Author's Note: Last chapter of the year. And what a year it's been. I hope everyone has a happy New Year's Eve with their friends and families. Stay safe! I also want to thank you all for supporting the story and making it possible with your kind words and reviews. It motivates me to keep writing and I'm having so much fun with it. I think the arc has about 3 or 4 more chapters before we get to G and that's when things will get heated so look forward to it!

Reviews:

DCDGojira: Glad you liked it

maxfz19: Muchas gracias. Y si, no he podido resisiter la tentacion te incluir esa referencia xd

Nexus240: You got me. It was so tempting to do it I just went for it.

Chapter 16
Wicked Justice

Tiger and Gai clashed with their respective weapons, holding each other in place. Having the advantage in weapons, Tiger used his free arm to slash at Gai's legs, but the rhino Rider jumped back at the last second. Tiger immediately followed after, raising both of his claws in the air.

Gai blocked the attack with Metal Horn, but Tiger's raw strength was enough to push him back in one strike. Before he could react, Tiger delivered a roundhouse kick to Gai's ribs, earning a pained yelp. However, he grabbed at his leg."I'm not letting go!"

"Fine by me." Tiger jumped, kicking Gai across the face with his free leg, prompting him to release him and stagger backward.

"Damn!" Gai drew a card, tossing it to his visor.

Advent: Metalgelas
ATK: 4000

Tiger threw his claws at Gai, gracing him with them as he materialized his Destvisor, a battle axe.

Advent: Destwilder
ATK: 5000

Destwilder and Gai tackled each other aggressively in a battle of strength.

Gai and Tiger drew their cards simultaneously.

Confine Vent

Freeze Vent

On cue, Metalgelas was frozen in ice and Destwilder disappeared from view.

"Shit...I forgot that bothersome ability of his..." Gai muttered under his breath.

"So you know more or less how to use that Deck." Tiger noted, seizing him up."I guess you're not a total amateur like I had thought."

"You like to assume, don't you?" Gai spat."You really should think about the things that are standing right in front of your nose."

"I don't want to hear that from you." Tiger tightened his grip on his axe."What did you do to my siblings' bodies?! We couldn't even hold a proper burial!"

"Metalgelas has to eat, you know?" Gai sardonically said."You're smart, right? You should put two and two together."

"You..." Tiger felt his stomach drop."You had Metalgelas eat them...? Both...?"

"You need me to clarify it? Otherwise, how would you explain the lack of bodies?" Gai shrugged."But then again, they could have just died of the environment or something. Who knows. But does that even matter? Now you want to be a dutiful brother? And what about before? Why weren't you with them? And...oh my, does that mean you feel bad about what happened to them? Responsible? Guilty? How many siblings have died because of your negligence, Tiger-kun..."

That comment caused Tiger to snap, tossing his axe aside and practically sprinting at Gai.

"Predictable!" Gai went for a thrust, but Tiger slapped Metal Horn out of the way before slamming his fist against Gai's helmet, shattering the outer part of it and sending him rocketing away. Gai crashed against the asphalt, skidding away several meters before he came to a halt.

"Graah!" Gai screamed in pain, holding his head."How?! How did he do that?!"

"Don't EVER talk about my siblings like that, you piece of garbage." Tiger growled, his fist covered in shards from Gai's mask."You have no idea what we've been through. No idea about those we lost!"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut! Up! Shut the fuck up!" Gai barked with all the venom he could muster."What would you know about anything?! You're such a know it all! It pisses me off! I can't be beaten here...not by you or anyone!"

"No. It's over." Tiger dashed at Gai, who recoiled in fear.

Gai looked around frantically until he spotted something and got an idea. He copied Tiger's tactic and threw his Metal Horn to the side, hitting a hydrant and breaking it. The water shot out like a geyser, hitting Tiger and launching him across the street. Gai took this opportunity and began to run as fast as he could run the opposite direction.

"Come back! You pussy!" Tiger scrambled to his feet, axe in hand."Come back! Come and face me, you coward!"

Venosnaker spat poison at Genjuro, the man rolling on the ground to avoid the toxic attack. The snake slithered towards him, displaying its sharp fangs, and lunged at him. Genjuro leaped at the snake, punching it in the face and causing it to fall to the ground.

Ouja was puzzled at how a mere human was doing this to his Advent Monster. He shook his head, deciding that it didn't matter, and got behind Genjuro to flank him with Venosnaker. Genjuro kicked the ground, causing pebbles to raise in the air, and punched them at Ouja. The Rider blocked the attacks with his blade but noticed Genjuro's true intention too late. He had sunk his fingers into the ground and quite literally flipped the street on him as if he was flipping a table. Ouja lost balance, falling on the ground and being covered by debris.

Venosnaker swatted its tail against a building, sending rocks toward Genjuro. The Commander took a deep breath, before unleashing a barrage of fists that obliterated the rocks with ease.

"How can a human be this strong?" Ouja asked, dumbfounded."You shouldn't be giving me this much trouble. How?"

"I eat, sleep, and watch movies. A man needs nothing else!" Genjuro proclaimed, holding his fists out."You may be a child but given what you've done...I'll beat the information that I want out of you!"

"Heh. What a bothersome man." Ouja snickered in amusement."You're so simple. It's flabbergasting. Just like she said."

"She?"

"It doesn't matter." Ouja shook his head. He leaped into the air, landing on top of a rooftop."I'll be taking my leave now."

"Running away? I never heard of an assassin escaping from their victim." Genjuro tried to taunt him, but Ouja just chuckled in response.

