Reviews:
cjboughton: I don't want to spoil but yes he will eventually see it.
Guest DCDGojira: Glad you liked it.
lordri25may2001: Yeah, I hate Dr. Ver too. He just sucks no matter how you look at him and sadly he's the final villain of his respective arc. I felt like making him a wielder of the Alternative Zero for various reasons that I can't say due to spoilers. But everything will be clear in due time. As for Abyss, he'll show up sooner rather than later.
ChancePluto: Honestly I've been thinking about it but I don't know how that would work since their weapons are basically an extension of their relics so I don't know how temporarily copyng a relic would work. Maybe just copying their weapon? I'll think about it.
maxfz19: Me alegra que te haya gustado.
Chapter 29
Wrath of the Dragon
"It's hard to believe a battle for the world took place here 3 months ago, eh?" Hajime couldn't help but chuckle at the remains of the Kadingir."It's kind of funny that an organization named Fine wants to have a final battle here where we faced Fine."
"We're walking into an environment they suggested." Yosuke's eyes were glued on the destroyed tower."We're walking into a trap. No questions."
"True. But if we play our cards right, we can finish this once and for all." Takeru offered."I'm itching for a fight. You guys fought them more times than I did. That's just not fair."
"You're sounding like Hajime." Chris sighed."What, don't tell me you're a battle maniac too?"
"Of course not. I'm just excited to see what they got as a former mercenary." Takeru took out his deck in anticipation."We should be fine, right?"
"We should." Tsubasa nodded."But they have the Noise as well as those mirror creatures from before. Worst comes to pass, we'll have to retreat."
"They're here." Hibiki pointed at Dr. Ver and Jades, who were standing closer to the tower."That's strange...why just the 2 of them? Where are the others?"
"If you're wondering where the rest of our forces are, then you needn't worry." Dr. Ver rose Solomon's Cane, summoning a few Noise."They're...grounded, for lack of a better word."
"Hajime Adachi!" Jades pointed at the amber-eyed boy."What did you do to my brothers?!"
"They attacked me and ran away." Hajime explained in a matter-of-fact tone.."That's really dirty, by the way. To attack someone who has his guard down."
'So they don't have them in custody?' Jades narrowed his eyes.'If that's the case...where are they?'
"Enough talk. We came here for a duel, did we not?" Dr. Ver took out his Alternative Zero Deck."So let's get on with it, shall we?"
"That's-!" Hajime gasped.
"He has a Deck?!" Takeru gritted his teeth.
"You're telling me he's a Kamen Rider too?!" Chris was baffled upon seeing the Deck."But how?!"
"Doesn't matter. It's still 2 against all of us." Yosuke pulled out his Deck, prompting Hajime and Takeru to follow along."Let's do this!"
"Let's start." Dr. Ver and Jades mimicked them.
"Henshin!"
"Balwisyall Nescell Gungnir Tron..."
"Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri Tron..."
"Kilterr Ichaival Tron..."
In a flash of light, all of them were in their respective transformations and the battle had begun.
"We'll handle the Noise!" Tsubasa yelled at the Riders as she rushed into to intercept the Noise."You guys take care of the Riders!"
"You got it, Kazanari-san!" Ryuki eagerly jumped into battle.
Sword Vent: Dragsaber
Sword Vent: Slashdagger
Alternative Zero leaped into the air, intercepting Ryuki with his blade."Let's see how tough you are, Ryuki!"
"What the hell is this?!" Ryuki cried out, finding himself overpowered by Alternative Zero. He fell to the ground, quickly jumping back to his feet."Where is Kirika?!"
"You're her childhood friend who abandoned her, right?" Alternative Zero summoned more Noise for good measure, sending them to the Symphogear."What exactly do you plan to do here? Were you hoping to talk to her and somehow sway her heart?"
"I came to save her from you terrorists' claws!" Ryuki dashed in zigzag, his sword gracing the ground.
'Marvelous.' Dr. Ver smiled inside his helmet. The Alternative Zero suit was capable of following the Rider's movements while scanning him. The AI calculated a possible countermeasure, which the doctor, who lacked physical and combat abilities, gladly took. He rose his sword, parrying Ryuki's strike, and struck him in the chest with the cane."Kirika-chan needs no saving from someone like you. I believe she made it perfectly clear to you that she wants nothing to do with you."
"Because you're forcing her!" Ryuki hissed, drawing his next card in anticipation as Alternative Zero rushed at him."I'm going to get her back!"
Guard Vent: Dragshield
"Get her back? Bold of you to assume she was ever close to you." Alternative Zero swung his sword against Ryuki's shield. He began to relentlessly attack him, denting the shields slowly but surely."She needs no saving, Hajime Adachi. This is her purpose in life. Their purpose. They have been raised to be warriors, and saviors of the world. Did it ever occur to you that she just doesn't want to be saved?"
Ryuki's eyes widened, and Alternative Zero took this opportunity to slash his sword against the shields, breaking them and striking him in the chest. The boy rolled on the ground.
"You can't save someone who doesn't need saving. Or someone who doesn't want to be saved. After all, you abandoned her, did you not? I read your file. You were childhood friends roughly 10 years ago. You had promised her you would always play with her."
