Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 123 – 2019: Remnant's Roze
"In an attempt to gain a new form to turn the tides against Final-Shocker, my Overlord accompanies Miss Rose back to Remnant to Atlas Academy," Woz narrated as he was in the black void that was Zi-O Trinity, the clock of the form at his feet, "Of course we are slowly but surely split up into separate groups to take care of specific tasks, leaving Miss Rose and Miss Polendina alone to face both Neopolitan and Roman Torchwick… a battle that leads Miss Rose to the brink."
He stared at his book for a while before looking up.
"Will she be able to defeat a devastating Dark Rider like NeoRoze?" He asked, "Even if she can, there are only five chapters that remain until the end of our worlds…"
Remnant – Atlas Relic Vault
"RUBY!"
Kikai II immediately acted without thinking, pushing herself forward and falling off the edge of the platform in the vault chamber. She straightened herself out as she used her armor's weight to allow her to drop down at a faster rate while also utilizing her magic to form fire at her feet to act as makeshift boosters.
"Huh?" Oblivian looked up before raising his claw as fire began to gather at its tips, "No you-"
"Get out of my way!" Kikai II shouted as she unleashed a burst of wind once she was close enough. The result sent Oblivian slamming directly into the vault shaft's wall. Kikai II continued to fall after that, continuing to drop further and further as she hoped she'd reach Ruby in time.
She was grateful that Atlas had yet to fix the large hole that Oscar had created at the bottom of the shaft after he was sent plummeting. The result was her just catching sight of Ruby falling through the hole and outside of the vault shaft.
"Just a little more…" Kikai II muttered as she kept pushing her magic to try and speed up, though she was starting to realize that she might have better luck without her armor. She didn't have much time to think however as she shrieked, getting rammed into by a sudden object.
"Like hell you're saving her!" Oblivian called out as he had sped after the Maiden Rider to stop her attempt to save Ruby. He then began launching out bladed feathers from the wings, "I'll make sure Neo's hard work doesn't go up in smoke!"
Kikai II continued to shriek getting battered by the bladed feathers as she was knocked off course. Running through the scenario in her head she realized what she needed to do was risky but she had to do it regardless. She allowed herself to freefall in order to start picking up momentum again before disengaging her transformation.
"What is she up to?" Oblivian asked before flying after Penny.
Penny opened her eyes as green fire soon was layered over her eyes. Utilizing her boosters and increasing their output, the green fire at her feet turned blue as a result as she sped downwards at a rapid pace. She then brought out Floating Array, it entering a ring formation as the blades had shifted to their emitter modes.
She began adjusting her weapons firing rate, and instead of unleashing a beam she unleashed a pulse of energy. The result shot her further downwards, the pulse slamming into Oblivian once he was close enough and knocking him back.
"What?" Oblivian asked and sped downwards only to get knocked away by another pulse, "What?!"
Penny was using the energy pulses as boosts, increasing her drop speed as she pushed her boosters to their limits with her additional magic. The result was her continually moving downwards while releasing a protective burst of energy that would force Oblivian back while boosting her further downwards.
It didn't take long for Penny to reach the unconscious Ruby finally, grabbing her wrist, "Ruby!"
"P…Penny…?" Ruby muttered as her eyes began to flutter open.
"I've got you, don't worry," Penny reassured as she moved her grip to Ruby's bicep, soon getting close and wrapping her other arm around Ruby to hug her. She held Ruby close for a while as she shifted her body, soon holding the Huntress Rider in both of her arms before righting herself and launching off.
"Where are we… going?" Ruby managed to get out as her senses slowly began to return.
"I am unsure, with the school under attack I feel as though our best option is to lay low so you can heal," Penny suggested before she went to pull up a communications channel, remotely accessing her Scroll and going through the contacts, "Perhaps…"
It didn't take long for her to get a hold of who she was considering.
"Penny, when did you get back to Remnant?" Robyn's voice was heard.
"Ms. Hill thank goodness you answered," Penny called out in relief, "I can potentially explain when I get there but are you in Mantle by any chance?"
"Who do you think I am?" Robyn asked with a chuckle before growing serious, "But what do you need? You sound pretty rushed."
"Meet me by my father's office in Mantle, Ruby's with me but she's injured and we need a place to hide her for the time being," Penny explained, "If you can clear the area too, that would also be good."
"Got it, I'll meet you there and have my crew keep the streets nearby clear," Robyn answered,
"Thank you, and if you could inform Ruby's team as well," Penny added.
"Of course," Robyn replied, "But sure, I'll see you soon."
"Thank you again," Penny nodded as she cut communications before flying for her father's office in Mantle.
"Damn it…" Oblivian muttered as he watched Penny fly off towards Mantle. He had been forced back due to repeatedly getting hit by Penny's makeshift booster. It had not only pushed him back but also damaged him ever so slightly each time, "She's not going to like this…"
Neo was staring over the edge as she wondered when Oblivian would come back only to hear some noises from above. She narrowed her eyes into a sneer as she watched Weiss, Blake, and Yang slide down the elevator shaft, the three having decided to not wait for the elevator to come up.
The three Huntresses of Team RWBY landed with various rolls before aiming their weapons at Neo.
Neo simply let out a condescending smile and a mock courtesy before dropping down into the shaft. She opened up Hush part of the way through her drop, utilizing it to slowly but surely float downwards.
"We need to tell the others," Blake said.
"What about Ruby?" Yang asked.
"If Penny's not here then she's likely already on that," Weiss reassured as she put a hand on Yang's arm, "Right now we need a quick way to get to Ruby and our best bet is to get to Tsukasa and Summer."
"Right," Yang said as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before turning towards the elevator, "Now the hard part."
"Waiting to get back up," Blake said as she and the others stepped on the elevator platform before she pressed the button on the console, it lifting up and slowly but surely taking them upwards.
Neo meanwhile continued to float downwards, giving an expectant look as she watched Oblivian fly up towards her.
"Sorry Neo, but that tin can ended up getting in the way," Oblivian apologized as he went to lower himself down while his partner floated down, "They're heading to Mantle though, and she got pretty messed up already. I think we're close."
Neo let loose a determined glare as she stared off to the side before nodding, an Aurora Curtain forming beneath the two as they dropped into it before it closed.
Remnant – Atlas Academy
Marrow took aim, a Glyph appearing in front of him as he shot with Fetch at Apollogeist.
Apollogeist chuckled blocking and striking at them with his shield and rapier. Of course that was until he felt they were heavier… and colder? His weapons had been frozen over due to Winter empowering Marrow's shots with an Ice Glyph. He didn't get much of a chance to react, Winter launching towards his side and striking at him with both of her swords.
While this wouldn't be an issue, with Winter wielding the Gan Gun Saber, that meant the damage was greater than if she used her usual weapons. The result of their brief clash was simple and obvious, Apollogeist's rapier was shattered while his shield retained heavy damage but was still usable.
"Why you…" Apollogeist soon summoned a rifle aiming at Winter only to end up stuck.
"Stay!" Marrow winced as he aimed his finger at the Final-Shocker General, "Not on… my watch!"
Winter moved out of the way, getting in a defensive stance as Marrow lowered his hand.
"You two can't keep this up forever," Apollogeist remarked.
"You're right, the two of us can't," Winter replied, hearing more radio chatter before smirking, "Good thing we lasted long enough."
"Huh?" Apollogeist questioned the General's before gasping out as a fireball suddenly hit him, sparks flying as he staggered to the side. He quickly turned to see a black and red portal had opened up, "What is this?"
"You're part of a big bad army and you have to ask?" Raven asked as she exited the portal, "It's a counterattack."
Yelling was heard as Nora leapt out from the portal, kicking up into the air and swinging her hammer towards the Final-Shocker General. Apollogeist raised his shield, barely blocking the swing only for the Huntress to unleash a grenade burst right as she hit.
Nora let out a grin, "Boop!"
Apollogesist yelled out as he was forced into a roll, his shield shattering as a result of the attack, "What?!"
"Just in time," Nora grinned as she had her hammer at the ready.
Apollogeist looked around before noticing the portal that Raven and Nora exited from had yet to close. It didn't take long for other Huntsmen to quickly rush through, Jaune, Ren, Oscar and Qrow hurrying out of it while brandishing their weapons.
"Whoa wait, isn't that Raven Branwen?" Marrow asked.
"Yes," Winter nodded, surprised but not letting it show, "It seems as though we've gotten some unexpected help."
"So you've gained more allies," Apollogeist scoffed as he shook off his surprise, "Do you really think you can beat me this way?"
