A Specter's Testament

by ShadowBladeKnight

13 years he has sought out after the ones who had taken everything from him. Living on a path of finding answers, he has stumbled onto something much larger than he realized. With Demons and Heroes in the land, he has to find the items that can bring back everything he lost before the dark spirits do. No matter the odds, he will fight to the end and show them his way of life.

6. Chapter 6: The Master Swordsman Strikes!

A/N: Hello everyone m, once again I am updating another one of my stories finally now that one of my other stories has been finished. I know some (or most) of you are wondering why I wasn't able to update my other stories in the past? I have made constant explanations that work and life has been keeping me occupied. Especially when I have more important things to worry about in life. So again, I apologize for having to wait for a very long while for a new chapter for this story.

'Thought'

"Ganma"

---

In the forest of the outskirts of the city were three figures, each was wearing armor and a cape on their backs and was clearly holding a spear in his hand.

"So this is the city that onee was keeping watch on the previous demon lord's daughter." One of them said, the voice being a young girl.

"Yeah, and with a twisted sound of fate, Basara and Jin are here as well guarding her." One of them said with the voice of a young man.

"Hmph… so he's willing to protect demons now? How far he has fallen." The one with the spear said, revealing the voice to be another young man.

"Now calm down. I know you're angry but we still have our orders." The fellow traveler told the spear user.

The blonde clicked his tongue and turned away. "I know that. You don't have to remind me." The blonde told him.

"Good. With that out of the way." The other man said. "Let's get started, Kurumi-chan."

"On it." The girl said as she channeled wind below their feet and they began to fly to the city.

Unknown to the three young heroes, Sennin was spying on them in hiding. The old man had first sensed them when they were near thus he remained careful and overheard their discussion. However it was troubling to see them here which doesn't bode well.

"Hmmm...now this is a turn of events. So the hero clan is beginning their move." Sennin observed as he stroked his chin. "It appears I need to speed things ahead myself."

Sennin left the forest to meet with the Phantom Rider to give him a clue to the next Eyecon.

---

A Specter's Testament

---

Chapter 6: New Allies! The Master Swordsman Strikes!

Enrique yawned as he walked to his apartment room after a long day at school, especially during his time with Chisato before he remembered the sight of Chisato's rear. Enrique blushed before he shook his head to shake the memory off. Now wasn't the time to think like that. What mattered more was to have a chance to return to the apartment and hopefully find any leads of the next Eyecon.

"Man… I never thought I'll be this tired in one day." Enrique said as he stopped in front of the door of his apartment. "Maybe after taking a bath, I should take a nap."

Enrique opened the door and to his surprise he saw Sennin in the room. However, he then pinched the bridge of his nose upon noticing the old man garbed in armor of a samurai. The great sage himself sat in the traditional seiza position with his eyes closed.

"Gramps… seriously? This is going to be an occasional thing isn't it?" He groaned.

The old man opened his eyes before his calm look changed to the usual chipper mood. "Well! I see you obtained another Eyecon?"

"Yeah, I got Tutankhamen." Enrique presented the said Eyecon. "And let me guess, seeing your outfit means the next Eyecon is related to a samurai?"

"Correct- de gozaru!"

"Figures." He swears - Sennin was going to make this a habit with history questions daily or weekly. At least it helps with the history classes at school. "Which samurai is it, though? It could be anyone in Japanese history."

"Ah, but it is one specific samurai. He was a master swordsman who wrote the Book of Five Rings- de-gozaru. Also known for winning 60 Duels without a single loss. Specialized in the two-sword kenjutsu- de-gozaru."

"Let me think…" Enrique pondered. "Book of Five Rings… 60 duels without a single loss… two sword kenjutsu… wait, isn't that Miyamoto Musashi?"

The sage rang a bell. "That's right! Miyamoto Musashi was the one who accomplished those feats- de gozaru."

Enrique couldn't help but wonder of the Eyecon's possible power. If it holds Musashi's power, it could enhance his skills with a blade.

"And you have a clue to where I'll get this Eyecon, right?" Enrique asked.

The sage rang the bell again. "Ding! Ding! Ding! He does it again! Afraid I can't tell you much, but what I can say it's somewhere close to where you are- de dozaru."

"What do you-" The Rider noticed the great sage was already gone. "Mean… great, again with finding a lead."

"Hey at least you got a hint!" Yurusen chimed as he popped out of nowhere which startled Enrique.

"Yurusen! I told you time and again, don't do that." Enrique chastised the ghost.

Yurusen crossed his arms, sending a glare at the Rider. "Well, excuse me for being a ghost!" He argued.

Enrique rolled his eyes and picked up a fresh set of clothes. "You know what, forget it. I'm just going to take my bath now…" Enrique told the ghost as he opened the door and walked into his bathroom as he closed it behind him.

After having a nice and long soak in the bath, Enrique left the bathroom now wearing his casual clothes as he dried his hair with a towel.

"Ahhh...Nothing beats a nice warm bath after a long day…" He whistled as he felt refreshed after the bath.

His brief state of relaxation was interrupted when he heard someone knocking on the door. He grunted irritably. "Oh great what is it now? I'm coming!"

Walking over to the door, Enrique opened it to greet his visitor and it was...

"Oh, Mrs. Murasame." Enrique noticed his landlady. She was an elderly lady wearing a kimono.

"Hello, Enrique-san. I wanted to check on you to see how you are doing." She told him.

"I'm doing fine, but thank you for asking." Enrique said.

"Mind if I come in?"

"Sure." He moved aside to allow the woman to enter.

Murasame looked around the room as she walked inside. She hummed, noticing it hasn't changed much since her last visit.

"My, I see you still keep this clean as ever." She commented.

"Yeah, I like to keep it that way." Enrique admitted with a shrug.

"That's good to hear. But Enrique-san, there's something I need to ask." Murasame told him.

"What is it?" Enrique asked.

"You're not keeping pets here? Are you?" She asked and Enrique blinked in confusion.

"No. Why did you ask?" Enrique inquired.

"Well, I hope you'll forgive me for eavesdropping, but there are times when I happened to overhear you as you were talking with yourself." She told him, and Enrique flinched to hear that. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just… talking to someone over the phone. Yeah that was it." He told his landlady, but she gave him a look of suspicion.

"And you're completely honest about that?" She asked. Enrique nodded a few times which made her smile. "Alright, that's all I needed to hear."

Enrique sighed in relief. The last thing he needed was her to realize what he has been doing for the past two years. He… didn't want her to get caught in the crossfire in his battle against the Ganma.

"Also, Enrique-san," Mursame said. "Would you like to come over to have dinner with me?"

Enrique blinked before he asked, "What? Is that okay?"

"Of course it is. I am the one asking here." Ms. Murasame told him.

The American hummed as he thought about it before nodding to his landlady. "Alright, I'll kindly take you on your offer."

---

After exiting his apartment, Enrique was in Murasame's home as she cooked for both him and for herself, which was a traditional Japanese meal with cooked fish, some eggs, miso soup, and a bowl of rice, as they were now eating on the table.

"How is it? I hope it's to your liking." Mrs. Murasame said.

"Your food is just as good as ever." Enrique told her as he drank the miso soup, and Murasame smiled to hear that.

"Well I'm glad to hear that." She said as she took a bite of her fish with some rice. "You know, this almost reminds me of the first day that we met."

"Oh yeah, it kind of does." Enrique said. "How long ago was that again?"

"Two years exactly if my memory serves me right given it occured on this exact day." Murasame recalled.

"Wow, really? It really has been two years huh?" The high schooler realized.

The elderly woman giggled humbly. "I still remember how we met."

---

Two years ago…

Murasame was outside of the apartment complex as she was swiping the autumn leaves away from the door with a broom in her hands. After a few swipes Murasame took a moment to stop as she lightly patted her shoulder.

"I swear. I guess this might be getting hard for me at my current age." She said out loud before she continued to sweep up the remaining leaves.

After she had gathered the leaves and put them in a garbage bag, she left it in the garbage pick up.

Just as she was about to head back inside to her home after dispensing the garbage, she stopped when she heard clattering beside the complex. She blinked and checked to see what was there. Looking by the collection of garbage cans, she saw a young man in his mid teens resting against the wall. A small blanket was over him as he tried his best to sleep comfortably.

"Now that's something you don't see any day." She observed before she walked to the young man and shook him on the shoulder. "Come on, young man, wake up."

The young man began to stir as his eyes opened and looked around. "Huh? What?" He mumbled tiredly before he noticed the elder woman.

"You know, you'll catch a cold if you sleep outside like this." She told him.

"Oh I'm sorry about that. Thank you." Enrique told him before he stood up and folded the blanket he was using to put in the small bag.

The sound of growling was audible which made the American's cheeks turn red. It was Enrique's stomach that growled.

"Are you hungry?" Ms. Murasame asked.

"No of course not! You were just hearing things!" Enrique stated before his stomach growled again, and he lowered his head. "Alright, fine...The truth is I hadn't eaten anything in awhile…"

"I see…" Murasame said in pity for the young man. "Then why don't you come over to my place?"

"Wait, really?" Enrique asked in shock.

"Of course. I would go against my upbringing to not help someone in need." She told him.

Enrique thought about it before his stomach growled again which caused the woman to chuckle in amusement. He lowered his head in embarrassment.

"There's no reason to be stubborn. I have plenty of room and food for you." She told him.

"... A-Alright, I accept your offer." Enrique mumbled.

After bringing Enrique to her home, she soon cooked him a meal. When she finished cooking it for him, he was eating at a fast pace as they were seated on the table before Enrique choked on his food as he slammed his fist on his chest before he quickly drank his cup of water as he breathed out and placed it on the table. It seemed he was extremely hungry based on how he gorged into the food.

"Thank you so much for this, Ms…" Enrique said.

"Murasame. My name is Murasame." She told him.

"Well Ms. Murasame, I really am grateful for your hospitality. I truly am." Enrique told her as he bowed his head.

"Oh don't worry about it, young man. It's fine." She said as she waved her hands. "But I hope you won't mind me asking, why were you sleeping outside?"

"It's...a little complicated. But let's just say I've been traveling for a while." Enrique told her.

"Okay…" Murasame said as she could tell that he was hiding something but chose not to pry.

"Also, this place is an apartment complex right?" Enrique asked and Murasame nodded.

"Yes. In fact I'm the landlord." She told him.

"Oh that's perfect then. I know we just met and that you don't know me well. But will it be alright if I stay here?" Enrique asked which surprised the landlady before she asked.

"I don't exactly mind. But didn't you say you were traveling?"

