.

"Where are these FREAKS coming from?" Kyofu questioned. "Does that place BREED them or something?"

"I am not sure where these unknown elements came from but their presence did not prevent our forces from wiping out half the village as planned," B answered. "But we did manage to identify one of them: Chaos Doll was among the group."

"Chaos Doll?" Kyofu repeated. "Gebok's other PUPPET? I assume the EMP killed it as well, YES?"

"Correct, Professor. It was shut down as soon as the EMP generators activated," B answered.

"In that case, that makes TWO of Gebok's Magnum Opuses turned into scrap!" Kyofu chuckled. "More good news than bad news, I suppose."

"But Professor, did Weapon D tell you exactly how her mission to eliminate BLACK 13 went? Did she provide you with details?" B questioned. Weapon D was special as she, like himself, reported directly to Professor Kyofu.

"The only DETAILS that matter is that he's DEAD!"

B frowned. Though Kyofu did not appear concerned with 11 and 09's abilities, B was a bit more cautious. This went way beyond the basic information Kyofu had on the NUMBERS. Those black creatures that 11 summoned did not appear to be illusions. As for 09's biomechanical implant, it did not sound like something that was made on Earth.

"I see. So, what's next, Professor?" B inquired.

"We'll move on to the next PHASE and inform the press about this TRAGEDY," Kyofu said as he feigned sadness while wiping away an imaginary tear. "But first, go tell our people to have a PARTY. They deserve a REWARD for their hard work."

"I'll be sure to tell them, Professor," B said as he bowed before he turned and left Kyofu's office. Kyofu turned his leather chair around to look out the window behind him and stood up. He put his hands behind his back and took a deep breath. He then went over to the portrait of Gebok and took out the darts that were sticking out of the eyes.

"Gebok, it looks like your 'MASTERPIECE' is NO longer with us," Kyofu said. "Too bad, so sad. He just could NOT keep up with my masterpiece. My D has proven herself to be SUPERIOR to your BRAT! And soon, very SOON, I will succeed where you FAILED! "HaHAaHAhaHaHAaHhAhahAHahAhaAHa!" Kyofu stabbed the portrait's eyes with his darts repeatedly, all while laughing maniacally.

Showa Chronicles: Road to Annihilation

Act VI: The Hornet's Nest Has Been Kicked

When Shinichi arrived in Hinamizawa, he was shell-shocked as he found himself standing in the aftermath of a bloody massacre. Bodies were strewn all around him and from the looks of it, it was half the village's population. This carnage was exactly the thing he feared and wanted to prevent when he decided to hunt Gebok down and stop him for good all those years ago. This time, it had become a reality, and all orchestrated by another madman.

"Shin!" Michiru called out as she came running towards him with Shogo in tow. He saw that Shogo was covered in bandages made from Hana's webbing. As the web bandages were soaked in Hana's special healing venom, he was able to recover from the injuries he had sustained from his fight with Jota.

"What happened here? Are my parents alright? Is my little brother OK?" Shinichi questioned in a cold and even tone, his blood simmering. Michiru paused when she sensed his tranquil fury.

"You better come with me," Michiru urged Shinichi, looking grim. He did not like the sound of that. He followed Michiru who took him to where Hana was tending to the wounded with Dr. Irie's help.

The doctor had managed to hide in the clinic's basement where Shiori and Sho found him. In his haste and panic, he had forgotten to lock the basement door. It was just fortunate that he had not been found and killed.

"Onii-chan!" Hanyuu jogged up to Shinichi and he could see bruises on her face. Hana had treated her with some of her healing venom as well so the swelling had gone down.

"Hanyuu-chan, what happened to you?" Shinichi asked worriedly. "You look like you were in a fight."

"I'm fine," Hanyuu assured him. "But the others..." She could not finish as she began sobbing.

"Shinichi, you need to see this." Michiru ushered Shinichi over to the two bodies that were covered in cloth. Shinichi lifted one up to find Daichi with numerous grievous wounds on his body. When he went to check on Chiaki's body, he saw that it had been split in half.

Leviathan was kneeling beside Daichi's body, grieving. She had appeared once she felt that Daichi's life was in danger but by the time she showed up, it was already too late. She stood and marched around Daichi's body to roughly grab him by his collar.

"Why weren't you here!?" she demanded as furious tears ran down her face. Shinichi had no answer that could satisfy her so instead he pulled her into a sympathetic hug. She sobbed into his chest as he held her.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Shinichi apologised and gently released her.

