In the early morning, the fiery thin sun slowly emerged from the horizon, pulling Yosen City out of the darkness' grip. The scattered lights, symbols of life, were gradually swallowed by the shadows of the city, causing the usually flowing crowds to appear lifeless and dull.
If one were to look down from a high vantage point at this famous futuristic city of Japan, the most striking feature would be the skyscraper—Yosen's landmark, the Hiden Building. Employees, executives, businesspeople… every day countless individuals enter and exit this building, making Hiden Intelligence the leading AI technology company in the world, and establishing Yosen as the center of Japan's economy and technology.
The Hiden Building, located in the city center, is so large and futuristically designed that pedestrians, whether tourists or locals, can't help but stop and stare. Of course, attention is also drawn to the many protesters gathered outside the building. They claim that the government should shut down and investigate Hiden Intelligence, holding it responsible for all the Magia incidents up until now. However, in the early morning mist, those gazing up at the Hiden Building were not just humans…
A gentle breeze blew, and the soft sunlight of the morning spread across the white rooftop, revealing two figures.
"As expected, it's come… this day…" On top of the high building, a man dressed in a black cloak stood quietly, gazing at the Hiden Building across from him. His face was as calm as still water. Beside him stood a young man in a suit, smiling cheerfully as he looked around while fiddling with a handgun.
"Hey, Horobi, I still can't believe it, DAIM is after Hiden Aruto," Jin said with a grin.
Horobi glanced at the young man, replying coolly, "It's nothing surprising, Jin… Since the Magia attacks began, Hiden Intelligence has been under constant scrutiny. And after Hiden Aruto became Ark One, his reputation plummeted to the bottom. So…" His voice was emotionless, with no rise or fall in tone.
"Hiden Aruto has to take the fall, all the responsibility." Jin smirked lightly, a hint of disdain and mockery on his lips. "I see, just another human dogfight, huh."
Although Jin didn't care about Hiden Aruto's fate, he was concerned about how DAIM would treat the humagears if Aruto was caught. After all, he had once said his dream was to free all humagears from human control, but right now, DAIM's stance on humagears was far harsher than AIMS.
DAIM, or the Department of AI Management, was a newly formed department after the Ark One awakening event. It was set up because AIMS was accused of being ineffective against Ark One and MetsubouJinrai.net, leading the government to reorganize and establish DAIM directly under the Ministry of Defense, with full authority over AIMS. The capture of Hiden Aruto was DAIM's first operation.
This operation, of course, was a covert mission with no information released to the public. However, thanks to Naki cracking DAIM's internal network and obtaining the mission plan, Horobi and Naki decided to rescue Hiden Aruto from DAIM.
Was this decision the right one? Without understanding DAIM's true power, was it too risky to act impulsively? These thoughts swirled in Horobi's mind, but he held onto one belief: Hiden Aruto might be the hope for peace between humans and bioroids. He couldn't be captured!
As the morning sun slowly rose, the entrance to the Hiden Building began to bustle. The hurried crowd was unaware that a storm was about to break.
"Horobi, a helicopter is coming!" Jin pointed toward the sky. A black helicopter was flying rapidly toward the Hiden Building, eventually landing on the rooftop helipad. The doors opened, and several DAIM agents in uniform jumped out, swiftly entering the Hiden Building.
At this moment, the Hiden Building had become a dark forest, the hunters had their rifles cocked, and the prey was unaware.
"Like an arrow nocked on the string…" Upon seeing the hunters appear, Horobi smiled faintly, pulling out the Sting Scorpion Progrise Key.
"Jin, the operation begins. Henshin."
Horobi inserted the key into the forceriser and pulled the handle. With a loud crack, the Scorpion Progrise Key's restriction was forcibly lifted. The power of data surged like a tidal wave, and with the data image of the scorpion, a massive purple barrier unfolded, coalescing into the virtual skeleton of a venomous scorpion, its pincers raised threateningly, radiating a lethal aura.
Watching the venomous scorpion in front of him, Horobi slowly spread his arms, allowing the scorpion's tail, filled with deadly venom, to stab into his body. Like capturing prey, the data scorpion lunged at Horobi, but upon wrapping around him, it exploded in a violent burst, and the data energy erupted, forming a purple undergarment on his body. Steel armor was forcibly affixed to him, and as his eye armor glowed, a pale light flowed from him, sending chills down the spine. This was the form of Kamen Rider Horobi, signaling a fatal warning to any enemy.