"Wow, aren't you overconfident?" Raven remarked as she held her scabbard and the hilt of her blade, ready to fight, "Summer was right, you guys do like talking too much."
"How about we shut him up then?" Qrow asked.
"Quiet, I'm not taking orders from you," Raven replied, "I'm only doing this for Summer, remember?"
"Right, right," Qrow rolled his eyes.
"We may not exactly be on the level of the Kamen Riders," Winter addressed Apollogeist while aiming her swords and entering her usual stance, "I wouldn't underestimate us."
Decade swung his sword, deflecting incoming shuriken from a few Gelnewts before watching as Gamio and the Paradoxa Undead attempted to charge straight for him.
[OOO! KAMEN RIDE: PUTOTYRA COMBO!]
"If you don't think I can handle you two at once, you're wrong," Decade called out as he summoned OOO in the Putotyre Combo, the summon having the Medagabryu out in its gun mode.
[FINAL ATTACK RIDE: O-O-O-OOO!]
Decade loaded in his finisher card for OOO before taking aim with his sword, aiming it like a gun with both hands while OOO took grip of the Medagabryu with both hands. A purple sphere of dark energy formed at the tips of their weapons before they launched out two destructive beams that cut through any Gelnewts that were nearby or in the same path.
Gamio chuckled as it launched upwards into the air, the Paradoxa Undead screaming out as it was engulfed by the beams before exploding.
[FINAL ATTACK RIDE: R-R-R-ROSE!]
A line of cards suddenly appeared in Gamio's path, Rose kicking through them as her boot shined a bright white. She shouted as she struck Gamio in the stomach, the Gurongi coughing out as it was launched backwards and exploded near the remainder of the Gelnewts, catching them in the explosion.
"Thanks for that," Decade said as he looked over.
"No problem," Rose said as she landed, "I take it you had fun."
"As much fun as I can in this kind of situation," Decade said before turning to where Apollogeist was fighting the Huntsmen and Huntresses, "Now then…"
"Let's give them a little helping hand," Rose said as she drew out her Roseiber.
"Right," Decade nodded.
Apollogeist yelled out, shooting at the Huntsman and Huntresses he was facing as he forced them to scatter. That was until Marrow started to hang back and shoot to deflect or cancel out his shots. He aimed at Marrow only for a crow and a raven to suddenly start pestering him.
Qrow suddenly appeared while stabbing with his sword, striking Apollogeist and forcing the Final-Shocker member back. It didn't take long for Raven to appear, lashing out with yellow blade filled with lightning dust, electricity striking and forcing Apollogeist back further. Qrow quickly spun around the two while shifting Harbinger into its tonfa formation, rushing in and swinging with it, while mixing in a few punches and kicks.
Apollogeist gasped out as he tried to shoot at Qrow only to miss every shot due to his weapon getting pushed away. He took aim only for a sword to stab at the palm of his hand, sparks flying as he was forced to drop his weapon. He then turned, backing up while dodging against Jaune's sword swings.
Jaune continued to swing until his wrist was grabbed, Apollogeist sending a punch his way. He raised his shield, unleashing a burst of Gravity Dust that forced the Final-Shocker member back.
Oscar leapt in next, managing to get a few hits in before quickly crossing his arms, bracing against a kick.
Apollogeist tried to follow-up only for something to loop around his ankle. He yelped as he was dragged across the ground towards the side as it was Ren who had looped one of Stormflower's cable blades to him. He winced as he was shot at before kicking his entangled leg hard enough to force the cable off of it.
Ren watched as Apollogeist rolled towards him, raising his weapons to brace against a punch before just barely managing to slip away.
Apollogeist was ready to move after the Huntsman only for a yell and sudden electrified slam against his helmet to occur. Winter had been supercharging Nora with an Electric Glyph in order to boost her attack. He was sent tumbling back before he stopped, landing in a crouched stance.
"Oscar!" Winter called out as she formed a Glyph as Oscar leapt for it, soon using it to repel Oscar forward towards the recovering Final-Shocker member.
Oscar closed his eyes, switching with Ozpin who went for a rapid series of jabs to force Apollogeist back further. Using this as his chance he rushed in to keep their opponent busy for Winter who had just been approached by Rose.
"Considering this is your Kingdom and all," Rose said as she loaded in her Final Attack Ride Card and held out the Roseiber.
"It's not just my Kingdom," Winter said with a humble smile before taking the Roseiber and pressing down on the trigger while manifesting a Time Dilation Glyph beneath her.
Apollogeist was currently defending himself against quick slashes via Qrow's sword while also trying to contend with Ozpin's rapid jabs. He managed to grab both weapons only to look up in surprise when he saw Winter speeding towards him.
Ozpin and Qrow quickly hopped back once they felt Apollogeist's grip slack, giving Winter the space she needed as she slashed forward.
Apollogeist was ready to move only to grunt as he couldn't, and suddenly felt a cold chill from below. He looked down to see that his legs were frozen, giving a light gasp before he looked up just to witness Winter closing in.
[FINAL ATTACK RIDE: R-R-R-ROSE!]
A blinding flash of light occurred as Winter sliced through Apollogeist's stomach, sliding to the other side of him as she stood straight and held the Roseiber up before holding it to her side.
"Yeah, you're not getting away," Raven said as she lowered her hand, the flames over her eyes that indicated her using her Maiden powers fading as she had used them to freeze Apollogeist's legs to the ground.
"Surely I was a good enough nuisance…" Apollogeist gasped out as he reached up towards the sky, "For Final-Shocker!"
Everyone backed away as he exploded, soon relaxing since Apollogeist was the last enemy they had to deal with.
"Did we actually do that?" Jaune asked in surprise.
"Heck yeah we did!" Nora pumped her fist.
"Something tells me he wasn't as strong as he should've been," Ren noted.
"They just don't make these guys like they used to," Decade remarked as he walked over, everyone other than Rose and Marrow taking in his appearance.
"Since when did you get that?" Qrow asked as he raised an eyebrow.
"Since a couple hours ago, give or take," Decade replied.
"What exactly is going on here?" Ozpin asked as he looked over at Rose, "You're coordinating with Tai, Qrow, and Raven in a rather active manner again to gather us, and several others if what I'm hearing is correct. I can only imagine this siege was part of it?"
"Yes we've got a bit of an emergency," Rose nodded as Winter walked over to return her sword, "Thanks."
"No, thank you," Winter replied, "You helped us repel the attack."
"You are honestly too nice for your own good sometimes," Raven said as she walked over to stand behind Rose.
"Be glad I'm as nice as I am," Rose replied as she glanced back at Raven, an unseen chilling expression causing her teammate to shiver slightly, "Otherwise our reunion would've been a lot more painful for you."
"Whatever," Raven brushed off the remark as she looked away.
"Something tells me it was a distraction," Decade admitted as he dismissed his transformation.
"What makes you say that?" Jaune asked.
"Them," Tsukasa said pointing towards Weiss, Blake and Yang running over to them, "Hey, what's going on?"
"Ruby's in trouble!" Yang called out before realizing who was present, pausing at Raven who glanced towards her briefly before turning away, "Uh…"
"Talk about a sudden reunion," Blake remarked in surprise.
"Hello there," Ren let out a small wave.
"Honestly, this is one reunion we could use given Ruby's current state," Weiss said before looking over at Jaune, "We need Aura Amp."
"Wait, what?" Jaune asked.
"Hold up," Rose held her hands up as she dismissed her transformation, clear concern on her face, "What's wrong with Ruby?"
"From what Robyn just sent us, she's going to need help recovering after a sudden harsh battle against Neo," Blake explained. "The three of us still need to take care of preparations with Pietro but…"
"Just leave it to me," Summer nodded.
"Yeah, we'll help her out," Jaune replied.
"Wait hold up," Nora held up her hands, "Neo?"
"I suppose I can give everyone the gist of everything," Tsukasa said as he put his hands in his pockets as he looked around at the various Huntsmen and Huntresses, "You all will need it since you're our backup."
"Sounds good," Ren replied.
"So…" Yang began to move towards where Summer and Raven were, only for Raven to step forward, "Uh…"
"We don't really have time for pleasantries at the moment given the situation," Raven replied before giving a sigh as she held a genuine look, "If you want to talk, we can do it when there's not an invasion going on."
"Fine," Yang said, realizing she and the other members of Team RWBY needed to get their power armor finalized quickly.
Remnant – Mantle Streets
Robyn was currently outside the entrance to Pietro's Pharmacy, turning when she heard noise before seeing Penny fly into view before approaching.
