Author's note: Woah, I'm shocked to see how many people have voiced their disdain about Gai. This is a good thing because his whole character is meant to be hated and that's what I was going for, so I'm happy it worked. I was a little skeptical when I was first writing him, but now I'm confident to say he's one of my favorite characters to write because I have fun writing asshole characters. Ouja is another one but he's not as disliked, at least not yet.
Reviews:
HanzoHasashi98: I'm very interested in this idea. It would help develop more of the duality between Ryuga and Ryuki throughout the series. You got it right. Calamity Gate, at least when Hazuki uses it, is limited to a few uses, has a cooldown, and can teleport the user only to places they've been before. And it is not instantaneous so if someone is fast enough, like Odin, they can intercept him. I have yet to explain it fully because like I said before, it has lore reasons as to why it exists so I'm waiting for the right time to give a full explanation on it. I'm glad you picked that up from the chapters he used it in. As for Ryuki, I like the idea of his being faster and more combat-oriented. I think I know how to integrate it into the story with a few tweaks to make it balanced to not make Ryuki completely broken. But it will be later on in the series because I just gave him a broken card with Ignite Vent. Maybe when he gets in Survive. But you'll know when the card makes its debut.
Cyclone fox: Thank you. I'm glad you liked it. And yes, Terunosuke will get what's coming to him.
Guest DCDGojira: Glad you liked it.
Caballero lector rojo: Me alegra que te haya gustado.
lordri25may2001: No need to wait further. Your wish has been granted in this chapter(sort of). Some Nordic gods will appear but probably not more than 4. At least in the regular series(XDU is a different thing). But so far I have no plans of them forming partnerships with the other Riders since not all of them would be on board with helping a human. Odin practically is in full control of the person he's possessing and Hazuki and Loki made an agreement of equals. For adult scenes, maybe. But nothing concrete yet. I never wrote one before so I'm not sure. I'm not familiar with those series but I'll check them out with possible. I haven't decided what series to make after this one so I have plenty of time to decide.
Nexus240: Thank you for your support, friend. lol yeah, Takeru is a boob type of guy. A man of culture.
Chapter 37
Broken Hearts
"Why...why is Miku-san...there?" Ryuki gawked in disbelief.
"What the fuck did you do to her?!" Zolda demanded, turning back and facing Tiger. But he did not react. As he soon noticed, all the FIS kids were still in shock at the news they had received previously regarding their brother.
"She's just a disposable Symphogear user driven into battle by LINKER..." Shirabe muttered, her voice devoid of emotion."She was prepared more hastily than we were, so she must be vulnerable..."
"Well, that's such a blunt and crude way to put it, Little Lady. We just allowed her to reach out and do what she wanted." Ouja elaborated carelessly."Courtesy of the doctor, of course. But if it makes you feel better, she was willing to go with the idea. We're all here because we want to. Because we have a reason to, no? That girl is no exception."
"Why are you even here?" Zolda asked him."You're helping them? But you-"
"I'll tell you all about it. But for now..." Ouja started at Miku with curious eyes."The new actor has entered the stage."
"We've located Kohinata. She's safe...for lack of a better word." Tsubasa reported, holding Kirika back by threatening her with her sword.
"Fine?!" Chris snapped her head toward her direction."Does that look fine to you?! How are we going to explain this to the dummy?!"
"Calm down. I think she meant that at least she's alive." Zolda was quick to intervene, remaining optimistic."All we have to do is get her back. More importantly, shouldn't we call Ryuga like, right now? Things are getting way too out of hand."
"Did you say Ryuga?" Gai sneered as he glanced back at Ouja."And the snake bastard is here too. Great. The last people I wanted to see."
"Don't worry. You can concentrate on your little vendetta." Ouja waved him off, eyeing Knight with amusement."You probably want to fight me. Don't you?"
"Fight you? No, I'm going to kill you!" Knight ran to Ouja as he activated an ability.
Sword Vent: Winglancer
"Spooky." Ouja taunted him, waiting for him with open arms.
"Goddamnit!" Zolda rushed after him, having a bone to pick with Ouja too."We have to take him out now! We don't know how strong he's gotten!"
"Miku-san! I'll save you!" Ryuki attempted to run to her, but Raia's whip wrapped itself around his ankle, causing him to fall face first."What are you doing?! We don't have to fight!"
"SHUT UP!" Raia bellowed his voice breaking."I'm so sick and tired of everyone lying to me! I've had it up to here with all these lies! I can't stand it anymore! I don't even know what to believe anymore!"
"Calm down! We can talk about thi-"
"No! I tried to kill Andreas because Teru-nii tricked me! He lied to me! I trusted him! Again, I was lied to! First my parents, then my siblings! The only one I can trust..." Raia quickly drew a card from his deck, inserting it into his visor."is...ME!"
Copy Vent
A replica of Kirika's scythe manifested in his arm.
"He can copy Armed Gears?!" Ryuki cried in surprise as he was pulled back.
The armor around Miku's head closed down, forming a visor before she lunged at the group.
"Jades-nii-chan! Move!" Kirika pleaded, but her brother did not move a single muscle, still on his knees.
"Yukine!"
"I got it!" Chris released Shirabe, realizing that the girl was too distraught to try anything, and summoned her crossbows.
