Ophelia is now dealing with Graphite with Taiga and Hiiro. Emu exits the game world because of his condition and she doesn't have the time to heal them. Hiiro is completely disadvantaged between the three of them as he didn't have Level 3 Gashat.
Graphite is swinging his sword to attack and land a hit on Hiiro. Ophelia steps in and swings her twin hologram sword at him before someone shoots her behind.
"Ah!" She cried in pain and knew Taiga had done it so he could deal with Graphite alone.
"You're an eyesore! Get lost, Level 2 noob and Fairy!" Taiga ordered them.
"Attacking me behind so you can deal, Graphite? Have you lost your mind?" Ophelia asked and rubbed her back.
"Move aside! He's mine!" Hiiro attacked Taiga and shoved him.
"Can you guys at least work together rather than having each other's throat!?" Ophelia exclaimed hoping they would at least work together for once.
"Never!"
"I refuse!"
Taiga and Hiiro reject the idea of working together. Ophelia sighs angrily. "Of course, men and their pride." She muttered bitterly and was tempted to whack their heads.
"I'll get rid of you three at once!" Graphite declared just when he was about to attack them, someone shot close to Graphite's feet.
They turned around to see Kiriya joining in. "You guys sure are getting along well!" He commented sarcastically.
Ophelia hoped Kiriya would be a team player for the sake of defeating Graphite.
————————————————————
The four of them are battling Graphite nonstop. None of them are in sync since they don't have a solid plan to defeat Graphite. No one even bothers to listen to Ophelia when she's making a suggestion but only ends up ignoring her. They're even arguing with each other over the Gashat while leaving Ophelia alone to deal with Graphite.
Graphite had enough of the Kamen Riders bickering and decided to end them. "Extreme Black Dragon Sword!"
𝑴𝒐𝒐𝒏 𝑨𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒔
Ophelia summons her defense move to protect everyone from the final attack.
"How!?" Kiriya is amazed by her ability despite she's different from them.
"I'll deal with you, Graphite!" She glares at him and grips her sword tight. "I'm done holding myself back. There's a reason why I refuse to sing when I battle."
"Ophelia?" Hiiro called out her name worriedly.
She exhaled and her whole body glowed. Ophelia opened her mouth and sang from the bottom of her heart. 'It's time to get serious and let go of the fear I've been holding.'
"Sakebi tsuzukero
Mayoi no nai negai wo nando demo
Kowaresou datte koko ni irun datte
Shinji tsuzukero"
Ophelia raises her sword and summons her blades to attack him. Graphite immediately deflected the swords heading toward him and didn't notice she disappeared.
"Aimai darake no kono genjistu ni
Sarasare nagara tamesarete irun da hora
Itsuwari no beeru matottatte
Okubyou na jibun tsukuroe ya shinai"
"Her song increases her skills?" Taiga couldn't help but ask in shock. He knew Ophelia was holding back but he'd never guess the song is one of her abilities.
"Kanashimi kurushimi wa itsu datte
Tsuyosa wo umidasu mahou mitai da
Tomadoi mo tamerai sae mo
Kitto imi wo motsu hazu sa"
Graphite gritted his teeth and unleashed an attack as it landed on her. However, he could still hear her voice. "You're such a nuisance for someone who isn't a Kamen Rider!" They still throw each other's attack without backing down.
"Sakebi tsuzukero
Mayoi no nai negai wo nando demo
Kowaresou datte nakushisou datte woah woah!
Hitori janai daro"
Hiiro couldn't help but look surprised at her battle. 'All this time, I completely underestimated you, Ophelia. What I did to you back then is unforgivable but it was the only thing I could protect you from danger.' He thought looking at their battle worriedly.
"Kazoekirenai itami datte kono kizuato datte
Dakishimeru kara itoshiku naru kara woah, woah
Shinjiteru yo
Unmei no sono saki e susumi tsuzukero!"
The whole sky turned dark as the full moon shone brightly. Ophelia gives Graphite a stern look.
