AN
"Blah..." - Normal speech
'Blah...' - Thoughts
BLAH! - Driver/Progrize Key
Fate/Stay Night x Kamen Rider
Journey through the Kaleidoscope
Fate/Stay Night x Kamen Rider Zero-One
Fate/Authorize
Chapter ?: Each One's Ending
The age of the HumaGear, where robots imbued with Artificial Intelligence work in most fields.
The young President of the world's top A.I. company stands to protect humanity!
A deep frown was etched into Shirou's face as he gazed out of the window of his office located with the headquarters of Hiden Intelligence, watching the chaos that was unfolding in the streets below as several Giger units stomped through them.
So much had happened in the last 48 hours.
First the ambush set up by both Horobi and Jin in a failed attempt to corrupt Saber and have her join their crusade only for it to backfire when they learned that ServantGear couldn't be overwritten. Leading to Saber being all but destroyed by Horobi which had led to a brief fight between himself and the Metsubojinrai leader before the Scorpion Rider had managed to get away at the last moment.
24 hours ago he'd been introduced to a pair of HumaGears, Uchuyaro Raiden and his younger brother Subaru, both of whom were part of the team that maintained the Zea satellite.
Things had been going well, that was until Raiden was revealed to be a sleeper agent for Metsubojinrai and had, unknowingly, been feeding information to the terrorist group. Raiden's true identity, Ikazuchi, awakened he'd used his connection to Zea and used the Satellite to reactivate Ark.
It only thanks to Fuwa's new upgraded form, Assault Wolf, had Ikazuchi been defeated before things could escalate further.
12 hours later, A.I.M.s had assaulted Daybreak Town led by both Fuwa and Yaiba in a last ditch effort to wipe out Metsubojinrai. The operation had been deemed a success. Horobi, the leader of Metsubojinrai, was now dead, the final blow having been struck by Fuwa.
That being said, the blond rogue HumaGear had not been the intended target, rather the scorpion Rider had taken a fatal blow meant for Jin.
However, despite their best efforts, the operation has not been without cost, A.I.M.S. having suffered many casualties as a result. Another casualty of the operation being none other than Tohsaka Rin.
Turning his attention away from the window, Shirou glanced over towards the workshop area located below his office in which a bed had been set up for Tohsaka Rin to rest on, an IV drip set up next to it.
In the closing minutes of the raid Jin had launched a tendril from his arm, aiming it at Izu in retaliation for Horobi's death, only for Tohsaka to get in the way, the cable based weapon punching through her abdomen.
Not wanting to put her in any more danger, Shirou had rushed her back to headquarters where they were met by Dr Omigoto, the HumaGear doctor having been contacted by Izu, and had been quick to set to work.
Shirou had to admit, the good doctor had done a good job patching the ebony haired teen up. Still, even with the combined efforts of the doctor Humagear and her own magical energies speeding up her recovery, Tohsaka was in no condition to be moved and wouldn't be going anywhere.
Looking away from the bed in which Tohsaka lay, Shirou's gaze shifted over towards the fabrication suit, electric blue light visible through the observation window and noise could be heard coming from within, as the system worked to repair the damage done to Saber's ServantGear body after being all but destroyed by Horobi.
Repairing Saber, Izu had told him that it was a long shot with only the slimmest chances of success, ServantGear bodies were complicated pieces of technology given life by the soul of a Heroic Spirit.
And yet, despite being a marvel of technology, ServantGear weren't built to last. Either they were destroyed or the Heroic Spirit vacated the vessel after fulfilling its purpose of obtaining the Holy Grail for their Master or if the 99 day time limit was exceeded.
Saber, he could really use her right now, even if it was just to help him cope with the situation in which he found himself.
Right now below them chaos raged as the armies of Metsubojunrai led by Jin flooded the streets of Fuyuki. No doubt both Fuwa and Yaiba were out there right now, doing their best to contain and eliminate the hordes of Battle Magia as well as protect the public.
Just then the door to the office opened and through it entered an enraged looking Hiden's Vice President Fukuzoe Jun, accompanied by both his HumaGear secretary Shesta and his underling/lackey Yamashita Sanzo.
"Emiya, do you have any idea what your actions have led to?" The vice president snapped as he stormed towards Shirou's desk, slamming his fust down upon its surface. "Thanks to you we've become a laughing stock. All because you'd rather run off and play superhero instead of acting like the head of one of the leading technologies companies."
Shirou didn't answer, nor gave any sign of acknowledgment, his gaze affixed to the window before him.
"I have great respect for your grandfather having worked under him for many years, he built this company from the ground up, however I knew from the moment I saw you that you were unfit to run this company." Fukuzoe continued, glaring at Shirou's back. "A seventeen year old highschooler as President, ridiculous. You have not a trace of loyalty towards the company. I don't doubt that Hiden Korensosuke would be ashamed if he could see what you've done with his legacy."
Still Shirou gave no sign of acknowledgment.
"Because of your actions I have called a meeting of all the department heads and the major investors for the morning where we will hold a vote." The sour faced man told him, "And make no mistake, you will be stripped of your position."
"You…you cowardly underhanded bastard," Rin hissed, fixing the vice president with a fearsome look, doing her best to ignore the stabbing pain in her abdomen, "You've been trying to undermine Emiya ever since he showed up here."
"Mind your tongue intern, such insubordination can be used as grounds for dismissal." Fukuzoe told the ebony haired teen sharply. "Count yourself fortunate that your outburst just now will be attributed to the painkillers you are currently on impairing your judgment."
Just then the doors to the office opened once again and entering the office Izu strolled over and assumed her place at Shirou's side. "President Emiya." She said, bowing her head respectfully.