Queens' Inferno
Chris unleashed a volley of arrows, forcing Miku out of the carrier and onto the water, as she began to skate on the surface. And with that, the multiple battles on the carrier began.
Ouja waited until the last second to parry Knight's swing with his forearm, causing him to gasp.
"Quite the hostile greeting after we haven't seen each other in a long time." Ouja mused, punching him in the gut, and even with his armor, he felt the heavy impact of the attack.
Shoot Vent: Gigacannons
"Why are you even here?! Aren't you the one who gave us information on FIS, to begin with?! Why are you helping them?!" Zolda demanded, firing missiles without stopping, trying to hit Ouja with them. The snake-theme Rider continued moving at high speeds, dodging them effortlessly. He then appeared in front of Zolda, prompting him to halt.
"I told you, I had to make things fairer. A little more interesting." Ouja poked him in the forehead."But then it hit me. They are, in a way, representing Fine. And honestly, I can't say no to kids. The girls helped in persuading me."
Before Zolda could say anything, Ouja swept his legs and stomped on his stomach once he fell to the ground, holding him down. He leaned down to his level."Besides, it's been forever since I've had a decent fight. You guys got stronger, but frankly, so have I. And I wanted to test out my new abilities."
Trick Vent: Shadow Illusion
A total of 8 copies of Knight surrounded Ouja, ready to gang up on him.
"As it turns out, I'm overwhelmingly stronger than you, huh?" Ouja jumped back, dodging one of the clone's swings. He bent his knees, narrowingly avoiding a clone's kick, and responded with one of his own, causing the clone to drop his sword. Ouja grabbed it, quickly mowing them down in a flash.
Zolda retaliated by shooting more missiles, forcing Ouja to block them with the sword, only for it to break. Spinning on his heels, Ouja summoned his Venovisor, watching Knight close in on him out of his peripheral vision.
"DIE!" Knight screamed, his sword connecting with something that was more than familiar to him.
Strike Vent: Scissorspinch
Using Scissorspinch, Ouja grabbed Knight's Winglancer, holding him in place.
"How...? How do you have that...?!" Knight stared, horrified upon seeing him sporting his late friend's weapon.
"I did take his power, you know?" Ouja reminded him, twisting his arm."If you're surprised by this, you have no idea what's coming your way."
"Yanagi!" Zolda cried out, shooting energy bullets at Ouja from his visor. The assassin kicked Knight's back, sending him stumbling forward, and blocked the bullets with his new weapon. Ouja leaped off the platform, landing a few meters away from Tsubasa and Kirika.
"You...!" Tsubasa glared with all the venom she could muster.
"It's funny. You're all so sad about the death of that friend of yours, but I don't think it's that bad." Ouja admired the Scissorspinch in his right arm."If I didn't kill him, I wouldn't be this strong right now. Goro Tanaka didn't die in vain. He's part of me now, so rest assured. His death meant something." He stood straight, hand on his forehead as he saluted."I'm ready for the day, Yosuke-senpai! Tsubasa-senpai! I promise I'll do my best!" Ouja chuckled at himself."Or something like that, right? Pretty good impression if I do say so myself."
"Damn you!" Tsubasa lost focus for a mere second, and Kirika took advantage of that.
"Shira-" But as soon as she tried to leave, Tsubasa had her sword against her neck again."-be..."
"You piece of human garbage..."
Ouja turned to face Yosuke, whose eyes were glowing intensely along with his deck."Oh?"
"You don't get to say his name so lightly!" Knight boomed, clenched at his head."I'LL KILL YOU!"
"Yanagi, calm down!" Zolda landed next to him, grabbing his shoulders."You're being reckless! Take a deep breath and calm down! I know how you feel, but we can't beat him with you losing control like the Luitenant! You'll put us all in danger! So calm down!"
"Sakamoto...you're right." Knight took a deep breath, calming his rage. He was right. Fighting recklessly wasn't going to work against a fighter such as Ouja."We have to take him to another carrier. Get me an opening."
"You got it, boss man." Zolda saluted, already activating a new ability.
Strike Vent: Gigahorn
Venom Vent
Knight and Zolda jumped out of the purple void forming under them before it released a column of purple energy.
Shoot Vent: Gigalauncher
Zolda leaped in the air, firing the rocket at Ouja, who simply used another card.
Guard Vent: Shelldefense
Ouja blocked the missile with his new shield, but the impact of it caused him to be launched across the carrier.
"No way! Something is wrong." Zolda grimaced when he noticed that Ouja hadn't sustained much damage."When I first met you guys, I used the same attack and Scissors countered with the same shield. But at that time, the shield was destroyed. But now, he managed to successfully block the attack and sustain minor damage."
"Could it be that Goro's abilities are stronger now that the Scissor deck was assimilated to him...?" Knight pondered.
Ouja tossed the shield aside, deciding to change things a bit.
Sword Vent: Venosaber
Now dual-wielding, Ouja beckoned them to come at him.
Zolda charged ahead, dual wielding as well. He began to rapid-fire at Ouja, who simply blocked the bullets with his Scissorspinch. Once they were within range, they clashed with their respective weapons. Venosaber against Gigahorn.
