Life never went as planned and Shiori knew this from experience. She left her home to be a writer but no matter how hard she tried, nobody wanted to accept her work until she met Shotaro Banabara. He loved her writing and helped her to get published. She had not planned to fall in love and have a child with him. She had not planned to lose her family either.
She had not planned to lose her son one day. She had not planned to lose her husband five years later. She had not planned to be reunited with her son five years after that.
She had never planned for what to do when she discovered her son was a cyborg. She was only prepared to find a teenager but he was so much more.
A soldier, a weapon, a killer...a hero.
She had never planned to have a son that was a hero. She had never planned on falling in love again. She had planned to have another son.
She had planned to see her eldest son's wedding but right now, she planned to survive this new crisis with her family.
Showa Chronicles: Road to Annihilation
Act XII: The Battle of Himawazawa
Daichi threw a punch as Sogou countered with his own. Their fists collided, generating a violent shockwave. Sogou wore a bloodthirsty maniacal grin as he followed up with a punch that stunned Daichi. He staggered from the blow and received another punch in the gut that made him double over.
"Did you really think you were going to win this time?" Sogou mocked Daichi as he grabbed him by his hair.
"Yup!" Daichi answered, smirking. "LEVI, NOW!" A stake shot out of Daichi's jacket and drove itself straight into Sogou's right eye.
"AAAHHHHHH!" Sogou screamed and he took hold of the demon stake as it was lodged in his eye. He tore the stake out of his eye, spilling blood as he tossed it aside. Fortunately for him, his regenerative healing factor kicked in to heal his injured eye. "You fucker! What a dirty trick! And you call yourself a hero?!"
"When you wanna win, you do what you gotta do!" Daichi shot back. "And you're a pot calling the kettle black, you damn hypocrite!"
"If I'm a hypocrite, you won't mind if I did this!" Sogou yelled as he took out an EMP generator disc and threw it at Daichi. It magnetically attached to his chest and blinked as pulse waves surrounded him. "Now, you won't be able to-!"
Daichi cut him off as he summoned his Cricket Fork and jabbed him in the stomach. Sogou spat blood as the fork pierced his flesh before Daichi withdrew his polearm and smacked him repeatedly in the face. He then knocked him to the ground with a swipe of his weapon.
"The fuck!?" Sogou yelled incredulously. "That should've frozen you!"
"It should've," Daichi conceded as he removed the generator, tossed it on the ground and broke it with his Cricket Fork. "But we were ready for it this time."
"You damn cheater!" Sogou shouted angrily. "You have the power of sound waves and a weapon, and you have the nerve to keep a stake hidden on you! Now you even made yourself immune to our EMP! Aren't you ashamed of yourself for fighting dirty?!"
"You're not making sense at all," Daichi retorted.
"...Oh well, I tried," Sogou shrugged, dropping the facade as he summoned his Alter Ring. "Whatever, I was hoping you'd ditch that stupid fork but just forget I said anything. More importantly, I'm finally warmed up. Henshin!" With a loud shout, energy burst from his body as he transformed. With the transformation complete, Agito Smash rolled his shoulders. "Smash is gonna be coming at you for real now! So do Smash a favour and give him a decent fight! Don't fall apart on Smash like last time, poser!"
"You and your pals stuck us in an EMP field, and we're the posers?" Daichi glared as his Spark Core appeared around his waist.
"Pfft, people who have an advantage over Smash are the real cowards. When Smash has the clear advantage over others, that's their tough luck."
"Henshin." Daichi had heard enough as he mimed playing his guitar and transformed into Kamen Rider Musician. He swung his Cricket Fork at Agito Smash but he caught the weapon and kicked Musician in the stomach, sending him tumbling.
"Oops, sorry," Agito Smash gave a fake apology as snapped the Cricket Fork over his knee and dropped both halves. "Smash broke your dumb stick."
"And I'm going to break you," Musician growled as he got up and made his fists vibrate rapidly.
Focusing his power into his fists, Smash made them blaze with energy. The two exchanged blows, throwing rapid-fire punches until Smash got a good hit. Grabbing Musician by his helmet, he delivered several headbutts before he threw him on the ground. Musician tried to get up but Smash stomped on his chest before he stomped on his face.
"Kiss Smash's boot," Smash growled as he pressed down on Musician's faceplate. In response, Musician let out a scream that blew Smash away before he climbed to his feet. He was about to charge when he suddenly collapsed on his knees, paralyzed for some reason.
"Can't...move!" Musician grunted as he struggled to stand up.
"What's the matter, poser?" Agito Smash laughed mockingly. "Try and go fat lady on Smash! Come on! Try it!"
"What...did you...do!?" Musician demanded.
"Smash can make things move with his mind and he can make things stop moving too," Agito Smash explained. He pounded his knuckles together and the Mark of Agito glowed before him. "And now, Smash is gonna finish you."
He put his fists inside the symbol and it spiralled around, becoming energy which he absorbed into his arms. He advanced on Musician, ready to finish him off when the demon stake that stabbed his eye earlier suddenly came flying at him. It unexpectedly changed into a young woman with green hair and she delivered a brutal flying kick right into his nuts. Smash doubled over in pain before Leviathan grabbed his leg and pulled, tripping him up and throwing him to the ground. As he tried to get up, she slammed her boot on the back of his head.
"Get the Hell away from my man!" Leviathan yelled possessively.
"Thanks, Levi," Musician smiled as he stood back on his feet once he was able to move again.
"Like I'm gonna let a Wrestlemania reject take what's mine," she retorted as she walked over to him confidently, smiling warmly at her cyborg beau.
Smash growled as he picked himself up and glared at both Leviathan and Musician. The bitch had hit him in a place that she should not have and he hated Musician's voice. They needed to die, now.
"LET SMASH TELL YOU SOMETHING, BITCH!" Agito Smash roared furiously, his veins popping all over his limbs. "SMASH DOES NOT CARE HOW HOT YOU ARE! SMASH IS GONNA SMASH YOUR BOYFRIEND AND THEN HE'S GOING TO SMASH YOU! REPEATEDLY! AND MAKE YOU SCREAM HIS NAME!"
"Did he just...?" Leviathan questioned, realizing the implication.
"Yes, he did," Musician confirmed angrily, feeling possessive and protective as well. "How about a duet, Levi?"
Leviathan smiled back at him.
"Let's make beautiful music together."
The Cyborg of Sound and the Demon Stake of Envy held hands.
"Round Three, bitch," Musician growled.
They kicked him in the stomach at the same time, knocking him back. Holding hands, Musician swung Leviathan like a flail and struck Smash repeatedly with her feet before he threw her into the air. She performed a pirouette before she turned herself upside down and dropped on top of Smash with her sword of light. She missed as Smash sidestepped her attack but Musician caught her as she turned into her stake form. Musician gripped it tightly and the stake glowed as it transmuted into energy that covered his right forearm before finally solidifying into a sharp lance-like weapon that resembled an alligator's tail. Thrusting his arm, he struck Smash with his new weapon.
Smash roared and threw a punch at Musician but it was halted by a barrier of sound that surrounded him. Smash tried again, only to fail once more. He furiously pounded on Musician's barrier but was unable to break through it, growing frustrated as his opponent just calmly tanked his blows.
