The Trychaser roared to a stop outside the warehouse. Pier 82 loomed, a skeletal structure against the night sky. Ace cut the engine, the sudden silence amplifying the gentle lapping of water against the pilings. Tension hung thick in the air, a palpable dread that settled in his stomach. He crept towards the entrance, shadows twisting around him like grasping claws.
Inside, the warehouse was a cavernous void, dimly lit by a few flickering bulbs. His eyes darted around, taking in the scene. Then he saw them—Nico and Berto, bound to a thick support beam, their faces pale and strained. Gags muffled their frantic attempts to speak.
Anguish slammed into him. Their eyes, wide with fear, pleaded with him. He had to get them out of there. He moved swiftly, silently, his boots barely making a sound on the concrete floor. Every creak of the old building echoed in his ears, amplifying his anxiety.
Even with their mouths covered, they fought against their restraints, writhing and straining. He could see the panic in their eyes, the desperate warning they were trying to convey. Something wasn't right.
A prickling sensation ran down Ace's spine. Something felt wrong, the air thick with menace. He paused, his fingers hovering over the knot binding Nico's wrists. His gaze swept across the warehouse, searching, analyzing.
Then he saw him.
Emerging from the deepest shadows, Koji stood there, a pistol leveled directly at Ace. His face, usually so friendly and open, was now a mask of cold calculation.
Nico's amulet, usually still, began to vibrate wildly against her chest. She strained against her bonds, her eyes wide with terror. A muffled scream escaped her gagged mouth.
"Watch out!"
Even through the fabric, the urgency in her voice was unmistakable. At that moment, she mustered all her strength. Yanking at the ropes, she lunged forward, grabbing Ace's wrist and pulling him off balance.
[BANG]
A bullet whizzed past his ear, the sound deafening in the enclosed space. He stumbled back, his heart hammering against his ribs.
"What the—?!"
Adrenaline surged through him, his senses sharpening. Koji? With a gun? What was happening?
Ace sucked in a sharp breath, his mind racing. He crouched low, his gaze fixed on Koji as he swiftly freed Nico from her restraints. The ropes fell away, and she stumbled forward, clutching his arm.
"Ace! That detective…" she gasped, her voice hoarse, "...he kidnapped us!"
Her words hit him like a physical blow. He turned to Koji, confusion and disbelief warring within him.
"Detective? Why are you doing this?!"
Berto, now free, pushed himself to his feet, his eyes wide with shock. He stared at Koji, his face a mask of bewilderment. Koji merely smirked, stepping further into the dim light, the gun never wavering from its target.
"You're really lucky, Ryuki," Koji taunted, his voice dripping with condescension.
Ace's blood ran cold. Ryuki? How could he possibly know that name? A wave of dizziness washed over him. This was not the Koji he thought he knew.
Locking his gaze on Koji, he demanded, "How do you know who I am?!"
Nico and Berto exchanged worried glances, seemingly confirming Koji's involvement. The pieces started to fall into place, forming a picture he desperately didn't want to see. Betrayal, raw and stinging, coursed through him. He felt foolish, naive for trusting Koji, for confiding in him. But how...?
Even as the question echoed in his mind, something massive shifted in the shadows behind Koji. A hulking form began to coalesce, its outline growing larger and more defined with each passing moment.
A guttural growl ripped through the silence, vibrating through the floor and into Ace's bones. The sound was inhuman, monstrous. The exit was blocked by Volcancer, its huge form filling up the space.
"Koji is Scissors..." it rumbled, the voice a distorted, metallic echo.
Koji chuckled, his eyes gleaming with malice. He elaborated, his voice laced with a disturbing glee.
"I planned to use you, Ace. Your friends… they were just bait to finish you off. But I guess plans don't always go well."
"Why?" Ace spat, his voice raw with anger. "Why would you do this? Why side with them?"
Koji merely shrugged, his expression devoid of remorse. "Dai-Shocker will bring order. This chaos of heroes and monsters… it ends today."