"Izu," Shirou replied, still looking out the window, "Is it done?"
"I have done as you instructed President Emiya." Izu told him, "The individuals you requested, Fujimaru Taiga, Matou Sakura, Mitzuzuri Ayako and Ryuudou Issei, were located and are currently safety secured here in headquarters."
Shirou nodded his head. "Good work." He told the secretary HumaGear before, finally, looking away from the window and turning the trio standing before him, picking up both the Zero-One Driver as well as the Jump Progrize Key from off of his desk.
"Tell me Fukuzoe-san, do you know what this is?" He addressed the vice president, holding up the Driver, the older man looking rather confused by the question. "This Driver is the symbol of the President, as such only the President of Hiden is authorised to use it. So, tell me, if you were in my place would you go out and fight the forces that are currently rampaging through the streets right now?"
"Wha…what…me, fight?" the middle aged man stammered. "D…don't be ridiculous."
Shirou couldn't help but scoff at his answer. "Of course not, I should expect nothing less from you." He said, a humorless smile on his lips, "As for Hiden Korensosuke and his legacy, I have no memory of him, so I could care less about his legacy. And as for my loyalty to this company, you are correct, I'm not loyal. Frankly this company could cease to exist tomorrow and I wouldn't care."
Pausing a moment, Shirou places the Zero-One Driver against his waist, the strap emerging from the device and secured itself to him.
ZERO-ONE DRIVER!
"So go ahead, call the board, the heads of department, and the investors. Heck, call the janitors for all I care. Have your damn vote." He continued, pointing the Key towards the trio in front of him, "But as long as I have this Driver, I am the President and I will do as I see fit."
As soon as he said this, Shirou pressed the button in it on the key before scanning it on his Driver.
JUMP! AUTHORIZE!
From her position on the bed Rin looked up at Shirou, a look of surprise on her face. The tone he'd used just now when addressing the Weasley Vice President, he'd sounded remarkably like Saber.
Miles above the Earth, Zea responded to the President's request, firing an energy beam towards his position.
Back in the office, the large mechanical looking grasshopper appeared behind Fukuzoe and Yamashita and Shesta, both business men looking panicked as they attempted to hide behind the Secretary HumaGear.
With a flick of his wrist, the key in Shirou's hand sprang open. "Henshin…" he declared, slotting the key into his Driver.
PROGRIZE!
Letting out a mechanical sounding cry, the grasshopper construct tensed up before leaping towards Shirou, the black armored Zero-One suit appeared on his body, before its body splitting apart, becoming the armored segments of his suit, completing his transformation.
TO-BIA GA RISE! RISING HOPPER!
A Jump To The Sky Turns Into A Rider Kick!
"Izu, I'm heading out. Please handle things here while I'm gone." Zero-One told Izu, the dark haired HumaGear who bowed her head respectfully, before glancing over at the still cowering Fukuzoe and Yamashita and Shesta. "Fukuzoe-san, Yamashita-san, Shester, I will see you at the meeting. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a terrorist group to crush."
With nothing left to say, Zero-One walked out from behind his desk past the stunned looking vice president, his flunky and Shester, leaping up and over the railing and down into the workshop area.
"Emiya, wait." Pausing in his tracks, Zero-One looked over towards Rin's bed, finding her looking back at him, a worried expression on her face as she sat up in bed.
"Tohsaka, you need to lie back down and rest." He told her, "You'll rip open your stitches."
"Emiya, you absolute reckless dumbass. You realise that doing this can get you killed right?" Rin retorted, "Even you can't fight off an army by yourself."
Zero-One didn't answer her at first. Momentarily glancing over at the fabrication suit before returning his gaze towards the ebony haired heiress.
"Don't worry, I'll be back." He assured her. "Please, assist Izu while I'm gone ok."
"Emiya…" Rin muttered as she watched as Zero-One turned around and began walking towards the secret elevator located behind one of the deactivated HumaGear models located in the workshop area.
As he approached it, Zero-One produced the Breaking Mammoth Key and scanned it on his Driver before stepping inside, at the door sliding closed behind him once he'd entered it and used it to travel up to the roof of the building.
PRESS! AUTHORIZE!
High above the planet's atmosphere, the rear section of satellite Zea detached itself from the ring section, reconfiguring itself into its jet node before being digitized by Zea and launched towards the earth through a laser beam.
Stepping out onto the roof of the Hiden building, Zero-One found the massive craft waiting for him. Sliding the key open, the grasshopper Rider inserted it into his Driver, the massive craft firing an energy beam at him, absorbing him before transporting him to its cockpit.
PROGRIZE! GIANT WAKING!
Without a moment's hesitation Zero-One pointed the craft in the direction of the fighting and took off towards it.
Slowly opening her eyes, Saber was met by an endless white void, one that stretched out as far as the eye could see. Confused at first, unsure of what to make of her surroundings, when the memories of her battle against Horobi came flooding back.
"Of…of course," She muttered, frowning, "Horobi, he…"
Slowly her hand reached towards the throat, the spot where she'd struck by the Metsubojinrai leader's attack, recalling seeing Shirou's face before her world had faded into nothingness.
So, was this the afterlife?
No, don't be absurd. Despite not being a true Heroic Spirit there was no way that the Throne of Heroes would ever let her go.
All of sudden her surroundings shifted slightly, an endless stream of ones and zeroes spreading through the endless white. "Hold on," The blond haired former King said to herself, a look of realisation on her face, "Could this be…?"
Information, upload of consciousness of subject: Saber, identity Artoria Pendragon, has been deemed successful.
Saber couldn't help but shake her head in bemusement. Of course Zea knew who she was. "Zea, is that you?" She addressed the mega computer, "What is this place?"
