"Hihihihihihihahahaha!" Lambdadelta cackled, holding her sides as she could barely contain herself. "Wow, what a loser! He ripped a baby from the arms of her parents after killing them, made her into a perfect weapon that could warp anything around her, and he still lost!" She laughed even louder, kicking up her legs into the air. "Hahahahahaha! Oh wow, I never thought I'd ever laugh like that but it's just so hysterical!"
"He pushed his luck," Bernkastel nodded, looking composed as she gazed at her more childish comrade. "He saw himself as a god, and we've seen what happens to humans who hold such delusions several times over."
"Ha..." Lambdadelta finally calmed herself down and wiped a tear from her eye. "Yeah well, if he were as smart as he said he was, he would've sent that flame user after Mr. Time Master since his flames are able to burn away time itself. Oh well, he's dead now, but maybe if we followed Anastasia's playbook..."
"I don't recommend it," Bernkastel frowned. "If Daytona's flames had the potential to burn time, who's to say if he wouldn't be able to do the same to our magic? Having pawns is one thing, but even pawns can checkmate a king."
"Speaking from experience?" Lambdadelta asked, crossing her legs as she folded her arms.
Bernkastel sucked in her breath and closed her eyes.
"I am just saying that humans are not to be underestimated, especially them. Over the years, we've watched them face evil organisations, demons, cosmic horrors, and gods. Despite the odds being stacked against them, they still won." Her empty blue eyes opened. "And yes, I made the mistake of pushing my luck as well, and I paid for it dearly when a certain pawn of mine became the very thing I desperately wanted to stop. So, to that end, it is best that we refrain from menacing them for our entertainment. If we continue to push them, it may mean the end for us as witches."
"Ugh, there's always a bigger fish," Lambdadelta grumbled. "I hate that."
Following the destruction of the Spirit Tower, the weather all over the USA returned to normal. Tragically, there had been casualties, though the body count could have been much higher if the Spirit Tower had been allowed to stand longer. The energy emitted by the Spirit Tower did not appear to have awakened any new Agitos as Kyofu had planned, but there was still a chance it could have awakened latent psychic abilities. Thus, the NEO-NUMBERS would need to be vigilant in case any of the newly awakened psychics decided to make use of their newly gained abilities to cause trouble.
Nevertheless, despite the losses, the world was still saved.
After the battle, everyone returned to the Hive Tower triumphantly. Kyofu had been locked up in holding along with most of Alpha Force. Hana made sure to treat their wounds so they would not suffer any further. Kyouya looked barely alive when Hana examined him. Fortunately, Chiaki's glue had sealed his injury, preventing him from dying of blood loss.
Inia was found in the Hive Tower's infirmary, transported there by Michiru after she put her to sleep. She was still unconscious and was taken to the infirmary along with D. After what they had been through, they needed to rest with Cryska looking after them both. However, as an extra precaution, the two patients had power inhibitor collars put on them and were strapped down to their beds as their allegiance was still questionable. Despite Shinichi's assurance that D was no longer on Kyofu's side after learning the truth of her origins, the man had her under his control for years and he may have a fail-safe in place.
"Tou-chan, this is Kagami," Jiro introduced his fiancรฉe to his father. "We're engaged."
"Wow, OK," Shinichi smiled, his eyes sparkling as he greeted Kagami. "Nice to meet you. Looks like I have a lot to look forward to in my son's future, huh?"
"Yes, you do," Kagami nodded with a calming smile.
"So, is it just 'Kagami'?" Shinichi asked.
"It's Kekkain," Kagami stated, surprising him. "You know my mother, actually. Kanna Kekkain."
"Wait, you're Kanna's kid?" Shinichi asked, surprised once more. "Yeah, I can see it. So, how's your mom doing in your time?"
"She's doing well," Kagami answered before frowning. "The rest of my clan is still upset over Orochi and is distrustful of Jiro as a result. However, he managed to prove himself to them."
"Ah, so everything works out in the end," Shinichi concluded and Kagami nodded. "I'd ask for details but..."
"Spoilers," Kagami and Shinjiro finished together.
"Sheesh, Mother! Please, take it easy!" Crow said jokingly as Shawna gave the future version of her son a bear hug. "Any harder and you may just break my back."
"But I just can't help myself!" Shawna squealed, letting go of her teenage son before holding him by the shoulders to give him the once-over. "You've become so handsome and manly, just like your father. And you've put on a bit of muscle as well." She glanced down at his waist and saw his scabbard. "And you're a swordsman, I see. I'm surprised you didn't just become a knight."
"The Genovian sword style felt too restrictive to me," Crow admitted. "So I learned different styles from several masters."
"And the results speak for themselves," Shawna smiled, brushing her fingers through his hair. As her fingers swept over his bangs, she noticed a gash on his forehead. She pushed his bangs up, seeing the 7-shaped scar on his forehead, alarming her. "What happened? How did you get this scar?"
"Uh..." Crow frowned in thought. "I can't really say. I've had this scar for as long as I can remember."
"It's just like your father's scar," Shawna frowned thoughtfully. Something was going to hurt her son in the future that would give him that scar. Unfortunately, as he had no memory of what caused it, she may not be able to prevent it. "So is there a lovely lady in your life?"
"Um...several," Crow admitted.
"I see you take after your father in other ways too," Shawna smiled before her expression turned serious. "Are you happy?"
"Of course," Crow smiled. "I'm a swordsman who protects the weak and powerless with my blades. That's all I ever wanted to be."
"A hero," Shawna summarised. She had no doubt her son would take after his father someday. As a mother, she did not want her son to put himself in danger. However, she understood her son would someday grow up and choose his own path. This was the result. "...What am I like in the future?"
"Sorry, Mother. Spoilers," he apologised.
"Then how's your sister then? I don't see her with you."
"Ah, she doesn't like violence very much, so she's waiting back at our base. You might see her later."
"So..." Tsukuyomi began, looking up and down at Kaguya with a critical gaze. "You're my daughter from the future?"
"Yes," Kaguya said before giving her a bow. "Happy to see you again, Haha-ue."
"Rrmm..." Tsukuyomi seemed to grumble as her eyes lingered down at her daughter's chest. "So, it looks like you take after your aunt."
"Hm?" Kaguya blinked, slightly tilting her head.
"Oh, nothing," Tsukuyomi said quickly with a hand wave. "So, from the look of your sword, I see you've taken the way of the blade. Not to mention your uniform. Are you a police officer?"
"A Space Sheriff, to be exact," Kaguya clarified. "It's similar to the Green Lantern Corps that Oji-san serves, but we don't have any power rings."