"Thanks Penny," Ruby let out a light groan as she was helped down as she let out a tired smile, "Hey Robyn."
"You're not looking too hot kid," Robyn said as she went over to help Penny lead Ruby inside, "What happened?"
"Long story, but Neopolitan wants revenge on me and has joined up with this new group called Final-Shocker to do it," Ruby explained as she continued to slowly wake up as she was helped inside before getting helped over to the patient's chair.
"Wait, what about the Time Jackers?" Robyn asked.
"We have defeated them," Penny replied, "But Final-Shocker was behind a lot of incidents from behind the scenes. Some of them involve the Inves and Smash issues you and Team Zi-O dealt with."
"Huh, so they finally made their move," Robyn mused, "I hope you got a plan kid because you look beat to hell."
"Waiting on Sougo," Ruby admitted as she made herself comfortable, "I just need to try and last till then."
"You are going to need medical care," Penny noted, having run a scan on Ruby, "While not lethal damage, your Aura can only heal so much."
"That's why we're here."
An Aurora Curtain opened up against the wall as Summer and Jaune rushed through, the Huntsman immediately using Aura Amp on her.
"Don't worry I've got you," Jaune said as he worked on boosting Ruby's Aura to kick up her healing.
"Huh?" Ruby looked in surprise before relaxing as she felt her Aura get supercharged so she could heal faster, "Jaune, what are you doing here?"
"I called on a few friends given how big the situation is starting to become," Summer explained as she walked over, "Hope you don't mind."
"Honestly, it's a good thing you did," Ruby said with a weak smile, "Otherwise I'd likely be stuck like this while having to fight Neo."
"What exactly happened?" Summer asked, "Why wasn't Sougo with you all? Is that why the Time Mazine left?"
"We could not properly form the Ridewatch," Penny explained, "So we were planning to go to 2068 to get Oma Zi-O's help only for Neopolitan and Roman to confront us. Ruby had Sougo and the others go confront Oma Zi-O while we stayed behind to deal with them."
"So there was a snag," Summer mused as she crossed her arms, putting a hand to her chin, "Alright, so we just have to hold out for a while longer, right?"
"Should be easy," Robyn said as she looked around, "Penny had me clear the surrounding area so we should be good if it's all localized to just outside the pharmacy."
"EEE!"
"And that's their calling card…" Summer turned towards the door with a deadpan, "Jaune, keep it up. The rest of us will hold the line."
"Right," Penny nodded.
"Been a while since I've seen some action," Robyn said as she prepared her wrist mounted weapon, "Let's show them our teeth, ladies."
The three quickly hurried out the door, Penny shutting the door behind them as they made it to the middle of the street. Before them was a small army of Final-Shocker Combatmen alongside NeoRoze and Oblivian.
"Forgot some of you can move around pretty quickly," Oblivian remarked as he saw Summer, "Think you can get your kid to come out and play?"
"Considering how rough you've been with her, no," Summer glared as she prepared her transformation alongside Penny, "You want her, you need to get past us kicking your asses!"
"Nothing scarier than a mother's bite," Robyn remarked as she prepared her crossbow and aimed forward, "As someone high up there in Atlas now, I'd like you all to stand down for your own sakes."
NeoRoze simply aimed Hush forward, clearly not wanting to back down.
"We will not let you get to Ruby," Penny said before holding her hands forward, "Henshin!"
Summer nodded, "Henshin!"
[HAGANE NO BODY NI ATSUI NO HEART! KAMEN RIDER KIKAI!]
[KAMEN RIDE: ROSE!]
It didn't take long for the two to complete their transformations, Kamen Rider's Rose and Kikai II standing together with Robyn in the center.
"So how tough are these grunts?" Robyn asked.
"Hefty armor, but they're easier to deal with than monsters," Rose replied, "Don't worry though, they may look human but they aren't."
"Got it," Robyn nodded.
"Let's go," Kikai said as she got in a defensive stance.
NeoRoze extended Hush's blade before stabbing it into the ground, the silent order causing two Combatmen to step forward, drawing out familiar buckles that they placed on their waists. Soon enough black liquid dripped out of the buckles and formed puddles on the ground, black vines launching up and constricting their bodies.
[GRIMM RIDE: BRIAR ROSE!]
The black vines burst apart, a brief spurt of black rain falling down on two Briar Roses that had formed from the Combatmen.
"Oh you've got to be…" Robyn lowered her weapon slightly.
"And I get more reasons to despise this iteration of Shocker…" Rose hissed out, hating that the corruption of her powers was not only something they were able to replicate, but they were able to pump out more than just a few. That was if these alongside the past four were of any indication.
The Briars began to march forward, the Combatmen yelling and charging forward as well while NeoRoze and Oblivian hung back.
Earth – Wasteland 2068
Zi-O shouted as he raised his Saikyo Zikan Girade, gold energy gathering it before he slashed forward.
[KING GIRI GIRI SLASH!]
Oma Zi-O saw the approaching golden wave of energy, crossing his arms before instantly spreading them apart. The energy was split into multiple blasts that struck all around him, kicking up explosions.
Zi-O ran forward and gripped his enhanced blade with both hands, swinging it down against Oma Zi-O who blocked with raised arms. The resulting force of the attack against the block kicked up plumes of smoke all around the two Riders, both growling at each other.
Then, in an instant it was decided.
Zi-O grabbed his sword by the back of his blade, forcing it upwards and pushing Oma's arms away. He then stabbed and pressed the tip of his blade against Oma Zi-O's gut, initiating his Driver's finisher as quickly as he could.
[TRINTIY TIME BREAK BURST EXPLOSION!]
The Saikyo Zikan Girade exploded with golden energy, forming a golden blade that extended outwards. It managed to knock Oma Zi-O off his feet, the blade extending and dragging him back further and further until he was slammed into a nearby cliff wall.
A crater had formed from the impact, Oma Zi-O falling down onto one knee as he placed his hand on his stomach and hunched forward, "I never had power of this measure, not in my younger years…"
"It's not my power," Zi-O shook his head as he lowered his weapon, realizing that he had caught his older self off guard, "It's the power of my friends, fighting for and with them."
"…" Oma Zi-O remained hunched over.
"You might be my future, but there's one thing that separates us…" Zi-O continued in full confidence, enough to show that he seemingly wasn't afraid of his older self anymore, "I have my friends!"
"I see, and for the sake of those friends…" Oma Zi-O said as he began to stand up, straightening out, "You would fight what you once feared the most in order to help them in their time of need."
"Absolutely," Zi-O said as he stared down Oma Zi-O.
"Why have you halted your charge then?" Oma Zi-O asked.
"Well, there's no point in fighting anymore," Zi-O answered as he dismissed his transformation, Geiz and Woz reforming beside Sougo, "You've never intended on hurting me or Ruby, you only fought to test us."
"We are one in the same after all," Oma Zi-O replied, "And that girl… she's a peculiar existence."
"What do you mean by that?" Sougo asked.
"On a day much like this one, I wandered without an intended goal," Oma Zi-O admitted, "Call it taking in what was left… call it simply trying to satiate my boredom, even I'm not sure why I choose to walk this barren wasteland anymore…"
"Is there a point to this?" Geiz asked.
"Do not interrupt," Woz held a hand towards Geiz as if to shush him, "He is clearly warming up."
"The fabric of reality is fickle in this time period, so much so that the sun shined brighter than before one day," Oma Zi-O said in a fond manner, as if reminiscing, "It was a warm, comforting light… not harsh, and I could feel it was not of this world. So I searched for where it came from and found a world called Remnant…"
"A warm light…?" Sougo questioned.
"I scoured Remnant's history and found a young girl who despite it all persevered with such a kindness I'd never seen before," Oma Zi-O explained, "It was then I found that she could summon the light that I sought after… so I looked into her history further, I looked at pivotal moments in her life and beyond when I had felt that light, I saw the trials that would unfold for her… eventually I looked back to see what would lead her onto her path and found her mother, her mother who had come in contact with our world before…"
"So you did make your decision based on Summer," Geiz muttered.
"I've grown tired over the years, even if my bravado doesn't show it," Oma Zi-O said as he looked away from the three, "I was curious, curious to see if this girl with shining eyes and a kind heart could make things interesting…" he trailed off before looking over towards the three, "I figured that I could watch something different and magnificent unfold from the monotony of this time period. Was I wrong?"
Sougo shook his head before walking towards Oma Zi-O and holding out his hand, the modified Blank Ridewatch in it.
"I suppose I wasn't," Oma Zi-O said as he held a hand over the modified Blank Ridewatch, bathing it with a golden light.
