"This sure is fun."
Jaku'un spoke with cheerful amusement as she sat atop a towering building.
In her hands rested a portable gaming console she had stolen from a nearby electronics store. She toyed with it curiously, jumping between a shooter game and a cooking simulator while the city beneath her drowned in gunfire, explosions, and the relentless assault of Shuukis tearing through everything in sight.
To her, the chaos below sounded almost beautiful.
A grand opera composed of destruction.
"And I got shot. Great."
She gave an indifferent shrug before tossing the console behind her like worthless garbage, losing interest the moment the game stopped entertaining her. With nothing left to distract her, her attention drifted back toward the carnage unfolding across the city.
"Sheesh, Shikoku-nee really did not hold back and harvested a lot of Shuukis."
During the past few weeks, the Defense Force had experienced a massive decline in Shuuki sightings and activities despite the rampant emergence of Gates across every jurisdiction. Such a situation was unprecedented for them; never before had the numbers fallen to such an abnormal low.
The true cause behind it, however, was none other than Shikoku.
From the shadows, she had been steadily gathering assets. The results had exceeded even her expectations. By now, the number of Shuukis she collected inside her cards had already reached the multiple thousands by rough estimation alone.
Contrary to her second expectation, the humans were actually competent in handling unexpected situations thrown at their table. The sudden emergence of multiple Shuukis did catch them off guard. However, biting back in retaliation was their immediate response while maintaining their composure to help the panicking civilians from further succumbing to their fear.
Getting up and brushing off the dust from her clothes, Jaku'un started hopping from one place to another continuously. The smile on her face never left as the lone Shuuki card in her hands showed signs of shaking.
********
Other than the ordinary Shuuki that could be dealt with, several Uniques had blended into the horde. Though far weaker than the armored Shuuki in Kofu, the three-headed Shuuki, or the Unihorn Kyouka had fought, they still posed a deadly threat to ordinary combatants.
One of them was a massive cat, its body covered in thick fur with razor-sharp claws gleaming. It leapt from one place to another with terrifying speed, throwing off the Special Force's aim as soldiers desperately tried to track its movements. The number of critically wounded people attempting to corner it only continued to rise as the creature tore through them with savage precision.
"Damn it! It's too damn fast!"
"Mow that furry bastard down!"
Several members of the Special Force opened fire with their blessed guns, bullets tearing through the air in relentless bursts. Others attempted to pin the creature down by combining their abilities, trying to limit its movements long enough for a clean shot.
The Cat Shuuki merely let out a mocking meow in response.
"Meow?"
Tilting its head, the creature noticed a plush doll wearing a tiny dress sitting directly in its path. Curious, it lowered one paw and nudged the toy.
— Let's play, my dear friend! Three… two… one…
The moment the countdown reached zero, the doll sprang to life and latched onto the cat's leg. Its eyes flashed bright red.
An explosion erupted instantly.
The blast tore one of the creature's legs apart, flesh and fur scattering across the ruined street. Instead of hissing, the Unique Shuuki released a roar of agony. As the wounded creature staggered backward in agony, it failed to notice the figure descending from the sky.
A fist slammed directly into its skull.
The impact crushed the cat-like Shuuki's head into the pavement with brutal force. Before the creature could even twitch, the muscular woman standing above it drove her gauntleted fists down repeatedly, pounding the remains without mercy until she was certain it was dead.
Only then did she stop.
"You guys alright?"
She casually shoved the corpse aside with one foot before glancing toward the battered combatants.
"…Yeah."
The surviving personnels nodded weakly, still trying to process what had just happened. Confused, they exchanged looks before turning their attention back to the woman who had saved them.
The moment they noticed the insignia on her uniform, their eyes widened.
It was the emblem of the JSDF.
Relief instantly spread across their exhausted faces.
The reinforcements they had been desperately waiting for had finally arrived.
"Tokyo turned into a complete dumpster way too fast."
A black-haired woman with crimson eyes clicked her tongue as she approached from behind. In one hand, she carried another doll identical to the one that had blown apart the Unique Shuuki's leg moments earlier.
