Chapter 19
Stronger Together

"You're not seriously saying what I think you're saying."

Yosuke sighed, leaning back on the wall of Tsubasa's room."I'm not saying anything. I'm merely throwing an idea out there."

"But to even suggest that Akira was affiliated with Ouja..." Tsubasa couldn't wrap her head around the logic."It's just outlandish and you know it."

"This is why I waited until your concert was over so you wouldn't be worrying about this." Yosuke rubbed his temples."Look, the Commander fought Ouja. And Ouja hinted at having known Akira before. Or to be more specific, the previous Ryuki. And other than Ryu-kid, the other only Ryuki was Akira."

"Wouldn't that just mean that they may have fought each other in the past?" Goro suggested, sitting down next to Tsubasa on her bed."Or maybe he's trying to trick us and plant seeds of doubt in our group."

"Here's the main problem with both of those possibilities. I wasn't able to either go with you guys to the mall with the kids or go to the concert because I've been trying to get information about Akira. I went to his old room and searched everywhere for something that might have told me about his past life. I found nothing. But that also means that there isn't concrete evidence about whether Akira really knew Cypher or not. So their fighting in the past is a stretch. Not to mention Akira would have mentioned fighting another Rider to us."

"What about the other problem?"

"If Cypher really wanted to make us doubt ourselves and what we stand for, why go for Akira? There are plenty of other ways for him to get under our skin and far more efficiently. I don't see why he would lie about knowing him. Not to mention how would he know who Akira is even if he didn't know him before this?"

"I...but that doesn't prove anything." Tsubasa shook her head."And even if it does, there has to be a reason why Akira kept that from us."

"You said Kanade talked to you when you were in that coma, right?" Yosuke asked the indigo-haired girl."Did she ever say anything about Akira?"

"I don't know if I actually spoke to her spirit or whatever." Tsubasa confessed."Sometimes I think it was just my imagination. But no. She didn't mention anything about that."

"We're back to square one." Yosuke groaned to himself."This is great. We have even more unknowns and the only one who can tell us anything is Ouja himself. And then there's the Ryuga problem. How the hell are even going to deal with that? Not to mention Fine-"

"Yosuke!" Both Tsubasa and Goro cried, snapping him from his thoughts.

"What?"

"Calm down. You need to relax a little bit." Tsubasa chided him."You've been stressing out this whole time. We'll figure it out as we go. There's no need to do everything in one seating."

"And as for Ryuga, that's okay too. Because Hibiki, Miku, and Hajime think they can maybe talk about some sense into him. But seriously..." Goro offered a small smile."I think you need to relax too. I know you're worried and are only trying to look out for us. But you need to take it easy too. It'll kill you if you don't."

"Maybe..." Yosuke's features softened, a soft chuckle escaping his lips."Sorry. I should have gone with you guys instead of investigating."

"Wait, so that's what you were doing the whole time?" Tsubasa quirked a brow."What about the funeral for the students?"

"I did that too and it's being planned as we speak. But I also got curious about this matter and decided to dig for information. But at least you guys had fun. I saw that picture you took. Ryoko-san showed it to me."

"It would have been better with you there, Yosuke-senpai." Goro said."But hey, we can do it again sometime. It'll be fun."

"I can't even remember the last time I went out with friends..." Yosuke hummed."Aside from you and Kanade and Akira. What did you guys do?"

"We watched a movie then went to eat and then..." Tsubasa began retelling what activities they did that day.

"It sounds like a blast." Yosuke trailed off."Though I'm glad I wasn't there when you guys when shopping. I pity you, Goro."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Tsubasa folded her arms under her chest."What are you insinuating?"

"That it's a nightmare to go shopping with you."

"No, it's not!"

"Actually, Tsubasa-senpai?" Goro stared at her with an unsure expression."It is..."

"What?!" Tsubasa exclaimed, throwing her arms up.

"I feel bad for the guy that ends up with you." Yosuke rested his chin on his palm."He'll have to do that every day. Not to mention pick up after the mess you leave behind. Poor him."

Tsubasa blushed in embarrassment but was unable to giggle along with her friends.

After a minute, the laughter died, and they all glanced at each other fondly.

"There is something great beyond all this fighting." Tsubasa stated."We just have to persevere until we can reach it."

"It won't be easy but we're a team." Yosuke nodded."We'll tackle everything together."

"And we might even get more allies, just like you wanted, Yosuke-senpai. Zolda seemed to want to cooperate and once he heals up, he might give us a hand. And that would mean that Chris might also help as well."

"Possibly. After all this time, we finally found a reasonable Rider."

"Don't forget about Tiger."

"Tiger?" Tsubasa echoed.

"It was supposed to be a top-secret..." Yosuke eyed Goro accusingly."The Commander said not to share this information with anyone who didn't know already. So us two, Tachibana, and Ryu-kid."

"I-I'm sorry! I thought she knew, all things considered."

"Well, she deserves to know." Yosuke shrugged."Kamen Rider Tiger made a deal with us. He'll help us against Fine and Ouja and in exchange, we'll leave Gai to him. After that, we'll have to fight him."

"Fight him? But that-"

"He's a Rider too, Tsubasa. Realistically, all Riders are meant to fight each other for a wish. And as such he has a wish he wants. People he has to protect, in this case, siblings. So for that, he'll fight us if he must. So I wouldn't count him as a full ally."

