The Serenity materialised in the sky above the NEO-NUMBERS, their allies, and their enemy's forces. In the cockpit, Kaguya took charge, with Hiro seated beside her while their siblings — Crow, Raheem, and Shinobu — secured themselves in the seats behind them.
"I've got visual on them," Kaguya observed as she identified the NEO-NUMBERS along with Ryuji, Kotonoha, Jiro, and Lucy. "Looks like they're in a tight spot."
"Then let's lend a hand!" Hiro grinned, seizing the controls. "Targets locked on and fire!" He deftly pressed buttons on his control stick, and the Serenity unleashed its phasers, scattering the adversaries below. "RUN, YOU COWARDS! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"I'm still questioning the wisdom of letting Hiro co-pilot and man the guns," Crow voiced his concerns.
"We drew straws. He won," Raheem deadpanned.
Abruptly, the ship shuddered as an external force tugged it downward.
"Kaguya!" Shinobu exclaimed as she gripped the armrests.
"I've lost control." Kaguya peered through the viewing screen and identified Graviton trying to bring them down. "Figures." She unstrapped herself and stood up. "Hiro-aniue, take over."
"Got it!" Hiro nodded while Crow muttered a prayer under his breath.
Kaguya held her hands out and concentrated, resisting Graviton's influence with her own power. She could feel him attempt to overpower her, but her determination stemmed from a genuine purpose and a duty to protect.
"Hiro-aniue, bring us down gently," Kaguya instructed.
"'Gently'? Hah!" Hiro laughed. "Not my style, sis! We're going in my way — hard and fast!"
"Hiro, this isn't Friday night with your girlfriends!" Crow scolded as Hiro initiated a rapid descent. "HIRO!"
"PLEASE, DON'T LET ME DIE A VIRGIN!" Shinobu pleaded.
Raheem, unfazed, calmly listened to his music player.
*CRASH!*
Showa Chronicles: Road to Annihilation
Act XXII: Brawl in the Family
The ship stood inert, unmoving after its crash. It did not look like anyone had survived. Suddenly, the ship's canopy popped open, and the roar of a motorcycle engine echoed out before the Cavaliere R launched from the opening, landing on the marsh with spiked wheels. It ran over Psycho Soldiers, the wheels grinding against them with gruesome results.
Seated on the motorcycle was a white-haired young man, with a young woman with silver hair sitting behind him. The chaos left many witnesses either speechless or shouting in outrage and confusion.
"What...the...HECK!?" Smash exclaimed upon seeing the ship crash and then the new arrivals. "Who are these fuckers!?"
Shinichi instantly recognized Hiroyuki and smiled with pride. His eldest son had grown audacious, making a grand entrance like that. Hana, meanwhile, recognized Kaguya, unaware of her powers until now.
A moment later, a black beast suddenly leapt from the spaceship – a massive black lion with a red mane and eyes. The beast, mounted by a familiar Phantom Thief, tore through the grunts with deadly precision.
"Bonjour!" Coyote greeted the bewildered BTS grunts, firing her Lupin Gunner with a mock salute.
"KILL THEM!" Beelz, having reformed, screamed. "KILL THEM ALL!"
The Agitos with projectile attacks began firing at the new group, but the motorcyclist expertly avoided the attacks. When the destructive blasts were about to hit the lion and its female rider, a man in a green overcoat appeared from out of nowhere, deflecting the attacks with his sword.
"Gracias, Crow!" Coyote gratefully said before she hopped off the lion and immediately regretted it when she got mud on her shoes. "Ew, my shoes are dirty."
"You can clean them later once we're done cleaning up here," the swordsman in the green overcoat, now identified as Crow, told her. The grunts came charging at him and he swung his blade, sending them flying while tearing them to shreds with vacuum blades.
"Fine, fine," Coyote responded flatly, and she fired her gun at the grunts, shooting the Psycho Soldiers directly in the head. One tried to swipe at her, but she ducked underneath his swing and buried her gun into his stomach. "Ciao!" She fired a point-blank shot, which punched a hole through the grunt's stomach before he collapsed and turned to goo. This caused her face to twist in disgust as she pinched her nose. "Ugh, it smells like frack."
Meanwhile, the black lion took off, tearing the Psycho Soldiers apart with its claws and fangs. Blood stained its jaws but instead of feeding on the remains, it immediately spat them out like they were garbage.
"Kaguya, give me some air!" Hiro ordered, and Kaguya complied. A silver glow spread across the motorcycle, sending it soaring above the Agitos, before turning upside down. Hiro reached into his coat, pulling out a pair of matching guns. Holding them over his head, he fired rapidly upon the Agitos, bullets curving through the air with uncanny precision. The explosive projectiles kept the Agitos down, even as the motorcycle righted itself and landed on its wheels.
Vega, repelling the bullets, was about to confront them when his face met Showa's foot, knocking him back.
"How did my foot taste, asshole!?" Showa shouted, glaring at the Agito.
"You son of a bitch!" Vega snapped, focusing energy into his right hand, forming a psychic blade. Simultaneously, Showa summoned his Chrono Saber, parrying Vega's attack. The two exchanged blows until Showa caught Vega's wrist, headbutting him. Snatching the Fossiriser from him, Showa turned to his son.
"Jiro, catch!" Showa yelled as he tossed the Fossiriser to Jiro who caught the belt.
"Thanks, Tou-chan!" Jiro responded, strapping the belt back on. "Henshin!"
[TYRANNOSAURUS! RAMPAGE! STALKING THE JUNGLES! RULING FROM THE TREES! TYRANNO MAX! GAAAOO~!]
"Freeze!" Ryuji unleashed a torrent of ice-blue flames at Polaris, swiftly flash-freezing him. Lucy's vectors soon followed suit, smashing into the frozen Agito, and pinning him to the ground. Ryuji seized the opportunity, pouncing on Polaris to reclaim their stolen belts. He quickly strapped on his Dyno Belt and tossed both Kotonoha and Lucy their respective transformation belts.
"Thank you, Ryuji-kun," Kotonoha said gratefully before wrapping the belt around her waist. She then whipped out her pass and scanned it with the buckle. "Henshin!"
[ANGEL FORM!]
She spotted several grunts coming at them and drew her weapon before moving to intercept them.
"Yeah, thanks, Uncle!" Lucy smiled before strapping on her Orga Driver.
[Standing By]
"Henshin," Lucy said before slotting the Orga Phone onto its cradle in the centre of her belt and slamming it down.
[Complete]
As soon as her armour materialized, Orga began to advance towards Polaris, but Ryuji stopped her.
"Leave him to me," Ryuji commanded. "He's mine."
"Knock yourself out, Uncle Ryuji," Orga complied, darting into the battlefield to find her own opponent. Several BTS grunts moved to intercept her only to be swiftly dispatched by her invisible vectors.
"Be careful, Ryuji-kun," Tenshi said before she took off.
"Henshin!" Ryuji declared, swiping his Rider Pass across the Dyno Belt.
[SABER FORM!]
As Ifrit transformed, Polaris recovered and quickly utilised his magnetism, pulling the Rider towards him. This turned out to be a grave mistake as Ifrit retaliated with his Genki claws, tearing sparks from Polaris's chest and a scream from his throat. A powerful punch to the chest followed, launching Polaris with a Genki blast.
[TYRANNO FORM!]
Ifrit pursued Polaris, switching armours as the Agito rose to his feet. Attempting to halt Ifrit with his magnetic power, Polaris found himself outmatched as the Rider moved at super speed. Ifrit blurred towards Polaris, slashing across his chest with the DynoGasher in Rod Mode.
Polaris, undeterred, used his power to manipulate Psycho Soldiers into a makeshift whip, swinging it at Ifrit. The Rider, demonstrating his formidable agility, flipped backwards, simultaneously unleashing a wave of ice flames at the Psycho Soldier whip. The ice travelled across the soldiers, freezing them solid, turning them brittle, and causing them to shatter into pieces.
Landing on his feet, Ifrit collected the shards with his cryokinesis before hurling them at Polaris. The Agito of Magnetism gathered several hapless grunts and used them to form a literal human shield. The shards pierced through the makeshift defence before Polaris discarded them and fired a beam at Ifrit, aiming to tear off his armour. However, Ifrit was prepared, summoning a wall of ice flames that solidified into a protective barrier against the magnetic beam.
[FULL CHARGE!]
Ifrit dashed around the wall of ice, charging towards Polaris who failed to respond in time. The Tyranno Blades slashed through the Agito, propelling him into the air. Ifrit followed, swatting Polaris higher and higher until he touched the sky. With a powerful leap, Ifrit launched himself into the air, energy surging from his foot. The roundhouse kick connected with Polaris, sending him crashing to the ground with a force that caused a small quake and an ensuing explosion. When the dust settled, Carrera lay on the ground, unconscious and frost forming all over his skin.
"That's one down," Ifrit declared after he landed. His danger senses tingled, and he turned to see Smash coming right at him. "And we've got another volunteer!"
"EAT THIS!" Smash roared as he threw a punch that was enveloped in blazing energy. With one single blow, he would smash Ifrit into meat paste.
[MAMMOTH FORM!]
Switching armours, Ifrit swiftly caught Smash's fist and countered with a punch to his face, sending him crashing to the ground. The Agito of Strength grunted but promptly rose to his feet.
"Barely felt that, old man," Smash mocked, rubbing his chin.
"I'm 36, brat," Ifrit growled as he started to step towards him when Mare suddenly pounced on his back, attempting to get inside his head. Fortunately, he managed to repel her with his aura, freezing her in the process.
Smash poured power into his fists, initiating a rapid-fire chain of punches that Ifrit skillfully countered. Their arms blurred, fists colliding with exploding impacts. The air appeared to ripple as their fists made contact.
*BOOM!*
*BOOM!* *BOOM!*
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
"Ora, ora, ora, ora, ora, ORA!" Smash shouted. "ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAAAAAAA!"
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
"RAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Ifrit roared like a beast before finding an opening and driving his fist into Smash's chest, shattering his chestplate with an explosive punch.
[FULL CHARGE!]
Ifrit's Mammoth Shoulders slid down to cover his forearms, becoming the Mammoth Fists. He let out a roar as energy surged across his gauntlets, delivering a destructive double punch that created an explosion. As the smoke dissipated, Smash emerged, and any injury he sustained faded.
"See, old man? You can't hurt Smash! Smash feels no pain!" Smash bragged as his armour slowly regenerated.
"Oh, then that means I don't need to hold back." Ifrit grinned viciously as held his Dyno Pass and poured Mugenki into it, turning it gold. "GENKI GAISO!" He swiped the Pass across his Dyno Belt, scanning it. Infused with his Mugenki, the belt announced his transformation with a roar.
