AN
"Blah" - Normal speech
'Blah' - Thoughts
BLAH- Driver
Fate/Stay Night x Kamen Rider
Journey through the Kaleidoscope
Fate/Stay Night x Kamen Rider Ghost
Fate/Kaigan
Chapter 7: Shock! Mysterious Kamen Rider
Blinking Shirou's world slowly reasserted itself, starting out as a blurry mess before coming back into view, finding himself in a very different location to the one he'd been in when his world had gone dark.
Rather than that quiet back street he found himself standing in the courtyard of Ryuudou Temple, restrained by dozens of barely threads wrapped around his neck, wrists, and ankles, leaving him unable to move.
"What the... what happened...?" Shirou groaned, blinking a few times as he tried to make sense of the situation in which found himself.
He'd been making his way home when he'd noticed…something, what it was he wasn't sure, from out of the corner of his eye, pursuing it leading him into a secluded alleyway where he'd found an Eyecon sitting there on the ground. Approaching it cautiously, he'd picked up off of the ground when the ground beneath him began to radiate with an ominous red light.
After that everything was a hazy mess, recalling seeing fragments of his own memories as well as strange imagery mixed in, as if he were seeing snippets of a movie.
A long spiralling staircase that led into darkness.
A set of double doors.
A table with a long necked vase and a golden cup sitting upon it.
The rear of an ancient looking ship upon the sea.
A dagger clutched tight in the grip of a feminine looking hand.
Blood splattering across the surface of the ocean.
And finally, a Man in the far distance clad in peculiar looking garb, carrying a sack over one shoulder.
All of them disjointed and out of focus for him to make any sense out of them. And yet, they carried a sense of…familiarity to them. Memories, ones that he was certain were not his own.
"Ah, I see that you're now coherent," Came the sound of a disembodied voice, Shirou instantly looking about him in an effort to locate its source, "I suppose that I should be a good host and introduce myself."
All of a sudden a patch of dark appeared on the ground, quickly increasing in mass as it rose up up off of the ground before solidifying, taking the form of a woman clad in long purple dress and a black cloak with golden trim, much of head and face obscured by a hood, leaving only her mouth visible along with strands of blue hair come down the sides of her face.
"A Servant…" Shirou grimaced as he took the sight of the hooded figure who had just appeared before him.
"Ahhh, you have good instincts Master of Saber," The woman replied, as she began slowly approaching him, "Since you've identified me as a Servant, can you guess which one?"
"Given that I've met five of the seven Servants thus far, one of them being my own, that leaves two unaccounted for." Shirou replied not really in the mood to play this woman's games, "But, based on your appearance, I'm gonna say that you're Caster."
"Heh, quite presumptuous of you. Then again, I suppose I cannot fault you there." Caster shrugged, "You are correct, I am the Caster Servant summoned for this Holy Grail War."
"Quit screwing around, what do you want?" Shirou snapped at his captor, "Do you want to fight me?"
Stopping in her tracks Caster let out a haughty sounding laugh. "Fight you, how simple you are. I have no desire to fight with you Boya." She managed to say, amused greatly by the look on Shirou's face, "However, if I were so inclined, I don't doubt that I could defeat you given how feeble your Magic Circuits are. I'd even go so far to rate you as the weakest Master by far."
Shirou glared at her, unamused by the bind in which his captor had him in, nor in which the manner that she was addressing him.
"Such a shame, given the bind I have you in, but in your current state you have no Prana for me to take," Caster continued, unphased by the look that Shirou was giving her, "Then again, given the sizable amount I've collected from the city below to sustain myself and power my Magecraft, I suppose it really doesn't matter."
"Wha…?" Shirou blinked in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"You mean to tell me that you weren't aware. I admit that at first, I was somewhat reckless when it came to extraction but, after some trial and error, I've managed to refine the process." Caster looked at him sideways as she approached slowly and gracefully, "As a Caster Servant, my first priority upon being summoned was to establish my territory. This temple here is my fortress, the Prana of those who have come before is soaked into the very ground beneath our feet along with the faceless rabble that inhabit this town, all are mine to use as I see fit."
"The gas leaks around town, the ones that have been putting people into comas, that you was you…" Shirou gasped, a look of realisation on his face before it morphed into one of fury, "Caster, you callous bitch, you dragged innocent people into this"
"War is as much a game of resources as it is one of strategy and strength, Boya," Caster said seductively, running the tips of her fingers across her victims face, "Whoever utilizes theirs the best is guaranteed victory. Getting back on subject, you do possess something that I desire."
"I'm not giving you anything." Shirou snapped, fruitlessly fighting against the wires that bound him in an attempt to free himself.
"While watching you struggle is amusing, I should warn you that it's futile, someone with Magic Circuits as feeble as yours has no hope of escaping my spell." Caster told him, amusement in her tone, "Oh, and don't bother turning intangible, it won't help you. I ensured that my threads were attuned to spiritual entities such as yourself."
"Huh, you know about that?" Shirou exclaimed, "Then you know that I'm…"
"A ghost, of course. Don't be so surprised, I have eyes everywhere, nothing in my territory escapes my notice and, I must say, your fight with Berserker a few nights ago really caught my attention." Caster told him, "Kamen Rider Ghost, that's what you referred to yourself as that night, isn't it?"
A deep frown etched itself into Shirou's face, this wasn't good. He'd been hoping to keep his status as Ghost a secret from the other Servants so that way he could use it as a trump card against them, now, thanks to Caster, that that plan was pretty much out the window.