"YOU THINK YOU'RE TOUGH, HUH!? WELL, YOU'RE NOT! MAKING NOISE IS ALL YOU'RE GOOD FOR!" Agito Smash shouted.
"Making noise, huh?" Musician smirked. "Good idea."
Musician unleashed a deafening Cricket Shriek that struck Agito Smash like a bullet train. The Agito tried to brace himself against the sonic assault, but he was pushed back several yards away as the sonic scream chipped away at his cracking armour. Digging his heels in, he crossed his forearms in front of him and the Mark of Agito appeared again. This time, he thrust his right fist into it, absorbing the power, and causing his muscles to bulge. Roaring like a mad beast, he used his telekinesis to propel himself at Musician to deliver a devastating rocket punch and silence him.
Musician, however, was ready for him as he pointed his arm-mounted lance and it split open into four sections which spread out like the petals of a blooming flower to reveal a concealed sonic cannon, one that was fully charged.
"TASTE THE MUSIC, MOTHERFUCKER!" Musician roared as he fired a deafening sonic beam blast. Agito Smash crashed into it but failed to break through as he was instantly overwhelmed, causing a huge explosion.
As the smoke cleared and the dust settled, Sogou was revealed, lying facedown on the ground and bleeding from his ears.
"Guess our bark is worse than his bite," Musician said with a hint of smug satisfaction as his arm-mounted lance vanished and Leviathan appeared beside him. She immediately ripped off his helmet so she could kiss him passionately.
"Get Mika here right now," Leviathan demanded after breaking the kiss. "I'm feeling frisky."
"And I thought Asmodeus was the Stake of Lust," Daichi remarked.
"Just shut up and kiss me, you fool."
Sparks flew violently as Agito Slash clashed with Slasher. Despite his size, Slasher seemed to be at a disadvantage as Agito Slash was faster and nimbler. He swung his high-frequency swords wildly, forcing Slasher back with each strike.
"This is the best! I get to slice you up all over again!"
Slasher did not reply, waiting for an opening so he could deliver a counterattack. He crossed his chainsaws and caught Agito Slash's attack before landing a slash across his chest, ripping sparks away. Agito Slash grunted and then scowled as he felt the mark Slasher had given him.
"That was your first and last mistake," Agito Slash threatened as he made his blades vibrate at high frequency so he could cut into Slasher more easily. He swung his arms and Slasher tried to dodge but he was too slow and was slashed across the chest. The high-frequency blades cut through his armour, causing blood to gush out of the wound as he fell to the ground.
"There's no way you can beat me so just go to Hell!" Slash went to finish him off with an overhead strike but his sixth sense suddenly warned him of an oncoming attack. He jumped backwards, moments before he could be impaled by a falling sword. The Onigari no Ryuou struck the ground at an angle, standing tall and proud as Hanyuu went and took hold of the hilt, drawing the blade from the ground.
"Don't forget," Hanyuu said as she adopted a stance with her sword. "I'm your opponent too." She went to address Slasher. "Are you OK?"
"I've had worse," Slasher grunted as he stood up while blood flowed down his chestplate. The injury did not seem to hamper him.
"And you're here to save your boyfriend. How cute," Slash retorted mockingly. "Do you really think you stand a chance this time?"
"I underestimated you before. I won't make that mistake again," Hanyuu swore as she held her sword in front of her in a ready stance.
"Your funeral," Slash huffed and then he charged at Hanyuu. She thrust her sword at him and he jumped back to avoid it before he jabbed his sword forward, extending the length of the blade to pierce her. Hanyuu ducked under the blade and then threw a telekinetic burst that knocked him backwards. Agito Slash recovered, still grinning, but then Hanyuu appeared in front of him and drove her foot into his stomach to knock him back, right into Slasher. The larger Rider immediately wrapped his arms around Slash's waist and leaned backwards to slam his head into the ground with a suplex.
Slash lay on the ground, dazed, but quickly recovered as Slasher was about to do an elbow drop on him. He rolled out of the way and quickly flipped onto his feet. Slasher charged at him and Slash swung his arms, throwing energy slashes at him but the cyborg countered with his chainsaws and shattered them before closing the distance.
Slasher brought down his right chainsaw but Slash blocked it and he tried again with his left chainsaw, only for it to be blocked as well. Sparks flew as they struggled against each other until Slash drove his foot into Slasher's stomach, shoving him back before he delivered a quick slash across his stomach, causing blood to gush from the fresh wound.
"Hah! That's what you get!" Slash taunted but Slasher quickly retaliated with a chainsaw slash, ripping sparks from his armour. "Gah!"
"This is nothing," Slasher growled as more blood stained his armour.
"Why won't you just die already!?" Slash shouted as curved blades sprouted from his heels. He delivered a roundhouse kick that slashed Slasher across the chest, knocking him back before he jumped up to execute a lethal axe kick. However, Hanyuu managed to intercept him as she blocked his attack with her blade.
"Because we have something to fight for!" Hanyuu shot back as she pushed Slash back.
"Then I guess I'll have to send you both to Hell!" Agito Slash screamed. He went to slash Hanyuu with a kick but she leaned back so that his leg would soar over her. He jumped back as Slasher was about to hit him and he jabbed his sword forward, extending the length of the blade, aiming for Hanyuu's heart but she swiftly parried his attempt. He tried to behead her but he was knocked aside by Slasher who shoulder-tackled him.
Growling, Agito Slash retaliated with his blades but Slasher countered by jabbing his arm forward and striking him in the chest, knocking him back as sparks bled out. This left him open as Hanyuu rushed forward and stabbed him in the chest. She then poured her power into her blade and sent him flying with a telekinetic blast.
Slash tumbled violently on the ground before he rolled to a stop. Picking himself up, he was about to charge at Hanyuu but she threw her sword at him. He saw the attack coming a mile away and managed to dodge it before it could hit his face. He closed the distance and was about to strike her down when he stepped in a sticky puddle of glue and got stuck.
"Hey!" he snapped and Hanyuu smirked as her sword returned to her.
"Thank you, Chiaki-san!" Hanyuu said gratefully as she recalled the Onigari no Ryuou to her hand.
"Damn it, what is this stuff!?" Slash cursed as he tried to pull his feet free but the glue was strong and he was immobilized. Hanyuu flashed all over him, blurring around as she slashed him in several quick successions. Once she finished, she left bleeding cuts all over his armour and he just stared stunned at Hanyuu in shock. "...What the Hell are you!?"
"A vengeful goddess," Hanyuu claimed as her eyes glowed red. "Now, time for you to face retribution."
By now, the glue around his feet had hardened but Agito Slash had a way to free himself. He drove his high-frequency swords into the hardened glue and made them vibrate until it shattered the glue trap, freeing his feet.
"You bitch!" Agito Slash went to deliver a lethal blow but Slasher tackled him from the right and sent him tumbling. The two rolled on the ground until Slasher was on top of him. He withdrew his chainsaws to rain punches down on Agito Slash.
"Get! Off!" Agito Slash fired vacuum blades that repelled Slasher. He then flipped onto his feet to retaliate but Hanyuu came and slashed him repeatedly before she delivered a backwards roundhouse kick to his stomach. Slasher then grabbed his face and slammed him to the ground before he tossed him up and punched him, launching him across the battlefield. He tumbled violently before roughly rolling to a stop.
Agito Slash picked himself up and glared at both of them angrily. This was not supposed to happen! He was the best, dammit! Everyone said so! Now he was being beaten by a cybernetic freak and his little bitch.