"I wonder..." Tsubasa rubbed her chin."Maybe we can persuade him as well. At first, we thought Zolda was an enemy as well, but he only wanted to protect Chris Yukine. Maybe the same can be said about Tiger."

"It's possible. But for now, we tackle one issue at a time." Yosuke stood up from his chair."Anyway, I think it's best to call this little meeting off."

"Right. It's getting late." Goro agreed. Both boys headed for the two, but a pair of arms wrapped themselves around them."Tsubasa-senpai?"

"Tsubasa?" Yosuke felt her face pressed up against his back."Since when are you so touchy?"

"I'm so lucky to have you guys with me." She muttered, hugging them tightly. Goro and Yosuke exchanged glances, smiling. They wrapped her arms and positioned themselves in a group hug.

"I think we're the lucky ones here." Yosuke stated, resting his chin on her head and ruffling Goro's hair."To have a wonderful friend like you."

"No, I think I'm the lucky one." Goro chuckled."Or maybe unlucky too? I only met you guys because I found the Scissors Deck. So maybe it was a good thing after all. What I'm trying to say is, I'm glad I became a Kamen Rider and met accepting people like you."

"Let's just say we're all lucky." Tsubasa offered, beaming at them."We'll continue fighting together so that one day we can end all of this. For all of us. For Kanade and Akira."

"It's a plan." Yosuke and Goro said in unison.

"How about we take a picture together? Just the 3 of us." Goro suggested."We're like the Three Amigos."

"I can't believe you said that." Tsubasa sighed in dismay. She pulled out her phone, ushering her friends to position themselves behind her."Yosuke, you take it. You're taller."

"Fine, fine." Yosuke grabbed her phone, standing behind her and Goro and stretching his arm out. They all smiled at the camera, and Yosuke felt himself grow a slight, genuine smile."Say cheese."

"Cheese!"

It had been weeks since the last time Chris had visited Fine's mansion. And the woman hadn't bothered in fixing the destruction that their fight with Ouja left behind. She used one of the holes in the wall to sneak in, but there wasn't any need to be stealthy and she realized that the deeper she went into the mansion. As she reached Fine's main room, she saw a dozen bodies of armed men on the floor.

"What the hell?! What happened here?! Was it Ouja?!" Chris glanced around, preparing herself for an ambush. But nothing came. What did come was the sound of footsteps. She turned on her heel, fully on guard and ready to sing until she saw Genjuro standing by the door."Wait...it's you. Ah! It's not what you think! I-"

A group of men rushed past her, completely ignoring her and securing the room in case of any survivors or traps.

Genjuro approached Chris slowly, gently placing his hand on her head."We know you're not behind this. It was done by someone who's been with you, and us, since the beginning."

"You mean..."

"Commander!" One of the men called Genjuro over. He had found a note that read "I love you. Sayonara."

As soon as the man pulled the note, it triggered a booby trap that set off a chain of explosions. Genjuro acted quickly, pulling Chris towards him and neutralizing the explosion with pure martial arts.

"What...?" Chris opened her eyes, feeling the arm around her."What the fuck happened?"

"I neutralized the explosion with a martial arts technique," Genjuro explained, casually holding a huge piece of rubble over his head with one hand.

"That's not what I meant!" Chris snapped, forcing the arm off her."And besides, how does that make sense?! Not only are you capable of going head-to-head with Ouja but then you pull shit like this! Who are you, really? And why are you so hellbent on protecting me without a Gear of your own?!"

"Whether I have a Gear or not is irrelevant." Genjuro tossed the rock aside."I'm doing all of this because, in comparison to you, I'm an adult."

"An adult?! I hate all adults! I even..." Chris stopped for a moment, remembering Takeru's words back at the motel."My parents...I'm not like them at all. Saving the world with songs is nothing but a dumb idea that shouldn't even be pursued! Nor am I like Takeru, who thinks so little of themselves as to believe in the people that lied to your face! True peace can't be achieved by idealistic ideals and simple-minded objectives. The only way to end war is to beat everyone up to a pulp and make them stop!"

"I know that's not how you truly feel at all. Takeru told me everything." Genjuro gently sighed."You don't mean that. Even now, you hesitated to put your parents in a bad light. Do you think violence is the way to end every war? Wouldn't that make people fear you instead? Is that what you want?"

"W-well..." Chris mumbled, her confidence wavering.

"You said that adults shouldn't pursue meaningless ideals and simple-minded objectives. But in reality, it's because we're adults that we're able to have our own dreams and ideals. When you become an adult, you grow up and become stronger. Who knows, you might even have some cash on the side to buy what you want. But more importantly, when you're an adult, you get to take all those crazy ideas you had as a kid and make them a reality. Your parents didn't go to war out of wishful thinking or naivete."

Genjuro took firm steps forward."They threw themselves into that hell to bring hope in the middle of a war. To the people who had lost that hope. People like Takeru. That was their dream. They wanted to show you the unyielding truth that dreams can be fulfilled."

Chris' eyes widened."What do you...?"