"There's more," Michiru said sadly as she went to show Shinichi the rest of the bodies and he was afraid to see who else had died. They found Conda's body among the dead and recognised her wounds as electrical burns. She had been electrocuted to death. Daiki was on his knees next to her, his head lowered to hide his tears.

If Conda was here did that mean Alan and the others were here as well? He got his answer when he spotted Yami holding Alice's body. She was mourning the death of her adopted child. Alan was not here then. If he was then Shinichi would not have come home to see half the villagers dead. Alan would have found a way to save them all.

Shinichi's heart broke further when he found the bodies of his stepfather and Mion. Kasai's body lay beside Mion's with a cloth covering his face while she had a bloody wound on her chest. Keiichi grieved beside his wife's body as Shiori sat devastated, sobbing over Kasai's body. Fortunately, she had Rika to offer her comfort. Shion, Satoshi and Satoko were grieving over Mion's death as well, holding each other for comfort.

"Kaa-chan," Shinichi said softly as she knelt beside his mother. "Are you OK?"

"Oh, Shinji!" Shiori put her arms around her son, sobbing into his shoulder. He gently patted his back. "It was horrible!"

"Where's Sho?" he asked. "Is he alright?"

"He's fine," Rika answered. "He's with the rest of the kids."

"Good," Shinichi nodded. His brother did not need to see this.

"What will you do now?" Rika asked. She knew that look on his face. It was the look he had whenever he was about to take action.

"I'm going to fix this and then I'm going to make the people responsible pay," Shinichi coldly resolved as he stood up, spreading his wings before he warped into the sky. With a bird's eye view of the village, he could now see all the death and devastation in its entirety now and sense the grief that permeated the land but he had a way to make things better.

"Return to the past..." Holding his hands out, his eyes glowed as his pupils resembled a clock, and he called upon his most powerful ability. "NOW!"

The Return to the Past was Shinichi's most powerful ability, allowing him to reverse time on a large scale. Whenever he used it, he could turn back time to up to 24 hours and undo everything that had happened within that time. It was like a global reset button that even allowed him to undo death itself.

Moving his arms in a circular counterclockwise motion, a giant construct of a clock face appeared over the village and the hands began moving in the same direction as his limbs. Time turned backwards and everyone's injuries began to fade while all the damage was undone as the village was restored. The villagers were in awe as they witnessed a miracle.

"Shinichi-niichan, thank you," Hanyuu whispered gratefully as she put her hands together in prayer.

The bodies of the recently deceased began to show signs of life as eyes began to open and limbs began to move.

"What...happened...?" Mion sat up, groaning. "Was it all...a dream?"

"Mion!" Keiichi hugged her tightly "You're alive!"

"Kei-chan?" Mion gasped in surprise.

"Onee!"

"Mion-san!"

"Mion!"

Shion, Satoko and Satoshi immediately joined Keiichi to give Mion a group hug.

"Guys, you're hugging me too tight!" Mion yelled as she struggled to endure their love and relief.

Conda's eyes fluttered open as air raced back into her lungs.

"What happened...?" Conda wondered as she sat up in confusion.

"Mom!" Conda was instantly hugged by a happy and relieved Daiki.

"Dai...?" Conda was surprised as she hugged her adopted son back. "What's going on? Why are you crying?"

"You're alive...you're alive...you're alive..." Daiki cried tears of joy. He did not care if anyone saw him cry. These were manly tears of joy.

"Auntie Conda!" came a cry as Conda was suddenly glomped by Lulu. Adam quietly joined Lulu as he hugged Conda as well. Though Conda may seem standoffish to most, to the rest of the children of the Smith household she was their beloved aunt.

"Conda!" wailed Bishie as she ran up to her 'sister', tears gushing out of her eyes as if they were fountains.

Alice was also revived as she came back online and opened her eyes, much to Yami's relief. The bio-android girl blinked in confusion when she found herself in her mother's arms. She looked at her mother's face who was trying to fight back tears of joy and failing.

"Mommy?" questioned the confused Alice as Yami hugged her.

"Thank goodness…thank goodness…" Yami uttered as she held her daughter tight. After the EMP had shut Alice down, Yami believed she had lost her baby girl forever. Thankfully, Shinichi's Return to the Past managed to bring her back.

Amora and Jade were turned back to normal as well. After they had been turned into dolls by Agito Magic, Celine quickly scooped them up to keep them safe. Lala hugged Jade, tears streaming down her cheeks, while Nozomu and Celine were making sure Amora was OK.