"Look at you. So eager and so mature. I'm so proud of my boy." Ouja taunted him, raising Scissor's weapon, only for it to be blocked by Zolda's gun."Chris must be one lucky girl to have someone like you who helped her pull through that hell. I wonder what her emotion will be once I kill you."
"You're a danger to everyone! Besides, I still haven't paid you back for when you left me bedridden, you snake bastard! You won't get your hands on Chris! You'll have to go through me first!"
"Still sour about that, are you? But I can arrange your death with relative ease."
They began to try to strike each other with their knees, only for them to block their attempts. Neither of them backed down, as they continuously tried to knee each other. Realizing this wasn't going anywhere, Zolda went for a headbutt, but Ouja pulled back suddenly, causing the green Rider to trip over his feet.
"Lights out." Ouja rose his sword, ready to deliver the finishing blow by stabbing through his head.
Nasty Vent: Sonicbreaker
Darkwing flew around, screeching loudly and prompting Ouja to groan in pain, trying to block the horrible sound. Zolda tackled Ouja, running with him over the edge of the carrier, and leaped in the air. Ouja dropped his weapons, slamming Zolda on his back, resulting in his grip weakening and falling into the water.
Final Vent: Flyinglancer
Ouja gasped, watching as a black tornado headed his way.'They distracted me long enough for Knight to get in position. I wasn't expecting Takeru to be so reckless and tackle me like that, but...'
"You can't dodge in the air!" Knight cried out."You're finished!"
"You think so?" Ouja had already drawn a new card, quickly inserting it into his visor.
Final Vent: Scissors Attack
Volcancer appeared out of thin air, propelling Ouja into the air as he curled up in a ball.
"Wait?! Volcancer?!"
Knight and Ouja crashed in the air, creating a huge explosion that caused the ships around to shake. Once the smoke dissipated, they both landed on top of the new carrier, with Zolda climbing up after swimming over.
"You guys...sure have gotten stronger." Ouja couldn't help but praise."If you had been this strong before, I'd have stood no chance back then. This sure brings back memories. Back in simpler times."
"You mean back 3 months ago or back when you knew Akira?" Yosuke questioned, earning a laugh from Ouja.
"Still hung up about that, huh? I already told your superior officer, I knew Akira, under a different name." Ouja cryptically elaborated."What else is there to say? Oh, wait...you want to know what exactly was my connection with him, huh? What makes you think I'll tell you that?"
"I'll just force the answer out of you." Knight shot back.
"Don't get cocky because you got a new power-up, Cypher." Zolda narrowed his eyes at him."We got stronger too. So feel free to keep pulling these cheap tricks all you want, it won't do you any good."
"Okay then, if you do beat me, I'll tell you all about Akira. Furthermore, I'll tell you all about my new power. As you die." Ouja cracked his neck with a sigh."You can take that knowledge with you to the grave."
Meanwhile, Ryuki was on the back foot in his fight against Raia, who was swinging a copy of Igalima's Scythe as if he was a master at using it.
'A big ass scythe against a sword isn't such a good idea in hindsight.' Ryuki gritted his teeth, barely being able to block the incessant attacks. However, he was secretly glad for his small size as it made dodging easier."Stop it, Raiden! I don't want to fight you! I just want to help you guys!"
"LIAR! You're a dirty liar!" Raia screeched, planting the scythe firmly on the floor and using it to hold himself and deliver a double kick against Ryuki's chest, launching him across the platform. Ryuki began doing backflips to stop his momentum, using a wall as footing and shooting himself toward Raia."Everyone always lies! This world is filled with damn liars!"
"I'm not lying! I want to save my friend! But I also want to save you all!"
Guard Vent: Dragshield
The scythe was blocked by the twin shields Ryuki summoned."Kirika is very important to me! A friend I forgot but not because I wanted to! And Maria is the person who inspired me with her songs to always be better! They both pulled me out of that darkness!"
"I don't care!" Raia jumped over using the scythe, kicking Ryuki in the back of the head. However, Ryuki dodged at the last second by jumping back, successfully connecting a bicycle kick that sent Raia rolling on the floor.
"Well, you have to care! Because right now, you're fighting the wrong person! The bastard who used you and lied to you is right over there!" Ryuki pointed at the distance, where Tiger and Gai were engaging in combat."You said you can't trust anyone? Bullshit! Your siblings, the ones who love you, have been searching everywhere for you! Because they love you!"
Raiden's features softened as he stared at Kirika and Shirabe. He then shifted his gaze to the battle between his siblings, frowning."Shut up, shut up, shut up! I don't know what to believe anymore! What's good or bad? To hell with it! I'll just beat you and kill him next!"
Dropping his scythe, Raia rushed Ryuki, who also dropped his weapon and shields to engage in a fistfight. Both of them locked hands, using nothing but physical strength to push each other."So what, you're just turning tail and running? Abandon your siblings?!"
"They're not my siblings! We're not even blood-related!"
"Bullshit! Family runs deeper than blood! It's not as simple as being of the same flesh and blood!" Ryuki cried."They love you and care about you the same way you do to them. I can tell! I figured that out after the first three times we fought! Bonds like that aren't so easily broken!"
"And what do you know?!" Raia screamed."What could you possibly know?!"
