The game is set to reach its conclusion soon.
All parties are about to converge. The trials of the Boiling Isles for Luz and Amity will end.
I guess there is nothing left to do but watch the exciting battle that is to come.
The holographic screens around Woz started to flicker and glitch out yet again, causing the storyteller to pause as he gazed upon them curiously.
Or perhaps I am wrong?
The Krampus Jyamato's lair was dark, but the cries of children could be heard. Its prisoners were being held in cages that were suspended from the ceiling by chains. Each cage was crowded, holding three to four young children each as well as a few teenagers who were unfortunate enough to be captured.
Scattered along the lair's floor were a myriad of broken toys: dolls that were torn apart, with some that were resewn into a Frankenstein amalgamation. Wooden, plastic, and other toys were amongst the littered mass, all snapped, broken, or smeared with… was it blood? Upon a second glance, some of the dolls had dried bloodstains on them as well.
Lights of red and green flickered on and off, casting shadows that danced inside the cave, making it hard to tell if the shapes they saw were from hidden Jyamatos or a trick of the mind. There were long tables stretched out inside of the lair, like elongated work benches with various tools scattered about them. The workbenches had scratch marks on them as if someone had been trying to hang on for their dear life while being dragged away.
Sitting on the icy throne was the Krampus Jyamato. It was a Bishop-type that appeared to be dressed like Santa Claus, but it had long and sharp demonic horns extending from its brow as well as claw-like fingers. Its suit was dirty, with the white fluffy pieces on it looking worn out. Finally, it wore a cape with skull-shaped bells that dangled from the hem.
"Alright, looks like this is it," Luz decided as she prepared to transform. Once they defeated the Krampus Jyamato and saved all these kids, the mission would be over and they could all go home.
"Amara, Lumina, break those kids out and get them out of here," Amity instructed as she took out her Zombie and Abomination Buckles. "We have a monster to slay."
[Set! Dual On!]
The Raise Buckles' logos appeared and floated beside Amity and Luz as they prepared to transform.
"Henshin!"
[ZOMBIE! ABOMINATION!]
[GET READY FOR BOOST & MAGNUM!]
Instead of her Oscura Buckle, Luz opted to use both her Magnum and Boost Buckles, transforming into her combination Magnum Boost Armour. Her Magnum Shooter appeared in her hand and she twirled it around before gripping the handle tightly. At the same time, bedecked in her combined Zombie Abomination Armour, Kamen Rider Gato was ready for combat.
As soon as it noticed them, the Krampus Jyamato arose from its throne and raised its right hand which held a hand bell. It swung its hand up and down, ringing its bell. Instantly, the chamber began to fill with dozens of Elf Jyamatos.
Gato flexed her Berserclaw and revved up the blade of her Zombie Breaker. Besides her, Oscura pointed her Magnum Shooter at the Jyamatos.
"It's showtime," Oscura declared.
[READY, FIGHT!]
The two of them were off, with Oscura running ahead thanks to the Boost Armour increasing her speed while Gato surged alongside her on a wave of Abomination slime. As they were about to close in on the Krampus Jyamato, the Elf Jyamatos instantly came to their Boss' defence to engage the Riders.
Meanwhile, back at the Blights' mansion, Edric, Emira and Alador were all watching the action on a holographic screen thanks to Tsumuri.
"Go, Mittens! Kick that monster's ass!" Edric and Emira cheered on their baby sister while Alador watched quietly, mentally analysing his youngest daughter's suit and weapons.
Oscura was separated from Gato as they fought the Elf Jyamatos. As she fired upon them with the Magnum Shooter, she heard her inner demon's voice taunting her.
'This would end so much sooner if you used my power,' Empress Oscura taunted.
"Shut up!" Oscura snapped as she shot the Elf Jyamatos, putting them down with headshots. "I don't need your power to beat these things!"
'Don't be so sure, me.'
The Elf Jyamatos assembled in front of Oscura and then their faces began to change, morphing into copies of Odalia Blight and Penn Zero.
"Oh, shit," Oscura cursed.
The Penn Jyamatos yelled and attacked, swinging their candy cane hooks at the Rider who jumped back to dodge. Reaching down, she rotated her Driver to change forms.
[Revolve On!]
Her body rotated and parts shifted, putting the Boost Armour on top and Magnum Armour on the bottom. As she landed, Oscura swung her leg, delivering a kick that knocked the Penn Jyamatos back while firing at them at the same time. She then delivered a boosted punch at a Penn Jyamato's face, but her fist stopped an inch in front of them as she hesitated.
She remembered Penn during her first time in the DGP and how he had died while trying to fight the Boss alone during the Witch Hunting Game. His death had shown them the reality of the Desire Grand Prix, how serious it was and what it meant to put their lives on the line for their heart's desire. She had not been able to get to know him well but, from what she had seen, he had been a decent guy who just wanted to be a hero.
"I just wanted to be a hero," the Penn Jyamato spoke, echoing Penn's last words. Her eyes narrowed as she remembered that this was just a Jyamato wearing Penn's face and using his voice, not the actual guy himself. As it went to attack her, she caught its candy cane hook before sending it flying with a punch.
Seeing the copies of Penn and Odalia assembled before her, Oscura removed the Boost Buckle before replacing it with her Oscura Buckle.
'I told you so...' Luz's inner demon taunted. In response, Luz gave her inner demon the mental middle finger.
[Set! Dual On!]
[DARK MAGNUM!]
Her dark wings wrapped around her before exploding, sending a cascade of black feathers to rain around her, revealing her in her Oscura Armour augmented by the gauntlets and greaves from the Magnum Armour.
[READY, FIGHT!]
"Time to put you all back in the ground," Oscura growled. At the same time, the red Wrath Stone on her Oscura Buckle glowed as her eyes flashed, becoming the same colour.
When they had witnessed the Jyamatos shapeshift into copies of Odalia, the Blight family was originally shocked before they recovered, believing the Jyamato could mimic people, not yet realising the truth. When they saw Oscura's true transformation, however, a chill ran up their spine as old memories surfaced.
Gus and Willow, however, were surprised to see Oscura use an additional Raise Buckle with her Oscura Buckle. She was already pretty powerful with just the Oscura Buckle alone, but with the added firepower of the Magnum Buckle, there was no telling how much more powerful she had become.