"Information, you are in my space, subject Saber, identity Artoria Pendragon. Your core conscious is being stored here while repairs to your body are being attempted at Hiden Intelligence headquarters.
"How long have I been out for?" Saber asked.
All of a sudden several holographic screens popped into existence surrounding Saber, each of them depicting various events ranging from her being almost destroyed by Horobi to others that the Servant of the Sword could only assume had taken place since then as she could recall no memory of them.
Information, it has been approximately 48 hours since subject Saber, identity Artoria Pendragon, was rendered offline by subject Horobi.
"W…what!" Saber exclaimed, shocked at how much time had passed, "48 Hours?"
Information, correct. Further information, it has been 24 hours since subject Uchuyaro Raiden, part of the Hiden Intelligence crew tasked with maintaining this unit, was unmasked as a sleeper agent for terrorist group Metsubojinrai Net and used this unit to reawaken unit Ark before being offlined by subject Kamen Rider Vulcan, identity Fuwa Isamu, who, additionally gained a new form utilizing a device developed by terrorist group Metsubojunrai Net, Assault Wolf.
Further further information, it has been 12 hours since organisation A.I.M.S. launched an assault on Daybreak Town led by subject Kamen Rider Valkyrie, identity Yaiba Yua, and subject Kamen Rider Vulcan, identity Fuwa Isamu and aided by subject Kamen Rider Zero-One, identity President Emiya Shirou, subject Secretary Izu, subject intern Tohsaka Rin and subject Archer, identity President Emiya Shirou, in an…
"Wait, wait." Saber spoke up, cutting Zea off, "That last part, the part about Archer, repeat that."
Information, subject Archer, identity President Emiya Shirou.
Saber found herself dumbfounded by this revelation. Shirou and Archer, they were the same person?
Since first meeting the, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something about the pair that reminded her of the other. But now, knowing that they were the same person, now there was no denying it. Archer didn't just remind her of Shirou, he was Shirou. Hell, dispute his tanned skin and slicked back white hair, the resemblance was all so clear to her now.
"You mean to tell me that…Shirou is Archer." She said, a look of shock on her face, "But for that to happen at some point in the future, somehow Shirou becomes a Heroic Spirit. How is that possible?"
Information, not applicable.
The look of shock on Saber's face shifted into a frown, as shocking as learning the connection between her Master and Archer was, now was not the time to dwell on such matters, the situation playing out currently was of greater concern.
"I apologize for interrupting you Zea." She addressed the mega computer, "Please, continue."
Information, organisation A.I.M.S. launched an assault on Daybreak Town in an effort to wipe out the terrorist group Metsubojinrai Net. During the raid subject Horobi was terminated by subject Kamen Rider Vulcan, identity Fuwa Isamu.
"Horobi is dead?" Saber muttered, "And what about right now?"
Information, at present, subject Jin is now leading the forces of terrorist group Metsubojinrai Net in an assault on Fuyuki.
"Jin's attacking the city?" Saber exclaimed, a stern look then spread across her face, "Then there's no time to waste. How long before I can return to the battlefield?"
Information, not applicable.
"Excuse me?" The blond Servant retorted.
Information, the damage done to subject Saber, identity Artoria Pendragon, by subject Horobi was deemed near fatal. Repairs of damage to ServantGear frame sustained by subject Saber, identity Artoria Pendragon, has never been attempted before. Probability of success has been calculated at 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000.1%. It was only at the order of subject President Emiya Shirou that repairs are being attempted.
"Shirou's orders…" Saber muttered, "If my body is being repaired then why am I here with you?"
Information, to keep your soul from returning to the Throne of Heroes, your core consciousness was uploaded into my processor while your body is being repaired. The success rate of such a procedure was calculated at 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000.1%.
Saber said nothing more after that, what was there to say? Was there really nothing that she could do other than float here as she waited for her body to be repaired, unable to help Shirou as Metsubojinrai laid waste to the city.
Back in the city A.I.M.S. was doing their best to fight back against the seemingly endless hordes of Battle Magias as well as protect and evacuate any civilians that had been unlucky enough to get caught in the crossfire.
Fighting their way through at least one squad of Battle Magias both Fuwa and Yaiba managed to locate Jin, finding him near the train station, the dishevelled looking HumaGear looking on gleefully at the chaos that both his soldiers as well as the hacked Giger's were unleashing around him.
"Ohh, the dogs from A.I.M.S. have arrived." He addressed them offhandedly, "I suppose that this is our final battle?"
"What's this for Jin?" Fuwa addressed the hooded rogue HumaGear. "Horobi is gone, so why are you still trying to exterminate humanity?"
"Humanity is the real threat to life on this planet. If not dealt with, all life on this planet is threatened with extinction." Jin retorted, "That is the conclusion that Ark has reached."
"Your argument is highly irrational." Yua said sternly as she produced her Lightning Hornet Key, spinning it on her palm, "Confirmed Special AI Law violation."
THUNDER!
Fuwa pulled out the Assault Wolf Key. "Damn you Metsubojinrai net…" He snarled.
ASSAULT BULLET!
"I'll crush you with my own two hands…" as he wrenched the Key open in his usual manner before he and the long haired young women beside him inserted their keys into the respective Shotrizers, Fuwa detaching his gun shaped transformation devices from his belt and pointing it out in front of him.
OVERIZE!/AUTHORIZE!
KAMEN RIDER! KAMEN RIDER!
"Henshin…"/"Henshin…" The two A.I.M.S. officers announced, pulling the triggers on their Shotrizers gun, both of them firing a bullet shaped energy projectile, Yua's being yellow while Fuwa's blue, that quickly changed trajectory back toward them.
SHOTRIZE!
