In National City, storm drains overflowed, streets glistened with reflections of neon lights, and yet in the heart of the storm, something much darker brewed.
Ryotaro stood at the edge of the riverfront warehouse district. The Denden Sensor pulsed faintly at his belt—each beat sharper, hotter than before. Tonight, the mastermind wasn't hiding anymore. Tonight, he would finally reveal himself.
The mastermind had been careful, moving pawns and shadows. But tonight, the king would step forward.
A slow clap echoed from the shadows.
"So, the Rider finally comes sniffing around."
The voice belonged to a tall man in a black trench coat, hair slicked back, eyes sharp with cruelty. His hand rested casually at his side, fingers curled around a glowing device—its emerald light cutting through the darkness.
"Gaia Memory," Ryotaro said flatly.
The man smirked. "You've done your homework. I'm impressed. Yes. I arranged the accident. Yes. I awakened the Orphnoch. And yes…" He lifted the glowing stick and slammed it into his arm.
"MAGMA!"
Flames roared as molten armor coated his frame, spikes of obsidian and lava breaking through his flesh. His eyes blazed with fire. He was no longer a man, but a walking eruption.
"Let's see if your Rider power can withstand the earth itself!"
He raised a clawed arm and slammed it into the concrete. Fire split the ground, waves of heat rolling outward. Orphnochs—wolf, lizard, crow—scrambled from the alleys, summoned by their master's roar.
Ryotaro snapped his Lostdriver open. His gaze hardened and he inserted the Joker Memory.
"Hen…shin."
"JOKER!"
The armor wrapped around him in a burst of black aura, crimson eyes cutting through the flames. Kamen Rider Ryotaro stood his ground as fire licked the edges of the street. He then posed the Kamen Rider W signature and said.
"Now, Count up your sins."
The Orphnochs lunged. Ryotaro moved in, fists striking, kicks shattering bone-like masks. But the heat was overwhelming—every strike met with burning sparks as the Magma monster watched and laughed.
"You're strong… but your power is nothing before nature's fury!"
The magma beast launched a wave of molten rock. Ryotaro barely rolled aside, concrete exploding where he once stood. His armor smoked, his body aching.
'The wolf pounced first. Its claws tore across Ryotaro's chest, sparks flying as the Joker armor barely held. He countered with a sharp kick, forcing it back—only for the lizard to coil low and whip its tail, smashing him into a pillar.
The crow shrieked, feathers raining down like knives. Ryotaro rolled, but one sliced across his shoulder, drawing sparks.
Three at once. Coordinated. He could feel their hunger, their drive to tear him apart piece by piece.
He slid Joker out and insert the new memory which he already tested.
"BLADE!"
Silver armor formed, his right arm glowing with a sword of pure energy.
The wolf leapt again—Ryotaro swung, carving through its mask. It howled, collapsing in sparks. The crow dove; Ryotaro pivoted, slashing one wing clean off. The Orphnoch screeched, spiraling into a heap.
But the lizard lunged from behind, claws tearing into his side. Ryotaro gritted his teeth, plunging the blade backward, impaling the monster through the gut. It hissed, body dissolving into ash.
One by one, they fell. But the real fight was only beginning.
The Magma Dopant stepped forward, cracking its molten knuckles. The floor hissed as his heat boiled rainwater into steam.
"You think they were my pawns?" he roared. "They were bait! I am the inferno that devours all!"
"MAGMA!"
His body erupted, the warehouse trembling as rivers of lava split the concrete. He charged, faster than something his size should move, and slammed into Ryotaro.
Steel shrieked as Ryotaro flew through stacked crates, his Blade armor fracturing. He coughed, dragging himself up.
"Blade won't cut it…" he hissed.
He swapped Memories.
"INVISIBLE!"
His body flickered, ghostly and translucent. The magma beast swung—a molten fist passing through empty air. Ryotaro reappeared behind him, landing a phased strike to the back of his neck.
The monster stumbled, molten cracks spreading across its armor. But then its fins flared, lava blasting outward in a geyser. Even phased, Ryotaro could feel the heat claw at his lungs.
"Why fight me, Kamen Rider? We're meant to rule over fragile humans, not protect them!" the Magma beast snarled.
Ryotaro's eyes narrowed beneath the mask. "You killed to gain power. I was given this power to stop people like you."
Invisible shimmered again, Ryotaro vanishing. He darted in and out, striking the Magma beast's joints, his chest, his mask. The monster flailed, roared, tried to engulf him in flame.
But Ryotaro refused to fall.
Finally, he reloaded Blade Memory, silver armor flashing back. His sword glowed brighter than before, charged by both steel and ghostly energy.
"Magma," he said coldly, raising his blade. "This ends now."
"Blade.... Maximum_Drive!"
He dashed forward. The dolphin beast lunged to meet him.
The blade cut the monster into two parts.
Light split the warehouse as molten armor shattered, erupting in sparks. The Magma Orphnoch staggered, choking out one last hateful roar before collapsing and changed back into human.
Civilians outside the warehouse had recorded everything—shaky footage of Ryotaro shifting forms, cutting through monsters, vanishing like a ghost, and finally felling the molten titan.
Voices carried:
"He saved the city!"
"But what is he?"
"Kamen Rider…"
~~~ Morning _ In the National City ~~~
National News ran the footage on a loop: shaky cell phone videos of a metallic warrior cutting down monsters in a warehouse district. Headlines blared in bold fonts.
"MYSTERIOUS HERO OR DANGEROUS THREAT?"
"THE RIDER SAVES NATIONAL CITY."
At the Danvers' living room, the TV light flickered against Kara's face. She sat on the couch, knees tucked close, eyes wide.
The reporter's voice cut through the static of replayed video.
"—witnesses describe the figure calling himself nothing, but rumors spread online dubbing him 'Kamen Rider.' Unlike Superman, this Rider wields strange armor that changes forms: one blade-wielding, another almost invisible. His opponents—described as 'monsters of bone and fire'—have vanished into ash…"
Kara's fingers tightened around the blanket in her lap.
"He… fought them," she whispered. "And he won."
Alex entered, carrying a mug of coffee. She frowned at the screen. "So, the Rider again. The city's eating it up. Half the internet calls him a savior, the other half calls him a menace."
Kara glanced up, defensive. "But he saved lives."
Alex sat down beside her, taking a sip. "So does Superman. But you know how people are—new power shows up, they panic. Besides…" Her eyes narrowed on the paused footage. "…his armor doesn't look like from earth. It looks… alien technology."
Kara lowered her gaze. "Then… who made it and why?"
The question hung heavy. She wanted to believe he was a hero. But something in her gut twisted.Alex switched off the TV. "Don't get pulled in, Kara. Whoever he is, he's not your responsibility. Yet."
But Kara barely heard. Her mind replayed the silver blade flashing against molten fire, the ghostly figure phasing through destruction. Whoever the Rider was, he was hiding for a reason.
And Kara Danvers wasn't sure if she should leave him hidden.
*********
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