Outside the Citadel, the NEO-NUMBERS were fighting valiantly against the seemingly endless horde of Failed Agitos. Despite being outnumbered, their enemies' mindless aggression proved advantageous for the well-coordinated team of Riders and their allies.

The Stakes of Pride, Envy, and Lust exploited their small size and speed, zooming through the air in their stake forms, piercing each target through the skull with lethal precision before moving on to the next.

Hanyuu swung her sword with deadly grace, cutting through Failed Agitos one after another. She ducked under an attack, thrusting her sword into the chest of a Failed Agito, and then slashing it across the chest before spinning on her heel to deliver a powerful back kick that sent it flying into a group, knocking them down like bowling pins.

"SAY HELLO TO MY NOT-SO LITTLE FRIENDS!" Blue Beetle roared, unleashing rapid-fire blasts from his arm cannons as missiles launched from his shoulder-mounted launchers, blasting apart the Failed Agitos in fiery explosions.

Zero hovered above the battlefield, firing stinger needles at the Failed Agitos. Each needle caused paralysis upon contact, exploding moments later, ripping the monsters to shreds.

The musician jabbed his Cricket Fork at a Failed Agito, sending it reeling. He then released a powerful scream that tossed it into the air. Continuing to scream, he moved fluidly, using his deafening Cricket Scream to send the monsters flying everywhere.

"Shit, these fucking freaks just keep coming!" Musician complained, his voice strained with effort.

Slasher did what he did best: sawing through the Failed Agitos with his chainsaws, sending body parts flying. Blood splattered his suit, but he pressed on undeterred. As he stalked towards a group of Failed Agitos, they seemed to tremble in place, paralysed in fear, as if recognising him as a threat. Their fight-or-flight responses were triggered, and they chose the former, which proved to be their undoing as chainsaw blades tore through them.

Arachnea utilised her additional arms and 360-degree field of vision to fight off opponents attacking from all directions. Her venomous claws pierced their armour, injecting corrosive venom and fatal toxins that quickly incapacitated her foes. Several Failed Agitos came at her, and she shot her weblines at them. They stuck to the Agitos before she tugged on them, dragging the mutants to her so she could drive her claws through them.

Carmen danced through the battlefield with her scythe, her movements fluid and deadly. The Agitos failed to counter her as she struck, landing killing blows with her blades. Performing a pirouette, she threw flurries of sharpened flower petals that cut through the Failed Agitos' exoskeleton armour. Gathering her power into her blade, she delivered powerful energy slashes, taking out multiple opponents with each swing.

"These things aren't even putting up a decent fight," Lucifer observed, appearing beside her husband. "Are you sure they used to be human?"

"Yes," Zero confirmed grimly. "But Kyofu stripped them of their humanity, and there's no way to reverse what he did to them."

"So, this is just mercy killing," she concluded. "Works for me."

"At least we free their souls from this torment," Hanyuu stated, her resolve unwavering.

As Zero continued firing upon the Failed Agitos, he briefly glanced at the Citadel.

"Give him hell, Shinichi."

Showa Chronicles: Road to Annihilation

Act XXVI: The Banabara Legacy

"So, you want to get NUTS, do YOU?" Kyofu's eyes glowed as his Alter Ring manifested around his waist. "Then let's. Get. NUTS! HENSHIN!" He slammed his palms on the hip buttons and transformed, his body obscured by the light of his Alter Ringt. Despite being in Weapon's B body, instead of becoming Agito Technos, he assumed his Ultima Agito form. Energy chains wrapped around his forearms and fists before wicked spikes sprouted from his limbs. He grinned menacingly, his gleaming eyes leering evilly at the couple. "Ready or not, HERE I COME!"

"And here we come!" Showa retorted, taking out his C3 and pressing the release button. Suddenly, beams of energy shot out of the device, and the rest of his brides materialised.

Satan looked furious, her red eyes blazing with rage as her body glowed gold. As the golden layer dissolved and morphed into a swarm of butterflies, they flew away, revealing her new form: instead of her modest uniform, she wore a set of red and gold scale mail bikini armour with draconic wings on her back. Her red and black gauntlets had sharp claws at her fingertips, matched by similar greaves, while a belt with a scale mail armoured skirt adorned her waist. She sported sharp demonic horns that protruded from her head, her ears had become pointed, and her teeth razor-sharp like a shark's. Beside her, Tsukuyomi drew her sword, ready to rain punishment down on the man who took their children.

Instead of her usual bikini, Lum wore a black leotard with matching tiger skin gloves and boots. She also sported a reinforced chestplate with the same pattern. Electricity crackled around her hands, and her eyes narrowed dangerously.

Finally, thanks to the power of the Sword of Ascalon, Shawna was clad in a suit of plate armour with her long hair tied in a braided bun. The armour itself was made from dark scale mail with red vein-like tribal markings running across her suit, giving her the appearance of a black knight. Under the armour, she wore a black dress with a long skirt that came down to just above her ankles. Her pauldrons bore the crest of the Genovian royal family on her shoulders, and covering her eyes was a black visor.

"So," Ultima Agito sneered as he saw the brides assembled with Showa. You brought your women to fight your battles for you, BLACK 13. I actually thought you'd face me alone. How pathetic."

"Pathetic is thinking you still stand a chance of winning after losing twice already," Showa retorted, taunting him. "But who knows, maybe the third time's the charm?"

"Oh, I know I'll win because I have an insurance policy: your children!"

"You coward!" Satan snapped, her voice dripping with disgust. "How dare you hide behind our children?!"

"You will release them!" Shawna commanded, pointing Ascalon at the madman. "As Crown Princess of the throne of Genovia, I command you!"

"Ahahahahaha! I don't recognise your authority, Princess!" Ultima Agito laughed. "And none of you are in any position to make demands! But as a courtesy, I'll let you see them one last time!"

He opened a holographic screen to show where he was holding the children, expecting to witness gasps and looks of outrage. Instead, he was met with silence. Were they all speechless or something?

"I think you need your eyes checked, Kyofu," Showa pointed. "Because I don't see any kids."

"WHAT!?" Ultima Agito checked the screen, which displayed the empty stasis pods. "NO!" He rapidly changed the screen to show different angles of the room, desperately attempting to locate his prisoners, but they were nowhere to be seen. "WHERE ARE THEY!?"

"You lost something, old man?" Showa mocked.

"You..." Ultima Agito growled, glaring at the cyborg accusingly. "WHAT DID YOU DO!?"

"What makes you think I did anything?" Showa tilted his head, feigning ignorance.

"Because just like your creator, you only exist to make my life more difficult!"

"Shin-kun, where are the kids?" Scada questioned him.

"Let's just say I got some help from friends in shadowy places," Showa answered cryptically.

"That's all of them," Jojo said in satisfaction as her sisters held each of the children protectively. All of them were in their Mistress' realm, recuperating. The Citadel prevented entry via magic, including the magic of the Meta Witches. Therefore, to gain entry, they had to dig from beneath the sand to penetrate the base.

"What a hassle," Yaw exhaled as she dropped into a cross-legged sitting position. "That was way too much work."

"Everything has a weakness, and that giant building had a big one," Kwabena claimed as she held Shinjiro. The little boy quietly buried his face into her chest, seeking comfort.

"I'm just happy we did not fail the Mistress," said Abeeku as she held little Kaguya.

"Ah!" Fifi gasped as she felt her chest being squeezed by Hiroyuki. She held the boy away from her, glaring. "Stop that!"

"You're pretty!" Hiroyuki giggled.

"Charming, isn't he?" Sisi teased her sister, laughing as she held Layna.

"At least this one's well-behaved," Kwame commented, holding Crow in her arms.

"Did you save us from the bad man?" little Hiroyuki asked Jojo.

"Yes, we did," Jojo smiled warmly at Hiroyuki as she patted him on the head. "We know your Baba. You can all rest here until he comes to get you. Now, you all must be hungry. We'll get you something to eat."

"LET'S RIDE!" Showa and his brides charged at the mad scientist without any heroic speeches or declarations of war — only action.

"Eat lightning!" Lum unleashed bolts of electricity, violently zapping Ultima Agito. The high voltage made him scream as his body convulsed.

"I sentence you to death!" Shawna slashed Ultima Agito across the chest with Ascalon, sending him reeling. The blade cut through his armour, drawing blood. As he tried to retaliate, his claw got caught on Ascalon's edge, and she drove her foot into his gut, sending him sliding backwards.

Tsukuyomi summoned multiple silver energy blades that hovered around her. Following the motions of her sword, they slashed Ultima Agito in succession, causing explosions to go off with each strike.

When the smoke cleared, Ultima Agito was dusting himself off.

"Cute," he mocked. Despite his calm demeanour, he was seething inside. He thought holding BLACK 13's children hostage would bring him victory, but his plans had been derailed.

No! That could not be allowed to happen! Not again!

"Let's make this a fair fight," Ultima Agito proclaimed, snapping his fingers. Suddenly, four adult-sized stasis pods dropped from the ceiling, facing Showa and his brides. The pods hissed as the doors depressurised before opening, revealing their occupants.

"What are they?" Shawna asked.

"Meet my earlier attempts at creating the ultimate lifeform," Ultima Agito introduced as the pods opened like sarcophagi. "The Grongi."

The four Grongi emerged, revealing themselves to be monstrous humanoids with animalistic features. Each wore similar belt buckles resembling a horned entity.

The Crayfish Grongi, a male humanoid, had red segmented exoskeleton armour with wavy tribal markings and long whip-like antennae growing from its brow. It had beady black eyes, mandibles, black metal bracelets around its wrists and ankles, and a loin cloth resembling a crayfish's tail. It wielded a staff with metal crayfish claws on each end.

The Wildcat Grongi, appearing female with a curvy and slender figure, was covered in silky black fur with a purple tint. It had large golden eyes, cat-like ears, a horned headband, claws on its fingertips, clawed gauntlets with blade-like claws, a furry brown bikini, and a golden collar with matching bracelets on its ankles.

The Ostrich Grongi, a male, had an athletic figure covered by black and white feathers. Its legs were thick and muscular, with clawed feet strong enough to break through steel. It wore a metal chestplate with tribal markings, skirt armour resembling an ostrich's tail feathers, a longer-than-normal neck, a beak for a nose, and big black eyes.

Finally, the Dragonfly Grongi, also male, had green segmented exoskeleton armour with various lines carved into it. It had large wings and a head with huge compound eyes, and beneath them was a pair of human eyes.

"And you call me pathetic for not fighting my own battles," Showa mocked, pointing out Kyofu's hypocrisy.

"You have your team, BLACK 13, I have mine," Ultima Agito shot back. "Now, my Grongi, KILL THEM ALL!"

The four Grongi howled and charged at Showa and his brides. Satan quickly intercepted the Dragonfly Grongi in the air to engage it in combat while Shawna, Lum, and Tsukuyomi followed suit.

