Kamen Rider SideRide Chronicles: Oscura's Encore
Reality VI: Apex of Toxicity
Luz was transported in front of Brighton's local high school and found herself surrounded by Zombie Jyamatos who had yet to notice her presence.
"Alright, let's test drive some of my newer Buckles," Luz smiled as she took out her Beat Buckle and inserted it into her Desire Driver.
[Set!]
"Henshin!"
[BEAT! READY, FIGHT!]
The Zombie Jyamatos heard her transformation and turned their attention towards her. They moaned and groaned as they began shambling towards her.
"How about some mood music, guys?" Oscura teased and she played the ivory keys on her Beat Buckle. A familiar song played from the speakers in her armour, filling the air with its melody as she tapped her foot to it. It was 'Thriller' by Michael Jackson, the perfect song to fit the situation. "Now, it's showtime!"
As the Zombie Jyamatos charged straight at her, she tapped the Elementadrum.
[Rock Fire!]
"Let's heat things up!"
[TACTICAL FIRE!]
She swung her Beat Axe, throwing a wave of fire at the charging Zombie Jyamato horde, repelling them and burning some of them alive. She then dashed straight at them, striking them down with her blazing weapon. She jabbed one Zombie Jyamato in the stomach and then tossed it into the air before swinging her Beat Axe like a baseball bat, sending it flying. Spinning on her heels, she played another tune for them.
[Funk Blizzard!]
"Freeze!"
[TACTICAL BLIZZARD!]
She swung her Beat Axe, throwing a blizzard at a group of Zombie Jyamatos, freezing them all solid.
[BEAT STRIKE!]
Initiating the Beat Buckle's finisher, she rapidly strummed the guitar, firing soundwaves that shattered the frozen Zombie Jyamatos. The other Jyamatos soon moved in to surround her. Seeing herself surrounded, Oscura equipped another Buckle.
[Set!]
[Dual On!]
And then she rotated her Desire Driver.
[Revolve On!]
Oscura's body rotated and body parts switched places. Once she landed on her feet, the Beat Armour now covered her legs. The chestplate and pauldrons had become thigh armour which were mounted with speakers while her gauntlets had become greaves.
[NINJA! BEAT! READY, FIGHT!]
The Ninja Armour appeared as it covered her upper body and she split the Ninja Dueler into its Twin Blade Mode. The Zombie Jyamatos came at her and she swung her blades, slicing through the undead horde. She zipped around the battlefield, cutting down Jyamatos as they fell easily to her blades. Despite outnumbering her, they were still quite slow.
However, one managed to knock her to the ground and they immediately dogpiled her. They clawed and bit her savagely until they were sure she was dead and removed themselves from her body. Oscura appeared to lie lifeless on the street until she went poof and was replaced by a log.
Oscura had replaced herself with the log before finding higher ground. Standing on the school's rooftop, she prepared to take them out.
[Single Blade!]
[Round 1, 2, 3! Fever!]
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
She jumped off the roof and created clones of herself as they delivered their finisher.
[TACTICAL FINISH!]
Blades of fire, water, wind and earth elemental energy flew from the Ninja Duelers and struck the horde, blowing many of them up. As she landed on the street, her clones exploded too, sending more Zombie Jyamatos flying.
[Dual On!]
[SHARK! BEAT! READY, FIGHT!]
The shark teeth that made up her mouthplate glistened menacingly as she gripped the Shark Crescents. She surged through the Zombie Jyamatos like a vicious predator, hacking and slashing them apart with her Shark Crescents, sending pieces of them flying through the air.
She delivered kicks, repelling and knocking down Zombie Jyamatos with blasts of sound. One tried to sneak up on her and lost its head for its effort before she kicked its body into a group of Zombie Jyamatos, knocking them down like bowling pins.
Spreading her arms to the sides, she pressed the triggers on the Shark Crescents, activating their finisher function.
[TACTICAL SURGE!]
Water-like energy swirled around her arms before coating the Shark Crescents' blades, causing them to expand in size. Once they reached their maximum size, she threw her arms forward, firing a stream of highly pressurised water that tore the Jyamatos apart.
[SHARK STRIKE!]
She leapt into the air and then flipped her body around before she dove straight for the ground, a projection of a great white shark surrounding her. The shark opened its jaws and then clamped them shut around a group of Zombie Jyamatos, chomping them in half and causing them to explode.
[GREAT! READY, FIGHT!]
Her armour vanished, leaving her in her Entry Form suit but with a hi-tech orange visor mounted over her eyes and wielding the Raising Sword. She brandished the blade and attacked, striking down the Zombie Jyamatos. The lack of armour was actually a benefit as she was able to move faster, allowing her to quickly charge up the sword and Command Cannon Buckle on her sword.
[FULL CHARGE!]
Once the Command Cannon Buckle was fully charged, she removed it from the sword and inserted it into her Driver.
[Twin Set!]
[TAKE OFF COMPLETE! JET & CANNON! READY, FIGHT!]
Once the armour materialised onto her, she assumed Command Form: Cannon Mode. Her visor locked on to the remnants of the horde as she levelled her Toron Cannons at them. She tapped the button on her Buckle which began the charge-up process. The Toron Cannons gathered particles, charging them up as the flaps behind her extended to stab the ground and anchor her. Once the cannons were fully charged, she flipped the Buckle like a switch to unleash their payload.
[COMMAND TWIN VICTORY!]