[MUGENJYU DYNO FOOOOOORRMMMMMM!]
"GenJyu Ifrit-Ken... Kamen Rider Mugen Ifrit!"
Ifrit's Mammoth Form armour dematerialized, replaced by a gold version of his Saber Form suit. Additional pieces appeared on his body — a chestplate resembling the face of a snarling beast with sharp fangs, and horns that formed pylons. Pauldrons that resembled T-Rex heads appeared next, and his fingers were encased in claw-like armour. Mounted on his back was a mechanical pterodactyl with its wings tucked away. Finally, his helmet formed, with a visor resembling a T-Rex's clenched jaws, horns, a triceratops' head frill, and a wild mane of golden hair.
"Let me tell you this from the beginning: I'm very ticked off," Mugen Ifrit growled as his body flared with golden Mugenki.
"Heh...you think some costume change is gonna scare Smash? Nothing scares Smash! Smash fears NOTHING!" Smash cockily bragged, but he was secretly sweating under his helmet from Mugen Ifrit's overwhelming aura and killing intent.
"Then why are you shaking?" Mugen Ifrit asked as he observed his opponent trembling.
"SMASH IS JUST THRILLED TO KILL YOU!" Smash lunged towards Mugen Ifrit, who let him come. As Smash threw a punch, Mugen Ifrit countered with his own. Their fists connected with an explosive boom that caused them to bounce off each other before the two traded rapid-fire punches.
As their arms blurred, their knuckles met, smashing into each other rapidly. The exchange ended once Smash managed to hit Mugen Ifrit in the face, but he was hit by a cross counter that knocked him back.
Smash readjusted his jaw, his smile widening under his helmet. Mugen Ifrit's eyes narrowed. He was facing an opponent who felt no pain and had high-speed regeneration. He would need to take Smash out with something he would not recover from.
"I don't always get to use this move, so feel honoured because you're about to experience what real cold feels like!" Mugen Ifrit informed his opponent as he cast his spell, his body radiating with Mugenki. "Reality Marble: ETERNAL FROST'S REALM!"
Golden ice and snow erupted from Mugen Ifrit's body, enveloping the battlefield and blinding Smash as he found himself surrounded by an impenetrable golden blizzard. The temperature plummeted drastically, and any hint of warmth was swiftly extinguished by the icy gusts.
When Smash managed to open his eyes again, he discovered himself standing in a frozen tundra. Tall and sharp icicles rose from the snow, creating an otherworldly forest. The stark landscape was complemented by imposing ice sculptures that resembled Ryuji's family, casting an eerie atmosphere over the icy expanse.
"Wha-wha-WHAT IS THIS!?" Smash demanded, bewildered by the surreal surroundings.
"Welcome to my world," Mugen Ifrit growled, his voice echoing through the frozen landscape. "And your grave."
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" With fury burning in his eyes, Smash charged up his fist with power and lunged at Mugen Ifrit. In response, Ifrir threw an uppercut with his open hand which caused a huge ice arm to burst out from under Smash and grab hold of him. "LET SMASH GO! LET SMASH GO SO SMASH CAN SMASH YOU!"
Ifrit began to swing his arm back and forth which the colossal ice arm mimicked, smashing Smash repeatedly against the snowy ground. Smash grunted with each blow but used his might to break himself free. Once free, he lunged at Mugen Ifrit to throw a punch, but the Rider swiftly summoned his Mammoth Shield to tank the blow. Undeterred, Smash unleashed a rapid-fire barrage of punches on the shield to break through Ifrit's defence. However, the shield refused to yield under Smash's assault.
Smash cocked back his fists for another relentless attack, but Mugen Ifrit had different plans. He pulled back his shield and delivered a devastating punch straight into Smash's chest. The explosive force sent the Agito hurtling through the frozen forest, crashing into and shattering the icicles before finally landing and sliding to a stop.
Smash lay on his back, wheezing as he struggled to catch his breath. The middle of his chestplate bore a fist-shaped indentation, surrounded by cracked armour.
"Ready to give up?" Mugen Ifrit offered, approaching the fallen Smash.
"DON'T LOOK DOWN ON SMASH!" Undeterred, Smash roared as he got back up, launching another punch at Mugen Ifrit. However, the Rider effortlessly caught Smash's fist. Suddenly, golden ice enveloped Smash's limb before shattering it to pieces. Smash recoiled, screaming in pain at his severed limb before the heroic Rider delivered a reverse roundhouse to Smash's stomach, sending him tumbling over the snow.
"This is my world, and it's mine to control," Ifrit claimed. With a snap of his fingers, the shattered ice shards hovered around him, reshaping into an array of lethal weapons, including arrows, swords, and spears. "In other words, you have absolutely zero chance of winning here."
Mugen Ifrit snapped his fingers again, sending the weapons array hurtling towards Smash. Despite his attempts to deflect them with his remaining arm, Smash struggled against the relentless onslaught. Each arrow, sword or spear that struck him froze a portion of his body before shattering, tearing away pieces of his armour. The agony intensified as more of his armour was violently ripped away from him.
The onslaught reached its climax as Sogou fell to his knees, left with only one arm. Frost began to encase his body as he shivered, his spiky hair already freezing. Tears, a product of the excruciating pain inflicted by Mugen Ifrit's relentless assault, were also frozen on his cheeks.
"No...Smash...Sogou...I can't...lose..." Sogou shivered, unable to comprehend what just happened. He had been beaten in fights before, but this was the first time he had been completely outmatched and dominated by another opponent. He became an Agito so he could be the strongest, but it seemed that it was not enough.
"Sweet dreams, dumbass." Mugen Ifrit raised his right leg, bringing his heel down on Sogou's head with a final, devastating blow, shattering his entire body.
In the real world, Sogou lay unconscious at Mugen Ifrit's feet with a look of shock frozen on his face. One moment, he was ready to attack the Rider and then, all of a sudden, he reverted to human form and collapsed. It had all happened in the blink of an eye.
Normally, Ifrit's Reality Marble would subvert reality with his own, projecting his inner world onto the world around him. Instead, he decided to pull Smash into his mindscape, his inner world, where he had complete control. In the Eternal Frost's Realm, Sogou's mental image of himself was shattered, breaking his mind, and leaving him catatonic.
"Try and heal from that, asshole," Mugen Ifrit spat.
Tenshi advanced on Thundra. She promised to slit the crazy bitch's throat earlier and she meant it. The Agito of Lightning blasted her, but Tenshi deflected the lightning with her A-Gasher. She then walked up to Thundra to bitch-slap her across the face.
"Did you just slap me!?" Thundra demanded in disbelief only to receive another slap in response. "BITCH!" She shrieked and retaliated with a lightning-infused punch, but Tenshi moved faster, countering with her own punch that cracked Thundra's eyepieces.
"You are a depraved, sick and twisted woman," Tenshi spat.
"Oh, tell me more~" Thundra cooed.
"I'm sending you to Hell."
"THEN I'LL TAKE YOU DOWN WITH ME!" Thundra took out her stilettos and attacked.
Tenshi blocked the electrified stilettos with her sword before striking Thundra across the chest, sending the mad woman sliding back. The insane Agito then attacked with thrusts and jabs, but Tenshi dodged them before delivering a kick into Thundra's stomach. As Thundra doubled over, Tenshi drove her knee into her opponent's face before she delivered a spinning jump kick into her chest, sending her sprawling.
Thundra loved to play rough, but this was insulting!
She jumped to her feet, raised her arms into the air, and called forth lightning bolts. They struck her body, and she absorbed the energy as her crest horns fanned out.
"TAKE THIS!" She fired a lightning bolt at Tenshi, stunning her. As Tenshi was paralyzed, Thundra joined her stilettos together, gathering electricity into the blades which morphed into a huge blade of lightning. Raising her blade above her head, she cackled and swung it down at Tenshi.
All of a sudden, an orange blur came and swept Tenshi away, causing Thundra to miss her target.
"WHAT!?" Thundra shrieked, and then a foot connected with her face.
"Like, keep your crazy to yourself, ya loon," Match said before she landed another kick with her other leg that sent Thundra sprawling.
Thundra spat and grinned, turning to look at Match.
"So, the little pussy cat wants to play, huh?" Thundra snickered as she stood up, and that was when she was shot in the back by Tenshi. She whirled around to see Tenshi firing at her with her A-Gasher in crossbow mode. The energy bolts struck the insane Agito, pushing her back but Thundra just laughed, revelling in the pain.
She raised her arms, crouched to the ground, and sent out a burst of lightning that spread out across the surface. Tenshi flew over to Match and snatched her up before they took to the air. Standing up, Thundra fired bolts of lightning at the flying Rider, nearly clipping her wings.
"She's a maniac," Tenshi remarked as she dodged another blast from Thundra.
"Like, understatement of the century," Match concurred.
"We'll have to end this now," Tenshi pressed the top of her buckle and it spread open into its star-shaped configuration. She scanned her Rider Pass across her buckle and flew straight at Thundra. A halo of light appeared in front of Tenshi, shielding her and Match from Thundra's assault as it washed over them.
[AWAKENING! HUMILITAS, CARITAS, TEMPERANTIA, PATIENTIA, HUMANITAS, CASTITAS, DILIGENTIA! SCRAMBLE! SE~RA~PHIM VIR~TUE~!]
Tenshi's body glowed and, in a flash, she was in her Seraphim Form. She gently put Match down once she was close to the ground.
"Before I send you to hell, I'll give you the pleasure of learning my name," Tenshi said to Thundra. "My name is Dr. Kotonoha Katsura-Hasuma, but petty little pissants like you can call me 'Tyrone'. That is what you will be calling me after I pound you into a pile of shit."
"...Seriously? A prison rape joke?" Thundra asked, slightly recoiling. "That's too much, even for me."
"When you have the life that I've experienced, almost nothing is sacred," Tenshi shrugged. "Now, let's finish this, woman to woman."
Tenshi spread her wings and soared towards Thundra, who laughed like a mad woman as she charged up her strongest attack.
"DIE, BITCH!"
[PATIENTIA DASH!]
Tenshi vanished in an indigo blur only to reappear standing behind Thundra, holding her Divine Judgment. Suddenly, Thundra was struck by multiple slashes all at once before she exploded. As the smoke cleared, Clementine collapsed, unconscious and with numerous scars burned across her body.
"That was bitchin'," Match admired. "But I thought you were gonna slit her throat."
"I was tempted, but I held back at the last second," Tenshi confessed. As much as she wanted to kill Clementine, the psycho and the rest of her team needed to face justice. "You should go help your sister."