No, he would not lose! He would be victorious!
His eyes shone as his horn crest fanned out, energy gathering in his blades as the Mark of Agito flashed underneath him.
"Take this!" Agito Slash roared as he fired his sword beam. It roared as it surged towards its targets. This was his strongest attack and nothing had ever survived it.
Hanyuu stood in the path of the beam and countered it with a single stroke, delivering an energy slash that split the beam in half, neutralizing it.
"No, no, no! This is impossible!" Agito Slash screamed in denial.
"No, this is divine will!" Hanyuu countered. "Now, Chiaki-san!"
Slasher charged at Agito Slash who stopped firing his beam to block the roaring chainsaws. Sparks flew as Slasher pressed forward. His Spark Core glowed and charged up his chainsaws before he swung downward, sawing off Agito Slash's forearms.
"Aaaarrrgghhhhh! My arms!" Agito Slash screamed as blood burst from his stumps. Hanyuu charged forward and stabbed him in the stomach with her sword. He stumbled backwards and fell to the ground, writhing in agony as Slasher and Hanyuu stood over him. Sharing a look, the two raised their feet and brought them down on his face.
Daytona spat as he was blasted with fire-extinguishing fluid.
"Stop that!" he shouted as Armadillo continued to put out his flames with shoulder-mounted fire suppression cannons.
"You should not play with fire," Armadillo scolded. "It's dangerous."
"Of course it's dangerous! I'm trying to burn you!" Daytona yelled.
"Not as long as I put out your fire," Armadillo countered.
"You...!" Daytona growled. "Enough of this! Henshin!" In a burst of flames, Daytona transformed into Agito Blaze. He threw a fireball at Armadillo and it exploded, knocking him on his back and repeatedly hurled fireballs at his downed opponent, causing explosions to burst all over him.
Armadillo retracted his cannons and rolled himself into a ball to shield himself. The explosive bombardment did little damage to his armoured shell save for a few scorch marks. He rapidly rolled towards Agito Blaze who tried to stop him with his flames but Armadillo just ploughed through the fire before slamming into him, running him over. He then rolled backwards, running over the pyromaniacal Agito again, and went back and forth, rolling over him repeatedly, driving him deeper into the ground each time.
"And stay down!" Armadillo said after unrolling from his ball form.
Agito Blaze growled in anger. To be defeated by the most retarded member of the cyborg team was humiliating. If any of his teammates found out, they would not let him hear the end of it. The possible humiliation just pissed him off even more and his body ignited with flames, erupting into a pillar of fire that shot skyward.
"GO TO HELL!" Agito Blaze roared as he slammed into Armadillo like a meteor, sending him tumbling. Floating in the air, he conjured multiple fireballs, each shining like a miniature sun. Throwing his arms down, he made them converge on Armadillo. The Pillbug Cyborg could not avoid them in time and was rapidly bombarded, crying out as he was swallowed up by the explosions. Not satisfied until he was sure Armadillo was dead, Blaze formed a massive fireball and brought it down like a wrecking ball, completely engulfing him.
When the smoke cleared, Agito Blaze expected to see a charred corpse but he instead found his quarry missing and a hole in the middle of the ground. Suddenly, Blue Beetle burst out of the hole and delivered an uppercut, knocking Agito Blaze back.
"You're alive!?" Agito Blaze cried.
"Daichi always said I was too stupid to die!" Blue Beetle responded. His Scarab chirped back at him. "I know it wasn't a compliment, but he's not wrong."
Agito Blaze roared and threw a flaming punch at Blue Beetle who caught his fist before retaliating with a blow to his chest, knocking him back. He then followed up with a kick to his stomach, knocking the wind out of him before he sent him tumbling with a powerful haymaker.
Agito Blaze picked himself up, eyes blazing furiously. His unicorn horn glowed as a pillar of fire arose from it as he prepared to fire. Blue Beetle, however, was ready for him as his armour swiftly converted. His chestplate slid open and a cannon emerged, extending in front of him. A pair of handles popped from the sides and he took hold of them, his index fingers hovering over the triggers. Insect-like legs sprouted from his back and stabbed into the ground to provide extra stability and counter the recoil.
Agito Blaze aimed his horn at Blue Beetle and fired a red-hot beam of intense heat at him. At the same time, Blue Beetle squeezed the trigger buttons and fired a blue beam of energy that met Agito Blaze's heat beam.
Agito Blaze's beam appeared to be winning the beam struggle, inching closer and closer towards Blue Beetle as he struggled to maintain his beam and push back. He could feel the heat through his armour. If that heat beam hit him, it would be all over.
"Yoko-kun!" Asmodeus yelled inside Blue Beetle's head.
"Sorry, Asmo-chan! Can't talk right now! Still nice to hear your voice!"
"Yoko-kun, you have to win! What will I tell our kids if you lose?"
"Kids!? What kids!?"
"...I'm pregnant."
"..."
"Yoko-kun?"
"I'M GONNA BE A DADDDYYYYYYYY!"
Overjoyed, Blue Beetle received a sudden burst of power and his beam grew as it completely overpowered Agito Blaze's beam and surged straight towards him. Agito Blaze's eyes widened before the massive beam crashed right into him. A huge explosion followed and Blue Beetle retracted his cannon and stabilizers into his suit.
"Yes, I'm gonna be a daddy! I'm gonna be a daddy!" Blue Beetle pumped his fists victoriously as he jumped exuberantly. "Woohoo! Yes, yes, yes! I'm gonna be a daddy!"
"CONGRATULATIONS, MASTER."
The Scarab also chirped in agreement, happy for its host.
"Thanks, guys! Yahoo!"
Asmodeus appeared and before she could say anything, Yokoshima had retracted his helmet and began to kiss her senselessly.
Flashing blurs - one green and the other yellow - zoomed outside and around the Hive Tower at the speed of light. Laser beams went flying all around the blurs almost like a psychedelic laser show. Even if the battle was slowed down just enough, they would still be too fast for the naked eye to see.
Zero was currently engaged in battle with Agito Luminous. The Lightspeed user was firing laser beams rapidly at the Hornet Cyborg, keeping him at a distance. Zero dodged the beams, his reflexes saving him as he narrowly avoided a lethal blast to his abdomen. He retaliated, firing stinger blasts from his hands.
Agito Luminous bobbed and weaved between the stinger blasts as they flew past him before he fired a high-precision laser at Zero's arms, painfully stunning them. He then grabbed Zero by the arms, spun him around, and threw him to the ground.
"I HAVE BEEN CHOSEN BY THE LIGHT OF GOD, SO YOU WERE ALWAYS DESTINED TO FALL TO ME!" Agito Luminous boasted, his body shining.
As Zero lay flat on his back, he looked up to see Agito Luminous forming a giant hard-light jackhammer around his legs. The jackhammer crushed Zero and violently pounded him into the ground. The surface shook and shattered under him as he was being driven deep into the ground. He went deeper and deeper as broken earth piled on top of him. His armour was taking more and more damage and he was not sure he was going to survive this.
"Shogo!" Lucifer shouted in Zero's mind as his body was buried underground.
"Luci..." he groaned. "Can't move..."
"Don't you dare give up on me! I know I did not fall in love with a quitter!"
"I don't see how I can win this."