Tsukuyomi locked weapons with the Crayfish Grongi while looking over her shoulder at Showa and Scada.

"Leave these to us!" she yelled. "You both take Kyofu!"

"And kick his ass!" Lum added, firing lightning at the Wildcat Grongi.

"Alright," Showa nodded as he turned to face Ultima Agito with Scada. "C'mon, Rena-chan!"

"Right!" Scada followed as they went to confront the madman.

Lambdadelta was shaking in her seat, her smile wide with glee and anticipation as she watched the screens. At the same time, Bernkastel kept a critical gaze on the battle.

The Witch of Miracles was relieved to see that the children had been rescued. Without them, Kyofu no longer held any leverage against Shinichi and his brides. However, part of her was worried about what Zawadi may have planned for them. While she claimed to be an ally to Shinichi, the Witch of Shadows had attacked the other Meta-Witches before. However, despite that, the Witch of Miracles could sense sincerity coming from her.

As Bernkastel continued to watch the fights, she could guess what was running through the minds of Shinichi's brides. They had nearly lost their children for good, and while they were relieved that their children were no longer in danger, they still wanted to avenge what had happened.

"Hey, hey, Bern!" Lambdadelta called. "How much do you want to bet that Kyofu can still win?"

"No chance," Bernkastel deadpanned.

"So...how about we bet how much longer he'll stay alive?"

"I'll take that bet."

Sparks flew violently as Satan and the Dragonfly Grongi clashed in midair. The Grongi brought out a pair of daggers, but Satan parried them with her sword of light before slashing it across the chest. The Grongi quickly recovered and thrust its daggers at her, but the Stake of Wrath managed to avoid the blades.

Satan's new demon form had been blessed to her by her Mistress, the Golden Witch Beatrice. After learning that her grandson had been kidnapped, she wanted to storm the Citadel herself, but her husband managed to talk her out of it. He told her that this was something Satan and the others needed to take care of themselves. So, if Beatrice could not intervene directly, the least she could do was give her daughters a much-needed power boost.

Sparks flew as Satan and the Dragonfly Grongi repeatedly crashed into each other. As they locked blades, Satan drove her knee into the Dragonfly Grongi's stomach before delivering a roundhouse kick that sent it crashing to the floor. As it rose up, attempting to fly again, Satan dropped in front of it and opened her mouth wide.

With a roar, Satan unleashed a blast of flame from her gullet, causing the Dragonfly Grongi to shriek in pain as it was set ablaze. As it flailed about, Satan formed another sword of light over her other arm and slashed with both her blades, striking the Dragonfly Grongi across the chest before she drove them right through. Withdrawing the blades, she watched as the Dragonfly Grongi staggered backwards before collapsing and exploding in a fiery blaze.

Sparks flew as Shawna's blade connected with the raised leg of the Ostrich Grongi. The monster swiftly drew its leg back and delivered a kick to her chest, sending her skidding backwards. Thankfully, her armour managed to absorb the blow, which would have shattered her ribs.

Unlike the rest of her comrades, Princess Shawna lacked the extensive combat training or experience they had. Therefore, not wanting to be useless in the fight, she devoted herself to mastering the sword, refining her technique through relentless training. As the Sword of Ascalon was her nation's most sacred treasure, it demanded a worthy wielder.

Often sparring with Tsukuyomi and Satan, she used their critiques to refine her skill. Her dedication finally paid off one day when she bested one of them in a match. Now, here she was, fighting to save the world alongside her beloved Mr. Samurai and her soon-to-be sister-wives.

The Ostrich Grongi leapt forward, aiming a flying kick at Shawna. She sidestepped the attack, the monster's foot crashing into the wall behind her, leaving a deep indent. It withdrew its leg, spun around and charged, launching a flurry of kicks at her. Shawa swiftly used her sword to block the relentless blows, but a heel kick caught her chin, sending her tumbling. The blow caused the Ascalon to slip from her grasp and slide across the floor.

Shawna struggled to rise, but the Ostrich Grongi pressed its foot onto her chest, pinning her down. She grabbed its ankle, straining to lift the crushing weight. Pain lanced through her as the pressure increased, her chestplate digging into her ribs.

"I... will... not... lose," she gasped, fighting through the pain. "I CANNOT LOSE!"

Responding to her resolve, the Sword of Ascalon lifted off the ground and shot straight at the Ostrich Grongi, burying itself into its side. The monster screamed, knocked off balance. Shawna seized the moment to take a deep breath and regain her footing. As the Grongi struggled to pull the sword from its side, Shawna punched it square in the face, sending it reeling.

Besides her swordsmanship, Shawna had also trained in boxing, a discipline Tsukuyomi insisted she learn. Unarmed combat was essential, Tsukuyomi had said, as she might not always have her weapon on hand. She remembered the countless bruises from hitting the training mat, the relentless drills that toughened her resolve.

Now, she unleashed the results of her training, landing punch after punch on the disoriented Grongi. Her fists flew, a flurry of blows to its face and chest. The creature staggered, blocking her right fist as it came — but the punch was a feint. With her left hand, Shawna grabbed Ascalon's hilt and wrenched it free, eliciting a shriek of pain from the monster.

Gripping the sword tightly in both hands, Shawna felt its power surge. The blade shone brilliantly as she prepared to deliver her final attack.

"ASCALON STRIKE!"

With a mighty swing, she delivered a shining upward slash, bisecting the Ostrich Grongi from hip to collar. As it collapsed, she drove the sword into its chest, unleashing a burst of energy, causing the creature to explode in a fiery blaze, vanquishing it.

"You did well, lass," St. George's voice echoed in her mind.

"Thank you, St. George," she responded, smiling.

Lum threw lightning bolts at the Wildcat Grongi, but the monster used its agility to dodge her bolts. It zigzagged across the floor before making a beeline toward her. She fired more lightning, but it leapt into the air, performing a forward flip and nailing her in the chest with a dropkick, knocking the wind out of her.

As a princess, Lum had been spoiled by her doting father and gently disciplined mother. Despite this, she had grown into a bit of a selfish brat, caring mainly for her childhood friends and family, whom she often took for granted.

One horrible day, her life changed forever when her planet was attacked. Amidst the chaos and believing her family dead, Lum had fled her home in a saucer, a decision she would regret. Maybe if she had stayed and fought, she could have saved them. Now, Lum could only wonder if her parents, aunt, and little cousin might still be alive and with her on Earth if things had been different. She hadn't even asked Shinichi if they could check on her planet, too afraid to face what she had abandoned.

Accepting her loss, Lum had tried to make a new life on Earth. She had fallen for Shinichi, who had rescued her and had wanted him all to herself, but she had to share him with the others who loved him, too. She had learned that Shinichi, like her, had fled from a painful past only to be forced to fight to protect his home. Now, Lum fought to protect her adoptive home world from Kyofu and his monsters.

The creature lunged, slashing her chest and sending sparks flying. Her body armour absorbed the blow, but the claws left marks. She fired a lightning bolt, but the Grongi spun to avoid it and then punched her in the face. She staggered and tried to zap the Grongi again, but it leapt into the air and aimed a heel kick at her skull. She flew back just in time, the monster's kick denting the floor. The Wildcat Grongi lunged again, pouncing with a roar.

This time, Lum had a clear shot. She fired a bolt of lightning, but the Wildcat Grongi blocked it with its gauntlets, absorbing the charge. It swung its claws, but Lum caught its wrists. The Grongi hissed, snapping its jaws at her. Lum glared back, her horns crackling, and unleashed a flash of lightning right into its eyes.

The Wildcat Grongi screamed, blinded and staggering. Lum seized the opportunity, grabbing its horned headband and sending a surge of electricity through it. The creature's body lit up, its fur standing on end as Lum poured her voltage through it. Its skeleton became visible, and finally, it went limp. Panting, Lum released the Grongi, and it collapsed before reverting to a naked human female. The woman looked up at Lum with a soft, grateful smile.

"Thank...you..." Moments later, her eyes closed, and her body turned to dust. Lum was shaken, realising she had just killed a person, but she pushed her feelings aside, focusing on defeating Kyofu.

Tsukuyomi battled the Crayfish Grongi. It twirled its polearm, sending sparks flying as it clashed against Tsukuyomi's sword. The demigoddess was knocked back by a thrust aimed at her chest but managed to land on her feet.

For centuries, Tsukuyomi lived as a warrior, never experiencing romance. Her sister Amaterasu had encouraged her to seek a tryst, but she ignored her, focusing on only her duties. She believed that a life without duty was no life at all. From her moon, she had watched over the Earth, ensuring its safety from otherworldly threats.

She had seen Earth's people suffer from wars and atrocities, including those committed by the Japanese during World War II. She had witnessed the Americans drop nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, forced to watch countless civilians perish in an instant, unable to interfere.

Did humanity still deserve her protection? Were they even worth it?

She then found an intriguing subject in Kamen Rider Showa. Tsukuyomi often saw her duty as an obligation, not something she did out of sentimentality. Shinichi felt similarly, using his power to protect the world out of responsibility and to atone for his sins. But beyond duty, he fought for his loved ones. Now, Tsukuyomi found herself fighting for the people she loved as well, especially her daughter Kaguya.

The Crayfish Grongi twirled its spear, summoning water out of thin air and launching it at her. Tsukuyomi braced herself, her body glowing with power, gripping her sword tightly as the Grongi's attack closed in on her.

"HYAAAAH!" she yelled, swinging her sword to disperse the watery blast. The Crayfish Grongi staggered back, startled. Before it could recover and resume its assault, Tsukuyomi's eyes glowed silver, and a matching aura surrounded the Kaijin. It began to float, flailing its arms helplessly as it was being suspended off the ground.

In a flash, Tsukuyomi dashed past the Crayfish Grongi and stopped behind it, sheathing her sword with a click. The Kaijin went still as a shining cut appeared across its waist right before it exploded.

"Not bad, not bad at all," Lambdadelta acknowledged as the four brides successfully defeated their foes. "But let's get back to the main event, shall we?"

The additional screens disappeared before the main screen enlarged, and the two witches focused on the fierce battle that was taking place.

In a burst of speed, Ultima Agito dashed towards Showa and Scada. They quickly separated, allowing him to run past them. As he skidded to a halt, Ultima Agito spun on his heels and threw a spiked chain at Scada. She leapt up to avoid it, but it wrapped around her ankle and dragged her back down. As Ultima Agito dragged her towards him, Showa's foot collided with his face, knocking him back. Showa then grabbed the chain and snapped it in half before punching Ultima Agito in the stomach. As Showa went to deliver another blow, Ultima Agito's eyes glowed, causing him and Scada to freeze.

"Have you forgotten that this body belonged to Weapon B?" Ultima Agito sneered. "And with me in control, his powers are enhanced, meaning I can control your bodies and the technology you wield."