The twin Toron Cannons fired streams of blue energy at the Zombie Jyamato horde, wiping them out in a single blast.
She received multiple notifications for her kills and then another one she was looking forward to.
[Secret Mission Cleared!]
A Mission Box appeared in front of Oscura. She checked her Spider Phone to read the notification: 'Secret Mission: Single-handedly defeat 50 or more Jyamatos.'
She opened up the Mission Box and smiled when she found the Boost Buckle inside.
"Score!"
Suddenly, Oscura started to hear something crumbling. When she turned around, she saw that all her attacks had not only taken down the Jyamatos but also caused some collateral damage to the school building.
"Eh, it could be worse."
No sooner had she said that did the entire structure collapse right in front of her. Dust and smoke bellowed forth in a huge wave as brick and mortar crumbled before her eyes. When it was over, the school was nothing more than a heap of debris. Oscura just stood there, her entire suit and armour covered in the dust from the building, frozen in place as she watched the entire thing transpire before her.
"Eh-heh-heh…I-I-It's fine," she nervously decided. At least there was no one in there. Considering it was the dead of night and that it was still summer break, the chances of anyone being in that school building were less than zero.
"That's it, Luz!" Lumina cheered as she watched Oscura curb-stomp those Jyamatos. It was a bit disappointing that she did not use the Oscura Buckle, but to see her use several different Buckles in quick succession was still quite a sight to behold.
As Lumina sipped on her glass of apple blood, she received an unexpected visitor as a door of light appeared on her left. From the door, the punk witch Amara Blight appeared. Lumina could tell by her body language and expression alone that this wasn't exactly a cordial visit. Nonetheless, she maintained her composure until she learned why Amara had barged in on her unannounced.
"Amara, so glad to see you. Please, sit." Lumina held up her bottle of apple blood. "Want a sip? It's vintage~"
"What did you do, Clawthorne?" Amara questioned.
"Pardon?" Lumina raised an eyebrow.
"You've seen what I've seen and heard what I've heard. Now, fess up. You did something to Luz Noceda, didn't you?"
"Are you implying that I'm trying to harm my family?" Lumina accused as she furrowed her brow, clearly offended.
"I mean, technically speaking, she's not really related to you by blood, so there's an element of detachment," Amara argued.
"Alright, why are you questioning me about Luz? She's none of your concern," countered Lumina, keeping her temper in check.
"She is when my great aunt comes and tells me that her fiancée's been hearing voices. Well, one voice in particular. The voice of someone who was demonised in our realm."
Lumina put down the bottle and her glass before she steepled her fingers together.
"She's hearing Empress Oscura's voice then?" Lumina questioned knowingly.
"So you do know something! Spill it!" Amara demanded.
"It's none of your concern," Lumina reiterated.
"She was holding my aunt's ID Core and talking funny about it like she was contemplating taking her out of the game herself!"
Lumina rolled her eyes.
"Well, that is the point of the Desire Grand Prix, isn't it? For Riders to compete in dangerous events in order to obtain their heart's desire."
Amara growled as she advanced on Lumina.
"Yeah, but attacking players is against the rules! And if she destroyed Great Aunt Ami's ID Core then, poof, there go all her memories of the games and she can never join again!"
Lumina leaned back on the couch as she crossed her legs.
"Their proposal was made before she became a Kamen Rider again. So, if that's what she's so worried about, then you can tell her she doesn't have to–"
Before Lumina could finish her sentence, Amara grabbed the shorter witch by her jacket and hoisted her up. To Lumina's credit, she didn't get angry, at least not on the surface.
"You did something to that human. I know you, Lumi. You've been hellbent on making everyone in the Demon Realm finally see the 'truth' about Oscura, to see her as the hero that she should've been instead of the monster she became! It's all you ever talked about, even when…" Amara trailed off.
Lumina, strangely, glanced away from Amara.
"…You of all people should know what it feels like to have a family member's story get bloated out of proportion, manufactured, and twisted into something to suit the narrative. You suffered because Amity was seen as the great hero of the Isles. While me and my family have to live with the burden of knowing the truth and never being able to speak it unless we want to be seen as heretics or sympathisers." Lumina drew a spell circle and released a burst of her magic to make Amara let her go, forcing both witches to opposite ends of the platform. "If it means taking some drastic measures to make sure Luz realises her potential as a hero, then I'll make sure she overcomes them!"
"Again, what did you do?!" Amara demanded.
"The Oscura Buckle was implanted with magic," Lumina began to explain as she fixed her jacket. "Nothing noticeable, but it's there, and that small bit of magic is like a seed that grows with each use. I figured that Luz was probably still dealing with the psychological scars of being Empress Oscura, which I confirmed during the last season of the DGP. The Buckle is meant to draw out that essence, that last lingering bit of the dark persona, and finally have Luz conquer it. It's vital for her to become a hero, a true Kamen Rider."
Amara's eyes widened when she heard this.
"Are you insane?! You could bring back the worst version of her! You could bring back the Empress! What if she's not strong enough to overcome it?! What if she loses to that darkness again?!" Amara shouted.
"She won't."
"How do you know?!"
"Because, unlike the last time, she has much more to lose than just the ability to use magic. When she became Oscura, she was in a dark place and her wish was driven by her desire to wield magic again. The Philosopher's Stone helped to feed her darker emotions. But things are different now. Luz now has a loving family and is engaged to someone she loves. These are things worth fighting for, worth protecting. She has proven that more than once during this season and the last. The true Kamen Rider within her will arise, and bring forth a new dawn!" Lumina claimed.
