Time had just flown by like never before. Every day had passed like nothing, hours felt like minutes and days like hours. Everything just felt so… detached for the lack of a better word. Day after day had been the same, looking for Alkahest and Checkbook, but until now without any results, it was once again like the had just dropped from the face of the earth as if they had never existed, to begin with. And even if they didn’t want to admit it, life went on, people none the wiser of what had happened inside the Everfree Forest a week ago, just living their lives like nothing had ever happened, the city just as peaceful-looking like it had weeks ago.
The ky was drenched in clouds, the white of them preventing the sun from even shining onto her face as she stared down at the city. Ocean let out a sad sigh as she stared down at the city beneath her. It all felt so far back, but still so fresh. And now she had to face it all again. No one had taken this lightly, but Phoenix, she and especially Emerald had taken it the worst. Even if she had talked some sense into him a while back, the whole thing still hurt, for both of them. They had lost people before, and now it had just come back to haunt them. Still, she had to be strong, especially for Emerald.
And speaking of her, a sleepy Emerald just walked through the doors of ocean’s bedroom, letting out a loud yawn.
“Well, look who finally woke up? Slept tight? Any bad dreams?” Ocean asked with a warm smile on her lips.
Her guest slowly opened here tiered eyes and after another yawn returned: “As good as you expect. Just not enough. There is never enough sleep!”
Ocean just chuckled and shook her head in amusement. “Oh, not enough? Where did I hear that before? You know, there is someone who that reminds me of. Someone who loves to slack off when he has nothing to motivate him. Or at least that is what Thunder told me about him.”
Emerald just threw her a skeptical look. “Yeah, sure, Phoenix, lazy. As if. I could never wake up so early and spend the rest of the day, driving around the city in hopes of finding something worse.”
“Oh, like I said, he has to be motivated. If he isn’t, oh boy can he be lazy, especially with things that aren’t connected to anything Rider related? Ask him to clean the apartment, and you can, believe me, he will bitch and moan the whole way through. But if it is connected to Rider stuff, he will move mountains. It’s all dependent on the motivation. I’m sure you have things you would give everything for, right?” She said, knowingly raising an eyebrow.
“I… Yeah, maybe. I kinda wanted to start working a while now, but never got the chance because… because Pinecone said, I had responsibilities at the shrine. We had a few arguments on the subject actually. I’m not entirely sure if I should follow that now, well since he is…” She didn’t need to finish her sentence, the weight of her words already enough for anyone to understand.
“You don’t need to talk about it now. Just take your time, you can stay here as long as you want. Everything will sort itself out eventually, trust me. You just need time,” she said while putting a hand on her shoulder.
“But how much? If I never actually move on and decide what I have to do now, how am I supposed to ever leave,” Emerald looked back at her, a desperate look in her eyes? “I don’t want to lay on your pocket for too long.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that, sweety. You aren’t. It’s actually nice to have a ‘roommate’ that isn’t as chaotic as Phoenix. I love him, but at times, he can be a bit of a handful. Believe me,” she said.
“Boys, am I right? They can get on your nerves?” She devilishly smiled back.
“Oh, for sure. But they have their good sides.”
“Yeah, they do,” she returned while looking off in the distance beyond the city and its sights. “Hey, ocean, can I ask you something?”
She looked over to Emerald with an interested look in her eyes. “Sure, shoot. You can ask me nearly anything.”
“What should I do? Should I go find work somewhere or should I stay at the shrine? I always wanted to strike out on my own, find my own place in this world even if my brother never was that happy about it. I want to find out what I’m good at. But at the same time, I feel like it’s my duty to take up his mantel as the guardian of the shrine. Take care of it and make sure it is still as pristine as before. I think he would want that, me finally accepting the family legacy. Both ways are calling out for me, but none of them feel one hundred percent right, and like I would betray someone. You know what I mean?” Emerald said, her voice weak and uncertain.