He extended a hand, a final, desperate plea. "Join me, Ace. We can make this world better, together. End this meaningless fighting."
Ace stared at Koji, his face set in grim determination. "Never. I'll never join Dai-Shocker."
Koji sighed, a hint of regret flickering across his features. "What a shame, Ryuki. It didn't have to be this way." He lowered his gun, his gaze hardening. "Then you can only die."
"So be it," Koji said, his voice now devoid of warmth. He raised his left arm, revealing an Advent deck with a crab symbol on its surface. Ace also reveals his own Advent deck, and the V-Buckle appears on their waist.
Both inserted their Advent Decks into the buckle, and the decks clicked into place.
"Henshin!" Koji shouted, his body engulfed in a swirling vortex of energy.
"Henshin!" Ace roared, mirroring Koji's action. The V-Buckle pulsed with power, bathing him in crimson light as armor materialized around his body. He felt the familiar weight of the DragCrown helmet settle on his head, the world resolving into sharp focus through the red visor.
Kamen Rider Ryuki.
Kamen Rider Scissors.
He had no time to dwell on the strangeness of it all. His friends were in danger, and Koji had to be stopped.
"Nico! Berto! Get out of here!" he yelled, his voice amplified by the Rider suit. "Get somewhere safe!"
He watched as they scrambled to their feet, fear etched on their faces. They didn't need to be told twice. They dashed behind a stack of crates, their figures disappearing into the shadows. He had to trust they would be safe.
With a feral yell, Koji lunged forward, his movements far faster and stronger than any human. The fight ignited instantly, a clash of metal and energy that echoed through the warehouse.
Koji utilized his Strike Vent, slamming his gauntlet down on the card slot.
[STRIKE VENT]
A monstrous claw, formed from Volcancer's massive pincer, erupted from his forearm, its serrated edges gleaming menacingly.
He swung the claw in a wide arc, aiming to crush Ace in a single blow. Ace's instincts screamed. He ducked, the claw whistling past his head, close enough that he felt the wind shear against his helmet. The force of the blow was immense, shaking the very foundations of the warehouse.
He had to retaliate, to create some distance. Ace swiftly drew a card from his Advent Deck, sliding it into the Dragvisor on his left arm.
[SWORD VENT]
With a surge of energy, the Dragsaber materialized in his hand, a curved blade of gleaming silver.
He parried Koji's next attack, the Dragsaber meeting the monstrous claw with a resounding clang. Sparks flew as metal scraped against metal, the force of the impact jarring his arm. He pushed back, creating a small space between them.
They traded blows, a furious dance of steel and claw. The Dragsaber flashed, deflecting Koji's strikes, while Ace countered with quick, precise slashes. Koji's claw was a brutal weapon, capable of crushing bone and tearing through steel. But Ace was faster, more agile, using his superior reflexes to evade the worst of the attacks. The warehouse became a symphony of violence, the sounds of their battle echoing off the walls.
Koji roared, his frustration evident. He lunged, abandoning any pretense of finesse, relying solely on brute force.
Ace saw the attack coming, anticipated the raw power behind it. He ducked low, barely avoiding the sweeping claw, and rolled away, putting distance between himself and the enraged Scissors. He sprang back to his feet, his eyes narrowed, assessing the situation.
"I thought you wanted to be a hero!" Ace shouted, his voice strained. He had trusted Koji, believed in his desire to help people. How could he have been so wrong?
Koji paused, his chest heaving, a manic grin spreading across his face. "This is the real path to justice, Ryuki! You'll see!"
"You're being manipulated!" Ace yelled, deflecting another swipe of the Scissorspinch. "Dai-Shocker isn't the answer! They'll use you, then discard you like trash!"
Koji's laughter echoed through the warehouse, a chilling sound that sent a shiver down Ace's spine. "I'm not being manipulated! I've never been more sane," Koji spat, his eyes burning with conviction. "They showed me the truth, Ace. The world needs order, and Dai-Shocker is the only one who can provide it!"