"Are you OK, Auntie Amora?" Celine asked.

"Yes, dear child," Amora smiled warmly as she patted Celine's flower. Withdrawing her hand, her face twisted into a scowl as magical energy illuminated her eyes. "But I swear by the Allfather that someone is going to pay for this."

Daichi unhappily groaned as he was revived and tossed away the cloth covering his body.

"Dammit, did we die again?" Daichi complained.

"Yes, you did, you asshole," Leviathan said as she wiped the tears from her eyes before punching him gently on the chest. "How dare you die before I get to kill you?"

"Love you too, Levi." He put an arm around her to pull her against him, showing affection despite being in public. He normally avoided public displays of affection but he would make an exception just this once.

When Chiaki woke up, the first thing he did was unbutton his shirt to check that his body was back in one piece. There was not even a scar left. Suddenly, Hanyuu threw herself at him, hugging her fiancé tightly.

"You're back!" Hanyuu cheered and Chiaki gently rubbed her back. He did not say anything. He did not have to.

"What the Hell!?" AI-Shin wondered as he reactivated and floated up to scan his surroundings. "What the fuck happened? Did I take a nap or something?" He floated over to Shiori to see her crying as she hugged Kasai. "Kaa-chan, are you OK?"

"I'm fine, Shin," Shiori smiled at the sphere droid. "Everything is OK."

"SPRINKLES!" Yokoshima cheered happily as his pet warbot stood up, back in one piece, and good as new. "YOU'RE ALIVE!"

"AFFIRMATIVE, MASTER. I AM ONLINE AND FULLY FUNCTIONAL," Sprinkles responded, and he knelt down so Yokoshima could pet him.

"And you were such a good boy, Sprinkles! Good boy! Good boy!" Yokoshima praised. Sprinkles may not be a dog, but he had done his research on how they behaved. As he lacked a tail to wag, Sprinkles stomped his right leg repeatedly in what appeared to be a show of happiness.

In a flash of gold, Asmodeus appeared as well as she posed provocatively.

"Ta-dah! I'm back too, baby!" she cheered and Yokoshima immediately hugged her too, burying his face between her breasts.

"You're OK! Thank goodness! You're OK!" he cried as he rubbed his face between her breasts. Watching her get her head blown up was probably pretty traumatic for him so he was just so relieved to see she was alive.

"You can thank Beatrice-sama for that," Asmodeus said as she tenderly held him while patting his head soothingly. "I'm sorry that I scared you."

"You're sorry!? I should be sorry!" Yokoshima exclaimed. "I couldn't protect you and you got your head blown up!"

"You don't need to be sorry, Yoko-kun," Asmodeus smiled. "Listen, how about you and I go someplace private so I can give you a 'mouth present'?" She licked her lips suggestively as she rubbed his crotch. "I'm craving some big, juicy, meaty sausage! And maybe later you can have some sweet b-o-o-t-y!" She smacked her ass for emphasis. "It's so big and juicy that you wanna sink your teeth in it."

"Seriously, Asmodeus!" Leviathan snapped as she witnessed how indecent her sister was behaving. "Time and place!"

Asmodeus stuck her tongue out at her sister then she proceeded to shove her tongue into Yokoshima's mouth as they shared a deep and passionate French kiss.

Leviathan looked envious then she went and grabbed Daichi to kiss him deeply as well. The way she was kissing him, it was like she was trying to steal his breath away.

"When we get home, and after I put Sho-chan to bed, I am going to ride you until your hips break!" Shiori sensually threatened as she hugged Kasai to death. After watching him die, she needed comfort.

"Um...Shiori..." Kasai blushed. He had grown accustomed to his wife's sexual appetite and he knew she would do what she promised.

Thanks to Shinichi's Return to the Past, it was like the attack never happened as the injured were healed, the dead were brought back to life, and the buildings were repaired. As he descended from the sky and tucked his wings back into his body, the villagers gazed upon him in awe, speechless. The miracle he had performed was nothing less than an act of a god. Hopefully, they did not start kneeling and bowing to him in worship. That would be too awkward.

"Kaa-chan," Shinichi said and Shiori released her husband to hug her son tightly.

"Thank you! Thank you so much! You are a miracle worker, Shinji!" Shiori cried tears of joy.

"I couldn't just leave everyone dead," he reasoned as he hugged her back before he addressed his stepfather. "How are you feeling, Otousan?"

"I'm fine, thanks to you," Kasai smiled but Shinichi did not return his smile. "What's wrong? You should be pleased."

