Author's note: I finished the opening! But the ending will have to wait since I'm still working on it. It will be done next chapter. Also, the first chapters of this season will be going back in time from before and after the declaration of World War 3. By the way, I know these chapters seem to be on the "fluffy" side of the spectrum, but that's because once the ball gets rolling, we'll be on a constant roller coaster. So let's enjoy peace while we can.
Reviews:
KamenRiderChimera: Wonder how that would go. I'm sure Decade could give Ryuga a run for his money.
SoutaAmetsuchi: I'm glad you've been around for all this time. I'm happy they're together too. I feel like my heart is purified whenever I write their interactions.
Dragstorm rider: Glad you're excited for the season! Those 3 are very interesting theories. To be honest, they're all very plausible. But only one is close to the truth. It's sad to think how Hazama trusted Hajime to one day stop Bragard, but he never imagined Hazuki would be the world's biggest threat. To be honest, I was inspired by Saint Seiya. As for the figure in Hajime's dreams...I'll keep that a secret for now. You'll find out soon but that's a good guess.
Ryugen: To be honest, that's a good there. He IS using Odin's powers. Maybe he saw something...or maybe he just believes in him that much. Well, it depends on how bad the damage is. And it also depends on how strong Ventara is. Remember, Lucifer said that the Riders have evolved their powers and are stronger than Ventara's original pieces. So who knows how strong a new Ventara is? There are a lot of death flags. Who do you think is dying next? Yeah, there might be something more inside of Hajime. He is a Messiah after all.
Tenzalucard123: They will fight for more birthday parties.
nickseverino8: I'm happy to see you back with us for this last season. It's been a long journey. It's an all-out war, and only one side can win the wish and change the world. I might use that ending.
Opening
(Play Black Clover by Vickeblanka)
Hajime and Hazuki are walking in opposite directions, Hajime shining in a white light on a black background while Hazuki has a dark aura on a white background. Both of them turned around, and the logos of their Decks appeared behind them as the title flashed in front of the screen
Symphogear: End of Rider War
(Tanjun na stage)
(kawaku hodo negai, mizu ga ito wo tsutai)
SONG were currently training, all of them doing push-ups, sit-ups, and sparring. Hamaguchi's face was completely blue as he couldn't do another push-up. Instead, he watched Kirika, who was doing sit-ups close by. Hajime smacked him on the back of the head. Yosuke and Tsubasa, who were watching, shook their heads in disappointment.
(dareka ni kanau konnan na stage)
Raiden was groaning in pain as Shirabe forced him to bend his back more while Elfnein lay on the floor, rubbing her aching legs. Garie skated over to them holding a tray of water bottles.
(choujou wo shimesu moyou)
Bragi was blocking Miku's punches, stifling his laughter, prompting the girl to pout and punch him in the belly with surprising strength, knocking the air out of him. Elsa, who was stretching close by, gasped when she saw the boy falling to the ground.
(suiheisen ga chuu wo mau)
Maria and Chris were jogging outside with Genjuro while Hibiki was doing jumping jacks.
(nando kujikaretemo)
The team collapsed on the ground, exhausted after a long day of training. Genjuro grinned at them, pulling out a jukebox, and prompting them all to groan in unison.
(sono kibou wo ryoute ni)
The scene changes to the Disasters of Valhalla, all of them standing behind Hazuki as he is being praised by the countless citizens of the city they were in.
(bokura nami wo utte)
Despia was standing behind Yomi, who was still in his wheelchair and covered in burnt marks.
(tsubasa wo misero to)
Nightmare and Wei stood by Hazuki's side, and from the shadows, emerged a feminine figure.
(sakebun da)
Setsuna had an emotionless expression on her face as a bone protruded from her shoulder before she crushed it with her hands.
(Get down!)
The scene changes to a frozen city as Kirika in her Amalgam form rushes toward Gai slicing part of his shoulder but he grabs her leg, tossing her against Shirabe
(we all let you know this time)
Raia shot several psychic projectiles, forcing Gai to jump in the air, but this was all a trap. He gasped as Maria flew toward him with her dagger out.
(can you bring me down)
The scene changes Ouja bounced from rock to rock as Tsubasa and Knight chased after him.
(back up, get far of the sky)
He landed on top of a building, but Chris sniped the place he set foot on, causing him to fall off.
((black rover!)
Hibiki broke through a wall, surprising Ouja, as she winded her fist back to punch him in the face.
(itsuka)
Hazuki was smiling maniacally before the camera zoomed out to reveal him clad in the Ryuga armor in his Dual Mode, swiping his arm and summoning several arms of darkness that rained down on the ground.
(tomo ni miyou ima wa kuro ni someyou)
Miku countered by summoning various mirrors from the Shenshoujing, donned in her Amalgam form. Elfnein appeared next to her, waving her arms and controlling her Golem as it smacked the arms away from reaching them.
(Konna fuzaketa jidai)
From his left, Ryuga noticed a water tendril wrapped around his arm, courtesy of Abyss, who flung him away. Ryuga opened a portal, appearing on another side of the city. However, he looked up.
(black rover!)
Alternative in Beelzebub form and Ryuki in Oversurvive descended like two comets from the heavens, ready to attack Ryuga in unison.
(kuukyo no aida ni)
The camera switches to Despia and Yomi's bodies glowing in a dark light, then over to Nightmare and Wei who were also shining.