Sougo winced as he quickly dropped the Blank Ridewatch, it burning a bright red as it fell to the ground. Soon enough a red and gold accented Grand styled Ridewatch formed, the image holding Roze's base form mask with gold lining the red katakana, three gold points connected to each other and acting like a crown as they rested on the front of the mask with a bright blue jewel on the center point.
[ROZE REMNANT!]
"Thank you," Sougo said as he went to pick up the Ridewatch and looked it over, "Looks like it did work."
"Your powers have grown, but still have a long way to go," Oma Zi-O noted, "Time is running short however."
"I know," Sougo said, figuring that Narutaki as Another Decade wasn't another run of the mill Another Rider plot, especially with Final-Shocker involved, "So mind telling me what exactly Oma Zi-O's power is?"
"The power to destroy space-time," Oma Zi-O replied simply.
"You know," Sougo said as he turned and began to walk away, glancing back, "I refuse to become you."
"Become me?" Oma Zi-O asked with a light chuckle, wondering if his younger self was catching on or being redundant, "You already are me."
Sougo eventually returned to Geiz and Woz, turning back to see Oma Zi-O had a hand out. Soon enough the three Riders began to look around as two golden portals opened up, one for them and one for the Time Mazine. Both portals appeared to lead to Mantle as that was the backdrop within the portals.
"I look forward to seeing it," Oma Zi-O said as the portals engulfed the three Riders and the Time Mazine, "What parts of space-time you eradicate, and what your reasons are."
It didn't take long for the portals to fully engulf the occupants, soon closing up and vanishing as Oma Zi-O stared at the empty space in front of him.
Remnant – Mantle Streets
Sougo, Geiz, and Woz soon found themselves in Mantle, the Time Mazine parked next to them. Before they could even think of doing anything they heard the sounds of fighting nearby. Moving towards the corner they passed it before seeing the current fight happening outside of Pietro's Pharmacy.
"What the hell is going on?" Geiz asked.
"Clearly if Neopolitan and Roman Torchwick are here, then Miss Rose is not far," Woz noted after having seen NeoRoze and Oblivian, "We've missed a bit, but there's enough context clues to pick up on."
"Yeah," Sougo said as he gestured for them all to backup behind the corner since no one had noticed they were in the area yet. Once everyone was back out of sight he brought out the Faizphone and called Ruby.
"Sougo, is that you?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah," Sougo said, "We've finished our end, but what's going on down here in Mantle?"
"You're already in Mantle?" Ruby asked in surprise though she didn't give Sougo a chance to answer, "Good, get to Pietro's pharmacy, I'm about as healed up as I can be and I need to get out there soon."
"Got it, we won't be long," Sougo said before hanging up and looking over at Woz expectantly.
"Surely you don't expect me to take us to her location when it's right there," Woz stared at his Overlord with a bored look.
"Considering we'd have to get through a giant fight otherwise, I'm sure that's what he expects," Geiz crossed his arms, shooting a glare towards the retainer, "So get to it."
"If I must…" Woz sighed as he unfurled his scarf, it wrapping around the three to warp them away.
[GRIMM RIDE: BERINGEL!]
The first Briar managed to form Beringel-shaped arm enhancements raising them up and slamming them into the ground to cause a shockwave. The result sent Kikai II to the ground with a yelp, the Rider having to roll away before kicking out to keep the Combatmen from piling on top of her.
"I really don't like that thing," Robyn hissed out as she took aim, managing to land an explosive bolt against the second Briar's face. She slipped away and slashed past it when it tried to grab at her before taking aim and shooting at a few Combatmen that tried to get too close for comfort.
[ATTACK RIDE: BARRIER!]
The first Briar raised its Beringel enhanced arms and punched at Rose who stabbed into the ground with the Roseiber, a domed barrier forming between them and shining out brightly as soon as the punch connected. The Briar hissed out as the barrier unleashed a burst of light that dissolved its enhancements.
[ATTACK RIDE: SHINE!]
Erupting from the barrier was Rose who was now dual wielding the Roseiber and Sundered Rose, both blades of her weapons shining a bright white. She went for several quick slashes with her Roseiber, striking the Briar and sending sparks flying before she brought her axe down, digging it deeply into Briar before tearing it out.
[GRIMM RIDE: NEVERMORE!]
Nevermore wings erupted from Briar's back, it folding them in front of it before spreading them out and unleashing a gust that forced Rose back. It was ready to kick off the ground when ice copies of Floating Array suddenly stabbed into it, freezing the wings over and breaking them.
"Miss Rose!" Kikai II called out as she managed to regain her footing and rushed in while preparing her finisher, "Allow me to assist!"
[KIKAI DE HAKAI DA!]
Blue electricity began erupting out of Kikai II's legs, the Rider boosting the electrical energy further with her magic as she rushed in. The Briar attempted to kick at Kikai II only for the mechanical Rider to easily kick the Grimm Rider's leg back. Kikai II then shouted out, spinning and performing a roundhouse kick while unleashing the enhanced energy.
The Briar squealed out as it had gotten struck in the neck, Kikai II pushing it to the ground before it exploded just as the mechanical Rider backed away.
[GRIMM RIDE: TEMPEST!]
The remaining Briar gained jellyfish-like tendrils on its back like a cape, electricity gathering in its arms before it slammed its palms against the ground. An electrical burst was sent across the ground, Kikai II and Rose barely turning in time only to shriek out when they were struck by the electricity, the two being forced to the ground.
It was ready to charge forward when explosive bolts hit its back, it lurching forward as its tendrils were torn off. It then turned to see Robyn who had just kicked a Combatman down to the ground, having aimed at the Briar to keep it from advancing too fast.
"Forget about me?" Robyn flashed a smirk.
"Let's try and speed this up guys," Oblivian called out when he noticed that NeoRoze was tapping her foot in a rhythm. He began then began to tap at his wrist as if he had a watch, "We've got a timetable to keep!"
"Well then I better not keep you two waiting any longer…"
NeoRoze paused and raised her hand immediately, the Briar Rose alongside the Combatmen all stopping before slowly turning towards the source. The pharmacy door opened up with a sudden slam, Ruby walking out with Sougo, Geiz, Woz and Jaune filing out not long after.
"Mom, Penny, Robyn," Ruby said with a smile as she walked into the center of the street to face down the army before her, "Thanks for holding out."
"I suppose that means we can draw out for now," Robyn said as she retracted her crossbow before backing away.
Rose and Kikai II noticed that no attention was on them anymore, the two picking themselves up and hurrying back towards the others.
"Wow, facing all of us alone, huh?" Oblivian asked before looking at NeoRoze, "Think we should…" he paused and raised his hands when NeoRoze's head jolted to directly stare at him, "We're keeping everyone here, got it."
"That's fine," Ruby said as she brought out her Ziku Driver, loading her base Roze Ridewatch into it before placing the Ziku Driver onto her waist, the belt strap forming and locking it in place, "I plan on ending this today."
"Bold words since that's what we should be saying," Oblivian remarked, "Do you really think you can face us all on your own?"
"I'm never alone," Ruby said as she drew out the Roze Remnant Ridewatch, staring at it as she gripped it tightly before holding out the Ridewatch to activate it, "And I'll prove it using this new Ridewatch."
"Hold up, that's new," Oblivian stepped forward in surprise.
NeoRoze meanwhile gripped her free hand tightly, her face scrunching up in disbelief and anger beneath her mask at what she was seeing.
[ROZE REMNANT!]
The Ridewatch opened up, it having multiple layers unlike NobleTsukuyomi as each of the different layers showcased the different emblems for the four Kingdoms, Vale, Mistral, Atlas and Vacuo. Ruby then slotted the Ridewatch into her Driver's free slot, unlocking it as red smoke began to spiral at her feet, gold lights shining around her.
A small pedestal erupted from the ground behind her, the center of it shining brightly and forming a holographic globe that held a map of Remnant, various dots pinging into existence as they shined forward, the various Kingdoms emblems being showcased behind Ruby in a clockwise manner.
Instead of the usual Ziku Driver standby for her, or even something grandiose similar to GrandZi-O, the standby tune was that of rock music, a distorted eigth-note power chord guitar riff ringing out.
Ruby held her right hand in front of her, staring forward without batting an eye before moving her hand inward and swinging her arm out, using her swing to rotate the Ziku Driver, "Henshin!"
[REMNANT TIME!]
The red smoke suddenly snaked up her entire body, covering her entirely as the gold lights unleashed gold chains that shot inwards. The globe and emblems broke apart, bursting into hundreds upon hundreds of lights that shot upwards before raining down and entering the shroud of red smoke.
