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Cantio It's been roughly two weeks since the world of the System received a chilling announcement from Cantio, member of the Concord and second ruler of the City of Songs: She would be entering the next battle for control of her world's System Hub and, through that, funneling the flow of entire world's resources into her homeland. The purpose: To finally accumulate enough energy for a project to eradicate the viruses, malware, and all other sorts of digital threats that has plagued the world for far too long.

It wouldn't be without sacrifices, of course. Redistributing the flow of resources to her own homeland would necessitate distributing fewer to the rest of the world, undoubtedly causing wide-scale recessions at best and outright starving the other nations at worst. Cantio isn't so cruel as to not give the people and rulers of those nations a chance to turn their territory over to Cadenza before such a move, though, enabling the citizens of the newly annexed territories a mostly-unchanged continuation of their way of life, but under a different banner.

Rather than limiting the fight for the Hub to the rulers as per tradition, however, Cantio has also decided to make things a little more exciting. Definitive, even. She's invited the rulers of those nations to call on their own champions, their ringers, even mercenaries from all over to try and stop her from taking control. A mysterious benefactor has reached out to the Multiverse at large, too, trying to muster up those who would be sympathetic to every other nation in the System in order to stop Cantio's ambitions.

And so, that leads to today.

The Hub is a bright place, with all manner of cuboid and hard angled structures filled some kind of glowing energy stuff that makes up the world's primary resource (aptly named System Resources). It flows all over within the glowing walls and floors of the Hub, with all of it converging on the Distribution Hub right in the center of the entire structure. It's dotted with more of those cubes and plenty of rectangular walls that would undoubtedly serve as cover for the battles that usually take place here, and it's in this Distribution Hub that the battle for the System's fate is set to begin.

On one end of the arena: Some of the rulers of this world's nations and smaller settlements, nearly a dozen in total with varying hair colors, builds, clothing motifs, and assorted combat gear. Although they would normally be fighting each other in this very place or simply watching out of general curiosity, they've banded together in opposition to whatever Cantio has planned.
On the other end of the arena: Cantio, the purple-haired younger sister of the ruler of Cadenza, and Saltavi, the actual ruler of Cadenza who's a good three inches shorter than her younger sister. Saltavi is dressed in an outfit not unlike what Cantio usually wears, consisting of a white parka with purple accents. Cantio, meanwhile, is dressed in her usual sailor-esque long jacket/skirt combo, but in black and purple with matching shoes and stockings.
Outside the arena: An entire slew of loyal attendants, waiting with bated breath to see just what's going to happen. They're all donning the uniforms of their respective nations, but they're mingling well with each other considering the circumstances.

Nobody except Cantio actually looks calm about any of this. The attendants are fretting over what'll happen by the end of this battle, the rulers opposing Cantio are discussing potential battle plans or trying to figure out if this is another one of her messed up schemes, and Saltavi is cracking crappy jokes between them all to try and lighten the mood.

Nobody's advanced on each other yet, but it's only a matter of time. For now, however, they all seem to be waiting. Cantio's issued a direct challenge, after all, and it wouldn't be right for her to just initiate the fight without giving the rulers a chance to get their planning done and any aid they could convince to join them in place.
Ru Li Cheng      The first official Paladins operation of Ru Li Cheng, representative of the Yinghua Empire, is ensuring that a plan to save a world and countless lives fails.

     It weighs on his mind as he enters the warpgate. It will weigh on his mind for a while. Tonight, when all is said and done, no matter how it shakes out, his mind will drift back to the moment he crossed the threshold of existences with purposeful intent to silence the salvation of a foreign land through redistribution of resources.

     His face does not carry this through the portal. Four hundred years is plenty of time to learn to smile even when you don't feel it. A wide, flat black hat is perfectly capable of hiding your eyes when you don't feel like meeting others'.

     Yinghuan sandals touch the alien world of the System. There's an alien familiarity to this place that lives with mechanical assumptions, a sort of cracked mirror that he has no mental energy to contemplate at the moment. If he did it would doubtless make the burdensome thoughts multiply in weight until they crushed him utterly.

     Yinghuan coat flaps about the god as he walks, rapidly, towards the arena-place. Around him he can taste the body electric of the world. The hard angles caress his touch. The lightning raises metaphorical hairs as it lingers on his tongue from afar. He draws his coat further around him, as if to shut out what he cannot possibly shut out, and hurries his pace past the attendants so he does not have to feel their anxious heartbeats any longer than he needs to. It is still too long.

     Hard angles give way to open arena. Anxious crowds give way to determined rulers. The foreign god tries, and fails, to hide a little sigh of relief. This, then, is a place where heroes happen, and so he can suppress some of the ticking burden-thoughts and focus on the electric excitement. He can push away the anxious heartbeats of the distant crowd and draw on the energetic hum of the world.

     The god puts his fist into one hand and bows at a right angle - a perfectly right angle, flawlessly ninety degrees, which looks quite bizarre in his organic form. "I am Ru Li Cheng, ninth of the nine Ru Cheng Gods, and Paladins ambassador of the Yinghua Empire on behalf of Emperor Liu Shang." He straightens, too, with perfect motion, more than practiced, as if his spine had a hinge in it just for the sake of bowing.

     "It...is my honor to be, erm, here," the grace falls apart a bit as he brushes some of his very long hair behind his ear, then fiddles with his golden earring as if in thought, "In this place, to...help...ensure..."

     He lapses into silence for a moment, save some very quiet ticking that originates from *somewhere* on his person. Finally, there's an almost-inaudible 'bing', and he manages, "...that this operation can come to a smooth end on which all parties can be satisfied, and that an ultimately, erm..." Another pause, "...satisfactory..."

     Another pause. "...outcome...can be achieved."

     Oh, damn. The first words to a foreign government in Yinghua history and he used 'satisfied' twice and fumbled over half of it. His cheeks flush a slight gold color as he tugs his hat down. "Howeveritmay," he adds, a bit faster than he intended.
Rubi-Kan Vagrants      Bercilak arrives, as he arrives most places--with the deafening hiss-roar of his heavily armored hoverbike's pulse detonation engine. It was clearly a military vehicle earlier in its life--before its thick, aerodynamically angled plates were painted green and adorned with gold spray stencils of alien beasts fleeing from hounds. The rider is already armored up himself, swooping down to the arena with speed enough to set his cloak of rye grass and hyacinths billowing out behind him. His thick arms disappear into the control console of the bike, while his massive greataxe is laid out in a special port parallel to the behemoth bike's running board.

     This isn't his first visit to Cantio's world. Once, he came here to fight off viruses. Another time, he came to test the mettle of a Bugster. This time, it's Cantio who he seeks to test, and as he brings the bike down to ground level, the pitiless black t-visor of his green bucket helm is fixed right on her.

     The hiss-roar of the bike's engine slows to a steady tempo of chest-rattling bangs, before the bike stops and those too, die out. Only the gentle whoosh of air displaced by its lift systems is heard as it idles. His right hand departs from the control console, to retrieve the axe from its compartment in the running board. The seven foot haft is an hold friend, the monomolecular, glowing green edge a familiar sight. It is shouldered with ease.

     Bercilak's armor is as always, a black bodysuit with integrated green machined plates, itself already cumbersome *without* the massive green harness and pauldrons which rest atop it.

     "Ofheren am I thou wouldst ensese theim londs aboutewith," he says, gesturing with a backwards nod of his head. "Per happes thou'rt strengthi ynogh to do swich. But that shalt not be *al* which I espy, for verily--" he shifts the axe on his shoulder, slightly, the blade gesturing towards the gathered representatives. "Plenteth art thei who wouldst espy swich, bisideforth. Shaltow govern *justli?* That I shalt enjuge, so als. In wis--that thou wouldst up-pull the lif of theim that ensesed art, speken ille of thy governacioun, thy 'annexacioun' ne-withstonding."
Hiromi <Q-Conversation> Hiromi says, "Cantio."
<Q-Conversation> Cantio says, sounding like she's in an open area "Hi! Uh. Hiromi?"
<Q-Conversation> Hiromi says, "The strongest wins the challenge. Takes the highest place. This is known. Sensible. Reasoned. But, you wish for more. Why? To be stronger than 'all together'? Or, another answer."
<Q-Conversation> Cantio says, "Oh. This is about the... Challenge. Right. That's part of it, but not all of it."
<Q-Conversation> Cantio says, "I know I've gotten stronger, but I need to know how much. And if I'm that much stronger, then... I'm the most qualified to fix my world. Nobody else will."
<Q-Conversation> Hiromi says, "A test, then. To see, if the rights are yours. Where being 'stronger' is not enough. I see. I allow this."
<Q-Conversation> Cantio lets out an affirming noise, then says "You're welcome to come if you'd like, Archwolf. If you'd like to... Witness it."
<Q-Conversation> Hiromi says, "Someday, if you live, we'll fight. When I've made a place for your pack. Today, 'witnessing' is enough."
<Q-Conversation> Cantio says, "Of course. Thank you, Hiromi. I'll make sure to be worthy of your attention by then."

    But the one who arrives to bear witness isn't Hiromi, but a different, much smaller wolf. 'Wolfgirl' definitely fits Hisako better than 'wolfwoman.' The miko robes help keep up the appearance of a petite figure, and hide just how much every one of Hiromi's agents works out. Her bow is carried already strung, while her gauntlets hang, empty, from her waist.

    The reason for her presence doesn't stay a mystery for long. With everyone uncertainly (except for Cantio) preparing plans, she straightens her stance, places her fist to opposite palm in salute, and declares, "The Archwolf has dispatched this Hisako to bear witness to lady Cantio's strength, with my own body, and these fists." Her technically-not-Japanese in that extra-formal dialect is a bit rough, like she's not especially used to it, though she mostly just sounds young.

    She isn't, herself, aware of Hiromi's exact thought process. But it seems that she's here to make that 'versus everyone' a little harder, and more earned.
Hibiki Tachibana ??? coughs abruptly, then says, "I don't know what you're talking about."

    "Don't worry, you don't need to say it out loud...!" Rather than using the radio, it's only herself and no one else that Hibiki is talking to, between the breaths that come with making a dash from one world to the next. "I'm just sorry I was never able t--never there enough to do something about all her worries...but at least this time, I can--!"

    It's one of those times she can't stop one leg from going in front of the other, before any kind of hesitation can catch up with her. The idea of letting Cantio - the same Cantio she's fought against and with so many times - down in this kind of way, on top of everything else, is too much to bear.

...

    Hibiki has been to Cadenza before, but of course, never the Hub. The heavily angled architecture and the radiant sight of the System Resources flowing through it would be something she might spend time looking awed over any other time, but not today. Outside of the combat area that is the Distribution Hub, she's squeezing her way past attendants and spectators with haste just short of potentially knocking someone over, with several quickly-delivered apologies left in her wake.

    It's only on hitting the arena itself, practically leaping right into it, that she allows herself to finally skid to a stop, panting for air. It's the dozen-strong group of fighters banded together that gets a look first...and then the pair representing Cadenza, on the other end. Saltavi, a second longer than she probably otherwise would, and then...