𝑪𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑴𝒐𝒐𝒏 𝑭𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒉!
She swings her sword as a multiple of purple slashes headed toward him.
Graphite is getting weak and escapes fast from the battlefield before it can land him. 'She's more threat than any of them! I'll get her for this!' The Bugster vowed to defeat her soon.
The scene disappears as it goes back to reality. All of them reverted to normal as they received scratches and bruises all over their body. Before one of the Doctors could speak up, Ophelia spoke up first.
"I refused to answer any of your questions. I refuse to heal your injuries and deal it with yourselves!" She snapped at them angrily and had enough of their attitude. "We nearly got ourselves killed because you guys are bickering each other and ignoring the fact Graphite was this close to defeating us! Don't get me started on how you guys attack each other for meddling!" She ranted while her emotions went haywire because of their behavior.
"Woah, calm down, lady—" Kiriya tried to calm Ophelia down but she glared at him.
"Don't tell me to calm down 'cause if you guys end up doing this kind of behavior... you'll get yourselves killed." Ophelia gives them a cold tone. "I don't even know why I'm involved when you guys are acting recklessly regarding group." She leaves them and goes back to her work.
Hiiro has never seen her cold side and lectures them in a harsh tone. She's always known for being soft and giving advice. The way Ophelia acts it's like she experiences battling before meeting them.
————————————————————
Ophelia finished her last round of dealing with the patient before heading back to the staff room. She sighs heavily and groans at the pain of her back. "It hurts." Ophelia whimpered and rubbed her sore back.
It's a blessing to heal people and a curse for being unable to heal the user. She's experiencing a lot of sore body but Ophelia can manage it. It's not the first time of experienced pain when dealing with enemies.
Ophelia knew her actions were cold and harsh scolding them but they needed to face some facts. They can't do it alone to face the enemies. She always separates her persona between lifestyle and battle. Ophelia needs to give them a wake-up call that they can't handle everything alone if they have each other's back.
"Sore from back then?" She glances up to see Sakura heading towards her. "The case is getting increased, Ophelia." Sakura pointed out worriedly. "At this rate, we'll experience Zero Day all over again. We just managed to escape from the Pac-Man incident."
Ophelia is also worried about the well-being of the people. "Sakura, I'm trying but these meatheads are too stubborn to work together." She explained tiredly and sighed. "If they keep doing this, I'll have no choice but to defeat it myself."
"Are you sure about this, Ophelia?" Sakura asked worriedly and scared of her well-being. "That's a huge gamble you're doing, Ophelia. Aren't you also risking yourself?"
"It's the risk I'm willing to take." Ophelia answered calmly and held her hands. "Sakura, I've been doing this in my entire life and I know what I'm doing. Besides, who said I'm alone?" She asked her curiously.
"Luna can battle too?" Sakura asked with a surprised look. She shouldn't underestimate her size because of her appearance.
"Yeah, I've been upgrading her lately." The black-haired woman explained. "She had her combat mode emergency but I'm worried how it might turn out." She's worried about letting Luna in the field in her combat mode.
Ophelia isn't a mechanic expert because she used alchemy to bring Luna to life. She passed some of her powers to let Luna fight alongside her. The black-haired woman is worried because she never had an experience battling before.
"Why don't you ask her how she truly feels, Ophelia?" Sakura suggested and Ophelia faced her worriedly. "I know you care for her as if she's your sister. You have to remember she has her feelings too."
Ophelia couldn't help but agree with her. She needs to have a chat with Luna.
————————————————————
Luna is sitting across from Ophelia as she wants to talk to her about something important. It's rare for her master to see her as serious and hesitant. The female android is worried about her strange behavior. "Ophelia-sama?" She called her worriedly.
Ophelia exhaled softly and clasping her own hands in deep thought. "I've been thinking a lot lately, Luna."
"Of what? Master?" She asked curiously.
