The hum of machinery filled the air as the group gathered around the main console in Chaldea. Screens displayed streams of data, flickering erratically as if struggling to maintain coherence. Goredolf paced anxiously, while Sylvia stood at the console, her fingers flying over the keyboard to make sense of the abnormalities.
Directly behind them, Caster Da Vinci's lips pursed in distaste. "The readings from the Chinese Lostbelt are… unprecedented. Temporal distortions, spatial anomalies—it's like reality itself is destabilizing there."
Ritsuka frowned, leaning over to glance at the data. He didn't actually understand any of it as much as the others, but he got the gist of their current troubles. "And somehow, it's affecting us. The building itself keeps flickering in and out of this hiding place Olga made for us away from the Crypters. Why now? What's causing this?"
"An excellent question," Rider Da Vinci chimed in, her usual cheer tinged with growing concern as her eye looked over the information on the screen before her. "I've never seen anything quite like this. Whatever's happening, it's powerful enough to tamper with our secure temporal displacement."
Goredolf let out a prolonged sigh as he clutched his forehead, clearly exasperated. "This is a nightmare! If this continues, we'll be completely exposed! Chaldea is the last hope for humanity—if we're found, everything we've worked for will be undone!"
Sylvia, her eyes locked on the console, muttered, "The source of these distortions seems to be located in China, where one of the Trees of Emptiness has grown from, but there's something… layered. As if some outside force has managed to entangle its own roots."
Caster Da Vinci crossed her arms, her expression uncharacteristically serious. "Layered histories is it? That's not supposed to happen. The Lostbelts already operate outside of Proper Human History as they are trying to supplant it with their own. For something else to merge with one goes against what's been established already."
Olga tapped her foot impatiently, her arms crossed. "Then let's stop dancing around the question. Woz," she said, turning toward him, "show them."
Woz stepped forward with his usual air of theatrical poise, his ever-present book in hand. With a flourish, he opened it and the pages glowed faintly.
The room fell silent as all occupants turned and stared at the glowing pages projected a vivid image—a masked figure clad in sleek, purple ninja armor, darting through a shadowy forest. The man in ninja armor then jumped high into the air, landing on the rooftop of a building, looking down on a modern-day city in Japan under the moonlit sky.
"Behold! The tale of Kamen Rider Shinobi, a future that was once just a possibility that didn't exsist now finds itself entangled with the Chinese Lostbelt."
The room burst into various gasps as all too suddenly, the modern Japanese city shifted into a far more futuristic setting with an aesthetic that more resembled something out of China, with the ninja himself untouched as the building he stood on also morphed into that same style as the rest of the area.
Mash gulped. "Is that… two different histories becoming one? But how is that possible?"
Rider Da Vinci leaned forward, fascinated. "Kamen Rider Shinobi… It seems that his history has been forcibly merged with the Lostbelt's. But why? And by whom?"
Caster Da Vinci added, "And more importantly, how? It doesn't take a genius to understand that this isn't just some random anomaly. This was done deliberately."
Ritsuka turned to Woz. "Does your book say anything about why this is happening?"
Woz shook his head, though his enigmatic expression didn't waver. "Not precisely. What I do know is that Kamen Rider Shinobi's presence in the Chinese Lostbelt is no accident. Forces are at work here—forces that may very well alter the course of this Lostbelt's fate. But me and my demon queen do have our suspicions."
"Do you now?" Sherlock, who had been quietly examining the lower shelves in the room, looked up at Woz with a raised eyebrow, his curiosity evident as much as everyone else. "It wouldn't be too much trouble, I hope, to share your suspicions with the rest of us."
"This is most likely Finis' doing," Woz replied without skipping a beat. "They possessed the Another Woz Ridewatch, which allowed them to become Another Woz. Due to my counterpart, White Woz, and his machinations when he arrived from his timeline, three specific Kamen Riders—Shinobi, Quiz, and Kikai—became inextricably linked to the power of Kamen Rider Woz as a result of the various methods White Woz employed to obtain their abilities for his own purposes."
"Your counterpart?" Mash asked in a puzzled manner, blinking rapidly at the unfamiliar and peculiar explanation. "Who and what is a White Woz?"
Woz opened his mouth to answer, but before he could utter a word, Olga stepped forward and clamped a hand over his mouth. "That's an irrelevant can of worms," she said briskly as if she wanted to skip over a particularly bad memory. "All you need to know is that, because they had the Another Woz Ridewatch, it's highly likely Finis also has the Another Ridewatches for Shinobi, Quiz, and Kikai. They're probably using them to interfere with the Lostbelts for their own ends due to their…special circumstances."
"And by special, you mean…?"