"And you love to hear yourself talk," Showa retorted. "Rena, now!"

*BOOM!*

An explosive blast sent Ultima Agito sprawling to the ground, leaving him with a large scorch mark on his chest. Scada approached, holding a large cannon. The weapon shrank down and became a rod with a sphere on each end. This was the Multi-Armament Striker, or MultiArmS for short.

Ultima Agito floated back to his feet, groaning in pain as his injuries healed.

"How... Why can't I control you!?" he demanded, unable to believe his attempt to control them had failed.

"When we found out you switched bodies with B, I had a friend enchant my tech," Showa answered, tapping his Driver. "In other words, your greatest trump card is a flop."

"AAARRRGGGHHHH!" Ultima Agito screamed, shooting off all his spiked chains at the couple. As the chains were about to reach them, Showa tapped the Black RX Capsule.

[RIDER BURST! BLACK RX!]

In a flash, the Revolcane's hilt emerged from the Fusion Driver's front. Showa took hold of it and withdrew the weapon. Wielding the solar-powered blade, he delivered a series of slashes that cut through the chains until Ultima Agito ceased his attack.

Seizing their chance, Showa and Scada charged at the stunned Ultima Agito. Showa raked Ultima Agito across the chest with his claws, leaving glowing gashes before slashing him with the Revolcane.

Ultima Agito retaliated with a claw strike, but Scada intercepted and threw a left hook into his jaw. As he was stunned, the Multi-ArmS shifted into a hi-tech version of Rena's signature hatchet. With a swing, she buried the blade into Ultima Agito's stomach, drawing blood as he doubled over in pain, allowing her to strike him in the chin with her knee, throwing his body backwards.

Showa grabbed Ultima Agito's wrist and pulled him towards himself to slash him furiously with his Revolcane, leaving glowing gashes all across his body. He reversed his grip on his weapon before driving his knuckles into Ultima Agito's chin. Ultima Agito staggered, but before he could recover, Scada attacked savagely with her hatchet, showing no mercy.

This man, this monster, had tried to kill everyone in her home and had taken her son. He was going to pay for it in blood.

Scada pulled back, allowing Showa to thrust the Revolcane forward.

"REVOLCRASH!"

Showa jabbed Ultima Agito with the glowing blade, and the point of impact exploded, throwing him violently against the far wall. Thanks to his quick thinking, he erected a small yet strong barrier around the spot right before the cyborg struck. Had the shield been any weaker, the blade would have gone right through him.

Looking up, his eyes widened as he saw Showa and Scada lunging at him. Acting quickly, he teleported away, letting them strike the wall instead.

"Where did he go!?" Scada wondered, scanning the area for Ultima Agito.

"I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO CONTROL YOU!" Ultima Agito's voice echoed around them. "BUT I STILL CONTROL THIS PLACE!"

A large laser beam fired at the couple, and they leapt back to avoid it, the beam gouging a groove across the floor. More lasers followed, forcing Showa to quickly erect a dome shield. As the lasers relentlessly bombarded the barrier, Showa banished the Revolcane, reached into his subspace pocket, and pulled out what appeared to be a landmine. As soon as it hit the ground, it activated. LEDs lit up around its circumference, and a rod emerged from the centre, blooming like a satellite dish. The device then released an EMP, frying all the technology in the room except for Showa and Scada's suits and the Multi-ArmS, causing the lasers to deactivate.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" Ultima Agito yelled.

"Used your own tech against you," Showa taunted as he dropped the dome shield. "Shouldn't have left your toys lying around, Kyofu. Pretty sloppy, if you ask me."

"YOU DARE-!?"

"You know, I've been trying to figure out what motivates you. I thought it was your hatred of Gebok, but your ambitions are driven by something else. You're afraid..."

"I fear NOTHING! Especially not YOU!"

"You're afraid of becoming insignificant, irrelevant, and forgotten," Showa countered. "You're afraid of being a failure, of being less than nothing. So you feel the need to tear others down to lift yourself up. You created your Agitos to have something to stand over and look down upon, like some god. But you're no god. You're just a pathetic, impotent little man who can't stand the idea that he's not the best and never was. You wanna know why Gebok did all the things he did? Because his family were senselessly murdered, and so he wanted to avenge them. While I can never forgive him, I can at least sympathise with him. But you? You're just an overcompensating narcissist with a god complex...and probably a small penis."

Ultima Agito's reaction was swift and furious.

"AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!"

Ultima Agito foolishly reappeared to hurl his chains and spears straight at the couple. Holding hands, they began to dance around the weapons, evading them with ease. Ultima Agito grew frustrated, driving him to intensify his attacks. However, Scada and Showa used the MultiArmS and Shield of Glen, respectively, to deflect the onslaught.

Ultima Agito growled and spread his arms wide. His limbs became mechanised, stretching as long as a giraffe's neck and sprouting sharp claws. He swung his elongated arms at the couple in fury. They leapt into the air and separated, bouncing off the walls to avoid his claws.

High in the air, Showa tapped the Agito Capsule, initiating another special move.

[AGITO! RIDER BURST!]

"Rider..." Showa began, gathering energy into the Shield of Glen, the gem on the back of his fist glowing.

Hearing her cue, Scada pulled the ripcord on the Scada Buckle, sending energy into her right fist.

"Double..." Scada continued.

The two bounced around the room, gaining momentum as Ultima Agito tried to track their movements. Finally, they landed on the same spot on the wall and launched themselves straight at Ultima Agito.

"PUNCH!"

Their fists connected with explosive force, and Ultima Agito screamed as he was knocked back violently, sparks bursting from his chest. He staggered but was given no respite as Scada dashed toward him, slashing furiously with the MultiArmS. The energised blade chipped away at his armour as he raised his arms to shield himself.

All of a sudden, Showa delivered a roundhouse kick to Ultima's head, sending him spiralling. He crashed to the floor, skipping like a pebble across a surface of water before coming to a stop against the wall.

"Little rotten shits. I can't believe you forced me to do this," Ultima Agito snarled, pulling something from behind his back. Showa and Scada halted, seeing him hold an injector gun that contained a familiar glowing blue liquid.

"What are you doing with that?!" Showa demanded.

"Oh, you recognise this?" Ultima Agito sneered, waving the injector gun, the blue serum sloshing in its chamber. "Yes, it's the same serum that stabilised your cybernetics, the same serum the Religion of Crime sold as a performance enhancer. G-Shock, they called it. It enhances both body AND mind. BEHOLD!"

He drove the needle into his chest. Squeezing the trigger, he injected the blue serum into his bloodstream, and the results were instantaneous. His veins pulsed with blue energy, his aura flaring uncontrollably.

Showa and Scada held their ground as psychic pressure exploded from Ultima Agito, tearing apart the roof and walls to reveal the bright sky outside. The space around Ultima Agito distorted, and he uttered a monstrous roar as his aura flared once more. When it faded, his body shimmered with ominous power.

Meanwhile, outside of the Citadel, the NEO-NUMBERS and their allies were startled when the roof was suddenly blown off.

"What's happening up there?" Blue Beetle asked while putting a Failed Agito in a sleeper hold.

"I think they're in trouble," Hanyuu answered, concern evident in her voice.

"Then let's hurry up and finish things here," Musician proposed, stabbing a Failed Agito that was on the ground, killing it.

"HAHAHAHAHA! ROUND TWO, TRASH!" Ultima Agito howled before he charged straight for the couple.

Showa fired blasts from his left hand at Ultima Agito as Scada swung the MultiArmS to throw energy blades at the madman. A quick barrier flashed around Ultima Agito before he jumped up and dove straight for the couple. Both Showa and Scada jumped up to intercept him, throwing kicks of their own, but Ultima Agito grabbed them by the legs and slammed them down. Scada slashed at him quickly, forcing him to release them.

Both Riders jumped to their feet, both rushing at him to attack. Unfortunately, Ultima Agito was putting up a much better fight than before, able to handle both simultaneously.

Showa managed to land a kick that threw Ultima Agito high into the air before he and Scada jumped after him. Ultima Agito flipped himself upright, his aura growing as he deflected every attack the couple threw at him. He teleported to Scada, grabbing her by the throat, but she quickly flipped her legs up and knocked him back to the ground with a kick to the chest. Ultima Agito landed on all fours and shot the energy chains from his back, all flying towards the pair. They were coming at them faster than before, with more deadly proficiency, but the couple managed to avoid them, with Scada cutting down one or two along the way.

"He's a lot stronger now," Scada observed.

"Yeah, but he'll eventually burn through the G-Shock," Showa countered. "We just need to hold out until then."

In a burst of inhuman speed, Ultima Agito appeared in front of Showa and slammed his palm into the Rider's chest. The blow was enhanced with telekinesis, blasting him across the room.

"Shin-kun!" Scada cried. Ultima Agito grabbed her by the face and smashed her against the floor. She let out a cry of pain as he began to push her into the floor. She tried to pry his hand off her face, but he was too strong.

Showa groaned as he picked himself up when he noticed an alert on his HUD: Rena's vitals were dropping.

"Rena-chan!" Showa shouted, and he quickly moved to help her.

As her helmet was being crushed, Scada's hands moved around to find something that could help her, and she felt the MultiArmS. Grabbing it, she swung it at Ultima Agito, and it shapeshifted into a dagger, which she plunged into his neck. Ultima Agito howled as he released Scada to grab hold of the MultiArmS hilt and pull it out of his neck.

Scada used this chance to retaliate, swiftly pulling on the Scada Buckle's ripcord as she flipped back to her feet. Energy gathered in her right fist just as Ultima Agito managed to pull the MultiArmS from his neck and toss it away.

"You bitch!" Ultima Agito snapped.

Scada threw a punch, but Ultima Agito caught her fist before he twisted her arm, causing her to howl in pain as he brought her to her knees. Suddenly, he howled in pain as he was blasted from behind, releasing Scada and allowing her to resume her attack. She struck him in the jaw with an explosive punch that knocked him away. As he spun around to retaliate, Showa suddenly blasted him.

As Ultima Agito was being blasted, Scada moved in and delivered a roundhouse kick to the back of the mad Agito's head, further disorienting him. As he began to regain his bearings, Satan flew at Ultima Agito with swords of light on both of her arms. Screaming furiously, she slashed him rapidly across the chest, sending him backpedalling with each blow before kicking him across the face.

He was about to retaliate when he was suddenly zapped by Lum, who hovered in the air. Like some kind of Goddess of Thunder, she channelled the lightning in her body and fired bolts of power at him. His body lit up like a Christmas tree as he screamed.

