CHAPTER 3: RESOLVE TO FIGHT.
I DONT OWN ANKOKU KISHI MONOGATARI OR KAMEN RIDER AND THEY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.
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There are numerous gods in this world, mostly living in the heavenly city of Elios. Back then, the gods of Light and Dark coexisted but despised each other. The Light Gods loathed the ugliness of the Dark Gods, while the Dark Gods detested the Light Gods for their sanctimony. However, there were still some Light and Dark Gods who remained friends despite the tension.
Modes was one of the pillars of the Dark Gods, but he was quite lonely. He tried to find a partner among the goddesses but was unsuccessful due to his unattractive appearance, despite being a nice guy. One day, things took a turn for the worse when Modes was suddenly accused of stealing the goddesses' underwear, which led to his banishment from Elios.
Modes willingly accepted his banishment to avoid involving his Light faction friends further, but he requested some locks of the Goddess Rena's hair before leaving. Rena relented and gave them to him so he could leave immediately.
Modes went back to his birthplace, Nargol, and decided to create a goddess since he couldn't find anyone to marry him. After many trials and errors, Modes was able to create Mona and married her, experiencing the happiest days of his life.
Unfortunately, Rena discovered Mona's existence and demanded that Modes hand her over. Modes refused and declared that it would be over his dead body before it happened. Rena asked the Light male gods vying for her hand to fight for her, leading to them attacking Modes en masse. Despite being considered ugly, Modes' power was so great that he was hailed as a Demon King and managed to subjugate the interlopers.
Rena, distressed, asked Casa, a goddess with precognitive abilities, for help. Casa suggested that Rena summon a hero from another world, which she did. Reiji and his party were immediately summoned to fight the supposed Demon Lord, Modes.
Reiji, always eager to help a beautiful woman in need, agreed to Rena's request and led his party to attack Nargol, causing massive destruction. Modes was surprised by the new force that attacked his army and investigated further, learning that Reiji was summoned from another world. He also realized that if he fought Reiji directly, he would die.
Casa suggested that Modes summon a hero to fight back against Rena's champion, so he contacted his few friends from Elios and performed the summoning ritual. The result was Kuroki.
"So, that was my story, Kuroki-dono. I hope that hearing about my circumstances could help you with your decision," Modes ended his tale.
Kuroki was at a loss for words at what had happened with Modes. To think that these gods were petty in this world. Just because of a goddess's folly, it had escalated into a troublesome situation to the point where they had dragged outsiders into the world to fight their wars?
"By the way, Kuroki-dono, I was curious at first why someone as young as you acts mature for his age, but it seems that you are older than you look," Modes suddenly commented.
"Huh? I know I kind of look young for my age, but I am not that young. I am approaching my thirties now, you know," Kuroki replied.
Modes and Mona looked at each other in surprise. Even without words, they managed to know what each other was thinking. Mona chanted some words while Modes tried to explain the situation.
"Uhmm…Kuroki-dono, here is a mirror. Take a good look at yourself," Modes offered while Mona handed him a mirror she produced out of thin air.
"Oh, thank you-"
"..."
"..."
"EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?"
Kuroki's appearance had reverted back exactly to what he looked like 10 years ago.
"Damn, this tea is delicious. I think Sawa and Misora would like this," Kuroki thought to himself as he sat in a garden exclusive to Modes and Mona, enjoying the snacks and tea that Mona had prepared. The refreshments helped calm his nerves after the shock of learning that he had become ten years younger. While he was used to changes in his appearance, the sudden reversal was unnerving.
As he sat there, Kuroki thought about the events of the day. He had been fighting remnants of Downfall with Sento when he was summoned by a Demon Lord to fight off his former acquaintances who had been missing for ten years. These individuals had been summoned by a Goddess who wanted to take her clone back from the Demon Lord. It was all very complicated and frustrating, and Kuroki couldn't help but grumble about it.
Kuroki wasn't the type to do a lot of thinking; he was more of a heavy-lifter. But he wasn't stupid, either. He knew that even though Modes had quit trying to woo the goddesses, someone would eventually try to find a way to kick him out of Elios. What also bothered Kuroki was how Reiji had made things worse for everyone. Reiji had been known as a womanizer who always tried to "save" beautiful girls, regardless of whether they wanted his help or not. Kuroki suspected that the girls Reiji had gotten involved with had been dragged into this mess without their consent. While Reiji's mentality might be considered "noble" or "charming" by some, Kuroki knew how dangerous it was to involve oneself in situations without knowing all the details.
Earlier, Modes had cried in front of Kuroki, pleading with him to help. "If I lose this battle, they will kill Mona! I would do anything! I will even find a way to send you back!" Modes had begged.
This put Kuroki in a difficult position. If he had been threatened, he could have fought back. But the person who summoned him had no other options and had been forced to make the request. And now, he had even offered Kuroki a surprising proposition.
