CHAPTER 4: The Dark Draconic Knight

I DON'T OWN ANKOKU KISHI MONOGATARI OR KAMEN RIDER AND THEY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

"At last, we are here now," one girl said to her party members as they saw the silhouette of the castle where the Demon King resided. Another girl nodded, knowing that this would be the end of their journey.

"Yes, Chiyuki-senpai!" a twin-tailed girl named Rino agreed as she danced around while walking. Their crusade against the citizens of Nargol to purge the Evil Dark lord went smoothly, as usual in the games and manga they were familiar with. After they defeated the Demon King's underlings, the cowardly Demon King waited in his castle. To make sure the Demon King would not pull off any tricks, they destroyed every town they passed and finished off any monster they came across, even ones that looked like demonic humans, as they knew they might pose a threat to them.

"Yes, it's just a bit more, Rino-san."

Just a bit more and they would arrive at the Demon King's Castle. As long as they defeated the Demon King, they could go home.

"Yeah, this journey will end. Sorry girls for dragging you all along on this."

Reiji, the sole male member and leader of the heroes' party, apologized to his party members as he turned around and faced them. He was supposed to be the only one summoned as the Hero, but the girls were dragged with him.

"That's right. This adventure is truly memorable!"

Reiji and his party members were summoned a year ago by the Goddess Alrena. Rena asked Reiji to save her and the whole world, a very cliché plot that only existed in manga and light novels. Chiyuki was about to voice her opinion about their situation. It was just them being kidnapped and forced to do something outrageous, but Reiji hastily agreed because Rena happened to be a beautiful woman. It didn't help that all of the remaining girls agreed too. Chiyuki remembered what Reiji said when she was about to disagree with him.

"That's all right, Chiyuki. We are saving the world, right? I will be like my idolized heroes!" Reiji smiled in a child-like manner.

Chiyuki softened at Reiji's innocent smile at that time, knowing what he was talking about. She eventually agreed when Rena promised that they would be returned on the same day they were summoned to this world. Initially worried about their adventures, her fears eventually faded away due to one thing.

They all had superpowers.

.In addition to their supernatural strength, all of them can use magic. Chiyuki is particularly skilled in different kinds of elemental magic, while Rino and Sahoko are better at Spirit and Healing magic respectively.

However, Reiji is the most powerful of them all, since he is the hero. According to Rena, Reiji's power is comparable to Oudis, the king of the Gods of Light. Their adventures would not be easy if not for Reiji's combat prowess. They have gone on quests involving slaying demons, freeing kingdoms from their tyrants, or destroying them if they are evil, and even saving princesses. Before they knew it, one year had already passed.

Their journey is now coming to an end, and Chiyuki is wondering if they could ask for compensation from Rena for summoning them. But Reiji would probably veto that, as he believes that it is an honor to serve a goddess. Chiyuki also notices that their quests usually involve cute girls, but that is probably just her imagination.

"Lo~ok, it's the Demon King's Castle!" Nao, the party scout, happily announces as she returns from reconnaissance.

"How was the situation, Nao?"

"All clear! There are no traps or enemies on the way!"

"Huh? But that's the Demon Lord's castle! How come there are no guards present?" Shirone, the party's swordswoman, asks curiously.

"Probably they were scared and already left their lord to save themselves!" Rino optimistically replies.

"Or maybe since we defeated their Royal Guard, what were they called? Chivalric Order of the Dark Knights, right? They might be the last line of defense." Shirone adds.

The Order of the Dark Knights was the opponent they faced four days ago. Of all the enemies they have encountered, they were probably the most difficult they have faced. Reiji wasn't with them when the Order attacked the girls. Their leader, Runefield, was on par with Shirone in swordsmanship and was well versed in magic like Chiyuki. He alone was more than enough to almost overwhelm them, but fortunately, Reiji came running and saved the day. He managed to kill off most of the members of the order before some of them escaped.

"It would be great if no one was there but…" Sahoko, the party's healer, meekly comments.