"Because I'm an older brother too!" Ryuki confessed, surprising his foe."I know what it's like to have a sibling. Someone you love and cherish. And someone to look after and protect. I want the very best for my baby sister and I will always be by her side. That's why...I can't forgive you if you abandon your siblings just like that! Because if you do, you'll be exactly the same as the piece of shit who manipulated all of you!"
Raia gasped at those words, realizing what he meant."Just...like...him...?" How ironic, he thought. Not two days ago he had contemplated how much he wanted to be like Terunosuke.
"If you cut your ties and abandon them when they need you the most, you'll be just like that self-righteous hypocrite bastard. You'll lose sight of what's important. The people who are here for you. And will never give up on you. Sometimes...lies are unavoidable. People are forced to lie to protect those they care about. So that's why..." Ryuki suddenly retracted his hand, winding it back and giving Raia a punch to the face, sending him flying and nearly knocking him to the water.
"I will beat the shit out of you until you understand!" Ryuki proclaimed, holding out his shaking fist.
"No...please, don't..." Shirabe's cheeks were covered in tears, watching her elder brother receiving a beating from her other brother."Please stop..."
Tsubasa gritted her teeth, watching on and wanting to assist Tiger. She wanted to help Chris and Ryuki too. But the last thing she wanted to was to let Kirika go and make matters worse. Now that Ouja was here, any of them were in danger of dying, just like Goro. Not to mention if Gai was out for blood and kept his promise, the girls were in danger of dying. So for her sake, she held her in place.
Gai continued to punch Tiger's face, each blow stronger than the last."Fight back! Come on you fucking piece of shit! Fight back! Coward! You damn coward! Too afraid to face the result of your mistakes?!"
Tiger had his hands up but did not attempt to block any of the attacks. He simply continued receiving the punches and kicks before one of them knocked him flat on his rear.
"You know, Jades, I was a little scared that you wouldn't remember me." Gai approached him, looking down on him."Scared that I was spending my time loathing you and thinking of ways to make you suffer the most agonizing pain ever and you just forgetting me. So when I saw you at that restaurant, I was shocked. But then again, there is no way in hell you could ever forget the person whose life you ruined!"
"I..." Tiger gasped, only for Gai to grab his neck and pull him up.
"Yeah, yeah you did. You destroyed my life! You ruined everything!" He screeched as loud as he could, his voice echoing throughout the carrier."You...an inferior person that lacks any sort of potential or worth...you were chosen to be a Kamen Rider and not me! And because of that, the power was given to an incompetent, waste of space, a human being like you and your stupid brother. You always outclassed me in everything, no matter how hard I tried to catch up."
Gai began to knee Tiger in the gut repeatedly."And despite that, you failed Serena. You let her die. Because you were incapable of using that power to its full potential. After that, I lost all hope for living. And that gave you the bright idea to help me escape to reunite with my family and have a "happy life". But in truth, you helped me find the perfect opportunity to be something else in life. To be a Kamen Rider. You and Atticus were so damn naive, it made me sick to my stomach. Disgusted me beyond belief to see how happy and jolly you were about everything. How you gave those kids hope for a new life. Oh, how ironic, that one of those kids was the one who ended his life."
Glancing over his shoulder, a sadistic grin adorned his face as he looked back at Shirabe and Kirika."Yeah, I killed him. So what? He had it coming. He practically served himself on a silver platter. He was wounded by a gunshot and I had stolen a knife from one of the American soldiers that were chasing us. So when we hid inside of a cave...and he sat there, pouring his heart out and talking about how much he cared about us...I stabbed him in the neck, slowly driving the knife deeper and deeper as I watched his eyes, wide in panic and no doubt agonizing pain as he choked on his own blood!"
"I was thinking about you the entire time." Gai's gaze fell back on Tiger as he stepped on his head once he dropped him on the floor."How much ecstasy it would give me to kill you and prove I was always better than you. None of the assholes whom I killed ever gave me that satisfaction."
"How could you say that?!" Tsubasa sneered."Do you not know the difference between good and evil?!"
"The difference? Of course, I do, you damn brat." He spat in disdain."Those who support me and acknowledge me are good. Those who don't...are bad. Villains. And I am a hero. And you, Jades, are my villain. Your actions are what caused me to turn out this way. You have only yourself to blame. So the least you can do is be a man and accept the responsibility."
"I'm...I'm sorry..." Tiger choked a sob."I'm so sorry...I'm sorry..."
"If you're really sorry..." Gai stepped back, eyeing his fallen axe on the floor. He kicked it over to Tiger."Then go ahead and prove it to me. Make things better and kill yourself right now!"
"What?!" Both Tsubasa and Kirika cried in unison.
"What are you saying...?" Shirabe gaped.
Tiger looked up at Gai and then back to his axe."You want me to...commit suicide...?"
"You said you were sorry, right? Well, saying sorry isn't going to magically fix my life or revive Serena. So the least you can do is atone for your sins. So grab that axe and slash your neck open. Commit to something in your sorry excuse for a life, you worthless dog! KILL YOURSELF RIGHT NOW!"