"You don't think badly of your parents. I can tell that much. And you don't think Takeru is weak-minded. He realized there was no shame in leaning on a helping shoulder. Especially if the people you care about are in danger. Yukine Masanori, Sonnet M. Yukine, and Takeru Sakamoto and undoubtedly the people that love you the most in the whole world. No matter what. And now that your parents are gone, you both have each other. He's experienced the pain of losing his family too. So he understands you better than anyone."

Once he was in arms reach, Genjuro pulled Chris in a comforting hug, offering care for the girl. Chris was unable to hold her feelings anymore and began sobbing uncontrollably, thinking of everything she had lost but also the one person she still had with her.

Genjuro opened the door to one of the many cars his team had brought with them, turning back to Chris."You're not coming with us?'

"I don't think I should." She avoided his gaze.

"You're not as alone as you think you care. Even if you choose to walk your own path, it will meet up with ours sooner than you'd think."

"I don't understand how Takeru thinks former enemies can become allies just like that." Chris huffed."I tried wrapping my head around it but...I don't think it was just him being desperate. I can't tell if that's just how all men are or you both are a special case of naive."

"Maybe we're naive." Genjuro shrugged."But his gamble has paid off. He's almost made a full recovery. You'll see him very soon. I'm sure you both have plenty to talk about when you meet again. Until then, hold onto this."

Genjuro threw her a communicator, which she caught with both of her hands."You're giving me this? A communicator?"

"You can also use it to ride public transport and buy things from vending machines but don't go too crazy either. It's pretty handy."

"Kadingir." Chris blurted out."I don't know if Takeru mentioned it, but Fine said that name back when she first sent Ouja after us. I don't know what it is but she said it was almost if not already complete."

"I see... Kadingir." Genjuro hummed in thought."We don't have a moment to lose. We must strike first. We'll see you again soon. Hopefully on better terms."

With that, the car drove off, leaving Chris alone.

Unbeknown to everyone, Kamen Rider Tiger was sitting on a tree branch, keeping an eye out for Chris."Good...For a moment there I thought I'd have to intervene. But it seems that she's not on bad terms with everyone. You got quite the complicated girl, Zolda."

"So here I am, sleeping in until my grandma storms through the door with the damn vacuum cleaner." Hajime rubbed his face."And trust me, that thing is loud. I complained, rightfully so too, and she made me clean around the house! She said that since I don't have school right now I have to be productive and help around the house. If only she knew I'm one of the guardians of the world..."

"You're overreacting, Hajime-kun." Hibiki giggled at the onyx-haired boy."You should be helping your grandmother regardless of whether you have school or not."

"Maybe so...But I was having such a pleasant dream too. I dreamt I got to shake Maria's hand...and she signed my plushie of her. Damn it...She never got to sign it! Damn it!"

"You really like Maria, huh..." Hibiki dryly remarked, glaring at him.

"Yes..." Hajime bemoaned, completely oblivious of the meaning behind her words."I just want to meet her, you know? She's like my hero. Her songs are what motivates me every day. I put that stuff on when we're training with the Commander. I'm saving up so I can go to a concert of hers one day and sit in the front row. Hell, maybe even go to the VIP room."

"Well, Setsuna-chan did meet her idol in Tsubasa, so I guess it's fair the same happens to you. But wait, you have a plushie of Maria? It's not one of those bodypillows boys like, right?"

"What?! No! What do you take me for? It's just one of those chibi plushies of idols."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

Before Hibiki could apologize, their phones rang in unison. They answered the group call, joining Tsubasa, Goro, and Yosuke who were already in."Yo. Hibiki-san and Hajime speaking."

"Yeah, we're here too, sir," Yosuke responded for his group.

"We've got a lead." Genjuro cut to the heart of the matter."Huh. Where's Ryoko?"

"We haven't been able to reach her since this morning." Aoi reported."Zero communication."

"I wonder what happened..." Goro worriedly pondered.

"I finally got through!" Ryoko's cheery voice joined in the call. Though, unlike the teenagers, she hadn't put her camera on."Sorry, sorry. I overslept, and to top things off, my communicator started playing up."

Genjuro narrowed his eyes slightly."Are you alright? Everything okay on your end?"

"Other than missing the garbage collection, I'm just peachy. Did something happen?"

"There's something I want to ask you. Kadingir. What does that mean?"

A brief pause followed before she replied."Kadingir is Sumerian for divine existence. In a sense, it refers to a tower reaching for the heavens."

"If someone built such a tower, we would have noticed it, right?" Genjuro questioned.

"Huh. I guess a tower wouldn't be very ideal if they planned something evil with it." Hajime pointed out."Anyone could see it."

"Regardless, we now have the enemy right where we want them." Genjuro confidently stated."If we can simply gather more intelligence, it's checkmate."

"Man, that's such a cool line." Hajime grinned with excitement."I'll write it down."

"Not the time, Ryu-kid." Yosuke scolded him."So, that's the plan. If we're going to face off against that Fine woman, we'll be facing Ouja too. I need all of you to stay alert and stick together."

"Yes, sir!" Hibiki and Hajime saluted.

"That's all for now." Genjuro nodded, happy to see their teamwork improving."Keep an eye out for any rogue Riders and follow Yosuke's orders."

The teenagers cut off their communication, leaving only Ryoko on the call.

"My, they've come far as a team, haven't they? I feel like it was only yesterday when everyone was in each other's throats." She remarked."I've got a few things to take care of her and I'll be right over there."