[IT'S A MIRACLE OF ANCIENT WONDER~! OPENING THE DOOR TO REVOLUTION~! IT'S TIME… FOR A NEW SOLUTION… AND AN EVOLUTION~! LET'S GO! KAMEN RIDER~! ROZE REMNANT~!]
A bright light began to shine as the chains snapped, falling limply while the smoke was blown away, it dispersing in an instant. The light began to fade as Ruby's new form as Roze could be seen by all.
The entirety of Roze's bodysuit had changed, it being a flat bright red coloration now, the watch strap she had being flat gold and being attached to her base bodysuit instead of forming over any armor. She also had flat gold watchstrap patterns running on the sides of her arms and legs. To contrast the dull colors were bright gold armoring at various points of her body. He forearm armor resembled that of the standard Armor Times though the Ridewatch indentions were not present, making the tops flatter with a few cyan markings alongside gold plating coating the backs of her hands. Her shin armor resembled that of Geiz's, though colored in gold with a few cyan markings at the top.
Her chest armor was interesting in that it was a solid piece that had various grooving and indentations similar to that of the Relic of Knowledge, even having enough gaps to have a small cyan glowing orb-like shape embedded within the chest. Her shoulders also followed a similar design, the shoulder armor being bulkier and pointed with the design elements resembling the outer edges of the Relic of Knowledge.
Her helmet's front mask remained about the same, though had the gold lining around the 'Rider' katakana of her visor like with GrandZi-O. The base of the back of the helmet was the same red coloration as the bodysuit, the sides of it being wrapped in gold ornate shapes, culminating in three gold diamond pointed crests resting on the front and sides of the forehead of the mask, resembling the Relic of Creation. Within the center diamond crest was a cyan crystal, it holding the 'kamen' katakana within it.
Finishing off the form was a gold two tailed coattail that ran from underneath her belt and dropped down to her ankles, the edges of it being lined in dark red.
"So that's…" Sougo trailed off.
"Her new form," Geiz nodded.
"REJOICE!" Woz shouted as she held a hand forward, "She who shall surpass all on Remnant! The Huntress who has traveled through space and time from Remnant to Earth and became a Rider! She is Kamen Rider Roze Remnant! And this instance we bear witness to Remnant's history taking physical shape!"
"Alright, let's see what you've got kid," Robyn put her hands on her hips as Rose and Kikai II watched intently.
"Okay, not bad," Jaune said with a low whistle, impressed by the armor, "But what does it do?"
"Just wait and see," Sougo said with a smile.
NeoRoze could only stare forward while Oblivian let out a shudder, feeling the power emanating from the new form Roze had taken. He wasn't sure what was going on but he let out a yell and pointed forward.
"Deal with her now!"
"You're not just dealing with me right now," Roze said as she began to calmly step forward as the Combatmen rushed towards her. Everything began to slow down for her as the area began to fade away into a white void. Soon enough dozens upon dozens of weapons began spiraling into existence around her as she looked around her, "You're dealing with our entire world's history."
It had happened in an instant for everyone else as Roze now had bronze colored bladed gauntlets over her armor known as Sharp Retribution. She moved her head to the side to avoid a swing of a Combatman, swinging her arm and slicing into it as she passed. She then grabbed onto one approaching her before unleashing a series of punches while pulling the trigger on the gauntlets, releasing blasts that sent the Combatman flying back.
"Hey wait a minute, that weapon…" Jaune spoke up.
"What about it?" Geiz asked.
"I remember Team CFVY having someone who used something like that," Jaune said, "But why does she have something like that?"
Sougo simply let out a short laugh, realizing that their plan had worked.
(Insert: Let's Just Live by Jeff Williams feat. Casey Lee Williams)
Roze meanwhile continued to use Sharp Retribution to block against a few sword swings before punching while shooting to knock her opponents back.
Briar rushed in, punching at Roze who ducked before spinning away. It turned only to suddenly get smacked in the face and forced back when said smack released a burst of energy to stagger it.
Roze now held a dark red bo staff with gold ornate detailing, but that wasn't all as she separated it to reveal it was a pair of gold-chain-linked shotguns that acted like nunchaku, the Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang. She began twirling and spinning the weapons around, unleashing shotgun blasts that began dealing with any Combatmen that tried to get close to her. Some had their attacks deflected while an unlucky few got shot in the chest or face.
"Okay, those weapons I definitely remember belonging to Sun!" Jaune called out.
"That would be because of our hard work," Woz stated, "In order to counteract NeoRoze, we needed a strong enough form that wasn't tied to Rider Weapons."
"So we used Jinn's knowledge and Ambrosius' creation powers to form a new Ridewatch," Sougo continued, "One that would let Ruby to summon and utilize any weapon from Remnant with ease."
"In essence she's become a true weapon master," Rose said, a clear hint of pride in her voice.
"Whoa," Jaune said in awe.
Roze wasn't about to slow her assault down, swapping weapons and bringing out a brown and gold man-portable rotary machine gun known as Gianduja. She pressed down on the trigger, a hail of bullets being unleashed and tearing through the Combatmen's ranks, even managing to damage Briar when it was in range, sparks flying from the Grimm Rider.
Discarding Gianduja, Roze brought out a rifle with a boxy barrel, Tri-Hard. She took aim as she began to move towards the Combatmen, shooting electrical bursts out that knocked any target down to the ground while stunning them. She quickly turned and fired, shooting down two Combatmen that tried to sneak up on her.
She wasted no time, transforming it into its trident mode, twirling it around with ease as she sliced through several Combatmen before she stabbed the weapon into an approaching Briar. She then brought out Roman's Melodic Cudgel, taking aim and unleashing a combustive burst towards Briar which caused an explosion.
"H-Hey… isn't that mine?!" Oblivian called out in a near insulted tone.
Despite being caught in the explosion the Briar Rose leapt out of the flames, punching at Roze who dodged out of the way. It rushed forward regardless of its body continually burning. It tried to land a hit on Roze who kept dodging back before she kicked it in the stomach to force space between the two.
Roze summoned an arm mounted drill with four cannon shots attached to the base of it known as Rasen. Simply using the drill by having it spin she struck against Briar, digging the drill into it while pushing forward to send it staggering back. She began batting away any Combatmen that tried to strike at her, smacking one directly in the face with Rasen's spinning drill to send it to the ground.
Realizing that the fight was coming to an end due to how little Combatmen there were she leapt into the air, flipping while discarding Rasen. Soon enough she landed while swinging out Harbinger in its sword mode, striking a few Combatmen down. She then turned and blocked a punch from Briar with the flat of the blade, forcing its punch back before swinging forward and cutting through it with ease.
Briar growled out as it punched forward only for Roze to slip past, it turning only to gasp as it was stabbed directly in the stomach by Harbinger. Its arms fell limp as it dropped to its knees, head hanging as Roze walked away before it exploded.
(Insert End)
"Go Ruby, go!" Kikai II called out as she pumped her fist in the air.
"What the hell?" Oblivian asked as he watched the remaining Combatmen get mowed down in record time, Roze now using Winter's swords to easily cut through them.
NeoRoze simply gripped her free hand tightly before she drew Hush out of the ground and began to walk forward.
"Alright, we're doing this," Oblivian shook his head before rushing forward.
Roze turned just in time, stepping to the side to avoid a stab from NeoRoze before quickly spinning while ducking, dodging a high swing from Oblivian.
"I'll need a strong weapon to deal with you," Roze admitted before jolting slightly, it had only taken seconds for everyone else, but for her she had been searching for a strong weapon within the white void space for a while when she had found her answer.
A sword was summoned, though in this case it was more than just a simple sword. It had a round hilt with a cyan glowing jewel at the bottom, a black button/trigger being placed on the hilt itself. Going further up the hilt was a rounded guard, the guard being big enough and even having a slot for Ridewatches. Various gold ornate protrusions wrapping around the base of the blade which was a crystal clear knight/medieval styled blade.
[REPLIGIRADE!]
Roze held the weapon by its hilt and blade horizontally before shifting her hands and bringing the weapon forward to aim it at her opponents.
"Hold up…" Geiz's put a hand to his chin, "That seems familiar."
"Yeah," Sougo nodded as he was in thought as well at this.
"Just what weapon is that?" Jaune asked.
"It bears a resemblance to the Relics," Kikai II noted.
"Wait…" Rose glanced over before looking back at the sword, recalling how while not seeing each Relic personally she did recall what Ozpin described each of the Relics as taking the shape of, "Could it be…?"
