"And so the time has come for the truth to be revealed," Woz stated as he held his book forward, still within the black void of narration he commented from, "There is not much to say but Miss Rose's plan has now fully entered its final phases. Now, can she handle what comes next?"
As he walked off two eyes lit up in the shadows, green ringed half-circle eyes glowing softly against a goggle-like visor.
Rider Time: Roze Gaiden Collection
"2019: The Eight Ruby Roses – Part 3"
(Placement: Between "2019: Oma Time" and "1971: Showa Time?")
[EX-AID SASU SASU SHOOT!]
Ex-Aid could only gasp while being engulfed by a blast courtesy of Ruby. The Huntress winced as she was sent skidding back due to the recoil only to yelp, bumping into Roze who was right behind her.
"Are you alright?" Roze asked.
"Yeah," Ruby nodded as she hopped away from Roze, looking the weapon over, "Just wasn't expecting the recoil."
"Understandably so," Roze said with a light chuckle.
Ex-Aid meanwhile was rolling against the ground, her Gamer Driver and Gashat being dislodged as she lost her transformation.
"Damn it…" Meijin hissed out as she glared towards Roze, "What did you do with Ruby?"
"She didn't do anything to me!" Ruby shouted as she began to move away from Roze, putting some distance between her and the Rider, "I just found out what she was really planning!"
"What?" Meijin asked.
Ruby meanwhile locked eyes with Meijin, staring firmly and raising Crescent Rose as she recalled what had happened right after being confronted with Ryuga.
"And just what is her plan?" Meijin questioned only to receive silence as Ruby kept her aim.
"Why do you think I gave you the name I did?" Roze asked.
"What do you mean?" Meijin asked as she glanced back, "It was obviously because of something dealing with video games, right?"
"Keiji's name came from what I knew of Drive's profession outside of being a Rider," Roze explained, "Mushi came from the fact that her motif is clearly bug themed. Kaen was named the way she was because I saw her fire elemental abilities. Kikai is because I was keeping tabs on everyone much earlier than you'd assume, and noticed their odd appearance. It was a guess but an accurate one."
"Wait…" Meijin trailed in realization, "So Kikai's guess about you watching us was right?"
"Yes, and I noticed something particularly odd as I kept to myself," Roze admitted as she reached behind her, "And that's that you were just watching everyone from before the fight started and then decided to jump in at the perfect time."
"Wait, she was?" Ruby asked.
"How can you even prove that?" Meijin questioned.
"Like this," Roze tossed out two Ride Gadgets, the Kodama Suika Arms and Taka Watchroid both unfolding and soon communicating with each other.
The Kodama Suika Arms was now standing on a hovering Taka Watchroid, it forming a screen that showed a solid angle of Ex-Aid watching the confrontation between Ruby, Zero Drive, and Omega Red before the Rider snapped her fingers. It didn't take long for the footage to show the Fang grunts starting to show up before initiating the first battle of the world they were suddenly placed within.
"That's…" Meijin let out a light gasp at that, a clear look at shock being captured on her face as she was clearly not ready for this to be shown, "How did…?"
"Meijin means Master so why would I name you that of all things?" Roze questioned, "Not something similar to the Ex-Aid I knew that held the title of Genius Gamer M? I could have even gone for a variation of Player or Gamer but I didn't."
"Well you used Meijin because clearly I'm a master of videogames, right?" Meijin remarked as if it was obvious, still trying to save face, "Is there a point to all of this or-"
"I named you Meijin because the minute the opening battle ended, I knew you'd likely be involved," Roze answered, "You're not a player, you're a master, a Game Master to be precise."
"What are you talking about?" Meijin questioned.
"I was wondering why exactly the grunts felt off, but then I realized you just did what a lot of game developers do," Roze replied as she began to pace around while keeping her eyes on Meijin, "You had re-skinned an enemy to suit your needs and hoped in this case, we wouldn't notice. But you forget that I've met a lot of Riders, Ex-Aid being one, and I can tell when a Bugster dies compared to other monsters."
"How are you still so sure that I'm behind this?" Meijin questioned, still trying to defend herself, "One of my enemies could have pulled something to trap me in here too and frame me for it!"
It was that defense that immediately shattered any illusion of Meijin's innocence due to Roze and Ruby both recalling one particular detail…
"Didn't you say you finished your fight?" Ruby asked causing Meijin to tense up.
"Speaking of re-skins, there's also this city which I can only assume is virtually made," Roze spoke up to keep Meijin from trying to backtrack, "Kind of odd how most of it is similar buildings copy and pasted with only one single area that's unique, one which you managed to find easily while you were alone with Kikai who somehow went berserk."
"Wait, so the reason Kikai went berserk…?" Ruby trailed as she realized what Roze was insinuating.
"Meijin likely has the Bugster Virus on hand and used it to infect Kikai," Roze replied.
"But say that is the case, why would you immediately go for the kill?" Meijin narrowed her eyes, deciding to deflect for the time being, "And how would you of all people get Ruby to believe anything you've even said?"
Roze let out a light laugh, "When did I ever specifically say I killed any of them?"
"What?" Meijin stared in surprise before she recalled what Roze had said after dealing with Kikai, "Wait…"
'She's gone, just like Kaen.'
'Just like the rest of you if you're lucky.'
"She's honestly a good actress, even I didn't know until I got beat."
Meijin quickly turned to see Keiji walking out from around a corner. The gamer Rider soon began to look around as footsteps echoed in the silent world. Mushi, Kikai, and Kaen all walked out from various corners/alleyways, the four being scuffed up but relatively unharmed.
"Though when it comes to actresses, you're a good one as well," Kaen said as she stared directly at Meijin, "I honestly didn't consider you as a possibility."
"But now we know," Mushi replied as she narrowed her eyes, "And honestly you trying to turn the others against us earlier makes perfect sense now…"
"It would be best to stop the charade," Kikai spoke up, "I have analyzed the enemies upon defeat alongside the virus that invaded my systems. You also suspiciously let me take the lead as well, which is likely why I didn't notice your sabotage."
Meijin simply stared at the ground, her hair shadowing her eyes as she simply kept staring at the ground.
"How…?"
"If you're wondering how she was able to potentially fake all of the 'deaths', that would be thanks to me," a voice spoke up as Kamen Rider Ryuga stepped out through the reflection of a nearby window, the glass warping almost like water as she exited with little issue.
Meijin could only glance over, her head still lowered but there was one important detail she could tell, or rather hear. Ryuga's voice was the same as every other person in the area, a distinction Ruby had also noticed when she had first been confronted by Ryuga.
Ruby could only stare up in fear before her eyes darted towards Ryuga's hand, watching as the dark Rider began to shift the Dragsaber in their hands. She quickly looked back at Ryuga but was too afraid to run so she simply closed her eyes and flinched as she realized this was likely the end for her.
She heard something stab into the ground near her and then… she felt the gentle touch of a hand being placed on her head. She opened her eyes slowly in confusion to see Ryuga had their right hand on her head. The Dark Rider still said nothing as they shifted directly into a comforting hug.
"I'm sorry if you've been scared by all of this…" Ryuga trailed off in a comforting tone as she held onto a trembling Ruby who hugged back, "But things are more than they seem."
"Y-You're voice…" Ruby managed to speak up, recognizing Ryuga's voice as her own.
"I'm technically Ruby Rose, but not really, I'm the friend that Kagemi mentioned," Ryuga explained much to Ruby's surprise, "And you don't need to worry about the others, but you need to follow me, alright?"
"The others… wait, you're acting like they're not…" Ruby trailed in shock as she began to pull away.
"Just follow me, we have a tight schedule to keep," Ryuga reassured as she interrupted the distressed Huntress, "But all your questions will be answered."