"I abandoned her...?" Ryuki grimaced, trying to stand up. Alternative kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying in the air.
"You broke that promise and left her all alone. Did you know she was an orphan? How do you think she felt when her one and only friend never came back to see her?" Alternative Zero continued, this time, punching Ryuki across the face as he descended."You ran away when she needed you the most. And because of you, she's here today. She's but a part of our plans, like the rest of us. So we should thank you, Hajime Adachi. For being a coward."
'Shut up..." Ryuki groaned in pain when he felt the doctor's boot on his torso."She's not...your property..."
"Oh, but she is." Alternative Zero leaned closer to him, a malicious grin inside of his helmet."And she will serve her purpose so well. All thanks to you."
"I said...DON'T TALK ABOUT HER..." Suddenly, Ryuki's Deck began glowing brightly and a card slipped out of his Deck, inserting itself into his visor."LIKE SHE'S YOUR PROPERTY!"
Advent: Dragreder
Dragreder descended from the skies, releasing a furious growl along with a fireball that struck Alternative Zero head-on. The doctor was overwhelmed by the fireball, shooting towards the ground, creating a crater. On instinct, the doctor crawled away, spawning more Noise to protect himself.
Ryuki and Dragreder began tearing through the Noise, closing in on Alternative Zero.
"Impossible...He got stronger?!" Alternative Zero gasped, checking the scanners of his helmet.
Meanwhile, Tiger, Knight, and Zolda were engaging in battle. The tiger-theme Rider was on the defensive, blocking Knight's Winglancer's strikes and also blocking Zolda's bullets from afar. Knight kicked his left, causing him to lose his footing, and slammed his foot on his chest, sending the man skidding away.'Something's off. I thought he'd be way stronger now that he doesn't have his siblings to worry about. But...'
'He's way weaker than before.' Zolda thought, aiming his revolvers and shooting a few bullets.'He was stronger and faster than before. Is something wrong with him?'
Shoot Vent: Gigacannons
"Knight!"
Knight jumped out of the way and avoided two rockets that collided against Tiger, sending him crashing against the tower."Another round! We almost got him!"
'Tch. So Jades-kun is having trouble now? Can't say I didn't expect as much.' Alternative Zero leaped out of the way before Ryuki could slash him, drawing a card.
"I got you now!"
Accelt Vent
In a blink of an eye, Alternative Zero slashed through Knight, and Zolda, dropping them to the floor.
"What was that?!" Zolda groaned, watching as Alternative Zero stood afar from them."What was that ability just now?"
"It's called Accel Vent. I can move at high speeds for a short amount of time." The doctor elaborated."But never mind that. We have a surprise for you."
The man snapped his fingers, prompting a battalion of Mirror Monsters to emerge from the tower. They were all different, ranging from Zebraskulls, Mispiders, and Wildboarders. Tiger landed next to the doctor, shaking his head."Sorry. I-"
"It's quite alright, Jades-kun. You're not in the best condition right now. You're worried about your siblings and are carrying a huge burden. Sit back and relax. Let the Mirror Monsters handle the rest.
"We have to destroy the mirrors!" Knight declared.
Chris growled in frustration after a few Mirror Monsters had mixed in in her battle, shooting them with her crossbows."It won't go like last time!"
"They just keep coming!" Hibiki continued punching them away, but the monsters weren't destroyed as easily as regular Noise."Our attacks aren't going through!"
Azure Flash
A slash of blue lighting cut through a horde of Mispiders, causing them to explode."Use high outputs of power against the Mirror Monsters!" Tsubasa ordered.
"Got it!" Hibiki pulled back on the pistons in her gauntlets, double punching two Zebreskulls, killing them.
More Monsters kept appearing, eventually surpassing the number of Noise around.
"They won't stop!" Ryuki screamed, unleashing a volley of fireballs from his Dragclaw.
"Just what is FIS plotting?!" Tsubasa gritted her teeth, fighting a Noise and a Zebraskull simultaneously.
"Plotting?" Alternative Zero scoffed in indignation."That's not very nice, is it? But if you must know, we seek the salvation of humanity!"
The teenagers followed where Alternative Zero's finger was pointing at. The moon."We wish to save the countless lives that will be lost when the Moon falls on the Earth!"
"Bullshit!" Knight pierced through the head of a Wildboarder, subsequently impaling a Noise."Research organizations all across the world have been measuring the Moon's trajectory for months! Surely they would announce a-" That's when it hit him."Wait..."
"Seems like you realized, Knight-kun." Alternative Zero mused."That's right. If the public came to hear of a cataclysmic event that we're powerless to stop, panic will arise and mass hysteria will take over. Of course, it's only natural for all the countries in the world to conceal such devastating truth."
"Yeah, right." Chris switched from her crossbows to her Gatlinguns, spraying a multitude of Mirror Monsters. Despite her firepower, more monsters kept appearing."The ones who know about it are secretly devising a plan to save their own skin and leave the rest to die!"
"Who knows?" Alternative Zero shrugged nonchalantly."But we have our own answer. The Nephilim!"