Woz gently removed Olga's hand with a faint, annoyed frown. "They belonged to futures that didn't even exist in the first place—at least until they were made to be possible by your brief encounter with your future self." It was a longer story than that, but Woz was not going to admit he had a hand in altering the future.
Well, it was the past now but also still the future too, but they should focus on one paradox at a time.
Sherlock leaned back into his seat, his sharp eyes narrowing. "Interfering with the Lostbelts using other histories that were also just possibilities… If that is indeed their doing, it would explain how and why Finis was able to merge different timelines together. But for what purpose?"
"That's the question, isn't it?" Olga replied, crossing her arms. "And one we need to answer before Finis turns the Lostbelts into an even bigger nightmare."
Goredolf groaned loudly, throwing his hands in the air. "Great! Just great! Another crisis piled on top of the ones we already have. Why does everything have to be so complicated?"
The elder Da Vinci frowned, her voice calm but firm. "We need to act fast. If this merging continues to destabilize the timeline, it won't just affect the Lostbelt. It could ripple out and impact Proper Human History itself."
Olga straightened, her gaze steely. "Then we need to head to the Chinese Lostbelt immediately. Whatever's happening there, we can't let it spiral out of control."
Rider Da Vinci smirked. "I hope you're right, Olga. Because if you're wrong, we'll be rewriting the definition of complicated."
Goredolf groaned again, slumping into a chair. "We're doomed. I just know it. Humanity's future depends on a bunch of half-baked plans and theoretical potentialities. Might as well start writing my will."
Caster Da Vinci gave him a playful eyeroll. "Oh, stop being so dramatic. We've faced worse, haven't we?"
"You're not calling this worse than before?!"
Rider Da Vinci grinned cheekily. "Nope. I call this any day on the job."
As the others bantered, Sherlock's mind was racing with trying to understand what could possibly be the reason for Finis's actions. If what they had learned about the thought-to-be loyal Servant of Kakogawa was true, then there was a game being played—one that involved multiple histories. 'And are we another player or simply the pieces on the board?' Holmes thought to himself with a frown. "Miss Animusphere, did you learn just how Finis obtained Woz's powers?"
Woz was the one to answer him. "No, and it wasn't just mine. They had also obtained Geiz's, Tsukuyomi's, and my demon queen's powers too, but were willing to throw all of them aside. Whatever plan they have, it's a puzzling one."
"That's stating the obvious…" Olga muttered while shaking her head. "And then there was DiEnd."
"DiEnd?"
"Kamen Rider DiEnd, Kaito Daiki." She felt a headache coming on just thinking about the world traveler. "He's technically one of my seniors as a Rider, but he's done nothing but cause trouble for me. You know, being a phantom thief and all."
"It's more accurate to say he's Geiz's senior, my demon queen. A more fit comparison would be—"
"Details, details, I know. Back on topic, he showed up in front of me and Woz right after we beat Surtr, was all smug and vague, then disappeared. Didn't even say why he was around," Olga let out a long sigh. What goes through that thief's mind was beyond her. Then a light bulb lit up over her head; she recalled his words and—"...Wait, Ritsuka. He said he helped you."
"Ye-yes," Ritsuka admitted with a slight stutter. "Sorry, he told us not to mention him in exchange for giving us a hand." Well, it was more accurate to say Olga and Woz were better off not knowing he was around. Regardless, Ritsuka explained the deal they made: Kaito would take them to the original Another Agito to provide a distraction. "He told us he was here following a lead on… a certain someone."
"And who is this certain someone be?" Woz asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at Ritsuka. Why did he keep this a secret from them?
Fortunately, Mash came to his rescue. "He didn't say. His request was only that—provide a distraction so he could do what he needed."
"...Is that all?" Though she could tell Mash was being completely honest, Olga could also tell there was more to the story but Ritsuka nodded his head with an unreadable expression. She contemplated for a few moments before coming to a conclusion. "Alright, then we can forget about DiEnd. I'd rather not think about him a second longer."
"My de—"
"Da Vinci, how long do we have before we're completely exposed?" Olga ignored Woz, who probably had the same idea she had. It was more than likely it was Finis who Kaito was here for, but they'd still run into the same question of why. The only way to have that answered was to ask Kaito himself.
"Hmm… Hard to say but a few days? That's the best we could hope for," Caster Da Vinci estimated.
"In that case, I think I can buy Chaldea more time. Woz? You thinking what I'm thinking?" While the last time she used her powers to keep Chaldea safe led to her temporarily losing them, she'd only need a portion to keep the protection up… hopefully.
"Perhaps, but do be careful. We do not have that cockroach around to take back your powers should you lose them again."