"I should've been here," Shinichi lamented. "If I was, then maybe I could've helped and stopped this from happening."

"It's not your fault this happened. You had a wedding to plan and it's not like you left the village defenceless. Your team was here to protect it," Kasai reassured him. "They just took us by surprise, that's all."

"Tatsuyoshi-kun's right, Shinji," Shiori agreed. "You couldn't have known this was going to happen. You shouldn't blame yourself." She was aware that her son had a bit of a complex as he held the whole world upon his shoulders so he felt responsible for not being here when they were in danger.

"I could at least erase your memories so you won't have to live with the trauma," Shinichi offered. His mother had witnessed her husband's violent death. The experience would leave her with nightmares.

"I know how traumatic it was. But even the bad memories are part of us. You can't just erase the bad parts of our lives, not unless you had no other choice."

"Your mother's right," Kasai added. "Our memories, the good and the bad are part of life. Even your bad memories helped you become who you are."

"I'm just glad you're both OK now," Shinichi smiled.

"But if you are still offering to erase this day from someone's memory, can you do it for Sho?" Shiori requested. "I don't want him to have any nightmares after this." Her youngest son had witnessed his father's violent death. He did not need to live with those memories if she could help it.

"I'll swing by later to take care of that. Now, excuse me. I need to check on my friends."

Shinichi went over to Mion who was trapped in the middle of a group hug as Satoshi, Shion, Satoko and Keiichi surrounded her.

"Shin-chan! Help!" Mion yelled as she was being suffocated by their relief and affection. "I'm dying here!"

"Just let them have this, Mion," Shinichi chuckled. "You were dead just a few minutes ago."

"You know after the miracle you just pulled, the villagers are going to start worshipping you, right?" Michiru asked.

"Like they haven't already," Shinichi retorted, rolling his eyes. He knew the survivors would look at him like some kind of deity as only gods held dominion over life and death. "Let them do what they want, as long as they keep it on the down low and don't start making idols in my image." He would need to ask Chiaki not to take any such commissions. "So, can anyone please tell me why I came home to the aftermath of a bloody massacre?"

"It started when these people came to cause trouble at the festival. There were just three of them at first before they suddenly brought an army and started killing people," Michiru answered.

"We saw them too," Kotonaha said as she came with Megan.

"Dr. Katsura? Megan?" Shinichi questioned as he saw them. He was not surprised to see Megan since she came along with the other members of Alan's harem but he was not expecting to see Kotonoha.

"They were psychics, strong ones. Their brainwave patterns were unlike anything I'd felt before. We managed to fend them off, but..." Megan trailed, unable to say anymore.

"You saw what happened," Michiru finished.

"How were they able to do this?" Shinichi questioned. The NEO-NUMBERS had faced worse so how could an army of psychics cause so much damage?

"They used an emp field to weaken us," Yokoshima answered.

"He means an EMP," Shogo corrected. "And it prevented us from transforming."

"That's what I said."

"I think we should continue this talk back at the Hive Tower," Hana suggested. "We can fill you in on everything there. Hopefully, Sheila has saved some footage from the attack."

"Good idea," Shinichi agreed.

"Can we come with you too?" Lala asked. Gathered with her were the rest of Alan's harem.

"Sure," Shinichi nodded. He would need input from them as well.

"Hold on, we're coming too," Ryuji said as he joined them with Kotonoha. Shinichi was not surprised to see Ryuji as he and his wife never went on missions without each other.

"Fine, but we're taking the express route," Shinichi said as he opened up a portal. "Try not to throw up."

"Alice, could you look after the other kids while we're gone?" Yami asked.

"Sure, you can count on me, Mommy," Alice saluted and Yami suddenly hugged her. "Mommy?"

"You were really brave today and I was so scared I lost you. You make me proud to be your mother."

Alice smiled warmly as she returned the hug and then watched her adoptive mother join the group. As the group stepped into Shinichi's portal, Joe Black sighed as he looked at his ledger and watched the names vanish from the pages.

"There goes my death quota." He closed his ledger and turned to depart but paused to see the portal wink out of existence. "But things are starting to get interesting."

The group stepped out of the space-time portal and into the Hive Tower's command centre. Originally, everything had been fried by the EMP but Shinichi's Return to the Past had restored the tower's systems.

"Hey, I got a question," Yokoshima said as he raised his hand. "Shin, you've got time powers, right? Couldn't you just, you know, go back in time and stop the attack from happening in the first place?"

