"So, what do you think the rest of them are doing right now?" Lambdadelta wondered as they watched the screen together.
"Let's find out," Bernkastel replied, and she snapped her fingers, multiplying the screen to display several scenes all across the USA.
As a massive tidal wave loomed menacingly over the coastal city, Lala swiftly arrived at the scene. With serene determination, she raised her Star Sapphire power ring, focusing its energy on the imminent threat. A formidable wall constructed from shimmering pink crystals materialised in a brilliant display of power, instantaneously enveloping the city in a protective barrier. The relentless force of the waves pounded against the crystalline defence, but it stood resolute.
Lala, maintaining her composure, observed the spectacle before her.
"I hope the others are doing OK," she remarked, her gaze unwavering as the wall she conjured shielded the city from the relentless assault of the tidal waves.
Amidst a ferocious storm, an aeroplane battled its way through turbulent skies, the passengers inside gripped firmly in their seats. Nervous whispers circulated among them as violent turbulence shook the cabin intermittently, amplifying their anxiety. Attempts to find solace in sleep were thwarted by the persistent thunder outside.
"Please remain calm, everyone. We're just experiencing a bit of turbulence," the pilot's reassuring voice crackled over the radio. Whether he aimed to reassure the passengers or himself was unclear, drowned out by the ominous sounds of the storm.
Suddenly, a searing bolt of lightning struck the right-wing engine, triggering an explosion that tore apart a wing section. Panic ensued as the plane trembled, screams echoing through the cabin. Breathing masks descended, emphasising the severity of the situation. The pilot fought to regain control, drawing upon his training to navigate the emergency.
A second lightning bolt struck the remaining engine, obliterating it along with a substantial portion of the other wing. The plane began a rapid descent, hurtling towards an imminent crash. The pilot and co-pilot struggled desperately, eyes scanning the vast expanse of water below. The only option seemed to be a crash into the ocean.
Inside the cabin, panic escalated, and flight attendants attempted to restore order. Prayers for a miracle filled the air.
As the pilot and co-pilot fought against the descent, the co-pilot's gaze shifted outside the cockpit, registering a bewildering sight. He blinked, rubbed his eyes, and then widened them in disbelief.
"Uh, Captain," the co-pilot stammered. "I think I'm starting to see things."
"What do you see?" the pilot questioned, striving to steady the plummeting plane.
"A couple of angels."
Meanwhile, Yami and Alice soared alongside the distressed plane, buffeted by rain but resolute in their mission.
"Alice, you take the left wing. I'll take the right," Yami directed.
"OK, Mom," Alice complied. The two separated, positioning themselves under each wing.
"Ready?" Yami inquired of her daughter.
"Yes, I'm ready," Alice nodded. Together, they clasped the wings, leveraging their strength to halt the plane's descent and maintain stability. With the immediate danger averted, the mother-daughter duo carried the plane, searching for a secure place to execute an emergency landing.
In the heart of an unexpected blizzard, countless cars found themselves stranded on a frozen road, their wheels immobilised by the frigid weather. Among the stranded, a man desperately attempted to keep his wife calm. His heavily pregnant wife, gripped by the intensity of labour pains, added urgency to the situation. Frustration grew as his attempts to contact emergency services were thwarted by the overwhelmed phone lines.
"Don't worry, honey. Just keep calm and keep breathing," the man reassured his wife, her cries punctuating the chilly air. Despite the biting cold, beads of sweat formed on the man's forehead. The dire circumstances for his wife and unborn child loomed, and the absence of a swift journey to the hospital filled him with dread.
In an unexpected twist, a sudden flash of vibrant green enveloped the couple, transporting them from the immobilised car to the bustling lobby of the hospital.
"Huh!?" the man exclaimed, his surroundings shifting abruptly. A perplexed expression crossed his face as he questioned whether he had fallen asleep at the wheel, lost in a dream.
Approaching the bewildered couple, a blonde nurse offered her assistance.
"Do you need help?" she asked.
"My wife is about to have a baby!" the husband cried out, panic evident in his voice. "Please, you gotta help her!"
"It'll be alright," the nurse responded reassuringly. "Please, come this way." She handed them over to another nurse who was on duty. "Prep the delivery room. She's about to have a baby." The efficient medical team sprang into action, swiftly preparing a stretcher for the expecting mother.
As the wife was carefully placed on the stretcher, the blonde nurse addressed the relieved husband.
"You're lucky you managed to get her here on time," she commented.
"I know. I just don't know how we got here. One moment, we were stuck in traffic in the middle of a blizzard, and then we were here in the hospital."
"Mayhaps you have a goddess watching over you," the nurse quipped playfully. With that, she walked away, her form dissolving into green smoke, unnoticed by both the bustling hospital staff and the husband.
An apartment building was ablaze, its residents trapped within, their desperate cries piercing the air. The fire department waged a valiant battle against the inferno, dousing flames in a desperate attempt to rescue those trapped inside.
Suddenly, amid the swirling smoke and panic, a massive black shadow portal materialised, its arrival drawing the attention of onlookers. From its mysterious depths emerged a group of disoriented individuals, their sudden appearance adding to the surreal spectacle.
As the perplexed witnesses tried to make sense of the unfolding events, a colossal green vacuum cleaner manifested in the sky, hovering with a purpose. Its power became evident as it sucked up the ferocious flames, leaving in its wake a building no longer consumed by fire. The crowd watched in awe as the unexpected intervention extinguished the threat.
Jade and Obsidian, the apparent wielders of this extraordinary power, hovered in the air before they took off, leaving the grateful but bewildered onlookers behind.
"That's the fourth fire we had to put out today," Obsidian observed, his tone laced with concern. "Is the Spirit Tower causing this?"
Jade, flying alongside her brother, offered a nonchalant shrug, "Who knows? Whatever the reason, we've got a job to do."
However, their respite was short-lived. Obsidian's gaze shifted into the distance, where a looming tornado threatened to unleash further devastation.
"Is that a tornado!?" he exclaimed, concern etched across his face.
"Duty calls, Todd! Let's go!" Jade took swift initiative, flying ahead to intercept the impending disaster, her brother following in her determined wake. The siblings raced against the elements to safeguard those in the tornado's path.
A sudden earthquake violently shook the ground, leading to the collapse of a building.
Nozomu, Conda, and Megan swiftly arrived at the scene, ready to lend a helping hand. Nozomu, utilising her youkai abilities, perked up her wolf ears, keenly listening for any signs of survivors trapped beneath the rubble.
"There are people under there," Nozomu pointed out. Conda, without hesitation, approached and lifted the debris, diligently digging to rescue those trapped. Meanwhile, a short distance away, Megan transformed herself into an intangible form, seamlessly sinking into the rubble to check for additional survivors. With finesse, she employed telekinesis to levitate the debris, liberating those held captive.
"Go, you're safe now," Megan reassured as the rescued individuals emerged into the safety of open space.
"Hmph, show off," Conda playfully snarked, shooting a teasing smile in Miss Martian's direction.
Rena and Shawna, present on the scene, stepped in to provide some much-needed first aid. The Princess of Genovia, bandaging a man's injured head, couldn't help but express her sorrow over the devastation caused by the machinations of a madman driven by ambition and grudges.
"How terrible," Shawna remarked with great sadness.
"Yes, unfortunately, this is the kind of thing they have to deal with regularly," Rena solemnly acknowledged.
"And I've always had to watch from the sidelines," Shawna regretfully admitted, a desire to do more evident in her eyes.
"Hey, you already do our part by just being there for them," Rena reassured the princess. "Now, come on. There are still more people who need our help."
"Right," Shawna concurred, finishing up her aid work just as emergency services arrived to provide further assistance.
In the heart of Yellowstone Park, a raging forest fire prompted a desperate exodus as both people and animals fled for their lives. The looming disaster caught the attention of the Stakes of Purgatory, who promptly intervened, utilising their otherworldly abilities to take individuals and creatures to safety. Once they were out of harm's way, Bishie, emanating an aura of serenity, extended her assistance by providing first aid, the sweet fragrance from her flower diffusing a calming atmosphere among the distressed.
Meanwhile, Lum took on the role of a lightning rod, fearlessly drawing bolts to herself and channelling the formidable voltage through the ground.
"Doesn't that hurt?" Tsukuyomi inquired; her eyes fixed on Lum's electrifying feat.
"It just tingles a little," Lum confessed, her gaze shifting to Tsukuyomi, who cradled a bear cub in her arms. "You rescued the animals."
"I did," Tsukuyomi admitted, gently placing the cub on the ground. "There was nothing I could do for its mother, unfortunately."
A solemn expression crossed Lum's face as she absorbed the reality of the situation. Despite their heroic efforts, there were still losses they couldn't prevent. Yet, undeterred, they pressed on, fuelled by the unwavering determination to help those they could reach.
"...I see," Lum murmured, her frown reflecting the weight of the situation. They acknowledged the harsh reality, but they remained undaunted, driven by a resolute will and the means to aid those in need.
Meanwhile, Hanyuu stayed back at base, meticulously monitoring the unfolding events alongside Sheila, Rika, and Satoko. The three young women helped Sheila coordinate the heroes' efforts, dispatching them to where their assistance would be needed the most.
"Everyone's working so hard," Rika observed, her pride evident in her smile as she watched everyone do their part in saving the world.
The main screen displayed the ominous energy emanating from Spirit Tower which was the cause of the bizarre weather phenomena. Sheila predicted that it would escalate the longer the tower stood. It would not just impact the USA but spread to impact the entire world.
"It's starting to look like the end of the world," Hanyuu stated solemnly before her expression brightened. "But I know everyone will be able to save it."
"How can you be sure?" Sheila inquired, though she already anticipated the response. As an AI, she possessed a level of humanity that surpassed mere computer programming.
"I just have hope," Hanyuu smiled. Her past experiences during the Endless June, alongside Rika, had taught her the enduring power of hope. Rika's unwavering determination, despite countless setbacks and tragedies, served as a beacon. Each failure only fuelled Rika to start anew, with hope and resolve as her driving forces.
"And faith that the Riders will save the world again," Rika added. The Riders, having overcome impossible odds before, held a special place in her heart. Rika recounted a moment when the timeline was altered, placing her in a world where Shinichi never existed, her friends changed, and GIN-SHOCKER ruled. Yet, Shinichi, shielded by his temporal powers, managed to exist in the new timeline to save the world once again, preventing its collapse due to a paradox.
"Yeah, they've been in tougher jams before," Satoko agreed. The Riders' resilience had been tested repeatedly, triumphing over every challenge thrown their way. Kyofu, she believed, was just another megalomaniac with grandiose delusions and would meet the same fate as countless villains before him. "They'll save the day like they always do." Satoko let out a yawn after that.