Using her Magnum Shooter, Oscura fired upon the Penn and Odalia Jyamatos without mercy. None of them stood a chance against her firepower, and they exploded after taking heavy gunfire. It did not take long for her to thin their numbers until only two of them remained.
The Krampus Jyamato, in response to Oscura's additional power, decided to dispense gifts unto his loyal Elf Jyamatos. The holiday monster reached into its sack and took out two gift boxes from its sack. It chucked both presents in the direction of the Penn and Odalia Jyamatos. They managed to catch them out of the air before landing on the ground. Once they opened them, the Penn and Odalia Jyamatos revealed that the presents were Desire Drivers with Jyamato Buckles to go along with them.
"Oh no…" Oscura uttered, realising what was about to happen.
[Set!]
Both Penn and Odalia Jyamatos smiled evilly at Oscura and spoke aloud, "Henshin!"
[JYAMATO!]
The Jyamatos were suddenly wrapped in thorny vines before breaking out of them like cocoons. Now they had both transformed into Jyamato Riders.
Emira spat out the drink she had been sipping on when she witnessed the transformation.
"THEY CAN TRANSFORM TOO!?" Emira shrieked.
"Yeah, they can," Willow grimaced.
"OK, I didn't see that when I was in the DGP," Gus commented.
"It was after you were retired," Willow informed.
"How tough are they?" Edric asked.
"Pretty tough," Willow answered.
[READY, FIGHT!]
"Great, we're back to dealing with this shit again," Oscura complained. "Thanks a lot, Game Master!"
The Penn and Odalia Jyamato Riders charged straight for Oscura, but the Rider of Darkness quickly fired upon them. The two Jyamato Riders stamped the ground at the same time, summoning thick vines that broke through the ice to form a defensive wall in front of them which blocked Oscura's shots. The rounds from the Magnum Shooter exploded against the wall of vines. When the smoke cleared, the wall had fallen and both Jyamato Riders had broken off in two different directions.
[DesWizarSwordGun!]
Oscura held out her left hand, summoning her signature weapon in its Gun Mode. With the second blaster weapon in hand, she began firing in the directions the Jyamato Riders went. Unfortunately, due to the boost in power they received from becoming Riders, the Penn and Odalia Riders were a little faster than normal Jyamatos and managed to dodge her shots.
Once gaining sufficient distance, the two Jyamato Riders activated the finishers on their Buckles, causing their right arms to form several coiling vines.
[JYA-JYA-JYA STRIKE!]
The Jyamato Riders punched forward, sending the vines shooting towards Oscura.
"CRAP!"
Oscura dashed forward, believing she could avoid getting hit from both sides. However, instead of crashing into each other, the vines instantly changed direction to chase after her.
"Oh, give me a break!"
Jumping up and spreading her wings, Oscura deployed her Gunslinger Leg barrels. As soon as the vines drew near, she had both barrels fire powerful energy blasts. The vines and beams of light collided, creating a powerful explosion that stopped the Jyamato Riders' attack. Oscura flipped once in the air and landed on the ground, skidding to a halt as she raised her head to see both Jyamato Riders break through the smoke cloud.
"Heh, you guys just don't know when to quit do you?!"
Meanwhile, several Elf Jyamatos rushed Gato, brandishing their candy cane hooks. They intended to kill her for daring to enter their domain and challenge their holiday lord.
Seven of the Elf Jyamatos swung their candy cane hooks at the time to strike her down, but Gato slashed the air with the Zombie Breaker. In an instant, all seven of the candy cane hooks had their top halves sawn off. The Elf Jyamatos looked at their broken weapons and then at the Rider, but when they did, they saw that Gato's helmet eyes were glowing fiercely.
Using the Abomination slime as a form of jet propulsion, Gato sped past all seven of the Elf Jyamatos as a purple streak of energy followed in her wake. A glowing purple gash appeared on all seven of the Elf Jyamatos before they exploded simultaneously.
Another group of Elf Jyamatos grabbed colourfully wrapped boxes and tossed them in Gato's direction. The gift boxes descended on her location and hit the ground. As soon as they hit the ground, they exploded, creating a fiery cascade that lit up the area and filled it with a thick black cloud of smoke.
The Elf Jyamatos made noises that sounded as if they were congratulating each other on killing Gato, but those noises of celebration ceased as they watched a large ball of Abomination slime roll out of the smoke cloud. The slime split down the middle and Gato stepped out with nary a scratch on her armour.
"You're in my way," Gato warned.
Utilising her Zombie Breaker like a witch's staff, Gato drew a large spell circle. The Abomination slime sphere she had used broke down and transformed into several baseball-sized spheres that instantly sprouted spikes. With a flick of her wrist, Gato sent all the spiked balls flying towards the Elf Jyamatos.
The plant creatures tried to stop the spiky spheres by throwing more of the gift bombs in their path, but the resulting explosions failed to stop the balls or cause them to lose their momentum. Each of the spiked spheres hit its marks, piercing into the Elf Jyamatos' bodies, but not killing them...yet.
Gato was going to remedy that.
She swiped her Zombie Breaker through the spell circle, and all at once, the spheres glowed brighter and brighter until a chain explosion went off. One after the other, the Elf Jyamatos were utterly annihilated by the mini bombs that Gato had crudely attached to them.
Alador took notes as he witnessed his daughter's innovative use of Abomination magic to create Anti-Jyamato Abomination Mines. Though his family no longer made Abomination-based weapons, he was just so impressed by his youngest daughter's abilities.
Gunshots rang in the chamber as Oscura wielded the Magnum Shooter and DesWizarSwordGun together, firing at the Penn and Odalia Jyamato Riders. It would appear that these copies simply lacked the abilities of their templates, which meant the Odalia fakes could not cast magic like the real deal. However, they made up for what they lacked with the power granted to them by the Jyamato Buckles.
The two Jyamato Riders made sure to stick close to Oscura to prevent her from shooting them with her two blaster weapons. However, they neglected to consider the ones mounted on her arms and her legs.
The Penn Jyamato Rider swung with a right hook, but Oscura managed to duck underneath it as she deployed the Gunslinger Arm barrels. After dodging the hook, Oscura tossed both of her gun weapons into the air, causing the two Jyamato Riders to divert their attention to them.
