//------------------------------// // Of Wizards, Travelers and Alchemists - The Final! // Story: Kamen Rider Alchemy // by Layton13 //------------------------------// “Yeah, over my dead body,” he returned. “You’ll never get my Philosopher Stone. You can’t be trusted with one; I sure as hell won’t give you another one!” “A shame really, seems we can’t do that the civilized way,” he returned with a sigh and a shake of his head before activated his Driver. “Henshin!” While the mage was changing into his Rider form, the muscular man next to him started to turn as well, a bright light emitting from a black brass knuckle he held clenched in his fist. In front of the Rider now stood Mesmer, clad in his butterfly inspired armor and a new Phantom, clad in an ash grey armor. His body towered three heads over Alchemy, this monster was a beast, to say the least. The armor was fitted tightly on him and covered his chest and legs, while the arms were left open. The metal was engraved with the images of claws, and a large wolfs head on the front. Two addition wolf heads were used as the shoulder pads, the arms emerging from their mouths. The most impressive thing, however, was the ash grey helmet in the visage of a wolf. Two glowing red eyes staring back at the Rider. “So, this is your last chance Rider. Bow down to me and surrender your Philosopher Stone to me like a good little peasant, or feel the wrath of my servant and me. And I tell you, he is starving for a good fight and to knock someone down to where they belong. You have the choice,” Mesmer continued, his voice as sweet as honey covered in chocolate, but it could not hide the sinister undertone in the slightest. “Yeah, how about this blueblooded asshole. Give back the friend of Haruto, piss of back into your world and never bother us again or feel the wrath of the Riders! You have the choice,” Alchemy returned with a bright grin under his helmet. Mesmers hand clenched into a fist before returning as calmly as he could: “So, you chose death. Very well, you will learn what it means to defy one of gods chosen! Cerberus!” Not even a moment later the Phantom summoned an enormous black tower shield, just like the rest of the armor engraved with the design of a roaring wolf, and a similar styled broad sword and dashed at him with frightening speed. Alchemy’s grin quickly disappeared from his face as he barely managed to dodge the first strike, one that left a sizeable cut in the street behind. With surprising speed the Phantom pulled back the blade and swung it once again at the Rider, Alchemy dashing beneath it, pulling the Magic Disc from the Driver in the process. \ Flame Disc Attack Mode! / \ Flame Saber! / The weapon formed just in the nick of time to block the next swing of the monster, Alchemy still being pushed back by the sheer strength Cerberus possessed. With a loud groan, the Rider jumped back, seeing how the remaining force of the attack slammed into a nearby car, slicing through it like butter. If he would be hit by that attack, he would… Yeah, better not think about that right now. And that was by far the right decision as the monster did not stop in its onslaught, jumping at him with speed not to be expected from such a musculus beast. This time he didn’t even entertain the thought of stopping the attack with a block, no, he was already on the retreat, dashing out of the way as the swing of Cerberus decimated the concrete below his feet. With little to no effort, the Phantom ripped the blade from the pavement and once again raced toward him, the glowing red eyes staring directly at the Rider. This time it looked like there was no way out of this he had to block, with all the terrible implications that brought with it. Breathing in one last time he readied himself as the infeeble happened, the crushing blow hit. He felt his muscles strain and arc under the sudden pressure, the ground beneath his feet starting to crack as the loud roar of the beast echoed through the streets, but most certainly his ears. But against all the odds, he seemed to at least somewhat be able to block the attack, that was until he felt the sharp pain in his back. With sparks flying everywhere the sudden attack that had hit him from behind was just enough for the Phantom to push through, knocking his sword out of his hand and slashing the blade across his chest, consuming the Rider in sparks as he flew right into the next best car. It felt like someone had poured hot assist on his chest as he regained his senses, everything was burning and just in general hurting. Worst of all, however, was the smug, gloating laugh that permeated the entire street. “Oh, did you think it would be that easy? No, no, no! This is always what you peasants believe. A fight between you and me. That is so cute. In all honesty, if I were in a better mood and not everything I have worked for, for hundreds of years would rest on this working out, I might have entertained you, but I don’t play fair anymore. No one ever played fair with me, and I fool actually did and look what it got me, banished to another world without my magic. No, this time I will be the one who will be victorious, and I will show them that gods chosen are truly destined to rule the world. I once again offer you to just hand over your Philosopher Stone, and this will be over,” Heinrich’s voice said from not too far away. “But having seen you until now, I think that would be a moot cause. Shame really, you could have made a great servant, if I could have crushed that rebellious spirit you possess,” he added with a sad undertone. “Seems you finally managed to get one thing right,” Phoenix returned, his voice intersected with pained groans. “I’m not gonna give you the Philosopher Stone! So, just piss off you old antique and accept that your time is over already.” “Insolent fool! You have seen that you have no chance against me and my most loyal servant, you still insist on being disrespectful? This will lead you nowhere but your end. But if this is the path a fool like you chooses, then that is fine with me. You are the one that has to live with your decision, well to be fair, not for too long really,” he added with a sadistic smile. “Cerberus, if you will?” “Of course my lord,” the booming voice of the Phantom loomed over the street before he dashed towards Alchemy only to be interrupted by a loud jingle. That however only let him increase his speed. \ FRIENDSHIP DISC ACTIVATED! / He was fast enough to get the sword halfway down on Alchemy before the purple whirlwind stopped him right in his tracks, throwing the sword back a few meters, the Rider jumping out of the magical energy and a good distance away before activating his weapon. \ Friendship Disc Attack Mode! / \ Connect Protector! / With a low growl, the Phantom dashed forward, not going after his sword, but instead bashing at the Rider with his tower shield. This was something he had not been anticipating, and his well thought out counter was now pretty much useless, Phoenix only instinctively pulling his shield in front of his face, something that did not stop the massive beast that was heading his way. With the force of at least a damn truck he was thrown off his feet and thrown straight at the next wall, and ultimately threw it. “Cerberus, fetch!” Mesmer chuckled with a sadistic undertone, pointing his staff at the newly formed hole in the wall. The Phantom nodded and rushed towards its target, much to its master's satisfaction. Inside the building, Phoenix was stumbling back onto his feet before taking in the