"You're not my target. You just happened to get in the way. And I'm not running. It's a mere tactical retreat. I don't like getting into situations I have no control over. Besides, I'm not insane enough to fight you head-on without a plan. You are a dangerous man, Genjuro Kazanari."

"Wait! What is your connection with Akira Nishitani!"

Ouja stopped in his tracks, glancing over his shoulder."Who?"

"The previous Ryuki." Genjuro clarified, earning a gasp from Ouja.

"Oh. Akira Nishitani, huh? So that's the name he went by after? How surprising." Ouja laughed."Yeah, I knew him. I'm surprised he never told you about my existence. Truly breaks my heart. But as what my connection with him was...that's for you to find out."

Genjuro watched Ouja leap from building to building, disappearing from view."That kid..."

On the other side of the city, Ryuga was kicking Ryuki around as if it was the easiest thing in the world. Ryuki yelled in pain, feeling Ryuga kick him against his chin and crash into a tree, nearly knocking it over.

"Fuck...I forgot that this guy was the one giving Ouja a hard time..." Ryuki gasped, leaning against the tree."I'm way in over my fucking head here...I can barely keep up with Ouja at all..."

"Having second thoughts?" Ryuga asked, folding his arms."Ready to call it quits, red Ryuga?"

"Fuck you, black Ryuki..." Ryuki grimaced."You fucking bastard! You told Gai what school I went to and look what happened! He killed a bunch of innocent people and even more died when the school came down! How could you do that?! You're a student too, right?!" He barked in between breaths."Yeah, don't think we haven't figured it out. You're a student at Kaiser Academy. Because not only do you know my identity you also know that I go there too."

"Oh. You pieced that together, didn't you? I guess you're a bit smarter than I gave you credit for." Ryuga snickered."But what Gai did is none of my business. Yes, I did trick him into telling him that I was you, but I never once held him at gunpoint and ordered him to slaughter as many students as he could. That's all him."

"Stop dodging the blame! You knew full well what he was going to do!" Ryuki snapped, fed up with the black Rider."Because of you, our school is gone! So many of our classmates are gone! They were your classmates too!"

"Like I said, I never ordered anything. I barely know the guy, how was I supposed to know he was going to cause a scene?" Ryuga dismissed his complaints."They died because he decided to kill them. Honestly, I was only hoping for him to wipe you out, but this worked out."

"Shut up! You still caused this! If you weren't so petty this wouldn't have happened! You go around saying you're the ultimate good but you ruined a bunch of lives! How is that good?!"

Ryuga sighed, shaking his head."Yeah? So what?"

"Huh...?"

"So what?" He reiterated, a hand on his hip."Does it really matter whether they died or not? The world is doomed, Ryuki. Everyone is destined to die at some point. People die without experiencing happiness and die in utter despair. But the world itself will end sooner rather than later at the rate we're going. Humanity will be the cause of its extinction. Even if those kids didn't die, they would have died in the future regardless. Living another day won't change a thing. Want to know why? Because evil has already dictated its sentence. Gai was just the messenger. But you know, if it makes you feel any better, their deaths weren't in vain. They are merely a price to pay."

"What the fuck are you talking about?!"

"The world needs a reset. Because it's already too late to fix anything." Ryuga began pacing around Ryuki."It's better to just let everything die and be destroyed before life can be recreated from the ashes. Burn the foundation to the ground and create a clean slate. And this time, it will be guided by a single, ultimate good. A good that will give everything anyone ever wants. What they need. And make sure evil will never resurface to taint humanity ever again. We will be pure."

"Pure?! You're suggesting global extinction! For all of life to be eradicated because you think it's better to destroy something rather than improve upon it?! That's insane! How can you even tell me that with a straight face?!"

"You're so damn naive, it's sickening." Ryuga growled."You haven't seen what the world is, Ryuki. You think Ouja and I are bad? That the Noise are bad? You have seen nothing of what true evil is. You've never seen a girl being tortured to death because people pay to see it happen and her begging you to just kill her because her pain is too unbearable. You've never seen a group of immigrants cry in joy when you free them from their captors, afraid that they weren't going to see their loved ones again. You've never seen kids being treated like cattle by people who have the money and resources to get away with their crimes. Neither did you see those who burned down orphanages because they owed them a little money. No. You're just a kid playing hero. You don't even think of the consequences of fighting me. You know how strong I am and yet you think you can defeat me?"

"You know I can't just let you go." Ryuki tightened his grip on his blade."I don't know what you've been through. You're right, I am naive. But it's because I'm naive that I'm able to think of a happy future, regardless of how dark the path looks. And it's true there are messed up people in the world, but to kill all humans? That's too far. And you're strong...but even you can't wipe out the world human race. And certainly not by yourself."

"Oh, I won't be doing the killing. At least, not directly anyway. I do have a plan. Also, who said I was alone?"

"You aren't...?" Ryuki was surprised to hear that news.

"It's complicated." Ryuga glanced at his nails mockingly."But humanity will destroy itself. All I have to do is win the Rider War and have my wish to be the ultimate good. Since I'm the strongest Rider, killing off the competition will be a simple task."

"You know...Miku-san trusts you." Ryuki's features softened under his helmet."And you care about her, right? So why do this? She'll be affected too."

"There's no point in talking to you any further, faker." Ryuga moved in a black blur, catching Ryuki by surprise. The red Rider rose his arms, blocking the horizontal kick that Ryuga provided, sending him against a tree. Ryuki was quick to land on his feet, dodging Ryuga's punch as it pierced through the tree. He kicked him in the torso, causing him to skid on the ground a few yards with no visible damage.

Strike Vent: Dragclaw
ATK: 2000

Ryuki grabbed his gauntlet and took aim at Ryuga and shot a fireball at him.