"Actually, I was planning on staying in this city for a while. And this place is really nice too, that is if you'll have me." Enrique said.

"Well, first I'd like to talk about this with your parents." She told him. Enrique flinched before he lowered his head in sadness.

"I… I don't have any parents…" Hearing that shocked Mrs. Murasame as her eyes slightly widened.

"What?"

"They...passed away a few months ago, so I'm on my own from now on." Enrique explained. It wasn't a complete lie. While his parents died, it was years ago but hid the reason why and how they died. No one would believe him of what he witnessed on that night. The only reason he had been able to survive through the years was picking up whatever he could that is of worth and selling them. His companion would assist in gaining currency at whatever country they were in as well as travel thanks to the ship he owned.

Mrs. Murasame could tell that he wasn't lying about what he told her, and looked at him with sympathy because she understood how he felt. She sighed before she gave him her answer.

"Alright, I suppose I'll make an exception about this." Mrs. Murasame said, which really surprised Enrique.

"You… really mean it? I… can stay here?"

"As long as you remain on good behavior in the complex and work." Murasame informed him. It was normal for people his age to live in a small apartment, but he needed a guarantor. With no parents, he wasn't able to provide one but she wasn't one to shy away from the young man's predicament. She would be his guarantor.

Enrique smiled before he bowed his head in gratitude for the landlady. "Thank you! I promise that you won't regret this!" He promised her.

---

Enrique smiled thinly at the memory. If it wasn't for Mrs. Murasame, he would have been staying in the streets. "It really has been a while." He looked at the old woman. "I still can't thank you enough for letting me stay here."

"Oh think nothing of it, young man. I was raised to offer help to those who need it." She told him with a wave of her hand.

"Well either way, thank you. For both your hospitality and for your delicious cooking." Enrique appreciated as he continued to eat his food. Mr. Murasame smiled at him before she slowly ate and enjoyed her own food.

After they had finished dinner, Enrique was helping Mrs. Murasame wash the dishes.

"Honestly, you didn't have to help. I would've done the dishes myself." She told him.

"It's fine. It's the least I could do after you cooked me a good meal." Enrique assured.

Mrs. Murasame smiled before she saw Enrique as a different figure, which surprised her, making her teary-eyed and Enrique noticed that.

"Mrs. Murasame, is something wrong?" Enrique asked in worry. Mrs. Murasame shook her head as she wiped away her tears.

"Oh it's nothing...Just my old eyes playing tricks on me." Mrs. Murasame assured him.

"Okay…" Enrique conceded but a part of him wasn't convinced by that.

After they were done with the dishes, Enrique and Mrs. Murasame were outside of her house as the young man was facing his landlord.

"Thank you again for dinner, Mrs. Murasame. It was really delicious." Enrique told her.

"You're most welcome. And thank you for keeping me company, especially today." Mrs. Murasame told him and Enrique blinked to hear that.

"Really? Why today?" Enrique asked, and Mrs. Murasame lowered her head in some sadness before she raised her head at him.

"It's nothing. I'm just muttering to myself. Don't worry about it." Mrs. Murasame told him.

"Okay...But if you want to talk about it, you can always come to me." Enrique told her and she smiled to hear that.

"Why thank you, young man. But I'm alright, don't worry about me." Mrs. Murasame walked back into her house and closed the door.

"Alright, then…" Enrique sighed and left for his apartment. "I wonder what bothered her?" He wasn't sure what but didn't want to pry on it so he would brush it aside. However the phantom rider paused when he spotted something sneaking in the area as it was hiding in the shadows. "Wait...was that…"

Being suspicious he followed the shadow, quietly and from a distance so it wouldn't notice him.

The phantom rider had followed the shadow to the back of Murasame's home as he hid behind a wall to spy on the shadow. That is when Enrique saw that the shadow was a Ganma. His eyes held anger the moment he spotted it.

But what really got Enrique's attention was how the Ganma's eyes were mostly set on Murasame as it spied on her through the window.

The only reason a Ganma would target someone would mean-

His eyes widened in shock at the realization. He recalled Sennin's clue regarding the next Eyecon being close to where he was.

His landlady had a connection to an Eyecon!

Enrique immediately brought out his Specter Eyecon and pressed its button before he inserted the Eyecon in his Driver.

EYE!

BATCHIRIMIRO! BATCHIRIMIRO!

"Henshin!" Enrique said as he pushed the lever on his Driver.

KAIGAN! SPECTER…

READY GO! KAKUGO! DOKI DOKI GHOST!

Enrique charged at the Katana Ganma as he transformed into Specter, attacking the Ganma with a few punches and kicks.

The Katana Ganma slashed at Specter a few times and the Phantom Rider dodged his attacks and landed a few punches on the Ganma's chest and landed a strong punch to its face.

The dark spirit staggered slightly before its blue eyes narrowed at him. "So you are Specter."

"And you are a Ganma that will be destroyed for good." Specter growled.

"We'll see about that!" The Katana Ganma barked as he charged at Specter to battle him.

The Katana Ganma slashed at Specter with his sword arm and Specter dodged its slashes and landed a few punches on the Ganma's chest followed with a kick which forced the Ganma to stumble back.

Specter brought out his GanGunHand in gun mode and fired at the Katana Ganma with it, but the latter deflected his shots using his sword and charged at Specter again to slash him. The young man jerked back with a grunt from the attack before the Phantom Rider blocked it with his GanGunHand.

"You know about the Luminary that Mrs. Murasame is connected to, don't you?!" The Rider demanded.

"Oh? Are you protective of the life of a saddened widow?"

"Shut up!" Specter kicked the Ganma with his knee and slapped it with the rifle.

While the Ganma staggered slightly, it spun from the momentum to strike the young man across the chest. Sparks bleed off the black armor which made the teen grimace in pain.

As Specter was about to attack the Katana Ganma again, a spear was seen from the corner of his vision as it slashed his back. The attack sent the Phantom Rider rolling on the ground before he stopped on one of his knees.

Specter turned to his attacker and saw that it was another Ganma. He stopped the attack but it allowed its companion to strike him across his pitch black armor. The Rider gritted his teeth in pain and was met with a swift kick to the chestplate, sending him across the alley.

"Two Ganma…?!" Specter grunted, never expecting the Katana Ganma to have a fellow ally to help. The new Empowered Ganma he was facing was no doubt a Yari Ganma due to the weapon it was holding.

"Not so tough now huh?" Yari mocked.

The phantom rider growled before standing on his feet. He wasn't going to let them use the landlady for their goals. "Whatever Eyecon you two are aiming for from Mrs. Murasame, you are going to have to get through me you damn bastards!" Specter bellowed and charged towards the two Ganma in rage.

---

Basara walked to Enrique's place to see and talk to him. It wasn't easy to get an address but the school nurse, Hasegawa helped him with the address. He was grateful for her help but he would notice the nurse held some concern regarding the topic of Enrique.

Something told him the school nurse became aware of Enrique's activities as the phantom combatant. How much did the school nurse know regarding his senpai's doings?

There were questions that needed to be answered and that was to talk to Enrique. Nearing the complex his senior lived in, he was about to climb the steps but paused when his ears faintly picked up sounds. Looking to the house across the complex, he stepped down and approached the small household.

Suddenly, Basara saw Specter was smashed through several trash cans from the alley before he rolled on the ground. The brunette was surprised by this as Specter slowly stood on his knee and foot before something attacked the Phantom Rider with something and Specter dodged it by rolling on the ground.

At first, Basara was bewildered but when Specter delivered a strike with the sword, it was there he saw a brief glimpse of a dark spirit wielding a spear.

It was a spirit similar to the one that attacked him and his sisters. His eyes saw the Rider buckle forward due to a strike from the back before punching whatever attacked him, revealing the glimpse of another attacker.

His senior was fighting two spirits instead of one.

While the brunette couldn't see them, Specter's occasional attacks made the dark spirits visible for a brief second. Once again, it left Basara with questions about Specter's capability to see the spirits.

Was he exiled like him? There were many questions regarding the phantom rider.

Specter grunted in pain after the Katana Ganma struck the teen's armor. However the force of impact caused one of his Eyecons to fall out of his armor. Basara noticed the Eye object that fell from Specter's person and landed close to him.

The exiled Hero sensed a sliver of power in the object. Slowly, he reached for the Eyecon but when he grabbed it, he was treated with an unexpected surprise.

"What the…" Basara uttered. The moment he touched the Edison Eyecon, he saw the two dark spirits. Releasing his hand on the object, he couldn't see the spirits. His emerald eyes drift to the Eyecon of Edison. The Eyecon was enabling him to see the unseen.

Looking at the ongoing fight, the first-year could see the trouble his upperclassman was suffering. His gaze narrowed before conjuring his gauntlet and sword. If he can finally see them without trouble, then he can finally stop the dark spirits.

Just when the Katana Ganma was going to strike Specter's back, Basara blocked the attack in time using his sword. The intervention surprised the two Ganmas and Specter as well.

"Basara?! What are you doing here?!"

"Helping you."

The two Ganma frowned before noticing the reason. "Look at that. He has an Eyecon in hand." Yari hummed, tapping his lance.

Specter immediately noticed the Edison Eyecon in Basara's left hand as well.

'So that's how he's able to see them,' Specter thought as he realized it. The Eyecon allowed Basara to see the Ganma. He never thought it could do that. Unlike Basara, he can see them without an Eyecon ever since he was a child.

Looks like that's one of the functions the Eyecons have. Now it piqued his curiosity but he had two Ganma to get rid of. Focusing on Katana, Specter blocked its large blade but the Yari was about to thrust its weapon. However, Basara intervened again and blocked the Ganma's spear. Shoving the weapon up, the brunette swiftly struck the Ganma but it managed to block it with the length of the yari. It buckled slightly but it wasn't deterred from the brunette.

"Persistent, aren't ya, young Hero?" Yari hissed.

Basara's brows furrowed slightly. The spirit was aware of his status. "All I want is answers."

"Too bad you will die before you can get them!" Yari leaped back before thrusting his weapon, launching a burst of air.

The exiled Hero brought his sword and gauntlet up to shield himself, the ends of his blazer tearing. 'This spirit uses the weapon professionally while using its techniques to deliver powerful attacks.' The Hero studied.

The brunette swiftly evaded the next thrust and went for a stance. However the spirit twirled the lance to parry it, the blade brushing past cloth instead. The Ganma glided back as he and Katana stood together.

"Well, this is bothersome."

The predicament annoyed the Katana Ganma as the spiritual duo needed to awaken the Eyecon. They had already wasted time by fighting the two humans.