"I never imagined, back when I was summoned, that I'd find anything noteworthy in this drab era of yours, however I must confess that you've really piqued my interest." Caster continued, "Just what are you, despite looking human you're much closer to what I am. I cannot wait to examine you some more."
"So, that's it." Shirou said, glowering at his captor, "You set up a trap with a fake Eyecon as bait to lure me in, all just to satisfy your curiosity?"
"Hmmm, Eyecon…?" Caster muttered, dark energy pooling in the palm of her hand from which the white eyeball like device appeared, "So, that's what these things are called."
"Wha…it was a real one?" Shirou exclaimed, "But…but…how…"
A smirk spread itself across Caster's lip as more dark energy formed in her other hand, from which two more Eyecons appeared, holding them up for Shirou to see. "Three of them!" The red haired Rider gasped, shocked by what he was seeing. "How did you get your hands on those?"
"Would you believe me if I told you that I found them when I made this space my territory?" Caster replied as she stashed the three items inside of her robe.
"Hand them over," Shirou demanded, "Those Eyecons, they're of no use to you."
"Perhaps, perhaps not. Regardless, these Eyecons intrigue me, I can feel something contained within them, something that seems to intensify as they resonate with the ones in your possession." Caster told her captive, "Plus, you really seem to need them, something which only intrigues me further. As such I'll take the Eyecons that you have on you along with your Command Seals."
A deep frown was etched into Saber's face as she bounded from rooftop to rooftop, gliding through the cold night air as she made her way towards her destination.
Shirou had been missing for some time now, her Master had mentioned dropping by the convenience store to pick a few items before returning home, so she'd not concerned herself with his absence at first. But as time continued to pass and he'd still not returned to the manor she'd begun to suspect foul play.
Whilst in his current state he was unable to die it did not mean he could not be incapacitated in other ways and even with his power as Ghost he was no match for a Heroic Spirit.
Setting out in search of her missing Master it hadn't taken Saber long to notice the series of wires that were criss-crossing across the sky above like a spider's web, concluding them to be unnatural; she'd followed them back to their source, finding herself at the bottom of a long stone staircase that led up towards Ryuudou Temple, noting that the area was covered by a Bounded Field, one that seemed to be designed to repel spiritual entities.
While undeterred as she began her ascent up the long staircase the area also made feel ill at ease as the moonlight poking through the branches and clouds of the night air above created numerous shaded areas up the long trek, perfect places for any potential enemy to hide. As such she was in heightened alert, her senses keen for any possible trace of movement.
As she ascended higher Saber noticed a figure standing at the top of the staircase, situated in front of the guard house, not even trying to hide his presence from her. Whoever he was, he was clearly of Japanese descent, his long dark blue hair tied into a loose ponytail and was clad in garb from an older era made from purple and lilac fabric. However, what drew Saber's attention was the long katana that was sheathed on his back.
"Tell me stranger," She addressed him, raising her invisible sword and gripping its handle in both hands, "Am I to presume that you are one of the seven Servants?"
"Indeed, I am." The blue haired samurai replied, his tone delaying no aggression or hostility, "I, the Assassin Class Servant Sasaki Kojirou, bid you welcome."
For a moment Saber was rendered speechless, the man's openness leaving her stunned. "Sasaki Kojiro…" She muttered, surprised by. "A Servant like you would give away your identity so easily?"
"Why not," The samurai replied casually, "Is it not proper for two warriors such as us to exchange names before crossing swords?"
"Well then, if that's the case, my honour as a knight dictate that I do the same." Saber replied firmly, "But know this, once I give my name, I will force you to step aside. I am the Saber Class Servant Ar…"
"Don't bother, I'm not interested in hearing your words." Assassin spoke up as he began approaching Saber's position, cutting her off, "My sword, it will reveal all I need to know about you."
As he spoke, the long haired samurai reached for the sword on his back, sliding it out of its sheath, moonlight glinting off its extra long blade that he rested causally against his shoulder.
The frown on Saber's face deepened as she stared at the "Stand aside Assassin," She ordered the purple haired samurai. "I had no business with you tonight."
"Well, that's too bad, because if you wish to proceed further than you're going to have to force your way through" Assassin replied, "I'd best hurry if I were you, who knows what trouble your Master currently finds himself in."
"My…my Command Seals?" Shirou grunted, uncomfortably asked, still trying to break out from his bonds as Caster's thumb ran across his lips as her right trailed his arm and hand before fingering at his red markings, "What could you possibly want with those?"
"Why, to transplant them onto my own Master of course. By doing so he'll gain control over Saber, giving us the means of dealing with that irritating Berserker Servant." Caster informed him in a matter-of-fact tone, "Given your current condition, having you for a Master is nothing but a massive burden for her. Then again, given the rather pitiful state of your Magic Circuits, I highly doubt it would make much of a difference even if you were alive."
"Normally, extracting your Command Seals would also result in the loss of your Magic Circuits. However, given your status as a ghost, I'm not entirely sure what will happen. I suppose we'll find out won't we." Caster said, as dark energy began to gather in the palm of her hand. "Now, be a good child and do as you are told."
Curling her fingers, Shirou felt his left arm begin to move on its own, pulled into place by the strings that were wrapped around it, despite his best efforts he was unable to fight against it, his struggles only serving to amuse Caster further.
"I do so enjoy it watching men such as you struggle," She said as she reached her glowing fingers towards Shirou's outstretched hand, "It makes the whole experience so much sweeter for me."
