Will be pausing my writing on this novel. Can't muster up motivation. More excited for writing A Rider Kick in Marvel Rewrite. A bit of a spoiler. Ace will be travelling to a different world. I'm also starting to write the original novel: Creating a Kamen Rider System in Another World (Placeholder title). I won't be dropping this novel, just want to finish writing my original novel first. To compensate. I will be posting two chapters of A Rider Kick in Marvel Rewrite from Mon to Fri, starting next week. I hope for your understanding.
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Haruka and Robin descended into the factory. "Batman!" Bane roared, his voice echoing through the cavernous space. "Kill him!"
Bane's henchmen surged forward, a motley crew of thugs eager to prove their worth. Blockbuster, a mountain of muscle, barely spared Haruka a glance. He was too busy sizing up Robin. A flick of Blockbuster's wrist, a grunt, and his own goons piled toward the Boy Wonder.
The factory exploded in chaos.
Haruka, as Kamen Rider Kiva, launched himself into the fray. His Kivat Belt pulsed with energy, the fanged bat emblem on his chest glowing ominously. They think I'm Bats? Fine by me. He swept his leg, knocking two thugs off their feet. The Kiva armor amplified his strength, turning ordinary kicks into devastating blows.
A hulking figure charged at him with a pipe. Kiva sidestepped the clumsy attack and grabbed the thug's arm, twisting it behind his back. A sickening crack echoed through the factory as the thug screamed. Kiva tossed him aside, turning his attention to the next wave of attackers.
Meanwhile, Robin was a whirlwind of motion. He flipped and dodged, Batarangs flashing in the dim light. One thug went down with a choked gasp, another clutched his face as a Batarang connected. Robin wasn't just relying on gadgets; his martial arts skills were sharp and precise, a dance of destruction honed by years of training.
A particularly large thug swung a chain at Robin, who ducked under it, the chain whistling past his head. Robin retaliated with a smoke pellet, momentarily obscuring the thug's vision. He followed up with a swift kick to the thug's temple, sending him crashing into a stack of crates.
Kiva spun through the battlefield, his Chain Whip extending and lashing out, ensnaring two more thugs. He yanked them together, their heads colliding with a sickening thud. They crumpled to the ground, unconscious. "Not so tough now, are ya?" Kiva taunted, his voice distorted by the Kivat helm.
A flicker of movement caught Robin's eye. Two of Bane's goons huddled near a crate, fiddling with something. He recognized the telltale signs: the frantic movements, the desperate looks. They were trying to inject themselves with Venom.
"Kiva! Venom incoming!" Robin yelled, launching a grappling hook toward the thugs.
The hook snagged one of the thug's arms, yanking him off balance. The vial of Venom slipped from his grasp, shattering on the concrete floor. Green fluid splattered everywhere, hissing and steaming slightly.
The other thug, however, managed to jam the needle into his arm. His muscles bulged, his eyes widened, and he let out a guttural roar. Before he could fully transform, Robin landed a flying kick to his chest, sending him sprawling. The thug, writhing in pain, clutched his arm as the Venom coursed through his veins. The transformation was incomplete, leaving him a grotesque parody of Bane's hulking physique.
More thugs pressed in, forcing Robin and Kiva to fight back-to-back. These guys just don't quit, Robin thought, narrowly dodging a swing from a crowbar.
Kiva unleashed a flurry of kicks, each strike sending shockwaves through the air. He moved with incredible speed, a blur of black and red against the backdrop of the chaotic factory. "Having fun yet, bird boy?" Kiva quipped, deflecting a knife with his armored forearm.
"Hilarious," Robin retorted, planting a stun grenade at the feet of a group of approaching thugs. The grenade detonated with a blinding flash and a deafening bang, sending the thugs reeling. Robin seized the opportunity, darting forward and delivering a series of precise strikes that left them groaning on the floor.
But more kept coming. They were relentless, driven by fear and the promise of power. Haruka and Robin stood their ground, a wall against the tide of violence. Each punch, each kick, each parry was a testament to their skill and determination. They knew they couldn't hold out forever, but they refused to yield. The factory was filled with the sounds of grunts, screams, and the clang of metal on metal as the two heroes fought for survival.
Midway through the relentless brawl, Blockbuster suddenly pulled back. He stood at the edge of the fray, a smirk twisting his brutish features. "Time to even the odds," he growled, pulling out a syringe filled with glowing green liquid.
Robin's eyes widened. "Venom? He's juicing up?"
Before Robin could react, Blockbuster plunged the needle into his chest. He slammed the plunger down, emptying the syringe in one swift motion. His body convulsed, muscles bulging and contorting. His skin turned a sickly shade of gray, and his eyes glowed with an unnatural intensity. Blockbuster was no longer just big; he was a monster.
Haruka felt a surge of concern. He knew the power of Venom, the way it amplified strength and aggression while eroding reason and control. Blockbuster, already a formidable opponent, was now a walking engine of destruction.
Blockbuster roared, a sound that shook the very foundations of the factory. He charged at Robin, a freight train of flesh and fury. Robin barely had time to react, leaping out of the way as Blockbuster's fist slammed into the concrete floor. The impact sent tremors through the ground, cracks spiderwebbing across the surface.