"Oh hey, that's new," Oblivian said before scoffing, "Alright Neo, let's show her."
NeoRoze snapped her fingers, only for nothing to happen. She kept snapping her fingers to try and claim the weapon, but the Repligirade stayed in Roze's hands.
"Honestly I'm not surprised, considering you only connected yourself to my powers up till Roze RWBY and not beyond," Roze admitted as she held the sword up, pressing down on the pommel of her weapon as a chime was heard, "But there's also some fun technicalities here since this is a bit special..."
[HAKAI CHARGE!]
Energy began to gather within the clear blade, it shining a bright cyan coloration as Roze reeled the blade backwards. She then swung forward while pressing down on the trigger, unleashing a wave of cyan energy towards Oblivian and NeoRoze.
"Not good!" Oblivian called out as he hurried near NeoRoze, outstretching his wings and covering them both to defend them.
NeoRoze however quickly opened up Hush while she was within the wings, planning on bracing further.
[HAKAISURU!]
The slash exploded against Oblivian's defense, the chimera monster's wings being torn apart. He yelled out as he was sent tumbling backwards while NeoRoze skidded back.
"Okay, that confirms it!" Rose called out as she stepped forward with Kikai II, everyone else widening their eyes in surprise, "It's…"
"It's a modified replica of the Relic of Destruction, due to said Relic taking the shape of a sword," Roze said as she brandished her weapon while looking it over, "It is a weapon, but at the same time it isn't."
"Well isn't that a lovely fact," Oblivian remarked in a sarcastic manner as he coughed out, managing to stagger into a standing stance. He then began gathering fire into his claw, forming it into a sphere and condensing it as he added more flames to make it hit harder, "Then we'll do this the old fashioned way!"
Roze watched as Oblivian stepped forward and launched the condensed fireball towards her, bringing out the Cross-Z Ridewatch and loading it into the Repligirade's empty slot.
[LOADING!]
Blue fire began to form out from the Repligirade's blade, the blade itself shining a deep blue coloration before she swung forward while pressing down on the blade's trigger.
[CROSS-Z HAKAI BREAKER!]
The fire erupted into a Chinese dragon made of blue flames, it roaring out as it bit down into the fireball and held it in its mouth. It snaked upwards before dropping down and slamming into the ground in front of Oblivian, launching him backwards.
[ATTACK RIDE: SHINE!]
NeoRoze immediately drew out the Roseiber and rushed towards Roze, the blade of her stolen weapon shining a bright white.
[LOADING! CHARGE!]
Roze had swapped Cross-Z out for Zangetsu, this time pressing down the pommel as the blade of her new weapon began to shine in a lime green coloration. She kept her weapon at the ready before swinging outwards while pressing down on the trigger once NeoRoze was close enough.
[ZANGETSU HAKAI BUSTER!]
Flashes of white and lime green were seen once the two blades collided with each other. The light faded quickly to reveal that NeoRoze's stolen weapon had been deflected and sent spiraling into the air. Roze's Repligirade however still had its lime green shine to the blade as she stabbed forward.
NeoRoze just barely summoned the Gashacon Sparrow, trying to brace with the two sickles only for an explosion of energy to erupt from the Repligirade, sending her tumbling backwards and near Oblivian.
Roze quickly withdrew the RozeRemnant Ridewatch, closing it up before loading it into her RepliGirade, a chime being heard as red energy began to shine within the blade.
[FINISH LOADING!]
She then pressed against the pommel of her weapon, red energy erupting outwards as it began to build and build…
[FINISH CHARGE!]
Oblivian and NeoRoze quickly staggered to their feet, looking at each other before taking action themselves.
[FINISH TIME! TIME SHATTER!]
NeoRoze brought out Hush, energy gathering at the tip of the closed umbrella, soon touching it against Oblivian's claw which began to gather energy as well. The two raised their arms while reeling them back before swinging forward. The energy formed a purple sphere before it erupted outwards into a beam that launched directly at Roze.
Roze used Petal Burst and moved forward only to reform near immediately as instead of dodging she simply used it to boost her momentum after she had kicked off the ground. The RepliGirade's red energy exploded outwards as she pressed the trigger, slashing forward and easily clashing with the combined attack.
[FINISH TIME!]
The colliding of both attacks had caused clouds of purple and red energy to erupt, and though not seen, Roze was cutting through the beam with little effort. She let out a yell as she pushed forward even further, cutting through the beam in a near instant as she shot directly towards NeoRoze and Oblivian.
Oblivian let out a gasp and quickly shoved NeoRoze away, getting sliced through by Roze who shot past him.
[REMNANT FINAL HAKAI BUSTER!]
Oblivian let out a gasp, reaching upwards before exploding as everyone reeled back from the massive explosion. Well, everyone but NeoRoze who quickly hurried over, pushing through the smoke and fires.
"Well…" Roman coughed out as he was at the center, his clothes burnt and torn up as he was lying on the ground, "I suppose that's that…"
NeoRoze stopped and stood as she looked down at Roman, gripping her fists tightly before she looked away.
"It was fun you know, actually trying out a different role for a change…" Roman coughed out as he winced. He managed to sit up and took hold of NeoRoze's left hand, holding it within his own, "But we didn't really have that much chemistry huh?"
NeoRoze looked over at Roman, her hand uncurling as she let Roman grasp it with his. She knelt down and while putting her free hand on his face.
"Yeah, I know…" Roman said with a cough as his voice got low, his arms falling limp as his form began to shimmer and fade. The smoke and fire had cleared by that point, everyone watching as in Roman's place was now the Dummy Dopant, "I'm not real…"
NeoRoze simply pulled away as the Dummy Dopant fell back before its body crumbled further. Its body shined a bright red as it broke apart, turning into red specks that faded out of existence.
"The Dummy Dopant…?" Roze muttered.
"Huh, so he did survive," Sougo said with a hint of surprise, "At least, I'm assuming anyway."
"Oh right, the one you faced down before Christmas," Geiz realized.
NeoRoze slowly but surely turned towards Roze only to immediately turn towards her friends while letting out a shuddered breath, bringing out Crescent Rose and shooting at them.
A burst of gold and red petals occurred, quickly coming into view before anyone could try to defend themselves. Roze reformed and swung her blade, easily batting away the blast.
"Geiz," Roze said as she held her hand back, "I need the Relic, now."
"And you're sure about this?" Geiz asked before holding out the Relic of Knowledge.
"Positive," Roze nodded as she grasped the lamp by its handle before holding it at her side, moving towards NeoRoze who kept aim but didn't fire, "I don't know exactly if this will help, but I want you to see the whole picture."
NeoRoze said nothing as she simply kept her aim, not even flinching or showing any sign of confusion.
"Jinn," Roze said as she let go of the Relic of Knowledge, it floating between the two as time slowed around both her and NeoRoze before it full came to a halt.
It didn't take long for Jinn to emerge from the cyan smoke, NeoRoze lowering her weapon in surprise as Jinn took a look around to survey the situation.
"Oh my," she said as she began to hover around Roze, "Seems the plan did work, but given I'm not in the Vault and you calling me in a seemingly sudden moment… I'm excited that my guess may be right."
"Yeah, I have a question for you," Roze nodded, much to the Relic Spirit's clear delight on her face, "It's nothing as grandiose as last time, but it's an important one regardless… what happened to Roman Torchwick?"
"Oh I do believe I can show you just that," Jinn smiled.
It didn't take long for both Roze and NeoRoze to realize they were suddenly standing within a white void.
"It's a tale from not that long ago… but it was an important day for a lot of people…" Jinn's voice echoed through the void as the landscape began to change. It was deep into nighttime, the wind was harsh and the screeches of Nevermore and Gryphon Grimm could be heard all around, "Whether it was the Huntress who pushed forward and transcended our reality to become more… or a lonely young woman who lost the entirety of her world…"
The narration had stopped as the two Riders found themselves on the deck of an Atlesian Airship. The sight of Gryphon and Nevermore Grimm flying around could be seen before shouting was suddenly heard.
"NEO!"
NeoRoze's head immediately jolted, turning as she watched her past self get flung away by the harsh winds due to Ruby opening her umbrella. She gripped her fist tightly as she recalled how stupid she was for not immediately dealing with Ruby instead of letting Roman get the last word in.
Roze meanwhile watched the fight her younger self was having against Roman, letting out a soft chuckle at how bright and optimistic she was. How confident and full of hope she sounded, yet the slighty naivety of it but how that would be tempered into optimism in the future. Of course she couldn't help but wince once she saw Roman get the upper hand.