All of a sudden dozens of red arrows fell down from the sky like rain, striking the ground below, close to Shirou and Caster's position. Alerted to this, Caster quickly abandoned her spell, falling back as not to be skewered by the incoming projectiles that rained down, the arrows suddenly igniting a flash of fiery purple energy before vanishing completely.
"Heh, I must admit, you managed to hold out much longer than I thought you would." A new voice spoke up. "You have more tenacity than I'd thought."
Shirou looked up and instantly frowned, seeing Archer standing on a roof with his longbow vanishing. "Archer…" He said, a frown on his face. "What are you doing here?"
"I had a feeling that you'd run into trouble," Archer replied, His tone doing little to improve Shirou's mood. dismissing his bow before, the tanned skinned Servant then jumped off of the roof and landed between Shirou and Caster. "So, I figured I'd keep an eye on you. My arrows should have taken care of Caster's threads, you should be able to move on your own now."
Unsure of whether or not to trust the red clad Servant's word, Shirou was surprised to find that he could once again move under his own power. "I…I can move…" He muttered, unsure whether or not to thank Archer for his assistance given their past interactions.
Meanwhile Caster was less than thrilled at Archer's sudden appearance. "Archer, how did you managed to get in here?" She demanded, baring her teeth in a grimace, "That damned Assassin Servant, just what is he doing?"
"Yare yare…such a scary look for such a pretty face. A woman's fury is truly a frightening thing." Archer sighed, shooting the hooded woman a sly grin, "As for Assassin, he currently has his hands full dealing with Saber. The fact that he's able to hold her a bay demonstrates his skill as a swordsman, such a feat should be worthy of praise."
"Heh, surely you jest Archer." Caster replied in a mocking tone, "That useless samurai, he was summoned for a single purpose, and apparently, he's unable to perform even that properly."
"Ohh, that's an unflattering way to speak of your ally, surely you must see some value in him if your Master would agree to work with his." Archer said, raising an eyebrow, "Assassin guards the gate while you lurk within it, seems like a pretty good arrangement."
"My ally…" Caster said before she suddenly burst out laughing. "Don't be absurd. You really think that I would willingly work with a lowly dog like him? Assassin merely a tool and nothing more. That lowly dog…is my Servant."
Archer's eyes widened slightly at hearing this. "Caster, a Servant summoning another Servant, that's against the rules." He frowned.
"Rules are meant to be broken Archer." Caster retorted casually, "For a Mage such as myself, summoning Assassin was a simple matter."
"N…no way!" Shirou exclaimed, "You're telling me that a Servant summoned another Servant, but that would make her one of the seven Masters."
"Not quite, since the guard dog out there was not summoned by a true Master, Assassin is not a true Heroic Spirit." Archer told him, "Caster broke the rules of the Holy Grail War by to conjuring another Servant to do her bidding. Claiming this sacred area as her territory and harvesting the life force of the people in the city below, all the while monitoring the battles from here."
"Then again, I suppose I shouldn't really be surprised. After all the three Knight Classes all possess high resistance to magic and given the sheer might of Berserker, I guess it's only natural for someone like you to resort to more underhanded tactics." He sighed, "But tell me Caster, was all this done at the behest of your Master's orders or did you do so under your own volition?"
"What are you talking about?" Shirou asked the tanned skinned man before him, "You're not suggesting that Caster's been acting on her own?"
"Any Master worth their salt would be wary of any Caster Servant that they managed to summon, especially if they possessed Magecraft more powerful than their own. Even possessing Command Seals is not a guarantee of their obedience." Archer replied, his gaze never shifting from the hooded woman before him, "I highly doubt someone of sound mind would allow her to do as she pleases, summoning a Servant of your own is proof of that, as such the only logical conclusion is that Caster here has already dominated her Master and reduced him to little more than a puppet."
"You think so highly of me Archer. Achieving victory would be such a simple matter if that was the case." Caster addressed the white haired Servant. "My true goal lies beyond this silly little squabble."
"Ohhh, you believe that defeating me will be a simple matter do you." Archer said mockingly, "Such confidence from a witch who hides in the shadows."
The smirk on Caster's face then twisted itself into a snarl at the mention of that word. "Don't go getting cocky Archer. Here in my territory, someone like you, won't be able to lay a finger on me." She told the tanned skinned man standing before her. "And as for calling me a witch, well let's just say those who have done so haven't lived long enough to regret it."
"A finger you say, now that dose make me excited." Archer replied, "How's this, I will attempt to land one hit on you, if I cannot I'll gladly step aside and allow Saber the honours."
Archer then glanced over towards Shirou. "As much as I want to say 'do what you want', I highly suggest that you stay out of the way," He told the rust haired teen, "Someone like you has no business being involved in a battle between Servants."
"Like heck I will," Shirou retorted, his Ghost Driver appearing around his waist as he produced his Ore Eyecon, inserting it into the device. "There's no way I'm going to just stand back and leave this to someone like you."
The black and orange Parka Ghost emerged from out of the eye socket located on the front plate of the Driver, flying around Shirou as he assumed his transformation pose.
EYE! BATCHIRIMINA! BATCHIRIMINA! BATCHIRIMINA!
"Henshin…" He announced, pulling on the handle. In a flash his Rider Armor appeared on his body and hood drawing itself over his shoulders.
KAIGAN: ORE! LETS GO! KAKUGO! GO! GO! GHOST! GO! GO! GO!
