//------------------------------// // Volume 5: For I am a Knight and a Kamen Rider // Story: The Eternal Blaze: Vicariously for Vengeance // by The Bricklayer //------------------------------// Twilight’s fists thundered against the punching bag, sweat beading down her face in thick droplets. Her toned arms were like lightning, moving in a blur as they slammed her fists into the punch bag. “So he is as tough as we have heard,” Izu noted, surveying the damage from her and Twilight’s fight with Falchion. “This may prove difficult in future encounters.” “No kidding!” Twilight said as her armor burned away from her in cinders. “He totally tanked everything we threw at him!” “I will do what I can to analyze the battle for future encounters,” Izu said simply. “Every fighter has a weakness, it is simply a matter of finding it.” “You’re… you’ve got spirit. For a humagear I mean,” Twilight said hoping that didn’t sound too racist. “...but I’m not sure he has a weakness. I’ve been fighting him for a while, I’ve barely been able to make him stumble. He just keeps on coming.” Izu tilted her head a little as she went over the options in her head. “Option 1, Boxing technique referred to as Rope a Dope. Utilized by Muhammed Ali by using defensive stances in order to tire out an opponent.” Twilight vaguely remembered Izu doing some boxing maneuvers in her fight against Sombra. The punches had come fast and furious, at simply impossible speed. If it were a human performing those punches… She shuddered unconsciously. They might have torn their arms apart, shredding their muscles. “Are you alright, Ms. Sparkle? I detected a sudden spike in your readings,” Izu commented. “Yeah, just… just reminded of how scary you guys would be if you ever rose up against us,” Twilight admitted. “Like, uh, wow. If I were to ever punch at that speed, I’d be in the hospital. Yet you never even looked tired.” “I am not human, therefore I am not bound by such limits,” Izu replied simply. “Yeah…” Twilight nodded with a nervous swallow, still rather shocked by what had just transpired. There was Falchion, apparently boasting he could remove the very concept of pain. Before, she would have thought it just simple bragging. But now? Watching him stand several finishers she was inclined to believe him.  “If Falchion is human, then he must have an upper threshold,” Izu added. “I will do what I can to help you figure out what that is.” “I mean, he must!” Twilight nodded in agreement. “But… but how can you stop someone who can erase simple concepts?” Izu paused a moment as if she was thinking about it. “I do not know, not with the information we have currently.” “As you said, he must have an upper limit. There… there has to be a catch, right?” Twilight theorized. “He can’t do it all of the time right? It might require laser focus concentration. ...which speaks to his skills as a fighter really, if he’s able to keep his focus in the heat of battle.” “I will study what I can of similar combat styles, perhaps that will give us some insight,” Izu suggested. “T-Thank you…” Twilight nodded. Maybe at last there was light. Her fists continued thundering against the punching bag, before she had to stop and take a breather. Grabbing her water bottle, she took a relieving sip. “Duuuuuuude, did you hear about the attack on Hiden Industries?” Lemon said to her over drinks that night. “...Please tell me you weren’t there? Like I saw it on the news. Some crazy rando in armor decided to break in. Nobody even has an idea even why!” “I was hiding under my desk,” Twilight lied. “I heard the commotion, but I didn’t get a good look at the guy.” “Man…” Lemon muttered. “World’s gone crazy. Like, what did he even want? Was he one of those anti-humagear guys? Those people from Humanity First?” “Possibly?” Twilight lied again, she hated keeping the truth from Lemon. But it was for her own safety. “Like, I don’t know. Like, the only thing I saw was people rushing out of the building. I was trying not to be seen.” “Yeah, good plan. Chances are you’d be thought of as a ‘traitor to humanity’ or something like that,” Lemon mused with a roll of her eyes. “Gee, thanks for the nightmares!” Twilight scoffed. “Did you hear though?” Lemon asked. “Apparently there was a Kamen Rider or two on the scene. Like two of