Just then, the ground started to shake, and the beast that had attacked them in the hospital emerged from the ground, nearly devouring Chris.
"Chrissy!" Takeru yelled, rushing to his girlfriend, only to have his feet caught by a web created by a Mispider."Fuck this! There's too many of them!"
"With the Nephilim, we will unite the people of the world and form one country and government to protect them!" Alternative Zero screamed, cackling."We don't need to keep playing Odin's game! We can make our wishes!
Final Vent: End of the World.
Freeze Vent
Magnugiga was trapped in ice as soon as it appeared, rendering Zolda's attack useless."Oh, no!"
"We have to...destroy those mirrors now!" Tsubasa was getting desperate. She conjured a vast number of energy blades before raining hell on the Mirror Monsters and the Noise.
One Thousand Tears
Final Vent: Flyinglancer
Using Darkwing, Knight crashed into a multitude of Mirror Monsters, creating a path for Ryuki to follow. The Nephilim rushed at Ryuki, trying to blindside him. But Hibiki came in at the last second, kicking its head and saving Ryuki.
"Hibiki-san!" The dragon Rider breathed in relief."Thanks for the save!"
"You guys handle the mirrors!" Hibiki gave him a thumbs up."I'll cover your backs!"
"Hell no! I'm not leaving you alone against that thing!" Ryuki stubbornly refused."Yanagi!"
"Yeah, I know." Knight continued running past the Mirror Monsters."I'll be fine! Stick together!"
"Hajime-kun..." Hibiki blinked.
"We protect each other, remember?" Ryuki readied his blade and his gauntlet."Now let's get rid of this ugly monster!"
Ryuki and Hibiki surrounded the Nephilim, attacking simultaneously to prevent it from moving. Hibiki punched the Nephilim, pushing it back only to receive strikes from Ryuki's sword. They continued to push the Nephilim around.
"Heroes of the Lunar Attack, just what do you seek to protect with your fists and swords?!"
Ryuki leaped above the Nephili, unleashing a charged-up fireball that caused it to shriek in agony. He prepared to use his Final Vent, but his arm was caught by a web that prevented him from moving."What the hell?!"
Hibiki continued with her assault. She was manhandling the Nephilim, giving sharp uppercuts and slamming her fists on its gut, launching it a few yards away."We want to protect what is dear to us!"
"And yet, your little prince failed to save his childhood friend!" Alternative Zero continue to berate her as she used her boasters to deliver a final blow on the monster."And though your fists may be able to protect a few, think of how many lives they will take!"
'That's why you're a hypocrite!"
That slight moment of hesitation caused Hibiki to slip up, slowing down her momentum and her arm to position itself between the beast's jaws. The Nephilim closed its jaws, trapping Hibiki's arm.
"HIBIKI-SAN!" Ryuki frantically fired countless fireballs at the monster holding him in place before giving up, slashing at the web and rushing toward Hibiki.
"Huh...?" Hibiki was bewildered, frozen in place and feeling the monster's teeth mangling her arm. Ryuki immediately went to try and break the monster's teeth, repeatedly stabbing its teeth.
"Hibiki-san! Look at me! Everything will be okay!" Ryuki tried to reassure her, though his voice continued to break."Fucking hell! How tough are this thing's teeth?! Just...J-just keep calm! I'll help you!"
Tiger frowned upon seeing how desperate Ryuki was on getting Hibiki's arm away from the Nephilim. It reminded him of himself, in a way. And how powerless he was to protect his siblings.
In a sudden movement, the monster pulled back, taking Hibiki's arm in the process. Blood sprayed all over the place and a good amount got on Ryuki's armor. The boy took shaky steps back, still in shock at seeing Hibiki, with one arm less.
"YES! IT ATE THE VERY SYMPHOGEAR ITSELF!" Alternative Zero cackled in glee."The Nephilim, in its complete form, is like a self-regulating breeder reactor! It voraciously devours other forms of energy, absorbing them to further increase its own output!
"NO!" Knight yelled, only for this distraction to be punished by a Mirror Monster tackling him to the ground. Tsubasa and Chris were surrounded, not even given the chance to react to the situation.
"H-Hibiki...?" Ryuki could only stare in pure horror as Hibiki's face showed the agony she was in, followed by a blood-curdling scream. Ryuki began to backpedal, shaking his head and staring at his bloody arms.
"Feel free to kill the rest of the Riders, my Mirror Monsters." Alternative gave the command."I don't necessarily need them alive, after all.
Hajime screamed, falling on his rear. The sight of Hibiki's blood on him as well as the image of such a sweet girl like her writhing in pain was too much for his mind. And that's when he snapped. He screamed in frustration, pain, and most of all, unadulterated anger. His deck shined even brighter than before, and once again, Drageder's card flew out of it, inserting itself into his visor.
Advent: Dragreder
But this time, the Dragon descended down to Hajime, engulfing him in a pillar of fire. A roar echoed around the area before the fire was absorbed back to its origin. In the middle of a crater, Hajime stood on hands and knees. But half of his face was covered in flames, mimicking the face of Dragreder. His left arm was completely covered in scales with claws replacing his arm. A long tail spurted from his tailbone, waving around. A ring of fire moved around his torso slowly as his armor vanished into thin air, revealing his human form.