"Let's go." Katana ordered Yari. "We have to continue our task of the Eyecon."

"Got it." The Yari Ganma grunted before the two retreated into the night.

"Stop…!" Specter grunted, using his sword as support. However his demand was ignored, sending frustration to the phantom rider. "Damn it!"

"They got away…"

Specter darted his attention to Basara. More importantly, the Eyecon Basara had in his hand. Dismissing his armor for a moment, Enrique marched up to Basara and snatched the Edison Eyecon from the first year's hand. "This doesn't belong to you." The second-year warned.

"Senpai, just what is that item and how is it able to allow me to see the spirit clearly?"

"It's none of your business, Basara. You are to stay out of it. I don't care if you are a Hero or whatever, this is my mission!" Enrique snapped. "No one else should deal with this except me!" He shoved the First-Year by the shoulder and marched off.

Basara watched him leave, a small frown present. There was immense hatred in those words. His senior was fueled by it to fight yet he protects people. What kind of hatred is leading his upperclassmen to fight endlessly against the dark spirits?

---

"So the Ganma are targeting your landlord?"

After the retreat of the two Ganma, Enrique had to call Hasegawa and she met him in the park as the woman was cleaning any bruises or wounds that pierced through the armor. Given it was now nighttime, he and the nurse were the only ones around.

"Yeah… but instead two Ganma showed up instead of one." Enrique hissed when the school nurse applied medicine to a cut on his arm.

"Two?" Chisato repeated. "Normally you usually encounter one empowered Ganma."

"Yeah, which is a problem now." He winced at the cold, sterile touch to the cut on his arm.

The school nurse began to apply the needed bandages on his injuries. However her eyes looked up slightly to notice him being troubled about something. And it didn't seem to involve his landlord from the looks of it due to the brief sense of frustration.

"Is something wrong?" Chisato asked him.

The phantom rider grimaced at the memory of Basara's interference. "Someone intervened in my fight, trying to help me."

"Oh? Did you let them help you?"

"No… and I didn't want his help." He murmured. "I didn't want to get him involved when it's my mission to stop the Ganma."

Chisato frowned slightly at his answer. "Enrique. You really should have faith in those trying to help you."

"But-"

"I understand why you don't want others to be involved but eventually you must place some trust in people. Just as you are putting trust in me to treat your wounds and help you recover."

The young man bit his lip, recalling their previous talk.

Applying the last of the bandages, she gently patted the bandage. "Just remember what I said to you last time, okay?" She insisted.

"Okay…" He murmured.

Chisato gave a gentle smile at her student. Enrique lowered his head and glanced at the water in the fountain. How can he place his trust? This was his mission… but he didn't want to lose his chance to bring back his family.

His fingers dug into his palms and stood up from his spot. He wanted to acknowledge it but he felt hesitant. He didn't want others to get hurt in his mission.

"Why does this have to be so complicated?" He grumbled to himself.

"Well, it's all a part of life. That is why humans should have friends who are willing to help them. And you're no exception." Chisato said before she kissed him on the cheek, which caused Enrique to blush and backed away from the school nurse.

"M-M-Ms. Hasegawa?!" Enrique stuttered as Chisato chuckled at him.

"What's wrong? Did you not like it?" Chisato asked.

"No! I mean yes! No! I-I mean… Anyway, I should probably go check on my landlord to see if she's alright!" Enrique stood up and ran away. "Thanks again for treating my wounds!"

As Chisato watched him leave, she couldn't help but smile at him as she placed a hand on her cheek.

"He's so fun to tease." Chisato hummed.

---

With morning arriving, Enrique decided to visit the house of his landlord to check on her. After finishing his daily routine, he stood in front of the door. He took a deep breath and knocked on it.

"Coming!" said Murasame as she walked to the door and opened it. "Oh Enrique-san?"

"Hello, Mrs. Murasame. I didn't interrupt you did I?" Enrique asked. Murasame shook her head, "No. But why are you here?"

"Oh… I… I just wanted to check on you to see if you're alright." Enrique told her.

"I see…" Murasame said.

"Would it be alright if I come in?" Enrique requested.

Murasame blinked before she thought about it and nodded.

"Of course. Be my guest." Murasame said as she let Enrique in her house as he walked inside.

"Thank you." Enrique said.

As Enrique walked inside he looked around the house, every time he came inside he couldn't help but feel a strange sense of warmth and nostalgia in his landlady's home.

He was used to seeing it almost every week but paused when he noticed the cabinet from before it was opened. He hardly saw it open during his visits and finally spotted what was inside - a small memorial shrine. On it was a fresh pot of flowers, some lit incense candles, and a small amount of food.

"Oh you were doing a prayer?" Enrique asked and Murasame nodded.

"Yes. For my husband… and my son." She told him.

The answer surprised Enrique. He didn't know his landlady had a son.

"You mentioned your husband passed away but… you never mentioned a son." Enrique noticed.

"He was around your age when it happened…" She told him. "It was on the day of his graduation, we were going to have a big feast to celebrate… but then it happened, apparently a girl he was going out with was having some trouble with her ex-boyfriend and then he was going to run them over with his car. My son's girlfriend survived but he died after he pushed her out of the way…"

Enrique was both stunned and saddened to hear that.

"I-I'm sorry to hear that. How old would your son have been now?" Enrique asked softly.

"He would have been 27 yesterday." The woman sighed sadly.

Enrique looked at the owner of the complex then at the shrine. The previous day was not only the death of her son but the day they met. No wonder she would talk to him so much on that day.

"Whenever I look at you, I often see him in your place." She took a deep breath to ease the memories that surfaced. "It pains me to this day."

"That's why you wanted to see me yesterday." He realized.

"Hai…" Murasame nodded as she wiped away her tears. "I know how this will sound, but I was starting to see my son in you. Almost like you were his reincarnation."

"I see…" Enrique said.

"I'm sorry… I know it sounds like I'm replacing my son with you, but I just couldn't help it." Murasame told him.

"No, it's alright. I don't mind if you see me like that." Enrique told her as he waved his hands, and Murasame was surprised by that.

"R-Really?" Enrique nodded before he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah. And truth be told, I sometimes consider you the closest thing I have to a mother. Ever since I lost my family, no one else has ever looked out for me before. Which is one of the reasons I'm glad you took me in. Truly, I'm really grateful." Enrique told his landlord, and Murasame was moved to tears as she cried while trying to wipe away her tears.

It was an honest answer. Aside from Yurusen, no one looked out for him. He had to learn things on his own whenever Yurusen wasn't able to. He saw Yurusen as family yes but parental care was something he never felt growing up after the Ganma killed his parents.

The reason for his kindness and such was all due to the widow beside him. She helped him regain a part of himself through the two years of his stay. During his visits, she would give him lessons on school subjects since he wasn't enrolled in high school when he arrived in Japan. He adapted thanks to her help.

"Thank you… It means so much for me to hear you say that." Murasame told the young man in front of her.

Shortly after that, the two enjoyed a nice cup of tea and snacks as they began to talk about their families with smiles on their faces. After that, Enrique stood outside of his landlady's house as she was standing in front of her.

"Thanks again for the tea and snacks, Mrs. Murasame. They were delicious." Enrique told her.

"Thank you. I'm glad to hear that they were to your liking. Please be sure to visit me again sometime." Murasame requested and Enrique nodded.

"Of course I will." Enrique said.

After saying their goodbyes Enrique left for his apartment as he and Murasame waved to each other. As he was leaving, Murasame couldn't help but smile in gratitude for Enrique by visiting her.

"My… Wasn't that touching?"

Murasame blinked to the voice before she looked around but saw no one around.

"But tell me, is this truly what you want?" The voice asked as Murasame felt a sense of dread around her.

"W-Who are you? What are you?" Murasame asked as she continued to look around for the source of that voice.

"Someone who can help you bring back those you've lost. You prayed every day and now we are answering you in return."

"Nani?" Murasame blinked as her heart was beating slowly when her eyes laid upon the shrine.

"Your family. Don't you want them back?" The other voice whispered in her mind. "To stop the pain festering in your soul?"

"I…" Her eyes slowly clouded over. "I… do…"

"Then grab it and bring it to them tomorrow. Pray for them. Let your bond bring them back."

---

The next day arrived and thankfully there were no classes for the day. The phantom rider mulled over the conversation he had with his landlord on the previous day, and since she's the Ganma's next target, he couldn't help but feel worried about her.

Enrique decided to visit her home once again as he knocked on the door.

"Mrs. Murasame. It's me, can I come in?" Enrique called but received no answer, but that is when he noticed that the door had slightly opened from his knocks. "She left her door open? That's not like her."

Feeling even more worried, Enrique opened the door and walked inside. He looked around the house to find that Murasame was nowhere inside of her house as he called out to her.

"Mrs. Murasame! Are you here?" He called out but received no answer again. "Okay, something is definitely not right here. Did the Ganma get to her while I was gone?"

If they were after the item related to the landlady then he had to look around for clues to where she went. He knew the landlady and her to suddenly vanish wasn't like her.

As he looked around, he saw something on the coffee table. It wasn't there when he was here previously. Enrique slowly approached to notice a book - a photo album. He delicately opened it, seeing the pages of memories in the book. Pages from the marriage to the landlady's son. Each photo was something his landlady cherished given their passing. His eyes softened at each memory. "She really misses them…" It reminded him of his time with his late parents. He moved the page over but the next page caught his attention.

"A news article?" His eyes wandered across the words. "They had an artifact?" Now wondering more regarding the priceless item, he looked at the page on the right.

He saw a photo with a familiar shrine on it, and it had a sword hanging under. Seeing that sword made Enrique remember Senin's words.

"So the sword…" Enrique uttered in shock. His eyes darted to the shrine he saw last time and noticed the blade was missing.

Now the pieces are finally coming together.

The American immediately bolted out of the house and whistled. The Machine Hoodie in its disguise immediately answered to his call, stopping by the curb. He quickly hopped on and placed the helmet over his head before revving the engine to sped off.

He drove as fast as the motorcycle could go towards the cemetery. After realizing so much about the landlady's past and how much her son was to her, even the relic that belonged to him. The sword was not just an ordinary sword. Her son owned a priceless relic that was the blade once owned by Musashi Miyamoto that Mrs. Murasame's husband gave him as a gift. They never discovered its value and importance until that day.

Thus, she had a strong connection towards the blade which the Ganma are after. He won't let them kill her!