"If you're feeling tired, you can take one of the guest rooms and take a nap," Hanyuu suggested.
"Nah, I'm good," Satoko declined, fighting off sleep as she rubbed her eyes. "I'm just going to get some coffee. Do you girls want anything?"
"I could use a coffee," Rika accepted.
"None for me, please," Hanyuu declined.
"Alright," Satoko shrugged, and she went on over to the replicator that was built into the wall. "Two coffees, please, with cream and sugar."
As the machine began to replicate the beverages, that was when they appeared. All of a sudden, a squad of Psycho Soldiers appeared out of thin air. Satoko screamed as she found herself surrounded.
"Satoko!" Rika cried and she froze up as the Psycho Soldiers pointed their palms at her, ready to blast her. Before they could kill her, Hanyuu moved in the blink of her eye, her sword coming out in a flash as she beheaded them.
"How did they get in here?" Hanyuu asked. "Sheila, how did they get in here? Shouldn't the shields keep them out?"
"The shields are still online," Sheila reported. "But this is not good."
"They must've snuck inside while the shields were down and waiting for their chance," Hanyuu assumed.
"Hanyuu, I don't think it's over yet," Rika said as several more Psycho Soldiers teleported into the command centre.
"Rika, take Satoko and get out of here," Hanyuu commanded. "Sheila, get them out of here!"
"Affirmative," Sheila obeyed as she opened a Teleportal vortex.
"Hanyuu, I'm not leaving you!" Rika protested.
"Please, just go," Hanyuu pleaded as she faced the Psycho Soldiers. "Go!"
Rika complied and went to grab Satoko before the two of them ran through the vortex. Some Psycho Soldiers tried to give chase, but the vortex closed in front of them, stopping them. However, that would not stop them from catching the two girls.
"You have invaded our home for the last time," Hanyuu said, a sharp edge in her voice as her eyes glowed red. "There will be no mercy for you."
The Psycho Soldiers fired energy balls at the demigoddess, and she deflected them with the swing of her sword. Then, in a sudden burst of speed, she dashed towards them. She swung her sword, taking the head off another Psycho Soldier before moving on to another to cut him down with a slash. She spun on her heels and dashed again, landing slash after slash which caused blood to splatter the floor and console.
The Psycho Soldiers attempted to stop her, but Hanyuu was too fast and too skilled. In her former life, she used to be a powerful warrior and her skills had not dulled in the slightest. As she slew the invaders, she noted that she was still outnumbered.
Hanyuu was a goddess in a mortal body. If she died, she could still exist in spirit form. However, she would rather not die. She had a life, love and a future she was looking forward to sharing with Chiaki.
One of the Psycho Soldiers got lucky and fired a telekinetic blast that knocked her against the console. She groaned as they lunged at her all at once. With a swing of her sword, she took out four of them and repelled the rest, but they recovered quickly. She raised a barrier as they began firing psionic energy blasts at her. As the barrier trembled, she gritted her teeth as she tried to keep it up until she could deliver a counterattack.
Suddenly, a figure dropped from the ceiling and swung their sword, releasing a wave of magma that knocked the Psycho Soldiers back, stunning them. Hanyuu's eyes widened when they saw who it was.
It was a Kamen Rider she had never seen before, whose suit was a skin-tight orange bodysuit with a scaly texture. Over the suit, she was adorned in a short red kimono-style blouse with golden trim, golden flame-styled accents on the sides, an orange sash around her waist, and black forearm sleeves with fingerless gloves that had leather fringes running along her forearms. Covering her fingers were razor-sharp sickle claws and around her waist was a half skirt that resembled long red feathers.
Her legs were wrapped in black armoured boots with rounded kneepads, gold heels and a pair of talons on each. The boots had fringes on the back of the boots and golden flame details on the thighs.
Her orange helmet resembled the head of a Deinonychus with large purple eyes, sharp teeth for a mouthpiece, and a flat feather fringe just between the eyes that went all the way down to the tail that was around her waist. Finally, between the fringe was a golden 'V'.
"How do you do, Hainiryun-sama?" the female Rider asked. "It seems like you've been having a bit of trouble with these guys."
"You know my true name? I don't believe we've met," Hanyuu said suspiciously. She was not going to lower her guard around a stranger. Her arrival was too convenient.
"Not surprised. I'm supposed to be three years old right now," the Rider answered, shrugging. As Hanyuu slowly realised what she was implying, she turned and faced the Psycho Soldiers as they recovered from the Rider's appearance. "As for my name, right now call me Talon." She swished out her katana to the side, revealing it to be a blade in deep crimson with a black obsidian edge. "Kamen Rider Talon!"
She was off like a shot, the Psycho Soldiers shooting psychic shots at her. Talon swung her sword back and forth, magma spewing out of her sword as the shots melted against it. She was like a river of lava, cutting through the Psycho Soldiers, leaving deep gashes of magma in each of them before they violently exploded in bursts of lava.
Once the Psycho Soldiers were neutralised, Talon removed an orange amber coin from her belt. The suit flickered like embers before vanishing. Talon's civilian identity was a young woman of above-average height with long brown hair that extended down to her legs. Her bangs were done in a hime cut and she had bright green eyes with thin eyebrows. Her breasts were also quite large, and she had a slim physique with long legs. Her attire combined Oriental and Western aesthetics. She wore an Onmyouji uniform which included a kimono-style blouse with a female hakama-style miniskirt, narrow sleeves that separated from the blouse to leave her shoulders bare, white stockings and brown combat boots that reached to her knees.
"You're a member of the Kekkain clan?" Hanyuu blinked, recognizing her uniform. "Who are you?"
"Kagami. Kagami Kekkain."
"How did a Kekkain Onmyouji get their hands on a Rider System?" She was aware that Shinichi and Kanna had since made up with each other, but also knew that the rest of the clan was still sour with the Kamen Riders. It was ironic to see one of their members becoming the same as the heroes that they believed were responsible for the near destruction of their clan.
"I have connections," Kagami shrugged.
"It was Shinjiro, wasn't it?" Hanyuu guessed. Since Talon and Jura had a similar theme, that was a possibility.
"Something like that. He's my fiancé."
"You're engaged!?" Hanyuu gasped. "Congratulations!" A thoughtful look then crossed her face. "Wait, how does your family feel about this?"
Kagami held up her finger to her lips.
"Spoilers," she whispered.
"I'm really starting to hate that word," Hanyuu growled.
"You can't know everything about the future."
"Yes, but it feels like a damn cop-out," the goddess sighed as she assessed the damage. Fortunately, the console was still functioning. "But since you're here, I don't suppose you'll help me look for some stragglers?"
"It'd be an honour," Kagami smiled, planting her sword next to her.
Rika and Satoko stepped out of the vortex and ended up just outside the Hive Tower. Unfortunately, they were not alone as they found themselves surrounded by more Psycho Soldiers.
"Crap," Satoko cursed when she saw the Psycho Soldiers surrounding them. "Kinda wished Shinichi left us with a couple of Rider powers."
"Yes." Rika's eyes narrowed as the Psycho Soldiers levelled their hands at them, preparing to use their powers to tear the two girls apart.
"Rika, you are my best friend," Satoko said, taking Rika's hand and looking her in the eye.
"I know, Satoko," Rika smiled, gazing into her best friend's eyes.
"Which is why I know you will forgive me when I tell you this." Satoko braced herself before giving her confession, "I was the one who took your limited edition premium lingerie set."
"You did what!?" Rika recoiled.
"I wanted to feel sexy!" Satoko defended.
"That was a birthday gift from my mother!" Rika cried in anger. "I was wondering where it went!" She narrowed her eyes. "You're not wearing it right now, are you?"
"Can we talk about this later?"
"You brought it up!"
As Rika berated her friend, the Psycho Soldiers unleashed their power on them. Suddenly, the two young women's eyes glowed red and a barrier appeared around them, shielding them from their assault. They then held hands before they both released a wave of energy that spread across the Psycho Soldiers, causing them to spontaneously combust into goo which puddled on the floor before evaporating.
"Well, that was anticlimactic," Rika-Bernkastel remarked as she wiped some of the goo off her shoulder.
"I think some of it got in my - I mean her hair," Satoko-Lambdadelta added, cringing in disgust. Curious, she stretched the collar to take a peek down Satoko's shirt. "Hm, so she was wearing it."
Bernkastel smiled in amusement. It felt nice to do something good, even if it was just to save Rika, her original self. Honestly, she had much to make up for. She wrongfully believed Shinichi to be a threat to the many fragments that she watched over. She never wanted any of them to be erased. Unfortunately, her paranoia had gotten the better of her as she used Viviana to kill him. Instead, her own pawn ended up being the one responsible for erasing the fragments, and since Bernkastel had given Viviana the means to do so, she was just as responsible too. Even after Shinichi managed to restore the timeline, the fragments remained gone so this was the only world that remained.
Showa Chronicles: Road to Annihilation
Act XXIII: The Sun is the King of Torches
The heroes managed to neutralize the remaining BTS foot soldiers while Raheem took care of the defeated Agitos, transporting them back to their cells in the Hive Tower.
"So, what are those things?" Shogo asked as he watched Raheem put the disks on their enemies which transported them away.
"Transmat disks," Raheen answered as he fanned out a set of disks. "They're basically small, compact Teleportals."
"Those would be incredibly useful," Shogo approved, intrigued by the advanced technology.
"Designed them myself," Raheem claimed.
"Yeah, little bro is a bit of a nerd," Hiro teased as he walked up to them and playfully tussled his younger brother's hair.
"Better than what you are," Raheem huffed. "Philanderer."
"Hey, don't be throwing those big words at me, little guy. And for the record, I'm not a philanderer; I only sleep with women I'm committed to."
Shogo observed Hiro, noting the resemblance to Shiro Juuyon but without the antagonistic qualities exhibited by Shinichi's android doppelganger. The smugness was there, but none of the maliciousness was reflected in those red eyes of his.
Seeing as all enemy forces had been neutralized, Shogo decided to contact the Hive Tower to deliver his report.
"Command, this is Zero," Shogo reported. He received no response, only static. "Sheila, can you hear me? Please respond." Still no response, which was distressing, but he tried again. "Hanyuu? Rika? Satoko?" Nobody responded, which caused him to worry further. "Something's wrong."
Shogo was about to go and inform the others when he finally received a response.
"Shogo?" That was Hanyuu.
"Hanyuu, are you alright?" Shogo asked worriedly. "You weren't responding to my calls."
"We're all fine here," Hanyuu reassured him. "We had a bit of trouble earlier, but it's all taken care of. How's everything on your end?"