(bokura narabitatte)
Setsuna began floating, her face covered in a bone-like mask as a dark silhouette with several horns emerged from within her, grinning maliciously.
(ima kara, tobira wo)
Hajime watched in horror, his face then changing to one of determination as he sprinted ahead, stretching his arm out.
(hiraku kara)
Setsuna turns around, as a white light covers everything.
Hajime is crawling on the streets of a devastated city, his body covered in wounds as he looks up to the sky.
(Let's go next stage)
A pair of pink eyes opened up from within the white light and glowing dark hair could be seen as well.
Chapter 143
Brainstorming
A few weeks before World War 3...
Inside a dining room in an unknown location, the remaining members of the DDV enjoyed a meal, except Hazuki, who was not there, and Nightmare, who did not eat. Yomi sat in his wheelchair, staring down at his food. Despia had offered to feed him, but he wasn't feeling hungry at the moment. She found it strange. Not that he was known to be a glutton, but ever since his defeat, Yomi had become less...him, so to speak. Almost as if he was depressed. Despia understood, as his powers had been stripped from him, and was unable to fight properly as he wished. The other person that wasn't eating was Setsuna.
The brown-haired girl stared into space, hands on her lap and not saying a word. With her and Yomi not talking, and Despia being mute, it made for a very gloomy environment.
"You know..." Wei spoke up, snapping Despia away from her thoughts."It's been a while since I ate pecking duck. A long time. Never thought I'd be eating again here, of all places. And...doesn't feel the same as it once did."
"How was it?" Despia used her Divine Power to be able to speak."Back then. As you know, we were never close to our Liang side besides our Mother, so we don't know what they eat."
"It was...well, I don't even remember anymore." Wei trailed off, eyeing Nightmare, who remained unresponsive."It's been so long, I have long forgotten now. 10 years or so since the clan was eradicated by Bragard, under authorization from Fudo. But like either of them, their evil and corrupted empires have fallen. Given rise to this delicious meal we share today."
"We've been eating good for a while now, cousin." Came the voice of Yomi. Thanks to the metallic mask he was wearing around his mouth, his voice now sounded higher in pitch and slightly robotic."We just switched based to a bigger one. But aside from that, everything is the same shit. It's boring as well."
"Why don't you venture outside?" Wei inquired."We have the whole country under our control now, but it still functions normally. I'm sure you'll have a great time."
"I'll pass." Yomi scoffed."I don't know the way around these parts. And after I tasted the peak of euphoria...nothing beneath can satiate me. Aside from watching Netflix all day, I am dying of boredom."
"So the bar is set pretty high, huh?" Wei mused, resting his chin on his palm.
"Oh, yeah. It was great. So great...The battle that nearly killed me...Every time I think about it, I can feel my burn scars aching!" Vivid memories of his fight against Hajime invaded his mind, and he started shaking."Your brother is truly one to be desired, eh, Setsuna-chan?"
Setsuna eyed Yomi with a blank expression before focusing back on the ceiling.
"Leave Xiangling along, Yomi." Wei shook his head in disapproval.
"I wasn't picking on her or anything. Just stating the obvious." He shrugged nonchalantly.
"You...fought Haji?" She asked, her voice completely monotone, earning a grin from Yomi.
"Yeah. And this is the result." He pointed at his face."And I was not allowed even to have a proper death."
Despia frowned."Yomi, Hazuki decided it was best for you to remain alive. You are needed. We need everyone here for the plan."
"Right..." Yomi hummed."I was pretty upset the first couple of days after I regained consciousness...But you know...maybe this can work out after all."
"Work out?"
Suddenly, the door opened, revealing Hazuki who was wearing a tuxedo. He sighed, removing his tie.
"So, how did the meeting with the officials go?" Wei asked their leader as he took a seat at the table next to Setsuna. He ruffled her hair a bit before leaning on the table.
"Everything is going smoothly. As we agreed, they will provide us with the military might we need when we advance to the next step of the plan. Of course, I'm keeping my end of the deal and...providing what they want."
"And why exactly?" Yomi asked."Can't we use the Mirror Monsters? Wouldn't that make things easier?"
"Well, back after the incident with the Bavarian Illuminati, SONG began to rapidly create Seal Cards and sent them across the world. Kind of like Taslimen to fend off devils and things like that they use in folklore. Not to mention, I sacrificed almost all of the monsters for what's next. Thankfully, even though I forced him into that suit of armor, Bragard is still maintaining the Mirror World open. So I'm saving some for later. Besides, using humans is easier. If they die, then that saves them the trouble of the horror that's coming ahead."
"Makes sense..." Wei hummed in thought."All humans are going to die anyway. It doesn't matter in what way they do. Still, do you think SONG is onto us?"
"I doubt it. But just in case, we need to come up with a way to keep them distracted. So they can't pinpoint our exact location."
"I have an idea, Hazuki-onii-chan." Setsuna raised her arm, catching their attention.
"Sure." He smiled at her."Go ahead."
"What if...we used our members to orchestrate different attacks in various locations?" She began."That way, SONG won't be able to deduce our whereabouts properly. I also suggest making the attacks seem random and spontaneous. Seemingly without a purpose. If we do that, they won't be able to properly come up with a theory."
