Reviews:
KamenRiderChimera: I don't know. Never really played Warframe. SONG are all child soldiers too, they just have a higher moral compass.
TheEemeraldMage: Glad you enjoyed it! I'll be looking forward to what you think about what else this season has in store!
Lord RI Husbu King: Nah, Xiao is dead. He has no reason to meet Hajime since they have zero in common other than they come from the same family. This was mainly to stress the theme in the story at the moment. Of the idea that the Liangs are cursed. Bragi had told Xiao what kind of person Hajime was, and Xiao wanted to see a nice Liang. Ironically, he died by Setsuna's hand, a corrupted Liang. Something like that, yeah. And don't worry. That was great.
BladeBrave04: Only time will tell indeed.
501awezome: Yes...But we still have like 20 chapters left or something. So we have until the year ends possibly. And you're very welcome. I'm glad you like the story.
Tenzalucard123: Time for the dragons to fight.
Dragstorm rider: Not one sacrifice is ever forgotten. Yeah, Hazuki has been insane for a long time now. Ah, so that's what you mean. Got it. No problem.
Ryugen: Well, Hazuki isn't the most sane person there is. This is just him being unhinged. They're all different levels of crazy. But also arrogance. He already thinks he won. Right. He knows he can't fool around too much, so he goes Survive right away.
nicolasseverino95: YES! The ending will be that. Your wish has been heard. It'll be ready by the next chapter.
Author's Note: I updated several profiles in the CAC story. Make sure to keep an eye out for them in case you're reading a fight and you don't know what a certain card does.
Chapter 150
The Battle of the Dragons
Hajime leaned against the railing of the docks where their submarine was stationed. After saying goodbye to Elfnein, Bragi, and Miku, the others didn't have much else to do for the day. The UN had sent reinforcements, and the remainder enemy soldiers were now prisoners of war. Hajime looked at the horizon, his eyes focused on the sun setting. He was concerned. Only 2 days until the Fall was set to occur. In the end, he was the strongest out of everyone by a considerable margin, meaning that he had to do most of the heavy lifting. And that means facing off against Loki and Hazuki.
A pair of arms wrapping around him snapped him off his trance, feeling someone's chin resting on his shoulder.
"Guess who?" Hibiki giggled sweetly.
"Let me guess...My little hamster maybe?"
"Heheheh! That's right! What are you doing out here alone?" Hibiki asked, leaning on the railing next to him.
"Just getting some fresh air." Hajime said, smiling at her."And you?"
"Oh, nothing. Just wanted to spend some time with my boyfriend." She batted her eyes at him."I love you."
"I love you too." He responded, leaning down and kissing her on the lips. Hibiki melted into the kiss and thanked Hajime for wrapping his arms around her. She pulled back, resting her head against his chest.
"Are you scared?"
"Hmmm?"
"You'll be the first one going to fight. And you're fighting a strong opponent." Hibiki whispered, her grip tightening."You're not scared?"
"Oh. No. I'm fine." Hajime reassured her."Come on, how many times have we done this now? It's second nature at this point. I told you before I'm fine...Hibiki?"
"I know you did...But...I'm scared...I'm really scared, Hajime..." Hibiki began to sob, and Hajime could feel his shirt being damped by her tears."I almost lost you before. It hurt me so much...It hurt so much to see you like that...It was the most agonizing few months I've ever lived through..."
She looked up, endless tears streaming down her cheeks as she held onto him."Please promise me you'll come back to me...Come back to me alive...We're going to open that restaurant, remember?"
"Yeah...And we're going to invite everyone to have fun." Hajime nodded, wiping off the tears with his thumbs."I haven't forgotten. And...I know you were hurt...I'm sorry. I was at my weakest. But Hibiki...you've been helping me push forward every time. I just think of you and how I want our future to be...And it gives me so much strength."
The half-Liang cupped her cheek gently, giving her a quick kiss on her forehead."Especially now...I lost Setsuna...And I haven't seen her in so long. She's the last family I have left...If it weren't for you, I don't think I'd be able to handle that, Hibiki...You are the light that guides me through the despairing darkness. So...I promise I'll come back to your warm arms. Just promise me you will be okay too."
"We'll be with her. So relax."
Hajime turned around, seeing Chris giving him a wide grin. Behind her were the rest of their friends.
"We'll be fighting our own fights too." Yosuke said."But me, Tsubasa, and Yukine will be with Tachibana. So you can rest assured she'll be safe."
"And I'll be around with you and the others." Bragi winked at Hibiki."So it's all good. Don't worry about him, Hibiki-chan."
"So go ahead and kick his butt!" Kirika beamed."We know you can do it, Blacky-kun!"
"We will do our best too." Shirabe nodded.
"As soon as we settle things with Teru-nii, we'll come to help," Raiden added.
"We'll bring back Setsuna-chan. She'll be home before you know it." Maria winked.
"Fight like you always fight. To protect." Tsubasa said solemnly."Only then you'll be able to draw your true strength."
Suddenly, Hajime received a slap on the back, and when he shifted his gaze, he noticed the water Autoscorer with a cheeky grin."A little good luck slap never hurt anyone. Back in my era, they used to do this to all the knights before going off to an important battle."
"Is that so?" Elsa tilted her head."Well, if that's the case...mind if I do it too, Hajime-kun? I want to cheer you on."
"Me too!" Both Tobias and Mona beamed.
Hajime looked at Hibiki, who gave him a tender smile with a nod. He walked toward the group, receiving playful slaps on the back from his friends.
"Go win!"
Hajime's eyes gleamed with determination."Of course!"
Mission: Prevent Ragnarok
Status: Start
"Come then...Little brother." Ryuga splayed his arms."I'm waiting for you down here."
Hajime frowned, heading for the door of the helicopter.
"Hajime."
Hajime turned around to see Hamaguchi, giving him a toothy grin."You got this, bro. As soon as we evacuate all the citizens out of the city, I'll come running to help. Though, I doubt I'd be of much help against a guy like him."
"No...Just knowing you're supporting me is enough." Hajime stretched out his arm, but Hamaguchi hugged him.
"We'll live to see a new tomorrow. Remember. We have to grow old together. We'll sit down on my porch, eating chicken wings as we talk about these crazy tales to our grandkids."
"I don't know if I'll be telling my grandkids about this shit. But sure. We'll do it every year during family meetings, yeah?" Hajime opened the door, giving a last salute."I'm off, Commander!"
"Good luck! And stay alive! That's an order!" Genjuro hollered.
"Yes, sir!" The teen grinned, a feeling of dread yet excitement filling his very being. He hated being a Liang sometimes.
Hajime jumped off the helicopter, noticing the soldiers that were jumping off alongside him from the other ones. The raven-haired boy looked ahead, his eyes fixated on Ryuga, who looked back at him, waiting patiently. Hajime pulled out his Deck, showing it off to Ryuga as his V Buckle materialized around his waist."Henshin!"
Dragreder roared, descending from the skies before turning into DragEmperor, swirling around Hajime as they were both covered in a crimson sphere of energy.
Oversurvive: Conquerer's Regalia
Using his energy wings, Ryuki slowed his fall and landed on a building a few blocks from where Ryuga was.
"Finally. I was getting bored of waiting for you. We can finally begin the good part." Ryuga mused, hands on his hips.
"You didn't make it easy to find you." Ryuki shot back."Where's Setsuna?"
"I'm not obligated to answer that. But...I'll say that she doesn't want to see you."
"I'm taking my sister back, you bastard."