"Ohh, that's the armor you wore when you battled Berserker." Caster said cooly, taking in the sight of the armored figure before her. "You're getting involved as well Boya?"
"I just need to hit you once," The black and orange ghosty Rider retorted, his Gan Gun Saber appearing in his hand." That's the deal, right?"
"Heh," Caster replied, "Then come at me, both of you, if you think you can…"
In the blink of an eye Archer changed at Caster, a flesh pair of swords appearing in hands as he rushed forward. Reacting quickly, a long ornate looking staff materializing in the hooded Mages hand in a flash of purple energy.
Before Caster could do anything to fend off him, Archer had already slipped past her, striking her twice across the back with his twin blades, a guttural sounding gasp escaping from her before she collapsed to the ground where her body suddenly dissolved into particles of dark energy.
"Too bad for you Archer," Hearing Caster's voice, both Ghost and Archer looked over to see find her hovering high in the air above them, the train of her hooded cloak spread out like butterfly wings with several glowing magical circles positioned in front of her. "Your one chance to strike me down is all for naught."
Levelling her staff at the pair below her, a barrage of magical fire power was unleashed from the nine magic circles that Caster had conjured, unleashing multiple magical beams at the pair, Ghost quickly diving out of the way while Archer was able to deflect the with his swords.
"Spatial Transportation? Innate time control? It seems that while here in your territory you come close to mimicking True Magic?" He addressed the Servant above him, "Color me impressed, Caster."
"I can assure you, the feeling is not mutual, Archer." Caster replied, "I was testing you to see if you could be of any use to me, however I must say your falling far behind Assassin."
"Heh, sorry to disappoint." Archer said cooly, "If you give me another chance, I promise I'll try harder."
"Hmmm, sorry, I don't feel much like doing that right now." Caster replied before she unleashed another barrage of magical beams at Archer who was quickly on the move, just about managing to stay ahead of the magical beams being fired at him.
All the while neither Archer or Caster had noticed that Ghost had completely disappeared without trace.
"Tsk, you trickly vixen," Archer grimaced as several of Caster's magical beams struck the ground where he'd been mere moments before, "That quite the store of Prana you have to draw upon."
"Flattery won't save you Archer," Caster replied as she continued to rain magical blast down upon him, "And don't go thinking that I'll let you escape."
Before Caster could continue her assault upon Archer a cry was heard as Ghost launched himself off of the roof of the building, as he did so the Face Pantheon faceplate glowed before a swirl of orange carrying him into the air towards the Servant of the Spell.
"What the?" Caster exclaimed, shocked by the Ghosty Rider's sudden appearance.
Once he was in close enough, Ghost slashing at Caster with his sword, the robed Servant narrowly managing to pull back out of the way. As he flew past, Ghost spun around to face his opponent, attempting another slash at her only for Caster to raise her staff, blocking his blade before using it to knocking higher into the air.
As he flew upwards, Ghost pulled out this Musashi Eyecon before inserting it into his Ghost Driver and pulled the handle.
KAIGAN: MUSASHI! (Biwa chord) KETTOU! ZUBATTA! CHO KENGOU! (Biwa chords and slashing sounds)
In a flash the Ore Hood vanished as the Hood of Twin Heavens appeared to take its place, the Face Dual Wield appearing on the front of his helmet.
Splitting his Gan Gun Saber into its Nitouryu mode, Ghost then dived towards Caster before slicing at her with his twin swords, Caster responding by once again by her staff, the force of the impact knocking Caster backwards before she used her staff to push the Ghostly Rider, performing a back flip as he did so.
The moment had his feet touched the ground, Ghost charged towards Caster, unleashing multiple slash at her with his twin swords, each one Caster managed to dodge and duck out of the way of. Avoiding another of the sword wielding Rider's attempts to cut her down, Caster conjured another magical circle and fired a blast of magical energy at Ghost who attempted to block with his swords, the force knocking him back a short distance before he managed to catch himself and knock the ball of magical energy aside with an X shaped slash.
All the while, Caster had taken this opportunity to take to the air once more, ascending high up into it and out of Ghost's reach.
Turning his gaze upwards, Ghost stared up at Caster who hovered high above him, beneath his helmet a frown spread itself across his face. "She's able to dodge everything I throw at her…" He muttered in frustration, producing the Robin Hood Eyecon, "Ok, let's try this one…"
Inserting the new Eyecon into his Driver a new Parka Ghost appeared as Ghost pulled on his Drivers lever, his current hood vanishing allowing for green and yellow hood one to take its place.
KAIGAN: ROBIN HOOD! (Arrows flying) HELLO! ARROW! MORI DE AOU! (Dramatic brass alongside arrows flying)
All of the sudden bird like cry was heard as the Condor Denwor swooped in, the Gan Gun Saber flying out of Ghost's hand changed itself into his gun form before the bird phone attaching itself to Ghost's weapon, transforming it into its bow mode.
"So, that's it. These Eyecons allow you to gain different powers and abilities, allowing you to be flexible and deal with different opponents." Caster said as dozens of magical circles suddenly popped into existence, all of them glowing ominously. "Too bad it won't help you; nothing you have access to can measure up to the overwhelming power that I have access to…"
"That so," Ghost replied as he lowered his weapon towards his Driver, "Ok, I'll take that bet…"
Scanned the eye symbol located on the handle of his bow shaped weapon on his Driver, Ghost then grabbed the handle attached to it and pulled on it.
DAI KAIGAN: ROBIN HOOD! OMEGA DRIVE! OMEGA STRIKE!