"We've neutralised the enemy forces," Shogo answered.
"Hey, are you calling them right now?" An unfamiliar voice came through Shogo's comlink. "Tell them I said hi!"
"Who's this? Identify yourself," Shogo demanded.
"Oh? I'm just someone who thought Hainiryun-sama needed help," the unfamiliar voice answered. "As for who I am, well, I'm Kagami. Jiro can vouch for me."
"If you do not put Hanyuu back on, I will assume you are a threat," Shogo warned. "And how do you know that name?"
"It's alright, Shogo," Hanyuu's voice chimed in. "She's friendly. What about the tower?"
"That's..." Shogo looked up at the Spirit Tower. "A work in progress. How's everything on your end?"
"The weather's just getting worse and spreading all across America," Hanyuu reported. "Sheila says that it won't be long before it affects the whole world. You need to destroy that tower now."
Meanwhile, Kaguya was standing in front of her ship, putting her hand against the Serenity's hull as Chibimoose rode on her head.
"Don't worry, Serenity. We'll get you fixed up, girl. I promise," Kaguya swore. She would make Hiro pay for this. It would not be anything too painful, but he was going to pay for the cost of fixing her ship. It would be fine since his maternal grandmother was infinitely wealthy.
At the same time, Hana came to Chiaki's aid, carrying his severed arms. She made sure to examine them to make sure there was no damage before she could reattach them.
"Need a hand?" she offered.
"…Si," he answered simply as he sat down, and she proceeded to reattach his arms before securing them with her webbing. After all, she was the team's field medic, so it was her responsibility to fix them up if they were ever damaged. "¿De dónde vinieron estos nuevos aliados? No creo haberlos conocido antes (TL: Where did these new allies come from? I don't think I've met them before)."
"I'm just glad they're on our side," Hana said as she finished reattaching Chiaki's arms. Next, she took out a syringe and injected him with something. "OK, I've reattached your arms and injected some nanites inside of you to help reattach your nerves. They should speed up your recovery. When we get back, we'll adjust your language setting back to Japanese."
Once all the members of Alpha Force were safely transported away, Raheem checked the list on a holographic screen in front of him.
"A few of them got away," Raheem. B, Elise, Merak, Null, Stratos and Luc were unaccounted for.
"What happened to the gravity manipulator?" Kaguya wondered since she had not seen him among the captured espers.
"Oh, that guy? He got sucked off," Yokoshima answered. This got him curious looks from everyone. Hiro just snickered.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" Lucy asked, unclear of what she just heard.
"Could you repeat that, please?" Kotonoha requested.
"He made a black hole and got sucked off," Yokoshima answered again. "I could not be clearer."
Hiro's cheeks were about to burst as he was trying to resist laughing.
"And is that the term you're using? You sure?" Ryuji asked carefully. He was going to need to write a report.
"Yeah, he got sucked off to death," Yokoshima affirmed.
"Bwahahahahahahahaha!" Hiro burst out with laughter, unable to contain it any longer. "Oh, man! Wow! OK, I needed a good laugh."
"Grow up," Raheem admonished his brother before returning his attention to Yokoshima. "And it was an accident, right?"
"Yeah, I wrecked his belt, and he got sucked off," Yokoshima answered the same thing again.
"Stop saying 'sucked off'!" Daichi yelled.
"So, I think introductions are needed," Shogo said, looking at the newcomers.
"These are my siblings," Jiro introduced. "Meet Hiroyuki, Kaguya, Shinobu, Crow and Raheem."
"Dear God, they're multiplying," Daichi groaned. When he saw they had similar hair antennae, he just knew they were related.
"Wait, has anyone seen Shinichi?" Michiru asked when she noticed his absence.
"And where did Daytona go?" Tamayo wondered.
Showa did not bother opening the doors as he smashed through them with his bike, sending wood and splinters flying. As soon as he entered the foyer, he found that it had been warped and twisted. It seemed the Spirit Tower had affected the space within the building, despite leaving the exterior untouched.
"OK, Kuro. Do you remember where this place is?" Showa asked.
'I believe it was underground,' Kuro recalled. 'I remember taking an elevator with Dr. Gebok.'
"Then it should be up ahead, right?" Showa questioned.
"Yes," Kuro confirmed.
Just as Showa was about to make his move, his ear picked up loud buzzing and he threw his wings over himself to generate a barrier, shielding himself from the swarm of explosive insects. Separating his wings, he saw Beelz floating near the ceiling, looking down at him. The Agito of gluttony was back to full strength, with his shells hovering around him.
"Welcome to my hive, meat," Beelz buzzed, licking his lips under his mask.
"Can you not gimme that look?" Showa asked, feeling disgusted. Dealing with a cannibal was not on his to-do list.
Beelz responded by throwing another explosive swarm at Showa, but a sudden torrent of flames consumed them. The Rider blinked and then saw Blaze landing next to him.
"What are you doing here?" Showa questioned.
"You've got a date with Kyofu," Blaze answered. "So leave bugboy here to me."
"Right, sure," Showa nodded, and he raced into the plantation house.
"And give him one hell of a beating for me!" Blaze called out.
Beelz tried to stop Showa, but Blaze intercepted his attack with a wall of flames, incinerating his swarm.
"Traitor, betrayer, deserter!" Beelz buzzed angrily.
"Blah, blah, blah!" Blaze mocked as he ignited his hands. "Shut your mouth!" He fired a stream of fire at the insectoid Agito who countered with his explosive swarm, the two of them wearing intense expressions of determination.
As Showa sped further into the plantation house, he found the space further warped. It was supposed to be a straight line to the elevator, but the path seemed to be much longer than it should be. As the building's interior had been warped by the Spirit Tower, it may not be a straight line anymore.
Showa smashed through a pair of doors which only led to an endless hallway which was lined with an infinite number of doors. He came to a stop, eyes narrowing.
"Kuro, I don't think we're going anywhere here," Showa said to his previous self.
"You are right," Kuro concurred. "The interior space of the building has been warped beyond recognition, so my memory would be worthless here. Although, remember that an elevator was needed to reach the facility."
"Then we'll have to go down!" Showa said as he opened a portal beneath him and dropped through the floor. After a moment, he fell out of the ceiling to land on a different floor. Scanning his surroundings as he dismounted, he found himself standing at the testing site.
"We're here," Kuro said, as he recognized the place. This was the testing site where he and D first fought many years ago. It had since become run down from years of disuse and neglect.
Showa's eyes locked onto the base of the Spirit Tower, and he saw that he was not alone.
"LIKE my work, BLACK 13?" Kyofu asked as he stood beside the Spirit Tower.
"Kyofu, stop this right now," Showa demanded. "It's over."
"Over YOU say? You think I'll STOP just because YOU say so? You think everything's going to END with my defeat? You're too LATE, BLACK 13. Once the process has begun, it CANNOT be stopped. You've FAILED, as expected from a STUPID puppet."
"And you're an egotistical megalomaniac," Showa countered. "Compared to Gebok, you're so much worse. His motives were at least reasonable. They didn't justify his actions, but I get it. But you, you're just doing all this out of spite and a sense of entitlement. Honestly, pretty pathetic if you ask me."
"SHUT UP!" Kyofu snapped, instantly losing his cool. "I do this for humanity's sake! To make my world better! In your history as a hero, how many have you killed in the name of 'justice', huh?"
"The ones I killed didn't want to change for the better; they were outright monsters," Showa said firmly.
"But what about all the people brainwashed and transformed into GIN-SHOCKER monsters and foot soldiers that you killed? I doubt ALL of them were guilty; probably a number of them were INNOCENTS made into monsters against their will. You could also say the SAME about all the Cybermen you killed too. Face it, you and I aren't so different, BLACK 13."
"Really? You actually went for the 'we're not so different you and I' shtick?" Showa scoffed. "Wow, mister, I've heard some bullshit over the years but yours is the best."
"So, you DENY it?"
"No, I don't. I have blood on my hands, and I have to live with the fact. You're the one living in a delusion by trying to justify your crimes. I'm not the one who's fine with killing 90 percent of all humanity and then ruling over the rest in some backwards attempt to preserve the planet's future."
"PLEASE, humans kill each other, wipe out entire species with zero regard, and they are polluting this planet; and YET you are calling me a mass murderer. POLLUTION is REAL as old-fashioned RACISM. As long as STUPID humans REFUSE to CHANGE their IGNORANT ways, they will END in GENOCIDE, and the world will be DESTROYED in the FUTURE. At least MY WAY would ENSURE humanity's SURVIVAL through my psychics who will become the DOMINANT PSYCHIC SPECIES with the environment RESTORED. Still think I'm such a monster when we have a MAJORITY of HUMANS being far WORSE than me, BLACK 13?"
"Yes, I do," Showa answered, dismissing Kyofu's rant. "And you know why? Because as bad as humans can be, some people can change for the better. They can evolve, and move past their sins, flaws, and mistakes. You're the one who refuses to see that. For every human who chooses to be a monster, there are more who choose to be saints. And you, I'm afraid, fall in the former category."
Kyofu's smirk slowly faded, seeing that he couldn't break Showa's faith.
"You ACT like you're a complete know-it-all, so let's see how you would deal with IRREDEEMABLE humans too STUPID to change and too DELUSIONAL to accept reality when the time comes. What genius plans do you HAVE for them, huh? Are you going to read them children's pop-up books and teach them the power of friendship?" Kyofu challenged mockingly.
Suddenly, a fireball came crashing down between Kyofu and Showa, and when the flames dispersed, standing there was Blaze.
"Better than what you're planning to do!" Blaze shouted. Kyofu was surprised to see one of his Agitos here, standing beside BLACK 13.
"How did you get here?" Showa asked. He had to open a portal to come down to this place.
"Oh, I burned my way through," Blaze pointed at the ceiling where a hole had been burned right through.
"And what happened to 'The Fly'?" Showa asked.
"Burned him alive so there's nothing left of him now," Blaze answered. Showa would have commented about Blaze finding another way to defeat Stratos but couldn't really find the words.
"Weapon H... you BETRAYED me?" Kyofu growled. "How COULD you!?"
"Why the hell not!?" Blaze retorted. "You sent chumps to slaughter my gang and then you lied to me about it to make me join your project! And it turns out, you did all this just to one-up some dead guy!"
"I recognised YOUR potential! I had to kill your gang because they were just holding you BACK!" Kyofu shouted back, no longer denying his involvement. "Don't you dare throw everything away after everything I've given you!"
"You haven't given me anything!" Blaze denied. "You took everything from me!"
"I ASCENDED YOU!" Kyofu screamed. "YOU WERE NOTHING BEFORE YOU MET ME! I MADE YOU! NOW, I COMMAND YOU! DO YOUR JOB!"