Genjuro took a breath when Ryoko left the call, ending their meeting."I want every piece of information you can find on Kadingir, regardless of how minuscule it seems."

The alarm went off, alerting everyone in the control room."What is it?"

"It's the Noise!" Sakuya said, frowning."We've detected three...no, four! And they're huge!"

"Mobilize the Symphogear and the Rider Unit!"

"Four Noise but they're just floating around?" Goro couldn't help but bite his lower lip. He was grabbing onto Yosuke's waist as they rode on his bike, following Tsubasa to the scene."Holy...!"

"They're too big." Yosuke could see the Noise from afar, and the only became bigger the closer they got."This is bad. If they start attacking now..."

As if the world was playing a bad prank on him, the colossal Noise began releasing smaller Noise down to the city. They parked their bikes and rushed in, each of them transforming.

"Henshin!"

"Imyuteus Ame No Habakiri Tron..."

Meanwhile, Hibiki and Hajime both were mentally preparing themselves to jump off the helicopter that had brought them here.

"I'm scared of heights..." Hajime trembled, grabbing onto Hibiki's arm."Can't we just... land this thing?!"

"It'll take too long!" Hibiki grabbed his hand, squeezing it and hoping to give him confidence."It'll be fine. Trust me. I won't let you get hurt. Remember, we're protecting each other. So let's go!"

Hibiki jumped off, dragging Hajime down with her as the boy screamed in bloody murder.

"YOU COULD AT LEAST HAVE LET ME TRANSFORMED!" He screeched like a girl, quickly pulling out his Deck and inserting it into his V-Buckle."HENSHIN!"

"Balwisyall Nescell Gungnir Tron..."

Advent: Dragreder
ATK: 5000

Dragreder roared, flying down towards Ryuki and securing him on its body.

Hibiki waved at him with an innocent smile, but the dragon-themed Rider was furious and ashamed.

The cream-haired girl pulled back on her gauntlet, preparing her piston as Dragreder opened its mouth, creating a fireball. Hibiki punched a hole through the Noise and Dragreder unleashed two fireballs that incinerated its wings and caused it to explode.

Tsubasa charged in first, enlarging her sword, and swung it at the falling Noise, unleashing a slash of energy.

Blue Flash

The Noise were destroyed on impact, but her attack wasn't able to reach the Noise releasing the smaller ones.

"Tch." Tsubasa clicked her tongue."My attacks can't reach that thing."

"Neither can ours." Scissors added.

"I may be able to if I use Darkwing. But I can't use it for long and after that, there's a cooldown to it. If Ryuki can get another attack with Dragreder, we might be able to pull this off smoothly."

"Can't we just get Hibiki on a chopper again and have her punch holes through them?" Ryuki suggested as he and Hibiki jogged over to them.

"Does that answer your question?" Knight pointed at the chopper exploding in the air after flying Noise attacked it."Stay in formation. We don't want to get sneak up-"

"You brats are here?!"

The group turned to Gai, who was busy kicking away at some Noise that were coming his way."Just my luck. I've been looking for y-Hey! Get the hell off me!"

Using Metal Horn, Gai shish kabob'ed the Noise bothering him.

"Why is Gai here?!" Tsubasa readied her sword, prepared to lunge at him.

"Save your breath, Tsubasa. Like us, he's being attacked by the Noise." Knight reasoned."We'll deal with him later. For now, we focus on this."

Smaller flying Noise shot down towards the group, causing them to scatter.

Strike Vent: Dragclaw
ATK: 2000

Sword Vent: Winglancer
ATK: 3000

Strike Vent: Scissorspinch
ATK: 1000

Ryuki aimed his Dragclaw at the bigger Noise in the air, unleashing a volley of fireballs that lost speed the higher they went and eventually fell back to the ground."I can't reach either!"

"Great!" Knight retorted, slashing away at the Noise flying around him.

Scissors and Tsubasa grouped together, back to back, and were attacking the Noise around them with her sword and his claw. Hibiki continued manhandling the Noise, punching them away. Gai was having a bad time, but not in the sense of losing. He had never really fought Noise like this before, and he found them extremely annoying.

Ryuki continued firing fireballs at in air, shooting the neverending Noise that kept spawning."Knight, any ideas?!"

"I'll use Darkwing, but I can take one down at best. You'll have to deal with the other one. Can you use Dragreder?"

"Almost. Just a bit more!" Ryuki jumped in the air, avoiding a Noise attacking him, and punched another one in its face, unleashing fire from his gauntlet and incinerating it.

"It's just...like that day..." Scissors found himself freezing in place."When we were overun by Noise...and Akira-senpai and Kanade-senpai..."

"Stop thinking like that, Goro! Focus on the task at hand!" Knight barked.

Just then, the sound of bullets and rockets caught their attention, and a cloud of Noise was quickly dispatched in a second.

"Wait a minute...that's...!" Ryuki laughed."It's that girl! And the captain!"

Zolda and Chris had joined in the fray, glancing at each other from opposite directions.

"Takeru..." Chris muttered.

"We can talk later." Zolda held up his arm."Don't worry. I'm all better now and ready to fight." He shifted his attention to the others."My friend here wants to say that we're not here to help but to get back at Fine for what she did. Well, I guess I'm here to pay up a debt. Thank you for your help."