"She's my sister too, you know?" Ryuga leaned forward."And she wants to save you. So I'll give you this offer just once. Join us. Help us create a new world-"
"Don't bother with your cheap offer." Hajime cut him off."I made up my mind. I'm taking my sister back and putting an end to the Disasters of Valhalla. I'm done giving you chances, Hazuki. This ends here."
"No...This is just the beginning. Today marks the day when humanity will finally be separated from its curse. The curse that was bestowed upon us was a punishment. Free Will. From the moment of our conception, we were doomed. Destined to carry the ability to become evil. The power of curses that Free Will represents. You've seen the world for yourself. All of its pain. Misery. Countless wars, conflicts, and problems throughout history. It all ends today. I can finally wipe out what's holding humanity from their true potential."
"You're wrong. Free Will it's not a curse. It's what makes us who we are. You say that the ability to choose is what makes humans evil? I say it gives us a reason to carry on. Right or wrong. As humans. Taker that away, and we might as well be dead."
"Funny you should say that." Ryuga shook his head."There won't be a need to think about right or wrong. I'll be the ultimate good this world needs. I'll give people the peace they desire. You are about to witness the end of this world. Right here. Today."
"I won't let it happen." Ryuki said, but lowered his head slightly."You know...If Dad saw us like this, he'd be really sad."
"Dad? Since when did you start caring about him?"
"Ever since I found out the truth. He died to protect us. He saved the world from Bragard all those years ago."
"All he did was become Odin, making this game possible. Furthermore, you say he saved the world, but all he did was condemn us to a life of vicious combat. Where was he when I was stuck on that island with my Mom? Do you think I wanted to...to..." Memories of his mother flashed in his mind.
The Hunger. The Hunger. The Hunger.
"Ragnarok is coming. All I have to do is get rid of you and the rest of your friends will fall." Ryuga splayed his arms."Salvation has come. Rejoice."
"Over my dead body."
"Ah, but I almost forgot. Since this is such an important event, why don't we let the rest of the world in on it." Ryuga snapped his fingers. Suddenly, the entire city was covered with yellow orbs all around before turning invisible.
"What just happened?!" Ryuki asked, bewildered.
"Those are cameras I connected via the ley lines of the planet. I am using those to project our fight across the entire planet. After all, I want them to see that the savior of this world defeats the evils that stand before salvation."
'Everyone is watching...?' Ryuki narrowed his eyes."Alright. Time to hit him as hard as I can. If we go down...the entire world is history."
"That's the Emperor! Emperor Hazuki is going to kill that heathen!"
"Go, my Lord! Bring salvation to this cursed world!"
Several DDV followers chanted in unison.
"Oh, my..." Chisa turned on the volume of her television. Several of her customers had their eyes glued on the screen as the battle in Beijing was about to start."That's..."
"That's Hajime-kun!" Seiko beamed, dropping the dishes in the sink and taking a seat."Alright! Kick his ass, Hajime-kun!"
"Hey! Get back to work!" Chisa chided her.
"Come on, Auntie! The fate of the world is at stake here. Can't we take a break? She pointed at her older sister, who had opted to take a stool to watch."Even Kagura is on break."
Kagura eyed Seiko then over to Chisa."I think we should show our support. If Hajime-kun wins, Hamaguchi won't have to fight, right?"
"I..."
"I do too want to see this through as well."
They shifted their attention to the door, noticing Amber entering the restaurant."Endou-chan?"
"I want to see this fight to the very end...my friends are fighting for the sake of the world. But if you need me to help, Chisa-san, I'd gladly help. I think Kagura-san and Seiko-san would appreciate that."
"You kids seriously give me no choice..." Chisa sighed, handing her apron and taking a stool for herself."I have enough noodles in the pot. We should be fine for a few hours."
Seiko beamed while Kagura smiled at her sister. Amber placed a hand on her heart."Good luck, Adachi-kun...I know you will save us again like you did before."
"Looks like something big is happening again." The owner of Flower said, cleaning some cups. Yumatsat on a table, watching the TV while enjoying some pancakes.
"Yeah..." She muttered."Hopefully, this will be the last time..."
"Stephan, do you see what's going on?" Sonya called out to her brother, who was about to go to bed.
"What is it?" He yawned, limping his way over to her. He had gotten better at using his new bionic leg, but it was still a work in progress."Are you watching war news again, sister?"
"No. This is...different. It's those Kamen Riders."
"Wait, really?!" Suddenly, Stephan was wide awake as he sat next to his sister."Which one is it?! Is it Yanagi-san?!"
"It's two dragons."
"Huh. Never seen those before." He hummed. Sonya tried changing the channel, but the battle was on every single one of them.
"What's going on...?"
"Oh, dear..." Harumi frowned upon seeing the news."That's Hajime-kun..."
"And that other Kamen Rider looks just like him." Akira commented."If that's the case, that must be the older brother he mentioned. Which means..."
"This will be more than just a sibling squabble." Ayumi said, drinking some tea."This battle will determine a lot. It's what World War 3 has been leading up to. No sign of Hibiki yet."
"I hope she's okay..." Harumi closed her eyes.
Akira wrapped an arm around her."She's a tough girl. Remember that. Our daughter is stronger than we think."
"And Hajime is there as well." Ayumi nodded."We've seen those two create miracles before. We must have faith in them."
'Finally, the beginning of the final battle.' Bragi fixated his gaze on the two dragon Riders in the distance.'The fate of the whole world...no...All of existence is at stake.'
"They're about to start." Miku said, grabbing Bragi's hand."We should go help."
"We should evacuate more civilians and clean up the streets from enemy forces." Alternative return to his regular Rider form to preserve energy. Miku followed his example and exited Amalgam form."Besides, Hajime...this is a battle he wants to settle himself."
"You got that right!"
Suddenly, Abyss landed inside of the building through the gaping hole, waving at them."Right now, he's locked in on his brother. Two dragons are about to clash. And you know that they're well beyond us, right?"
"That's another reason..." Bragi admitted, despite hating admitting inferiority like that.
"So we can't help...?" Elfnein scowled.
"We can. But right now, all we can do is evacuate all civilians out of town. That way, Hajime can go all out and not hold back. In case he starts losing...""
"We'll jump in." Bragi finished."Hazuki would have been weakened by then and-Here they go!"
Ryuki immediately put his hands together, merging his gauntlets before shooting a rapid beam of fire toward Ryuga.
'So fast!' Ryuga's eyes widened. He opened a portal, but he noticed that the portal was opening slower than the attack coming toward him. So he instinctively blocked it with his bare hands as he was sent flying through several buildings.
'I let my guard down...' Ryuga glanced down at his burnt hand. However, his flesh began to recover back to normal.'Fortunately for us, we got a few tricks up our sleeve.'
"Still, the kid is a problem." Loki said."Think you can take him on?"
"What kind of older brother would I be if I let my little brother beat me up in a fight." Ryuga chuckled, exiting the building he was in, and facing Ryuki."Didn't think it'd be that easy, did ya?"
"Nah. But I'm not disappointed." Ryuki narrowed his eyes, focusing on Ryuga's hand.'Did I not put enough power into that? His hand looks unscathed...'
"No time to twaddle, brother."
Shoot Vent: Calamity Meteors
Several purple orbs appeared around Ryuga, circling him, before he stretched out his arm, shooting them toward him. Ryuki took off into the air, maneuvering around and dodging the attacks. Ryuga ran up the walls, leaping toward him and swinging his Dragvisorzwei in blade mode at him, which Ryuki parried with his forearm. Ryuki went for a roundhouse kick, sending Ryuga flying off the street. He swapped his visor to shoot mode, firing several rounds of bullets toward his brother.