"What the fuck...?" Zolda gaped."What happened?"
"This is...peculiar..." Even Alternative Zero was at a loss for words.
"His Monster was summoned...by itself..." Tiger couldn't comprehend what was going on either.
Somewhere nearby, the rest of FIS observed the battle, petrified at the scene.
"What happened to Blacky-kun...?" Kirika covered her mouth.
"That power...it feels just like that time." Shirabe remembered back when all of them were ganging up on Ryuki."We thought we had him, but suddenly, he got some kind of strange power after his Deck flashed like that."
"I've never seen something like this before." Nastassja muttered to herself, staring in fascination
"Jades-nii isn't doing anything..again..." Maria was beyond disappointed in her brother. He wasn't the same person she knew and loved. He...was he on board with this act of cruelty?"Is this really...what we have to do...?"
"This is the right thing, right...?" Kirika's eyes were glued on her former friend."Blacky-kun..."
"If we are..." Shirabe muttered."I sure don't feel any better..."
"Let today be the last day you spent shackled to the chains of compassion." Nastassja declared."We have no need for smiles or laughter."
Maria grimaced, but her eyes remained focused on the screen, watching numbers go up."That's..."
"I've never seen this much Advent Essence gathered up in one place." Nastassja stared in awe."What is going on here?"
Hajime opened his mouth, manifesting a ball of fire and aiming at the Noise. He tried to get up, but fell on the floor, accidentally firing the attack near Knight. The Rider was launched against a rock due to the shockwave, knocking the air out of him.
'Just the shockwave alone did that...?' Zolda couldn't believe what he had seen. But it only got worse. A single wing protruded from Hajime's back, causing him to screech in pain. He used this wing to begin flapping in the air as the Mirror Monsters focused on him. He opened his mouth, firing countless fireballs in rapid succession as he flew around the monsters. Each attack was powerful enough to incinerate the Mirror Monsters as well as the remaining Noise.
"How is he doing that?" Zolda wondered, watching as Hajime was obliterating the Mirror Monsters."He's different from before..."
"Adachi..." Tsubasa was awestruck at her friend's savage demeanor.
"I can't believe my eyes." Knight muttered to himself."Just now, we were all struggling to keep up with this endless amount of Mirror Monsters. But now he's suddenly destroying them as if it was the easiest thing ever. Adachi, what have you become? Is this...an evolution?"
A growl from somewhere else caught their attention and they finally noticed Hibiki standing back up, covered in a black aura.
"Not her too!" Chris gasped, watching as Hibiki suddenly grew an extra arm where her arm used to be."The fuck?!"
"This is bad..." Knight clicked his tongue, his gaze shifting over the berserker.
"No, this is good." Zolda said swallowing the lump in his throat observing as Hibiki stood in front of the Nephilim."From what I heard from the girls, the last time Hibiki went berserk, she was absurdly more powerful. And the Luitenant seems to be doing a hell of a better job than we did. We should just let them be."
"I-it can't be..." Alternative Zero took a step back, visibly frightened at the two monsters raging around. Hibiki made her move, moving so fast that even the Nephilim was unable to track her. She began to give vicious blows to the monster, each one stronger than the last."KILL THEM! PROTECT THE NEPHILIM! WE NEED IT TO SAVE THE WORLD!"
The Mirror Monsters began throwing themselves at Hajime, forming a huge pile of monsters that only grew the more were created from the mirrors in the tower. The ground began shaking, beams of light escaping through the monsters before a fireball exploded from within, shooting toward the sky. The ball eventually exploded, becoming smaller fireballs that rained down on the remains of the Kadingir, causing it to finally collapse and break all the mirrors inside.
"Unbelievable..." Chris muttered in disbelief at the light show created by the flames.
"Yes!" Zolda cheered on. Knight and Tsubasa reluctantly watched, not knowing what to do.
Hajime lunged toward a Zebraskull, opening his jaws to absurd lengths, breaking it before he tried to bite at the monster's head. This resulted in his teeth shattering, causing blood to spurt out of his mouth.
"What the...?" Knight shook his head, deciding to put an end to this. This was not normal. No matter how Zolda tried to rationalize it, this was not Hajime. A group of Mirror Monsters stood in his way, forcing him to attack.
Hajime's lower jaw began morphing into a dragon's, his broken teeth now fully regrown into a sharp set of dragon's teeth. This time, he completely bit through the Zebraskull's head, munching on it and spitting out pieces of it.
"No! This can't be happening!" Dr. Ver screamed in frustration."I will not let you destroy our ambitions! I'm a Kamen Rider now! I'm a hero! And I will destroy you!"
"Dr. Ver, wait!" Tiger tried stopping Alternative Zero, but it was too late.
Accel Vent
"Bring it on, Ryuki! This Deck evolves faster than a regular Rider's deck as it battles! You will help me reach the pinnacle of a hero!" Alternative Zero moved at blinding speeds, appearing as a blur for the others. But Hajime suddenly turned his head to him, as if he was capable of seeing him clearly. He inhaled as much air as he could to the point where his stomach bulged before releasing a powerful roar mixed with flames that calcinated the Mirror Monsters around him. The doctor quickly leaped away, but the shockwave sent him crashing near the Kadingir's ruins.