"Hey man, no worries." Ryuki shook his head."All good, right, Knight?"

"Sorry, the help arrived a bit late." Chris gasped at Genjuro's voice coming through her communicator."But here they are at last. Kamen Rider Zolda and the Symphogear bearing the second relic, Ichaival. Chris Yukine and Takeru Sakamoto."

"Shut up!" Chris tossed away the communicator, earning a chuckle from Zolda."And don't you start laughing now! It's not funny."

"A little bit." He shrugged, finding her reaction adorable.

"Thank you both for coming! Chris-chan! Takeru-san!" Hibiki practically jumped into Chris, hugging her."I knew you'd come sooner or later!"

"Is this girl mental or something? Get off me!"

"I hope none of you are planning to hug me." Zolda eyed the Riders in front of him."Though I wouldn't mind a hug right now..."

"Hell no, we're not hugging you." Ryuki snapped."Especially with those rockets on your shoulders."

"Fair enough, Lieutenant Adachi." Zolda chuckled.

"We can save this for later." Knight approached Zolda."We have some Noise to worry about. You guys are long-range fighters. Maybe you can-"

"I hope you're not telling us what to do." Chris scoffed."We don't need to-"

"Just do what he says, Chrissy." Zolda cut her off."Besides, we are perfect for the job, after all."

(Makyu Ichaival)

"I hope your time with that broken arm didn't make your aiming any sloppier." Chris gave Zolda a challenging grin, unloading her crossbows.

"You wish you were as good a shot as me." Zolda aimed the Noise above them, firing several rockets.

"Like hell!" Chris fired several arrows, destroying a good amount of Noise in the process."And why the hell is that rhino guy here too?!"

"Another Rider? And it's that girl with that weird armor from before." Gai quickly lost focus of the situation, resuming his fight with the Noise."Damn. This is what I get from coming to the bank too late. I should have done this hours ago!"

"You guys handle the airborne Noise and we'll take care of the ones on the ground." Tsubasa relayed the plan as everyone got to work.

"I guess I won't be needing this." Ryuki tossed away his Dragclaw, drawing a card.

Sword Vent: Dragsaber
ATK: 2000

Ryuki began leaping from wall to wall, cutting the Noise in the air before returning to the ground, kicking another one away and using it to properly himself towards another one, piercing through it

Scissors grabbed a Noise by its neck, tossing it against another Noise with his Scissorspinch. He kicked another one in the air, causing it to collide with others and stunning them.

Final Vent: Scissors Attack
ATK: 4000

Volcancered tossed Scissors towards the Noise, colliding with them and causing them to explode.

Knight wasted no movement, holding his ground and waiting for the Noise to attack him and neutralized them in swift moves.

Trick Vent: Shadow Illusion
ATK: 1000

A total of 8 copies of Knight divided themselves to fight the Noise more efficiently.

Tsubasa cut through them like butter, her katana moving in blurs with how fast she was cutting.

One Thousand Tears

A large number of energy swords formed around Tsubasa, and with a flick of her wrists, she unleashed hell on the Noise.

Hibiki had to be creative with her attacks. Grabbing, tossing, and kicking the Noise.

"You're too slow, Takeru. I'm winning this race." Chris boasted, brimming with arrogance.

"Yeah? Let's kick things up a notch."

Shoot Vent: Gigamini
ATK: 2000

A green minigun appeared in Takeru's arms, and the boy wasted no time in unloading his bullets on the Noise above them, cutting through them like paper.

"You asshole! When did you get that?!" Chris groaned at how fast Zolda was now killing the Noise."I'm not losing this!"

"It's not a competition, but fine. Show me what you got!"

"With pleasure!" Chris leaped back, landing on a rooftop and accidentally bumping into Tsubasa."What the hell is your problem? Stay out of my way!"

"You're the one who bumped into me." Tsubasa furrowed her brow."You can't expect to win with the two of you fighting by yourselves."

"It's always been that way. You may have kept your word and healed Takeru up, but I have no reason to act all buddy-buddy with you guys. We work better alone. And if you don't like that, we can settle this right here and now!"

"Shit..." Zolda lowered his guard, focusing his attention on Chris. A Noise took this opportunity and attacked him from behind, causing him to fall to the ground. Before another Noise could further damage him, Ryuki slashed it with ease, saving him.

"You okay, Captain?" Ryuki offered a hand, which Zolda could only stare at in confusion."Come on. Not you too."

"No, it's not that. It's just...I wasn't expecting this kindness from you people." Zolda slowly reached for Ryuki's hand, accepting it."After everything that's happened..."

"It's all water under the bridge." Ryuki smiled under his helmet."I'm glad you and Chris are safe. For a moment there, I thought Ouja had gotten his hands on you."

"He certainly tried...that's why I went to you guys."

"But everything worked out in the end, didn't it?" Scissors landed next to them along with Knight.

"You're cooperating with us now. That makes you okay in my book. Unlike other Riders."

"I heard that." Gai hollered.

"Tiger wants you dead, you know that?" Zolda reminded him."He's doing it for his siblings."

"Like I give a shit what that guy wants." Gai spat in disdain."I'm not friends with you kids. Nor do I want to be. As soon as we kill all these Noise, we'll end this."