Ryuki's energy wings expanded, covering his body and bouncing the bullets in several directions.
"Not bad!" Ryuga pointed at Ryuki, confusing him. One of the spheres he had fired earlier appeared out of thin air, hitting Ryuki in the chest and sending him into a wall.
'Those spheres can teleport when they touch each other...' Ryuki noted, watching as several more spheres popped back into reality."Then let's do something about them now!"
Ryuki drew a card from his Deck, scanning it through his visor.
Meanwhile, the support team of SONG observed the battle inside the submarine, their eyes glued to the big screen.
"So far so good, I suppose," Garie said, hands folded under her chest.
"It just started, but it feels so intense already..." Elsa muttered, astonished by the show."I had never seen a fight like this. Not even when we were your enemies."
"No kidding. We're counting on Hajime to pull through." Sakuya rubbed his hands nervously."If he can't beat Ryuga, who can?"
"Hey, the Prince is there too you, know." Garie scoffed."Don't underestimate His Majesty."
"Right...Sorry..."
"Only 2 hours and 50 minutes left." Aoi reminded them."If the others are fighting the remaining Disasters and we keep going at this pace, we should be able to stop Ragnarok."
Suddenly, Garie gasped, covering her mouth.
"Mama?" Tobias approached her, concerned.
"T-that's..." Garie's eyes glistened with tears."That's Zeke's..."
Strike Vent: Bio-Arms
Three green spikes appeared on Ryuki's forearms, slashing a purple orb into pieces.
"What?!" Ryuga cried out in shock.
Ryuki sliced the remaining ones flying past Ryuga, much to his confusion. But that's when the dark rider felt something wrapped around his ankle. A tongue.
Strike Vent: Bio-Snatcher
Ryuki roared, slamming Ryuga into a building down several floors. He aimed the Biogreeza's head-shaped gauntlet and shot acid toward the ground. Ryuga gasped, rolling away from the acid, watching it corrode the ground below him. Ryuki flew down from the hole, heading straight for Ryuga. The dark dragon grabbed a fire extinguisher, tossing it at Ryuki, who cut it with his spikes. The entire corridor was filled with smoke, and Ryuuki heard several walls being broken down.
Sword Vent: Dragsaberzwei
Ryuga rushed at Hajime from behind, attempting to stab him while the dust prevented him from seeing him. To his shock, Hajime sidestepped, avoiding the attack with ease.'What?!'
He went for a back kick, but again, his attack was dodged. Ryuga went for trust with his blade, but Ryuki evaded it and wrapped his arm around Ryuga's, their masks close to each other.
"I can feel your moves with Chi, dumbass. Don't think something like this..." Ryuki headbutted him and kicked him away before chasing after him."Will work!"
Flast Vent
Ryuga threw a white card at Ryuki, which exploded in a blinding light, forcing him to close his eyes. Ryuga opened a portal, manifesting a black fist that struck Hajime in the chest, sending him flying out of the building.
Wing Vent
A pair of black and white wings adorned Ryuga's back, helping him fly as he dashed out of the building as well. Ryuga flapped his wings, firing several feathers toward Ryuki.
"Shit!"
Ryuki increased the size of his wings, covering himself to block the feathers. He proceeded to dive down toward Ryuga, but his brother was one step ahead.
Black Vent: Calamity Gate
Ryuga went through a portal behind him just as Ryuki went for a kick, kicking the air.
'Now I got you!' Ryuga emerged from the portal, trying to stab Hajime with his sword, but the boy flipped upside down in the air, avoiding the attack and kicking Ryuga in the gut. The kick launched him into the sky, and Ryuki chased after him, clasping his hands together and merging his gauntlets, aiming at his brother.
Ryuki fired his charged-up fire beam, but a portal appeared next to his hand, and Ryuga kicked his arms and changed the trajectory, causing Ryuki to cut a building in half. The building began to collapse, but both boys did not care, as their fists continued to clash. Both of them flew upwards, going through a window, their kicks and punches crashing against each other as they flew upward through the flipped-down corridors of an apartment complex.
The entire building exploded in an explosion of black and red flames, both Riders landing back on the ground on opposite sides, glass and debris melting into nothingness due to the intensity of their flames.
Nasty Vent: Howl of Chaos
Nasty Vent: Howl of Calamity
Both Riders inhaled as much air as they could before releasing mighty roars at each other. The expansive shockwave destroyed the area around them as they fought for dominance. Ryuki exhaled more energy, overpowering Ryuga and launching him away. Ryuga crashed through a parking lot, taking a bus with him before kicking it toward the red Rider.
With a grin, Ryuki returned the truck with a kick, forcing Ryuga to punch it back. As they sent the vehicle back, they got closer and closer until they started to tear the truck to pieces with their fists, trying to strike each other. Ryuga winded his fist back, but Ryuki quickly jumped over him, going for an axe-kick. Ryuga quickly blocked it with his forearms, but the ground beneath him began to break. Ryuki applied more pressure and Ryuga's feet sunk into the ground.
In a swift motion, Ryuga leaped back and kicked Ryuga across the face, sending him flying like a ragdoll through the streets.
Ryuga growled, drawing a card from his Deck, taking off into the sky, and folding his wings.
White Vent: Sky Walk
White boots equipped themselves to Ryuga's feet as he rocketed toward Ryuki.
"I've already seen this before." He muttered, taking a battle stance after scanning a card through his visor.
Hold Vent: Bio-Winder
Ryuki lashed out his yo-yos, but Ryuga kicked to his left at a portal he created. Ryuki gasped, jumping away from the portal forming behind him. He swung his yo-yos like a professional all over the place, deflecting the omnidirectional kicks coming toward him. He wasn't expecting a hand to reach out and grab the yo-yos, pulling Hajime into a portal. Ryuga cackled as he pulled Ryuki out and started to spin him around at insane speeds before hurling him through another building, causing it to collapse.
"He's putting up a good fight." Ryuga drew another card from his Deck, opening his visor up."But then I would expect no less from a fellow Messiah, brother."
Dark Light Vent
Ryuga raised his hands, combining both darkness and light into a sphere of energy. The attack grew in size several times that of a truck before he chucked it toward attack disintegrating everything in its path as it homed in on the other dragon Rider.
"Oh, shit!" Ryuki quickly activated an ability, stretching out his arms as flames surrounded his body, forming two giant hands of flames to grab the attack.
Ignite Vent
The attack began to consume him and his flames, much to Ryuga's glee. However, a mighty roar was heard, and subsequently, Ryuki finally changed the trajectory of the attack to the sky.
"Hazuki!" Ryuki screamed, running before he started to fly toward Ryuga.
"It's not over yet!" Ryuga brought his hand down. Ryuki's eyes widened, looking up at the sky and noticing the giant sphere of energy coming down from the heavens. He quickly flew out of the way as the attack hit the ground, creating a huge explosion that shook the city.
"Man, I felt that from here..." Abyss whistled, carrying a few busses full of people by coating the wheels with water.
Alternative looked directly at the fight, unconsciously using his gravity to help more people."It's about to get intense..."
'He was controlling that attack even after firing it...' Ryuki mused, landing on top of a radio tower.'I can't underestimate his abilities like that anymore. I can react, but if I have to expect the unexpected with that kind of power.'
'He's a whole different person from the first time we clashed blades.' Ryuga landed on top of a house, taking a deep breath.'He's unrecognizable. His timing, his speed, his strength, his skills, and everything else. He's a far better warrior than I could ever be. Fortunately, I can make up the difference with my power. But...'