"Right! Later!" Match saluted before she sped off.
Slasher found himself under attack as he faced an opponent he had defeated before, the one calling himself Agito Slash. Sparks flew as Slash and Slasher exchanged blows. As they locked blades, the cyborg noted that the Agito's arms were made of pure energy.
"You like them? I got these because of you!" Slash shouted as he broke the blade lock and swung his arms rapidly, striking at Slasher who blocked with his chainsaws. "When you took my arms, I thought my life was over, but it was only the beginning!" Seeing an opening, he slashed Slasher across the chest, spilling blood as his blade penetrated his enemy's armour. "I realised that I am the sword!" He delivered another slash, cutting across Slasher's chest again to leave an X-shaped gash. "Now, I get to return the favour!"
Slasher swung at Slash who blocked the chainsaw with his energy blade. Charging up its power, he shattered Slasher's chainsaw and then, with his other arm, he sliced off Slasher's right arm.
"AAAARRRRGGGGGGHHHH!" Slasher screamed as his arm was severed from his shoulder and he clutched the wound. This left him vulnerable as Slash went and pierced his other arm before slicing off Slasher's other limb, causing him to cry out again. His limbs lay on the ground, surrounded by a puddle of blood.
"Now, you understand how I feel," Slash taunted as he stood before Slasher, who fell to his knees in agony. "You took my arms and now I've taken yours. The only difference is that I became stronger from the experience while you will only die here." He raised his arms, his crest horns fanned out as he poured power into his blades to deliver the killing blow. "After this, I'm gonna pay your little goddess a visit! NOW, FAREWELL AND GO TO HELL!"
Slasher's eyes shone brightly as his helmet split in half and all of a sudden, a long chainsaw blade burst out and pierced Slash's stomach. Blood spewed from the wound as the rotating teeth dug into Slash's abdomen and screamed as he recoiled.
"Stay...away...from Hanyuu," Slasher threatened softly.
"How…how do you have…A CHAINSAW IN YOUR HEAD!?" Slash screamed in disbelief.
Slasher retracted his head chainsaw and stood up, his Spark Core glowing as it sent energy into his right leg. He delivered a powerful kick that connected with Slash's stomach wound, and the impact caused the Agito to explode. As the smoke cleared and dust settled, Kyouya toppled over as he was knocked unconscious.
For a brief moment, Slasher considered ending his opponent's life right then and there. But then Hanyuu's face flashed in his mind, reminding him that they were supposed to be heroes and set an example. He poured his glue paste all over Kyouya's wound to seal it.
"No te mereces esto, pero debes responder por tus crímenes (TL: You don't deserve this but you need to answer for your crimes)," Slasher said before he realised he was speaking in Spanish. "Hijo de puta (TL: Son of a bitch)."
Agito Graviton soared through the air, skillfully evading laser fire as Blue Beetle pursued him. He unleashed a gravity sphere towards the Rider, who agilely dodged it before accelerating and delivering a powerful punch to Graviton's face. Snarling, the Agito of Gravity harnessed his powers to draw Blue Beetle towards him, seizing him by the throat.
"I'm going to crush you like a walnut!" he snarled, forming a black hole on his chest intended to consume and obliterate his adversary.
"You...first...SHISNO!" Blue Beetle yelled. Two insectoid legs extended from his armour, striking Graviton's Philosopher's Stone and causing it to crack. Energy leaked from the damaged stone as Graviton recoiled, his transformation destabilizing. Surprised, Graviton released his grip on Blue Beetle.
"What have you done!?" Graviton screamed as his black hole began to pull him in.
"Oh shit!" Blue Beetle's armour swiftly generated forward-facing thrusters on his hips to prevent him from being pulled into the vortex as well.
"NO! NOOOOOO!" Graviton's agonized cries echoed as gravity inexorably drew him in. Limbs snapped and twisted as they were sucked into the black hole at the centre of his chest. "No! No, please! HELP ME! HELP MEEEE!" While his limbs stretched like spaghetti, his neck snapped, silencing him, and his head was inexorably pulled in. Finally, his entire body deflated like a balloon before being completely consumed by the black hole, which rapidly shrank with a blip soon after.
Blue Beetle hovered in place, staring at the space where he had just witnessed Graviton being absorbed by his own black hole.
"...Oops. OK, that was both freaky and cool," Blue Beetle observed. The Scarab had informed him that the most effective way to neutralise his opponent was to damage the Alter Ring, so he went for it. He hadn't anticipated that it would result in Graviton's demise. He felt bad about it but it was an accident. He could feel bad about it later.
Cryska unleashed a barrage of gunfire upon Carmen and Arachnea, with the Mantis Cyborg raising a shield of magic to deflect the incoming rounds. The metallic clang of bullets meeting the shield echoed through the tense air.
"Hana-chan, I heard him mention Cryska's sister. I think she's working for Kyofu," Carmen confided to her wife.
"Is that why Cryska is trying to kill us now? Did her sister put her under some kind of mind control?" Aracnea inquired, her concern evident in her voice.
"It's the only thing that makes sense!" Carmen insisted. That would explain Cryska's sudden aggression towards them. Arachnea was sceptical but as she thought about it, Carmen's claim made sense. Kyofu had originally intended to exploit Inia and use her to brainwash the entire globe. It would be child's play for her to brainwash her own sister.
They heard a roar and saw Reaper riding atop Atanti as the beast came charging at them, coming to avenge their earlier defeat.
"Hana-chan, I got this! You take care of Cryska!" Carmen said and the two separated to confront their opponents. As the Mantis Rider began to run towards Reaper, a pillar of dark flames burst up in front of her, stopping her in her tracks. The flames dispersed, revealing Alice in her Rider form. "Alice!?"
"Leave Abby to me," Alice insisted. "I can talk some sense into her."
"Are you sure?" Carmen asked, expressing uncertainty.
"Yes," Alice assured her, gazing at her with confident eyes.
Carmen wanted to protest but once she saw that Alice would not be deterred, she nodded and went to rejoin Arachnea.
Atanti reached Alice and went to make a snack out of her, but Alice managed to jump back to avoid its jaws.
"Abby, can you hear me!?" Alice shouted, but the other Rider remained unresponsive. "Okay, either she can't or won't talk to me. Need to get rid of that beast. Kinda wished Celine was here right now." Reaper could listen to Celine since they had bonded before. If that did not work, then her pollen would be able to incapacitate both Atanti and its rider.
Alice conjured a fire whip and lashed it out at Reaper. It wrapped around the enemy's waist, and Alice pulled her off, hurling her to the ground. The beast roared and moved to aid its Rider, but Alice grabbed hold of its tail.
"Sorry, but I need you out of the way!" With Herculean strength, Alice tossed Atanti over her shoulder and it landed on its back. As it attempted to regain its footing, Alice spread out her metallic angel wings and flew up. She fired her metal feathers at Atanti, piercing its limbs and pinning it down like a butterfly in a display case. It roared as it struggled to free itself, but Alice was confident that her feathers would hold it down. As she landed, Reaper rushed at her like a maniac.
"YOU HURT ATANTI! YOU HURT ATANTI!" Reaper screamed as she wildly swung at Alice with her sickles.
"Abby! Abby!" Alice shouted, attempting to reach the young girl inside the armour while dodging her swings, but the bio-android's pleas fell on deaf ears. She caught Reaper's wrists and then delivered a powerful kick to her chest, sending her reeling. "Fine, if you won't listen to reason, I'll just knock some sense into you!"
Reaper swung at Alice, who deftly dodged the sickle before delivering a punch to her face. Reaper recoiled, emitting a childish wail of pain before swinging both her sickles rapidly at the angelic Rider. Alice hopped backwards, sidestepping the swings, before retaliating with another punch to Reaper's face, sending her sprawling.
"Abby, listen to me!" Alice shouted. "Kyofu is just using you! He doesn't care about you! You're nothing but a tool!"
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! The Professor gave me a home! He said my parents did not want me!" Reaper cried in denial.
"He's lying to you!"
"SHUT UP!" Reaper picked up her sickles and lunged at Alice. Instead of avoiding Reaper's wrists, Alice caught the sickles, the blades cutting into her palms. She held them tightly, looking Reaper in the eye.
"I used to have a 'father' like that, and he made me do terrible things! I hurt people because he said it was fun, because he told me it was my way of showing my love! But there's nothing fun about hurting people! Every time you hurt someone, you hurt a little inside! My Daddy taught me that only bad people hurt people! I don't wanna hurt people anymore, and I know you don't either!"
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!" Reaper screamed as she had her breakdown.
"Abby, you don't have to be a weapon! Please! I know you don't want to do this! So, please, do this for Celine!"
"Ce...Celine?"
"She's my little sister, and she doesn't want to see you like this. She doesn't want to see her friend like this. So, please, just stop."
"I...I...I...WAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Reaper wailed as she transformed back into Abby and fell to her knees, rubbing her eyes as she cried. At the same time, Atanti shrunk and turned back into a stuffed animal.
"Wow, talking the monster to death actually works," Alice said in amazement. "Thanks, Daddy."
Vulcan's shoulder Vulcans fired furiously upon Carmen and Arachnea as they tried to weave between the rounds to reach her. The shoulder vulcans swivelled, following their movements, and keeping them at bay.
"She's not making this easy for us, Hana-chan!" Carmen remarked as she dodged a hailstorm of bullets from Vulcan.
"No, she's not," Arachnea agreed as she dodged the bullets. "You'll need to get inside her head to stop her from attacking us."
"That is something I am really good at!" Carmen agreed as her eyes flashed before she made a beeline for Vulcan.
As Vulcan fired upon her, the Mantis Rider's body burst into a cloud of flower petals that surged towards the Agito. She tried to blast the blast, but none of her bullets made contact as the petals began to swirl around the psychic, trapping her in a cyclone of flower petals. Vulcan's vision was filled with the colour pink as she failed to locate her target. Despite this, she was compelled to attack but as she resumed firing, she discovered that her weapons were spraying out flower petals instead of bullets. The flower petals in front of her soon reformed into Carmen who grabbed the psychic's head, holding her in place so she could look her in the eyes.
"Let me in, Cryska," Carmen said softly as their eyes met, and she astrally projected herself into Vulcan's mind.
Inside Cryska's mind, Michiru found herself in a hauntingly familiar scene. She stood in the middle of the Moscow airport, surrounded by lifeless bodies.
"Why is this...?" Carmen pondered aloud, though she already knew the answer. This scene was etched in her memory as it was a vivid portrayal of the tragedy. The corpses lay in pools of blood, victims of relentless gunfire. Looks of shock were frozen on their faces, none anticipating that this would be their final day.