"I…" Ruby muttered as she began to pick herself up only to stay where she was.
"Fine," Ryuga said after letting out a sigh before walking over to a window and pressing a hand against it, "Hey, I need some help."
It didn't take long for Kaen and Kikai to exit the reflection, Ruby looking over with her eyes widened in surprise.
"You two… you aren't…" Ruby muttered.
"Don't worry, we're fine," Kaen said as she walked over and put a hand on Ruby's shoulder, "Keiji and Mushi will also be fine, at least from what our new friend told us."
"Wait, just them?" Ruby asked, "What about…"
"That is a matter we will need to discuss elsewhere," Kikai replied as they walked over, "However Meijin is more than she seems according to this Rider."
"Each time I dealt with someone aside from Kaen, it was usually near a reflective surface," Roze explained, "I'd pull off something flashy and then Ryuga here would drag them out of sight through the mirror, when she was punctual about it though."
"You and I both know that we couldn't plan things out perfectly," Ryuga remarked.
"Fair enough," Roze raised her hands, "Especially with the first rescue."
"Yeah, she was annoying to deal with," Ryuga admitted as she glanced over at Kaen, "You're kind of heavy and I had to carry you a decent ways to keep us out of sight before I went for Kikai next."
"H-Hey what's that supposed to mean!" Kaen asked with a blush while Keiji and Ruby giggled a bit at the Ranger getting flustered.
"I suppose I am glad I was easy to grab then," Kikai mused, "Though more so I am grateful in you purging my systems from the virus."
"Meijin was on the right track," Roze nodded, "I was using Reprogramming to deal with the virus, but I also made sure to use its flash to hide my real motive and start my gambit."
"Sadly there wasn't anything flashy done for me or Keiji," Mushi shrugged, "Mostly because Meijin and Ruby were nowhere in sight and Ryuga was taking a while. We sort of just met up with the others once the coast was clear."
"Kind of disappointing," Keiji admitted, "I kind of feel cheated out of getting a fake death in a blaze of glory."
"I don't think you should be annoyed about that…" Kaen remarked with a bored stare.
"How are you even here?" Meijin asked, immediately breaking the conversation as all eyes turned on her, a fierce glare on her face as she stared directly at Ryuga. It was clear from her posture and facial expression that she had completely given up trying to feign ignorance.
Ryuga simply walked towards Roze while keeping eyes locked with Meijin, her posture showing that she was undisturbed by Meijin's glare.
"Seems like someone isn't trying to play around anymore," Roze remarked.
"Just answer the damn question!" Meijin shouted as she took a step forward, "How are you here?!"
"That's right, because the likely scenario is that we were all whisked away, so why would there be an eighth Ruby Rose you couldn't account for," Ryuga said in an inquisitive tone as she gestured towards Meijin before dismissing her transformation. Ryuga was soon revealed to be a copy of Kagemi, though her most important feature was her golden eyes, "The names Kagami, I'm Kagemi's reflection in a sense…"
"What?" Meijin asked as her posture slacked due to her shock.
"That's a long story I don't think I'll ever be able to tell you all," Roze replied, "And normally Kagami wouldn't be able to come out…"
"Well, if it wasn't for this," Kagami said as she held up the Ryuga Ridewatch, "Ever since we got this I was able to regain my awareness instead of coexisting with her. And if I'm given access to it, I get to stretch my legs for a bit."
"I wasn't sure if it'd be too useful," Roze admitted before chuckling, "Though I think it ended up working out better than I ever could imagine."
"Damn right it did," Kagami said as she tossed the Ryuga Ridewatch back towards Roze who caught it. She began to fade away but held a mocking smile towards Meijin, "Now let's see your next move, Game Master."
"Congratulations," Meijin said as she clapped, letting out an almost unnerving laugh at the situation as a frustrated smile could be seen on her face, "I'm the one who brought you all here."
"Glad to see you're finally admitting things," Roze said, though she was still on guard since she wasn't sure what Meijin would try now.
"Why?" Keiji asked.
"That is one thing I'm unsure of myself," Kikai agreed, "Why bring a bunch of variants together?"
"Yeah, what big plot do you have?" Kaen raised an eyebrow.
"I wouldn't call it big," Meijin chuckled as she began to look around, "I just wanted you all here so I could wear and break you down before taking your various powers for myself."
"Wait, what?" Mushi asked.
"This is a bit weird," Keiji admitted, "Considering I don't seem that special."
"I just picked and chose who I considered the most interesting from what little I could view on you all," Meijin replied, "Then altered my plan as new details appeared. Including becoming a bit of a jerk when multiple Ruby Roses were outed as monsters."
"That was all a lie then?" Ruby asked, "How-"
"Yep," Meijin said, interrupting the Huntress without a second's hesitation, "That not trusting monsters because of past experience bit was a sob-story to get you to sympathize on me so that I could get you to turn on them once we dealt with Roze."
"That's…" Ruby trailed before giving a light glare, not liking how Meijin had been trying to play with her emotions like that, "So what, everything was a lie?"
"Not everything, I have finished my fight," Meijin replied, deciding to be a bit truthful now that everything was out.
"That tracks," Roze said, figuring it had to be something along those lines given the variety of Ruby Roses taken, "But that leaves one question that even has me stumped..."
"Why did you grab me?" Ruby asked, already coming onto the realization herself now that there was some time to chew on what was being said, "I'm just an ordinary Ruby Rose."
"Exactly," Meijin closed her eyes before opening them and staring directly at Ruby, the Huntresses silver gaze now meeting the Game Master's now dull orange gaze, "I needed an untainted Ruby Rose for her Silver Eyes."
Ruby backed up in surprise, shivering slightly at her variant's different eyes. Unlike the others of the group who had differently colored eyes, these eyes had a different feeling to them. It almost felt like she was staring at Cinder who desired any and all power so that she could horde it for herself.
"Yeah, that's not happening," Kaen said as she stepped in front of Ruby, preparing her Omega Morpher, "We're ending this here and now."
"You six really think you can win this?" Meijin asked as she stayed where she was, noticing that Keiji was preparing the Drive Driver while Mushi drew out the Dark Kabuto Zecter, "Wow you really think you can…"
"Our odds are greater than yours, even if you summon more of your army," Kikai replied as they began to prepare their Forceriser and Zetsumerise Key.
"Then allow me to shut everyone, even Kagemi, up," Meijin said as she slammed her palm against the open air, a sudden digital panel being slapped against. A glowing handprint could be seen on the digital panel as the space near her began to slide away to reveal a glowing hidden compartment in mid-air, "I'm surprised you never even questioned how I made all this or how I grabbed you all…"
"Everyone did jump the gun considering you were starting to get creepy," Roze remarked, not put off by Meijin's sudden burst of confidence, "How exactly did you even manage this? I've heard of digital worlds… but to be able to transcend dimensions…"
"Well I had help from a man, some of you all might know him," Meijin admitted as she reached into the glowing compartment, "Arthur Watts."
"I'd like to say a few of us are aware of him," Kaen remarked a bit warily, "Why?"
"He was quite the technological genius, so much so that he could even transcend dimensional boundaries when it came to networking," Meijin replied, "He set everything up for me but we needed one small little key to truly allow us to transcend dimensions in a physical manner… one which I provided."
To everyone's shock, even Roze, Meijin had pulled her arm out from the compartment to reveal a Ridewatch, a black base with a light green dial and button, Kamen Rider Cronus.
"Of course once he gave me what I wanted I knew I couldn't let that genius be used against me," Meijin admitted as she looked over the Cronus Ridewatch before noticing no real remarks. She looked up and smiled when she saw everyone's shocked reactions and stances, but looked towards Roze in particular, "Thought you were the only one with those fancy little toys, didn't you?"