He looked at a distant clock tower, noting that the time was 9:25 in the morning.'It won't matter how strong he is. All I have to do is stall until Ragnarok is set to begin. But keeping him around would be troublesome. I promised Setsuna to save him, but at this point, he's beyond reasoning. In that case...'
"All that's left is fighting." They both said in unison.
Ryuga opened a portal near his feet, stomping through it. Ryuki took the kick to the chin, launching him backward but he recuperated quickly, scanning a card through his visor as did Ryuga.
Booster Vent
Booster Vent
Both dragons flew toward each other until their fists clashed, creating a massive dome of fire that destroyed a wide area of the city and shocked everything within.
"Do you think you can beat me?!" Ryuga screamed at the top of his lungs.
"We'll beat you! And protect our world, no matter what!" Ryuki yelled back with equal force, their punches trying to win dominance over each other's.
"Then..." Suddenly, Ryuga's arm became weaker, causing Ryuki to suddenly go forward without expecting it due to his force. Right into Ryuga's knee, launching him into the air before he followed after him.
However, Ryuki's arms began to glow, and just when Ryuga was about to catch up to him, he clasped his hands together, firing a beam of concentrated fire at Ryuga. The dark Rider fell to the ground, covered in a cloud of smoke.
'That attack again! And is stronger than the first two times! Guess he can charge it up and make it as strong as he needs.' Ryuga grimaced, flapping his wings to avoid falling to the ground.'I have to watch out for it...Getting hit a few more times with a highly-chared attack would spell trouble. But then again...'
Ryuga shook his head, opened a portal, and appeared in front of Hajime.
Sword Vent: Emperorsaber
Sword Vent: Dragsaberzwei
Two dragonicn blades clashed in the air, as both Riders swung their weapons in perfect unison. Whenever one would attack, the other would parry, and strike back. Ryuga grabbed Ryuki's place, squeezing it and drawing blood from his hand to keep him in place, going for a stab in his face. He weaved out of the way of the blade, going for a headbutt and pushing Ryuga away. However, he splatted the blood of his hand on Ryuki's helmet, temporarily blinding him.
'You can sense Chi of living things...But what about of attacks!'
Strike Vent: Calamity Kings
However, as his gauntlets appeared in his hands, they burnt to a crisp, leaving nothing behind."What?!"
Burnt Vent
Ryuga looked up to see Ryuki's foot kicking him in the face, sending him flying away.
'My ability...It was negated?! But how?!' Ryuga groaned, crashing into a building.
'Burnt Vent...An ability like Terunosuke's Confine Vent and Jades' Freeze Vent. It can negate a card that's being activated. But that's not all I can do!'
Strange Vent
A new card appeared in Ryuki's hand and activated it again.
White Vent: Sky Walk
A pair of white boots with wings adorned Ryuki's feet as he dashed toward Ryuga at insane speeds, kicking him in the chest and knocking the air out of him. He continued to deliver several kicks against his body, each stronger than the last until he went for a final horizontal kick. However, Ryuga parried the attack with his sword, but the impact was so strong that it shattered and the force of the blow sent him flying away, disoriented.
'I have to finish this now while he's still stunned!' Ryuki flew toward Ryuga, scanning a card through his visor as two big gauntlets were equipped to his arms.
Strike Vent: EmperorKnuckle
The evolved version of Dragknuckle included an extra gauntlet, and propulsors at the elbows to accelerate Ryuki's speed as he shot himself like a rocket toward his brother. He winded his right arm back, going for a punch toward Ryuga's head. But to his shock, the Rider managed to fly upward a little, changing the target of the punch, and instead, took the blow with his stomach. The percussion hammer at the elbow came down, and the impact of the fist doubled, breaking Ryuga's armor around his chest as he coughed up blood, his eyes rolling to the back of his head after the attack knocked him unconscious.
'Damn it! I missed! But I still have one attack left! He's knocked out, so he won't be able to move out of the way or block this time!' Ryuki grimaced, winding his other fist back and aiming for his brother's head. He bit his lower lip.'I'm so sorry, Dad! But with this attack...this is finally over-'
"It's not over."
Before Ryuki could even perceive it, he received a powerful right hook to the face, sending him crashing to the ground and rolling on the street before hitting a car.
"What...what was that...?! Where did that sudden spike in strength come from...?" Ryuki sat up groaning in pain."I thought I had him handled...Wait...this presence...This divine presence...is it...?"
"You did a good job. I had a feeling you'd overpower the Superstar. You've grown way past our expectations as a warrior, Boy Wonder. But unfortunately for you, I was counting on this..." The broken side of Ryuga's helmet was shining in gold as Loki's gold eye manifested on the left."Now I get to have fun. I hope you don't mind if we start fighting seriously?"
"Oh, come on! This is bullshit!" Garie fumed, stomping on the ground."Hajime had him!"
"M-Mama!" Tobias exclaimed in shock at hearing her curse aloud.
"I'm sorry." Garie rubbed her temples."But Hajime also won the fight! Why does this meddlesome two-bit God interfere now?! It's unfair!"
"Calling an Aesir God two-bit..." Thor couldn't help but chuckle inside of Tobias."Your mother is a ferocious lady."
"I suppose we should have expected this." Aoi sighed in resignation."It was never a fair fight to begin with."
"What will this mean going forward?" Sakuya frowned."Hajime-kun was dominating his brother. Surely he can still have the upper hand, right?"
"I sure hope so. For all of our sakes..." Elsa kept Mona close, her eyes glued to the dragon-themed Rider.
"And now...I want to show you a little something." Ryuga drawled, sliding a card into his visor before closing it."He can come out to play now."
"He...?"
Advent: Calamity
An abomination emerged from a black portal in front of Ryuga. It had the body of Dragkaiser, but the tail of Blancrider and its wings. The monster swung its tail at Hajime and sent him crashing through several buildings as he vomited blood.
'What was that attack?!' He grabbed onto the edge of a building, stopping his momentum. He coughed a few more times, gritting his teeth to suppress the pain."It hurts...What did he hit me with...?"
"I'm sure you're surprised." Ryuga condescendingly said, flapping his wings and landing on the opposite side of the street."Calamity has a very special ability, you see. Any damage I take, I can store up. And when I summon it, I can release the accumulated damage onto my opponent. Basically, any attack you throw at me has the potential to become mine. Just like that attack just now. It was the same blow you gave Hazuki using your precious Emperorknuckles."
Ryuki glared back, standing back on his feet.
"This is going even better than I imagined!" Ryuga cackled."All of this is going according to my plan! So why struggle? Wouldn't it be easier to...Huh?"
He listened intently, and he heard it. A chuckle that turned into laughter came from Ryuki.
"And what's so funny?" Ryuga narrowed his eyes.
"Oh, nothing." Ryuki laughed, shaking his head."It's just...it brings a smile to my face to see you and Hazuki so damn desperate. It's the funniest thing ever. Since I beat Hazuki, I'm the returning champion. You are just the challenger.""
"Is that so?" Ryuga's eye twitched."Then let us see who truly is in desperation. Let's begin...I want to see whose teleportation is better. Your Chaos Gate or my Calamity Gate!"
Calamity screeched, shooting a fireball of darkness that split into several more at Ryuki. The attacks surrounded him, forcing him to activate a new ability.
Red Vent: Chaos Gate
Ryuki teleported to the sky, glancing down to see Ryuga flying toward him. He narrowly avoided a punch by the God of Mischief, taking him by surprise.'So fast! He's so much faster than before! But...!'