"Right, my JOB," Blaze scoffed, mocking Kyofu's manner of speech. "I'm going to do just that." His body ignited and he flew straight at the ceiling before he blasted right through it.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING, WEAPON H?!" Kyofu yelled through the burning hole furiously, the sounds of the pyrokinetic still smashing through ceilings echoing from above. "DON'T YOU DARE TRY ANYTHING! I FORBID IT! DO YOU HEAR?! I FORBID IT!"
At the same time, Showa seemed to realise what Blaze was about to do and wisely teleported himself plus his ride out of the chamber without Kyofu noticing.
Blaze continued his path upward, bursting through each floor of the plantation house until he blasted out of the roof. He flew into the sky, piercing the Earth's atmosphere until he hovered above the planet. He took a moment to admire the planet's beauty but then his eyes locked on a red spot on the ground below. Amidst the storm surrounding it, he could see the Spirit Tower's glowing and pulsing red peak.
His crystal horn glowed, and his crest horns spread open like the frills of a dragon as his Alter Ring's Philosopher's Stone let out a bright light. Flames encircled his body, dancing off him like fiery tongues. His body glowed intensely as his body temperature rose exponentially. Finally, his eyes flashed brightly, the Mark of Agito glowing in both.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Blaze screamed as his body went supernova as his body unleashed flames as hot as the sun. He then flew back down to Earth, rocketing straight at the Spirit Tower like a meteorite. His flames were so bright, it was like a second sun. When everyone saw him coming, they could only gaze in awe.
"TASTE MY WRAAAAAAATH!"
He struck the Spirit Tower with explosive force and, at first, the barrier appeared to be resisting his attempt. Undeterred, he roared louder, his blazing aura intensifying as the barrier tried to repel him. Unfortunately, it failed to stop him as Blaze's fiery aura literally burned the barrier away. Now, without any resistance stopping him, Blaze pierced the Spirit Tower, lodging himself deep inside the very peak.
"Like, what's he doing?" Tamae asked.
"I think he's killing himself," Tamayo answered, causing her sister to gasp.
"Oh, no!"
Inside the tower, Blaze's flames went from orange to white, to blue and finally to intense gold.
"This is for you, guys!" Blaze shouted. "AAAARRRRGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" Screaming at the top of his lungs, he poured his flames throughout the Spirit Tower, causing glowing cracks to spread across the structure. Finally, the entire tower exploded like a supernova, forcing everyone to shield their eyes lest they go blind.
The explosion travelled downward into the plantation house, causing the entire building to explode in a bright flash of fire. The resulting explosion sent a shockwave that swept over everyone and cleared the clouds in the air to bring back the clear blue sky.
"Wow," Lambdadelta observed as she lowered her shades which shielded her eyes from the intense glare. "I did not see that coming!"
"Yes," Bernkastel agreed as she removed her shades. It was a good thing she had them. Otherwise, the glare would have blinded them. It would only be temporary, but she did not want to deal with going blind for even a second.
When the smoke cleared and the dust finally settled, the tower, never mind the plantation house he had made his base, was completely gone. There was water flowing down from above as the base was now a big hole in the ground with pockets of fire scattered everywhere.
Kyofu stumbled from where he lay, mentally praising himself for genetically enhancing his body, allowing him to withstand and survive the force of the explosion. He slowly got up off the ground, coughing the dust from his lungs and wiping the dirt from his glasses. He stood in disbelief as he saw the wreckage all around him. The realisation of what had just happened hit him like a speeding truck, and he dropped down to his knees and howled in anguish.
"NOOOOOOO! NO, THIS WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN! YOU BLEW IT UP! YOU BLEW IT ALL UP! DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU TO HELL! MY WORK! MY PLANS! ALL RUINED!" Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something lying on the ground. When he got a better look, he realised that it was Daytona's body, all charred and blackened. Fury fueled the scientist's eyes and he rushed to the pyrokinetic's body. With a vengeful shout, he gave a hard kick to Daytona's ribs. "YOU UNGRATEFUL BASTARD!" He kicked Daytona in the ribs repeatedly. "AFTER ALL I'VE DONE FOR YOU, AND YOU REPAY ME WITH THIS! I GAVE YOU POWER! PURPOSE! MEANING! AND WHAT DID YOU DO?! YOU THREW IT ALL AWAY! AND WHAT!? FOR SOME PIECES OF SCRAP! I WILL MAKE YOU RUE THE DAY! I WILL MAKE YOU RUE THE DAY!"
As Kyofu broke down in a fit of madness and desecrated the body, a sudden flash of indigo feathers zoomed around him. He received a kick to the side of his head, sending him flying away from Daytona. After taking a rough tumble, he quickly got up and found himself under the furious glare of Tenshi (Seraphim Form) as she pointed her bow at him. He raised a barrier just in time as she fired at him, and the explosion sent him flying.
Before Kyofu could hit the ground, Slasher caught him and slammed him repeatedly on the ground before he tossed him up, allowing Musician to blast him with a sonic scream that landed him in a spider's web. He was swarmed by a cloud of flower petals which cut into his skin and shredded the web. Then Shia flipped in from out of nowhere and smashed her warhammer against his head to send him tumbling violently.
"Argh!" Kyofu cried out as he rolled to a stop. Sensing another hostile presence nearby, he quickly got back on his feet and erected a barrier just in time to see several invisible fists rapidly pounding against his shield.
"GO TO HELL!" Orga roared as she threw both her arms forward. Her vectors struck Kyofu's barrier simultaneously, shattering his defence and throwing him violently to the ground.
"Argh!" Kyofu cried out. "How dare you!?" He stood up and prepared to deliver an attack in retaliation when Zero flew past him, striking him several times with swift punches before throwing explosive needles down on him. The explosions rattled around Kyofu as he was forced to cover himself with a dome-shaped barrier. His enemies pounded on the barrier relentlessly, causing it to tremble violently. He covered his ears from the deafening explosions while growing angrier by the second.
"YOU FREAKS!" he screamed as he instantly transformed. Upon his transformation, his barrier blasted outwards, repelling his assailants. "I'LL DESTROY YOU ALL MYSELF!"
Meanwhile, Ifrit and Showa were already at Daytona's side, looking at his condition. Despite being charred like a burn victim, the pyrokinetic was somehow still alive as his chest rose and fell.
"He's burning up from the inside out," Ifrit observed, frowning grimly. "He must've overclocked his flames too much. I'm going to cool him down." He shot his ice flames around Daytona, only for them to evaporate, much to his shock. "Huh!?"
"Let me," Showa volunteered as he held out his hand. But as soon as a clock face appeared over Daytona's body, it quickly caught fire and burned away. "You can't be serious! He burned my time powers?! How is that possible!?"
"He must've pushed his flames to the point that he can even burn away concepts like time," Ifrit theorised. "That must've been how he was able to burn through the tower's barrier and destroy it."
"Then I can't save him," Showa gritted his teeth, feeling helpless. "He's going to die, and there's nothing I can do!"
"We'll stay with him," Cryska offered. Showa and Ifrit looked up as they saw Cryska, Tamayo, Tamae and Busaba standing there. "You both go and join your friends."
"And kick that asshole's butt," Tamae added. "Then rip him a new one."
"C'mon, kid," Ifrit said to Showa as they stood up.
"Yeah, it's time we finished this," Showa agreed.
Back at the battle, Ultima Agito was throwing his chains at the assembled heroes, keeping them at bay. All of a sudden, his chains were frozen solid before they were shattered. Stunned, he did not see Showa's fist coming before it was too late, and he received a blow to the face that sent him skidding backwards.
"You..." Ultimate Agito growled when he saw Showa. All at once, he recalled the humiliation he experienced from Gebok, and the rage was directed at his rivals' creation. "BLACK 13!"
Ultima Agito charged and swiped his claws at the Rider, but his opponent jumped back to avoid the blow. As Agito drew his arm back, Mugen Ifrit blasted him with a Mugenki energy ball, knocking him back. As Ultima Agito moved to retaliate, he was bombarded by Zero's stinger needles. Looking up, he hurled a spiked chain at the flying Rider, but it was caught and intercepted by Arachnea's web. He then received a blast of webbing in the face that covered his eyes, blinding him.
As Ultima Agito tried to rip the webbing off his eyes, Musician Leviathan and Carmen attacked together, with the former performing a tail strike that sent the Agito skidding back. Carmen joined in the assault as she flew flower petals at Ultima Agito which latched all over his body before they detonated, consuming the villain in a series of explosions.
Ultima Agito stumbled out of the smoke and into Slasher who put his arms around him in a bear hug before leaning backwards to drive the madman's skull into the ground with a suplex. Slasher then kicked Ultima Agito away, sending him flying.
As Ultima Agito landed roughly on the ground, Jura skated across the dirt. He took a deep breath and let out a roar.
"ROAAAAARRRGGGGHHHH!"
The heated soundwaves erupted from his mouth, rippling around Ultima Agito. The mad Agito was forced to cover his ears, screaming in agony, as the waves of heat and sound bombarded him ruthlessly.
"Light 'em up, buddy!" Blue Beetle commanded as his missile pods popped out his shoulders and his arms morphed into huge cannons. He fired upon Ultima Agito, forcing Jura to stop his Primal Scream and make a hasty retreat so T-Rex Rider would not be caught in the blast.
"Did that get him?" Carmen asked, being hopeful.
Suddenly, Ultima Agito blew away the smoke and hovered over the crater, his body glowing with psychic power. He sent multiple chains with claws flying and they caught the heroes that stood around him, with only one exception...
"LEGACY RIDER KIIIIIIICK!" Showa Legacy shouted as he flew at Ultima Agito to deliver his Rider Kick. Ultima Agito countered with a punch, and his fist met Showa Legacy's foot. As soon as they connected, a shockwave was released, and energy surged from the point of impact.
"YOU WILL NOT DEFEAT ME, BLACK 13! YOU WILL NOT STOP MY AMBITION! YOU ARE AN ABOMINATION! A FAILED EXPERIMENT! A PIECE OF SCRAP THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE EXISTED! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, BLACK 13!?"
"My name..." Showa Legacy started as his eyes glowed. "Is..." His power burst from his body, causing his Void Wings to shine. "KAMEN RIDER SHOWA!"
The power of all the Showa Riders flowed through Showa Legacy and, for a brief moment, they manifested around him as spectral projections before merging with him. His body glowed with a multicoloured aura before his Legacy Rider Kick connected with Ultima Agito's chest.
