The screen flickered with tension.
Gento's expression shifted immediately as he looked on.
"There's another Soki?!" he gasped, his voice a mix of shock and disbelief.
Sento, standing beside him, was equally surprised.
"Who are you?" he demanded, his tone sharp but uncertain.
The mysterious figure—Soki—leapt down from a height with overwhelming force.
Boom!
The ground beneath him cracked, collapsing several centimeters under the weight of his landing. The sheer intensity of his aura shook the surroundings, forcing everyone present to remain on high alert.
Without saying a word, Soki immediately canceled his transformation.
The moment his Rider armor vanished, Sento's eyes widened. His face stiffened, disbelief flashing across his features.
"That face… Father?! Is it really you?"
For a moment, he was frozen, unable to breathe properly. His hand instinctively rose to his head, scratching his hair in that familiar, anxious habit of his.
The man, Shinobu Katsuragi, looked at him calmly and spoke with quiet certainty.
"Even though you've changed your face, your habits haven't changed, Steve. Whenever you're excited or anxious, you scratch your hair."
The revelation struck deep. The audience watching across the Three Realms erupted in a storm of emotions.
"Battle Rabbit and his father are finally going to meet!"
"Yes! I've been waiting for this moment!"
"This man knows Battle Rabbit's habits so well—it really must be Shinobu Katsuragi!"
"I wonder what kind of relationship they will have now that the truth is out!"
Steve—Battle Rabbit—felt his cheeks grow warm. He stammered awkwardly, unable to stop the emotion bubbling out.
"Father… Papa!"
At that very moment, a sharp and mocking sound interrupted the reunion.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
The slow applause echoed through the battlefield. Ebert appeared from the shadows, smiling coldly.
"What a touching reunion," he sneered. "The Katsuragi father and son… reunited at last."
Steve quickly turned, his voice rising in alarm.
"Ebert! What's going on?!"
Then he glanced back at Shinobu, his expression torn between confusion and desperation.
"Didn't you design the Rider System to eliminate Ebert? Why are you here, working with him?"
Ebert chuckled softly, shaking his head.
"You and Banjo were able to become Kamen Riders because of him—because of Katsuragi Shinobu's design. Everything you are today is thanks to him."
The Extraordinary Chat Group erupted in disbelief.
Funina: "What?! No way!"
"Battle Rabbit and Banjo became Riders because of Shinobu Katsuragi's designs? This is insane!"
March Seven: "This is too much! How deep does this conspiracy run?"
Liuying: "What is their true goal? What does Shinobu really want?"
On the battlefield, Banjo charged forward, anger boiling over.
"Are you kidding me?!" he shouted. "Did you deceive Steve this whole time?!"
Shinobu remained calm, his expression unwavering.
"Everything has been part of my plan. All we need now is to gather the Lost Energy Bottles, and our goal will be complete."
Ebert waved lazily as if the matter bored him.
"Enough talk. I'll wait for the results. Don't disappoint me."
With that, he vanished into the shadows.
Shinobu's eyes gleamed as he whispered, "Transform!"
Ninja Comic Form!
In an instant, he lunged at Grease, his movements so fast they blurred. With a single strike, he knocked Grease clean out of his Rider form.
Grease staggered back, clutching his chest in shock.
"Damn it! That was just the initial Foundry Form—how is it this powerful?!"
Shinobu's voice was calm but chilling.
"The Foundry Driver was designed by me. It was meant for my use, not yours. That's why… I am the strongest Creation Rider."
The Three Realms audience was shaken to their core.
"What?! The Creation Driver was designed for Shinobu himself?!"
"I'm stunned—I never expected this!"
"This changes everything!"
As the truth sank in, Banjo suddenly clutched his head. His mind was flooded with images—visions of a black hole consuming everything around it.
His body trembled, and then his fighting power began to spike uncontrollably.
The audience murmured in alarm:
"It's happening again! He's losing control!"
"Why does this keep happening to Banjo?"
"It's Ebert's influence. To create the black hole, he forced Banjo's power to its limits."
"Now Banjo's genes are going wild—he craves battle more than ever before!"
Banjo roared in denial, his fists shaking.
"No! I don't want this! I don't want to fight just for the sake of fighting!"
But despite his words, his body betrayed him. He charged straight at Shinobu Katsuragi, fury in his eyes.
"Take this!"
Just as Banjo was about to lose himself completely, Steve intervened. He struck Banjo hard, knocking him out of his unstable Rider form.
Shinobu, unfazed, spoke evenly.
"I'm not here to fight seriously today. I only came to collect data. We'll meet again soon."
He turned and disappeared, leaving behind more questions than answers.
---
Later, in a private conversation, Shinobu spoke quietly to Ebert.
"Banjo's abilities are the same as yours. If he loses control, he'll become a massive threat."
Ebert didn't seem concerned in the slightest. With a calm smirk, he replied,
"I'm sure my teacher has a brilliant solution in mind."
---
Elsewhere, tragedy struck.
Misora had vanished—captured for inhumane experimentation.
Shinobu coldly questioned,
"Can Misora withstand the experiments with the Lost Energy Bottles? If Banjo's powers can be adapted to high concentrations of Nebula Gas, then perhaps her weak abilities can be enhanced to their maximum potential."
Ebert frowned slightly.
"But her soul may not survive the process."
Shinobu's voice remained indifferent, heartless.
"It doesn't matter. If it kills her, then only Misora will die. Sacrifice is necessary for progress."
"You're still so cold-blooded," Ebert muttered, almost impressed.
"All of this," Shinobu answered flatly, "is to create a new world."
---
The screen shifted again.
Misora reappeared, transformed into Lost Smasher, her body moving under the influence of the experiment. She clashed violently with Steve—Battle Rabbit—in a devastating battle.
The fight was brutal. Steve, despite his Genius Form, struggled to hold back against Misora without hurting her. After a desperate exchange of blows, he finally gained the upper hand.
Just then, Shinobu appeared once more, his words cutting like knives.
"If you defeat Lost Smasher, Misora will die! Even with the Genius Form, you cannot save her."
"What did you say?!" Steve's face twisted with horror.
Shinobu transformed again, his power overwhelming.
"Why are you doing this?!" Steve demanded, his voice cracking with both rage and sorrow.
"To refine the Lost Energy Bottles," Shinobu answered coldly.
"To complete the Black Pandora Panel. Once that is done, the door to a new world—beyond the laws of physics—will finally open."
The audiences across the realms were left stunned.
"He wants to create a new world too?!"
"But will that world truly be what he imagines?"
"He's being fooled by Ebert, can't he see that?"
"Or maybe… he doesn't care anymore."
---
The battle raged on.
Soon, Shinobu overpowered Steve and knocked him out of his Rider form.
Lying on the ground, battered and bleeding, Steve raised his head and shouted,
"What is this 'new world' you speak of?! For the sake of your so-called dream, you're willing to deceive me—and betray Mother?!"
Shinobu's face remained unreadable, his voice devoid of emotion.
"That's right. You were created for this purpose. You are nothing more than a hero designed to bring about the new world. And right now… you are not strong enough to defeat Ebert."
Steve's fists clenched in rage, his heart shattered by his father's cold words. Yet deep down, a spark ignited within him—the determination to surpass both Ebert and his father, and to protect those he loved no matter the cost.
The door to the new world loomed closer.
But whether it would lead to salvation or destruction remained uncertain.
---patreon (Obito_uchiha)