"That's alright, we don't have to deal with small fries." Chiyuki agrees with Sahoko's opinion.

"Well, we know what will happen if we arrive there. Let's get going."

Everyone agrees as they head towards the Demon King's Castle. Little did they know that this would be the start of their greatest nightmare upon coming into this world.

"The castle is huge!" Rino commented as she stared at the giant structure in front of her. Even Chiyuki was mesmerized by the size and the unnatural structure that was situated in the middle of a lake, probably floating through magic. They continued to advance to the bridge towards the castle rather easily as there was no one guarding the bridge, and there wasn't even a single lookout on the ramparts.

"This is strange. Shouldn't this castle have any lookout? Also, everything seems quiet…" Chiyuki said as she observed the surroundings when…

"Chiyuki-san! Over there, a person!" Nao quickly warned everyone.

From the entrance of the castle, a person was slowly walking towards them. At first, due to the poor visibility due to fog, they couldn't see him properly, but as he got closer, everyone was astonished by his appearance.

At first, he seemed to be a Dark Knight similar to the Order, but on closer inspection, his armor seemed… shiny and modern-like. The designs on his armor also evoked the imagery of flames, and on his helmet looked like a dragon's head. But what's even more strange is the belt buckle on his waist, which design is much closer to their technology in their homeworld. The knight was also holding a jet-black sword that pulsed crimson lines as if it was alive. The masked figure stopped a few feet away from them as his eyes on his helmet glowed blue and then turned crimson red as if to intimidate them.

"This…This isn't Runefield." Reiji muttered as he continued to observe the newcomer in front of them. There is an unsettling feeling in his chest that he can't explain.

Chiyuki silently agreed with Reiji. The battle from four days ago was still fresh, and none of the knights had that kind of armor. Also, this armor may be a little different, but she seemed to be familiar with it.

"His appearance may be less intimidating, but it looks like he is stronger than Runefield or anyone that we faced in this world." Shirone commented as she continued to glare at the armored figure.

"Hah, no need to fear, Shirone. We are strong, and he is just alone." Reiji declared as he was able to get a hold of himself. His words managed to calm down the girls. The newcomer was alone, and he will not be able to hold a candle against Reiji no matter how powerful he is.

The Dark Knight raised his left hand and beckoned at Reiji.

"Hero, fight with me." The Dark Knight spoke with a deep voice. The party didn't react immediately, but the knight chuckled and followed up with another provocation.

"...or are you perhaps helpless without your women?"

"They are really the same as ten years ago," Kuroki observed while looking at the Hero Party in front of him, which only consisted of Reiji and his women. If Kuroki were the same as ten years ago, he would have immediately cursed Reiji for his harem. Kuroki applied Evolto's voice-changing, despite his distaste, so the other party would not recognize him, and he also took a leaf out of Gentoku's intimidation tactics. It seems that worked quite well against them, especially Reiji, who was seemingly provoked.

"Shirone."

Kuroki then looked at his childhood friend, who was still glaring at him. It had been a long time since he saw her. Kuroki felt nostalgia, as no one in his current circle of friends knew what he went through in his younger years. Despite her being forceful back then, he couldn't deny that his childhood wasn't that miserable because of her. Kuroki snapped back to reality when Reiji drew out his sword from his scabbard and positioned himself.

"Everyone stay back! I can handle this guy alone!" Reiji grinned as he warned his party members. He expected that the Dark Knight in front of him would be intimidated by his declaration, but the Dark Knight seemed to ignore him still.

"I will finish you in one blow!" Reiji kicked the ground and closed in on the Dark Knight. He jumped straight at him to attack, but this would be only a feint. He disappeared and quickly moved to the right side of the knight, aiming for his side. This attack always guaranteed his victory immediately.

KINNNNN!

But his attack was suddenly stopped by the Dark Knight. Without even looking at him and not even budging from his place, the Dark Knight pushed him back with what seemed like minimal force, but Reiji was thrown back quite a distance. However, he was able to balance himself back with a backflip.