An explosion went off on impact, and the chains holding the others shattered before dropping them. The smoke from the middle of the ruined chamber cleared away to reveal Kyofu on his hands and knees, while Shinichi was down on one knee, panting deeply.
"You... STUPID... metal BUGS..." Kyofu snarled, slowly standing up despite his many injuries. "You THINK this is over!? You THINK you've won!? I have the BACKING of every major POWER in the world, did you FORGET that?!" His face twisted into a sinister grin. "All I HAVE to do is say the WORD and every major POWER you can THINK of will hunt you down as you all become labelled as enemies of the WORLD! You'll no longer be safe! You'll no LONGER have any sanctuary!"
"Try it if you can, asshole," Shinichi challenged, standing up to glare at Kyofu. "We've had the world against us before, but that's still not going to stop us."
"If you think it will be ANYTHING like what the Religion of Crime did, you are sadly MISTAKEN," Kyofu sneered. "With the POLITICIANS I have in my pockets, each one of them can bring down their ARMIES upon you. And I know you can't lift your hands to kill a human, not ANYMORE. It will be such a SHOW to watch you all-!"
"Oh, Professor..."
A very familiar voice caused everyone to freeze, Shinichi especially as his pupils dilated in shock.
"What the...Gebok!?" Shinichi started. But that was impossible.
"That voice..." Kyofu gasped. "No, you're DEAD! You should be DEAD!"
"So, this is what you've been doing all along," the voice continued. "I'm very disappointed in you, Professor Kyofu. Truly I am."
"You son of a bitch! I knew you weren't dead!" Kyofu snapped.
"Of course. The rules of death have never applied to me in the first place." Stepping from the shadows was Dr. Gebok, wearing his white lab coat, fedora and shades, with his face split by a mocking grin. "Surprise! I'm back!"
"Gebok..." Shinichi exhaled, not believing his eyes.
"The fuck? How the hell is he here!?" Ifrit exclaimed. Gebok was supposed to be a brain in a jar that was locked up in ARMOR.
"What do we do?" Orga asked.
"No sudden movements," Tenshi advised. "He managed to outlast ARMOR as long as he did for a reason. We don't know how he got here and what tricks he might have up his sleeve."
"As ARROGANT as ever, but I KNOW you have been beaten OVER and OVER and OVER again by your precious creation! You must have been so HUMILIATED that you went into HIDING!" Kyofu shouted, ignoring Shinichi completely now that his rival was standing before him. "So, why show yourself now?"
"To watch my precious creation put you in your place, of course, and it looks like my BLACK 13 has done so exceptionally," Gebok replied, smugly. "So much for psychic superiority, Kyofu. Just like before, you still failed to impress me. You even copied my model of converting candidates into your own army of Kamen Riders, like you had no original ideas of your own." Gebok gave a disappointed sigh. "I can't even remember why GIN-SHOCKER ever recruited you."
"GIN-SHOCKER..." Kyofu growled. "When I joined, I was promised funding and resources, all so I could make my DREAMS come true, but you all SQUANDERED it on those machines!"
"Of course, I would favour my cybernetic research. Wasn't that obvious?" Gebok justified. "By now, you should have figured out everything. Why the Great Leader rejected your proposal to create psychic soldiers? Why have you never had a chance to build your projects? It all happened because I made it so." He spread his arms to the side proudly so he could gloat. "I was behind everything in GIN-SHOCKER. It was me all along, Dr. Gebok, the true mastermind!"
"Shut up! Just SHUT UP!" Kyofu screamed, scratching his head. "My psychics will PROVE their superiority and I will SUCCEED in what you, GIN-SHOCKER and Savage FAILED to do! I will make this world MINE and remake it in my own IMAGE!"
"Your image?" Gebok scoffed, rolling his eyes under his shades. "That was always the problem with you; everything was all about you and to hell with everyone else. You couldn't even bother to get your work done by yourself. You had to orchestrate crimes and disasters to make your minions look better than BLACK 13. You even had the gall to pull violent felons into doing your dirty work. Even I wouldn't stoop that low."
"And WHAT of it?" Kyofu continued in frustration. "It WORKED as intended! FLAWLESSLY! Those SHEEP will always flock to the superior hero and leave the has-beens in the DUST! So what if I had to pay off those CROOKS? So what if I got some KILLERS and RAPISTS to look like heroes? It was MONEY well spent, and making those ROBOTS look incompetent was well worth it! All that time I spent smiling and waving, kissing BABIES, cleaning up PLAYGROUNDS, using extra cash to build a memorial park in KYOTO," he listed out everything in disgust as he slowly clenched his fists. "Do you have ANY idea how much I had to degrade myself to keep up appearances?! It was HUMILIATING having to play nice WITH those plebes! But I stuck by it, knowing that eventually I would succeed where you FAILED!"
"So then as long as you come out on top in the end, you don't care if your operations are nothing but a sham, correct?"
"EXACTLY!"
"And there you have it!" another voice suddenly spoke up.
Kyofu stopped himself as he swiftly turned to where the new voice came from. Standing there was the same buxom news reporter from the press conference that he had days ago. With her was a cameraman, with the news camera pointing right at him.
"You heard it yourself, folks," Hope said into her microphone as she faced the camera. "Right from the mouth of the man himself. Professor Kyofu has just admitted that his Brain Trust Society was nothing more than an elaborate hoax to discredit the NEO-NUMBERS in an attempt to take over the world, with several of the members he recruited being violent criminals. He has also admitted to being one of the surviving scientists of the infamous GIN-SHOCKER, the very organisation responsible for the kidnapping of hundreds of children in order to create an army of cybernetic supersoldiers. It would certainly seem that the professor is not only a fraud but a very dangerous fraud who has been lying to the people of the world. Once again, this is Hope Puplido coming to you live, transmitting the broadcast via global satellites across every television in the world."
"And cut!" the cameraman smirked. "Excellent shot! Good job everyone!"
"Y-you! H-how!?" Kyofu sputtered, red in the face before whipping his head back at Gebok with a look of betrayal. "You... how COULD you!?"
Gebok's face split into another grin, one that was more playful, as he flippantly shrugged.
"What can I say? I'm quite the actress!" he spoke in a voice that sounded like a young girl's.
"What...?" Kyofu paled.
Gebok's form flickered for a moment before it vanished, revealing Coyote with her Emerald Cobra Viral Core on her shoulder.
"Holograms, gotta love 'em!" she smiled as she gave a double peace sign. Everyone was surprised and impressed as well.
"Dude, that's unreal," Ifirit admired, a shit-eating grin under his mask. "She took advantage of Kyofu's grudge on Gebok..."
"...And manipulated him into confessing his crimes on live TV," Orga finished with an impressed smile on her face.
"OK, I like her," Carmen smiled. Arachnea nodded.
"And we didn't even need to interrogate him," Zero approved.
"Damn," Musician smirked.
"Very clever," Tenshi praised, applauding lightly.
"So does that mean we win?" Blue Beetle asked, clueless.
"Looks like you've lost, Kyofu," Shinichi stated. "Everyone has seen your true colours, including those who supported you. After this, they'll drop you and throw you under the bus just to save their skins. You have nothing and nobody now. You're all alone."
Kyofu stared wide-eyed at Phantom Thief Coyote, then at the reporter and her cameraman. His look of shock turned into one of homicidal rage and he screamed.
"GO TO HELL! GO TO HELL, ALL OF YOU!"
Picking the closest target, he fired a psionic blast at the reporter and her cameraman. Hope's eyes glowed as she held out her hand, and cold and dark energy erupted from her palm, covering them both from sight. The dark energy swallowed the blast, sucking it in until it was completely consumed. The dark energy faded as quickly as it came, but the duo behind it had completely changed.
"Really? Throwing a tantrum after your plot goes down the drain?" Lady Death said in disapproval as she lowered her arm. "What a pathetic child you are."
"Kikiki! What, need a diaper change, ya big baby?" Seiten grinned as she spun the camera on her finger.
"Dammit!" Kyofu cursed. He was cornered now, unable to escape. Even if he got away, he would be hunted down like an animal.
"Alright, Kyofu." Shinichi stepped towards him, holding his C3. "It's time for you to face justice."
Suddenly, from the Spirit Tower's rubble, a figure burst out from it, sending debris flying everywhere. A flaming female figure had emerged, radiating with a blazing aura as the remains of the tower floated around her.
Kyofu could not believe his eyes. His greatest creation, his Weapon D, had survived! He might get out of here yet.
"D, KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!" Kyofu commanded. "START WITH BLACK 13!"
"D?" Shinichi echoed.
Her eyes were narrowed at Shinichi before she let out an inhuman shriek. Wings of flames burst from her back as her hair turned into flames.
"That's not normal," Coyote remarked, and she was right as D's normally stoic face now held a look of unbridled rage.
D's Alter Ring manifested around her waist before morphing into its more advanced EVO mode.
"HENSHIN!"
Her hands slammed on the Dragon's Eye buttons, and the Alter Ring EVO hummed loudly. Her flaming wings wrapped around her, turning into a spiralling tornado that took the shape of a phoenix. The firebird spread its wings and released a loud shriek before violently dispersing, revealing her new form.
"Yes...YEEEESSSSSS!" Kyofu cried jubilantly.
Agito Crimson's was clad in a black bodysuit with crimson and gold armour. In the heart of her breastplate was a diamond-shaped gem. She now had a six-pack that was highlighted by her suit. Her bracers had bracelets with ancient runic designs etched into them. Her legs were wrapped in black boots that were covered in crimson and gold bands that had runes etched into them while ruby crystals made up her kneepads. A fiery aura surrounded her helmet with her crest horns fanned out like a pair of wings. Finally, from her back, she had grown six mechanical limbs that emitted wings of blazing energy.
This was Agito Crimson Rising Phoenix Form.
"Shinichi, I think she just got her ultimate form," Kuro warned his host.
"Yeah, I can see that," Shinichi concurred.
"DO YOU SEE!? DO YOU ALL SEE!?" Kyofu gloated, screaming like a madman. "THIS IS A SIGN! IT'S NOT OVER YET! JUST LIKE THE PHOENIX, I SHALL RISE FROM THE ASHES AND START ANEW! I WILL BECOME GOD OF THIS WORLD AS LONG AS MY ANGEL REMAINS BY MY SIDE!"
"Aaaand he's lost his marbles," Seiten observed.
"I doubt he ever had any to begin with," Lady Death remarked.
In a flash, Agito Crimson flew straight at Shinichi, grabbed him by the throat and pinned him roughly against a wall which cracked from the impact. Shinichi grunted from the impact; his teeth gritted together as Agito Crimson stared hatefully at him.
