Love Live! and Kamen Rider, Chapter 20

Doctor Shinigami gazed at the time-traveling machine before him with an expression of rapt fascination, as though he were admiring a work of art.

--Clap, clap, clap.

At the same time, the sound of someone clapping came from behind Doctor Shinigami. A low, hoarse voice followed, reaching his ears.

"Impressive. Truly, I'm amazed. I never imagined Shocker's technology had advanced to the point where it could interfere with time. I'm deeply impressed." The man, dressed in white and wearing sunglasses, was a member of Foundation X—and the Knight Hunter who had defeated Divine and the others. He watched Doctor Shinigami's time machine, built using Foundation X's data on "time," and praised it with admiration.

"Heh, not at all. There's nothing I can't make." Doctor Shinigami basked in the man's praise and replied smugly. "Now all that's left is to test it for real."

The man walked up to the time machine and gently ran his hand over it.

"What an incredible machine. With this, I can easily wipe out those Kamen Riders before they've had a chance to fully grow!"

"Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the materials, this machine can only be used twice. And it's a one-way trip—there's no coming back." Doctor Shinigami sighed. He was a perfectionist, and in his eyes, the machine was both a perfect creation and an imperfect work.

"Is that so?" The man stroked the surface of the time machine, his eyes narrowing before slowly opening again. "In that case, set the destination to the Showa Era. If I remember correctly, that was when those two Kamen Riders were born."

"You mean... Kamen Rider Number One and Number Two?" Doctor Shinigami seemed to have guessed at the man's intentions.

"That's right, Kamen Rider Number One and Number Two. The two cyborgs your Shocker organization created—and the 'origin' of every other Kamen Rider who would be 'born' afterward! If I use this machine to go back to the era when Kamen Rider Number One and Number Two existed, then erase those two 'origins,' every Kamen Rider in this era will vanish from history! Hahahahahaha!" The man trembled, one hand covering his wild, twisted grin. A certain seed within him began to stir.

"That 'thing' inside me is already getting impatient. Come on! Send me to that era!"

"Very well. Let's begin." Doctor Shinigami nodded and gestured to a Shocker researcher beside him.

Understanding what Doctor Shinigami meant, the researcher hurried over to a lever-like switch and pulled it down with both hands.

A twisted wormhole suddenly opened behind the man. Before he could react, a powerful force sucked him inside. The wormhole then closed, leaving behind a wrecked laboratory and a dazed Doctor Shinigami and Shocker researcher.

The Vanishing Silver, Gold, and Purple

"Gari... Gari... wake up... Please, wake up..."

Through the haze, Senba Gari heard a familiar voice ringing in his ears. At the same time, someone seemed to be gently shaking him.

"Ugh..."

His tightly shut eyes and furrowed brows shifted. Then Senba Gari slowly awoke from the darkness. The first thing he saw was a familiar head of flaxen hair. But its owner's normally clean, delicate face was now filthy, and her reddened eyes seemed to tell of the tears she'd shed.

"...Kotori?" Senba Gari looked at her, his face pale.

"Thank goodness! Gari, you're finally awake!"

Senba Gari was still too groggy to react before Minami Kotori threw herself into his arms and held him tightly.

"Kotori? What happened to you?" Senba Gari asked, bewildered, as he looked at Minami Kotori. "And where are we? What about Phantom? Where is it?"

"Th-that..." For some reason, Minami Kotori's body visibly trembled when she heard his last question, and her amber eyes began darting uneasily around.

Senba Gari didn't notice her strange reaction. He tried to put his feet down, but his legs suddenly gave way. If Minami Kotori hadn't come to her senses in time and caught him, he would have fallen straight to the ground.

"Gari, are you all right?!" Minami Kotori asked, her voice nearly breaking into a sob.

"I... What..." Senba Gari stared in disbelief at his unsteady legs. Only then did he finally take in his surroundings.

Steel reinforcing bars jutted from the crumbling concrete walls. The place where he'd been lying was indeed a pile of uneven rubble, with a relatively intact stone placed on top to form a "bed." Plastic bags, stones, and all kinds of trash littered the ground at his feet.

Minami Kotori was no longer dressed in the kind of clothes he remembered. She wore worn-out pants and a shirt, with a few holes of varying sizes in the legs of her pants. Her once-fair face was filthy, and her neat, smooth flaxen hair had grown dry and messy. She looked even frailer and more sickly than he remembered.

Strange. Where is this? Why is my body so weak? And Kotori looks kind of different, too. I... Damn it! My head's a mess. Why does it feel like there's something important I haven't remembered? What is it? What?!

Senba Gari looked around, his pupils trembling. His mind was a muddle, and his memories were as jumbled as a television screen full of static after losing its signal.

"Kotori..."

"Hmm?"

Senba Gari suddenly called out to Minami Kotori. Then he grabbed her by the shoulders and stared wide-eyed at her, looking almost frightening.

"Tell me, where... where are we?! And why am I here?! Where's Phantom? And that idiot Geki and Kashu—where are they?! And what's with the way you look?! Why... why is my head such a mess...? What... happened...?"