"Heh, that was just a lucky block! WELL, HOW ABOUT THIS!"

Undaunted by the Dark Knight's lack of reaction, Reiji charged at the Knight again and swung his sword many times, but the Dark Knight continued to parry his attacks with minimal effort. Frustrated by the Dark Knight's impeccable defense against his attacks, he jumped back and enveloped his body with light and swung his sword towards the Dark Knight, producing swords of light that attacked the Dark Knight at once, but something seemingly impossible happened.

The Dark Knight just swatted the swords with his flaming left hand, causing all of them to disappear into thin air.

"WHAT!"

Kuroki stared at his left hand, which had swatted the swords from the air. He had done it on reflex because it felt slow to him. At first, he thought that Reiji would be a threat, but to his surprise, while Reiji might be fast, his swings lacked power. His attacks were just him swinging the sword randomly. Even back in his own world, some of his enemies like the Gear Brothers or even the three Idi-Crows still had techniques to compensate for their low Hazard levels.

"All you have is just speed? You've spent one year on this world and I haven't felt even an ounce of technique from you? You are nothing more than a wild animal. Pathetic," Kuroki sneered.

"W-well, unlike you, who is just running away! Is defense all you do?" Reiji shot back at the insult.

"You fool, have you taken a good look at yourself? You are running yourself ragged now," Kuroki dismissed Reiji's claim. The difference in their fighting experience was now showing. Reiji was so used to finishing things as soon as possible by overwhelming his opponents that it was useless in Kuroki's life-threatening situations that he had gone through for a long time.

"Grrrr… SHUT UP!"

Overcome with rage, Reiji's temper (and to prevent himself from being embarrassed in front of his harem) shot up, and he charged at Kuroki. The latter just sighed and thrust his sword into the ground.

"Guess you are the type that needs to feel so the lesson could sink in. Well then."

"OOF!"

As Reiji was about to swing his sword at Kuroki's face, Kuroki punched him quickly two times, in the stomach and then his face. Kuroki then kneed him in the stomach and roundhouse kicked Reiji in the chest. While the latter staggered, Kuroki grabbed his collar and started to pummel Reiji in the face nonstop.

"OUCH! STOP IT! AHH! NOT MY FACE!"

Meanwhile, the girls were horrified by what the Dark Knight was doing to their beloved Reiji. Not only had he deflected Reiji's attacks, but he also easily manhandled Reiji, who was undefeated in their old world and now.

"Reiji! Chiyuki-san, we must help him! We have to do something!" Sahoko cried out as Reiji was being beaten to death.

"Yes, we need to intervene now!" Chiyuki replied as she started to cast a spell.

"Stop it, Chiyuki! You might get Reiji caught in your magic!" Shirone stopped Chiyuki. As much as she didn't want to agree too, The Dark Knight was correct that Reiji had no technique in his swings, and it was only due to his natural-born ability that was amplified by his Hero status that he was able to overwhelm his enemies. She knew that, as she could recall, his childhood friend Kuroki had almost defeated Reiji in a match, but the former suddenly stopped attacking, and Reiji was able to win. She could only bite her lip in frustration as they could only watch Reiji being beaten black and blue by the Dark Knight.

"Oops… I think I have gone overboard," Kuroki suddenly stopped punching Reiji. The latter's face was bleeding and full of bruises with swelling. Kuroki then realized that he was still in his Cross-Z form and he could have killed Reiji. Fortunately for Reiji, he was not an ordinary human in this world, so he was able to survive.

"This is kind of boring now, strangely I feel refreshed in a way," Kuroki thought as he was able to avenge his loss ten years ago. He looked at the girls who seemed ready to kill him right now.

"What a bore, and I have high hopes for your hero. Here you can take him back. Leave now before I change my mind. Consider this as my mercy," Kuroki threw Reiji like a sack of garbage towards them. The girls approached Reiji immediately to help him. Sahoko immediately cast healing on Reiji while the other girls glared at Kuroki.

"Y-YOU MONSTER! How dare you attack Reiji-kun like that!" Rino lashed out at Kuroki, who was stumped for words.