Then that was set; Olga hoped to buy them until the end of the week but that might already be too much. But for now, she put that in the back of her mind; she should only try it later when they were going to leave. "Ritsuka, I think it's time we swing by the summoning room again." The generator should be fixed up enough to summon a couple more Servants. And with most of their fighting force still recuperating from fighting Surtr and the Scandinavia's Tree of Emptiness, they needed the help.
"You're going to summon new Servants? Perfect!" Suddenly jumping out of her seat, practically skipping over to where Olga and Ritsuka were, the younger of the Da Vincis took out a piece of paper, almost shoving it into the Last Master's face. "I have taken the time to map out and list out a number of candidates that should take priority in being called upon! Having gone through various variables at different points in history, I highly recommend you follow my list down to the last letter for the best results possible!"
Before Ritsuka could respond, Caster Da Vinci rose from her seat with a challenging grin and out of nowhere, produced her own, identical-looking paper. "Hold it right there, my creation! While your enthusiasm is commendable, my list is far superior in both tactical and historical foresight." She glided over to where her counterpart was, also shoving her paper into Ritsuka's face.
Rider Da Vinci gasped, clutching her chest in genuine offense. "Superior?! You haven't even looked at my list!"
"I don't need to. I already know mine is flawless," Caster Da Vinci countered, pointing at her list with a flourish. "Every candidate here is handpicked for their compatibility with Chaldea's current team dynamics and operational needs!"
"Oh, please! Your 'team dynamics' are as outdated as your creativity," Rider Da Vinci shot back with a smirk. "What we need are bold, unconventional picks to shake things up!"
The two geniuses began an animated back-and-forth, each thrusting their papers toward a rapidly overwhelmed Ritsuka.
"See here! My list has Da Vinci-level logic behind it!"
"Logic, schmogic! My list has flair and excitement!"
"Flair won't save us in a crisis!"
"Excitement inspires morale!"
Ritsuka's eyes darted between the papers, both practically pressed into his face. "Uh—um—w-wait a second—"
Mash stepped forward, raising her hands in a placating gesture. "Da Vinci-sans, please! Don't overwhelm Senpai like this! He needs time to think, and—"
Rider Da Vinci, still mid-argument, sidestepped Mash without so much as a glance. Caster Da Vinci gave an equally dismissive wave, sending Mash stumbling to the side.
"Senpai!" Mash protested, but her cries were drowned out by the escalating debate.
"Your methodology is archaic!"
"And your picks are reckless!"
"Archaic?! My strategy is timeless perfection!"
"Timelessly boring, you mean!"
Meanwhile, Olga stood at the sidelines, watching the bickering unfold. She let out a long, exasperated sigh and dragged a hand across her face.
'Maybe Goredolf had it right. We should probably write those wills soon…'
The soft humming of the machinery they had grown accustomed to over the millennia. The Emperor of China found themselves simply waiting again, trying to formulate a plan to finally crush the resistance that has somehow continued to stay strong over the centuries. And it was all thanks to that traitor…
That damned frog. They knew they shouldn't have trusted that man from those islands.
But they did; they were charmed by his pretty words of submission and devotion. They thought he was a loyal follower of theirs that shared his vision. They were dead wrong.
It did not surprise Qin Shi Huang that a follower of his would stray from the perfect word he laid for them all. What did surprise him was how much it still hurt to this day that Gamano of all people would do this.
The frog now knew how they operated and how they would react to each action. He knew the perfect blind spots to hide and train his despicable ninjas. The ones who continued to terrorize and draw his people away from the light they had brought to this world. Now all they wanted to do was utterly crush that frog and his Kamen Riders.
BANG!
Their thoughts were interrupted by the doors bursting open. "Your greatness—!" One of their servants rushed in, completely breathless from running. Normally, it would be a transgression to disturb them, but they were a benevolent leader. It was clear there was a reason for the servant's distress. "In—intruders! We have intruders in the city!"
"Deploy the royal guards. There is no doubt this is the work of that cursed frog. And awaken some of our sleeping warriors."
"Yes, your greatness. I'll—"
BOOM!
With a flash of almost forgotten magecraft, the last of the black-clad enemy ninja fell by the Crypter of the Synchronized Intellect Nation's hand.
Frankly, Akuta was still confused as all hell as to what was going on. The other ninjas were basically trash for her to throw out; she was no true expert in magecraft, but she knew enough to deal with them. The transforming ninja, on the other hand, was somehow able to fight her Servant to a standstill. He was clearly trying his hardest to do so, using all the typical ninja tricks she's seen in modern media back in Proper Human History, but the fact he was still standing and fighting Saber was saying something.
And throughout it all, Shinobi was still cursing Akuta's name. What had she done to earn herself such anger from someone she didn't know?