While he twitched and spasmed from the electrical assault, Shawna swung the Sword of Ascalon, and the shining blade bombarded him with a wave of diamond shards. He grunted as each diamond shard struck like a flechette, cracking his armour. Ultima Agito shot chains at her, but Lum intercepted and caught them before grinning viciously and using them as conductors to zap him again. He recoiled before he received a faceful of concentrated lightning in the face, which blinded him as he screamed.

Ultima Agito tried to get back up to his feet, only to find himself surrounded by an array of katanas made up of silver energy. They all rained down on him in blasts of silver explosions. As the explosions cleared, Ultima Agito realised that a very real sword was sticking out from his back. Looking back, he saw Tsukuyomi glaring coldly at him.

"Repent for your sins," Tsukuyomi whispered in his ear, withdrawing her blade so she could go for the killing blow. But before she could, he pushed her away with telekinesis.

"THAT'S IT! EVERYONE DIES NOW!" Ultima Agito roared as he prepared to retaliate. However, before he could make his move, he was suddenly hit by a massive laser blast that sent him sprawling. It was not enough to kill him, but it still hurt like hell. Grunting as he healed himself, he got back on his feet to see the Beetle Ship hovering outside.

"Top floor, everyone! Big Bad Department! This is where you get off!" Blue Beetle shouted as he piloted the ship while the NEO-NUMBERS and their allies rode atop the hull.

"Let's go, sisters!" Lucifer ordered. She and her sisters quickly turned into their demonic stake forms and flew straight at Ultima Agito, piercing through his armour before exiting out the back. He stumbled from the blow, his injuries slowly knitting themselves together.

Lucifer, Leviathan and Asmodeus, seeing their sister Satan in her demonic battle form, decided to do the same. Their bodies glowed with golden light as they transformed, their shapes morphing. The glowing layer flaked away, turning into golden butterflies, revealing their new forms...

Lucifer sported the same uniform as before, but in pitch black while sporting six black angelic wings. Her hair had also turned snow white, and her eyes had become completely red. Besides that, her ears had become pointed, and she grew a pair of black demonic horns that sprouted from her forehead.

Leviathan's skin had turned green and smooth like an amphibian. She also exchanged her uniform for a red sleeveless leotard with a scaly pattern. Golden bracelets were wrapped around her ankles and wrists. Her teeth and nails became razor-sharp, and she now had a long reptilian tail the same colour as her suit.

Finally, Asmodeus really proved why she was called the Stake of Lust as she took on the form of a succubus, sporting a black leather bra and thong set with leathery bat-like wings, a spade-tipped tail and horns in the shape of bat wings protruding out the sides of her blonde hair.

Lucifer conjured up a pair of pitchforks and hurled them at Ultima Agito, ripping a scream out of his throat as they pierced through his armour. He tried to rip them out, but as soon as he touched them, the weapons exploded, sending him sprawling. As he attempted to climb back to his feet, he was surrounded by a pink mist that caused him to feel strangely euphoric.

"Why...why does it feel so good...?" he slurred as if intoxicated. Suddenly, numerous whips lashed out from the mist, striking him repeatedly. Each lash caused sparks to blast off painfully from his body, and then Asmodeus came flying in, slamming her butt into his face to knock him out of the cloud of pink mist.

Still disoriented, he failed to see Leviathan come at him with water swirling around her. She stopped, spun on her heels, and then unleashed a torrent of water that slammed into him like a speeding train. The aquatic blast knocked him off his feet, leaving him drenched. As he tried to pick himself up, he found himself pelted by cannonball-sized spheres of water.

"Hyah!" Hanyuu leapt at him, delivering a slash with her Onigari no Ryuou, the strike ripping sparks and blood off his armour on impact as he yelled. He moved to attack her but was intercepted by Slasher, who struck him with his chainsaws. The blow sent him reeling before he was hit by countless sharpened flower petals and stinger needles, causing him to backpedal as a series of small explosions burst from his body.

"Hana-chan!" Carmen yelled. On cue, the Tarantula Cyborg hurled a ball of webbing at Ultima Agito. It exploded on impact, instantly cocooning him.

"GET THIS STUFF OFF ME!" Ultima Agito yelled as he tried to struggle free.

Alice landed beside Showa in her Rider form, much to his surprise.

"Alice?"

"Hi, Onii-chan!" the bio-android girl waved happily.

"What are you doing here?"

"Helping!" Alice spread her blazing wings and shot straight towards Ultima Agito, her body wreathed in flames, turning herself into a blazing meteor. She struck Ultima Agito with her flaming flying tackle, causing an explosion that sent him soaring while burning away his cocoon. He rolled across the floor, flames licking his body. He jumped to his feet, trying to put out the flames.

"Why!? WHY MUST YOU PESTS ALWAYS GET IN MY WAY!?"

"Because wherever there is evil, Kamen Riders will rise up to oppose it!" Showa boldly declared. "And you started this when you attacked our home!"

[AGITO! BLACK RX! FUSION BURST!]

After tapping both Rider Capsules, Showa spread his arms and legs apart, building up power as a glowing outline of light shone around him. Once he finished charging up, his eyes flashed, and he leapt into the air. As soon as he reached the apex of his jump, the Mark of Agito appeared behind him. The Mark flashed, releasing a burst of power that propelled him towards Ultima Agito to deliver a supercharged flying kick. The mad Agito was stunned when Showa's body glowed as bright as the sun, blinding him.

"GRAND SUN RIDER KICK!" Showa yelled, striking Ultima Agito with his glowing, energised Rider Kick. The explosive impact sent the mad scientist screaming and tumbling through the air before he eventually crashed to the floor. Miraculously, despite the immense damage he took, he managed to maintain his Agito form.

"Finish him off!" Zero ordered, rallying everyone. They quickly ran after Ultima Agito before encircling him. "Together!"

Scada turned the Multi-ArmS into a laser gun and began blasting Ultima Agito, with Tsukuyomi, Hanyuu and Shawna firing beams from their respective swords. Lum blasted him with lightning bolts as Satan bombarded him with fireballs.

Carmen sprayed the madman with a blast of explosive flower petals as Zero fired stinger blasts from his fist. Musician unleashed a sonic scream while Alice fired a volley of fireballs. At the same time, Blue Beetle was firing his arm-mounted laser cannons at the psychotic psychic. Finally, Showa fired upon the mad Agito with his Vortech Shooter.

Ultima Agito gritted his teeth as he was bombarded by their combined assault, trying to process his current situation.

How could all this have happened? Years of planning, bribery, and biological experimentation, all to reach his ambition—all of it to prove that he was the best at everything. He had spent years of his life creating the ultimate superbeing—it was his life's work—only to be reduced to nothing in a matter of days.

"ENOUGH!" he roared, unleashing a telekinetic burst that repelled his assailants, knocking them all off their feet.

"What is it gonna take to kill this guy?" Blue Beetle asked, and he received a response from his Scarab. "No, we're not making an atomic bomb."

"You freaks have ruined everything..." Ultima Agito glowered, his voice dropping the ham and becoming coldly tranquil.

Shawna looked up as she felt the scorching desert temperature suddenly drop as the sky darkened. As soon as the dark clouds covered the sun, hail suddenly rained down from the sky.

"What the... hail in the desert?" Tsukuyomi blinked, feeling the unmistakable frozen rain bouncing off her. Thunder rumbled, lightning flashed, and the winds started to turn violent.

"Now I only have one thing left: the desire to make mincemeat out of you."

Blue veins lit up all across Ultima Agito's body as he underwent another horrific transformation: large curved spikes grew from where his neck met his shoulders, and skeletal wings resembling gnarled branches sprouted from his back. The chains wrapped around his forearms melted and reformed, turning his right arm into a drill covered in spikes across each section while his left hand became a large, five-fingered skeletal claw. He now had three-clawed toes on each foot, and his shins were covered in jagged armour. Finally, his crest horns grew longer, and an inhuman skull face emerged from his chest.

"NOW BE ERASED FOREVER FROM MY WORLD!" Ultima Agito bellowed, spreading his skeletal wings as he unleashed omnidirectional death beams from the tips.

"Get down!" Showa yelled as he erected another dome shield, with everyone taking cover under it.

"OK, he's mad," Lum observed as the lasers bombarded the barrier.

"Wow, what was your first clue?" Satan snarked.

"Satie-chan, not now," Scada chided.

Ultima Agito ceased his beam spamming and glared at the dome shield. He revved up his drill, which rotated rapidly as spiralling energy surrounded it. With a feral yell, he dashed towards the barrier, gliding across the floor as he went to destroy it.

As Ultima's drill struck, the dome held only for a few seconds before cracks started to appear. Finally, it shattered, and Ultima Agito grabbed hold of Showa's throat with his telekinesis.

"Shin-kun!" Scada exclaimed as she went to help him along with her fellow brides, but Ultima Agito just glared at them as the eyes on his skull-shaped chestplate glowed before sending everyone flying back with telekinesis.

"Girls!" Showa yelled as they were knocked backwards.

"You won't be needing this where we're going," Ultima Agito spoke threateningly before he took hold of Showa's Fusion Driver with his telekinesis. With a tug, he ripped the belt off and tossed it away, causing Shinichi's armour to vanish.

The floor shook violently as a fissure formed on the surface, quickly drawing a line around Ultima Agito and Shinichi that separated them from the rest. A curtain of energy arose from the fissure, forming a barrier that prevented anyone from interfering. A large section of the floor was lifted into the air, carried away by Ultima Agito's telekinesis.

"SHIN-KUN!" Scada screamed helplessly as she watched the large makeshift plateau rapidly ascend into the sky.

"We need to get up there! Mr. Samurai needs us!" Shawna yelled, alarmed.

"We can't! Sheila can't get a lock on them to open a Teleportal safely!" Zero retorted.

"Then we'll use the ship!" Tsukuyomi suggested.

"We won't be able to fly it in this weather!" Blue Beetle argued.

"Then what are we supposed to do!?" Satan demanded furiously.

Once her panic subsided, Scada calmed down and dismissed her transformation.

"We need to have faith in Shin-kun," she stated, looking up at the sky.

Ultima Agito stopped the plateau at the stratosphere, where he would not be disturbed. Wind and cyclones blew everywhere, and lightning rained down from the sky—all at the will of the Agito. He held Shinichi to his face, glaring daggers at him.

"You ruined everything! My plans! My reputation! It's all gone! Finished! All because of you!" Ultima Agito spat. Shinichi simply responded with a grin that infuriated the Agito. "But now...at least I get the pleasure of destroying Gebok's legacy." His drill arm revved up and spun as he prepared to drive it into Shinichi's body and tear him to pieces. "Any last words, BLACK 13?"

"Just one," Shinichi answered, his lips curling into a smile. "Henshin."

His Spark Core flashed, blinding Ultima Agito as its energy burst freed Shinichi from his grip. Shinichi's Void Wings erupted from his back, wrapping around him before they exploded into a cascade of feathers, revealing his Rider form. Showa flipped backwards, wings spread and landed gracefully on his feet, facing Ultima Agito.