them! Man, if it weren’t for the fact that nut in armor was there… How much do you want to bet he works for Shocker? Like I can’t think of anyone else he might be working for, not since Foundation X went under. They’re hugely into body mods right?” “Please!” Twilight mocked. “Shocker is *soooo* last century!” “I dunno, they seem to keep coming back. Like full on Hydra type deals, as in cut off one head and two more grow back!” Lemon shook her head. “I dunno man… Where do you think they’re at now? Super Nova Mega Shocker this time? How many names have they gone through by this point?” “Too many to count!” Twilight laughed before snarking: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. So what does that say about Shocker?” “That they’re not composed of Einsteins?” Lemon suggested and the bar descended into laughter. Unable to help herself, Twilight poured the rest of the bottle over her head letting cool refreshing waters soak her. The liquid cascaded down her body, soaking into her tank top and washing sweat away. Nearby, her Brave Dragon ridebook peeked out of her bag with it’s red spine distinct to the eye. An umbrella rested up against a bench, obviously Rekka under a simple disguise.  On the news, a newscaster from CNN reported on The Gutenberg Museum receiving several found copies of ancient texts. In the back of her mind, a possibility nagged at her. But so did an earlier warning. That if she didn’t stop, someone would come to stop her.  Twilight tested 02’s blade, feeling it for herself as she slashed at the air. It wasn’t Rekka, but it wasn’t a bad sword. “Are you interested in that, Ms. Sparkle?” Izu asked from behind her. “Why lime green?” Twilight had to ponder looking over the blade. Her face was reflected in it’s steel. “It’s so… so bright.” Izu blinked and tilted her head for a moment. “That information is not in my files. It was an aesthetic choice I believe. In that respect, I must ask you, why red?” “Fair enough…” Twilight admitted. “So, what have you found?” “I have studied Falchion’s fighting style from the fight with him as well as what you were able to tell me,” Izu answered. “As you said he appears to attack relentlessly, it is a style that is difficult for a normal human to do. I am unsure of what his threshold is just yet, but I believe that regardless of how high it is, it cannot handle a prolonged fight, but I do not know how long it would take.” “So you’re just saying I have to outlast him?” Twilight theorized.  “Yes, that is exactly what I am saying,” Izu tilted her head. “But again, I do not know for how long.” “Thanks for the vote of confidence…” Twilight drawled. Apparently, Izu missed her snark. “But I did not vote for anything,” Izu replied. “A vote of confidence is a vote showing that a majority continues to support the policy of a leader or governing body. There is no governing body here.” “That was sarcasm, Iz,” Twilight said, still in a deadpan. “Oh, I see. Sarcasm. The use of irony to mock or convey contempt,” Izu replied. “I shall have to study this, and add it to my abilities.” “I’d like to see that!” Twilight laughed. “There is one other thing that may give you an advantage,” Izu commented. “An aggressive, relentless combat style does have one weakness. Because it relies heavily on a strong offense, it has a weak defense, if you can catch Falchion off guard or hold off against the assault long enough, it may be enough to give you an opening.” “Yeah, that… that makes sense,” Twilight mused. “I did notice when you fought him that the longer you fought him the less easy it became to defend against his attacks. You were wearing him out.” “Yes, but you will need to replicate that,” Izu commented. “That will require more training and preparation. I will do what I can to help with that. I can… replicate some of Sombra’s moves, some of them that I have spotted and studied.” Twilight let out a low whistle. “I gotta ask, why are you so skilled at fighting? You’re just Aruto’s secretary. You’re… please forgive me, little more than a glorified maid. At least in programming.” “I was programmed to be prepared for anything, and once the need arose I was able to adapt and prepare for when it was needed,” Izu replied. “The benefits of foresight, I guess?” Twilight shrugged. “One of these days I am going to ask how you got your belt. One of these days.” “But not right now, I assume,” Izu said, picking up the progrise hopper blade. In a perfect monotone, she continued with: “Now, as I believe they say… Have at thee.” The benefits of someone actually wanting to help her, not impede her. As the training continued, Twilight felt a distinct sense of unease settle over her. And it did not go unnoticed. “Are you alright?”  “There’s a loaded question if I ever heard one,” Twilight uttered, Izu looking confused by the terminology. “...never mind, we won’t get into explaining that right now. It’s just… well, I’ve been forbidden from going after Sombra. If I do, someone from the Sword of Logos will come and… Segeta me I guess?” She shrugged. “Segeta you?” Izu asked. “I assume you are referring to Segata Sanshiro, a man in the Sega Saturn ads who would relentlessly harass and beat up the subject until they played the Saturn. If that was ever done in the real world, I must state, he would be brought up on assault charges.” Twilight snorted. “I fail to see how it is humorous.” “No, not that,” she clarified. “It’s just… Well, does Segata look familiar to you? I swear he does, like I’ve seen him somewhere before! Like, he cuts a heroic figure, I swear.” “I doubt beating up people to play a game console could be qualified as ‘heroic’,” Izu remarked. “But what bothers you? Are you afraid to go after Sombra for fear of what your comrades might do?” “Yeah, I mean… I guess?” Twilight shrugged. “I don’t want to disobey orders, it’s just…” “You feel you have to?” Izu guessed. “I believe this is where you must, as humans say, follow your heart.” Twilight’s hands gripped the handle of her sword. She was done fighting for herself, that wasn’t how a Rider did things. She was a knight and a Kamen Rider. They fought for justice, nothing else. “So… to that end…” Sombra would take more lives before he was done on his mad quest. He had to be stopped.  “I see you are making up your mind,” Izu surmised. “I see you have found what could be called your ideal.” “No, that’s not right. I found it again,” Twilight corrected her opening up a book and a portal revealing itself. It led to Germany. “It was just lost for a time. I lost my way. Now I’m going to do this right. For too long I’ve been stumbling around in the dark, time to step into the light.” “Then I wish you the best of luck,” Izu said. “Something tells me that you will need it.” “You don’t know the half of it!” Twilight knew the next page of the Codex was here. What better place to hide it than in plain sight? You see, the Gutenburg Museum held actual replicas of two original Gutenburg bibles from the 15th century amongst other valuable texts. So hidden amongst the other pages was something equally as ancient, but far more powerful. The skies were bright and sunny, clear as far as the eye could see creating a sea of endless blue. It gave quite a contrast to the dark deeds that could be committed with the Codex’s power. “Knowing Sombra, given he’s as smart as I am… well, maybe not that smart but knowing how intelligent he is…” Twilight trailed off in thought. “He’s probably worked out the exact same thing I have. I don’t have long.” And there were way too many guests for her liking. Too many people to get caught up in the crossfire and the clash of blades.  “Sombra may believe in civilian casualties, but I don’t!” she continued to think. “I won’t let him hold this place hostage!” She spotted the fire alarm up against a wall. “Never pull unless in case of emergencies right?” the knight mused. “Well, if this doesn’t count I don’t know what does!” Placing herself carefully up against the wall, she eyed the security guards making sure nobody had eyes on her. And when she was sure nobody was watching… Twilight pulled it. The alarm rang out clear and true, blaring and impossibly loud as crowds began scattering for the exits. Slipping behind closed doors, Twilight evaded being caught up in the hurricane of motion. Striding down the empty corridors as the thunder of footsteps came from outside, Twilight began inspecting every exhibit. She ran her fingers across the glass all the while clutching her geode. Cameras suddenly found themselves non-functional and guards began looking the other way. It was all too easy just