"If they don't work well together and the situation gets worse. You and I have to face, Graphite. That's— if you're willing to join me." The former goddess told her the plan.
Luna's eyes widened in shock to hear her plan. She had never been combative with Ophelia but only gathered information or created a force field. Ophelia upgraded her to have combat skills to aid if she needed them. She lacks experience in fighting.
"Ophelia-sama, I—" Someone interrupted her by knocking on the door. "Are you expecting someone, master?"
"No." Ophelia answered truthfully and looked at the security screen to see Emu. "Emu." She muttered his name sadly.
Emu took the defeat hard and thought he could save Kyoutarou's life. He's being reckless and ignores Ophelia's warnings. The genius gamer paid the price for not paying attention.
"Are you going to let him in, Ophelia-sama?" Luna asked her curiously while noticing the thick tension between them.
Ophelia snapped back from her loss of thought. "I will and can you prepare jasmine tea for us, please?" The small android nodded her head and began to do her task.
The black-haired woman opens the door and Emu smiles sadly at her. "Hey, Fee-chan."
"Come in." She invited him inside of her apartment.
If Emu wasn't depressed about the situation right now, he would be awestruck and yell in shock. How she can afford to rent the luxury apartment she's living in without knowing her parents own it?
"Thank you for letting me in, Fee-chan." He thanked her for inviting him. "I thought you were angry."
"I was disappointed but I knew you learned it." Ophelia corrected him. "Do the others tell you what happened after you got defeated?"
Emu nodded his head in agreement. Kiriya explained everything about their battle how Ophelia nearly destroyed Graphite through singing to boost her skills. He assumed she could only sing for healing or purifying but it could also do different things. "Yeah, I didn't know your song could do different things."
"Yeah only in battle and heal." Ophelia answered and showed Emu the living room. "I refused to sing when I battle because of fear that I might lose control. After watching the battle between you guys, I have no choice but to let go of my fear and fight him."
"Why are you not telling this to anyone, Fee-chan?" Emu couldn't help but ask Ophelia.
"I swore to someone to use my abilities for good intentions." Luna handed them their drinks and sat right next to her. "I don't usually broadcast my powers because I want to see what you guys are capable of."
"It also explains why you're not showing your full potential but only now." He muttered under his breath and understood Ophelia's intention.
"Yeah, I'm also at fault for letting my emotions get to me." She passed the tea to Emu and he accepted it. "You're here for a different reason."
"Yeah, I asked the guys to work all together but... it didn't go as well as I hoped." Emu smiles sheepishly and Luna rolls her eyes.
"Figures since they're full of themselves." Luna commented sarcastically and Ophelia sighed heavily.
"Luna." Ophelia warned the female android.
"Forgive me, master." She bowed her head.
"What's your plan now? Considering the new Gashat is dangerous to use for one person." Ophelia reminded Emu.
"I'm going to lie and pretend to hand over the Gashat." Emu revealed his plan. "Even if I ask them to work together for once, they'll refuse."
Ophelia hummed and nodded her head. "I know Kagami prefers working with his father than with Taiga." She pointed out. "He even refused to work with me when it involved with Graphite. He wanted to go on solo and have justice for Saki-san."
"Let's assume you lie to them and hand over the Gashat, what happens next?" Luna asked curiously.
"Battle them and the Gashat will work successfully once we're in sync for four players." Emu answered and revealed his plan to her.
"That's a huge risk you're dealing with, Emu." Ophelia warned him worriedly. "Are you sure about this?" They both know it's not easy to work together as a team since they prefer to do anything than that.
"Yeah, I am." Emu assured her with a reassuring smile. "I don't want you to get involved with our problem. It's our fault we're putting pressure on you without knowing." He feels bad for not asking Ophelia's feelings whenever they fight or even thanking her for helping them.
Ophelia sighed softly and smiled in satisfaction. "I understand and I'll just stand back and watch you guys far from a distance. I'll step in when things are out of hand."