surrounding area. Apparently, the warehouse had been abandoned a while ago, dust covering a few remaining crates. But that was beside the point. The colossus that was probably heading his way was far more important than anything else. And right on cue, the hulking beast burst through the wall, before coming to a screeching halt, looking around the area. Phoenix had managed to duck behind one of the remaining crates, trying to keep his breath as low as possible. “Come out you cowered! Show yourself, so I can properly kill you. There is no hiding, your life has been spent, so don’t prolong the inevitable,” the rough voice echoed through the hall, just like every step of the Phantom and with every step he could feel the monster getting closer and closer. He didn’t want to admit it, but it definitely let a shiver run down his spine as he could almost feel the presence of the thing. Still, he was not just gonna lay down and be lead to the slaughter like a damn lamb, no he had far too much fight still left in him. Spinning the Disc on his blade, he dashed out, right behind the Phantom, the surprised monster only able to turn around and see how the glowing blade slashed across his chest, complete with an accompanying “Eternal Bond!” Sparks were flying everywhere, and the growly Phantom even let out a whimper of pain, but even he knew this would not nearly be enough, so he once again spun the Disc and attacked. “Eternal Bond!” With equal intensity and he slashed across his chest once again, this time actually forcing the monster back several steps. But before he could deliver the third blow something else happened. He felt it instantaneous, sharp pain in his back that quickly blossomed into complete and utter agony. Within moments the Rider had sunken to his knees, panting heavily as he tried his damn hardest to stay conscious. “Well, well Cerberus. You should have taken our friend here more serious, this might have actually become dangerous if he would have continued,” Mesmer chuckled, spinning around with his staff in a quite playful manner. Before the Phantom answered he glared at Alchemy before striking the rider with his sword, the weapon digging into his armor, small drops of blood quickly gathering on the floor beneath him before the Phantom lifted him off the ground with the blade. “I hope you enjoyed all of this. You really should have just given up,” the monster hissed at him before throwing him across the room and right into a pile of crates. The pain was unbearable, his vision blurry, but most important of all he was angry, no furious. All the pain quickly just turned into background noise, transforming into new energy he had no idea were actually there. Through all the pain he felt he managed to rip the Disc from his Driver and grabbed ahold of the Philosopher Stone. Then he felt it, the cold hand clutching around his wrist, preventing him from placing the Stone inside the Driver. Towering over him was Cerberus, the red eyes glowed with a satisfaction that was just unsettling. At this moment all the anger disappeared, making room for fear, fear that only grew the moment Mesmer stepped close to him. “Well, good work Cerberus. Let’s finish this up, ok?” With a swift motion of his hands, he took the Disc from Phoenix who could only stare in disbelief at what was happening in front of him. “Oh, and just in case you have any more stupid ideas like creating another one, I’ll be taking this as well,” Heinrich smugly added, picking up the Friendship Disc as well. “Cerberus, would you be so kind?” He turned around on the spot and signaled his servant to finish off Alchemy. The Phantom lifted its sword, ready to stab into Phoenix’s chest as out of nowhere a portal appeared next to him, the monster being thrown back by a spear that shot out of the new portal. With an air of superiority, a familiar face stepped out, Chrysopoeia. “While this was entertaining, I can not let you claim my price. Feel free to beat him bloody for all I care, but the one to kill him is me! And no one is going to lay a hand on him beside me!” The Dark Rider bellowed, all to a low growl from Cerberus. “Fine, I have no time for this. Cerberus, come, we are leaving!” Heinrich sighed before walking off. “But master, we have him at our mercy, we could just-“ The Phantom tried to return only to be interrupted by a furious Heinrich. “I said we are leaving! He is no danger to us anyway, so who cares. God is on our side so nothing could stand in our way even if they tried to. Now come!” He spat at his servant who only bowed his head and followed after the mage. Phoenix meanwhile started to regain his composure, but at the same time could feel all the pain surging through his body as well as the armor slowly beginning to fade away. With his vision slowly fading away he desperately clawed at any other Magic Disc and slammed it into the Driver. \ WIND DISC ACTIVATED! / He could feel his injuries healing, the pain subsiding, but even now in his new armor, he could not escape the blackness that ultimately caught up to him. Still, there was one last thing he heard. “You belong to me, remember that!” >--------------< It hurt, it just hurt all over his body. He could feel the sourness all through it. And then there was the darkness, well not that any of this wasn’t already familiar to him. Still, it sucked bigtime if he was honest. It didn’t take long until he could open his eyes again, quickly closing them once again thanx to the bright hospital light. He hated to admit it, but this was getting a quite common occurrence to wake up in one of them, and he really despised it. With a loud groan, a mixture of annoyance and pain, he hived himself off the bed and into a sitting position, his eyes adjusting to the light in the meantime. “You really should stop making this a common occurrence,” a sweet female voice said to him from the side, mixed in with a slight chuckle. “Yeah, yeah, got it. Man, I feel like I was run over by a truck,” he hissed through his teeth before taking a look at Ocean, who was smiling at him, relaxation and release clearly visible in her expression. For a moment everything seemed to be alright, well until he remembered what had happened, and most importantly, what had been taken from him. Without as much as a second thought, he jumped out of bed, his legs immediately giving up under him and the Rider crashing to the ground with a loud thud. “Phoenix!” Ocean shouted, dashing down to him and trying to help him up. “Are you ok? What were you thinking?” She glared at him with a mixture of worry and anger. “Even if you are more or less fine this doesn’t mean that you can just jump out of bed like nothing has happened!” “Yes, I can! I have to! Our blueblooded bastard took my Philosopher Stone and my Friendship Disc! Goodness knows what he will do with them!” He spat back, trying to wrestle himself out of her grasp. “Oh no, you don’t! We know that, but we can’t just attack him head on, we don’t even know where he is or how many more Phantoms he has at his disposal. This is suicide, especially in your condition right now! “Yeah, Newbie is right, you really should just lay low for a while, not that you could do much without your Discs anyway,” the smug voice of a certain Rider echoed from the corner fo the room. “So what? I have to do something! I have a bad feeling about all of this!” Phoenix was not slowing down in the slightest, furiously trying to escape the grasp of his girlfriend. “Phoenix! Calm down! You are acting like a madman! We aren’t just gonna sit here and do nothing, but