“Huh, so you don’t know what to do? I’m not entirely sure if I can help you with this. I always kinda knew what I wanted, well after I found what I wanted to do. At first, I didn’t really care about following a carer in law enforcement, but after my father died, yeah, it simply felt right. My sister could help you more on the subject since she dreamed about following my dad and mom, but instead of me who chose this path, she decided that she would follow another one. She is an athlete now, but I’m not sure what she would tell you. I just knew what was right for me. No one can really tell you what to do there, it’s your decision, isn’t it?” Ocean said, trying her best to sound confident.
“Yeah, I guess, but what is the right thing, and how do I know if I made the right call? Pinecone thought he made the right call and… and he paid the price for being wrong. I… I just don’t… I just don’t want to end up like him, you know?” She looked at Ocean, a desperate look in her eyes.
“Ok, listen kid. I don’t know. I just do what I think is right, and that is something impossible to describe. You just do what feels right to you. If you are wrong, you just have to learn from it, that was what Phoenix told me. No matter how often you are gonna fail, you have to accept it and try to better yourself. Why don’t you talk to him about it? I’m sure he would love to, and he is quite good at these pep talks. Wouldn’t be standing here without him,” she returned with a somber expression.
“Maybe…” She muttered back, looking at her before out in the distance. “Probably should do that. I wonder how he did it? Deciding that he was not his family's pawn? Was it just the distance, or was it his conviction?”
“Maybe a bit of both? He always was headstrong, for good or for ill. But at the same time, I’m not sure how he was back home. That is something you either have to ask him or Thunder about. But you’ll have ample opportunity for that today.” She had said the last part without even realizing what she had implied, only for herself to bite her tongue in regret. “Sorry.”
“No, no. It’s fine. Just because you don’t say anything doesn’t mean he would come back to life. Funerals aren’t all that pleasant, to begin with, so it’s hardly a big deal,” she said, her voice quite low. Ocean could swear she heard a silent shiver in it, but Emerald continued. “We should probably get dressed. Wouldn’t be good if we were late to the thing,” Emerald sighed, taking a last look at the city before turning around and heading back to the bedroom. Ocean looked after her, before shaking her head and following after her.
>-------<A>-------<
The way through the woods was one of the most awkward and quiet moments in her entire life. She wanted to say something, anything, but every time she tried the words just wouldn’t fall into place. And worst of all, the roaring of the bike did not really make it easy to say anything anyways, not that it mattered.
When the house finally came into view, she could already see the rest of the guest gathered around it. The mood was low, not really a surprise, but still, seeing all her friends so somber was not something that was assured, no far from it. Their heads turned around when they heard the roaring of the bike coming closer.
Phoenix was the first one to walk to them, he wore a suit, something that looked completely strange on him. Really, it just didn’t suit him at all, even if Thunder had managed to get at least something somewhat fitting. “Hey, good to see you could make it,” he awkwardly said, trying to avoid eye contact with Emerald.
“Hey, Phoenix. You got my-“ Ocean tried to say but was interrupted by a very uncomfortable Phoenix who was shifting from foot to foot.
“Yeah, I got your message,” he said before turning back to Emerald. “If you want, we can talk after the funeral.” He continued a weak smile on his lips. “How does that sound?”
“Good,” Emerald simply returned, her voice extremely low. Phoenix just stared at her for a moment, not entirely sure of what to say.
“We should probably get going. The others are probably already waiting for us, aren’t they?” Ocean said, saving him from the uncomfortable situation. Emerald just nodded, he following them back to the others without as much as another word.
The atmosphere was tense. Everyone was just standing around, maybe silently talking to someone else, like Thunder and Summer, but that was it. It just felt wrong to see all of these usually upbeat people so down, just unnatural. Time seemed to crawl by like a snail, no one was entirely sure what to say or do, they were just standing around like toys one had forgotten on the floor until it was finally time for the ceremony to start.