To his surprise, Ryuga jumped in the air, grabbed onto a branch, and swung himself on it. Clicking his tongue, he unleashed more fireballs to no avail. Ryuga jumped from branch to branch, doing all sorts of tricks in the air.

"How is this fucking guy so agile?!" Ryuki seethed, growing more nervous by the second. The fire was spreading up in the leaves from tree to tree.

"You call that an attack?" Ryuga showed him his own Strike Vent.

Strike Vent: Dragclaw
ATK: 3000

Ryuga fired his own attack, his black fireball clashing with one of Ryuki's, and overpowered it in an instant.

"Woah!" Ryuki barely avoided being incinerated, throwing his body to the side.

"You know, what's your plan? I mean, you want to wish the Noise away, right?" Ryuga landed in front of him, and both dragon Riders engaged in a shootout with their Dragclaws."But what comes after? What about the rest of the world? What about the countless wars being waged?"

"What's your point?!" Ryuki went for a punch, however, Ryuga sidestepped and struck him with a kidney punch, causing him to scream in pain. He winded his fist back but Ryuki was able to react and weaved his head. Ryuga's Dragclaw went through a tree trunk and unleashed flames that took the form of Dragblacker. Turning on his heel, Ryuki punched the air and unleashed his own Dragreder. Both of the dragon's avatars collided in the air, canceling each other out.

"You think too small." Ryuga leaped back, avoiding a kick from Ryuki. Groaning in frustration, Ryuki chased after him."The Noise aren't the problem. You're barely even scraping the tip of the iceberg."

Not dignifying him with a response, Ryuki shot more fireballs. Ryuga backflipped his way away from them, evading them with finesse.

"What about the people that suffer that you can't reach? You're just one kid. What, you think you can go around saving people like you're some type of superhero? Not a chance. A single-minded boy like you isn't enough to wipe out evil."

Ryuga let himself be struck across the face, his body being flung towards the ground with Ryuki close behind to deliver a second blow. However, Ryuga's speed proved to be too much. As soon as he touched the ground, he vanished from sight. And before Ryuki knew it, someone punched him in the back of the head, making him see stars. He landed on the floor, a foot pressing on his head.

"What's wrong? Is this all you got? How about just giving up already?" Ryuga backed away, admiring his handiwork.

"I...No...I can't lose to you..." Ryuki tried to get up, but fell on the ground again."I have to beat you...You're evil, and you have to be stopped!"

Ryuga sighed, hanging his head. He removed his foot from Ryuki's head, squatting down in front of him."Even after everything I've said, you still think you're the good guy here?"

"Fuck yeah! For everything you did, justice will be served!"

"I agree." Ryuga chuckled maliciously."Justice will be served. When I beat you."

"I..." Ryuki fidgeted."I'm talking about the kind of justice when the good guy wins and the bad guy loses."

"That's exactly the kind of justice I'm talking about as well." Ryuga nodded along."And that will happen when I take you out. But...if you really think I'm the bad guy here and you're the good guy, then surely you can prove that you're just and defeat me. After all, the ultimate good cannot be defeated and is absolute. So go ahead. Try to defeat me."

Ryuki caught a second wind, pushing himself up, and tried to punch Ryuga, but he effortlessly caught his fist."Oh, shit..."

"I thought so."

Ryuga aimed at Ryuki's face with his Dragclaw, prepared to unleash a fireball point blank."Case in point."

"Hya!"

Ryuga crouched down in time to avoid Hibiki's punch to his head. He elbowed her in the stomach, but she blocked it with her arm and used his arm as a foothold. She went for a second punch, but Ryuga crouched down, avoiding her entirely.

Hibiki landed in front of Ryuki, standing in front of him protectively.

"What are you doing?!" Ryuki yelled."I told you to-"

"I know what you told me...But..." Hibiki turned on her heel, slapping Ryuki across the helmet, leaving him stupified."You're always doing that and it makes me so upset!"

"D-do what...?"

"You're always telling me to go away and leave the dangerous stuff to you because you don't want me to get hurt. But what about you?! Gosh, ever since we met you it's like you don't think about your well-being and don't take care of yourself. You said we had each other's backs but you don't let me help you. I want to fight alongside you, Hajime-kun. I want you to count on me. So please, don't push me away. You don't have to fight alone. I'm here for you too."

"Hibiki-san..." Ryuki sat up, glancing at his friend."Yeah...I got so hung up about protecting you and my family that I forgot that I have teammates that can help me fight. Yanagi would get upset if he saw me now."

"It's okay, silly." Hibiki patted him on the head with a heart-melting smile."Sorry for hitting you. It's just been a stressful day and all..."

"No, no. I get it." He gently grabbed her arm, holding it against the side of his helmet.

"Ryuga." Hibiki addressed him, looking over her shoulder."I don't want to fight you. I...I want to believe that Miku is right about you. That deep down, you're a good person that may have been misguided. Is there any chance we can talk this out? I'll listen to what you have to say."

"Hmmm." Ryuga stared at them with interest before sighing and turning away."You would never understand, Symphogear. You're just like him. But I'll let you off the hook today. I don't want to upset your friend."

"Why is Miku so important to you?" Hibiki demanded, a little too aggressive for her liking, but she had to admit it was a sensitive topic."What do you want with her? What are you planning?"

"You're reading way too much into this." Ryuga waved her off."She just happened to catch my interest, that's all. Besides, I saved her. You should be thanking me."

"Thank you." Hibiki bowed with gratitude."Thank you so much for saving Miku. I mean it."

"Hibiki-san?" Ryuki gaped, flabbergasted at her sudden action.