we aren’t just throwing us at the city either. And don’t worry, Nitoh and Pinecone are out there and at least looking out for anything suspicious. But right now we need a plan. Our enemies are one step closer to their win condition, and we can’t just let you run off on your own again. We need to think and come up with a way to turn all of this around. So, please, calm down, and we can discuss this, or do you want to let this end like your sleepless escapades?” Ocean was relentless, her stern voice hammering in on him for the entirety of her monologue. “No,” Phoenix muttered, almost so silent that no one could hear him. “What was that?” Ocean asked, tightening her hold on him. “Say that again, and this time louder!” “No,” he repeated, this time louder. “Still nothing, again!” “No!” This time he shouted, Ocean finally releasing him, his legs barely able to support him. “Good, that was all I wanted. Now that you cooled off a bit can we discuss what we should do now? We have a powerful evil Rider and his servants running around the city, and they have done something to eight different spots in the city,” she sighed while pulling out a tablet and placing it on the nearby table, all while opening a map. “Yeah, this is not good. Where did they attack, is there any recognizable pattern?” Haruto asked, looking over the map of the city right before eight purple crosses appeared on the map. “This is a circle!” Phoenix shouted out, pointing at the crosses on the map. “Yeah, exactly. That is something Light Bulb noticed when she was looking at the data we gathered, and I could distract her long enough from the Phantoms and all the things she could learn about them. This is a circle, just like Phoenix said. Every point is roughly the same distance from the nearest away, and all are the same distance away from this building,” she pointed at a building right in the middle of the crosses. “Huh, so, anything special about this building?” Haruto asks, sounding somewhat worried. “Well, it belongs to the wealthiest companies in Canterlot City, Change Industries. They are pretty much also the most liked companies in the area and employ about a third of the city. They are big in short really and quite popular I might add. And they have the highest building in the city. But I have no idea what they might have to do with our mage here, especially since he never had much contact with anyone when he worked at the warehouse, so this is just confusing for me. What is his plan?” Ocean groaned, her hand clenching into a fist. “Well, we could just ask them, right?” Phoenix nonchalantly returned. Everyone in the room turned their heads to the young Rider in disbelief. “What? I kinda know the public affairs guy, and he kinda owes me something, I’m sure he could help us.” This was enough for Ocean, she just let her head sink into her hands and let out a desperate sigh. “Yeah, I’m sure they would totally tell you when they did something evil, right? Besides, I highly doubt they have anything to do with this, and probably couldn’t even help you out when they wanted to. Phoenix, it’s a nice idea, but it won’t bring results.” “I… Ok, sorry, I’m just grasping at straws, I know, but I have to do something, anything. I hate not being able to do something, especially when it’s my fault. And now that I can’t even use my strongest from I’m pretty much useless so I thought I could at least do something on the ground when I can’t do something in a fight and would only slow you all down,” he sighed, letting himself sink down onto one of the chairs around the table. Haruto meanwhile had looked at him with an understanding look in his eyes the entire time, and after he had set himself the senior Rider started to say something: “I know what you mean. I once lost my powers, and I felt just as useless as you did now. I couldn’t help my friend because she lived off of mana only I could provide her with and without my magic I was essentially useless. Thing is, I didn’t give up and kept pushing forward and found a new power I never thought I had, my own power. Don’t lose hope that is the most important thing. Live in the now and not in the past,” he finished with a determined look on his face. Phoenix looked at him for a moment before his own expression started to mirror the one of the mage, complete with a confident smirk. “Yeah, you are right! I can’t just give up now! Even if I can’t make a dent in the monster or Heinrich, I won’t give up so easily. I’m a Kamen Rider, and I would rather die than give up! Question is just how can I help,” he finished, his confidence sinking once again. “This is all very heartwarming, really, but I don’t think this alone will beat our enemies. There is however something else that might. Hey, Phoenix, how do you create your powers anyway?” Tsukasa asked, sounding somewhat distant, but still, the smugness was dripping through every word he spoke. “Well, with this,” he pulled out his last blank Magic Disc. “I absorb magic with this thing, and if I have enough, I can turn it into one of the Discs. Wait that is it, I’ll just ask the girls if they can recreate the Disc, then I’m not completely unarmed!” He added, almost jumping into the air, but settled for an energetic fistbump instead. “Well, I think this could work. Well, not what you had planned, but what I have planned,” he returned, simply turning towards Haruto, not even waiting for an answer from the Rider. “You still have that Please ring, right?” “Yes, but why? He doesn’t need any mana from me,” Haruto returned, just as puzzled as Phoenix. “Oh, trust me, I have an idea!” He returned with a devilish smile. “And I think it will be a far better use for this Disc than to just recreate one you manage to lose.” >--------------< Tsukasa plan hadn’t taken too long, and against all the odds, I had actually worked. Granted, the Rider was far more experienced with Rider powers than any of them, but still. With his new ace, he felt ready. They had informed both Pinecone and Nitoh about their plan and send them straight to Change Industries. The four Riders were on their way as well. They didn’t know what exactly Heinrich and his entourage had planned, but the building was most certainly involved in some way, he just had a feeling it was, and so did the rest of them. They could already see the building on the horizon, ominous storm clouds gathering around its top. This was all just not looking good. With the first lightning bolt hitting the highest part of the building everything was pretty much sealed, they were on the right track, and the quickly spreading clouds only cemented that. They had to pick up their pace, or they would be far too slow to achieve anything, and they knew that passing irritated and enraged drivers that were no stranger to complaints, but that was just not important right now. If Heinrich succeeded, there was probably far more on the line as a lost friend, not that it mattered for them. The mage had to be stopped, and that was what they had set out to do. They just passed the next turn as something familiar build itself up in front of them, something clad in black metallic armor that seemed impenetrable, Cerberus. The Phantom stood dead center in the middle of the street, only roughly five hundred meters away from the damn building. He had his shield slammed into the pavement and his sword ready, ready for them. Then they saw it, the swarm of Remnants and Ghouls crowding around the skyscraper, hundreds of them. Where had they come from? This question, however, was quickly shelved as the