Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 129 – SY93: Over Quartzer
Earth – Late August 2019
"…Sougo!"
"…Zi-O!"
[ZI-O SAIKYO!]
Zi-O gritted his teeth, having just barely switched his Saikyo Girade to its Best Face mode while using it brace and deflect Barlckxs's stab. The result was Barlckxs's sword barely grazing the side of his stomach as he held it back.
"How…?" Barlckxs questioned through gritted teeth.
"When I used Future Sight, I wanted to make sure I knew what happened after the battle had ended," Zi-O explained as he kept holding Barlckxs's attack off, "Not how my opponent was going to attack."
"No wonder you were a lot sloppier than usual when going to stop Dark Stronger," Weiss remarked, recalling that Zi-O hadn't been the most graceful about his approach.
"Guilty as charged," Zi-O chuckled before grunting as he began to push forward with his weapon.
[HAOU GIRI!]
Barlckxs gasped out as a rainbow of energy erupted from Zi-O's blade, causing him to stagger backwards as he was forced to a knee.
"I wanted to believe you'd actually learn from your mistakes and move on," Zi-O admitted as he aimed his sword forward, "So why?"
"Why?" Barlckxs asked before laughing in a bitter fashion, "It's because you humiliated and defeated me twice, of course!"
"Of all the stupid and petty…" Weiss muttered as her left eye twitched, "Seriously?!"
"What a sore loser," Geiz said as he managed to stand.
"I was tricked and abandoned," Barlckxs said as he began to stand, "And then to top it all off, Sougo Tokiwa unleashed the entirety of the Heisei Era upon me to defeat me!"
"The Heisei Riders would have stopped you regardless of my involvement," Zi-O replied as he let out a scoff, "You messed with time and history, the only reason they didn't get involved was because you kept them out of your 'kingdom'."
"It was that humiliation alongside the Quartzers coming to my aid when I realized what exactly the issue was," Barlckxs explained, ignoring the remarks as he gripped his hand tightly and held it near his chest, "I was brought down by the Heisei Era, so that's why I'll embrace and live within Showa."
"You can't be serious…" Geiz trailed.
"Oh he is serious…" Weiss narrowed her eyes.
"I was simply born too late," Barlckxs continued in an almost deluded manner, "I realized that everything would have been fine if I'd been born in the Showa Era. That is why I'll erase Heisei alongside Reiwa, becoming the ruler of the now clean slate I will declare as Showa Year 93!"
"Like I'll let that happen," Zi-O muttered before charging towards Barlckxs, "You'll have to get through me to realize that insane dream!"
"I'll gladly do so!" Barlckxs called out as he raised his sword before clashing blades with Zi-O.
"Alright, time to shut him up," Geiz said before grunting as held his chest and stepped forward before losing his transformation and falling on his right knee, "Damn it…"
"Geiz," Weiss gasped as she knelt down to look him over, "Seriously, what's wrong?"
"I… I don't know," Geiz admitted, "I've been feeling a lot more sluggish lately."
"You've been pushing yourself too hard with Oscar," Weiss chided, "Seriously, you know we'll-"
"It's not that, hell research is the only thing I can comfortably do," Geiz interrupted as he looked over while trying to control his breathing, "I'm either tired, get random pains or aches, or just don't want to get out of bed…"
"That's…" Weiss trailed in near shock at what she was hearing, "I mean, have you…?"
"I've tried everything I could to find out," Geiz said as he breathed heavily, "I even checked with Emu and the others… they couldn't find anything wrong."
[ARMOR TIME!]
A burst of red and white petals suddenly launched in from out of nowhere, bursting between both Zi-O and Barlckxs. While Barlckxs staggered back in surprise, Zi-O simply stepped back.
[KAMEN RIDE! YEAH! ROSE! ROSE! ROSE~!]
Reforming from the petals was Roze, her body flashing as she completed her transformation into Rose Armor, swinging outwards and striking Barlckxs with the tip of her Roseiber.
"What even…!" Barlckxs gasped out as he skidded backwards, hunching forward and stabbing his sword into the ground to stop from sliding further, "You!"
"I should be the one saying that," Roze said as she aimed her weapon forward, "I figured it would've been impossible for you to move on but I did want to give you the benefit of the doubt."
Geiz and Weiss turned when they heard the sound of motorcycles, Penny driving the Rose Attacker while Ichigo was still on his Neo Cyclone. The duo dismounted, Penny dismissing the Lock Vehicle back into its Lockseed form, before hurrying over to Geiz and Weiss.
"Are you two okay?" Ichigo asked.
"Don't worry about it," Geiz said as he went to lift himself up with Weiss helping him up.
"I'll be fine," Weiss reassured.
"If you are sure," Penny said, though she was suspicious in regards to Weiss' wording and how worn out Geiz seemed.
"Let's finish this Ruby," Zi-O said as he took the lead.
"Right," Roze nodded, preparing her finisher, "Let's-"
Both Riders gasped out as they felt the weight of the universe suddenly on them. They instinctively fought against the weight only to buckle to their knees as it grew stronger.
[FINISH TIME!]
The Rider duo could only look up as Zonjis and Zamonas were high up in the air, Zonjis kicking out towards Zi-O while Zamonas aimed his kick for Roze. Despite Zi-O and Roze trying to resist, The Quartzer Riders easily struck against them, the kicks connecting as an explosive burst was unleashed.
[ZONJIS TIME BREAK!]
[ZAMONAS TIME BREAK!]
Sougo and Ruby both launched out of the explosive burst, having lost their transformations alongside the Showa Ridewatches they had collected. The duo of Quartzer Riders landed in front of Barlckxs, walking forward to retrieve the dropped Ridewatches.
"W-What was…?" Ruby gasped out as she tried to regain her bearings.
"That force-no, that gravity…" Sougo muttered as he began to pale.
"Ruby, Sougo!" Ichigo called out, ready to move forward when gold flashes began to occur all around everyone.
Erupting from the bursts of gold light were, to the surprise of several people there, various Kasshine guards. They either resembled the variation that served Oma Zi-O or the imitation it created when trying to fight multiple targets.
"Finally, I have what I need in my grasp," Barlckxs remarked, "We can end this charade."
Out from the crowd of Kasshines emerged six fairly normal individuals, at least in regards to their facial features and hair. What they wore on the other hand was what caught nearly everyone off guard, all of them wearing the same outfit that Woz wore.
Zonjis and Zamonas also dismissed their transformations, revealing Kagen and Jogen both wearing outfits similar to the other men though with some customization.
"Indeed we can…"
Sougo paled further while the remainder of the group could only gasp as they recognized the voice.
Walking over from behind Sougo and Ruby was Woz who had the final Legendary 7 Ridewatch, X's, which was a grey base with a black dial and button. He walked past the two without acknowledging them, simply walking with Kagen and Jogen who had gone to walk towards Barlckxs.
The three presented the Seven Showa Rider Ridwatches to Barlckxs who spread his arms out as a dark purple aura surrounded him. The aura shined around six of the Seven Ridewatches, all of them except for Ichigo's, the affected Ridewatches slowly but surely being pulled towards and floating around him.
"Woz, what happened to Blake and Yang?" Ruby questioned, but grew worried when Woz hadn't answered immediately, "Woz! What did you do to them?!"
"Do not worry," Jogen spoke up as he glanced back, "We weren't too rough on them, but they won't be coming to your aid anytime soon."