"Made ya look!" Oscura taunted as she crossed her arms over her chest, aiming the ends of both Gunslinger Arm barrels at the Jyamato Riders.
The two monsters realised too late as Oscura fired multiple rounds into their chests, causing sparks to litter the air as they stumbled backwards. With the Jyamato Riders now staggered, Oscura reached up and caught both of her weapons as she spun around and pistol-whipped the Odalia Jyamato Rider across the face. The blow sent the monster into a spin before it hit the icy ground. The Penn Jyamato Rider, still staggered, was unprepared as Oscura ran at it and performed a flip kick. Instead of connecting the kick, Oscura fired the Gunslinger Leg and several rounds of energy bullets hit the Penn Jyamato Rider violently. When Oscura landed, she threw a spinning kick that fired more shots, completing a cross pattern.
Oscura jumped over the monster and, before she landed, the Rider of Darkness landed a double kick to the Penn Jyamato Rider's back and fired both barrels of her Gunslinger Legs. Two beams of light hit the monster in its back, sending it sailing forward until it crashed into the Odalia Jyamato Rider before twin explosions went off.
"Time to finish this," Oscura said darkly as squeezed the trigger on her Magnum Buckle and pulled the ring of her Oscura Buckle.
[GRAND MAGNUM DARKNESS VICTORY!]
Oscura dismissed the Magnum Shooter and DesWizarSwordGun to deploy all four barrels of the Magnum Armour as her six black wings flared out from her back. With a single flap, Oscura was once again airborne. Once she was hovering in the air, Oscura began shooting off spheres of dark energy. She was practically dancing in the air as she kicked her legs and threw out her arms. With each motion, she fired shot after shot after shot from the barrels. Despite how it may look, however, when she fired, the spheres of darkness did not just hit any random target. No, the spheres stopped in midair, going inert as they positioned themselves.
The Penn and Odalia Jyamato Riders rose from the ground, smoking and somewhat dazed from Oscura's last attack. As soon as they regained their senses, they realised just how screwed they were. All around them were dark glowing spheres of energy. Every possible direction was covered with dark spheres, creating a dome with no escape. Oscura ceased her little dance and looked down upon the two monsters that dared to wear the faces of two fallen Riders, even if one of them was Odalia.
Oscura raised her right hand high into the air, like an executioner preparing to bring down their blade of judgment.
"Now, fall! DARK ZONE GRENADE!"
As soon as Oscura brought down her hand, all of the dark spheres rapidly converged on the two Jyamato Riders. The monsters cried out, but their screams were drowned out as multiple explosions thundered one after the other in a seemingly endless cacophony. The rain of death continued, annihilating the Jyamato Riders until none were left. Smoke arose from the craters that were formed, but there was no trace left of the monsters.
"You know, watching the action in person is way different than watching it on a screen," Lumina admired as they witnessed their great grandaunts destroy the Jyamatos.
"Got that right. Now, c'mon. Let's get those kids down," Amara prompted.
With the minions dealt with, Gato and Oscura regrouped to focus on the Boss of this game, the Krampus Jyamato. Despite staring down death, the Krampus Jyamato was not afraid - in fact, it chuckled. The holiday demon still had a few tricks up its sleeves, or rather in its sack. It leaned forward and opened its large red sack. Suddenly, more Pawn Jyamatos poured out of its sack. Unlike the ones before, these were dressed as toy soldiers.
A battalion of the creatures had now lined up in front of their lord, holding rifles which they levelled at the Riders. As soon as its firing squad was ready, the Krampus Jyamato waved its arm, giving the order to fire.
Gato quickly formed a wall of Abomination slime as the Toy Soldier Jyamatos began shooting at them. Each of the bullets set off small explosions against Gato's shield wall. The Krampus Jyamato began to laugh, its oversized stomach shaking like a bowl full of jelly at the feeble machinations of the Riders.
"Dammit, we don't have time for this!" Gato yelled."We need to get through these things!"
"Sweet potato, I got an idea," Oscura informed her fiancée. "I just need to borrow something."
The Toy Soldier Jyamatos continued to rain bullets onto the Abomination barrier, which did not appear to be falling any time soon. Fortunately, the Krampus Jyamato had just the thing to deal with this.
A new Jyamato appeared, this time a Rook-type, that was also dressed like a Christmas Elf, but it wore reindeer antlers instead of a hat. Instead of a hand, it had a miniature Christmas tree growing from its left wrist. And in its right hand was a battle axe.
This was the Big Elf Jyamato.
"Ho...ho...Ho...JYAMA!" The Big Elf Jyamato pointed its Christmas tree arm at the Abomination wall, firing ornaments like a cannon. The projectiles struck the wall before exploding like bombs, sending slime flying everywhere.
The Toy Soldier Jyamatos proceeded to fire into the smoke cloud, confident that they would hit their targets. Without anything standing between them, they were sure to be killed by the Jyamatos' gunfire. As soon as the smoke cleared, they would see the bodies of both Riders riddled with bullets.
Unfortunately for them, when the smoke finally cleared, what stood before them were not two dead Riders.
Oscura had switched her Magnum Buckle with Amity's Zombie Buckle, equipping her limbs with the gauntlets and greaves from the Zombie Armour. Instead of a Berserclaw on one hand and foot, she had them on both, giving her a terrifying appearance. Once the change was complete, her eyes flashed, adopting an indigo hue.
[DARK ZOMBIE!]
"HOHOHOHO! JYA!" the Big Elf Jyamato commanded the Toy Soldier Jyamatos into firing on Oscura. The bullets failed to penetrate her suit. Instead, they seemed to melt and splash against it harmlessly before sizzling away, like her whole body was covered in some kind of corrosive material.
"C'mon, Luz. Let's show these assholes the power of Lumity!" Gato declared as she equipped herself with the FeverSlot Buckle and hit the lever.
[ABOMINATION! HIT! FEVER ABOMINATION!]
Now Gato was also equipped with the Fever Abomination Armour, granting her the top and lower halves of the suit.
"Ready..." Oscura growled as the Gluttony Stone glowed indigo on her Oscura Buckle.
[FIGHT!]