"Saber, pull back!" She barked her order and though her Servant clearly had issues with it, followed her command. "…Who are you? What do you want with me?" Akuta glared at the purple-clad ninja.
"Were me and Iroha truly that forgettable to you!?" Shinobi's angered reply only served to confuse the Crypter further.
"...No? Trust me, nothing about you is forgettable," She answered with the most annoyed and off-handed tone she could. "I genuinely have no idea who you are."
"You…" Shinobi growled under his breath. It was clear he was about to blow when— "Don't lose yourself, Rentaro." She heard him whisper to himself. "This is only a distraction…"
A distraction? Okay, now she was offended. How was trying to kill her only a distraction?!
Her unspoken question would soon be answered though as they felt the ground below them rumbling. A distant boom would be followed by another, and then another, and another… Damn it, not more bombs. She had enough of them already!
That was when another voice rang through the air— "Shinobi! Stop messing around, we're out of time!" Before anyone could react, six more brightly colored blurs jumped down from the air and landed next to Shinobi. "We're going now!"
…And they were more armored ninjas that were way more colorful than him. How was bright orange an actual color they wear?! Either way, Shinobi tried to protest only for another to tell him, "Master's orders were clear. The bombs go, and so do we."
"But—!"
"Brother, as much as I want to take revenge too… We need to leave before the Emperor's entire army comes down on us." Another one of the armored ninjas, the bright pink one, spoke before shooting a look at Akuta. She couldn't tell what they looked like, but she could feel the killing intent behind the mask. "There is time for getting our justice later."
…Again, she had no idea what any of them were talking about!
"Master… We should retreat too." Saber spoke in her mind. "We best not antagonize them when we're outnumbered."
Akuta agreed with his judgment, giving him a small nod.
With her approval, Saber summoned his loyal steed and quickly grabbed his Master. As they ran away from the group of ninjas, Akuta could only wonder how much history had truly changed here…
As dawn rose on the only empire on Earth, the seven ninjas arrived at their hideout and were congratulated by their various allies and friends on a job well done.
Their mission to disrupt the capital's operations should be a success—all the spots they needed to hit were successfully blown up… but the man known as Kamen Rider Shinobi, Rentaro Kagura, was still not satisfied. As he canceled his transformation, he could not help but mull over the fact that he was given the opportunity to finally right the injustice done to him and his family all that time ago and he failed.
"Chin up, big brother." His little sister, Iroha aka Kamen Rider Kunoichi whispered to him as they entered the innermost sanctum of their secret base. "You did your job as best as you could have and the mission was an overall success. No need to feel so down, especially considering the fact that Akuta wasn't our true priority this time."
As much as his sister meant to him, Rentaro still couldn't get over it. While his role was always meant to be a distraction, he had hoped to actually slay the monster that was Akuta Hinako. However, he still had no choice but to take the advice; after all, they were about to face their master.
As one, the seven kneeled before the parchment hanging in the back of the room.
"Master Gamano, we've returned," His childhood friend, Isamichi Konjo, otherwise known as Kamen Rider Hattari, announced to the scroll on the grand wall before them. "Our mission was successful and went exactly as planned."
"Good, good. That should put quite the spanner in Qin Shi Huang's works." The frog painted within the scroll hummed in approval. "And what of Akuta Hinako?"
Rentaro felt all eyes turned to him at their master's question. "...She still lives," he answered after a moment.
"Exactly as I said. Rentaro, you are still not ready to face her alone like you wished," Their master chided him with a disappointed sigh. "But that matters not. All of you should rest now after your mission. Take your time, then return to your training. You're all dismissed."
"Yes, Master Gamano!"
"...Yes, Master Gamano…" The quiet muttering from Rentaro followed the others.
He would spent the rest of the night wondering if he would ever be good enough to deliver justice for his family.
Yep! Things are definitely personal between the Kagura siblings and one very confused Akuta Hinako. Why? Find out in the future!
Also probably the fight between Shinobi and Saber in this chapter could have been more fleshed out, but it was just a distraction section so things couldn't be too detailed given Shinobi's role in the mission.
As for the original Shinobi Kamen Riders shown off in this chapter, they were more or less based off of the ones made in the Kamen Rider Shinobi fan project written on AO3 by cyberlife8592. It is a REALLY great story that I cannot help but make canon on what the Kamen Rider Shinobi show would be if it ever comes to be. Seriously, check it out if you ever have the chance!
Hope you all look forward to this dynamic getting explored more in future chapters!
FB113: Was not expecting to work on another chapter so soon, but nice that we got another one out before the end of the year. In any case, Shinobi and more ninjas! We also covered why Chaldea is heading to China Lostbelt next. Either way, happy holidays and see you all next time!