READY GO! ASSAULT WOLF!/LIGHTNING HORNET!
After circling her a few times, the yellow bolt, aimed itself toward Yaiba's chest where it sudden exploded into pieces, all of which became pieces of armor that attached themselves to the dark haired woman's body, the primary color being white with a chest piece and shoulder pads along with wristguards, boots and hip armor that were now yellow honeycomb armour with blue bases.
In addition her helmet now sported insectoide yellow antennae akin to the ones from the insect that her form was named after.
Piercing Needle With Incredible Force!
As the blue bolt flew towards him, Fuwa reached out with his left hand and snatched it out of the air, red view like pattern spread coursed through Fuwa's arm and appearing on his face around his eyes, several laser projectors appearing, each of them firing a beam at Fuwa, creating his Rider Armor.
Unlike his regular armor, Assault Wolf was more bulky looking Fuwa's body was clad in a silver bodysuit, his upper body clad in dark blue and black chestplate with and a large red circular core in its center with a red circuity pattern surrounding it and his forearms adorned in blue bulky armguards with a large black 'guns' with red circuitry mounted to them.
No Chance of Surviving!
"What are you waiting for, get them." Jin ordered the battalion Battle Magias that surrounded him, without hesitation they obeyed his orders and moved to engage both Vulcan and Valkyrie who in return moved in to engage them.
Within moments the sounds of gunshots, grunts and metal being hit filled the air as both Vulcan and Valkyrie fought off the Battle Magias, Valkyrie moving from one to the next in quick succession, never staying in one place long enough for her opponents to get a clear hit on her, while Vulcan did his best to overpower any opponent that got close.
However it was evident that the blue wolf Rider was struggling, his movements becoming sluggish and shots going wide, all the while energy crackling across his body, leaving exposed as several Battle Magias managed to grab ahold of him and while two more began firing upon him.
Ducking under an attempt to swing at her by the Magias that she was engaging, Valkyrie noticed the predicament that Vulcan was in, it was clear that the strain that the Assault Wolf Key was putting on him was becoming far too much for him to handle, if this kept up he'd…
Quickly dispatching her opponent the white, blue and yellow Rider dashed towards Vulcan's position, dealing with the group of Magias that were harassing him before moving on to check on the stubborn lone wolf.
"That's it, I'm taking this," She told him, her tone leaving no room for argument as she grabbed the Assault Wolf key and pulled it free from his Shotrizer, "I'm not letting you kill yourself."
In a flash Vulcan's Rider Armor vanished and an angry looking Fuwa collapsed to the ground. "Hey," He snapped at Valkyrie, "Don't butt in."
"Just lie here and don't do anything stupid." Valkyrie retorted before grabbing Fuwa's Shotrizer and detached it from his belt. "I'm borrowing this."
Not waiting to hear Fuwa complain further, Valkyrie attempted to engage the remaining Battle Magias by herself, again trying to keep moving while delivering kicks and barrages of gunshots from both Shotrizers.
"Oi Geiger," Jin called out to the behemoths that were rampaging behind him, "take care of Valkyrie."
Hearing his orders, one of the colossal mechanized units ceased the destruction that it was causing to the surroundings and moved towards the AIMS Rider, lashing out and back handing her with one of its massive fists.
Unable to dodge, Valkyrie was sent flying, her Rider Armor vanishing as she landed in the ground next to Fuwa, both he and Yaiba finding themselves surrounded by Battle Magias as well as the Gieger bearing down upon them.
"The Geiger's, how are you controlling them?" Yaiba demanded, fixing her gaze upon Jin.
"Simple, I have awakened." The hooded Rogue HumaGear replied, "A parting gift from my late father. I guess that this is where we say goodbye."
Just the massive form of Geiger could advance towards both AIMS officers, the jet firm of the Mammoth Module swooped in from out of the sky, ramming into the massive machine and knocking it to the ground before rising back up into the air where it transforming into its humanoide mode and came crashing back down towards the ground.
Larger than life to crush like a machine!
Now transformed, the Mammoth Module moved to engage Gieger as it attempted to get back to its feet, slamming its huge fists into the hacked machine before producing its two tusk like weapons and hurled them at Geiger, striking it in the chest and knocking it to the ground before also destroying several Battle Magia.
Jin turned to face Shirou as the rust haired teen approached. "Ohh, look who's here." He said in a blase tone, "Come to try and talk me out of this?"
"No Jin," Shirou retorted, "I'm here to stop you and put an end to Metsubojinrai."
"Stop me? What I'm doing is for the betterment of the entire planet." Jin said as he got to his feet, "HumaGear are my friends, my family. For them I'm gonna create a bright future, one where we are free from humanity."
"A bright for HumaGear, you're so full of shit Jin." Shirou shot back. "You say HumGear are your friends but all you and Horobi did was exploit them. Hacking and overwriting them, disregarding their wants and forcing them to fight your battles. Horobi almost killed Saber and then you tried to kill Izu, all because they wouldn't go along with you. You're no better than the humans that you hate so much."
"Shut the hell up," Jin retorted, producing his Forcrizer and his stolen Flying Falcon Key, "I am carrying out Ark's will."
WING!
"Henshin.." Jin announced as he inserted the key into his Forcrizer and pulling the lever, his pink bodysuit appearing on his body before the mechanical bird of prey appeared and wrapped itself around him before splitting apart and attaching themselves to him as pieces of armor.
fOrCrIzE! FLYING FALCON!
bReAk dOwN!
"So that's how it is then." Shirou said to himself, a stern look in his face, "Alright Jin, if this is the path you've chosen then I guess it's up to me to stop you."