Wei's eyes widened while Despia gawked. Yomi chuckled in amusement."Well, well. Look at you, kid. I didn't think you'd casually suggest terrorism like that. You got guts."
"I..." Setsuna looked down at the brand on her hand, spirals appearing in her eyes."It's for the sake of giving humanity a future. No price is too high to pay. Evil must be eradicated. For...a better world...!"
"Well said." Hazuki praised his younger sister."I agree. Putting our forces to good use could give us the time we need. Besides, it doesn't matter whether they die now or in the Fall, they will all be revived in the new world. I'm sure many will be happy to die for the cause."
"Then it's settled." Wei surmised, eyeing Setsuna, who went back to staring at the table."That aside, what will we do about our traitorous pair of Riders?"
"Don't we need Allister's information to flip the world upside down?" Yomi tilted his head."If he's such a major piece to the plan, I'd figured you'd keep him on a tight leash."
"Well, I didn't do that with you, did I?" Hazuki pointed out.
"Touche..." He grumbled, annoyed.
"Don't worry. To be honest, I let them do what they wanted because they were of no consequence. Not until now." Hazuki shrugged."Besides, not like they can do much. The entire world is their enemy as well, as they are criminals. So it's not like they can go to SONG for refuge. Loki and I gave them a place to belong. They belong nowhere else."
"Need any help?" Despia asked, leaning forward.
"It's okay. This is a personal matter, after all..." Hazuki smiled."After all, we are kindred spirits...all of us have the same goal. And we fight for the same reasons."
"So I told her to just wrap it up and put it in the fridge. She looked kinda sad." Hamaguchi's shoulders slumped as he and Hajime walked through the corridors of headquarters.
"No shit. If your Aunt buys you a cake for your birthday, the least you can do is eat a slice, man." Hajime chided his best friend.
"Dude, I ate too much cake! I still have the leftovers from the one yesterday!" He exclaimed."I was going to die if I ate anymore."
"Yeah, well, sometimes you just gotta tough it up."
"It's not so easy, you asshole." Hamaguchi gritted his teeth."Good thing Endou-chan and Yumi-chan were there, so I gave them the leftovers. I'll have to eat Aunt Chisa's cake whenever I don't feel fed up with cake anymore."
"Good luck with that..." Hajime looked ahead, noticing a familiar pink-haired girl with fluffy ears."Oh, look. It's Elsa-san."
"Oh, yeah. I didn't notice her. Hey, why do you call her Elsa-san? Come on, man, a little too formal for a lady like her, no?"
"Because she's older than us. She's like twenty-something." Hajime reminded him."She's short, sure, but gotta treat her with the respect she deserves. We may have been former enemies and all, but that's all in the past."
"Amen to that, but I'll call her Elsa-chan." Hamaguchi winked, pulling out his phone."Oh, shit! No!"
"What is it?" Hajime raised a brow.
"I forgot to charge my phone, dude!" Hamaguchi's face was drained of all color, showing his phone to Hajime. Indeed, his phone was currently at 2%.
"Well, good thing for you, I brought a charger...Oh." Hajime deadpanned upon taking out the cord of his charger, noticing it was missing the head to plug into the wall."Shit..."
"Fuck! What am I going to do?!" Hamaguchi panicked until a lightbulb in his head lit up. He grinned, snatching the cord from Hajime's hand and jogging ahead.
"H-hey, where are you-"
"Hi, Elsa-chan!" Hamaguchi stopped in front of Elsa, startling her.
"Oh...Good morning, Hamaguchi..." Elsa meekly greeted, noticing Hajime walking up to them."And you too, Hajime. Can...I help you with something?"
"Well, I have a little problem." Hamaguchi leaned closer to her, making her back up slightly."I kinda forgot to charge my phone and I can't let it die on me."
"Oh...okay?" Elsa shifted her gaze to the cord in his hand."You have a charge with you, though?"
"I do. But we don't have the head of it. So I wanted to ask you...if I could charge my phone in you!"
"Excuse me?!" Elsa's eyes shot wide open."Y-you want to charge it...in me?!"
"You know, in that thing, you have on your butt." He grinned."I saw you connecting those handy tools of yours back when we were fighting each other. So if you can do that, surely a phone shouldn't be an issue."
"I'll have you know, it's not in my butt." She folded her arms, frowning."My tail adaptor is at the base of my spine, thank you very much-de-arimasu."
"Details, details! So, can you do it?"
"Hang on, I don't think she can. Elsa-san, you said your tail adaptor had been damaged during your fight with Kirika and Shirabe, right?"
"Oh, yes. Thankfully, I got it fixed." Elsa smiled before she blushed slightly."I...didn't have a lot of options to choose from. It was either Bragi or Elfnein. Bragi, well...I was too nervous to approach him. We didn't exactly have the best start to a...friendship if you will. And...he's a guy. I don't think he would have been the best choice to check me down there."
"So you picked Elfnein." Hajime hummed."Makes sense why you couldn't pick Tobias either."
"It was...relatively easy. I thought she harbored ill feelings towards me since we kidnapped her. But she...was very kind. And welcoming."
"Sounds like Elfnein-chan." Hamaguchi smirked."Always the cute cinnamon roll. A girl like her could never hate anyone."
Elsa grabbed the cord and plugged it into her adaptor, and to Hamaguchi's surprise, it worked."That's so cool..."
