The East River waterfront at dusk offered a deceptive serenity. The city skyline, a jagged tapestry of light, reflected in the water, its beauty a stark contrast to the grim task at hand. Yellow police tape fluttered in the breeze, cordoning off the area where the jogger's phone was found. Ace, still clad in Ryuki's crimson and silver armor, scanned the scene.
Forensic teams swarmed the area, their flashlights cutting through the gathering gloom. Ace watched as one of them approached Yuri, handing her a clear plastic bag containing the jogger's phone.
"Victim's name was Sarah Walker," Yuri announced, her voice somber. "Local fitness instructor. Forensics found nothing else – no signs of a struggle, no other personal effects. Just the phone, lying on the path."
Ace focused, trying to tap into the familiar hum of the Mirror World, the telltale sign of a lurking monster. But the area felt strangely quiet, devoid of the usual unsettling energy.
Something's off, he thought.
"Anything, Rider?" Yuri asked, her gaze intense. "Can you sense it? A Mirror Monster?"
Ace closed his eyes, focusing. He reached out with his senses, searching for the telltale ripple in reality, the distortion that marked the presence of the Mirror World. Nothing.
"Not yet," Ace said, opening his eyes. "It's quiet. Too quiet."
Then, a faint ringing sound, almost imperceptible, pierced the silence. It resonated somewhere deep within his mind, like a distant alarm bell.
"Wait," Ace said, his head cocked to one side. "I got something. It's faint, but it's getting stronger."
Without waiting for a response, he started moving, his armored boots crunching on the gravel path. The ringing grew louder, pulling him forward with an invisible thread.
"Rider, wait up!" Yuri called, her footsteps echoing behind him.
Koji, ever eager, jogged to keep pace with Ace. "What is it? Another monster? Lead the way!"
Ace didn't answer, his focus entirely on the sound. It pulsed in his ears, a siren song drawing him toward the source.
…
The faint ringing in Ace's mind intensifies as he, Yuri, and Koji move away from the East River waterfront. Ace gestures for them to follow him towards a dimly lit alley, the source of the sound now unmistakable.
The alley stinks of stale garbage and damp concrete. A lone civilian, a middle-aged man in a rumpled suit, shuffles along, lost in thought and unaware of the danger closing in. He passes a dusty storefront window, its reflection wavering erratically. The glass doesn't shatter, but the reflected image of the alley contorts, twisting into something unnatural. With a ripple, Volcancer emerges from the mirror's surface. Its massive pincers snap open and closed, emitting a wet, clicking sound.
The man screams, a choked, desperate sound that echoes through the narrow space. Volcancer grabs him, its pincers clamping around his torso with bone-crushing force. The man is lifted off the ground, his feet kicking uselessly as he flails.
[Gunshot]
Koji and Yuri burst into the alley, guns raised. Koji fires a shot, the bullet ricocheting harmlessly off Volcancer's armored shell. The Mirror Monster recoils, releasing its grip on the man, who falls to the ground with a sickening thud.
[Sword Vent]
The Dragvisor opens, and Ace places the Sword Vent card inside. The Dragsaber materialized in Ace's hand.
Ace arrives, Dragsaber gleaming in the dim light. He recognizes the Mirror Monster instantly. "Volcancer,"
Volcancer is one of the contract monsters in the Kamen Rider Ryuki series. Its body is a patchwork of orange and silver armor plating, vaguely humanoid but monstrously proportioned. One massive pincer replaces its left hand, while the right ends in a smaller, but equally lethal claw. Green, insectoid eyes gleam with predatory intelligence.
What is it doing here? Is it a wild monster? Or does it have a contract…
Volcancer roars, its pincers snapping, and lunges forward. Ace intercepts, the Dragsaber meeting Volcancer's claw in a shower of sparks. The impact sends a jolt up Ace's arm, but he holds firm, pushing back against the monster's brute strength. Ace slashes, aiming for Volcancer's exposed joints. The Mirror Monster screeches, stumbling back as Ace presses his attack.
Volcancer, realizing it is outmatched, hesitates for only a moment. It glances at the nearby puddle, then back at Ace. With a final, frustrated roar, it turns and scuttles toward the puddle, disappearing into the Mirror World.
"Rider, after it!" Yuri shouts, already moving to check on the injured civilian.
"Don't let it get away!" Koji adds, his gun still raised, pointing towards the shimmering puddle.
Ace nods, a grim determination hardening his features. Without hesitation, he steps toward the shimmering puddle, the portal to the Mirror World.
The air in the Mirror World is thick. Ace steps through the shimmering puddle, the alley warping around him into a twisted reflection. Colors are leached of their vibrancy, replaced with a sickly gray pallor. Volcancer stands waiting, its crimson exoskeleton a stark contrast to the muted surroundings.
"Let's go," Ace says, gripping the Dragsaber.
Volcancer doesn't waste time. It lunges, its oversized pincers snapping. Ace ducks under the first strike, the claw whistling past his helmet. He counters with a slash of the Dragsaber, aiming for the creature's armored chest. Sparks fly as the blade glances off.
Gotta keep moving.
He flips backward, creating distance.
[Advent!]
Dragreder flies in with a roar, its serpentine body coiling around Ace before launching itself at Volcancer.
[ROAR!]
The dragon unleashes a torrent of flames. Volcancer raises its massive pincers, forming a shield against the inferno. The fire washes over it, forcing it to stumble back, but the monster is far from defeated.
Ace uses the distraction to circle around. He spots a crumbling brick pillar. Perfect.
Volcancer shakes off the flames and charges. Ace dodges behind the pillar as the pincer slams into it, sending debris flying. Ace darts out from behind the pillar and slashes at Volcancer's legs. It roars in pain, trying to crush him.
Too slow!
Ace somersaults away from another pincer attack, the claw ripping through the air where he just stood. He lands lightly, his eyes locked on Volcancer. He continues to harass the mirror monster, his Dragsaber a blur of silver. The battle is fast and furious. A whirlwind of strikes and counters. Each movement is precise, calculated.
Ace ducks under a swipe, the claw narrowly missing his head. He uses the momentum to spin and deliver a powerful kick to Volcancer's face. The monster staggers. An opening.
He leaps forward, Dragsaber raised high.
[SLASH!]
The blade connects. Volcancer shrieks and stumbles.
Now!
Ace presses his advantage, driving Volcancer further into the depths of the Mirror World.
The next blow. Ace raises the Dragsaber to strike it. Finish this fight.
Then, a searing pain erupts across his back.
Everything explodes in a burst of static. He has no time to brace himself, only feels the crushing force as he is sent flying. The Dragsaber spins away, clattering uselessly against the warped pavement.
He slams into the ground, vision blurring, every nerve screaming. Sparks erupt from his armor where the attack hit. The air smells of ozone and burnt metal.
What… what was that?
Struggling to rise, Ace pushes himself up onto shaky arms. He coughs, spitting out dust and blood. His gaze snaps up.
Standing before him, bathed in the sickly glow of the Mirror World, is another Rider.
Orange and silver armor, shaped like a grotesque crustacean. A clawed gauntlet gleams ominously. Kamen Rider Scissors.
"You're not the only Rider in this world, kid," Scissors says, his voice cold and mocking.
Volcancer, still reeling from their earlier fight, lumbers to Scissors' side, its massive pincers snapping in anticipation. But Scissors raises a hand, silencing the monster.
A smirk plays on Scissors' lips.
"Let's see if you're worth recruiting," he says, his tone dripping with menace.
***
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