"Don't you recognize it?" Inia asked coldly as she materialised before Michiru, casting her a deathly glare. "This is your handiwork."
"So, you are controlling your sister," Michiru observed.
"I had no choice. You turned her against me," Inia retorted hatefully.
"Why? We saved you from Kyofu."
"You didn't save me! You don't save people! You're murderers! Look around! You did this!"
Carmen frowned, tears welling up in her eyes. The NUMBERS had committed this atrocity. While she had no choice at the time, it did not absolve her of guilt.
"I know, and I have to live with what I've done, but what Kyofu is doing is so much worse!"
"Nyet! You will be silent!" Inia snapped at Michiru. "Kyofu will create a better world with only the chosen ones to inhabit it! No more chaos, no more bigotry, no more wars! The perfect utopia without monsters like you to ruin it!"
"Is that really what you want? Is that what your parents would've wanted?" Carmen asked.
"DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT MY FAMILY!" Inia screamed. "NOW, GET OUT OF-!"
"Inia?"
Inia froze at the sound of the familiar voice. It had been many years, but she still recognized it. Slowly, she turned around and gasped, unable to believe her eyes.
It was her parents.
"Papa? Mama? What are you both doing here?" Inia asked.
"What are we doing? What are you doing?" Inia's mother questioned back, a sad look in her eyes.
"I'm using my powers to do good, Mama," Inia justified. "This way, there will be no more hatred, no more war, and everyone will get along."
"And what about your sister? What have you done to her?" Inia's father inquired. A look of concern was evident on his face.
"She sided with them! The people who took you away from us!" Inia snapped. "And you're not real! You can't be here! This is a trick! A trick!"
"Or maybe this is how you and your sister remember your parents," Michiru suggested as she stood behind Inia. Inia turned to glare furiously at Michiru, with tears streaming from her eyes.
"Are you doing this!? How dare you!? HOW DARE YOU!?" Inia screamed, heavily tempted to kill Michiru for this perceived desecration of her parents' memory.
"No, this is not me," Michiru denied. "Maybe deep down, you know this is wrong."
"Nyet! NYET!" Inia shook her head. "WE NEED TO DESTROY YOU ALL FOR THE SAKE OF THE WORLD!"
"And how is wiping out 90 percent of humanity good for the world?" Michiru challenged. "And that number includes innocent children, children who have never done anything to deserve it. Are you going to help wipe out children, entire families, innocent people? Is that really what you want? Is that what Cryska wants? Is that what your parents would have wanted?"
Out in the real world, while Carmen delved into Vulcan's mind, Arachnea valiantly shielded her from the Psycho Soldiers. The Tarantula Rider swiftly cut down the assailants with her Spider Kamas, ensuring they couldn't employ their telekinesis.
"Hana, necesito atención médica (TL: Hana, I need medical attention)," Slasher urgently called.
"I'm a bit busy here, Chiaki," Arachnea replied as she continued dispatching the Psycho Soldiers. "And why are you speaking Spanish? Did you use your head chainsaw thing? You know that resets your voice box to its default language setting, right?"
"No tuve elección. Estoy literalmente desarmado (TL: I had no choice. I am literally unarmed)."
"Just hang on. I'll get to you soon," Arachnea assured him before ending the call. "Come on, Michiru. Hurry up."
Bio-Breakers soon joined their compatriots and fired upon Arachnea, sending her sprawling. Reinforcements came as a new group of Psycho Soldiers appeared and retaliated with telekinesis, lifting Arachnea into the air. They then began to tug on her limbs, prompting her to cry out as they attempted to draw and quarter her. As she struggled helplessly, she saw the rest of the grunts approach Carmen and Vulcan.
"No...!" Arachnea protested, despite the pain shooting across her body. "You stay away...STAY AWAY FROM HER!"
Protective instincts and righteous fury reached their peak and, suddenly, four armoured limbs burst out of her back. At the same time, she received a sudden boost of strength, freeing herself from the foot soldiers' telekinetic hold. Landing on her feet, she moved with inhuman speed, dispatching the grunts with her venomous claws, causing them to dissolve into slime. A Bio Breaker attempted to blast her, but she shot her web at his chestplate, causing his attack to backfire and blow up the top half of his body.
More Psycho Soldiers appeared, and she was prepared to kill them to protect her beloved wife. Suddenly, Vulcan rounds rained down on the BTS grunts, tearing through them. Once they were reduced to goo, Arachnea spun around to see Carmen and Vulcan approaching.
"Michiru!" Arachnea ran to her wife, relieved to see that she was alright. She then gave Vulcan a wary look, unsure if she could trust her. "Is she...?"
"Yeah, she's back on our side," Carmen confirmed.
"And what about her sister?"
"She's asleep; put her under a spell while I was in there."
"Good," Arachnea nodded, relieved.
"Hana-chan!" Carmen gasped as she finally noticed the four extra arms that were coming out of her partner's back. "Your arms are out!"
"I know," Arachnea acknowledged.
"But I thought you got cured," Carmen recalled. She remembered that Hana had asked if Director Smith could have her cured and prevent her from sprouting her additional arms.
"The doctors in ARMOR tried but they could not cure my condition. Instead, I was given a drug to suppress them and lied about being cured," Arachnea explained. "I'm sorry for lying, Michiru. I was ashamed of them since they made me feel like a freak, but not anymore because I know you would never reject me."
"Oh, Hana-chan," Carmen smiled, proud of her spouse's personal growth, and went to give her a hug. Arachnea returned the gesture and hugged her back with all six of her arms.
"I need to go. Chiaki needs my help," Arachnea told her wife as she retracted her additional arms which seamlessly sank back into her body. "Will you be OK by yourself?"
"Don't worry, comrade," Vulcan assured as she powered up her Vulcans. "I'll watch her back."
Arachnea nodded and went to find Slasher to offer him aid.
Match found her sister amidst a fierce battle against numerous Psycho Soldiers. The wolf-like Agito skillfully blasted the assailants with her gun while repelling them with her formidable howl. As several enemies prepared to unleash their attacks, Match swiftly collided with them, knocking them into the air before delivering precise shots.
"What took you?" Mix asked, a smirk playing on her lips.
"I was helping a new friend of ours," Match replied.
An explosive blast suddenly sent the sisters sprawling. Dazed, they looked up to find Luminous hovering menacingly above them.
"You traitors! You heathens! How could you join those abominations!?" Luminous accused Mix and Match, his voice charged with anger. "Have you no shame!? No honour!?"
"Sis, mind if I take this one?" Match requested.
"Be my guest," Mix allowed. Match grinned before leaping to her feet.
"Hey, asshole! Do you kiss Kyofu's butt with that mouth?" she taunted, diverting Luminous's attention.
"Blasphemy!" he snapped, firing a laser at her, but she deftly dodged.
"Come and catch me!" she taunted, speeding off for Luminous to give chase. He fired at her, but she skillfully zigzagged across the battlefield. Jumping up as Luminous unleashed another attack, she evaded his beam and retaliated with her gun, landing multiple hits before delivering a swift kick to his chest that transformed into a barrage of rapid kicks. Luminous crashed to the ground with a painful thud.
Rising to his feet, he charged at her, only to be struck by a rainbow-coloured beam that sent him sprawling violently. Match turned to see Prism, her fist shining.
"Did you just...?" Match started, unable to believe Prism had come to her aid.
"I never liked him," Prism interrupted. "Oh, and watch out."
Match sidestepped a beam and saw Gorgon Mu firing at her. She continued to dodge the beams, inadvertently causing several unfortunate Psycho Soldiers to be hit instead, turning them to stone.
"Missed me!"
*ZAP!*
"Missed again!"
*ZAP!*
"Are you even trying?"
*ZAP!*
"You know, you should get into modern art. You've got, like, talent," Match quipped as she admired the petrified Psycho Soldiers now frozen in various poses.
"SHUT UP AND STAND STILL!" Gorgon Mu screamed.
*BANG!*
Gorgon Mu cried out in pain as she was shot in the back of the head, knocking her out and sending her to the ground. Mix had her foot on the back of Gorgon Nu's head to keep her down and prevent her from using her petrifying gaze.
"Nice shot, Sis," Match waved.
"Be serious, Tamae," Mix chided.
"So, what do we do with her?" Match asked, looking at Gorgon Nu.
"Please, I don't want to fight anymore!" Gorgon Nu pleaded. "It's just too much! All the violence! It's just too brutal! I don't want to do this anymore!"
"Then don't," Mix said.
"It's not that simple! She's always in control! She makes me do things I don't want to do! I can't do anything against her!"
"But it's your body, isn't it? It's your choice what happens."
"I'm... I'm not strong enough..." Nu sobbed.
Both sisters looked down at Nu with pity. It was no secret that she suffered due to her split personality. Instead of aiding her, Kyofu exploited her, manipulating her unstable psyche to his advantage.
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
Musician sent Siryn flying with a deafening sonic scream, and she landed beside Cosmic who was sitting on the sidelines, doing nothing.
"Hey!" she snapped at him. "Do something!"
"...OK," Cosmic yawned and opened a wormhole before his hover chair sank into it.
"Hey, get back here!" Siryn yelled as she tried to grab him, but his giant hand caught her before she could and tossed her away.
"This is too much work. I'm getting out of here. Tell me how it goes later *yawn*," Cosmic lazily said as he went to take a nap before vanishing completely into the wormhole.
"Hey!" Siryn punched the ground after the wormhole vanished. "Get back here! Hey! Hey! Come back, you coward! Do as I say, or I'll kill you!"
At the same time, wormholes appeared under Gorgon Nu and Mu, taking them both away from the battlefield.
"OK, like where did they go?" Match asked in confusion.
"Hopefully, someplace where they can reflect on their actions and maybe find some peace," Mix offered.
Siryn was growing irate. They were meant to win but nothing seemed to be going as planned. She spotted Quark who did not seem to be paying any mind to the fight that was happening around him. Good, she could use him.
"Hey, boytoy!" she shouted, getting Quark's attention. "Kill that cricket bastard and I'll rock your world tonight!" Her voice entered his brain, making her words an absolute order.
Quark roared and teleported right in front of Musician. He threw his fist at the Rider, but Musician was ready as countered with his Cricket Fork. Unfortunately, it snapped in half as it received Quark's telekinetically charged punch which blasted Musician across the battlefield.
As Musician went tumbling, Quark teleported on top of him to deliver a hammer fist. Acting quickly, Musician rolled onto his back and screamed, hitting his opponent with a deafening sonic blast. Quark was stunned as the attack threw him to the ground.