Amara growled as she combed her left hand through her hair and then sighed heavily.
"Let me ask you something, Lumi: Are you prepared to take responsibility for her if things go wrong? If your plan fails, and you end up bringing back Empress Oscura, are you going to be the one to deal with her?" Amara asked in a serious tone.
Lumina reached behind her back and pulled out a weapon. It was a gun, but not a normal one. It had a clear round centre with a gunmetal grey grip, and the top of the gun was painted white.
[Laser Raise Riser]
"If that happens…I'm prepared to destroy her ID Core, thereby erasing all her memories of the DGP and Empress Oscura."
"You know that will cause you to lose your VIP status, right? You'll never be able to come back or have Luz join again," Amara warned.
"History needs to be corrected, and Luz deserves to finally see herself as the hero she was meant to be," Lumina resolutely said as she looked at her Laser Raise Riser. "This universe was on the path of total destruction until Witch and Amp were brought in, changing everything. There's no rule saying that this version of Luz Noceda has to live her life knowing she was the villain when she could've been the hero. I'm betting everything on Luz, and I will even bet my position here."
"You got something else up your sleeve, too, don't you?" Amara asked as she scrutinised her friend. "You're planning something else, right?"
"Perhaps I do, perhaps I don't. You'll need to wait and see, Blight."
Amara chuckled as a door of light appeared behind her. The punk witch turned around and began walking towards it, but stopped.
"Still haven't changed, even after we broke up," said Amara. "Was this why?"
"…We were too volatile at the time," Lumina said as she put her weapon away. "My ambitions and your–"
"Rebellious spirit?"
Lumina rolled her eyes. The shorter witch walked up until she was behind the taller witch and pressed her forehead against her back.
"I need you to trust me, one last time. I'm asking you as…as my friend," Lumina pleaded.
"I'd rather you ask me as your ex-girlfriend." Amara glanced over her shoulder and down at Lumina. "But I can make do with that for now. And, Lumi, you don't need to do everything on your own."
"Just go already." Lumina pushed Amara forward, sending her through the door of light before it shut behind her. Once she was alone, the descendant of Eda Clawthorne plopped herself down on her couch before she picked up her glass, contemplating. "If this doesn't work, only one of us should pay the price."
Oscura was still taking out Zombie Jyamatos, a battle which took her to the department store. She blasted them with her Toron Cannons, taking them out instantly with her firepower.
[+100 points!]
[+100 points!]
[+100 points!]
[+100 points!]
[+100 points!]
The notification went off repeatedly, but she barely paid it any mind, focused only on destroying the horde. Once the Jyamatos were taken care of, the town would be safe and everyone who lost their lives tonight would be brought back to life.
When she arrived, she found all the bodies that were strewn about and could not stomach what she saw. Many of them had bite marks all over their bodies and missing limbs. The Zombie Jyamatos played their role well, acting just like the undead creatures that fed on human flesh. Fortunately, none of the bodies seemed to have risen from the dead. That was good. Oscura did not know if she could handle fighting human zombies.
The surviving Zombie Jyamatos managed to regroup and Oscura's eyes narrowed as they had practically lined themselves up to be slain. Before she could take them out, someone else decided to steal her kill.
[Chain Array Strike!]
A flaming morning star suddenly flew past Oscura and struck the remaining Zombie Jyamatos, blowing them all up. Oscura already knew the cause of their destruction before she turned around and saw Red-Pan approaching, wearing only her Armed Chain Array armour.
"Boscha," Oscura deadpanned.
"Hello, Oscura," Red-Pan scowled as she walked up to Oscura. "I'm sorry, were those yours? Guess I stole your points, huh?"
"Well, this has been fun - not - but I really need to get going. There's still more Jyamatos to take care of," Oscura said but Red-Pan was not having it. She drew a spell circle, stopping Oscura in her tracks. "Boscha, I don't have time for this."
"Oh, no, Oscura. You don't get to walk away from me, "Red-Pan growled as she removed her Chain Aray Buckle before revealing her Jyamato Buckle."Recognise this?"
"Where did you get that?"Oscura questioned, alarmed when she saw Red-Pan holding the Jyamato Buckle.
"Picked up this little trinket a while ago. It's only fair that I claim my spoils," Red-Pan boasted.
"I don't think you should be messing with that, "Oscura warned her.
"Oh, does it scare you, Oscura? Well, it should," Red-Pan sneered mockingly. "Because I'm going to use it to bury you for good!"
"You know fights between players are against the rules," Oscura reminded. "You could lose your wish."
"I don't care!"Red-Pan snapped back angrily."This game has been rigged from the beginning! You're going to win, like you did before, and Amity will go back with you! I'm not going to let you take her from me! If I can't have Amity, then neither can you!"
[Set!]
Red-Pan inserted the Jyamato Buckle into the left-hand side of her Desire Driver and it released a surge of energy once it connected. Red-Pan screamed as the energy painfully surged across her body. The Buckle was not meant to be used by non-Jyamatos but she did not seem to care. Gritting her teeth to stop herself from screaming, she slammed her fist against the Buckle.
[JYAMATO!]
Vines burst from the Jyamato Buckle and wrapped Red-Pan up until she was completely cocooned. A surge of energy erupted from within the cocoon, shredding the vines and revealing Red-Pan's new form as she was clad in the Jyamato Armour. Her helmet's yellow eyes were cracked now and vines seemed to creep out of them.