"Oh damn it…" Roze hissed out.
'I suppose that expands our theory and confirms certain things now…' Kagami remarked, 'Since you aren't going to say it, I will. Damn it Sougo…'
"Not the time," Roze muttered.
"Uh, what's going on?" Ruby asked, more confused than anything.
"How does she have one of those?" Keiji asked.
"A valid question," Kikai nodded, "Only Kagemi, Kamen Rider Roze, should have those devices."
"I was simply battling those who resented my amassed strength, those who wanted to deny me from growing further," Meijin explained as she gritted her teeth in frustration briefly, "They tried to take away my power piece by piece but then… then I found this device. It granted me a power I thought was unattainable, and so I used it to best those who stood in my way. Then… then I found out that this power was not of this world, and so I searched and searched… and upon finding six satisfactory Ruby Roses I initiated my plan. Though it appears as though I'll have to get serious …"
[CRONUS!]
The Buggle Driver Zwei alongside the Kamen Rider Chronicle Gashat appeared already active at Meijin's waist.
[TOKI O TSUKASADORU KAMI NO CHIKARA KYUUKYOKU NO LAST BOSS RIDER WA… CRONUS DA!]
The transformation for the ultimate warrior of Kamen Rider Chronicle initiated, overtaking Meijin and fully transforming her into Kamen Rider Cronus. She then snapped her fingers, data compiling near her into two shapes, the data breaking apart to reveal the Hatena Bugster and Genomes.
"Deal with the other Roses," Cronus held up a hand before waltzing towards Roze who kept in a defensive stance, "I'll deal with the annoying pest."
Hatena and Genomes turned towards the group consisting of three Riders, a Ranger and a Huntress, both grunting as they walked forward.
"Ruby," Kaen said as she glanced back, "Go and help out Kagemi, we'll handle these guys."
"Are you sure?" Ruby asked.
"It's four on two, we should be good," Keiji reassured.
"Indeed," Kikai agreed.
"Yeah," Mushi nodded, "Just focus on helping out Kagemi."
"Alright," Ruby said as she quickly dashed towards the side to get to somewhere far enough away to provide supporting fire. While she knew the Crescent Rose she had was stronger than her usual one, she figured trying to go up against a Rider without armor would be a bad idea.
"Alright, it's Morphin Time!" Kaen shouted as she held up her left fist, "Omega Fire Power!"
Kikai, Keiji, and Mushi all initiated their transformations at the same time.
"Henshin!"
[FORCERISE! JAPANESE WOLF! BREAKDOWN!]
[DRIVE TYPE SPEED!]
[CAST OFF! CHANGE BEETLE!]
The lone Ranger and three Riders all stood alongside each other before rushing forward, Naki and Omega Red moving towards Hatena while Zero Drive and Dark Kabuto closed in on Genomes.
Roze shouted as she charged forward, summoning her Roseiber and stabbing at Cronus who simply tapped both buttons on her Driver at once.
[PAUSE!]
In an instant, everything froze in place as the area grew saturated in its brightness.
"Now then…" Cronus walked over towards Roze and shifted the Rider's weapon downwards before detaching the Buggle Driver from her waist, attaching it to a grip she now held to swap it into its Bugvisor formation in beam mode. She took aim and shot against Roze several times. She scoffed before switching her weapon back to its Driver formation, "I'd finish you, but you need a bit of humiliation first."
[RESTART!]
Roze gasped out as sparks flew from her, Hit markers forming over her armor as she was sent staggering backwards.
Cronus chuckled a bit and waltzed towards Roze only to pause when she saw something out of the corner of her eye.
"Kagemi!" Ruby called out as she had used Petal Burst to land near the fallen Roze before getting near her, "Hey, are you alright?"
"Y-Yeah… but you don't want to be near her," Roze coughed out as she tried to push herself up, "She's s really strong…"
"I know, but…" Ruby trailed as she tried to help Roze up.
"I'd get away from her if I were you," Cronus suggested as she stayed where she was, "I don't want to ruin my new eyes."
"Why you…" Ruby narrowed her eyes at this.
"Do what she says," Roze whispered as she glanced at Ruby, "She's not going to take you seriously… and that's a big mistake… take advantage of it with the Ridewatch I gave you when the time comes…"
Ruby heard this and nodded, "Alright…"
"I'm not sure what you're whispering about, but I don't want to-oh," Cronus had to correct herself as she watched Ruby run off, "I see you convinced her to back off from the fight."
"Compared to all of us, she's the most pure Ruby Rose after all," Roze replied as she managed to push herself up, "That being said, Time Stop is pretty powerful."
"Would you believe me if I said this is the strongest power I wield?" Cronus asked.
"I'd call bullshit on that given I know an Ex-Aid post his journey," Roze hissed out, "I know there's something stronger than Cronus."
"Ah… if only that were still the case for me," Cronus said in a nearly reminiscent tone before holding a hand up, "That being said, please do squirm. I'm not about to let your little tricks go unpunished."
"Oh you're going down that route for this fight…" Roze muttered as she drew out Kabuto's Ridewatch and loaded it onto her Rose Ridewatch, "Fine then…"
[FINAL WEAPON TIME! K-K-K-KABUTO! PERFECT ZECTER!]
Roze held out her hand as the lettering on her armor changed, a flash occurring to the side of her as the Perfect Zecter launched out of it. Without looking she grabbed it by the hilt just as it flew past, quickly aiming it forward.
"Try whatever you think will work," Cronus chuckled as she walked towards Roze, her hands already at her sides and ready to initiate another Pause, "But I'll just say now that it won't work."
"We'll see about that…" Roze trailed as she got in a crouched stance before leaping forward.
Genomes leapt upwards, unleashing energy filled kicks towards Zero Drive and Dark Kabuto who rolled out of the way. The two drew out their weapons, aiming and shooting at Genomes sides, sparks flying.
[CLOCK UP!]
[SP-SP-SPEED!]
Dark Kabuto disappeared into a blur, striking at Genomes several times to force it into a stagger while Zero Drive sped forward. She used her faster ally's speed to set Genomes up before going for several punches with her Break Gunner, sparks flying as Genomes stepped back further.
Genomes yelled out as its body crackled with energy, soon unleashing dozens of beams outwards. The beams were plentiful enough to force Dark Kabuto out of Clock Up as Zero Drive was forced backwards.
Dark Kabuto quickly threw her Kunai Gun, the axe spinning as Genomes easily batted it down. Zero Drive used that as an opening, firing with her Break Gunner and striking against the bugster several times.
Hatena launched out puzzle block energy blasts towards Omega Red and Naki, the duo moving forward and dodging while closing in. Naki extended their claws, striking at and forcing the Hatena Bugster into a weapon lock via its staff.
Omega Red moved in with her sword, fire erupting from it as she slashed against the Hatena Bugster a few times. The Bugster responded by swinging its arm out, smashing it into the Ranger and causing sparks to fly as she staggered back.
"Are you alright?" Naki asked before grunting as the Hatena Bugster forced its staff past their claws, striking them in the gut and forcing them back. They then began ducking underneath Hatena's swings, quickly speeding forward and clawing past the Bugster when it attempted to blast them at close range with its cannon-like arm.
Hatena turned only for it to feel several slashes against its back, turning back only to watch Omega Red leap up, kicking its arm down as she slashed and struck Hatena in the head.
[RESTART!]
Roze gasped out as she was sent rolling along the ground. All while the other fights were playing out, she was at the mercy of Cronus' Pause technique. The result was Cronus stopping time and easily handling any of her attacks. But there was one thing Roze noticed as their fight progressed, Cronus was too obsessed with trying to make her suffer instead of going for actual finishing blows.