"YES! SHE'S TRULY MAGNIFICENT! INVINCIBLE! DESTROY THAT TOY, D! EXTERMINATE IT! TURN IT INTO SCRAP! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Kyofu howled.
"Ugh, somebody shut him up!" Orga exclaimed, pointing at the hysterically laughing scientist.
"Pretty nostalgic, isn't it, D?" Shinichi wheezed, ignoring the fact that his throat was being crushed. "The two of us, fighting down here, like the first time all over again."
She had ignored his words as her eyes flashed, and a hellish portal appeared behind him.
"She's taking him somewhere!" Arachnea shouted as Agito Crimson began to push Shinichi through the portal. "Stop her!"
Everyone moved to stop Crimson Agito and save Shinichi, but she waved her hand and repelled them with a powerful telekinetic blast, knocking them all down.
Jura remembered something he had brought with him. He pulled out a small black box with the XIII-7 logo on it. At this point, no one knew for sure what Agito Crimson was capable of now, but any help would be welcomed.
"Tou-chan!" Jura shouted, throwing the box.
Shinichi caught sight of the box as it came at him, flying fast towards the portal. Agito Crimson seemed unconcerned as she continued to push him through, letting the box pass through behind them before the portal closed.
"OK, I did not see that coming," Lambdadeleta remarked when she witnessed D's survival and her obtaining a new, more powerful form. "Did you see that coming?"
"I did," Bernkastel answered as she sipped her wine.
"You're lying," Lambdadleta deadpanned but Bernkastel ignored her. Snapping her fingers, she changed the screen to show where Shinichi and D ended up.
Shinichi found himself flying through the air before he righted himself and landed on a solid surface.
"Where the hell am I?" he wondered as he saw himself surrounded by a crimson sky as he stood upon a floating plateau. The sky was an unnatural shade of red and there didn't seem to be a sun, moon, or even stars in sight. He saw numerous buildings and vehicles flying around like they had been sucked by the tornado from The Wizard of Oz.
"D's powers allow her to make her mental construct a reality. Since her powers have evolved, creating a pocket dimension would be child's play for her," Kuro theorised.
"So, where is she?"
"BLACK THIRTEEEEEEENNNNNNNN!" Agito Crimson screeched as she flew straight at him, her body engulfed in a flaming aura in the shape of a phoenix.
"There she is," Kuro informed his host.
"Henshin!"
Shinichi quickly transformed before she crashed right into him, sending him skidding across the plateau. As she landed, she bolted in front of him in blinks of crimson light and rained mighty blows upon him. Showa blocked each punch and kick before throwing a spinning kick across her face to knock her to the ground.
Agito Crimson quickly recovered and lifted herself from the ground like Nosferatu did when he rose from his coffin before she and Showa slammed their hands together, grappling with each other. They slammed their foreheads together, eyes locked, trying to overpower one another.
"Why BLACK 13?" she demanded.
"Why what?" he answered back.
"Why did you leave GIN-SHOCKER? Why did you abandon them? After everything they've done for you, why did you turn your back on them!?" she shouted, slamming her leg against his calf. Showa lost his balance, allowing Agito Crimson to throw him over her back and into the ground. She took off into the air, levitating over him for a moment as her wings blazed brighter. With an enraged scream, she came down on him to deliver a dropkick that was engulfed in crimson cosmic fire.
Showa was already on his feet, and he crossed his arms in front of him, bracing for the upcoming impact. Her Rider Kick connected, and an explosive flash filled the crimson sky before the plateau exploded and crumbled to pieces. Showa was thrown by the impact, flying all around the rubble as Agito Crimson caught up to him. Both Kamen Riders exchanged punches and kicks, tumbling in the air at zero gravity.
"I told you already!" Showa grunted during their clash. "GIN-SHOCKER took my childhood! They took my humanity! They turned me into a killer and made me take the lives of innocent people! Most of all, they took me from my family! Why would I ever stay with people like that!? What about your family, Reiko?! You have a family too, don't you?!"
"I have no family!" Agito Crimson shouted, driving a knee into Showa's gut, stunning him. She then grabbed him by the ankles and spun him around and around, making him scream out as she swung, and threw him into a skyscraper. Showa crashed through one of the windows and landed with a hard thud on the carpeted floor.
"Ugh..." Showa groaned.
"My parents died when I was an infant! They didn't even want me to begin with! They said I was a mistake!" she ranted as she stretched her arms behind her. The buildings and vehicles behind her all crumpled together, forming one giant ball of the crumpled buildings and vehicles. The ball grew until it became the size of a mountain, "And the only reason why I wasn't aborted was out of mercy! The professor was the one who took me in! GIN-SHOCKER was the only home I knew, AND YOU TOOK IT FROM ME!"
With a scream, she threw the giant scrap ball at him. When Showa saw it coming, he immediately booked it and smashed through the wall, twisting and barrel rolling through the interior before coming out the other side a moment before Agito Crimson's makeshift wrecking ball smashed through it, obliterating it completely.
"Is that what the Professor told you? And you took his word just like that?" Showa shouted back incredulously, turning to fly backwards as he opened two portals on either side of him to shoot energy beams.
"The Professor gave me all I had: food, clothing, a roof over my head, and power!" Agito Crimson spat, forming an energy orb around herself to deflect the beams away from her. The beams spread out all over, cutting through the flying buildings like a hot knife through butter. She disengaged her force field and pointed her arms at him, shooting massive blasts of psychic energy from her hands. "You destroyed all that! I won't allow you to speak ill of him anymore!"
"All you're doing is following orders from a psycho that doesn't give a damn about you!" Showa yelled as he countered her attack. Their beams went shooting everywhere and the floating buildings that surrounded them were caught in the crossfire, breaking apart as they were hit. Their pieces began to fall, vanishing into the abyss below. "Don't you see? He's exploited you! He made you into a sacrifice for that tower, didn't he?! He didn't care if you survived or not!"
"We were made to take orders! That's why we exist! We are cogs in the machine!" Agito Crimson shouted back.
"We are not cogs in the machine! We control the machine! We are individuals who choose our own fate!" Showa argued back.
"THERE'S NO WAY THAT'S TRUE!" Agito Crimson bellowed as she weaved between his energy beams and struck Showa with a falling drop kick. He grabbed hold of her legs and swung around before tossing her away. She tumbled around before she stopped herself with her telekinesis, spreading her arms as several buildings suddenly pointed at Showa. She threw her forward and the buildings shot at him like missiles.
Showa swiftly flew past the flying buildings, dodging a post office, dipping under a castle, flying past a church, and even racing through a subway train. Just as he flew out the back of the train, the Agito of Potential held her hands out before she swung her arms down. A shadow came over Showa and he looked up to see a skyscraper come down on him.
Crimson Agito watched as the skyscraper met her target. Despite his impossible ability to survive, there was no way he would walk away from this alive.
Suddenly, a golden beam of light burst through the building as it came down and a figure flew through the hole to levitate before Agito Crimson. Showa had quickly changed into his Chronicle Legacy Form. Since Agito Crimson had accessed her ultimate form, he needed to meet her in kind.
"That's really unfortunate," Showa sighed, arms crossed.
"What is?" Agito Crimson frowned.
"Despite everything, there still seems to be an innocent girl in there," Showa reasoned, pointing at her. "But she's been living in a birdcage for far too long."
"I am not small enough to live in a birdcage!" Agito Crimson protested.
"I mean you don't know anything about the world. All you know is to follow orders and nothing else," Showa clarified. "You've been conditioned, indoctrinated, just like we were and all the other kids GIN-SHOCKER took. I don't know what the tower did to you, but right now you're confused."
"I am... not confused," Agito Crimson denied, shaking her head furiously.
"Then why are you crying?" Showa questioned.
"Don't be...absurd, you...you cannot even see...my face," Agito Crimson denied once more.
"No, but I can hear it in your voice. Your shallow breathing, your cracking voice, the sniffling, that's what happens when you cry," Showa pointed out. "You aren't the emotionless tool Kyofu says you are."
Agito Crimson blinked, and her helmet vanished in a haze of flames. Showa could see that D was really crying, the tears welling up in her eyes and rolling down her cheeks. She slowly touched her face and gathered the liquid onto her fingers. She looked down at the wetness that covered her fingertips and her eyes widened in shock.
"But why?... This... this has never happened...I...I must be malfunctioning," D whispered in shock as she tried to wipe the tears away, trying to make them stop. Her astonishment turned to rage as she glared back at Shinchi. "You did this... you have infected me...!"
"Oh, geez," Showa grunted as she realised that D was pissed, and hell hath no wrath like a woman scorned.
D roared as her helmet reformed over her head and she rocketed towards Showa. She kicked him in the chest and then flew at him to claw at his face. But he locked his hands around her wrists as she kept screaming at him. She threw a hard headbutt, knocking him away from her. He spun through the air as he summoned his Chrono Sabers while Agito Crimson formed swords made from crystallised fire.
The two clashed violently, exchanging fierce blows as sparks exploded around them. Their blades locked before breaking apart and they slammed them together, causing their weapons to shatter.
Showa punched Agito Crimson in the face and then delivered two roundhouse kicks to her face before driving his foot into her stomach to drive her back. She staggered back and spread her wings. As she focused her power, her Mark of Agito appeared before her. The flames on her wings flowed into the Mark as she poured her power into it, causing its glow to intensify.
Showa spread his Void Wings, focusing his power in front of him as he formed a portal with his hands. The power travelled from his body, into his hands before he spread them apart, his palms connected by a crackling beam of blue-green energy.
"VAAAANIIIIIIISH!" Agito Crimson screamed and she fired her attack which took the form of a fiery phoenix as it flew straight at Showa. He quickly put his hands together and then threw his arms forward, hitting the back of the portal to fire a powerful beam at the firebird.
The two attacks met with an explosive clash of power and were locked in a struggle for supremacy. The point where the blasts met began to shape into a large sphere of swirling green and crimson power. As they poured more power into their attacks, the sphere eventually swelled up and exploded in a bright flash of light. Showa managed to escape the blast radius and then looked around for his opponent.
"Where is she?" he wondered. He got his answer when Agito Crimson suddenly appeared out of the smoke, but something was off. Her body began to shimmer, three afterimages forming out of her and lining up next to her. The afterimages soon solidified, turning into three more copies of his opponent. "Doppelgangers, huh? Guess we're having a fivesome."
All four Agito Crimsons quickly circled around him and held out their hands at him, the energy waves of their telekinesis holding him in place. Showa struggled to break free. If one god-level psychic was hard enough to deal with, four was nigh impossible. Fire suddenly exploded around him, causing him to scream out in agony as it ravaged all over his body, searing all over him.