"Aaahhh~! That's more like it! Now this is what I call power!" Red-Pan sighed as she rolled her shoulders and flexed her fingers, feeling the power coursing through her could also feel it in her bile sack as her magic received a significant boost as well.
"You really think you can take me on?"Oscura challenged.
"Not by myself, I can't. So that's why I brought back-up," Red-Pan answered.
"Huh!?"Oscura responded.
[COMMAND TWIN VICTORY!]
Suddenly, Oscura was struck by twin beams of energy that set off an explosion. Luckily, her armour managed to take the blast and she was sent skidding back, receiving a scorch mark on her chest. Looking up, she spotted Soaron standing a distance away in her own Command Form with both cannons smoking.
[Penalty!]
"Sasha...?" Oscura uttered in confusion as Red-Pan walked up to Soaron to stand beside her.
"You see, Sasha and I found some common ground, Oscura," Red-Pan sneered. "And we both agreed that this world and the Demon Realm would be better off if you never existed."
"...So, was that your wish?"
Boscha furiously wrote down her wish on her Desire Card:
I wish for Luz Noceda to have never existed, not in the Human Realm, not in the Demon Realm! I want her erased in body and soul!
"It's not enough that you never set foot on the Boiling Isles. You should have never been born," Red-Pan growled. "You killed, you maimed and brought misery to everyone! You are a monster! Neither world wants you, so do both of them a favour and just disappear! C'mon, Sasha!"
Red-Pan took out her Boost Buckle and inserted it into the empty right-hand side of her Desire Driver.
[Set!]
[Dual On!]
[JYAMATO! BOOST!]
Red-Pan charged at Oscura who rotated her Desire Driver as the armoured witch came at her.
[Revolve On!]
Red-Pan hurled her blazing fist at Oscura who spun out of the way, the Dark Rider's body rotating and parts shifting before she switched to Jet Mode. The jet thrusters ignited and rocketed Oscura straight at Red-Pan as she raised her Raising Sword. However, Soaron intercepted Oscura in her own Jet Mode and parried Oscura's sword with hers before she delivered a knee strike to Oscura's gut.
As Oscura was knocked back, Red-Pan came and threw rapid-fire punches at Oscura, causing sparks to fly each time her fists connected. When Red-Pan went to deliver a violent blow to Oscura's head, the Rider of Darkness caught her wrist and then slashed her across the chest with her Raising Sword, causing Red-Pan to cry out. She then kneed Red-Pan in the stomach before releasing her wrist to kick her in the chest, sending her tumbling.
"You bitch!" Red-Pan snapped as she recovered before slamming her fist on the Jyamato Buckle.
[JYA-JYA-JYA STRIKE!]
Flipping back on her feet, Red-Pan stomped the ground, sending vines shooting out and towards Oscura. As Oscura prepared to slice up the vines, she heard a voice in her head shout a warning.
'Dodge, you fool!'
Oscura's jet thrusters burst to life as they shot her straight into the sky and Soaron missed hitting her from behind, striking only empty air. Soaron chased after Oscura and the two engaged in an aerial sword fight.
Meanwhile, down on the ground, Red-Pan gritted her teeth and growled as she rotated her Driver.
[Revolve On!]
Her Jyamato Armour reappeared on her upper body as her legs were covered in the Boost Armour. The exhaust pipes spewed flames as she ran towards both Riders before the flames shot her straight at them like a rocket.
As Oscura and Soaron were in a blade lock, Red-Pan tackled her hated enemy, wrapping both her arms around the champion's waist. They plummeted to the ground with great force, causing a crater to form on impact. As Oscura groaned, she received a kick to the face from Red-Pan and then took another to the stomach which sent her rolling out of the crater.
"You're all alone, Oscura," Red-Pan condescendingly spoke as she stepped out of the crater and Soaron landed beside her."Nobody's here to save you and once you're gone, Amity will be all mine and everyone will call me a hero."
As the two Riders advanced on Oscura, she stood up and took out her Oscura Buckle, prepared to take them both on. But then, all of a sudden...
[MAGNUM! TACTICAL BLAST!]
A barrage of energy blasts exploded in front of Red-Pan and Soaron, causing them to stop in their tracks. Red-Pan narrowed her eyes as the smoke cleared to reveal Kamen Rider Newtonne as she ran up to join Oscura.
"...Wu," Red-Pan growled.
"Marcy," Oscura smiled, relieved.
"Luz," Newtonne replied and then turned her gaze to Red-Pan and Soaron. "Why does Boscha look like that?"
"She picked up one of those Jyamato Buckles back in the Labyrinth Game."
"And Sasha?"
"She must have Sasha under some kind of mind control," Oscura answered. "A potion, if I have to guess." It had to be it because there was no way Sasha would ever put her wish of bringing back her beloved Anne on the line by going along with Boscha's crazy scheme.
Newtonne's eyes narrowed as she glared at Red-Pan.
"How dare you!?" Newtonne aimed her Magnum Shooter at the witch, itching to pull the trigger despite the penalty she would receive for attacking another player.
"That potion was meant for Amity," Red-Pan confessed. "I could've gone back home to make more, but the DGP decided to have us stay for the duration of the competition. So, I had to use it on Sasha so she could see things my way."
"The Game Master should have kicked you out for that, "Newtonne stated, incredibly angry that Boscha was still allowed to stay in the game even after pulling off such a heinous act.