"Well?" Cronus asked as she held her hands up, "Give up yet?"
"Not a chance…" Roze said as she managed to pick herself up, she had already gotten a grasp of what Cronus was capable of, or at least this Cronus in comparison to the others she knew about. She just needed to make this count and hoped Ruby would be able to do the same, "I can do this all day."
"So you say," Cronus said as she held her arms outwards, "Go ahead."
"You'll regret that," Roze remarked as she held up the Perfect Zecter, a flash of blue occurring as the Drake Zecter appeared, attaching to the weapon as she shifted the hilt. The weapon was now in its gun formation as she held it forward while walking towards Cronus, "Here we go."
[DRAKE POWER!]
"Really…?" Cronus asked as her posture slacked.
"You may be able to stop time, but I have a solution for that," Roze replied as she kept walking forward before pulling the trigger. Blue electricity gathered, gathering around a red energy sphere that formed.
[HYPER SHOOTING!]
[PAUSE!]
Cronus chuckled as time froze once more, the projectile barely being launched out towards her as she went to walk around it. She then got behind Roze, smacking the Rider in the back and forcing the weapon and projectile upwards.
[RESTART!]
Roze gasped as she was sent rolling against the ground, the energy sphere launching upwards as a result of the hit.
"What was that about-" Cronus cut herself off when she heard strange crackling. She quickly turned as the energy sphere exploded into smaller beams that curved and struck at her, sparks flying as her hands were batted away while her legs were also struck, a few of the beams hitting her in the stomach and Driver as well.
"I'm no stranger to Time Stop, so I've been hoping to pull this out after asking Woz about some counters," Roze admitted with a light chuckle.
"Why you…" Cronus growled out only for a sudden colorful pink blast of energy to strike against her waist, but more specifically, her Buggle Driver Zwei, "W-What?!"
[EX-AID SASU SASU SHOOT!]
Farther away, crouching from a lower rooftop was Ruby who was lying on her stomach. She still had the Ex-Aid Ridewatch with her, having used Cronus and Roze's fight to charge up a finisher in the weapon and strike at the right time.
The blast had clashed against the Buggle Driver Zwei for several seconds only for it to suddenly explode, Cronus being sent tumbling backwards.
"Of all the…" Cronus picked herself up and tapped both buttons, planning on pausing and making her way to Ruby to deal with her. To her surprise however, time was still moving normally. She looked around before hearing crackling, quickly staring at her Driver which now had a cracked screen on it, "How?!"
"Looks like you underestimated her," Roze said as she picked herself up, dismissing the Perfect Zecter as she removed Kabuto's Ridewatch, "Didn't think someone like her could cripple you, huh?"
"Shut up," Cronus hissed out.
"Your mistake was not taking her out of the fight on your terms," Roze pointed towards the dark Rider, "All because you didn't want to harm her enough. I suppose even you have some compassion left in you but…"
"Just shut up!" Cronus shouted as she rushed forward, sending a punch at Roze who caught it, "Don't think taking away Pause means anything!"
"Take away your fancy power and you finally get serious…" Roze hummed as she grabbed Cronus and held her close, "Fine then…"
Cronus let out a gasp as she was lifted up, Roze running forward a bit before the two burst into red and black petals. Roze had utilized Petal Burst, launching both of them upwards towards one of the higher buildings in the area.
"Ah, Kagemi!" Ruby called out in surprise before hearing yells, watching as Hatena and Genomes managed to force back their opponents, "Alright…" she took a deep breath as she began to sit up before standing up, "Let's see how this goes…"
"This isn't good," Omega Red gasped out as she raised her blade, being forced back near the others alongside Naki.
"I suppose they are stronger than they appear," Naki replied, "Not to mention several of us haven't had proper time to rest."
"Doesn't mean we give up," Zero Drive said as she held her arms in a defensive stance.
"I think I can open them up," Dark Kabuto said as she crouched forward, "But…"
Genomes chuckled as it gathered energy in its hands while Hatena raised its staff to form more puzzle projectiles.
[EX-AID KAMA KAMA CUTTING!]
The two Bugsters gasped out as colorful curved slashes of energy struck against them, explosions occurring as they were sent staggering back.
"Whoa!" Ruby yelped as she tried to balance herself, the recoil from the energy slashes causing her to nearly lose balance.
"Huh, Ruby…?" Omega Red looked over, "Where's Kagemi?"
"She's taking care of Cronus somewhere away from here!" Ruby called out, "So we just need to deal with these two!"
"Sounds good to me," Zero Drive said as she pounded her palm, "You got a plan by any chance?"
"Swap opponents!" Ruby called out much to everyone's surprise, "I noticed it while you all were fighting, Kikai and Kaen are better suited to fight a slimmed down opponent while Keiji and Mushi can easily overtake a bulkier opponent."
"Simple logic, but I can't argue with that," Naki admitted.
"Then let's get going," Mushi said before rushing forward alongside the others.
Both Hatena and Genomes managed to recover, only to gasp as blasts of energy struck near their feet. The result forced them to stumble away from each other as Naki and Omega Red made their way towards Genomes, Zero Drive taking the lead and rushing for Hatena while Dark Kabuto followed after.
The Petal Burst had dispersed over a roof, Cronus and Roze grappling onto each other as they landed on the roof and dug into it, breaking off debris as they slid off of it and onto a lower area of the rooftop.
The two landed with a roll, Cronus picking up a chunk of rock and spinning as she stood up, tossing it towards Roze.
Roze barely managed to dodge before noticing Cronus holding up a book, "Huh?"
Cronus drew out a smaller version of an energy item, flicking it upwards and into her.
[SPEEDING-UP!]
Cronus gained a yellow glow, soon becoming a blur that suddenly appeared behind Roze, landing a few punches before backing away when Roze turned to swing as a counter. She then sped up further, managing to slowly but surely force Roze into a defensive stance.
[FINAL WEAPON TIME! B-B-B-BEAST!]
"Call upon whatever weapon you wish!" Cronus shouted as she continued to speed blitz Roze, continuing to force the Huntress Rider into a huddled stance, "You can't beat my-!"
[MIRAGE MAGNUM!]
Roze moved her left arm just as Cronus appeared from behind to punch at her, revealing the Mirage Magnum held by her right hand, pointing behind her. She pulled the trigger, letting out several blasts of energy that struck Cronus and forced the Game Master back.
"Fine then," Cronus brought out another Energy Item token to use.
[IRON-BODY!]
Roze spun and shot at Cronus who simply spread her arms out, the blasts from the Mirage Magnum bouncing off as Cronus' body gained a grey but metallic sheen to it.
[FINAL WEAPON TIME! S-S-S-SPECTER! DEEP SLASHER!]
[MEGA HAGESHI!]
Roze immediately summoned the Deep Slasher with both slots loaded while in its gun mode, prepping the finisher as she held it with both hands before firing. White and purple flames erupted before forming into a fireball that launched directly at Cronus, engulfing her.
[KYOKUGEN DAIKAIGAN! GIGA OMEGA DAMA!]
[GASHACON SPARROW!]
Cronus leapt out of the fiery explosion with the twin sickle Gashacon Weapon, swinging at Roze and forcing her on the defensive. She kept up the aggressive attacks, soon locking blades with Roze who had just switched the Deep Slasher into its sword mode.
Roze gasped as she had to keep playing defensively, Cronus easily forcing her back and into a spin to avoid from tumbling.
[ZU DON!]
[GASHACON MAGNUM!]
Cronus switched her sickles back to their arrow formation, shooting arrows constantly while bringing out the Gashacon Magnum and shooting at the same time.
The result forced Roze to brace with the Deep Slasher as she went to initiate another finisher due to the Eyecons still being loaded in the weapon.
[GASHACON SWORD!]