Phoenix had a lump in his through for the entire time, staring at the rather rustic coffin Emerald had chosen for her brother. They had dug up a hole behind the house the day before, or better Shining and Phoenix had. The whole thing was just awkward the entire way through.
But even though the ceremony was about to start Emerald was nowhere to be seen. They had been standing around for a few minutes already, but she was just not showing up. Worry and anxiousness were spreading across everyone's face. Shining was whispering something to his girlfriend while Thunder and Summer were just giving each other, unsure looks and Light Bulb was standing in the back row, nervously shifting from foot to foot.
“Phoenix,” Ocean whispered. “Can you look after Emerald for a moment? I think she might need someone to talk to her for a moment.”
“Sure,” he returned, trying to sound as confident as he could.
“Thanks. I saw her go back into the house a while back. Maybe she is somewhere in there.”
Phoenix merely nodded and quietly left her side and slipped into the house, the door sliding shut behind him. The house was quiet, not a single sound could be heard. As he looked around, everything was just… off. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but nothing felt right. He wasn’t here that often, but the times he was, he had felt a completely different atmosphere. Warm, orderly, and just welcoming in a weird way, but now, it was cold, distant, and alone.
Every step he made felt like an invasion, like a foreign object somewhere where it didn’t belong, echoing from the walls. Still, he moved forward, looking through the empty kitchen and living room. Nothing. With a silent sigh, he walked towards the stairs, every step accompanied by a loud growling of the stairs that made the entire situation even more uncomfortable.
The way up was almost unbearable, like his actions were an insult to the house in and of itself. He was immensely happy when he had finally reached the upper floor. Looking around, he noticed the half-open door of a room at the end of the hallway. Every step towards it made him feel more and more uncomfortable. The creaking, when he pushed the door slowly open, made it even worse only for him to be stared at by two sad looking green eyes.
“So here you are?” He finally said after what had felt like an eternity standing in the doorframe. Emerald was sitting on the bed, an old leatherbound book tightly clutched in her hands as she looked over to him. Her eyes staring at him with directionless eyes, unsure of what to do next. After another eternity, she simply nodded, avoiding his glare.
“So, what do you got there? Seems to be an interesting read if you would ditch the funeral for it,” he continued, a weak smile on his lips.
That snapped her out of her small little world she had retreated into. “Oh by Gaian, the funeral has already started? I should be-“ She didn’t get any further before Phoenix shushed her.
“No, no. Don’t worry. That is not that important right now. What is it that bothers you?” He calmly returned, sitting down next to her on the bed.
“But, the others? What is about them?” She tried again, but he just shook his head and returned.
“Like I said, don't worry right now. They’ll understand. I know they will. Right now, you are more important than a stupid ceremony. So, what do you have a problem with? Does it have anything to do with what Ocean told me?” Phoenix said, putting his hand on her shoulder. Emerald snapped back for a moment before calming down again.
“I.. You… This is… Yes. Yes, it is. I just… I just don’t know. Don’t know what to do, what to say. If I should follow what I wanted before all of this or if I should, you know, pick up where my brother left off? I mean, who else would and this whole place would just fall apart. I’m not sure if I can do this to my brother, or if I could stomach staying here,” she sighed, staring helplessly at the book in her hands.
“You know you don’t have to decide that now, do you? Sometimes waiting for the right answer is exactly what you need to do. Sleep over it for a while. Let your feelings settle down before you make a decision you might regret in the long run.”
Emerald looked up from the book again, her desperation visible in her eyes. “But what when I never know what is right? What if I can’t decide what I want to do for ages? What if I make the decision too late and things will only get worse? Or if I make a decision and it’s the wrong one? I just don’t know what to do. Please, help me. You always know what to do. How do you do it?” She was begging him, desperately clinging to him like a terrified child.