"How...how can this be?" Jades stared at the dragon-like boy finishing up destroying the remaining Mirror Monsters. But a few of them changed targets, sentient enough to understand that fighting against him would result in their deaths.
The Mirror Monsters began surrounding Hibiki, causing her attention to divert to them. She ran towards them on all fours like a feral animal, forming a lance in her right arm and piercing through them. She glared back at the Nephilim, who was making a break for it, and shot herself at it. The beast screeched in pain as Hibiki pierced its back. A flash of light engulfed the area, and once it died down, the Nephilim was no more.
'She killed the Nephilim...just like that?' Jades was astonished.'After it took Serena using her Superb Song to suppress it...?'
With no other enemies left, Hibiki focused her attention on the other berserker around. Hajime. Both of them lunged at each other, ready to attack.
Shoot Vent: Gigalauncher
A missile impacted Hajime, propelling him in the opposite direction of Hibiki.
"Don't let them close to each other!" Knight cried out, landing in front of Hajime."They'll rip each other apart!"
"Luitenant snap out of it! It's over!" Zolda tried to approach him, but Hajime's dragon arm ignited in fire, expanding in size and smacking Takeru on the side.
"Tachibana!" Tsubasa and Chris grabbed her arms, preventing her from attacking Hajime."That's enough!"
"Are you seriously going to attack him?!" Chris sneered at how wildly she was squirming in their grasp."That's not like you! He loves you! So snap out of it and come to your senses, damn it!"
Hibiki screamed as the dark energy returned to the Gungnir, having listened to her friends' pleas. Once the dark aura dissipated, she was back in her school uniform. And most importantly, having both of her arms.
"What...?" Tsubasa gasped."But I thought..."
"That's one down." Chris bit her lower lip."That leaves the other."
The scales on Hajime's body began expanding more and more. His entire torso was that of Dragreder's as well as half of his face and jaw. The only human parts he still had were his left arm, right leg, and part of his head.
"I'll go assist the others in subduing Adachi. Take Tachibana away."
"What?! You can't be serious! Look at him! We'll need everyone to-"
"And leave Tachibana by herself?" Tsubasa glared at her."Plus, you were injured by a Noise. I can still fight. So don't worry about me."
Before Chris would protest, Tsubasa dashed toward Hajime."God damn it!"
Knight parried Hajime's tail with his Winglancer as best as he could, but the strikes were becoming stronger and stronger. Eventually, he was swatted away by the tail, crashing against a rock.
The boy flapped his wingers, ready to take off into the air but found himself unable to move.
Shadow Weaving
A dagger was thrown into his shadow, preventing him from moving. In response, he began to unleash fireballs at random, aiming at nothing in particular.
"Yosuke!" Tsubasa ran to her friend."Are you alright?"
"I guess so..." Knight sat up, frowning."I don't know what's going on. But that's not Adachi."
"I agree. But...what could have happened to him?"
Hajime began charging a fireball in his mouth, aiming at the ground.
Freeze Vent
The fireball froze in solid ice, preventing him from attacking. Tiger landed in front of Hajime, brandishing his claws. He dashed at him. Hajime's wings clad themselves in a layer of fire, creating multiple arms of fire that were fired in Tiger's direction. The silver-haired man cut through the flames, closing the distance between them. One of the firearms grabbed the dagger, throwing it at Tiger and forcing him to duck. This was futile, as Hajime had rammed his knee into his gut, causing him to spit blood in his helmet. He began punching Tiger, who could only block with his Destclaws.
Nasty Vent: Sonicbreaker
Darkwing flew over Hajime, releasing a potent screech that paralyzed him in place. Knight appeared in front of him, kicking him in the chest and sending him flying in the air. He flapped his wings, stopping his momentum, and dived down toward them. He formed two arms of fire and swung at them. They both leaped out of the way, but to their surprise, more firearms emerged from the previous ones and punched them. He roared in triumph, his eyes scanning for more opponents until his eyes landed on Tsubasa.
Suddenly, she felt a sharp blade against her neck, causing her to freeze.
"Careful now." Alternative Zero whispered in her ear."We don't want to poke the dragon. He won't attack me as long as I have you as a hostage."
"You coward! Resorting to such dirty tricks!"
"Dirty tricks?! Do you realize what you fools have done?! The Nephilim was our only means to save the world!" Alternative Zero graced her neck, drawing blood."But not all hope is lost. However, for that, I must survive this battle. I am a Kamen Rider now!"
Much to their shock and terror, Hajime began charging up a fireball in his mouth, focusing a great deal of energy on it.
"S-stop!" Alternative Zero stammered."I have your precious friend right here! If you attack me, she'll die too! Do you want to kill your friend?!"
Ignoring the man, the fireball increased in size until it was five times Hajime's size. The fireball became smaller again until it was the size of a tennis ball, but packing more power than any of the ones before.
"ADACHI! STOP!" Knight rushed at him, but he was swatted away by the tail once more.