Even Ryuga was taken aback by this, not having expected Hibiki to bow and genuinely thank him. He scoffed, beginning to walk away."There is no need to thank me. After all, this world-"

Ryuga froze in place, stopping mid-step. His body went rigid, not moving a single inch.

Hibiki and Ryuki exchanged worried glances."Ryuga?"

"Ah..." Ryuga suddenly started moving again, raising his head towards the sky."I apologize in advance but...an opportunity like this doesn't come often...Right?!"

Turning on his heel, Ryuga suddenly charged at the pair. One of his eyes had shifted from red to yellow, releasing a yellow aura around that part of his upper face.

Ryuki pushed Hibiki away, punching the air and unleashing a fire version of Dragreder at Ryuga. The Rider did not attempt to avoid the attack and was engulfed in flames.

"Hajime-san!" Hibiki ran up to him, her face glued to the fire.

"What the hell just happened?!" Ryuki squinted his eyes, trying to see in the flames."I thought he was leaving...why did he suddenly attack?"

"Yes, I wonder why."

Before either of them could react, Ryuga jumped and double-kicked them in their backs, causing them to stumble forward.

"Come on, we're just getting started. Don't falter now." Ryuga appeared in front of Hibiki, taunting her."Don't want to talk now, sunshine?"

Hibiki went for a punch but Ryuga slapped her away before she could completely wind her fist back.

"Hibiki-san!" Ryuki lunged at Ryuga."You bastard!"

Sword Vent: Dragsaber
ATK: 2000

Ryuki swung his weapon down, however, Ryuga grabbed it with his hand and held him in place.

"W-what?! Let go!"

"Hahaha. That's funny." Ryuga commented as he slammed his fist into Ryuki's torso, knocking the air out of him.

"Leave him alone!" Hibiki appeared from behind Ryuga, trying to connect an attack.

A black portal opened up in front of her and sucked her in. Before she noticed, her fist had collided with Ryuki's head, causing him to be sent flying across the grass and crashing into a tree.

"Hajime-san!" Hibiki screamed in concern, forgetting about the fight and rushing to his side."I'm so sorry!"

"Jeez...Has anyone ever told you you punch like the devil?" Ryuki was seeing double, chuckling like a child."I'm so dizzy..."

"What even was that...?" Hibiki turned to face Ryuga, but he was gone. She rose her fists, scanning her surroundings.'Is it his speed? But can he be that fast to just...vanished from one place to another?'

"It's so cute how you're so protective of one another."

Hibiki rose her head, gasping when she saw Ryuga sitting on a branch above them.

"You must really care about each other, huh?" Ryuga sighed."I get that. I do. So why resist? This is for the better of humanity. Why don't you let me kill him and be on my merry way?"

"Fuck you...you just want to eradicate all of humanity, you psycho!" Ryuki spat, using the tree to help himself up.

"What...? He wants to...?"

"That's a crude way to put it, Ryuki." Ryuga laughed."It's a reset. Everyone dies so they can be happy later on. It's a win-win. That's why all these deaths are inconsequential. Everyone will just be reborn. But for that to happen, I have to win the Rider War. So how about it? Why don't you just let me kill you? I promise you I'll revive you personally once I've gotten what I want."

"You're out of your mind!"

Advent: Dragreder
ATK: 5000

"So you want to resist? I do enjoy a good chuckle, though. Besides, I'm trying to enjoy myself here. It's not often I get to enjoy myself with this." Ryuga drew a card, inserting it into his visor.

Advent: Dragblacker
ATK: 6000

Dragblacker and Dragreder engaged in a duel in the skies while the Riders fought below.

Ryuga was laughing and having the time of his life as he blocked every one of Hibiki's and Ryuki's attacks. He grabbed their arms, pulling them abruptly and smashing their heads together before leaping into the air.

Final Vent: Dark Rider Kick
ATK: 7000

Purple liquid covered Hibiki and Ryuki's legs, solidifying into a purple crystal that prevented them from moving.

"What is this?!" Ryuki began hitting the crystal with the hilt of his sword.

"Hajime-kun, look! Your dragon!" Hibiki pointed at Dragreder, who had Dragblacker coiled around it while it bit on its neck.

"Dragblacker!" Ryuga called forth his Advent Monster. Dragblacker flew over, situating itself behind Ryuga before breathing fire, propelling him towards his enemies.

Hibiki and Hajime closed their eyes in anticipation, but the sound of two missiles being fired caused them to yelp.

Ryuga was shot down from the air, canceling his Final Vent.

"You guys!" Knight and Scissors came out of the trees, immediately using their visors to break the crystals holding them in place. Knight pulled Hibiki and Ryuki into a hug, catching them off guard.

"You damn idiots...What are you doing fighting this kind of enemy and not reporting in?!" He yelled, smacking them on the back of their heads.

"S-sorry, Yosuke-san!" Hibiki rubbed her head."We just...a lot happened, okay? Miku was here and-"

"Yeah, I know." Knight sighed."Ogawa-san filled me in."

"By the way, who just saved us?" Ryuki asked.

"That'd be our secret weapon!" Scissors pointed at Zolda, who stood apart from the group awkwardly."Come here, Takeru-kun!"

"Holy shit! Captain Zolda!" Ryuki beamed."I haven't seen you in a long time!"

"Hey...Lieutenant." Zolda waved slowly with his good arm. He had his Shoot Vent equipped onto his shoulders thanks to Knight assisting him. Zolda was feeling strange. Out of all the reactions he expected from Ryuki, relief was not one of them. It was like he hadn't seen an old friend in a while, but he tried to kill him.

"Captain?" Hibiki cocked her head.