"You…" Ruby gritted her teeth as she tried to push herself up.
"What the hell is going on?" Geiz questioned.
"As it is truly written here," Woz stated as opened his book and went to address everyone as he began to pace around in circles, "There is one group that oversees the history of time which I am a part of, The Quartzer. We had hoped to allow a bright future for Earth… but then the Heisei Era and the Riders that came with it began to prosper."
"What?" Weiss asked.
"As has been stated many times prior, Heisei Rider history is a mess and their history has infected the world and made its progress muddled," Woz continued to narrate, "We had hoped to cleanse it with the Dai Mazines and our Kasshine Legion, but there was one factor we were unaware of, Tokiwa Sougo, the average high schooler who would ascend to become the ruler of time and space, Oma Zi-O."
"Wait, the Dai Mazines…?" Ruby asked, snapping out of her frustration when she heard that particular detail about the Dai Mazines, "But I thought those were…"
"Any connection to Oma Zi-O that was recorded in history is simply a fabrication by yours truly," Woz held a mocking smile, "It was merely meant to push the current era's Tokiwa Sougo towards a new future."
"A new future…?" Sougo asked.
"It is why I placed myself in 2068 to begin with, I would rally the resistance that stood against Oma Zi-O, become respected, and then pull it all from under them by pretending to be the Overlord's lackey," Woz continued to smile as he glanced at Geiz who began to glare further at him, "They would then be spurred to travel back in time while I would do the same to seemingly keep Sougo Tokiwa on the same path, but I would merely protect him while making sure he stayed alive."
"Why?" Ruby asked.
"I must also thank Miss Rose alongside her mother and many other factors, had the worlds of Earth and Remnant not interacted we may have not gotten this unique outcome," Woz ignored Ruby's question as he continued to waltz around, "A world where Sougo Tokiwa chooses to move forward while casting away his power as Oma Zi-O in order to do so."
"The history of Heisei is a mess," Q-KIMI, a member of the Quartzer spoke up, "So we knew we couldn't deal with it in a straightforward manner."
"Our straightforward approach was why we lost to Oma Zi-O the first time," Q-KENZO, another Quartzer member continued.
A third Quartzer member, Q-DAICHI, cleared his throat, "However, planting Woz helped out in the long run."
"It is thanks to Woz, as well as his other counterpart which we created in his image, that we were able to successfully create this outcome," the Quartzer Member Q-TOMO added.
"We can erase everything born in Heisei now," another Quartzer Member, Q-YORI, remarked, "A complete reset of the Heisei Era."
"We'll destroy the history of the Heisei Riders," the last Quartzer Member, Q-YEAH, said as he looked around, "Showa Year 93 will become the perfect restart point we need."
"Why all of this…?" Sougo questioned.
"Don't you think that your Heisei is pathetic?" Kagen asked, earning a glare from both Ruby and Sougo.
"It's so misshapen and filled with road bumps," Jogen explained as he pointed towards them, "So much so that its history spilled into another world's history."
"Pathetic…?" Sougo asked as he began to stand up.
"So what if history has mixed?" Ruby questioned as she began to pick herself up, "And how does gathering Seven Ridewatches of Showa Riders even get you to that goal?"
"Simple," Barlckxs said as he took the Ichigo Ridewatch before drawing out a fistful of black shards that he dropped into the Ridewatch. It let out a purple pulse before gaining the shame purple shine the other Ridewatches had, Barlckxs letting go and letting it float alongside the other six Ridewatches, "Because all of these Ridewatches now contain the power I thought I had lost in our last confrontation."
"Wait, those shards are…?" Sougo trailed off as his eyes widened in realization.
"While you had a cute theory about what happened, it was only partially that," Barlckxs explained, "These Ridewatches do indeed contain fragments of your time as Oma Zi-O, but in order to truly draw that out and make it my own I used the fragments of my Anotherwatch to increase their power."
"Wait, hold on," Weiss spoke up, "Wouldn't that mean that…"
"The Ridewatches we've been collecting had already been collected by them," Penny guessed, but now another question came up that got her curious, "But why have us fight Dark Showa Riders in that case?"
"Why bring innocent people into this?" Ichigo questioned.
"Simple, we needed another ingredient in the mix," Kagen replied, "Memories."
"Memories…?" Geiz questioned.
"Longing for the past, being fed up at the present, those kinds of darker more subtle emotions," Jogen continued the explanation, "Utilizing the dormant fragmented power of Oma Zi-O, the Anotherwatch of Zi-O II, and the corrupt memories of the hosts, Kakogawa Hiryu will gain the ultimate power to reshape history as we know it."
"Yes," Barlckxs said as he crossed his arms before spreading them out as the Ridewatches all entered his body, his purple aura growing before covering him in darkness, his armor launching outwards as the darkness faded to reveal his new monstrous form, "Now witness my power!"
The base of this Another Zi-O was similar to its predecessors, having the same white and rough suit in contrast to Zi-O's. The detailing was slightly different, having gold in various parts. The major change was the upper armor, it being bulkier and resembling Oma Zi-O's, having the same gold clock strap sash alongside having smaller silver clock hands on the back. He had black armored skirt pieces that draped down from the sides of a gold belt, the centerpiece of the belt being a replica of the Oma Zi-O Driver, the writing detailing 2019 on it.
The face was similar to the first iteration of Another Zi-O, the glass visor being tinted black with gold jagged rimming and black messy hair flowing out from it with four spikes jutting out from the top of the forehead. There was no label for Zi-O on the glass visor, only a 2019 done up in gold.
"That's…" Sougo gasped out.
[OMA ZI-O!]
"This is my ultimate power, to subjugate Heisei, to erase Reiwa, a form fit for a true king!" the Another Rider called out as he spread his arms out and gripped his hands tightly before relaxing his arms and letting his fists uncurl, "Another Oma Zi-O!"
"If you think we're about to let you run rampant with that power…" Ruby said as she got in a defensive stance.
"Then you don't know us very well," Sougo said as he went to reach for his Ridewatches.
"Oh don't worry," Another Oma Zi-O spoke up with a chuckle as he pointed towards the two Riders facing him, Woz, Jogen, and Kagen moving out of the way, "I very much want you to struggle as I give you a taste of my new power."
Sougo and Ruby began to gain a gold aura around them alongside Another Oma Zi-O, the two looking themselves over as the ultimate Another Rider raised his hand.
"Crap, Sougo, Ruby!" Geiz called out, pushing forward despite the pain and exhaustion he was feeling, trying to reach them only for Woz to suddenly get in his way, "Woz?!"
"When it comes to troublesome Riders, you are just as bad as they are," Woz said as he grabbed Geiz before unfurling his scarf.
"Woz, make sure you take good care of him, alright?" Another Oma Zi-O remarked.
"With pleasure, my Overlord," Woz smiled as his scarf engulfed him and Geiz, the two vanishing.
Sougo and Ruby didn't have a chance to react as they alongside Another Oma Zi-O vanished in bursts of gold light.
Penny gasped, "Ruby!"
"Where did they go?" Weiss questioned as she stepped forward.
"There's no need to tell you all," Kagen said as he began to move towards where their remaining enemies were, "Especially since we're to make sure you don't interfere with our matters."
"As much as I'd hate laying a hand on the first Rider, you're going to try and stop us," Jogen spoke up as he went to join Kagen, "Isn't that right, Takeshi Hongo?"