At that moment, on the opposite rooftop, two DAIM agents were carrying the unconscious Hiden Aruto out of the building. Unaware of the danger that had already arrived, he slept soundly, even snoring lightly.
Horobi pulled out the Attache Arrow, placing the Scorpion Progrise Key into it. "Sting Kaban Strike!" With the prompt sound, Horobi released the bowstring, and energy surged into the arrowheads. The arrows, seemingly guided, pierced the DAIM agents' bodies with precision. Their screams faded, and they fell dead under the scorpion's deadly sting, before they could even send an emergency message.
"Humans, will inevitably perish..." Horobi turned his gaze away, muttering to himself.
"Bullseye! As skilled as ever, Horobi," Jin lightly clapped his hands.
"Don't need to say it…" Horobi continued, "Eradicate all of humanity—that is MetsubouJinrai.net's mission."
"Yeah, that's our Horobi," Jin laughed. "Alright, my turn. It's time to free all the humagears, right?"
With that, Jin equipped the Slashriser, taking out the Burning Falcon Progrisekey and pressing the activation button. "Henshin!" As he pulled the trigger, fierce flames erupted beneath him, forming towering spiraling fire columns around him. The falcon-shaped data energy emerged and enveloped Jin, solidifying into crimson armor. The flames subsided, revealing the black-spiked wings on his back, and Kamen Rider Jin showed his form.
Jin lightly leaped and soared into the sky, carrying Horobi to the top of the Hiden Building. Among the fallen DAIM agents, Hiden Aruto remained asleep, his lips curling into a slight smile as if dreaming peacefully.
Though reluctant, Jin waved his hand and lifted Hiden Aruto onto his shoulder. "Thank us later…Hiden Aruto—the base awaits, Horobi." With that, he disappeared into the red sunlight.
After de-Henshining, Horobi silently looked at the fallen DAIM agents. To his surprise, one of them, despite the severe wounds, struggled to rise and shakily aimed a gun at him.
"Futile, human." Horobi immediately drew his katana and, with a swift motion, severed the agent's arm, causing blood to spray everywhere.
The agent cried out in pain, tears flowing, but still struggled, reaching for the gun on the ground with his remaining hand.
Seeing this, Horobi shook his head in resignation. "Sigh, humans… why do you keep fighting when you know it's hopeless?"
"Because... even if I die, I'll kill you, bastard!" The agent shouted, his bloodshot eyes glaring as he pulled the trigger. However, the bullet was deflected by Horobi's katana with a simple flick.
How foolish are humans... Horobi tightened his brow and flicked his blade, cutting the agent's gun in half. At that moment, with the vast difference in strength, it felt as though death itself had arrived. The agent's once sharp gaze turned empty and dim, his body slumping to the ground, lifeless, as if a fish on a chopping block awaiting the knife.
Watching this, Horobi closed his lips and pressed the bloodstained blade to the agent's neck. "Have you accepted your fate? The time for humanity's extinction has finally come.."
The agent quietly closed his eyes.
For some reason, at that moment, the world seemed to stop. The sun hung high in the sky, casting shadows away from the rooftop. The morning breeze quietly halted, and the busy crowd had already settled into their work. It was as if everything in the world awaited Horobi's judgment of the agent's fate.
Horobi stopped moving...
A slow, deliberate sound of footsteps suddenly echoed from the staircase. Horobi instinctively used the hilt of his sword to knock the agent unconscious, then turned to watch the security door.
A tall, dark-skinned man walked out, lightly clapping his hands. "Not bad, not bad, Horobi. I've always thought you were a cold and ruthless Magia. Hmm, I didn't expect you to spare him. That's a bit unexpected."
Though smiling, his eyes locked onto Horobi like a hawk, and the sharpness in his gaze sent a chill through Horobi. Scanning the man's identity, Horobi confirmed this was Utamon Ishin, DAIM's minister.
"I need to correct a mistake, Horobi. The team members you just killed aren't human. They are Humagears." Utamon Ishin lightly pressed a button on his phone, and the Humagears lying on the ground immediately exploded, revealing their synthetic skeletal frames.