The Gashacon Sword suddenly appeared above and stabbed downwards, forcing the Deep Slasher out of Roze's hand and stabbing into the ground in front of her.
[KO CHIN!]
The weapon had stabbed in ice mode, freezing Roze's feet to the ground and keeping her from properly moving backwards as a result.
[MUSCULAR!]
The Gashacon Weapons all vanished as Cronus had used another Energy Item token, this time a red aura surrounding her as she ran forward. With a quick sweeping kick she broke the ice encasing Roze and forced the Rider into a fall, only to spin in quick succession and slam her boot directly into Roze's stomach to send the Rider tumbling into a crouched state.
Cronus kept up the aggressive tactics, crouching and rushing forward as she went for several punches and quick low kicks against a recovering Roze.
Roze herself was barely able to get away, raising up her arms to block while kicking out with her legs all while inching backwards while still on the ground. Eventually she managed to get some breathing room, getting up all while defending against a rapid series of punches against Cronus, just barely managing to break away from the Rider.
"I told you that taking away Pause meant nothing," Cronus said with heavy breaths, "Just consign yourself and the others to your fate as my new power."
"You're stupid if you'd think I'd genuinely consider that," Roze said with a few heavy breaths as well as she prepared another Ridewatch, "Why?"
"Why?" Cronus asked, "Why what?"
"Why this complete hunger for power, so much so that you'd willingly tear apart the lives of different variants of your own self to do so?" Roze questioned, genuinely wondering what was going through Cronus' head.
"Do I need a reason to want more power other than the pure desire?" Cronus asked.
"…" Roze stayed silent at this.
"What?" Cronus asked, already noticing why Roze was silent, "Is that not a good enough reason? Is your reason for growing stronger any better? Or is it simply just a matter of moral opinion?"
"What the hell happened to you?" Roze hissed out.
"Nothing happened!" Cronus shouted in near anger, "It's all the same with you people!"
"And yet here we are," Roze remarked, "The only one out of how many Ruby Roses that is like this?"
"That's because they probably haven't had their powers for as long," Cronus replied before placing a hand to her chest, "But becoming the candidate for Ex-Aid, getting the treatment to become a Rider, once I fought enough my eyes were opened. I could become stronger than anyone on Remnant, I could become the strongest. Something thought unattainable and unimaginable to me before I became a Rider."
'Whoever administered the treatment to become a Rider screwed up big time,' Kagami remarked, figuring it was an overdose on the Bugster Virus being placed within this Ruby variant that did it.
"And you think just because you're the strongest, you can do whatever you want?" Roze asked, ignoring her mirror self's remark.
"Being the strongest means no one can oppose you," Cronus replied, "I was like that, but then those fools cheated the system, tried to rid me of my chance to be the finest warrior Remnant would ever have… but that's fine, once I gain your powers I can show everyone how unrivaled I truly am."
'Alright, we're shutting her up right now but we're going to need some co-op action here, you ready to test it?' Kagami asked.
'Like you need to say anything further given I already started,' Roze thought to herself as she loaded in Para-DX's Ridewatch, "If you think I'll let you walk away with prizes from this kind of fight… you're damn wrong."
[FINAL WEAPON TIME! P-P-P-PARA-DX! GASHACON PARABRAGUN!]
"Huh?" Cronus stared in surprise, "What kind of Rider is…?"
"So you don't know, guess you didn't actually have a Parado," Roze drew out Para-DX's weapon, bringing out Mighty Brothers XX and loading it into place, initiating the finishers of the gun and axe modes one after the other, "Good, time for an advantage!"
[DOUBLE GASHAT! KIMEWAZA!]
Roze's armor flashed red while her bodysuit underneath flashed blue, the blue sliding outwards off to the side and forming a Roze who was utilizing a mirrored version of Roze's base form. This was the form Kagami had nicknamed, Ezora.
[PERFECT CRITICAL FINISH! KNOCK OUT CRITICAL FINISH!]
"Just what…" Cronus trailed off.
"Ryuga," Ezora answered, "But in this form, it's Ezora."
"No matter what you call yourself, I'll still win!" Cronus called out as she held up her Energy Item token case only to gasp as the Energy Items were suddenly all launched into the air and expanded, being laid out for all to see, "What?!"
"Glad to see you gave me the strategic abilities here," Ezora said as she had her right hand held out, a blue glow forming around her body as she moved her left hand and began a series of precise and swift movements.
In an instant, every Energy Item but two had been completely discarded, one hitting Cronus while the other hit Roze.
[CONFUSION!]
[RECOVERY!]
Cronus gasped as she staggered back and forth, question mark projections circling her head as she tried to gain her bearings only to be unable to.
Roze meanwhile let out a sigh of relief as energy filled her body, the damage she had received fading away for the most part. Shaking herself however she dismissed the Parabragun, fire erupting from her arms as Para-DX Fighter Gamer Level 50's Materialize Smasher gloves formed over her arms.
Cronus continued to stagger as Roze closed in, getting smashed against several times by the opposing Rider's gauntlets. The confusion began to fade as she raised her arms, pushing down Roze's gloved arms before going on the offensive. She closed in to try pushing her aggressive and controlling fighting style again, trying to regain some momentum.
Roze meanwhile went defense again, utilizing her Materialize Smasher gloves' size to easily form a shield against Cronus' aggressive punches. She spread her arms out, forcing Cronus to step back before she went full offensive once more, punching against the Game Master before launching the gauntlets out to stagger Cronus further.
"Keep it up!" Ezora called out before fading away as Roze had removed the Para-DX Ridewatch.
[ROSEIBER!]
Roze immediately used Petal Burst, getting behind Cronus and slashing with her re-summoned Roseiber, easily getting the drop on the Rider of time. The result caused sparks to fly as Cronus staggered, trying to face Roze who kept the momentum going against the enemy Rider.
[FINAL ATTACK RIDE: R-R-R-ROSE!]
Roze leapt up into the air, thrusting the Roseiber downwards and piercing Cronus in the stomach with the blade that shined a bright white.
Cronus coughed out as she stepped back, the blade piercing through her stomach and stunning her as she stared up at the sky, Roze taking a kicking stance against her.
[FINISH TIME! ROSE!]
Roze shouted as red and white petals erupted from her right leg as the same colored energy engulfed it, striking against the hilt of the Roseiber and unleashing a bright flash of white and red energy as a result.
[ATTACK TIME BLAST!]
Cronus screamed out as she was engulfed in the flash of energy, an explosion occurring as she was launched outwards. She reverted back to her civilian form, rolling along the ground as she landed on her back with the Cronus Ridewatch clattering away from her.
Meijin gasped as she held her chest, her clothes having been burned through near her stomach. It revealed that she had received heavy scratching and bruising from where the Roseiber had hit. Blood ran from her mouth as she tried to control her breathing, glancing and reaching towards the discarded Ridewatch.
"I'll be taking that," Roze said as she stepped out of the smoke from the explosion and took the Cronus Ridewatch.
"Y-You say that like it's your property…" Meijin spat out, "What do you know?"
"I know this belongs to a good friend of mine," Roze said before wincing as the Ridewatch began to give feedback, "What?"
"That power is mine to control," Meijin laughed, "I told you it was the key to how I made all of this possible, didn't I?"
"Yeah well this power doesn't belong to you," Roze called out as she dismissed her Rose Armor, reverting to her base form before loading the Cronus Ridewatch on her Driver. She winced as green electricity began to crackle out from the Driver, likely from the connection it had to the virtual world, "Now then…!"
She unlocked her Ziku Driver as her Roze Ridewatch shined brightly, soon rotating it as a burst of red electricity launched out from her base Ridewatch. The result was it clashing with the feedback from the Cronus Ridewatch, the usual chime of the Ziku Driver kicking in as both feedbacks dispersed each other.