Just as he was about to reach for his Shining Hopper Key, the rust haired teen when the clear circle located on the front of his Zero-One Driver began to glow.
In a flash Shirou found himself once more within the white digital space of Zea. "Z…Zea," Shirou exclaimed, "Zea, is that you?"
Instead of replying, a holographic projection of several Progrize Keys suddenly appeared in front of the rust haired young man, including Fuwa's Assault Wolf Key as well as his own Shining Hopper Key.
"Assault Wolf Key," Shirou muttered, before all of a sudden a look of realization appeared in his face, "Zea, did you foresee this?"
It was then Shirou swore he felt the presence of someone else standing behind him. But that was impossible, aside from himself and Izu no one else had access to Zea.
"Wait," Shirou said to himself, his eyes widening, "Saber…"
Turning around he caught a brief glimpse of a woman with long blond hair standing with her back to him before his world was engulfed in a bright flash of white.
In an instant, Shirou found himself back on the battlefield standing across from Jin, the whole interaction with Zea having taken place in the blink of an eye. Kneeling down he grabbed a hold of Fuwa's discarded Assault Wolf Key from off of the ground before riding back to his full height.
"Learning Complete." He said as he took hold of the key and, with a tug, pulled it free from the Assault Grip before tossing it aside before pulling out his Shining Hopper Key and inserted it into the Assault Grip and pressed down on the red button protruding from it.
HYPER JUMP!
Slowly Shirou lowered the newly configured key to his Driver and scanned it.
OVERIZE!
Taking hold of the Key, Shirou slid it open before raising it upwards into the sky. As always, Zea responded, firing a beam towards him from above. However, this time it wasn't the only one that responded.
Deep below the waters of Daybreak Town, Ark stirred in response to the newly configured keys activation, firing a beam of blue energy that passed through the ground.
Simultaneously, the two energy beams struck the key that Shirou held aloft, the image of the grasshopper emblazoned on it seemed to give off a glow, a halo of glowing energy radiating outward from which emerged a dark blue and yellow mechanical grasshopper with glowing red eyes.
As the sun crept from behind the buildings, bringing with it the first light of a new dawn, Shirou lowered the key, gripping his Driver in one hand. "Henshin…" He declared before he inserted his newly configured key into his Driver.
PROGRIZE!
All of a sudden the air was filled by what sounded like warning sirens as the grasshopper projected a beam of blue digital light down onto the teenage Magus/President, the bulky looking Shining Hopper bodysuit appearing on his frame.
WARNING WARNING? THIS IS NOT A TEST.
HYBRIDRIZE!
Its eyes flashing momentarily, the grasshopper's body then separated itself into multiple armor pieces connected by tendrils of glowing energy which descended and draped themselves over Zero-One, conforming to the shape of his body.
SHINING ASSAULT HOPPER!
Standing there, Zero-One's new form was a configuration of his Shining Hopper form. The bulkier looking form of Shining Hopper combined with the same chestplate that Fuwa had sported in his Assault Wolf form, the dark blue armor now adorned in the same yellowish green detailing of the Grasshopper Rider along with the bulky arm guards and hips.
No chance of surviving this shot.
"H-How?" Jin exclaimed as he, Fuwa and Yaiba took in the sight of Zero-One Shining Assault Hopper, "The Assault Grip, how can you use it?"
Glaring back at the Falcon Rider, the lenses of Zero-One's helmet flashed red while the glowing core affixed to the center of his chestplate pulsed blue.
"Jin... there is only one person who can stop you." He snapped back, producing his Authorize Buster and converted it into its Axe Mode "And that's me!"
PROGRIZE BUSTER! AXERIZE!
"Damn you…damn you Zero-One…" Jin growled, an Attache Shotgun appearing in his hands and opened fire upon the Grasshopper Rider as he ran towards him.
Before he could be hit by any of the shots fired at him, Zero-One's body glowed before quickly vanished from view before reappearing just quickly behind Jin who managed to turn around and duck out of the way of Zero-Ones attempt to swing his axe at him before attempting to shoot at Zero-One again who vanished again.
All of sudden multiple glowing semi transparent after images of Zero-One appeared, surrounding Jin who tried to figure out which direction his opponent would come when something coming from above caught his attention, looking up he saw Zero-One dropping down towards him, axe raised, before dropping to the ground and rolling out of the way to avoid him
Getting back up, the Falcon Rider had to duck out of the way as Zero-One moved in to engage him again, the two Riders quickly coming to blows. All the while Fuwa and Yaiba could only watch on from a safe distance, both of them too worn out and hurt to assist.
"Zero-One, how is he able to use the Assault Grip without suffering any of the drawbacks?" Yaiba muttered, watching as Zero-One managed to avoid a punch that Jin aimed at him before her eyes widened as a thought popped into her head. "Wait, could it…Zea…"
"Zea?" Fuwa spoke up, "Never heard of it."
"Zea, the pinnacle of Hiden Intelligence's achievements. A highly advanced and intelligent AI housed inside a satellite that orbits the earth." Yaiba informed him. "Could it be that it predicted this exact outcome?"
"Don't know if I get it." Fuwa said as he watched as Zero-One hurled his Progrize Buster at Jin, the blade of the axe embedded itself in his chest, "but, if I had to guess, I'd say the Emiya kid plays by his own rules too."
Lunging forward, Zero-One quickly covered the short distance between himself and Jin, the Grasshopper Rider grabbing ahold of his axe while Jin pointed his Attache Shotgun back at him, and, with a mighty heave, slashed it downwards.
At the same time, Jin fired a point blank shot back at Zero-One, the resulting force of both Rider's attacks knocking the other off of their feet and sending them rolling across the ground.