Rising to his feet, Musician cracked his neck and knuckles. He watched as Siryn hovered down beside Quark as he picked himself up and whispered into his ear. Musician knew Siryn's power allowed her to control people with her voice and they would follow her instructions without question. She had attempted to kill the villagers by ordering them to die. Thankfully, that had not worked.
Quark roared and he bulked up as energy veins lit up across his body before he appeared in a flash in front of Musician. He threw a lethal punch, but Musician deftly caught his fist, the impact producing a shockwave that spread around them.
Musician's appearance underwent a significant transformation. Clad in an armoured black bodysuit, he sported silver gauntlets and steel-toed boots. Leather bands adorned with buckles encircled his wrists and ankles. Diagonally crossing his chest were leather bandoliers, adorned with guitar strings that criss-crossed to form an 'X'. A gold badge, engraved with the kanji for 'power', adorned the centre of his chest. Over his top, he donned a leather jacket featuring spiked shoulder pads, and even his kneepads boasted a menacing set of spikes. His helmet, black in colour, featured a dark red V-shaped visor resembling sunglasses. A mandible-like mouthplate adorned the front of the helmet, opening and closing with each breath. His antennae took on the shape of horns, while a set of spikes arranged in a Mohawk-like fashion graced the middle of his helmet.
This was Musician Heavy Metal.
He reached behind his back with his free hand to pull off the guitar that was mounted on his back and with a swift swing, he slashed Quark across the chest with the blades attached to the main body of his instrument. Holding the neck of the guitar tightly, he gave Siryn a cocky grin.
"Let's Rock and Roll," he declared, and he went on the attack. He slashed Quark across the chest again and then he played a tune on his guitar, charging it up with a guitar solo. As Quark recovered, he tried to blast Musician, but the Rider swung his MuseAxe, slicing the blast in half. Swinging the MuseAxe like a club, he whacked Quark repeatedly in the face before he drove the headstock into his opponent's stomach.
"HEAVY METAL HAVOC!" Musician screamed and he played a loud heavy metal piece, strumming the strings furiously as he headbanged. As he sang at the top of his lungs, an aura surrounded his head, giving off the appearance of glam rock hair. He poured violent shockwaves through Quark's body, causing his body to vibrate uncontrollably. He finished the song with one final note and Quark exploded.
Musician shouldered his instrument to see the man who became Quark lying face down. The Cricket Rider flipped him onto his back with his foot and was relieved to see his chest rising and falling as he breathed.
"YOU USELESS SON OF A BITCH!" Siryn shrieked and she blasted Musician with a sonic scream. He was pushed back but he dug in his heels. "I KNEW YOU WERE GOOD FOR NOTHING! I CAN'T BELIEVE I SLEPT WITH YOU, YOU FUCKING LOSER!"
Musician gritted his teeth. He used to hate women, but time and therapy had helped him get over his misogyny. However, there were some qualities in women that he hated, like the ones who were toxic and manipulative. They reminded him of his old handler.
"Time to face the music!"
Musician's Spark Core released a blinding flash of light and Siryn shielded her eyes. As the light faded, she opened her eyes and saw Musician in a form she had never seen before. His black bodysuit featured sharp, spike-like patterns reminiscent of razor-sharp teeth adorning the sleeves and legs. Red boots and gauntlets added to the ensemble, each embellished with striking blue fins. The torso armour mirrored the fierce countenance of an enraged alligator, with red eyes and a black stripe running down the centre. The menacing teeth-like designs on the front intensified the intimidating appearance. Lastly, his helmet underwent a transformation, losing the antennae but gaining bold blue horns and a crest reminiscent of a fin.
"Feast your eyes and open up those ears, coz my name's Musician, Kamen Rider Musician... LEVIATHAN!"
Siryn growled and then she screamed, blasting Musician with a Sonic Scream. He powered through the blast, taking one step at a time, before he finally reached her.
"Cauda."
Twin energy tail constructs appeared behind Musician as he leapt up and twisted his body around, smashing the energy appendages into Siryn and knocking her to the ground. Musician repeatedly smashed her with his tails before wrapping them around her and tossing her into the air. He leapt after her, overtaking her and then he went to deliver his finishing move.
"CHUTA!"
Energetic manifestations enveloped his legs, morphing into ferocious crocodile jaws. His feet connected with Siryn as he delivered a scissor kick, and the jaws snapped shut with a forceful clamp. Siryn screamed before she exploded.
From the explosion, Musician fell and landed in a crouch, holding Kirihara in his arms. She was knocked unconscious.
"Nighty night, bitch," Musician sneered.
Amidst the chaotic battle, the Black Lion surveyed the scene before closing its eyes. It seamlessly transformed into a mass of black, amorphous matter, undergoing a shape-shifting process that culminated in the manifestation of a 14-year-old boy. With dark skin and a voluminous deep-purple afro, he bore the distinct features of African descent. Adorned in stylish black attire, his red hoodie boasted short sleeves, offering a glimpse of a shirt with long black and white striped sleeves beneath. The back of his hoodie proudly displayed the image of a lion. Complementing his ensemble were black cargo pants as well as stylish black and white sneakers. Around his neck, headphones hung, with the wire connected to a music player clipped to his belt.
"Alright," Raheem said as he put his headphones on his ears and bobbed his head to the music, tapping his music player with his index finger. "It's go time."
Several Psycho Soldiers spotted him standing among the remains of their comrades, and they came at him. In a flash, he turned into a black amorphous shadow and surged straight at them, rushing past them. He stopped a few feet behind them, with his arms spread to the side and his head lowered. Turning around to look at them, he snapped his fingers and they fell to pieces before melting into a puddle of goo.
Zero engaged in a fierce battle against Agito Magic, a formidable and elusive opponent. Employing a variety of long-ranged tactics, she unleashed beams, concussive blasts, and even unconventional projectiles in the form of spoons. Adding to the challenge, she erected a formidable barrier that effectively blocked Zero's stinger blasts and needles.
"It's best that you surrender. You cannot harm me, so anything you do is pointless," Magic claimed.
"Then how about me?" Raheem's voice came from behind Magic, startling her as she spun around to see him standing there.
"Who are you?"
"Just someone passing through," he claimed, holding up Magic's doll. "Is this yours?"
"GIVE THAT BACK!" Magic suddenly screamed, and her calm demeanour instantly shattered. She lunged at him, but he agilely evaded her grasp. In response, she sent spoons flying at him, but he executed a breakdance routine, effortlessly dodging the projectiles. After his fluid dance, he assumed a taijutsu stance.
Magic fired her Psybeam at him, and he transformed into shadow matter, sinking into the ground before emerging next to her. He threw a punch that shattered her barrier, leaving her in shock. Spotting her doll in his hand, she reached out to grab it, but he tossed it into the air.
"NO!" Magic screamed as she looked up, feeling something get stuck to her chest – a metal disk with a red blinking light.
"Goodbye," Raheem waved, and Magic vanished with a pop, leaving the doll to fall into Raheem's hand.
"Who are you? What did you just do?" Zero questioned.
"An ally and I sent her back to your cells," Raheem answered. "You're welcome."
Luminous fired at Prism, but she skilfully dodged the blast before retaliating with her own. Swiftly evading her counterattack, he regrouped with several Psycho Soldiers and pointed at Prism.
"Soldiers, to me! Smite this treacherous harlot with the power of our light!" Luminous commanded. The Psycho Soldiers generated blades of psychic energy from their hands and charged at Prism.
Suddenly, a tornado appeared, blowing the Psycho Soldiers away. When it dissipated, it revealed a young man in his mid-teens with mid-back length braided blond and indigo hair that appeared tie-dyed, with two strands sticking up like antennae. His eyes were bright green and while youthful, they also displayed experience as he showed no fear. He had a muscular build that was hidden under a black shirt with black pants and a green overcoat that had black trimmings and matching lining. He also wore brown fingerless gloves and matching boots. The wind rippled around his hair, exposing a scar in the shape of a crooked '7' on the left centre of his forehead.
"Am I late for the party?" he quipped, grinning.
"Who the hell are you!?" Luminous demanded.
"The name's Crow," the mysterious young man said as he drew his jian from behind his back. Pointing his sword at Luminous, he added, "But you may call me 'retribution'."
"Smite them! SMITE THEM ALL!" Luminous commanded. The Psycho Soldiers charged at Crow who smiled as he went into a swordsman stance. He parried the first Psycho Soldier and then he struck with his sword, knocking him down. They began to surround him, but Prism jumped in to lighten his load.
Prism delivered a kick, sending a Psycho Soldier sprawling. Behind her, another was about to strike her down when Crow threw his sword, and it stabbed that Psycho Soldier in the back. The Psycho Soldier collapsed, dead at their feet.
"Your idiocy knows no end!" Agito Luminous laughed. "What did you think you could accomplish by throwing your weapon away like that?"
"Huh?" Crow muttered, bored. "I threw what away, now?" He spun his sheath in his hand before stabbing it beside him to let it stand, burying it deep with a loud clunk. His eyes flashed as he bent down and picked up a long twig from the ground. He swished it out, the force causing a strong gust of wind to blow.
Prism looked at the sword lodged in the remains of a Psycho Soldier and pulled it out. She found it to be much too light. Examining it closely, she realised it was not made of steel, but wood painted to look like steel.
"How did he...?"
A Psycho Soldier gave out a loud yell before he charged at Crow, his energy blade blazing as others folded suit. Crow watched as he took a stand with the stick, seemingly not caring that he only had a twig to fend them off. As soon as the first Psycho Soldier came down with his sword, Crow swung his stick. The Psycho Soldier continued undaunted; his win was already assured.
Then with a loud clash, the stick deflected the energy blade.
"Ah-!" the Psycho Soldier could only scream before the stick smacked him across the face, sending him spinning to the ground.
Another Psycho Soldier came down with his energy sword. Crow parried the blade twice before he sent a forward thrust, his stick ripping through the sword and at the Psycho Soldier's face. With a sharp twist, Crow channelled energy to snap the blade into pieces, the result even blowing the Psycho Soldier's head into a bloody stump.
"Holy...!" Prism gasped.
"What in the world...?" Luminous growled in disbelief. "How are you doing that without a sword?!"
"You need to stop making such dumb assumptions," Crow retorted, his twin ahoge twitching as another Psycho Soldier levitated towards him to run him through. Glancing behind him quickly, he swung his stick as an energy blade ignited from it, running through the Psycho Soldier, as well as the tree that was behind him. "See, I was never using a sword in the first place!"
As both the Psycho Soldier's head and the tree split in half, the last two remaining chased after him, levitating through the air. Crow gave a small back-hop, gliding backwards as he used his stick to parry their blades. One of them tried to cut behind him for a pincer attack, but Crow ducked and swung his leg to the side of the grunt's head, knocking him face down.
