Kamen Rider Spirits Chapter 22: Rage

## Synopsis

Badan's forces continue to hunt ZX as he discovers clues to his past that could further his vendetta against them! But can this soldier of vengeance find some greater purpose?

## Plot

Ambassador Darkness is sitting at a banquet table in a dark room surrounded by candles with a Badan scientist named Professor Ito, who seems nervous. Ambassador Darkness asks what is wrong as he isn't eating, but Ito says it is nothing. Ambassador Darkness is disappointed in him, as Badan's cyborgs are supposed to be perfect and the memory erasure and brainwashing procedure should be flawless, yet ZX rebelled. He asks the professor why this one cyborg was defective as such a notion is impossible. Ito says he has no idea and biology is not his field of expertise. Despite this, Ambassador Darkness asks him to do him a favor as he is eating, his regenerative powers are breaking down and thus the food he is eating is coming out of his decaying body. Ambassador Darkness torso is nothing but a floating ribcage with lungs and a dangling esophagus underneath, something that horrifies the professor. Ambassador Darkness calls for Needle, who promises that no harm will come to him.

In the rain, Murasame is spending time with the old man, whom he reassures that he is fine now (as his regeneration has kicked in and healed the wound). The old man says he still would feel better if the "youngster" saw a doctor, but he has to "work" for him to pay for the medical expense, teaching him how to collect aluminum cans so he can get money from the recycling plant. The old man jokes that he is actually an "ally of justice" and this task of collecting cans is just a "cover".

After collecting the cans and delivering them, the old man gives Murasame his cut of the pay and rewards him with a juice for a job well done. Murasame introduces himself as "ZX" to the old man when he asks his name, the old man is baffled by the strange name at first but decides that whatever hardships Murasame has faced that is his business and to forget the sad moments. When Murasame tries to explain he has no memories, the old man won't hear another word and changes the subject, asking if he has something to protect. Murasame thinks of the girl he keeps seeing. The old man says that no matter how useless and insignificant he feels, as long as he has something to protect he can keep on living and change his life for the better. Murasame flashes back to when he was somewhere lying down and told a scientist he saw the woman in his visions. The scientist says that is a "miracle" and tells Murasame to listen, Badan took away his memories and they are not to be trusted. Forces of Badan try to break in and shots are fired, the scientist tells Murasame to run and head to Tokyo to find Dr. Kaido in Shinjuku and give him something before Murasame blacked out.

The old man offers Murasame to stay under the bridge with him at his place and to stay put as he has to go do something in town, pulling out an envelope full of money from its hiding place. However, after the old man leaves, the bridges is revealed to have dozens of Commando Roids on it waiting to ambush Murasame. They throw exploding shurikens at him, but he disappears. Murasame, now transformed into ZX, appears hanging from the under the bridge and offers a challenge of whose life is more meaningful, the lives of those loyal to Badan's "God" or a being who betrayed God.

The old man puts the money in the mailbox of the clinic and walks back home with Dr. Kaido witnessing this and smiling, thankful that the old man paid his bill as he is one of the few people keeping his clinic running. As he walks in the rain, the old man flashes back to when he first met Rumi. Half a year ago, he was a business man who wasted his money away and ended up homeless after filing his company for bankruptcy. One day, he was in pain from his liver and lying in the rain filled street, hoping he would die as retribution for ruining peoples lives as he began blacking out. Rumi tried to help him, but he refused it at first and wanted to die and didn't want her pity. Dr. Kaido pleads for the man to accept her offer as she lost her father the day before. He is helped up and he cries as they carry him to the clinic.

LaMoore appears and says the old man has a nice expression of happiness, which he hates the most and transforms to attack the old man.

ZX defeats the last of the Commando Roids and hears LaMoore's voice with his super hearing, who calls out to ZX to find him with his super senses. ZX lands on the roof of a building and sees the old man dangling from a neon sign on top of another building. ZX senses something is off and flicks the 500 yen coin the old man gave him at the figure which penetrates his head, only to reveal that it was LaMoore in disguise. ZX demands to know what he did to the old man, but LaMoore claims he did nothing as a comic panel reveals the old man is lying in the river slowly bleeding to death.
ZX chases after LaMoore but loses him, the kaijin taunting ZX to use his "third eye" to find him. ZX lands near a rail as a train passes by, which LaMoore uses to launch a surprise attack from behind after it passes. He uses his lethal tongue to impale ZX's chest and then skewer his skull. LaMoore gloats in triumph, revealing it was Needle who ordered him to kill ZX. He mocks ZX, saying that he will die not knowing who he is and be an empty shell, only for it to be revealed it was a hard light hologram double of ZX. ZX says that while he might not know who he is and suffer as an empty shell, he does remember one thing: the emotion of rage. Dozens of ZXs appear as the real one uses his Virtual Projection Unit's holograms to confuse LaMoore. He then mortally wounds him with a ZX Punch and LaMoore explodes. As the dawn comes, Rumi is sweeping outside and sees the sun, smiling.

On the roof of a skyscraper, Murasame is holding the old man's dead body and mourning him, wondering what it was the old man was trying to protect.

## Characters

### Allies

* Rumi Ichijō
* Dr. Hajime Kaido

### Enemies

* LaMoore
* Commando Roids
* Ambassador Darkness
* Needle