Taking the medals from Isadora, Hideo flicked the Tiger Medal before slotting it into his belt. He followed with the Hawk and Grasshopper Medals, grabbing his scanner at the same time as he leaped toward the ground.
"Henshin!"
[๐๐๐๐]
[๐๐ ๐ฃ๐]
[๐น๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐]
[๐๐-๐๐ -๐น๐! ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐-๐๐ -๐น๐!]ย
Landing on both feet, Hideo broke into a sprint toward where the battle was raging. The taste of combat was already on his tongue, despite the fact that he hadn't killed a single Shuuki yet.
With his enhanced vision, he quickly picked out the same trio from before.
The familiar black-haired girl with a gun as her arm, the literal giant short-haired blonde, and the pink-haired girl.
The only difference was that they now had another fighter among them.
A woman wearing a military cap stood at the front lines, her silver hair cascading well past her waist and framing striking pink eyes.
She looked like a goddess of war.ย A Tachi blade rested in her hands, its blade carving effortlessly through the Shuuki with deadly grace, as though she had stepped straight out of Kill Bill. Every swing was swift, deliberate, and lethal.
She was good.
Like really good.
Not merely someone capable of fighting, but someone terrifyingly efficient at the highest level. There wasn't a single wasted movement in her technique. Her footwork was crisp, her balance flawless, and her body control refined to a level that could only be achieved through relentless training.
Hideo wasn't some clueless observer. He was at least above average in martial arts. Even so, he could tell immediately that she was a true beast in combat, a fully trained swordswoman.ย
"So that's Uzen Kyoukaโฆ"
One of the current Nine Chiefs of the Mato Defense Force.
Even so, something about her struck him as strange.
He couldn't see an obvious usage of any peach ability. She was cutting down Shuuki through pure swordsmanship and physical prowess alone.
"Is her power some kind of physical enhancement? Or is there something else entirely that I just can't perceive?"
Whatever the answer, there was no point dwelling on it now.
He would do exactly what he'd done beforeโhelp defend the gate without bothering to ask for permission.
The only difference this time was what came afterward.
Instead of disappearing the moment the battle ended, he'd actually try talking to them.
...Hopefully.
Slaughtering hordes of Shuuki?
Super easy. Barely an inconvenience.
Holding a normal conversation with actual people?
Now that was a real battlefield.
At his command, power surged through his legs, launching him high into the air.
Mid-flight, Hideo twisted into a clean flip before driving his foot straight into a Shuuki's face. The impact caved in its skull, shattering it instantly.
The creature hadn't even begun to fall before he was already moving.
Without the slightest pause, he flowed seamlessly into his next kill.
'Sorry, not sorry, my dear Watsons. Say hello to the devil of whatever purgatory you're headed for.'
It didn't take long for Hideo's arrival to catch the attention of those still cutting through the Shuuki horde. The pink-haired girl was the first to notice him, immediately pointing in his direction.
That alone was enough to draw everyone's eyes.
Now all of them, along with their chief, knew he had arrived.
"It's you again!" Himari shouted, her voice carrying equal parts surprise and irritation as she continued firing without missing a beat.
"Hi," Hideo replied in the gentlest tone he could manage.
He flashed her a finger heart and gave a small wave. Somehow, that only seemed to make her even angrier.
'Jeez, woman. Relax.'
'I just said hello. Is that really the reaction you're going with?'
Shrugging it off, Hideo lunged forward and seized two Shuuki by the faces before smashing them into the ground with brutal force. Bursting both bodies apart.
"Sweet dreams, you two. You won't be missed."
Then, out of nowhere, a chill crept down his spine.
He instinctively scanned his surroundings and found the source almost immediately.
Kyouka was staring directly at him.
Her narrowed eyes never left him as she effortlessly cleaved three Shuuki in half with a single swing of her blade.
For some reason, that silent, unreadable stare was far more intimidating than if she'd yelled at him.
'Yeah... that's definitely worse.'
Figuring it was better to break the awkward silence before it became unbearable, Hideo straightened his posture, snapped into a crisp salute, and called out.
"Nice to meet you, Chief Uzen! Kamen Rider OOO, at your service!"
He finished his introduction by driving a kick straight into the stomach of an approaching Shuuki.
"..."
Kyouka offered no response.
She continued cutting through everything with unshakable composure, her blade thrusting, slicing, and dismantling every Shuuki that entered her reach. Around them, the giant blonde's gigantic footsteps shook the ground as she crushed Shuukis beneath her feet, while relentless gunfire continued elsewhere, tearing apart anything reckless enough to wander into its sights.