Phantom raised its sword, dark energy starting to gather around it. “Watch out!” Phoenix shouted at his comrades right as the monster unleashed a wave of pure blackness at them. Hitting the breaks he pressed the bike earthwards, his shoulders scraping across the asphalt, spraying sparks, as he nearly avoided the wave of doom. Still, the damage had been done, knocking him almost of his bike as he came to a screeching halt just one hundred meters away from the monster, his fellow Riders joining him shortly thereafter. The commotion had also attracted the attention of the Remnants and Ghouls that had now turned their heads towards them. With a loud roar, the dashed forward towards them, still, a large chunk of them remaining at the base of the skyscraper. “Dammit, looks like we have to get through them first and that is gonna take forever,” Ocean hissed, pulling her Charge Magnum from her belt and aiming at the incoming hoard, “We don’t have time for this. Isn’t their another way? We could just fly, am I right?” Phoenix asked back, a mixture of hope and worry in his voice. “Hah, you really think the master wouldn’t have planned for something like this. No one is gonna reach the top of this building without his permission, and I will make sure you won’t. Especially when we know your weakness, the peasants of this town. You can’t really leave us down here, god knows what we could do, am I right?” The Phantom added smugly, his eyes glowing from beyond the mask. Phoenix was just about to throw more insults at the monster when he heard something, the roaring of another bike. And just like this a familiar green bike shot out from a nearby alley and on it both Monster and Beast. How they had managed to drive together without killing each other was a mystery to him, but this was hardly important right now. Both Riders jumped from their bike, and straight towards Cerberus. The Phantom was in a bit of a shock one could say, only barely able to bring the shield up, so their kicks simply pushed him back, but nothing more. Beast and Monster both landed a few steps away from him before the primordial mage shouted towards them: “Hey, Haruto. We are taking care of this guy here! A little desert can’t hurt, right? So you can take care of the magic clown up there,” Nitoh shouted, all while pulling out his sword. “Oh, and don’t even think about losing, you are my rival after all, and I can’t be the rival of a loser!” “Good!” The mage shouted back with a light chuckle. “Don’t worry we will take care of this.” “I’ll be helping them as well. You make sure nothing bad starts happening, ok?” Ocean added before dashing forward, unloading shot after shot at the Phantom, much to Cerberus’s annoyance. While the monster was slashing with his sword at the Riders, Charge peppering him with shots, Beast slicing across his armor and Monster trying to tear him apart the three remaining Riders were left to their own devices. “So, how are we gonna get up there? Should we just fly? I think that would be the easiest way, really,” Phoenix muttered, looking up at the spire before them with a suspicious feeling in his stomach. “Well, if we pick up Tsukasa this shouldn’t be a problem,” Haruto returned, already in the process of switching to his emerald-like ring. “Oh, we don’t need to fly. Or not in the way you think,” the last Rider interrupted them, pulling out one of his cards. Without any more words, he walked towards Haruto, who just looked at him before he slotted the card into his Driver. |Final Form Ride| |WIZARD| With that, he turned the Rider around and nonchalantly said: “This might tickle a bit!” When Tsukasa touched the back of Haruto, a golden light erupted from him before the Rider started to levitate in the air and quickly changed shape. His limbs were twisted in completely unnatural ways, the shape of the Rider disappearing in the silver and gold of this new form. It didn’t take long until one could identify what Wizard had been turned into, a dragon. A silver and gold dragon that let out a loud roar that echoed through the city. “Well, this is our ride to the top,” Decade continued, like this was nothing noteworthy and jumped on the back of Haruto. “How did you… This is… Are sure… Wow,” that was all Phoenix could manage to stammer out, staring dumbfounded at what had formerly been his friend. “If you would be so kind and get up here, we don’t have the whole day,” the senior Rider added sarcastically. “Uhm, sure. Sorry,” he stuttered back, jumping onto the back of the beast. “About time,” Tsukasa sighed as the dragon started to flip his wings, dust blowing everywhere as they ascended, heading straight for the roof of Change Industries. Phoenix had to hold on for dear life not to be blown off the back of Haruto, desperately clamoring onto anything that granted him any kind of halt. They were flying upwards with ludicrous speed, the floors just rushing past them and until now there was no sign of anything that was trying to stop them. Oh, he really shouldn’t have thought that because at this moment Heinrich stepped close to the edge of the roof and pointed his staff at them. Within seconds the sky was filled with purple magic seals that unleashed hell on them. Hundreds upon hundreds of small purple arrows rained down on them. “I would hold on tight,” Tsukasa chuckled, all while shielding himself from the barrage of arrows. While Phoenix had no idea what he meant by that he was not about to ask and just listened. He had learned not to question the senior Rider, but just go with whatever he had in mind. And this decision was quickly rewarded as Haruto turned around, now his chest upside towards the arrows, which now merely bounced off the thick hide of the dragon. |Final Attack Ride| |WIZARD| No idea how Decade had managed this, but he had apparently inserted another card into his Driver. They had now overshot their initial goal, hovering over the skyscraper, looking down onto the roof. To their surprise, they could see two Mesmers, not just the one that had attacked them, but another one that was seemingly working on some kind of ritual. Haruto now spun around, shot straight towards the mage that was taking care of the ritual, Pheonix holding onto dear life. About halfway there the shape of the dragon once again shifted, now turning into a giant claw, Phoenix deciding that this was getting a bit much for him and chose to bail, jumping off the dragon. Decade, however, did nothing like that, he actually jumped upwards and shot back down again, his foot perfectly fitting into place and only increasing the speed with which the claw rocketed towards Heinrich, all while a giant projection of Decade could be seen. The moment the attack was supposed to hit the mage a massive explosion consumed the roof, Phoenix landing on it with relative ease. When the dust had settled one could barely see the remains of a magical seal falling down from the sky, Heinrich not harmed in the slightest. Now that everything wasn’t moving so fast anymore he could actually see what was going on. Around Heinrich, another magic circle had been erected, glowing in a sick purple and inside of it, Heinrich. He was holding his hand over something quite familiar, a ring and his Philosopher stone. Seconds later both Wizard and Decade landed next to him, and they were rather agitated that this hasn’t had the expected effect. “Hey, Blueblood, how about you give up now? You are outnumbered and have no chance against us!” Phoenix said, trying to sound intimidating, but no answer came. The mage was simply ignoring