"I'm Ilma Halvorsen?" Yareli wanted to scream its apparent impossibility—that it couldn't be true. But deep down, she'd always suspected the truth. A lock opened within her mind, revealing truths she'd once believed lost.
The memory of her younger self training in a gym returned to her. But a new figure stood within the memory: Valter Halvorsen. His stern but kind and powerful hands guided her every step, ensuring each movement was correct and efficient. His smiling approval warmed her young heart whenever she performed each maneuver successfully.
"My God, it is true, isn't it?" Yareli broke down, collapsing to her knees. "Father?"
She studied the older man's face, realizing how familiar every line and crag was to her. Yet he had seemingly aged decades since she'd last seen him. The loss of his daughter had cracked his seemingly unbreakable resolve. How could she have forgotten him? Tears welled in her skeletal sockets. Her father's face was a torrent of conflicting emotions—love, pain, hatred.
"Yes, you are," Halvorsen said, his voice husky. "Yet, you aren't. Ilma is dead. I saw it myself on that terrible day. Malloy killed her to save me. Yet somehow, the prototype Uhyre key retained a piece of her. You're a ghost, nothing more."
"You're wrong!" Yareli moved to embrace her father, but Halvorsen stepped away, inflicting an injury on her worse than any sword wound.
"No. You're only a monster that resembles her." Halvorsen's face hardened into granite. "I saw the carnage you inflicted back at the Bifrost Police Department. The real Ilma would have never done that. You're the reason she died!"
"Father, I…" Yareli flinched, shaking with unbridled emotion.
Halvorsen hesitated for a moment, struggling with his next words. Duty, however, drove him forward.
"For the good of everyone, we must destroy you. That way, I can finally put my daughter to rest. I'm sorry."
"No." Anguish filled Yareli's voice. Worse, she feared his words might contain the truth. Was she the real Ilma Halvorsen, or just a facsimile created when the Wolf Key merged with her? Was she just a monster? She buried her skeletal claws in her face, too shaken to move.
"I see. The truth was worse than I expected." Yareli wasn't surprised when President Wilson emerged from a far door. "I'm sorry, my old friend. It's my fault this terrible accident happened."
"I don't blame you." Halvorsen took in a breath, calming his flurry of emotions. "We played with fire and got burned. Is this how Daedalus felt when he realized he'd created the same wings that got his son, Icarus, killed?"
"Don't worry." Wilson pulled out an Angra Armlet, attaching it to his arm. "For both your sakes, I won't let her suffer anymore. Terrorize!"
A fist flew toward her face, but Yareli dodged and snarled. Despite her emotional turmoil, her survival instincts drove her to live. Besides, her returned memories didn't change the fact that her friends were counting on her to stop Ymir.
Yareli's clawed hand quivered, gripping her Uhyre key tight. Thankfully, she already had her Rangadriver attached to her waist in anticipation of this very battle. "Henshin!"
"Have to say, kid, I'm sorry too," Dino appeared next, gripping his Uhyre key. "Your whole situation is all kinds of messed up. Make this easy for yourself and surrender. Terrorize!"
"Valkyries, get into position," Halvorsen said, his voice iron, activating the trap Yareli had anticipated. Two fully suited Valkyries emerged from the door behind her, their faces hidden behind their helmets. Her father spoke a command word, and the fake Ilma—ID-01—returned to life.
"Does it have to be this way?" Yareli said, her voice tight as her enemies surrounded her. Halvorsen's expression told her the answer.
"Damn stubborn old man. He was always like this—always!" Yareli thought. While she understood his twisted reasoning, his betrayal hurt. Even if Yareli only possessed Ilma's memories, didn't she still deserve to exist?
Remorselessly efficient, metal scraped together as Yareli's claws interrupted ID-01's blade. A jolt struck her as another Valkyrie used the distraction to slash across her chest. The trio fought to overwhelm her with numbers, fighting with perfect coordination. They seemed to anticipate her every movement. Yareli's left leg buckled as a sword slashed across it. Wilson and Dino watched the exchange, content to let the Valkyries wear their opponent down.