Alternative Zero shrieked in fear, kicking Tsubasa in the back and tossing her on the floor to give himself time to escape. Hajime fired his attack, the fireball moving at blinding speeds toward Tsubasa, who was too startled to react. However, a pair of claws grabbed her sides and before she could utter a word, Tiger threw her with all his strength to safety. But this left him unable to run in time. So he rose his arms, trying to catch the fireball with his claws. This proved to be futile as the attack completely overpowered him, taking him for a ride. He planted his feet firmly on the ground trying to stop himself, but the ball kept pushing him away.
"I-I can't stop it!" Tiger screamed, watching as his claws began cracking until eventually they were gone. His armor began to break apart and his arms were now exposed, burning away the skin. He managed to squirm out of the fireball and fell into a forest. The attack kept going higher and higher in the air until eventually, it exploded, creating a powerful shockwave.
Hazuki was inside of his one-room apartment, sitting on his desk as he typed away on his laptop. A stuffed penguin sat next to it, flapping its wings.
"This is so boring. Why do you have to do this tonight? Can't we go out or what some tv?" Loki, who was possessing the toy, complained.
"Because I have to finish this report for tomorrow, Loki." Hazuki sighed, not bothering to spare him a glance."I have to do homework and keep up my grades, you know? I can't just be a Kamen Rider all the time."
"Well, what about practicing for that big interview you have soon?" Loki asked as he read the word document."I mean, isn't it like super important to you? That girlie, the one with the blue hair, got it for you."
"Tsubasa Kazanari-san." Hazuki reminded him of her name."And yes, I am practicing when I can. It might be the only shot I get if I want to become an idol. But for now, I have to balance all of those things."
"Remember, our plan takes priority."
"I know." Hazuki nodded."The extinction of mankind. And for us to respect them in a pure world without evil. Of course, I haven't forgotten that. But it's not like we have to rush things, right? I mean, we're still a far cry from completing our goals."
"That is true, I suppose." Loki relented."Still...can't be sitting on your ass all day with this homework stuff. Go fight other Riders."
"Loki, it's late. Who could possibly be fighting right-" A glow coming from his drawer caught his attention. He opened it, taking out his Ryuga Deck and realizing something inside was causing it to glow. He took out his cards, noticing that Dragblacker's card was glowing intensely."What's going on with Dragblacker?"
"It's reacting to something." Loki tilted his head in curiosity."Strange...could it be reacting to Dragreder?"
"Dragreder? You mean Ryuki's Monster? But why?"
"Well, Dragblacker is pretty much the same as Dragreder. They both come from the same origin, after all. I wouldn't be surprised. But is bizarre. Why would it be reacting right now?"
Just then, Hazuki noticed something red in the distance, flying towards the sky until it eventually exploded, turning night into day due to how intense the light was.
"Guess we have our answer." Hazuki muttered."But wait, the direction of that place is..."
"I know." Loki nodded."You have a portal mark there. Let's see what's going on."
Hazuki held his hand out and absorbed Loki's essence into himself before grabbing his Deck and rushing out the door.
On the other side of the city, Kuwana, Raiden, and Andreas were carrying bags of groceries.
"I can't believe we bought so much stuff." Kuwana glanced down at the bags in his hands."Normally I don't buy this much. Then again, I am looking out for you guys now."
"Not to mention Andreas bought all those snacks." Raiden glanced over his shoulder at the green-haired boy who was enjoying a few cupcakes."But...I guess I can't complain. I did buy those coffee cans..."
"Don't sweat it. I did say I will make up for lost time, didn't I?" Kuwana grinned at him."Besides, you said you know how to cook?"
"Well...Shirabe sort of taught me. Then again, she's not the most knowledgeable in the subject."
Kuwana was about to retort, but a flash of light in the sky caught their attention."What is that? Fireworks?"
"Tsubasa!" Zolda caught Tsubasa in his arms, causing him to wince in pain. His left arm had been dislocated after landing in the wrong way."Shit... not my fucking arm again...Anyway, are you okay?"
"He saved me..." Tsubasa muttered, her eyes staring into the sky at the explosion."But...we're enemies...Is he...?"
"He got off just in time. Though I don't know where he ended up." Zolda stepped back, giving her some space to stand on her own."I don't know why Tiger saved you like that, but we should be grateful. Now... what do we do about our little friend-"
As soon as Takeru shifted his gaze to Hajime, he saw another fireball aimed at them. Fortunately, a black portal opened up in front of them, absorbing the attack. Another portal appeared beside Hajime, releasing the fireball and launching him across the area.
"Guess I made it in time." Ryuga landed in front of Zolda and Tsubasa.
"Ryuga!" Knight cried out, jogging over to them."Why are you here?!"
"Come on, we should be thanking him." Zolda chided him."He saved our beacon."
"But the question remains." Tsubasa narrowed her gaze.
"I saw that little light show from where I was. That, and..." He pulled out his still glowing Dragblacker card."My buddy here reacted to whatever is going on here."
Hajime whimpered, his wings completely gone. He tried to stand up on two feet, but as soon as he took the first step, he fell face-first. Frustrated, he roared and slammed his hands on the ground, creating two wings made of fire.