---

The cemetery was quiet while the wind brushed across the area. Walking up the stairs that lead to the cemetery was Murasame holding the sword in her hands as she was in a trance-like state.

When she finally walked up the stairs, she approached the family grave of her husband and son. That is when she heard the voices again as the grave gave off an anonymous light and aura.

"Pray for them. Let the pain within vanish."

Murasame's eyes became hollow as she fell on her knees and lowered her head. Placing the sword down, she offered the weapon to the grave of her late son and husband.

"Please… please bring them back…" The landlady begged to the air.

The sword and herself were starting to be shrouded in the ominous violet colors. The pain and sorrow was starting to overcome her soul. The two Ganma chuckled darkly, witnessing the process slowly beginning.

"Just a little more before it begins." Katana hummed.

"Hehe, I can smell the Eyecon already!" Yari agreed.

"Leave her alone!"

The two spirits turned around, noticing Enrique. "Yare, yare. It's the Specter brat." Yari recognized.

"You won't manipulate her for your sick goals!" He raised his Eyecon, pressing the key and placing it inside after summoning the Ghost Driver.

EYE!

BATCHIRIMIRO! BATCHIRIMIRO!

"Henshin!" Enrique said as he pushed the lever on his Driver.

KAIGAN! SPECTER…

READY GO! KAKUGO! DOKI DOKI GHOST!

The Damashii shrouded Enrique's armor, forming the armor of Specter. "And this time, I will make sure you are wiped off this realm for it!"

"Do try. You know this fight will be the end - for you."

With an irritated release of breath, Specter lunged at the two. He wanted them to pay for manipulating the landlady he knew for two years. He slid across the ground and planted his hands firmly on the pavement before delivering two kicks across the two Ganma. While they don't have mouths, he was sure it would have broken a tooth or two if they were flesh and blood.

Now in between the two, Specter punched Katana in the face before using the other fist to punch Yari. He delivered them brutally but Yari halted the attack and spun the teen mid-air.

The landing caused Specter to lose air and saw the incoming sword. He rolled to the right, narrowly avoiding death.

The Yari bellowed in which Specter aimed his weapon to fire. That was just what the Gamma wanted. Using his weapon, the Ganma pole vaulted over the gunfire and slammed his foot against Specter's helmet. The kick sent the Rider reeling in which Yari grinned and swung the blade of his lance across the black armor of Specter.

"Gah!" Specter belted out in pain as he staggered backwards. He tried to stop the Yari Ganma's assault but Katana Ganma would use the opening to strike his back, creating a blast of sparks.

His cries of pain snapped the landlady from her trance. She knew that voice. She laid her eyes upon Specter as his voice was someone she knew. It was Enrique inside the armor. Murasame's eyes widened in horror upon seeing her tenant's pain.

The phantom rider stopped the lance from stabbing him again and shoved it aside. With it, he used his weapon to stop Katana's blade from cutting his armor. His feet slowly scraped across the pathwalk, the Ganma pushing him back to overpower him with the blade and comrade.

Specter buckled when he felt a heavy blow to his stomach no thanks to Katana before being flung back by the use of Yari's weapon. The rider rolled across the ground, stopping beside the landlady. The teen growled and stood back up but Murasame didn't want him to go by grabbing the hem of his jacket

"Enrique, please stop!" The landlady tugged Specter's parka jacket. "You are getting hurt more than you already are!"

"I have to stop them, Mrs. Murasame!" The Phantom Rider grunted. He had no time to explain to her about his secret as a fighter. He tried to move but the landlady couldn't release her hold on his coat. "You have to let me go so I can stop them!"

Having enough of his words, the woman shut her eyes and broke down in tears. "I don't want to lose someone who reminds me of my son!" Murasame cried out in sorrow, stopping Specter. "I don't want my life to repeat again, not again…"

The Rider looked back at the crying widow, recalling their conversations and her past. His fingers curled into his palms before he kneeled down and gripped the widow's shoulders, earning her attention.

"I won't perish nor will I let your past be repeated, Mrs. Murasame!" Specter said to her. "No matter what, you can't let those Ganma fool you to think this will bring them back!"

Murasame felt her eyes brim with tears.

"If I learned anything from you, your son wanted to help people! Just as I am doing right now to save you! Don't let yourself die for them! Remember the good memories you had with them!" He was close to harboring his own tears. To remember his four years with his family. Memories he cherished to his heart.

The elderly woman hugged him, reminded of the words her son once told her. The young man was right. She may have lost her family, she eventually gained the help of someone on that day. The Kamen Rider before her being that chance to relive the good memories, not the bad. Her son and husband may be gone, but they would always watch over her from the great beyond.

Upon sensing her bond, the antique sword was shrouded in a golden glow instead of the violet aura it originally held.

"The relic!" The two Ganma saw it. The chance to obtain the Eyecon was in their grasp!

Specter noticed it as well as he released his hold on the landlady and tackled the Katana Ganma. However it gave Yari the chance to pick it up.

"I got it!" Yari raised the blade in the air. "We will have the Eyecon in our grasp!"

"No!" Specter yelled out.

"HA!" Yari belted a scream in pain when he felt a harsh strike against its back and the glowing katana landed in the familiar brunette's hand.

"Basara?" The Rider was astonished to see Basara arrive again. Was the brunette following him after their argument?

The first year saw the glow around the blade, surprised by its aura. There was power coursing through it that was waiting to be awakened.

"… Basara! I need you to toss it to me!" The phantom rider shouted. "It's the only way!"

As much as curiosity getting the best of him, his senpai knew it would resolve whatever is happening here. "Catch!" said Basara and threw it to his senior.

Specter rolled under the Ganma's blade and grabbed hold of the katana. With the sword shrouded in the golden aura, Specter initiated the seal, drawing the symbol and allowed the Damashii to manifest into reality.

It flew around before it hovered down, revealing the new Damashii. It was red as blood with silver plating on the shoulders and swords on its invisible arms.

"Musashi…"

"Miyamoto Musashi …?" Basara realized. His senior summoned the spirit of the most well-known swordsman of Japan.

Specter stared at the red Damashii. "Musashi. Lend me your strength! To remove the pain that the Ganma wishes to leave behind to the people! To show them our souls burn with determination!"

The Damashii studied Specter with piercing eyes, judging his words before nodding in acceptance. It hovered close to the Kamen Rider before entering the Ghost Driver. The rider cupped his hand to allow the new Eyecon to materialize on his hand. With the object manifested, it revealed the Eyecon. The back of it held a red color while the top had the symbol of Musashi alongside the name and the number '01'.

Specter recalled Chisato's words as he stared at the Eyecon.

'You need to realize that someday, you can't handle the burden on your own. Otherwise, you won't be able to save anyone. To have allies who can help rather than being one person alone to fight.'

'I understand it now…' Specter murmured in his head. He can't fight alone on this. Not this time. Specter raised his hand, showing the Eyecon of Musashi. With it activated, he switched his Specter Eyecon with Musashi.

EYE!

BATCHIRIMIRO! BATCHIRIMIRO!

The red Damashii shoved away Yari and Katana, flying high into the air and around Specter.

KAIGAN! MUSASHI!

"KETTO! ZUBATTO! CHOKENGO!" the belt chimed, as the Damashii placed itself onto Specter. Giving him the red parka jacket, but his faceplate was now a full black color with two red swords crossed together. It also had a small headband on his head and where the horns were placed. It also had a samurai bun on the hoodie, but instead of hair it was a hilt and pommel of a katana.

Brandishing the GanGunSaber, the weapon glowed which prompted Specter to grab a piece of the sword and pull it off to fold the piece out, giving him twin swords to deal with the two Ganma.

The phantom rider briefly glanced at his underclassman and said, "Basara… let's do this... as a team."

The brunette paused and looked at his senior in surprise. Specter tossed Basara the Edison Eyecon, allowing him to see the Ganma once more. The phantom rider was starting to put his trust in him.

"Alright." The exiled Hero nodded as the two faced the two Ganma. "How do you want to play this?"

"Katana is mine. You handle Yari. As long as you hold that Eyecon, you can see them." Specter advised. "Now… let's show them… our way of life." The moment he said that, Specter charged towards Katana while Basara dashed to Yari.

"Have at it you brats!" Yari challenged before the two spirits met in the middle as the spear-wielder went after the brunette.

The exiled Hero ducked from the thrust of the lance and went for a strike. However from his peripheral vision, he saw Yari twist his grip and went to strike him. The brunette stopped himself and used his gauntlet to stop the swing. He felt the wind brush against his cheek. The spirit placed a lot of force into the swing.

The teen dodged the fist and immediately moved the spear to strike the Ganma. The spirit staggered in pain, clutching its wound. "You little…!"

It dashed towards Basara but the latter narrowly avoided the attack. However the Hero was knocked off his feet when the spear swiftly brushed across the floor.

The brunette grimaced but saw the lance aiming to stab him into the ground. Basara blocked Yari's lance with the flat end of his blade and gripped the pole of the lance upon seeing the opening. Using Brynhildr, the exiled Hero quickly cut off the sharp end of the spear.

"M-My weapon!" The Ganma staggered in horror. "Kiiisamaa!" Using the remnants of the spear, he planned to impale the brat for ruining his weapon. It was unacceptable!

Basara dodged the thrust and quickly delivered the fatal blow across its form, cutting clean through the spirit.

The Ganma grunted, clutching its torso in pain as sparks crawled across its body. It felt disbelief at its loss. Specter was always the one to kill their kin but now, a young Hero finally delivered the fatal blow on a Ganma.

"How… can I lose to a brat… like you?!" The Yari Ganma weakly demanded before he screamed in agony and was consumed in an explosion. Basara watched as the parka separated from the Ganma as it too exploded while a spear and shattered Ganma Eyecon clattered on the ground.

The dark spirit was no more. He actually slain a dark spirit. He wouldn't have been able to defeat it if it wasn't for his senpai's help by lending him an Eyecon.

---

Swords collided as Katana and Specter were continuing their fight. It was finally at even ground thanks to the Eyecon the Rider gained and he wasn't going to go down easily this time.

Katana rolled across the ground after it felt one of Specter's swords cut him. The dark spirit grunted before rising up to its feet, seeing Specter slowly approach and came to a stop.

"I won't lose this time, Katana. It's only you and me here."

The Ganma clicked his tongue in frustration but nonetheless accepted the challenge. He slid one foot and readied himself, making Specter do the same. "Very well then, Specter. Let this be our duel as samurai."

Specter and Katana Ganma faced each other on the bridge, both holding their weapons tightly. Or in the Ganma's case, cradling it. Both waited patiently as the wind gently brushed against their forms.