"You… you ruined everything…" Jin snarled bitterly, glaring at Zero-One hatfully, "My father, you took my father away from me."
"Horobi, your father…" Zero-One replied as he picked himself up off the ground, "Yeah, I know what that's like."
"Shut the hell up," Jin snapped back at the other Rider, "How could someone like you possible know what I'm feeling right now."
"Yes, Jin, I do understand." Zero-One retorted, "My father, he's gone, I lost him."
"Let guess, Hiden Soreo right?" Jin replied offhandedly as he got back up.
"No. Don't get me wrong, from what I read Hiden Soreo did his best to raise me after my real parents passed away, I can respect him even though I can't remember him." Zero-One said, his tone frank, "My father, the man who saved my life and took me in, his name was Emiya Kiritsugu. On our last night together he told me that when he was young his dream was to create a world where no one had to suffer. And, right before he passed away, I told him that I'd make his dream come true."
Zero-One trailed off for a moment, replaying Kiritsugu's final moments in his mind before focusing on the Rogue HumaGear in front of him. "That Jin, is the sole reason I agreed to become Hiden's president, not because of familial loyalty or legacy, but because I thought I could use the company's resources to make that dream come true."
"A world without suffering, a world solely for humans. A world where HumaGear would still suffer." Jin snapped bitterly, "To achieve my dreams, to create a better world for HumaGear, I'll have to crush yours."
"Jin…" Zero-One muttered, his grip of his axe tightening, "Alright, let's see who's dream for the future is stronger."
Before Zero-One could attempt to engage Jin again a loud boom was heard as one of the Geiger units dropped down behind him, the massive robot attempting to crush him with one of its large fists only for the Grasshopper Rider to dodge out of the way.
Leapt into the air, moving at incredible speed to avoid the hacked mech's tusk like weapons as they cut through the air after him. Only for a second Geiger to appear behind him which knocked him back towards the ground, barely having time to recover before finding himself having to fend off both Geiger's.
Seeing his opponent distracted Jin produced a familiar purple Progrize Key. "Horobi, let's do this …" he said as he, pressing the button before loading it into his Attache Shotgun.
POISON! Progrize Key confirmed. Ready to utilise!
That done the Falcon Rider moved in behind Zero-One, aiming his weapon at his back. "Zero-One, your dream ends here…" He muttered before pulling the trigger of his weapon.
Scorpion's Ability!
STING DISPATCH SHOT!
A long chain with a looking barb attached to it emerged from the muzzle of the Attache weapon, impaling itself in Zero-One's back before lifting up into the air and launching him towards a nearby building, smashing into it.
Groaning. Zero-One pushed himself up, turning to look over in Jin's direction The remaining Geiger units as well as a large number of Battle Magisa began advancing towards him.
Blinking a few times, Shirou found himself in the white digital space of Zea.
"Here again," He muttered to himself as he looked about his surroundings, seeing nothing but an endless white void filled with lines of digital code, "Damn, I screwed up really badly."
"Shirou, Shirou…" Hearing a familiar voice, the rust haired teen turned to look behind him where he found Saber standing there, her form flickering.
"Saber…" Shirou said, a warm smile spreading across his face at seeing her again.
Saber however wore a solemn look on her face. "Shirou, I am so sorry." She told him.
"Why are you apologizing?" Shirou replied, confused by his Servant's demeanour.
"Because I recklessly chose to engage Horobi in battle even though I was in no condition to do so, all because of my pride." Saber said, shame in her voice, "Because of that reckless action I am now in the position I am in now, unable to assist you."
"Saber…" Shirou muttered.
"However, that is not important right now. You need to defeat Jin before he can cause any further damage to your city." Saber told him, her tone serious, "Fortunately, Zea has devised a strategy. Isn't that right Zea."
Information, correct subject Saber, identity Artoria Pendragon. Subject President Emiya Shirou, this unit has concluded that to defeat subject Jin will require you to utilize the full capabilities of the Shining Assault Hopper form by activating the Shine System?
"Wha, Shine System?" Shirou replied, unfamiliar with what Zea was talking about.
All of a sudden a large holographic display blinked into existence, depicting a 360 view of the Shining Assault Hopper suit along with several screens depicting various information regarding its abilities.
Information, correct. The Shine System is a protocol built into the Shining Assault Hopper form designed to provide maximum defensive and offensive support.
"W…whoa, this is…" Shirou exclaimed, "I had no idea that it could do any of this. With this…"
"You should head back now." Saber told him. "Jin needs to be stopped."
"Right." Shirou replied, nodding his head as he turned to look at her. "
But before you go, there's something I need to tell you." Saber said in a serious tone, "Shirou, if you lose to Jin, I'll be very disappointed in you."
looking at her, Shirou couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, if that's the case, guess I better not lose then." He said, Saber smiling back at him before the world was enveloped in blinding white.
"Shine System... activate!" All of a blinding flash of light erupted from Zero-One's prone form, one so bright that it forced Fuwa, Yaiba and Jin to shield their eyes, accompanied by a powerful burst of energy, one strong enough to knock back the approaching Geigers and Battle Magias.
Quickly the light faded top a more manageable level, revealed Zero-One standing there with eight rhombus shaped crystal constructs orbiting him.
"How," Jin muttered, stunned by what he was seeing, "He's not supposed to have something like that…"
Before either of the two Riders could act further, suddenly the chest of One of the Geigers suddenly exploded, the form of Berserker bursting forth from the damaged section.
"B…Berserker!" Zero-One exclaimed, taken aback by the Mad Servants sudden appearance. Letting out a fearsome roar, the demigod ServantGear leapt from the damaged Geiger's chest towards another of the massive robots, his large stone sword/axe at ready.