him. “Hey! I’m talking to you!” Still no response. With an annoyed huff, he dashed forward, only to be blinded by a bright purple glow. “What is that?” The light however quickly fade, or at least partially. The clouds above them had taken on a purple hue, as well as the city beneath them. Then they noticed, the city was glowing purple from eight points, all of which they had fought one of the Phantoms at. “What have you done?” He shouted out, taking a step towards the man that finally turned around to them. “This is just a necessary sacrifice, as, much as it pains me. With your Philosopher Stone and mine, I can actually improve my design. And that is all thanks to you. I just have to fuse them, and for that I need mana. But how do I get it? I could search for Phantoms and slowly gather their mana, but this would take me hundreds of years, and while I have the time, I prefer not to waste it. No, I needed something faster, and well, I just happened to have enough magic stones for a particular ritual. It is a variation of the one you already encountered Soma,” the last words were said with such a self-righteous, smug tone that it just pissed him off. But before he could even attempt to even shout at him, he noticed the hand of Haruto clench into a fist. “You are using them! You are using all of these people to fuel you sick ritual!” Haruto was screaming, anger clearly audible through his voice. “Oh, yes. It’s a shame for all the lost servants, but oh well. Not that there aren’t anymore, am I right?” he calmly returned, much to Haruto's frustration who just clenched his fist together. “But I have to show this world the proper order of things again, and I need the ultimate power for this. A few thousand people are a small price to pay for this. With my new power, I can finally return home and set things right. Set the world right. Stop the unnecessary wars and crimes of humanity. When they are united under me, there will be no famine, no war, no despair. I will show them the way and if you insist on staying in my way, then be it, die like the rest!” “You think you can just use my friend for your means? That you can trample on her last wish? That you can hurt people through her? No! Magic is for bringing hope, and you bring nothing but despair. You are stuck in the past and refuse to move onto the present. And we are gonna show you that!” The mage shouted at him, before pulling out his sword. “Well, seems like these guys never learn,” Decade sighed before slotting in another card only for a blue image to appear in front of him and the Rider to run through it. |Kamen Ride| |Blade| His suit once again changed, this time into a blue and silver armor with a large horn and red eyes. At the same time, Alchemy had activated his own weapon. \ Flame Disc Attack Mode! / \ Flame Saber! / All three Riders now dashed forward toward the Dark Rider who just sighed and raced ahead as well, the two Philosopher Stones remaining behind as he engaged in combat. Mesmer easily blocked Alchemy’s first swing, the blade with his staff, knocking the Rider backward and that just in time for Wizard to attack. Both Riders clashed, their blades spraying sparks as they went at it again and again, no one seeming to be able to get the upper hand. While Haruto was relentlessly pressing forward, Mesmer gracefully stepped out of the way, and gracefully blocked every attack. But also his advances were quickly deflected, Wizard unwilling to give him as much as an inch. |Attack Ride| |Slash| The voice of Decades Driver echoed over the entire roof, and mere moments later the Rider let his blade come down on the opponent. The blade glowed a fierce magenta and seemed to leave afterimages behind, but still, not even Decades stealth attack was enough to knock the Rider off balance, Mesmer able to catch both Haruto’s as well as Tsukasa's attacks with his staff. Both Riders tried to push and finally get a hit in on the Rider, but he was just about to give up. But this was a perfect opportunity for Alchemy. With a sly grin, he spun the Disc on his sword and dashed behind the opponent before shouting: “Flaming Slash!” Even through Mesmer had noticed him, he had no chance to intercept him as Alchemy brought his flaming blade down on his back. A pained scream cut through the windy air of the roof, both Decade and Wizard delivering a well-deserved kick to his chest and knocking him back several meters. “You think this is over? That this is all, you need to beat me? Well, seems I have to stop playing around,” Heinrich chuckled before pulling out another ring and slipping it on his finger. Next, to him, another version of him appeared before he repeated the same thing again, Decade and Wizard rushing towards him to stop the mage from another attempt. Once again he put the Ring over his Driver, summoning another double, but he wasn’t the only one, his first double did the same, summoning its own clone. Before the mage could repeat this process once again, both Haruto and Tsukasa reached him, interrupting him and crossing blades with his staff. “You can’t beat me! I’m infinite! I have lived longer than all of you combined and have far more battle experience as well as the fact that I was chosen by God to rule over this world and I intend to fulfill this duty, and no filly peasants will stop me!” The four Mesmers said in unison, something that let a cold shiver run down his spine. >--------------< The blade once again came down on her, Charge only barely able to dodge the wild swing of her opponent as he cleaved through several Remnants and Ghouls behind her. They had tried to keep them busy while the three others had left for Heinrich, but things were not really looking all that bright. Cerberus was relentless, even though they had thrown so much at him already, he just refused to back down, his eyes ever glowing behind his helmet. “This isn’t working, we aren’t even tiering him out! Any ideas?” She screamed over to her allies who were just as frustrated as her. “Just hit him harder!” It came back to her as Monster once again jumped at the monster from behind. His claws screeched across the cold dead steal once again, but only sparks were flying no blood or anything else. “Damit!” Pinecone hissed with a growl before he jumped out of the way, but sadly not fast enough for Cerberus swing. The child hit him with its full force, pressing him against his own armor as he was thrown to the side and right into a parking car that immediately exploded. \ AWAKEN: DRAGON! / It echoed from the remains of the car, out of the flames shot an ethical dragon that quickly circled around it and slammed back into the fire, blowing them out in the process. Outshot Monster clad in his Dragon Armor and wielding his ax. With an annoyed growled Cerberus turned towards him, just in time to stop his attack with his shield. To everyone's surprise, the attack actually did something, pushing the Phantom back, leaving behind marks on the asphalt. Cerberus jumped back and swung his sword in the direction of the Rider, who let out an angered roar and swung his weapon at the opponent as well. Both blades clashed, letting ripple out a shockwave that pushed back cars, shatter windows, killing several of the smaller monsters and nearly knocked the two other Riders of their feet. When the dust had settled, they could see that their clash Seems to hit him harder could actually work had resulted in a draw, both combatants too stubborn to yield first. “Hey, look! Maybe hitting him harder actually works. Well, no other choice than to try it!” Beast