"If you want, Kuroki-dono, I could even create a Goddess for you."
Kuroki was surprised by the offer. He had experienced love and romance in the past, and the reason he had become a Kamen Rider was due to his late girlfriend. Unfortunately, reality was not like a romance novel, and her death still affected him. He had also briefly dated a girl named Yui, but their relationship had ended quickly due to his duties as Kamen Rider. Kuroki still felt a hole in his heart that he couldn't fill, and he wondered if the goddess Rena, who was very beautiful but had a bad personality, at least her clone, could be the one to finally heal him. Another thing that weighed on Kuroki's mind was his first love, Shirone. Even though years had passed, he still wanted closure. Their last conversation had ended in a quarrel, and it haunted him to this day. Now that he knew Shirone was still alive, Kuroki couldn't bear to see her running towards her own death.
As Kuroki looked at Modes and Mona, he couldn't help but sympathize with their situation. A man who had been ruined by everything around him but had found happiness after a long and tortuous journey - it paralleled Kuroki's own experiences. While he couldn't turn back time for himself, he could at least try to prevent it from happening to someone else.
Kuroki sighed and looked up at the dark sky. Despite being plunged into eternal night, he couldn't help but appreciate its beauty. He was now ready to make his decision.
In the Audience Hall
"Kuroki-dono, are you going to fight for us now?" Modes asked hopefully.
"Yes, it would leave a bad taste in my mouth to turn my back on someone who asks for my help," Kuroki assured Modes. "Besides, your devotion to your wife reminds me of a friend of mine. Maybe if you meet, you two would get along."
"THANK YOU! THANK YOU SO MUCH! MODES WILL NEVER FORGET YOUR KINDNESS!" Modes cried happily as he shook Kuroki's hand. "Now, Kuroki-dono, here is the armor and sword I have prepared for you." Modes presented armor similar to Runefield's.
Kuroki inspected the armor and commented, "It's nice equipment, but how could I say this...it's kind of gaudy and spiky? Thanks for the offer, but I will have to refuse it...I think this sword is enough for me." Kuroki picked up the greatsword that looked cool instead, at least for him.
Modes was surprised by Kuroki's refusal. "But how will you fight? You can't possibly face him with only your clothes on your back!"
Kuroki just smiled as he reached for something on his back as he walked towards the castle gates. Modes was curious about the contraption Kuroki was holding. It was a finely crafted device with a crank on its side. Kuroki stopped at the castle exit and stabbed the sword he was carrying into the floor. He placed his contraption on his waist, and a belt came out of it to secure itself in place. Then, a mechanical dragon came out of Kuroki's pocket and flew towards his hand. Kuroki reached into his other pocket for a strange bottle, shook it, twisted off the cap, and inserted it into the mechanical creature.
"WAKE UP!"
Kuroki folded the dragon's head and tail inside its body and inserted it inside the buckle.
"CROSS-Z DRAGON!"
Kuroki held the buckle and began to crank the lever. A strange, unnatural music played out, and a strange platform emerged from beneath Kuroki's feet. The belt produced glass tubes on both ends, and as Kuroki continued to spin the lever, a blue substance filled the glass tubes and formed what looked like halves of armor on each end and a dragon on the side. Kuroki then stopped cranking the lever and spoke the word that everyone in that place would never forget.
ARE YOU READY!?"
"HENSHIN!"
CHAPTER 3 END
A/N: It took a while, but hey, I'm satisfied with the results. Chapter 4 may take a while to publish because the first half of Ankoku Kishi Monogatari Chapter 4 is pretty cringy. That part of the chapter is intended to make you angry as you can imagine how carefree the Hero Party was after they murdered a lot of Nargol citizens who were just minding their own business. I will try to convey the same disgust that the original story aimed for to the readers, so buckle up.
As for Kuroki, I shot down his relationship with Yui. First of all, it felt like it happened too fast for my taste. Another reason is that I want to see how much Kasumi's death still haunts Kuroki, making it difficult for him to form any romantic relationships easily. Remember, Kuroki's social life is messed up, and you have to imagine how Kasumi's death affected him. If you read Ankoku Kishi Monogatari, you'll see a massive difference in Kuroki's character. In the original, Kuroki is a perverted, somewhat incel guy who never had a girlfriend (thanks, Shirone!) and made disgusting faces whenever a cute/hot girl talked to him. But thanks to someone (again, thanks, Shirone!), he gets rejected. In the fanfiction, Kuroki can talk straight to women as he's already passed that phase. You can also see how a bit cynical Kuroki is due to the Kamen Rider Build storyline. He saved the world with his friends, but at what cost? Get ready for some differences as well. Well, that's it for me for now. PM me if you need something. Thanks!