"Space Sheriff, huh?" Tsukuyomi nodded, smiling proudly. "That sounds like a noble profession. You must have inherited your sense of justice from your father."
"Yes, a lot of people say I take after Chichi-ue. As a Space Sheriff, I get to dispense justice and send criminals to where they belong so they may pay for their crimes."
"I'd like to hear about your adventures," Tsukuyomi said.
"I wouldn't recommend it," Kaguya declined. "If you know too much about the future, it could influence your decisions and cause unexpected changes, like what happened after Chichi-ue got erased from the timeline."
"Yes, I remember," Tsukuyomi confirmed. She remembered what Venge had done. By killing Shinichi's mother and thus preventing his birth, a dystopian timeline was created as a result. It was only through the grace of Shinichi's temporal powers that he managed to somehow still exist despite it being a paradox. It took a month for her to get used to the dual memories. "So what exactly brought you back to the past? It must have been very important if you risk changing the timeline."
"There's a major threat coming," Kaguya warned. "And we don't think Chichi-ue will be ready for it."
"What about the risks of changing the future?" Tsukuyomi questioned out of concern.
"Trust me, it'll be worth it," Kaguya promised. Just then, Chibimoose came flying around and nuzzled Kaguya's face.
"Naa!" he squeaked.
"And what's this creature?" Tsukuyomi asked curiously, looking at Chibimoose's derpish expression.
"My best friend in the whole universe," Kaguya claimed, a small smile on her face as she patted Chibimoose on the head.
"Naa!"
Tsukuyomi knew there was a story behind this creature, but she would not pry. She would rather experience things as they happened than be told beforehand. Life was more interesting that way.
"So...you're really my kid?" Lum asked, looking at her supposed daughter from the future. She knew that after getting involved with Shinichi her life would take a turn for the strange, but she never imagined that she would meet her future child.
"Yeah, I am." Coyote/Shinobu removed her mask and then took off the coyote ear-shaped clips in her hair to reveal her horns. At the same time, her hair shifted colours from green to indigo. "Hi, Mama."
"Wow..." Lum covered her mouth. She was looking at her daughter, her actual daughter from the future. That meant it was possible for her and Shinichi to have a child. She noticed that her daughter took after her paternal grandmother too, resembling Shiori in her teen years.
"Yeah, I never thought I'd meet you as you are now coz you really let yourself go in the future."
"What?" Lum said flatly.
"You binged a lot when you were pregnant and even after I was born, you just kept eating and eating, and eating and now you're as big as a sumo wrestler!"
"WHAT?!" Lum gasped in horror, imagining herself becoming the size of a walrus. "NOOOOOOOO!"
"Shinobu, stop trolling your mom," Jiro scolded, lightly ruffling his baby sister's hair. "She's messing with you. You're not fat, Aunt Lum."
"I'm not?" Lum glared at her future daughter, who did not look ashamed for trolling her own mom.
"Sorry." Shinobu stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth, apologising, but not really sorry. Lum gave an unamused grunt, reaching out and pulling her future daughter's cheeks. "Ow! Ow! Leggo! Help! Help! Child abuse! Child abuse! Someone call CPS!"
"Lum, please don't pinch our daughter too hard," Shinichi scolded. Lum sighed and released Shinobu, who then clung to Shinichi for protection. "And Shinobu, I think you know it's bad for you to make fun of your mom like that, right? You should apologise."
"I'm sorry, Mama."
"You're acting pretty chill for someone who's meeting their future kids," Lum observed, still trying to wrap her head around it.
"Comes with the territory," Shinichi shrugged. "Compared to everything else I've experienced, meeting my kids from the future isn't as weird. Yet, I already feel like I've known them my whole life."
"Tell me about it," Ryuji concurred. "I once met my grandson from the future. I also got a kid who's a Shinigami and a niece from an alternate timeline."
"Having weird family encounters is pretty standard for us by now," Kotonoha added.
"Here, thanks for lending it to us," Hana gratefully said as she returned Shinobu's Sapphire Spider Viral Core to her.
"Kumo-chan!" Shinobu cheered as the Viral Core hopped out of Hana's hand and landed on her shoulder. "Mommy misses you too."
"That's an interesting Rider System you've got there," Lucy commented, eyeing Shinobu's Lupin Gunner. "Where'd you get it?"
"Stole it from a mob boss," Shinobu bragged. "The funny thing was, he had no idea what he had."
"Hey, guys! Check it out! The news is on!" Michiru called everyone's attention to the big screen.
"...With the shocking revelation of Professor Saiba Kyofu being a remnant of the terrorist organisation GIN-SHOCKER, his motives have now been called into question," the news anchor reported. "Further investigation has uncovered that several members of the Alpha Force, Kyofu's proposed alternative to the NEO-NUMBERS, were criminals who had mysteriously broken out of prison. Authorities are now demanding answers from Kyofu, but the professor has not yet responded. At the same time, the Osaka Police Department has issued a warrant to raid the Brain Trust Society headquarters. In light of this, several backers have already pulled their funding from the Brain Trust Society and many political figures have quickly denounced Professor Kyofu."
"Thanks to the confession our new friends tricked Kyofu into giving, everyone knows him for the fraud he really is. He literally has nothing left!" Michiru grinned.
"All thanks to my performance," Shinobu boasted, only to be lightly bopped on the head by Seiten's staff.
"Don't hog all the credit," Seiten admonished the Phantom Thief. "I was holding the camera."
"And I made sure it was heard by the world," Lady Death added defensively.
"OK, it was a team effort," Shinobu conceded.
"Then that's it, right? We've captured Kyofu, and now his entire empire has come crashing down," Yokoshima said. "We won."
"We might need to come out to give statements of our own soon since we have Kyofu detained," Hana reminded. "We would also need to hand him over to the proper authorities to answer for his crimes instead of ARMOR."
"Then it looks like it's time we left," Raheem suggested.
"Hey, I wanna stay!" Shinobu whined, bouncing up and down. "Besides, our other aunties don't seem to mind." She pointed to the sight of the Seven Stakes fawning over Hiro.
"You've really grown up to be handsome, Hiro-chan! Beatrice-sama is definitely going to love meeting you!" Lucifer praised, smiling at her nephew as she levitated over him. When she was told that a future version of her nephew had appeared, she wanted to meet him.
"Well, I am part of a family of exceptionally beautiful people," Hiro boasted brazenly.
"Kyaa~! That's so true!" Beelzebub squealed girlishly.
"And modest too," Crow snarked.