As the two were about to charge at the Jyamatos, part of the far-left wall chose to collapse at that very moment, drawing the attention of all the Jyamatos, Riders and their supporters. In the shadows of the hole, two sets of glowing eyes shined from inside of it. That was when two figures rushed out of the hole in the wall, revealing themselves to be Soaron in her Fever Monster Armour and Newtonne in her Fever Ninja Armour. Both Riders came to a skidding halt just a few feet from the battle as Soaron struck her fists together while Newtonne twirled her Ninja Dueler around.
"The cavalry has arrived!" Soaron announced.
"Marcy! Sasha!" Gato yelled happily.
The Krampus Jyamato hurriedly gave orders for some of the Toy Soldier Jyamatos to break off and shoot at the new Riders. Soaron performed a mighty leap into the air, and the Toy Soldier Jyamatos started shooting at her. She ignored the bullets that hit her and focused on her incoming targets. Her right fist glowed with built-up energy as she came down like a meteor from on high and crash-landed right in the middle of the battalion, smashing her fist into the ground upon impact. Her punch produced a shockwave that erupted all around her, sending many of the Toy Soldier Jyamatos flying into the air while instantly destroying the ones closest to the point of impact. Some of the Toy Soldier Jyamatos scrambled to get back up and counterattack, but Soaron wasn't going to give them the chance as she swiftly charged at the stragglers and struck each of them with a series of punches.
'Damn, they're stealing our kills!' Luz's inner demon complained.
"Then that just leaves the Boss for us!" Oscura shouted as she and Gato rode on an Abomination slime wave towards the Krampus Jyamato. However, the Big Elf Jyamato suddenly intervened, holding a big Christmas gift in its hand. It threw the gift box in front of the couple and fired its Christmas tree arm cannon, blasting the box.
*KA-BOOM!*
The box exploded, setting off the fireworks inside to blind Oscura and Gato.
Jumping into the air, the Big Elf Jyamato struck, clotheslining both Gato and Oscura, knocking them both to the floor. It raised its axe to strike Gato, but the blade was caught by a Berserclaw. The Big Elf Jyamato looked to its left and saw Oscura whose visor glowed orange as she glared up at the monster, giving it a look that made it flinch.
"You're not touching her, puta!" Oscura snarled. She slashed the Big Elf Jyamato with her other Berserclaw, sending it reeling.
The Berserclaws started to glow as Oscura crouched low in front of Gato, like a beast protecting its mate from a threat. Oscura released another growl before launching herself at the Big Elf Jyamato. The holiday monster raised its axe again to strike, but Oscura swiftly dodged the blow and swiped upwards with her claws. Sparks danced in the air as her claws raked themselves across its back. She did not stop there, however, as she crouched low again and jumped over the Big Elf Jyamato just as it was about to take another swing at her. Unfortunately for the monster, all it hit was air as Oscura came down with both her right and left Berserclaws, slashing it across the back for the second time.
The Big Elf Jyamato cried out in pain but as it did, it felt like something was off. However, it had no time to contemplate that. As it spun around, Oscura flipped backwards, leading with her left leg, and using the Berserclaw on her foot to land a slash across the monster's chest. The Big Elf Jyamato stumbled backwards and began to pant.
Frustrated and enraged, the creature was not having it anymore. It raised its axe and channelled its energy into it, giving its weapon a mighty swing as it attempted to behead Oscura. The Rider of Darkness raised her left forearm and allowed the empowered blade to strike her gauntlet. This shocked the Big Elf Jyamato as its attack barely did any damage at all.
"Surprised? I've been eating good, big guy. Thanks for all that tasty energy. NOW GIVE ME MORE!"
Oscura batted the axe away and slashed the Big Elf Jyamato with her right Berserclaw. She then proceeded to deliver an onslaught of slashes upon her weakened foe. The Big Elf Jyamato weakly raised its axe again to cut her down, but Oscura evaded it - although, at this point, she did not need to.
Oscura began blitzing the monster, appearing in a fast-moving streak of claws as she attacked it from different angles, slashing it with kicks and claw swipes for each pass. The Big Elf Jyamato was severely weakened at this point, wobbling back and forth on its feet. That was when Oscura appeared in the air before the Big Elf Jyamato and thrust both legs forward in a double kick to its chest, sending it flying until it landed on its back.
Oscura used the kick to vault off the monster, spun once in the air, and landed back in front of Gato. She slowly rose to her feet and released a bestial cry into the air, proclaiming her dominance over the Big Elf Jyamato.
"OK, that was savage! Has she ever been so vicious in the DGP?" Emira asked, holding a bowl of snacks as she watched Oscura decimate the Big Elf Jyamato single-handedly.
"Yeah, whenever someone tries to hurt Amity," Willow answered, recalling the time Luz slaughtered the Pinhead Jyamato.
"But this is the first time we've seen her use the Oscura Buckle with another Raise Buckle," Gus added.
"At least we know Mittens will be alright if anyone tries to mess with her," Edric positively said. "I almost feel sorry for that thing."
"We don't," Willow and Gus deadpanned together.
After belting out a threatening growl, Oscura charged forth again, about to deliver another painful blow to the monster. The Big Elf Jyamato pointed its Christmas tree-shaped arm cannon and fired it just as she came in for a wide swing. The blast struck Oscura in the chest, catching her off guard as the blast sent her skidding back to Gato.
"OK, you guys are taking this festive theme way too far!" Oscura yelled as she could not believe she had just been attacked with Christmas ornaments. "Doesn't seem like the draining lasts long. Probably need to keep hitting it to keep it going."
"Or maybe it's time you stopped playing with your food," Gato suggested. She sped past Oscura and delivered a kick while spewing Abomination slime from her greave, the slime taking the form of a blade. The Big Elf Jyamato blocked the attack with its axe before striking her with its Christmas Tree Cannon. It advanced on her but was hit across the chest by the spinning saw blade of the Zombie Breaker in Oscura's hand.
"Amity, catch!" Oscura tossed Gato her DesWizarSwordGun, and the armoured witch caught it before converting it to Gun Mode.
Gato aimed and fired the weapon at the Big Elf Jyamato, but the monster just tanked her shots. Oscura was about to move in, but the Big Elf Jyamato wasn't about to let the former Empress get that close again. Channelling its energy into its axe, the Big Elf Jyamato struck the ground before it, creating a shockwave of ice and rock that was headed for Oscura. The attack threw her back several feet, and another shot from the Christmas Tree Cannon put her on her back. With Oscura down for the time being, the Big Elf Jyamato charged towards Gato, raising its axe to strike.