"Of course I will," Ichigo answered as he stepped defensively in front of Weiss and Penny, though that seemed futile due to the amount of Kasshine soldiers and Quartzers surrounded them.
"Penny," Weiss said as she began forming a Summoning Glyph behind them, "We need a good distraction."
"With pleasure," Penny stepped forward, placing a comforting hand on Ichigo who looked over and nodded. She then closed her eyes before holding her hands out, lifting herself into the air before opening her eyes as they went ablaze with green flames.
A sudden whirlwind kicked up, the wind gathering and lashing out as a vortex was created around Penny and her friends. The Quartzers and Kasshine army were forced to back away and brace lest they be blown away.
"Incredible…" Ichigo muttered before hearing a sound behind him, turning and watching as Weiss brought out her Queen Lancer Summon, "Huh…"
"We'll need cover so we'll go for something a bit slower but still nimble," Weiss explained as she went to hop on, helping Ichigo up who went to mount it while dismissing his transformation, "Penny!"
"Roger," Penny said as she quickly turned and leapt onto the Queen Lancer Summon, the gigantic bug Grimm taking off through the narrow city streets at great speeds.
With Penny no longer controlling the elements the vortex began to fade, allowing the Kasshine and Quartzer to relax.
"They got away?" Kagen asked.
"No matter," Jogen shook his head, "Even if they escape for now, they will have to come out of hiding inevitably."
"True," Kagen nodded before holding up his hand and gripping it tightly, "It is time to make our final preparations."
The other Quartzer members nodded as the Kasshine Army began vanishing, every Quartzer member there going to walk off.
Despite Final-Shocker's tower being eradicated, the damage had been done when it first was formed. The area had been in a central area of the city near a bunch of warehouses and small factories, and resulted in a gigantic empty lot once it had completely crumbled. Work had begun on restoring the land but aside from setting up a perimeter and fences, there had barely been any work started. Due to no work being done there was no one around.
Until three gold flashes occurred, Sougo and Ruby stumbling forward as Another Oma Zi-O stood before them.
"Where are we?" Sougo asked.
"Wait… isn't this where Final Shocker's tower used to be?" Ruby asked as she looked around.
"Indeed, and I plan on making it the start of my new rule," Another Oma Zi-O snapped his fingers as the ground beneath them shook. It wasn't long before squat three-layered connected pyramid-like structures rose out of the ground. The structures were constructed via cobblestone and lined with various pots that looked like they could be used to light fires.
Sougo and Ruby had ended up on a path towards the highest point of the structure, it holding a small but intricate canopy similar to Oma Zi-O's alongside a throne that was similar as well. Another Oma Zi-O was at the base of the throne, letting out a soft chuckle.
"Sougo," Ruby said as she brought out her Base and Roze Remnant Ridewatches, "Let's go all out."
"Such confidence for someone who doesn't have the power of Oma Zi-O on her side," Another Oma Zi-O remarked.
"Don't underestimate the power of the Heisei Riders," Sougo said with a light glare as he prepared his Base and GrandZi-O Ridewatches, "I think we can do this."
As the two prepared their transformations the gold clock tower for Grand formed, the projection of Remnant appearing above it. The Remnant map began to come to life as various dots pinged into existence all around, the dots projecting the emblems of the four Kingdom's all around the arena.
Between the four emblems formed the bronze statues of the 20 Heisei Riders from Kuuga to Zi-O, all of them being enlarged and towering above the arena.
Ruby and Sougo glanced at each other, four gold lights shining around them on the ground, soon looking back towards Another Oma Zi-O, rotating their Drivers.
"HENSHIN!"
[REMNANT TIME!]
[GRAND TIME!]
The emblems and globe broke apart into hundreds of lights that spiraled in the air while the Heisei Rider statues had their bronze coating peeled away to reveal the true form of the Rider underneath. Gold gates formed over the Riders, closing before shrinking and launching towards Sougo who had assumed his base form of Zi-O.
Ruby meanwhile was enveloped by red smoke, gold chains erupting from the lights on the ground and binding her within the smoke just as the spiraling lights launched inwards all at once. The chains snapped as the smoke broke apart in a burst of light, Roze Remnant appearing just as gates latched onto Zi-O, opening up and fully completing his transformation into GrandZi-O.
[LET'S GO! KAMEN RIDER~! ROZE REMNANT~!]
[IWAE! KAMEN RIDER~! GRAND ZI-O~!]
"There we go," Another Oma Zi-O said with a light laugh as he leapt up into the air, spinning a few times before dropping down with an axe-kick, "Let me show you just how worthless your eras are!"
"Will you just shut up?!" Roze brought out Crocea Mors, raising it high as she blocked against the kick, unleashing a gravity pulse from the central emblem to force the Another Rider back.
[OOO!]
"The Heisei Era isn't a frail as you think it is!" Zi-O shouted as he brought out the Tajanityspinner, a cross of flames erupting from it before it all condensed into the tip of the shield. With a press of the trigger the fire burst launched out and struck Another Oma Zi-O in the stomach, slamming the Another Rider against the ground.
Roze brought out Gianduja next, aiming and firing with the rotary machine gun to engulf Another Oma Zi-O in a hailstorm of bullets, "Sougo!"
"Already on it," Zi-O leapt up into the air, a gold flash occurring in his hand as he brought out the Saikyo Zikan Girade, energy erupting from it and extending to absurd degrees as he stabbed downwards, the energy blade being long enough to strike at his opponent from where he was in mid-air, "Take this!"
[KING GIRI GIRI SLASH!]
Zi-O however gave a gasp when he felt his arm being jerked, something having grabbed the energy blade itself. Roze's eyes could only widen as despite the bullets she was unloading into Another Oma Zi-O, the Another Rider had grabbed onto the energy blade and taken hold of it.
All Another Oma Zi-O had to do was tighten his grip, the energy blade cracking and shattering as the force from the breakage forced the enhanced weapon out of Zi-O's hand. Another Oma Zi-O took aim, energy gathering before he launched it towards Zi-O who was still mid-air.
[EX-AID!]
Zi-O thought quickly, Ex-Aid in Hyper Muteki appearing over him as a projection as he braced by crossing both of his arms. Despite the blast being fairly small while charging quickly, it had formed a bright circular explosion mid-air.
"Come on," Another Oma Zi-O scoffed before watching as gold and red petals spiraled around him before they reformed behind him, "Is that really all you've got?!"
[REPLIGIRADE!]
Another Oma Zi-O turned and hopped back, avoiding a downwards stab by Roze as her weapon tore up the ground he was standing on. He then raised his arms, easily blocking against the Repligirade's assault as Roze slashed at him.
[WIZARD!]
Magic Circles appeared all around Another Oma Zi-O, metal chains lashing out and binding the Another Rider down before producing electricity to cause slight damage as he was bound.
"We're not about to let up Hiryu!" Zi-O called out as he tapped two statuettes while landing behind Another Oma Zi-O.
[GAIM! BUILD!]
Bringing out the Hinawadaidai-Dj-Ju with the Kachidoki Lockseed loaded and the Fullbottle Buster with the FullFull RabbitTank Bottle loaded, Zi-O took aim as both finishers charged up.
[LOADING! CHARGE!]