The silence only grew more awkward.
...Yeah.
Keeping quiet is probably the better option.
With a single thought, Hideo extended his claws, charging straight into the heart of the horde.
He tore through everything in his path, ripping, slashing, and shattering Shuuki one after another without slowing for even a moment. Anything standing before him was nothing more than another body waiting to be torn apart.
***
Kyouka wasn't standing around either as Hideo deliberately charged toward the area where the Shuuki were most heavily concentrated.
"So it really was him."
Kyouka looked toward the path the Kamen Rider had taken, now certain he was the same person who had appeared in Yamanashi and the one her squad had encountered previously. His appearance perfectly matched what she had seen during the meeting and in the official reports sent to her.
Stepping on the corpse of a Shuuki she had just killed, she kicked it hard enough to send it bouncing away.
Her eyes scanned the place before she spotted the perfect Shuuki to use.
"Time to find out what you actually are, Kamen Rider."
She remarked to herself as she tapped her shoulder and let out a small groan while stretching her body.
Planting her foot firmly into the ground, she shattered the earth beneath her before launching herself onto the Shuuki's back in a single leap.
The Shuuki immediately bucked and struggled in a futile attempt to throw her off. Kyouka merely snickered and raised her free hand before thrusting it toward the creature's neck.
"Time to submit!" she shouted as she seized the Shuuki's neck in an iron grip.
In that instant, chains and a collar materialized around the creature's throat.
The once-feral, rampaging Shuuki suddenly froze.
Its violent nature vanished like a bursting bubble. Its movements changed, and its hostility dropped from one hundred to zero.
It simply stood there, obedient, embodying perfect calmness as it waited like a tamed beast for its master's next command, like a puppet whose limbs and freedom were controlled by invisible strings.
"Now that's better." Kyouka smirked, nodding in satisfaction before lifting her gaze toward her squadmates. "Shushu! You and Himari handle everything here at the gate!"
Shushu lowered her head, her eyes shining as she flashed a confident grin while maintaining her giant form. She nodded in agreement.
"You got it, Chief!" Shushu called back. "Leave it to us!"
From the jeep, Himari gave a sharp nod, a small smile forming on her face.
"Like she said. Leave it to us, Chief!"
After confirming everything with her Unit, Kyouka turned her attention back to the tamed Shuuki beneath her. With a single command from her, the creature surged forward in the same direction the Kamen Rider had taken moments earlier.
As the wind whipped through her silver hair, Kyouka's expression grew even sharper.
"It's time to see what that guy is really capable ofโฆ"
She silently murmured to herself as the Shuuki carried her forward without showing any signs of slowing down.
***
Standing in the center of an encircling Shuukis, Hideo lowered himself into a crouch, claws extended from both hands, itching to tear everything apart.
"Oh boy... you idiots are about to enter a world of pain," Hideo grinned beneath his helmet as the Shuukis surged toward him.
He braced himself to meet them head-on.
Then, without warning, several Shuuki lost their heads.
Having been too focused on the horde in front of him, Hideo was a moment too late to notice the culprit.
Having said that, the answer came charging straight into view.
Silver hair whipped in the wind.
A tachi gleamed in one hand.
Beneath her feet rode a Shuuki.
Kyouka had arrived, barging into the fun.
She was noticeably different from before.
Not because of Kyouka herself, but because of what she had brought with her.
This time, she wasn't simply fighting on foot. She stood atop a Shuuki, gripping chains connected to a collar fastened tightly around its neck.
The Shuuki moved beneath her like some kind of chained slave that is completely obedient to its master.
'Is she really riding a Shuuki?'
'Yeah... I'm not imagining things.'
'She actually has a Shuuki as her mount.'
Hideo inwardly thought and kept to himself.
"We have things we need to sort out," Kyouka said, her back facing Hideo as they looked in opposite directions. "But for now... don't slow me down."
She tilted her head slightly, a calm confident smile forming on her beautiful face as she casually rested her tachi across her shoulder.
Hideo blinked behind his mask.
For some reason, hearing those words only fired him up even more.
"Don't worry. I won't let you down!" he declared eagerly. "I, Kamen Rider OOO, will bring justice!"
Kyouka tightened her grip on her tachi.
Standing near one another, the two of them fixed their eyes on the approaching Shuuki that glared back with unrestrained hostility.
Without another word, they shifted into their stances and advanced together.