A slash from Oscura's Zombie Breaker cleared the cloud of snow and dust. With a single sprint, Oscura quickly closed the distance and intercepted the Big Elf Jyamato's slash with her chainsaw sword. She quickly slapped the axe upwards and came back around to land a slash across the big monster's chest with her Zombie Breaker. As it staggered back, Gato went up and pointed the DesWizarSwordGun in its face before pulling the trigger. The point-blank shot caused the Big Elf Jyamato to recoil and stagger back. It swung its Christmas tree arm wildly, firing ornaments in all directions. One of them hit the chain holding a cage and it broke, causing it to fall along with its prisoners.
"NO!" Oscura yelled, but the chain was caught by Lumina who was in her Owl Beast Mode.
"We've got this, Auntie Luz!" Lumina called out. Oscura could see many of the cages had been taken down by Kamen Rider Amara and Kamen Rider Lumina. "Now, take that thing out!"
Oscura nodded, and then angrily glared at the Big Elf Jyamato who laughed merrily.
"HOHOHOHO! JYAMA-HOHOHOHOHO-JYAMA!?"
Oscura suddenly teleported in front of the Big Elf Jyamato, flexing her left Berserclaw. She then proceeded to hack and slash at it with the chainsaw sword and her claws before delivering a kick to its chest that sent it tumbling. As it scrambled to its feet, it fired its Christmas Tree Cannon, but Oscura slashed through the flying ornaments with her Berserclaw, melting them on contact.
"Now, let's see what this baby can do!" Oscura announced as she activated the Zombie Buckle's finisher.
[DARK ZOMBIE VICTORY!]
She slammed her Berserclaw to the ground and suddenly multiple energy Berserclaws burst out of the ground around the Big Elf Jyamato, grabbing on its limbs, immobilising it. It also felt its energy being drained at a critical rate by the construct claws, which all went to Oscura as her eyes gleamed.
"Thanks for the meal, but now it's time for the grand finale!"Oscura looked at Gato."Ready, mi amor?"
"Ready, batata!" Gato prepared, holding the DesWizarSwordGun in its sword configuration. Oscura activated the finisher system of both her buckles while Gato slapped the open Hand Author on her borrowed weapon.
[GRAND ZOMBIE DARKNESS VICTORY!]
[ABOMINATION! TACTICAL SLASH!]
Dark purple energy gathered around the Berserclaw on Oscura's left hand as they rode on a wave of Abomination slime towards their target. The wave crashed down on the monster and then formed a spiralling Abomination tornado. The Big Elf Jyamato was caught in the centre of the tornado as Oscura and Gato used the walls of the slime twister to ricochet off and slash at the monster. Streaks of dark purple and light purple energy crisscrossed inside of the tornado, the two Riders attacking the Big Elf Jyamato from every angle possible. Both Riders appeared right in front of the monster and slashed upwards to toss the monster into the air.
Oscura focused her energy on her legs and leapt high into the air. She used the walls of the tornado to bounce higher and higher until she was right above the Big Elf Jyamato. Her left arm Berserclaw began to glow brighter and brighter and, with a single thrust of her arm, Oscura created a large construct version of the Berserclaw that descended upon the Big Elf Jyamato. The construct slammed into it and sent the monster plummeting down, with the claw still pressing painfully onto it as it headed straight for Gato.
Gato summoned the Abomination slime that made the tornado, making it stream towards the blade of the DesWizarSwordGun - condensing it and moulding it into a large purple blade. With a loud battle cry, Gato thrust her sword into the air, doubling the glowing blade's size and width with her magic as it rose higher and higher into the air.
The two attacks met as the Berserclaw construct slammed the Big Elf Jyamato into the tip of the glowing blade. Sparks began to spray out from the point of impact until the blade broke through, piercing through the monster until it made contact with the Berserclaw construct on the other side. Finally, the resulting explosion obliterated the Big Elf Jyamato.
Oscura dropped out of the air and landed before Gato. The cat-themed Rider smiled under her helmet as she held out her left fist, prompting Oscura to do the same as they gave each other a celebratory fist bump.
With its soldiers being decimated, the Krampus Jyamato had no choice but to flee. However, Newtonne noticed the holiday demon monster running towards a tunnel.
"Oh, no you don't!" Newtonne ran in the direction of the Krampus Jyamato and vanished in a puff of smoke. A moment later, the ninja Rider reappeared at the entrance to the Krampus Jyamato's escape tunnel, startling the monster as it stumbled backwards. "You can't leave yet. We didn't get to tell you what we wanted for Christmas."
The Krampus Jyamato growled and threw a cloud of spores at Newtonne. The cloud hit fast, the spores landing on Newtonne's armour before exploding. When the smoke cleared, she was gone, replaced by a log.
Suddenly, the Krampus Jyamato found itself immobilised as Newtonne stood behind it, her Ninja Dueler hooked under its chin.
It would seem that it was finished, but then it did something with the bell in its hand. It rang its bell repeatedly but instead of calling reinforcements, each chime was causing Newtonne to become dizzy. She released the Krampus Jyamato and stumbled back as her vision became blurry and she became disoriented. When her vision eventually cleared, her eyes widened in shock.
"...Anne?"
"Hey, Mar-Mar," Anne smiled, looking as she did the last time Newtonne had seen her.
"Anne...I...I missed you..." Newtonne sobbed, dropping her weapon.
"Well, how about you come and give me a hug?" Anne requested, spreading her arms wide.
Meanwhile, Soaron had just sent another Toy Soldier Jyamato flying. She looked around for Newtonne. When she finally spotted her, she let out a gasp.
"Marcy!"
Newtonne was walking towards the Krampus Jyamato with her arms spread while the monster was holding a spear made of ice, waiting for her to come closer so it could drive its weapon into her heart.
The heron-themed Rider bolted towards Newtonne, kicking up a cloud of snow and dust in her wake as she raced towards the Krampus Jyamato. The Krampus Jyamato chuckled evilly as it prepared to skewer through the Rider but at the last second, Soaron released a loud war cry and smashed her right fist into the Boss monster's face.