to investigate each and every page on display. No luck so far, but she’d know when she found it. “I don’t have long, they’re already moving pages out to trucks,” the woman thought. “They’ll work out this is a false alarm sooner or later, so I have to move fast.” Her eyes widened as she came to a large room, skylight filtering sunlight down like an angelic halo over the center of the room. On a plinth, behind glass was the object of her quest. “...well, that was easy,” Twilight thought to herself even as smoke appeared from out of vents and began enveloping her. In her head, faint alarm bells were beginning to ring. “Like I thought, plain sight!” She moved to smash the glass, before she heard the whistling of air and raised Rekka to block another blade. Sombra? No, this was worse. “What’d I tell you?” Vinyl asked, clutching Suzune, the Gun-Blade of Echoes in her hand. Implanted in the ground, off to the side was the Rapier of Mists Noroshi. “You should have backed off Twi, let the rest of us handle this. Now I have to come and stop you.” “This is ridiculous!” Twilight whispered antstly. “We’re wasting time fighting amongst ourselves. Sombra’s coming for this page you know!” “I’ll handle him when he arrives,” Vinyl said. “Relax girl, you don’t need to be trippin’. I’m as trained as you are. But you’re busted, so why don’t you just sit back so this DJ doesn’t have to spin you right around.” “So we’re fighting then, is that it?” “Well, if you don’t clear the dance floor…” Vinyl remarked. “I’ll be having to bust some moves on you. Take my advice. Go home. Unless you want to get served!” “Hate to break it to you, but I have a promise to keep. To my master. I swore I’d stop Sombra,” Twilight replied. “And I can’t have any of you getting caught in the crossfire.” “It’s revenge then?” Vinyl asked, one hand on her pocket and ready to pull out her ridebooks even as smoke and mist swirled around the two at their feet. “...hardly the behavior of a knight!” “Justice, there’s a difference,” Twilight said. “I’m doing this so no more lives will be lost. Yeah, it was revenge at first. I admit that. But I remembered how worthless of a cause that is. I was lost for a while, but now I’ve found my way again.” “Cute, nice speech,” Vinyl replied, resting Suzune over her shoulder. Twilight knew she was holding back, avoiding using Noroshi unless she absolutely had to. Smoke angrily breathed out from the blade, almost as if it sensed its owners emotions. “But as I said, you gotta clear the dance floor. This is your last warning, because I don’t want to be the bouncer and throw you out. That’d just ruin the party, you dig?” “And this is your last warning,” Twilight replied. “I don’t want to have to hurt you.” “And neither do I…” Vinyl sighed and for a moment Twilight thought she was stepping aside. Then she tossed a purple ride book in the air, and let it land in a spin into a slot on her sword. “...but you leave me with no choice! Drop the beat, Suzune! Henshin!” Fire the Gun-Sword! Go! Go! With the gun! No! Go forward with the sword!/Going with the sword! Gun-Sword of Sound, Suzune!” the blade proclaimed even as lights enveloped Vinyl before she stepped out in her armor. “The sugary enchanted gun-sword slices and dices by the beat of the sweet rhythm!” Her armor was as sweet as it was said to be, covered in candy with her shoulder pads resembling a gingerbread house. Fitting, considering the fairy tale Vinyl drew from really. Her sword echoed with the squeal of an electric guitar as she slashed forwards. Twilight reeled back as she realized she had no choice but to defend herself. “So be it! This is what we’ve really come towards is it? Drawing blades against the other?” “Rekka battou! The Loving Dragon! The Valorous Dragon! The Proud Dragon! Emotional Dragon! Divine Beasts, Unite! These feelings are overflowing...!” Holding the sword to her lips like a flute, she blew on it and waves of sound battered Twilight nearly slamming her into the floor. But she stood against the storm, striding forwards. Blade met blade, sparks flying before Vinyl retreated. Leaping atop one of the display cases, she leapt down in an attempt to slash through armor with her sword at the ready.  Twilight ducked under the slash before meeting another strike with her own blade.  “Your heartsong is all out of whack, I can hear it,” Vinyl remarked. “It’s erratic, barely a tune.” “Yeah, because I’m fighting you,” Twilight replied. “We’re not meant to do this, draw swords against the other.” “And yet we do…” Vinyl admitted as they locked blades, sounding surprisingly somber. “Be careful Twilight… My blade's got a different rhythm compared to all of the others!” Twilight twisted her wrist, attempting to disarm Vinyl even as she forced her blade down. But no such luck, and she received an elbow to the face for her troubles. The Swordswoman of Sound spun, her blade still squealing as she slashed into Twilight’s armor over and over again. Sparks flew even as Suzune ripped into crimson metal, Vinyl still whirling around like a human hurricane. Twilight knew she had to act fast, swapping out her shield for more offensive power. Her gauntlet let out a cry of: “Spicy!” even as it blew out a stream of flames. Vinyl vanished into the flames, but as the firestorm died away a wall of brick had sprung up between Twilight and her target. The flames began to die, sprinklers spraying water to calm the blaze and quell the raging inferno. From behind the bricks leaped Vinyl, now bearing a shield of red brick on her right arm. Caught in her surprise, Twilight was unable to dodge the slash and Suzune cut through her armor once more. Thinking fast, she shoved another book into her gauntlet. “One reading! Frozen Princess Castle! Flame spicy!” But instead of flames, she breathed out ice and snow and Vinyl’s armor was encased in frost. Finding it impossible to move, she realized how open to attack she really was. “Two reading! Kaenken Rekka! Mix spicy!” Even as hotter fire came over Vinyl like a wave, Twilight found herself under attack. Two copies of the Swordswoman of Sound came at her from either side blades drawn. One bore a shield of straw, the other of sticks. Twilight let out a shout of pain even as she blocked one blade with her elbow and the other with her own sword. Slash #2 kicked her in the stomach while #3 slammed her fist into her helmet with a powerful right hook. Before anything else could happen, both vanished into green mist as the original broke free of her confinement. Twilight knew she had very little time to react and readied a finisher of her own. “Then I guess I’ll have to huff, and I’ll have to puff, and I'll have to blow your house in!” Twilight uttered to herself as she slammed in another book. “Three reading! Daiyokozuna Kinzaburou! Dragonic spicy!” The two powerful finishers collided, the end result blowing both knights backwards in a wave of energy... Vinyl was the first to regain her footing, shoving Suzune into the ground as she slid backwards ripping up the tile floor. She saw that Twilight had much the same idea and soon both were standing. “Okay, so you want me?” Twilight asked using Peter Fantasia in one quick movement as vines wrapped themselves around her fellow knight. “...you’re going to have to come and get me.” In another quick movement, she’d retrieved the Codex page smashing through the glass and was out through a side door. Slashing apart the vines, Vinyl chased after her before switching Suzune to it’s gun form. Firing several shots, the walls began to close in. As Twilight ducked under one shot, she kicked out with her foot sending metal shelving toppling on top of Vinyl. As the DJ pulled herself out of the wreckage, she continued her pursuit still firing. Another series of metal shelving came crashing down via a shove from Twilight, and slowed her roll. Vinyl was forced to leap over the wreckage legs splayed wide like David Lee Roth at one of his concerts. Barely in the air for a minute, she touched ground again and the chase resumed. She saw the crimson and white armor of Twilight round a corner. Once again, ice sprang up between the two. “She’s not even trying to fight me!” Vinyl realized. “She’s just trying to stop me while she gets away. If she was really wanting to go all out, and clash blades with me… I might not be able to stop her. She’s holding back, she really doesn’t want to fight me…” Smashing through the ice with a shoulder charge, Vinyl switched ridebooks. The tale of Urataros called to her, and throwing her arm back a fishing rod materialized on it in a shower of water. “Sorry