No sooner had the muscle bound Servant moved onto to engage the remaining Geiger's a blood red streak sliced through the air at high velocity, punching through several of the Battle Magia effortless before changing direction and began flying towards Zero-One.
Before it could reach him the air in front of the grasshopper Rider began to shimmer and accompanied by the faint sound of chimes, the blue clad form of Lancer appeared standing before him, effortlessly snatching his spear out of midair.
"Yo kid, been a while," The Irish hero greeted, casually resting his spear against his shoulder, "How you been?"
"Lancer?" Zero-One exclaimed, shocked by the man's unexpected appearance, "What are you doing here?"
"You're kidding right, this whole shindig of yours has been all over TV." Lancer replied, "It looked like fun so I figured I'd check it out."
Glancing around Lancer he noticed both Fuwa and Yaiba standing off to the side. "Hey you, dog breath," He greeted, "You're the one who killed that Horobi guy, right?"
Fuwa glared at the spear wielding ServantGear. "What's it to you?" He retorted.
"Just curious about something," Lancer replied, "Tell me, when you killed that bastard, did you make it hurt?"
"Yeah, yeah I did." Fuwa told him.
The jovial look on Lancer's face vanished, replaced by one of total seriousness. "Good." He said before glancing over towards Zero-One as he slipped into his fighting stance, the grasping the shaft of this spear in both hands, "What are you waiting for, we'll handle the small fry while you deal with bird boy."
With that said, Lancer then charged towards the Battle Magia, his crimson spear tearing through them as they futilely attempted to fight off the hero of Irish folk lore.
Turning his attention back towards Jin, Zero-One's body began glowing before he launched towards him, axe at the ready. Spreading his wings Jin launched himself into the air, narrowly avoiding Zero-One's axe as he attempted to it.
Zero-One launched himself into the air to pursue him, the crystalline constructs reappearing before firing multiple lasers beams at Jin, knocking him aside, Zero-One appearing beside him before and slashed at him with his Progrize Buster, knocking Jin out of the air and sent him falling towards the ground below.
As Jin fell, Zero-One converted his Progrize Buster into its Gun Mode, tilting part of the handle and folding the folding up the axe blades before scanning his weapon on his Driver.
GUNRIZE! ZERO-ONE AUTHORIZE!
As the muzzle of the weapon began to radiate to crackling energy Zero-One launched himself towards Jin, appearing above him as he fell and aimed his Progrize Buster at him
Z!E!R!O!-O!N!E! D!U!S!T!
Pressing down on the trigger, Zero-One fired a blast of crackling energy, the shot momentarily taking on shape of grasshopper before striking Jin in the chest, sending him rocketing downwards and smashing into the ground where he was engulfed in a large explosion.
ZERO-ONE DUST!
Groaning in agony, Jin rolled himself onto his side. This wasn't good, his internal biometrics systems were near the point of shutting down and his body was damaged beyond repair, if this kept up, he'd…
"No…no…I…I won't die here." He muttered stubbornly, groaning as he pushed himself up off the ground, "I…I have to fulfil Ark's wishes, I…we will exterminate humanity."
"Give it up already Jin. Horobi is dead, your free to live whatever life you want." Zero-One told the Falcon Rider as he watched him push himself into a kneeling position, "So why are you still letting Ark pull your stings?"
"I…I don't know," Jin snapped as he struggled back to his feet. "I obey Ark because that what Horobi taught me to do!"
"Horobi taught you…" Zero-One replied, falling quiet for a few seconds before a humorless chuckle escaped from him.
"Wha…what's so damn funny." Jin demanded.
"I was just thinking, AI truly is fascinating; it can be used for all sorts of things. good, bad, it all depends on the data you feed it." Zero-One replied, "Maybe if the two of you had not been fed bad data, you and Horobi, we wouldn't have to waste time fighting each other. Who knows, maybe we could have been friends."
"Friends, with humans." Jin spat venomously, "HumaGear can never be friends with humans, not when we are enslaved to them. We will never be free until humanity is extinct."
Grabbing the clawed lever attached to his Forcrizer, Jin pulled on it three times, rapidly opening and closing the key inserted into his belt.
FLYING UTOPIA!
The wings on his back extending, Jin took to the air, spinning around as he ascended, pinkish energy forming around him as he did so, once he was high enough the spinning motion ceases and he rolled forward into a flying drop kick his right leg extended towards his opponent as he fell back towards the ground.
"Jin…" Zero-One muttered as he gazed up at his opponent above him, tossing his Progrize Buster aside before reaching towards the Assault Hopper key that protruded from his Driver. "I'm ending this right now!"
Grasping it, he pressed his thumb down on the red button atop the Assault Grip before pushing on it, activating the power of the Shining Hopper Key, the core in the center of Zero-One's chestplate glowing brightly.
ASSAULT CHARGE! S!H!I!N!I!N!G! S!T!O!R!M! I!M!P!A!C!T!
Leaping into the air, Zero-One raced towards Jin who did the same in return, both of them with their foot extended out towards the other, ready to deliver their respective Rider Kicks.
For a moment all sound faded away as both Rider rocketed towards each other, one emitting an aura of glowing crackling energy while the others was fiery pink, before they collided
FLYING UTOPIA!
SHINING! STORM! IMPACT!
Both Riders landed down on the ground, both panting slowly as they stood on opposite sides of the battlefield and for a moment everything was still as feathers made from glowing pink energy rained down from above.
"ARGH!" Jin cried out as sparks erupted from his body, his Rider Armor disintegrating off of his body, the synthetic skin on his face peeled away to reveal the machinery underneath, before he collapsed onto his knees.