"I investigated some military terms and picked one of them for the next time I'd meet him." He explained, laughing."I'm glad you're okay, man. Seriously. Well, I guess okay is not the word. You broke your arm?"

"That aside, it seems you guys are having trouble with Ryuga." Knight eyed the black Rider, who was slowly approaching them."We'll have to attack him together. He's the one who pressured Ouja, after all. And if he's manhandling you both like this, we can't underestimate him. Zolda, cover our rear."

"Roger."

"Tachibana and Scissors. You both stay on the sides while Ryuki and I will approach him directly. We'll overwhelm him with numbers."

"I take it you're the leader?" Ryuga leaned forward with interest."Oh, yeah. I vaguely remember you from before. You have a knack for showing up at the last second, don't you?"

"It's a bad habit I'm trying to break. But you're out of luck now. You're going to come with us either peacefully or by force and you'll tell us everything we want to know."

Sword Vent: Winglancer
ATK: 3000

"Is that so?" Ryuga shifted his gaze from one foe to another."How humorous. Do you honestly believe this is enough to stand up to me?"

"Only one way to find out!" Zolda shot two rockets at Ryuga.

Sword Vent: Dragsaber
ATK: 3000

Ryuga slashed a missile cleanly in half and kicked the other one back. The missile landed close to the Riders, causing them all to scatter.

"You stand against little old me, hoping that your idealism will be enough to fight my realism?" Ryuga scoffed at the notion."Rubbish! Humanity is doomed! Why fight it? Just embrace it and let this rotten world die so a new one can be born."

Trick Vent: Shadow Illusion
ATK: 1000

Ryuga hummed, staring at the Knight clones, unamused as they surrounded him. He glanced around, noticing Zolda running in circles around him."I see. Very clever. You guys are quite the tricksters too, huh?"

The Knights ran towards Ryuga, trying to cover his line of vision.

Zolda began firing missiles nonstop, hitting both the Knights and Ryuga in the process.

"Just now..." Ryuki was confused.

"The copies were just a distraction." Knight pointed at Ryuki's gauntlet. Understanding what he meant, he punched the air, unleashing flames that took the shape of Dragreder and engulfed the area where Ryuga was.

"Did we get him?" Scissors asked.

"I think so." Hibiki nodded."I didn't see him jumping away or anything. Wait...Knight! He can switch people's positions!"

"Switch positions?"

"I went to punch him before but then all of a sudden I was in front of Hajime-kun!"

"But none of us were affected by anything remotely similar." Scissors looked around his friends and then at Zolda, and that's when he noticed a black void opening behind him."Zolda! Behind you!"

Before Zolda could react, Ryuga slashed him across the back, creating sparks and sending him skidding on the ground.

"Unfortunately for you, a human's power isn't enough to shoot me down!" Ryuga proclaimed haughtily."I feel so good! So many mixed emotions! Hah...I'm so jealous...I wish I could fight like this more often."

"The fuck is he on about now?" Ryuki was weirded out by Ryuga's sudden shift in demeanor." And a human's power? What, he thinks he's not human now? Talk about having a big head."

"Who knows, who the fuck cares?" Zolda snarled, sitting up."How did he sneak up behind me? I would have seen him coming."

"It's that black portal." Knight clicked his tongue."This just took a turn for the worse. It seems like this guy has the ability to somehow not only teleport to a certain location but do it at will. I didn't see him use a card."

"He can travel through portals? That's so unfair." Zolda sighed."That's so busted, though. The hell? I never heard of a Rider with that kind of power. Why is he so different than us?"

"Maybe that's why he says he's the strongest Rider." Hibiki deduced."How can we fight him if he's going to be teleporting around?"

"He has to have a weakness." Knight readied his weapon."We just have to figure it out."

Ryuga, wordlessly, opened a portal behind him, and his body slowly levitated off the ground as if someone was pulling him up and going into it.

The group tensed up, keeping their eyes open and keeping an eye out for Ryuga.

Advent: Dragblacker
ATK: 6000

Dragblacker shot rapid fireballs at the group from the skies and unleashed a powerful fireball at the end.

Advent: Darkwing
ATK: 4000

Darkwing appeared in front of the attacks flapping its wings and creating a gust of wind that spread the fire around.

"Dude, you're going to burn down the forest!" Ryuki cried out.

"We'll worry about that later, we have to worry about ourselves first!"

Suddenly, Knight fell through what felt like a hole and was suddenly in front of Dragblacker."What?!"

Dragblacker roared, opening its jaws, and attempted to devour Knight. Knight used his Winglancer to force the dragon's jaw from closing, leaping back to the ground.

"Stop playing tricks and fight us, you coward!" Ryuki screamed, brandishing his sword."You talk big but you're just playing hide and seek!"

"You think so?"

Ryuki yelped, instinctively thrusting his sword through the portal in front of him, only to slash his leg when another portal opened near his leg.

"Ryuki!" Scissors rushed in to help him, watching as the portals vanished. One of them appeared in front of him and caused him to bump into Hibiki, knocking her over. She never hit the floor, however, and was now falling from the sky towards Ryuga. He rose his sword, ready to impale her with it. However, his hand twitched, involuntarily releasing his sword.

Zolda pulled the trigger of his Magnuvisor, releasing a round of energy bullets that caused Ryuga to back away. Hibiki landed on all fours, sighing in relief.

"That was close...thank you, Zolda!"

"He didn't kill her." Zolda noted."I'm confused. What the fuck is he trying to do here?"

"Ryuga!" Knight yelled, rushing at Ryuga at great speeds with his Darkvisor.