"I'm going to tell you right now. That right there is not Ryuki." Ryuga stated, causing them to gasp."It's Dragreder, his Advent Monster. He's in control of his body right now. That's why he's out of control."
"What do you mean that's Dragreder?!" Knight demanded."Explain!"
"No time for that. We have to stop him right now before it's too late." Ryuga said, his eyes set on the creature."We can either let him run out of energy on his own or calm him down ourselves. However, I don't recommend the first one."
"Why not? It seems like the safest choice, right?" Zolda tilted his head.
"The more time he spends in that form, the more Drgagreder will take over his body. And if the assimilation is completed, Hajime will become Dragreder itself."
"He'll become...Dragreder?!" Tsubasa's eyes widened."Then..how do we stop him?!"
"I have a portal mark in the docks. We'll make him go through one of my portals and transport him there. The water will extinguish the fire and cool him down. However, it won't be easy. Now that he saw me and my portals, he'll be on guard. So we'll have to create an opening."
"Okay. We'll follow your lead. But you'll have to tell us what's going on with him later." Knight requested."You seem to know more than you're letting on, as usual."
"Fine. I can do as much." Ryuga groaned, agreeing to the terms."Don't hold back. As soon as I see an opening, I'll teleport him away with one of you so you can prevent him from drowning. Try to cut off his wings. He can't move at all without them. We'll take advantage of that."
Dragreder dived down from the sky at them, creating numerous arms of fire around his body.
"Here he comes!" They all scattered, avoiding the arms from impacting against them.
(Gekkō no Tsurugi)
Tsubasa leaped into the air and conjured a large sword, kicking its hilt and propelling it to Hajime
Heaven's Wrath
Dragreder's firearm extender in size, matching the giant sword's and grabbed it. Tsubasa gasped before she was swatted by the said sword, landing harshly on the ground. He extended the hand towards her, but Magnugiga appeared in front of her, firing a round of bullets, forcing the hand back.
Advent: Darkwing
Darkwing equipped itself onto Knight's back, helping him glide in the air. Dragreder sent its tail toward him, forcing Knight to block it with Winglancer.
Advent: Dragblacker
Dragblacker appeared in front of Dragreder, breathing black fire. The red dragon returned the favor, breathing fire of his own.
Shoot Vent: Gigacannons
Zolda fired a round of missiles at Dragreder, forcing it to divide its attention and block the missiles with his dragon arm.'Now, Tsubasa!'
Tsubasa appeared behind Dragreder, slashing its wings and forcing him to free fall to the ground. A portal opened up under him, taking him to the docks and falling directly into the water. Knight flew inside the portal, diving into the water, and spotted an unconscious Hajime after the flames were extinguished from his body.
A few minutes later, the Riders and Tsubasa sat by the ruins of the Kadingir, watching over an unconscious Hajime. He lay on the floor, his head resting on Tsubasa's lap.
"How...are his teeth?" Zolda carefully asked.
Tsubasa opened his lips, checking over his denture."They look okay."
"What happened to his teeth?" Ryuga asked, curious.
"He bit one of those Mirror Monsters and they broke," Knight explained. realizing how weird it sounded to say aloud.
"Wait, Mirror Monsters? What's that?"
"I think you owe us an explanation first." Tsubasa addressed him."What happened to Adachi?"
'You know we don't have to explain shit, right?' Loki said in his mind.'We could just leave.'
'Yeah but I'd rather them not do something like this again. We don't exactly need them to die.' Ryuga sighed, turning on his heel to face them."As you know, Kamen Riders get their powers by making contracts with their Advent Beasts. We get their powers and we're able to use different abilities. However, this isn't exactly a 50-50 relationship."
"What do you mean?" Tsubasa inquired.
"Our Advent Monsters respond to our desires. That's how we awaken to them before making a contract. In battle, we draw energy from them in exchange for feeding them Advent Essence. This stuff is the energy released when Kamen Riders fight. That's why we grow stronger the more we battle each other. Because our Monsters take the combined Battle Essence from both Riders. When a Kamen Rider kills another one, they take their Battle Essence and make it their own, growing exponentially stronger. The intensity of the battles plays a major factor in how stronger we get. That's why we grow even stronger when we survive a battle to the death. For instance, when we fought Odin and Fine."
"That explains why fighting other Riders makes us stronger." Zolda surmised, a frown forming on his face."Shit. So Ouja..."
"More than likely, he's the strongest Rider, aside from Odin." Ryuga groaned at the thought."I don't even want to imagine what kind of power he got after killing your friend."
"Goro..." Tsubasa and Knight looked at each other.
"Anyway, as I was saying, the more we adapt to our power, the more power we can draw from our Advent Monsters. But like I said, it's not exactly a 50-50 relationship. Our monsters are sentient. They have feelings and thoughts and personalities. If you do something to anger your monster, you'll know it. They might even disobey you and refuse to lend you power."
"Wait, our monsters have minds of their own?" Zolda asked.