shouted out and slotting in a new ring. Now clad in his mantel the Rider rushed forward, his steps echoed over the silent battlefield that was only filled with the grinding of metal. Both combatants let out a low growl and jumped back from each other, their eyes staring at each other, just before they dashed at each other once again. The blade of the ax hit once again the shield and pushed him back, but only for Cerberus to push back, both again in a standstill. That was the moment Beast jumped at him, his rapier firmly in his hand as he thrust it forward. Within a split second, the Phantom pulled his sword up and over his shoulder and slammed it down into the asphalt, Beast’s weapon slamming right into the improvised shield. With both Riders pressing against him his armor started to groan. “Well, better now than never,” Charge sighed before changing the Charger in her Driver. “Charge up!” \ 50, 80, 100! FIRE CHARGE! / She stormed forward while the orb of fiery energy surrounded her, jumping forward the moment it dissipated, rocketing forward. The Phantom could only watch as the Rider raced towards him with inhuman speed, pulling back her fist and letting it rush forward with the help of her engines. A loud crack filled the air, together with the sound of metal against metal as Charge clocked Cerberus in the face, knocking him back several meters and into a nearby store. It didn’t take long for him to emerge from the rubble, but one thing was different about him, his helmet had started to crack, and with the last step he made out of the store it fell apart completely revealing the face of a wolf, a scrape running down his right eye and two red glowing eyes that stared at them. With a loud and furious roar, he dashed forward towards the Riders. >--------------< Heinrich was still unrelenting in his assault, every time they managed to beat one of his copies another one was quick to take its place. It felt like a fight against a neverending army of opponents, just that everyone was as strong as a Rider. This had already taken for longer than five minutes, and the exhaustion was starting to show on their faces, or at least it would if one could see beyond their mask. Wizard was currently being attacked by one of them, the swift motions of his staff forcing the mage on the defensive as he paired the attacks of his opponent. Decade didn’t fare any better, even after activating another one of his cards that had turned his skin into something akin to iron his opponent had not slowed down, instead of activating one of his rings. A powerful explosion consuming Tsukasa as he was thrown backward and nearly of the building. The worst however was reserved for Alchemy who was dealing with his own copies. The mage was pretty much dancing around him, blocking every strike and delivering devastating blows left right and center. With every hit, he could feel the glee of the noble as he struck and struck again. With a swift motion, he managed to block Alchemy’s next attack, throwing the blade out of his hand, using this opportunity to thrust his staff into his chest. The blow was so strong that it knocked the Rider back against one of the railings that bent dangerously under his weight, right before the transformation stopped, reverting him to his human form. Both Decade and Wizard joined him soon, the three copies walking towards them, their staffs pointed at them. “How about we finally use our little surprise, I don’t think this is gonna work,” Phoenix hissed, forcing himself from the railing, his hand being guided towards a Disc on his belt. “If you really want, sure, I won’t stop you,” Tsukasa returned dismissively. “But if you do that I can’t really be outdone, now can I?” With that, he pulled another card from his booker. Haruto as well nodded and pulled out the strange watch-like device as well as a new ring. Phoenix took a step forward, the three mages looking at him curiously before putting a ruby red Disc with a strange symbol on it into his Driver. \ RIDER DISC DETECTED! / “Henshin!” \ WIZARD DISC ACTIVATED! / A red magic seal appeared around Pheonix’s feet which started to spin and twirl out into a fiery whirlwind that covered him whole. As the magic disappeared, Alchemy stood before him, clad in black armor, his golden marking shaving been replaced with silver. On his chest, six rubies like crystals had formed as well as Wizards symbol on his chest. His boots had been covered in the same crystals as well. His shoulders had been turned into a copy of Wizards. Two red eyes stared at the opponent together with two horns similar to Wizard’s Dragon form. |Form Ride| |Blade| Wizard changed into his All Dragon form and Tsukasa taking on a more golden form of his Blade armor, complete with wing-like cape they dashed forward, right into the copies. Alchemy was the first one to attack his copy, having pulled out a version of Haruto’s sword and pushed back Mesmer's own attack, having enough time to switch modes and shoot him right in the stomach. The clone stared backward but wasn’t beat just yet. This, however, was not what the young Rider had been aiming for, no, his hand extending outward towards his previously dropped weapon. It was already far too late for him to act. However, the Rider getting back his weapon, now having two at his disposal. Wasting no time he once again pressed forward, unloading the gun on him all while slashing across the mages chest with his sword. The copy staggered back, Alchemy glaring at him before he merely lifted his foot and extended it towards him. Mesmer was about to laugh, the Rider was far too far away to actually hit him, that was until the foot suddenly grew several times its size, hitting him with its full force. Crystals cracked, armor bend and he was thrown off the building before delving into nothingness. Wizard meanwhile was flying circles around his own opponent, letting his claws come down on him time and time again before slapping him back with his tail. The mage crashed into one of the small extensions of the stairwell, tumbling down several stairs as he did so. Haruto meanwhile just swung his wings and dashed into the air. Climbing out of the ruble he could only catch a glimpse of Wizard racing at him, his claw stretched out for an attack. Within seconds the copy had been smacked across the roof and firmly off it, never to be seen again. The last one to deal with his opponent was Decade who was using his wings to jump over and around him after every successful strike, knocking the Dark Rider off balance every time. With sparks erupting from his enemy with every strike Tsukasa showed no sigh of actually slowing down and readied himself for another blow as the mage suddenly jumped at him, and sourly missed. Dodging out of the way he quickly brought the blade down on him, piercing through his armor and watching as the mage discovered like the rest. With the original still staying behind and observing the fighting, he was about to place his ring once again over his Driver as he was hit by Alchemy and his gun. “How dare you! Do you know what you have done?” He hissed back, only for the Rider to smirk. “Oh, I know what. I took back what belongs to us!” At this moment Heinrich noticed the outstretched hand of the Rider, holding both Philosopher Stones in his hands. He let his hand rocket towards the Driver only to see the ring shatter mere inches in front of it, once again one of Alchemy’s bullets. With a little twirl of his hand, he threw Haruto his ring and pulled the Disc close to him. “Well, looks like you lost