She crouched beside one of the injured personnel and helped her back onto her feet while more members of the Ground Self-Defense Force poured into the battlefield. JSDF Soldiers with abilities spread across the ruined streets, immediately engaging the surrounding Shuuki without mercy.
"Time for a thorough cleanup, Fuji."
"I think we're way past a simple cleanup at this point, Nori. This place is crawling with these bastards."
Nori slammed her gauntleted fists together, the sharp clang of steel was heard through the ruined street. Beside her, several dolls floated around Fuji in silence as both women watched the approaching Shuuki leap across overturned cars and charge toward them.
With a casual swipe of her arm, Fuji sent the dolls flying forward.
The dolls latched onto the Shuuki one after another, wrapping around their heads before detonating instantly. Bodies collapsed to the ground in succession, each one left headless by the explosions. At the same time, Nori rushed straight toward the larger monsters, tearing through them with devastating punches that reduced flesh and bone into mangled remains.
"What about those ships floating all over the city?" Nori asked, spitting beside a dead Shuuki.
"The Air Force will probably handle them," Fuji replied while speaking through her comms. "Though, charging in recklessly would just cause problems if those things react badly the moment we declare Weapons Free."
"Fair enough."
"Our priority is the ground operation. We stay in our lane for now."
The two resumed advancing through the devastated streets when static suddenly crackled through the Vehicular Radio.
[This is Chisa reporting from Ginza. Over.]
"We hear you," Fuji answered immediately. "What's your status over there?"
[Operations are proceeding smoothly, but that's not what we're reporting about.]
Nori and Fuji exchanged glances before signaling for the speaker to continue.
[The Kamen Rider has been spotted assisting civilians and slaughtering Shuukis.]
********
The moment the JSDF arrived as the primary defensive force, multiple Giant Shuuki began collapsing one after another and destabilizing their bodies. Across countless battles scattered throughout the city, numerous Uniques engaged in combat against the elite ground forces on a myriad of terrains.
"That all you got, punks?!"
One JSDF soldier smirked as she raised her chin and clenched her fists. Iron scales coated her body with a metallic sound before she launched herself forward, tackling the enemy ahead with overwhelming force.
Nearby, another soldier wearing a half-mask and a cowboy hat fired point-blank with a revolver summoned from her Peach Blessing, skillfully avoiding friendly fire despite the people around her.
"Flame on!!"
One soldier became engulfed in flames, melting enemies on sight, while a woman nearby casually fiddled with the key in her hand.
"Too much noise."
The key-wielding woman sighed before pointing the key forward. Instantly, multiple giant purple keys shot toward the incoming hordes, piercing straight through their critical points like spectral spears raining.
Spectating from far beyond the soldiers' line of sight, Jaku'un silently observed the resistance from the sidelines. True to her nature as a researcher, she had already gathered a considerable amount of data simply by roaming around over the past hour.
"So this is the JSDF and the Special Force..."
She mused quietly to herself, sliding a finger along her neck.
"Seeing them with my own eyes instead of relying on information passed down by the Devotees truly is the better source."
Jaku'un gave a careless shrug, though a mocking smile tugged at her lips.
"Strong as they are, they still fall short compared to the Anti-Demon Force in Mato. However..."
Her grin widened into something far more amused.
"This is starting to look bad~~ The babies my older sister assembled are getting bullied."
Jaku'un cackled as she lifted her gaze toward the sky.
"Time for the next step."
As though bound by a single hive mind, her thoughts instantly connected to every Devotee carrying their mark.
All across the pirate ships, the Devotees snapped their heads upward at the exact same moment, immediately understanding the message transmitted into their minds.
Meanwhile, Jaku'un calmly leaned back after delivering her command.
"It's your time to shine, our dear Devotees. Show them what you have become after surpassing your humanity."
Muttering to herself, she waved her hand lazily through the air before her body vanished from sight without a trace.
********
Location: Shinjuku
Inside the small cabin of the ship she commanded, Viper peeled a banana and swallowed it in a single bite before casually tossing the peel onto the floor.