"Useless." Ryuga held his hand out in front of him, causing Knight's blade to pass through. Another portal opened behind Knight's head, seemingly about to inflict a mortal blow on himself. But at the last second, Knight ducked by moving his head, and push through. Ryuga blocked the stab with his arm-braces but the rapier pierced through his skin. He jumped back, gaining some distance.

"I figured your ability out after watching you at play." Knight mused, watching the portals disappear."It seems that you can only use two portals. One that absorbs and the other one that expels. In hindsight, your power seems too powerful to be stopped. That is, only if you're fighting multiple opponents. But if you're focusing on one, you become a one-trick pony. All I gotta do is predict where the attack will come from and act accordingly. I took a page out of Ryu-kid's book. He's not the only one who can adapt during a fight."

"Damn it, I was almost done figuring it out." Ryuki groaned in frustration."I'll let you have that one, batsy."

"Interesting. So you figured it out." Ryuga chuckled, causing Knight to frown."But you're only half right. I can only make two portals, yes. But not because that's the limit of my power. Quite the opposite, in fact. I am quite limited right now. This is but a fraction of what I can really do."

"What?" Zolda's eyes shot wide open.

"Does that mean...?"

"He's bluffing." Ryuki gritted his teeth.

"It shouldn't be a surprise, really. I am the strongest Rider. And soon, I will be the ultimate, undeniable, and invincible go-"

Final Vent: Crystal Break
ATK: 6000

Destwilder appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Ryuga from behind, slamming him on the ground, and dragging him toward Tiger, who was waiting for him with his Destclaws.

"Who the hell-"

"That's that guy! The one who was kicking Ouja's ass!"

Ryuga found himself unable to kick or punch Destwilder since his arms couldn't reach it.

"Wait, don't kill him!" Hibiki cried out, but Tiger wasn't listening.

Destwilder lifted Ryuga off the floor and held him up as Tiger went to stab him with his claws.

"What?" Tiger blinked, perplexed at the black portal that had absorbed his claws and was preventing him from tearing Ryuga's guts apart.

"Get away from that, now!" Knight yelled at the top of his lungs.

Tiger paid heed to his warning, pulling back in time as the portal abruptly closed, cutting off part of his claws and almost cutting off his fingers. Ryuga kicked Tiger in the chest and elbowed Destwilder, prompting it to release him. Ryuga cackled, lunging at Tiger and delivering powerful punches that caused the giant Rider to stumble back. Tiger used his remaining claw to try to grab him, but Ryuga was nimbler and jumped over him. As he turned on his heel, Tiger received a kick to the face, sending him crashing into Ryuki and Hibiki, who were running to help him.

"Another pest decides to intervene." Ryuga sighed in exasperation, drawing a card from his deck."Fine. If you want to fight, then be my guest! I'll wipe you out right now-!" Ryuga tried moving his arm, but it wasn't budging."I said right NOW! Now! Aw, come on! Really?"

"What's going on...?" Hibiki could only stare dumbfounded at Ryuga, helping Tiger up.

"I...don't know." Even Knight didn't dare make any rash moves and only glared in confusion at Ryuga arguing with himself.

"You can yell at me later, okay? I'm sorry. I just got overexcited. It has been a while, that's all. Forgive me?"

His hand did not respond to his command, instead, he watched it go back to his Deck and insert the card back."Well, that's unfortunate. Guess time is up. Sorry, fellas. You get to suffer another day. I do apologize. Well...adios."

A black portal opened under Ryuga as he waved at them and disappeared.

"Can anyone explain to me what just happened?" Tiger turned to the group."How did he just vanish like that? And more importantly, why didn't we attack him as he was leaving?"

"Honestly, we're as lost as you are." Knight sighed in relief when he concluded it was safe to lower their guard."Where did you come from? Did you defeat Gai?"

"No. Little bitch ran towards one of the shelters and undid his transformation there." Tiger tossed his remaining Destclaw on the ground."I don't know what he looks like so there was no way I could have found him. It would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack."

"What about Chrissy? Did you see her?" Zolda asked for his unofficial girlfriend.

"Yeah, she's fine. Saw her leaving on my way here. Ouja wasn't near so she's safe." Tiger informed him."Don't worry. I'll keep an eye out for her."

"You guys know this guy?"! Ryuki pushed past them, standing in front of the towering Rider."Woah...he's so cool. He's built like a mountain and tall as one too. And his armor is sick! I'm Ryuki! Nice to meet you! Nice to have another ally on the team!"

Tiger observed his hand, choosing to pat him on the head instead."Name's Tiger. I'm happy to know I have a fan."

"Tiger...Your name...is Tiger? Kamen Rider Tiger?" Ryuki fell on his knees, slamming his arms on the ground."That's so lame!"

"Gah!" Tiger flinched, becoming equally depressed."You think so too...? But I didn't name myself, okay?!"

"Odin is the one who named the Decks." Knight elaborated."Stop being so superficial, Ryu-kid."

"He's just so cool but his name is so lame." Ryuki continued crying."His name is almost as bland as yours."

"I know you're not talking when you wanted to name yourself Dragon Knight."

"That was before I met you!" Ryuki yelled, flustered."I had no intention of copying your name!"

"So...Tiger-san?" Hibiki approached the tall man."Thank you for helping us."

"Don't mention it." Tiger folded his arms."Though I only did it because Takeru and I have a deal."

"A deal?" Scissors asked.

"He wants to kill the bitch that Chris and I used to work for and Gai. In exchange, he'll help me against Ouja and protect Chris until I'm completely healed."

"So that's why Knight said you were going after Gai." Hibiki surmised."Why him specifically? Do you know him?"

"All you need to know is that bastard stole that deck from my brother. I'm just trying to get it back and get some answers and avenge my siblings."