"I know, I can't wait to see Hokล-kun again! We're gonna have tons of strong and handsome babies!" Mammon added happily. "Oh, but first we have to have the biggest, baddest, most expensive wedding ever!"
"Nuh-uh! Daichi and I are gonna have twice as many babies as you!" Leviathan fumed jealousy. "Can't have Satan-neesama outdoing me!"
"Yeah, you've become a hunk!" Asmodeus grinned, feeling up her nephew's chest. "You must be beating the ladies away with a stick."
"If only that were true," Raheem muttered.
"Nah, I've got a lot of lovely ladies with me," Hiro smiled. "Like these three. Shia, Seiten, Hope, come meet my mom and aunts!"
"Hello~!" Shia waved cheerfully.
"Ni hao~," Seiten waved daintily.
"Don't you own any pants?" Daichi asked, looking at the Monkey King.
"Oh, she comes from a world where power levels are measured by how little clothing you wear. So the less you wear, the stronger you are," Shinobu said teasingly.
"So what does that mean? Being naked means being invincible?"
"Naw, I just don't care much for clothing," Seiten smirked, holding her staff over her shoulders before gesturing to her body. "Sides, why would I cover all this up? And it's not like his mom and aunts wear pants either."
"Though I do have to admit I find it pretty ironic that your mother and aunts are all named after the seven Kings of Hell, all of whom I personally slew during my campaign," Lady Death admitted.
"Obaa-sama has a thing for the occult, so she named all her servants after demons from the Lesser Key of Solomon," Hiro explained. "Where do you think I got the name for my shop?"
"So, I assume you're also cosy with this guy?" Ryuji asked the undead demigoddess cautiously.
"Basically," Lady Death shrugged. "What of it?"
"Nothing, except for the fact that ARMOR's labelled you as a person of interest for influencing a dimension-wide death cult only to suddenly disappear," Ryuji frowned.
"And the fact that you infiltrated my simulation session just to speak to me," Conda added.
"My reasons would take too long to explain right now, but you should know I no longer have any reason to usher Megadeth," Lady Death explained before looking at Conda. "And how is your new whip, by the way? It's one of Hiro's creations if you must know."
"Oh?" Conda mused, looking at her new whip. "Well, that explains that mystery."
"Hold up, just who are you anyway?" Daichi interjected, looking at Raheem. "I mean, I can already tell who their mothers are." He gestured to the rest of Shinichi's future children. "But I don't think Shinichi's slept with a black woman before. At least, none that we know."
"Here's a hint," Raheem said, putting his hands in his pockets. "When was the last time you met a black woman?"
The NEO-NUMBERS shared looks, thinking back on the last black woman they had encountered before. Only one name came to mind and they looked at Raheem in shock. All, but Yokoshima, who was a bit slow on the uptake until his Scarab told him.
"You're that witch's kid! The Witch of Calamity!" Yokoshima cried. He turned to look at Shinichi. "Shin, you slept with that witch!?"
"No," Shinichi answered before he murmured, "Not yet..."
"Hah?! Shin-kun, isn't that the woman who kidnapped you?" Rena asked in disbelief. "Are you into that?!"
"My mother can be quite persuasive," Raheem added. "But I can't get into detail; I may never be born."
Right. Spoilers.
Shinichi later found Obsidian standing against the wall with his arms crossed. He did not like socialising, preferring to keep to himself like a wallflower. The shadow manipulator would prefer to brood in a dark corner, but his sister insisted he join the party.
"Hey, Obsidian. Do you mind releasing Weapon W into one of our cells?" Shinichi requested Obsidian.
"What are you talking about?" Obsidian responded, puzzled.
"He fell into his own shadow," Shinichi answered. "That's your trick, right?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Wait, that wasn't you?" Now that was troubling news.
"As enjoyable as this is, we should be heading back to Genovia now. We still have a wedding to prepare for," Tsukuyomi reminded.
"And I miss my cute little Shinjiro!" Rena added.
"Kaa-chan, I'm right here," Jiro pointed to himself.
"I mean little you," Rena clarified.
"We really should go back," Shawna concurred. "Our little children must miss us."
Suddenly,the twin ahoges of Hiro, Jiro, Crow and Kaguya stood up, causing all of them to go pale.
"It's never good when your hair sticks up like that," Raheem commented.
"What is it?" Satan asked, looking worried.
"I... don't know..." Hiro muttered nervously, "I just feel like... something really bad just happened."
"Really, really bad," Jiro added.
Shinichi could feel it too as his twin ahoge stood on ends as well. It was just a second later when they were blinded by a flash of sunshine. When the glare faded, they discovered, to their shock, that it was Amaterasu, holding both of her crying children while Momoko lay on the floor. The catgirl looked beat up, her clothing both torn and rumpled.
"THE KIDS ARE GONE!" Amaterasu screamed urgently.
"Ooh, what a twist!" Lambdadelta cheered.
Bernkastel frowned. It would seem that their troubles were not over quite yet.
Showa Chronicles: Road to Annihilation
Act XXIV: Fight for the Future
"I've put Momoko in the infirmary," Hana reported after stepping out of the elevator with Michiru to rejoin everyone. "When I examined her, I saw some scarring on her chest."
"I healed her the best I could," Amaterasu answered, sitting on the couch with a cup of calming tea. "When I found her, she was barely clinging to life."
"I put the babies to bed after I was able to calm them down," Michiru added.
"Can you tell us what happened?" Shinichi asked Amaterasu urgently. "You said the kids were gone."
"I went to check on the children before going to bed myself. That's when I saw them being taken by a man in an iron mask," Amaterasu answered.
Amaterasu yawned as she went to the nursery, wanting to check on her little ones and her brother-in-law's children before retiring for the night. She was quite annoyed that there was yet another nemesis causing trouble for the group of mortals she proudly called her friends, and close to a wedding day to boot. She had seen his confession on the television, meaning that things should be calming down soon.
All of a sudden, she heard a bloodcurdling scream, followed by the cries of children. She quickly rushed to the source of the screams and found a masked man holding the children in an energy bubble. Little Kaguya, the youngest, was crying loudly along with Princess Layna and Prince Crow. Hiroyuki and Shinjiro were pounding on the inside of the bubble, screaming for help. Taiyako and Toshiro were still in the cribs, but also crying in confusion and fear.
The masked man's eyes met Amaterasu and he gave her an evil grin before he vanished with the children.
"NO!"
"Momoko-san was badly hurt. She tried to protect them but was overpowered. Had I not healed her in time, the injury would've been fatal," Amaterasu finished. "Poor Taiyako and Toshiro were both so frightened by the ordeal."
