Grabbing the medals from Isadora, I flicked the Tiger medal before putting it on my belt. Following with the Hawk and Grasshopper, I grabbed my scanner at the same time I jumped towards the ground
"Henshin!"
[𝕋𝕒𝕜𝕒]
[𝕋𝕠𝕣𝕒]
[𝔹𝕒𝕥𝕥𝕒]
[𝕋𝕒-𝕋𝕠-𝔹𝕒! 𝕋𝕒𝕥𝕠𝕓𝕒 𝕋𝕒-𝕋𝕠-𝔹𝕒!]
Landing on the ground with both feet, I immediately broke into a sprint toward where the party was being held. The taste of battle was already on my tongue and throat, even though I hadn't killed a single Shuuki yet.
With my enhanced vision, I could clearly make out the same trio from before.
The familiar black haired gun woman, the giant short haired blonde, and that pink haired kid. The only difference was that they now had an additional member among them.
A silver haired woman wearing a cap stood there, katana in hand, carving through Shuuki like she'd stepped straight out of Kill Bill. Every swing was precise and lethal.
She was good.
Like really good.
Not just "able to fight," but frighteningly efficient. There was almost no wasted motion in her movements. Her footwork was sharp, her balance immaculate, her body control refined to a level that screamed mastery.
And I wasn't some clueless observer. I was at least above average in martial arts myself. Even so, I could tell immediately that she was a true beast in combat, a fully trained swordswoman.
So this must be Uzen Kyouka.
One of the current nine chiefs of the Anti-Demon Force.
Still, I noticed something odd. I couldn't see her using any visible ability at all. She was fighting purely with physical skill. Was she intentionally holding back? Was she an enhancement type? Or was there something deeper at play that I simply couldn't perceive?
Whatever. No point overthinking it now.
I'd just help them defend the gate without their consent like I did previously. But this time, once the fight was over, I'd actually try to talk to them instead of making another abrupt disappearance like last time.
Cutting down a horde of Shuukis is super easy, barely an inconvenience.
But talking to people?
That was an entirely different kind of battlefield.
At my command, my legs flared and launched myself upward.
Midair, I twisted into a clean flip before snapping my foot straight into a Shuuki's face, shattering it on impact. The moment it died, I didn't hesitate.
I flowed straight into the next kill.
Sorry, not sorry, my dear Watsons. Say hello to whatever purgatory you're headed for.
It didn't take long for my arrival to be noticed by the others still carving through the Shuuki horde. The pink haired kid glanced my way and immediately pointed at me.
That was enough to get their attention to me.
Now all three of them, including their chief, were fully aware I'd shown up.
"It's you again!" Himari shouted, her voice a mix of surprise and irritation as she kept firing without missing a beat.
"Hi," I replied in the gentlest tone I could manage.
I flashed her a finger heart and gave a small wave which, somehow, only made her even angrier.
Jeez, woman. Relax.
I just said hello. Is that really how you're going to react?
Shrugging her off, I leapt forward and grabbed two Shuuki directly by their faces, slamming them viciously into the ground. Bones cracked. Bodies burst apart.
Sweet dreams, you two. You won't be missed.
Then, all of a sudden, a chill ran down my spine.
I looked around, searching for the source of that unsettling sensation… and found it immediately.
Chief Uzen was staring straight at me, eyes narrowed, effortlessly slicing three Shuuki in half in a single swing.
Somehow, her silent, unreadable gaze felt far more terrifying than if she'd just shouted at me.
Yeah… that's worse.
Deciding to break the awkward tension before it could get any heavier, I straightened up, snapped into a salute, and called out loudly.
"Nice to meet you, Chief Uzen! Kamen Rider OOO, at your service!" I introduced myself, then kicked the approaching Shuuki squarely in the stomach.
"...."
Chief Uzen kept giving me the silent treatment.
Her blade never stopped moving as she continued to stab, slice, and dismantle every hostile in reach. Around us, the only sounds were the heavy, ground-shaking footsteps of the giant blonde stomping through Shuuki like trash and the relentless thunder of gunfire tearing apart anything foolish enough to step into its range.