“You think I always know what to do and don’t make mistakes? Emerald, I have made countless mistakes. Didn’t know what to do so often and have regretted so many decisions. If I were perfect, we wouldn’t be in this situation. I would have stopped Platinum and Gold way before this got out of hand. I would have saved Ivory, and your brother would still be here. But look where we are. I’m a fuck up, and I know that. I know that with the dozens of decisions I make on a daily basis, a good of them will come back to haunt me. That whatever you do, you will never succeed one hundred percent. Even in a one in a million chance, there are still points where you fuck up. But that is life. You have to accept that and be willing to learn from your mistakes,” he finished with a somber tone.
“I… I know, but how do I know I made the right decision and won’t throw my life away like my brother?” Her desperation had only increased.
“You don’t know that until you are done. And are you sure he threw his life away? Maybe in our eyes, but in his? In the end, it really only matters if you thought you lived your life well. That is one of the only things no one can ever take away from you. He believed in what he fought for, so I have no right to say he threw his life away. Sure, I don’t agree with it, but it was his choice. Do you know what he truly believed and fought for?”
“Well, obviously being the servant of Gaia,” she dismissively returned.
“And what did this mean to him. Or what does it mean to you? There has to be something more than he just did what was asked of him. He was so dead set on it.”
“Well, it’s nothing really grand. It’s protecting the people that travel through the forest and to keep the shrine in good condition. This book was pretty much a guide to do that, just very bloated and filled with useless stuff,” she sighed, looking at the book with a pained expression.
“Huh, so he was a protector if you really boil it down? So, he was just like us? I like that. But it kinda confuses me, why was he so against helping people outside the forest? Wh would your goddess be against what she preaches? I don’t get that. But that was Pinecone, very by the book, am I right?” Phoenix chuckled.
“Yeah, very by the book,” Emerald returned, looking off in the distance. “Doesn’t mean I have to.”
“Exactly. Now, how about we get back to the rest? I’m sure they are getting a bit antsy about now.”
She looked back at him before putting the book back down and returned with a weak smile. “Yeah, you are right. Can’t let them wait forever.”
“That’s the spirit!”
With that, the two finally headed back down and outside, much to the relief of the rest. While Phoenix returned to Ocean, Emerald stepped in front of the caffeine, all eyes on her.
“Good job, she seems far more comfortable,” she said to him.
“Don’t sweat it.”
“Thank you all for coming here today. You don’t know how much this means to me. Pinecone never had many friends, something that shouldn’t really surprise anyone who knew him. He was arrogant, hotheaded and very much stubborn, but that he still touched everyone here so much that they decided to spend their day mourning with me. Thank you all. He would never admit it probably, but he would be happy that you all are here today,” she started, a soft smile on her lips.
“I know many of you never saw eye to eye with him, butted heads often and just had problems with each other, especially you Phoenix. But you still stood by his side and wanted to help him even when he seemed against you.”
She stopped for a moment, trying to hold back tears before continuing. “I might not have stood behind him at all times, questioned him and called him an idiot who valued some stupid rules more than the people around him, but I still know how much he loved and cared for me all this time. I might never truly agree with what he did and why he did the things he did; I will always know that he did them out of the goodness of his hearth. He could have turned his back on this city and lived with himself because he wouldn’t have broken the rules he lived by. He could have lived in the forest and only ever fight inside it, uncaring about the outside world, but he didn’t. He even fought to protect another world with no ties to ours simply because he thought it was the right thing to do. He had that voice inside him that told him that certain things were wrong, that he had to stand up for the ones that didn’t, that it was the right thing to do. Even with all his edges and mistakes, he was a true Kamen Rider, but even more important, he was my brother and my hero.”