"I failed you...and I failed the others multiple times..." Tiger picked up the axe, guiding the hilt closer to his head and staring at the edge."I used you guys as a means to fill the whole left in my heart when I lost my unborn brother...and when my mom killed herself due to grief. My dad died soon after and all I had was Atticus...until we were found by the FIS. That's when I met all of those kids who were like me. Who had lost their parents in many different ways."
He took a moment to remove his helmet, tossing it onto the floor and giving his little sisters a loving smile. His face was beaten up and bloody, covered in bruises after the beating he received from Gai. Tears mixed with blood on their way down his eyes."I realized that if I was scared and hopeless, all those kids younger than me must have been even more terrified and lost. So I offered to be their guide, their older brother. Someone they could look up to and find hope. Hope for a better tomorrow out of that hell. At first, I did it to soothe my broken heart, but I slowly started to realize just how much I truly loved all of you."
"Onii-chan..." Kirika breathed, her tears uncontrollably streaming down her cheeks.
"It was then when I swore I'd protect you at all times. All of you. And love you, no matter what. You included...Terunosuke. But I failed you and the others because of my poor decisions. Because I couldn't see past the darkness of my doubts. I turned you into a criminal..." He positioned the axe closer to his neck."Just...forgive them. That's all I ask of you." He closed his eyes, ready to end his existence."Sorry, mom...guess I'm dying the same way you did..."
Gai kicked him in the chest, sending him crashing against the edge of the ship, denting the metallic wall.
Strike Vent: Metal Horn
"Haha...HAHAHAHA!" Gai cackled in pure glee."Those... are poor choices for last words! Brother?! Me! I'm not your brother! You're all just shit stuck in my shoes! I won't be satisfied with you killing yourself. No...This is something that only I...CAN DO!"
Gai lunged at Tiger, thrusting his horn and aiming for his neck. Only for it to stop inches from it.
"What...are you waiting for..." Jades asked, confused."Killing me will make you happy, right...? So ahead and do...Terunosuke?"
The Metal Horn was shaking wildly along with Gai's body."Why...? Why were you chosen instead of me?! I wanted to save Serena! I wanted to be truly special! I wanted to be worth something! Why didn't you save me?! Why wasn't I ever good enough?!"
"Terunosuke..." Jades closed his eyes, unable to look him in the eyes.
Kirika decided she had enough. She headbutted Tsubasa in the face, nearly breaking her nose, and dashed at Gai.
"That...doesn't matter anymore...All I care about now is killing all of you...TO PROVE I AM BETTER THAN YOU!" Gai rose his horn one more time, ready to deliver the finishing blow.
Kirika wrapped her arms and legs around Gai's arms and torso, preventing him from killing Jades.
"You!" Gai roughly freed his left arm and began elbowing Kirika in the stomach, causing her to spit out blood and cry in pain. He grabbed her by the hair, yanking her off him and tossing her aside before he resumed the task at hand.
"I WON'T LET YOU HURT OUR BIG BROTHER!" Shirabe screamed, not caring for her safety as she latched onto Metal Horn.
"Stupid fucking kids!" Gai began punching her in the face, gritting his teeth after giving up on that idea when she wasn't budging despite her bloody nose. He slammed her body on the ground, finally prompting her to release him.
"STOP IT"! Kirika once more lunged at him, followed by Shirabe, grabbing onto different parts of his body."We love Jades-nii-chan! So so much! We won't let you hurt him!"
"He's always protected us when we were vulnerable and scared..." Shirabe muttered weakly, feeling the effects of Gai's punches on her."It's our turn to protect him...and do the same for him...!"
"Girls..." Jades sobbed, touched by their words.
"Is this what you want, Raiden?!" Ryuki asked Raia again."To give up and leave them to die! That's not what a brother does for their siblings! A brother stands tall and helps them with their problems! He doesn't run away just because things get hard!"
Raia breathed raggedly, watching in pure awe at his sisters' determination."My...my family...!"
"I've had enough of this!" Gai growled, elbowing Kirika in the jaw and grabbing Shirabe's face, tossing her harshly to the ground, knocking the wind out of her."None of you are getting out of here alive!"
Evilwhip wrapped around Metal Horn, holding Gai in place."RAIDEN!"
"I won't...I won't let you kill him!" Raia declared."I love my brother too!"
"Raiden!" Jades called out.
Confine Vent
The whip disappeared from view, and Gai resumed his mission.
"NO!" Raiden screamed in despair.
"DON'T DO IT!" Shirabe and Kirika sobbed.
"ONII-CHAN!" Maria wailed at the screen showing the battle, her tears falling onto the console.
Advent: Venosnaker
Venosnaker emerged from the bottom of the carrier, biting Gai's torso and lifting him in the air before making its way down to the water.
"W-what is this?!" Gai was baffled, unable to do anything as the snake dived into the water before making a hole in the ship the others were on, spitting Gai onto the deck.
"Ouja!" Ryuki was quick to notice what had happened."You...!"
"What just happened?" Tsubasa scowled at Ouja, who had his arms splayed out.
"You saved...him..." Shirabe whispered in disbelief.
"Of course I did, Little Lady." Ouja mused, his eyes fixed on Gai, who was just getting his bearings."I promised you, didn't I? As long as we worked together, I'd protect you and your siblings. I don't want to see you cry and look more miserable than you already do, so...consider this a gift."
"What are you scheming, Ouja?" Knight bared his teeth at him.