"Yokoshima, we've been over this," Shinichi sighed. "If I did that, it would cause a paradox." Paradoxes were like tangles in the timeline and difficult to unravel. It was why Shinichi wanted to avoid causing them as much as possible. The last paradox he got caught in nearly collapsed the timeline and threatened to erase the universe.

"OK, but could you explain it to me, again, please?"

"I feel like I'm the only one who understands temporal mechanics and the space-time continuum," Shinichi grumbled. "I came back to do my Return to the Past because Satoko called me after you all were attacked. If I had gone back in time, and stopped the attack, then Satoko would not have needed to call me, which means that there would be no reason for me to go back in time in the first place." Shinichi could see that the explanation went over Yokoshima's head and sighed. "Just don't think too hard about it, OK, buddy? It's all just timey-wimey stuff."

"OK! Timey-wimey, got it!" Yokoshima nodded as if that explained everything. Hopefully, that would stave him off from asking more questions about time travel.

"Sheila," Shinichi called and the huge computer monitor came to life as Sheila's holo-avatar appeared. "Sheila, how are you doing?"

"I am functioning at maximum capacity. Please state your query," Sheila stated as her holo-avatar appeared. She appeared as a beautiful woman in her mid-twenties with chin-length bluish hair, dressed in a modest business suit and a matching pencil skirt.

"Sheila!" Yokoshima smiled happily when he saw her. "You're OK!"

"Can you bring up images of the assailants?" Shinichi inquired. The EMP would have erased the footage but his Return to the Past made sure to undo the damage.

"Certainly," Sheila responded and the computer monitor displayed multiple windows to show images of the assailants.

"That's them," Daichi pointed, recognising Kirihara, Kyouya and Sogou. "Those are the assholes that killed us."

"Yeah, and that's the one that blew up Asmo-chan's head!" Yokoshima yelled, pointing at Vega.

"What can you tell me about them?" Shinichi asked.

"They were psychics and they could transform too. The one I fought kinda reminded me of Kamen Rider Agito," Ryuji answered.

"More Agitos?" Shinichi murmured.

"What do you mean 'more'?" Kotonoha asked and then she realised the answer. "You were attacked by one too, weren't you?"

"Yeah, she called herself Weapon D and she claimed that she was created to surpass me," Shinichi nodded. "She trapped me in an EMP barrier to keep me from transforming too. Luckily, I had my other skills and my prototype Driver with me."

"In other words, it was a coordinated attack," Shogo concluded. "Sheila, do you think you could identify them?"

"I have already identified them as members of the Brain Trust Society," Sheila answered as she opened another window to play a recording of Professor Kyofu's press conference and the faces of Alpha Force could be plainly seen.

Conda glared furiously at Weapon U who smiled and waved at the cameras while blowing kisses. She wanted to break every bone in that bitch's body. Amora's fiery gaze was focused sharply on Natsume who did not show any emotion on her face. As Shogo stared at Jota's face, he felt the sting of the burns he received from Jota again even after they had been healed. Elise's face reminded Hana of how helpless she felt after the EMP went off and paralysed her.

"These Espers are a special and rare breed of humans who were born with amazing psychic abilities. I have gathered them and trained them, helping them to perfect their gifts. Now they stand before you as the best of the best. And unlike those cyborgs, they are all one hundred percent human. No artificial enhancements or augmentations whatsoever. They will be the ones to protect you all, not a bunch of machines who pretend to be heroes," Kyofu boasted in the recording before Sheila paused it.

"No artificial enhancements and augmentations my ass. I doubt these so-called 'heroes' are supposed to attack and murder innocent people," Ryuji scoffed as he glared at Daytona and also spotted the Shakespeare-spouter who came to bail him out.

Besides D, Shinichi also recognised Cryska Barchenowa. It seemed in this timeline, that instead of joining Viviana, she had joined Kyofu. Her desire for revenge had not changed, it seemed. Why should it? He did not do anything to change her life at all as the massacre at that Moscow airport still happened.

"Excuse me," Shinichi said as he started to walk to the elevator.

"Where are you going?" Daichi questioned as Shinichi went to the elevator.

"To get some answers," Shinichi answered as he stepped into the elevator before the doors closed. "Sheila, please take me to the third floor. Oh, and could you also identify every single member of Alpha Force and gather any information you can about each of them?"

"Affirmative."

"Thanks." As Shinichi rode the elevator, the Spirits of the Great Treasures of Hinamizawa appeared around him in spirit form.