"I'm sorry it needs to come to this," a Valkyrie—Abbey—said. Behind her word, Yareli heard her conflicting emotions.
While quick and well-coordinated, the Valkyries couldn't match Fenrir's raw speed. One stumbled as Yareli pushed a pedestal holding a face sculpture into her, breaking their perfect coordination and striking back. Steel clashed against steel as Yareli unsheathed her sword, digging it deep into her foe's chest armor. She paid for it, receiving twin slashes across the chest from the Pihu.
Despite Yareli growing stronger from her last battle, three against one were poor odds. The situation wasn't completely against Fenrir, however—the enclosed area made using their wings impossible. Yareli's sword blurred as she engaged, but they stayed a step ahead, targeting her legs to keep her off balance. She changed her stratagem, switching her sword into its gun form, but a slash across the wrist made her drop it before she could fire.
"Dammit. They've prepared themselves well to combat my abilities," Yareli thought. Channeling her outrage at her father's betrayal, she charged forward with a defiant howl.
Spears and swords bit into her, but she barely noticed, pouncing toward the nearest Valkyrie. Pihu screamed in fear and pain, ineffectually striking Yareli with her armored fists. With a savage roar, Yareli drove her claws into the trapped Valkyrie's torso. Her allies bit Fenrir with their weapons, but the damage only increased her savagery, digging her claws deeper into the fallen Valkyrie's chest armor. Before she could shred it apart, a sonic wave blasted her through a wall and into the raging storm.
"Enough of that," Wilson stepped through the hole he'd created in Yareli's old home. Water stained the expensive carpet from the gaping hole. "Forgive me, Halvorsen. I'll repay the damages."
"Be careful. Don't underestimate her." Halvorsen's words ripped a hole in Yareli's heart. The grief drove her primal fury, reddening her vision. What use was her humanity if it only caused such pain? The Valkyries took flight, but Fenrir barely noticed. Instead, she focused her fury on Wilson, charging with animalistic abandon.
Wilson pivoted away from her first swipe but grunted in pain when her second slashed him across the chest. Her head rattled as a sudden punch struck her across the skull, but the blow barely registered.
Wilson closed the distance, opening his mouth for another sonic cry, but Yareli charged forward anyway, uncaring of the repercussions. A sudden spear from a Valkyrie above drove her off course. She stumbled to a halt as two Valkyries blocked her path, protecting their boss. One was her hated enemy, ID-01. The last Valkyrie flew above, out of reach.
"You okay?" Abbey asked Wilson. "Our attacks don't seem to even register."
Spears of ice lanced toward Yareli from behind, but she flipped away before they struck. "Don't worry. We'll get her," Dino said, now in his bear form. "She can't defeat all of us."
Someone cursed, and a white fox creature charged forward and barreled into Dino, throwing him off his feet. Who was that? Another enemy? It didn't matter. They'd all die.
"Who the hell are you? Another Jotnar?" Dino eyed the newcomer in surprise.
The fox monster didn't reply, only drove a punch into Dino's face. While they scuffled, Yareli focused her attention on Wilson and ID-01. A Valkyrie screamed as Fenrir's claw tore holes into her helmet, trickles of blood seeping from them. Yareli pounced from her previous victim, aiming her claws toward the robot duplicate's throat.
A jab to the ribs drove her back, and the airborne Valkyrie slashed across her neck. Fenrir ignored the distractions, raising a claw to tear into her doppelgänger. A burst of energy dislodged Yareli from ID-01 before she could complete the deed. From the broken wall in her father's house, the half-destroyed Valkyrie gripped Fenrir's fallen gun-sword.
"You okay?" Pihu, keeping the gun trained on Yareli.
"I am unharmed," ID-01 replied, getting to her feet. Yareli charged, but another shot blasted into her chest. Fenrir howled in frustration.
"Dammit, Yareli! Stop attacking like a wild animal and think!" the fox said, dodging a barrage of ice spikes. "We need to work together and—" He screamed in pain as Yareli slashed him across the chest. He was an enemy. They were all enemies.