"That sounds like Weapon B," Tamae said, recognising the description.
"Wait," said Megan. "He left Taiyako and Toshiro alone? Why leave the children of a demigoddess? I know Shinichi is his target, but those two are certain to have the kind of power he'd exploit."
"Maybe he didn't knowโฆ" began Lala, who suddenly gasped. "Shinichi, we need to check on our kids quickly! Weapon B knows about them!"
"That is not necessary," Sheila interjected as she displayed a projection of the three kids playing in their rooms. Though Lulu and Adam were the ones playing, Celine was sitting at the front of the bed with a nervous expression as Daiki slept. "Your children are safe."
"Thank goodness," Lala sighed, relieved.
"Now that's just all the more concerning," Conda mused. "Why didn't he bother with our other children?"
"Revenge," Amora concluded. "We may have been the ones who foiled his plans but he holds Shinichi solely responsible. I honestly don't think that man even cares about our little ones."
Megan looked at Shinichi. He looked calm, eerily calm. However, she could sense the rage rising inside of him. Normally, the rage she felt from him boiled like a volcano that threatened to erupt and consume everything within its path. Instead, it was ice cold and a prelude to something worse.
"Where are my children!?" Shinichi demanded. He had gone down to the holding area with Megan to interrogate Kyofu.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Kyofu denied, as he sat on his bed in his cell, wearing a smug look on his face. Being locked up and wearing a power inhibitor collar had not made him less conceited.
"Fine," Shinichi angrily sighed. "Megan, get the answers from him. Rip them out of his brain if you have to."
"That sounds dark," Kyofu commented, and Megan put her fingers on his forehead as her eyes glowed red. Suddenly, she gasped and took a step back in shock.
"What are you smiling about?" Shinichi growled when he saw Kyofu grinning.
"Why not ask your Little Green Friend over there?" Kyofu asked, pointing at Megan.
"Megan, what did you see?" Shinichi asked worriedly.
"Shinichi, this is not the real Kyofu," Megan said, alarmed.
"What!?" Shinichi cried out and turned to face the imposter. "WHO ARE YOU!?"
"Oh, you know me. You bested me on the satellites, remember?" 'Kyofu' confessed.
"Weapon B," Shinichi concluded.
"Indeed," the look-a-like smirked. "The Professor and I switched bodies just after Weapon D spirited you away."
"Where is Kyofu!?"
"I wouldn't know," B shrugged. "He still kept plenty of secrets from me in case I ever got captured."
"Then you are useless to me," Shinichi glared. "Megan, scramble his brains. Make sure he never wakes up again."
"Shinichi, I can't-"
"DO IT!" Shinichi shouted.
Megan staggered back, feeling his rage and sorrow all swirling inside of him, clouding his judgement. He just wanted to lash out at anyone for what happened, and it made her stomach twist. However, she would not give in to his demands.
"Shinichi..." Megan said softly. "We'll save your kids, but please do not ask me to break someone's mind just to get the answers we seek."
"How?" Shinichi questioned, feeling disheartened. "Sheila can't even pick up on the tracking devices I put on the kids."
"You put tracking devices on your kids?" Megan deadpanned.
"That way I'd always know where they are, but Sheila's scanned the whole planet and can't get a single blip."
"Then your best bet is to wait for him to contact you," B advised. "He can't resist rubbing this in your face."
The real Professor Kyofu removed B's mask from his head and massaged his face. Looking at a mirror, he smiled as he saw his face looking back at him. Having B surgically alter his face to resemble his own had paid off, and now Kyofu was free to continue his plans.
BLACK 13 had ruined everything. His Brain Trust Society, his Spirit Tower, and Weapon D were all gone. But as long as he lived, he could begin anew. He would just need to go underground, but he knew those pieces of scrap would eventually come looking for him. Despite killing that woman, someone had seen him when he escaped with the children and they would soon inform BLACK 13.
He had not originally planned to use BLACK 13's children to restart his program, but this would be the perfect revenge.
Shinichi found all his brides crying in the common room and he clenched his fists. Their kids were missing and they had no idea where they were or if they were safe.
This was his worst nightmare. The ten years of Hell he experienced under Gebok, of having his humanity stripped and being turned into a weapon, paled in comparison to the fear he felt for his children's wellbeing. He would rather suffer than let anything bad happen to his kids.
"This is my fault," Shinichi said regretfully.
"You shouldn't blame yourself," Amaterasu said, trying to comfort him.
"Why not? They were targeted because I'm their dad, and Kyofu wants to make me suffer." He should have spent more time with them. He should have just given up the life of a hero. His decision to become a Rider may protect the world, but it placed a target on his back and the backs of his loved ones. Now, his children had been taken by a madman. "Jiro, Hiro, Crow, Layna, Kaguya...where are you...?" His commlink beeped and he answered. "Shinichi here."
"Hello, BLACK 13."
Shinichi's eyes widened when he heard his voice. He nearly exploded but took a deep breath to compose himself before he answered.
"Where are my children?" Shinichi questioned.
"Is that him?" Amaterasu asked, and Shinichi put a finger to his lips to shush her.
"They're safe, for now," Kyofu answered. "As long as you do as I say."
"Kyofu, I want you to listen to me. You have made a big mistake. You are aware of what I am and what I can do. Since childhood, I've acquired a set of skills... skills that make me a nightmare for men like you," Shinichi threatened, his chilling tone growing colder with each word. "I'm only giving you this one last chance. Give me back my kids and we can settle things between us like gentlemen. Or I will find you, take my kids back by force, and make you regret ever trying to become Gebok 2.0. What will it be?"
"...Come to the Citadel. You know where it is. I'm expecting you in an hour."
Kyofu cut the call without a goodbye.
Shinichi looked back at his brides who returned his gaze. They had heard the conversation between him and Kyofu, at least the former's side of it.
"Sir Shinichi..." Shawna started softly.
"He's a dead man," Shinichi swore, eyes narrowed and glowing with a burning blue hue.
Shinichi had called everyone to the War Room to formulate a plan. They only had less than an hour, so they had little time to waste. As he stood at the head of the holo-table, Shogo stood beside him.
"Shinichi, are you sure you should be going?" he asked.
"He took my kids," Shinichi answered firmly.
"Exactly. It's too personal."
"Kyofu already made it personal when he attacked our home, but he crossed the line by taking my kids."
"I'm just worried about your emotional state."
"Just worry about what I'll do to Kyofu when I get my hands on him."