    "Cantio..." The fact she's the one calm person among everyone else chattering away is only part of why she's clenching her hands so tightly at her sides. "...You're trying to fix everything once and for all this time, huh? Even if--..." She trails off, and swallows.

    "...You already know if you want to...you'll have to get through me, too. I can't...won't let you do that to yourself."
Shotaro Hidari Sitting in his office, Shotaro was leaning back and looking over a case he was working on.  His signature hat was resting on a coat rack nearby, as was his coat.  However, something interesting came over the radio to interrupt his work...

Philip, similarly, was working on something.  This was, of course, something to do with the creation of a new meal that he had recently discovered online, and was hopelessly focused on it to the exclusion of all else.  Nobody could reach him... until an interesting conversation took his attention over the radio...

<Q-Conversation> (NPC) ??? says, "Good evening, people of the Multiverse. I've got an urgent job lined up for anyone that's interested in a quick payday. Or saving a world."

<Q-Conversation> (NPC) ??? says, "The System. A digital world, no relation to any other Digital-" They clears their throat. It's easier to tell that the voice is altered when they do that. "Anyway. The world's got plenty of monsters and viruses and things."

<Q-Conversation> (NPC) ??? says, "There's going to be a battle for control over the world's primary resource distribution center. One of the... New entrants, let's say, plans to monopolize those resources to eradicate those things. Hopefully."

<Q-Conversation> (NPC) ??? says, "I want you to stop her. "

<Q-Conversation> Shotaro Hidari says, "...You want us to stop her... save the world?"

<Q-Conversation> (NPC) ??? says, "That's her plan, yes. I know how this sounds, but... Tell me, Mister Hidari. If someone you knew could save the world, but it meant sacrificing them to do it, would you let it happen?

<Q-Conversation> Shotaro Hidari says, "Sacrificing them?"

<Q-Conversation> (NPC) ??? says, "Yes." Beat. "I mean, not literally, but their happiness. Any chance they'll ever have of living a normal life. Normal-ish life."

<Q-Conversation> Shotaro Hidari says, "No.  No, I would not sacrifice the happiness of another."

<Q-Conversation> (NPC) ??? lets out a distorted, but unmistakeably relieved noise "I thought you'd both say that. It shouldn't be too hard getting here, then. Cantio and everyone's already arriving at the Distribution Hub, so we'll need you here soon."

Shotaro placed the folder down, rubbing his face as he looked up over to his partner, who had to break his concentration from the absorbing topic he was in.  They both knew what this would be, they were there when they stopped Cantio before, convincing her to stop being self-destructive...

Was that like last time... or was it something else?
Shotaro Hidari Later, they both would be on the Bike, heading right towards the nearest jump gate.

In the stands, Philip took a seat. It would be a good place to watch, and support Shotaro from the stands. If worse comes to worst... then he could use Fang and trade positions... but something told him Shotaro wanted to handle this one.

Shotaro, on the other hand, is walking from the other side of the field, through one of the entrances. Likely someone had called ahead for him to get clearance to get in. He walks across the battlefield and towards Cantio. Hat on his head and hands in his pockets. His face was... oddly emotionless. He was obviously trying to keep his cool. Trying to be the tough man his mentor was.

'But you're not that man, that's fine. He knew you couldn't be that man... so instead be yourself, Shotaro.'

He takes a sigh and gives Cantio a smile. "So I heard you're back at your old games again..." he says, though the smile is somewhat strained. If what she was doing was true... then it was only slightly different than last time.

"It might not be through stress or the influence of another... but what you are doing is risking your own happiness for all. Are things so dire that you need to risk everything? To make yourself the enemy and target of all other nations who would see their rulership returned someday?"

He pulls out the Double Driver. "Well, then today I am going to fight for that happiness that you're ready to give up. Philip and I... we both are going to throw everything at that, to make sure it doesn't disappear in the heaviness of another's shadow," In the audience, Philip's diver activates, and he already is holding out the CYCLONE Gaia Memory.

"If you won't fight for it yourself..." he says and places the belt around his waist. In the other hand, he draws out the Joker Memory. The belt wraps around his waist, as he speaks to Philip directly.

"Thanks for indulging this partner," he says, with a sort of slightly remorseful tone.

"It's fine. Though I am glad to see you didn't apologize for it this time.." comes the playful tone of Philip.

"Heh. I suppose I didn't. Thank Xion for that... helping me realize what I want to do for people. It isn't enough to solve their mysteries... but to make sure they can find those smiles again," Shotaro says, as the CYCLONE memory appears in his belt.

CYCLONE comes the call out.

JOKER

CYCLONE JOKER is called out from the belt, as a guitar leads into a instrumental tone.

There is no usual catchphrase, everything he's said has already been said. A gust of wind blows across the battlefield, as the armor of Kamen Rider W is blasted on. There he stands, one-half Green the other half Purple.

Two men united as one heterosexual Kamen Rider.
Cantio "Cantio, Drive Core Candidate of Cadenza. It's good to meet you, Sir Ru Li Cheng."
"Saltavi, Controller of Cadenza. Howdy, RuRu!"

Ru Li's ticking gets Cantio's attention. Not because she thinks he's got a bomb in there or anything, but she sure is staring at him intensely, like she's only half-paying attention to what he actually says. She opens her mouth, closes it, then starts speaking again.

"Are you a mechanical god? With batteries, or is that clockwork, or some kind of-"
"Eaaasy there, kiddo."
"Sorry! But..  Yes, thank you for coming. Whatever the outcome is, I'm sure we'll need some assistance smoothing things over."

Bercilak arrives, and it takes Cantio a few moments to comprehend what he's saying while Saltavi just nods along like she just gets him on contact. Eventually, Cantio does nod steadily, cracking a slight smile even with that distant look on her face. "A just rule...  That's my plan, even if it won't seem that way at first. I'll be... Things are going to be shaken up a lot, I know, but it's necessary."

She looks across the field at the other rulers present for a moment, then back at Bercilak. "It's for the good of their people, too. I plan to handle things as fast as possible, but it's not going to be without some difficulties. A lot of pain, too, but..." She pauses. "It has to be me. Nobody else would be able to follow through properly."

Hisako's arrival, too, is a welcome one for Cantio. Despite proclaiming that she's here to fight against her, Cantio still manages a relieved sigh and smiles softly at her. "Thank you for coming, Hisako. I'd never be worthy of Hiromi's attention if I refused to face a challenge from you, too. I'll make sure she gets the footage of this battle once we're finished here, too."

Of course there'd be footage of this battle. It's a fight for the world's main resource center, after all, and every nation's media outlets have their drones floating all over the place. Even some of Cadenza's are scattered around, complete with those freaky box-headed Cantio drones she's been so fond of throwing everywhere.

Hibiki calls out to Cantio, and Cantio looks up towards her roughly around the same time the representatives from the other nations look towards her as well. Without missing a beat, Cantio starts to move, but she's stopped by Saltavi who heads over to Hibiki with a bottle of water. It's still cold, courtesy of one of those freaky boxheaded drones!

"Hey, Hibiki! Y... Yeah, this is another way of doing it. If nobody else is going to do it, someone has to, right?" She comments with a still too-calm laugh, but there is genuine mirth in her tone as she says that. "And... Yeah. I know. It wouldn't be you if you just let me do this, even if you know I have to do this and I know you have to stop me. I'd be..." She pauses, then closes her eyes. "I'm glad you came, even if we're going to be beating the tar out of each other in a minute or so."

Hearing Shotaro, Cantio breaks into another semi-formal, but still relaxed giggle as she nods in response to his first comment. "That's right! This one's a lot more planned out than the others, but... I'm not surprised you came, either."

His other questions, though, have her going quiet at first. Even Saltavi drops her happy-go-lucky act, conveniently distracting herself with shaking one of those drones around. "They are that bad. If I don't do this now, nothing's ever going to change here. The viruses will keep being a threat that'll just keep growing, and... I can't accept it. Not like this. That's why I'm glad you're all here today. Let's make sure there's no regrets after this, okay?"
Cantio With the battle lines clearly drawn, Cantio finally closes her eyes and holds her hand out in front of her. A long shape starts shimmering into existence as its pieces flow to her from an attache case, coming together rapidly into the shape of a massive purple claymore. Grasping it once it stops glowing, Cantio shoulders the weapon before turning to Saltavi.

"Thanks, sis. I'll take things with from here."
"Attagirl, Salty Junior. Give 'em hell."

Cantio moves to one side of the arena, gesturing at her friends to follow her a few yards over before turning to face them. Saltavi, meanwhile, heads to the other end of the arena, waving languidly at the rest of the representatives here to face the duo from Cadenza before holding her hand up and projecting her voice through...

Somewhere. Her voice rings loud and clear despite a visible lack of microphones on her person. They're both from the City of Songs, after all, and audio work is their passion!

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen to this week's Queen of the Hub Battle Royale!" Saltavi starts announcing with all the bravado of a well-practiced ring announcer, even gesticulating wildly for the cameras and pointing at each person she calls out in turn. "We've got all your fan favorites here today, but we've got some newcomers to really shake things up! First up: The Drive Core Candidate of Cadenza, the Strongest Little Sister in the World, CANTIOOOO!"
"Hailing from distant Yinghua, we've got the Ninth of the Ninth, the Tick Tocking Ambassador, Ru Li CHEEEEEENG!"
"From the windy city of Futo, we've got brains and the brawn of Narumi, the Two-In-One ace detectives, Kamen Rider DOUBLEEEEE!"
"And from Parts Unknown (TM), the Miko of the Archwolf, the Strongest among the Smallest, HISAAAAAAKO!"
"Coming out of distant Rubi-Ka, the Wielder of One Thousand Shirts, The Green Knight of Another World, BEEEEEEERCILAK!"
"From Japan, the Light of Lydian Academy, the Punchiest of the Munchiest, HIBIKI! TAAAACHIBANA!"

Saltavi claps her hands together, and she transforms in a pillar of blinding light as well as several of the rulers on the other side. Her voice drops several octaves as she turns into her Upgraded Combat Form, finally looking like she's older than Cantio as she draws a cybertech-y looking blade out of nowhere. "It's time to see who's going to come out on top. Let us begin!"

As the transformed Saltavi begins fighting with the rest of the rulers way over there, Cantio too transforms into a black leotard-esque set of armor with mechanical bits floating around her.
"Sorry to keep you waiting everyone. Now... Don't go holding back!"

To start things off, Cantio darts into the group with her claymore still resting on her shoulder and angled upwards behind her head. Her mechanical 'wings' flare up to give her a burst of speed to close the gap, and then she swings it at the whole group while a hard-light laser extends from the tip, granting her enough range to (theoretically) slam everyone around at once with the follow-through. As if that's not enough, though, a booming shockwave of sound erupts from the weapon moments after the swing!
Shotaro Hidari 'They are that bad. If I don't do this now, nothing's ever going to change here. The viruses will keep being a threat that'll just keep growing, and... I can't accept it. Not like this. That's why I'm glad you're all here today. Let's make sure there's no regrets after this, okay?'