All of a sudden, a ringing noise was heard before a several duplicates of Ghost popped into existence, all of whom pulled back the energized "bowstring" that appeared attached to their weapons before all of them taking aim at Caster.
"Now, disappear!" Caster announced, releasing multiple beams of magical energy at the dozen copies of Ghost, all of whom responded by firing a barrage of energy arrows, colliding with Caster's magic attacks, cancelling each other out, the remaining arrows streaking towards at the hooded Servant.
Gritting her teeth at the sight of the multitude of energy arrows flying towards her, Caster quickly threw out a magical barrier in front of her, the multiple arrows striking the barrier repeatedly when until the area erupted into a large explosion along with a large cloud of smoke.
Letting out a long sigh, Ghost lowered his bow, the duplicates of himself disappearing. While she might not have been as much of a physical threat as Berserker and Lancer, in her own way Caster might be a more dangerous opponent to go up against. Her sheer magical power making up for what she lacked in strength and combined with a wicked making for a dangerous combination.
Servants, they really were tough opponents.
Up in the air the smoke created by Ghost's attack began dissipating to reveal Caster still hovering there, looking unscathed but winded, Ghost's attack packing a lot more power behind it than expected.
"Tsk, is this really your best effort?" Ghost heard Archer say in a dismissive tone of voice "If it is then it then it only strengthens my position that idiots like you have no business being involved in a battle between Servants."
"Hey, who are you calling an idiot." Ghost shot back the tanned skinned Servant, "At least I didn't get tricked into fighting a fake you idiot"
"Heh, resorting to childish name calling," Archer said, rolling his eyes at Ghosts retort. "You truly are foolish."
"You're the one who started this dumbass." Ghost snapped at him.
Before the argument between Ghost and Archer could escalate further the sound of slow approaching footsteps was heard, the sound catching the attention of Ghost, Archer and Caster, all three of them looking in the direction of the sound was coming from, greeted the sight of someone appearing from the direction of the graveyard that was attached to the temple.
Drawing closer the figure revealed themselves to have messy black hair and dark eyes, clad in a black and blue leather jacket and leather pants, a stern look on his face as he fixed his gaze upon Ghost, Archer and Caster with his dark eyes.
"Tsk, another pest that's managed to slip past," Caster said to herself, sounding frustrated as the new arrival drew closer, "That useless Assassin Servant, he'll be punished severely for this."
Meanwhile both Ghost and Archer stared at the stranger that was slowly approaching them, only they weren't a stranger. The face that they wore, it was one that both of them were very familiar with.
"N…no way, it…it can't be…" Ghost exclaimed, a wide eyed look of shock on his face, "Old…Old Man…?"
"Emiya…Kiritsugu…" Archer muttered.
"You, you have a lot of nerve wandering in to my territory." Caster called out to 'Kiritsugu' who stopped in his tracks at the sound of her voice, "Walking into an active battlefield, one between Servants no less, you are either very brave or very foolish."
"What you have going on here is of no concern of mine woman." 'Kiritsugu' addressed her. "Those Eyecons that are in your possession, hand them over, they are of no use to someone like you."
Caster burst out laughing. "You…you would give me orders?" Caster replied, "A fool it is then, believing that someone like you could be in any position to demand something of a Heroic Spirit such as myself. I don't know whether to commend or pity you."
"If you will not hand them over, then I have no choice but to…" Kiritsugu said cooly, a Ghost Driver appeared around his waist in a flash of energy.
"Wh…wha…" Ghost exclaimed, shocked to see the Driver around the new arrival's waist. "Ghost Driver!"
Reaching into his coat Kiritsugu produced an Eyecon, clicking the button on it before dropping it into his Driver before closing it up, from the eye socket a black and blue Parka Ghost emerged, flying around Kiritsugu as he assuming a wide legged stance, both his arms held out horizontally, his left across his chest, his palms flat, before curing his right arm as his hands clenched themselves tightly into fist.
EYE! BATCHIRIMIRO! BATCHIRIMIRO! BATCHIRIMIRO!
"Henshin…" He announced, pulling on the Driver's lever, the same armored suit that Ghost wore appearing on his body, the Parka Ghost draping itself over his shoulders to complete his look. Reaching up he pulled back his hood to reveal that the front of his helmet now adorned in a blue face mask with two curved horns.
KAIGAN: SPECTER! READY GO! KAKUGO! DOKI DOKI GHOST!
"N…no way," Ghost exclaimed as he took in the sight of the armored figure standing a short distance away, "Kiritsugu, he…he's a K…Kamen Rider…?"
"So, you possess the same power as Boya here?" Caster said thoughtfully, "And who are you supposed to be stranger?"
"Specter…Kamen Rider…Specter." The newly transformed Rider replied, "One last chance, hand over your Eyecon's or I will simply take them from you."
"Hold on." Ghost called out, running over towards the black and blue Rider, "Are…are you really…"
Specter turned to look over towards Ghost before grabbing him by the arm, pulling the black and orange Rider in close before decking him across the face, knocking him back a few steps, before delivering a pair of punches to his chest following it up with a vicious kick knocking him off of his feet and sending him sprawling across the ground.
No sooner had he dealt with Ghost, something close by caught Specter's attention and glanced over and was in time to see Archer charging towards him, a freshly conjured pair of swords appearing in the white haired Servant's hands.