"Thank you, Fee-chan." He smiles knowing Ophelia is no longer mad at him. "I'm also sorry for involving your sensitive relationship with Hiiro-san this morning. It's completely low for me to do it."
Ophelia shook her head. "There's nothing to apologize for it. To be honest, he's making me more confused and annoyed." She pointed out her situation with Hiiro. "Ever since I showed up, he's— I don't know... become more worried about me it's as if—"
"He's trying to fix the relationship you guys have." Ophelia stares at him in shock. "Hiiro-san has a reason for breaking up and I'm sure he'll explain to you when he's ready." Emu has seen the way Hiiro stares at Ophelia. They could feel a tension between them and hoped they could sort out their feelings.
————————————————————
Emu's plan finally succeeds. He managed to lure everyone to meet him and demanded to hand over the Gashat. "If you want the Gashat... then use all your might to take it from me." He declared.
The three doctors are surprised by his declaration of war to obtain the Gashat. Asuna is surprised by Emu's personality change. 'Emu's not playing a game yet, but his personality has already changed?' She thought curiously. 'Ophelia-chan isn't here as well. I wonder where she is.'
"Or are you afraid to lose to me?" Emu asked them before activating his driver. They followed his actions. "Let's go." He pressed his Gashat on.
"Mighty Action X!"
"Sounds fun." Taiga commented darkly.
"Bang bang Shooting!"
"You're in over your head, intern." Hiiro pointed out bluntly.
"Taddle Quest!"
"I'm on board with this duel." Kiriya commented with a hint of mischief look.
"Bakusou Bike!"
"Henshin!"
"Gashatto!"
"Henshin!"
"Gashatto!"
"Henshin!"
"Henshin!"
"Gashatto!"
"Gashatto!"
"I'm a Kamen Rider."
"Tactics level 3."
"3rd gear!"
"Skill level 3."
"Gacchaan! Level up!"
"I gotcha! Do Re Mi Fa beat!"
Emu showed the new Gashat in his hand and activated it. "Drago Knight Hunter Z!"
Ophelia watches them over without being seen. "I hope your plan works, Emu." She whispered while her heart was pounding in fear.
"Gashatto! Gacchaan!"
"Dai dai dai dai dai Henshin!"
"Level up! Mighty Action X! I gotcha! Drago Knight Hunter Z!"
"Commencing Ex-Aid removal operation." Hiiro declared.
"Mission start." Taiga declared.
"Let's ride this out!" Kiriya exclaimed while swinging his left arm.
Taiga, Kiriya and Hiiro are attacking Emu before he can summon his weapon. The genius gamer begins to glitch and doesn't care about the consequences as he attacks everyone.
"An opening!" Kiriya took the opportunity to attack but Emu landed a hit first causing him to drop his Gekitotsu Robots Gashat.
Emu picks it and keeps the level 3 Gashat. "I'm taking this back." He declared that he owned it in the first place.
"Huh!?" He gasps in shock as it's no longer in his driver.
"You bastard." Taiga cursed and they're lucky enough not to have Ophelia at the moment.
"Not bad!" Kiriya complimented Emu's plan.
"Isn't it vexing to lose to an intern?" Emu taunted them.
Hiiro readied his sword. "I'll show you the difference in our skill levels!" He vowed and summoned his attack.
"Don't you look down on me." Taiga growled in annoyance at Emu's overconfidence while getting his final attack ready.
"Come on. You're getting way too carried away." Kiriya whined and followed their lead.
"Come at me." Emu gets his stance ready and waits for their final attacks.
Ophelia covers her mouth and muffles in a scream to see Emu is taking the hint. She's worried and desperate to end their fight but Emu wouldn't forgive her if she intervened. 'Emu...' She looked at her friend worriedly.
The Drago Knight was separated from Emu after they landed a hint on him. It roared them out while watching them.
"The power of Level 5 will be mine if I defeat that!" Hiiro declared to defeat the Gashat in his hand. 'That way... I can defeat Graphite.'