"We'll kick his sorry ass, won't we, Lieutenant Knight?" Zolda held his hand out for Knight.

Knight returned the favor, shaking his hand."You got it. Captain...shouldn't I be the Captain? I am in charge of the Rider Unit."

"You can be the General if you want." Zolda offered with a grin.

Scissors tilted his head."Wouldn't that make him a higher rank than the Commander, though?"

"Does it matter, though? It's just roleplaying, right?" Ryuki asked, earning a groan from Zolda.

"Not just roleplaying. I want to be a soldier when I grow up." Zolda confessed to the group."So...it's practice."

"Can we get to the point where we can figure out how to wipe out all the damn Noise already?" Gai impatiently asked, tapping his foot.

"Not like you're coming up with any ideas..." Scissors muttered under his breath.

"I have an idea. My Final Vent. If I can successfully use it, I can destroy all the Noise and the big ones too."

"Then that's the plan." Knight nodded, turning to Scissors and Ryuki."We'll back him up."

"Roger!"

Gai snorted at their interactions, drawing a card of his own."This is going to make me vomit."

Final Vent: Heavy Pressure
ATK: 5000

Metalgelas came rushing in behind Gai as he leaped, attaching his feet to Metalgelas' shoulders. The Advent Monsters ran at full speed with Gai holding his Metal Horn in front of them, impaling his way through Noise.

"You guys! We're going to buy Chris-chan time so she can unleash her full power on the Noise!" Hibiki cried from above.

"Tell her to hurry up because the Captain here already has a plan!" Ryuki grinned, adrenaline rushing through his veins."Fighting with more people is fun."

Final Vent: Flying Rider Kick
ATK 6000

"Let's do this, buddy!" Hajime leaped into the air as Dragreder descended from the skies. The dragon breathed fire, propelling Ryuki into a crowd of Noise with a flying kick.

"Tch. Always the show-off, huh, Ryu-kid?" Knight shook his head, deciding to tidy things up on his end.

Final Vent: Flyinglancer
ATK: 5000

Darkwing flew down to Knight, equipping itself to his back and acting as a cape. Knight ran at the Noise, leaping into the air, holding his Winglancer aiming downward. His cape envelops him, turning into a drill before crashing against the Noise, continuing towards another group.

"Alright then." Zolda drew a card, sighing in relief at finally being able to fight properly after so long."I missed you, arm."

Final Vent: End of the World
ATK: 7000

Magnugiga appeared in front of Zolda, which inserted his Magnuvisor into its back. At the same time, Chris had already finished preparations for an attack of her own.

Mega Death Quartet

Both of them unleashed their full firepower onto the Noise, spraying them with bullets, rockets, and more. From down below, it looked like a fireworks show in broad daylight. A rain of ashes fell to the ground below, covering the streets.

"He has that much power?" Gai was flabergasted at Zolda's power."He's too strong! How is that fair!"

"You don't get to talk about fairness!" Scissors pierced through a final Noise with his claws, turning it into dust.

Zolda sighed, patting Magnugiga on the back before the monsters vanished. He turned back to the others Riders, giving them a thumbs up.

"We did it!" Hibiki beamed, tackling Chris into another hug.

"Can someone get this dumbass off of me?!" Chris tried to pry Hibiki's arms to no avail.

"Come on, Hibiki, she clearly doesn't want some love." Ryuki shook his head in dismay."She needs it though. Might as well let Zolda handle that."

"Who asked you?!" Chris growled under her breath. She turned to Zolda, who was apprehensively keeping his distance."Takeru, I-"

"It's not over yet." Knight reminded them, eyeing Gai who was sitting down on the curbside.

"That guy..." Ryuki was moments away from attacking him, but Knight grabbed his shoulder.

"We won't make the same mistake as last time. This time, we fight together."

"Finally, I was getting bored." Gai stood, brandishing his Metal Horn."But shit...I really do hate dealing with women and children. What a damn pain."

"It'd be best if you surrender quietly." Tsubasa remarked."There's only one of you and 7 of us."

Before anyone could say anything else, Hibiki's phone went off. The girl calmly pulled it out, answering as if there wasn't an enemy standing close to them."Hello?"

"Hibiki! The school! It's being attacked by-"

Hibiki felt her heart sink in her chest, nearly dropping her phone."That was Miku's...voice..."

"What's wrong, Tachibana?"

"The school is being attacked!"

"By whom?" Ryuki asked, but everyone knew who was behind all of this.

"It's Fine." Chris grumbled with disdain."That bitch...Let's finish this off. It's 7 against 1. We don't have time to waste."

"Actually, you're forgetting about someone else."

Out of nowhere, Ouja landed behind the Symphogear, standing a few feet away.

"You!" Chris and Takeru snarled.

"I knew he was around here somewhere." Tsubasa scowled."Where's your partner, Ouja?"

Ouja jabbed his finger behind him."Fine is just ahead of me. It goes without saying, but she's destined for greater things. You'll never be able to reach her."

"Who the hell is this guy?" Gai approached them, eyeing Ouja curiously.

"Hey, a new face. You must be the Rider killing off businessmen." Ouja mused."You're quite the serial killer, aren't you? That's just precious."