something. But don’t worry, you won’t have to worry about it that much longer. This is the end of the line for you!” >--------------< The street had been turned into a battlefield, the asphalt had been ripped open at several points, windows were shattered, cars demolished and all in all everything in their close proximity had been reduced to debris. But most of all, one could see the duration of the battle on the combatants. The Riders were exhausted, several cracks had formed on their armor. Charge’s rifle had been turned into nothing more than a paperweight, now trying to dodge the attacks of Cerberus in her purple armor. Several of Monsters claws had broke of and his purple armor showings several dents, and not even Beast’s Buffa Mantel had proven mighty enough to beat the Phantom. But Cerberus hadn’t escaped unscathed either, his armor had fallen apart on one of his arms, one of his feet and his shoulder as well as several cracks across his chest. Still, he was unrelenting. “You won’t win! My master has been borne into a role of nobility. He is one of God’s chosen and pathetic peasants like you will never beat him!” “So what? What has he ever done for those he deems beneath him? He is a blight on society, on the people within it. He is trampling on their freedom, their rights, and their feelings, just taking what he deems his! He has no idea what it means to be nobility, to be one who is chosen above others, just because you aren’t! You can never be chosen for greatness! You can have the potential, the power for it, but the only one who can carry you to greatness is you! And one who is worthy of that title is one who is compassionate and cares for thous under him. He is an insult for everyone who bears the title Nobel or even worse, Kamen Rider. He is making a mockery of it, and we won’t stand for that! We, the Riders of this world and those from another will never stand for this, and I tell you one thing, your master will never win against them because they have carved their path to greatness and didn’t demand it!” Ocean bellowed through the streets, her voice overshadowing the groans and roars of the Ghouls and Remnants behind her. “You know why? Because they are true Kamen Riders!” “What do you know about him, how compassionate he is or what he did to get to this point in his life? Nothing, you know absolutely nothing! He created me, he brought us into this world, and he let us serve under him! You know nothing how he really is, what he does to those that are good to him!” Cerberus roared at her before lifting his sword once again and rushed towards them, fury burning in his eyes. “We don’t need to because we only have to see how he treats the ones that don’t lick his boots!” She shot back, picking the Prism Charger from her belt, Beast summoning his Mirage Magnum and Monster pulling out his Chimera Medal. “Charge up!” \ 100, 150, 200! OVER CHARGE! / \ AWAKEN: CHIMERA! / All three Riders had been changed into their strongest forms and just in time for Cerberus to reach them. Monster was the first to react, jumping between them, his arms starting to glow in two different blue tones as he caught the blade with his palms. “Do something! I can’t hold him forever!” He barked at them, struggling to keep a firm grasp on the weapon. That was just the moment Beast dashed around him and let his tassels extend, hitting the Phantom like he was wielding a whip. This was enough to finally shatter the armor completely, leaving him completely open for their attacks. “Time to end this!” She shouted back at the furious Phantom who quickly received a swift kick into the gut from Monster that threw him back. Crawling back up, his face had twisted into a pained grimace of anger and fear. \ Maximum Charge! / \ ROAR: CHIMERA! / While the Phantom was still trying to regain his footing, all three Riders activated their respective finishers, Beast unleashing a hoard of six times four animals at Cerberus while Monster just let his six etherial beasts rampage towards him. And worst of all, Charge unleashing a single devastating beam directly towards him. All three attacks hit him at the same time, the laser burning through his chest while the ethereal monsters tore into him. “I… I’m sorry… master…” With these last words, his body was consumed in a massive explosion, one big enough to attract the attention of every Ghould and Remnant around, the monsters quickly charging at them. Nodding to each other the three dashed forward, past the remains of Cerberus. This fight wasn’t just over yet. >--------------< “You really think you can stop me, one of God’s chosen? You are nothing more tha-“ “Oh, just shut it! We heard this spile time and time again from you! Can you stop with this, you are stuck in the past! You can’t move forward towards a bright future, but will! We will for all the people in this world and in every world!” Phoenix interrupted him with an annoyed undertone. “Exactly! You are stuck in the past, unable to accept what has happened to you! But that makes you blind o the future, you could never rule a world, let alone create one. You are just someone who refuses to grow up and move on, and these men here have done exactly that! They have far exceeded you, they are people who have overcome grief and hardships and have grown because of that! You, however, are still stuck in the middle ages, thinking everyone will just bow to your will!” Tsukasa shouted at Mesmer, who just clenched his fist in anger. “Who the hell do you think you are?” He hissed back at him. Tsukasa pulled out the strange device with the touchscreen and returned with a confident undertone: “I’m just a passing through Kamen Rider! Remember that!” With that he switched the white part of his Driver with the strange device, Haruto letting his Infinity Ring hover over his Driver and Phoenix inserting and spinning his Philosopher Stone. This was it for Mesmer, he let out a scream of pure rage and rushed towards them, his staff ready to strike them down. \ HEUREKA! / |KUUGA AGITO RYUKI FAIZ BLADE HIBIKI KABUTO DEN-O KIVA| |FINAL KAMEN RIDE| |DECADE| Wizard was the first to counterattack, letting his ax appear in front of him and rushing forward, stopping Heinrich’s attack right then and there. The older mage was taken aback by this new power. This was all the time Haruto needed, speeding around the opponent and slashing him across the back with the sword side of the weapon. This, however, was not enough to stop him from letting another ring hover over his Driver. Just seconds before he could let the ring register on the Driver a white hand stopped him, and two blue eyes stared at him. “I’ll be taking this!” Alchemy chuckled as he pulled the ring from his finger only to crush it. The next thing the mage felt was a swift kick to the stomach and the following kick from behind. The pain was nothing like he had ever felt, it was like a cannonball hat been launched at him. He could only watch as he was thrown to the feet of Decade. Desperately trying to crawl back to his feet he was greeted with a swift kick from the Rider and several shots from his gun that let him scream in agonizing pain. Once again he was thrown to the side, landing right next to where he had started his ritual. Everything should have just fallen into place, so why was this happening. “Why? Why is this happening? I’m chosen! Chosen! You can’t do this to me!” He screeched, anger and fury overtaking his voice, making him sound like a wild animal. Under use of all of his strength, he pushed himself back up, swaying from side to