Two people.
A horde of Shuuki surrounded them.
In that instant, their minds aligned, syncing flawlessly.
Raising her voice, Kyouka shouted,
"Now, count up your sins and meet your maker!"
***
Shikoku walked through one of the quieter places in Mato, with no particular destination in mind. There was nothing pressing to attend to for now.
Stretching her arms above her head, she let her gaze wander over the massive spikes and distorted structures that pierced the landscape. The terrain was as bleak as ever, jagged and unnatural, yet strangely beautiful in its own twisted way.
Shikoku whispered a delicate song, gently stroking the snake coiled around her neck.ย
A faint smile tugged at her lips. She licked them absentmindedly, resting a finger against her mouth.
Thenโ
The wind shifted.
It wasn't gradual. It was abrupt. Intentional.
Shikoku's eyes narrowed as the atmosphere changed in an instant.
Someone was here.
She lifted her gaze to the sky.
Something was falling.
Red feathers drifted down in clusters, descending slowly and gracefully toward the ground. She raised her hand and caught one between her fingers. It was crimson, streaked faintly with green along its edges.
Before her, a red banner was unfurled.
Then another.
And another.
Silk-like cloth cascaded from the elevated structures around them, appearing from nowhere, swaying gently in the altered wind like a stage prepared for a grand entrance.
Her smile faded into something sharper.
"Whoever you are," Shikoku called out calmly, her voice slicing through the silence. "Come out."
"Well, if you insist."
A woman's voice answered from somewhere above her.
Shikoku lifted her gaze.
She was seated atop a large boulder, legs crossed as though she were lounging in her own private garden. Long black hair cascaded down her back, and a mask concealed her face. She wore a black dress that fluttered lightly in the altered wind.
She was looking down at Shikoku.
"How insolent."
Shikoku would have loved to teach her a lesson for such disrespect. But for now, she would tolerate it.
"Yoohoo~ We're always seeing each other from afar, but never this close," she said, her tone dripping with amusement. "Our dear stalker~~"
"What an unruly nickname you've given me," Shikoku replied smoothly, covering her mouth gracefully."You should feel honored to even be perceived by a divine being such as myself."
"Wow, I'm terrified," she said flatly. "What if you smite me like that lunatic Zeus? Please forgive me, Goddess-sama~~"
Their laughter rang out almost in unison.
Soft. Light.
Utterly insincere.
Then Shikoku's smile thinned.
Her eyes sharpened.
The air between them grew heavy.
"Stop with that sarcastic tone, you arrogant fool," Shikoku said, slowly licking her fingertip.ย
They held each other's gaze in silence.
One second.
Two.
The air thickened, tension coiling between them like a drawn blade waiting to fall.
At last, the masked woman broke it.
"Well, it would be rude if we didn't introduce ourselves, right?" she said lightly.
Shikoku let out a small snort at her attempt at civility, but decided to indulge her.
"My name is Shikoku," she declared proudly. "One of the Eight Thunder Gods."
The woman tilted her head.
"Thunder Gods?"
"To bless your ears and remedy your ignorance," Shikoku said, her voice smooth and deliberate. "We are beings destined to bring ruin upon humanity itself. We are divine arbiters of judgment, chosen to cleanse this world of its decay."
A faint smile curved her lips.
"And you stand before one of them."
"Heh. Gods, huh? With how much stalking you've done, are you sure you're not the Eight Voyeurs?" she teased, a low chuckle escaping her lips.
"I have already given you my name," Shikoku said coldly. "What about yours? At least then I will remember what to call the ant I crush."
"Glad you asked, cutie~" she replied playfully and coughed once.
With a snap of her fingers, she shifted her legs, brushing a strand of hair back into place as though she were on a stage prepared just for her.
"My name is Ankh," she declared.
Now that Shikoku stood this close, she could hear it.
The faint crackle of flames burning somewhere within the woman. The subtle sound of medals shifting beneath flesh. Like a container forced into something that was never meant to restrain.
And when Shikoku looked deeperโ
She froze.
Her existence.
It was in absolute disarray. Twisted in ways that defied reason. It was nothing short of a miracle that she was even capable of surviving in this state.
"You really shouldn't stare at people like that, you know~" Ankh chimed, her tone light, almost teasing.
Shikoku's gaze remained fixed on her.
"What manner of being are you?" she asked, bewilderment threaded through her voice.
It seemedโฆ
She was going to have a very interesting relationship with this particular woman.