"Well, he's not here, is he?" Red-Pan smugly retorted before she hit the Jyamato Buckle with her fist.
[JYA-JYA-JYA STRIKE!]
She stamped her foot, creating a fissure. Vines then burst out of the fissure and surged towards Oscura and Newtonne.
"Move!" Oscura grabbed Newtonne and they dashed out of the way, narrowly avoiding getting skewered by the vines. The two scrambled for cover, hiding behind the department store's wall.
"We need to save Sasha!"Newtonne urged.
"We'll need to take out Boscha too," Oscura replied. "You know what that means, right?"
"Divide and conquer."
Oscura removed her Command Twin Buckles - reverting her to her Entry Form - and handed them to Newtonne.
"Use these and leave Boscha to me. She and I have some unfinished business."
Newtonne nodded before both she and Oscura ran out from their cover. Newtonne fired at Red-Pan to keep her at bay while Oscura charged at the witch.
"Sasha! Get that nerd!" Red-Pan ordered. Soaron obeyed and went to engage Newtonne. As Red-Pan laughed, Oscura punched her in the face, knocking her back.
"Eyes on me, Boscha!"Oscura shouted as she gripped her Oscura Buckle and got ready to use it, only to pause when Amity's voice rang in her head.
"Then stop using that power…You said it before, you have plenty of options now…"
'You're right, I do have more options. I don't have to rely on this every time now,' thought Oscura. She put away the Oscura Buckle, causing Red-Pan to growl at her out of feeling insulted.
"Why don't you use it?! Am I not worth it or are you afraid to fight me?!"Red-Pan challenged.
"I just thought I'd give you a handicap, Bosch. I'm kinda OP when I use it, and I think you deserve a fight on more even ground. Well, that, and I thought I'd use this as an excuse to try out some of the newer Raise Buckles I got." Oscura then raised her right hand and showed off the Fantasy Buckle. "Like this bad boy."
[Set!]
The moment Oscura inserted the Fantasy Buckle, a magical octagram circle formed behind her. Off to the right of that octagram was the logo for the buckle with the word 'FANTASY' projected for Red-Pan to see.
"Henshin!"
Oscura pulled the switch on the side of the Fantasy Buckle, and the armour materialised from the logo before it turned into light. It reformed around her upper body, cladding her in the suit. The colour of her visor changed to a golden yellow as golden angelic wings burst from her back before they exploded and cascaded feathers all around her.
[FANTASY!]
Oscura's eyes widened behind her helmet. She could feel that this Buckle was different from the others, way different from her Oscura Buckle even. She could feel it, this power was unmistakable. It was magic, true magical power was flowing through her. However, unlike the Philosopher's Stone, it lacked the negative amplification that made her fall further into darkness.
[READY, FIGHT!]
"Tch! DON'T YOU DARE MOCK ME!"Red-Pan screamed as she dashed straight for Oscura.
The Rider of Darkness snapped her fingers, which caused a spark of twinkling light to be emitted around her hand. A moment before Red-Pan could land her hit, she was blocked. Red-Pan gasped as she took a few steps back, seeing that her attack had been blocked by a golden construct. It was not just any construct, however, as it was a construct of Kamen Rider Gato in her Zombie Form armour.
"Amity?!" Red-Pan exclaimed.
"Not quite."Oscura stepped from behind the Gato construct and stood at its left. "She's just a construct of my own making. It's not the real thing but I know she'll always have my back, even when she's not really here."
"Grrr! Now I know you're mocking me!"
"Believe what you want, Boscha. I'm through holding back when it comes to you. You've been nothing but trouble for everyone in this game since it started. You keep stoking the flames of hate in Sasha, driving her away from Marcy! You tried to violate Amity, and you keep claiming that she's yours! Well, no more! I don't care if I get a penalty! We're settling this tonight, once and for all!" Oscura declared.
"Heh! That's what I've wanted all along, Empress Oscura! I'll do what those two Riders couldn't do four years ago and kill you myself!"
"Speaking of 'those two Riders'…"
Oscura dismissed the Gato construct and thrust her right arm out. Her right hand glowed with golden light just as two beings manifested before her. Red-Pan gasped for the second time that night, immediately recognizing what the constructs were.
Standing on Oscura's left was a Rider that had a curved crest upon her forehead, and a scarf around her neck. On her right was a Rider that wore a long coat, and had a helmet similar in design to Oscura's but the eyes and shape of the helmet were different. Red-Pan knew these two Riders as Kamen Riders Witch and Amp, the two alternate universe Riders who had defeated Empress Oscura.
The former Dark Empress glanced between the two Rider constructs, who then looked back at her and nodded.
'I wish I could've done this with you two for real, but I guess this is as close as I'm getting to fighting at your side,' Oscura thought.
"Okay, now…it's SHOWTIME!"
Soaron swung her sword at Newtonne who sidestepped the blade.
"Sasha, stop!" Newtonne pleaded before avoiding another slash. "Sasha, please! I know you blame Luz for what happened to Anne, but this isn't something she would want!"However, Soaron did not respond to her pleas as she kept attacking Newtonne.
Soaron didn't let up as she slashed again and again, forcing Newtonne to backstep with each slash. One of the sword strikes nearly hit her, but Newtonne raised the Magnum Shooter, blocking the blade with the barrel of her weapon. With some reluctance, Newtonne had her left forearm gun barrel fold down into the shooting position before she drove her fist into Soaron's midsection and began firing multiple rounds at point-blank range.