Twi, but I’m going to have to reel you in…” Letting the fishing line wrap around Twilight’s leg, she gave a tug and the knight crashed to the floor. With another tug, Vinyl pulled her close. Then, sparks caught and the line burned away. Twilight was off again, but not for long as another fishing line wrapped around her arm. Vinyl tugged again, and Twilight slammed into a wall cracking it. She began to be pulled closer and closer. The Swordswoman of Flames slashed with Rekka cutting the line in two. She blocked shots from Suzune deflecting every shot easily. Escaping out another side exit, she ascended up some stairs. VInyl followed, switching her weapon back into it’s sword form spinning it in her hand. As she ran, she threw her arm out to the side with Suzune slashing through air. The two clashed blades atop the roof, meeting and breaking away every so often again and again. Sparks flew. Twilight ducked under a slash, before kicking Vinyl in the shin. The Swordswoman of Sound hopped around in pain, before recovering. Blades met again, metal grinding against metal.  Twilight broke away from Vinyl, spinning around so that the pommel of her blade would smash into Vinyl’s helm. Her fellow Rider staggered, before shoving a fist into Twilight’s stomach. Spinning her blade in her hand, Vinyl struck Twilight again. The knight staggered and Vinyl elbowed her in the face. Next, she grabbed her and shoved the woman into an air conditioning unit. “Please stop, I don’t want to do this,” Vinyl said, charging up a finisher. “I hate this dance floor.” Twilight ducked under the finisher letting it smash through the air conditioner. “Same, and I want to stop this duel. Form a Parley. You know why I’m doing this, so please… just go.” And before Vinyl could answer, there was an explosion and the roof gave way… Storious chuckled as he watched the news begin to feed out of Germany. Rider VS Rider.  “Those fools are so caught up in their personal squabbles they never have time to realize what was unfolding beneath their very noses.” Then, a glow caught his attention and he watched as the Codex pages and Jaou Dragon began to merge… “So, it seems his long awaited plan is starting to come together,” the devil-like megid mused. “Now let us see if it blossoms and bears fruit.” His sickly green eyes drifted towards the book, it’s title just now becoming visible. For however brief a moment, he could see the final page of this story. “Oh, now this is interesting…” As the dust cleared, the dark phoenix rose from the ashes. “Sombra!” Twilight hissed out. “Draw sword! Eternal Phoenix! Void! The jet-black sword returns to nothing.” Sombra’s belt practically growled out even as his armor formed around him from dark flame. “As ever, you can be relied upon to make my job easy for me,” the Eternal Swordsman mused. “You fight amongst yourselves, never realizing my presence until it is too late. The Swords of Logos and their ‘justice’ are such a farce.” He strode forwards raising his arms to the sky. “So, what will you do? Stop me… or fight some more? It’s clear you have some issues to work out,” he chuckled. “Hardly the behavior of a proper knight. Honestly, the Sword of Logos these days has gone so downhill.” Vinyl recovered, blasting him a few times with gunfire from Suzune.  “There, that’s more like it!” Sombra chuckled, drawing his sword and letting it blaze with dark fire. “That raw determination, that’s what I like! Maybe there’s hope for you yet!” Vinyl switched modes, locking blades with him.  “Vinyl…” Twilight whispered, picking herself up out of the rubble. She’d lost sight of the Codex page, that… was concerning.  “...run. Get out of here. I’ll handle him.” Vinyl slides away, switching modes again and firing from the hip. Sombra very easily deflected her shots with his sword. “Yes, run. Run away in fear, run away in despair against my might,” Sombra chuckled. “You’re not who I even want to fight anyways.” He shoulder-charged her, and sent her slamming into a pillar.  “You’re not even worth my time, Swordswoman of Sound. This modern incarnation of the Swords of Logos…” Sombra mused. “They’re so disappointing.” Vinyl locked blades with him. “Oh shut up. Yeah, we get it. You’re so superior, you sound like a broken record at this point.” Twilight joined the blade lock, two swords holding back the darkness now. “I’m starting to agree!” “Rekka battou! The name of the divine beast handed down is! Crimson Dragon! Three Rekka Books! The crimson sword pierces evil and burns everything!” “We can’t fight him in here,” Twilight instructed as the two knights pushed him back with slash after slash. “Not… not with all of these rare texts around! We’d risk burning them to ashes.” “I have an idea!” Vinyl said, pulling out another book before tossing it up in the air and letting it land on her blade. “Let’s get shakin’! Time to rock this town!” “Bremen no Rock Band! Tin music movement! A sweet and charming bayonet cuts the beat with a strange rhythm!” A pure blast of sound pushed Sombra into an open portal, and soon he was in the middle of a square. All around him, downtown Hamburg bustled with life as car horns honked. Vinyl knew it wasn’t ideal but she couldn’t think up anything better on such short notice. Her sword out to her side, she advanced on her opponent before slashing through his armor. Or, at least attempting to. Despite several slashes and strikes, no real damage seemed to be done. With a war cry, Twilight leaped out from behind Vinyl with sword ablaze. She struck, a pole erupting from her forearm and slamming into Sombra. He flew through the air, smashing through a building and crashing onto a rooftop on the other side. Twilight landed next to him, charging forth and they locked blades several times. But even as they dueled, another portal opened up behind Sombra. He was so focused on the opponent in front of him he didn’t see it. And Twilight kicked him through it. With a crash, Sombra found himself in a deep dark forest. They dueled in the shadow of the sun, under green leaves and in white snow. Footprints were left behind as the duel progressed deeper into the forest.  Snow melted with every strike, the flames burning bright. Sombra spun, nailing Twilight with the pommel of his blade. Then a punch to the gut. The one two made her stagger, before she was kicked into a tree. “Timber!” Sombra laughed as the pine toppled like a domino. “Now a riddle. If a Rider falls in the forest, and nobody hears it, does she really fall?” A loud screech cut through the forest as Sombra scanned a book. A pure black horse with dead eyes galloped on by and he leaped up onto it’s back.  Twilight, after a swift recovery, leaped up onto an enchanted steed of her own coming from 1001 mystical tales. Upon horseback they dueled, blades meeting again and again. Their horses leaped over a fallen log, and even as Twilight gripped the reigns with one hand she dueled with her other. She slashed wide, Sombra ducking under the strike. His own sword blazed with flame, and Twilight’s horse galloped away in fear. As the crimson-armored warrior struggled to get her horse back under control, she had to dive as flames rushed over her head. A steady stream of fire was erupting from Sombra’s blade, burning timberland to ash. “Smokey the Bear won’t be very happy with you!” Twilight shot back at him, finally managing to get her horse back under control. She neared him, and again they locked blades. With a thrust of her elbow, Twilight slammed it into Sombra’s helmet. With a crash, he fell off his horse and into the snow below. Twilight leaped off her steed as it turned to paper and changed forms slightly. “Tornado Dragon Eagle! Extra Book! Kobuta 3 Kyoudai! Tornado Dragon Eagle! Two Rekka Books! A raging pterosaur that burns everything with a hellish flame!” “Well, let’s hope those long hours of Minecraft amount to something…” Twilight uttered, and with a wave of her sword summoned apparitions of three brothers. Around Sombra, they constructed a homely little place. But then, tornado winds battered it. “And I’m going to be huffing, and puffing, and blowing you away!” Twilight said as she waved her sword like a wand, sweeping away the dark knight. Gunshots echoed throughout the forest, bullets piercing the Eternal Swordsman’s side. From out behind a tree stepped Vinyl. Spinning her weapon in her hand, she blew some smoke off Suzune like an Old West gunfighter. “I even have a big iron on my hip, imagine that!” Leaping down into the clearing she changed Suzune into it’s sword form. With a cry, she charged… Back in Mainz, two ducks