"Move!"
Kouga barked the command as he shoved through the swelling horde of students — or what used to be students. They lunged at him like moths drawn to fire, their dead eyes blank, their mouths frothing.
Just minutes ago, everything had been normal. He'd been splashing water on his face in the bathroom, steadying himself for the day. Then it hit.That energy.The same corrupting force he'd fought before — only this time, heavier, darker, stronger.
By the time he stepped out, the corridor had become a nightmare. Students staggered on feral legs, their jaws snapping, snarling like wild dogs. Zombies.
Now, blood slicked Kouga's fists as he broke skulls and tore through them. Their teeth couldn't pierce his skin — but their numbers pressed in relentlessly.
Two minutes of carnage later, he found a stairwell and sprinted up, taking the steps three at a time. The groans faded behind him. Then came a different sound:Gunfire.Sharp, echoing cracks from above.
He bolted toward it. A bullet screamed past his head, close enough to disturb his hair. Kouga didn't even flinch.
The shooter stood ahead — revolver in one hand, a metal bat in the other, bodies sprawled around her feet.
"Kiana," Kouga called out. "You okay?"
She froze mid-step, bat lowering. Her eyes widened."K-Kouga!? You're alive!?"
He blinked. "Was I supposed to be dead?"
"W-Well… kinda!" Kiana stammered, shoving her revolver into the waistband of her skirt. "Most guys don't exactly walk away from a Honkai outbreak, y'know!"
Kouga closed the distance, wiping blood from his knuckles. His gaze stayed sharp."You know what's happening here?"
Kiana glanced at the corpses littering the floor. "Feels like a Honkai eruption just hit us. But don't worry—" she flashed a grin, striking a pose "—Kiana Kaslana is on the case!"
Kouga's eyes narrowed. "Somehow, that doesn't make me feel better."
She stuck her tongue out. "Wow. Rude."
He didn't smile. "Where's Mei?"
"On the roof," Kiana said quickly, stepping over an overturned desk. "I told her to run ahead. I was supposed to catch up—didn't think the Honkai would explode out of nowhere."
Kouga's jaw tightened. "Damn it. She was closest to the epicenter. She might already be—"
"Hold that thought." Kiana darted toward a nearby classroom. "We'll need supplies to carve our way through. Here—"
She spun the bat to him. It whirled end over end until Kouga snatched it from the air, flipping it into a reverse grip without breaking stride.
"Don't think I'm here to protect you," Kiana smirked over her shoulder. "Pull your own weight."
She disappeared into the room. The moans of the infected drifted from the stairwell behind him.
Kouga turned, eyes narrowing as more of his former classmates shambled into view, eyes glowing faint purple.
He raised the bat. Then, with a single breath, hurled it like a blade.
The weapon spun down the corridor, whistling through the air. Skulls cracked, blood sprayed, and bodies collapsed in heaps as it shredded its way through the horde. At the far wall, it rebounded cleanly and spun back.
Kouga caught it without looking.
Right then, Kiana emerged from the classroom, backpack slung over her shoulder. She glanced at the mangled pile in the hall and arched an eyebrow."I was gone for thirty seconds."
Kouga rested the bat on his shoulder. "Next time, try to keep up."
Kiana's smirk turned razor-sharp. "Oh, it's on."
The rooftop door burst open. Kouga and Kiana stepped into chaos.
The sunny morning was gone. Black clouds boiled overhead, the sky alive with purple lightning. Rain hammered down in icy sheets. The air reeked of ozone. A blast crater scarred the concrete near the door.
But neither of them looked at the sky.
Their eyes locked on the girl at the edge of the roof.
Mei.
Her violet hair looked almost black under the storm's shadow. She stood still, staring over the city like a queen surveying her new domain.
"Mei-senpai!"
Kiana sprinted forward—only to freeze as Mei turned.
Her eyes glowed blood-red. Empty. Cold.
A bolt of lightning erupted from her hand.
Kiana barely had time to register it before—
Whoosh!
Kouga blurred from her side, scooping her into his arms as the bolt seared past. He reappeared behind Mei, boots skidding across the soaked rooftop.
Kiana coughed against his chest, dazed but unhurt. "W-what—?"
"Stay back," Kouga said firmly, setting her against the wall by the door. His eyes never left Mei. His voice had an edge—calm, but razor-sharp.
"...You're not Mei, are you?"
The Herrscher tilted her head, lips curling faintly. "Oh. It's you two."
"That's how you talk now? 'You two'? Sounds pretty arrogant coming from her," Kouga shot back.
Her smirk widened. "Arrogant? No. Realistic. Insects don't get names."
Crackling energy gathered in her palm.
Lightning lashed out—only to tear through empty air as Kouga blurred out of sight again.
He reappeared meters away, unharmed.
The Herrscher's eyes narrowed. "...You can't be human."
Kouga gave a small shrug. "That word stopped meaning much to me a long time ago. We can fight—or we can talk. Your choice."
Her eyes burned brighter. "I have a destiny to fulfill. Begone."
She unleashed a colossal blast. Lightning ripped the sky apart, scorching concrete, vaporizing air itself.
When the smoke cleared, Kouga was gone.
She turned toward Kiana—only to feel arms clamp around her from behind, locking her in place.
"You worm!" she screamed, electricity exploding around her.
"I've been called worse," Kouga grunted, muscles straining as the storm raged around him. He shot a quick look to Kiana. "You okay?!"
"I—I'm fine!" Kiana called back, still shaken.
"Good. Then stay back."
The Herrscher roared, unleashing a surge that blasted him off her, throwing him across the roof.
Kouga staggered to his feet, brushing rain from his face. His expression hardened."...Guess I'll have to step it up."
Suddenly, energy erupted around him—lightning and crimson force entwined. When it faded, Kouga no longer stood there.
In his place was a figure clad in armor: a broad chestplate with a massive "S", insectoid eyes gleaming, a helmet shaped like a Japanese rhinoceros beetle.
Kamen Rider Stronger.
Both Kiana and the Herrscher froze, dumbfounded.
Then Mei's lips twisted into a laugh. "Ridiculous. You think a clown suit will save you, insect?"
She hurled a spear of purple lightning at him.
The blast hit dead-on. Smoke and fire consumed his silhouette.
Kiana's eyes widened in horror. "Kouga—!"
But as the smoke cleared, Stronger stood tall. Unscathed.
"What…?" The Herrscher fired again. And again. Bolts rained like a storm cannon. Each strike lit the rooftop—yet none brought him down.
Kiana's shock grew with every blast. He's just standing there…
But Kouga wasn't merely enduring. With every bolt that struck him, he absorbed it, the electricity vanishing into his armor. Power swelled inside him, making him faster, stronger.
The Herrscher screamed in fury. "DIE ALREADY!"
Lightning poured from her hands like a flood, until the sky itself trembled.
And then—
Time slowed.
To Kouga, her storm moved at a crawl.
He shot forward, a crimson blur, faster than the lightning itself. In an instant, he was in front of her. He leapt—his fist glowing, charged with every spark she had given him.
His punch connected.
Not crushing, not brutal—just enough.
A shockwave rippled through her as the strength left her body.
Her red eyes dimmed. The storm collapsed.
Mei's body fell limply—caught gently in Kouga's arms before she touched the ground.
Silence followed.
The black clouds broke apart, sunlight piercing through as rain slowed to a drizzle.
Kiana stood frozen at the rooftop door, her jaw slack.
"...What the hell was that?" she whispered.
Kouga looked over his shoulder, Mei unconscious but peaceful in his arms.
"...I'll explain later."
He turned his eyes back to Mei, holding her close as the storm faded around them.