Moving in close Archer unleashed a pair of slashes at the Specter, one quickly followed up by the other, the dual horned Ghost Rider ducking under the red clad Servants blade before he took a few steps backward, putting some distance between himself and Archer, as he did so the eye socket of his Diver flashed before a long blue rod emerged from it, an orange pump running along the bottom of it and a gun handle and trigger attached to it and a hand like shaped attached to it mounted at the top.
GAN GUN HAND!
Now armed, Specter raised his new weapon, using it to block Archer's blades, both of them glaring at one another momentarily before Specter wrenched his rod upwards, knocking Archer's swords aside, before thrusting it towards Archer's head, the white haired man leaning his head out of the way to avoid it.
Leaping up into the air, Archer hurled his twin swords at Specter, the pair of bladed weapons spinning like a pair of disks as they sliced through the air as they flew towards Specter who used his Gan Gun Hand to knock them out of the air.
Believing that Specter was distracted, Archer lunged towards him again, conjuring a new pair swords as he moved in to engage him again. As Archer drew closer, Specter pointing his weapon at the approaching Servant, sliding the orange pump forward, the hand attachment closing itself up, revealing a barrel.
Squeezing the trigger, he opened fire upon the Servant of the Bow, too late to try and stop himself Archer had no choice other than to deflect the incoming energy bullets with Kanshou and Byakuya, cleaving the air with his twin blades swiftly enough to deflect the shot out to the air.
As Archer drew closer, Specter raised his Gan Gun Hand and swung it Archer who barely managed to pivot out of the way but in doing so allowed Specter to reach out and grab a hold of him, driving his knee into Archer's gut, knocking the air out of him before tossing him aside, the red clad Servant landing next to Ghost.
Converting his weapon back into its Rod Mode, Specter then grabbed the handle of his Ghost Driver and pulled on it,
DAI KAIGAN: SPECTER! OMEGA DRIVE! OMEGA SMASH!
Raising his weapon, a large projection of the hand mounted to his Gan Gun Hand, and swung it, the hand slamming into both Archer and Ghost, their bodies momentarily crackling with energy before being engulfed in an explosion, both of them collapsing to the ground.
The sound of slow clapping was heard and looking over, Specter Caster approaching him. "Very well done, you've proved yourself quite capable, the type of man I need." She said, a grin ion her face, "Join me Specter, whatever you desire I will see to it that its granted."
"I told you, whatever you've got going on here is not my concern." Specter replied, covering his weapon back to gun mode and aimed it at Caster. "All I want are your Eyecons, and I will take them."
"How disappointing, having you on my side would have been a great boon." Caster sighed, her staff reappearing in her hand, "Seems that I'll just have to dispose of you along with Archer and Boya here."
In the blink of an eye Caster conjured several glowing magic circles, Specter responding by firing off several shots from his Gan Gun Hand to take them out before Caster could fire off a hailstorm of magical firepower at him.
Unphased Caster was quickly on the move, before diving to one side and floating above the ground taking to the air once again. Seeing this Specter was quickly to chase after her, firing off shot after shot at her only for Caster to avoid each shots aimed at her seemingly with little effort.
"The way your able to avoid my attacks," Specter called out to the magically inclined Servant, "That is not your own doing, is it?"
"Fu fu fu, seems you've found me out Specter." Caster replied, a sly smile on her lips as she reached into her cloak. "Like I told Boya over there, these Eyecons have proven most intriguing."
Retracting her hand, she produced an Eyecon and held it out in front of her, this one contained within a pink base. "This one in particular has been the most useful, contained within is the soul of a woman by the name of Himiko."
"Himiko," Archer groaned as both he and Ghost picked themselves up off of the ground. "Wait, are you referring to Queen Himiko, the shamaness-queen of Yamatai-koku from the 12th century. According to legend she was gifted with foresight, allowing her to see the future."
"My my, you're quite knowable Archer, I must say I'm impressed" Caster replied, "Indeed, Lady Himiko's gift of foresight is quite real. As long as this Eyecon is in my possession, none of you has the power to stop me. I can foresee every move that you fools will make and can counter then accordingly."
"Is that so. Fine, let's see how you handle this…" Specter said, producing a new Eyecon and inserting it into his belt
A blue and silver motorcycle emerged from the direction of the lake, tearing along at high speed towards the blue ghostly Rider when all of a sudden it flipped forward onto its front wheel before flipping forward and spun through the air.
As it flew towards Specter, his hood detaching itself from him before vanishing, the bike split open to reveal a dark blue Parka Ghost with silver lining that resembles chains inside of it, the bike's frame attached to its back, a series of chains attached to it, and its wheels resembling turbines.
Descending towards him, the Psychic Hunter Hood draped itself onto Specter's shoulders, the Face Restraint face plate appearing in the front of his helmet.
KAIGAN: HOUDINI! (Drum roll and cymbal flourish) MASHI-I-JAN! SUGEE MAGICIAN!
The turbines attached to it spinning rapidly, Specter took to the air in pursuit of Caster, unloading another barrage of gunfire at her as he soared through the air, Caster responding by unleashing her own barrage of magical blasts back at him.
Seeing this, Specter ascended higher to avoid, narrowly avoiding the blasts Caster had fired at him, pulling on the handle of his Ghost Driver as hovered above her.
DAI KAIGAN: HOUDINI! OMEGA DRIVE!
All of a sudden multiple chains burst forth from the glider's turbines, trying to wrap themselves around her, Caster weaving in and out of them in an attempt to avoid the multiple chains, when one of them managed to wrap itself around her leg, preventing her from fleeing.