"Scheming? Nothing, really." Ouja gave a half-shrug."I figured that sometimes it's a good idea to have all your eggs in one basket."
"What is he...?" Zolda then realized something important.'Wait a minute, we have them both within reach. If I can get them together, I can deliver a Final Vent and take them both out!'
Zolda spoke through his earpiece to Knight, as Gai and Ouja began arguing with each other.
"Why are you interrupting, Ouja?! You said...you said it was a familiar matter and others shouldn't get involved!"
"I did say that, yes." Ouja nodded."But I changed my mind. Believe it or not, I do have my word as an assassin. And my contract involves protecting those girls and their brother."
"The word of an assassin?" Gai scoffed."Yeah, right. A killer for hire isn't worth much."
"Much less a depressing good-for-nothing manchild." Ouja shot back, a grin plastered on his face."I know a lot about you. I've dealt with your kind before. The type whose parents never gave them enough love and are self-entitled, foolishly tricking themselves into that they're better than the rest as a means to cope with their solitude. And when someone shows even the tiniest of kindness to you and decides to give you the time of day, you latch onto them like a parasite, deluding yourself into thinking they love you. I believe that's what happened with Serena Cadenzavna Eve, right?"
"What...?" Gai took a step back."How do you know about Serena...?"
"I know a lot about you. And them. How do you think they tracked you down? I didn't tell them anything important, but I did give a hint about your name." Ouja confessed."So I am aware of your dependence on Serena. Poor girl. She just wanted to make the lonely, friendless, and neglected boy feel appreciated, and you went up and made her your reason to live. I've seen that happen way too many times to tell you this. You didn't love her. Never have and never will. You loved the idea of someone licking your boots and soothing your frail ego. But as for love?" Ouja snickered."No such luck, I'm afraid. I believe the term is..."toxic relationship". Obsession, even."
"Shut up..." Gai muttered."You don't know shit..."
"You said so yourself, Kuwana!" Knight hollered from the side."When we fought after I confronted you. You said that there's no better feeling than having control over someone! You probably felt happy not because Serena acknowledged you, but because you thought you could use her in any way you want!"
"Shut the fuck up!" Gai roared, and his breathing become erratic.
"Oh? I didn't know that. Thanks for the tip, Yanagi-kun." Ouja nodded, much to Knight's disdain."It's kind of sad, really. How a person can trick themselves into believing that someone else owes them something because they were given a bad hand. The worse part is...you probably still think that. It didn't have to be Serena. Anyone who complimented you would have been your pillar of light. Congratulations. Your quest to revive the one you "love" is nothing more than a self-made idea. An illusion created by your subconscious to lessen the pain. Your life support is a dead girl? How pathetic. But I do suppose everyone copes about their misery in different ways."
"That's it!" Gai lunged at Ouja, brandishing his Metal Horn."I will kill you!"
"You'll die trying." Ouja weaved, seemingly disappearing from his spot as Gai missed, only to receive a punch across the face.
"Yanagi, keep them distracted." Zolda repeated over his communicator, activating a card by inserting it into his gun."With this, we'll be able to kill those birds with one stone.
Final Vent: End of the World
"Kirika!" Ryuki ran to the blonde girl, kneeling beside her."Are you okay?!"
"Why are you here...?" Kirika rubbed her aching belly."Blacky-kun..."
"Come on, what kind of question is that?" Ryuki smiled under his helmet."I came to save you. I told you I would. Well...I guess it's more appropriate to say to save you all, in general. I know I made mistakes before and because of me...things ended up the way they did. But I truly want to make things right again. I want to be your friend, just like we were."
"There's no point anymore." Kirika said dejectedly."I...I don't have time..."
"What do you mean?" Hajime grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently."You can tell me what's wrong, Kirika."
"Just stop it." Kirika pulled her hand away, refusing to look at him.
Tsubasa walked over to Jades, grimacing at his state. She was more concerned with the mental damage rather than the physical damage done to him.
"I never got to thank you. For saving me."
Jades said nothing, his eyes staring at Tsubasa but at the same time, his mind wasn't there.
"Raiden..." Shirabe eyed Raia, who kept a good distance away from the group. He took a step forward but regretted it. Shaking his head, he pulled out a card.
Advent: Evildiver
Raia leaped onto Evildiver, flying away from view.
Suddenly, Chris crashed next to them, catching them by surprise.
"Chris-san!" Ryuki internally facepalmed after having forgotten about Miku.
"Yukine! What's the situation?!"
"Bad news." Chris slowly got back to her feet."We can't forcefully remove that thing off her head. It'll fry her brain and kill her."
(Play Waikyo Shen Shou Jing)
Miku stood in front of them with a reflector hovered around her, charging up energy.
"Miku-san! Please! I'm so sorry!" Ryuki tried to reach to her heart."I'm sorry I was so insensitive! I should have apologized!"
"What's she doing?" Tsubasa narrowed her eyes."Is she...?"
"We...we have to move-desu!" Kirika panicked, standing up too fast and losing her footing due to her injuries, only to be caught by Hajime."If you get hit you'll be erased!"
"Erased?"
In one giant burst, Miku unleashed her attack.