Hajime activated his boosters, flying above Ryuga before descending back down and delivering a powerful bicycle kick to his shoulder, knocking him down from the sky as he headed to the ground. However, Ryuga started to spin like a ball in the air, his body being engulfed in a purple aura and before he hit the ground, he went through one portal and came out another, heading straight to the sky.
"What?!" Ryuki's eyes shot wide open. Ryuga opened a portal, disappearing.
'He's coming!' Ryuki scanned his surroundings, waiting for a portal. And it appeared, on his left. He prepared his Emperorknuckles, but it was in vain, as another portal appeared from in front of him, and Ryuga struck him in the chest, knocking him back.'He came from the same direction?! Of course! I should have remembered! Loki can create more portals without the need to use a card!'
The ball chased after him but entered another portal.
'He's coming again...'
However, several dozens of portals opened around Ryuki, tramping him inside. He couldn't even process what was going on before he felt Ryuga strike him from everywhere. He would hit him, enter a portal, then come out a random one to attack again. Ryuki ignited his boosters, avoiding an attack as he tried to get away.
Zone Vent: Gates of Babylon
'A Zone Vent...!' Ryuki covered his body with his arms, using the gauntlets to take an incoming attack from the front.'I have to teleport out of here...'
The force of the impact sent Ryuki stumbling back, and when he looked up to teleport away, he saw Ryuga descending down and crashing into him, shooting him out of the plethora of portals and crashing like a comet on the ground.
"What's wrong, Messiah? Can't keep up anymore, can you?" Ryuga tilted his head, more portals forming around him. He flicked his wrist, and from the portals, countless orbs were shot at the ground, devastating the area around them.
When the smoke cleared, he noticed Ryuki had been surrounded by a dome of flames, protecting him from the attacks.
"Quick on your feet...Interesting. What else will you show-"
A beam of compressed flames were shot from within the dome, surprising Ryuga by the speed of it.'He used those flames as cover to prevent me from knowing he was charging his attack! And it's faster than when he used it against Hazuki!'
However, he was faster than Hazuki. So he was able to create a portal in front of him. What he wasn't expecting, however, was for the attack to curve around the portal and go around it, hitting Ryuga on his right side.'He dares...?!'
Zone Vent: Green Zone
Ryuga blinked, his eyes darting to the streets below as several trees began growing from the concrete and houses."Trying to slow me down by gaining the environmental advantage, are you? Well, not like it matters."
Ryuga lazily went through a portal to change his trajectory, now flying upward."What's this?"
Shoot Vent(Credits to Ryugen): Blitzwyrms
A dozen fire wyvrms were now heading in Ryuga's direction, spreading out and forcing the Rider to be on the defense.'This is...?'
One of the wyrms shot like a torpedo toward Ryuga, and he instinctively activated a portal to protect himself. Another one opened up, forcing the wyrm to crash against another and creating an explosion of flames.
'Bombs...' Ryuga noted.'Or at least, highly concentrated forms of energy that are sentient...'
Ryuga snapped his fingers, making arms of darkness emerge from his portals, trying to grab the wyrms. But the summons were quick and agile, maneuvering around them and circling Ryuga.
Shoot Vent: Bio-Crossbow
Ryuga caught a fire arrow coming from down below. Ryuki...no...several Ryukis were flying toward Ryuga, shooting him with arrows.
Strange Vent into Trick Vent: Shadow Illusion
'He used Strange Vent to go into Knight's Trick Vent...But what is he planning here...?' Ryuga closed his visor, as an orb of Dark light appeared above him, exploding into several swords of Dark light omnidirectionally.
A wyrm closed in on Ryuga, and he prepared to hit it with a punch. But little did he know of Red Vent's second ability—swap places. The wyrm swapped places with Ryuki, and he was wielding his Divine Weapons, the Soul Burners, as he went to punch Ryuga.
Strike Vent: Soul Burners
The black Rider swatted Ryuki's hand, changing Ryuki's trajectory and going for a punch to his back. But Ryuki swapped places with another wyrm, this time, taking the hit for him and causing an explosion. Ryuga stumbled back, hitting something hard."Huh?"
Ryuga had ignored the Green Zone. Instead of hundreds of trees, like he had known Zeke to use, there was only one humongous tree.
'I was too busy with Ryuki's distractions and the fact that I didn't see any forests covering the area...He was aiming for this?' Ryuga smirked. Several roots sprouted from the tree, trying to grab at Ryuga, who cut through the branches with his dark light wings. But as soon as he cut them, more regrew in their place. Ryuki screamed as he flew toward Ryuga, kicking him in the side of the face. In return, Ryuga grabbed his leg and slammed his knee on his back. He let out a pained groan, but instead of flying away, he grabbed onto Ryuga as all the wyrms flew down towards them, exploding on contact, a huge explosion covering the skies. Both Riders fell out of the smoke.
'You'd willingly damage yourself to take me down...? Heheheh...I underestimated your tenacity, Hajime Adachi.' Ryuga grinned maniacally."You are a Messiah, after all. No wonder Yomi is so passionate when it comes to you. You're a great opponent. But..."
Strike Vent: Calamity Kings
Ryuga propelled himself toward Ryuki, who ignited his boosters and flew toward the God. Both of them roared, winding their fists back in anticipation before punching each other's faces. But they were far from done. They went blow for blow, kick for kick, without mercy. Their gauntlets collided with each other's bodies. With each attack, their gauntlets started breaking to pieces, but both of them went for a headbutt so strong it created an expansive shockwave. The attack knocked them back, both of them in apparent dazed from the powerful blow to the head they received.
'This boy...It's no wonder Hazuki couldn't compete with him. I hate to admit it, but he's strong.' Ryuga gasped, feeling something pulled on his cape. Ryuki pulled hard on it and delivered a monstrous kick to Ryuga's side, breaking a few of his ribs as he let out a scream. The attack sent him flying away. Suddenly, several Ryukis grabbed onto his body, preventing him from moving.
'The clones from earlier?! They're preventing me from teleporting!'
They crashed onto the tree as it wrapped its branches around it. By the time it was done, the tree towered over any structure in the city as a giant tree.
Ryuki drew a card from his Deck, scanning it as DragEmperor appeared behind him.
Shoot Vent: Emperorbullet
DragEmperor and Ryuki began shooting countless fireballs at the giant tree, setting it on fire as it began to explode.
'I concentrated Verde's Zone Vent into one spot. That tree's purpose was to hold you in one spot. Your weakness is that you have to enter your portals manually. I don't know if I can beat him...But if I can give him enough damage to weaken him, that will be plenty!'
He clasped his arms together, combining his gauntlets as he charged a powerful attack. He and DragEmperor shot two beams of fire toward the tree, merging and magnifying its attack potency.
A black portal opened up in front of the exploding tree, revealing Calamity in its disgusting glory. The amalgamation of darkness and light flapped its wings as it fired a beam of black flames as it crashed against Ryuki and DragEmperor's. The attacks began trying to push each other, seemingly even.
'Why is Calamity here?! Loki didn't summon it, did he?! No, he couldn't! He should be restrained in there! Does that mean it can just appear out of nowhere?!'
Calamity sprouted several more wings, increasing the strength and velocity of its flapping. Suddenly, Ryuki noticed that his attack was being pushed back rapidly and his body was beginning to be pushed back as well."Wind currents...?! It's overpowering my attack by using the force of its wings!"
"My footing is bad!" Ryuki grumbled, noticing how far his right leg was after the wind continued to push him, making the angle of the attack angle for his body.'I...I can't hold it!'