As Senba Gari spoke, Minami Kotori looked at him, on the verge of breaking down. As if unable to bear the sight, she reached out and cupped his face.

"...Gari... Have you really forgotten? Or was what happened the day before yesterday too much for you? Please, don't scare me like this. Please..."

"What... do you mean?" Senba Gari asked, looking dazed.

---Scene break---

"W-what... happened here?!"

With Minami Kotori supporting him, Senba Gari walked out of the place where he'd been resting. Everything in front of him felt completely unfamiliar.

Collapsed houses and high-rises, cracked roads, abandoned vehicles, streetlights knocked over by cars, and a gloomy sky that let through not a glimmer of light—the apocalyptic scene stretched before Senba Gari with nothing left to hide it.

"This is the area around the entrance to our old school, Otonokizaka. Gari, do you... really not remember?" Minami Kotori asked, her voice choked with sobs.

"Otono... kizaka?" Senba Gari stared in disbelief at the apocalyptic scene. He shook his head repeatedly, then abruptly turned around. A battered sign came into view. He would never forget it, because it was Otonokizaka's crest!

Minami Kotori then led Senba Gari, still dazed, to a corner where many people he knew—and many he didn't—were resting. There were children, elderly people, young adults, and even pregnant women. They all had one thing in common: their clothes were as worn-out as Minami Kotori's.

Seeing this, Senba Gari's thoughts grew confused all over again.

"Who are they...?"

"Gari, come with me first. You'll understand once we get there."

Then Minami Kotori helped Senba Gari over to a much larger pile of rubble. A few familiar voices suddenly called out from behind it...

Umi: "Oh, it's Kotori! Ah! G-Gari?!"

Nico: "No way! Could it be your illu—huh?!"

Rin: "It really is Gari!"

Honoka Kosaka stared wide-eyed at Senba Gari, who was still being supported by Minami Kotori. Then, unable to hold back any longer, Honoka Kosaka threw herself into his arms. If Minami Kotori hadn't been supporting him, he would probably have fallen over.

"Waaah... Thank goodness... Waaah... Gari, I'm so glad you're all right..." As Senba Gari stared at her in bewilderment, Honoka Kosaka suddenly burst into tears.

"Huh? H-Honoka, what's wrong?" Senba Gari asked, baffled by Honoka Kosaka's sudden sobbing.

"Found it, found it!"

Just then, Fumika's voice came from behind Honoka Kosaka. Fumika was carrying what looked like a battered piece of "scrap metal." She came over to the others and announced it excitedly.

But when she held it out to them, the confused expression on Senba Gari's face instantly froze. There was only one reason.

That piece of "scrap metal" was Silver Phantom—or, more precisely, Silver Phantom's head. It looked utterly mangled. The armor covering its head had been blown apart, revealing the damaged electronic components inside. Most importantly, all that remained of Silver Phantom was a battered head.

Unable to believe that the thing in front of him was Silver Phantom, Senba Gari snatched what looked like its head from Fumika's hands.

But the moment he got a clear look at it, a heavy weight settled over his heart. He was certain: this was Silver Phantom. And a memory, so vivid he could not tell whether it was real or not, suddenly flooded his mind.

--Bang, bang, bang!

--Boom!!!

A city engulfed in flames. Takai Geki and Kashu, barely alive and bound to two enormous crosses. The Knight Hunter in blood-red armor. And him, fighting the enemy alongside Silver Phantom, Golden Firmament, and Ziying.

But their opponent was far too powerful. After only a few exchanges, he was defeated, and Divine's armor was smashed apart.

Master!!!!

Silver Phantom rushed to Senba Gari's side and helped him up. But Senba Gari was in no condition to fight anymore. In response, Silver Phantom made a shocking decision.

Master, please don't move. I, Phantom, am about to do something big. (｀?ω?′)ゞ

"...What do you mean? Don't do anything stupid! Hey! Phantom! Phantom! Get back here!" Senba Gari shouted at Silver Phantom as it walked farther away. He was too weak to get up, but Silver Phantom seemed determined and did not turn back.

[Huh? What are you doing?!]

The Knight Hunter stared in shock at the three robots clinging tightly to him. An uneasy feeling stirred in his heart. He struggled again and again, but it was as if he were trapped in a swamp: the more he fought, the tighter Silver Phantom and the others held on.

Self-destruct sequence initiated. Activation in three seconds.

[What?!] Hearing Silver Phantom and the others emit a message that sounded like a death knell, the Knight Hunter frantically twisted and struggled to break free, but it was useless.

Brother Gari, I entrust my master and the others to you. Bring them back safely.

Beep, beep, beep—please... do...

[You bastards!!!! You damn bastards! Let go! Let go!]

Master! Even without Phantom as your mount, please keep going, okay? (′?︶?`)

"Phantom!!"

--Boom, boom, boom!

A surge of energy erupted from Silver Phantom and the others. A gigantic azure mushroom cloud rose into the sky, and a fierce shock wave reduced all the surrounding buildings to rubble. The force hurled Senba Gari away, and his consciousness sank into endless darkness.