Roze had loaded the Cronus Ridewatch onto the Repligirade, rushing in and slashing multiple times against Another Oma Zi-O. Sparks flew as glowing cuts were left, though while the slashes was heavy, there didn't seem to be much damage.
"Come on, really?" Another Oma Zi-O asked with a scoff, "This is the best you've-"
[CRONUS HAKAI BUSTER!]
Once Roze had pressed the trigger of her weapon while holding the blade upwards and close to her, she turned as let her weapon fall to her side. The result was all of the glowing cuts erupting into energy that sliced into Another Oma Zi-O.
[KACHIDOKI CHARGE!]
[FULLFULL MATCH BREAK!]
Zi-O shouted out as he unleashed beams of orange and blue, the beams striking against Another Oma Zi-O. Combined with the energy already slicing into the Another Rider, the result was a large explosion erupting from where Another Oma Zi-O was.
"The Heisei Era is nothing to me!" Another Oma Zi-O shouted out as he launched out of the explosion, "All of your attacks are meaningless!"
Roze looked up in surprise, unsure how their combined attacks didn't even seem to slow Another Oma Zi-O down, "Huh?!"
Zi-O quickly stepped out of the way as his Another Rider slammed into the ground in front of him, just as Another Oma Zi-O began to rise he tapped Ryuki's statuette.
[RYUKI!]
In an instant Another Oma Zi-O's cheek was slammed into by the Dragclaw, fire erupting as from it as Zi-O pushed as hard as he could with his right arm. He gasped as his arm was shoved away, Another Oma Zi-O launched upwards into the air. Not one to let up he launched up after Another Oma Zi-O, this time tapping more statuettes.
[FAIZ! DRIVE!]
Faiz Axel and Drive Type Formula projections were overlaid on top of Zi-O, the Rider unleashing a rapid series of punches against his Another Rider counterpart.
To both Riders surprise, Another Oma Zi-O had managed to over-clock his body, unleashing his own rapid series of punches against Zi-O as well. The Another Rider nearly screeched out as he slammed his fist into Zi-O's cheek, sparks flying as creaking was heard from the impact.
"Even with your power of Riders, the fraction of power I hold from Oma Zi-O gives me the edge!" Another Oma Zi-O shouted as he kept pushing his fist and grinding it further against Zi-O's mask.
"Like that will stop me from trying!" Zi-O shouted as he tapped Fourze's statuette.
[FOURZE!]
In an instant Another Oma Zi-O was nailed in the gut with the combination weapon, the Rocket Drill Module. Zi-O pushed further as the thrusters ignited while the drill spun rapidly, sparks flying. But despite all the damage piling up, Another Oma Zi-O simply grabbed onto it, pulling himself closer and grabbing hold of Zi-O.
That was until Another Oma Zi-O felt a near painful tugging at his leg. Roze had brought out a whip that resembled a thorn, Pins and Needles and wrapped it around his leg, the thorns digging into his armor.
"Let go of him!" Roze yelled as she gripped the handle of the whip with both hands.
[HIBIKI!]
Despite Another Oma Zi-O trying to keep his grip, he could only watch as Zi-O's mouth plate opened, fire erupting out and engulfing him. He yelled out as he was slammed into the ground, a small crater forming as he growled and picked himself up.
Roze had closed in however, having forgone Pins and Needles for Wear and Tear, large mechanical dessert brown and orange drills that covered her hands. She went for a few punches, landing a few hits only for Another Oma Zi-O to grab onto them before ripping them away.
Thinking quickly she summoned a wrist mounted flamethrower flail hybrid known as Drop and Roll, unleashing a fireball to briefly distract Another Oma Zi-O.
By the time Another Oma Zi-O pushed through the distraction and swiped away the smoke, Roze closed in and stabbed against him with twin bone-white hued prism daggers. He could only gasp out as Roze managed to dig them into his shoulders, sparks flying before he yelled out and unleashed a burst of energy to knock her away.
Zi-O meanwhile had landed, having gone to take a slight breather while Roze pushed forward. Once he saw her forced back he quickly went to regroup, helping steady her before she could fall over.
"Thanks," Roze said as she glanced back.
"No problem, but it's not over yet," Zi-O said as he stared forward.
"Right," Roze nodded.
"Come on, is that the best you've got?" Another Oma Zi-O asked as he spread his left arm out, as if goading the two to approach him.
Blake and Yang were still where Dark X was, the older man who was the host still unconscious and left to the side. Though the two Huntresses weren't exactly in the best shape either, the two sprawled against the ground across from each other. Nearby were their Rider Weapons, the Gashacon Sparrow alongside the Magma and Blizzard Knuckles, all broken and in complete disrepair.
The two had been caught off guard once Woz had gone Ginga Taiyo and started attacking them. With both an upgraded Rider and an unknown one fighting against them, they were completely overwhelmed within a matter of minutes. Their Auras had been broken and they had been left completely beaten and on the verge of unconsciousness while Woz and Zamonas dealt with Dark X in record time.
"Are… are you alright?" Yang gasped out as she tried to move her body only to wince.
"Not really," Blake admitted as she managed to move her arm slightly, "But at the very least, seeing you, I'm relieved."
"Really…?" Yang asked tiredly, trying to move her arm as well.
"Yeah," Blake smiled, "Despite how bad things look… I'm glad you're here."
"I'm glad you're here too," Yang managed to smile as she reached out towards Blake finally, the Faunus Huntress reaching out as well as they clasped hands, "We really got blindsided pretty badly, huh?"
"Yeah…" Blake muttered.
"Do you think this is the end?" Yang asked, "I mean… we've been here for how long?"
"I don't think so," Blake barely managed to shake her head as she went to crawl closer. Even with those words however, she knew the situation wasn't the greatest. There was a chance that things might not turn out well, and if that was the case she had to make her next words count, "But despite that… I feel like if we ever need to say something important to each other, now's the time…"
"Well… like what?" Yang asked, confused by this sudden request as she crawled closer.
"You're… an extraordinary person," Blake admitted, figuring she would take the lead on this while hoping her friend would follow suit, "You're always the first to lighten a situation. You act bravely, even when you're afraid. You do what you say."
"I'm just glad you were never intimidated by me, even when you didn't like me that much," Yang admitted.
"I was very wary of people back then," Blake replied as she glanced away from Yang.
"But you never gave up on them," Yang reminded as she pulled herself closer, "Even when they hurt you, you never give up, you know what matters to you."
"Thanks…" Blake smiled and went to chuckle only to cough, "Okay… maybe not laughing…"
"Yeah, we're pretty beat up, huh?" Yang asked with a light chuckle, "What would the others think?"
"I think the others would have much bigger concerns about us than our injuries which they know we'd brush off after some rest," Blake remarked, wanting to push what exactly she was aiming for in a more direct way now.
"Wait hold on, are you…?" Yang's eyes widened in realization, "This is…"
"You don't have to be afraid, I'm here with you," Blake said before smiling as she moved even closer, "Just say what you really think."
"I think…" Yang trailed off as she glanced down at the ground before locking eyes with Blake, "I think I love you."
"I love you too," Blake answered without even missing a beat, not even a full second after Yang's confession.
The two blushed as they stared intently at each other before realizing they were close enough to move their heads in just a bit further. The two soon locked lips, entering a tired but passion filled kiss as what adrenaline was filling them finally released. The two tiredly smiled at each other before they flopped onto their backs in exhaustion, slowly falling unconscious again.