"And I already hate this guy." Gai gritted his teeth.

"Anyway, the point is, you'll never be able to reach Fine. If by some miracle you defeat me, you'll be too late. Your school and the world you've come to know will already have died."

"What do we do? We can't waste time here!" Hibiki clenched her fists, worried about her friends' safety.

"I have an idea." Knight started."You girls are faster than us. You'll be able to make it to Lydian in no time. We'll fight Ouja and Gai and catch up with you later."

"What?" Tsubasa looked at him perplexedly."You can't be serious!"

"There is no other way." Zolda chimed in."If we stay here and fight all together, then the school will be destroyed."

"Please, Tsubasa-senpai, Hibiki-chan, Chris-chan." Scissors pleaded."Don't let Lydian be destroyed like our school. Please...save those students. Like we couldn't."

"I'm not leaving, Takeru. I want to bash this fucker's face in for everything he did to us!" Chris protested.."Plus, we haven't talked yet! I have a lot to tell you!"

"You'll just have to tell me later. Now go!" Zolda argued back."If you want to make things right, this is a good start. A start for our redemption."

"Guys..." Hibiki grabbed Chris and Tsubasa's hands."Let's listen to what they're saying..."

"Okay, fine!" Chris snorted."You better not die here, you hear me?"

"Like I'll die after these people bothered to help me heal up." Zolda gave her a thumbs up."We'll catch up with you in no time."

"Be careful. Don't do anything reckless." Tsubasa eyed her two childhood friends."So we can all go to the mall next time together. All of us."

"You got it, Tsubasa-senpai." Scissors nodded.

"I'll protect them with my life." Knight assured her."So, Ouja. Is this good?"

"Sure. I don't mind." Ouja shrugged. The girls nodded to each other before they rushed away.

"Don't worry! I'll catch up soon!"

Hibiki stopped in her tracks, followed by Tsubasa and Chris, who looked back at the person who had spoken.

Ouja held up his hand, waving at them mockingly."After I'm done here. I'll meet up with you. Is that what'd you say?"

"You done?" Knight asked.

"Yeah, sure." Ouja watched as the Symphogear disappeared from view."This is a nice place to fight. Everyone's been evacuated. We have the whole city to ourselves."

"Oh, yeah. You're right." Gai spun on his heel."We can destroy everything if we want to. Though I wouldn't have cared if there were people around. This is the perfect opportunity to kill a bunch of Riders and increase my power."

"It's too bad Tiger isn't here. Otherwise, we'd have a party." Ouja cracked his neck."Oh, well. I don't think I've seen this many Riders in one spot. It's starting to feel like an actual battle royale."

"Leave Ouja to me." Zolda took a step forward."I have a bone to pick with this bastard."

"I'll fight with you too." Knight offered."He's strong and you're fresh out of the hospital. Let me support you."

"Okay..." Zolda relented after weighing his options."So that leaves Gai to Scissors and Ryuki."

"They can handle him."

"You bet we can! Come and get us, you horned bastard! I'll make you pay for what you did to our school!"

Ryuki charged head-first toward Gai, using his sword to attack him. Gai rose his Metal Horn, blocking the strike. Ryuki quickly kicked Gai's leg, but just like last time, he was sturdy. Gai winded his arm back before going for a thrust, however, Ryuki grabbed him by the arm, hip-tossing him back onto the floor.

Scissors ran towards Gai, ready to strike him with his Scissorspinch.

Shock Vent
Atk: 1000

Metalgelas swatted Scissors away before stomping hard on the ground, creating a small earthquake. Ryuki lost his balance, falling to the floor.

Meanwhile, Ouja and Knight engaged in a faceoff, with Zolda firing bullets from his visor from afar.

Ouja used his Venosaber to block all the bullets and before Knight could attack him, he kicked him away. Gai swatted Knight away as he rushed toward Ouja.

The snake-theme Rider chuckled, sidestepping and holding his foot out, causing Gai to trip."A good effort, but useless nonetheless."

Ouja rose his saber, ready to deliver the finishing blow. Gai blocked the attack with his Metal Horn, earning a surprised gasp from Ouja.

"My defense is the strongest out of all the Riders!"

Shoot Vent: Gigalauncher
ATK: 2000

Zolda fired the rocket launcher, aiming between Ouja and Gai. Both Riders were sent flying backward due to the shockwave of the explosion.

"So you're proud of that defense of yours?" Ouja materialized his Venovisor, inserting a card inside.

Advent: Venosnaker
ATK: 5000

Venoskaker slithered its way to the battlefield, spitting some venom at Zolda. Zolda blocked with his Gigalauncher, but the weapon began melting in his arms."What the hell?!"

The snake spat venom a second time, this time hitting Gai in his Metal Horn. He watched in horror as his ultimate shield melted away, leaving him defenseless."No! Fuck!"

"Ouja!"

Ouja hummed, turning on his heel and parrying Ryuki's sword with his own."Oh, hey, Ryuki. I haven't seen you in a while."

"Don't forget about me!" Scissors cried from behind, causing Ouja to turn and blocked his attack with his arm brace, holding both in place.

"Hold him like that!" Knight hollered, dashing at Ouja before Metalgelas tackled him away, crashing into a hydrant, and unleashing a stream of water from it.

"I'm returning the favor, you snake bastard!"