"Just remember what's at stake. You need to control your emotions, don't let them control you," Shogo advised.
"He's right," Ryuji interjected.
"You too?" Shinichi retorted, annoyed.
"I read your file. You went rogue after that Lina girl died right in front of you again. I- we need to know you're not emotionally compromised," Ryuji said sternly, ready to pull rank if Shinichi proved to be unstable.
"A madman took my children and threatened to do to them what Gebok did to me. I'm trying to stay calm, trying to keep my emotions under control, and I'm struggling," Shinichi admitted. "I know I'm too close to this but you can't expect me not to do anything when some madman has my kids."
"Good answer," Ryuji approved. "Just like a Smith; you really are Warren's kid."
"Um, not to state the obvious, but Shinichi's kids are fine right now." Yokoshima pointed at the future versions of his friend's children. "So, that means everything works out, right?"
"Not quite," Raheem countered. "Time is in flux, and anything that happens now could change their future. So, if anything happens to their past selves, time will catch up to fix the paradox, erasing them from existence."
"Kinda glad we haven't been born yet, huh, Raheem?" Shinobu remarked.
"So, what exactly is the Citadel and why haven't we heard of it?" Daichi asked, arms crossed.
"The Citadel was Gebok's personal training grounds for me where he had me test my limits," Shinichi began as the holo-table displayed a 3D image of the Citadel.
"Hey, it's an obelisk," Yokoshima pointed out and then his Scarab corrected him. "What? A 'monolith'? What's the difference?"
"An obelisk has a pointed pyramid-like top while a monolith has a flat top," Hana explained.
"It kinda looks like that thing from that movie we saw. What was it called again?" Michiru tried to remember and she snapped her fingers. "Oh, I remember! '2001: A Space Odyssey'."
"You know, the way it's standing between those big boulders, it kinda looks like a big black co-" Hiro said, only to be cut off by his father.
"Guys, focus," Shinichi interrupted. "We can discuss its shape later. Anyway, it's heavily fortified, completely indetectable, and built in the Thar Desert. There is an obstacle course inside that Gebok would send me through repeatedly, increasing the difficulty each time. Let me tell you, that obstacle course was a literal death trap and it killed me many times over. It was only thanks to my time powers reviving me that I managed to survive. Gebok kept it off any records, so officially it does not exist. Not even the executives knew about it. I don't know how Kyofu learned about it, but if he wants a place to hide, it'll be the Citadel."
"Shinichi, you must know that this is a trap, don't you?" Shogo questioned.
"I'm aware," Shinichi admitted. "But Kyofu made this personal by attacking everything I care about over a petty grudge. When he was just trashing me on television, I didn't let that bother me. But then he attacked our village to make us look incompetent, and now he's crossed the line by taking my kids. This son of a bitch wants a war, then he's damn well going to get one."
"Then let's go kill him!" Rena agreed, hefting her weapon.
"Um, Rena," Nozomu said, seeing her friend packing heat. Rena was wearing two bandoliers with grenades, a belt with two pistols holstered, a combat knife, and carrying a Barrett 50 cal over her back. "Do you really need all of that?"
"A madman took my baby boy," Rena growled. "This is personal."
"Double," Satan agreed, her blood-red eyes shining.
"Yeah, they're mad," Ryuji noted.
"They have every right to be," Lucy pointed out.
"I know. If anyone ever went after my little girl-"
"Our little girl," Kotonoha interjected.
"Yeah, our little girl, they'd wish they hadn't."
"Kyofu is expecting me to go alone, and right now I can't transform because of the Chronicle Timer," Shinichi informed them.
"Hey, why not use that new Driver you've been working on?" Yokoshima asked.
"I have already made improvements to it," Lala stated as she held up the Fusion Driver, knowing that her brother-in-law would need it. "You won't have any problems with the capsules running out of juice too quickly."
"There's something else you all need to know: Gebok coated the entire Citadel with an alloy that makes it indetectable by satellites. Luckily, I remember its coordinates," Shinichi continued.
"So, how about we just teleport ourselves in?" Michiru suggested.
"Gebok came from a world with a lot of superhumans," Shinichi reminded her. "Would you put it past him not to consider Metahumans trying to break in?"
"Did he consider magic?" Michiru challenged.
"He did," Shinichi answered. "He used a very specific and rare type of metal called Nth metal to make it supernatural-proof, so any attempt to teleport ourselves inside will be impossible."
"Wait, Nth metal?" Amora blinked in surprise. "He had access to that?"
"What's Nth metal?" Hanyuu asked.
"A rare metal not found on Midgard," Amora informed her. "It has many unusual properties, one of which is its ability to negate magic."
"How does this Nth metal stuff negate magic anyway?" Michiru asked, curious.
"It has unique properties that disrupt the flow of magic. Before Asgardians were unified, they were originally two different tribes called the Aesir and Vanir. While the Aesir were warriors, the Vanir were mages. To fight against the Vanir, the Aesir forged weapons made with Nth metal. Eventually, the war ended when both tribes were forced to unite to face a common enemy or risk extinction. Thus, we became Asgardians," Amora explained. "Though, this was all before my time. I heard all of this from my father."
"Makes you wonder how Gebok got his hands on this Nth metal," Lucy commented.
"Likely from LEVIATHAN," Amora suggested.
"So yeah, Gebok would also consider magic when he designed the place," Shinichi said. "Like I said, supernatural-proof."
"How about non-magical means of teleportation?" Hana suggested. "We use our Teleportal system to send Shinichi straight to Kyofu."
"That could work, but if I don't play by Kyofu's rules, he could hurt our kids," Shinichi countered. Under any other circumstance, he would rather not play by the enemy's rules, but his children's lives were at stake. "And since he possesses B's body and powers, he could sense us using it. Unless he's distracted, using the Teleportal system is out of the question."
"Then what about busting in with heavy artillery?" Daichi proposed. "The Katsuras got their train, and we've got a ton of weapons to help us smash our way in."
"We'll help as well," Jiro volunteered.
"Jiro..." Raheem warned.
"Raheem, I know it's risky to meet our past selves, but at this stage, our existence is at risk. We need to help save ourselves."
"And I so wanna try to break into that place," Shinobu said eagerly, eyes shining. "Imagine the treasures that are hidden in there."
"You won't find much treasure, I'm afraid," Shinichi told her. "It's just a big deathtrap."
"Well...that makes it less fun," Shinobu sulked.
"What? Don't want to see if you can break into an impregnable fortress?" Hiro teased.
"Now my interest is restored," the Oni girl beamed.