That was the moment she couldn’t hold them any longer, tears rolling down her cheeks, but her smile persisted, really, warm and full of life. “He is a person I look up to, but I can’t pick up things where he left off. He is he, and I am me. I will never be him, and I really don’t want to. I will learn from him, his values, and his sacrifices, but I will be my own me. I don’t know what I’ll be doing now that he is gone, but I know one thing, I will do what I think is right even if I don’t know what that is yet. And I thank you Pinecone, for always being there for me when I needed you, even if we had our differences. I will take what you have told me and lived by as an example for my own path, my own future and I will forge a way that you can be proud of. Thank you so much and goodbye brother,” she finished her tears still dripping down her faces.
At first, the clearing was silent, no one dared to even say a single word, only a few tears ran down some people cheeks, like Thunder or Light Bulb, but it didn’t take very long for the rest to react as well. At first, it was silent, almost disruptive, the sound of two hands clapping coming from the end of the group, Phoenix. Within seconds Ocean joined him, then Thunder and slowly but surely the crowd all started to clap, something that let even more tears run down Emerald face.
Time seemed to melt away, lose all meaning as the clapping continued. It was a peaceful, relieving moment that looked like it could last for an eternity. At least until the sound of a cellphone interrupted the clapping. Ocean desperately rummaged through her purse to find the devious device. It took far too long for her to finally grasp it and answer the call. “What?! I swear to everything that is holly if this isn-“ She hissed quietly into the phone only to stop midway through her rant, her expression shifting from anger into terror.
>-------<A>-------<
Building after building was rushing past them as they drove past cars and bikes alike. Of all the times, something like this could have happened, this was the absolute worst. Whoever was ballsy enough to pull a stunt like this would definitely regret it, even if it was pretty obvious who dared to attack the MRG headquarters in the city if one thought about it.
Even though they were almost flying through the city, it still felt too slow, only as they heard the sirens of police cars come into range did their anxiousness finally dissipated a little. The already present police officers had hunched around the building, taking cover behind their cars and staring at the smoldering hole in the front of it. “What is going on here, officer?”
“Eight people entered the building, six in long cloaks and two which match the descriptions of Platinum Shadows and Checkbook. Two of the cloaked figures turned into Corrupted and proceded to storm the building. Since then we have nothing concrete,” the leading officer returned, occasionally glancing back at the hole in the wall.
“Thank you, we wil-“ Ocean tried to respond only to be interrupted by another voice screaming out from the remains of what formerly been the door.
“Ah, finally, you have arrived! We can at long last finish out battle that is long overdue! It’s time for the revenge of a god!” It bellowed before a monster stepped out of the hole. It kinda looked like a red samurai with golden detail and an intimidating gold skull mask for its helmet.
“Oh, please don’t be who I think it is,” Phoenix sighed while pulling out his Driver.
“I see you remember your biggest adversary after all! Rejoice for my return,” the Corrupted almost pureed.
“Would you finally shut up! You aren’t the only one who wants a shot at the damn Rider,” another voice said before a female Corrupted joined him. She was also clad in some sort of green samurai armor with what looked like a cat mask and a long flowing white scarf. The entire getup seemed oddly familiar and raised some severe suspicious.
“You don’t think they are-“ Ocean was about to say when the green Corrupted dashed forward and brought down her katana where they had just stood. Both Riders managed to dodge the attack at the last seconds and when they came back up had already put on their Drivers and activated them.
\ PHILOSOPHER STONE DETECTED! /
\ SCANNING CHARGE! /
“Henshin!”
\ HEUREKA! /
\ 100, 150, 200! OVER CHARGE! /
Both of them immediately dashed forward, Alchemy punching the Corrupted in the face while Charge circled around the other one and unloaded a burst of energy through her weapon. Both Corrupted were thrown back, but instead of complaining about the attack, both of them immediately dashed in the opposite direction and towards their partners opponent.
Alchemy was the first to react, dodging out of the way, though still being scraped by the blade of the sword. Letting out a quiet groan as the edge scratched across his armor, leaving a small scorch mark behind. Charge, on the other hand, had managed to push her rifle in between the sword and managed to push it to the side, dashing further away.