"Mind if we walk together, Elsa-san? I mean, not like we gave you much of a choice..." Hajime scratched his cheek sheepishly.
"It's fine." She shook her head, smiling."I could use the company-de-arimasu."
The trio continued walking ahead toward the command center.
"It's...nice to finally put a name to your face, Hajime," Elsa spoke up.
"Oh? What do you mean?"
"Well, you are a Messiah, right? We heard a lot about you back when we were in the Bavarian Illuminati. But it was mostly just whispers. Rumors. Like some sort of superstition. An urban legend. And well, I guess it went over our heads when we finally met you. I mean, I always thought the Messiah would look..."
"Different. Trust me, I've gotten that a few times." Hajime assured her."And yet, I am just a teenager."
"Right. So it's surprising to me just how...normal you are."
"Trust me, this guy is anything but normal." Hamaguchi chimed in."He's like...this legendary superhero."
"I'm nothing like that." Hajime rolled his eyes, smiling slightly."It's just a title. Doesn't make me any more special than any of you. Though...I guess it comes with its cons. To be honest, it's more of a hindrance than anything. Kind of weird to think about how I was created by some higher God."
"Not just you." Hamaguchi said."A lot of historical figures. Maybe even more."
"Huh? Really?" Elsa tilted her head.
"Supposedly plenty of Messiahs have been created in the past by the Divine Beast in an effort to stop Odin. It just so happens I'm the current sucker."
"But...if I'm not mistaken, Hazuki also said he was a Messiah." Elsa's lips thinned.
"Yeah...Not sure about him. Even the top brass of the Illuminati said only one Messiah can exist per era." Hajime responded, unsure himself.
"It just means Hazuk is a big phony. And you're the real deal, my man." Hamaguchi wrapped an arm around his shoulder."Don't you think so too, Elsa-chan?"
"Yes. I believe so. It's hard to even think you're both brothers." Elsa commented."Looking at him was always...somber, in a way. Dark. But you? It's like you're brimming with so much light-de-arimasu."
"Geez, you sure know how to compliment people, Elsa-san." Hajime rubbed his nape sheepishly. The group eventually made it to the command center, where everyone was already waiting.
"You're late." Tsubasa addressed them promptly.
"Sorry!" Hamaguch clasped his hands together."I overslept! And I dragged Hajime and Elsa-chan down with me!"
"I see you're lively, even this early in the morning." Genjuro chuckled."By the way, happy late birthday! We got you a little present!"
"Oh, cool! What is it?"
"A cake!" He announced, earning a groan from the boy."Huh? Is something wrong?"
Hibiki eyed the cake that was sitting on Aoi's desk, giggling."He's had too much cake to eat yesterday."
"4 different cakes for him." Chris laughed."He must feel like he's royalty or something."
"I don't think even royals get this much cake." Maria giggled.
"I...maybe I can leave it here?" He gave a lopsided smile."Just so everyone can enjoy it."
"Sounds good to me." Genjuro nodded in confirmation.
"You're the best, Hamaguchi-kun." Sakuya sighed in apparent relief."I wanted to try some of that cake."
"You're such a glutton." Aoi sighed in exasperation.
"Hamaguchi!" Kirika exclaimed upon seeing her boyfriend close to Elsa."Oh! Are you charging your phone on that thing on Elsa-chan's butt-desu?!"
"For the last time..." Elsa pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation."It's at the base of my tailbone and-"
"Yup! Wanna try?"
"Sure!" Kirika grabbed the charger and began charging her phone."So cool-desu!"
"Why do I even bother...?" Elsa sighed in dejection.
"Those two share a brain cell," Chris muttered, earning a giggle from Shirabe.
"Anyway, I think this is everyone accounted for." Yosuke said, finishing counting everyone in the room."I think we're ready to start the meeting, Commander."
"Okay!" He adopted a serious expression."I feel like there's no need to beat around the bush so let me be blunt. We're at the end game. And our opponent...is strong. None other than the group that's been biding their time while countless foes came our way. I'm talking about none other..."
The image of Ryuga appeared on the screen. Hajime scowled upon seeing the dark version of his Rider form.
"Let's start by going off on what we know." Genjuro turned to Ogawa, who had a tablet in his hands.
"The Divine Disasters of Valhalla. A terrorist group that was formed all the way back during the incident with Carol and Bragard. Perhaps as early as the Frontier incident. Their leader...Hazuki Kaburagi, Kamen Rider Ryuga." Ogawa tapped on his tablet, and several pictures appeared on the screen. Ryuga's face was replaced by Hazuki, and next to him were former friends."Allister Albedo, Kamen Rider Ouja. Chiaki Nakahara, Kamen Rider Femme. And Allister Albedo, Kamen Rider Ouja."
Elsa tensed up at the sight of her beloved, but Garie placed a supporting hand on her shoulder.
"These 4 were the main members. Hazuki Kaburagi and Loki serve as the leaders. However, recently, we discovered that the DDV is composed of two different factions. We have Hazuki and Loki as the head. Then we have these three, serving as the 3 swordsmen. Or 3 Musketeers if you would."
"Their powers..." Beelzebub breathed."Upon hearing all of your descriptions and watching that video that Maria got from the snake boy, there's no question about it. Their powers are connected to the Qliphoth Tree."
"You're from that tree too." Shirabe said."What can you tell us?"