"Burst" Ryuki closed his hand, making his attack burst into smaller beams of fire. They went around the strong currents of wind, going straight for the tree. Calamity copied the attack and fired it back toward Ryuki, but was unable to stop the ones coming for the tree. DragEmperor and Ryuki took the volley of attacks, but the tree as well, causing it to finally crumble. Calamity screeched, entering a portal and disappearing.
"Hajime..." Alternative muttered, watching the fight from afar.
"What kind of fight is this...? They're destroying the whole city..." Miku whispered in equal astonishment.
"They are the strongest of their respective sides. Naturally, a battle of their magnifying too much for a city to contain." Elfnein said.
"There's not much to think about." Abyss said from afar."This is a battle of the strongest. Common sense has no place here."
"No time for that." Alternative pointed toward a group of transformed enemy soldiers rushing toward them."More enemies. We have to protect the civilians as we continue to evacuate!"
However, the soldiers suddenly collapsed on the ground, their bodies turning into dust and disappearing.
"What?" Miku gasped."What happened?"
"They just..." Elfnein noticed more soldiers also turning into dust in the distance."They're...dying...?"
"Whatever it is, it's good for us." Abyss said, pushing through."We got to take this time to continue the evacuation!"
Out of nowhere, a transformed soldier lunged at him, but Alternative used his Repel to launch him away."Wow! Thanks for the save!"
"No problem." Alternative nodded, noticing more soldiers gathering around them."These ones aren't dying..."
"What does that mean then? Miku asked her boyfriend.
"I don't know...But something tells me it's not good at all."
"I didn't expect Loki to be more efficient at using Hazuki's body..." Elsa voiced her concerns."It's like Hajime-kun is fighting a completely different person."
"It is a God in control of the body, after all." Genjuro said, entering the room alongside Ogawa."Thanks to Thor, we know that a God using a human body is far more powerful than the owner of the body due to their soul being able to properly use their own Divine Power."
"But can he win? I mean, they seem to be even, but..." Garie trailed off.
"It's hard to say. Before, Hajime-kun was handling Hazuki-kun with no problem. But now, it's different. We don't know the extent of his powers just yet."
"Gen, I see the battle is going rather smoothly." Yatsuhiro's voice echoed from the side monitor.
"I guess you're seeing the fight too if it's being broadcasted around the whole world." Genjuro nodded."I have gathered with several UN officials to discuss what follows. Gen...Any updates on Tsubasa's group?"
"None yet. But no news is also good news. They must still be in combat with Allister Albedo." Genjuro reassured him."Since only this fight is being monitored across the globe, we don't exactly know what-"
"Commander!" Sakuya yelled, catching his attention."Several enemy forces are...dying!"
"What?!"
"We are receiving various reports of enemy soldiers dropping dead and turning into dust"
Genjuro swallowed the lump in his throat. He had a bad feeling about this.
Ryuki slowly walked down the empty streets of the destroyed Beijing, his armor broke in some areas. He suddenly fell on one knee, panting.
A portal opened up in front of Ryuki, and a punch socked him in the face, sending him rolling back.
"That was for the punch earlier." Ryuga emerged from the portal, dusting off his armor. He seemingly at no notable wounds on his body, but his armor was tattered in some places.
'No way...All of that, and he doesn't look much worse from before...?' Ryuki grimaced, sitting up.'Can he regenerate...?'
"I see now...Yes, are just so full of potential, Hajime. I apologize if I ever doubted you." Ryuga chuckled."It's too bad I didn't meet you instead of Hazuki first. You would have been a fantastic vessel instead. The darkness in your heart...It's strong. If I'm not mistaken, you even tried to take your own life before. You were also ready to succumb to the darkness in your heart."
"Yeah...It's true. I almost gave up. But...Wait, also? What do you-"
"When I met Hazuki on that island for the first time, he was also ready to end it all. Not that I could blame him. A young child of his age, stranded on an island, being forced to eat his deceased mother just to survive. I'm surprised he didn't go insane."
"What...?" Ryuki felt his stomach drop."He...ate his mom...?"
"Indeed. But not because he wanted to. A human is capable of doing the darkest of things when it comes to their survival. He had buried her body. But the hunger. The darkness within him forced him to dig her out and devour her. That's why he is the perfect Messiah. He knows humanity's true colors. He knows that this world has no hope. It's useless to say otherwise. And you know that very well, don't you?" Ryuga began pacing around Hajime, hands behind his back."How many times has this planet been threatened throughout history?"
Ryuki tried standing up but fell back on one knee.
"Leaving the constant wars and human conflict throughout history aside...The Noise...Fine...FIS...Carol and Bragard...Adam and Lilith...Shem-Ha and Lucifer. The world has almost seen an end on numerous occasions. Countless lives have been lost. Innumerable families have been destroyed. Including yours...and Hazuki's. Whether the DDV were created or not, it's irrelevant. The Rider War was destined to happen. All of this would have been the same."
Ryuga stopped in his tracks, eyeing Hajime."Let's assume that you do defeat me. Do you think any of you can go back to having normal lives? That the repercussions of this war won't affect the rest of the world? The way things are now, the world is closer to ending on its own than ever before. And it's natural. Human instinct seeks conflict. This is merely a way to accelerate it. But make no mistake, this would have happened regardless."
He stretched out his hand."Join us, Hajime. Don't you want to see your family again? Well, you can do it. You can be happy. Hibiki too. All of your friends. All you have to do is drop your sword...and accept destiny."
Suddenly, transparent versions of Kyoko, Kaoru, Chao-Xing, and her dad appeared around Ryuga."Your grandmother, mother, cousin, and uncle are waiting on the other side. They want you to join them, Hajime. Eternal peace is so close. Can't you see? You're scared. And it's normal. So you reject it. But Setsuna has seen it too. The vision of a new tomorrow. Your siblings have seen the truth. All that's missing...is you."
"Come home, Hajime." Said his grandmother.
"I want to hug my son again." Kaoru cooed.
"You don't have to fight anymore. The war is over." Huan nodded.
"Enough fighting. You've done enough." Chao-Xing added."You're tired. There's only so much a person can take. Even a Liang."
"You can stop now." They all said in unison, their collective voices making Hajime's body shiver.
The half-Liang lowered his head, taking deep breaths.
"Once Ragnarok starts, all human life will be eradicated. But there is no need to worry." Loki said."After all, once I get my wish, I will restore them to life. Of course, this time, without their pesky Free Will. Without that, humans will finally be able to reach their full potential."
"Maybe you're right...Maybe this world...really has no hope of getting better. But...it's still a far cry better than whatever fake fantasy you can offer under your ruling." Ryuki clenched his fists. This seemed to anger Loki as he narrowed his eyes at him."You can kill me or get rid of my Free Will...but I'll never be like you. All of you have given up on hope...on a new tomorrow. You have forsaken your humanity. Maybe if things had been different..." He shook his head."We're not the same. You don't seek a perfect world for humans. You seek to rule over them. Your perfect world is a mere fantasy of a mad God who wants total control. And we shall be..."
Ryuki quickly scanned a card through his Deck, crimson flames surrounding his body as they burst into power.
Blaze Vent
"Its final witness!" Ryuki kicked the ground, heading for Ryuga again as all of the specters of his family vanished.
"Then you'll die. Simple as that." Ryuga grinned arrogantly under what remained of his helmet. Ryuki and Ryuga connected fists, immediately taking off into the air as they broke through buildings in their fight. They landed on the upper floors of a business building, and Ryuki stretched out his arms, firing a beam of flames that covered the entire floor they were in. Ryuga made a portal under his feet, disappearing and avoiding the attack. He landed a few floors down below, feeling the building shake. Outside, Ryuki had formed two giant hands of flames and smashed the building to pieces.