Shotaro was struck for a moment... so she's really serious about this.  He closes his eyes underneath the suit.  No, someone still had to fight for her... and what she says, deep down, doesn't sit right with him.  "You can't say that so casually, Cantio.  There is always another way, always another path, always another choice than destroying yourself on the altar of sacrifice."

"Today isn't going to be who is stronger than who, but whose heart is in this the most..." he says, and there is a gust of wind that flies through the stadium.  It's noticeably strong and timed right when he's announced.  "Is your heart stronger than those who don't want you to do this?  Who will watch you suffer?  Who will suffer?"

He takes a step towards Cantio as she moves.  

The swing comes down, but the two-in-one Kamen Rider is already moving.  He can't kick the blade away, but instead, he holds out a hand with green energy wrapped around it to blast him away from the explosion, riding the wind just enough to avoid a direct hit.  Though the debris blasted back do manage to nick Double as he lands.  

"I'm not about to let anyone suffer... including you," Shotaro says, with every ounce of heart he could possibly muster right now.  Despite everything he tries to be and everything he tries to live up to, what Shotaro does is speak, fight, breathe, and follow his heart at all times.  He couldn't be hardbroiled even if he tried... and boy he has tried for years.  

'Shotaro, if she continues to use that weapon, we will need to switch to Metal,' Philip speaks to him through their shared link.  

Outloud, Shotoro nods, "Right, but give it a minute..."

He dives in again, using his wind-guided speed to try and close the difference before she could recover on that swing of her sword, and aims a punch for her side, aiming to try and hurt the ribs under her sword arm and attempt to make those swings more precarious for her.  Green fists follow up as he attempts to follow it up with a chop across the chest, and then an attempt to grab and force the sword out from her grasp, aiming to work her into a fight for control of a grapple.  
Rubi-Kan Vagrants      Don't go holding back!

    "I wouldst dreme of hit not." Bercilak's helmet is still fixed on her, watching Cantio for any sign of movement--behind that t-visor, his blood-red eyes are watching hers, scanning her face. Her burst of speed is met with one from him. The bike rolls, his helmet inches from the circuit-patterned ground as he avoids the laser and the sword with scarcely a hair's breadth.

     What he can't avoid is the shockwave, which batters into the side of the bike, and, concurrently, him. Dented armor plates creak and groan their complaints as the Green Knight bellows a laugh. Gunning the ignition on the bike while braking, he spins it around for a furious counterattack, weaponizing the wash from its rear thruster.

     A lance of white flame surges from the bike, circling left to threaten Cantio from one direction. At the same time, Bercilak's right arm swings out, grip loosened all the way to the butt of the haft. An overhead with truly oppressive reach is made, from the right, attempting to form a pincer with the spin of the bike. As the swing passes its apex, Bercilak goads the nose of the bike upwards and takes off, letting gravity and a swift tug guide his grip on the axe back to mid-haft.

     No one likes fighting someone who doesn't interact--and Bercilak has no intention of spending the whole fight up there. Instead, he swiftly arcs back down, racing along the ground to pull up beside Hibiki. The flat of his axe is held out just high enough for her to jump on--and the massive blade is certainly large enough for it. The moment she does, he pitches the bike into another spin and hurls her at Cantio to add some force to her blow!
Ru Li Cheng      The question takes him off-guard. "Ah, well-"

     Ru Li grabs onto what he can. "Ru Li is appropriate for casually formal address; Ru Li Cheng is sufficient for the highest level of formality, and contains my titles implicitly. Ruru, is, um - *Li* would be appropriate for intimate familiarity, so-"

     Then he waves his hands in front of him. "What I mean is, Li would be appropriate to call me if we were lovers or family or-"

     He lapses into silence and just lets his hands fall. Finally, "Something like that," he says weakly, answering Cantio and also finishing his own thought at the same time. His face may be shifting slightly towards silver. He's grateful for the distraction of the knight who smells like fuel and violence, allowing him to take a moment to adjust his Yinghuan coat and his hat and get a feel for the person he's apparently about to come to blows with. He's the stranger here; everyone else knows each other, fighting for their bonds, fighting for what they believe in. He's here because...it's a job.

     There's a profound isolation to that, isn't there? When Shotaro starts talking about fighting for the happiness Cantio's going to give up, Ru Li Cheng finally pushes up his hat to actually *look* at Cantio. The silver blush of his face is 'fading' into a quieter gold (what an odd look) as he stares at her. Well, she's alone, too, isn't she?

     As Cantio responds to Shotaro Ru Li's mind races. Is she? He doesn't know her. Isn't that arrogant to assume? It's not like he knows people. He doesn't have any miracles of mental acuity or social supremacy. But there's something lonely about this declaration anyway, isn't there?

     'If *I* don't do this now, nothing's ever going to change here.'

     'If nobody else is going to do it, someone has to, right?'

     'Make yourself everyone's enemy.'

     Shotaro transforms, just out of the corner of his eye, and Ru Li feels and tastes the pure, determined, wind long before he gets a look at W.

     Ru Li's hand goes to his sleeve. He pulls from that hanging coat-sleeve a short sword in distinct Yinghuan fashion, equal parts wooden handle and short square blade. "I..."

     Cantio transforms. He shifts, uncomfortably. "I can't say that I fully...understand all of the details in this matter, but..."

     He may as well venture it. "...it seems a very lonely task to try and take on yourself, and I believe that I should stop you so that a less lonely means can be found."

     Ru Li's foot plants against the ground, preparing for a burst of speed that never comes - because she beats him to it. He stumbles forward, narrowly evading the hard-light laser more out of pure accident than any skill, only to be blown past her by the shockwave. He skids along the ground to a halt a bit away.

     Oh. This is what it's like.

     With an embarassed cough and a silvery flush Ru Li Cheng stands up again and fiddles with the square shortsword. Oops.

     "I..." He fumbles, "Don't wish to stab a lady in the back, so..."

     "That, ah, it seems, well, it seems inappropriately intimate for a first meeting with someone I don't intend to kill, and who as near as I can tell does not intend to kill me," he rambles as he tries to gather his thoughts, "Not to mention a bit more assassin than champion or diplomat, and, well, I,"

     Shotaro's speech is much better.

     Ru Li falls silent and scratches the back of his neck as other people close in. Bercilak's huge axe is held up for Hibiki to jump on in a perfect display of teamwork. Shotaro is moving to try and force Cantio into a grapple.

     Well, alright, he...can help with that.

     Ru Li breaks into a dead run from behind her. His 'dead run' is 'from zero to sixty in two steps', so in three steps he's at her back, and then he's crouched, hands twisting back.

     "Pardon me!" he says, and means it, as superhuman force and superhuman speed come together for a two-palmed push against Cantio's legs.
Hiromi <J-IC-Scene> Hisako says, "Oh, Ms. Tachibana! You're here, too. Do you... know what the reason is?"
<J-IC-Scene> Hibiki Tachibana says, "Hisako--? ...It's...good to see you. Really good to see you. It's you that Hiromi sent to see if she can do it, huh...?"
<J-IC-Scene> Hibiki Tachibana says, "...Cantio is...the kind of person who tries to take everything on herself. And...I guess this time, it really is 'everything'."
<J-IC-Scene> Hisako says, "So, that's why..."
<J-IC-Scene> Hisako says, "It sounds like there was a tradition already in place, but she changed it. So, I thought, there must be a reason."
<J-IC-Scene> Hibiki Tachibana says, "...Yeah. She's really...pitting her whole world against her this time. To try and save it..."
<J-IC-Scene> Hisako says, "It's something she can't do unless she's stronger than the whole world. Is that it?"
<J-IC-Scene> Hibiki Tachibana says, "...Stronger than anybody else, yeah. Strong enough to handle that and solve everything...all on her own."

    That's enough for her to understand, or to think she does. The specifics of governing a country or saving a world may be beyond her, but she can comprehend the need to have greater proof, when the stakes are higher. With a little nod, Hisako finally looks away from Hibiki, and dons her gauntlets. The white-bronze fastens shut over her hands and upper arms, pieces interlocking with a deep thrum that sounds like a forest smells after rain.

    'Now... Don't go holding back!'

    And so, she doesn't. Compared to some, it might seem like she is, but for someone still mortal, someone whose body won't easily mend itself when ripped apart or stabbed through the heart, there are things she 'can't,' to the point of not even thinking about them. Someone else could have taken that blow as a chance to strike immediately, knowing there was no follow-up prepared, but for her, to 'not be wounded' is more important. At least, she can't afford to be slowed down 'yet.'

    The sword swings in, and it's a solid hit against her gauntlets, positioned crossed and to the side, letting Hisako heave the blade upward immediately upon impact, perhaps not quite interrupting its full arc, but preventing it from breaking her solid stance. It's better for her, even, if it finishes moving, because that gives her time to use her talismans. Preparation is key to a shrine maiden's style of magic, and it would have been cheating to begin casting buffs before the fight started, so... of course she couldn't do that!

    They're only to the level one would expect from an ordinary practitioner of a combat-focused religious order from a certain class of world, but the strength and health blessings are still a significant tactical consideration, if one considers that she can keep applying them, as she probably can. Strength, first, to her legs, is what gets her in quickly, closing the distance with an explosively sharp sound every time her feet touch the arena floor. There's no real 'strike' when she does reach Cantio -- what looks like a right hook becomes a body blow aimed to get inside her sword's reach and disrupt her balance with all the little wolf's weight and, more importantly, the inertia from those leaping steps.
Hibiki Tachibana     "...Cantio..." There's a quiet sound from somewhere in her throat, looking at the other girl. She's able to laugh, really laugh, even while doing this. Despite her worries rushing over here at top speed, it almost feels like Cantio has a feeling about her that wasn't there a lot of other times before - way back then, or at the lab. She's...

    Saltavi is the one who approaches her though, and Hibiki glances to her briefly with a blink before slowly accepting the bottle of water. She almost wants to say something, but after a moment she just closes her eyes, exhales, and looks back to the older sister with the smallest of smiles.

    It's gone again by the time the groups are separating, and their soon-to-be opponent is leading them to their half of the battlefield. "...Okay, Cantio. I can tell you're really serious about it this time. I don't...I can't blame you. You want to protect your world for good, no matter what it costs. Even for you. ...I wonder if I'd do the same thing in your spot. I've had a pretty bad track record lately, you know?"

    There's a little, self-derisive smile, before she uncaps the bottle she was given and takes a long drink. About half of it vanishes in one go, and when she looks back to the transformed Cantio after, both her eyes and the look on her face have steadied. "...What's one more fight out of all the other ones? I'll do it - as many times as I have to for you."

"Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron..."

    The transformation chant goes out as soon as Cantio surges forward, the shining golden barrier surrounding her from all directions taking the initial swing, and the follow-up shockwave. It's forced one meter, two meters back - and then abruptly cracks away into particles of light, leaving Hibiki to lunge forward from within. Clad in her Symphogear, even the bottle having disappeared entirely.