The sunlight was hidden at first, slowly casting across the garden until it fully painted the area with its bright color. Upon doing so, they dashed towards one another and clashed swords.

"You shouldn't have interfered, Specter! You have meddled in our fairs long enough."

"After what you guys took from me 13 years ago, I have the right to do so." Specter shot back in anger. He twisted his body to evade the slash and delivered a horizontal attack across the Ganma's coat.

The spirit leaned back slightly but not enough as it felt the blade graze its body. However Specter shoved it back with a kick to its torso.

Katana flicked his arm and unleashed an arc of energy towards the brat. Specter grunted and used both blades to stop it. He was pushed back slightly but he valiantly struck the attack, causing the arc to break in half and hit the ground behind him.

"And this time, you will regret manipulating Mrs. Murasame for your goal!"

The spirit scoffed. "You honestly believe bonds with them matter? Look at the ones my kin tried to persuade."

"All you did was bring them into ruin and kill them!" He stopped Katana's blade. "They are not tools for your sick gain!"

"Says you! Aren't you using them as well for the Eyecons?!"

The statement caused Specter's blood to boil. "You think I am using them?!" He mercilessly struck the Ganma. "The only thing I am doing is stopping you Ganma… to help those people you manipulated!" He struck the bastard again and again, sending the kaijin staggering.

"This isn't the end yet, Specter! Not by a long shot!" Katana barked and bent his knees slightly.

Specter stared at the Ganma before he realized what it was thus he holstered his swords to his hips.

As their last stand, the two remained still with their swords held tightly again. Only this time, they had a steady stance and the edge of their weapons kept hidden and bent their knees slightly - an Iaijutsu.

The wind brushed against them and a leaf fluttered as it slowly fell towards the pond. There was silence between them before the leaf touched the water. When it did, the action called upon them and made a swift dash to each other with their blades out.

The swipe of their blades was so strong, it pushed the grass around them, bending the plantlife to form a ring that surrounded the duo.

With their marks delivered, the two waited to see who earned the fatal blow. For Specter he felt no pain whatsoever in his body. However the Katana Ganma grunted in pain as sparks cast off its body.

"Our duel… ends in… my defeat…!?" Katana groaned, falling to its stomach and exploded. When the dust settled, the shattered Ganma Eyecon revealed itself alongside a katana.

Specter swiftly flicked his blades before he sheathed them slowly, the said weapons vanishing into flames.

---

With the fight finally over, the rider had to check on the damage in the area. He was glad no tombstone or altar was desecrated during the fight. With the area clear, Enrique gently helped the old lady. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine." The landlady smiled kindly.

"Er… about the sword…" The teen scratched his head nervously. "I know it was a memento-"

The elderly woman gently raised her hand. "It's alright. I should thank you for helping me see things clearly." She smiled. "At least now, I can continue onward rather than being attached to the past..." she took a deep breath to ease her mind.

The American bit his lip for a moment before raising his head.

"Mrs. Murasame, there's something I have been meaning to ask. What brought you to suddenly allow me to stay in the apartment complex two years ago? I mean… was it because I reminded you of your son?"

The old woman sighed, "Young man. Do you remember the day we met?" Enrique slowly nodded. "No one should turn back on someone such as you, especially at such an age when you still have a future ahead of you. Perhaps it was fate, maybe it was something else." She glanced at the Eyecon of Musashi. "But in the end, bonds with others do matter. Surely someone has told you about it?"

The Phantom Rider remembered Hasegawa's words of advice.

"I… understand why now." Enrique admitted. "I know it isn't easy for my life being alone but what I do know… I will show others how I live my way of life. With people I can trust."

Mrs. Murasame used her sleeve to hide a giggle. "You really do remind me of my son." She confessed. "Always willing to help others was the one thing you two have in common. You two would have become good friends. I just wish… I could see them again…"

Enrique saw something which he gently made his landlady turn to see the sight. "I think that might give enough closure." By the graves were the spirits of her son and husband, their forms shrouded in golden auras. They smiled and waved at the elderly woman before they vanished.

The widow felt her lips quiver and realized they would always watch over her. "Enrique." The old lady smiled in gratitude, her eyes swelling in tears. "Thank you… Thank you for giving this old lady a chance to remember the good memories of her family."

"Anything to help a friend." He immediately paused at the word that left his mouth - A friend. He glanced at his landlord before he gently bowed. "I should get going. Just, let me know if you need anything."

"Of course."

Enrique waved and made his way, leaving his landlady by the family grave.

The landlady solemnly stared at the family grave, grateful for what Enrique had done for her. She was happy.

"Murasame-san?" Murasame blinked before she turned around and saw a young woman standing behind her.

She looked to be about 27 years old, with black hair that reached to her shoulders and matching eyes, she was wearing black clothing that was suitable to pay one's respect to a grave.

Murasame's eyes widened as she recognized her as her son's girlfriend years ago.

"It's you… Yuriko. What are you doing here?" Murasame asked. Yuriko quickly hid something behind her back and the elderly woman saw it was a bouquet of flowers.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know you were here!" Yuriko said as she was about to leave…

"Wait!" Murasame called out and Yuriko stopped as she tightly closed her eyes in fear. "If you're here to pay your respects, then please do so."

Yuriko's eyes opened in shock as she looked at the mother of her long deceased boyfriend, as the mother showed her a welcoming look on her face.

After a few minutes Yuriko placed the flowers on the Murasame's family grave and then paid her respects as the only living Murasame watched over her.

"It's been quite some time since I last saw you." Murasame told her and Yuriko nodded.

"Yes…"

"But you didn't show up for my son's funeral." Murasame said and Yuriko flinched.

"I was there in a sense. But I've kept my distance from you." Yuriko told her and Murasame blinked to hear that.

"Why is that?" Murasame asked.

"Because… I thought you blamed me for your son's death…" Yuriko murmured as her body started to shake and Murasame saw tear drops falling from her eyes and to the ground. "In all honesty I don't blame you. Because of my problems, he died. I sometimes found myself wondering, why me? Why did he die protecting me? I should've been the one to die that day. I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

Yuriko raised her head the moment she felt Murasame placing her hand on her shoulder. The older woman showed her a smile of assurance for the girl.

"It's alright. I never once blamed you for his death. If anything, I should be the one apologizing for not coming to talk to you sooner." Murasame told her.

"Murasame-san…" Yuriko muttered as Murasame wiped away her tears.

"Tell me this though, did you truly love my son?" Murasame asked and Yuriko blinked before she nodded.

"Yes… Even to this day I still love him. But that sounds hypocritical now…" Murasame blinked before she saw the ring on Yuriko's finger and now understood why.

"I see. Well, you shouldn't feel that way. I'm sure he'll be happy to know you've found love again." Murasame told him, and Yuriko was surprised to hear that.

"Murasame…" Yuriko wiped away the remaining traces of her tears. "Thank you. It means a lot to hear you say that."

"You're most welcome." Murasame said as she looked at the flowers that Yuriko had placed on her family's grave. "Now that I think about it. I often saw those same flowers on the day of his death. So it was you all along."

"Hai…" Yuriko nodded. "I always make sure to visit whenever I get the chance, so I'll never forget him and how he saved my life."

"I see…" Murasame said with a smile and held Yuriko's hand. "But if you want, you can come visit me as well whenever you like."

Yuriko was surprised to hear that.

"R-Really? Are you sure?" Yuriko asked and Murasame nodded.

"Of course. I could always use more company." Murasame told her.

"Thank you. And also… I have a son and a daughter, will it be alright if I bring them along with my husband?" Yuriko asked and Murasame nodded.

"Of course. The more the merrier I say."

Yuriko smiled as Murasame returned the smile as well. Enrique watched them from the tree as he smiled at them. He first noticed the woman when he began to leave and managed to put the pieces together the moment she neared the grave of Murasame's son and husband.

'Another bond was mended.'

Glad to see everything resolved, the Rider left the two and made his way down the stairs. He stopped halfway when he noticed Basara by the motorcycle. His underclassman must have waited for him.

After walking down, Enrique stood by Basara before giving a glance. "I'll tell you what I know, Basara. Bring your sister and whoever you trust and only them to my apartment. No one else."

Basara nodded. At least this was a step to understand more of his senior and why he fought the dark spirits called Ganma.

---

After an hour of waiting, Enrique checked the time on his cobraphone. At first he thought Basara wouldn't know which way was the apartment complex but heard the knock on the door.

Moving himself from the sofa, he walked over to the door and opened it to notice Basara and his sisters alongside Nonoka.

"Senpai." Basara acknowledged.

"Basara." Enrique glanced at the brunette's companions. He sighed. "Come in."

The four entered the apartment as the four noticed the living space being normal like most teenagers who live on their own. However they could briefly see medical bandages kept in the garbage can which no doubt were already used from their senior's recent fights.

"Make yourselves comfortable while I prepare drinks." The Rider insisted.

The first years nodded and they began to be acquainted with their senior's place. It was fairly moderate to say the least. Maria on the other hand was checking under the cushions even a brief check of his room before rejoining the others.

"Not a single magazine." Maria noted. She expected the teen to own several but nope, he had none. The entire interior of the apartment was rather average but given his battles, it was obvious he wasn't that invested in adding decorations to the place.

"Seriously, Maria? That's what you are wondering about?" Mio questioned.

"What? Can't I at least be curious about what this guy does when he isn't fighting?"

"I am not like others, mind you." The succubus jumped when they saw Enrique with a tray but held a frown. "I have more important matters to focus on... than having a normal life like others." His tone turned bitter after the last half of his response.

Setting the tray down, he allowed his underclassmen to grab their drinks while the phantom rider took a seat.

"Thank you." Basara thanked. The American nodded until the young Exiled Hero added, "What can you tell us… about what has been going on. What are those spirits? And why are they hostile and after people?"

"Everything that will be said here, has to, and will remain between us in this room, understood?" Enrique informed his underclassmen.

"Hai."

The American stared before he closed his eyes and sighed. "Yurusen, manifest yourself."

Mio raised an eyebrow and asked, "Yurusen? Who's-"

"BOO!" The small ghost appeared from a puff of smoke.

"Kyaah!" Mio screamed upon seeing the ghost.

"Bwahahahaha!" Yurusen rolled across the air, clutching his stomach from laughter. "Oh you should have seen the look on your face! Priceless~!" He felt a hand grab his head. "GEH!"

"Yuru-sen," Enrique frowned at the ghost. "How many times have I told you not to do that?"

"But it is fun to see their shocked faces, especially the redhead here!"