Newtonne released a horrified gasp as she witnessed Soaron drive her huge gauntlet into the left side of 'Anne's' face. A powerful shockwave erupted from the impact, sending 'Anne' flying. Newtonne watched as 'Anne' rolled along the ground before coming to a stop, her mouth trickling with blood. The newt-themed Rider slowly turned her head to look in Soaron's direction, her eyes watering from witnessing the horrible sight of her new lover striking the girl they both loved.
"S-Sasha…why…? Why did you do that…?" Newtonne slowly asked, choking up.
"What are you talking about? I just saved you," said Soaron.
"Saved me…? SAVED ME?! YOU JUST PUNCHED ANNE IN THE FACE!"
Soaron was incredibly confused by what Newtonne just said. She even looked back at the Krampus Jyamato, just to verify that it was, in fact, the monster. And just as she thought, it was the monster, not Anne.
"Mar-Mar, that's not Anne! Remember what I told you: these things can make themselves look like people we know!"
Newtonne heard coughing from 'Anne' and immediately turned her attention to the injured girl. 'Anne' had managed to get into a sitting position. She wiped her mouth and gasped when she saw blood. That was when the pain erupted from her face and 'Anne' began to writhe around on the ground in agony.
"MARCY! IT HURTS! IT HURTS! WHY DID SASHA HIT ME?! I'M SORRY! I DON'T KNOW WHAT I DID TO MAKE HER ANGRY! BUT TELL HER I'M SORRY!" the fake 'Anne' cried out.
Hearing her beloved friend's cries of agony stoked the fires of rage inside the newt-themed Rider. Soaron noticed a shift and looked at Newtonne's hands. She saw that they were trembling and being balled into fists.
"Marcy…?"
In the blink of an eye, Newtonne closed in on Soaron, with her Ninja Dueler back in hand.
[Twin Blade!]
Newtonne separated the Ninja Dueler just as she slashed Soaron across the chest, ripping a shower of sparks from the heron-themed Rider. Soaron staggered backwards, both reeling from the damage and the shock that Newtonne had just attacked her so suddenly and viciously. However, Newtonne wasn't done as she pressed on with her attack, slashing wildly with the twin blades of the Ninja Dueler, forcing Soaron to block each hit with her large gauntlets.
"Marcy, stop! It's me! I'm not a Jyamato!" Soaron cried out.
"I KNOW IT'S YOU! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO HER?! JUST WHEN I THOUGHT YOU'D CHANGED, YOU GO AND HURT ANNE, AGAIN!" Newtonne performed a flip kick, breaking Soaron's guard before she landed on the ground and slashed Soaron again, ripping more sparks from the armour and throwing her girlfriend onto her rear. "I'm never going to let you hurt Anne ever again!"
Soaron watched as Newtonne flipped her Ninja Dueler around, holding both blades in a reverse grip style as she prepared to stab her girlfriend with them.
"MARCY, STOP!" Soaron screamed.
Just as she was about to strike, a bolt of green energy struck Newtonne in the chest, sending her skidding backwards as sparks filled the air. When Newtonne stopped, both she and Soaron looked in the direction where the energy bolt had come from and saw that it was none other than Oliver the newt.
"That is not how you should treat your allies, Master Marcy," Oliver chided, wiggling his finger in disappointment as he levelled his Laser Raise Riser at her.
"Oliver…? W-why did you stop me?! You saw what Sasha did! She hurt Anne! She almost killed her a second time!" Newtonne argued.
"Think, Master Marcy. I understand how much you care and wish for Anne Boonchuy's return, but even someone with your great intellect should see the fallacy of her being here alive when the game has yet to conclude," Oliver rebutted.
"No! No! Oliver, look! She's right there! She's right over there in pain because of that bitch!" Newtonne retorted as she pointed her right Ninja Dueler at Soaron. "I was a hopeless idiot! Of course, Sasha's not going to change overnight! The moment I'm gone, the moment my eyes aren't on her, she's going to do what she always does! Manipulate and control! And when she doesn't get her way, she resorts to violence!"
"Marcy, you don't mean that!" Soaron protested.
"It's the truth! You'll just use Anne like you always do! Because she won't fight back! But I will! IT SHOULD'VE BEEN YOU, SASHA WAYBRIGHT! YOU SHOULD'VE DIED INSTEAD OF ANNE!"
The cruel words hit Soaron harder than any pain that Newtonne could inflict with her blades. After coming to terms with Anne's sacrifice and taking responsibility for her part in it, Soaron began to believe that maybe she should have died instead of her best friend.
Oliver could see that Soaron's morale had taken a significant hit from hearing those harsh words from the girl she loved. This would not bode well for them.
"Come now, Master Marcy. You just hurt Ms. Waybright's feelings. I'm sure she blames herself enough, and I know you still care about her. Consequently, if you two continue to fight each other like this, you'll just incur a penalty. And we can't afford any more of those, I'm afraid."
Oliver took out his own high-tech card and slid it into his Laser Raise Riser's cartridge before snapping it on.
[Leviathan: Set.]
Oliver got down on one knee, holding his Laser Raise Riser across his face.
"Henshin."
[Laser On.]
Oliver pulled the trigger and fired a green laser beam which flew around him, forming a ring.
[Leviathan: Loading.]
As Oliver rose to his feet, digital blocks began to form around his body. But something was different about his transformation compared to Lumina and Amara's. The digital blocks continued to pile on, going higher and higher. Newtonne and Soaron found themselves gradually tilting their heads upwards, eyes widening in shock as they beheld Oliver's fully transformed state.
Instead of a half-pint newt in Rider armour, Oliver had become a giant which resembled a mech suit. Dwarfing everything in the chamber, he was heavily armoured with a green and black camouflage colour scheme. He had thick forearms with four digits on each hand, and his thick trunk-like legs ended with three-toed feet. On his back was a thick and powerful tail. Finally, his head was U-shaped with a pair of beady orange eyes.
"…It's a Gundam…" Newtonne gasped.
"REJOICE, HUMANS! KAMEN RIDER LEVIATHAN HAS ARRIVED!" he bellowed.
"What the actual fuck!? He can turn into a giant robot?!" Soaron exclaimed.
"What can I say? I'm LARGE and in CHARGE, baby!" Leviathan proclaimed as he pumped his fists. "Now, Master Marcy, be a good girl and get your head on straight!"
"Oliver…I don't care if you're a Gundam, but Sasha had this coming for a long time!" Newtonne shouted.