Agito Crimson and her duplicates released their power over him, dropping him down. Luckily, he didn't fall very far, crashing on top of a random plateau with a loud boom. Showa lay on his stomach, the fire still licking him. Looking up, he spotted a small black box with familiar numbers on it.
"That's..." Showa ignored the pain as he struggled to crawl towards the box. Reaching out to it, he grabbed it and rolled himself onto his back. He opened the box and peered inside to find a device that resembled a large wristwatch with the watch's face modelled after his faceplate but cut into four different coloured sections. A transparent cover was set over the clock face with a single clock hand. Finally, a plate extended from the main body of the device to rest over the back of his hand and there was a jade cicada mounted on it.
"Ah... what the hell," Showa decided. He took the watch out of the box and slapped it onto his wrist. A strap shot out of the device, securing it.
[CHRONICLE TIMER!]
Once attached, the device uploaded instructions into Showa's mind, and he turned the clock hand in a full counterclockwise rotation.
[READY? START!]
He looked up as the four Agito Crimsons came flying down at him like birds of prey. He quickly flipped backwards and landed on his feet before she crashed into him. Not wanting to get caught in their telekinesis again, he summoned his Chrono Sabers and swung his blades, throwing waves of energy at them. All four dipped and dodged from the energy slashes before returning fire with fireballs. Showa parried each fireball with his swords, dispersing them. As soon as he did, the clock hand passed over the black section of the watch-like device's clock face, causing it to flash and prompting Showa to hit the jade cicada which acted as the switch.
[BLACK 13 TIME!]
A black portal shaped like a clock face appeared on the ground in front of one of the Agito Crimson's duplicates, and BLACK 13 shot out of it to deliver an uppercut straight into her jaw. She was sent reeling by the attack before BLACK 13 blasted her with his optical lasers. The duplicate was thrown back from the hit and was caught by the rest of her copies.
"Two BLACK 13s!?" Agito Crimson #1, the original, gasped when she saw BLACK 13 standing beside Showa Chronicle. How was this possible!?
"Something like that," Showa Chronicle answered vaguely. BLACK 13 pulled out the Higurashi no Yabai, wordlessly transforming into his Higurashi Form as a swarm of green glowing energy cicadas enveloped him before dispersing. The two of them then went on the attack as they flew straight at her and her copies.
"I don't know what kind of ability you just used, but you are gravely mistaken if you believe two of you are enough to stop me!" the Agito Crimsons yelled in stereo as both Showas attacked them with their blades.
Showa blocked Agito Crimson #2 before punching Agito Crimson #3 in the face. At the same time, BLACK 13 knocked Agito Crimson #1 with a kick before he slashed Agito #4 with his sword. Then, the two of them drove the Agito Crimsons back with energy slashes as they swung their swords together.
"Who said it was just two?" Showa Chronicle retorted before hitting the jade cicada again just as the clock hand crossed the white section.
[CLASSIC TIME!]
A white portal shaped like a clock face appeared in the air, and Showa Classic jumped out of it with his Showa-Blaster. He fired upon the Agito Crimsons, sending them reeling as explosions erupted all around them.
"Thanks for joining the party," Showa Chronicle gratefully said to Showa Classic.
"Thanks for the invite," Showa Classic replied before he took out the Oni no Hone to place on his head. In a tornado of fire, lighting and wind, he shifted into his Oni Form. "Now, how about we save the princess?"
"Now there's three?!" Agito Crimson #2 shouted in disbelief as Showa Classic struck with his Oni Claws, sending sparks flying as she went reeling. BLACK 13 clashed swords with Agito Crimson #3 while Showa Chronicle continued fighting #1 and #4 with his twin Chrono Sabers.
Agito Crimson #1 and #4 fired at Showa Chronicle but he formed portals to take their fireballs before opening a third to fire them back at their senders, knocking them down with their own projectiles.
"Why don't we make this even-steven?" Showa Chronicle quipped, hitting the jade cicada again as the clock hand crossed the green section.
[GX TIME!]
Another portal, this time green, appeared behind the Agito Crimsons and two plasma whips shot out and caught them. They struggled to break themselves free but ended up pulling Showa GX out of his portal. He went over their heads, flipped, and tugged on the whips, throwing the Agito Crimsons and to the ground. As Agito Crimson and her duplicates managed to break free, Showa Classic and BLACK 13 attacked, ripping sparks off them with their swords.
"Four heads are better than three, wouldn't you agree?" GX quipped as he pulled out the Kage no Hoshi and put it on his forehead. Black shadows engulfed him before taking shape, transforming him into Showa Kage. "Nin nin!"
"Puns, really?" Chronicle raised an eyebrow.
"Hah, nice one!" Classic chuckled.
Chronicle rolled his eyes but smiled at how nostalgic it was to see another one of his former selves.
"Do not think you can defeat us now that we are on equal footing," Agito Crimson #1 snarled. "Four or one, it doesn't matter. You're all nothing."
"Then let's fix that," Showa Chronicle said before hitting the button as the hand went over the last mixed rainbow-coloured section of the watch.
[TRINITY TIME!]
Three multicoloured clock portals opened and the trio of Showa Red, Blue and Green jumped out. Showa Red hit Agito Crimson #1 with a gigantic boot while Showa Blue punched #2 and #3 with giant metal fists as Showa Green fired his cannons at #4. Crimson Agito and her duplicates were sent flying across the plateau. Once the Agitos were momentarily subdued, the three Showas merged back into Showa Trinity as he regrouped with his other versions.
"This brings back memories," Showa Chronicle remarked as he saw Trinity.
"So, this is what I'll look like later," Showa Trinity said as he saw his future self. "Dig the wings."
"Thanks, came with the upgrades," Chronicle boasted.
"Focus," BLACK 13 commanded. "We need to neutralise our enemies."
"Why did you invite this guy?" Showa Classic asked, pointing with his thumb at his original self.
"He's the original us," Chronicle reasoned. "Kuro, you and I'll go after the original. Classic, GX, Trinity, you guys handle the rest."
"Roger," BLACK 13 responded as the others nodded.
"Time to bring Order to Chaos," Trinity announced as he raised the Sword of Ascalon. He cut a circular rift above him, and light flashed down from it. Pieces of armour descended from the portal before combining with his body, transforming him into the draconic knight, Showa Ascalon.
Agito Crimson and her copies gathered together and blasted the Showas. Their attacks exploded, covering the opponents in destructive flames. However, the Showas jumped into the air and flipped forward.
"DOUBLE RIDER KICK!"
Chronicle and BLACK 13 smashed their feet into Agito Crimson #1 as their other selves struck the others. Classic took a blast of flames to his chest and absorbed it before retaliating with a lightning-infused punch into Agito Crimson #2's stomach. As she doubled over, he grabbed her head and then lifted her before throwing her over his shoulder, causing her to land painfully on her back. He then performed an elbow drop, driving his elbow into her stomach, causing her to dissolve into energy which zoomed back to the original.
GX swung his ninjato as he slashed Agito Crimson #3 repeatedly. In retaliation, she blasted him with telekinesis but as he was sent flipping backwards, he threw a set of explosive shurikens at her. The explosions knocked her back and then he knocked her down with a dropkick. The force of the blow caused her to revert into energy which streaked back to Agito Crimson.
Trinity's arms glowed and turned into vicious dragon claws which he used to slash Agito Crimson #4 across the chest, ripping sparks off violently. She fired a blast of flames at him, but he stood still as the flames washed around him harmlessly.
"You know that fire doesn't work on dragons, right?" Trinity quipped as he strode through the flames, grabbed her arms, and then drove his knee into her stomach. Her body broke down into energy which returned to Agito Crimson just like the others.
The original Agito Crimson found herself under the attack of Chronicle and his original incarnation, BLACK 13. The black cyborg slashed her with the Higurashi no Yaiba, ripping sparks off her body. She threw fireballs at him in retaliation, only for him to vanish and avoid her attack. As soon as BLACK 13 went invisible, Chronicle slashed her with his swords and then twirled around to strike her with his wings. She was sent reeling before BLACK 13 reappeared and delivered a reverse roundhouse into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her.
Agito Crimson groaned and hissed as she rose back up, clenching her trembling fists. She was not supposed to lose, the Professor said so. She was his ultimate creation, the pinnacle of all his research, the ultimate life form.
And she would destroy all who attempted to prove otherwise.
Agito Crimson raised herself off the plateau and hovered in the air. With a loud shriek, she unleashed her full power. Laser beams fired from the six appendages on her back, piercing the floating buildings, vehicles, and plateau within the pocket dimension, breaking them apart. The beams then curved as they homed in on her targets: Showa and his duplicates.
"Scatter!" Chronicle ordered before he and his duplicates separated. The lasers followed them relentlessly and they could not escape their firing range. Spinning around, Chronicle summoned the Shield of Glen and blocked the lasers which struck his barrier. He kept the barrier up until the lasers fizzled and lost power.
"KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!"
GX used the power of the Kage no Hoshi to clone himself, allowing his copies to take the lasers, leaving him unscathed.
"Thousand Crane Slash."
At the same time, BLACK 13 used the Higurashi no Yaiba to throw a flock of explosive paper cranes to intercept the lasers.
"MEIDO ZANGETSUHA!"
Trinity swung the Sword of Ascalon and created a dark portal which sucked up the lasers like a black hole.
"LIGHTNING SPEAR!"
Finally, Classic fired lightning bolts from his horns that took the form of spears to counter the laser beams, cancelling them out.
Enraged, Agito Crimson poured power into her wings, causing the flaming aura to expand and take the shape of six colossal arms. She threw the aura arms towards the Riders, surrounding them and blocking any escape. The arms converged upon the Riders; palms open to crush them.
The Riders went back-to-back, facing outwards, to retaliate.
"KAZE NO KIZU!"
"Higurashi Zan."
"CHRONICLE CRUSADE!"
"DARK BALL!"
"CYCLONE DRILL!"
As the gigantic aura arms were taken out by the Showas' combined power, Agito Crimson boiled with frustration. Flames erupted from her body, spreading outwards into a massive inferno which took the shape of a colossal six-winged firebird.
"Looks like she's pissed," Classic observed.
[HURRY UP!]
Chronicle looked at the Chronicle Timer as it began to flash with an alarm blaring from it. It seemed that their time was running out.
"Let's finish this together!" Chronicle commanded as he pressed the jade cicada switch one last time.
[SHOWA PARTY TIME!]
Showa Chronicle spread his arms as his duplicates all turned into energy streams which encircled him before entering his chest. His eyes glowed and he let out a roar as his aura took the shape of his Dragon of Dragons form.