"D…damnit…" Caster growled as more chains wrapped themselves around her arms and legs binding her in place.
From the ground Ghost watched on as Specter's chains managed to hold Caster in place. "Caster, you're not getting off that easy…" Ghost muttered to himself.
Dashing forward Ghost then jumped up onto Archer's shoulder and used him to launch himself into the air, something that the tanned skinned Servant didn't appreciate, a swirl of orange energy carrying him higher as he grabbed the handle of his Ghost Driver and pulled it.
Behind him the fiery orange eye symbol appeared behind Ghost which wrapped itself around his right foot before he was before he was propelled upwards into the air.
DAI KAIGAN: ORE! OMEGA DRIVE!
At the same time, Specter detached himself from the glider, extending his leg out as he dripped towards Caster, spinning as he did so, both Ghostly Riders collide with her at the same time, Caster letting out a cry as her body crackled with energy before, she was engulfed in a large explosion.
Freed from the chains, Caster dropped towards the ground below, the three Eyecon's that she'd collected falling out of her cloak. As it fell away from her, the Himoko Eyecon began to glow.
For a moment Caster found herself in a black void, surrounded by a sea of flames, standing amongst them stood Ghost, staring back at her, the light that the flames were giving off making his suit look red before just as quickly she was shunted back to the real world, slamming painfully into the temple grounds.
No sooner had his feet touched the ground, Ghost was on the move, managing to quickly snatch up two of Caster's Eyecons, one of them being Himiko while the other turned out to be Benkei.
Looking about for where the third, Ghost spotting it on the ground a fair distance away from him, but before he could make a move towards it, Specter walked up and picked it up off of the ground, turning his head to look in Ghost's direction, the two of them staring back at one another.
"I'll leave it at this for now," He told Ghost before he turned on his heel, approaching his motorcycle, "But make no mistake, sooner or later all the Eyecons will be mine." Mounting the machine, he revved its engine and took off towards the woods that surrounded the area.
Meanwhile labored breaths escaped from Caster as she lay upon the ground where she had landed, blood pooling beneath her, her robes ragged and torn, her body pulsing painfully from being hit by both Rider's attacks.
Her breathing was harsh and painful, trying to force herself back up, only managing to get on her knees. As she did so a shadow fell over her, looking over she was met by the sight of Archer standing over her, his Dao swords in his hands.
"Archer…," She groaned painfully, "Come to finish me off?"
"I probably should, the game was to see if we get a single hit in on you," Archer replied nonchalantly, "And low and behold you were hit twice."
All of a sudden his swords dematerialized. "However, my sole objective was to secure the safety of Emiya Shirou as he has agreed to work with my Master for the time being." He continued. "Besides, my policy is to avoid pointless fights."
despite the pain she was in, Caster couldn't help but chuckling. "Well, this is unexpected. Boya detests me for utilizing the people of this city to sustain myself and you Archer, dislike senseless slaughter. The two of you are quite alike."
"M…me and him!" Ghost exclaimed, shocked by the hooded Servant's words. "We're nothing alike."
"I have to concur," Archer added, "I also do not appreciate being compared to an idiot like him."
"Hey, who are you calling an idiot?" Ghost snapped.
"If I'm not mistaken, you're the one who got lured into an obvious trap and was in need of rescue." Archer retorted.
As the tow of them traded bards at one another, Caster picked herself up, her body glowed with purple energy, healing her wounds and repairing the damage done to her outfit.
"You two are most amusing. I don't suppose either of you could be persuaded into siding with me, I promise that I'll make it worth your while." She told Ghost and Archer, their squabbles ceasing at the sound of her voice, "I have the means to put an end to this war, by aiding me I'll personally see to it that any wish that you two have will be granted."
"Like hell I'd work with someone like you." Ghost retorted.
"I shall also pass." Archer added, "Your side lacks the offensive force necessary to combat Saber and Berserker to make siding with you worth my while."
"That's a no from both of you, such a shame." Caster said in mock disappointment, "Shall I assume that things between us are concluded for now?
"Correct. Besides, I am here of my own initiative." Archer told her, "My Master did not send me to eliminate you, thus I see no reason to kill you. And frankly, the people that you kill is of no concern of mine."
"Oh, that's a surprise. If I'm not mistaken your Master has been actively hunting for me, and yet you're willing me to let me go. What a curious man you are." Caster said, sounding both amused and intrigued. "Well then, Archer, Master of Saber, until our next meeting."
"Oh no you don't," Ghost snapped, "Caster, get back here, we're not finished…"
Before Ghost could even take a step forward, Caster had already vanished from view, leaving him alone with Archer.
"Archer, what the heck's wrong with you?" The Ghostly Rider demanded, turning to look at Archer, "Caster admitted to putting the whole population of this city at risk and you just let go."
"Even if I had tried to stop her it wouldn't have mattered," Archer shrugged, "Caster's the type to have a way out in case things get dicey. The best way of defeating Caster is by going after her Master, do so and she's helpless."
"So you don't care how many innocent people in town will suffer because of that crazy witch." Ghost said, narrowing his gaze at the man before him.
"Exactly, once she's drained enough life force from the people of your city, Caster will no doubt turn that power on Berserker." Archer replied. "There are three likely outcomes from such a confrontation. Either Caster will kill Berserker or Berserker will kill Caster. Or, if we're lucky, they'll end up killing each other. Regardless it will result in less opponents that we have to deal with."