Ace felt a surge of anger, fueled by Koji's stubborn refusal to see reason. He channeled that anger into his next attack, putting all his weight behind a punch that connected squarely with Koji's jaw.
The force of the blow sent Koji staggering backward, his helmeted head snapping to the side. Ace pressed his advantage, following up with a kick aimed at Koji's chest.
Koji managed to raise his arms in a block, but the impact still sent him stumbling further back. Ace saw a flicker of doubt in Koji's eyes, a momentary crack in his unwavering facade.
They circled each other, the air crackling with tension. The scent of ozone filled his nostrils, a by-product of the Rider armor clashing together. The warehouse seemed to shrink around them, the fate of Nico and Berto, of the entire city, hanging in the balance with each passing second.
Ace feinted left, then unleashed a flurry of punches, each blow a calculated strike aimed to exploit any opening in Koji's defenses. Koji retaliated with the Scissorspinch, its razor-sharp edges slicing through the air. Ace narrowly dodged each attack, his body moving with a speed and precision he didn't know he possessed.
He landed a solid blow to Koji's midsection, followed by a swift kick to the side of his helmet. The sound of metal on metal reverberated through the warehouse, amplifying the stakes of their conflict. Koji stumbled, his movements becoming sluggish.
Ace knew this had to end. He couldn't let Koji continue down this path, consumed by Dai-Shocker's twisted ideology. He had to stop him, once and for all.
He drew a card from his Advent Deck, the familiar weight of it reassuring in his trembling hand.
"It's over, Koji!" Ace shouted, the words echoing through the warehouse.
He slid the card into the Dragvisor.
[FINAL VENT]
With a deafening roar, Dragreder materialized beside him, its serpentine body coiling through the air. Koji mirrored his action, slamming his gauntlet down on the card slot.
[FINAL VENT]
Volcancer emerged from the shadows, its massive form blocking out the remaining light. The crab-like monster raised its colossal claws, preparing for its deadly assault.
Volcancer launched Scissors into the air, the Rider curling into a spinning ball of destruction. Simultaneously, Ryuki leaped high into the air, Dragreder coiling around him, propelling him forward with immense force.
The two Riders hurtled towards each other, their Final Vents unleashed in a devastating collision.
[BOOM]
The warehouse erupted in a blinding flash of light and a thunderous roar. The force of the impact shook the very foundations of the building, sending dust and debris raining down upon them. The air crackled with energy, obscuring the two Riders in a swirling vortex of chaos.
When the dust settled, Ace stood, his body aching, his vision blurred. He dropped to his knees, exhausted, and struggled to catch his breath. The power of the Dragon Rider Kick had taken its toll.
Across the warehouse, Koji collapsed, his armor dissolving into particles of light. The Advent Deck tumbled from his grasp, skittering across the concrete floor. The crimson glow faded, leaving Koji lying prone, his face pale and drawn.
"If only… things were different…" Koji murmured, his voice barely a whisper. His eyes glazed over, the light fading from them as unconsciousness claimed him.
Then, a disturbing sight. Koji's body started to disintegrate like dust in the wind. Ace felt his heart sink as he watched Koji's body dissolve into nothing.
Ace deactivated his transformation, the DragCrown helmet vanishing as the crimson light faded from his body. He stumbled towards where Koji lay, his mind reeling.
He had won, but at what cost?
The victory felt hollow, tainted by the bitter taste of loss. He had saved Nico and Berto, had stopped Koji from carrying out Dai-Shocker's evil plan, but he had failed to save Koji himself.
He was too late. He wanted to reach out his hand and pull Koji from the darkness, but there was nothing left.
The reality of the fight weighed heavily on his heart, a crushing burden of guilt and regret. Had he done the right thing? Could he have saved Koji somehow? The questions swirled in his mind, unanswered and unanswerable.
***
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