"Great… another Maria…" Basara mumbled. "At least he doesn't get us into awkward situations…"

"Right, everyone, this is Yurusen." Enrique introduced the ghost in his grip. "He became my family for a long time."

"A ghost… is your family?" Maria raised an eyebrow in bewilderment. "I've never seen a ghost that looks like an eyeball in my life."

"Hey! Says the loli succubus!"

"Loli!?" Maria was surprised over the title the ghost gave her.

"You are on-OWOWOWOWOW!" The ghost squirmed as he felt a rising headache from Enrique's tightening grip on his head.

"I also told you not to insult someone you just met, Yurusen."

"At least there is someone who does the same as I do," Mio crossed her arms, glaring at Maria, who chuckled nervously over the glare. At least Mio wasn't the only one who felt the same way towards the one who can be annoying.

"With that out of the way…" Basara sighed. "What exactly are these 'Ganma'?"

"Dark beings of the Ganma realm," Yurusen explained.

"You mean… there is another realm other than the Demon realm?" Maria gasped.

"Yes but it is a very bad place. If demons or even angels and humans go there, they could immediately get sick and die."

"What!?"

"The atmosphere is what prevents anyone else from having a prolonged stay there. Plus, you must know the Art to create the portal. Ganma can cross over to any realm they wish. And they are invisible to any known eye."

"Then… how can a Ganma be seen?"

"The Eyecons."

"Eye what?"

Enrique showed his Specter Eyecon. "This is an Eyecon." He hid his real answer given they aren't aware of him being able to see the Ganma without an Eyecon. He wasn't sure if it was a power given to him when he was young or something he was born with.

"Yup and there are hundreds of them out there. Each one having the soul of a legendary hero. Enrique, show them Nobunaga."

The said teen presented the Nobunaga Eyecon. "That there holds the soul of Oda Nobunaga."

"So this 'Eyecon'... holds the soul of Oda Nobunaga himself?" Basara is shocked. An eyeball item had the capability to contain a soul from the past. Then it meant the yellow Eyecon held the soul of Thomas Edison. Now it was starting to make sense.

"Indeed, all of them are very powerful in each field."

"Why are the Ganma after these Eyecons?"

Yurusen seemed hesitant before he looked at Enrique. "Should I tell them? I know Sennin and I told you but…" he glanced at the three first-year students and loli. "I don't know if I should tell them."

"You can tell them, Yurusen. I am putting my trust in them." Enrique assured him.

The small ghost sighed, "Fine… if someone gathers the first fifteen Eyecons, they can get a wish. A wish on anything they want."

This surprised the three completely. The Eyecons have the ability to grant a wish for anything they dreamed of.

"How can you know all of this?" Basara questioned.

"Gramps told me and Yurusen added details to it," Enrique answered. "I discovered this after the Nodachi attacked you and your sisters."

"Gramps?" They repeated.

"A sage who looked out for me before the start of my travels around the world." He clarified.

"You have been traveling?" Mio was next to ask.

"To places that held historical importance since they are connected to the Eyecons. I didn't know about it until the Eyecons were explained to me." Their upperclassman continued. He inhaled through his nose and exhaled. "Now you all know what I have been doing."

He gauged each of their reactions to better understand their view towards him. While the bluenette still looked at him with a slight narrowed gaze, the others acknowledged his reasons.

Nonaka had many questions regarding the American. He was human yet harnessed the power of the souls. His presence was undetected by the Heroes until recently. She wanted answers but her senpai would keep them close until they gained more of his trust.

To Basara and his sisters, their senpai was trying to stop the Gamma from collecting the Eyecons to gain the wish. Anyone would have gone for such a prize - to claim a wish on anything they dream of. Question is, what kind of wish was the Rider aiming for?

"May I ask something?" Yuki inquired, earning a nod. "If you were to gain all 15, what would you wish for? What I see is something far beyond understanding due to this revelation."

Basara wanted to speak but Enrique raised his hand. "Let her, Basara. I'll humor her." He looked at her, his face contorted to a scowl. "If you are insinuating I have something nefarious in mind when I make the wish, then you are dead wrong." He hissed. "My wish is personal and that's it."

"Yuki, it's best not to ask about his wish." Yuki gave a look at Basara. "Senpai is putting his trust in us, we should respect his choice."

Yuki felt a tinge of frustration but relented and understood the reasons. "Alright…" She turned her attention to her senior. "What is your step now?"

The American took a deep breath. "For now, I will find out anything regarding the next Eyecon. When I do, I'll let you guys know so we can divide our search and stop any Ganma that tries to hurt people who are connected to the Eyecons. Aside from you four, Ms. Hasegawa is aware of my investigations of the Eyecons."

"She knows you are 'Specter'?"

"Yeah…" He suppressed the memory of her kiss. "She looks out for me regarding any injuries I sustain." He relaxed against his seat. "Now that you guys know what to do, I hope it settles some matters."

"It does, thank you."

"Just remember everything I said, stay between us."

They nodded while Nonaka was silent. To the Hero, it only gave questions regarding the conflict that was in the shadows. How come the demons or Heroes weren't aware of them? From her senpai's explanation, they can only be seen with an Eyecon.

This made her wonder, what kind of spirits are they dealing with?

---

A week passed, allowing Enrique to have a small sense of relaxation since he didn't have to do much once again after completing his training. He was still expecting Sennin's next visit in order to locate the next Eyecon. Thus he used as much time as he could to train after obtaining Musashi. Thanks to it, his swordsmanship has improved again which showed he was getting stronger.

The week helped him learn more about using the Eyecons and already found good tactics to level the battlefield. With each respective Eyecon granting him special abilities and enhancements, he would know which is useful against any opponent he faces in the future.

Now he was spending most of his time shopping for items and things he needed for his apartment. He was now walking to the mall as his next stop, and as he was walking he yawned in his hand.

"Man… things have been quiet this week. There hasn't been any signs of Ganma activity, and Gramps hadn't visited me for a while. I wonder where he could be?" Enrique muttered to himself.

He was about five blocks away from the mall and as he was about to cross the street to the next block, he bumped into something which slightly injured his nose. He stepped back and placed a hand on it.

"The hell?" Enrique grunted, rubbing his nose. What did he bump into?

He placed his hands to whatever he bumped into and noticed it was an invisible wall. He tapped his hands on it a few times in curiosity.

"A wall? No, that can't be it…" Enrique said as he looked up and noticed the wall was shining mostly due to reflecting the sun itself and noticed it was like a large square box. "Wait, could this be a barrier?"

Enrique looked around and noticed people walking through the barrier like they couldn't touch it or feel it. Whatever this barrier is, it must be keeping out supernatural forces or people with powers like himself. That is probably how he could touch it and barely see it.

"What is going on here?" Enrique said. "Yurusen, can you come out?"

On cue, Yurusen had appeared before the American like how he usually does.

"Here I am! What's up?" Yurusen asked.

"What's the deal with this barrier?" Enrique asked as he pointed at it.

Yurusen turned to the said barrier and hummed as he placed an arm under his chin as he studied closely as it flew in closer, and tapped on it a bit.

"I see. It's a magic barrier." Yurusen said.

"Magic?" Enrique repeated and Yurusen nodded.

"Yes, and by the looks of it the caster must be exceptionally powerful. Not only does it keep supernatural beings like myself and you out, it also seems to be harmless to ordinary humans as it was designed to make sure they could leave and enter it without seeing what's really happening in there."

"Who can do this? The Ganma?" Enrique asked.

"Doubtful knowing those guys." Yurusen shrugged with a wave of his stubby hand. "Anyway, what do you want to do? Do you want to leave it be or investigate it?"

Enrique thought about it. He hasn't seen cases like this before. Well, that's not counting that Shadow Demon he fought in the past.

Unknown to them is that someone was spying on him on top of a building that was inside of the barrier.

It was a teenage girl with blue-violet hair tied up in a ponytail most of the time using a white scrunchy and yellow eyes which was similar to Yuki's. This is Kurumi, a member of the Hero Clan.

Kurumi had sensed that someone had approached the barrier and wanted to check it out, and that is when she found Enrique as he touched and looked at the barrier.

'How can he notice the barrier…?' Kurumi noticed. Her eyes squinted and noticed a small spirit talking to the American. 'A spirit…?' Her gauntlets could feel the spiritual power around the human. It was higher than she observed.

There was no mention of extra hands of assistance from the Hero clan. That alone made her suspicious.

Enrique made his decision and looked at his companion again.

"Alright, even if the Ganma aren't related to this, this still acquires investigation. Think you can try and open it?" Enrique asked the spirit, and Yurusen saluted.

"You got it!" Within a few chants, a golden ring appeared and opened up the barrier but the small ghost was struggling. "H-Hurry and get in there! Whatever medium was used to create this barrier is strong so I can't hold it much longer!"

'They're entering the barrier?!'

The human quickly entered, allowing the ghost to stop his magic and breathed out relief. The small one immediately vanished in a cloud of smoke, no longer seen.

Enrique looked around and saw that the area around was devoid of people, almost like it was a ghost town. It was eerie.

"Man, and just when I thought I saw everything… or nothing in this case." Enrique said as he walked forward to look for the caster.

"Hold it!"

Enrique looked up and saw a blast of wind heading towards him and he dodged it by rolling on the ground. As he stopped rolling, he looked at his attacker as she gracefully landed on the ground in front of him using the wind around her.

"A kid? Are you the one who cast this barrier?" Enrique asked.

"I should ask you the same. How are you aware of this?"

"…I learned." He admitted.

Kurumi narrowed her eyes and saw the aura around him. There was clearly spiritual power coursing around him like a blanket. A soul that is embracing the spirits.

"Well, I can definitely tell you're not an ordinary human. But what business do you have here?" Kurumi asked.

"When there's a barrier, I have a right to be cautious because of what I've been dealing with." Given his time fighting the Ganma and the demons, he had to be cautious of his fights and surroundings.

"Hmmm… Well either way, I can't let you go any further." Kurumi said as she pointed her gauntlet at Enrique.

"Uh, what is that supposed to-" The hair in the back of his neck flared and saw the wind immediately launched at him. "Crap!" He ducked to avoid the blast and rolled to the right to avoid the barrage.

"Leave. This doesn't involve you. Right now this is a Hero Clan matter."

"Hero clan… Oh I see now." Enrique grunted and stood back up. "Sorry, but I refuse. Not until I find out what is going on here in this barrier." He swiped his hand across the waist, releasing blue flames.