[Penalty!]
Sparks flew from each hit, but Soaron didn't seem fazed. Newtonne then switched her target to Soaron's right knee, firing a shot at it, and causing her knee to buckle a little.
[Penalty!]
That was enough for the heron-themed Rider to push her back, allowing Newtonne to fire from both her Magnum Shooter and her Gunslinger Arm at the same time. However, Soaron had regained her footing and used her sword to deflect each energy bullet as it came at her. Keeping one hand on her sword, she reached down and rotated her Driver.
[Revolve On!]
Soaron's body rose into the air, surrounded by a metal circle as her body rotated, shifting parts and armour. The energy bullets flew past her before she landed on her feet. She charged up her twin Toron Cannons and fired them at the newt-themed Rider, prompting Newtonne to roll out of the line of fire as both blasts of energy exploded against the ground where she once stood.
This was wrong, that was what Newtonne thought. She knew at some point she would have to go up against her best friend. However, considering how their goals were aligned, they would get what they wanted one way or the other. All that time she spent trying to convince Sasha to get away from Red-Pan, and now she was under some mind control potion's effects. If anything, that told Newtonne that Soaron had finally come to realise that Boscha was full of it and the demon-witch girl had to resort to using that kind of potion just to keep ahold of Soaron, knowing that her best friend was probably the best shot she had at taking down Oscura.
"Sasha, can you even see what's happening right now?! Can you even hear my voice?!" Newtonne cried out.
Soaron's reply was to shoot her again with the twin cannons, forcing Newtonne to dodge again. The Taiwanese teen was starting to wonder if her friend could hear her. But at this point, in Soaron's current state of mind, that was irrelevant. Newtonne was in her way and needed to be removed so she could destroy Oscura. Gritting her teeth, Newtonne raised her Magnum Shooter and fired, shooting Soaron in the chest. Soaron was knocked back but she did not respond to the pain.
[Penalty!]
What had Boscha done to her?
[Revolve On!]
Soaron pressed the button on her Driver and switched up the armour again, going into Jet Mode. The jet thrusters ignited, sending Soaron rocketing in Newtonne's direction. The mind-controlled Rider immediately grabbed Newtonne by her helmet and took her into the air. Once they were several feet up, Soaron easily tossed Newtonne, sending her crashing into one of the stores.
[Penalty!]
Now that Newtonne was out of the way, Soaron moved to join Red-Pan to execute Oscura. However, before she could do that, several energy bullets flew out of the pile of rubble and struck Soaron repeatedly. Soaron turned to see Newtonne standing amongst the rubble, giving her friend a look of determination.
[Penalty!]
"I'll wake you up, Sashy, even if I have to knock you out to do it!" Newtonne declared as she holstered her gun before replacing her Magnum Buckle with the Command Twin Buckles she had received from Oscura. "Now, it's time to fight fire with fire!"
[Twin Set!]
Her Magnum Form armour vanished as both halves of the Command Form armour materialised on Newtonne's right and left before they combined with her body, equipping her in the Gundam-like Command Form: Jet Mode armour. Her helmet had turned silver with emerald accents and across her eyes was a hi-tech orange visor.
[TAKE OFF COMPLETE! JET & CANNON! READY, FIGHT!]
She felt the power surging through her, reinvigorating her. Her HUD displayed the armour's stats along with her vitals and physical stats.
"Now, come at me, Sash!"Newtonne challenged, brandishing her Raising Sword.
Soaron, still under orders, flew straight at Newtonne who readied herself with her sword. Newtonne ignited the thrusters on the lower half of her armour and took off on an intercept path for Soaron. The two Riders raised their Raising Swords, with Newtonne's and Soaron's blades glowing with dual colours of orange and blue. Once the two were in range, Newtonne and Soaron swung, clashing their blades against each other and creating a powerful shockwave that blew away the cars that were nearby and shattered some windows.
[Penalty!]
[Penalty!]
[Penalty!]
As the two battled, the 'penalty' notification went off repeatedly as their points were deducted but they paid it no mind. Newtonne grunted as sparks flew from the grinding of their sword blades before disengaging their blade lock. The newt-themed Rider used the jets to spin around, giving her roundhouse kick with a significant boost in striking power. Soaron raised her right arm to block but, in the end, was still sent flying. Newtonne gave chase as she readied to slash at Soaron again. However, Soaron was quicker as she blocked Newtonne's slash, and delivered a jet-powered knee strike to her gut. A grunt of pain could be heard from Newtonne, but she wasn't about to let up. If Soaron wasn't going to stop even if she felt pain, then the newt Rider had to push through it as well. It was the only way she was going to stop the heron Rider.
The newt-themed Rider raised her sword and slashed Soaron across the chest, pushing through the pain of the knee strike. She didn't let up as she slashed again, and again, and again, sending more sparks flying into the air with each successful hit. But when she raised her sword for another hit, Soaron spun in place with the help of the jets and slashed Newtonne hard in her midsection, sending a shower of sparks into the air. Newtonne wanted to immediately back away from the pain of the attack, but instead, she gnashed her teeth and brought down her sword, slashing Soaron across the chest.
"If you're not gonna stop, then neither will I, Sasha!"