    Just in time to leap onto the surface of Bercilak's axe, grip onto the edge, and go for a brief spin before the green knight sends her flying off towards her target at full speed, further enhanced by Gungnir's own thrusters firing off. A straight-line path from here to her.

    "I wouldn't even dream of it--!"

    And a whole lot of momentum behind the tightly-clenched fist, adding in on the barrage of melee strikes coming her way with one single, heavy-handed hook aimed directly for Cantio's face, threatening to send her back to the arena's far wall on a clean hit.
Cantio Ru Li's clarification on what to and not to refer him by appears to fall on deaf ears, sadly. He might notice the slightest of eyebrow raises from Cantio at that last bit, but Saltavi is definitely too far away to show any of that. His talk of loneliness, however, along with Shotaro's talk of what path to follow, both seem to strike a chord within her.

"I know there is, Mister Hidari. Mister Ru Li." Unlike Futaba, she didn't get THAT memo, too. "There always is another path that doesn't need so much suffering or sacrifice or loneliness, but... I'm not the right person for that. I can't... Wait for something better if I know there's something I can do now, imperfect as it is. And they-" Cantio looks towards the scene of the other battle taking place way over there, where things are totally visually impressive if somewhat soupy at this distance and with the sheer amount of lights flying around.

"They aren't the right people for the job, either. I haven't felt their hearts in years. Their drive to better this world. Their drive to even improve their own homelands beyond nudging the numbers a little. It took this kind of threat just to get them to band together like this, and... /Something/ has to give if we're really going to fix anything here."

If it wasn't under such dire circumstances, Bercilak's combination with Hibiki would surely get rousing cheers from the folks watching at home. Watching these sorts of battles would be considered entertainment in this world even with the stakes being what they are, and high-flying maneuvers from skilled combatants joining together always get loud pops even if they're liable to turn on each other seconds later.

In this case, rather than cheering, everyone gets an impressed smile from Cantio. Even in this fight, she's still taking a bit of time to enjoy herself, to ensure that Hiromi (through Hisako) can witness the easily-flustered pseudo-ruler's growth, and to finally let herself fight freely against those she's considered her comrades in arms at some times, adversaries at another, but still her friends throughout. Even with these stakes, Cantio almost seems pleased with the opposition, perhaps even mildly relieved about that.

It'd be far worse mentally if they weren't fighting her so seriously.

"I think you would, Hibiki. You're... We're both kind of dumb like that." Cantio manages a light chuckle as she considers just what they've been through already, recalling the struggles she's seen on Hibiki's world and pursing her lips a few moments later. "I... Sorry, Hibiki. This might be the last one for a while if..."

She doesn't finish that thought. What a tease.
Cantio Having seen Shotaro fight a few times before and even fighting him once before, Cantio would've expected something like Metal or Trigger to come out to contend with her increased range. That's why, when he comes in for that kidney punch, she brings her sword up ready to smash the pommel right into his helmet while leaping sideways. At least, that's the intent right until Ru Li slips in from her blind spot and jams himself right into her legs, throwing her balance way off.

She only has enough time to let out a bewildered noise before Hisako comes in from the other direction with her own gut/kidney punch, and the dual strikes to the midsection get a rather guttural noise coming out of Cantio's throat even with her armor protecting her from a great deal of the usual discomfort of getting punched in both kidneys simultaneously. Perhaps it's only by luck or past experience, then, that she even has the wherewithal to bring her arms up when Hibiki comes roaring in from the tip of Bercilak's axe, taking that hook to both the forearms and her blade as it shatters from that impact.

Flipping backwards from that last clash, Cantio doesn't look surprised in the least at her weapon seemingly breaking. Taking a moment to catch herself on the ground, she drags her hands along the digital concrete/slab substance to slow herself down as she swipes a hand upwards to flick her sword handle forward and scattering more  of her sword into the air all around the group. Several people here have probably seen this already, but that won't stop Cantio from doing it anyway:

Lasers. Lots of lasers being launched by those floating and gleaming fragments, some simply being shot as individual little blasts, others connecting two or three bits together like an advancing tripwire kind of thing. It could even be a threat to Cantio if she wasn't in control of them, but she is, and she utilizes what openings she can find in the laser barrage to charge back in with a reformed sword, this time taking the shape of a rapier.

Unlike the heavy handed swing and residual sonic shockwaves coming from that weapon, the swipes from this one are almost similar to the explosive snaps from a whip, and the thrusts come in like strikes from a battering ram rather than something as needle-like as it is. There's a clear focus on raw power and speed than technique as she does this, too, as she embraces the route of pure power and speed over actual technique!
Shotaro Hidari "Shotaro..!" shouts Philip, but Shotaro is already grabbing a new memory. The rapier comes at him and quickly tears away his hand-to-hand advantage, so without a weapon he's not going to get in anything. The two dance, the rapier using speed and power, but not technique. Philip is noticing that, and he indicates it to Shotaro, who likewise agrees.

METAL is called out the moment Shotaro presses the button on the Gaia Memory. It is slammed into the Double Driver before it's quickly pushed out into its iconic W shape again.

CYCLONE METAL

Right as the blade nicks the armor, it slides off against the new metal side of the Kamen Rider. Not quite getting a purchase, but enough to draw Toku sparks. It's easy to see that Metal is /far/ more durable than Joker. Almost from out of nowhere Shotaro's half of Double pulls out a staff made out of metal called the Metal Shaft.

He moves as quickly as he can, aiming to shove that shaft up against Cantio's side again, aiming to put as much pressure on her sword arm, aiming to make her pay with each and every swing. The shaft spins, aiming to try and get just behind her as he swings it towards the back of one knee, before swinging it around again for her shoulder.

"Stop speaking like this!" he shouts at her. "Stop acting like you're going away and never coming back. Stop pretending this is the only solution! Stop trying to take on everything yourself..!" he says, passion guiding him now, the attempt at being hardboiled gone. Not that he was very good at it before.

He looks up, Ru Li, doesn't even know her but here he is trying to prevent her from making the kind of mistake he knows this is. Hibiki, is here because she knows what this kind of thinking leads. The Green Knight wants to test her mettle, but he is sure he doesn't think this is the right path. And... well he doesn't know the wolf miko too well... but if she's one of Hiromi's...

Then he really doesn't know. She could either be supporting her fellow's strength, or trying to show her that she isn't ready. Either is possible with Hiromi and hers.

"If you want this path, if you want to sacrifice your own happiness..." he says, firmly, "Then you better fight harder. You will have to make sure I can not get up again... because I will. Again and Again."
Ru Li Cheng      As Cantio tumbles backwards over him, shards of blade falling around him, Ru Li spins on his axis and straightens to adjust his coat in attempt to reclaim a tiny fragment of the dignity he's already lost.

     "Erm..."

     He gathers his thoughts as she gathers her balance. "...that sounds...a bit like an excuse, I think?" The uncertainty is clear in his tone. "That you aren't the right person for-"

     Lasers.

     Lasers aren't a common technology in Yinghua. They're firmly in the realm of barbarian tech, things that twist the natural world in unnatural ways. Ru Li just sort of goes silent and watches the fragments spread out, a little bit open-mouthed, before the part of his mind that registers danger kicks in and warns him that, hey, stupid, maybe move.

     So he does! Straight forward, arms up in front of him to shield his face. It's not like he needs to see to do anything. Heartbeats, the motion of muscles, the creak of bones, the feel of skin against air - sight is really not that useful to him in this situation. The singing heat of the lasers is more useful than any sight - and self-preservation tells him where to twist, so that the lasers burn skin that he can afford to let burn. The hiss of steam erupts when they punch through his flesh - silvery, hissing, metallic steam, as if whatever coolant runs through his veins is instantly being vaporized on contact. It probably is.

     Ru Li feels Cantio's footfalls. He tastes the inhalation of breath, the preparation for a stabbing strike. That foreign blade will hit with all the force of a mountain if he lets it.

     But she's a much better fighter than he is. Trying to dodge would open him up to the lasers even more - and she'd be able to lock him down, right? That's what happens? You don't give up ground unless you can control the flow of the fight, or something like that?

     She lunges at him as he's running at her.

     Ru Li's free arm whirls around to grab the rapier as it's thrust at him. He twists with it, his other elbow swinging around to slam her in the face. The two of them are going fast enough that the collision will probably not be a pleasant one for either of them.

     It's just a matter of hoping, as his fingers close around the blade and he gives it a tug that will surely draw quicksilver from his hand, that it's less pleasant for her!
Rubi-Kan Vagrants I haven't felt their hearts in years. Their drive to better this world. Their drive to even improve their homelands beyond nudging the numbers a little.

    "Anau, *thire* is som bigge coke livelihed!" Bercilak bellows approvingly, perhaps to Shotaro's surprise. "Bihowen shalt I be, verily, to espy the sothfasthed of thy claim." After having launched Hibiki, and uttered a whooping cheer for her attack, the Green Knight's nanites do their work for her, heightening her reflexes and bolstering her already formidable in-fight decisionmaking with boosted mental processing speed.

     Lasers are woven through, the bike bucking and bolding under his command as if it were a living thing. His grip is choked all the way up behind the beard as he rolls and loops his way through the lasers, bringing it up to protect his vitals despite his absurd regenerating factor--he said he wouldn't hold back, and she gets the full-test treatment.

     He's so big that even with his speed and his axe deflections, he naturally takes some hits--but patiently, he works his way across the battlefield, armor glowing with molten scoring by the time Cantio is within his reach. He races past her, deliberately fishtailing the bike to swing the back end out and menace her once more, this time intending to bludgeon with the thick armor plating rather than burn with the exhaust.

     "Shalt hit be fals..." Gunning the accelerator, the knight makes the bike roar and enter a controlled spin, so that he can follow up with a haymaker punch with the axe. "Thou art toknoue what shalt itide!!" Choked all the way up on it as he is, he sacrifices reach for penetration, his driving hand punching the thrust to deliver extra force to the blow.
Hiromi     There's only so long Hisako can keep herself from getting hit -- which isn't long at all. Though her strengthened legs let her run, jump, and show impressive flexibility in avoiding laser patterns as she spins through the air, she still has to take the rapier strikes against her uncommonly sturdy gauntlets. There's only so long she can keep that up, too, as the combination of quick parrying motions and impacts visibly takes its toll, leaving her sweating before long, brow furrowed in concentration.

    She doesn't quite get to the point of panting before pulling out another talisman, slapping this one against her chest. One deep breath, taken while Cantio is busy stabbing at someone else, and Hisako's breathing evens out. She can keep going, though that kind of magic won't work repeatedly, either.

    She's late to notice the holes the lasers burned in her clothes. Though tied at the shoulders, having that much fluttering cloth does make her a larger target, in a sense.

    She doesn't charge immediately back in. Instead, Hisako draws back her bow -- then has to relax her hold on to dodge the lasers. Again, she sights, draws, steps back without letting go, waits for the moment right before Cantio would absolutely need to respond to Bercilak's axe, when he's just entered range, and lets fly.