"Alright then…" Leviathan crossed his arms as he smirked. "We'll do this the hard way."
[Ready, Fight.]
"Get out of my way!" Newtonne shouted as she darted towards Soaron; but then Leviathan easily scooped up the ninja newt-themed Rider, gripping her in his large hand. "Let me go, Oliver! Let me go!"
"Sasha, I've got her! Now kill that thing before it gets away!" Leviathan urged.
"Uh…r-right." Soaron got back to her feet and she glared bloody daggers at the Krampus Jyamato. The bloodlust was so strong that the holiday demon trembled. "You messed with Marcy's head and made her think I hurt Anne. Not only did you hurt the girl that I love, but you also used the memory of the other girl I love as well to hurt her! YOU'RE DEAD!"
Taking the Raise Buckles off her Driver, she quickly took out her Rising Phoenix Buckle and split it apart before slamming both halves into their respective slots.
[Set Ascend!]
Her fists slammed down on the Buckle, activating it.
[CALAMITY WING! RISING PHOENIX!]
A fiery phoenix appeared behind Soaron before it wrapped its wings around her and the flames dispersed, revealing her Rising Phoenix Form.
[READY, FIGHT!]
As soon as her armour formed, she held out her right hand and formed a red sword with a heron-shaped crossguard. The Krampus Jyamato reached inside its sack to take out its weapon: a devil's pitchfork.
Soaron levelled her sword at the Krampus Jyamato, widening her stance before her feet ignited with bursting crimson and pink flames that launched her straight for the monster at high speed. The holiday demon was caught off guard by the fast-approaching Rider but managed to deliver a strike with its pitchfork just as Soaron slashed with her sword. Sparks flew from the initial clash of their weapons, but she was out for blood. Another burst of crimson and pink flames erupted as she disappeared and reappeared on the monster's left. The Krampus Jyamato hurriedly twirled its pitchfork and attacked again, resulting in another clash of their weapons.
The Phoenix Rider didn't stop as she continued to use the same tactic: bursting in and out of sight as she slashed the monster with her weapon, forcing the Krampus Jyamato to work double time to try and keep up with not only her speed but also her power. With each strike of her sword, the ground beneath the Krampus Jyamato started to crack and cave in, creating a growing crater with each hit blocked. Her movements were so swift that the only thing that could be seen before Soaron disappeared was her dual flames. The ringing of their steel echoed in the chamber around them, but it would soon cease.
Soaron appeared and raised her sword for an overhead strike in midair while the Krampus Jyamato got its pitchfork into a thrusting position and lunged with it. However, Soaron burst out of the way and appeared below the weapon. The Krampus Jyamato looked down just in time for Soaron to swipe at it with her sword, cutting off the head of the pitchfork and kicking it like a soccer ball while still in the air. The head of the pitchfork was flung across the chamber before embedding itself in the wall far away from them.
The Krampus Jyamato was shocked by the sudden turn of events, allowing Soaron to ball up her left fist, lacing it with her dual-coloured flames, and bury it right in the jolly demon's gut. The Krampus Jyamato let out a painful cry as it was sent skidding backwards on its heels, upturning rock and ice in its wake. The monster was now several feet away and panting from the pain that radiated from its stomach, which now had a charred imprint of Soaron's fist on it. It reached into its sack to pull out a barbed whip which it swung at the Phoenix Rider, and the whip sailed through the air as it made its way directly for Soaron's neck. Soaron stepped back and allowed the whip to wrap around her left forearm. The Krampus Jyamato cackled a little, believing that it had ensnared the Rider, but that was far from the truth. Because the fact was that Soaron was the one who had the Krampus Jyamato.
"EAT THIS!" Soaron sent fire rushing across the whip, which burnt the Krampus Jyamato's hand, causing it to release the whip like it was a venomous snake.
The Krampus Jyamato quickly reached into its sack of toys to try and find another weapon to use on Soaron, but she was not having it. The Phoenix Rider switched her sword to her left hand to conjure a large fireball the size of a cannonball in her right hand. The swirling red and pink flames roared as she cocked back her arm and launched the fireball at the Krampus Jyamato. The holly jolly demon was left with no choice but to raise the sack, using it as a makeshift shield. As soon as the fireball hit, a powerful explosion went off that knocked the monster onto its back as the sack of toys now lay in front of him, burning into nothing.
"No more toys for you," Soaron growled aggressively.
The Krampus Jyamato decided to use its trump card as it raised its arm and unleashed a massive cloud of spores. The sparkling cloud of spore rapidly closed in on Soaron, who carelessly walked forward, ignoring the approaching danger. The Krampus Jyamato cackled again, believing that Soaron's hubris was about to catch up with her, but its joy died when the spore cloud instantly caught on fire. The Krampus Jyamato kept the spore attack going, unleashing a stream of it in a desperate attempt to stop her. Unfortunately for it, the intense heat of Soaron's armour was burning the spores before they could even reach her, creating embers and ashes that danced around her, adding to the intensity of her visage as she got closer and closer to her intended victim.
Soaron stopped for a moment and slammed her right fist down on her Buckle, activating her finisher.
[RISING PHOENIX STRIKE!]
Soaron's entire body burst into flames as flaming wings appeared behind her, the fire raging like her fury. In the blink of an eye, Soaron appeared before it to deliver a flaming uppercut which trailed with streaks of fire, the blow creating an explosion that launched the monster up into the air. She flew after it, quickly overtaking it before flipping once to plant her feet on the ceiling to launch herself off it. She struck it with her left fist, sending it into a spin before she flipped forward to plant her feet into the ground and then launched herself into the air again.
The Krampus Jyamato stopped spinning, just long enough for Soaron to deliver a thrust kick into its chest, followed up by a roundhouse to its head. The double whammy sent the monster flying higher and higher until it crashed into the ceiling of the cave, creating a body-sized indentation.
Soaron landed back on the ground, just below the Krampus Jyamato. She wasn't about to let this monster get off easy for messing with Marcy's head, for using Anne's memory as a weapon against them.
The phoenix-themed Rider released yet another war cry as she struck her Buckle, this time with both fists.
[RISING PHOENIX VICTORY!]