"That can't be! You are not one of the blessed! You're not even a god!" Agito Luminous shouted in disbelief.
Crow spun away from the strike of the last Psycho Soldier before pointing his stick at the grunt's throat.
"You think only espers have the power to form sharpened edges without metal? How naive!" The Psycho Soldier manifested another energy blade with his free arm and tried to run it through him, but Crow quickly slapped it with his palm, and it emitted another loud clash. He grabbed the Psycho Soldier's arm and twisted it to force the last grunt down in front of him. "If you channel enough force into it, then hair and cloth can split flesh, shatter bone..." He gave a sharp twist, spinning the Psycho Soldier into the air, before twisting again and allowing his coattails to flip up at the target. "And break steel!" He finished as his coat sliced off the Psycho Soldier's head, with an energy blade even spinning out in the meanwhile.
"No... no..." Agito Luminous trembled as he slowly backed away.
"So maybe you'd like to drop it and surrender already," Crow suggested. "I'd really prefer if we could stop all the fighting. Too much blood was already split over some guy's ego. That's not something worth dying for."
"Never! That can never happen!" Agito Luminous shouted in complete denial, brandishing his Light Swords with several intimidating swings. "We are the guiding light of humanity who will bring about the dawn of a new era! Our greatness can only begin with your demise!"
"Oh yeah?" Crow hummed, looking disappointed. "You care more about that than your own life, huh?" He swished his stick around, light trailing from the tip, before stopping with a stance. "Understood. No need for you to feel shame anymore." With another spin of his stick, he swung it down, a large shockwave erupting from him and nearly knocking Prism off her feet. "Because now I'm serious!"
"Let my radiance send you to your grave at the speed of light!" Agito Luminous roared as his crest horns fanned out, and the Mark of Agito shone brightly under his feet. He combined his two swords into a single giant sword as it flashed in brilliant dark light, the symbol of Agito feeding emitting trails of energy into it.
"Phosphoratorium: Light Demise Blade!"
He swung his sword down. Instead of shooting out any kind of attack, the sky itself seemed to be cut open, exposing a space of dark light. The tear in the sky seemed to be sending out a type of pulse that was sent directly at Crow.
"Hahahaha! You forced me to do this! The dark light realm is transmitting particles around you to the point that you can't move!" Luminous stomped on the ground as purple waves rippled from his foot. "You die now!" He yelled as he blasted at Crow, with his sword ready to cut right through him.
"Way of the Wingless Blade: Specter Shattering!" Crow called as the twig shone brightly, echoing from his swings. Just as Agito Luminous reached him to behead him, Crow ducked and gave a hard thrust at his chest. There was a large bang from the impact, the stick breaking through the chest piece. Crow's foot sank through the ground as he forced in more pressure, the air exploding around him. Finally, the armour shattered completely, and Jota was knocked out by the blow. As the Agito of Light lay unconscious, Crow threw the now halved twig away. At the same time, the dark light space in the sky vanished.
"Damn fool," Crow sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "At the very least, he could've decided to train himself more before trying to come at me like that."
Raheem appeared and examined Crow's opponent.
"Good, he's still alive," Raheem approved.
"I know you want us to let them live, but these people are dangerous. It would be safer to just put them down before they become a real threat," Crow stated.
"Killing them would just prove people like Kyofu and DJ Mikogami right, and we want to make sure the NEO-NUMBERS' rep doesn't get tarnished further," Raheem explained as he put a transmat disk on Jota, sending him away. "Now, what do we do with her?" He was looking at Prism and had a transmat disk with her name on it.
"She was fighting him when I jumped in," Crow replied. "So, she's definitely not on their side now."
"Excuse me, but who are you people?" Agito Prism asked in confusion.
"We're just passing through," Raheem and Crow answered in unison.
Orga swung her Orga Stylanzer at Agito Sasuke who blocked her blade with his energy kunai. Jumping back, he threw a volley of flying energy kunai at her but she deflected them with her vectors as she charged at him. Grinning, he flipped backwards as she delivered a slash. He saw the air vibrate slightly and avoided the vectors as they came at him before he struck her with an explosive energy kunai, knocking her back. He proceeded to throw several more explosive energy kunai at her, and they exploded on impact, causing her to scream. It was sheer music to his ears.
"That is a lovely sound!" Sasuke happily cried out. "Scream some more!"
"You won't be laughing after I rip your head off!" Orga yelled. Sasuke grinned and lunged at her. Suddenly, he saw a war hammer come flying at him. He flipped his body backwards in mid-jump. The hammer flew by and curved through the air like a boomerang before returning to its owner.
"Aww..." the hammer's wielder pouted. "I missed."
Sasuke instantly recognized her, and his eyes widened in rage. Orga also noticed her — a young woman in a halter top and miniskirt with blue hair. Her most distinctive feature was the two bunny ears adorning her head. She seemed to stand on a platform crafted from magic, suspended over the swamp water.
"Where did she come from?" Orga wondered, studying the bunny girl. Her thoughts drifted back to the crashed ship, envisioning the bunny girl sneaking away while Hiro and Kaguya created chaos on the field. "That makes sense." Sasuke ignored Orga and sprinted across the water toward the bunny girl. "Hey, get back here!" Orga extended her vectors to catch him, but he skillfully evaded them until he was out of range.
"YOU'RE MINE!" he yelled as he went to stab the bunny girl, but she swung her war hammer at him. He jumped back to avoid it and landed in a tree. He snarled as he glared at her. "That grinning face of yours makes me sick! I'm gonna rip your limbs off and fuck your corpse in front of your friends!"
"…Have we met somewhere before?" Shia the bunny girl asked as she tilted her head.
"You don't remember me?" Sasuke snarled as his face twisted in anger. "You don't remember the army you and the rest of your watermelon patch crew wiped out?!" Shia still didn't appear like she remembered, much to his frustration. "You killed my Nii-san! You lopped his head off his shoulders!"
"Oh, you mean the serial rapist that I turned into a meat pancake?" Shia finally recalled. Those words instantly made Sasuke's blood boil.
"You biiiiiiiitch!" Sasuke roared as he threw a volley of energy kunai at her. Shia quickly swung her Drucken, swatting them away. "What gave you the right to kill him, huh!? He was all that I had left!"
"Why should I care?" Shia asked with a cold glare, dropping her playful act and chilling him to the bone.
"W-what?" Sasuke stuttered.
"Weren't you two supposed to be serial killers? You both get off on preying upon and killing people weaker than you. But when you end up in the crosshairs of someone who can fight back, you bitch and moan, whine and complain. I can get why you'd want revenge for your brother, but how many loved ones have you killed and didn't think twice about? How many brothers, fathers, and sons did you murder? How many sisters, mothers, and daughters did you rape? Your lust led you and your brother down a path of depravity and violence, and you don't even give a damn. Not to mention you were the ones who attacked us first, so you don't get to complain. If you killed someone I cared about, would you want to hear about what kind of a person they were? You wouldn't, right?"
"Sh-shut up!" Despite being shaken by her cold words, Sasuke steeled himself. "I'll make you pay for what you did to him! I'm gonna kill you, fuck every hole in your corpse and make more holes for me to fuck!" He made his hand into a sign, and a blue torrent of fire shot out from his faceplate.
Shia bounced from platform to platform as they appeared, avoiding the flames while making her way towards him. As soon as she reached Sasuke, she grinned wildly and swung down her hammer, forcing him to retreat as the tree he stood on was obliterated into splinters. While this was going on, several Psycho Soldiers levitated and surrounded them. She was outnumbered, but she didn't look all that worried.
The enemy unit fired a barrage of psychic beams that fell upon her like a hailstorm. Thinking quickly, she diverted them with an explosive slug. Then, she jumped into the opening she created and closed in on one of the Psycho Soldiers, slamming down her Drucken with no mercy. With an earth-shattering echo, the grunt's armour shattered instantly as he fell into the swamp. Then she gripped her hammer with both hands and pulled, extending the handle and pulverising another Psycho Soldier to send him flying into the distance.
"Shit!" Agito Sasuke cursed as he hung on one of the trees, realising that he underestimated her again. "Quick, use the trees as cover! Don't let her get close! Shoot her down!"
The unit moved deeper into the swamp's forest and started shooting beams at her, a few of them telekinetically pulling out trees to throw at her. Shia lithely dodged every attack, dancing in the air. It was almost as if she was literally skipping on the air itself. But each time she got close to an enemy, they quickly retreated behind the trees again to keep their distance.
It was pissing Shia off.
"So, you guys wanna play cat and mouse, huh?" Shia grunted as the ring on her finger flashed. "Okie-dokie then, have it your way!"
In a bright flash of light, something appeared before her. It was a red sphere, made entirely of metal, and a good two metres in diameter. Chains hung off one section, and Shia attached Drucken's top to those chains. Gravity took hold of the sphere, and it fell towards the ground. She kicked it back into the air and hit it as hard as she could with her hammer. With a loud metallic clang and a hard shout, she sent the ball flying at insane speed.
The ball crashed through the trees, causing a smokescreen of dust and wood to escape into the air. It smashed into several Psycho Soldiers as they tried to get away. Shia swung again, flinging the ball into another Psycho Solder. They tried to move out of the way, but the sphere fired a shockwave and adjusted its trajectory. The ten-ton ball crushed the psychic, the remains falling to the ground. As Shia swung left and right at her targets, she also kept them busy with her explosive slugs, crushing anyone in her sight.
"Ora ora ora ora ora ora ora ora!"
"This bunny bitch...!" Agito Sasuke growled. "Change of plan! We're going up!" He hopped along the trees, throwing energy kunai at her to slow her down. Shia jumped higher into the air, dodging every energy blast that went after her, moving as if gravity was ignoring her. As soon as she reached the apex of the forest, she found herself surrounded by the Psycho Soldiers, all of them with glowing hands.
"Now!" one of the Psycho Soldiers shouted and they fired beams at Shia. This time the beams wrapped around her like rope, binding her tightly, and causing her to grimace in discomfort.
"Hah!" Agito Sasuke grinned as kunai flicked into his fingers. "That's what you get! I'm gonna enjoy taking my time breaking you in!"
"Ok, I messed up on that," Shia admitted. "But don't think it's enough to stop me!" She began to struggle against her bonds as her body glowed. The Psycho Soldiers felt their ropes starting to break. Before they could do anything, Shia let out a roar and the bindings shattered.
"What the hell?!" Agito Sasuke gasped.