    There's a talisman wrapped around the arrow, too. It's a simple explosion of force, loud like thunder, there to clap an opponent even if it doesn't penetrate.
Hibiki Tachibana     Hibiki has seen Cantio's laser lightshows plenty of times before. That's not a surprise, sure, although that by itself doesn't make it particularly any easier to deal with. Rebounding backwards through the air after the impact between fist and blade, the magical girl's eyes dart side to side to track all the fragments hovering in the air.

    They start firing, and she transfers her backwards momentum into a flip. Out of the way of one, and her Symphogear's thrusters fire to spin her out of the way of another. She hits the ground with buckled knees, just to immediately break off in a sprint forward. Dodge one, duck another, just barely miss out getting singed and have to jump a horizontally-moving tripwi--

    Her feet leaving the floor opens her up to a thrust from that ridiculously powerful rapier, belting her in the stomach and sending her tumbling back with a wince and some of the air exiting her lungs. Hibiki's metallic boots come down hard rather than her letting herself actually fall though, and she skids to a stop.

    "Yeah...I guess we are," she replies late with another slightly depreciating (and a bit pained) grimace. "That's why...I get it. As long as things work out, it doesn't matter what happens to you. Even if you're all by yourself...or if people hate you for it..." Her eyes drift off to the side. "..." It seems like she's about to say something, but it doesn't come out.

    Instead, her eyes focus back on Cantio a moment later, and Hibiki tenses up her body - before springing forward. Lasers are forced to be evaded again, but this time she /punches/ at several with gauntlet-clad fists to diffuse them and scatter them around her. They won't stop her from reaching the other girl, no matter what. "But that's exactly why--I can't let you give up on having a life that easily, Cantio! I know you! If it means you having to give up being happy, I...!"

    She's not instantly getting back in the other girl's face, though. Rather, she's going /past/ her, even darting past Hisako's arrow in flight - to where she presumes the barrage of heavy attacks the others are delivering will send her, to circle around and deliver a whirling elbow strike into a follow-up punch right into her back while she's going straight into it. Ow.
Cantio 'Stop acting like you're going away and never coming back. Stop pretending this is the only solution! Stop trying to take on everything yourself..!'
'...that sounds...a bit like an excuse, I think? That you aren't the right person for-'
<J-IC-Scene> (NPC) Hisako says, "I don't know if it's right, but... is it that you know a better way, but you can't do it? Can someone stronger do it the better way, or can't it be done? If it's the only way, you have to do it, even if it's hard. But if you're not strong enough, that's different."
<J-IC-Scene> (NPC) Hisako says, "Sorry, Ms. Cantio. I don't really get it. But those other leaders don't get it at all, do they?"

"I'll still be around. I'll just be... Preoccupied!" Cantio goes for the classic larger-word-than-usual deflection, her expression going a bit too bright as she tries to downplay what'll really happen. "Besides, it's not the type of work I can just build a machine for, you know? Even if it takes me decades, it has to be done this way if nobody else here can..." She pauses, and her expression darkens just as much as she lets out a bitter laugh. "I wish I did know a better way, Miss Hisako. Or that someone else here would find it. Or... Try to, at least."

She almost sounds angry about that, but it fades quickly as-
'Anau, *thire* is som bigge coke livelihed!' 'Shalt hit be fals... Thou art toknoue what shalt itide!!'

That, at least, has Cantio snickering again. "That's why I can't even be angry at them. Annoyed, but... I still have to thank them for what I've become today. The least I can do is return the favor and make them step up!"

Shotaro's Metal Shaft comes up against Cantio's side, and she's quickly put into an unenviable position of having to contend with the long metal implement head on, or trying to work her way around it. With the way the battle is going, the ideal method would be to use it for leverage and force Double into a battle of brute strength, but...

This isn't a duel against one person. It's a fight of one against many, and the numbers certainly aren't working in her favor. Ru Li's redirecting strike fragments the blade of Cantio's rapier before she gets a chance to stab anyone else again, and that following elbow strike catches her right in the face. She's seeing stars long enough for Shotaro to batter her limbs from all angles with that shaft, and it has her staggering about long enough that Bercilak whipping the back of his motorbike at Cantio just ends up slamming the whole thing into her at center mass. Without her sword in any condition to guard against, meanwhile, Cantio just barely manages to take the brunt of Bercilak's axe strike with her hands, falling off the back end of the bike at the last moment and just in time to see Hisako's arrow flying right at her.

On the plus side, Cantio at least gets her hands up again, so she doesn't get a cool scar from getting shot in the eye. Instead, she manages to deflect the arrow, but just far enough that the explosion only explodes partly around one side of her instead of engulfing her entirely.  Hibiki's rapid-fire blows don't even give Cantio a chance to recover, either, and it's clear that there's a sizable skill difference between them when it comes to unarmed combat. That's not to say that Cantio just takes it, though, as repeated exposure to Hibiki's fighting style means she can move with the strikes just enough that she can throw herself forward to let the punch to the back give her some much needed distance.
Cantio 'I can't let you give up on having a life that easily, Cantio! I know you! If it means you having to give up being happy, I...!'

"That's why we're fighting here today, isn't it? To find if... My happiness, or this world's happiness matters more." Spitting out a clump of digitized blood, Cantio certainly doesn't look like she's holding up alright with the way this fight is going. She doesn't look like she's ready to give up yet, though, as she holds her sword's hilt in front of her with one hand while the other draws out a plasticky gray, red, and purple greeble.

Raising the plastic device to eye level, Cantio flicks the side as a cartridge-like stud flips out from the doohickey's main body. There's faded gray bits on it along with more red and purple motifs painted on top. She slides the cartridge end of it into the base of her sword, pushing it in with a satisfying shnk noise and then thrusting her blade into the ground.

"Henshin!"

Her blade reforms and lights up, and a chaotic mixture of primary-color yellow, blue, and red text surges out of the greeble while guttural digitized noises start coming out of the device. It all swirls together until it becomes an unreadable white soup, then explodes into a a pure blackness with even more industrial grinding noises that actually start sounding like a backing track after a while.

Stars illuminate the area behind Cantio, eventually forming into digitized spaceships that turn into heavy-looking pieces of black armor with red and purple accents that clamp onto her limbs and face, extending from her back like mechanical wings/thrusters without being connected to her in any way while a similar pair of red and purple spikes jut out of the side of her helmet like a pair of antenna or early 2000s robot-girl ears.

ACTION MASTER 52!

As a side bonus, Cantio doesn't look as beat up as before. Her sword even looks more solid despite the interior glow pulsing in and out every couple of seconds. Sliding forward this time as though she was on skates or something, Cantio splits her sword in half vertically, gripping the crossguard this time like she was holding a pair of long pistols or something. She fires a quick barrage into the group in her approach, then suddenly veers off course to the side as her thrusters light up. She picks up speed as she continues to fire at everyone nigh indiscriminately, but the lasers themselves seem to be emitting high-pitched screeches as they come flying in and whizzing by, as though the attacks are designed to both blast the shit out of everyone and shake them to their very cores!
Shotaro Hidari 'Henshin!'

"Wait isn't that..!" Shotaro starts, and Philip immediately finishes up, "...that can't be..!"

The change is enough to give Cantio the upper hand, the lasers fire everywhere and pepper the Two-in-One Kamen Rider. Toku sparks are flying everywhere, and Double is forced to the ground rolling across it and finally stopping.

"Shotaro, put in Heat. Trying to swap in Trigger will have us playing a game we can't win..." Philip is sure that using the resistance of Metal is the winning play.

HEAT is spoken, as the CYCLONE memory is exchanged. Once more, the memory is shoved into the Double Driver, and pressed out as W rises from the ground. He holds his hands out, as once more a gust of wind sprays across the pair, and the green is replaced by Red.

HEAT METAL

Shotaro moves quickly, trying to force himself in Cantio's face. His staff now igniting at the end and causing dangerous streaks of fire to strike out at her, aiming to threaten her proximity to the others. However, as they fight, he carefully positions himself so that Ru Li is at his back so that he can quickly position himself to cover him.

Cantio might have range, and a new transformation, but the pair of Kamen Riders are planning. Each swipe of the Metal Shaft sends more flames out, aiming to create a heat haze and make Cantio's targeting a bit harder.
Rubi-Kan Vagrants That's why we're fighting here today, isn't it? To find if... My happiness, or this world's happiness matters more.

     His face illuminated by the readouts of his helmet, Bercilak smiles to himself as he races past, following his attack. The molten scoring on his armor begins to cool and slowly seal itself up, his massive harness and armored bike bearing most of the punishment thus far.

     The reflection of Cantio, holding her transformation greeble high, rapidly grows larger on the t-visor of Bercilak's helmet. HBis flowery cloak billows dramatically behind him as he makes a wide turn, once more adjusting his grip on the axe. This time he holds it halfway up the haft, as he had when he'd thrown Hibiki at her. It proves to be ill-advised, however, as while he nimbly evades the CGI henshin rockets, Bercilak takes the brunt of her renewed laser fire.

     His planned attack is in tatters, as is that heavy breastplate--screeching lasers batter him, testing his wheelmanship strenously as the behemoth hoverbike rattles in the air from the added kinetic impact of the ear-piercing lasers. Another strikes, and another, nearly knocking him off his steed. Hanging precariously with the haft of the axe jammed into the control column, Bercilak laughs uproariously--until it's abruptly cut off by one piercing his head.

     A scarlet ribbon flies from one end of his helmet to the other. The t-visor sports a smouldering hole, through which Cantio can see Bercilak's newly-regrown eye, alight with mirth as he hangs from the bike. A twist of his wrist has the axe's haft smashed into the accelerator, sending him racing towards her, his heavy boots just barely clearing W's head.

     "BREST NOT THY LODE BIFORE I MAY TUGGE THEE, RIDER! BAHAHAH!" He probably means 'don't use your finisher yet,' but because it's Bercilak, he has to put it That Way. As he closes the distance to Cantio, the thrusters on Bercilak's armor fire, pushing him forward as he extends a knee. It's at once an attack, putting forth an armored kneecap, and a means to shift the haft of the axe jammed into the control column. The bike rolls following his attack, sending him nimbly twirling along the haft of his weapon, and planting him firmly back into his seat as he passes by.
Ru Li Cheng      'Trying to find if my happiness or this world's happiness matters more.'

     Ru Li pauses, his hand on his lapel. Dripping bits of silvery liquid spill down his coat. He just...stands there, breathing in time with his odd tick-tocks. Tick, breathe in, tock, breathe out. A natural rhythm.

     And then it goes a little off-balance. The ticking goes a little faster than the tocking. The breathing in gets a little sharper than the breathing out. He's still silent, still standing there, still...not moving.

     'If my happiness or this world's happiness matters more.'

     Cantio transforms. She opens fire.

     One of the bolts gets Ru Li directly in the eye. Another tears open his shoulder. A third hits him straight in the stomach. He stumbles backwards and falls, staring at the ceiling. His square shortsword goes sliding away, kicked across the arena by the blasts.