"What, you didn't know?" Knight hummed in thought."Then again, your monster doesn't do much aside from firing a massive arsenal. But Darkwing has demonstrated to me that he has a personality of his own. But still, what exactly happened to Adachi? Is that an evolution? A power that one can get from mastering their Advent Monster?"
"No. It's not. Quite the opposite, in fact. That's something all of the Riders could potentially do." Ryuga elaborated."What Ryuki here did...all of us can do. As you saw, it gives you a humongous power boost, albeit temporarily."
"No shit?! We can all do it?!" Zolda beamed."We can use that power to beat Odin! You saw how strong the Luitenant was! Imagine how strong we can all get!"
"There's a catch to that power, isn't there?" Tsubasa asked, causing Zolda to stop his celebration.
"Perceptive as always. While the power gained from that is astonishing, I absolutely recommend for none of you try to attempt that." Ryuga sternly said."That state can be achieved in a very specific way that depends on each Rider. But ordinarily, it triggers when the Rider is pushed over the edge mentally and they've developed a considerable mastery over their powers. Here's when the 50-50 relationship example comes into play. Normally, the Rider draws power from their Advent Beast in small bursts and the beasts give them power, regardless of whether they agree or not. But during a small period...a rare occurrence where both beast and Rider's feelings are aligned and synchronized...they can achieve that state. They must reach a powerful emotion in unison."
"I get it." Tsubasaremarked."It must have been when Ryuki was fighting Alternative Zero. He was asking for that Kirika girl. He feels guilty for what happened to her and blames himself for abandoning her years ago. And...when Tachibana got her arm gnawed off...it must have caused him to snap."
"And if our Advent Beasts have feelings...then does that man Dragreder holds Tachibana in high regard?" Knight folded his arms."Maybe he feels affectionate towards her too."
"It would explain why they synchronized in that split second." Tsubasa nodded."It was the only moment when both Rider and Advent Beast had a common goal in mind."
"Correct. Being as explosive as he is, it was a given that this would happen. When this happens, the flow of power changes. Now the Advent Beast is the one getting the power from the Rider. This causes the monster to take over their body and grow stronger than they normally would be. However...as you saw, the loss of control is but one of the many side effects of this."
"One of the many?"
"Did you see his body? How he was beginning to morph into a dragon?" Ryuga continued."That's the monster taking over their body the more energy they consume from their user. If they fully turn into the beast, they will no longer be human and lose all individuality they once had. Not to mention, the energy is essentially their life force. So the more a Rider is in that state, the more they shorten their life span."
"You're kidding me..." Zolda gasped."So if we didn't stop him ramping in time..."
"He would have seized existing." Ryuga finished the grim thought."That's why losing control like that is completely out of the question. You're lucky I was here, but if you are idiotic enough to do that again, you might not be as lucky. Fortunately, Ryuki and I have the same power, so I was able to deduce what to do with him."
"Is it possible to control that power?" Knight inquired."I mean, surely there's a way to properly control our Advent Beasts-"
"It's impossible." Ryuga shook his head."If it was, I would have done it a long time ago. But there is no way to stabilize the uncontrolled power, no matter how hard you try. It'll consume you before you know it."
"You say all of this like it happened to you." Tsubasa pointed out.
"It did. A long time ago." Ryuga responded, trailing off."But I was lucky enough to have someone to snap me out of it. But I was nearly consumed by Dragblacker. Anyway, there you have it. I told you what you needed to know. So refrain from ever using that form if you don't want to lose yourselves or accidentally kill your friends. Especially Ryuki. Next time he loses control like that, it will be his last."
"Hold it right there." Knight cried, halting his movements."How do you even know all of this? You seem to know more than you're letting on. Same thing with Odin. You said Odin is using someone as a host. But how would you know that? What are you, really? And what's with all these secrets? Who are you, Ryuga? And what's your true goal?"
"That's for me to know and for you to find out. But if you must know...I'm a person of flesh and blood, just like you." Ryuga waved him off, continuing on his walk."Either way, if I see the need, I'll step in. But for now? I don't care."
"What, you're not going to stick around and help us like last time?" Zolda asked, earning a scoff in return.
"This battle doesn't concern me." Ryuga replied."I'm not interested in whatever fight you have going on. Besides, I only helped you before because Fine's plans interfered with mine. Also, we're Riders. Our destiny is to kill each other. I could kill the three of you right now if that's what you want. But you're more useful to me alive than dead. Try not to die, will you? Next time I won't be here to save you."
Calamity Vent
"More useful to you alive, eh?" Lokli cackled in his mind."Just admit it. You don't want to make Miku-chan sad by killing them just yet, Superstar."
"Be quiet," Ryuga growled under his breath, disappearing inside his portal, leaving the 3 teenagers behind.
Unbeknownst to them, a butterfly was flying by, its eyes glowing as it flew above them.
And that's the end of the chapter. I decided to add something to the Advent Decks for something I have planned in future seasons but I won't say much. What do you think? Symphogear is quite long and characters get stronger and stronger. Power creep is kind of crazy in that series. From what I gathered, by season 5, even Survive Mode won't be as useful and considering the things that will happen the Riders will have to find new ways to get stronger. But for now, I'm testing the waters. See what works and doesn't work based on some suggestions I've gotten