"The path to victory is always within reach. You just need to see all the paths and choose the best one," she advised him.
"See all the paths," he repeated.
"But if the path is too dark, you can trust me to light the way..." Lucifer started.
"Because you're my Lightbringer," Zero finished, smiling.
"This asshole thinks he was chosen by God. Let's show him the light."
Zero nodded and began to rapidly beat his wings. They began beating faster and faster, causing the piles of earth on top of him to shake. At the same time, his Spark Core began to shine with golden light.
Agito Luminous hovered in the air, admiring his handiwork, folding his arms proudly.
"You never stood a chance. Those not blessed by God's light are cursed to a life of failure," he gloated. Turning around to face the Hive Tower, he smiled. "Time to make this monument fall."
Cupping his hands, his body glowed as he gathered energy between his palms. Just as he was about to fire, he noticed a glow from the corner of his eye. Curious, he looked at the source of the light and his eyes widened in disbelief.
"...It cannot be...!"
Suddenly, Zero blasted out of the pile of rubble and shot straight at Agito Luminous like a missile. The Agito barely managed to dodge as Zero broke off his shoulder's armour before he curved in the air and came down like a falling star, sending Agito Luminous crashing to the ground.
Zero hovered in the air with a sparkling golden aura while he had Lucifer mounted on his right wrist in her stake form. Agito Luminous got back up and fired at Zero but he vanished in a burst of gold dust. Luminous blinked, wondering where his opponent had disappeared to when Zero suddenly reappeared behind him. His right hand glowed as energy gathered around it, forming a spike which he buried in Agito Luminous' back, causing him to scream as he felt like he was being electrocuted. Zero withdrew his stinger as Luminous spun around, feeling a burning sensation in his back.
"You cur!" Agito Luminous roared and fired a blast at point-blank but Zero teleported away. "Dammit!" Spotting Zero, he used his Lightspeed ability to go after him, crossing the distance in the blink of an eye. He fired a beam to pierce through Zero's armour but he missed as he teleported away again, leaving a fading cloud of gold dust.
Zero reappeared and landed another blow, kicking Agito Luminous in the face. When he tried to fire another blast, Zero teleported behind him and delivered a kick to the back of his head, sending him staggering forward. Agito Luminous continued to fire upon Zero but failed to land a hit as he repeatedly teleported away.
Zero reappeared right in front of him, stunning him before delivering an uppercut filled with his stinger energy. His fist connected with Agito Luminous' jaw, knocking him to the ground. Agito Luminous attempted to get up on his feet but his limbs had become stiff and unresponsive.
"Wha-what have you done to me!?" Agito Luminous demanded.
"My stinger paralysed you," Zero answered, as he formed his energy stinger again. "One hit and you'll be paralysed. Usually, it's fast-acting and the effects are instantaneous. But I guess your mutated physiology slowed it down. I almost thought it didn't work."
Agito Luminous was now at Zero's mercy. No! No, it could not end like this! He was a superior being, chosen by the light of God! As his distress grew, so did the light around him as he glowed brighter and brighter. The light soon became blinding and Zero had to shield his eyes. A laser beam struck Zero in the chest, nearly knocking him to the ground. Then he saw Agito Luminous, hovering over the ground, his arms spread to the side, an aura of light shining around him.
"You will not defeat me! Your pride will be your downfall!" Agito Luminous shouted, slowly regaining movement as his aura burned away the effects of Zero's stinger.
Zero did not respond as he flew straight at Agito Luminous. The Agito fired a beam at Zero but he spun his body like a drill and punched through the beam at high speed to strike Agito Luminous with Lucifer. Agito Luminous was knocked back by the blow and raised his arms to fire only to stare in confusion as multiple Zeroes zipped around him like a swarm of insects.
"What the hell!?" he shouted as he saw that his enemy had multiplied. Was Zero moving so fast that he was leaving visible afterimages?
One of the Zeroes zoomed straight at him and Agito Luminous fired a beam that went through his opponent like he was a ghost. Another came at him from the side and Agito Luminous fired at him too, only to discover it to be another decoy. The decoys swarmed him and Agito Luminous obliterated them all but none of them was real.
While Agito Luminous was distracted by the decoys, Zero used this chance to deliver the finishing blow. His wings buzzed rapidly as he performed a flying kick as energy gathered around his extended leg to form a giant hornet stinger.
Agito Luminous fired a massive laser blast to stop Zero. It looked like it was working, but after some struggle, the Hornet Rider powered through the blast to deliver his Rider Kick, sending Agito Luminous flying until he crashed into the side of the Hive Tower.
Zero hovered over the settling dust as he saw Jota unconscious, beaten and stuck to the wall. With his win confirmed, he lowered himself to the ground and nearly collapsed as he returned to civilian form. Lucifer appeared at his side and helped him get back on his feet, using her shoulder to support him.
"That has to be the fastest you've ever gone," the Stake of Pride marvelled at her husband. "I doubt even Alan could move as fast as you did."
"Yeah. The first time it happened was in Zawadi's realm, and I wasn't even thinking about moving so fast at the time. It just happened," Shogo groaned. "I'm going to need some training so I can adapt to it better in the future."
"If you did it once, you can do it again," Lucifer smiled encouragingly. "You need to dream big a little more."
"Very true," Shogo smiled back before looking back at the beaten Agito. "Well, Jota, it seems that it was your pride that caused your downfall."
Shogo digitised Jota and stored him inside his C3. Once he was done, he saw the rest of the team come over.
"Status report," Shogo ordered.
"We kicked their asses," Daichi answered. "How's that for a status report?"
"Captured, contained and carded," Yokoshima said proudly as he held up his C3. "Oh, and I'm gonna be a daddy soon."
"That's right," Asmodeus confirmed, beaming.
"Good job, everyone," Shogo praised as they defeated their opponents with no harm coming to the Hive Tower. "And congratulations, Yokoshioma and Asmodeus."
"Now that we've dealt with them, how about we head back inside?" Hanyuu asked. "I'm in the mood for some celebratory cream puffs."
"Me too," Chiaki agreed.
"Great, coz I need a break," Daichi agreed as the group headed for the entrance. Sprinkles remained on standby, following Yokoshima's order from before.
"Sheila, open the door," Shogo ordered. He did not receive a response nor did the door open for them. "Sheila, do you hear me? Open the door." Again, no response.
"You forgot to say please," Yokoshima pointed out. "Sheila, could you please open the door?" Sheila was silent. "Pretty please?" Still, no response, worrying Yokoshima. "Guys, something's wrong with Sheila."
"Security override code: Shogo Zero Number 6-0-9," Shogo recited but the door still would not open for him. "It's no use. We're locked out."
"Not for long," Leviathan teleported, only to return immediately. "I can't get in!"
"It's the wards. Shinichi had them integrated into the shields to prevent any unauthorised teleportation." Shogo explained. His eyes widened as soon as he realised what had happened. "Sabotage!"
"Alert! Alert! Unauthorised portal detected!" Sheila cried in alarm as a strange portal appeared inside the tower's lobby. "Everyone, please keep your distance and do not approach the portal."