After being used, the Chronicle Timer prevented him from transforming normally for three hours, and that time was now up.

Ultima Agito roared furiously as he shot chains and fired lasers at Showa. The Rider's wings glowed, and he warped around the plateau as he charged towards Ultima Agito. He weaved between the laser beams only to be caught by the chains as they wrapped tightly around him, but he managed to break the chains with his strength alone.

Showa continued onwards as Ultima Agito made spears shoot out of the floor, but the Rider dodged them as well, zipping across the floor as he ran in a zigzag, using his speed and portals to avoid Ultima Agito's flying chains and laser beams. He crossed the distance between himself and Ultima Agito until he came within striking range.

"Hahahahah!" Ultima Agito laughed triumphantly as he drove his drill arm into Showa's chest. But upon closer inspection, it had gone through a portal he had opened on the spot. Ultima Agito's eyes widened moments before two more portals opened over Showa's shoulders and blasted him at point-blank range.

Ultima Agito recoiled from the blasts before Showa sent him staggering back with a slash of his right Chrono Saber. Ultima Agito retaliated with his claw, but it was blocked before Showa drove him back with a thrust of his left Chrono Saber. Crossing his swords, he lunged forward, slashing Ultima Agito twice across the chest before twisting his body around to deliver a back kick into Ultima Agito's chest, sending him skidding back. He resumed his attack, slashing Ultima Agito without mercy before knocking him back with a high kick to the jaw.

"Kyofu, how many times have we fought?" Showa questioned rhetorically as he approached his enemy. Ultima Agito shot his chains at Showa. He opened the portal, allowing the chains to fly through before closing it, severing them. "Normally, persistence like yours should be commended, but at this point, it seems a bit pathetic. Like a spoiled child, throwing a tantrum, flailing and screaming on the floor since they did not get a treat."

"SHUT UP! IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU WIN! ALL I NEED IS ONE ABSOLUTE VICTORY!"

Ultima Agito poured energy into his shoulder spikes, and a sphere of energy grew between the crackling spikes. He unleashed a devastating beam towards Showa, and it seemed to hit him, vaporising him on the spot. However, the Rider reappeared behind him.

"I hate Gebok for taking me from my family, for taking my humanity, for forcing me to kill. But if there's one thing I can thank him for, it's for giving me the power to protect the people I love from monsters like you." Ultima Agito whirled around to strike Showa, but the Rider caught the mad Agito's claw before looking him dead in the eye. "For making me a Kamen Rider!"

He delivered a punch that cracked Ultima Agito's chestplate and blasted the villain across the plateau. Tumbling through the air, Ultima Agito vanished only to reappear above Showa. He summoned a set of spears, which multiplied until they covered the air above the Rider.

With a flick of his wrist, Ultima Agito shot the spears straight at Showa. Conjuring his portals, Showa swung his arms rapidly, moving the portals to intercept the spears. At the same time, he used his Chrono Sabers to deflect the rest of the spears. One spear nearly impaled his face, but he caught it in the nick of time with a portal.

Gathering his remaining spears, Ultima Agito fused them into one massive spear of energy and then hurled it at Showa. But he warped away in a flash of blue feathers, dodging the explosive projectile. He reappeared in front of Ultima and delivered a powerful punch that sent him crashing to the floor, making a crater on impact. As Ultima lay on his back, the rubble around him reconstituted, restraining his limbs and trapping him. Showa dropped down and slashed him repeatedly with his swords.

"GET OFF!" Ultima Agito yelled as he used a telekinetic burst to free himself and repel Showa. Rising out of the ground and dropping back on his feet, Ultima Agito slammed his claw to the ground. Suddenly, a gigantic version of his clawed hand burst from the ground under Showa and caught him. As he attempted to warp away, the giant hand zapped Showa as it tightened its grip around him.

"You're all out of tricks, BLACK 13," Ultima Agito sneered as his shoulder spikes glowed, charging up the growing sphere of energy between them.

"You haven't won, Kyofu. You can't win. That I am sure of," Showa defiantly said before he was zapped again. "Aaarrgghhh!"

"All alone with no allies in sight. What makes you think you can still win?" Ultima Agito challenged, his eyes glowing as he proceeded to enter Showa's mind.

The moment he manifested in Shinichi's mindscape, Ultima Agito was suddenly punched in the face. He slid back on his feet before skidding to a halt, grunting and holding his face. Gazing up, he saw Showa Chronicle glaring at him.

"I am going to break you, BLACK 13!" Ultima Agito roared as he charged at Showa with his drill spinning rapidly. Thrusting his arm forward, he aimed to bore a hole through his enemy, but his opponent vanished out of sight. "Huh!?"

"Let's Ride: Trinity!"

Showa reappeared and changed into his Trinity Form before splitting into his three bodies: Trinity Blue, Red and Green. The trio separated, dodging Ultima's attacks before retaliating.

Trinity Red's arms became covered in mechanical armour, which expanded into large arms and fists.

"Keep dreaming!" Trinity Red shouted as he delivered a devastating uppercut that threw Ultima Agito into the air.

Trinity Blue followed up by jumping onto Red's shoulders to use them as a boost to jump higher.

"You already tried to break me once!" Trinity Blue proclaimed as he raised his right leg, which became mechanised and enlarged, sporting a large foot. He swung down, sending Ultima Agito crashing to the ground. "And you failed!"

As Ultima Agito growled, he got up, only to freeze. He found himself staring into the large barrel of Trinity Green's cannon.

"Just like Gebok," Trinity Green mocked as he fired.

*BOOM!*

The explosion threw him into the air before Showa GX's energy whips ensnared him.

"You were under Gebok's shadow for so long that you've become just like him!" The wings of GX's Cicada Pack beat rapidly as he took Ultima Agito into the infinite sky. He spun around and around before throwing his enemy to the ground, where he made a crater on impact, with cracks forming around him and across his body.

"And look where it took you!" GX shifted to Classic as BLACK 13 appeared beside him. They floated in the air, red and green energy radiating off them as they assumed the position to perform a flying kick.

"NOW GET THE HELL OUT OF OUR HEAD!" the Showas chorused as they went soaring like missiles. When their kicks smashed into Ultima Agito, an explosion went off that shattered the ground.

Ultima Agito howled as he was thrown out of Showa's mindscape, breaking his concentration. He was stunned that BLACK 13 was able to force him out of his mind by himself. How was that possible!? He was so easy to break before, and only managed to force him out before due to outside interference. Where did this power come from!?

"You say I am alone, but you're wrong, Kyofu. Unlike you, I am never alone," Showa declared as the giant hand gripping him faded. All at once, the spectral figures of the Legendary Showa Riders, the Hinamizawa Treasure Spirits, St. George, Dreigon, and Chronan materialised, their ethereal forms shimmering behind them. Shinichi's loved ones appeared too, and their presence provided a comforting warmth.

Ultima Agito's eyes widened in disbelief. Was he hallucinating? He could actually see the figures standing alongside Showa before they faded away like a mirage. The sight sent a shiver down his spine, a chill of fear and confusion gnawing at his core.

Ultima Agito clutched his head, unable to comprehend it. His breath came in ragged gasps, heart pounding in his chest like a war drum.

"YOU'RE JUST A MACHINE! A TOOL!" he screamed, his voice cracking with hysteria. "YOU DON'T NEED THINGS LIKE FAMILY, FRIENDSHIP, AND LOVE! YOUR ONLY FUNCTION IS TO FOLLOW ORDERS, AND A TOOL THAT FAILS TO PERFORM ITS FUNCTION IS JUST GARBAGE!"

Ultima Agito's face twisted with fury and denial. He could not accept this; he would not accept this. The thought of these obsolete relics defeating his creations was a bitter pill he refused to swallow. His Agitos were supposed to be the pinnacle of human evolution, with himself standing at the apex. And yet, they had all failed, falling to these cyborg abominations.

The weight of his shattered pride became too much to bear. Unable to stand it any longer, Ultima Agito let out a primal scream, his eyes flashing wildly. Beams of light shot out from his forehead, striking the ground before him and conjuring several ominous figures. One beam shot towards the sky, forming an even larger creature. Showa's eyes narrowed in recognition and determination.

"Another NUMBERS..." Showa murmured, his voice low but resolute.

"I found these things in your memories, and they seemed to have given you a lot of trouble," Ultima Agito sneered, a twisted grin spreading across his face. "Now, kill him!"

The Another NUMBERS charged or flew straight towards Showa, but he was ready for them. In an instant, he vanished in a brilliant flash of light. The battlefield erupted as nearly all of the Another NUMBERS exploded simultaneously, leaving Ultima Agito in stunned silence, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

When Showa reappeared, Another Bomber began dropping bombs on him. His eyes blazed with determination as he shot skyward, his body glowing radiantly. His wings spread wide, slicing through the air with precision. He weaved between the falling explosives, each movement fluid and purposeful, before blasting his way through Another Bomber like a rocket, destroying the giant monster in a single, devastating explosion.

Dropping down from the smoke cloud, Showa landed gracefully in front of Ultima Agito, whose jaw hung open, his mind unable to process the sight before him.

"Not very smart, sending those bogus knock-offs against me," Showa taunted, wagging his finger with a knowing smirk under his mask. "Aren't you supposed to be a genius?"

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!"

With a scream of outrage, Ultima attempted to skewer Showa on his drill arm, but the Rider quickly swung his wings forward to shield him from the assault. Sparks flew on impact before Showa threw his wings outward, sending Ultima recoiling backwards. As Ultima regained his balance, Showa threw a punch to his face, knocking him back. Ultima retaliated with his claw, but Showa batted the limb away with his forearm before he spun on his heel and struck Ultima Agito in the gut with a spinning back kick, knocking the wind out of him.

Irked and frustrated, Ultima Agito swung his large claw, throwing a salvo of psionic energy spheres at Showa. Body flashing, the Rider warped all over the battlefield, dodging the energy spheres as they came at him, causing them to collide and explode harmlessly.

Showa warped up to Ultima Agito and began throwing a series of punches. Ultima Agito retaliated, trading blows with Showa, but his strikes failed to connect as they were dodged, blocked and redirected, giving Showa openings to land his blows. Ultima Agito found himself reeling with each hit before a kick to his chest sent him skidding backwards.

"...How have you grown so powerful...?" Ultima Agito questioned, shaking his head, his voice trembling with a mix of bewilderment and desperation. His eyes, wide with a dawning realisation, were filled with a frantic need to understand. "Machines can't evolve...you have limits, and yet...and yet you've grown beyond those limits!"

The words tasted bitter on his tongue, each a reluctant admission of his failures and the unexpected strength of his foe. The certainty he had always held about the superiority of his creations now felt like sand slipping through his fingers.