Since the arrival of the JSDF, the number of Shuuki across the city had begun dropping at a visible rate. Successful counterattacks continued pouring in from multiple sectors. At this pace, they would eventually succeed in exterminating them.
Rather than showing concern, Viper simply smirked when Jaku'un passed her command through their heads.
"Finally, time for me to join the fun."
She rose from her rocking chair and kicked the wooden cabin door open hard enough for it to slam against the wall outside. The devotees of the Divine moving along the deck immediately paused and turned toward her the moment she clapped her hands together.
"Alright, you heard the boss. Every single one of us is joining the merry jamboree happening down there."
The marks carved into the devotees' necks glowed for a brief instant as they turned their attention toward Viper. Unlike the others, she wore no mask to conceal herself, openly revealing her face without the slightest trace of fear.
An ominous grin spread across her lips.
"No pain, no gain!" Viper shouted.
"And we know no fear!" The Devotees roared back in unison.
"Let us show them the full glory of the Thunder Gods!"
"The glory!"
"Let their miserable lives be honored!"
"As the devotees' blades slaughter them and bathe in the blood of their kin!"
The chants continued to grow louder as the devotees echoed Viper's words with fanatical devotion. Before them, she summoned a claymore into her grasp, the weapon crackling with violent energy.
Then the war drums began to thunder.
Each strike against the drums boomed across the ship like the proclamation of an incoming retribution. Violent energy surged through the air in time with every beat, erupting like a volcano ready to consume everything with its heat.
********
Mirroring the surging excitement of the Devotees on the Vipers' side, those aligned with the Juggernauts, Hawks, Phantoms, and Fangs also prepared themselves for battle as the drums they pounded thundered loud enough for everyone to hear.
In perfect synchronization, Fuji, Nori, and the other soldiers assigned in Shinjuku turned toward the noise as the massive boat began descending from the sky. The moment Fuji realized what was happening, her expression twisted into alarm and quickly turned toward the soldiers behind her.
"BRACE FOR IMPACT!!!"
She shouted in warning as the vessel rapidly plummeted toward the ground.
The moment the pirate ship crashed onto the ground with a thunderous impact, massive clouds of dust and debris erupted from the surrounding buildings, obscuring everyone's vision.
The JSDF soldiers immediately regrouped, preparing themselves for whatever or whoever might emerge from the mysterious vessel.
"How kind of them to come directly to us."
Nori's eyes narrowed into slitted tiger-like pupils the instant she sensed a lone figure slowly approaching through the dust. A chill crawled across her skin as strands of her hair subtly shifted into more beast-like features while she instinctively braced herself.
Noticing her sudden tension, Fuji immediately went on full alert.
"Wow... there are a lot of people to butcher here, aren't there?"
The individual chuckled softly as the dust gradually settled, revealing the face of a beautiful blonde woman carrying a claymore over her shoulder.
Viper stood confidently despite being surrounded by soldiers glaring at her with hostility.
Taking command immediately, Fuji stepped forward while summoning a doll.
"Identify yourself, or els—"
Before Fuji could finish speaking, Viper vanished from sight.
In the next instant, she appeared directly in front of Fuji, her claymore already swinging toward her neck. Fortunately, Nori transformed mid-motion into her tiger form and intercepted the blade with her hand.
"Wow, how did you catch that?"
Viper chuckled as Nori struggled to keep the sword from pushing deeper.
"This bitch is no joke!!! My arm's screaming from that single attack."
Complaining inwardly through gritted teeth, Nori twisted her body and hurled Viper away. Viper effortlessly flipped backward through the air before landing smoothly back in her original position.
Hostility instantly engulfed the area the moment the JSDF and the Special Force witnessed the stunt she had just pulled.
"Quite rude of me, sorry. It's been a long time since I last killed a human, so my excitement got the better of me."
Viper sneered as she lightly spun the claymore resting on her shoulder.
"My name is Viper, one of the Devotees of the Divine, serving the Thunder Gods."
She laughed loudly as dozens of glowing energy swords materialized midair around her, their sharpness filling the area like a nest of angry hornets.
Despite being completely surrounded, Viper showed not the slightest hint of fear.
"Better remember the name of the woman who'll bring about your demise."