The villagers heeded Sheila's warning as they backed away from it. Anything could come out of the portal. It could be a monster, a demon, a vicious beast, anything. They watched, stunned, as a beautiful fair-skinned woman with long silver hair stepped out of the portal. She was tall and leggy, with a curvy figure that a supermodel would kill for. She wore a very revealing halter-style bikini top and a super-short miniskirt with an exposed g-string. Over her top, she wore a leopard skin bolero jacket and a leather choker was wrapped around her slender neck. Tying together her outfit, she wore thigh-high lace stockings with knee-high boots.
"Alright, everyone," Miwa Karaki, aka Weapon J, said as she held her hands to her eyes. "Look into my eyes." Her violet eyes flashed rapidly, releasing energy waves which hit the villagers, causing their eyes to take on the same purple hue as hers. "Targets pacified."
"Finally," the creator of the wormhole said as he emerged, riding in a hi-tech hoverchair. His name was Merak Kenzaki, aka Weapon S. He was a young man dressed in a white button-up shirt and brown slacks. His hair was bright blue and his eyes were blue but his sclerae were pitch black, making them look inhuman. Only his left eye was visible as his right eye was covered by his bangs. His hoverchair was mainly black with silver trim and glowing blue accents. His chair was equipped with a pair of huge robotic arms with silver fingertips and his chair had a sculpted row of metal teeth in the front that made it appear to be grinning. "Abby, Elise. You can come out now."
Elise soon stepped out of the portal with a little girl.
"Is it playtime?" the little girl asked as they saw the frozen villagers that were under Miwa's spell. She looked to be about 6 years of age, wearing a yellow dress with a floral pattern and holding a stuffed furry alligator toy. She appeared to be cheerfully naive while Elise looked nervous.
"Yeah, it's playtime, Abby," Merak allowed with a yawn as he slouched in his chair lazily. His glowing blue hair changed colour, becoming a normal shade of brown as his black sclerae turned white again. This mission was cutting into his naptime but orders were orders. Now that he got everyone inside, all he wanted to do was take a nap so he put his headphones on and closed his eyes.
"Yay!" Abby cheered as she tossed her doll into the air. "Come out and play, Atanti!" The stuffed toy suddenly transformed as it grew into a gigantic monster, measuring 20 feet from snout to tail. It looked like an alligator that was covered in mossy green fur. It had missing patches of fur that revealed scales. Messy green hair concealed its eyes and its gator-like jaws were bone white.
Growling, Atanti approached the frozen villagers to snap them in its jaws when a stone-covered fist unexpectedly collided with the creature, knocking it aside. This seemed to shock the villagers out of their stunned state.
"Everyone, get to someplace safe!" Daiki shouted as he faced Atanti. "Now!" The villagers didn't need to be told twice as they quickly scrambled away.
"ROAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!" the toy-turned-monster roared at the Earth Manakyte.
"RIGHT BACK AT YOU!" Daiki roared back as he delivered another punch but Atanti countered with a swipe of its tail, sending him crashing into a wall.
"Onii-chan!" Celine cried as she saw her brother was hurt.
"Do it again!" Abby cheered and clapped like she did not just see someone get hurt, as if this was all just a game to her.
"MAAAAAAUUUUUUUU!" Celine screamed as her hair turned into vines. With a mighty leap, she landed a kick that shockingly knocked Atanti away from Daiki. It roared at her but Celine was not afraid as she fired Razor Leaf, putting deep cuts on Atanti's body.
Atanti growled and snapped its jaws at her but Celine grabbed its jaws with her vines, sealing them shut and then raised the monster to bash it on the floor. It struggled to break free from the vines but Celine grabbed its limbs with more vines, immobilising it.
Logically, Celine should not be able to hold Atanti due to her size, but she was deceptively strong. With herculean strength, she pulled hard on Atanti's limbs and quartered the reptilian beast. She did not stop there as she pulled the pieces to her and opened her mouth wide, her teeth becoming razor-sharp. It was truly a horrifying sight to behold as she devoured the creature's dismembered pieces, swallowing them whole.
*BURP!*
"Excuse me."
"You hurt my Atanti!" Abby screamed at Celine. "You're a bad girl! Bad girl! Give me back Atanti!"
Celine glared at Abby who finally realised she was in trouble. She tried to run away but Celine grabbed her with her vines.
"Let me go! Let me go!" Abby screamed as she struggled. "Let me go or I'm telling!"
Celine lifted the girl to her flower and sprayed her with Sleep Powder to knock her out.
"Night night."
Daiki was utterly speechless as he witnessed what his sister had done and could not believe what he had just seen.
"Are you OK, Onii-chan?" she asked, looking at him worriedly.
"I'm fine, Celine," Daiki smiled, patting her head. "Good job with that monster."
"Mau (burp)!" Celine went and hugged him.
She might be a little monster, but she was still his little sister.
Listening to his headphones as he took his nap, Merak was blissfully unaware as Yami came soaring at him to deliver a flying kick. However, he was not as vulnerable as he appeared as his chair's robotic arms automatically crossed over him, shielding him from her attack. He cracked open one eye and yawned as he removed his headphones.
"...Seriously?" he asked in annoyance. "Can't a guy take a nap here?"
Yami responded by morphing her hands into blades and began to slash away at the arms. The clanging annoyed Merak further as he tried returning to his nap. Growing frustrated, his eyes snapped open as he finally decided to fight back.
As Yami went for another swing, the chair's right arm delivered a punch that sent her flying back but she flipped through the air and landed on her feet. Merak hovered towards her, still looking bored but also cross at the same time.
"Are you seriously gonna make me fight? I just wanna chillax and nap," he told her.
"You're an intruder and you need to be stopped," Yami said firmly.
"Oh, geez," Merak groaned. "You're seriously gonna make me monologue now, aren't you? What a drag. Oh, well." He summoned his Alter Ring. "I'm the great and mighty Merak and you have foiled us for the last time, and all that jazz. Guess I gotta kill you if I wanna get back to my nap." He pressed the buttons on his belt to initiate his transformation. "Hen...(yawn)...shin."
Merak's hair turned bright blue as his eyes flashed and he transformed. In his Agito form, he wore black armour with silver trim and bright blue accents. His chestplate resembled the face of a bear with bright blue eyes and a mouth full of sharp teeth that were stuck in a vicious snarl. His bodysuit was covered in black fur while his gauntlets were thick, ending in paw-like gloves that covered his hands. Finally, his helmet had a visor that covered the eyes like a sleep mask with a glowing blue line across it. His crest horns were short and rounded, resembling bear ears.
Merak had become Agito Cosmic. After his transformation, he yawned and leaned his head against his hand, sitting in his chair as he crossed his legs.
Yami lunged at Agito Cosmic and he threw his chair's robotic fists at her. Her hair turned into giant hands that caught the robotic limbs, leaving Agito Cosmic wide open for her blade. Just as her sword was about to meet her target, a wormhole opened behind Agito Cosmic's hoverchair and he disappeared into it. Yami missed and a new wormhole opened above her to drop Agito Cosmic's hoverchair above her.
The robotic arms opened their hands and fired twin blasts down on her. There was an explosion but when the smoke cleared, Yami was revealed, protected by a shield that was shaped from her hair. Agito Cosmic descended and Yami rolled away as the metallic fists slammed down.
"...Geez, you're seriously gonna make me work for this, aren't you?" Agito Cosmic complained.
The mouth of his chair was not decorative at all as it opened up, and energy gathered in its maw before it fired a beam at Yami. She leapt out of the way but a wormhole opened in the path of the beam before another one opened under Yami. The beam struck and sent her flying into the air, leaving her open for Agito Cosmic. He delivered a set of chain punches with his chair's robotic arms before sending her crashing to the floor again.