"Take that! And that! And that!" Shia shouted as she smacked her ball around the rest of the psychics. It happened so fast that by the time Sasuke got his senses back straight, he was the only one left standing. "Now, where were we?"
Agito Sasuke snapped as his crest horns slid open.
"THIS!" He jumped high into the air as his hands rapidly made hand seals. As he reached high into the sky, the Mark of Agito flashed behind him. "SUCK ON THIS!" He roared as he blasted explosions of fire, wind, and lightning down on her like rain.
Shia's ears twitched as she was already on the move to dodge the elemental onslaught. Or to put it more accurately, she stood where she knew the bolts, wind, and fire wouldn't hit her.
"You have to be shitting me..." Agito Sasuke growled as he was already descending. "That was my best move! What the hell are you!?"
"Who am I?" Shia grinned as she kicked up her ball. "Just your friendly neighbourhood bunny girl!" She threw the ball out and the chain swiftly wrapped around Agito Sasuke, binding him. He struggled to break out of the chains, but they were too strong.
"Let me go!" Agito Sasuke shouted. "Damn bitch, I said let me go!"
"If you say so!" Shia swung Drucken around and sent Agito Sasuke hurtling to the swamp. The centrifugal force in Shia's swing was tremendous, and Agito Sasuke slammed into the water like a meteor, causing a huge splash.
Shia skipped over with her hammer on her shoulder to see Rintaro, untransformed and lying in the middle of the newly formed crater as water rained around them. He felt most of his bones were shattered and he was coughing up blood. Knowing that he had nothing left and that his number was up, all he could do was give Shia a weak glare.
"You... fucking monster..." Rintaro coughed hatefully.
Shia smiled happily, bringing her hammer over her head.
"Hee hee! Thanks for the compliment!"
Before Shia could bring it down on Rintaro's head, Orga caught it with her vectors.
"Sorry, but you can't kill him. He still needs to answer for his crimes," Orga denied.
"He's just a scumbag rapist and killer," Shia justified, trying to tug her hammer away. "Piece of shit deserves this."
"I won't argue with that, but he's already beaten. We'll deal with him from here," Orga insisted. She whipped out her C3 and beamed Rintaro inside. She was just as tempted to kill Rintaro for his disgusting deeds, but her father had taught her that, as a hero, she needed to be better than her enemies and only kill as a last resort. "Now, who are you supposed to be?" she asked, letting go of the hammer.
"I'm Shia," she introduced herself. "And I just dropped in!"
"Shia, huh?" Orga repeated, recalling the name she heard from Hiro. "For someone who looks like they came straight out of the Playboy Mansion, you're hella strong. How about we have a contest to see who takes the most psychics?"
"Heh! You're on!" Shia grinned.
Coyote fired at the Psycho Soldiers, making headshots with each pull of the trigger. They tried to attack her, but she was too fast and slippery for them. Suddenly, her twin hair antenna stood up as she sensed danger. Almost immediately, Sombra appeared before her and threw a punch but the Coyote managed to lean backwards just in time, sliding on her knees to avoid the blow. She spun around, firing at Sombra who turned intangible. The rounds flew harmlessly through her incorporeal body before she turned herself tangible again and smirked at Coyote.
"I thought I'd see you again," Sombra commented, hands on her hips.
"Oh, did you?" Coyote smirked.
"You got away from us," Sombra said. "If Kyofu had found out, he would have had my head on a silver platter."
"Guess he didn't care to find out, huh?" Coyote quipped.
"Thankfully, no, but I hate leaving loose strings. We're finishing this." Sombra adopted a fighting stance.
"Good, I've been hoping we could tango again," Coyote replied as she pressed the muzzle of her Lupin Breaker and released it. "Henshin!"
[Lupin!]
Spinning around, she fired above her head, summoning the jewels that revolved around her before attaching to her body, seamlessly forming her protective suit.
"Kamen Rider Lupina, I'll steal your hearts!" Lupina declared, the Phantom Thief Kamen Rider ready to battle her rival.
[Tune: Lupin Blade!]
Inserting the Lupin Blade Viral Core into her Lupin Gunner, the blade flipped up and lengthened, turning her firearm into a cutlass. She swung her sword, only to miss as Sombra turned herself intangible before she delivered a counter, swinging her leg to kick Lupina in the face. Lupina blocked with her forearm and pushed away Sombra's leg before she threw a punch, only to miss as her fist passed through her opponent's intangible form.
Lupina remembered how Sombra's powers worked: she could avoid damage by turning intangible and invisible, but she still needed to be solid to attack. Lupina just needed to wait for the right moment or have the right gear. She switched on her thermal vision and saw a figure coming at her to deliver a punch. She swiftly sidestepped the blow before she delivered a strike, slashing Sombra across the stomach.
Sombra turned visible again, gasped and spun around to face Lupin who slashed her nonstop across the chest. The thief staggered back, confused.
"You could see me," Sombra stated.
"Thermal vision." Lupina pointed at her eyes. "Helps to see the unseen and when you're thieving in the dark."
"Clever," Sombra approved before she summoned her twin pistols and fired at Lupina, knocking the Lupin Gunner out of her hand. Lupina quickly used her cape as a shield whilst Sombra continued to fire upon her.
While Lupina was crouched down, she touched the ground and sent a lightning bolt that travelled towards Sombra, zapping her.
"Argh!" Sombra yelled. Lupina quickly scooped up her weapon and ran towards Sombra before she jumped up to deliver her attack.
[Ultimate: Lupin Stlash!]
Sparkling golden energy surrounded her blade, leaving a glittering trail behind Lupina as she went to execute her finishing move. Moments before the attack could connect, Sombra turned herself intangible and the blade passed right through her. Lupina landed behind the Agito who turned solid again and delivered a reverse roundhouse kick into the Phantom Thief's back. She staggered forward and whirled around, blocking a kick with her forearms that sent her skidding backwards.
"There's no reason we need to be enemies, nina," Sombra coaxed. "I could teach you so much."
"Thanks, but I kinda like where I am right now," Lupina retorted.
"Then I'm sorry I'll have to kill you," Sombra said somberly and she charged towards Lupina. She threw a flurry of fast spearhead strikes at Lupina who tried to block them but she was hit by a strong palm strike in the chest that knocked the wind out of her. Sombra then delivered a palm heel strike to Lupina's jaw, sending her spinning through the air before she landed roughly on the ground.
As Sombra went to deliver the killing blow, a green Viral Core with a cobra motif rammed right into her, knocking her back. She grunted and watched as the miniature car flew towards Lupina and into the Lupin Gunner, pushing out the Lupin Blade Viral Core before it took its position on top of the sidearm.
[Tune: Emerald System!]
A ghost-like projection of an emerald green cobra appeared and it coiled protectively around Lupina before merging with her. Lupina stood up as her red eyepieces flashed and turned green, along with her suit which gained a scaly texture as her cape vanished. On the arm that held the Lupin Gunner, a cobra-shaped attachment appeared, mounted on her forearm. The thin tail of the cobra wrapped around her upper arm while a long whip-like tongue slithered out of the Cobra Whipper's mouth, with green wind swirling around it.
"Now, let's finish this," Lupina decided.
"Very well," Sombra accepted. Her crest horns glowed as she poured power into her pistols. She fired a seemingly unstoppable volley of rounds at Lupina who summoned a big emerald gem to shield her. Twirling her arm around, she then shot the Cobra Whipper at Sombra. The Agito turned herself intangible to avoid the attack but when it passed through her, the electricity in the whip spread throughout her body, electrocuting her.
"AAAAARRRGGGHHHHH!" Sombra shrieked as she recoiled, her body turning solid. She tried to turn intangible again, but all she could manage were small flickers of her limbs. "What!? My power! What did you do to me!?"
"You turn yourself intangible by separating your molecules. All I did was mess you up with a little static electricity to keep you from doing that again," Lupina explained. "So, my offer still stands. Just walk away from here and we can forget this all happened."
"Sorry, I'm in no position to do that," Sombra said regretfully.
"Well, I guess I'll have to settle for knocking you out," Lupina sighed as she pushed in the muzzle of her Lupin Breaker.
[Ultimate: Emerald Stlash!]
A catchy yet suspenseful Jazz number played from her sidearm as green winds swirled around the Cobra Whipper's tongue-like whip. With her weapon powered up, Lupina drew her arm back before she swung, throwing shining green vacuum blades that sliced into Sombra. She could have dodged or done anything to avoid the attack, but the electric shock she took earlier completely messed up her reflexes and powers. Screaming, she exploded and collapsed to the ground, her armour gone as she reverted to human form.
"And now to get myself a souvenir," Lupina declared as she went to grab Sado's pistols only for a transmat disk to land on the thief's body and transport her away. "Hey! Not cool, Raheem!"
Meanwhile, Kamen Rider Jura joined his father in assaulting Vega, sending him backpedalling with a series of punches. As Vega regained his footing, his arms glowed with power, roaring as he repelled them with a Psycho Wave attack.
"Take this!" Vega roared as he charged a sphere of psychic energy in each hand. "DOUBLE PSYCHO CANNON!" He hurled both energy balls at Showa and Jura, which would have inflicted massive damage if Showa had not caught them with his portals.
"Cannonball special!" Showa opened a third portal right in front of Vega's face, sending his Psycho Cannonballs back at him. Vega recoiled and screamed as his own attack detonated in his face.
Jura leapt into the air and came down, striking Vega with an overhead slash of his axe. Sparks blasted off from the blow, sending Vega backpedalling. Jura then began to apply more pressure, delivering strike after strike before Vega warped away.
"Jiro, behind you!" Showa warned him. Jura spun around right before Vega grabbed him by the neck with both hands.
"Time to break a melon!" Vega's eyes glowed as he looked into Jura's to make his head explode but a portal opened between their faces and a fist came flying out, striking the villain in the face. Crying out in shock, he released Jura who stopped to catch his breath.
"Pow, right in the kisser!" Showa cheered as he withdrew his arm from the connected portal. Vega roared and delivered his Psycho Crusher attack, flying at Showa like a spinning missile. Showa braced himself to receive the attack but at the last second, he warped away, leaving a cluster of feathers which Vega flew through.
"You dare mock me!?" Vega shouted. He could not believe he was being outmatched by BLACK 13 while he was the superior being!
"I'm gonna mock you just for using the word 'mock'," Showa quipped before Vega warped over to him, taking him by surprise. He stomped on the ground, throwing Showa up and catching him by the head with one hand.
"Tou-chan!" Jura went to intervene, but Vega blasted him away.