"We should go and hunt that bastard down!" Gokuaku yelled furiously.

"We will, soon," Shinichi promised. He was not about to let Kyofu get away with this.

"Shinichi, how do you intend to find the answers you seek?" Yabuki questioned.

"There's only one person who could know anything about Kyofu so I'm going to ask him," Shinichi answered.

"It's always wise to gather information on a new enemy if we know nothing about them," Zennin approved. "Although, who is this mysterious source of yours?"

"You'll see," Shinichi answered cryptically.

The elevator stopped at the Recreation Area on the third floor and he stepped out. He walked over to the HoloSim chambers and entered the first one. The walls, ceilings and floor were covered by a grid-like pattern. This room could project lifelike holographic images and there were no limits to what it could create. He tapped the buttons on the control panel on the wall to input the command.

"Sheila, please run the 'Gebok' program," Shinichi commanded. The room changed as the holo-emitters activated, causing the room to shimmer and fade away as it changed into an exact copy of Dr. Gebok's old lab. It looked so real and he remembered every detail as he spent a great deal in this lab. Standing before him was Gebok, generated as an interactive hologram.

"Hello, son," Gebok smirked as he greeted him. Shinichi had to hold in the urge to punch him for calling him that. Just seeing a holographic simulation of the madman who took him as a child and stole ten years of his life made him sick. But he needed answers and this hologram was programmed with the memories and personality of the original Dr. Gebok that had been downloaded from his brain.

"Gebok, I want you to tell me everything you know about Professor Saiba Kyofu," Shinichi requested. Gebok's eyes briefly lit up in recognition, although he immediately relaxed.

"And what makes you think I would know anything about him?" Gebok questioned.

"Because all mad scientists know about each other," Shinichi answered. "You taught me that."

"A bit of a stereotype, but yes, I did know Kyofu," Gebok confirmed. "I haven't heard that name in quite a long time. What is the fool up to now?"

"He started his own little group called the Brain Trust Society but that's not important right now. Was he a member of GIN-SHOCKER?"

"Yes, he was," Gebok confirmed and Shinichi did not seem surprised to hear that. "His focus was on psychic phenomena. Did you know I actually rejected his proposal for his psychic soldier programme? Sure, I could see the potential but we did not have any funding to spare for his research since it was being used for you and the NUMBERS."

"And so that's why he left GIN-SHOCKER. Yet why couldn't we find anything about him in your old files?" Shinichi asked.

"He was dead to GIN-SHOCKER so I had all records of him expunged," Gebok admitted.

"Funny how you can let a person like him go, with how much he knew about GIN-SHOCKER," Shinichi said.

"He wasn't a threat and he knew that trying to expose us would mean forfeiting his life," Gebok reasoned. "The ultimate non-disclosure agreement."

"Yes, 'talk and you die'. So, how much info do you have on him?"

"Only everything up until he left GIN-SHOCKER."

"Then that's where we'll begin."

"Oh, this is going to be fun," Gebok grinned, rubbing his hands together. "I'm so glad we get the chance to spend some quality father-son time together."

"Don't push it, you psycho. We are not bonding over this." Shinichi growled as Gebok brought up Kyofu's file. It appeared as a holographic screen with lines of text written on it. Shinichi used his finger to scroll down the document. "Let's see what we've got on him: PhDs in neuroscience, parapsychology, archaeology and mythology. Anger management issues. Five assassination attempts on you." This made Shinichi look at Gebok. "You let him almost kill you five times?"

"Ah yes, he hated me with a passion and tried to have me killed numerous times. The only reason why I never executed him for it was that tormenting him was such fun," Gebok stated.

"No mention of his kaijin form," Shinichi read as he continued to scroll down the document.

"Because he refused the remodelling process," Gebok interjected. "He firmly believes that psychics were superior to Cyborg Mutants and felt it would be hypocritical to become one."

"'Accelerated human evolution theory. Codename: Agito'," Shinichi read and he finally found what he was looking for. "Bingo."

"Ah, yes," Gebok mused. "I remember this. He brought it up often."

"How so?" Shinichi asked.

"He kept talking about a certain deity and the myth that revolved around the so-called 'Power of Agito'. He firmly believed that this 'Power of Agito' was, in fact, psychic power and became obsessed with it. He even demanded funding for an archaeological dig to unearth more secrets about this fabled 'Power of Agito'," Gebok explained.

"You rejected this proposal too, didn't you?"