"Just (yawn) stay down," Agito Cosmic commanded.
"No," Yami said defiantly as she stood up. She had some scuff marks on her but she was otherwise fine. "You can't defeat me, not with that slothful resolve of yours."
"...Geez, why won't you just let me sleep?" Agito Cosmic whined. "Look, I never wanted to do this in the first place. I just wanna take my nap then get back to playing some Street Fighter II."
He willed his hoverchair forward, its arm stretching as it threw a punch. Yami jumped at the very last minute, the fist crashing into the ground with the blonde landing on its knuckles by her toes. The hoverchair fired lasers at her as she ran along the length of the arm, bobbing and weaving between the beams as she closed in on Agito Cosmic. Once she was close, she lunged at him with her hand transformed into claws but he opened a wormhole to send her crashing straight into his robotic fist. Instead of running into it, she caught the fist and vaulted over it before she jumped and swung a roundhouse kick that was aimed at Agito Cosmic's head but she was blocked by the other robotic arm. Agito Cosmic then smacked her away and she landed roughly on the ground.
"Just give up already," Agito Cosmic said. Yami stood up and broke into a run straight at him, causing him to grumble. "I hate it when they don't give up."
Wormholes opened on the floor in Yami's path as Agito Cosmic attempted to make her fall into one, but she deftly dodged the dangerous portals as they appeared. When one opened right in front of her, she leapt over it and sprouted from her back to fly straight at him. He fired his arm lasers at her but she bobbed and weaved between the beams. As she was about to strike him with her blade, he panicked and suddenly opened a wormhole right in her path. She flew right through and disappeared before he closed the wormhole.
Agito Cosmic let out a sigh of relief, releasing his transformation. He had managed to trick the blonde into entering a wormhole that would trap her in the heart of a massive cave system on the other side of the world. Now he could finally have his nap and maybe play some Street Fighter II after this mission was over.
A childish giggle caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand up.
"Oh my," said the voice, seemingly coming from all around him. "Were you going to leave me there? Wait until I got weak and then use my body to fulfil all your ecchi desires?"
"Naw," said Merak, unnerved by the disembodied voice. "...Why bother? Too much work."
"Oh, now that's disappointing," said the voice. Merak heard something similar to one of his wormholes opening up behind him. He froze up as he felt something sharp poke his neck. Looking down, a clawed hand was now positioned at his throat, ready to slash his throat open. His chair quickly moved him out of danger and swerved around so he could face his opponent.
"When I'm like this, I like ecchi things. But the fact that you're so lazy you can't even bother to be ecchi, well…" Yami stepped out of the wormhole she created. "That annoys me."
She looked different now, looking taller and more womanly, sporting a pair of horns and black wings like a demon. Her attire had changed into a revealing black dress that resembled negligee as it showed off a lot of skin. Her arms had also changed, becoming black and her hands had sharp red claws instead of fingers. Her boots had also vanished, leaving her barefoot.
Merak panicked as he willed his chair to attack. It swung its robotic fists at her but she easily sliced the mechanical limbs apart with her claws, reducing them to scrap. Merak saw that his chair had been literally disarmed but that did not mean he was powerless. He opened up a wormhole to try and escape but Golden Darkness was quicker. Her hair morphed into tentacles and grabbed hold of him, pulling him out of his hoverchair.
"You're not running away~!" she said as he tried to break free.
"Let me go, you crazy bitch!" Merak shouted as he struggled in her grip. "Let go of me!"
"Um...no. I don't think so," Golden Darkness shrugged. "You need to be punished."
"Have it your way!" Merak growled, his eyes flashing. Sensing danger, Golden Darkness turned as the chair suddenly reactivated and shot a huge laser blast directly at her.
"Naughty, naughty," Golden Darkness chided as she raised her free hand. As the blast was about to hit her, she countered with her glowing red claws. The blast crashed against her claws and was instantly neutralized, much to Merak's shock. "My turn." She pointed her arm at the hoverchair and willed her nanomachines to transform her limb into a dragon-shaped cannon. The cannon roared and fired a crimson blast of energy at the chair, punching a hole right through it and causing it to explode. "Naughty children lose their toys."
Merak gaped as his hoverchair was destroyed. This caused something inside of him to snap as his Alter Ring changed shape. The stone in the centre turned dark violet as three red spikes that pointed inwards appeared.
"HENSHIN!" Merak roared. The energy released by his transformation blasted Golden Darkness away. As she stopped her involuntarily fight, she witnessed as he first changed into his base Agito form before he began to change further. He grew in height and musculature, becoming a musclebound hulk. His visor shattered, revealing the red eyes hidden behind them. His horns were now permanently fanned out and his gauntlets now resembled his chair's robotic arms.
This was Agito Cosmic Rage Form.
Agito Cosmic roared as shining energy exploded from him. The room around them suddenly started to expand and spin, warping and twisting like the inside of a Rubik's cube.
"Oh, that's right. Space manipulation powers," Golden Darkness remembered as the room continued to twist around her.
Agito Cosmic opened ten portals around himself and fired energy blasts from them at Golden Darkness. She barely managed to dodge the blasts as they flew past her, nearly singing her wings. Agito Cosmic twirled and gestured his hands, opening more portals to collect the lasers. Several more wormholes opened around her and spat the lasers back out, forcing Golden Darkness to shift back and forth to avoid getting hit. Despite her compromising position, she didn't feel that cornered at all.
"Nice! Nice!" Golden Darkness grinned, arching herself from another laser. "See? This is what happens when you actually put in the effort!"
"YOU BROKE MY CHAIR!" Agito Cosmic roared as he dashed into another wormhole. A wormhole opened behind Golden Darkness and Agito Cosmic came bursting out of it as he reared his fist back for a punch. Before his fist could connect, she caught it without looking at him.
"Boo-hoo, I broke your chair. You look like you needed the exercise anyway," Golden Darkness mocked as she looked over her shoulder before she effortlessly pulled him in front of her and put him in a full nelson hold, a black portal opening behind them. She jumped inside the portal before two new portals opened up. The new portals were positioned over each other and both of them dropped between the portals, going faster and faster the more times they went.
Another portal opened and spat them out before Golden Darkness spun around and threw Agito Cosmic to the far end of the wall. The Agito crashed, leaving a huge imprint of his body on impact as she skidded to a stop. Growling, he picked himself up and rapidly threw out smaller portals, each one opening around her as he punched through them. She blocked his blows with a single arm that blurred all around her, yawning as he could not even land a hit on her. Blocking another punch, she dove her foot through the portal and kicked Agito Cosmic in the head, knocking him back. She cried out as he grabbed her leg and pulled her through.
"THIS!" Cosmic brutally bashed her against the floor. "IS!" He teleported to the ceiling and savagely smashed her against it. "FOR!" He threw her against the wall hard enough to leave an indent in her shape. "DESTROYING MY CHAIR!" Agito Cosmic roared as he bashed her repeatedly on the floor like a ragdoll. He stopped but he was not finished with her yet as he wrapped his large hands around Golden Darkness. "YOU BROKE MY CHAIR! NOW, I BREAK YOU!" He attempted to crush her but she just grinned at him as spikes sprouted from her body, causing him to cry out and release her. "ARGH! YOU BITCH!"