Shoot Vent: Dragblaster
A metal cannon was strapped onto Ryuga's arm, aiming the barrel at Ryuki from afar before firing a barrage of beams of darkness. With a groan, Ryuki blasted himself higher in the air to avoid it, forming hundreds of flame fists at his disposal before he bombarded the city with several attacks at the same time. Ryuga responded in kind, opening several portals and conjuring fists of darkness to counter.
Ryuki punched a whole building toward Ryuga, but he merely flapped his wings, shooting a plethora of feathers that turned the building into dust.
Releasing a battle cry, Ryuki shot himself toward his foe, attempting to kick him in the face, but he weaved his head out of the way. He tried to do what he had done before and grab his thigh, but Hajime was quicker this time, flipping his body and kicking Ryuga on his arm, sending him flying. He landed on a rooftop, bending his knees to avoid a brutal kick from Ryuki just in time. Ryuga quickly got back on his feet, blocking an incoming elbow from Ryuki with his own. He swept Ryuki off his feet with a kick, but the red Rider supported his weight with his arms, going for a double kick toward Ryuga, forcing him to block with his forearm. He grunted, feeling his arm tingle after the intense attack. He grinned, grabbing Hajime's legs and forcing him back on his feet before slashing at his face with his dark light claws. Ryuki stumbled back but had no time to react before receiving a kick to the stomach, launching him off the building. Several portals opened around him as dark fists started to pummel him before he crashed through another building, causing it to collapse.
He grumbled in pain, looking over his shoulder to see Ryuga."Let's try this again! Round two!"
Zone Vent: Gate of Babylon
Red Vent: Chaos Gate
Once more, several dozens of portals covered a wide area around Ryuki, trapping him inside.
"You can only teleport to places you can see. So without a proper vision, you're stuck in here. And also...I am aware of your little swapping bodies trick."
Sword Vent: Dark Light Piercer
A sword of darkness and light appeared out of thin air and Ryuga grabbed it, brandishing it with glee."So I also came up with my own idea to counter that. Boys!"
Suddenly, clones of Ryuga emerged from the portals, each of them wielding a similar blade.
"Oh, come on. This is so unfair..." Ryuki groaned in exasperation.
"This was never a fair fight, kid. This is a battle to the death. Anything counts!"
All clones went back into the portals, only to reappear in random ones and confuse Ryuki. He quickly mitigated this by using Strange Vent.
Strange Vent into Trick Vent: Shadow Illusion
The Ryuki clones went out to try and stop the Ryuga clones, but they were too much to handle as they kept bouncing from portal to portal, making it impossible to properly predict their patterns. One of the Ryugas tried tackling Ryuki, but he teleported out of the way, only to have a shower of feathers coming down toward him, cutting around his body.
"You have been shown the path! Now you must follow it!" Ryuga cackled, flapping his wings again and shooting down the remaining clones.
Ignite Vent
Ryuki roared, forming several fire fists that smacked the Ryugas away. But the real one appeared from above him, elbowing him on the head and knocking him down into another portal, receiving a kick in the back.
'If I don't get out of this, I'm dead...!' Ryuki blocked the incoming punch of a Ryuga, piercing it with a sword made of flames before propelling himself toward another one, stabbing it as well. One of them grabbed Ryuki by his leg, pulling him away and throwing him into a portal where another Ryuga received him with a punch to the gut and slammed him down.
'We're too high up for Verde's Zone Vent to be of any use this high in the air...And I can't tell which one is the real Ryuga. Their Chis are the same!'
Ryuki ignited his boosters, flying away from two Ryugas trying to perform a pincer attack. He noticed the portals were getting closer than before.'He's cutting my room by making the portals closer...Soon enough I won't have anywhere else to flytoo...I didn't want to use this since it's going to consume a lot of energy from me, but there's no other choice.'
"In the end, you are merely a human after all. In comparison to a God, you're nothing more than a fish ready to be cut up." Ryuga splayed his arms."Now...die for our dream."
Ryuki drew a card from his Deck, looking at it intently.
"Another card? But what is doing anything going to change your circumstances?" Ryuga pondered.
"So...you're saying you guys can change the parameters of your Zone Vents?" Yosuke asked both Bragi and Hamaguchi. Hajime looked up from his position, drinking a can of iced tea after they were done training for the day."How does that work?"
"Couldn't tell ya." Hamaguchi rubbed his nape sheepishly."All I did was just shrink mine to the size of a basketball."
"Well, it is possible to do it. It all comes down to your control over your powers and what you want to do with it. I learned that when fighting Shadow Ryuki. It is possible to control your Zone Vent to the point where you can even create it outside of your enemy's Zone Vent and attack from outside."
"If my evil copy could do it...I can do it too." Ryuki muttered, sliding a card inside his visor."I was able to change the parameters of Verde's Zone Vent earlier...This time, I can do it again!"
Zone Vent: Fifth Circle
"A Zone Vent?! He has one too?!" Ryuga gasped, looking around but saw nothing."What? It's not appearing?"
He noticed Ryuki wasn't doing anything. Just staring from down below as the clones began to surround him.
"Wait..." Ryuga then looked up, seeing bright rays coming from the cracks between his portals. Outside of the dome of portals, there was a large dome of flames that was shrinking rapidly.'He created it outside?! And he's shrinking it to attack me from the outside!'
"But you'll hurt yourself too!" Ryuga screamed.
"Not likely." Ryuki showed him another card and Ryuga's eyes shot wide open.
Strange Vent into Black Vent: Calamity Gate
A portal opened up behind Ryuki. Unlike the others, this one was reddish in contrast to Ryuga's dark purple ones. He entered the portal, exiting Ryuga's Zone vent just as his own Zone Vent shrank down and caused a humongous explosion that tinted the sky orange. Ryuga emerged from one of his portals, half of his body covered in smoke after taking part in the explosion head-on."That tricky little shit...To think he can copy my portals..."
He spotted a portal opening from afar, and Ryuki wasted no time in charging at him. He was more than glad to accept this challenge.'But it seems his portals are limited in comparison to ours. Of course. It is my power after all.'
Both Riders went to punch each other, punching each other in their faces. Ryuga kicked Ryuki on the side hard, breaking a few ribs. But Ryuki was not deterred in the least, using this momentum to backhand him across the face. Ryuga then proceeded to knee Ryuki in the stomach, almost making him hurl, but Ryuki returned the favor by elbowing him on his back, prompting him to spit out blood.
Irritated, Ryuga punched a portal, creating a bigger one behind Ryuki and manifesting a giant fist that punched him down to the ground.
"How did you like that?!" Ryuga laughed loudly, flying down to chase Hajime. However, like a phoenix, he rose from his ashes.
Shoot Vent: EmperorClaw
From down below, Ryuki started shooting several fireballs at Ryuga, his attacks illuminating the city.
"Ha!" Ryuga was confident. He felt Ryuki was getting tired by the second. So he didn't bother using a portal to avoid the attack. Instead, he stopped it with his feet, holding it in place. But what he wasn't expecting was two more fireballs coming from above, forcing him to grab them with his hands. All attacks were trying to crush him, holding him in place without any hope of entering a portal."D-damn you!"
To add the finishing blow, Ryuki fired a condensed fire sphere toward Ryuga, aiming to finish him off right then and there.
A portal opened up, and Calamity swatted its tail, knocking the attack back where Ryuki was, creating an explosion that shook the entire city. Ryuga eventually managed to deflect the attacks, shooting them all in the distance.