The last thing the two heard was the clicking of heels as something was closing in on them fast, a strange white shape approaching them. A loud sigh could be heard only for it to turn into an amused chuckle, a young woman's inaudible voice letting out a remark as they fully blacked out.
[KABUTO!]
Zi-O brought out a small handheld device, it splitting four ways and unleashing a swarm of mini Kabuto Zecter-like creatures known as Kabutobombers. The mechanical insects launched forward and began swarming against Another Oma Zi-O to distract him.
Another Oma Zi-O unleashed a pulse of energy to force the Kabutobombers away, raising his arms as he braced against an assault by Roze.
Roze had brought out glowstick-styled nunchaku that she began to use to aim quick strikes against the Another Rider with. Of course the nunchaku also had the added side-effect of being loaded with Ice Dust, frosting and freezing over Another Oma Zi-O's arms and hands as a result.
"Huh?" Another Oma Zi-O looked over his arms as he saw this.
"Pay attention!" Roze summoned a heavy grey mace with claw-like blades surrounding a red Dust Crystal, The Executioner. She went to thrust it forward, unleashing an explosive burst from the Dust Crystal and forcing Another Oma Zi-O to skid backwards.
[KIVA! W!]
Zi-O closed in, bringing out the Zanvat Bat Sword and the Prismsword respectively, both shining brightly as he slashed against Another Oma Zi-O several times.
Despite this Another Oma Zi-O blocked the last few swings, unleashing energy pulses that forced the weapons out of Zi-O's hands. Wasting no time he grabbed at Zi-O with both hands, forcing the Rider to grab back. The Another Rider simply chuckled as he let go of one hand, grabbing Zi-O by the collar and tossing him away with ease.
"Sougo!" Roze called out only to quickly get in a defensive stance when she saw Another Oma Zi-O aim his palm towards her. However before she could react, bright specks of light appeared all around and expanded into explosions that engulfed her.
[KUUGA!]
Zi-O brought out the Rising Pegasus Bowgun, launching several powered up arrows against Another Oma Zi-O's back. The arrows dug in as electricity crackled, though Another Oma Zi-O simply yelled out, a pulse of energy knocking the arrows out and dispersing them.
"He's still able to keep forcing our attacks back?" Zi-O questioned before giving a light yelp as he felt a pull on himself.
"I told you that you couldn't win," Another Oma Zi-O said as he swiped his hand, sending a yelling Zi-O past him and against the ground near a fallen Roze.
"Ugh…" Roze groaned out as she was on her stomach, managing to just barely pick herself up, "Sougo, can you?"
"I can…" Zi-O said as he picked himself up as he tapped two more statuettes.
[BLADE! GHOST!]
Zi-O took grip of the King Rouzer while holding out the Gan Gun Saber in its rifle formation and handing it to Roze who went to take aim with it. Both weapons already had their finishers prepped, the blade of the King Rouzer shining brightly while multiple lights of energy gathered and waited to be unleashed in the barrel of Roze's rifle.
Zi-O yelled out and unleashed a gold wave of energy, Roze pulling the trigger and releasing a green beam of energy outwards.
[ROYAL STRAIGHT FLUSH!]
[SHINNEN IMPACT!]
Both attacks struck Another Oma Zi-O directly, kicking up explosions, fire raging as smoke began to rise from the impact. Both Riders began to relax slightly only to hear the crunching of the ground amidst heavy stomps, their relaxed postures deflating further as they watched the silhouette of Another Oma Zi-O slowly form and approach, his pure white eyes piercing through the obscuring flames.
"Seriously…?" Roze asked as her body shook before she gripped her hands and took a deep breath, quickly going to initiate her finisher, "No… we're not beat yet, one more shot!"
"Right, one more shot!" Zi-O nodded as he prepared his finisher as well.
Another Oma Zi-O simply laughed at their bravado, slamming his hands against the replica Oma Zi-O Driver which caused distorted chimes to ring out. He then spread his arms as a black and gold aura began erupting from his body.
[FINISH TIME! ROZE REMNANT!]
Roze steadied herself as she brought out Crescent Rose, gold and red energy forming in front of her and spiraling into the barrel of her weapon.
[FINISH TIME! GRANDZI-O!]
Zi-O meanwhile backed away to where he was behind Roze, leaping up into the air as 19 Gateways formed all around him. Projections of the Heisei Riders from Kuuga to Build in their Final Forms formed before overlapping with his body as he entered a kicking stance.
[ALL REMNANT TIME BLAST!]
Roze shouted as she unleashed a burst of gold and red energy, the energy taking the shape of a projection that was a globe of Remnant. It speeding forward as Zi-O kicked downwards and launched after it.
[ALL 20 TIME BREAK!]
Another Oma Zi-O yelled out as he threw his hands forward, unleashing his black and gold aura as a beam of energy that clashed with the energy globe.
Zi-O however yelled out as he kicked against the energy globe, enhancing its power as he tried to push it through the beam that his Another Rider had sent out. Despite this however, the black and gold beam was holding strong, so much so that despite Zi-O's help, his and Roze's combined attacks were being pushed back.
In an instant the globe projection was shattered, the beam engulfing and pushing Zi-O back into Roze in seconds, both Riders screaming out as an explosion occurred.
"I told you," Another Oma Zi-O said with a scoff as he lowered his arms, watching as the smoke and fire died down to reveal his opponents.
Sougo and Ruby were now on their stomachs, their Drivers and Ridewatches scattered as they were covered in scratches and bruises. The two tried to pick themselves up as their Auras flickered and grew visible only to break as they fell back down.
"You all are such weak, feeble, inadequate Riders!" Another Oma Zi-O mocked as he approached the two, "Are you satisfied with the taste of your defeat? This is all there is to Heisei after all. Affected by the bubble burst, all that's been done is raise a generation of weak whelps!"
"Oh Gods…" Ruby groaned as she tried to stand but was unable to, "Pretty sure this doesn't apply to me…"
"That's your issue?" Sougo asked with a wince.
"Not really but it makes the ranting more annoying for me in particular," Ruby admitted with another groan.
"Oh you two can still mouth-off?" Another Oma Zi-O asked as he stared down at them, "Just give up, you've been beaten by the storm that is the Showa Era, something which you Heisei Riders can't compare to."
"Neither I or Ruby… or any of our friends… our allies…" Sougo glared as he managed to look up at his Another Rider counterpart, "We're not going to give up… we'll keep fighting until the very end!"
"Then I'll simply make an example of you all," Another Oma Zi-O answered simply before drawing out the Barlckxs Ridewatch and turning away from the two Riders, tossing it in the air before holding his hand towards it, the Ridewatch floating in mid-air, "Come tomorrow the world will witness the death of Sougo Tokiwa alongside his allies. But do not worry, he won't be gone forever."
"Huh?" Sougo raised an eyebrow at this.
The Ridewatch gained a red glow as it was engulfed in energy that began taking shape. Soon enough an older man with a goatee and reddish blond hair formed, wearing a red more extravagant variant of the Quartzer uniform.
"What?" Ruby asked.
"Meet my new right hand," Another Oma Zi-O said as he glanced back, "SOUGO Tokiwa, Kamen Rider Barlckxs."
"I will take your place," SOUGO said as he stared down at the young man he was based on, he gave a smug smirk, "Quite a pathetic state you're in."