"I'm not exactly from that tree, Shirashi. We were all put there as decorations. Fucking fruits. The tree itself...its roots travel through all of Helheim. All of it. These guys...their personalities, the feeling I get from their powers, and their appearance...that void in their face when they're taken over...They are being connected directly to the Qliphoth Tree, essentially becoming part of it and attached to its roots, depriving them of their Free Will."
"Wait..." Hibiki gasped."Does that mean...?"
Genjuro nodded."That may be what the DDV are seeking to get rid of humanity's free will. Connect all of them to the Qliphoth Tree's roots, essentially connecting them, and erasing their humanity."
"What the fuck?!" Chris exclaimed."So they want everyone to turn out like those guys?!"
"That's not even the worst part." Hamaguchi furrowed his brow."Back then, Chiaki transformed into this...giant, ugly monster thing."
Aoi brought up the images of Chiaki's monstrous form back in Okinawa.
"Oh, God..." Elsa covered her mouth, horrified.
"So that's why Jades was so desperate to stop the Divine Power from continuing to evolve in Teru-nii's body..." Maria placed a hand on her chest."He was trying to prevent him from fully turning into...something like that..."
"Is there...no return from that?" Miku carefully asked.
"Well, when we beat her, she lost that transformation." Hajime elaborated."But the hole in her face remained."
"But in the recording, Jades-onii-chan stabbed Teru-nii with his Divine Weapon and reverted the transformation-desu." Kirika pointed out.
"So the Divine Weapons affect them..." Tsubasa rubbed her chin."If that's the case, Tachibana's Godslaying fist should also work."
"So that's one problem down." Elfnein said, eyeing Elsa."But that's only in the case we can't get Terunosuke and Allister before Hazuki does. I'm sure we'll get them before that happens."
"Moving along, we have this new division that Hazuki announced back during their attack on Lydian," Ogawa said. Under the pictures of the 3 Riders, 4 extra pictures appeared, all of them linking to Hazuki's picture."The last remaining pure-blooded Liang, Wei Liang, the two half-Liang twins, Yomi Kugisaki, Despia Kugisaki, and Bragard Second Hyperion, now known as Nightmare. What we know about them aside from their background is limited. But they do have powers that aren't related to Relics or Decks. These two are our biggest examples."
Nightmare and Yomi's pictures became bigger.
"Nightmare...I can't believe the Second was turned into...that." Bragi frowned."I mean...I guess it was to be expected, but..."
Miku grabbed his hand, smiling at him to calm him down.
"If that's the case, then Nightmare must have Bragi's powers, right?" Hajime asked."If it's the same as Bragard."
"Not necessarily." Elfnein spoke up."Remember, Bragard's abilities revolved around gravity. But Bragi-chan's powers are a step beyond that. He's stronger than Bragard was and much more efficient with his abilities thanks to Carol's research on gravity."
"So even if they have gravity in common, Bragigi is better." Beelzebub chuckled."Hell yeah."
"Don't celebrate just yet." Bragi sighed."I doubt the Superstar would have him without any upgrades."
"And the next one is...Yomi. Or Narfi." Hajime clenched his fists."His powers are lightning-based. He also has incredible adaptability and adapts in real-time. And above that...he's a Custodian."
Yomi's picture changed to his Custodian form, with three eyes and two horns, and his body was now made of raw energy.
"I can't believe Loki and Shem-Ha had a child together..." Hibiki looked visibly perturbed.
"Miku..." Bragi called her name in a soft tone, squeezing her hand."Did Shem-Ha...ever bring him up?"
"She did." Miku nodded, shaking upon remembering. Bragi immediately brought her closer to him to put her at ease. She smiled. "Thank you...She used to talk about him with disdain. Calling him useless and defective."
"Defective?" Chris arched a brow."What do you mean? Didn't look so defective to me when he was destroying everything."
"I think...she might have meant his purpose. How he strayed from the path she made for him and became a battle-hungry beast instead of a proper Custodian." Miku said."Also, probably because he didn't even bother reviving her."
"Back when we were fighting..." Hajime spoke up, earning everyone's attention."He said he's a reincarnation of the mix between a Custodian and an Aesir."
"Reincarnation...?" Elfnein frowned."Then, wouldn't that mean..."
"It sounds like what happened to Ryoko-kun and Fine..." Genjuro unfolded his arms."Then, does that mean that Narfi died at some point after Shem-Ha sent him to Earth, and his essence is what's being reincarnated into people?"
"If he's Shem-Ha's child, it could be." Thor suddenly took over Tobias' body."If she was able to do what she did with the united language, then maybe Narfi found some other way to be connected to humanity, allowing his constant reincarnation. While he is mostly a Custodian, he is also an Aesir. Though, at this point, Narfi's essence has been almost washed away, leaving only little of himself."
"Then...was Yomi Kugisaki always that crazy?" Shirabe asked."And also...how did Narfi die originally? What could have killed a Custodian like that?"
"Unfortunately, we don't know the details." Aoi informed them."We asked around at their circus. We even talked to the ringmaster there, who took them in after their mother and father died. Yomi seemed to be a daredevil. And sometimes violent. But not to this extreme. That is what he said. Strangely enough, it seems Despia Kugisaki was not born a mute. Somewhere along, she became one. If I had to guess...probably her brother tried out his powers on her brain, resulting in the loss of speech..."