Liu Xing
"I'll stop it!" Chris declared, only for Tsubasa to grab her and Shirabe and dash out of there. Ryuki helped Kirika grab Jades as they followed close behind with the blast behind them.
"I can't draw a card like this!" Ryuki hissed, one hand busy pulling Kirika's hand and another one dragging Jades."Kazanari-san, what now?!"
"We can't outrun it. We'll run out of room!" Tsubasa cried out as she continuously kept summoning swords, only for the beam to drill a hole through them.
"Pure and innocent. The beam of light that purges all evil." Shirabe recited."That is the power of the Symphogear made from the Shen Shou Jing."
"Then if we can't run or jump to the side, then we'll just have to go up!" As they were about to run out of room, Tsubasa conjured a giant sword in front of them."Follow my lead, Adachi!"
Confine Vent
As soon as the sword appeared, it vanished."What?!"
Gai laughed cruelly from the other carrier after activating his card. Ouja kicked him in the chest, sending him staggering back, only to resume their fight
"You bastard!" Knight sneered, whipping his head in their direction."Everyone!"
"We're so screwed!" Ryuki closed his eyes, ready to either be hit by the blast or hit the wall.
Out of seemingly nowhere, a black portal opened behind them, absorbing the blast inside and preventing it from erasing them.
Before anyone could ponder what happened, a huge explosion went off in the distance.
"Were...we saved?" Chris wondered as Tsubasa set her and Shirabe down.
Ryuga landed in front of them from another portal, finally arriving at the battle.
"Ryuga!" Ryuki beamed, relieved.
"That's Kamen Rider Ryuga..." Kirika marbled at the identical Rider in front of her."He looks just like Blacky-kun-desu..."
"Miku..." Ryuga observed Miku's full appearance, horrified at the sight."What did they do to you...?"
"So, the anomaly reveals himself. It's an honor to meet you, Kamen Rider Ryuga." Dr. Ver spoke through Miku's headpiece."I only helped her do what she wanted. It was fairly easy to get her into this gear. She wanted to protect her friend from fighting. Don't you worry. I...took good care of her."
Something inside Ryuga snapped. The friendly and nice Miku he had come to love was nowhere present in the person who stood before him.
"You...how dare you..." Ryuga growled, his eyes glowing as well as his Deck."How dare you use Miku like that?!"
"Oh, no..." Ryuki adopted a mortified expression."If he loses control like I did...it'll be the end of all of us! Ryuga! Don't!"
"Superstar! Calm the hell down!" Loki screamed inside of his head."We can't afford to lose control here! So calm down! Don't do anything stu-HEY! LISTEN TO ME, HAZUKI-"
Advent: Dragblacker
Dragblacker's card flew outside of his deck, inserting itself into his visor as a black aura surrounded Ryuga. Once it dissipated, the armored young man was no more. Instead, the figure of an overgrown Komodo dragon with wings stood in its place. The creature was pitch-black, with wide white eyes in his place and the only human part of it was the left side of his body, still Ryuga's. But unlike Ryuki, he wasn't thrashing around or creating chaos.
"No...not this again!" Dr. Ver shrieked in fear.
"We're fucked..." Ryuki felt his knees turn into jello when the creature began moving its head around as if it were sniffing something.
"What happened to him?" Kirika asked.
"In short, he and his Advent Monster synched together for a mere second, but that was enough for it to take control over his body." Tsubasa explained."It was the same thing that happened to Ryuki, and it gave him overwhelming power that ended up hurting your brother's arms. However, while the increase in power is substantial, the result is a loss of self-control. That's not Ryuga right now. It's Dragblacker."
The black creature hissed silently, its body bobbling and releasing steam before it exploded, revealing Kamen Rider Ryuga back in its place. The Rider fell on his knees, huffing and puffing.
"Wait...he reverted it?!" Chris stared in shock."But I thought it was impossible without outside interference!"
"Maybe he mastered it...?"
"But he said that it was impossible to do that." Tsubasa bit her lower lip."Could it be...what he meant before? When he said someone broke him out of it? If so, who? And how?"
"Damn it...I hate doing that. Makes me want to puke. Superstar, you are something else." Ryuga's left eye turned to gold, panting for air. In his left hand was Dragblacker's card."You insolent flying worm! How dare you do that when I ordered you not to! I created you! You obey me!"
Loki, who was now in control of Hazuki's body, angrily pocketed the card back into the Deck."What a riot..."
"Ryuga! Are you okay?!" Ryuki hollered.
"Huh?" Loki glanced back at the group."Oh, right...Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Let me handle this. You people will just get in my way."
"What are you planning to do, Ryuga?" Tsubasa wondered, receiving a chuckle from the trickster God.'Why...is his voice slightly different from before? It's as if it has an echo to it...'
"Isn't it obvious? This is a perfect fight for me." Loki grinned from ear to ear under his helmet."I've been dying for some exercise and this is the perfect way to go about it. So that gear is meant to erase all evil and whatnot? How fitting. For a savior like me, who wants to purge all evil from this world, there is no greater opponent. Let's see which of us has what it takes to eradicate evil, shall we? The strongest Symphogear against the strongest Kamen Rider."