"Gashuun! Gashatto!"
Hiiro, Taiga and Kiriya called their final attack on more time to defeat the Drago Knight.
"DoReMiFa Jet Giri Giri Critical Finish!"
All of their attacks combined to destroy the Drago Knight in one hit. "Satisfying strike!"
Emu's Drago Knight Gashat glowed as it flew up and multiplied each other into 4 Gashats. Ophelia cries in relief as Emu's plan succeeds without fail.
"Those are..." Hiiro trailed off his thoughts to see the new Gashats multiply into 4 for each 4 Kamen Riders.
"Virtual Gashats for four players, I guess." Emu pointed and smiled behind the mask. "Fee-chan couldn't use Gashat like us because she's special and it only meant for us." It's pointless for her to use Gashats like them and Ophelia didn't possess a driver in the first place when she transformed.
"Four players..." Taiga muttered under his breath.
Kiriya laughed in amusement. "You took us on a ride, didn't you?" He asked with a hint of amusement.
Ophelia decided now it was time to show up. She's no longer seeing hostility with each other for now and observed their other battle with Graphite next. "It was Emu planned all along to lure you guys in and defeat him to activate the new Gashat's full potential." She explained as the three doctors looked at her. "He told me about his plan last night. That's the reason why I hid somewhere."
"Ah, Healer-chan!" Kiriya greeted Ophelia happily while she shook her head in amusement. "Glad you could join us. Remind me not to tick you off, you're completely scary when you're angry." It's the first time he encounters Ophelia's temper and vows not to make her angry.
"Haha..." Ophelia laughs nervously and rubs her neck. "I have to make sure to separate my lifestyle and saving style, Kiriya. The fight has just started and you guys need to face the final opponent." She referred to Graphite.
Emu nodded his head. "The fight isn't over yet." He jumped and grabbed the Gashat as the rest went to the remaining Kamen Riders. "The target of our hunt is Graphite!"
"Let me heal you guys first before facing him." Ophelia spoke up and looked at them. "You guys took a lot of damage from yesterday and today."
"Are you going to heal us one by one?" Emu asked curiously.
Ophelia shook her head. "Not this time, I can do it in groups if it's necessary." She clasps her hands and bows as if she's praying.
"Mezame sasou uta o
Hito wa kokoro de kurikaesu
Hikari kie ta sora ni
Ai o tomosu yo ni"
Their whole body glowed and they could feel their injuries fading thanks to her healing powers. All of them silently thanked Ophelia for healing them the moment she finished her song. She opened her eyes and looked at them. "Good luck, guys."
Emu nodded his head and activated his driver. "Stage select!"
They're in the outside skirts of the river as Graphite showed up. He hums and turns around to face them while Ophelia doesn't join in this time. "You teleported me into the game area? Fine with me." He smirked darkly and showed his Gashat. "I'll smash you all up and your fairy is next." Graphite glares at Ophelia while she remains calm. "I will never forgive you for what you did to me."
Ophelia remained calm and crossed her arms. "I did what's the right thing to do. You're dealing with them. Not me." She reminded the Bugster and hide somewhere to avoid crossfire.
"Drago Knight Hunter Z!"
"Cultivate." He transforms into a Bugster.
"It's a race to see who hunts down Graphite first!" Emu declared knowing it would rile them up. He activated the new Gashat.
"Fang!"
"Blade!" Hiiro activates his new Gashat.
"Gun!" Taiga followed them.
"Claw!" Kiriya activated it as well.
"Gacchaan! Gashatto!"
"Tactics level 5."
"Skill level 5."
"5th Gear!"
"Dai dai dai dai dai Henshin!"
"Gacchaan! Level up!"
"Mighty Jump! Mighty Kick! Mighty, Mighty Action X!"
"I gotcha! Do-do Drago Kni-Kni-Kni Knight! Dora, Dora, Drago Knight Hunter Ex-Aid!"