"Yareli, you…" Yareli's eyes widened in shock as the fox monster lost his transformation, revealing Detective Anderson. Blood oozed from the place she'd slashed him, and he collapsed in a muddy puddle.
"Anderson!" Yareli's voice was hoarse and raw. What had she done?!
Wilson took advantage of her distress, unleashing a sonic cry point-blank into her chest. Shrubbery was torn from its roots as Yareli crashed through it, ruining her father's carefully tended lawn.
"The detective from earlier? How bothersome," Wilson said. "No matter. This is finished."
"Hold on. You aren't planning to kill a cop, are you?" Abbey said, crossing her arms. Her teammates also seemed resolute in their stance against killing anyone.
"No, it won't be necessary. We'll imprison him until Ragnarök starts. Then, he won't be much of an issue." Wilson fixed his attention on her father. "Once again, is this okay?" Despite the threat Fenrir posed to his plan, he wasn't keen on killing his friend's daughter.
"Do it," Halvorsen said with a hesitant but resolute nod.
No! What a fool she'd been. Why had she allowed the beast to control her? She stewed in self-loathing, wondering if she deserved this. Was her father right? Was Ilma dead, and what remained a monster? She didn't dodge as Wilson unleashed another point-blank sonic cry. Her body jerked as something pulled her away before it struck.
"I'm sorry, but I can't allow that," said a stranger in purple, serpent-like armor. He placed her carefully under a tree. Much to Yareli's shock, he was wearing a Rangadriver. "I've grown fond of this little pup."
"A Rangadriver?" Wilson's monstrous eyes widened in astonishment. "Impossible."
"Call me Kamen Rider Jörmungandr. Or Midgard Serpent, if you prefer. I realize it's a mouthful," the stranger aimed his odd fang-like sword toward Wilson's chest. "How about I be your opponent?"
Jörmungandr circled around Wilson like a serpent ready to entangle his prey. "Though you'll find I'm more in control of my faculties than the pup here."
"You're different from Fenrir's Jotnar friends." Wilson didn't budge, studying his new opponent. "You're something altogether different, I suspect."
"Sir?" Dino eyed the newcomer warily. Something about the Serpent Kamen Rider radiated power, making him hesitant to approach.
Wilson extended a hand and gestured toward the Valkyrie still wielding Fenrir's weapon. The president caught it with a deft hand. "I'll deal with him. Valkyries, finish off Fenrir. Don't underestimate her. She's proven dangerous when cornered. Dino, you're with me."
ID-01 didn't need to be told twice, eager to eliminate her doppelgänger. While Yareli's head was still reeling from the unexpected arrival of a new Rangadriver user, the robot drove her blade into Yareli's chest. Yareli screamed.
Pain?! What was going on? Had she just imagined that burning sensation? Another agonizing cut across the chest confirmed it. Yareli didn't have time to ponder the implications of this unexpected development, blocking another sword strike with her claws as the three Valkyries closed in on her.
Unlike Fenrir, the newcomer barely seemed to sweat as he exchanged blows with Wilson. Dino attempted to aid his boss in the combat, but Jörmungandr used such clumsy interference to his advantage. Though well-meaning, Dino only impeded Wilson's attacks, proving more a hindrance than a help. Unlike the Valkyries, they hadn't trained to fight together.
Yareli hissed from a slash across the arm but retaliated by grabbing the taller Valkyrie's head. Metal screeched as the Valkyrie's helmet visor crumpled under Yareli's claws.
She jerked in sudden shock when Wilson changed the target of his fight and blasted Fenrir with her own weapon. Yareli struggled in vain as the Valkyries suddenly piled on her, restraining her.
"Nifty little gadget." Wilson directed Fenrir's gun toward Jörmungandr, driving him back as he deflected each shot with his fang-like blade. "I must use it in the newest model of the Rangadriver once it's finished."
"Bothersome." Jörmungandr withdrew his Uhyre key and inserted it into his sword. It shared a striking similarity to Johan's new weapon—an odd detail she filed away for later. Purple energy gathered around its blade, dripping a corrosive substance that ate away at whatever it touched.