Confine Vent

Ouja's Venosaber disappeared from his hand, causing Ryuki to slash him in the chest, destabilizing him. Scissors delivered a roundhouse kick, causing him to stumble. Both Riders delivered a direct kick to Ouja's torso simultaneously, sending him flying and sliding away on the street.

'They got me good...' Ouja grunted.'They've improved, but they were also aware of Gai's ability, unlike me. Who'd have thought that he had that kind of power.'

Nasty Vent: Sonicbreaker
ATK: 1000

Darkwing released a powerful screech at Gai, stunning him in place as he tried to block his ears.

Strike Vent: Gigahorn
ATK: 2000

Zolda struck Gai's chest with his weapon, causing the Rider to fall on his back. He aimed his visor at him on the floor, unleashing a road of bullets for good measure. Gai screamed in pain, rolling on the floor.

"I can't lose again! Not to you, brats!"

"It's like I told you. When you're facing people with actual fighting prowess, you stand no chance. Even more so without that shield of yours."

"Let's end this." Zolda pulled back on his visor, inserting a card.

Shoot Vent: Gigacannon
ATK: 3000

Final Vent: Flying Rider Kick
ATK: 6000

Ryuki jumped in the air, meeting Dragreder in the air. But before he could execute his attack, a figure crashed into him. The figure landed harshly on the floor along with Ryuki, rolling several yards away until he met a wall.

Scissors gasped at the figure."Ryuga!"

"Ryuga." Ouja noted, seizing the other fighters up as well. Ryuga groaned in pain, leaning against a wall and looking battered.

"So you finally show your face again." Gai remarked with a grin."You tricked me and then you have the nerve to show yourself before me again. You damn brat!"

"Who the fuck is that?" Zolda asked Knight."And why does he look like the Luitenant?"

"That's Kamen Rider Ryuga. His doppelganger." Knight frowned at the sight of the black Rider."But...why is he here? Furthermore, why does he look battle-damaged?"

"Ryuga! You bastard!" Ryuki was readied to attack him immediately."Why are you here too?! Wait...you dumbass! Miku-san is in danger! Use that portal thing of yours to go save her and the rest of the Lydian students! You can get there in a blink of an eye, right?"

"Trust me, I've been trying. But HE's not letting me go." Ryuga chuckled."He's chased me all the way from Lydian over to here."

"He?"

Just then a whole building collapsed, covering the street with debris and smoke.

Steal Vent

Zolda's Gigacannons disappeared from his shoulders, leaving him bewildered. Before he could figure out what happened, a round of missiles was shot behind him and Knight, sending him flying away in opposite directions.

"What's going on here?" Gai looked alarmed, looking back to the others Riders."Who did that?!"

From the smoke, countless golden feathers erupted like a machine gun, striking every Rider simultaneously. They all cried in pain, dropping like flies to the floor.

"What was that?!" Ryuki grunted, standing back up.

"Something's coming." Ouja narrowed his eyes from behind him. They all stared at the figure approaching from the smoke. The closer it got, the stronger the golden light that was emanating from it became. The sound of footsteps became louder, causing them to grow nervous by the second.

A being clad in golden armor and a black bodysuit emerged from the smoke, wielding Zolda's stolen cannons on their shoulders. The figure had its arms crossed, holding a staff close to its chest.

"No...no way..." Knight dropped his Winglancer onto the floor, prompting Ryuki to grow curious."It can't be..."

"What are you doing? You know him or something?" Ryuki asked, blissfully unaware of what was truly going on.

"Another Rider?" Gai snorted."You guys just keep coming out of nowhere like the rats you are."

"This one seems different." Ouja noted with interest."He's the one that got you this worked out, Ryuga?"

"T-t-that's..." Scissors felt his legs tremble like yellow.

"I am pleased to see the Rider War on its way to start." The mysterious Rider spoke with an echo in his voice."But until blood is shed, it will only remain in its starting stage. Therefore, a small test if needed."

"Huh? You mean it hasn't even started yet?" Gai glared at him as if he had grown a second head."If you haven't noticed, we're in the middle of a fight. So either move out of the way or join in."

"I will be joining in. I wish to see your current progress firsthand and make sure the game is going accordingly." The Rider drawled."I want to see how strong of a conviction this batch of humans has. There were others Riders before some of you. Ryuki, Gai, Zolda, Knight, and Scissors."

"Game?" Ouja echoed."What do you mean by that? And how do you know I'm the first owner of the Ouja Deck?"

"That's the Gamemaster." Ryuga spoke after remaining silent for a while."The one behind the Riders' existence. Of course, you don't recognize him. When he gives the Deck to the first owners, he appears in any shape except that one. He might have been another person when he gave it to you."

"Correct, Anomaly." The Rider spread his arms to the side."I am the Gamemaster, as you refer to me, and the one who has given you your powers. You may refer to me as...Kamen Rider Odin. Make no mistake. Those who do not fight will not survive."

And with that, the final episodes of the first season begin. There are about 2 chapters left before we wrap up the first season. The current Riders have gathered around and have Odin in front of them. Tiger has his hands full at the moment, but we'll see that next episode. I'll start working on the next one asap and hopefully post it in a few days. Until then, feel free to leave a review to show your support. It's very much appreciated.