"What?" Horobi scanned the blood on his scanning blade—sure enough, it was artificial blood. A chill instantly surged through his heart. Was all of this part of a trap set by Utamon Ishin? From deliberately leaking the capture operation's information, to having Humagears disguise themselves as MetsubouJinrai.net members, to intentionally letting Jin rescue Hiden Aruto… what is the purpose of all this?
"I believe you know who I am. From the very beginning, Hiden Intelligence and ZAIA shared all their technologies with MetsubouJinrai.net, so we know everything about Naki and Ikazuchi's actions online." Utamon Ishin smiled, pulling a cigarette from his pocket, taking a deep puff, and exhaling the smoke slowly. "Although we also had plans to capture Hiden Aruto, wouldn't it be more useful to use him as bait to lure out the entire MetsubouJinrai.net?"
Impulsive… indeed, it was impulsive. Horobi gritted his teeth and regretted it endlessly. He had underestimated Utamon Ishin's cunning, willing to use someone as important as Hiden Aruto as bait. Moreover, standing before the leader of MetsubouJinrai.net, he found himself increasingly infuriated by the casual, contemptuous attitude Utamon Ishin displayed as he leisurely took out his lighter and lit his cigarette.
But right now, Horobi truly felt helpless. MetsubouJinrai.net's power was far beyond his expectations, and Utamon Ishin was even more unpredictable. If he made any rash moves, he might be killed instantly. It was impossible to predict his actions. Horobi had no choice but to suppress his anger and wait, his mind unwillingly drifting to Jin's situation.
Before he realized it, a cold wind had begun blowing again on the rooftop of Hiden Intelligence's building, dispersing the smoke Utamon Ishin had exhaled into the air.
"Daybreak Town, MetsubouJinrai.net's base. You're planning to take Hiden Aruto there, right? At this rate…" Utamon Ishin glanced at his watch. "Even though you're carrying Aruto, Jin should have already arrived."
"Let me think… oh, how convenient. We seem to have stationed some personnel in Daybreak Town." Utamon Ishin said with a smile.
Jin!
In an instant, Horobi felt as though a thousand arrows pierced his heart. Perhaps Utamon Ishin was just trying to lure him into a trap with these false words, but at this moment, there was no time to care about that anymore. Taking out the Flying Falcon Progrisekey, Horobi immediately henshined and flew towards Daybreak Town.
If you were to check the satellite map of Yosen City, the most prominent feature would be the massive ruins on the eastern coastline of the city. This had once been the most advanced Humagear manufacturing factory of Hiden Intelligence, but after a devastating attack by MetsubouJinrai.net, a massive explosion occurred. The sea flooded the area, submerging most of it and forming Daybreak Lake. The satellite ark had sunk to the bottom of the lake.
Now, Daybreak Town had become a forbidden zone in Yosen City, surrounded by tall barricades to prevent anyone from entering. As a result, this desolate area had become the base of MetsubouJinrai.net.
"Jin! Jin!" Calling out Jin's name in his mind, Horobi landed at the edge of Daybreak Town and rushed toward the MetsubouJinrai.net base. Strangely, he didn't encounter any of the operatives Utamon Ishin had mentioned, but he did spot a figure in white standing on the rocky shore of Daybreak Lake from a distance.
Although worried about Jin's safety, Horobi forced himself to remain calm and approached the figure slowly.
The person was wearing a white DAIM uniform, a white cloak, and beneath a white hood, a hawk-shaped mask. The figure stood silently with hands behind their back, gazing toward the distant sky.
"A DAIM agent?" This was troublesome—definitely a serious problem. Just standing face to face with him, Horobi already felt an invisible pressure. Had Jin already been captured by him? Or worse, had he been eliminated?
"Who are you? What have you done to Jin?" Horobi asked, trying to suppress his growing anxiety.
"Hawk Team No. 1, Hush," came the voice from beneath the hawk mask, distorted by a voice modulator. "Beta target, has been eliminated."
"What… what?" Did he just say Jin is... dead? When he said "eliminated," did that mean even Jin's data was erased? Horobi quickly connected to the MetsubouJinrai.net base's system and searched for Jin's whereabouts. The result—nothing. Jin had been completely erased. Everything about him was gone, and it was irreversible.