"Oh...I'm sorry to hear that." Hibiki clutched her chest.

"Don't worry about it. It shouldn't concern you." Tiger shook his head."But I appreciate your sympathy. You remind me of my youngest sister. She's a ball of sunshine, just like you."

"You have a sister?"

"Yup. I got 3 sisters and 2 brothers. I'm the oldest one." Tiger said with pure pride.

"Sheez...you have 3 sisters?" Ryuki pushed Knight off him after he tried to get him in a chokehold."Must be rough. I have one and trust me, it's not a fun time when her time of the month comes. Good thing my grandmother takes care of that."

"Oh, believe me, it was rough the first time it happened to the 2 younger girls. The first time I was freaking the hell out and I had no idea what to do since I had no experience with that. Thankfully, my other sister was able to guide them through it. Now all I can do is make sure they're comfortable and listen to their requests to make them feel better."

"Don't remind me of that stuff..." Zolda shivered."That's one of the good things Fine ever did for Chris."

"Um..." Hibiki was embarrassed at how casual they were about the topic.

"Guys, can we stop talking about girls' periods and get to the point?" Knight brought order to the conversation.

"Why do you have to be so direct...?" Ryuki sighed."Now you made it weird."

Knight groaned, choosing to ignore him"Look, Tiger, I get you're trying to take out Gai to avenge your deceased siblings, but how are you related to Fine? Furthermore, who are you working for? Why are you assisting us? What are your true intentions here?"

"I can't answer any of those questions because it will put my siblings in jeopardy. And I will not have them be in danger." Tiger solemnly stated."Also, I'm not your ally. We're just not enemies. My alliance with Zolda is temporary. I also have a wish I want to fulfill. A promise to keep. I won't stop at anything to see it fulfilled. So after this whole thing is over, we will fight."

"If that's the case we can just fight right now." Knight walked up to him as they got into a staring contest."There are more of us and just one of you."

"You could do that." Tiger glanced down at him, taking advantage of the height difference, and lowered his voice to make it slightly deeper."But it won't end well for you. It goes without saying but you don't stand a chance against me. Not even all of you together."

"Sounds like a challenge." Knight didn't back down, choosing to take on the challenge.

"Guys, please." Hibiki got in between them."No more fighting for today. Knight, he helped us with Ryuga. And we have the same goal to stop that woman and the other rogue Riders. Can't we work something out?"

"Yeah, come on, Knight. He said we're not allies but we're not enemies either." Ryuki pointed out."Besides, you saw how powerful Ryuga is. And if what he said is true and his power is being limited, I don't even want to think about what his real power is like. Plus he could have more allies. We'll need all the help with can get."

"Fine." Knight relented, taking a step back."We can call a seize fire for now and concentrate on our respective objectives. A temporary alliance, if you will. We won't fight but we also aren't friends. And once we get rid of Fine and take down Gai and Ouja, we can fight. We have people we want to protect too. You aren't the only one."

"Trust me. I know." He jabbed his thumb at Zolda."He's in the same boat. But your terms sound good to me. You have yourself a deal. Anyway, I should get going. I have a call to make. I leave Zolda in your hands. He needs medical attention."

"We should also get going, Knight." Scissors stepped in."We have to report in about everything that happened."

"You're right." Knight nodded."Let's get going."

After a while, the four Riders and Hibiki made it to the meeting point with Genjuro and Ogawa close to one of the shelters in the north section of the city.

"What do you mean you fought Ouja and made him run?!" Hajime gasped."I knew you were tough, Commander, but holy crap!"

"Master, you're so awesome!" Hibiki praised the imposing man, as he chuckled.

"Well, I wouldn't say he ran because he was scared." He humbly said."He was fast. I can see why he's been giving you all much trouble. He almost caught me off guard a few times."

"Almost?!"

"That aside..." Genjuro's gaze fell on Takeru."Takeru-kun. Nice of you to come."

"Right." Takeru nodded slowly. He had his arms handcuffed by Yosuke, for security measures."I'll cooperate with you guys. Just...please leave Chrissy out of this. I'll take all the blame if I have to."

"Don't worry about that." Genjuro made his way over to him, examining his cast."We should get you to checked out ASAP. Your arm looks beat up. You need to rest. I'll take him with me. You guys give me your report later."

"Yes, sir!" They saluted, watching Takeru follow Genjuro."Takeru-san! Take care! We'll be waiting for you!"

Takeru stopped, glancing over his shoulder at the onyx-haired young man."You got it, Lieutenant..."

"Heh. You guys seem to get along already." Genjuro mused with a lighthearted chuckle.

"How can they be so...accepting? I literally tried to kill them about a month ago."

"That's just how they are. That and because they can sympathize with your reason to fight. You've been keeping Chris safe this whole time and want what's best for her."

"I'd say she's been keeping me safe." Takeru snorted."But yeah...I just want her to be happy. She's the only thing I have in this world. That's why I'm here. We can't keep running from Ouja and Fine forever."

"Then you're in good hands. We'll help you. In exchange, you can help us against the Noise."

"Sounds good to me." Takeru sighed, feeling a weight being lifted off his shoulders."By the way...do you mind if we get a coke or something? I'm dying for a coke."

While Yosuke and Goro were busy assessing the situation and making a phone call to Tsubasa, Hibiki and Hajime met up with Miku and Hazuki.

"You guys are okay!" Hajime beamed."I was worried. Hazzy-san, I haven't seen you in a while. Not since the school..."

"Yeah, I know. I'm happy to see you made it out okay." Hazuki nodded as they shared a quick hug.