She dashed forward once again, sword pulled high to deliver a swift cut down on Alchemy.
\ Philosopher Stone Attack Mode! /
\ Magnum Opus! /
Metal meat metal, the loud ringing vibrating through the air and their arms. The green Corrupted did not waste any time, waving her hand at him. To his shock this did far more than push a bit of wind his way, the gust was so strong that it nearly ripped him off his feet if he Hadn’t slammed his spear into the ground to hold him.
“Ha, you see what happens when you stand in my way? I will always find a way to come back on top. Not you nor these damn Riders from another world can stop me!” She screeched at him, throwing another gust towards him before dashing towards him herself, the katana glowing a bright green.
\ EARTH! /
The gem on his weapon glowed, and only moments later small seals appeared under her feet that quickly grew into small earth spheres, encasing her feet in them. The Corrupted was brought rapidly to a halt, almost planting her face on the concrete underneath her was it not for her weapon.
“Time to end this. I’m not in the mode right now, so you have to live without a speech from me,” Phoenix said plainly before spinning his Disc again.
\ Philosopher Stone Maximum Power! /
The energy gathered into his fist, letting it shine in a blinding light. The Corrupted desperately tried to hack at the stone encasing her feet, but nothing made even a dent in the rock and could only watch in horror as he pulled his fist back and pushed forward. It hit her right in the gut, her armor shattering under the weight before she was consumed by the usual explosion.
While Phoenix had battled his opponent ocean had been busy with the red Corrupted that had been swinging his sword at her like a madman while waxing what he assumed was a grand speech. “Fear me! Fear the new god of this planet and eventually all of existence!”
With every word out of his nonexistent mouth, her annoyance and frustration only grow. Still, his sword was nothing to be underestimated, slicing through the concrete like nothing and leaving only molten ground behind. If she was hit, it could definitely tip the battle in his favor. She needed an opening and that opening was about to be delivered to her on a silver platter. The Corrupted had once again swung his sword with the strength of a damn truck and sliced through the wall of the building with a wave of energy. Instead of jumping to the side, she ducked under the swing and straight towards the wall. She could feel how her hands made contact before she pushed herself back off it and straight towards her opponent, with a bit of help from her engines. "Would you finally shut up!"
Like a speeding bullet, her feet rocketed back towards him. She could hear the metal around his body bend and crack as her soles dug into the flesh of the creature only for it to be flung across the street like it was nothing. Her feet hadn’t even really touched the ground before she already started to spin her Driver again.
\ Maximum Charge! /
With inhuman speed, she rushed towards her opponent, fist glowing in the bright light. She pretty much shoved it into his face and cemented it into the ground with terrifying speed before he was also consumed by the explosion.
When the dust around both their opponents had settled, they revealed two quite familiar faces. A punk Phoenix remembers just well enough to sigh, Napalm and a girl in a Crystal Prep uniform, Suri Polomare. But what caught their attention, even more, was what laid next to them magic Discs.
“What?”
“Oh, seems like you are already done. And I thought this would keep you busy for a bit longer. But it can’t be helped,” a voice Phoenix immediately knew said, stepping out of the remains of the entrance, Platinum Shadow. Around his waist was his Driver and in his hand… A Philosopher Stone. With unerring casualness, the Disc was placed into the Driver and spun.
\ DETECTING PHILOSOPHER STONE! /
\ DISSOLVE! /
The Dark Rider was covered in a black whirlwind that shattered the remaining glass around them, the police cars and even the other side of the street. Before them stood a figure clad in black armor, mirroring Alchemy’s. The gold of his armor had been replaced with white, and two red eyes glared back at them. Two axes had disappeared in his hands, each decorated with three gems of differing colors.