Kurumi felt the spiritual power around the human surge upon the calling of the flames. Something was going on. She braced for it but noticed him bring out an odd item that was shaped like an eyeball.

"What is that supposed to do?" Now she was the one to question his choice of weapon.

"I'm not like your average human." He chuckled. "For looks can be deceiving." Pressing the Eyecon, he opened the Ghost Driver. Once in, he closed it into place.

EYE!

BATCHIRIMIRO! BATCHIRIMIRO!

Kurumi witnessed a blue and black parka hoodie fly out of the belt, piercing blue eyes seen in the hood along with two horns.

"Henshin!" Enrique pressed the lever into the belt before pulling.

KAIGAN! SPECTER…

READY GO! KAKUGO! DOKI DOKI GHOST!

The young hero witnessed armor form over his body as the living parka jacket attached itself onto his body, the faceplate forming to reveal two horns like a devil and a menacing faceplate. Pulling down the hood, Specter readied himself.

Kurumi has seen various things but never has she witnessed someone like him gain such abnormal power. For a mere human no less. He wasn't part of the Hero clan yet what she saw made her question it. 'W-Who… what is he?'

"I don't wish to attack a Hero but if what you said is true then the people I placed my trust in are in trouble." He summoned his GanGunHand, once again surprising Kurumi. While the weapon design was odd, it was the fact he summoned a weapon. "But fair warning, don't think I'll hold my punches just because you're a kid."

Specter then fired at Kurumi and she blocked his gunfire using a barrier made out of wind. She used the wind to propel to Specter who fired at her again. She evaded each one but when she went to use her magic, the body of Specter became mist before appearing behind her.

Her eyes widened and felt a punch to her side, flinging her to the mailbox. The Rider grunted, shaking his hand slightly due to the wind that gathered to protect the girl's armor. "Damn that hurts…" He grimaced. Note to self, be careful of delivering close-range attacks.

'That was the power of a spirit…' Kurumi's mind gave more questions. She was using the wind spirits but Specter… he was using a phantom-like spirit to assist him. Did that mean he has the power of the spirits? "Tell me, are you an Exiled Hero?"

"Exiled Hero? Wait, do you mean like Basara?" Specter asked.

Kurumi gritted her teeth to hear 'his' name.

"I strongly suggest you don't say his name in front of me!" Kurumi fired a blast of wind at Specter again, damaging his armor. Sparks blasted off his armor, causing him to feel pain.

"So I'm guessing you know him then?" Specter grunted.

"Indeed. Though I wish I never had." Kurumi told him in spite.

'Yeah… Way to make that obvious.' Specter thought as he could tell there's a bit of a history along with the same bad blood.

"Well either way, I'm a friend of his who I have placed my trust on." Specter told her.

"Oh? Are you now?" Kurumi asked and Specter nodded.

"Yes, so there's no reason for us to fight." Specter said.

"Don't be ridiculous. If you're his friend, then that makes you my enemy." Kurumi said as she fired a blast of wind at Specter and he dodged it as it crashed into a building leaving a large hole.

"Why though? What did Basara do to make you hate him?" Specter asked.

"That's personal. Besides, he'll be dead soon anyway." Kurumi told him.

"Wait, what?" Specter gasped before he realized something as he looked up at the barrier. "Wait… Are you after Mio?"

"Oh, so you know about her? Then yes, we are." Kurumi answered.

"Then it's all the more reason I can't keep wasting time on you!" Specter said as he brought out the Nobunaga Eyecon. "Nobunaga!"

"Nobunaga?" Kurumi said in confusion as Specter pressed on the Eyecon's button and soon replaced the current Eyecon with Nobunaga.

EYE!

BATCHIRIMIRO! BATCHIRIMIRO!

Specter's jacket and faceplate disappeared as a purple jacket appeared from his Driver and flew around him and Specter soon pushed the lever on his Driver.

KAIGAN! NOBUNAGA!

WARE NO IKIZAMA OKEHAZAMA!

The parka jacket attached itself onto Specter's jacket and gave him a new faceplate that has two purple rifles forming an 'X'.

Now in his new form, Specter brought his rifle to his belt as a small beam of light appeared between it and his belt.

DAI KAIGAN!

GAN GAN MIRO! GAN GAN MIRO! GAN GAN MIRO!

Specter soon aimed his rifle at Kurumi and three rows of the same gun appeared behind Specter, and the Phantom Rider pulled the trigger.

OMEGA SPARK!

Specter fired all of his guns at Kurumi, unleashing a barrage of bullets.

Kurumi attempts to protect herself from the bullets using a barrier made out of wind, but Specter's attack slowly begins to break through her barrier before they break and land in front of Kurumi creating an explosion.

As the smoke died down, Kurumi was lying on the ground. She slowly stood up and raised her head, but only found Specter's gun aimed in front of her face as the Phantom Rider was standing in front of her as he looked down at the Hero.

"H-How… I thought my wind-"

"It's like I said. I wasn't going to hold my punches." Specter said. Kurumi gritted her teeth as she glared at Specter.

Her eyes wandered to the eye within the buckle. It chanted Nobunaga. The only term she knew with it was- Her eyes quickly looked up at Specter again and there she saw the spirit shrouding him.

Oda Nobunaga was giving Specter power. Stories said Nobunaga was the most prominent figure in all of Japan during the Sengoku period. Even being called the Demon King. However most never knew but he was considered a Hero. Nobunaga gave a means to allow Specter to defeat her.

"If you're going to kill me just do it already!" Kurumi told him.

Specter looked at the resolve in her eyes as she wasn't afraid of death. But to Kurumi's surprise, Specter lowered his gun.

"What are you… Are you trying to insult me?" Kurumi asked in anger.

"I don't kill people. The ones I kill are the ones in the way of my mission. Especially since you have a history with Basara." Specter answered. Kurumi blinked to hear that. "I don't know what happened between you guys, but it's clear to me that despite your hate towards him, you still care about him."

Kurumi's cheeks turned red before she looked away.

Specter moved himself away and changed his Damashii back to his original form. "Especially when family is involved." Kurumi snapped her head up to him as he extended his hand to her. "From what I can tell, you look almost like Nonaka."

"Y-You know my sister too?" Kurumi asked and Specter nodded.

"Yes. After getting a closer look, I could see the family resemblance."

Kurumi remained a little skeptical as she looked at his hand. However, since Specter knew her sister, that was good enough for her. She grabbed onto his hand as Specter helped her stand back up.

"… Thank you." She murmured.

"Don't mention it." His ears picked up sound and looked at the air.

"It sounds like the fight is still ongoing." Kurumi stated.

"A fight? With Basara?" Specter asked and Kurumi hesitantly nodded.

"Yes… Along with Naruse Mio, and the other demon."

The Phantom Rider lowered his head slightly. He brushed his hand across his armor before it curled and shook. He didn't wish to see them die. Not after he began to place his trust in them. Specter raised his head at Kurumi.

"Where are they fighting?" Specter asked Kurumi with determination.

"They're fighting over there" She pointed at the plaza as they could hear the ongoing fight.

Now knowing where the fight currently is, Specter headed towards it.

"What are you doing!?"

"What does it look like? I'm helping my friends out, of course."

"But Takashi is a strong fighter from the Hero Clan!" She exclaimed in worry. "A normal person like you will be eliminated in seconds!"

"I'm not going down that easily. And who says I'm normal in the first place after you have seen what I've done?" He looked forward and walked ahead.

Yurusen hovered over Kurumi who nearly moved back from the appearance the spirit had. "I would listen to him. Besides, he is very different from you Heroes after all."

Kurumi snapped her attention to the ghost then at the Rider. "Who… just who are you, Specter?"

Specter glanced at her, the girl seeing the ominous black marking that etched on his blue faceplate. "A Kamen Rider." He progressed, leaving Kurumi alone where she stood.

"Kamen… Rider?"

---

The fight between Basara and Takashi was ongoing. It wasn't an easy fight but the brunette was managing to hold his own against Takashi. He dodged the spear of Byakko, seeing the close call but grimaced due to his initial fight with Kurumi. He just needed to finish this fight to protect Mio and the others.

"Enough of the fighting and leave Basara and his family alone!" A voice called out to the Heroes.

Takashi paused and noticed an armored man with two horns on its head with a menacing faceplate.

"Senpai?" Basara and his sisters recognized.

"Who are you?" Takashi asked the armored man.

"I am Specter," the Rider answered, his voice ominously distorted to fit the theme of his armor. "Kamen Rider Specter."

"Specter…" Takashi pondered over the name. The title sounded unfamiliar to him. "Whoever you are, do not interfere. This is a matter of the Hero Clan."

"It matters if you are hurting someone. Either stop or I will be forced to stop you."

The young man frowned. Specter wasn't allowing him to continue the fight against Basara and the others. "Go ahead and try." With those words said, they immediately charged into each other.

Takashi thrust his spear at Specter, but the Phantom Rider dodged his attack by moving strangely to him and kicked Takashi and the spear wielder parried the next punch by using his spear.

The young Hero went for another thrust with his spear to pierce the black armor but the blue lines on Specter glowed and it phased through like a ghost.

"What the-" The blonde felt a punch to his nose, leading him to step back and clutch the now bleeding nose. The blue mist melded together, revealing Specter who flexed his hand from the punch. 'A phantasmal ability?' Takashi's own attacks weren't hitting anything. It felt equivalent to hitting air. The title Specter was abiding to its origin - a phantom. Thus, the ability of a ghost.

"Don't underestimate a simple human like me, hero." Specter scolded.

The information startled the blonde. Specter wasn't a demon but a human?! It gave more questions but it frustrated him to the taunt. "Kisama!" Takashi growled in anger.

Specter then brought out a yellow and white 'eyeball' and pressed on the button.

"Come, Edison!"

'Edison?' Takashi thought, confused over the name. He watched as Specter replaced the odd 'eyeball' with the yellow one before closing it.

EYE!

BATCHIRIMIRO! BATCHIRIMIRO!

A silver and yellow jacket flew out of the belt, the teen seeing antennas and forming a pose as he swore he saw someone else in its place.

KAIGAN! EDISON! EREKI! HIRAMEKI! HATSUMEI-O~!

Takashi saw the jacket attached to Specter, he witnessed the faceplate form over his face and the familiar two horns. Brandishing his GanGunHand, he aimed and fired a bolt of electricity at the young hero.

Takashi felt the electricity as he nearly dropped his weapons due to its metals. He felt his muscles almost lock from the voltage he received.

'What is that power?' He wondered. It seemed like that jacket which came out from the odd 'eyeball' in his hand was the source of his power.