"An archaeological dig that large and expansive would have drawn too much unwanted attention," Gebok reasoned. "Quite frankly it wouldn't be worth it. Kyofu, however, vehemently disagreed with the decision. So he left GIN-SHOCKER, swearing that he would find that power himself and prove that the NUMBERS project and all involved with it were as 'dead as the dodos'. He said that, verbatim."

"Hmm," Shinichi grunted as he continued to scroll down the document to learn everything about Kyofu's research into psychic powers. If he and the others were going to combat Kyofu and his Espers, then he was going to make damn sure he studied this man extensively. He then noticed a familiar face. It appeared younger but he recognized it. It was Weapon D but she went by a different name in the document. "Who's 'Reiko Serizawa'?"

"Ah, so she still lives," Gebok noted with a cocked eyebrow.

"Was she part of GIN-SHOCKER too?"

"Yes, and from the looks of things the only surviving member of the original Project Alpha. When Kyofu adopted her, he claimed that her parents were killed in an accident while she was an infant. However..."

"Foul play was involved," Shinichi concluded.

"Of course. Only Washam and Magi could say that they were helping their wards given 04 and 09's circumstances. Do you think someone with an ego as huge as Mt. Fuji would have rescued an infant without any sort of ulterior motive?"

"I doubt it," Shinichi admitted as his frown deepened. It would appear that Kyofu had raised Reiko but he had also brainwashed her to turn her into a loyal soldier. In other words, she was just like him: a killer puppet following the whims of a mad scientist.

"So, now that you know, what will you do, BLACK 13?"

"Sheila, tell everyone to gather in the conference room," Shinichi commanded before he entered the elevator. "Fifth floor." As he rode the elevator back up the fifth floor, he began a mental conversation with Kuro Juusan. "Kuro, do you remember ever meeting Professor Kyofu?"

"I do not," Kuro confessed.

"Why not? You were there and you're supposed to remember everything that happened to us while we were in GIN-SHOCKER."

"That may be true, but I only remember the most important details. If I do not remember Professor Kyofu, it is simply because I was told he was unimportant and not worth remembering."

"Gebok made you delete Kyofu from your memory."

"That is a logical conclusion."

"When Gebok said every bit of info on Kyofu was expunged, he was not kidding," Shinichi muttered. The elevator doors opened when he reached the fifth floor and he stepped out to meet with everyone in the conference room. The conference room had grey carpeting, a long rectangular wooden table and comfortable leather swivel chairs that were currently occupied.

As soon as he arrived, Shinichi took his place at the head of the table. Behind him was a large screen that was regularly used for presentations.

"Sheila, please display Professor Saiba Kyofu," Shinichi commanded, and the holographic screen came on to display Kyofu's face. "This is Professor Saiba Kyofu. He was once a member of GIN-SHOCKER until he resigned from the organisation after his proposal to create a team of Psychic Super Soldiers was repeatedly rejected."

"I heard of that guy," Yokoshima frowned as he recalled Dr. Magi talking about him in the past. "He's the asshole who kept insulting Dad and Dr. Washam for not treating me and Misato as tools."

"So Professor Kyofu was with GIN-SHOCKER?" Shogo asked.

"He must have been pretty butt hurt when his project was rejected," Daichi remarked.

"Wasn't Gebok the one secretly in charge of GIN-SHOCKER?" Hana questioned.

"And Gebok took great pleasure in crushing Kyofu's dreams," Shinichi answered. "Kyofu's psychic research was a means for him to reach what he believed to be the next step in human evolution: Agito. From what we've seen, he seems to have succeeded there."

"What's an Agito though?" Yokoshima asked.

"Basically, a sort of super-advanced Esper. They are human beings blessed by the Overlord of Light with the purpose of surpassing gods. In layman's terms, they are natural-born god killers. Agitos also have the ability to evolve, becoming more powerful over time. That's why the other Overlord, the Overlord of Darkness, wanted the Agitos destroyed before they could reach their full potential. He believed that humans weren't meant to have that kind of power. A fully evolved Agito could literally destroy a god with one punch," Ryuji explained as he knew Rider History thanks to Ryuki.

"They must be pretty weak then if our very own Michiru scared them," Yokoshima boasted. "We were almost goners until she went all God Mode and scared the living shit out of them and sent them all running!"

"Michiru? God Mode?" Shinichi wondered what Yokoshima meant by that.

"I didn't go 'God Mode'. I just went full-on Witch Mode. When I found Hana-chan injured and saw all the dead bodies around me, it ended up triggering the memories of all the bad things we did back when we were in GIN-SHOCKER," Michiru explained, looking down. "And I just snapped."