--Drip.

"N-no... It can't be... Phantom... Hey, Phantom! You're just pretending to be dead, right? You're definitely trying to get me to buy you a new game again, aren't you? All right, wake up. I found you, didn't I? I pro... promise... I... I promise."

His tears wouldn't stop. They streamed from his eyes and fell onto the silver metal in his hands, then slowly slid down to the ground.

Senba Gari had never imagined that Silver Phantom would leave him. It was a robot, with a lifespan that could be called infinite, while he was only human. But in the end, it was the robot who left first.

The way he felt now was just like when his parents had left him one by one: miserable, his heart pierced with grief. Silver Phantom often got on his nerves, but he'd never truly been angry with it. He had long since come to regard that emotionless robot as family. And now, the everyday life he remembered seemed like a dream.

Excuse me, are you my master?

Master, give me a game. (??? ? ???)

Master, tell me... is a human life like a firework, gone in the blink of an eye?

Master...

That cold, mechanical voice was something he would never hear again.

A World in Ruins

--Boom!

In a corner of the city, Divine King Kong punched away a heap of rubble blocking his path.

Even now, his thoughts were still a mess. He'd been at home just moments earlier, but now he had appeared in this apocalyptic city. Everything from before had already been reduced to ruins, and Silver Phantom, Golden Firmament, and Ziying no longer existed in this world.

He'd learned from Honoka Kosaka and the others that the Knight Hunter had conquered and destroyed this world. This was the last area that had not been completely wiped out, because the three of them were still there. By now, Takai Geki and Kashu had been captured and bound to the rooftop of the old UTS Building.

He'd also learned something else from Honoka Kosaka and the others: Kamen Riders no longer existed. Every Kamen Rider from the Showa and Heisei Eras had vanished, as if they had never existed at all. The only ones left were the three of them. But...

"What... is going on?" Beneath his mask, Divine frowned as he looked at his hands, which kept flickering in and out of existence. Ever since he'd woken up, this strange phenomenon had been happening to him.

[That's because you were born from Kamen Riders. Now that I've erased the history of Kamen Riders, you, who were born from them, are about to disappear from the history of this world as well.]

"Who?!"

A voice suddenly came from behind him. Highly alert, he swung a fist behind himself, but hit nothing.

[How rude, Divine.]

As the voice fell, a disgusting mass of blood-red flesh suddenly sprang up from the ground. Divine immediately backed away several steps.

The disgusting mass wriggled and gradually grew larger as its shape continued to change, eventually taking on a human form. Its features slowly became clear, and Divine finally saw its true face.

"It's you!"

[Oh? You remember me. It seems you're in much better shape than your two companions.] Resting the Serrated Sword on his shoulder, the Knight Hunter spoke with a meaningful smile.

"What do you mean?" Divine asked in confusion, while assuming a stance that would let him counterattack at any moment.

[It's simple. Kamen Riders no longer exist, so you people who were born from them—and the world itself—will gradually destroy yourselves!] The Knight Hunter spread his arms, sounding almost enthralled. [If you want to build a new world order, then you must first break the existing one. You guardians of that order are my greatest obstacle. Rather than defeat you one by one, I decided to destroy the source from which you were born: the origin of all Kamen Riders, the first Kamen Rider—Kamen Rider Number One!]

"Guh..."

As soon as the Knight Hunter finished speaking, an intense sense of weakness and tearing pain surged through Divine. He fell to one knee, helplessly extending his trembling hands.

To his shock, his hands were slowly turning transparent. If the bits of concrete dust still on them hadn't remained visible, he would have thought his hands had disappeared.

--Rumble...

As if the sight of his hands turning transparent had been a signal, everything around Divine began to crumble—quite literally.

The surrounding buildings gradually collapsed. In the sky, the clouds suddenly spread out and then gathered into a ring, as if a huge hole had been torn through the heavens. The ground split apart, like the continents of the ancient Earth dividing into separate landmasses. Centered on him and the Knight Hunter, bottomless chasms spread across the earth. Some areas collapsed, others rose, and some even floated in the air, defying gravity.

[As expected, the three of you really are the "center" of this world. As long as you vanish, the world's order will fall into chaos.]

Ignoring the stones floating around them, the Knight Hunter slowly walked up to Divine. He raised a foot and lightly kicked Divine's shoulder, then pressed it against Divine's chest, which kept flickering between transparency and solidity.

[Look, just look at what's beneath my foot! The people's hero? A Kamen Rider? Oh, my, I'm so clumsy. What's wrong, my hero? Caught a cold? Why are you so weak? Come on, defeat me, the evil villain destroying the world! Come on! Come on! Defeat me! Get up! Get up!]

As if crushing a bug, the Knight Hunter kept insulting Divine while stomping hard on his chest. Every kick sent sparks flying, and fine cracks spread across his chest armor.

"Guh..."

The intense weakness and tearing pain left Divine unable to resist as the Knight Hunter trampled him.