"This is gonna be a problem," Robin muttered, backflipping away from another earth-shattering blow.
Haruka charged into the fray, his Chain Whip lashing out at Blockbuster's legs. The whip wrapped around the enhanced legs but the wrestler just ripped it off. The whip frayed into nothingness. Crap, that wasn't going to work. He leaps back to avoid the next punch.
Blockbuster swatted Haruka away like an annoying insect, sending him crashing into a pile of scrap metal. The armor saved him from serious injury, but the force of the impact still left him reeling. He quickly recovered and charged forward, deciding to try a different strategy.
Bane, sensing the shift in momentum, grinned with predatory glee. He flexed his own Venom-enhanced muscles, the tubing on his arms pulsing with the flow of the serum. "Now, this is getting interesting," he said, stepping into the arena.
Bane lunged at Robin, his movements a blur of Venom-fueled power. Robin barely had time to block, the force of Bane's strikes sending jolts of pain through his arms. He knew he couldn't withstand many more of these blows. He wasn't just fighting Bane's strength; he was fighting his cunning, his strategy, his sheer determination.
Haruka saw Robin faltering, and he knew he had to act fast. He dashed toward Blockbuster, intent on drawing the brute's attention away from the Boy Wonder. But Blockbuster was too fast, his hulking frame a wall between Haruka and Robin. Bane's fist comes down at Haruka and he is forced to cross his arms to defend. He manages to block the incoming blow, but it sends him reeling backwards, crashing through a set of metal shelves.
Bane and Blockbuster advanced, a seemingly unstoppable force bearing down on the two heroes. Hope seemed to drain from the factory as their combined might proved too difficult. Robin was quickly running out of tricks, each acrobatic move became heavier and less nimble than before. While Haruka did his best to avoid another strike, there was just too little time to react.
Haruka tasted blood. He knew they were outmatched. He glanced at Robin, barely dodging Bane's onslaught. Time to change the game. He planted his feet, drew a deep breath, and shouted, "SHAZAM!"
The factory was illuminated by a blinding flash of golden light. A lightning bolt, crackling with celestial energy, struck Haruka, engulfing him in its radiant embrace. The Kiva armor flared, its crimson and black surfaces now adorned with shimmering gold highlights. A lightning emblem blazed on his chest, a symbol of the raw power surging through him.
Haruka felt it immediately—a tidal wave of strength, speed, and durability flooding his senses. He was no longer just a Kamen Rider; he was something more. He grinned, feeling power coursing through his body.
Blockbuster charged, but Haruka met him head-on. A punch that would have shattered bones now barely registered. He grabbed Blockbuster's fist, his grip like a vise. Blockbuster's eyes widened, surprised. Haruka then launched a flurry of punches, each one rocking the monster's frame. Blockbuster staggered back, groaning.
Seeing the tide turn, Robin adjusted his strategy. Instead of engaging Bane directly, he peppered him with smoke pellets and flashbangs. He became an annoyance, a shadow, always just out of reach. Bane roared in frustration, unable to focus on Robin's attacks.
The tide of battle shifted. Haruka and Robin began to gain the upper hand.
Bane, realizing the tables had turned, grinned with manic glee. "Enjoy your victory while it lasts!" he roared, punching a nearby control panel. Alarms blared, and a series of explosions rocked the factory.
The structure groaned, steel supports buckling and collapsing. Flames erupted, licking at the ceiling. Debris rained down, turning the battlefield into a deathtrap. Bane, knowing his factory's layout intimately, started sprinting toward a hidden exit, Blockbuster lumbering behind him.
"They're bugging out!" Robin shouted, narrowly avoiding a falling chunk of concrete.
Haruka, senses heightened by the Shazam power, saw a massive steel beam hurtling toward Robin. He surged forward, grabbing Robin and throwing him out of the path of destruction. The beam crashed down where Robin had stood, pulverizing the concrete floor.
With the grace of a god, Haruka covered Robin's smaller frame with his Kiva-Shazam form. He was hit by a series of explosions. Each impact reverberated through his body, but the borrowed power held firm. The combined strength of Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury shielded them from the worst of the blast.
The explosions subsided, leaving behind a scene of utter devastation. Dust and smoke hung heavy in the air, obscuring everything. The factory was now a twisted ruin, a testament to Bane's ruthlessness.
As the dust began to settle, Haruka's borrowed power began to fade. The golden highlights on his armor flickered and died, and the lightning emblem on his chest dimmed. He was Kamen Rider Kiva once more, albeit a battered and exhausted one.
Robin pushed himself up, coughing and sputtering. He glanced around, taking in the destruction. "What...what happened?"
"Bane," Haruka rasped, his voice strained. "He rigged the place to blow."
Robin pushed himself up, his gaze going over Haruka, looking for any sign of injury. "You okay? That was a hell of a blast."
Haruka nodded, wincing as he moved. "Yeah, I'll live. Thanks to… well, you know."
Robin surveyed the wreckage. The hidden exit, now exposed by the explosions, gaped open. "They're gone."
Haruka nodded, and the two heroes began to pick their way through the debris, surveying the full extent of the damage. Their enemy had escaped. They vow to continue the fight, despite the setback.
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