"I like you already," Another Oma Zi-O remarked as he placed a hand on SOUGO's shoulder, "Get them locked up, the others should be taking care of whatever allies Zi-O has left."
"Of course," SOUGO nodded before looking towards the fallen Sougo and Ruby, both struggling stay conscious as he went to grab and drag them away.
Geiz gasped as he was shoved away by Woz, falling to the ground just as the two reappeared in an empty grassy field surrounded by trees.
"In the end, you were against us after all," Geiz growled out as he went to pick himself up.
"Let's finally settle this feud, Geiz," Woz said as he stared down the time traveler.
"Fair enough," Geiz said, admittedly glad that Woz wanted to get this done as soon as possible. His body was still acting up, but he knew defeating Woz here and now would allow them to get a jump on his enemies.
[WAKUSEI!]
[GEIZ REVIVE SHIPPU!]
"HENSHIN!"
[WAKUSEI! WAKUSEI! GINGAWAKUSEI!]
[REVI-I-VE SHI-PPU! SHIPPU!]
The two Riders entered the alternate versions of their strongest forms, Woz as GingaWakusei and Geiz as Revive Shippu. The two closed in on each other while shouting, going for punches and kicks against each other.
Geiz was fairly sloppy in his movements, but it got his tactic across fairly well. He didn't go for any dodges against any punches Woz dished out, taking them while only speeding up his own punches and swipes as he wielded his Jaclaw. Despite Woz getting some hits in, Geiz's speed and weapon easily overwhelmed Woz.
Woz gasped as he was forced back, rolling before holding his right hand above his head and forming a projection of a planetary ring. He then threw his hand forward, the ring digging through the ground as it closed in on Geiz… only for it to get clawed through and dispersed with two swipes.
"It's over!" Geiz shouted as he charged his weapon, it shining a bright blue as he leapt up into the air before launching straight towards Woz while swiping forward.
Woz braced and closed his eyes due to being unable to truly counter only to feel a burst of air pass him before hearing an impact behind him. He opened his eyes and turned as he saw Geiz on all fours with the Jaclaw on the ground. He was ready to act insulted only to see Geiz visibly coughing.
"Let's end this charade," Woz stated as he initiated his finisher.
[FINALLY! BEYOND THE TIME!]
Geiz perked up and barely managed to stand while backing away, initiating his own finisher as he dashed to the side, turning into a blue blur.
[FINISH TIME! REVIVE!]
Woz snapped his fingers and pointed upwards, multiple planet projectiles descending before dispersing into smaller more plentiful projectiles. Smokey explosions began kicking up all around Woz who watched as he saw a blue shape try to navigate its way towards him. Of course he watched as Geiz appeared a few feet in front of him, the Rider reeling back a right arm to punch forward when…
[SUI-KIN-CHI-KA-MOKU-DO-TEN-KAI EXPLOSION!]
The remainder of the projectiles landed on top of Geiz, the Rider yelling out as he was thrown away from Woz while losing his transformation.
"In the end…" Woz trailed off as he dismissed his transformation, "I am fundamentally different from you all."
"Don't make me laugh!" Geiz shouted as he pushed himself up despite feeling dizzy, staggering towards Woz, "I came here to bring Sougo down… but he earned my respect, and eventually my friendship."
"…" Woz stayed silent as he glanced away.
"You've realized that too, right?" Geiz questioned as he continued to stagger forward, "That guy… Sougo's not going to let you scum dictate his or anyone else's futures."
"…" Woz continued his silence as a response, still looking away.
"This is why you were acting that way towards Boot, weren't you?" Geiz asked, giving a small tired smirk when he saw Woz immediately glare towards him. He managed to approach Woz while grabbing on, it was partially an attempt to shake some sense into Woz but also to keep from falling over as he desperately looked towards whom he still considered a friend only to still fall to his knees, "You and I are actually similar. We met Sougo, fought and lived alongside him… and at some point, we were drawn towards him! Every reaction you've had, everything you've done for him, was that really all for nothing?! You reacted to Boot the way you did because you're conflicted, aren't you?!"
"Shut up! I am different!" Woz snapped as he shoved Geiz off of him before going and stomping on the time traveler's gut, "Nothing like you relics from the past! I am one of the shepherds of a new age!"
Geiz gasped as he was stomped on, trying to reach towards Woz only for his arm to fall to his side as he fell unconscious.
Woz simply stared down at his former ally, giving a sigh as he drew out the Ginga Miridewatch and stared at intently, gripping it tightly.
"How are we looking Penny?" Weiss asked as she watched the mechanical Huntress land in the alleyway that she was waiting with Takeshi in.
"Thankfully they give off a similar energy to Woz alongside the Kasshine units possessing their own unique signatures," Penny said as she approached, "They seem to have vanished for the time being."
"So they just let us go?" Weiss asked.
"Yes, but Sougo and Ruby are likely…" Penny trailed as she didn't want to say what she was thinking.
"I know," Weiss said as she put a hand on Penny's shoulder, "I can't imagine them losing but considering what power Hiryu has…"
"If they did lose then they were likely captured," Takeshi said as he leaned against a wall before he pushed off of it and went to walk over to the two, "We'll need to rescue them."
"That's kind of a tall order," Weiss admitted, "There's only so few of us and there's no telling what happened to Blake and Yang."
"Which is exactly why we're not going to do this alone," Takeshi agreed which surprised the two Huntresses, "Find your friends, rally whoever you can, I'll get into contact with my allies."
"Sounds simple enough," Weiss said.
"We will do our best," Penny said as she saluted.
"That's all I ask," Takeshi smiled at the two before hurrying off.
"Alright, Penny," Weiss addressed her friend as she looked over, "You can track our Scrolls, right? We don't use them here but we always keep them on hand for Aura level checking."
"Of course," Penny said as her eyes began to shine, going through her tracking systems before she let out a light hum of surprise, "Huh?"
"What's wrong?" Weiss asked.
"Oh, sorry, my phone is ringing," Penny said as she stopped her search and went to reach into her pockets, "Do you think it is Blake or Yang?"
"Hopefully it is," Weiss said, "If not then it might be Kaido, but you don't have a lesson today right?"
"I do not," Penny confirmed before pulling out her phone and staring at the Caller ID long and hard before raising it up and holding it out for Weiss to see, "Weiss, I do believe we have what some call a silver lining."
"What?" Weiss said before her eyes widened upon seeing the Caller ID, "Penny, please answer that now!"
"Affirmative," Penny said before pressing the confirm button and immediately putting it on speaker, "This is Penny speaking, Weiss is also here."
All around the world, various cities shook and rumbled as the ground began to cave in and collapse. Erupting from the collapsing ground were the machines that struck terror into those back in December of 2018… the Dai Mazines.
Instead of simply standing there, or even attacking, they simply launched upwards into the air, six of the seven all angling their ascents as they went towards where the central Dai Mazine was, Japan.
It didn't take long for all of Japan to start hearing or seeing interference on their radios, televisions, computers, and even phones. As the static faded for those with screens, Hiryu could be seen sitting on his throne with Barlckxs on his right alongside a pedestal that held an obscured glass case. Hiryu's outfit had changed to that of a classical military leader uniform, it being black with purple and white accents alongside gold lining, a silver cape with a fur lined collar resting over his shoulders.