"He just doesn't know when to quit, does he?!" He adopted a sardonic grin."The kid is just so full of spunk! Hahaha! Not bad! Not bad at all, Hajime Adachi! But you're nearing your limits, aren't you? No more tricks up your-"
Ryuki slammed his Dragclaw against Ryuga's face, finishing shattering his helmet as the attack knocked him away.'He...teleported?! He must have swapped places with one of the attacks I deflected!'
The red Rider punched the air, shooting flames that took the shape of DragEmperor, biting onto Ryuga as they descended to the ground. Ryuki placed a hand against his helmet, turning on his communicators."HQ! I need to know what's on the other side of the planet! From where I am right now!"
"W-what...?" Sakuya blinked, puzzled. But Aoi wasted no time in getting the information.
"A field in Argentina! Just outisde of Buenos Aires!"
"Hajime-kun! What are you planning?!" Genjuro cried out, but Hajime had turned off his communicator already. All they could do was stare at the screen, watching as Ryuga was slammed down on the streets by the flaming dragon.
"I need your help, friend..." Ryuki muttered under his breath as he scanned a card.
Cross Vent
DragEmperor and Ryuki merged, becoming one. A more humanoid version of DragEmperor, wielding a shield and a giant sword. He roared, flying down toward the ground.
"Shit..." Ryuga sat up, turning around after seeing a huge shadow on the ground. DragEmperor fell on top of Ryuga, pinning him down with his tail to prevent him from moving, charging a fireball from his mouth and his two gauntlets, now larger to accommodate his huge body. Ryuga could only watch as DragEmperor released a mighty roar that pierced the heavens, releasing his charged-up attack at him. The attack dug through the ground, going straight into the planet.
The attack made the whole city shake, tinting the skies in red as if a nuke had been released. Alternative put up a barrier to hold the shockwave from hurting everyone else.
Meanwhile, in Argentina, a colossal blast of flames erupted from a field, going all the way into the sky and outside of the planet. The people of Buenos Aires, who were also watching the fight, could see the beam of power in the distance, like a shooting star being shot from the planet into outer space.
"Did...he do it?" Tobias blinked, bewildered at what they just witnessed.
"There's no way Ryuga survived that." Garie said, wrapping her arms around her son."That attack had to have killed him."
"So that's why he asked what was on the other side of the planet..." Sakuya shifted his gaze to Aoi."You acted fast."
"I had a feeling he was planning to go for a big attack. And given the circumstances, he did just that. He wanted peace of mind knowing that no one would be affected by that attack."
"But he's barely standing..." Elsa pointed out. They all turned back to the screen and saw Ryuki, having defused, falling on one knee in front of the crater.
Hajime wheezed for air, closing his eyes due to the exhaustion. He had put almost whatever energy he had into that attack and he was feeling it. And the damage he sustained didn't do him any favors. Before he could declare his victory, a hand grabbed his ankle, and before he could scream, he was pulled into a portal. Once he came out of it, he was deep inside the planet. Especially, where the core was. The intense heat and pressure were palpable, but his attention was on Ryuga, who cackled in delight upon seeing him.
"Did you miss me, HAJIME?!" Ryuga had used his own Brand, and Hazuki's normal skin color had turned pale with black veins around it, his hair turned pitch black as two horns protruded from his forehead.
His body was...unscathed. He was definitely wounded. Hajime could see the blood and bruises. But...
'He shouldn't be alive...' Was all he thought before unconsciously activating an ability, his whole sight set on Ryuga.
Blaze Vent
Both Riders rushed toward each other, and Ryuga swung his fist, only to hit the air. Ryuki was behind and elbowed him in the back of the head, causing him to stagger forward. He was already in front of him, punching him in the neck before delivering a powerful roundhouse kick and sending him flying. He concentrated his flames into his hands, charging up his gauntlets to fire a beam of concentrated flames, creating a huge hole in the wall that prompted lava to start pouring out from other holes.
Ryuki landed on a rock, falling on all fours as he wheezed, every breath he took being a challenge of its own due to how exhausted he was.
"Oh...You finally hit your limit, huh?"
Ryuki's blood ran cold upon hearing the voice. He looked up to see Ryuga leisurely sitting on the crater he left, legs crossed."No...but there's no way...My attacks aren't even doing anything anymore...I...I can't keep up..."
"Oh, don't be so sad. It makes me sad too." Ryuga chuckled."You see, you did do some major damage multiple times. But you forget. I am connected to every single citizen in this country, and other people outside of it via the power I bestowed upon them. All I have to do is take that power back to restore myself. A way of mitigating the damage, if you will."
"So...all this time...you've been fine because you killed...you killed your own subjects...?"
"I wouldn't say kill. They served their purpose. Unfortunately, I can't be so careless of doing that anymore because I do need them alive for what's to come. But you were the biggest problem in our way, so it's all good. Now..."
Ryuki's eyes shot wide open when he noticed Ryuga was right in front of him. He grabbed him by the helmet as he proceeded to fly around the cave, slamming Hajime everywhere as he laughed cruelly. He dragged Hajime's face against the floor before spinning around and hurling him toward the ceiling.
"I have a little gift for you, Hajime!" Ryuga announced as a portal opened up, revealing Calamity once more, charging a beam of fire in its mouth."The attack you just used on me...you can have it back."
The beast unleashed its attack, and Ryuki quickly used a card to protect himself.
Guard Vent: EmperorShield
Ryuki was blasted back to the surface, his shield having broken in the process, leaving him vulnerable to the attack and his armor in tatters. Ryuga appeared behind him, slamming his fists against his back, earning a silent scream of pain as the Rider was sent rolling on the street and crashing against a wall. He slowly stood up, his body shaking like a frail leaf, and taking aim with his gauntlets.
Ryuga flapped his wings, landing on top of a water tower as he eyed Ryuki from afar. He raised a hand, charging a sphere of dark light in his hand that became double the size of a truck."Hmmm?"
To his surprise, the Ryuki armor vanished into particles, revealing a beat-up Hajime, as he passed out on the ground.
For the first time since the fight started, there was dreadful silence from everyone watching the fight from all over the world when they saw what happened. The hero they were cheering for, Hajime Adachi, the Messiah who stood up against the malevolent God, had fallen.
"Finally had enough, huh?" Ryuga exhaled, allowing his breathing to become erratic. He had sustained some damage. More so than he had wanted to admit in front of Ryuki. And had lost a great deal of stamina and energy. But he didn't want to sacrifice more subjects, as he needed them alive for his plans."The hero falls...No. You were never a hero, Hajime. Just a kid pretending to know more than he did."
Ryuga aimed his attack toward Hajime as he continued monologuing."The moment you rejected our salvation is the moment you signed your dead sentence. You cling to this ridiculous notion of hope...when there is none. But I must commend you. You did amazing. But unlike Yomi, I don't like dragging fights on. In the end...you were the challenger."
He was about to shoot, when he suddenly froze, canceling his attack."Oh uh...Here comes a new challenger."
Ryuga twisted his body, staring at the sky with amusement, noticing someone approaching him at great speeds."I'm in a good mood right now, so please, don't spoil my pleasure We did promise you'd be the next person we'd kill. So this works out perfectly."
Launching to the battlefield the second Hajime's body hit the ground, was the Last Prince of Ventara, Messiah of Calamity, and the second strongest Rider of SONG.
Kamen Rider Alternative, Bragi Third Dienheim, enters the ring, rushing toward near-certain death. The time now was 10:45 in the morning. Less than an hour and a half for Ragnarok to begin.
Mission: Prevent Ragnarok
Status: Ongoing