"Time to go night-night!" Golden Darkness decided as her claws glowed and she raised her arms, going into a spin as she flew straight at Agito Cosmic. Her wings wrapped around her and hardened, turning her into a drill. Agito Cosmic saw her coming and tried to grab her but she punched through his hand. He screamed as she slammed her whole body into his chest, causing an explosion that forced him out of his Agito form. Merak was violently flung out of the explosion and landed on the floor, unconscious, as she hovered over him.
"Sweet dreams, asshole," she snarked as the distortion around the room vanished.
"That outfit of yours looks tacky as hell!" Miwa mocked Lala. "Where did you get it, a Halloween store?"
"It's part of the uniform! And better than what you're wearing!" Lala shot back as she hurled a hard-light fist at Miwa who blew it up with her eye laser.
Lala's Star Sapphire uniform was quite eye-catching. It was a skintight violet, sleeveless leotard that hugged her curvy figure. The V-neckline dipped low to just below her rib cage, revealing a generous amount of cleavage. Her arms were clad in gloves which reached up to her elbows and she also had matching thigh-high boots with stiletto heels. Finally, on her head was a tiara.
The villagers had evacuated the lobby via a Teleportal that would take them to safety. With them out of the way, Lala could cut loose. Miwa was certainly formidable and not just a pretty face. She effortlessly countered Lala's attack, shooting bright energy blasts from her eyes at the Star Sapphire.
"Hmph, shows what you know about fashion," Miwa scoffed. "The men certainly don't mind."
"So you admit you're a shameless slut," Lala shot back.
"Excuse you!? What did you call me!?" Miwa shouted as she fired at Lala.
"A shameless slut," Lala repeated as she avoided Miwa's eye laser.
"Come down here and say it to my face, bitch!" Miwa snapped and Lala obliged as she flew at high speed and cleaned Miwa's clock.
"You are a shameless slut."
Miwa shrieked and bitch-slapped Lala in the face. She retaliated with a bitch-slap too, nearly knocking Miwa off her feet. The former exotic dancer felt her lip split and snarled.
"You're gonna pay for that."
The two resumed slapping each other, exchanging insults. Meanwhile, AI-Shin stuck around to record it.
"Man, this is hot," AI-Shin, admired. "Ooh, now they're pulling each other's hair! Nice!"
Lala screamed as she kicked Miwa off her. The Star Sapphire then threw a right hook, striking her across the face. Miwa spat and saw a tooth mixed with a glob of blood and spit lying on the floor.
"Oh, that is it!" Miwa's eyes glowed. "You're dead, bitch! Look into my eyes!" She locked eyes with Lala to try and whammy her but Lala screwed her eyes shut.
"I know this trick! You won't seduce me!" Lala said.
"Wh-what!? I'm not trying to seduce you!" Miwa yelled and jumped back to avoid a punch. "You can't even see me, you stupid cunt!"
"I don't have to!" Lala shouted as she focused on her ring. "Hyah!" She released a pink energy wave that spread out around her, crystalizing the floor. Miwa was caught as well as violet crystals crawled up her legs. She used her eye lasers to stop the process but the crystals grew faster than she could break them apart.
Lala's Star Sapphire ring functioned similarly to the power rings wielded by Alan and Yūji as she could create energy constructs. It also had unique abilities like Yūji's. While Yūji's blue power ring was powered by hope and could boost a Green Lantern's power, Lala's violet power ring could encase a target in a crystal prison. Said crystal was manifested using the power of love which Lala possessed in spades.
"No, no, no!" Miwa shouted as she attempted to summon her Alter Ring to transform but she was too late as the crystal completely encased her body, leaving her frozen and silent in a crystal prison.
"Did I get her?" Lala asked and she opened her eyes to check. "Hey, I did it! And for the record, my husband loves the uniform."
As the fighting was going on, Elise quickly retreated and hid in the corner, not wanting anything to do with the violence. Unfortunately for her, Alice noticed her trying to hide. Growling, she aged herself into her adult form and marched forward to confront her.
"Hey, you!" Alice shouted. Elise's head swivelled to face her and her eyes widened fearfully.
"Eek!" Elise screeched, staggering back and tripping on her own feet. She began retreating backwards until she hit the wall and raised her hands in front of her face. "Please stay away! Don't come any closer!"
"You and your friends attacked us and killed a bunch of innocent people!" Alice said angrily. "And you're acting like some scared little girl? Don't mess with me!"
"It wasn't my fault! They made me do it! I-!" In the middle of her panicked raving, Elise's eyes suddenly widened before her head slumped. Alice blinked in confusion when she watched the Italian girl suddenly faint but quickly tensed as she sensed a sudden surge of aggression.
Elise stood up with her head hanging and raised her arms in front of her. Her limbs suddenly shifted and morphed into snakes that stretched out to snap their jaws at Alice. She quickly jumped back and summoned her wings in midair, flying up and down to avoid the serpents that twisted around to take a bite out of her until she flew far enough to stay out of their range. She looked nervously as the snakes continued to hiss at her, turning her eyes back at the Esper with eyes now full of confidence and annoyance.
"Tch," Elise III sucked through her teeth as her arms returned to normal. "You're really hard to land a hit on, but I guess that's how it is for a high-spec combat android like you. You're gonna be a little harder to deal with, Chaos Doll."
"That is not my name," Alice retorted as she floated down.
"Funny, I heard BLACK 13 says almost the same thing," Elise III remarked, holding her hands at her hips. "Hey, weren't you created to kill him, too?"
"I..." Alice started hesitantly. She knew of her origins. It wasn't news to her as her father had told her. "...That's not who I am anymore."
"Doesn't change the fact that you were designed to be a soulless killing machine," Elise III sneered as she glared, rubbing her fingers over her right eye as if it was itching. "And to be perfectly honest, the fact that you can go on acting like some goodie-goodie good girl when you've got nuts, bolts, and all sorts of lethal weapons under that frail-looking body pisses me off. Both you and BLACK 13 get to live like normal humans while we got only scorn for what we could do. We got pushed around, kicked down, bullied, and ignored by the teachers at school. Our parents wouldn't even acknowledge us. It got so bad, we ended up becoming shut-ins, doing nothing but bury ourselves in video games just to ignore the pain."
As Alice listened, she felt a pang of sympathy for Elise III while she continued with her backstory.
"And then this pain-in-the-ass professor showed up one day and promised mamma and papà that he could 'fix us', acting like some good Samaritan. But after he got his hands on us, he blew them and the house to smithereens, tricked the media to play the whole thing as a tragic accident, and used us as lab rats so he could play god." She gritted her teeth as she glared at Alice, her gaze full of envy and spite, her voice becoming more ragged and frustrated. "It pisses me off. It pisses me off! How the hell did a wind-up doll like you get a happy life when we couldn't!?"
"...I'm... sorry to hear that," Alice said sympathetically, saying the only thing that came to mind after hearing Elise III's tale. Elise III had a point. Why did she deserve a happy life? She was just lucky that her daddy adopted her. She did not know what she had done while under Gebok's control as her memories of that time were erased upon her reactivation. She knew it was terrible, remembering how her big brother initially hated her.