"What?" Meijin stared at Roze with wide eyes, "No… you didn't… you…"
"I told you, this power doesn't belong to you," Roze answered as she removed the Cronus Ridewatch and pocketed it, before turning away and using Petal Burst to return to the others.
"No, no… you're not about to skip out on the Bad Ending you deserve for ruining everything…" Meijin gasped out as she began to pick herself up, reaching into her jacket before drawing out the Gashacon Bugvisor, orange numerical code forming on the screen with a silver blob-like entity floating in the center, "You'll regret taking away what I rightfully owned…"
Naki rushed in, having dismissed their claws, punching at Genomes who caught their fists. They simply went to twist their arms, positioning them correctly before pushing forward and extending their claws. Genomes gasped as sparks flew, Naki stepping back as Omega Red flipped over the Rider.
Genomes let out a yell as sparks flew further, Omega Red having managed to land several strong strikes against the Bugster's chest.
"Let's finish this," Omega Red said as she pressed down on her weapons trigger, fire erupting from her blade.
"Right," Naki said as they prepared the Forceriser, crouching forward before suddenly launching towards Genomes at high speeds.
[ZETSUMETSU DYSTOPIA!]
Stopping a short distance from Genomes they began rapidly kicking with their right leg, pausing briefly and backing away before closing in and performing a strong kick against Genomes.
The Bugster gasped out as the kicks managed to land, sending it staggering back.
[OMEGA BLAZE!]
Omega Red held her sword upwards, fire erupting from it as she slashed downwards, the stream of flames burning and cutting through the Bugster as it exploded.
Hatena gave a gasp as it saw its ally get destroyed only to grunt out as it was struck several times by a black and red blur, forcing its staff out of its hand. Before it could attempt to retaliate Zero Drive ran forward, leaping and kicking the Bugster in the head to force it to stagger back further. The Bugster yelled out and unleashed a puzzle block projectile towards the Rider.
[CLOCK OVER!]
Dark Kabuto appeared in front of Zero Drive, shooting with her Kunai Gun and destroying the projectile.
The Hatena Bugster growled before aiming forward and firing more puzzle block projectiles forward. Both Dark Kabuto and Zero Drive split away from each other, the two circling around on opposite sides. The Bugster looked back and forth in panic, the two Riders closing in faster than it anticipated to where it was now questioning where it should be shooting.
[HISSATSU!]
[1, 2, 3!]
"Let's finish this!" Zero Drive shouted as red energy began crackling in her right leg.
"Right," Dark Kabuto nodded as yellow electricity launched up towards her horn before being fed towards her right leg, "Rider Kick!"
[FULL THROTTLE! SPEED!]
[RIDER KICK!]
Zero Drive hopped before kicking forward, striking Hatena just as Dark Kabuto closed in and performed a roundhouse kick against the Buster. The two struck both sides of the Bugster at once, shouting further as they pushed and send it tumbling forward.
The Bugster could only yell out as it tumbled and rolled before stopping and exploding.
"We make a pretty good team," Dark Kabuto said as she put a hand on her ally's shoulder.
"For sure," Zero Drive nodded as she pumped her fist.
The Ruby variants began to look up however when they heard sudden cracking, watching as the sky shattered to reveal a bright white void.
"What's going on?" Ruby asked as she hurried over to the others as they dismissed their transformations.
"This world is finally breaking apart," Kaen said as she began to look around, noticing that buildings were starting to crack and shatter into debris, most of the debris disappearing into bright orange energy that faded quickly, "So I think Kagemi won."
"Damn right I did," Kagemi said as appeared from above, having dismissed her transformation before landing between them all, "Looks like you all managed to win your fights too."
"Of course," Keiji said while Kikai nodded.
"Ah right," Ruby said as she hurried over and held out Crescent Rose alongside the Ex-Aid Ridewatch, "Thanks for letting me hold onto these."
"No problem," Kagemi said as she took back Crescent Rose to dismiss it while pocketing the Ex-Aid Ridewatch, "You handled them both pretty well."
"So what exactly did you do?" Kaen asked.
"Beat Meijin and took the source of power for our current prison," Kagemi said as she reached into her pockets, drawing and holding out the Cronus Ridewatch, "Looks like she wasn't lying when she said she used this as the final piece."
"That thing has that much power?" Mushi asked.
"They represent the power of a pre-existing Rider, and in Cronus' case, he's monstrously strong," Kagemi explained as she stared at the Ridewatch, "And unfortunately it looks like they're spread out pretty farther than I thought they would be…"
"What do you mean?" Kaen asked.
"There once was a girl who was taken from her friends, sent to a foreign world," Kagemi said as she lowered her arm and closed her eyes as a smile crossed her lips, "There she met a young man who would become a Kamen Rider to become a King, a King to all the Kamen Riders who had come before and those that would hopefully come after… collecting trinkets known as Ridewatches in order to help climb towards that goal."
"Wait a minute…" Keiji trailed as she recalled the first bit of the story.
"They fought many battles, some easy, some strange, some tough, but in the end the King had to make a heavy choice seconds before disaster could strike…" Kagemi continued as she opened her eyes to stare at the Cronus Ridewatch, "And so he chose to keep the bonds he had built, but in doing so had scattered most of his power as a result. And one power hungry Ruby Rose decided to take a piece of that scattered power and twist it for her own desires."
"You've been through a lot," Ruby said, "Huh?"
"I feel like I've gotten off easier than a lot of you," Kagemi admitted with an almost somber smile before it turned into one of reassurance, "I know things may not seem the best for some of you all, but… things will get better, so you shouldn't give up."
Mushi let out a soft chuckle and glanced away, "Thanks."
"Well at least you're humble," Keiji remarked.
"I would hate to ruin the moment," Kikai spoke up, "But how will we return home?"
Before anyone could answer, the six felt a tingling sensation as their bodies began to grow glitch filled and pixilated.
"Whatever program that was binding us here is finally destroyed," Kagemi said as she walked over, "So we should be returning to our own worlds soon."
"Shame," Keiji sighed, "I would have enjoyed hearing some more cool stories."
"Maybe one day we can see each other again," Kaen suggested in a hopeful manner.
"That would be nice," Kagemi smiled.
"Yeah," Ruby agreed with her own smile.
"At the very least, it was fun having a distraction from everything," Mushi admitted as she began to vanish faster and faster, "I'll see you all later."
"See you later sounds good," Kagemi nodded as Mushi fully vanished.
"Looks like I'm up next," Keiji said as she began vanishing faster and faster before giving a peace sign while fully fading, "Keep up the good fight girls."
"I wish you all good luck in your future endeavors," Kikai said as they bowed forward before fully vanishing as well.
"Looks like one of us is up next," Kagemi looked at Kaen and Ruby before quickly going and hugging the two, "You two are going to be fine, trust me."
"E-Eh…?" Ruby let out a surprised squeak at the hug but instinctively hugged back alongside Kaen.
"You really like hugs, don't you?" Kaen managed to get out with a chuckle.
"Just feel like giving some reassurance," Kagemi admitted as she began to pull away before pausing, the tingling sensation she and the others felt vanishing in an instant.
The three quickly pulled away from each other to notice that they weren't vanishing anymore. They also began to look around. The paved ground beneath them had become wilder, as if they were out in the countryside, while the buildings had mostly broken apart and were simply chunks floating in an endless white void.
The three didn't get a chance to even theorize as a purple and black burst of energy smashed between them all, cracking the ground around Kaen and Ruby and lifting it upwards, the piece of rock floating alongside the other debris.
Kagemi meanwhile hadn't gotten as lucky, staggering back and away from the sudden impact as she glared.