The tension didn't ease. If anything, it got worse.
…Yeah. Maybe shutting up for now was the smartest move.
With a thought, I let my claws extend.
Then I charged straight into the deeper part of the wave.
I tore through everything in my path — ripping, slashing, and shattering Shuuki without slowing down for even a second. Anything that stood in front of me was nothing more than an obstacle to be demolished.
Meanwhile, Kyouka wasn't just standing around either.
She spotted the perfect Shuuki.
Planting her foot firmly into the ground, she shattered the earth beneath her before launching herself onto the monster's back in a single leap.
"Time to submit!" Kyouka shouted as she seized the Shuuki's neck with an iron death grip.
In that instant, chains and a collar materialized around the creature's throat.
The once feral, rampaging Shuuki froze.
Its violent nature vanished. Its movements shifted. Its hostility drained away.
Now, it simply stood there. Obedient, calm, and waiting like a tamed beast anticipating its master's next command.
"Now that's better," Kyouka muttered, nodding in satisfaction before lifting her gaze upward. "Shushu! You and Himari handle everything here at the gate!"
Shushu looked downwards, eyes bright as she flashed a confident grin while maintaining her giant form.
"You got it, Chief!" Shushu answered 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 things with her members, Kyouka turned her attention back to the tamed Shuuki beneath her. With a single command, the creature surged forward in the same direction the Kamen Rider had taken moments earlier.
As wind whipped through her silver hair, Kyouka's expression sharpened.
"It's time to see what that guy is really capable of…" she murmured to herself, feeling the Shuuki move beneath her without showing signs of slowing down. "And to find out what your true motives actually are."
========
========
Standing in the center of an absurd sea of Shuuki, I crouched low, claws extended in both hands, itching to tear everything apart.
"Oh boy… you idiots are about to enter a world of pain," I grinned beneath my helmet as they began surging toward me. "Rip and tear until it's done."
I braced myself to meet them head-on.
Suddenly, some of them lost their heads.
…What the hell?
Before I could even voice the question, the answer came charging straight into view.
Silver hair whipping in the wind, blade in hand, and a Shuuki beneath her feet.
Chief Uzen arrived.
But she was different from before.
This time, she wasn't just fighting on the ground. She was riding atop a Shuuki, gripping chains that were connected to a collar wrapped tightly around its neck. The Shuuki moved at her command like a perfectly obedient mount.
Is she really riding a Shuuki?
Yeah, I'm not imagining things. She actually has a chained-up Shuuki as her mount.
The Shuuki moved beneath her like some kind of chained soldier that is completely obedient to its master.
"Kamen Rider." Kyouka raised her hand and pointed straight at me. "We have things we need to sort out."
Then she tilted her head, a wild grin spreading across her face as she made a sharp slicing motion across her own neck with her hand.
"But for now… don't slow me down."
I blinked behind my mask.
I wasn't sure why but seeing that feral, predatory smile made my blood boil with excitement. My body thrummed with an urge to tear through everything in sight.
"Well, don't worry. I won't let you down!" I declared eagerly. "I, Kamen Rider OOO, will help you!"
Kyouka tightened her grip on her katana.
Side by side, the two of us locked eyes with the approaching Shuuki, all of them glaring back at us with pure hostility.
Without another word, we squared up and moved together from our positions.
Two fighters.
One battlefield.
And a horde of Shuukis between us.
Our minds aligned in that instant synced flawlessly.
At the same time, we roared—
"Now, count up your sins and meet your maker!"
___________________
___________________
Author's Note:
This isn't a huge issue, but if you're wondering. Himari has black hair here, while Mama/Milf/Mommy Fubuki does not have the same hair color. That was completely my mistake /ᐠ ╥ ˕ ╥マ
I already wrote her with black hair in the previous chapters, and I don't want to change that, so I'm just going to stick with it.
I didn't watch the Mato Seihei anime; I've been a manga only reader and follower of the series since late 2021, and it got firmly nailed into my head that Himari has black hair.
So once again, sorry for the mix-up!
≽^⎚⩊⎚^≼