"Citizens of Japan, I am your new leader, Hiryu Kakogawa," Hiryu announced as he leaned back comfortably in his seat. He could only smirk as he could only imagine what kind of reactions he was getting at those words. But he knew he had to continue, "I have obtained the power to be your rightful king, and I will continue to obtain more of that power in order to rule over this world."
This announcement and declaration was heard all over, Nagano, Futo, Zawame, anywhere and everywhere in Japan was receiving this message.
"What is it that I want? Well it's simple… this world, this era, is imperfect. It's rejected me so I will use my power and reject it to create a new era, Showa Year 93! It will be a continuation from 1989, the years between then and now being known as the Lost Years. Everything Heisei will be erased, no matter what it was that was created, or who was born."
This was a broadcast being sent throughout any device that could project sound or video, and that meant everyone was able to hear this mad plan.
"Upon my orders the Dai Mazines will create a massive temporal portal that will suck away anything and anyone that started existence after the Showa Era's conclusion. But before that comes to pass, I will be allowing a privileged few to witness what will happen to those who try to go against me. Come to the birthplace of my kingdom and witness as I make an example out of Kamen Rider Zi-O, the so called King of Heisei Kamen Riders. He and his allies will be executed before I begin my plan to wipe out the Heisei Era."
At those words, many different individuals known to the city and the world as heroes began to act and make their own plans, whether they were getting in touch with each other, or trying to get in touch with others who might not be as easily reached. Now was time to take action and no second could be wasted.
"I should also mention to those Heisei Kamen Riders who think they can stop this that I know are listening, when I said that I'd allow a privileged few that means only those born in the Showa Era. There will be a barrier preventing anyone who reeks of the stench of Heisei from entering and interfering."
Despite these words, the preparations continued as a plan of destruction had been laid out despite the complications presented. If there was no one willing to try, then all would be lost.
"Of course if any of Zi-O's or Roze's comrades who are not Riders wish to turn themselves over to join the Riders in execution, I will also allow that. Now I believe I've spoken long enough… we will reconvene at noon tomorrow. I hope to see those of you worthy of the new world I plan on shaping there."
All around the city of Tokyo the Dai Mazines began to land in empty spots while hunching forward. They entered a waiting mode as they towered over the city, all of them in different areas. There was a foreboding presence of the coming day thanks to them, as all most people could do was simply wait.
The Quartzers figured they needed precautions given the Remnant side of the situation in regards to locking up their enemies. Sougo and Ruby had been set up in a simple stone room, Hard-Light Dust projectors being set up and forming walls around and in front of them to act as impenetrable jail cells. While Aura could only get them so far and wouldn't be an issue for standard bars, Ruby utilizing petal burst was a concern. Not to mention that while Geiz still had no Semblance, they didn't want to risk him potentially unlocking one that could easily deal with a standard jail cell.
Woz had brought in Geiz and shoved him next to Ruby's cell before activating the Hard-Light Barrier.
"Now then… is everything comfortable for you all?" Woz asked.
"Oh of course," Ruby said as her eye twitched, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she gripped her right fist tightly, "I can see why exactly my future self decked you as hard as she could."
"Ah yes, that was unpleasant," Woz admitted as he gingerly held his cheek, the pain was no longer there but the memory rang fresh in his mind. That made him question a few things however considering that the future Sougo's and Ruby's presence brought up valid concerns given what was about to transpire.
"So you were with the Quartzer all along?" Sougo asked.
"Yes," Woz answered, glad to have the distraction, "I am simply following a grander purpose, and Hiryu Kakogawa will lead us to the perfect reset so that we can mold the world as we please."
"Why?" Sougo questioned.
"This is the fault of the Heisei Riders as I explained earlier," Woz remarked as Sougo went silent, "Their premises and settings are completely inconsistent, Swartz utilizing you to stack the worlds together back in 2009 eventually became straw that broke the camel's back for us, so to speak."
"I'm surprised you even survived this long," Ruby admitted in a bitter tone, "Oma Zi-O had to have known what you were doing."
"I suppose he was too distracted with wanting to ensure a different future as Sougo has mentioned," Woz remarked, "So he took a risk by allowing me to get close."
"Is that why he also had a Kasshine?" Ruby asked.
"More than likely that was what was left from our failed scorching of the original timeline," Woz replied, "He simply took it as his own to utilize."
Sougo immediately ran up to the Hard-Light barrier and slammed his arms against it, "Is this a joke?!"
Woz backed away, visibly surprised by Sougo's anger, "I beg your pardon?"
"You being distraught at me yelling at you back on Remnant, our connection with Geiz to form Zi-O Trinity, following me and fighting alongside us in Atlas, worrying about my birthday, showing genuine happiness at me and Weiss getting together…"
Ruby looked over as she saw Sougo list off everything, barely managing to see some tears falling down his eyes as he was crying all while sounding angered.
"Are you trying to tell me all of that was just a lie?!" Sougo questioned as tears continued to fall, "That it was just some big cruel joke where you'd pull the rug underneath us and say this was all part of your plan?!"
Woz simply turned around, "I apologize if this is upsetting to you."
"A simple apology isn't going to help Woz," Ruby narrowed her eyes, a clear bitter tone in her voice.
"I am simply being polite. As such, please do spend what little time you have together meaningfully," Woz said as he kept his back facing the two, "As you three are to be executed tomorrow."
There was nothing but silence at his words, though what broke everyone out of their silence was Geiz giving a groan as he began to wake up.
"At the very least it will be a mercy to one of you," Woz continued.
"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.
"Oma Zi-O and 2068 no longer exist," Woz stated, "Meaning anything and everything within that time period that should not have been there is permanently gone. But moreover, those that were born and existed in that time period should cease to exist as well… and we know one person still here despite that. Well, even calling him still here is generous given his deteriorating state."
"Seriously…?" Ruby asked as she looked over to Geiz who had fully woken up and stayed silent, "Geiz?"
"That explains a lot," Geiz admitted as he looked down, staring at his hands as they shook, "I've been feeling a lot more tired and weaker."
"More than likely my copy The Quartzer employed is unintentionally responsible for this," Woz remarked, "Thanks to Geiz Revive you were likely able to survive instant erasure, but for how long? Well that I'm unsure of, but you won't have to worry about slowly fading away after tomorrow."
Everyone remained silent, none of the captured Riders sure on what to say at this point.
"That said, it wasn't unpleasant… calling you my Overlord," Woz said as he glanced at Sougo before he went to take his leave.
"Geiz," Ruby finally spoke up, "Why didn't you say anything?"
"What was I supposed to say?" Geiz asked in an honest tone, "Especially after going wherever I could to try and get answers but coming up with nothing."
"Even then, we could have tried to figure out something," Ruby argued before sighing, "We'll need to figure out something when this is all over."
"You really think we can win this?" Geiz asked.
"I know we can win this," Ruby replied as she went to sit and lean against the back of her cell wall, "Everyone's going to be trying to fight their hardest to keep us from being executed. I know that for sure."
"There has to be a way to beat Hiryu," Sougo said, his determination through the roof despite the crushing defeat and revelations placed before him, "I don't want to give up."
"Damn, you two are overwhelmingly optimistic," Geiz remarked as he scooted forward in order to lie down on his back, placing his hands beneath his head.
"Someone has to be," Ruby chuckled, "But really, I just want to believe in our friends."
"They can do it," Sougo smiled, "I know they can."
"Then I guess I'll be optimistic with you two," Geiz said with a smirk.