Hibiki noticed his bandaged arm."Are you okay, Haz-san? Your arm..."

"Oh, this? When I was guiding the Noise away from Miku and the owner of Flower, one of them lunged at me and I jumped out of the way but ended up cutting myself on glass. I made it to a shelter and was relieved to see the lady there. I met up with Miku-chan a bit ago and was the one who patched me up."

"After you tried to pretend you were fine." Miku pouted, hands firm on her hips."You were bleeding!"

"And I apologized..." Hazuki rose his hands in defeat."I'm sorry. I just didn't want to worry you after...making you worry."

"I understand. I also made Hibiki worry about pulling the same stunt."

"But thankfully we're all okay now." Hibiki and Miku shared a hug.

"So you guys are back to being friends?" Hajime grinned."Nice. I was worried things would be awkward in our little group."

"We're all made up!" Hibiki smiled brightly."Right, Miku?"

"Yes. And I want to apologize to you, Hajime-san." Miku said to the amber-eyed boy."I thought you were a bad influence for Hibiki when it's the complete opposite."

"Meh, don't worry about it." Hajime showed her a peace sign."I understand. You were worried about your best friend and honestly, I'm not the representation of a good person. But I try."

"Yeah, Hajime-kun is kind." Hibiki nodded."He always takes care of me."

"Oh? Take care of you in what ways?" Hazuki leaned forward with a knowing smile.

"It's not like that!" Hajime exclaimed, throwing his hands up."Hazzy-san, come on!"

"It sure sounds like it is." Miku giggled."I hope Hibiki is not hiding that from me too."

"N-n-not at all! I would tell you I started dating Hajime-san!"

"Not like I'd have a problem with that," Hajime mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?"

"I mean what about you and Miku-san?! You guys are close too, right?!"

"We're friends." Hazuki smoothly answered, but his cheeks lit up, betraying him.

"What he said." Miku agreed, though her cheeks were also blushing."But...thank you, Haz-kun. For what you did earlier."

"No problem." Hazuki rubbed the back of his neck."Although I was the one who ended up needing help after all."

"Aw..." Both Hibiki and Hajime cooed together."Do you want to see the picture Miku and I took together before we met up?" She said as she browsed through her messages with Miku.

"Yeah!"

"What? No!" Miku shrieked, trying to grab."We look so silly! Don't show him that!"

"Too late! I'll show him!"

Miku chased after Hibiki as they both giggled, finally friends again.

"They sure get along." Hazuki stood next to Hajime."I'm almost jealous. I wish I had a best friend like that growing up."

"I have one. But he's not talking to me. We sort of fought." Hajime grimaced, his mind trailing off to Kuroiwa."That aside, you have friends now. Plenty of them. It's never too late to make a friend. Plus, you're talking like you're done growing up. How old are you?"

"Turned 18 a few months ago."

"Huh? And you're just a second year?! Did you fail a grade or something?"

"No. But I told you before that the ship I was in sunk and I was stranded for half a year. I got back into school later."

"Oh. Right..." Hajime rubbed his arm."Sorry..."

"It's fine. But you're right. I am glad to have met you guys." Hazuki smiled."Ever since I met Miku-chan, everything's been going for the better."

"Miku and Hibiki do have that ability to make others happy." Hajime commented."I'm sure you're crushing hard on her. I mean, you even risked your life to save her from the Noise."

"I'm sure you'd do the same for Hibik-chan."

"And I did. That's how I met her." Hajime laughed at the memory."I was on my way to buy Tsubasa's newest CD for my sister and I bumped into her when the Noise attacked along with a child. We ran and ran for hours until eventually we got trapped in an abandoned factory where I decided to lure the Noise away to let them get away."

"You did that...without knowing her?"

"Yeah. It's just...I love my sister. And I couldn't help but imagine her in that situation and how I would want someone to help her. So that's why I did it. After that, we kept in contact and became good friends."

"Woah...You're a pretty selfless person, Hajime-kun. I admire that about you."

"Meh, I did it because I felt bad. Not because I wanted to." Hajime shrugged."I'm far from being a good person. Most things I do is because I feel obligated to or to search for a thrill."

"Well...if it's worth anything, I think a person's intentions matter a lot." Hazuki said."Whether you did it because you wanted to or not is irrelevant. What matters is how your actions affect others in the long run. You saved Hibiki-chan because you pictured your sister in that scenario, but you still saved her nonetheless. At the end of the day, we humans can only do what we can do. Not how we want things to go."

"I guess so..." Hajime trailed off, a ghost of a smile on his face."You make a good point. Heh, you're pretty easy to talk to, you know? Maybe I'll come to you, my senpai, for advice. Who knows? Maybe I can be your wingman too."

"I'd be the worse senior if I let my junior be my wingman." Hazuki laughed, shaking his head."But...I'm not very knowledgeable in things like that."

"It's fine. We'll learn together." Hajime stood on his tippy toes, wrapping an arm around Hazuki's neck and bringing him down."It'll be an excellent bonding experience."

"So you don't know how to talk to girls either...?"

"Ah, shut up! Details, details!"

Hazuki's smile widened."Thank you. For being my friend."

"No need to thank me. If anything, I'm the lucky one for having met wonderful people too."

As they conversed, Hibiki and Miku had now sat down on the sidewalk, catching their breath.

"Hey, Hibiki?"

"Yes?"

"You promised you'd tell me more about Ryuga." Miku locked eyes with her best friend."Will you?"

"I will..." Hibiki nodded."It's just...right now, we don't know enough. But I want to try to talk to him. At least, try to reason with him."

"He saved me." Miku clutched her chest."I know that he's a kind person. Wherever he is, I hope he's okay."