"Brave!"
"Snipe!"
"Lazer!"
Ophelia is amazed to see their new transformation gear up. She's looking forward to seeing how they're using their new powers without her.
"This is awesome!" Kiriya couldn't help but look amazed at their new transformation.
"Come at me." Graphite raised his weapon to fight them.
Poppy showed up out of nowhere standing right next to Ophelia. She gasps in shock. "You guys are cool!" She gushed and Ophelia nodded her head but looked serious.
"We don't know what they can do with their new abilities, Poppy." Ophelia pointed out. "Let's see how they battle."
The Kamen Riders dashed off to attack Graphite. Graphite is deflecting their attacks and struggles to land a hit on them. The Bugster didn't expect they were all in sync together without Ophelia's side. They warned each other to move out before one of them could hurt each other.
Poppy noticed their attacks were more aggressive than it was before. "Is this a duel among fellow Riders, Ophelia-chan?" She asked the black-haired woman curiously.
"I would say a bit rough edges." Ophelia answered nervously. "It would take a lot of time for them to get used to their... unique attitude and faring the battle." They both smiled to see them working together.
"Looks more like they're working together to me." She commented while Ophelia pursed her lips. "Did I say it wrong?"
"I wouldn't say wrong— more like they're competing with each other slash working together at the same time?" Ophelia suggested nervously. "On the bright side, there's progress for them working together." Their hopes are destroyed to see them bickering with each other again.
"Dear me!" Poppy cried out in shock while Ophelia sighed heavily.
"I guess we spoke too soon." She muttered sadly.
Graphite growled in annoyance for not hitting them as he planned. "Damn you!" He swears and his weapon glows. "Extreme Black Dragon Sword!" He used one of his signature moves to hurt them.
Ophelia gasps in shock and is about to use her force field to protect them. The four Kamen Riders encountered it as they destroyed Graphite's final attack. She sighed in relief and leaned on Poppy's side. "That was so close."
"I'll be the one to finish you!" Emu declared and readied his final move.
The four of them summon their final moves in sync. "Drago Knight Critical Strike!"
Graphite tried his best to deflect all the attacks been sending him. It was continued and difficult for him to escape as he missed the attack and took the hit. The attack damaged him a lot causing him to scream in pain and finally be destroyed for good.
It caused a huge explosion and Poppy cheered for their victory while Ophelia simply smiled.
"Yay! We're the best!" Kiriya cheered happily.
"Game clear!"
Emu stretches his body in relief as they manage to defeat Graphite successfully. However, Hiiro, Taiga and Kiriya's new Gashat disappeared. The doctors reverted themselves to normal and came back from the real world. Emu is surprised the Drago Knight Gashat is still in his hands.
"So?" Kiriya breaks the silence. "Who was the winner?" He asked them curiously.
"I was faster by a split second." Taiga answered.
"No. It was I who dealt the critical blow." Hiiro declared that he was the one who finished Graphite off. "Naturally, the Gashat should be mine."
Poppy stops Hiiro from taking the Gashat out of Emu's hand. "Wait. Wait!" She stops them from arguing. "It doesn't matter who it is. Right?"
Ophelia exhales softly. "I don't think that's— that simple, Poppy." She whispered under her breath and Emu heard it.
"Mou!" Poppy noticed their deadpanned looks. "Then I'll decide that it's a draw! You will work together from now on..." She ranted while Taiga, Kiriya and Hiiro walked away. "Hey, wai—" The pink-haired woman tried to stop them but no one bothered to listen. "My head's spinning..." She moaned in despair.
Ophelia shook her head and looked at Emu with a reassuring smile. "You made progress to work with them well in sync. It'll take time to come around."
Emu nodded his head in understanding. "Yeah... working as a team... is playing the game on Difficult." He muttered sadly.
Ophelia couldn't help but comfort him. "There, there!"
She knows they'll come around whatever the future awaits for them.
Guardian Movies is out and available to read~Mira