"He also...was pretty fired up when he was talking about the evil of the Liang clan." Hajime supplied."If he's one of the reasons for the clan's dark past, I don't understand why he seemed so upset about it."
"Even so...!" Hibiki almost yelled, silencing the room."He can't arm any more people!"
"Hibiki..." Hajime muttered.
"He killed so many people in cold blood...!" Hibiki clenched her fists in anger."Shiori-chan...Kuriyo-chan...Goro's father...Amy-chan...And so many more people...All of them died because, to him, human lives have no value! Well, he can't harm anyone else ever again!"
"What do you mean?" Tsubasa inquired.
"I can explain." Elfnein raised her arm."For some reason it appears as though Yomi and Despia's powers revolve around marking around their arms called "Runes". It's not any type of Alchemy I've ever heard of."
"He did say they do magic, not alchemy." Raiden shrugged.
"Regardless of the origins, those Runes are the source of their powers. Sort of like the Bavarian Illuminati's Spellcasters. But instead of using outside weapons, they use the Runes to activate their abilities. But since Hajime-san...you know..."
"Hajime ripped off Yomi's arms," Raiden said for her, earning a grateful smile from the blonde.
"Y-yes, that...Because of that, Yomi is unable to use his powers. His innate ability is sealed."
Hajime shuddered at that. At the time, he was so enraged, that he barely even registered anything going on. But now, it made him sick to his stomach he mauled Yomi's arms and legs in his fused form.
"Strange that he would need those Runes to access his power. Even stranger that it's more like a transformation and not his original appearance." Thor commented."What about the sister?"
"She can create crystals." Chris answered, having fought her before."She can cover her whole body with them too. Nothing too crazy, really."
"So with the twins out of the way, we got Wei Liang," Genjuro said, enlarging his picture. Shirabe felt her heartache, remembering his cold words toward her that day.
"Wei isn't like Chao." Hajime said."Or me. He's not gifted in terms of combat. Nor can he use Alchemy or magic or whatever it is."
"He was wearing some weird shoes." Shirabe chimed in."When he kicked the air, he could create sharp slashes."
"So nothing out of the ordinary..." Yosuke rubbed his chin."Aside from Narfi and Nightmare, Kaburagi doesn't possess any remarkable heavy hitters, if we don't count Kuwana and Albedo."
"We talked about 5..." Elsa's lips thinned."But weren't there supposed to be six-de-arimasu?"
"That's because..." Hajime clenched his fists."Hazuki wants to have Setsuna be their last member, saying how she's key to Ragnarok."
Several gasps could be heard throughout the room.
"No way! She would never do that!" Kirika immediately shook her head.
"That's right, Setsuna-chan wouldn't side with him," Shirabe said, leaving no room for argument.
"Setsuna is not one to betray those she loves." Tsubasa nodded."She wouldn't do that to her friends or brother."
"I know. I know." Hajime heaved a long sigh."She's a strong girl. Stronger than me. I know right now, she's still resisting. She's waiting for us...and we'll get her back."
"That's right!" Genjuro grinned, happy to see his kids in good spirits."Now that we got that out of the way, we can get into the real problem. We know the DDV are waiting out until February 29th. The date when the eclipse will happen. Thanks to Allister-kun's information, we know that they are required to open the 7 gates of hell, which supposedly, are all open by now. They are required to open a gate big enough to pour all devils from Helheim and flood the world."
"Ragnarok..." Chris grumbled."What the fuck is the point of bringing hell on Earth if their damn goal is this so-called salvation?"
"If I had to guess, probably because it would guarantee the extinction of all life. In a short time in comparison to going around and killing everyone one by one." Bragi said."Remember, they are collecting all the souls of the dead so they can "purify" them from evil and have them ready for when they create the new world with the wish."
"Hazuki must be fucking confident to take down Odin." Hamaguchi scoffed."Hey, Thor, any info you can give us?"
"Honestly, not a lot." Thor saidly said."Ragnarok started as soon as we helped the All-Father separate Ventara. A few days later. It caught all of us by surprise, and none of us were ready to fight."
"Commander..." Yosuke frowned."I know what you're getting at...we know what Ragnarok entails. We know when it is. The only thing we don't know is..."
"When don't know where it's going to happen." Hajime finished."No location, no nothing."
"Is the location that important?" Maria inquired."I mean, if it's a worldwide event, it'll be all over the world, right?"
"The point is stopping it." Bragi said."Stopping it before it happens. For that, we need a location."
"We need to prevent Kaburagi from blowing the Gjallarhorn during the eclipse." Tsubasa added."If he does, the world will be doomed."
"It's probably here in Tokyo," Hamaguchi commented, hands behind his head in a carefree manner.
"What makes you think that?" Garie asked.
"I mean, hasn't all the major shit that's happened here in Japan?" Hamaguchi shrugged."Think about it. It's like Japan is a magnet for crazy supernatural stuff."
"He does bring up a valid point..." Tsubasa conceited.
"I doubt that." Yosuke crossed his arms."Think about it, Albedo gave us the location of the penthouse, which was being funded by Fudo Kazanari. This safehouse was in Yokohama. And you read the reports. There was nothing of significance found there."
"So no luck..." Kirika's shoulders slumped in disappointment.
"I doubt Teru-nii or Allister would know either." Shirabe said."Otherwise, Allister would have told us, right, Elsa-chan?"