It was as if the air had suddenly turned into ice, no one dared to move or speak a word. That short peace was however quickly interrupted by Alkahest dashing forward towards Alchemy and bringing down one of his axes. Phoenix immediately pushed his arms in a shielding position above himself, blocking the swing right under his arm. Still, the strength that with what Alkahest pushed down the bladed weapon was immense, slowly pushing him further and further towards the ground.
If he wasted any more time, he would be crushed under his strength, but there was still a way. With a sly grin behind his helmet, he manifested two seals on the arms of Alkahest, barely visible from his point of view. Then came the flick… and then nothing. Just nothing, no thunder, no lightning no agonizing scream from Platinum, just nothing.
But before that could sink in a bright light rocketed towards them, one of Ocean’s blasts from her weapon. The Dark Rider simply turned his head around and stared directly in its direction. Without any urgency, he simply dropped the weapon in his other hand, the black obsidian ax falling down to the ground and the bright light had simply vanished.
The silent shock that echoed through the air was quickly covered by the crashing sound of armor against armor as Alkahest kicked Alchemy into the chest, having used the opportunity to his advantage. Phoenix felt the immense power that had slammed against his chest and the following flight he was sent on. It was like he had been the target of a battering ram, a battering ram strapped to a truck. His flight was only stopped by one of the cop cars around them, and even then he could feel and see the vehicle being yanked off the ground and landing several meters behind where it had stood before, right behind him. Every bone in his body was aking as he tried to crawl back onto his feet, a task that grew more and more agonizing the further he got.
What Phoenix had not seen was what had happened after he had been caught by the attack. Alkahest had grabbed ahold of his weapon that he had dropped once again and dash towards Ocean. She in return pretty much pushed the trigger of her gun once again in a mixture of fear and shock even if she knew this probably wouldn’t work if it hadn’t the first time. Still, this was the only thing that had sprung into her mind at that moment, and it definitely beats doing absolutely nothing.
Alkahest had already passed a quarter of the way when she had pulled the trigger and showed no sign of slowing down, no he even grew faster, throwing his other ax at her, or to be more precise directly towards the beam of magic that was heading his way. Then it happened again, the bright glow of her magic just vanished, and the only thing staring at her was Alkahest with an outstretched hand and an ax that was heading her way.
With no time left to react, she could do nothing else than to try shielding herself from the attack, something that ultimately proved rather fruitless, the ax slicing through her arms and armor she had instinctively pushed in front of her, leaving behind a small cut at the side of them and impaling itself in her shoulder. What she, however, had not expected was the fact that another, similar pain erupted in her other shoulder. As she looked closer, she could see another ax sticking out of it, just like on her other shoulder.
Through her screams of agony and pain, she did not realize that Alkahest had jumped towards her, feet first. Only as the boots of his armor pushed against her own did she notice what was transpiring. Before she was about to be pushed back, the Dark Rider grabbed ahold of his weapons and ripped them from her flesh, blood dripping through the outer shell of the armor, and she was sent crashing into a nearby building. Her armor was still holding firm, but it was about to give in, sparks erupting from her wounds and all energy used by the self-repair and healing factors of the system.
Phoenix had only been able to see the last portion of Alkahest’s assault, but he was furious. All the pain and agony he had felt was simply washed away by anger and rage. With a loud roar, he pushed himself off the ground and ran towards Alkahest who simply turned around and within a split second had dashed over to him, slicing across his chest with one of his weapons, sparks flying everywhere before repeating the process once again with his other weapon. Phoenix was about to fall to his knees when he was once again kicked into the stomach and sent into the next building.
Alkahest was about to walk towards him when another voice shouted out to him. “We have what we were looking for!” Checkbook and with him, four other people clad in cloaks.
Alkahest turned back and simply said: “Good, about time, really. We don’t have much time to waste.” With that, he simply turned on his heels and walked towards his alleys, one of which pulled out a purple Magic Disc and held it out in front of them. Within seconds a portal opened, swallowing all of them within seconds and only leaving the two defeated Corrupted and them behind on the demolished street.