"Saying 'sorry' isn't going to fix it!" Elise III snapped, her purple Alter Ring flashing over her waist. "Henshin!" She slapped the side buttons and transformed in a flash of light. Even though Alice shielded her eyes, she managed to see the light splitting into two separate figures.
In place of Elise III stood two identical figures, like twins. They were in black leotard-style armour with grey sleeves and leggings. Their black gauntlets had purple circles on them and flared out near their hands, resembling sleeves. Their black boots thigh-high boots had purple accents and silver knee pads. Their helmets had the standard Agito design with the familiar golden horns on their heads but their mouth plates were shaped like snake fangs and they also included cobra-like hoods. They were so identical that the only way to tell them apart was their eye colours and emblems. The one on the left had sad green eyes and the Nu (ν)sign between her breasts while the one on the right had angry red eyes with the Mu (μ)sign in the same spot.
"What in the...?" Alice muttered in disbelief. "You can split apart?"
"That's right", the aggressive Agito - Gorgon Mu- nodded with satisfaction, "One of the things the professor made possible because this girl is so useless and she does whatever I tell her to do. She's just so depressingly weak and she can't do anything by herself. That's why I'm here, to do everything she can't. But she'll be fine as long as she shuts up and does what I say."
"Hauu... I'm so sorry," Gorgon Nu whispered as she fiddled with her thumbs.
"Once we beat you, you'll be my new toy, Chaos Doll," Gorgon Mu said, giggling darkly.
Alice quickly studied her two opponents. Gorgon Mu seemed to be the real threat while Nu was simply dead weight. Spreading her wings, Alice flapped them forward, throwing a flurry of sharpened steel feathers at the twins. Gorgon Nu cried out and teleported behind Alice while Gorgon Mu was ready to face the oncoming assault. She manifested an array of kunai and hurled them at Alice's attack. The kunai and feathers bounced against each other and dropped, littering the ground around them. The kunai vanished as Gorgon Mu rushed at Alice and rapidly hurled her kunai at her while Gorgon Nu did the same. With the attack coming from two different directions, Alice shielded herself with her wings and spun in place, deflecting their assault.
Spreading her wings, Alice blasted Gorgon Mu with a fireball. The explosive projectile hit its mark and she went down. Now that she was beaten, Alice could focus on Gorgon Nu. Turning around to face her, she saw Nu's horns fan out, as the Mark of Agito underneath her.
"Re...Resurrection!" Gorgon Nu cried out as her eyes flashed and Gorgon Mu was enveloped in a green glow. Her injuries vanished as she rose to her feet and Alice quickly spun around just as she threw a kunai at her shoulder.
"Ah!" Alice cried out as she pulled the kunai from her shoulder and stared at the revitalised Gorgon Mu.
"She can't do anything right but she has her uses," Gorgon Mu boasted.
"Like healing you," Alice concluded.
"Oh she can do much more than just that," Gorgon Mu said cryptically as Nu came to her side and she addressed her twin. "Kill her!"
"Y-yes!" Gorgon Nu timidly obliged as she conjured her kunai before adding in a whisper, "I'm...so sorry..."
Gorgon Mu and Nu threw their kunai at Alice but she countered with a stream of dark fire that should have burned them both to ash if not for the energy barriers that suddenly surrounded them. The flames washed over the barriers and they waited for Alice to stop before they retaliated with a volley of kunai. Alice flew up to avoid them and the twin Agitos chased after her, throwing kunai at her as she returned fire with her dark flames.
"I gotta find a way to beat them," Alice whispered. While Gorgon Nu seemed reluctant to fight, she needed to be taken out first so she could defeat Gorgon Mu and prevent her from being healed. "Time for some divide and conquer."
Alice fired off her feathers, separating the twins before she went after Gorgon Nu, blasting her with a fireball. Gorgon Nu yelped and raised a barrier but it shattered when the fireball exploded and she fell to the ground. Alice then unleashed an intense blast of flame straight at her but Gorgon Mu quickly protected her twin with a powerful barrier.
"Get up, you fool!" Gorgon Mu snapped at Gorgon Nu as she grabbed her hand and dragged her to her feet. "Time to use our special move!"
Alice stopped her attack once Gorgon Mu and Nu were covered in flames but her victory was premature as the flames were violently dispersed to reveal the twin Agitos, hovering in a sphere of energy. Their horn crests were fanned out as they powered up, and the Mark of Agito appeared under their feet. The mark on the floor transmuted into a pair of large cobra-shaped constructs that hissed ferociously at Alice.
Both Gorgon Nu and Gorgon Mu leapt into the air and landed on the cobra's heads before they were catapulted towards Alice. Holding hands, they delivered bicycle kicks that sent Alice flying backwards. The giant cobras then lunged forward to snap their jaws around her arms, causing her to cry out as they slammed her against the wall before multiple kunai pierced her limbs, pinning her down. Finally, Gorgon Nu and Mu then delivered a corkscrew kick together, nailing Alice violently in the gut.
When Alice opened her eyes, she found herself in a lab as a child and looking at Dr. Gebok.
"You're finally awake, my dear Chaos Doll."
'I...remember this...'
"Alright, you're ready for your first mission."
'My first...mission...?'
The vision changed, this time she was standing in the middle of Banabara-Kasai's living room and sprawled all around her were the bodies of the family she had attacked.
'No! No! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!'
Now, she understood why her big brother used to hate her so much. She had hurt his family. She felt guilty and ashamed of what she had done. She never wanted to hurt them.
Once more, the vision changed. She was underwater, with Showa holding her down as he dragged her to the ocean's depths.
'Onii-chan?'
"LOVE IS SOMETHING YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND!" he screamed at her hatefully. He descended further into the cold and dark depths of the ocean, intending to leave her there.
'Onii-chan, no! Please, no! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!'
Her pleas went unheard as he continued his descent until he left her at the bottom of the dark ocean, barely sparing her another glance. Her body was made of indestructible material, but it was also very dense. As a result, her body would be dead weight in the water, sinking deeper and deeper into the ocean floor.
'Onii-chan, come back! Don't leave me here! I'm scared! Someone help me, please! I don't want to be here! It's so cold and dark! Daddy, help me! Daddy! Daddy!'
The vision vanished and Alice soon found herself standing in a black space. Standing before her was an apparition of her past self: Chaos Doll.
"Do you remember?" she asked.
"I remember," Alice said softly, tears streaming from her eyes. "I remember everything now." She wiped her tears away as her eyes narrowed in determination as she walked up to Chaos Doll. "But Onii-chan forgave me. He didn't have to, but he did. Now, it's time I earned it."
Chaos Doll smiled up at Alice who then hugged her former self and a bright light burst from them to chase away the darkness.
Weapon O had left Alice pinned to the wall like a butterfly in an entomologist's insect display case. She appeared dead but nanomachines began to bleed from her wounds, covering her body with a consistency that was not unlike quicksilver until all her features resembled a silver mannequin, completely blank and unrecognisable.
Suddenly, her eyes snapped open, glowing deep purple.
END OF ACT 12
DrEx: Daichi's sonic cannon was inspired by Beast Wars Megatron's tail weapon and MetalGreymon's Alterous Cannon. Zero's Spark Burst Mode is a new inclusion. It's not an upgrade or Super Form. It's a temporary power-up. It also appears that Alice is about to experience an upgrade pretty soon. Anyway, more members of Alpha Force were revealed here. But don't worry. You'll get to know them real soon.