"Huh?"

"You almost killed our Reiji! YOU DEVIL!" Nao added.

"Ha?"

"You coward! You used some kind of trick to defeat Reiji-san!" Shirone shouted.

Kuroki was at a loss for words at those accusations. As far as he knew, Reiji was the one who attacked first, fully intended to kill him, and used magic against him while Kuroki just used martial arts and his sword to fight him. Kuroki turned back at them without speaking any words and just walked towards the castle, despite the girls' cursing.

Reiji opened his eyes a bit and saw the Dark Knight walking away from their party. He could feel the helplessness that he was dealt with again.

"No…"

He remembered that he almost got killed by a monster when he was a child, but luckily, a masked warrior with a red scarf saved him. Reiji felt that he was betraying that man's memory if he would accept his defeat like that. He summoned his sword back to his hand and immediately stood up, ignoring the girls who tried to stop him. He summoned his strength to boost himself towards the Dark Knight.

"YOU VILLAIN!...EH?"

Blood spurted from his mouth, and before he lost consciousness, the last thing he knew was the Dark Knight's arm punching through his gut. Upon a closer look, the helmet lo….oks lik..e…

"YOU VILLAIN!"

Kuroki's danger-honed senses flared up, and he immediately responded by punching Reiji, who was about to attack him again, in the gut so hard that his fist punctured it. Reiji stared at his wound for a while before looking at Kuroki and falling face up.

"Reiji-kun!"

"Rei-kun!"

"Reiji-senpai!."

"Reiji-san!."

"Reiji!"

The girls shouted Reiji's name and moved all at once. Kuroki retreated for a bit, and from where he stood, a flicker of flame exploded. A flaming giant stood in front of him.

"Oh, ferocious flame giant living in the Fire Kingdom! Cross the rainbow bridge and help Rino! Go, Flame Emperor!"

Upon Rino's command, the giant charged at Kuroki.

Kuroki spun the lever on his driver and turned it multiple times. The Vortex Charger on the Build Driver started to spin and gather energy. Kuroki's left fist started to burn brighter.

"READY! GOOOOO!"

"Oraaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Kuroki punched the flame giant, and a dragon's head made from his own fire swallowed it. Both exploded due to the massive energy buildup.

"Rei-kun! Oh, healing wind! Close his wound!" Sahoko chanted as she started to heal Reiji's mortal wound.

"Everyone, gather around Reiji-kun!" Chiyuki commanded as she readied a spell to move them out of here. Everyone complied, and suddenly they heard...

"READY! GOOOOO!"

That word isn't Japanese. It's English, a word that only exists in their world... and that comes from the Dark Knight's belt.

"Teleport!"

Everyone was thinking the same thing before they vanished:

"He was the same as us!."

Kuroki looked around as he surveyed the damage he had done. Even though he was close to the explosion, he was unscathed. He sighed as the excitement from the battle died down.

"I won... easily, I think."

CHAPTER 4 END

A/N: Whew, that took a while.

While writing the chapter, I think I gained +100 cringy points due to reading the hero's party lines again and again. If you're thinking, "Hey, are they supposed to be that pathetic?" Yes, they are that pathetic. They view themselves as saviors, but as the story goes on, you'll realize how much damage they did to the story. For Kuroki, I kind of tinkered with his fighting mode personality. I envisioned him as someone who, having been a Kamen Rider for ten years now, has seen many things that are crazier than Reiji's attacks. And another thing: Kuroki is also more powerful than his original counterpart, as usual, right? Kind of a spoiler for non-Kamen Rider Build or Kamen Rider readers: Banjou is a half-alien and is dosed with Nebula Gas, which gives him unnatural strength and power. Now Kuroki (who has the same background as Banjou) gets transferred and gets the same power-up as the hero... it's like his 100 points of power are multiplied by 10,000, which is why he was able to punch Reiji in the gut like wet paper. Oh well, that's it for now. PM me for any questions or something. Thanks!