Specter kept shooting bolts of electricity with his rifle, the young hero trying to avoid each shot he was sending.

"Why are you protecting a demon!?" Takashi demanded.

"...She is a friend and I protect those who are my friends. I lost people before, I will not lose anyone else." He aimed to fire a more powerful bolt of electricity. While he has his ideals of justice, he knows the rights and wrongs.

"A demon? Your friend… Don't make me laugh!" Takashi barked as he jumped in the air and aimed his spear at Specter as he fell at him. Specter dodged his attack by jumping backwards as Takashi stabbed his spear into the ground.

Takashi pulled his spear out of the ground as he and Specter faced each other. Takashi lunged forward in which Specter reacted quickly and fired. The Hero evaded each bolt he was unleashing, causing Specter to reach out and the electrical energy on the buildings moving towards his antenna. With it temporarily powering his body, he punched Takashi who coughed but the latter retaliated with a thrust of Byakko.

Specter grunted as the blade of the spear scraped across his weapon. His eyes darted to the sliver of ice on the top, forcing him to back away. While his weapon was still in peak condition, the aura in the ice was dangerous. 'Shit, that was too close.' He made a note to not let the sharp ends of the spear touch him or his weapon. He had to change tactics regarding the situation.

"Time to switch things up again." He grabbed another Eyecon. "Come, Tutankhamen!"

'Tutankhamen…?' Takashi was irritated. Specter had another surprise in his arsenal and watched the phantom rider switch Eyecons. The Tutankhamun Eyecon replaced the Edison Eyecon and Specter closed the Driver. When it closed, the Driver sounded out its usual tune.

EYE!

BATCHIRIMIRO! BATCHIRIMIRO!

As this new tune played, the Damashii of Tutankhamun flew out of his belt. Specter then looked up as he pulled the lever before pushing it back in.

KAIGAN! TUTANKHAMUN!

PYRAMID WA SANKAKU! OKE NO SHIKAKU!

The Egyptian Damashii flew down, covering Specter and gracing him with a new form and power. The faceplate was mostly a teal green color and somewhat resembled that of two sickles pointing in the center.

The Cobra Phone suddenly showed up and slithered to his GanGunHand. The snake transformed itself as it latched onto the hand and became a blade. Specter twirled the weapon, glaring at Takashi.

'A different form?' The Hero observed. The original form made Specter's body become akin to a phantom while the silver and yellow jacket created electrical power through the body. However he wasn't sure what the current form provides but he won't take any chances against the human who was interfering with matters of the Hero clan.

There were questions but retained focus on the fight.

Specter brought his weapon up to stop the swing but coughed when the force in the attack launched him to the wall. The rider groaned but saw the Hero with the spear in which he focused on the Eyecon's power as a loud sound echoed.

Takashi's eyes widened when he noticed the spear didn't impale Specter's helmet.

'What?!' The spear didn't impale Specter's helmet, instead it impaled the wall behind him as his head was tilted. 'This form increased his agility!'

"My turn." Like a cobra, he moved swiftly and slammed his knee against the Hero's chin, locking his jaw in place and loosened a few teeth.

Takashi's eyes flared before he gripped Specter's leg and threw him through a window. The Hero hefted his spear and threw it at the shadowed shop, resulting with a portion of the building exploding, leaving the others horrified.

The Hero huffed and pulled his lance out of the debris. "That should handle it." He turned around but stopped when he felt the spiritual essence lingering.

Takashi slowly looked back and saw blue mist leaving the crevices of the debris. Then, he saw the familiar Phantom Rider phasing out of the debris and out came the rider.

"W-What…?" Takashi stood back as he noticed Specter panting angrily. "How did you survive that?!"

"Take a guess, jackass." He tugged his jacket.

He was in his original form thus using the phantom-like abilities once again. However he used too much energy for it but kept himself standing. It won't deter him from protecting his underclassmen

"Your lance may have spiritual power but the debris is physical." Specter raised his weapon as Cobra reattached itself to the GanGunHand. While Tutankhamen enhanced the slashing power, he can still use the weapon mode in his standard form.

The Hero clicked his tongue in frustration. Based on witnessing Specter's transformations, the odd objects and his belt are the reason to counter him. He has to destroy the buckle to prevent Specter from performing another change. However given the form Specter is currently assuming, it was a problem.

With a frown, the Hero lunged at the Kamen Rider. The shaft of Byakko collided against the azure weapon that is GanGunHand. Takashi slammed his knee into Specter's abdomen, making him lurch in pain before using his weapon to slam Specter into the ground. He thrust his weapon down, forcing the Rider to try and use his weapon to block it. The sickle slowly encased itself in ice.

"Senpai!" Mio called out but Kurumi got in the way of the group. She didn't like it either but whatever Specter was doing was serious.

"You have no right to interfere with the Hero Clan, Specter!" Takashi growled.

The human struggled at first but his soul rumbled rebelliously against Takashi's strength. "… If it's for the people I have placed my trust in…" For a moment Takashi swore there was an azure glow in the black lenses of the blue faceplate. "I have every right!"

He swung his leg up, hitting Takashi in the crotch, causing the Hero to grunt in pain. "You bastard!" The Hero went for another thrust of Byakko at the human.

Specter swung his weapon to stop Takashi's attack. Using the curved blade, he spun the spear to force its sharp end to hit the ground instead of his torso. Takashi lifted his head but saw the fist. He leaned his head left but Specter quickly moved his forearm and slammed it against Takashi's temple. The Hero grimaced, biting his tongue to the hit. His head gained a minor headache and his eyesight disorientated.

"Had enough yet?" Specter asked as he lowered his weapon.

Takashi shook his head to shake off his headache and disorientation as he readied his spear to fight Specter again. Seeing that caused Specter to sigh and readied his weapon as well, ready for his next move.

"Fine, if that's your answer then I'll be more than happy to oblige." Specter said.

Takashi lowered his head as his bangs covered his eyes before saying...

"Why…" Takashi angrily looked at Specter. "Why did a normal human like you become a better hero than me?"

"I focus on what is important, unlike you." He answered sternly. "You focus too much on your ideals from your clan that you lose the capability to see right and wrong."

"But Basara killed everyone on that day!"

"You only saw one side of the story. Have you ever considered the true reason? Ever considered listening to the true story of whatever happened that day?" Specter saw Takashi growl. "I thought so. Consider this your first failure." He placed the weapon over his shoulder. "What I do as a Kamen Rider is far more than you can understand. Save your anger because you have already lost."

The Kamen Rider turned his back on Takashi who gripped his spear tightly. Accept defeat? By a non-Hero? A 'hero' who is only a human?!

Takashi hefted his spear and dashed towards Specter.

"Senpai!"

With the enhanced speed and reflexes akin from the Eyecon, the Kamen Rider quickly summoned GanGunSaber and held the GanGunHand-Sickle mode tightly. The phantom rider swiftly had the sickle against Takashi's neck while the sword touched his stomach. Ready to bisect him in two directions.

"Listen carefully, Takashi. I never killed people like you but if you force my hand." The Hero felt the warm trickle running down his throat by the blue sickle and the sword slowly tearing through the cloth under his armor. "I won't hesitate to cleave you in two if you try to kill me or my friends. Got it?"

Takashi gritted his teeth before he slowly lowered his spear, and Specter lowered his weapons as well in return. The two moved away from each other.

"This isn't over." Takashi told the Phantom Rider before he and his fellow Heroes gave one last look at him and retreated.

With them gone, Specter fell on one knee while he made the weapons vanish in flames and removed his Eyecon.

OYASUMI!

The teen panted as he stared at the now gone group before he grasped his head. What on earth was he really doing? More importantly for those damn Heroes to have such ideals? Don't they see the damage or even care?

"Senpai?" The American glanced at Mio and the others. Yuki had more questions for her senior but never expected him to even stand up against a Hero.

"I'm fine." He assured them, getting himself back up with a grunt. "I only showed up after what the little girl told me after facing her. I don't care if that guy was a Hero, I don't wish to see someone kill another out of spite. Seeing people lose their family… is something I don't wish to see." He turned his back on them and the blue Machine Hoodie stopped in front of him. The blue motorcycle lost its chains, horns, and color, becoming a normal vehicle to hide its true nature from the normal eyes.

He hopped on but Yuki approached him with haste, preventing him from driving.

"I demand an answer. How can you know so much of our existence and be capable of fighting us?"

"Duh, what do you think? Yurusen told me as did Gramps in the past. As to how? My power is more than used for simple protection."

"... It strengthened your body entirely." Basara realized in surprise. Now he knew why his senior was quick on his feet. The power granted him enhanced speed, durability, agility, etc. Each Eyecon granted him a means of leveling the playing field. Edion and Tutankhamen being examples of leveling the field against Takashi.

Enrique's silence gave the answer of confirmation. "If you don't mind, I have to head back so I can continue my work."

Yuki stared at him intensely before she slowly moved aside to allow him to drive away. She looked at Basara. "Just what is going on between him and those spirits?"

Never before would spirits wage war against the mortal world. Were the Gamma seeking vengeance and claiming the Eyecons before Specter? Or is there more behind their goal no one realizes?

---

A/N: Our protagonist has gained another Eyecon and is now beginning to place some trust in Basara and co. However it won't be simple as you can see there is still some hesitation given his mission. With this chapter also following events of Volume 2, he also encountered the Heroes.

Regarding the fight between Hero and Rider, let us go down the capabilities of a Kamen Rider. If you all recalled, the powers augment their bodies and pack serious power in their punches and kicks that is practically equivalent to tons. Hell, some were capable of fighting monsters who are literal powerhouses through walls. Even the Kamen Riders being slammed into debris, walls, etc and still survive. In Ghost, if you recall in one of the episodes (if I recall correctly), Takeru pushed a Ganma through a wall, breaking it. That meant serious strength. Even other Riders who performed superhuman capabilities due to their power be it from their standard forms or upgraded forms. Hell, Zi-O and Woz destroyed a meteor full of Worms, OOO kicked through pillars in order to hit Kazari, and especially when Saber cut through debris with his sword which required not just the holy sword but serious amount of force to slice through it. As a result they are practically equal (or stronger depending on their form) to a Hero. As to the protagonist himself, he had been training since his childhood to fight and still continues to upon gaining the Eyecons to adapt in a battle.

Now regardings this overall, it's a first for me to write a chapter that is almost 18,000 words long. It's a new record for me. With explanations and statistics now handled, I will see you all in the next chapter.

Don't forget to leave a review, favorite, and follow this story. Till then, ja ne.