Showa met Ultima Agito's gaze, his own eyes steady and filled with a quiet, unshakeable conviction. He could see the cracks forming in his enemy's facade, the fear and confusion that had taken root.

"You call yourself a scientist," Showa began, his voice calm but laced with an intensity that cut through the tension between them. "But you ignore all the evidence in front of you when it fails to fit your worldview. Let me say this once: we're not machines; we're people, and people can grow in ways beyond your imagination!"

The words resonated with a profound truth, echoing in the stillness that followed. Showa's voice was filled with passion and defiance, a testament to the resilience and strength of the human spirit. The air seemed to hum with the power of his declaration, each syllable a challenge and a promise.

Ultima Agito staggered back, the weight of Showa's words striking him like a physical blow. His mind reeled, the foundations of his beliefs crumbling beneath the undeniable truth he could no longer deny. The realisation that he had underestimated the very essence of humanity gnawed at him, filling him with a deep, gnawing despair. However, his despair quickly transformed into outrage.

How dare this machine lecture him? Him!? He was Professor Saiba Kyofu, and he would not be looked down upon by an obsolete piece of junk that dared believe itself to be his superior! As the cyborgs did not fit into his worldview, then every single one of them would need to be erased to preserve his absolute truth, starting with...

"BLACK 13!"

As Ultima Agito was about to resume his assault, all of a sudden, a red portal opened up over the plateau, and the Serenity came flying out of it with the Lucky 13 attached to the bottom of its hull. The vessel fired upon UItima Agito, who swiftly erected a wall of energy to shield himself. As the ship continued to bombard him with laser fire, the van detached from the bottom of the ship. It landed safely on its wheels as it sped towards Ultima Agito, with an energy field surrounding it. The van violently crashed into Ultima Agito's wall, shattering it before running him over. The van soon came to a stop before the driver's side door opened.

"Hey, asshole!" Hiro smirked as he stepped out. "Thought you could get away from us, did ya?"

Ultima Agito growled as he picked himself up to glare at Hiro, but it was not as intimidating with the skid marks that ran across his body.

"Get out of my sight!" he snarled as he telekinetically lifted the Lucky 13 and threw it at Hiro. The detective casually caught it with his inhuman strength, bringing the vehicle to a stop.

"Sorry, but I don't take requests. Oh, and I brought company," Hiro pointed out. The backdoors of the Lucky 13 sprang open, letting five figures fly out.

Jura dropped down before lunging with his fists clenched, raining brutal blows on Ultima Agito. He roared like a beast as he continued to throw rapid punch after punch, blood spilling with each hit. He reared back his fist as it burst with bio-energy and threw in one more haymaker to send the psycho flying across the ground, the air exploding in red energy from the impact.

Next, Kaguya descended from the ship, joined by Chibimoose, and stomped right on top of Ultima Agito in the middle of his involuntary flight. The impact created a shockwave around them, and more followed as she began rapidly stomping her feet on top of him, digging her heels into his chest.

Ultima Agito shouted as his body exploded with telekinesis, throwing her off. Chibimoose squealed as he fired beams of antimatter down on him, forcing the madman to shield himself.

With Ultima Agito distracted, Showa could finally breathe. That was when his exhaustion finally caught up with him, and he found his balance shaky. All week, he had to lead the fight against Kyofu with almost little to no rest. He thought he would have stress and sleepless nights from his upcoming wedding preparations, but stopping Kyofu had taken over all of his time. As he was about to topple over, someone appeared next to him to gently catch him.

"Easy there," a kindly voice whispered. "You've already had a stressful week, Daddy."

"'Daddy'?" Showa repeated in confusion, looking at the one talking to him. To his surprise, he actually had to tilt his head slightly up since the girl was nearly taller than him. Adding to that surprise, he recognized her. It was the same Angel Mort waitress who had served them when he and Misato had finally made amends. Once he took in her features, he quickly deduced who she was. "You must be Layna."

"Hi, Daddy," Layna smiled. "We have so much to talk about, but let's take care of the bad guy first, OK?"

"Yeah," Showa nodded, standing upright. "Can you fight like your siblings?"

"To be honest, I don't like violence," Layna admitted, looking back at the battle. "But I do have power of my own. So, let's finish this together."

"Yeah, this has been dragging on for way too long," Showa agreed.

Crow did not hesitate as he used his aerokinesis to strike Ultima Agito with a wind slash. Ultima Agito recoiled from the strike before he formed a shield to block the blade as Crow swung at him again. He punched Crow with his drill arm, but the young man shot an air burst at the floor and threw him upwards, avoiding impalement. He swung his sword rapidly, throwing a flurry of chi blades at Ultima Agito, tearing sparks off his armour. Growling, Ultima Agito materialised a large serrated blade and threw it at Crow like a harpoon. The swordsman twisted his body around to avoid the projectile before he flew back to the ground to regroup with the rest of his family.

Layna held her hands out in front of her as water droplets formed in her hands to form fist-sized spheres. With quick motions, she threw the water spheres at Ultima Agito. As they flew, the water spheres reshaped themselves into sharp blades. Ultima Agito didn't have time to react as the blades cut into him, ripping through his body like paper.

"Ugh!"

Raheem shot like a missile towards Ultima Agito and hit him with a reverse roundhouse kick. Bouncing off, he delivered bicycle kicks, which the Agito blocked before smacking him away. Raheem tumbled through the air but managed to land on his feet. Rushing at Ultima Agito again, he launched himself at him and spun like a tornado to deliver a spinning kick that struck him in the chest. Ultima Agito went to strike him down, but Raheem sank into his own shadow, causing him to miss and stumble.

"My turn!" Lupina went and fired upon Ultima Agito, but he tanked the shots. He sent spiked chains at her, but she managed to leap into the air, dodging them. Kaguya caught her baby sister's hand and spun before catapulting her at Ultima Agito.

[Ultimate: Lupin Shloot!]

"Eat this!" Once in range, Lupina fired a charged burst into Ultima's face, momentarily blinding him with the explosive flash, causing him to flail in agony.

"GAH! MY EYES! MY EYES!"

As Ultima Agito was blinded with his eyes stinging, Lupina activated her Lupin Blade Viral Core.

[Tune: Lupin Blade!]

[Ultimate: Lupin Stlash!]

Turning her gun into a cutlass, she delivered a flurry of slashes with the shining, energised blade, ripping sparks off Ultima Agito's body as he screamed in agony. Once his eyesight had recovered, he took a swipe at her, but she ducked by doing the splits before somersaulting away to avoid his stomp.

"You missed, shisno!" she taunted.

"Tagging in!" Hiro came flying in his Demon Dagger form. In a flash, he returned to human form to attack using Lt. Col. Killgore. He smashed Ultima Agito with the rocket launcher tonfas before nailing him with an explosive blow. Giving a wink, he turned into dagger form and was caught by Crow, who jabbed his brother's blade into the stone in Ultima Agito's chest.

"AAAARRRRGGGHHHHHH!" Ultima Agito roared as the blade pierced the stone, causing his blood to leak out.

As Crow withdrew his brother's dagger form, Hiro returned to human form. While holding hands, the two brothers delivered high kicks into Ultima Agito's jaw, dislocating it in the process.

Putting his claw against his jaw, Ultima snapped it back into place and roared like an animal.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

"Him?" Hiro pointed at Crow before pointing at himself. "Or me?"

"ROAARRRGGGHHHH!" Roaring, Ultima Agito raised his claw to strike the brothers, but an energy blast came out of nowhere and exploded him in the face. "ARGH!?"

"CHIBIMOOSE!" Kaguya called, and her stuffed moose toy opened its mouth to charge up a destructive beam of crimson death.

Once Chibimoose finished charging, he fired his attack.

"NAAAAAAAAA!"

*CHOOOOOOMMM!*

As the beam approached, Ultima Agito quickly erected a shield to protect himself. The beam struck violently, causing his body to vibrate painfully, but his shield managed to hold. He poured more power into his defence and waited for the beam to dissipate before making his move. However, his concentration was broken as Jura struck him from behind, causing his shield to drop.

"WHAT!? NO-!"

With nothing in its way, the beam was able to hit its target, causing a massive explosion that engulfed Ultima Agito in a huge burst of fire.

Jura landed safely in front of his family in a crouch, gazing at the flames.

"Did that get him?" he asked, hopefully.

They witnessed Ultima Agito stagger around painfully through the fire, trying to keep himself conscious. His breathing was getting erratic as he staggered about.

"Seriously!?" Hiro gawked as he saw Ultima had survived. What's it going to take to kill him!? A tactical nuke!?"

"Try ten," Kaguya quipped.

"No... I'm not... I'm not done yet..." the Agito whispered desperately. "I can't... let it all end... like this...!" Ultima Agito's fist clenched as his body became covered in blue veins. His eyes went bloodshot and bulged out of their sockets, cracking his eyepieces. "I will not allow this to be my fate..." His limbs expanded like balloons, tearing apart his armour. "I will have my new world order... NO MATTER WHAT IT TAAAAAKES!" His body ballooned up as well, absorbing his head as his body continued to expand until he was a mountain of pulsating flesh that was covered in glowing blue veins.

"Oh...oh God..." Lupina gagged when she saw it, feeling sick. "That's...that's so gross."

"Try not to puke in your helmet," Kaguya advised her little sister. "It gets everywhere."

"How does this not gross you out?"

"I've seen worse."

"Worse than this!?"

"Maa!" Chibimoose squealed in agreement.

And then, something burst out of the flesh cocoon, spewing blue fluid that came flooding out like a broken dam as the thing within tore itself free. The creature was massive, easily standing at 50 feet tall, resembling a nightmarish cross between an Agito and the King of Monsters himself. The creature's bipedal body was reptilian and covered in purple scales, with a long tail tipped by a trident head.

The Philosopher's Stone of Kyofu's Alter Ring now occupied the middle of its chest, which had a glowing vein-like pattern spread across the rest of its body like a spider's web. Glowing, blue crystal spikes protruded from its shoulder blades, down its spine and along the length of its tail.

Metal spikes also grew out from its elbows, shoulders, and knees. Glowing blue claws were on each finger and toe. Finally, on its thick trunk-like neck, a draconic skull-like head with crimson eyes was crowned by six horns.

Kyofu was reborn, and Ultima Agito Fallen Grave Form had awakened.

"Now that... That totally looks like a troublesome Final Form," Showa noted when he saw it.

"Well, Oyaji, you know what they say," Hiro grinned. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall."

"I think, in this case, it should be the bigger they are, the easier it is for them to squash us," Lupina argued.

"The weather is getting worse," Kaguya pointed out. Storm clouds swirled above them as raindrops, hail, and snow flew all around them. Lightning flashed violently, striking all around the plateau. It wasn't just the plateau, either, since lightning was striking everywhere, and many tornadoes had touched down. "If we don't stop him now, he could end up destroying Earth."