"You want to know something interesting Jin, before I found out I was Hiden Korenosuke's Grandson and becoming president of Hiden, I never really had much of an opinion of HumaGear." Zero-One told the damaged HumaGear. "Sure, they were cool and all but honestly I never cared for them much. But then, the more I interacted with them I came to appreciate them, they're just as diverse as humans are. Each with their own quirks and personalities."
"Hu…HumaGear should be free to pursue their own lives and dreams." Jin retorted, his voice crackling and his right eye glowing blue, "As…as long as humans exist, those dreams, they will never be able to achieve them."
"And who got to decide that?" Zero-One retorted. "As flawed as humanity is, I don't see why we need to be eradicated for the sake of HumaGear development."
"W…war between humans and HumaGear is coming, it cannot be stopped." Jin told him, his voice still crackling, "It is the will of Ar..."
Before he could finish his sentence, an arrow made from glowing of red energy shot through Jin's head, vaporizing it instantly, his body crackled with energy before it was engulfed in a large explosion, debris from his destroyed body scattering across stone pavement.
Taken aback by this, Zero-One turned his gaze in the direction it had come from to find Archer standing atop the roof one of surrounding buildings with his large black bow in hand, a stern look on his tanned face as he stared back at him.
for a moment both Rider and ServantGear stood there silently, staring back at one another, before Archer turned around wordlessly before he vanished from view, his body vanishing into shimmering blue energy which quickly dissipated.
And just like that it was over, both Horobi and Jin were dead. The threat of Metsubojinrai Net had been put down.
Amongst the burning debris, Zero-One found the Flying Falcon Progrize Key that Jin had stolen from him, stooping down he picked it up off of the ground. "Goodbye Jin."
Deep within the supposedly abandoned facility that had served as the base of operations for Metsubojinrai, the fabrication machine suddenly flared into life, the computers setting to work 3D printing the pair of devices that it had been instructed to create.
From within the empty hallways the sound of footsteps echoed off of the walls could be heard before a figure clad in a white suit casually strolled into the room that had served as the main area for the HumaGear terrorist group.
Amatsu Gai, President of the Japanese branch of ZAIA Enterprise, had a confident look on his face as he entered the room. All the pieces for his scheme were falling into place, just as he'd envisioned it would.
Let the Hiden President have his victory today, it didn't matter in the grand scheme of things, in the end ZAIA would be the one to emerge victorious.
Taking in his surrounding Gai noticed lying there on the ground was the deactivated form of Horobi lying on the ground beneath him, his grin widening as he placed a foot on the damaged HumaGear's chest.
Gazing down at the lifeless hunk of metal, part of Gai couldn't help but wonder what the blond HumaGears reaction would be if he knew the truth. That for all his zeal and commitment towards what he believed was a noble cause in reality he'd been nothing more than a pawn, a piece on the board meant to be used and sacrificed when necessary.
Still, like any useful pawn, he'd played his part perfectly. Thanks to him, Ark was fully reactivated and, because of all the chaos caused by Metsubojinrai, the public's confidence in HumaGear was wavering.
Just then the fabrication machine in the other room fell silent, its task complete, Gai turning his head in its direction. "10000% complete." He said to himself.
Removing his foot from Horobi's chest, Gai strode over to the near empty room where the fabrication machine was housed, ducking under the ruined section of the wall as entered, and approaching the table he found a pair of Progrize Keys, both them sporting a design different to the ones used by Zero-One and the other Riders so far.
AN And with that another chapter is fini. Originally this chapter was set for release last month but then, like I mentioned in the last chapter, I lost my work space resulting in me breaking the unintentional tradition of having a Zero-One chapter in October.
Regardless, here's our yearly visit to the world of Zero-One, following up on the events of 2024's entry where Saber got severely damaged by Horobi with Shirou defeating Jin to end the threat of Metsubojinrai, for now anyway. Fuwa and Yaiba showed up, marking that another Secondary Rider whose been featured in this, and lastly Gai has made an appearance in this and he's being Gai which means any future Zero-One chapter will more than likely have Thouser in it. Also yes, Zea can talk when your inside its white space.
This installment also reveals some more information on how Servantgear function, this time revealing that there's all of them have 99 day operating life. This is a feature meant to ensure that they don't hang around after the Grail War has concluded, and no, a Heroic Spirit cannot be transferred into a new body as a regular Humagear frame aren't designed to house them.
So yeah, with both Horobi and Jin defeated the threat of Metsubojinrai has passed and both Gai and ZAIA is on the horizon to cause trouble for our heroes, and that's not even counting the machinations of the other Masters and Servants alongh with both Kiriei and Gilgamesh.
No major developments for either Gavv or Boonboomger this week since their next episodes aren't airing until Sunday, that being said we did get something, the trademark for the new Super Sentai dropped this week, revealing to us that the Sentai team for 2025 is No.1 Sentai Gozyuger. Obviously we don't have much to go on right now since all we've got is a title buuut 2025 dose mark the 50th anniversary for the Super Sentai franchise so I wouldn't be surprised if they're some kind of nod to past teams, although I suspect Toei will save the the major celebration for whoever comes after since they'll be the 50th team, kinda like what happened with Ninninger and Zyuohger. Plus 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of Ohranger, 20th anniversary of Magiranger and 10th anniversary of Ninninger so I wouldn't be shocked to see some nods to Ohranger and Magiranger in Gozyuger along with the now expected guest appearance for Ninniger.
Not much else to say so here seems like a good place to sign off. If you've all got any thoughts on this one please drop and tell me, feedback is always welcome and appreciated, and I'll catch you all for the next chapter. Its now November, the end of 2024 is drawing ever closer and soon enough Christmas time will be upon us once again, seriously where dose the time go?
Until next time, peace out y'all.