"I'm impressed, Hiro," Crow praised.
"What? Amazed that I can motivate our little klepto?"
"No, I'm amazed you know what 'impregnable' means."
"Hey, I read books too," Hiro defended himself. "And yeah, I know porno mags don't count. I'm not an idiot."
"I never said you were."
"Of course I'll be coming along," Seiten said, folding her arms. Her eyes seemed to be blazing like fire, literally. "Four-eyes thinks he can mess with the kiddie version of my Hiro-baby? Wait till I turn him into a zombie."
"I wanna crush him!" Shia shouted with a shaking fist.
"Not if I get to him first," Lady Death glowered, a chilly aura surrounding her.
"Is a raid party really a good idea?" Ryuji questioned. "Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of hitting Kyofu with everything we've got. But if he sees us all coming, he might panic and do something desperate. What would stop him from just killing his hostages or setting the whole place to self-destruct?"
"Kyofu is an egotistical control freak, so he won't do any of that since it's the same as admitting he's lost control," Shinichi countered. "He's also obsessed with showing off his superiority, so setting off the Citadel to explode would be just like him saying he could not kill me on his own."
"That might be true, but you have him cornered and a cornered animal can be unpredictable. Are you willing to risk your children's lives on that?" Ryuji challenged.
"No, but experience has shown me that going alone doesn't always work," Shinichi countered.
"And if things do go wrong, you can just reset time and try again, right?" Seiten asked Shinichi.
"Essentially, yes, but I'd rather not have my kids killed in the first place," Shinichi retorted.
"And right now, Tou-chan's powers still need to recharge after using the Chronicle Timer," Jiro reminded her. "He has about an hour before he can use his powers again."
"WARNING! WARNING! MULTIPLE ATTACKS OCCURRING SIMULTANEOUSLY ACROSS THE WORLD!" Sheila suddenly exclaimed, alerting everyone as the alarm went off. She instantly displayed a map of the world on her main screen, showing multiple alerts. Miniature windows popped up all over the screen, showing monsters attacking cities and civilians. These creatures were grotesque and deformed, resembling broken versions of the Agitos.
These were the Failed Agitos.
"What is happening!?" Shawna cried out, horrified.
"It's Kyofu's final gambit," Shinichi said, frowning grimly. "But how is he controlling them all?"
"I don't think he's controlling them at all. He just set them loose to kill and destroy," Hana observed as the Failed Agito attacked anyone they could see.
"So we ruined his plans, and now he's acting like a sore loser," Daichi grumbled, crossing his arms unhappily.
"Alright, new plan, guys: I'm gonna go rescue my kids while you all take care of this outbreak," Shinichi ordered.
"Then let's go rescue our kids," Rena insisted.
"And kill Kyofu," Satan added.
"In Genovia, the act of kidnapping a member of the royal family is punishable by death," Shawna stated.
"And he angered this war goddess," Tsukuyomi pointed out. "He is asking for divine retribution."
"He needs to be fried," Lum said, hands crackling with electricity.
"You really know how to pick 'em, Shin," Daichi quipped.
A portal opened in the middle of the Thar Desert and Shinichi sped out of it on his Cyclone X3, with Rena riding behind him. Besides her weapons, Rena was wearing a protective black suit with a reinforced chestplate, shoulder pads, gloves and boots. She also wore a look of determination on her face.
Using his enhanced vision, Shinichi could see the Citadel standing in the distance. Just the sight of it brought back bad memories - traumatic memories. Dying repeatedly because Gebok wanted to test his limits had left scars, and he had repressed those memories for good reason. However, he still needed to go inside to rescue his kids. As much as he wanted to make Kyofu pay, his children's safety took precedence. Besides, he could plot his murder later. That madman would get his just desserts soon enough.
"I'm sorry," Shinichi apologised.
"Whatever for?" Rena asked.
"For everything, for all of this. We were supposed to be preparing for our wedding, but then all this had to happen. Just as I am about to begin a new chapter in my life, something from my past pops up to ruin things. It's like I can't be allowed to be happy," he explained.
"Shin-kun, that's not true," Rena protested.
"Isn't it?" he countered. "I thought after we took down Gebok, we could live in peace. Instead, he kept coming back. Then after we finally took him down, even more threats showed up." He let out a sigh. He never wanted to be a cyborg super soldier. That was something Gebok had turned him into. Becoming a Kamen Rider was not even his first choice. That was just something he did because he had to protect his home and loved ones. But, the truth was, he just wanted to have a normal life. "I just want it all to stop."
"Do you really want to retire?" Rena asked. It was a reasonable question. Shinichi had tried to quit before, but it never lasted long.
"I think I've done enough to protect this world. I know it sounds selfish, but let it be someone else's responsibility. I just want to focus on my family and happiness."
"I don't think it's selfish to want to be happy. I think if anyone earned the right to be happy, it's you. After everything you've been through, you deserve a shot at a normal life or what comes close to one."
The couple did not come alone as they were followed by the Beetle Ship as it came flying out of the portal. Inside, sitting at the controls, was Yokoshima with Asmodeus sitting beside him. Strapped into their seats behind the couple were the rest of the NEO-NUMBERS, Lucifer, Leviathan and Hanyuu who had come along to save their nieces and nephews.
Yokoshima checked the viewing screen, which showed him everything that was being captured by the external cameras. He could already see the Citadel that stood in the distance. It was a tall black monolith that stood between two large boulders. Surrounding the Citadel was a wall with a large open gate. That was not the only thing he saw, however. Gathered in front of the gate was a huge army of Failed Agitos that numbered in the hundreds.
"Guys, I think they're waiting for us," Yokoshima informed his comrades.
"So, Kyofu organised a welcoming committee," Daichi remarked when he saw all the Failed Agitos.
"How are they going to get past them all?" Hanyuu asked worriedly.
"Yokoshima, clear a path for them!" Shogo ordered.
"You got it!" Yokoshima pressed a button to fire the missiles. "Fire in the hole!"
The Beetle Ship fired its missiles, and the resulting explosion sent many of the horde flying in pieces while scattering the rest and leaving them stunned. This provided Shinichi and Rena the opening they needed to pass through the gate and into the Citadel without any obstructions.
As Shinichi and Rena sped into the tower, the Beetle Ship touched down. Once it landed, the team exited the craft to face the Failed Agitos.
"NEO-NUMBERS, mission start! Operation: Kill Them All!" Shogo ordered as Hanyuu summoned her Onigari no Ryuou.
"Alright!" Daichi grinned eagerly as Lucifer, Leviathan and Asmodeus summoned their light swords.