"Then we stop him for good! Right here, right now!" Showa resolved.

"IT'S NO USE!" Ultima Agito's voice boomed as he towered over them. "YOU HAVE NO CHANCE OF DEFEATING ME NOW! YOU HAVE NEITHER THE STRENGTH NOR POWER TO SURVIVE IN MY NEW WORLD!"

"What new world?" Jura snarled.

"A WORLD RULED BY POWER!" Ultima Agito answered, holding up his hand to throw energy beams down on the family.

Immediately, Showa summoned the Shield of Glen and erected a huge dome shield over himself and his children. The rain of energy beams bombarded the dome, causing it to tremble. Gritting his teeth, Showa held the dome shield up with pure willpower until the barrage ended.

"Daddy, are you OK?" Layna asked worriedly, hearing her father groan as he dropped the shield.

"Fine...I still got some fight left in me," he uttered. "If I could dragon up, we might have a better shot." Unfortunately, due to his exhaustion, he could not assume and maintain his Dragon of Dragons transformation, which they sorely needed now.

"THE STRONG WILL RULE OVER THE WEAK IN MY UTOPIA!" Ultima Agito declared.

"So the entire bit about how you and your psychic stooges will be the real protectors of humanity was just nothing but BS, huh?" Hiro growled. "We smelt it miles away!"

"All those engineered heroics, the constant exposure of our aunts and uncles' crimes, the constant ranting about our father's fallouts—those were never criticisms!" Crow shouted. "You're just a fraud!"

"I AM RETURNING EVERYTHING BACK TO NATURE!" Ultima Agito roared, the weather growing more ferocious. "CONCEPTS LIKE JUSTICE WILL BE A THING OF THE PAST! POWER WILL BE THE ONLY FACTOR THAT MATTERS! AND THE HUMANITY THAT WILL BE PROTECTED IS ONE CREATED IN MY IMAGE!"

"Don't you know your history?" Lupina frowned, holding up her gun as she stood against the storm. "Humanity has always reacted badly towards madmen who want to recreate the world in their own image! Just because you were being sneaky about it, that doesn't mean you're gonna win!"

"All that planning, studying our family, memorising their weaknesses and shortcomings so your precious espers could take advantage of them, and you never considered that your information could be outdated," Kaguya said.

"And you believed they'd run around like headless cockroaches instead of coming up with a counterplan to outdo yours because you're 'so much better than Gebok'!" Raheem air quoted before drawing his swords. "You had this coming!"

"In other words, you're finished!" Layna said eloquently.

"Kyofu, you've made the same mistake that Gebok made years ago!" Showa finished. "You threatened my family to satisfy your fragile ego! Now you're about to find out what I did to your rival when he refused to leave us alone! I hope you're ready!"

"BAH! DON'T BE ABSURD!" Ultima Agito laughed. "I WILL KILL YOU AND YOUR FAMILY, AND THEN I WILL HAVE SUCCEEDED WHERE THAT MORON GEBOK FAILED!"

"And with that, your death warrant has been signed!" Showa shouted. "Kids, let's teach this asshole a lesson!"

"Yeah, Oyaji!"

"Yes, Chichi-ue."

"Alright, Daddy!"

"It's time we cut him down, Father!"

"Yes, Tou-chan!"

"Oui, Papa!"

"Yes, Dad."

[Tune: Ruby System!]

[Tune: Sapphire System!]

[Tune: Emerald System!]

"Komori-chan, Kumo-chan, Hebi-chan! Come out and play!" Lupina called out as she swung her arm twice vertically and once horizontally, giant film strips materialising in front of her. The straps glowed, and monstrous robots appeared beside her. One was a large green mechanical cobra, another was a red sports car with leathery bat wings, and the last was a blue sports car with spider legs.

Lupina jumped up and landed on the red bat-like monster machine as it took off, leading the cobra and spider. Her father and siblings followed as they all charged at the Kaiju Agito.

Ultima Agito's eyes flashed as his crystal spikes glowed. Opening his maw, a blue light began to shine in its throat before he unleashed a massive destructive beam at them. He swept his head from side to side, letting the beam cut a trench through the thick plateau, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Let's Ride: J!" Showa shouted before bursting through the dust cloud in Kamen Rider J's Jumbo Formation, easily reaching Ultima Agito's titanic height. His massive fist connected with the Kaiju's face, knocking it back. But then Ultima Agito grabbed Showa J by his head and fired at him point-blank with his breath weapon. J recoiled from the attack, shrinking back as he reverted to Kamen Rider Showa.

Riding on the Ruby Bat Viralmobile, Lupina took potshots at Ultima Agito's head. He turned his eyes towards her and fired an optical beam at the Phantom Thief. Fortunately, her Viralmobile managed to evade the attack as it flew past, saving her from annihilation.

The Emerald Cobra Viralmobile hissed and sank its fangs into Ultima Agito's leg while the Sapphire Spider Viralmobile scaled his body, causing frost to form with each step. Ultima Agito could feel his body beginning to freeze, but then his veins glowed, and he released a telekinetic burst that repelled the two mechanical monster summons while blowing away the frost. Raising its foot, it squashed the Sapphire Spider Viralmobile like a bug.

Suddenly, Ultima Agito felt his body seize up from the Emerald Cobra's venom. Roaring, he fired the crystal spikes on his back like missiles. Immediately, Hiro responded, whipping out his pistols. He squeezed the triggers and fired cannon-like blasts from his firearms, shattering the crystal missiles.

As Ultima Agito regenerated his spikes, Kaguya raced up the beast's back. As she reached the middle of the monster's spine, she jumped up high and came dropping down with increased gravity, slamming her feet on the Kaiju Agito's skull with a loud crash. He roared painfully as he kept himself from collapsing and moved his hand back to slap her off, turning around to fire eye beams at the airborne Space Sheriff. Kaguya propelled herself out of harm's way and fired bolts of lunar energy in retaliation, the bolts impacting the Kaiju's body with cold energy.

With Ultima Agito's attention focused on their baby sister, Layna and Crow regrouped. Their eyes glowed as they raised their hands, calling forth their respective elemental powers. Water surged from Layna's hands while Crow added his own swirling winds, combining their elements to form a huge water drill. The water drill struck Ultima Agito in the side of the head, causing him to roar in agony.

"ROAAAARRGGGHHHHH! YOU LITTLE SHITS!"

Shifting his attention from Kaguya, Ultima Agito fired a beam in Layna and Crow's direction, but the twins managed to escape death by propelling themselves via water and wind.

Meanwhile, Raheem was watching the battle from afar. He knew a way for them to beat Ultima Agito.

"You need to expose his chest; his weak spot is the stone there," Raheem informed his siblings and father, transmitting through their communicators. "But we need to keep him from protecting it."

"I know just how to get his attention," Showa smirked. He flew up to Ultima Agito's face, adjusting his mouth plate to increase the volume of his voice. "Hey, KYOFU! YOUR MOTHER WAS A DISHWASHER!"

"CEASE YOUR INSOLENT JABBER, YOU DAMN TOY!" Ultima Agito roared, firing his breath weapon at Showa, who warped away.

"FOR A GENIUS, YOU SURE FIND YOURSELF FAILING A LOT!" Showa shouted.

"SHUT UP!" Ultima Agito fired his eye beams next, but Showa opened a portal to catch the attack.

"GEBOK ONLY HIRED YOU SO HE COULD SHIT ALL OVER YOUR STUPID IDEAS! FOR SOMEONE WHO'S SUPPOSED TO BE PSYCHIC, HOW COULD YOU NOT SEE THAT COMING?!"

"SHUT YOUR FILTHY MOUTH, YOU PIECE OF SCRAP!" Ultima Agito blasted him again, but he avoided the attack.

"AND THIS 'PIECE OF SCRAP' KEEPS BEATING YOU! WHAT DOES THAT MAKE YOU THEN!?"

"AAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHH!"

"Chibimoose, fire," Kaguya ordered, holding her pet as she aimed him at Ultima Agito's Philosopher's Stone.

"NAAAAAAAA!"

*CHOOOOOOOM!*

The beam struck but bounced off a barrier around the stone.

"Damn, that didn't work."

Lupina rode on her Ruby Bat Viralmobile with Jura standing behind her.

"It must have a barrier around it, but any shield will break with enough force and pressure," Jura stated. The flying monster machine flew closer, and Jura leapt off, latching onto Ultima Agito's chest with his claws. Digging the claws on his left gauntlet securely into the Kaiju's flesh, he began hacking and slashing at the Philosopher's Stone's protective barrier with pure ferocity, causing it to flash with each strike.

"GET OFF ME, YOU PEST!" Ultima Agito realized what was happening and brought his claws down on the bug that was trying to reach his Philosopher's Stone. Jura quickly jumped off before he was hit, rolling to a stop in front of his family.

"I wasn't done yet!" Jura exclaimed.

"I have an idea: we'll expose it with one blow! So that means we gotta use that," Hiro suggested."You get what I mean, right?"

Jura nodded, "Yeah."

"Alright then. Arms out, guys!" Hiro ordered as he held up his arm where he wore his Ridelet—a bracelet that resembled the belt of one of the legendary Riders. His siblings nodded as they activated theirs. Showa watched with wide eyes as projections of the Seven Legendary Riders overlapped his children before merging with the wearers of their corresponding Ridelets.

[ICHIGO RIDER POWER!]

[NIGO RIDER POWER!]

[V3 RIDER POWER!]

[RIDERMAN RIDER POWER!]

[X RIDER POWER!]

[AMAZON RIDER POWER!]

[STRONGER RIDER POWER!]

Showa could sense the incredible power rising from his children and summoned the Chronicle Timer. He spun the clock hand over the face four times, causing the cicada switch to flash. Hitting the switch, he initiated its final feature.

[FINAL CHRONICLE TIME!]

Spreading his arms to the side, Showa Chronicle called forth the power of the Showa Riders, Hinamizawa Treasure Spirits, St. George and Dreigon into himself. First, he assumed the form of Showa Chronicle Legacy as the miniature masks of the Showa Riders appeared, arranging themselves around the Showa Mask in the centre of his chestplate. Then, St. George and Dreigon merged with him, granting him golden versions of the scale mail greaves and gauntlets from his Ascalon Form. Finally, the Hinamizawa Treasure Spirits fused with him, changing Showa's helmet. He sported a six-pointed ninja star between his eyes, his antennae extended into a pair of crest horns, and wing-shaped crests appeared on the sides of his head.

Showa and his children leapt into the air, merging into a ball of light that expanded, blinding Ultima Agito before coming down in the form of a giant Showa Classic executing a Rider Kick. As the giant Rider descended like a meteor, a cone of spiralling energy formed around them, increasing their power.