The impact around where the blast had hit had fully cleared up to reveal Meijin who had her Gamer Driver on again, the Maximum Mighty and Hyper Muteki Gashats already loaded in as her eye coloration was now a bright orange. Of course there were some sickly silver veins popping up on her skin now, being mostly visible from her neck and cheeks alongside what little could be seen of her hands.
"If you were trying to get all of us, you failed," Kagemi said, "Keiji, Mushi, and Kikai are long gone."
"I know, and I could care less about three fakes if I'm being honest," Meijin admitted with a low hiss, "Especially when Silver Eyes, a foreign power that isn't a Rider's, and the power of multiple Riders is still ripe for the picking."
"They're more real than you'll ever be," Kagemi remarked, "So what, this is your final gambit? Hyper Muteki…"
"Normally it would be, but like I said, the fools that turned against me ensured I couldn't be the strongest I could be by ridding it of its core feature," Meijin answered before chuckling as she held up the Bugvisor, revealing the data inside of it, "Good thing that I made sure to keep a memento when I defeated Gamedeus."
"You…" Kagemi muttered.
"Now let's go…" Meijin smashed the activation button on the Bugvisor before jabbing the nozzles of its gun mode into her chest, "Cultivate!"
[INFECTION! LET'S GAME! BAD GAME! DEAD GAME! WHAT'S YOUR NAME?!]
Meijin yelled out as silver fire erupted from her body, purple fire suddenly erupting between what silver flames there were as her eyes shined a bright red. The fire burst apart into silver and purple energy stars that spiraled around before slamming into her body.
She was soon clad in a black bodysuit with silver Muteki styled armoring and purple accents, having a twin-tailed coattail with a red inside, long silver strands of hair flowing from her helmet as her eyes were pure red. This was Gamedeus Muteki, the unholy combination of Gamedeus and Ex-Aid Hyper Muteki.
[THE BUGSTER!]
Gamedeus Muteki let out a shout as she brought out a spear with a monstrous curved blade, a red gem adorning the base of the blade before the pole shaft. She held it at her side as she stared down Kagemi, not attacking immediately.
"What's going on?" Ruby asked.
"She's not attacking?" Kaen questioned, "Why?"
"You have more power than what you've used already, right?" Muteki questioned as she kept her gaze on the one that had ruined her plans, "You've been holding back this entire time."
"And why exactly should I?" Kagemi asked, seemingly not unwilling, but more curious in her tone.
"It's the least you could do after ruining every single part of my plan," Muteki answered, "That versatile form you stuck with was strong, but I know and called out already that it wasn't your strongest. If I'm to humiliate you for what you've done before stripping you of your power, I want to see your peak. I want to crush that peak and watch you squirm…"
"You should quit while you're ahead," Kagemi replied.
"If you won't face me I'll simply go after the other two," Muteki said, noticing Kagemi's eyes narrowing at her as she raised her spear and aimed forward, "Go ahead and let's settle this."
"What a pain in the ass," Kagemi hissed out as she brought out her Roze and Roze Remnant Ridewatches, activating them before loading them into her Ziku Driver, "It's time to teach you why exactly you're going to keep losing… Henshin!"
[REMNANT TIME! LET'S GO! KAMEN RIDER~! ROZE REMNANT~!]
Muteki kept a close eye on the transformation, watching the smoke envelop Kagemi as the chains formed before all of that dispersed and broke apart to reveal Roze Remnant.
"So that is your strongest form?" Muteki asked before giving an almost sarcastic chuckle, "The world that spurned me is my obstacle, huh?"
"Ironic, but it's a world you chose to abandon in favor for more power," Roze reminded as she held out her hand, a bronze bladed and gold edged curved greatsword with a barb-like hook tip to it, Fulcrum. She held it at her side with one hand despite it clearly being as large as her body and needing two hands to wield, "Shall we begin?"
"Let's…" Muteki hissed out before launching towards Roze who did the same, the two shifting their arms and swinging to clash against each other with their weapons.
"Whoa," Ruby trailed as she saw Roze Remnant in action, "That form…"
"It looks similar to the Relics," Kaen agreed, already knowing what was on Ruby's mind, "She really has been through a lot."
"Yeah," Ruby nodded before she clasped her hands together, "Which is why I hope she doesn't lose."
"She won't," Kaen answered confidently which surprised Ruby, but before the Huntress could ask the Ranger a question, the Ranger smirked, "She doesn't only just have massive power backing her."
Silver and purple stars, red and gold rose petals, all of these shapes spiraled around each other as Roze and Muteki dispersed and reformed. The two clashed with their blade and spear every time they reformed before utilizing their specialized movement abilities, the duo continuing to clash at different parts of the remaining digital space. Their clashes had ended up in stalemates, either missing each other or simply clashing and bouncing away from the other.
Eventually they had reformed high in the air, both ready to go for more than a single swing. Muteki grunted as she dodged a sword swing only to get struck in the helmet by Fulcrum. She growled and intensified her attacks with Roze responding in kind. Roze let out a gasp as she was struck against her helmet by the end of Muteki's spear, managing to just barely avoid a swipe by the spear head itself.
The two then swung, their weapons getting into a lock as they tried to push away from the other. The clash resulted in bursts of gold and silver, the two launching away from each other and landing on opposite ends. Both ran at each other before dispersing into rose petals and stars, Roze reforming while sliding across the ground and slashing forward while Muteki had reformed mid-air while stabbing slightly downwards.
The two had misread what the other was likely to do, resulting in a narrow miss by both participants of the battle. Muteki landed while Roze slid to a stop, the two turning and fully standing before leaping for the other and getting into a clash once more. Instead of simply overpowering each other, the two knew they needed to go for faster more decisive blows. While they swung, blocked, parried, missed, and even hit occasionally, the two once again found themselves in a lock.
"It's a damn shame you're like this," Roze admitted as she kept pushing forward, "You had so much power stored up, enough to even attain this level of power. You even gained Cronus, and you wanted more? How is it that you're more conceited than Cinder of all people?!"
"Don't speak to me of shame and conceit," Muteki called out, clearly insulted by Roze's remarks, "Your holier than thou attitude is what's holding you back. With the strength you've shown you could have blazed your name throughout the cosmos and taken your place amongst the greatest warriors of all time! And yet your damn weak morals keep you from this legendary status!"
Both combatants yelled out as Muteki leapt away from Roze to gain distance, Roze following after her darker variant. Muteki however immediately launched forward, becoming several stars of silver and purple energy that slammed directly into Roze.
Roze gasped out as she was sent tumbling away, losing grip of her sword in the process.
Muteki reformed mid-air, falling towards Roze and stabbing with her spear, but to her surprise Roze had grabbed her weapon by the spear head before ripping it out of her hand and tossing it away. She then let out a grunt, Roze having spun before kicking out and striking her in the stomach.
In a last second combination, Roze had formed Talaria over her armored foot before unleashing a blast with the boot's firing mechanism to force Muteki back further. She then brought out the blunderbuss axe combination, Blowhard. Swinging it, she tried to force Muteki on the defensive with her heavy weapon.
Despite this Muteki managed to brace against the axe swings, eventually closing in and managing to strike Roze in the wrist, disarming the Remnant weapon wielding Rider. She then closed in before going for a rapid series of heavy punches, trying to force Roze back into the defensive. It managed to work as she landed a hit on Roze's helmet, even going for a spin kick to force Roze back further.
Roze kept up her defense before eventually grabbing onto Muteki once a punch was sent forward. She yelled as she managed to throw Muteki against the ground, only to yelp as Muteki held onto her arm to slam her against the ground as well.