"Now, BLACK 13, this is what you deserve!" Vega yelled, curling up the fingers of his free hand into a claw while charging it up with Psycho Power. "PSYCHO PUNISHER!" The Agito drove his fist into Showa's stomach and fired the collected energy which burst out the Rider's back, blasting a hole right through his victim.
"TOU-CHAN!" Jura screamed in horror.
Vega smiled but as he was about to withdraw his hand, he realised something peculiar. The hole he made in Showa's stomach was surrounded by a rim of blue energy. Showa then looked up at him, his mask hiding a cheeky expression.
"Don't you just love portals?" Showa quipped before abruptly closing the portals in his stomach and back, severing Vega's hand. As his hand fell to the ground, Vega recoiled with a scream. He released Showa, clutching his severed wrist which had been cauterised.
"MY HAND! YOU BASTARD! YOU CUT OFF MY-!" Showa's foot cut him off as he received a roundhouse kick across the face. The blow sent him spinning before he fell facedown on the ground.
"How does the dirt taste, asshole?" Showa insulted. "And for the record, my parents were married!"
Vega angrily levitated off the ground with his telekinesis. He glared furiously at Showa, his eyes glowing hotly.
These cyborgs: these inferior, obsolete, mechanical freaks had pushed him to his limits. Being beaten once before had already been humiliating enough, but to be made a fool of was something Vega could not stand.
No, it was something he would not stand!
"PSYCHO-!" Just as Vega was about to retaliate, Showa unleashed a flurry of accelerated chain punches, sending Vega skyward with an uppercut. Spreading his Void Wings, he shot towards the sky, flying past Vega until he was a hundred feet above him. As gravity took Vega back down, Showa crossed his arms, while angling his body with his feet facing the ground. He wrapped his wings around him, the tips joined together to form a spike. Spinning like a drill, he began to plummet after Vega until he hit the Agito dead centre in the stomach.
"AAARRRRGGGHHHHHH!" Vega screamed as he was struck. Upon impact, energy surged from Showa as he drove his enemy towards the ground at terminal velocity until they crashed into the earth, creating a large bowl-shaped crater.
Showa leapt out of the crater, landing on the edge as Jura went to examine Vega who lay deep in the hole.
"You know, in a few million years, he might become a fossil and you can dig him up," Showa quipped.
"I don't think I'd live that long, Tou-chan," Jura argued.
"Hey, you're a time traveller. Just jump a few million years into the future, and you'll have an Agito fossil ready to dig up and show off," Showa pointed out.
"I think it's safer to just lock him back up," Jura suggested.
"Fine," Showa huffed. Twirling his finger, he opened a portal beneath Vega, dropping him back into his cell. "C'mon, let's round up the others."
"Wait!" Kaguya got off from behind Hiro and ran up to their father.
"You're Kaguya, aren't you?" Showa asked, identifying his daughter. He could tell from her resemblance to her mother.
"Yes, Chichi-ue," she confirmed. "You need to go and stop Kyofu. We can handle things here."
"Are you sure?" Showa asked her.
"Just go, old man," Hiro urged. "We've got this."
Showa looked at his children who had come to aid them. As a father, his duty was to look after them, but he also knew they could take care of themselves.
"OK," Showa nodded, pulling his Cyclone-X3 out of a portal. As he was about to get on his bike to ride to the plantation house, he gave Kaguya an affectionate pat on the head. "I'm so proud to see you all grown up."
Kaguya's lips curled into a small yet warm smile before she watched her father race off towards the plantation house.
"Why do you get head pats?" Hiro asked, slightly envious.
"Because I'm cute," Kaguya claimed.
"Nah, I think Shinobu has you beat in that department," Hiro joked. Kaguya slapped his shoulder in annoyance, though her face was as stoic as ever. "Hey! That's police brutality!"
"You deserve that and more for crashing Serenity."
"Stop," Jura chided as he separated his siblings. He looked at the approaching Psycho Soldiers and Bio-Breakers. "It's time we exterminated some pests."
"Took the words right out of my mouth, bro," Hiro grinned.
Kaguya said nothing as she hovered between them, a resolute look in her eyes. Before any of them could make a move, Chibimoose suddenly showed up.
"NAAAAA!" Kaguya's pet fired a beam of pure destructive power at the grunts, vaporising them instantly while cutting a trench across the ground.
"Chibimoose," Kaguya blinked as she grabbed it. "You were supposed to stay on the ship."
"Naa!"
"Does it freak you out that her pet toy thing is practically a WMD?" Hiro asked his little brother.
"I've gone way past freaking out that I'm severely numb to it already," Jura deadpanned.
"And it looks like Shinichi's gearing up to confront Kyofu," Lambdadelta observed, fixated on the unfolding scene as Showa raced off onscreen. "Can't wait to witness that awful man finally get what he deserves."
"Since when do you care about stopping evil?" Bernkastel inquired, casting a curious glance at her friend and rival. She couldn't forget their past games, where Lambdadelta supported antagonists like Miyo Takano and the Dark Hatred Society.
"Oh, I don't," Lambdadelta casually shrugged. "I just can't stand that man. Everything he's done stems from a petty grudge. It's pathetic. He is merely a prelude for a more compelling villain."
"Perhaps, but that does not change the fact that Kyofu must be stopped at all costs," Bernkasntel retorted. She snapped her fingers to conjure a glass of wine. She took a whiff and then a sip, savouring the vintage. It should pair well with some spicy kimchi.
Elise III awoke in a strange bed, seething with anger.
"BITCH!" Following her outburst, she groaned in pain, her hand touching the back of her head. "Ow...my head..."
"Take it easy," Merak advised. "You were shot in the back of the head."
"Where are we?" she demanded, surveying the surroundings. The room featured tacky wallpaper, two beds, a drab carpet, and a lone bathroom. "Are we in a motel?"
"Yes," he confirmed, sitting on the other bed while holding a soda bottle. "Want some soda?"
Elise III grabbed it from his hand before popping off the cap.
"What are we doing here, Merak?" she asked, taking a sip.
"I decided to withdraw from the fight and took you with me," he explained, placing the bottle down.
Spitting out her drink, Elise III stared at him incredulously.
"WHAT!? YOU RAN AWAY LIKE A COWARD!? WE NEED TO GO BACK AND TEACH THOSE TRAITORS A LESSON!"
"What's the point? The battle's over, we lost," he reasoned.
"WE COULD HAVE STILL MADE A DIFFERENCE IF WE STAYED!"
"You were hurt," he justified. "And Kyofu's plan was doomed to fail."
"Oh, and how do you know that? Can you suddenly see the future?" she mocked.
"Kyofu wanted to win, but those guys needed to win. They aren't in a position to lose, you know. They were fighting to protect the world. Kyofu just wanted to win at all costs, even if it meant sacrificing us," Merak explained. "We were on the losing side, so it was pointless to fight anymore."
"So, what's the plan now?" Elise III asked, pacing across the room. "Go get new identities, get normal jobs, and live like normal people?" She scoffed. "We're superior to these worms; we're practically gods."
"Sounds like you're just parroting Kyofu's rhetoric," Merak pointed out.
Elise III snarled, glaring at Merak as she approached him, shoving him onto the bed. He offered no protest as she climbed over him, her hands on both sides of his head.
"I know that. I'm just... fucking pissed off. That fucker ruined both our lives just for a power grab. I know he doesn't give a shit about us. He blew up my parents, so I would know. If Kyofu wins, then we're stuck as his pawns. And if he loses, we're fugitives. A lose-lose all around."
"It doesn't have to be a lose-lose situation," Merak argued. "And if that's the case, we can just be losers together."
Elise III's intense expression softened slightly, resembling her weaker half. She lowered herself on top of him, sighing as she nuzzled her head against his.
"You're such a lazy bum, but I guess being lazy has its merits."
"Hm. Well, I'd rather not work when I don't have to. I'd rather spend my days doing what I want," Merak answered, hugging her back. "And it'd be all the better if it's with you."
"And you can," a new voice said.
"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU!?" Elise III shouted as she and Merak jumped off the bed, preparing to fight the intruder. In the corner of the room stood a man dressed in a white coat with platinum blond hair and red shades. "AND HOW DID YOU GET IN OUR ROOM!?"
"Please," the stranger scoffed. "You're in a motel. Do you know how easy it is to break in? The place doesn't even have cameras."
"What do you want?" Merak asked, ready to portal himself and Elise III away.
"It's not about what I want but what I can offer you: sanctuary," he claimed. "You see, I'm like you: I fought the heroes and I lost. After that, I did some soul-searching and decided my ambitions just weren't worth dying for. So, I found a place where I could live the rest of my life in peace and be happy."
"Oh, really?" Elise III snarked. "And where is this wonderful little wonderland?"
"Just a tiny little village where nobody will come looking for you," he claimed. "A place where lost souls can find a new purpose. If you accept, I can even do something about those bombs implanted in your heads."
"How do you know about the bombs?" Elise III asked suspiciously.
"I have my ways," the stranger said cryptically. "So, what do you say?"
"I say go to hell or else I'll kill you," Elise III threatened before she felt Merak put his hand on her shoulder.
"Elise, maybe we should think about this," Merak suggested.
"Go with some stranger to who-knows-where?" Elise III snapped back. "We don't know him! He could be worse than Kyofu! And how do we know he won't just hand us over to the NUMBERS!?"
"You won't have to worry about me contacting them since they hate my guts," the stranger told them. "You see, I've done so many unforgivable things that they would kill me before they even let me say a word."
Merak and Elise III shared a pensive look.
"I don't trust him," Elise III whispered to Merak, glancing suspiciously at the stranger who patiently awaited their answer. "It sounds too good to be true. He has to want something from us."
"Maybe," Merak concurred. "But we have nowhere else to go."
"We still got each other, and you can literally take us anywhere we want to go," she pointed out.
"I don't want to live the rest of my life on the run, and I'm sure you don't either," he replied reasonably. "Look, if this turns out to be a trap, we'll escape together and we'll go wherever you want."
"Ugh, fine," Elise III conceded and then she turned to glare at the stranger. "We'll go with you, but if this turns out to be a trap, we will end you."
"I suppose I can't blame you for distrusting me since your previous employer exploited you, but I assure you that this isn't a trap or a scam," the stranger assured them. "However, based on prior experience, I can see that the promises from a stranger don't really hold much value to you, do they? I haven't even told you my name."
"What is your name then?" Merak asked the stranger.
"You may call me Shiro."
END OF ACT 22
Dr. Ex: OK, so this chapter is a bit longer than the last one, but this does feature a lot more fights and the intervention of Jiro's siblings. Also, I'm getting used to using AI to help with my writing. Mostly to improve sentences or paragraphs that I don't feel satisfied with. I sure hope it can help me improve my writing more in the future.