"Yes...I doubt he wouldn't tell us something that important."
"What about these Gates of Hell or whatever?" Garie tilted her head."Can't we just shut them down?"
"Problem is...they're not there," Ogawa said, much to their shock.
"What do you mean they're not there?" Miku asked, furrowing her brow.
"We checked the locations that Allister-san gave to Maria-san." He elaborated."But there was nothing out of the ordinary in those locations. There is evidence of people having been there, and these were extremely secluded areas. But nothing was found."
"They must have found a conduit or something." A mouth formed on Bragi's cheek.
"Conduit?" Elfnein blinked.
"Or a medium. Something else to use to open the Gates." Beelzebub briefly explained himself."They must have found a way to move them from their positions and find a way to keep them open."
"So we got nothing then." Chris sighed in exasperation."Are we really going blind here?"
"Not necessarily."
Suddenly, the image of Yatsuhiro Kazanari came into the big screen.
"Father!" Tsubasa smiled upon seeing her Dad.
"Tsubasa." He greeted back with a small smile.
"You have something, sir?" Yosuke asked, hands behind his back.
"Not quite. But I have been discussing this matter with members of the UN. We are searching for any kind of cash trail we can find. Particularly, ones with tons of money involved."
"Money? Why?" Kirika innocently wondered.
"Originally, Fudo Kazanari was funding their operations." Yatsuhiro explained."All of the money went through different accounts before finally landing in one of Allister Albedo's private accounts. However, since he is no longer in their organization, and no money is coming in, there has to be another way they are funding their group. I'm sure you've seen the news. Their cult is now being referred to as a terrorist organization. They are mobilizing countless amount of people. They must be getting their resources from somewhere. And if we find out where..."
"Then we can find them." Hajime beamed."That's so smart. But how long would that take?"
"We don't have a concrete lead yet." Yatsuhiro informed him."But rest assured, I will not give up on this matter. Unfortunately, while we have been able to find a few of their bases and interrupted their so-called rituals, we haven't been able to arrest anyone."
"Poison pills." Yosuke frowned.
"Just like what happened in Lydian..." Maria muttered in disgust."How can they just end their own lives like that...? Just to keep their secret?"
"They are fully devoted to Kaburagi's cause." Yosuke bit his lower lip."People are scared. After the countless times the world has been in danger, they are afraid. And Kaburagi is capitalizing on that fear."
"So...for now, we have no choice but to wait, right?" Tsubasa asked her Father.
"That is correct. Furthermore, we haven't been able to locate either Terunosuke Kuwana or Allister Albedo."
"Shit..." Hamaguchi scratched his head."So for now a dead end, huh? But hey, at least we got the advantage in numbers."
Garie hummed in thought, looking at Hamaguchi's face.
"Garie-san?" He cocked his head to the side.
"You know, I was just thinking of Damian...And then I thought of Zeke. Then I remembered. What happened to his Deck?"
"Oh. Takeru-dono destroyed it. Now it's been reduced to this." Bragi brought out the marble-sized Advent Stone from his pocket."I try to work on it and see if I can power it up in my free time, but no luck."
"Do you just carry that with you everywhere?" Hajime asked in a skeptical tone, holding out his arm.
"Just when I'm here." He shrugged nonchalantly, giving him the stone."As long as we have this, the Superstar has no hope of absorbing all of the Advent Monsters and won't be able to get Ventara's power."
"How the hell does he even want to do that?" Hamaguchi pondered."I'm sorry if I sound grim, but even in the case that he kills me, Yosuke-san, Hajime, and Raiden, he'll only get 4 Contract Cards. And if he backstabs Allister and Terunosuke, he'll get 2 more. Adding the two that Hajime and Yosuke-san have, he'll have 8. But would that be enough for ALL monsters?"
"Maybe he doesn't need the Contract Cards." Tsubasa suggested."If I'm right, when he...killed Kagatsuchi, he gave the card to Kuwana. But he must have done something for when Nakahara perished since he got her power and no one else had died at the time. The math doesn't add up."
"Wait a minute..." Raiden rubbed his chin in thought."Lucifer said he wanted to use Hajime as a host for Ventara so he then could get the power for himself. I don't think he was planning on having Hajime make a contract with every single monster."
"Do you think he had another way to get Hajime to get the power without using the contract?" Hibiki wondered.
Hajime twirled the stone in his hands."Any of you got water?"
"I got a bottle right here." Sakuya handed him a bottle of water.
"Maybe he did. Didn't you guys say he was Ventara's servant?" Maria placed her hands on her hips."It could be that maybe he knew a way."
"If that's the case, why would Kaburagi even know that?"
"Maybe Loki told him?"
"Maybe." Hajime shrugged, eyeing his friends with a grin."But I think I have another way."
"Another way? Okay, we're all ears." Bragi said, curious to know what Hajime was planning. Without warning Hajime placed the Advent Stone in his mouth before swallowing it. However, the object got stuck in his throat, causing him to stop choking and fall to his knees.
"Hajime!" Hibiki quickly rushed to his side.
"You moron! What are you doing?!" Chris screeched.
"Spit it out!" Bragi shouted.
Genjuro quickly ran behind Hajime, but he shook his head, opening the water bottle he had before forcing the object through. They watched in horror as the bulge in his neck disappeared as the Advent Stone settled inside of him.