"Venom Strike." Jörmungandr whirled his sword toward Wilson, but the man ducked away. It wasn't his intended target, however. The purple energy wave struck the Valkyries restraining Yareli.
Abbey screamed in pain, her armor smoking as the substance corroded it. Her teammates scrambled to free her as the acid ate through the metal plating with sickening ease.
The other two Valkyries were luckier, just barely avoiding getting doused. They also scrambled to remove any pieces the acid had touched. The poison showed no sign of stopping. A drop slid down toward Yareli, but she rolled away before it dripped on her. She gave Jörmungandr a venomous glare. That might have killed her.
The first Valkyrie slapped her safety release valve and tossed aside the smoldering remains of her armor, watching as the acid completely consumed it.
"Dear God," Dino said, both awed and horrified, shuddering to consider what it might do to flesh and blood.
"You've made some impressive innovations on our previous design." Wilson, steadfast as ever, kept his calm.
"I have some smart people." The Midgard Serpent shrugged. "Isn't it about time you surrendered?"
In response, Wilson returned Fenrir's weapon to sword mode. He unleashed a sonic cry that the careless Jörmungandr wasn't quick enough to avoid. With an opportunity open, Yareli slashed at the exposed skin on ID-01's suit. A barrage of ice shards, however, impeded her path.
"Can't forget me," Dino said, flexing his claw. "Don't worry, ladies, I'll cover you."
The bear monster lumbered forward as the Valkyries slipped around him, using his massive bulk as a barrier. Their ability to adapt to the thug's fighting style was remarkable.
Jörmungandr's situation wasn't much better. Wilson's experience as a fighter made him a difficult opponent. The Rangadriver user grunted as Wilson slipped past his defenses, driving him back with a powerful thrust from Fenrir's sword. Impatient, Jörmungandr reinserted his Uhyre key into his sword, blasting another wave of deadly poison toward Wilson.
"Venom Strike."
Much to their collective shock, the Ymir president held his ground and unleashed another sonic cry. Jörmungandr howled in pain as his own poison burned into his armor, writhing on the ground.
"Seems you aren't immune to your own poison." Wilson took advantage of his opponent's vulnerable state, stabbing him in the chest.
"Dammit," Jörmungandr growled. Something about his armor had neutralized the poison, only singeing its surface before stopping. He struggled to stand, his breathing labored.
Her opponents continued to press their advantage, Dino pushing her past the breaking point. The Valkyries continued to sting her with their weapons. But Yareli surprised one Valkyrie by taking the full brunt of her sword strike and reaching into an exposed section of her opponent's armor, grabbing it and shredding it with her claws. The Valkyrie cursed and fled back, not wanting to expose herself further to Fenrir's attacks.
"You just refuse to stop, don't you?" Dino glared balefully at Yareli.
"It's her armor," Halvorsen said, watching from a nearby tree. "It's healing her injuries. Driving her natural instincts to fight. Remarkable. Is this a trait of her unique connection to her Uhyre key or her armor?"
"Father, stop this! You don't really want me dead, do you?!" Yareli cried, unable to hold her tongue.
"But she can't heal forever." Dr. Halvorsen ignored her pleas, coldly analyzing Yareli's capabilities instead. "Push her hard enough, and she'll break. Aim for the head. Damage there should tax her."
"You made it sound easy, Doctor. Never mind, she isn't the only one who's gotten stronger. Get back, robogirl. I'm about to cut loose." Dino's bear muzzle smirked as he flexed his neck. A wave of apprehension washed over Yareli.
After ID-01 retreated, Dino beamed. "That's better. I prefer mano a mano, anyway." Yareli didn't reply, waiting for her opponent to make his move.
As Dino clashed his claws together, a maelstrom of frigid winds and snow appeared between them. It made Yareli shiver—which should have been impossible. The earth boomed as the bear creature slammed his massive paws against the ground. Ice spread around Dino's body, creating armor with jagged spikes. It coated his paws, forming wickedly sharp claws that extended a meter beyond his normal ones. A proverbial blizzard whipped around the man, like he'd become the living embodiment of a winter storm.
"Shall we begin again, Fenrir?"