"In other words, the emotional meltdown you had made you go berserk, but you managed to keep just enough control to direct your anger at the invaders," Jade summarised.

"That swarm of mantis creatures had to be the scariest thing I ever saw," Lala admitted.

Shinichi looked at Michiru. He knew she had become a witch, but he did not know how powerful she had become. He may need to have a talk with her about it.

"Let's get back to the Agitos," Shinichi prompted, bringing everyone's focus back to their discussion. "Chief Katsura, what else do you know about Agitos?"

"I know that they're pretty rare," Ryuji answered. "While only a few people can develop psychic powers, even fewer people have the potential to become Agitos. So how is Kyofu able to find so many?"

"An Agito is basically a super-evolved psychic, right? What if Kyofu is somehow evolving his psychics into Agito through artificial means?" Kotonoha suggested.

"Like a serum?" Hana suggested.

"No way. Agitos aren't like super soldiers," Ryuji objected, holding his chin in thought. "He'd have to have the essence of the Overlord of Light."

"Or something imbued with its essence," Amora proposed. "Gods have a habit of imbuing their power into items. Many mythical items and holy artefacts were blessed by gods of different pantheons and some of these artefacts were granted to people who became legendary heroes. Mjolnir works as an example provided that whoever tries to even hold it is worthy."

"Kyofu wanted GIN-SHOCKER to fund an archaeological dig to learn more about the Agitos. It's like he dug something up that allows him to evolve his psychics into Agitos," Shinichi hypothesised as he folded his arms. "It's too bad we don't have any prisoners we can question. That way we can know for sure."

Using his Return to the Past, he had formed a temporal bubble around the village and reversed time to rebuild the buildings, heal injuries and bring back the dead. He also erased every trace of the threat which meant that the remains of the Psycho Soldiers were also gone.

"Actually, I can help with that," Kotonoha offered as she held up her C3. "I apprehended two of the Espers myself."

"Hold on," Daichi interrupted. "You took down two of them? By yourself?"

"What? Are you saying my wife is weak?" Ryuji growled at the perceived insult. Daichi recoiled slightly as Ryuji glared harshly at him.

"No, no, just surprised," Daichi said, gulping in fear as he felt Ryuji's Killing Intent being directed at him.

"Pardon my interruption, but you may want to see this," Sheila interjected as she turned on the large screen behind Shinichi to show Professor Kyofu at a press conference, standing behind a podium as cameras flashed. He wore a sombre expression, but they could all tell that it was fake.

"I am standing here to inform you that there has been a tragedy. I have just learned that there was a brutal attack on the village of Hinamizawa. Half the population, all innocent villagers, were violently slaughtered!" Kyofu announced. "Do you not find this disgraceful? The NUMBERS call themselves heroes and they could not even protect their little village."

"Oh, that son of a bitch," Daichi growled.

The chatter grew in the crowd of reporters as Kyofu kept going.

"It is very clear that they have become complacent after toppling a tyrant, and now look at what's happened! Pride comes before fall as the saying goes. However, Hinamizawa will be avenged! Make no mistake, my Alpha Force shall find the perpetrators responsible and bring them to justice!"

"Bullshit! Your Alpha Force were the perpetrators!" Yokoshima snapped angrily before Sheila shut off the screen. Everyone in the conference room glowered angrily at what they had just seen.

"Looks like Kyofu's framing the attack as an unfortunate tragedy to try and make you all appear incompetent," Amora summarized. "A simple yet effective method of propaganda."

"That son of a whore," Hana muttered.

"So, those damned psychos showed up, killed a bunch of people and murdered us just to try and make us look bad?" Daichi scowled. "What the fuck is this shit!?"

"Imagine the look on his face when he finds out the village isn't destroyed and everyone is alive," Michiru remarked.

Shinichi, however, did not believe that Kyofu's plan stopped at just discrediting them. He had spent years developing his research, starting the Brain Trust Society, and forming his Alpha Force. He was planning something huge and his attack on Hinamizawa was just a small part of it.

"Security Chief Katsura, Dr. Katsura, please come with me."

END OF ACT 6

DrExposition: Well, this chapter had to go through multiple edits and revisions coz let me tell you that there were so many missing details and redundancy. Fortunately, I managed to remove them. Now, then, the team finally knows the name of their enemy and it is Kyofu and they know what he's planning. Can they stop him? Guess we'll find out.