"You got spirit, Red. But this is the real world!" Roman called out as he smacked Ruby down against the cold steel floor with the butt of his cane. He didn't let up either as he continued to strike at the downed Ruby, "The real world is cold! The real world doesn't care about spirit!" he grunted however when he was kicked in the shin and forced back, "You wanna be a hero!? Then play the part and die like every other Huntsman in history!"
Roze winced again as she watched her younger self get smacked by Roman just as she was getting up with Roman approaching. She glanced over at NeoRoze, noticing that the dark Rider was staring intently at the scene before her.
"As for me, I'll do what I do best," Roman said as he readied himself for his next and likely final strike to beat Ruby, "Lie, steal, cheat, and SURVIVE-"
In that instant an Alpha Griffon dropped down and swallowed him in one fell swoop, likely attracted to the negativity that Roman was letting seep out uncontrolled. It let out a roar as it finished its meal before roaring out to send Ruby backwards. It then charged at the Huntress in training, only to get smacked in the head by her leaping onto it, it continuing its course forward and crashing into the bridge of the Atlesian Airship, an explosion occurring.
The result had sent the Airship into a sudden plummet as without its main control systems, it could no longer stay afloat nor keep its internal systems in check. As a result, explosions began to blow holes all over the ship.
NeoRoze and Roze lost their balance only for the scene to suddenly change as a Nevermore passed by them, the two suddenly finding themselves in the ruins of Beacon Academy.
"You're really pushing it," Roze commented as she gripped her free hand tightly.
"I figured you'd want to end things while we're in my space," Jinn's voice echoed mischievously, "But also, I am a storyteller, and I figured what happens next… a white void isn't the place for it."
"I suppose so," Roze sighed and shook her head before turning to face NeoRoze, "That's what happened, he attracted the Grimm and I simply made sure I didn't share the same fate."
NeoRoze turned towards Roze, hunched forward as she didn't seem to be willing to back down. She brought out Silver Crescent in its spear form and aiming it forward as she entered a crouched stance.
"Fine then," Roze said as she began to step forward, dismissing the RepliGirade and summoning a new set of weapons, "I just wanted to show you what really happened. If you still want to let everything out, I'll let you do just that. But don't expect me to go easy on you."
NeoRoze's stance faltered slightly when she saw the amount of weapons that Ruby had summoned.
Roze's right arm was armed with Pyrrha Nikos' shield Akouo while she held Nora's Magnhild in its grenade launcher form. In her left hand was one of Ren's guns, StormFlower while mounted on her left forearm was the shield of Crocea Mors. As if that wasn't enough, twelve blades of Floating Array extended out from behind her.
NeoRoze stood defiantly despite her previous falter, energizing the blade of Silver Crescent before swinging out and sending waves of light outwards.
Roze braced with Crocea Mors and Akouo, the waves of light unable to break through her defense. Several more waves of light were unleashed as Roze swung her arms outwards, unleashing a burst of gravity from Crocea Mors, deflecting the light waves into each other and causing a disruptive explosion she walked through with ease. She wasted no time in unleashing bursts of bullets out of StormFlower while firing off grenades from Magnhild.
The result was NeoRoze losing her weapon due to her hands getting struck first before bracing as she was assault by explosives. She stepped backwards but rushed forward regardless, bringing out Crescent Rose to try and catch her opponent off guard. But she had forgotten one thing…
Roze had yet to utilize Floating Array, which she corrected by doing so once NeoRoze had charged in. The twelve blades of her dear friend began striking in tandem with piercing stabs. NeoRoze pivoted back while attempting to spin and twirl Crescent Rose to try and defend but was eventually disarmed. Roze however kept up her assault, the blades now striking at each of the special Ridewatch-like devices on NeoRoze's person, the blades piercing and shattering each device.
NeoRoze gasped out as sparks flew from her armor, staggering back as chunks of metal fell off from her, clattering against the ground silently. Crescent Rose faded away as wisps of glass shards began spiraling out from her, all of them holding different colors, red, white, silver, blue, purple, and yellow.
The wisps soon flew back towards Roze, the red, white and silver glass shards entering her as pulsations occurred throughout her body, with the blue, purple and yellow shards spiraling around her.
"I'm sorry, Neo," Roze said as she dismissed her weapons before initiating her finisher, "But I'm not about to fall to your revenge when there are others who still need me!"
[FINISH TIME! ROZE REMNANT!]
NeoRoze let out a heavy breath, preparing her finisher still as she crouched forward.
[FINISH TIME!]
Roze got in a crouched stance, ready to leap up into the air as red and gold energy began pulsating from her body, an aura of energy pulsing further and further. NeoRoze's aura did the same, pink energy pulsating from her body as an aura that began to clash with Roze's.
The two leapt upwards before kicking out, NeoRoze's energy spiraling into her right leg as she kicked forward. Roze meanwhile kicked out with her right leg, the gold energy spiraling around it while the red energy spread further and outwards, forming a globe projection of Remnnant that NeoRoze's boot met first.
[TIME SHATTER!]
NeoRoze shifted in surprise, not expecting the sudden construct only for it to slowly push her back before exploding. She gasped as she was forced out of her kick and into an open stance as Roze hurtled towards her, gold energy erupting as the Huntress Rider of Remnant slammed her boot directly into her Ziku Driver.
[ALL REMNANT TIME BLAST!]
NeoRoze could only watch as the gold light engulfed her before being caught in a massive explosion as the background faded around them back into the white void before even that faded.
The entire confrontation was only a second for everyone as Roze had chosen to not include everyone in Jinn's question. This resulted in Roze speaking Jinn's name, everything slowing down before suddenly speeding up as a burst of energy occurred from where the two Riders were.
Roze was suddenly on a knee as if she had finished a kick with blue, purple and yellow shards spiraling around her. The shards suddenly launched up into the air, shooting straight towards Atlas, the weapons within the shards planning on returning to their true owners.
"Looks like she did it," Geiz said as he crossed his arms.
"Yep," Sougo nodded with a smile as Rose and Kikai II dismissed their transformations.
Neopolitan meanwhile was lying on the ground, Hush at her side while her Ziku Driver completely broken. The NeoRoze Ridewatch meanwhile had rolled towards Roze. The Huntress Rider picked it up and pocketed it before standing up and walking over to Neo who stared at the Rider standing over her.
"So what happens now?" Jaune asked.
"I think that's for Ruby to decide," Summer said as she stared at the scene before them.
Roze said nothing and simply held her hand out towards Neopolitan, watching as the criminal slowly but surely reached for her hand. She was expecting a slap but she was surprised by Neo simply grasping her hand, allowing her to pull the defeated Dark Rider up. Of course what happened next was what she expected, Neo shoving her hand back while stomping near Hush to knock it upwards, grabbing it and moving away.
"You don't have to forgive me," Roze said as she lowered her hand before noticing something and glancing towards the side, "If you want to hate me for the rest of your life that's up to you."
"…" Neo simply stared at the Rider before lowering her gaze.
"Just know that if you want to take revenge on me, I'll fight even harder than I did today," Roze said as she stared down Neopolitan, her stance unfaltering as she kept her eye on her while moving towards the side. She knelt down and turned briefly to attend to a fallen item, soon standing up and walking over to hand over the hat that Neopolitan had worn this entire time, Roman's hat.
Neo stared at the hat for a brief moment before taking it and placing it back on her head. She raised an eyebrow at Roze, wondering why the Rider wasn't trying to pin her down.
"You can't exactly cause trouble for me anymore," Roze reminded, "Plus it sounds like you were only to be employed by Narutaki until you killed me or I beat you. So you can just do whatever you want now I guess."
Neo's look morphed into a more skeptical one, wondering why exactly the Rider before her would let her of all people go on Remnant.
"I know, you're not exactly a Grade-A Person," Roze let out a soft chuckle, "But considering you were roped into all of this in the first place, I think giving you something of a head start would only be fair considering the bigger fish the others and I have to fry."
Neo backed away before aiming Hush at Roze, only to shift into a bow while tipping her hat at the Huntress Rider. She placed the hat back on her head before stepping away and entering an alleyway, pink glass spiraling around her as she blended into the background.
"You sure that was a good idea?" Geiz asked as he began to walk over with the others.
"Have a little faith in me Geiz," Roze remarked as she turned, her transformation dismissing itself before holding up the NeoRoze Ridewatch, "She was beaten, and I think that's all that needs to be done."