The Failed Agitos roared and charged straight at the NEO-NUMBERS.
"HENSHIN!"
Meanwhile, Kyofu sat in the control room, watching Shinichi onscreen with malicious intent. Thanks to B's body and powers, he could manipulate the Citadel's systems with ease. Gebok had this place made for his precious BLACK 13. But today, it would serve as his final resting place.
"Get ready to ROCK!" Kyofu grinned as a data-like aura surrounded him, and the room filled with rock music that blasted out of the speakers.
๐ ๐ ฅ๐ ฎ Here I am,
Rock you like a hurricane! ๐ ๐ ฅ๐ ฎ
๐ ๐ ฅ๐ ฎ Here I am,
Rock you like a hurricane! ๐ ๐ ฅ๐ ฎ
๐ ๐ ฅ๐ ฎ Here I am,
Rock you like a hurricane! ๐ ๐ ฅ๐ ฎ
Shinichi and Rena both heard the music blasting out of the Citadel's speakers.
"Is he for real?" they both wondered out loud.
"I learned that you always went through this obstacle when you were a child, BLACK 13. Let's see if you haven't gotten rusty," Kyofu spoke, his voice coming out of the speakers along with the music.
Shinichi drove along the path, which was full of twists and turns. The hazards soon appeared as glowing landmines popped up in their path. Without losing momentum, he popped a wheelie and jumped across the path, nearly touching but still avoiding each landmine. He remembered how lethal they were and how they tore him apart in the past.
"Ah, the landmines! Really pack a PUNCH, don't they?" Kyofu chuckled.
"Ahh!" Rena squeaked as she held on tight.
"Rena-chan!" Shinichi shouted in reflex.
"I'm fine!" she reassured him. "Keep going!"
Shinichi continued to speed through the course until he went off the edge and flew over a bottomless ravine. Fortunately, there were floating platforms that acted as a bridge. Unfortunately, they moved back and forth which meant he needed to time each jump right. He landed on a platform and kept going, racing and jumping, like a lethal game of hopscotch until they reached the other side.
"That was fun, wasn't it?" Kyofu teased.
At the end of the path, Shinichi spotted a metal tube with an open door. He drove for it, but that was when the next hazard popped up.
"Not bad, BLACK 13. Not bad. But let's see you deal with THIS!"
Multiple drones dressed as GIN-SHOCKER troopers popped out of the floor and began firing at them. Shinichi swiftly went into a hard powerslide as Rena drew the Barrett from her back and started shooting. Despite the size and weight of the gun, Rena handled it like a pro and blasted each drone in the head with precise aim, blowing their heads up like bloody balloons. As soon as the powerslide ended, all the drones dropped dead and dissolved.
"Nice shooting, Tex," Shinichi joked.
"Rena-chan is always strong when she needs to be!" Rena boasted, holding the gun upright.
"And we're gonna need more of it. We still have ways to go!" Shinichi declared, revving forward to go through the metal tube.
"Let's see you get through THIS! I hope you come out looking like SWISS CHEESE!"
The metal tube, like everything else in the Citadel, was filled with hazards and obstacles. Lasers along the insides fired upon the couple, and Shinichi relied on his reflexes to avoid them. He maintained his speed, following the path of the tube only for it to lead them to a dead end.
"Where will you go now, BLACK 13?"
"It's a dead end!" Rena cried, holding tightly.
"No, it's not!" Shinichi shouted, and he sped up. Instead of crashing into the wall, his bike went up, riding up the wall of a vertical tube this time. Instead of lasers, trapdoors snapped open and closed in front of them like a pair of jaws.
"I think Gebok called this the 'Jaws of Death'!"
The trapdoors had razor-sharp edges and could slice them both up if they weren't careful. They could also risk crashing into the trapdoors as they closed, so Shinichi had to go fast to avoid those jaws. He accelerated, racing through the trapdoors before they snapped shut. Rena clenched her eyes shut as she held onto her husband tightly.
"We're almost there!" Shinichi promised as they still had a a long way to go before they eventually reached the top. Finally, the Cyclone-X3 shot out of the tube before it dropped down and landed on a metal floor. It was a huge chamber, and there was a door marked with a star on the other side.
"Looks like you made it, BLACK 13. Let's see what's behind Door Number One!"
"I wish he would just shut up!" Rena complained.
Twisting the accelerator and hitting the throttle, Shinichi took off towards the door. Landmines popped out of the floor along with drones that fired on them. He dodged their gunfire while Rena shot the drones in the head. When she ran out of ammo and needed to reload, Shinichi sped towards the drones and grabbed a drone before tossing it at the mines, causing an explosive chain reaction.
They cleared the landmines and wiped out the rest of the drones before they reached the door which opened for them, leading them into a wide open room.
[CONGRATULATIONS!]
Holographic fireworks and fanfare went off as confetti rained down from the ceiling, but the couple ignored it all. The bike soon came to a stop when they found the kids sitting inside a bubble in the middle of the room.
"Kids!" Shinichi yelled when he saw the bubble that held their children.
"We're going to get you out!" Rena yelled.
The couple dismounted and ran towards the bubble. Just as Shinichi reached for them, his hand just passed through them like they were ghosts. The bubble and kids flickered, showing that it was just a hologram.
"It's a trap!" Shinichi shouted. A beam suddenly shot down from the ceiling, trapping Rena in a cylindrical force field cage. "Rena-chan!" He went and punched the cage to free her, but it would not break. Another beam shot down and trapped Shinichi in a force field cage too.
"Shin-kun!" Rena put her hands against the cage.
"Rena-chan!" Shinichi slammed his fists against the cage. "Dammit!"
They heard footsteps approaching as Kyofu stepped out of the shadows, clapping slowly and mockingly.
"It's so touching, the TWO of you coming all this way to save your KIDS," Kyofu said mockingly. "It certainly warms the HEART."
"Where-?" Shinichi started, only for Rena to bear him to it.
"WHERE ARE OUR KIDS YOU FUCKING SON OF A FUCKING BITCH!? I SWEAR, IF YOU HURT ANY OF THOSE CUTIES, I AM GOING SLICE YOU OPEN, RIP OUT YOUR GUTS AND MAKE A SWEATER WITH YOUR INTESTINES!" Rena screamed furiously with a look of murderous rage on her face.
"...Wow." Gobsmacked, Kyofu turned to look at Shinichi. "And SHE'S your type?"
"Where are our kids?" Shinichi snarled.
"They're safe, somewhere, for NOW," Kyofu answered vaguely. "Though, now that you're here, maybe we can walk down memory lane together."