     'If my happiness or this world's happiness matters more.'

     A hand goes to his face as he becomes aware of the ringing in his ears and the sudden loss of depth perception. It comes away trailing silver liquid. There's the taste of mercury and gold in his mouth.

     'If my happiness or this world's happiness matters more.'

     What's more important? Honesty, or-

     The ticking sound gets louder. Faster. More uneven. It would be hypocrisy, wouldn't it, to say the world's? He didn't choose the world's happiness. He chose his. But the Paladins-

     -but-

     Then again, it-

     His hand sways back and forth in front of his face amidst the bursts of noise. He hasn't gotten up.

     "...why are you not allowed to have both?"

     Ru Li is staring past his hand, now, his uninjured eye fixed on the unfamiliar System sky. "You said that you are not the correct person to have a path without sacrifice. Why can you not become that person tomorrow? Or the day after? Or the day after that?"

     "Why do you feel the need to push it upon your sister, or to drag the burden along behind you?"

     "That seems..." Ru Li searches for a word, good eye flicking back and forth as if reading a page. "...self-defeating."

     Finally, he stands up. He's very shaky about it. "It seems as if you've decided that it must be one or the other, but that it must be one or the other right now, in this moment."

     "I apologize. I don't know you very well. I don't wish to attempt to analyze you. I wasn't made for something like that." Almost bashfully he adjusts his hat again to hide the silvery liquid spilling out of his eye. "And I'm aware of how thin and pointless saying that there must be a third option is. It's a platitude and nothing more." He bites his lip.

     "...I feel that, perhaps, selfishly, I don't wish to accept that happiness is so easy to attain or sacrifice that its import can come down to the outcome of a battle."

     His left hand flicks to the side and opens - literally opens. Plates of skin shift aside on bone hinges to reveal the tiny ticking gears in his fingers, the winding tubes of dancing gold and silver fluids, the muscles grafted seamlessly to metal-coated bones. Beneath the layers of divine theotech and artificial organics, at the center of the palm of his hand, is a symbol.

     The symbol lights up.

     Far across the field, on the hilt of his blade, symbols appear to match it.

     The Kamen Rider lands behind him. The heat is enough to force Ru Li's coolants to pump faster, to force his face to go silver with the effort of cooling itself. The blade lifts off the ground and comes whirling back to him.

     And then he whirls, and the blade goes shooting past the Kamen Rider, through the fire and flames, past Cantio. He ducks under the Rider's arm and the blade comes shooting back to his hand. Another flick sends it flying once again as he rolls back behind Shotaro. It's just repeated in-and-out, simple to dodge, but complicated to keep track of spatially - a yo-yo of a shortsword with telekinetic forces.
Hiromi     Hisako pulls a second arrow, and a third, but those are all the shots she has time for, and these without talismans giving them any real impact, before she has to put her bow back away. She just doesn't have the kind of mobility needed for this fight while practicing archery, especially with all those lasers. Running while shooting is a bit beyond her skills.

    <J-IC-Scene> Hisako says, "Oh..." Then, "Will they listen to you if your sister defeats them?"
<J-IC-Scene> Cantio says, "I think... They'd listen to her, if she's the last one standing after this. That's how these usually go. To the winner goes the spoils."

    "That's... right," Hisako says. That's how it's supposed to go. If the strongest person wasn't in charge, it's an unstable system. If people don't acknowledge that fact, that's another cause for instability. She knows this very well, but it still feels like there's something missing.

    "She would know..." But there's no wise authority figure for Hisako to turn to, right now, no matter how much faith she holds.

    "I don't know... about this world." Not enough to make the call. Not when the people who do know are acting like this, like 'out of options' is the best they can do. Looking off to the side, Hisako can see where the others are fighting, in that blurry distance.

    "Can't you... make them to try harder?" Maybe that's just an unfair stance. It's not like she has the answers, and can do better. How can she tell someone else 'just try harder'?

    It's frustrating. Much more so than the fact that she's being shot, though that is something she has to deal with. Hisako runs while protecting her face and carefully keeping her balance, like a boxer with a wide ring and the quick footwork to match. She jukes to one side and the other, avoiding --

    "Ee--ow!" Oh, she couldn't avoid getting lasered in the legs a few times. The long, red skirt already looked like it'd need mending, but the previous, clean-cloth hits hadn't gotten her huffing like that. But that's fine. Just channel the stinging sensation into fresh motivation.

    Right, left, right, right again, and Cantio's skating intersects with Hisako's leap. One hand reaches Cantio's wrist, then Hisako's leg comes up and over, wrapping around her arm, opposite leg underneath, the whole motion twisting in the air with a wrenching motion that could as easily dislocate Cantio's shoulder as pull her to the ground. The wolfgirl is heavier than she looks, but not by that much, so this pinning technique might not work quite as well as it would on someone without a mecha suit upgrade.

    Though it might still work long enough for Hibiki to get up close.

    In the meantime, Hisako says, "If you can't do it, you should find someone who can... is what I'd say, but there isn't someone, whose job it is, right? Then... shouldn't you beat all of them into shape, and make them work on it? Maybe they need to be stronger, too."
Hibiki Tachibana     Distance, a fistfighter's mortal enemy. Hibiki doesn't give chase right away though, taking a moment to simple stare her down and breathe. It just so happens that it ends up being ideal dramatic timing for when Cantio reveals a familiar device, her eyes lighting up in recognition.

"That's...!"

    She narrows her eyes as the whole retro gaming era becomes armor adorning their opponent's body, signifying her stepping it up a heavy notch. There's not really any time to gawk about it though; not with Cantio immediately opening up by blasting at them all, forcing her to cross her arms up to batter shots out of the way. The metal of her gauntlets is left humming with every impact, but she can take it. Although momentarily having to protect her face means--

    Cantio has gotten out of her field to view at high speed before she even realized it. By the time she does, one of those blasts is coming at her from a blind spot - and the combination of actual force and body-jolting sounds they're giving off both send her stumbling and briefly disorient her. While her head is swimming and her skeleton is feeling very shaky, she's wide open to more.

    And another, and another. Hibiki is very much pinned down, gritting her teeth through it as the barrage continues and Cantio increases in acceleration. "Your happiness...their happiness...! They shouldn't...have to be picked between! I'm here to stop you--because I don't want you to give up the chance for both! Once you make the kind of decision you can't take back, when there's no more opportunity for anything else--"

    "Even if you'll 'still be around'...I won't let you keep talking--like you're going away like that!"

    She finally takes advantage of some of the angular geometry making up cover in the arena, sort of messily throwing herself towards the nearest one to get out of the line of fire. It's normal to expect someone to take the chance to get some air back while they have the chance.

    Because Hibiki Tachibana is the furthest thing from normal, it's only about two seconds before she's lunging back out in a sudden, booster-assisted leap - because Hisako is creating an opportunity, and she won't let it go to waste. If she does manage to get Cantio on the ground or even just slow down her movements, it's a prime opening. A prime opening to manually pull back the pilebunker in her right gauntlet, ascend high overhead--

    And come down from above with a descending punch for her center of mass. One impact, and then another when the machinery smashes back into place afterwards, to send a shockwave of floor-cracking force straight through her and out the other side.
Cantio '...why are you not allowed to have both?' ' Why can you not become that person tomorrow? Or the day after? Or the day after that?' 'It seems as if you've decided that it must be one or the other, but that it must be one or the other right now, in this moment.'

"Humans don't live as long as we do." Cantio replies as that distant stare returns, a mild grimace of pain coming to her face. "Candidates and Controllers can afford to wait that long because we don't age the same way, and we're strong enough to fight them ourselves, but the people we're supposed to protect aren't. They live as long as humans do, and they're the ones in danger when the viruses attack. When malware spreads into the streets. When the Bugsters that I..."

There's a flash of guilt on Cantio's face again, and she grimaces slightly while looking over at where her sister is still engaged in a totally sick light-soup battle. It really is kind of hard to see from here, but there's fewer lights than before.

'Can't you... make them to try harder?' 'shouldn't you beat all of them into shape, and make them work on it? Maybe they need to be stronger, too.'

"That's the other part of this plan. Even if I don't win, they'll... This should light the fire for them, right?" Cantio finally admits via stage-whispering with another weak chuckle, giving Hisako a knowing nod without actually elaborating further. She's likely assuming that Hisako already knows exactly what she means by that, and perhaps even assuming that the miko is already several steps ahead. Hiromi's never struck Cantio as actually stupid, after all, so why would her miko be?

'Your happiness...their happiness...! They shouldn't...have to be picked between! I'm here to stop you--because I don't want you to give up the chance for both! Once you make the kind of decision you can't take back, when there's no more opportunity for anything else--'
'Even if you'll 'still be around'...I won't let you keep talking--like you're going away like that!'

"You know me, Hibiki. I'm not the one that comes up with... That relies on perfect plans like that. It just isn't practical most of the time, and..." Come to think of it, have Cantio's other zero-sum plans ever really worked? Even her research on the Bugsters worked only by accident, and not even for what she originally intended it for. This scheme already seems to be hurting more people than it's helping so far, but there's still time for it to work. There's still a path forward.

"Let's... Make this the first time everything goes right, then."
Cantio Another form change from Double! The flames by themselves might not be enough to ward Cantio off, but his mastery of the staff they're coming from along with the persistent heat haze makes it harder and harder for her to accurately gauge where the next swing will come from. It's not only his swings she has to contend with, either, but Bercilak's sudden charge from behind the Kamen Rider as well.

By the time she even realizes Bercilak is there, that knee is already coming right at her face and forcing her to put up her guard so as to not get a knee crammed right into her face. That knee strike, combined with the lingering haze, turns out to be sufficient distraction for Ru Li to slide into Cantio's blind spot again, and she yelps painfully as the repeated stabs start to draw digitized blood and Toku sparks from her already-red armor.

Hisako's leaping maneuver, meanwhile, further proves that there's a substantial gulf between Cantio's skills in close-ranged combat and... Everyone else's, actually. Even with her generally high physical strength, she doesn't have nearly the level of flexibility or improvisation in grappling range as the wolf miko does, and just trying to wrestle with all that extra weight suddenly tying up her arms and legs means

Weirdly enough, though, the impacts from all those consecutive attacks seem somewhat duller than before. It's as though there's some kind of ablative layer built into her suit, or perhaps... It's a function of the transformation? Whatever the case is, however, she manages to withstand those strikes far better than she did prior to the shift to the red, black, and purple armor, and Cantio still manages to get back up even after all of that, albeit with a great deal more difficulty than before. There's even a telltale shimmer coming from that armor each time it's struck, although it fades by the time Hibiki smashes her diving fist right into Cantio.

Lifting her sword over her head, Cantio buckles briefly as the blade erupts in a shower of sparks, scattering those gleaming pieces all over the place once again. Considering the laser light show from all those other times, it'd probably be an ominous sight right not, but no lasers are forthcoming this time around. Instead, there's a dull hum coming from all of them that almost sounds like a speaker that's been cranked up to full volume with nothing actually playing.