"Normally I'd be against such mercy," Woz stated as he went to go pick up the fallen Relic of Knowledge before walking over, "Though I suppose it does suit you."
"That was pretty cool though," Sougo admitted before his smile dropped, "Wish we could've seen the last part though."
"Yeah sorry about that," Ruby let out a nervous laugh as she rubbed the back of her neck, "But considering the subject matter, I figured it'd be best for it to only be the two of us."
"Well it seemed to have worked, I think," Robyn said, "Not sure, still not used to the idea of magic being a thing."
"You'll get used to it," Summer said with a smirk.
"I am glad you are okay," Penny said with a smile as she walked over with clasped hands.
"I'm only okay thanks to you," Ruby smiled as she took Penny by her hands, "If you didn't save me back there then…"
"How about we not finish that sentence?" Jaune asked with a nervous smile before clearing his throat, "Point is, Ruby has a new form, she beat what I assume was a very tough opponent out for her head, and now you guys can get to work doing… whatever it is we were being called to help with."
"Right, we need to start planning a counterattack," Summer nodded, "Especially now that Team RWBY has their weapons back in addition to the extra help from Pietro."
Remnant – Atlas Military Compound
In a testing laboratory, Weiss, Blake, and Yang began to look themselves over, having gotten their Power Armor suits on with Pietro and Winter now overseeing and making the final adjustments. Tsukasa meanwhile was currently going over the situation with the others outside of the laboratory.
"Alright, the calibrations are complete," Pietro said before giving a light cough, "You all should be ready to go."
"Perfect," Yang said as she looked over her armor while gripping her fists.
"I have to admit I don't feel any different," Weiss said as she glanced behind her to look herself over.
"I doubt we'll notice while we're just standing still," Blake said, noticing how the two were reacting to their armor.
Before anyone else could comment, the shards that had dispersed from Neo had suddenly entered the room, ramming into Weiss, Blake, and Yang. A bright flash occurred before fading, the three Huntresses instinctively calling on their Rider Weapons, the Chalice Arrow, Gashacon Sparrow, and Magma/Blizzard Knuckles.
"Sweet we've got our weapons back," Yang said as she held up her Knuckles.
"It must mean Ruby won," Weiss smiled as she looked over the Chalice Arrow.
"Perfect, let's do some quick tests and see how the suits enhance your abilities," Winter suggested as Pietro agreed with a nod. She looked over at the three, "Give us just a few min-"
RUMBLE
"What was that?" Pietro questioned.
"I'm not sure," Winter shook her head, "It couldn't have been Atlas, the Staff hasn't been used, right?"
"As far as we're aware, it hasn't," Weiss reassured.
"Something tells me we're going to need to skip the tests," Blake said as she let out a worried glance towards Yang.
Remnant – Mantle Streets
It wasn't just Atlas that was shaking, Mantle was shaking as well. But the shaking extended beyond Mantle… the entirety of Remnant was shaking even if no one knew it immediately.
Sougo immediately looked upwards, feeling something very, very wrong. His eyes began to widen when he saw what was going on. Just barely obscured by the clouds and gradually fading into the sky were two Earths, both of them very close to each other.
Everyone else began to look up, staring as their mouths opened in surprise and shock at seeing the two earth's just barely beyond the atmosphere of Remnant.
"Just what's going on?" Robyn asked, "Why are there two planets so close to us?"
"It's our Earth… and Tsukuyomi's…" Ruby managed to get out as she stepped back slightly, "Sougo…"
"It's happening faster than I thought it would," Sougo admitted, "Our planets are all being drawn together… but why?"
"No doubt Narutaki as Another Decade is pushing the barriers of the worlds to their limits to force the worlds together," Woz guessed.
"Hold on, but why?" Geiz asked, "I thought he wanted to rule every world, not destroy them!"
"He might be going for a messy fusion," Sougo replied, "Converge everything, destroy it all in the process, and rule over the ruins while rebuilding in his image…"
"That is not good," Penny frowned.
"We need to mobilize now," Summer narrowed her eyes.
"Right," Ruby nodded as she stared at one of the Earths, it looking different in its appearance as it had a more aged and worn appearance to its landscape. It was just a hunch on her part, but recalling what Tsukuyomi had said about her world with what Sougo guessed Narutaki's motives were…
Earth – Early July 2019
At the top of Final-Shocker's tower base was Another Decade, laughing out as he spread his arms wide. He watched as Tsukuyomi's World and Remnant were in clear view in the atmosphere. The worlds were dangerously close towards each other, to where it would only take maybe two days at most for them to collide.
"And so the end of this era truly begins," the Another Rider laughed out as he kept his arms spread, "I have taken what was rightfully mine back, and now I will use my powers to claim that which I had sought since the very beginning!"
Of course there was one person staring at the tower despite the chaos going on around him. He wore a familiar silver/grey coat and beret. If anyone who knew him saw him in that moment, they would unmistakably recognize him as Shiro-Woz.
"One must be careful when utilizing the power of an Another Rider, especially one as potent as Decade," Shiro-Woz spoke with an almost snide smile as he turned and walked away, an Aurora Curtain opening for him to exit through, "For using that to enhance your ability to transcend dimensions so frivolously means that there may be some… anomalies that slip through as a result of reaching through to parallel worlds…"
The alternate chronicler walked through the Aurora Curtain, soon vanishing without a trace.
Another Decade was unaware of this departure and simply turned as he watched eleven monsters walk towards him. Some were alternate or updated iterations of past villainous individuals like Kani Laser, Suddendath Beta, Space Man Spider, Space Ikadevil and Yamaarashi-Roid. Others were more recent and original creations/members like Cheetahkatatsumuri, Arimammoth, Urga, Buffa and the duo of Mogura-Roids.
"You are some of the best soldiers I have," Another Decade as he held a hand up before suddenly thrusting it outwards. He unleashed dimensional spheres towards the ten, each sphere entering a monster's body, "So I will make use of you."
All ten began to yell and writhe in pain as they dropped to their knees while reaching out. Their bodies flashed and became patterned after the Aurora Curtains before they lost their form, their shapes expanding into a large Aurora Curtain before the Another Rider.
It didn't take long for various armored silhouettes to take shape from behind the curtain before stepping through. The individuals that he had sacrificed his own monsters for were Dark Riders of the past. Some were notable deviations of other Riders, such as G4, Kabuki, Yuuki, Rey, and Dark Drive. Others were Riders that had been mentioned or were clearly associated with other Riders such as Wiseman, Jam, and True Brave. Two in particular were Riders that were clearly Showa in style, themed after the original two Riders but more modern and Shocker-like in appearance. The first was a black grasshopper with cyan armor and yellow eyes, Sango. The second had dark green pilot suit as its main appearance with bronze armor and red eyes, Yongo.
There was one that was cut above the rest however, the Rider taking the lead as it was the one and only Kamen Rider Eternal.
"Excellent," Another Decade said in a satisfied manner as he clapped a couple of times, an Aurora Curtain soon appearing behind him to showcase Tsukuyomi's World, "You all have a special mission before you, a world on the brink of collapse that needs an extra nudge."
"And so you've chosen to call on the Grim Reaper," Eternal remarked as he held out a hand before performing a thumbs-down, "I suppose it's time for them to enjoy a little taste of hell before we end it all then."
To Be Continued…
Next Time:
"Well excuse me for trying to help."
"Even I'm thinking this might've been too soon."
"Will you two get my heart beating?"
"We're spread out pretty thin."
"Ciao!"
Chapter 124: 2019: Legends against Finality
Author's Note: And so Ruby gets her Final Form at last and man was this a fun one to work on. Both trying to nail the appearance down as well as the jingle which if you might've noticed, both the standby and call out take cues from 'This Will Be the Day', the first OP of RWBY. When it comes to the specifics of the form though, I knew I couldn't do something like Grand Zi-O or Geiz Majesty where items are tapped to call and bring out the Rider/Weapon. Mainly because that'd limit Roze Remnant and… not every weapon in RWBY has an actual name, it's sometimes just 'characters [blank]'. It's why I decided on the method of her bringing out weapons the way she did. As for the Repligirade, I knew I wanted a Ridewatch compatible Sword of Destruction and figured a replica created via a technicality would work well enough.
Other than that there's not too much left to talk about since Roze Remnant was the big star of the chapter. I will mention though, that the idea for the Power Armor WBY gets is based off the cosmetics from the Grimm Eclipse game. Oh and of course, I couldn't resist bringing in the man himself Eternal. That said the next few chapters uh… are about to get wild in terms of how they're structured. You'll understand a bit more once the next one hits but until then, thanks for reading.