The Amp construct attacked first, disappearing in a flash of golden lightning as it appeared right in front of Red-Pan to deliver a lightning-boosted elbow strike to her gut. The blow sent Red-Pan skidding on her heels as she upturned concrete and asphalt, stopping only after sliding a few feet. But before Red-Pan could regain her senses, the Witch construct appeared overhead, spinning once in the air before coming down with a light energy-infused axe kick. Red-Pan managed to dive to her right moments before the Witch construct struck, creating a small crater where she had stood.
The construct didn't miss a beat as it launched itself at Red-Pan, throwing rapid palm-heel strikes that forced the corrupted Rider to hurriedly dodge them. However, for every one of the blows she avoided, another two hit her in the chest, arms and face, creating small light shockwaves with each successive hit. The Witch construct switched up to kicks as it landed a blow to Red-Pan's knee, before spinning around and landing a spinning roundhouse into the side of her helmet. Red-Pan rolled on the ground before coming to a stop on her stomach. Unfortunately for her, it wasn't over, not by a long shot.
That same octagram appeared under Red-Pan, a second later it released a burst of energy that launched her straight up into the air. Oscura appeared overhead, with golden construct angel wings upon her back to help her fly. Once in position, she formed two knightly broadswords and slashed, creating an 'X' pattern that hit Red-Pan in the back before sending the corrupted Rider plummeting back towards the ground.
But before Red-Pan could touch the ground, Oscura flicked her wrist, summoning another octagram which released another burst of energy that launched Red-Pan in another direction. Then, another octagram appeared in Red-Pan's path, launching her in another direction where a new octagram appeared, tossing her towards another octagram that formed, and then another and another. Red-Pan was getting tossed in midair again and again, without any real way to stop herself. That was when her wish was granted as a bolt of golden lightning shot down from the sky, blasting her right into the side of a building, collapsing the wall on top of her.
Oscura, along with her Witch and Amp constructs, landed on the ground together. Oscura knew that this would destroy her lead in this round, but it was going to be worth it. What was strange, however, was that she never heard the familiar warning sound when a Rider incurred a penalty. Not once since Boscha started attacking, and not even when she did it. Something was off about all this.
Oscura took out her Spider Phone to check something. When she looked at each player's status, she smirked and let out a chuckle.
Red-Pan managed to break through the rubble that had piled on her and growled as she heard Oscura's laughter.
"WHAT'S SO DAMN FUNNY?!" Red-Pan yelled.
"I just found out that I won't be incurring any penalties for fighting you," Oscura replied.
"What?! How?! I'm a Rider, you lose points for attacking another Rider!"
"You're right, but you're not a Rider, Boscha. Not anymore. Check your status."
Red-Pan indulged her foe and whipped out her Spider Phone. When she checked on her status, her eyes widened with shock.
Boscha/Red-Pan [Jyamato]
"No…No way! This can't be real! I'm…I'm…!"
"A Jyamato. Using that Buckle made the game recognize you as a Jyamato. In other words, Boscha, you're the enemy now. Which means no penalties for me, which also means…"
"I can't come back…"
"This is where your hate, arrogance, and obsession have led you, Boscha. You've had so many opportunities to change and become a better person. But in the end, you continue to remain the worst version of yourself and somehow become even worse than that! You keep calling me a monster, but now you literally are a monster!"
Red-Pan growled louder as she crushed the Spider Phone in her hand.
"Yeah, I am! But don't forget you drove me to this, Empress Oscura! It's because of you – IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!"
[JYA-JYA-JYA STRIKE!]
Red-Pan's arms were suddenly covered in thick coiling vines. With a thrust of both her arms, she fired the vines straight at Oscura and the constructs. The vines lashed out like angry vipers, ripping and tearing through the buildings around them as they made their way towards their target. Oscura quickly formed an octagram shield out in front of her before the vines slammed into it.
"YOU TOOK MY FUTURE AWAY! YOU TOOK AMITY AWAY FROM ME! YOU PUT ME THROUGH HELL BACK IN THE DEMON REALM! YOU MADE MY FRIENDS AND EVERYONE SUFFER! AND AFTER ALL THAT, YOU GET TO GO BACK HOME, AND DEFILE THE GIRL WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MINE?! WHERE'S THE JUSTICE IN THAT?!"
[Revolve On!]
Red-Pan switched to her Boost Jyamato Form as she decided to throw caution to the wind. She raised her right foot and stamped it onto the ground.
[JYA-JYA-JYA STRIKE!]
The ground beneath Oscura and her constructs rumbled for a second and they quickly jumped out of the way before the ground under them exploded. Several thorny vines burst out of the hole that formed, and each vine moved as if they had a mind of their own, going straight for Oscura.
The Rider of Darkness reformed her broadswords before she began slashing and hacking at the vines that were getting too close to her. Suddenly, additional pairs of vines sprouted from the sliced-off trunks, regrowing like the mythological hydra.
The vines were about to wrap around Oscura, but they were stopped as golden flames roared towards them and incinerated the vines before they could fully encompass her. Oscura looked off to her right and saw the Witch construct clad in her Fire Owl Style.
The sound of thunder echoed in the sky and then a huge bolt of lightning came down right where the vines were coming from, causing a huge explosion that scorched the vines at the root. From that explosion rose the Amp construct in her Super Form, Raging Heart: Vengeance Mode.
"Where are you looking, Oscura?!"
Oscura heard Red-Pan's voice and turned around, which was what she wanted. As soon as Oscura turned her head, Red-Pan delivered a powerful Boost-powered punch right into her helmet. The exhaust pipes on her bracers blasted flames, adding an extra bit of force to the punch that sent Oscura flying.