She cranks the greeble in her sword's handle, and that's the only warning everyone gets before a horrendously amplified, volume peaking voice erupts from the scattered blade fragments-turned-surround sound danger sphere.
HYPER REALM CRITICAL FINISH!

There's feedback, the digital ground cracks from the sheer level of noise, and even the blade fragments themselves explode from the sonic booms they create in such close proximity to each other that the pieces can no longer withstand their own function. Those explosions, in turn, come with their own blast of noise before finally dying down, even managing to draw distant stares from the combatants at the other end of the arena. It's Cantio's last ditch attempt to put an end to this final fight, but is it going to be enough?!
Ru Li Cheng      Anything Ru Li might have been about to say is silenced immediately by the force of the impact. His hand shuts reflexively as he goes spinning along the ground backwards, tossed along by the sonic explosions. He comes to a halt at the edge of the arena with a light *thump* at the end of a trail of silvery coolant, and stops moving entirely.
Shotaro Hidari Kamen Rider W whips back into a fighting stance after the last barrage of flaming strikes. Neither seems able to get much purchase on the other, but the two of them have a plan... but what they /don't/ know is what Cantio has in store for them. To be fair, it was a gambit and a half, but there is one thing that tipped Philip off.

The music scene of the city itself, the fact that not a single attack related to sound or music had been used really. When he notices something being turned up on the greeble, the building and changing of air pressure was just unsubtle enough for Philip to hear it coming.

"Shotaro, get ready for a memory break, use everything directly in front, and keep going forward toward her!"

"Right... all the cards on the table... Green Knight, either keep it in your pants or whip it out now!"

Yanking the METAL memory out of the belt, he places it into a slot on the staff. Right as the loud sound was coming to a crescendo... threatening to destroy the eardrums and do significant damage to everyone around her. If they failed here... if she succeeded then...

Talking of strength by the disciple of Hiromi was getting under his skin. "It doesn't have to be you. Nobody... NOBODY should throw their own happiness away. Nobody should take on every single bad thought of others, focus all of the hate on themselves..."

"So... Cantio... hold on a little longer, because this is going to hurt a lot!"

METAL MAXIMUM DRIVE!

The ends of the Metal Shaft ignite with flame again, but hotter than before. Shifting from red to blue, to white. The difference in air pressure because of the intense flames was causing a circle of air around them, similar to the Cyclone Effect that another memory can do, but this one was far more localized.

The heat haze helps make it harder to aim at them, and right as the two collide...

Kamen Rider W dives at the point where they collide, the shaft piercing through, as he dashes through the attack and right at Cantio. He swings the staff repeatedly, each strike aiming to rain down on the transformed girl.

Together, the two in one Kamen Rider shout their attack name, as is right in this world.

"METAL BRANDING!"

If they hit, they continue forward with their momentum, as the explosion of fire goes off behind them.
Rubi-Kan Vagrants      Humans don't live as long as we do. Candidates and Controllers can afford to wait that long because we don't age the same way, and we're strong enough to fight them ourselves, but the people we're supposed to protect aren't.

     Bercilak's helmet dissolves into blue motes of light, the knight deciding to shed it rather than wait for the visor to repair itself. His green undercut mohawk flies freely, and his wide, proud smile is on display for all to see.

Even if I don't win, they'll... This should light the fire for them, right?

     Bercilak *doesn't* hear that part--a stage whisper simply *will* not be heard by this man. Not while he's riding what Lilian so eloquently referred to as a jalopy piece of hovershit. But even so, as he comes in for another pass, hand now back at the beard of the axe (he knows better than to underestimate her lasers by now!), his bright smile remains.

     His combat proficiency aura passes over W, and he lingers there, deliberately, letting the program run while he himself runs interference for the rider. The flat of his axe's blade is broad enough to be a small shield for a normal-sized human, and at expense to himself, he uses both the broad frame of the bike, of his body, and the axe's blade to give Shotaro time for a finishing strike--boosted not only by one program, but by another that seems to be run simply by the natural motions of his axe, something that confers added strength to the rider!

     When W's belt sounds its report, Bercilak guns the bike, dragging his axe across the ground to fling blinding sparks at Cantio as a diversion, his form a barely distinguishable green blur. By the time he stops, his armor is half missing, and a scorched, ruined white tee is all that remains of its upper portion, a hole in his chest just finishing sealing itself up.

     Fresh out of his whirlwind bike trick, the Green Knight offers a final assessment:

     "Overpredful hath I ben toknoue thee." He never knew that she was longer-lived--and her willingness to lead by example, win or lose, has told him everything he needs to know about her mettle.

     Bercilak races straight for her, pitching the bike sideways at the last minute and easing up on his grip to catch her in a surprise hook with the axe's beard. Whipping into a sharp turn, he bellows with effort and hurls her towards the rider's finisher!
Hiromi     "If it weren't... for all of us here, then..." Hisako can only glance in that direction, but she knows the fight is still going. Cantio's big sister really is that much stronger than the others, huh...? Or are they just that bad at working together...? Either way, they must have realized, by now, the kind of trouble they're in, but Hisako decides against saying that part out loud.

    "I'll play my role, too. We can't hold back, when it comes to... proving how far we've come, right?" It's a problem when you can't piece yourself together again, afterward. If only everyone could be so strong.

    Hibiki makes her strike, and Cantio escapes her grip, though not before Hisako gives a twist that's likely to hurt worse if she can't give that limb ~~a break~~ a rest.

    Standing up again, Hisako is entirely unprepared for a massed sonic attack. It's all she can do to cover her ears, flattening them on top of her head. They're about as sensitive as they look, and she's making extremely unhappy faces and incoherent mumbly noises by the end, though she still manages to hold to her feet. She straightens her stance back up, her ears flick straight, and she holds both hands in front of herself, right fist clenched and left hand open and in front.

    "Okay... okay... center, myself, and..." Her eyes relax, without quite closing. Breath in, breath out. Then, her eyes flick toward Hibiki. She's... she's not fine, is she? After that.

    "Right," the miko mutters. "It needs to be showy, too. They have to know it was hard. Big, and powerful..."

    She'd used three talismans already, and her supplies aren't exactly vast, even if they are varied. Most of what she can do is simply too small. There's only one left, one she'd been saving, that will do.

    Hisako makes her third approach with quick, varied steps, circling and intentionally waiting for someone else to take up Cantio's attention before she drops low, kicks off the ground, and rushes in at a blind angle, following up with the execution of her combo as soon as attention returns to her.

    Her stance lowers, her foot drops, knee bent to nearly a right angle, and the arena shudders. Stone and earth would have been easier, but with the strength of her last magic for the fight, every blow is an insistently terrain-deforming one, breaking or pushing the digital-world blocks and leaving jagged rocky formations around the edges of the wide, shallow craters of her motion.

    Not just that first stomp, but after four perfectly safe steps in closing, another follows, close enough to reach Cantio's footing. Hisako's shout when she strikes isn't in words, but the sharp sound focuses together with the impact of her fist, whether that leaping blow hits her opponent or the ground. Another follows, one powerful fist strike after another, varying in angle and executed with precision but, more importantly, each carrying that shockwave of force together with it, blasting out behind Cantio if she blocks it.
Hibiki Tachibana     Cantio...is a lot sturdier than she was giving her credit for. She really has come a long way, lacking in hand-to-hand prowess or not. Not just in actual power or transformations, either. If she hadn't, they probably wouldn't be here doing this right now. She's going this far in front of every other leader of her world, with absolutely everything she has. There's a time she couldn't have imagined her actually going and doing this.

"The first time everything...?"

    The dull hum that serves as the sort of calm before the storm is more worrying than any laser lightshow. And very much unlike lasers, deafening and shattering boombursts aren't something she can stop so easily. Her eyes have a split-second to widen before the sonic assault hits her like a solid wall coming from all sides. It drops her down her hands and knees, forces her eyes shut, and she has to struggle to even bear it.

    Even her Symphogear begins cracking and destabilizing, from gauntlets to metal leggings and boots - the headphones-and-antenna combo entirely breaks apart in several places, exposing the mechanical interior going haywire. As the hyper-amplified sound blasts finally die out, she remains trembling in place for a moment...then hits the floor on her face.

    "...Yeah. I know," Hibiki murmurs into the floor and her scarf. "...And I know it's not practical, either. It's stupid to think...it can end like that every time, no matter how badly either of us want it. I'm saying all this nice-sounding stuff, but it's not like I have a plan to solve everything either...I never do. And you have me...totally beat when it comes to resolve, this time. Maybe I...shouldn't be surprised. But even so..."

    Getting back up to a knee hurts. Moving at all hurts. But she does it anyway, as Hisako gives that concerned glance to her, wincing past it - and keeps the momentum going by throwing herself back up to her feet, picking up speed in a dead sprint straight ahead. If she stops putting one leg in front of the other, she might just fall over again and not have it in her to get back up.

    The heat of Double's finisher move won't keep her away, and even the roar of Bercilak's bike won't drown out her voice. "--I'm still going to make it as hard as I can for you, until I can't move anymore!" As she has plenty of times before. "Even if I don't know what to do, I won't freeze up this time! I'm way too selfish to give up on that possibility just like that!"

    In fact, she's happy to jump /through/ the explosion of fire that the Kamen Rider leaves behind, just to follow up on Hisako's expert assault with a far less expert lunge forward, meant for nothing less than nearly tackling Cantio and grasping at her collar.
Hibiki Tachibana     That sure is what's still left of one of her gauntlets' pilebunkers primed backward in its mooring, and a fist tightened up and pulled back - just to be sent forward for the second face-punch she's delivered this fight. "--Or on you being happy, too!"

    There's no second impact this time, though. Just a 'normal' punch that still will hurt a whole lot.

    That one comes when she overswings into a second punch right after, for a /third/ meeting of fist-to-cheek. And that time, the piston does slam back in, with the heavy-handed motion and burst of force so similar to Hisako's own impacts intent on sending Cantio flying straight into one of the cover structures positioned around the field.

    And because of said overswing, she'll be back on her hands and knees practically right after. But her eyes looked more than a little wet while she was sending it forward. Much like Bercilak, she is sadly not blessed with the ability to hear stage whispers. Please give her a moment.
Cantio Ru Li, thankfully, is not left to lie there for long. Once the coast is relatively clear, medical attendants skitter into the arena to quickly slide a stretcher beneath him, coordinate a lift, and drag him right out of there. There'll be a mechanic around eventually, too, once they realize that he's got that silvery coolant coming out of him, although it might take a bit longer for them to figure out what will actually work in terms of proper medical care.

After pouring so much into that massive sound blasting attack, Cantio's looking a fair bit worn down and in dire need of catching a break. Alas, she doesn't quite get the break she was hoping for as Bercilak's bike comes charging right back in. Bercilak's diversionary sparks work wonders against Cantio as she's bracing herself for a direct impact and definitely not sparks blinding her to what the real maneuver is: Catching her right on the beard of his axe.