Muteki was now on top of Roze, energy gathering in her fists as she punched down against Roze's defenseless helmet. She growled as Roze grunted against her punches, the Rider's head barely shifting out of the way in time to dodge her punches. She didn't even have a chance to go further as she felt her legs pushed before wincing as she felt something slam into her side.
Roze had managed to slip her leg out and slam it into Muteki's side, forcing the dark variant into a tumble.
"We're ending this, now," Roze managed to fully pick herself up, holding a hand close to her as she summoned the Repligirade, loading it with the Ex-Aid Ridewatch before further charging the weapon with Ex-Aid's power.
[LOADING! CHARGE!]
The blade of the Repligirade shined a bright pink coloration as jagged multi-colored energy began gathering around the blade.
Muteki could only growl out as she managed to right herself, getting into a crouched slide before glancing back. She quickly stomped her foot to stop as she slid near her spear, gripping it tightly before lifting herself up and moving forward.
The two Riders leapt towards each other, Roze holding her sword outwards while Muteki reeled back to stab with her spear.
"My strength is not just mine alone, it's everyone's, whether I've met them or will meet them," Roze spoke up as they closed in on each other, soon reeling her arm back before stabbing forward, "For them I'll always pit whatever I have against the likes of you!"
"You idiotic Ruby Rose!" Muteki screamed out as she stabbed forward.
SNAP!
The Repligirade struck at an angle, snapping the spear head off of the shaft that Muteki held, the blade closing in now uninterrupted.
[EX-AID HAKAI BUSTER!]
A flash of multicolored energy occurred and cracking alongside breaking and shattering could be heard before the light faded.
Muteki could only let out a few pained grunts, the Repligirade having pierced through and shattered her Gamer Driver and Gashats. The tip of the blade was just barely touching the warrior's stomach area, Roze immediately pulling away. Without the Gashat's the transformation began to glitch before suddenly breaking apart, Meijin soon falling to her knees with her head lowered.
Roze simply dismissed her transformation, saying nothing as she watched Meijin's body glitch further, becoming pixel-like before vanishing completely.
"She did it…" Ruby muttered.
"Yeah, she did," Kaen said before yelping as she grabbed onto Ruby, the piece of debris they were on shining brightly before dispersing into energy. The Ranger thought quickly, holding onto Ruby as she used her Semblance, the two bursting into petals that flew down towards Kagemi before bursting apart to reform the two.
"So you do still use your Semblance," Kagemi chuckled as she watched the two land nearby.
"Yeah, guess I haven't really had use for it until now," Kaen remarked as the area began to rumble, the debris floating around them dispersing into energy particles.
"Uh…" Ruby trailed before feeling the tingling sensation again, watching as she, Kagemi and Kaen began to grow pixilated and vanish, "So it's really over."
"It is," Kagemi said with a smile before putting a hand on Ruby's shoulder, "Like I said, everything's going to be alright."
"Yeah," Kaen nodded as she also put a hand on Ruby's shoulder for further reassurance.
Ruby stared at her two variants before closing her eyes and hugging them, "I hope so…"
Kagemi and Kaen looked at each other before hugging back, the three soon vanishing in a burst of pixels as the digital area was torn apart.
"Ruby…"
"Ruby…"
"Ruby…!"
Ruby let out a gasp as she suddenly opened her eyes only to wince and hold and arm over her head to keep from being blinded. From the wind brushing against her ears she could only guess that she was outside. And for some reason she was… gripping something?
She didn't have much time to question as the sun was suddenly blocked out by the familiar face of her friend, Sougo.
"Oh thank goodness," Sougo sighed in relief, "You're alright."
"I'm… alright?" Ruby asked as she began to sit up, giving a low groan before she recalled what had happened. She then began to look around, realizing she was in a park in Tokyo, "Wait…"
Earth – Tokyo, Late July 2019
"Penny said you two were hanging out when you suddenly vanished," Sougo explained, "So everyone's been searching high and low for you for nearly the whole day."
"How did you find me?" Ruby asked.
"I felt something strange in the park," Sougo admitted, "Then when I went to check well, you were just here lying on the grass asleep."
"I see," Ruby said before finally realizing her hand was clasping something. She turned her palm towards her and loosened her grip to see the Cronus Ridewatch, "So it was real…"
"Huh?" Sougo said before his eyes went wide, "Wait, we don't have that Ridewatch! I think…"
"Not until today," Ruby said as she stared at it, gripping it tightly to confirm that it was real. That where she was sent to and who she met with was real, "Sougo, you know how I said I suddenly found the Ryuga Ridewatch, right?"
"Yeah…" Sougo nodded.
"Well, things have gotten a bit more interesting in regards to that," Ruby admitted before giving a smile, "That being said, I'm glad I'm back."
"So you did go somewhere?" Sougo asked.
"Yeah," Ruby said before slowly picking herself up, "But that's a story that everyone's going to want to hear."
"Dang, you had a whole adventure on your own?" Sougo pouted as he began to stand up.
"It wasn't exactly the most fun of adventures," Ruby admitted, "It was admittedly interesting, but like I said I want everyone to hear this."
"And thus ends Miss Rose's meeting with the alternate variations of herself," Woz stated as he had already closed his book and was simply pacing around in his narrative void, "Another new Ridewatch has been obtained, and I am sure many more will be obtained whether it be while Roze from Remnant continues or beyond even its main chapters. As such I once again ask you to keep a watchful eye over this story to see what other events end up taking place."
Unknown World
Ruby, or rather the Ruby known as Meijin gave a gasp as she landed against the hard cold floor of a rooftop. Her body began to glitch as she looked around, forcing herself onto her back and witnessing the sight of her Remnant's broken moon.
"Damn it… back to this world…" Meijin trailed with a hiss as she began to pant, "I'll have to lay low before making a new move…"
"My, my… this is a sorry state you're in…"
"Huh?" Meijin glanced over to see a man in a silver coat and beret walking forward to loom over her, "Who are you?"
"My name is not important," the individual said with a smile, "What if I told you that I was looking for someone who hates Ruby Rose?"
"You want someone self-loathing?" Meijin questioned.
"Ah, my mistake," the man chuckled as he held a hand close to his face, "When I say Ruby Rose I specifically mean the one who can transform into Kamen Rider Roze."
"Her…" Meijin hissed as she managed to quickly sit up, breathing heavily as she looked over towards the silver dressed individual, "How do you know her?"
"She's a troublesome pest indeed," the man in silver remarked, "However… we could make use of your talents. Especially with the evolution you've undergone."
"We…?" Meijin raised an eyebrow.
Author's Note: If you thought Meijin would be done after all of this, seems like she isn't if Shiro-Woz has anything to say about it. Either way this was a fun Roze Gaiden to do mostly in terms of crafting a scenario for it. I was definitely influenced by the Kamen Sentai Gorider special when writing this, especially once I decided to make Cronus the main villain for it. It's also why I specifically chose Meijin as Ex-Aid, needed to have that sort of 'cover identity' for her.
Speaking of choices though, there were some cut Ruby concept ideas. Zero Drive was supposed to be normal Drive with a lot more but I thought making Keiji a newbie would be more interesting. In terms of actual Riders that didn't make it, Faiz, Kiva and Accel were choices that eventually got cut (Kiva) or swapped out for Kikai and Kaen (Faiz and Accel). I didn't want too many monster Riders, and Accel felt like it'd make Drive redundant. Plus Kaen was a fun reference to use and Kikai helps open some stuff up in terms of future writing.
Of course this Roze Gaiden was also created to give you a bit of a rundown of what you can expect for future ones. While the last one did this to an extent, things were still rather status quo. With Ridewatches scattered everywhere and me accounting for just about every Heisei Rider… well there are some fun scenarios I can come up with. That said, thanks for reading and I'll see you for whenever the next Gaiden drops.