In the skies above, two blue streaks could be seen crashing into each other, while the sounds of blades clashing filled the air. Newtonne had decided to go all in with her continuous attack strategy. Since Soaron was somehow either immune to pain or was just not deterred by it, Newtonne had to adopt the same mindset. She had to endure, grit her teeth and bear whatever pain Soaron's attacks would deal to her. If she didn't, then there would be no way she could save her friend.
As their aerial clash continued, it became apparent that despite possessing similar stats thanks to the Twin Command Buckles, it all came down to experience. Despite Newtonne being a fast learner, Soaron had the advantage of using the Buckles before her and was more familiar with how they worked.
Plus, Soaron was always physically stronger than her. As lame as it was to admit, if Newtonne had to rank all three of them in terms of physical strength, Soaron would be number one, with Anne being second, and of course, herself being last. Even so, Newtonne was not about to let that deter her from bringing her friend back to her senses.
Newtonne's jets roared once again as she came in with a flying slash. In response, Soaron used her jets to give herself a quick boost, flipping her over Newtonne. The newt-themed Rider looked up and watched as Soaron looked down on her from above before the heron-themed Rider delivered a powerful axe kick to her right shoulder.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Newtonne screamed as pain shot through her arm and shoulder.
Soaron quickly flipped herself back around, putting herself in front of Newtonne as she readied to cut her down. Newtonne, gritting her teeth, made her jets go full burn as she propelled herself forward, grabbing ahold of Soaron by the waist as the two of them moved forward. Her arm was screaming in painful protest of her actions, but Newtonne had to focus on the task at hand. The two of them sailed through the air, heading down at an angle before crashing through city hall. The two of them tumbled about on the floor before being separated and ending up in the main lobby of the building.
Both Riders got back to their feet and stared each other down for a long minute, as if this was a Western movie, waiting for the right moment to draw.
[Revolve On!]
Soaron rushed towards Newtonne as the newt-themed Rider quickly rotated her Desire Driver, switching into the Command Form: Cannon Mode. She aimed her Toron Cannons at Soaron and unleashed a barrage of energy blasts at her oncoming friend, forcing the mind-controlled Rider to take evasive manoeuvres to dodge the explosive projectiles. The jet thrusters of Soaron's suit burst with stronger blue flames as they propelled her past Newtonne, bringing her high into the air and directly over the nerdy girl.
The heron-themed Rider flipped around until her legs were out in front, and then she reversed the jets, spinning herself around like a corkscrew. The spin and jet boost gave her enough momentum to drive her foot right into Newtonne's chest, hurling the poor newt Rider through several walls before ending up back outside and out on the streets. Soaron wasted little time as she flew out of the hole that Newtonne had made, flying upwards until she was high above her opponent.
[Revolve On!]
Soaron switched around her armour again, going back to Cannon Mode. She took aim from her high position and began firing a barrage that rained down on Newtonne as she went into a freefall.
"OH, CRAP!"Newtonne exclaimed.
[Revolve On!]
Newtonne hurriedly switched back to Jet Mode and used her jet thrusters to dodge the explosive blasts which caused the ground around her to erupt with flames, sending chunks of the street flying into the air. Her own power might have increased thanks to the Command Form, but Soaron was still more experienced at using it. Soaron continued to fire as she kept falling further and further down. Once she was at the desired altitude, she rotated her Driver again.
[Revolve On!]
Switching to Jet Mode too, Soaron took off after Newtonne who turned around just as the bombardment stopped. That was when Soaron swooped in and slashed her across the chest with her sword, ripping a shower of sparks from Newtonne's armour. Soaron had her jets reverse thrust to make her go backwards, bringing her to a halt as she landed on the ground and sprinted towards Newtonne.
[Revolve On!]
Back in Cannon Mode, Newtonne started firing again but Soaron used her sword to deflect each blast as she quickly closed in and slashed the nerd across the chest, sending said nerd staggering back. Newtonne tried to counter the next slash, but Soaron knocked her sword out of her hand. Left with little choice, Newtonne aimed her Toron Cannons at Soaron and fired but her best friend managed to duck in time to deliver a punch to her midsection, knocking the wind out of her. She then delivered an uppercut into Newtonne's jaw before grabbing her wrist. Soaron reared back her head and slammed it into Newtonne's. The young genius let out a yelp of pain as she suddenly became dazed from the headbutt.
Soaron raised her right leg and delivered a thrust kick to Newtonne's chest, knocking her onto her back. Newtonne managed to regain some of her senses as she watched Soaron come closer but she quickly angled her Toron Cannons and fired. Soaron's armour erupted with sparks, but once she recovered, she continued to advance on Newtonne.
'I know that armour's strong, but she should be feeling some kind of pain! I guess my theory was correct, at least to a degree. She might be feeling pain, but the mind control potion is forcing her body to ignore it and follow orders,' Newtonne deduced.
Realising this, Newtonne knew that she couldn't just keep attacking and hoping that Soaron would be snapped out of Red-Pan's mind control by pain or be deterred by it. She was no more than a machine that was following orders at this point. Which meant, there was really only one option available to her. Although it could either severely injure Soaron or, if she wasn't careful, she could damage Soaron's ID Core and then…
'No, I have to do this. Sasha's suffering whether she knows it or not! I won't stand by and watch someone I love suffer! I wasn't there for Anne but I will be there for Sasha!'
Dr. X: This mission will be concluded in the next chapter.