One of the last places people would expect Zi-O's allies to hole up would be the Drive Pit. And that's exactly what a certain someone was counting on as Blake and Yang were there alongside Junichiro. They also had the Ridewatch Daizer that held the Ridewatches of the 19 Main Heisei Riders that came before Zi-O. Shift Cars were currently moving around, getting whatever Junichiro, Blake, or Yang needed as the two Huntresses had been treated by Mad Doctor when they had arrived.
"Alright, that should be it," Junichiro said as he finished applying first-aid to both Huntresses, "Your Auras may be recovering, but these should help too."
"We appreciate it," Blake said with a bow.
"Yeah," Yang said before looking over to see Belt-San mounted on his usual stand, "Thanks for this."
"It's no issue," Belt-San smiled before frowning, "However given the news we've just received…"
"We're going to need to act fast," Junichiro said as he tried to put on a brave front though his worry easily peered through.
"Luckily we're got some people on the move in that regard," Blake reassured, "We'll make sure nothing happens to them."
"Right, right," Junichiro nodded.
"Considering how quickly your group gets around, it should be simple enough," Belt-San reassured.
The four quickly paused their conversation however when they heard footsteps rushing down the steps, Weiss and Penny appearing at the doorway and hurrying over.
"Blake, Yang!" Penny called out as Weiss immediately went to hug the two.
"Ouch, hey, easy," Yang yelped.
"We're fine, we're fine," Blake reassured before wincing, "Please not too tight."
"Sorry," Weiss shook her head as she pulled away.
"Weiss," Junichiro hurried over and hugged her, "Are you alright?"
"I am, thanks Mr. Junichiro," Weiss smiled as she hugged back.
"So what exactly happened?" Penny asked the two recovering Huntresses.
"So first Zamonas showed up and when Woz transformed into Taiyo he made it seem like he was about to fight that Dark X Rider," Yang explained, "But then he turned the attack on us things just spiraled from there."
"We were already taken off guard by that surprise attack, and with Zamonas rushing us we couldn't get away," Blake added, "Unfortunately we ended up losing our Rider Weapons as well once we were forced into a fight."
"That bad…" Weiss muttered with a wince as she pulled away from Junichiro.
"I still can't believe Woz would do that," Junichiro said, "He seemed like such a nice young man too."
"Well he's anything but," Yang remarked.
"He was always off," Blake admitted, "But I didn't think he'd pull a swerve like this."
"Changing tracks here," Yang looked over at Weiss, "What happened with you all? Especially given the announcement I'm sure we all heard."
"Hiryu has the power of Another Oma Zi-O now," Weiss explained, watching as her teammates eyes widened, "He took Sougo and Ruby away, and Woz took Geiz away. It's likely all of them were defeated."
"Sougo and Ruby I get given well, even with Grand and Remnant that's a lot of power to go up against," Yang said as she put a hand to her chin in thought, "But you'd think Geiz would have gotten away."
"There appears to be something wrong with Geiz," Penny spoke up, "Correct?"
"I'm not sure what, but he said he was growing weaker and more tired," Weiss explained, "And it's affecting how he fights, which means even with Revive I can easily imagine Woz beating him."
"Huh, he did seem a bit more sluggish, but I didn't want to pry," Junichiro admitted, "Though I did offhandedly suggest he go to the doctor more often."
"He mentioned going to Seito University but they couldn't find anything," Weiss replied.
"So that's three Riders to rescue, and we're just four Huntresses right now," Yang said.
"Luckily, we have a lot more friends than one might think," Blake mentioned.
"Normally I'd ask how you even made it here," Weiss replied, "But given who gave us a call…"
"So what is our next move then?" Penny asked.
"That's simple…"
Weiss and Penny turned with a smile as they heard footsteps coming from the staircase that led down from the main entrance of the Drive Pit.
The Next Day…
As dawn began to rise, many different individuals began to move and make their own plans. Whether it was The Quartzer setting up the execution grounds, the remainder of Team RWBY and their allies preparing, or those that could getting ready to attend the execution.
One individual however wasn't really moving much at the moment, and that was Woz himself.
He had managed to excuse himself from The Quartzer and went to take a walk around the city during the early hours of the day. Of course where he found himself was somewhere familiar, that being the place where Boot's sacrifice took place so that he and the others could defeat Ginga.
He drew out the Ginga Miridewatch once more, staring at it as he held it firmly within his hand.
"Why do you fight?"
"Huh?" Woz looked around as he heard a familiar voice, "What is…?"
"Why do you fight?" the voice repeated.
"Boot…?" Woz asked as he looked down at the Miridewatch only to look up when he saw something form in front of him, "Impossible…"
"I suppose pieces of me still existed within that device," the spectral form of the former Rider Hunter, Boot was now before Woz, "And your constant usage of that form has allowed those pieces to regain some sense of self for this moment."
"Boot…" Woz trailed.
"If you will not answer my first question, please allow me ask you another question," Boot continued, "Are you okay with being bound by your purpose?"
"What are you implying?" Woz asked as he narrowed his eyes.
"It was the reason you got angry with me, correct?" Boot asked, "Now I know that anger was not just towards me but also towards you."
"Please get on with it," Woz said as his eye twitched.
"I have been with you throughout your latter battles, in a sense you could say my rebirth now has been facilitated not only by your battles but by your emotions," Boot explained, "And I can feel the conflict within you."
"Can you now?" Woz asked.
"You enjoy protecting life," Boot said, recalling how Woz had effortlessly gone to protect a preschool during Final-Shocker's without any nudging from anyone else, and that wasn't including every other person he saved without hesitation, "You enjoy preserving life. So why go on with a purpose that will eradicate life?"
"We're simply wiping the slate clean for a perfect future," Woz replied, "Something brighter than what's barely begun to shine thanks to the mess of the Heisei Riders."
"Do you not believe Sougo Tokiwa can create a better future?" Boot asked.
"What?" Woz asked.
"I have seen that young man's determination, his power, and I'm sure you have as well," Boot replied, "So do you not believe in him to create a bright and shining future despite the shakiness of everything leading up to said future?"
"Eh?" Woz stared in surprise before looking way and turning his back on Boot, "I… why now?"
"Because I believe this is the best time to talk to you," Boot replied.
"I suppose so…" Woz said with a scoff as he went to walk away, "Will you continue to watch over me?"
"Yes, and I will also continue to fight alongside you," Boot answered.
"Very well then," Woz said as he pocketed his Miridewatch, the spectral projection of Boot vanishing as he brought out his book, "Then let us head to this ending, together."
To Be Continued…
Next Time:
"Life not being perfect… is pretty obvious."
"The world is made up of many hearts, many individuals."
"What we do with that power is our decision entirely."
"Drop dead, you damn Heisei Riders!"
"Don't assume that they're the only Riders here!"
Chapter 130: 2019: King of Riders, Zi-O Oma
Author's Note: Not much to say here other than this being very much the middle chapter of this small ending arc for the Saga. Another Oma Zi-O's fight was a fun one to write, mostly in having our two big powerhouses struggling the entire time while their opponent just brushes through their attacks. Of course that's not the only big moment here.
I'm mostly referring to Blake and Yang's confession in this story, where I'll admit I probably wouldn't be able to pull off something similar to the one in the show with how crazy and cool that one was. So I settled for a different spin on it, helped by the fact that the two have had a lot longer to stew on it than in RWBY proper. That said, thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time.