'Overpredful hath I ben toknoue thee.'
"Heh... Thanks, Mister Bercilak. Even now... You always were one of toughest fighters I know, Mister Bercilak. Of course that wouldn't be enough to stop you...!" Cantio can't quite get a good enough grip on the axe to try prying herself off, and certainly not enough time before Bercilak chucks her right into the path of Kamen Rider W's flaming metal shaft. The initial swing of the white hot rod draws plenty of Tokusparks as it collides with her, although she manages to hold on for just a moment with that first hit.

'Nobody should take on every single bad thought of others, focus all of the hate on themselves...'

"It's okay, Mister Hidari. Goddesses have long enough lives to..." Cantio can't quite bring herself to finish that sentence. Sure, in the grand scheme of things, she'd have plenty of time to forget about any pain she might feel from shouldering this burden. She'd have plenty of time to forget a whole lot of things that hurt, but being able to and wanting to are two wildly different things. Certainly different enough that she can't even will herself to finish saying that much.

The rain of blows and resulting explosion keep the pressure on Cantio until she's sent flying into Hisako's direct path. Catching herself at only the last moment, she tries to twist herself out of that strike at center mass, but it's not quite enough to move herself out of the way. The best Cantio can do is grit her teeth and brace for the precise strikes and their followup explosions of force against her, forcing airless gasps out of her after the first two impacts.

'If it weren't... for all of us here, then...' 'I'll play my role, too. We can't hold back, when it comes to... proving how far we've come, right?'
"Plan A would've gone without a hitch. Probably... In half the time we spent here, between me and Saltavi. And then the others would never..." She's planned this out already, and her confidence is still just as high as it ever was, despite being in the horrible physical state she's in when she's tossed back into Hibiki's path.

Rather than getting punched through the sky, though, Hibiki actually catches Cantio by the collar of her armor even as it's cracked and broken in several areas. Not one to let the fight look too finished, Cantio even manages to bring her arms up in vague motions of defending herself, but it goes about as well as one would expect from someone fighting from the ground against a mounting expert.
Cantio 'I'm saying all this nice-sounding stuff, but it's not like I have a plan to solve everything either...I never do.'
"Everything is too hard to solve for, but that's why we... Work well together, right? I plan for people's bodies, you plan for their hearts, and..." Cantio doesn't finish that thought, largely from recalling how many times they've clashed over this exact kind of thing. It'll be easier if she can blame it on being a little/very woozy from getting thrashed so much. Getting pounded by the pilebunker fist head on certainly isn't going to make it any easier to think that part through, either, and the explosive impact launches Cantio into, then through one of those walls before she finally crumples into a heap beneath the second one she hits.

Her armor shimmers one more time before the transformation wears off, exploding in a showering of pixellated sparks and that same loud voice (thankfully, not at that same loud volume) shouting "GAME CLEAR" right around when she finally hits the ground. Thankfully, the transformation back to her base form means she's still left with her usual clothes on, battered and bruised as she is after that battle.

'Even if I don't know what to do, I won't freeze up this time! I'm way too selfish to give up on that possibility just like that!'
"I was wondering when... That'd be back." Cantio chuckles lightly as she lays in that pile of rubble, staring vacantly into the digital sky with a half-lidded eye on one side and a swelled up one on the other. It's quite apparent that at this point, Cantio definitely isn't going to be getting up to continue the battle, and she only has enough energy to turn her head towards her friends (old and new, in Ru Li's case) (even if he's getting carted out of the arena) to offer them a brief thumbs up before passing out on the spot.

As Hisako suspected, meanwhile, Cantio's sister truly is quite strong, and by the time the dust settles around this main battle, that other battle is only just ending. Saltavi touches down to the ground as the last one standing from that side, breathing out a heavy sigh of relief when she finally sees the outcome of this battle. There's concern for her sister, of course, but seeing the Elites that had been called to stop Cantio's plan still standing actually seems to take the fight out of her.

One brief flash of light later, and Saltavi reverts to her shorter, younger-looking form. She looks pretty damn drained, but she's also still the last one standing from the battle over yonder. "Looks like that's that. Alright, let's wrap it up here, folks!" She calls out a little too loudly, looking over at the entrance to the arena and gestures at the attendants with her head, giving them the okay to start getting everyone that isn't conscious out of the arena.

After that, she approaches the Elites, glancing over at Cantio once more with a pensive smile before turning to the group again. "Thanks. For... All of this. I haven't been the best to her, but..." She lets out a light chuckle, but it's one of those guilty awkward ones. "A-anyway. I knew you were the right ones for the job. I'll make sure you're all rewarded properly for this, and don't worry. She'll be okay once she's back on her feet."
Shotaro Hidari Kamen Rider W turns finally to look at the fallen Cantio.  He looks to have sighed a bit of relief.  He's not sure how they got through this as well as they did, compared to last time.  Though unseen to Shotaro...

There is a spark of something along the center of his back.  

However, before anyone can think about it too much, Shotaro pulls the memories out of the belt and the form of W fades into pieces of the suit and a gust of wind.  In the stands, Philip snaps to, looking...

Concerned.

Shotaro, however, walks over to Cantio and leans over.  Softly, his fist reaches over and bonks her lightly on the head.  "Stupid," he says after a moment.  "If you need things solved, you know you could have just called," he says right for Saltavi to land.

Standing up he looks towards the shorter (but older) sister.  "...Well I'd say don't bother but I am sure the Chief might actually kill me if I did that..." he shrugs.  "...Though you think those other 'Goddesses' got the message?  Maybe this dumb battle royale can end and you can put an end to the problems."

"So people don't think they have to suffer for them to end," Shotaro says with a sigh.  "Goodbye, you two.  If things are still bad I'll be dropping in from time to time.  Bugsters are a thing that Kamen Riders can handle, right?" He says with a grin.
Hibiki Tachibana     Cantio goes down and stays down - which is probably good, because Hibiki doesn't think she could get herself up again. In fact, she goes from hands and knees to flat on her face after about a second, working to get air back. "Hah...hah...when that'd...be back, huh...? ...Haha..." Once again, she could only be like this when it was do-or-die right in front of her. No choice but to act, so she does, without even thinking about it or what she says.

    ...If she could all the time, it'd be so much easier. But this time, at least, it all worked out. With a slightly pained grunt, she makes herself roll over onto her back, staring up at the same sky the now-unconscious Cantio had been looking towards.

    "...Why we work well together. Yeah. You're...exactly right." It's not like the other girl will be able to hear that, but she says it anyway as her half-trashed Symphogear vanishes in a burst of light.

    The pristine casual clothes while she's still busted up body-wise, marked with laser scorches and cuts and a few other things at that, is something she's kind of used to now thankfully. She glances at the water bottle that's also returned, before shifting her head tiredly towards Saltavi when she heads their way.

    "...It's okay. I haven't...been as good of a friend to her as I should have, either. Or to...a lot of people." Hibiki lets that sit for a moment, then looks skyward again. "...I'm really proud of her. Kinda jealous, even. Being brave enough to put all of this together. And...I know this means it'll take a lot more time and effort to fix all of your world's problems. Everyone'll have to work together...and you'll probably have your hands full..."

    "...But I'm glad she has you, here. A sister who cares this much about her. Not everybody gets those. Been the best or not...this way, there'll be plenty of chances to make up for it from now on. Right?" The small smile on her face is for Saltavi, even if she's not looking straight at her right now.

    "If you and her ever need help...or even if it's just to hang out," there's a tired chuckle. "I'll come running. ...I promise."

    That's the responsibility that comes with her brand of selfishness, after all. She'll just have to hold this feeling tight for everything else that's to come.
Cantio Even though Cantio's not awake to hear what's being said, Saltavi certainly is, and she takes a seat beside her sister while brushing some hair out of her face and checking on her injuries. They're pretty bad, but nothing life-threatening, and she actually looks pleased despite not being conscious enough to do anything about that.

"A lotta things could've been done better if... Yeah, calling you folks in sooner would've been a good start. But you know how she is." Saltavi replies to Shotaro for Cantio, chuckling lightly and lifting her head just a bit to slip her legs in for a bit more comfort than the digital stony floor. "Always having something to prove, even if nobody was even thinking about it. Hm... Yeah, the others'll get over it. Wouldn't be the first time one of us started a big mess, even though... Uh. It's usually me doing it."

She laughs playfully at first, then sighs and looks off towards the other sid of the arena. "... Huh. Guess she really did get that from me." And then she looks back at Shotaro. "Oh, but this battle's a thing we do all the time. Usually just me and a couple of the other gals, though, and we just fudge the numbers a little instead of something huge like what Junior was planning. Keeps us sharp and gives the folks at home something to watch instead of hankering for a real war, you know?"

"Still... Nah, you got a point there, Shotaro. Hibiki. If one Candidate's able to throw us for this much of a loop, we really can't be sitting around on our shapely butts all day and nickel 'n' diming our way to fixing all this. I bet they've got the message, too." Saltavi laughs again, closing her eyes for several moment and letting out a wistful sigh.

Is she supposed to be moving an injured person's head like that? Oh, it'll probably be fine.

"I'm just glad she's got friends like all of you. Friends, rivals, colleagues, whatever it is, just... People that're willing to show her what's right even if you gotta beat the snot outta each other to get there, people that'll really let her feel like she's achieved stuff without all the ceremony and titles getting in the way. You'll be welcome in Cadenza anytime."

"We'll be seeing you around. Don't be strangers!"
Cantio In time, the wounds from this battle will heal. As predicted, it'll certainly take some time for the wounds to heal, especially those inflicted by Cantio on the populace. Thankfully, the people of this world are generally an understanding sort, and the outward ripple effects would be seen fairly quickly. Thanks to the publicity from such a spectacle, the bootleg market for merchandise the warriors from the Multiverse would thrive in the following weeks.

Bercilak, with highly modular armor and shirts to capture all those special phrases that wouldn't be allowed at school.
Double, with swappable halves and built in heating elements to double as a lighter, a fog machine, or hair spray flamethrower.
Hibiki, with power punching action that'd be classified as an illegal weapon in some developing nations.
Hisako, with more poseability than any other model on the market and a kung-fu grip strong enough for commercial use.
Ru Li Cheng, with enough outer pieces to create battle-damaged variants and choke an entire nursery.

Efforts to curtail their sale would follow soon afterwards, of course, along with messages being sent out from multiple companies trying to get official merchandising and documentary rights from these five.

The digital menaces aren't going to be disappearing anytime soon, either, but efforts to control their numbers would be expanded in earnest. After all, the rulers of the world had to realize that, at any time, the peace maintained by their weekly battles for the Distribution Hub could be shaken up by someone with a scheme like Cantio's, and the only way around it would be to become stronger themselves and, by Cantio's own words days later, showing enough change in the way they do things that she wouldn't need to resort to such a method again.

One year. Cantio has given them one year to get their shit together. In the meantime, she and Saltavi would eventually go on a journey together to seek out other ways of attaining power and generating resources for their homeland, always keeping the lessons from their friends in mind. It probably won't stop them from coming up with even more harebrained schemes with the two of them enabling each other, but it's a start.