"There...don't worry." Hajime gave them a thumbs up.
"What were you thinking?!" Hibiki grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him."Why did you do that?!"
"No safer place than in here." Hajime rubbed his belly with a sheepish smile.
"Oh, dear." Elfnein grabbed Hajime's arm."We need to run some tests! This can't be good!"
"It won't be good on the way out." Hamaguchi snickered, receiving a smack on the back of the head from Tsubasa.
"Guess we'll have to adjourn this meeting." Yosuke sighed.
"No need. We covered everything." Genjuro shook his head."So while Elfnein-kun runs some tests on Hajime-kun...why don't we start training?"
A week before World War 3...
A young woman stood behind a register inside a bakery, cleaning her work area since there were no customers at the moment. Suddenly, the door opened, revealing a young man with dark hair, wearing a dressing white shirt and black pants, a jacket over his shoulder, and a pair of reading glasses."Good afternoon. I'm here to pick up the order I requested."
"Ah, yes! Good day to you too! Right on schedule as always!" The girl giggled, reaching for the box of cupcakes behind her and handing it to him."A large order of cupcakes for Jades Demetrios-san!"
He pulled out his ID and showed her to her briefly. She nodded."You know you don't have to show it to me all the time, right? I already know you and you come here almost every day."
"I don't want to get you in trouble." Terunosuke grabbed the box."Thank you very much. Business is quiet today, I take it?"
"Yes. But it's not a bad thing." She smiled."I get to clean up and get ahead."
"I see. Well, thank you again." Terunosuke said, handing out a few bills to the waitress."Have a good day."
"You have a good day too, Demetrios-san!" She beamed as Terunosuke headed for the exit.
"Just Jades is fine." He waved without looking back. He started walking down the streets, carrying the cupcakes in his hands.
It had been a few weeks after his meeting with Allister. He had been living quietly in the apartment he had given him, walking around town as he spent his days in peace. Or at least, he attempted to. He could be lying if he said he wasn't looking over his shoulder at night. Or how he dreadfully would look at the calendar, knowing the Fall was approaching slowly but steadily. Once again, he was alone.
He was always alone. He spent all those years living alone. This was nothing new to him. No...He supposed that now, he wasn't alone. At least, that's what he wanted to think. In the end, he had someone that cared about him, even after Serena was gone. But now...He was just a man waiting for the impending doom of tomorrow.
The Gai Deck user sat across the street, watching a bunch of kids running toward him. He set the cupcakes down on the bench and took out a cigarette from his pocket.
"Jades-san!" They all cheered, surrounding him.
"Hey." He greeted, ruffling a boy's hair and patting a girl's head."I brought some goodies today. Make sure to enjoy them."
"Thank you so much!"
All the kids were more than happy to start eating the cupcakes and began playing around Terunosuke.
"Here you go, Jades-san!" A girl with red hair held out a handkerchief for him."I got you this!"
"You made this for me?" Terunosuke smiled, accepting the gift."You're very kind, Sumire-chan. Go, eat. There's plenty for all of you."
"Thank you!" She beamed, grabbing a cupcake and rushing to play with the others.
"What about you, Yuta?" Terunosuke shifted his gaze to the kid standing at his side. To his surprise, his gaze was fixated on Sumire as she laughed. Terunosuke smirked, noticing the blush on the boy's cheeks."So, you still haven't made your move?"
"What's the point?" Yuta sighed, sitting next to Terunosuke."She only has eyes for that idiot, Shinjiro."
Terunosuke hummed, staring at the oldest of the group. A tall boy a few years older than the rest."I suppose he does have a few things over you, yes."
"H-hey! You're supposed to be cheering for me!" Yuta protested."Damn it! Why?! Why can't I be better? Is there something I'm lacking? I just want her to look at me...But I'm nothing special..."
"I wouldn't say that." Terunosuke said, leaning back."After all, she is always watching you."
Yuta gasped, looking up to see Sumire waving at him. He nervously waved back.
"You might not think so, but you don't always have to be better than someone else to be recognized." Terunosuke crossed his legs."Because I'm sure she thinks the world of you. So go ahead and try your luck. Tell me how it goes."
"Alright...I'll give it a try." He nodded."I'll tell her how I feel."
"Oi! Yuta!" Shinjiro hollered."Come play with us!"
"Shut up! I'll do what I want!" He huffed in indignation."Hey, Jades-san, why don't you-Jades-san?"
Terunosuke had a troubled expression on his face, looking at his gloved hand. He quickly shook his head, taking out a handful of bills."Here, go have fun at the arcade."
"W-wow! That's a lot of money! Are you leaving already?! But you just got here!"
"I got some business to attend to. Take care and be nice to the others, alright? No one likes a party pooper." He excused himself, standing up from the bench. He smiled at the kids, waving at them before departing. He walked inside an alleyway, making sure no one of the kids was following him.
"I know you're there. You can come out now." He said, loud enough for anyone in the vicinity to hear him.
Laughter could be heard from behind him, as a figure emerged from the shadows as a mocking voice began to speak.
"I didn't know you were so good with kids, Terunosuke. You're such a role model."
"What do you want?" Terunosuke frowned at the boy in front of him, whose left eye was glowing in golden light."Kaburagi-kun!"
Hazuki grinned maliciously, chuckling as a dark aura surrounded him.