Various screens lit up the room, and Shinichi's eyes widened when he saw what was on display: it was him, as a young boy, when he used to be called 'Shinji'. The blood drained from Rena's face as she watched the screens, too. It all started with screaming as Gebok had Shinji strapped down on the operating table while he began to operate on him.
"Despite being a genius, Gebok was SLOPPY," Kyofu commented as the video continued to play.
Rena helplessly watched, unable to look away. She had heard of what Shinichi experienced as a child; but to see it with her own eyes, he had been downplaying it severely. Shinji's cries continued to play out until he finally went silent.
"That was the FIRST procedure," Kyofu pointed out as he approached Shinichi's cage. "He cut your SKULL open and put all those implants in your BRAIN to erase your MEMORIES, suppress your EMOTIONS, and make you COMPLIANT. Sadly, it wasn't PERFECT."
"You sick bastard," Shinichi growled.
"There are hundreds of hours of footage. Each year Gebok upgraded you, to improve you and always on the day he found you, like an anniversary- No, wait, like a birthday. That was the day you were born, BLACK 13."
"What's the point of all this? Do you really hate Gebok that much?" Rena questioned.
"Of course, I DO! I hate him with EVERY fibre of my BEING! However, he is no LONGER here and yet his Magnum Opus REMAINS! Even after everything, all THAT time and EFFORT I put in, he still MOCKS me even now!" Kyofu snarled before his mood turned eerily calm. "But he didn't DESTROY my life's work, BLACK 13 did." He met Shinichi's glare with his own. "So now, I'm going to do to THEM what Gebok did to you, BLACK 13. I'm going to make them DESPISE everything about their dear old daddy, show them EVERY one of your failures and tell them that everything that happened to them is your fault. And then I'll sit back and watch them shred you to pieces, and there won't be a DAMN thing you can do about it."
Shinichi punched the forcefield cage while aiming for Kyofu's face, with a look of unbridled rage written on his face.
"You won't get away with this. You are all alone while I have my team and allies," Shinichi said coldly. "If you run, we will hunt you down."
"Please," Kyofu scoffed. "Your FATHER tried to look for you and got himself KILLED, and it looks like HISTORY is about to REPEAT itself." He snapped his fingers, and Rena's cage began to fill with gas. After a few seconds, Rena began to cough violently and then her eyes widened in panic as she could not breathe.
"Rena!" Shinichi screamed in panic as he pounded the inside of the force field cage. He could not transform, and his time powers needed time to recharge after using the Chronicle Timer since pulling his time clones for their help had exhausted them. But Rena needed him. He had to save her, or that poison gas would kill her.
Wait, he could still save her. His Spark Core could not transform him but that was not his only avenue.
[2WEI Fusion Driver!] the Driver announced as soon as Shinichi strapped it on. He opened the Capsule Holder on the side of the belt and pulled out two Capsules that he knew would help him. He twisted their tops and then turned them upside down before sliding them into the Capsule slots on his Driver.
[KAMEN RIDER AGITO! KAMEN RIDER BLACK RX!]
"Henshin!"
The Fusion Driver's buckle split apart to reveal the spinning fan apparatus.
[FUSION RIDE!]
The projections of Kamen Rider Agito Ground Form and Kamen Rider Black RX appeared beside Shinichi as he stood between them. They then overlapped his body to merge with him.
[KAMEN RIDER SHOWA: GRAND SUN!]
The resulting energy burst shattered his force field cage, and Showa ran to Rena's cage to break her out. The force field shattered from his punch, and Rena collapsed. He caught her, gently holding her in his arms as she coughed.
"You're gonna be OK," Showa promised. "Just take deep breaths."
"WHAT!?" Kyofu cried in disbelief. That force field cage was designed to hold the cyborgs and prevent them from transforming. And yet, BLACK 13 was still able to escape. Wait, was the item BLACK 13 used just now the same device that D had told him about before? Shit! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! He never saw it himself, so he didn't think that a robot in human skin would actually keep using it!
Showa was clad in a whole new suit. His helmet and bodysuit came from Showa Classic but he was augmented with new armour. His new armour was modelled after Kamen Rider Agito while also sharing Black RX's black and green colour scheme. The Sun Bask solar panel, which was normally situated on RX's stomach, was set between the pectoral plates, taking the place of Agito's Wiseman Monolith stone. His shoulder pauldrons were triple-layered, modelled after the open state of Agito's Cross Horns. The white parts of his Classic bodysuit were now green in colour. Covering his left forearm, which he had used to free Rena, was the mystic gauntlet known as the Shield of Glen. Finally, his compound eyes were red like BLACK 13's.
"Kyofu," Showa growled as he stood up beside Rena. "I said you weren't going to get away with everything you've done, and I meant it. Now, I'm going to stop you for good, which is something I should've done a long time ago."
"No, Shin-kun," Rena objected as she stood up, having recovered from the poison gas.
"Don't try to talk me out of it."
"No, I want to help," Rena clarified, glaring coldly at Kyofu. "He needs to pay." She took out the Scada Buckle and strapped it to her waist. "Henshin!"
Meanwhile, Kyofu was frozen on the spot, still reeling from BLACK 13's newest transformation. When he witnessed Rena transform, he recovered his composure.
"I see, so you're resorting to VIOLENCE when you can't find what you're looking for. How pre-" Kyofu's words cut off as Scada dashed straight for him. Suddenly, Scada came at him, delivering a bone-shattering punch into his jaw, sending him sprawling.
"Just. Stop. Talking!" Scada snapped, unable to stand Kyofu's voice for much longer.
Kyofu raised his hand to his dislocated lower jaw and snapped it painfully back into place. Scada winced when she heard the snap, but Showa remained impassive. The mad scientist then picked himself up to glare at the couple.
"So, you want to get NUTS, do YOU?" Kyofu's eyes glowed as his Alter Ring manifested around his waist. "Then let's. Get. NUTS! HENSHIN!" He slammed his palms on the hip buttons and in a flash of light, he transformed. Despite being in Weapon's B body, instead of becoming Agito Technos, he was in his Ultima Agito form. Energy chains wrapped around his forearms and fists before spikes sprouted from them. He grinned evilly, his gleaming eyes leering at the couple.
"Ready or not, HERE I COME!" Ultima Agito roared.
END ACT 24
Dr. Exposition: I had to revise this chapter twice since I felt the previous versions were a mess. There was just so much happening that it was giving me a headache, so I hope it is much better organised this time. Additionally, there was more content after this, but I believe that could be its own chapter.