searched the rubble… “Your unsightliness is hindering me. Get out of my way.” one of the megid muttered smacking his brother aside as he searched... “One of these days…” the second duckling sighed. Rubble was cast aside, bricks and mortar and wood but a hindrance. Soon, the object of their quest would become visible… “Well, I’m no Segata Sanshiro, but I bet I’m good enough to kick your ass!” Vinyl grinned under her helmet, raising her blade above her head and slashing down. Sombra slid backwards in the snow, still gripping Kyomu in his hand. “No words? Nothing?” Vinyl said slashing down again. “I guess you’re not contributing anything to this song. So forgive me while I do a solo act.” “Sounds like you’re going for an early encore…” Sombra said before stabbing her in the stomach with his blade. Bremen No Rock Band fell to the snow with her sword. Vinyl’s armor turned a distinct ashy grey color as energy drained, it flashing away at times to reveal a dark-veined twisted parody of her. Her life was beginning to leave her and Sombra cackled in the moment. “Do not grieve for your own passing,” Sombra said. “Your life energy is going towards a greater cause. Mine.” “NO!” Twilight shouted, slashing him through the shoulder. For the first time, Sombra gave a cry of pain and crimson blood pooled in the snow below. Twilight’s eyes widened, even as she supported her fellow knight. She was weak, but still alive. “He’s as mortal as you or I while performing that technique. He’s… human. But I can’t risk him doing that again to Vinyl. I have to find another way. ...what was it that Izu said? Oh yes. Rope a dope!” She took a distinctly defensive posture even as in a rage Sombra went into a flurry of slashes. She kept her guard up, even as it became evident Sombra was tiring. The blood loss beginning to catch up with him perhaps? Her soul blazed, and so did her sword. “Alright you bastard…” Twilight hissed out in her head. “No more! No more. You’ve taken enough lives, caught up enough people in your twisted scheme.” And then, with one powerful slash downwards she directed her blade to Sombra’s already injured shoulder. He let out a cry of pain, a roar of rage as the blade sliced into his skin. “DAMN YOU!” His voice was thunderous in it’s fury. “No… the only one damned here is… you!” another voice said, Vinyl summoning the last of her strength to shoot Sombra in the shoulder several times. Then, she slipped into a faint. Taking advantage of his shock, Twilight ran Sombra through with her blade slashing him through the stomach. Sombra finally recovered, whirling around to meet Rekka with Kyomu.  The blades crackled with magical energy, the air thick with power. They broke away, the two knights sliding back in the snow. With a roar, Sombra charged before Twilight leaped over his head. She grabbed the fallen book, and added it’s power to her own form. Musical instruments erupted from Twilight’s armor, magenta replacing red. She slammed her blade into her driver, before drawing it again in a finisher. “Brave Dragon, Storm Eagle, Bremen no Rock Band! Sansatsu Geki! F-F-F-Fire!” Animals piled atop Sombra. First a donkey, then a dog, then a cat and finally a rooster. And then… a dragon. All crushed Sombra into the ground with powerful force. And a slash from Twilight’s sword finished the job shattering armor. Sombra’s driver flew off him, his ride book flying into a bush. Finally, she’d managed to cancel out his transformation. “So, now do you think I can’t defeat you?” Twilight asked, looming over him. “No, but on the off chance I’m wrong…” Sombra chuckled, pointing behind her. Twilight whirled around to see a megid resembling the legendary Medusa holding Vinyl. “If you don’t want a new stone statue for your garden…” Sombra said, collecting his driver and book. “...I’d suggest you’d let me go.” Twilight just spat at him. “Riders these days…” Sombra said, him and the medusa monster vanishing into a portal. “...so predictable.” As she helped Vinyl up, Twilight started at his retreating form. She’d been so close. But now she knew he was as human as her. Vulnerable.  “The question is… what do I do with this knowledge?” Twilight wondered as in her pocket a certain book glowed with a blue light. “And how do I take use of it without having to sacrifice anyone?”