side, trying to remain steady. “Oh, we can and we will because that is the way we have carved for yourself! Your ‘chosen path’ however ends here! Heinrich, you used the powers that were bestowed upon you to attack others, take away a friend from someone who holds them dear and were willing to sacrifice people for your own gain. By the magic that was bestowed upon me, I deem you unworthy of your powers and will now take them from you!” Alchemy said a conviction in his voice that let the Nobel mage shiver in fear. “Final!” Haruto added. “No! No! Don’t do it! I can give you power, a world of your own you can rule in your image. Just don’t do this, I beg you,” Heinrich begged, trying his hardest so his knees would support him, even though they were shaking like wet pudding. The fear that was carried in his voice was mixed with sobbing and in his voice was mixed with sobbing as he desperately tried not to despair. “Save it!” Phoenix sighed with a somber tone before spinning the Disc on his Driver once again, all while Haruto hovered another ring over his Driver and Tsukasa inserted a card into the card reader on his side. \ Philosopher Stone Maximum Power! / |FINAL ATTACK RIDE| |DECADE| All three of them jumped up in the air, the whirlwind of golden lines forming around Alchemy together with the wings, a crystal magic circle being pushed forward at Heinrich and Decade crashing through several gold cards. All three Rider Kicks connected at the same time, the armor cracking and breaking under the immense strain before they simply pushed through Heinrich, consuming him in a massive explosion. When the dust had settled, the only thing remaining of him were several broken rings and the remains of his Driver as well as the Friendship Disc. With him gone the sky returned back to its original color. “Well, that was that then,” Phoenix sighed before adding. “We should probably help clean up this mess.” Haruto merely nodded, holding his reclaimed ring in his hand before adding a relieved: “Whew.” >--------------< The remaining Remnants and Ghouls had been quickly dealt with until sunset, much to Phoenix relief. After congratulating each other on a job well done they had returned to the Magnum Opus and to a victory pizza. They spend the rest of the evening and night bonding, cherishing in their victory and all in all having a great time. But all good things must eventually come to an end. Around midnight all of the food had been eaten, the drinks had been emptied and the sleepiness was starting to set in and the fact that Tsukasa was pushing everyone to leave, mumbling something about some sort of secret family technic that he would rather avoid. Outside the six Riders looked at each other once more, a feeling of somberness was in the air. They had only known each other for a short time, but the feeling of letting friends go was always hard. “Take care,” Pinecone grumbled towards Nitoh, almost inaudible only for the senior Rider to chuckle and give him a small bottle of mayonnaise with. ‘For Pinecone’s personal use’. How he had managed, that was beyond him, but he begrudgingly took the bottle form him. “Here, I think this will spice up your life. Hope to see you again some time, my rival from this world.” Nitoh had his usual grin on his face, much to Pinecones annoyance, even though if one looked close enough the ghost of a smile was clearly visible on his lips. “I really hope you learned something from all of this Newbie,” Tsukasa said dismissively before taking another picture of the group. “Oh, I definitely did. First that if Riders work together, they can overcome everything and second that even though someone can be a massive pain in the ass they still can have a good hearth,” Ocean chuckled in return, a devious smirk on her lips. “Tsk,” he just returned, pretending not to have heard her. “And thank you for your help, without you this wouldn’t have been possible.” At this Tsukasa started to go on a tirade of how right this truly was. “Thank you as well Haruto, I’m glad we could work together. I think I might have even earned a bit from this,” Phoenix said to Haruto, standing a bit away from the others. “Nice to hear, always glad to help. And I think this world will be in good hands,” he chuckled. “Uhm, by the way, I think you forgot these,” he said, pulling out two orange rings from his pocket. “Oh, keep them, they are a parting gift,” he returned with a smile. “Huh, thank you. So, what kind of rings are these?” “Oh, these are Engage Rings,” Haruto returned, a smirk on his lips. Phoenix just stared at him in a mixture of confusion and shock. “Excuse me what?” “Engage Rings, you might need them at one point.” Haruto continued, his smirk getting wider and wider. “Haruto, are you gonna settle down here or what? We are leaving,” Nitoh shouted over to them, standing next to Tsukasa who was already looking slightly annoyed. “I’m coming!” He shouted back, before turning back to Phoenix. “Good luck!” With that, he walked over to the other two Riders, a strange curtain like thing appearing behind them. Everyone was pretty much winking, even Phoenix managed to get out of his little stupor, pocketed the rings and waved towards them as they slowly disappeared into the dimension wall one after another until they were the only ones left in the alley. >--------------< Through the dimly light corridors of the building, the echo of footsteps could be heard. They were heavy and sounded unlike those of a human. In between, one could listen to the slumping of another set of steps, smaller, lighter. These footsteps were those of two Remnants and one Ghoul that had apparently survived the slaughter. They were aimlessly wandering through the halls and had managed to get to the basement. The heavier footsteps grew ever louder until something stepped into one of the small lights, startling the three monsters. It was large, at least a head bigger than they were, clad in a purple chitin armor. Two red wings extended from its back and his main body had a turquoise tone. Two red horns extended from his head as well as a smaller horn on his forehead and light purple eyes. On his chest, several light grey orbs could be seen that were shimmering in the light. In his hand, he held a strangely shaped double-bladed lance. Before the first Remnant could even react, the lance had already shot forward and impaled the creature that went up in an explosion. Not even a second later the lance was already ripping through the body of the Ghuol, leaving several shards of stone behind. The only one who actually managed to pull of an attack was the last Remnant, throwing his fist at the new creature, sadly this was all for not as it caught his arm with its fist before quickly ripping the arm form the Remnant, following to smash its head in with said arm. The sound of clapping echoed through the halls, followed by the sounds of high heels on the floor. “Good job, I think that was the last one. We can’t let any of those run amok in our facilities, especially if they could get the attention of Riders,” a female voice said, a woman with pale green skin and orange hair in a black business suit. “Of course mother, we can’t let anyone snoop around here,” he said, his voice intersected with strange clicking noises, almost like those of an insect. “Exactly, I hope you make sure that this won’t happen, especially when we stand so close to finishing our goal. It won’t take much longer,” she said with a sir of relief in her voice. “And neither the Riders nor they can stop us.” “Yes mother,” the monster returned.