Roaring with rage, Ultima Agito countered their attack with a large drill formed from his right arm. Both attacks clashed, with energy exploding all around them. Pushing back, Ultima Agito increased the power and size of his drill while reinforcing his counterattack by turning his free arm and tail into additional drills.

The giant Showa Classic continued to push forward, breaking each drill as they came closer. One by one, Ultima Agito's defences broke, and in desperation, the Kaiju fired his breath attack to stop his enemy.

"HYAH!" Showa Classic gave one loud shout, breaking through Ultima Agito's final defence, planting their foot into his chest, causing a huge explosion to erupt from the impact. Ultima Agito staggered from the blow, roaring in pure fury as the Philosopher's Stone barrier shattered completely. Showa Classic flipped through the air and landed into a crouch, body glowing before shrinking back down to Showa and his kids.

With Ultima Agito's weak spot now exposed, it was time to finish him off.

"Everyone, now!" Showa shouted. Six of his children were already on the move while Jura stayed behind and seemed to be taking deep breaths. At the same time, multiple portals opened up behind Showa.

"FINAL CHRONICLE CRUSADE!" Showa roared as the portals fired beams of energy at Ultima Agito.

"Chibimoose, fire," Kaguya ordered again.

"NAAAAAAAA!" Chibimoose shot his antimatter beam. Kaguya joined her pet as she pointed her sword at Ultima Agito and fired a powerful beam from its tip.

Hiro dropped a silver briefcase before him, planting his foot on the lock to open it. A bright, ominous light shone before Hiro shot a beam of energy at the monster.

[Ultimate: Lupin Shloot!]

"Adieu!" Lupina waved as she fired an energised blast from her Lupin Gunner. Her Viralmobiles—including the Sapphire Spider, which had survived Ultima Agito's foot—added to the attack, shooting bursts of fire, ice, and wind at the Kaiju.

A small tornado swirled around Crow's sword while a high-pressure blade of water jetted out of Layna's hand before the twins shot their elements straight at Ultima Agito's chest.

Their combined attacks connected with the Philosopher's Stone in Ultima Agito's chest, causing him to roar as his weak spot was assaulted. He quickly crossed his arms over his chest, covering his Philosopher's Stone as the attacks continuously bombarded him.

"Jiro, finish it!" Layna shouted.

"Do it now!" Crow yelled.

While his siblings were attacking Ultima Agito, Jura glowed with dark orange energy, which he appeared to struggle to contain. He slowly looked up at Ultima Agito, eyes glowing purple, and took a deep breath. A ripple of shimmering orange energy entered his mouthplate, and once the ripple vanished, a thin stream of orange energy shot from his mouth straight towards Ultima Agito, burning through his arms to reach his chest. The beam burst out his back, travelling straight until it reached space. It quickly dissipated as it came as the energy left Jura, the exhaustion causing him to fall on his butt and cancel his transformation.

Ultima Agito had taken extensive damage from the combined assault, but it was the hole where his Philosopher's Stone used to be that would lead to his end. Instead of exploding as expected, Ultima Agito's gigantic kaiju body turned an ashen grey before crumbling to dust. The dust was blown away, leaving behind Kyofu, who stood shakily on his feet. He managed to survive, but he did not look well as his skin was cracked, his eyes bloodshot, and blood dripped out of his nostrils.

"Geez, he's still alive after all that?" Hiro asked, annoyed and impressed by Kyofu's survival.

"Stubborn shisno," Lupina spat.

"You...you think this is OVER?" Kyofu spat. "As long as I LIVE, as long as I STAND, it will NEVER be over!" He raised his hands and then slapped the side buttons of his Alter Ring. Everyone tensed up, ready to resume the fight, but Kyofu failed to transform."What?" He tried again, and again, and again, slapping the side buttons repeatedly to initiate his transformation. His brows furrowed, his teeth gritted, his face showing annoyance, but no matter how many times he tried, he would not transform. "WHY WON'T IT WORK!? WHY CAN'T I TRANSFORM!?"

"You should stop, Kyofu," Showa mocked, smirking. "You're just embarrassing yourself."

"You...WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" Kyofu demanded.

"Even someone as smart as you should figure it out," Showa snarked. "We broke your belt, you're completely burned out, and I'm certain that the G-Shock you injected yourself with didn't help either."

"No! NO! IT CANNOT BE!" Kyofu screamed in denial. "This isn't over, you hear me?! THIS ISN'T OVER!"

Showa pointed above him and opened a portal, dropping a steamroller that crashed right in front of Kyofu. The blood drained from his face as a piece of construction equipment nearly crushed him.

"No, it is over," Showa said with finality. "We're done here. This time, you've gone and pushed it by messing with my kids." He stepped around the steamroller, touching his helmet to make it disappear as it broke down into fading particles of light. He advanced on Kyofu to grab him by his collar. No more masks now. Shinichi wanted Kyofu to have his real face, the face of the man who had beaten him, seared into his mind.

Shinichi's punch connected with Kyofu's nose, producing a harsh crunch on impact. The pain made Kyofu recoil, screaming in agony.

"Argh! My nose!" Kyofu dropped to his knees, his nose broken.

"Your nose is the least of your problems right now," Shinichi growled.

"You bastard!" Kyofu rose up to tackle Shinichi, but the cyborg simply threw his fist into Kyofu's face again. And again. And again. And again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. All of Shinichi's anger and frustration fueled each blow, each impact cathartic.

He took his sweet, sweet time landing blow after blow into Kyofu's face, the slow, painful punishment seemingly taking days, if not months, or even a year. This man had threatened his life, his home, his family, and the entire world, and deserved every hit.

From the outside perspective, Shinichi was rapidly throwing fisticuffs at his target, and his strikes were ablur. For Kyofu, however, each blow came in real time. Shinichi had accelerated the scientist's mind to make his punches appear slower than they actually were. The devastating blows were breaking Kyofu's mind inch by inch, second by second. One last punch threw Kyofu to the ground, and he struggled to force himself back to his feet, his face battered, bloodied, and bruised beyond recognition.

"Let me tell you something about chronokinesis," Shinichi began to lecture Kyofu. "With this power, I can command life and death, destruction and creation, which makes me almost like a god." He had brought the villagers back to life and undid all the damage caused by the Alpha's attack. He was not sure if the universe or Fate could accept his choice, but he was prepared to accept responsibility for his actions. "I could have easily stopped you, Kyofu. I could've frozen you indefinitely, turned you into a baby, or sent you back in time before the universe existed. Hell, I could even go back and kill you before you were even born, erasing you from existence. That's how easy it is."

"Y-Y-OU'RE L-LYING!" Kyofu stammered, denying Shinichi's words. "If you had such power, you could've done all that!" Shinichi punched him in the face again, with more force this time, giving him a black eye. "Argh!"

"Unlike you, I don't enjoy abusing my gifts. It's a slippery slope once you realise that nothing and nobody in the universe can stop you. After all, what else is there to fear once you've mastered time?" Shinichi glared coldly at Kyofu. "Let this be a lesson: never throw stones at glass houses."

Without another word, Shinichi shuffled his right foot before pulling his knee into himself and landing a hard thrust kick into Kyofu's chest.

"BLACK THIRTEEEEEEEENNNNNNN!" Kyofu screamed as the kick sent him flying off the plateau's edge.

"...Rider Kick," Shinichi whispered as he lowered his leg.

The mad scientist continued to scream as his body flailed helplessly in the air. Gravity soon took control and brought him plummeting back down to Earth until he vanished from sight.

Suddenly, the plateau they all stood on began to fall.

"We're going down!" Crow alerted them as they began to plummet. Since Kyofu's powers had kept it afloat all this time, gravity was beginning to take hold and pull it back down now that he had been beaten. Cracks began to spread across the plateau as it broke apart while falling back to Earth. If it crashed somewhere populated, it would cause a lot of damage.

"Don't worry, everyone," Kaguya assured as she focused, her eyes glowing. "I got this." Her aura spread out to cover the plateau, slowing their descent.

The plateau slowly hovered across the desert before gently landing, sand kicking up from the descent. At the same time, the clouds vanished from the sky, and the sun returned to brighten the day.

Kaguya breathed out as the glow faded from her body, the tension ebbing away.

"There we go," she nodded pleasantly.

"And with that, I'd say that's a victory," Hiro concluded with a smile, giving a thumbs-up before looking at Jiro. "Jiro, are you doing alright?"

"I'm hungry," Jiro grumbled as he stood up. He wished he had a snack on him to recharge his batteries.

"Yeah, no surprise there," Hiro chuckled.

Suddenly, Shinichi felt a weight pressing against him. Looking down, he was surprised to see Shinobu hugging him with a blissful smile on her face.

"Shinobu?"

"Just let me stay like this for a while, Papa," she whispered, nuzzling her face into his chest. Shinichi blinked in surprise, slowly smiling as he returned the hug, patting his daughter's head gently. Then, both Kaguya and Layna joined in by hugging their beloved father.

"We missed you, Chichi-ue," Kaguya muttered softly.

Shinichi was surrounded by so much love. A long time ago, he wondered if he deserved to be loved due to all his sins. The sins he committed and the blood on his hands could all be traced back to Gebok, so he hunted him down to avenge himself and atone for his sins. But he soon realised that his main driving force was neither redemption nor revenge; it was love. The love he had for his home, for his friends and his family. That was what he fought for. He was willing to die for the people he loved, but now he wanted to live for them. He looked up to his sons and smiled at them.

"C'mon, boys. Get in here," he urged.

"I don't do group hugs," Raheem declined. Crow grabbed his shoulders from behind and pushed him forward. "Hey, no pushing!"

"Just go with it," Crow encouraged. "A kid like you needs a hug from his daddy."

"Naaa~!" Chibimoose squealed, landing on top of Shinichi's head.

As the family shared a group hug, Shinichi received a call on his commlink and tapped the spot behind his ear.

"Shinichi here."

"Shinichi," Shogo responded. "We just got your signal back. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, we are," Shinichi replied.

"And what about Kyofu?"

"I took care of him. He won't be bothering us ever again."

"Would have been better to bring him in alive to answer for his crimes, but if that's the call you had to make, I'll support you. Now, stay where you are. We're coming to pick you up."

"No sweat."

In the distance, miles from the now ruined Citadel, three figures had witnessed the entire battle. Kishi wore a genuine grin as he crouched in a squat. Tibicena Guacanchas stood impassively with his arms folded across his chest. And their mistress stood between them, a light smile gracing her lips.

"He who digs a pit for others shall fall into it himself. Proverbs 26:27," Zawadi hummed. With that, she turned to leave with her servants close behind her, all three of them vanishing in the desert winds.

Dr. Exposition: I'm sorry this chapter took so long. I felt I needed to work on it until it was perfect, or as perfect as I could make it. There were a lot of revisions, and I hope you guys will enjoy this because the epilogue comes right after this.