The firebird shrieked at the dragon who roared back at it. The warriors within the entities prepared to execute their final attacks. Agito Crimson flew straight at Showa to deliver a dropkick as the firebird flew with her while the Rider jumped into the air and flipped his body forward to perform a flying kick, his draconic aura soaring with firebird and dragon clashed violently, roaring and shrieking at each other. Inside the constructs, Agito Crimson and Showa met as their feet connected with explosive force.
[3!]
The power the two generated caused the floating buildings and vehicles to spin violently around them. Vehicles crashed into buildings as they crashed into each other, breaking apart and spreading rubble all around.
[2!]
For a moment, it appeared the two were evenly matched, but Agito Crimson's eyes went wide as Showa Legacy overpowered her and nailed her right in the chest.
[1!]
The firebird dispersed violently as Showa Legacy drove Agito Crimson into the surface of another huge plateau, causing a massive explosion that shattered it completely.
[TIME'S UP!]
With the power of the Chronicle Timer spent, Showa Chronicle's transformation was undone. Standing on what remained of the plateau, he attempted to look through the smoke, but it was too thick for him to see anything clearly.
"OK, I think she's down. Now, how do I get out of here?" Shinichi asked himself. "Chronan, any ideas?"
"You should be able to open a portal back to the real world," Chronan informed him.
As Shinichi opened a portal back to the real world, the smoke cleared, revealing D as she lay on her back, injured. As he approached her to bring her back with him, she suddenly jumped to her feet and lunged at him. Flames washed over her, healing the damage she had just sustained as she tackled him and the two fell into the portal together.
The portal dropped them on what appeared to be the side of a road, but it did not look like something straight out of a nightmare. Instead, it seemed normal. The sky was also dark, showing that it was nighttime.
"Where have you taken us?" D demanded as she jumped back to her feet. She held out her hand to use her power, but nothing happened. She tried again, focusing harder, only to fail to produce anything. "My powers! What have you done!?"
"Looks like you're out of gas," Shinichi quipped.
"I do not run on gasoline!" she retorted, taking the comment literally.
"It's April 9th, 1968," Chronan informed his host.
"We're in the past," Shinichi stated but he wondered why this place and this date specifically.
"The past?" D repeated. "Why have you brought us to the past?"
"I didn't," Shinichi answered.
Shinichi and D saw a man in a hoodie walk along the side of the road opposite them, sticking his arm out with his thumb up. A moment later, a car pulled over and they saw that there was a couple with a baby sitting in a baby seat in the back. It looked like the couple were going to offer the hitchhiker a ride, but their kindness would not be repaid in the way they thought.
Suddenly, two gunshots rang out and blood splattered across the windshield. Shinichi would have intervened, but this was the past and he could not interfere. The hitchhiker then went and opened the door to the backseat and took the baby.
"My, my. It took me quite some time to find a worthwhile specimen, and to think your parents wanted you to live a normal life," the hitchhiker said as he lowered his hood, revealing his face.
"Professor...?" D questioned when she saw that it was Professor Kyofu but decades younger as he lacked any of his wrinkles and the glasses he wore in the present.
"'Sekai Saionji'?" Young Kyofu read out the name that was stitched to the baby's clothes. "Well, that name is no longer good for you. You're going to need a new name so nobody will be able to find you. What do you think, little one? Does 'Reiko Serizawa' suffice?"
As the baby cried, Young Kyofu walked away with little Reiko.
"Professor, wait!" D went to chase after Professor Kyofu to catch him, but her hand just passed through him, startling her. "What...?"
"We're not really in the past," Chronan informed Shinichi. "This is just a memory."
"Whose memory?" Shinichi asked.
"Time. Time remembers what happened here and just showed it to us."
Suddenly the portal reappeared and pulled them in before spitting them back out, returning them to D's pocket dimension.
"He...he lied..." D realised, struggling to process what they had just witnessed together. She collapsed to her knees, looking utterly lost. She felt betrayed; everything Kyofu had told her had been a lie. Her whole life had been a lie. "He...he didn't save me. He killed my parents, and he took me from them, and went as far as to change my name..."
"I'm sorry, D," Shinichi said sympathetically. She just had an Earth-shattering revelation. "I'm so sorry."
"Who am I supposed to be now!? What am I supposed to do!? Professor Kyofu raised me to become his ultimate weapon, his masterpiece, and yet he killed my parents and took me from them! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW!?" D screamed, tears streaming from her eyes as she threw herself at Shinichi, gripping his jacket. "TELL ME! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO!? WHO AM I SUPPOSED TO BE!?"
Shinichi gently wrapped his arms around D in an embrace, comforting her as she sobbed into his chest.
"Who are you right now? Right now, you're not alone."
Hiro held Kyofu by his collar and put his gun against the mad scientist's chin.
"OK, asshole. Tell us where she took him or I'm gonna give your face some brand-new holes," Hiro threatened.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Kyofu laughed maniacally. "My BEAUTIFUL Weapon D has grown up! I knew all the WORK I put in to IMPROVE her would pay OFF! Finally...finally...ARE YOU WATCHING, GEBOK!? Your masterpiece will be crushed by MINE!"
"Hey, Hiro-san, let me smash him," Shia growled, spinning her hammer. "He's super annoying."
"Isn't this poetic? You did all this to obtain the same amount of fear and power as your old colleague to prove you were better than him," Lucy said, folding her arms. "But you ended up overstepping and pushing your luck. You're not anywhere near as smart as you think you are, and your arrogance got you nowhere."
"Oh, but it DID! It got BLACK 13 CRUSHED as I hoped it WOULD!" Kyofu sneered. "Just wait and SEE! As soon as Weapon D is done with that puppet, YOU'RE ALL NEXT!"
A portal opened in the middle of the floor, and everyone waited in anticipation to see who would emerge. Kyofu smiled, expecting it to be D while everyone prepared to welcome Showa back. However, they were also prepared if it was D who came through.
They witnessed Shinichi arise from the portal with Weapon D, holding her close as he supported her. They both looked exhausted, but D looked even worse for wear. She looked utterly devastated, the misery written all over her face.
"D!" Kyofu screamed. "DAMMIT, YOU FAILED ME AGAIN! YOU USELESS, WORTHLESS, WEAK-!"
"Shut your mouth!" Shinichi interrupted, cutting off Kyofu's rant. "She already knows the truth."
"WHAT TRUTH!? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?"
"Everything: how you lied to her from the beginning, how you murdered her parents and kidnapped her, and how you even changed her name," Shinichi listed angrily, glaring at Kyofu. "For someone who tries to prove he's better than Gebok, you prove to be just as bad, if not worse."
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!" Kyofu screamed. "YOU DON'T GET TO JUDGE ME! NONE OF YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO JUDGE ME! YOU'RE ALL OBSOLETE GARBAGE! ABOMINATIONS! NONE OF YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO LIV-!" Hiro silenced him by slamming the butt of his gun against the top of Kyofu's head, knocking the old man out cold.
"God, don't you ever shut up?" Hiro grumbled, sick of listening to the guy spit out his nonsense.
"Thanks," Shinichi smiled, walking towards his eldest child with D.
"I aim to please, Oyaji," Hiro proudly said, pounding his fist over his chest.
"I hope you haven't been giving your mom any trouble," Shinichi joked, his smile turning sarcastic.
"Hey, I'm a big boy now. Ofukuro stopped changing my diapers ages ago," Hiro snickered.
"Tou-chan, you're alright," Jiro said in relief, and then he looked at D.
"Thanks for that watch, Jiro. It was a huge help."
"It's your Father's Day present." Jiro looked at D. "What about her?"
Shinichi's smile fell as he looked at D who still clung to him, with a tired look of sorrow on her face. She was emotionally drained after everything.
"She's trying to process everything she just learned."
Shinichi looked over to where Cryska, Tamayo, Tamae, and Busaba were still looking after Daytona. Cryska looked back over to him and slowly shook her head.
"Look after her for me," Shinichi requested as he gently handed D over to Hiro before walking over to the defected psychics.
Tamae held Daytona's hand, which had now completely blackened into the colour of coal. She felt his hand suddenly soften in her grip, slowly crumbling into dust. Gasping, she watched as his hand faded into the winds, with the rest of his body soon following. All four women watched in grief as the pyrokinetic's body crumbled to dust which was blown away by the wind.
"Oh..." Tamae whispered sadly, tears gathering in her eyes.
"He's really gone, huh?" Shinichi said sympathetically, walking over to the girls as he watched the ashes blow away.
"Yeah," Tamayo nodded softly. "He used everything he had to stop Kyofu. He was a hothead, and he might've been a thug, but he was a good man to the core."
"He pushed his flames past his limits, going beyond the heat of the sun itself," Cryska explained, cupping the blackened earth where Daytona's body once was. "Ironically, it was a hypothesis that Kyofu had been researching called 'absolute burning'. Daytona had the potential to project his flames at Planck Temperatures, burning anything and everything, even if they were normally non-flammable, incorporeal or even conceptual entities such as time. He was able to burn things at such otherwise impossible levels, that he could cause the complete annihilation of objects at subatomic levels. Perhaps even create a literal Hell on Earth. However, he had not fully mastered it and... this is the result as you can see here."
"But it worked," Shinichi said, sitting down next to them. He rested his hand on Cryska's shoulder. "His fire managed to destroy the tower without any drawbacks. He was a true hero."
"Yes, he was," Cryska agreed. With the Spirit Tower's destruction, Kyofu's plans were foiled.
Busaba had tears streaming down her face. She could not find the words to express her gratitude for their fallen comrade, for the sacrifice he had made to save the world. The weight of his absence settled heavily in her heart, but she knew they had to keep going, keep fighting. They couldn't let his sacrifice be in vain.
"Daytona gave up everything for the world, so it's our turn to honour his sacrifice," Tamayo said solemnly as she stood up.
"You know, if you want, there's a place in ARMOR for people like you," Ryuji offered. He had joined them to pay his final respects to Daytona.
"What's 'ARMOR'?" Tamayo asked, unfamiliar with the name.
"We're an organisation that is dedicated to doing good, and a place for second chances," Ryuji answered. He would elaborate further once he told them about the Multiverse.
"You would have us, even after everything we've done?" Cryska asked in surprise.
"A long time ago, a man reached out to me. He believed I was better than I thought I was," Ryuji said warmly, thinking of Warren. He did not believe it at the time, but Warren had faith in him and it paid off. "I'm just paying it forward."
END OF ACT 23
Dr. Exposition: And thus ends Kyofu's ambition. The Spirit Tower is no more, but it came at a great cost. We also learn how Kyofu got D, and it turns out she's an AU variant of Sekai Saionji from School Days. No wonder they looked alike. Now that Kyofu has been defeated, it's time to celebrate.
...But is it over?