Soaron's flaming aura raged, growing larger, as the phoenix construct screeched mightily, echoing throughout the entirety of the tunnel network. The ice inside of the chamber melted from the heat, turning into puddles that pooled and then evaporated. Soaron cocked back her right fist, the fiery phoenix construct instantly shrinking and condensing as the flames that comprised its body were being absorbed into her right fist. The phoenix-themed Rider threw a mighty uppercut into the air, which sent the flames that were wrapped around her fist to explode skywards in the form of a pillar of intense dual-coloured flames. The column swiftly took on the form of a firebird, its mighty screeches echoing once again as it soared towards the Krampus Jyamato.
The holiday demon could do nothing as Soaron's firebird attack struck, sending it crashing through the ceiling. Layer after layer of ice and solid rock was shattered as if they were fragile glass. As it broke through each layer, the Krampus Jyamato grunted as it felt as if it was getting rammed through an entire mountain with each impact. On the surface, the snow melted, and the rock underneath started to heat up, turning orange, and then into an angry red colour before being blasted open, flinging molten rock in all directions as the Krampus Jyamato broke through the surface. The holiday demon sailed higher and higher into the air before the flames wrapped around it and created a massive explosion of crimson and pink flames, with the firebird construct appearing in the skies, unleashing a victorious screech for all the Demon Realm to hear.
Soaron remained where she was, panting heavily with her right fist still raised into the air as the light from the surface shined down on her.
[MISSION CLEARED!]
The destruction of the Krampus Jyamato snapped Newtonne out of her trance. She glanced around in confusion, shaking her head as she looked up at Leviathan.
"Are you OK now, Master Marcy?" Leviathan kindly asked.
"Oliver, is that you?" she asked back, recognizing the voice coming from the colossal Rider. "What happened?"
"You lost your mind, so I had to restrain you. Are you sure you're OK?" he questioned.
"Oliver, I'm okay! You can put me down now!" she urged.
"You sure? I don't need you going crazy on us again."
"Seriously, I'm fine! Please, I need to go to Sasha!"
Leviathan decided to trust Newtonne as he placed her back on the ground but remained cautious. Detransforming, Marcy approached Sasha and stopped about a couple of feet in front of her. The air was tense between them. Even though Marcy's cruel words to Sasha had been spoken while she was under the Jyamato's spell, part of it did come from some lingering resentment.
"Sasha…I…I'm so, so sorry for all the things I said," Marcy deeply apologised.
"Marcy, it's okay. You…you were just trying to protect Anne. I know that really wasn't her, but your heart was in the right place. And…you were right…it should've been me who died that day," Sasha admitted, her gaze lowering.
"Sasha, no, don't say–!"
"It's true. If I had died, you and Anne could be together. I bet you could make her happier than I ever could. You could be the person who actually builds her up and helps her become a better person, instead…instead of using her, controlling her…" Sasha released a heavy sigh. "Let's face it, Mar-Mar: at some point, I'm going to hurt you and Anne. Just…when we get her back, just leave me out of it. You two deserve to be happy, and not have my toxic ass ruining everything."
"…Sasha, it's true that part of me is afraid that you might slip back into old habits."
"I see..."
"But that's on me." Marcy threw her arms around Sasha. "I know you want to be a better person, Sasha. If there's anyone who needs to be sorry, it's me for not having more faith in you."
Sasha smiled as she hugged Marcy back.
"Guess we still have some issues to iron out, huh?"
"We'll have to iron them out together. Oh, and congrats on the win!"
Meanwhile, Amara and Lumina had just finished cutting the kids down and freeing them from their cages. The owl-like Rider flew up and cut the chains, and her partner caught the cages as they fell using magic before breaking them out.
"Is everyone alright?" Amity asked as she ran up to the two Supporter Riders with Luz.
"Yes, the kids are fine," Lumina confirmed. "They're a bit cold, but once they're all back home, they'll be alright."
"That's good," Luz said, relieved.
"Looks like another mission done," Sasha said as she and Marcy joined them.
"Guess you finished off the Boss, huh, Sasha?" Luz guessed.
"Was there any other doubt?" Sasha boasted, smirking.
"Then it's time to say goodbye to this place," Luz concluded, a sad frown on her face. She knew that their stay in the Boiling Isles would only be temporary. The Game Master would want them back at the Desire Temple, to have them vote another one of them off after the end of this round. The only thing she would regret was not saying goodbye to Eda, King, Little Luz, Willow and Gus. She just hoped that, with her gone, the cult she heard about would not cause any trouble.
The children and teenagers were covered in blue pixels, which safely transported them away from the Knee. As the Riders and supporters were being transported back to the Desire Temple, a magic circle suddenly appeared under Luz's feet, glowing with eldritch purple light. Her eyes widened when she recognised it to be her magic circle. Then, just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished, taking her along with it.
Snatching victory in the game, and freeing her lover, Sasha Waybright has claimed the win.
Although it appears that she and young Marcy still need to work on their relationship, love always finds a way. Does it not?
However, now things are getting interesting. Luz Noceda has been spirited away, and just at the game's conclusion.
How will this affect the Desire Grand Prix going forward?
And who was it that kidnapped our troubled hero?
Dr. X: In the last chapter, we saw Lumina and Amara's Rider forms. This time, we debut Oliver's Rider form. He uses the name 'Leviathan' since he's acting as a proxy for Marcy and Sasha's true supporter, the King of Amphibia, Andrias Leviathan. It is no coincidence that his Rider form resembles Andrias' mech suit from the episode All In.
Also, if you're interested in discussing the fic, we have a forum:
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Another debut here is Oscura's Dark Magnum Form and Dark Zombie Form.
Dark Magnum gives Oscura enhanced firepower, giving each of her Magnum Shooter rounds the power of a shotgun or a cannon blast if she so chooses. She also possesses both the Gunslinger Arms and Legs, so she's never unarmed in combat.
Dark Zombie, on the other hand, grants her a Berserclaw on each hand and foot. Not only that, but she also becomes more animalistic, fighting like a berserker as a result. From what has been shown, this form draws power from the Gluttony Stone on her Oscura Buckle, which allows her to drain energy whenever she strikes an enemy.
Dark Combinations so far and corresponding Sin Stones:
Wrath (red): Dark Magnum
Greed (orange): ?
Pride (yellow): ?
Envy (green): ?
Sloth (blue): Dark Boost
Gluttony (indigo): Dark Zombie
Lust (violet): Dark Beat