Meanwhile, Ouja continued to strike at Gai, delivering nerve punches to the areas his armor didn't cover, giving him excruciating pain. Knight continued running in every now and then, forcing Ouja to block his attacks. But his intention wasn't to damage him but to distract him long enough for Magnugiga to charge up its arsenal.
Once the robot was ready, Zolda inserted the gun into the slot in its back."BOOBIES!"
"BOOBIES!" Knight groaned, blushing intensely at having to say such a ridiculous thing. The plan was that once the attack was ready, Knight would have to get out of the way. So Zolda devised a "safeword" to let him know to move out of the way without alerting their enemies. And it worked wonders because they reacted too late to the many bullets, missiles, and energy beams shot at them. Ouja quickly dashed behind Gai, forcing him to take the impact of the attack and use him as a shield. Half of the ship was destroyed, leaving a huge missing chunk after the barrage finished.
"Did we get them?" Knight used the railings to walk on the now sinking ship due to it tilting on one side.
"No way in hell they can survive that," Zolda confirmed, though he wasn't sure.
"Also...really? Boobies?"
"Breasts, boobies, milkers, whatever." Zolda waved him off."It worked. Next time we can use thighs or something for you."
"You're insufferable." Knight groaned."But at least it did work..."
"Almost!"
The pair whipped their heads to the source of the voice. The silhouette of Gai could be seen as the smoke began to clear out. His armor was broken in various parts, and smoke came off of him. To their utter shock, Ouja peered over his shoulder, safe and sound.
"Impossible! He couldn't have survived my Final Vent!" Zolda yelled in disbelief.
"How tough is his armor...do we have to hit him with multiple Final Vents to kill him?"
"You make for a good guard vent. Not bad. A nice human shield" Ouja kicked him in the back, causing him to finally lose balance and fall onto the ground, turning his attention to the others."Now...where were we, guys?"
"You..." Gai used his arms to sit up."You'll...pay for that...you fucker..."
"Don't be such a sore loser, Gai." Ouja turned on his heels, pointing at him."You win some, you lose some. Though I suppose you never won any. Just lay there and be a good boy. Your part in this is done. You're just an appetizer."
"Like hell...LIKE HELL!" Gai rushed one last time at Ouja, attempting to stab him. Ouja easily maneuvered around him, and just when Gai was about to chase after him, he delivered a devastating horizontal kick against his free arm, bending it unnaturally. Gai took wobbly steps, clenching his arm until he fell on his knees, releasing an agonizing scream of pain to the heavens.
"Oh, come now. Must you be so melodramatic? I didn't break it. I dislocated it. You can fix it yourself. But I guess you won't get the chance, huh?" Ouja said, materializing his Venovisor and drawing two cards. Two Final Vents. His own and Scissors'."Pick a card. Any card."
The only response he got was the sound of pained whimpers.
"Yeah, I like my Final Vent better too." Ouja activated his Final Vent.
Final Vent: Veno Crash
Venosnaker slithered past Knight and Zolda, prompting Ouja to start running to Gai, who panicked and began to try to crawl away. Ouja leaped in the air, but before he could complete his Final Vent Darkwing flew past him, pushing him away from Venosnaker. Ouja rolled on the floor, perplexed."What? Seriously? You're stopping me?"
"You bet we are." Knight pointed at him with Winglancer."We're not stupid enough to watch you grow even stronger. You won't be killing another Kamen Rider, Ouja!"
"Fine. I guess I got a bit distracted with the side dish that I forgot the main course. Very well." Ouja laughed, hands on his hips."It would be but a simple matter to blow you all to pieces in my current state. But where's the fun in that, right? I'll do something that people often do to assert their dominance over others. I'll...show off. I'll show you power even more fearsome than death itself."
"What is he talking about?" Zolda asked, but he received no response from his comrade.
Knight's eyes were glued to the card Ouja had drawn, a cold sweat dripping down the back of his neck. The card spells "Unite Vent". A purple aura surrounded Ouja, creating a gust of wind powerful enough to accelerate the sinking of the carrier.
"You wanted to see my new power, didn't you? You shall bear witness at no extra charge! My new evolution! My new power-"
"I'M DYING I'M TAKING YOU, BASTARDS, WITH ME!"
Metal Vent
Metal spikes began emerging from the ship, puncturing holes through it. Once the ship couldn't take the punishment anymore, it began exploding due to the fuel tanks being shot at from Zolda's Final Vent and catching fire after the Metal Spikes destroyed the computers inside.
A huge explosion covered the entire ship, destroying it completely, leaving nothing but a few remains behind.
Unbeknownst to everyone, a butterfly flew above the explosion, its eyes shining in different colors as it witnessed the battles raging on down below.
Another chapter is done. Like I told you guys, from here on out we'll have battles and battles. I couldn't get started on Ryuga vs Miku here because I felt I needed to expand on the other fights first and didn't feel like cramming everything into one long chapter. So next chapter we'll see that happening. By the way, if you're curious, I was inspired by the kick Android 18 gave Vegeta to break his arm and used it in this chapter with Ouja kicking Gai. But in this occurrence, his arm wasn't broken because Ouja just likes to play around with his victims.
If you enjoyed the chapter feel free to leave a review as it motivates me to deliver more chapters whenever I can. So far we're looking at 2 chapters per week at least until I head into finals in a few weeks.