"You sonava…" Ghost glared at Archer, "Tohsaka would never agree to such plan."
"That is something I will begrudgingly agree with on," Archer shrugged, "Which is why I'd prefer a confrontation to occur sooner rather than later. Regrettably, many will people will perish for it to happen, but humans are only mortal after all. Everyone meets their end eventually."
"You…you scum…" Ghost snapped, "Willing to throw away the lives of people to achieve victory. What kind of soulless creature are you?"
"So naïve, unable to grasp the bigger picture." Archer sighed, "Listen here Emiya Shirou, if Caster is victorious, more than just this town will be put in danger. Like it or not, for the greater good to prevail sacrifices are sometimes necessary, that is how this world works."
For a moment Ghost just stood there, stunned by the white haired Servants words. "You…you, how did someone like you become a hero?" He said, struggling to make sense of what he was hearing. "No, I…I refuse to accept it, you aren't worthy to be called a hero."
"A hero, how naive. I never claimed to be a hero nor do I aspire to be called as such." Archer replied, sounding repulsed by Ghost's words. "Heroes do not exist Emiya Shirou, such figures are nothing more than a childish fantasy. Even your precious Saber is not the person you seem to think she is."
"Archer…" Ghost muttered, his fist clenched painfully tight.
"You are nothing more than a child playing make believe, someone like you has no business being involved with the Moonlit World." Archer continued as he turned his back towards Ghost, "Take my advice, let go of such childish delusions, the sooner you do the better off everyone will be."
His piece said, Archer began walking away from Ghost and toward the direction of the temple gate. He'd not gotten far when a sound from behind him stopped him in his tracks.
KAIGAN: MUSASHI! (Biwa chord) KETTOU! ZUBATTA! CHO KENGOU! (Biwa chords and slashing sounds)
Glancing back, Archer wad met by the sight of Ghost once more donned in the hood of Twin Heavens and his Gan Gun Saber in his hand.
"Archer, fight me," Ghost demanded pointing his weapon in Archer's direction, "Fight me right here and now."
"I'll pass," Archer said dismissively. "Like I said, I dislike pointless fights."
"You cowardly sack of shit." Ghost snarled.
"Don't get the wrong idea, I'd like nothing more than to put you out of everyone's misery." Archer said, his tone carrying a sinister edge to it, "However, your current state renders you unkillable, as such fighting you right now is a waste of time."
"Archer…" Ghost growled, griping his sword tightly.
"Besides, I'd say that you've got other things to be concerned about." Archer continued, "Kamen Rider Specter, whoever he is, he too is collecting those trinkets that you require in order to come back to life, an objective that I highly doubt you will be able to accomplish as you are now."
Not waiting for any kind of rebuttal, Archer began walking away, leaving Ghost unable to do anything but stand there and watch as the tanned skinned Servant of the Bow got further and further away from him.
"Archer…" Ghost muttered.
As much as it annoyed him, he knew that if he and Archer were to fight, things would not go well for him. The gap between them, even with his Kamen Rider power, was too wide for him to surpass.
But even still…
"…I won't lose, not to someone like him…"
Kamen Rider Ghost: Emiya Shirou
Servant: Saber (Artoria Pendragon)
Eyecons collected: 7 (Musashi Edison Beethoven Newton Robin Hood Benkei Himiko)
Days remaining: 64
Kamen Rider Specter: ?
Eyecons Collected: ? (Houdini Ryoma)
Next time…
"How about it Emiya, you want to team up with me?"
"Don't be so surprised, I'm a genius, remember.""
My mission, it is of no concern of yours…"
KAIGAN: BENKEI! (Grunts) ANIKI! MUKIMUKI! NIOUDACHI! (Soldiers cheering)
"You…your Rider's Master!"
AN And with that another chapter is fini and for this chapter its an actual continuation of my Kamen Rider Ghost story rather than a piece of side material, combining Shirou's meeting with Caster from the UBW route and combining it with what would be the first proper appearance of Kamen Rider Specter. While Specter would have made a cameo at the end of chapter 6 of this Oh, and Saber's fight with Assassin happens offscreen.
Yeah I get that Specter is probably much stronger than he really should be, what with him able to go toe to toe with the likes of Archer buuut that's generally how Secondary Rider reveals work, gotta make them look strong, especially if they're supposed to come off as antagonistic at first.
Atop of that, Caster knows about Shirou being Kamen Rider Ghost and has taken something of an interest in the Eyecons, particularly the Himiko Eyecon which gave her a vison that is straight up meant to foreshadow Toucon Boost which Shirou would obtain in chapter 11.
Next episode of Boonboomger will feature a power up for Boon Red as well as the first major upgrade for Boonboomger Robo. Meanwhile on Gotchard its getting even closer to its end game, and while its kinda neat that we're getting follow up on stiff from earlier on the show the real take away of it really is that it turns out that all the people who have been transformed into Malgam's carry a trace of the Chemy's they came into contact with. Ok, from a production points its being done so the show can recycle old monster suits thus saving money for the finale.
Oh and apparently Gotchard's final episode count has been revealed its going to be 50 episode long, meaning that we've got 6 episodes left before we move onto Gav.
Not much else to talk about so I think I'll sign off here. I recently finished new chapters for Zero-One and Faiz and am currently working on a new W chapter with plans for OOO, so look forward to those at some point. As always thanks for taking the time to check this out and please leave a review if you feel so inclined, feedback is always appricated and I'll catch you all on the next one.
So until next time, peace out y'all.