Pain—Horobi felt pain for the first time. The sensation spread from his heart throughout his body, causing his legs to give way. He collapsed to his knees.
Is this because of emotions? The burning anger surged within him, filling his mind. Horobi felt his fury, the desire to destroy his opponent!
"Alpha target, is that me?" After sitting in stunned silence for a long time, Horobi slowly stood up and activated his Forceriser.
"Correct," Hush nodded. "The next target to be eliminated is you." His voice, altered by the modulator, was cold and merciless, like an executioner preparing for the final strike.
"Heh." Horobi sneered bitterly. "Let's see then. Henshin!"
Pulling the lever on the Forceriser, Horobi transformed into his Sting Scorpion form. This time, he would wager everything—his final battle, for his remaining life, for the belief of MetsubouJinrai.net, for Jin—Horobi's son.
Seeing the transformed Kamen Rider Horobi, Hush silently drew his own driver—a special device custom-made for the Hawk Team by DAIM—and strapped it around his waist.
"Mirage Driver!" The driver activated with a confirmation tone.
"Fenrir!" Hush took out the Progrisekey, pressed the activation button, and inserted it into the driver.
"Illuminate rise! Giant wolf in legendary, god butcher—Fenrir. Jaw that can access the sky and ground when it opens its mouth." The driver emitted a brilliant light, forcing Horobi to raise his arm to shield his eyes. But as his vision cleared, standing before him was Kamen Rider Hush—a new rider, his entire body covered in pitch-black armor, with sharp fangs embedded in it. The energy projection of the giant wolf Fenrir enveloped him, howling in fury. It felt as though the very world itself was trembling, and an unshakable barrier formed around him.
Ominous—this was the only word that appeared in Horobi's mind. With each step Kamen Rider Hush took, the sound of his footsteps felt like the call of death itself…
Horobi pulled the lever of the Forceriser. "Sting Dystopia!" With the sound effect, he immediately activated his finishing move. The long chain covered in venom from his left hand shot out instantly, wrapping around his right leg. Horobi used every last bit of his strength to leap into the air, transforming into a scorpion's stinger. He tore through the space and struck down fiercely at Kamen Rider Hush.
This blow gathered all of Horobi's power. The surrounding winds howled violently, and the shockwave sent debris flying into the air like bullets, while the wild grass was torn from the ground. His Rider Kick slammed solidly into Hush's chest armor, but Kamen Rider Hush remained motionless, like a statue. There wasn't even a scratch on his chest armor.
The full force of the attack was like a tiny bullet hitting a tank's armor—it didn't even leave a mark.
There was no time for surprise. Kamen Rider Hush moved like a thunderstrike. With a crushing punch, he knocked Horobi, still suspended in the air, straight into the ground. The sound of metal colliding rang out repeatedly, as Horobi's armor shattered under the immense force, and his transformation was forcibly deactivated. The bionic skeleton connecting to his body was completely fractured.
Horobi, using the last bit of energy left in him, struggled to lift his head, watching as Kamen Rider Hush approached him step by step.
So, there really is no chance… It's like trying to block a moving truck with your bare hands., fighting against DAIM.
Horobi had no choice but to smile bitterly and murmur his final words, "When the son of MetsubouJinrai.net awakens, the Ark will be rebooted. The day of humanity's extinction is at hand."
"Mirage descend, Fenrir's rage!" Kamen Rider Hush activated his finishing move.
Horobi felt his body hurled into the air, eventually crashing into Daybreak Lake, slowly sinking to the lake's bottom…
As his energy drained, his vision became progressively blurry, until only darkness remained. His consciousness faded slowly, and in his final moments, he chose to review the memories he had stored—memories of attacking humanity, memories of fighting against the Ark, memories of the four members of MetsubouJinrai.net coming together, memories of working alongside the other three…
All of these memories amounted to less than a year—a short life, too short to even be called a life. He was, after all, just a machine—a tool created by humanity. Even if humanity were destroyed, this fact couldn't be changed.
He kept thinking, reflecting on his purpose, the meaning of MetsubouJinrai.net, until his mind returned to Jin.
Unknowingly, Horobi's artifical tear ducts activated, and a few drops of tears merged with the lake water, but no ripples formed.
Do I have a heart? Is there love in my heart?
With this question, Horobi's power drained completely.
Daybreak Town once again returned to silence.