Kamen Rider Spirits Chapter 17: Legend of the Stars Part 3

Legend of the Stars (Part Three) is the seventeenth chapter of Kamen Rider Spirits and the final part of the three part Legend of the Stars story arc. It is also the final chapter of the third tankobon and the last story of the First Arc of the manga.

Synopsis
Super-1 risks his life to try and save the shuttle from burning up on re-entry, struggling to withstand the extreme heat of air friction outside the shuttle. As he tries to keep the ship stable using his Five Hand abilities, the people in Mission Control back on Earth hold their breath and pray for a miracle.

Plot
The chapter opens where it last left off from the previous, with the space shuttle on a dangerous descent Earth and in danger of burning up on reentry. The crew is panicking, believing that they are doomed. Capt. Sergei yells at his crew to calm down and stopping so pessimistic as Kamen Rider Super-1 is risking his life to save them outside in the blazing friction of the atmosphere. Sergei thinks back to when he first met Kazuya on the moonbase. He appraises that Kazuya is always like that, serious and good natured not just to his friends but all of humanity as a panel shows Super-1 struggling to get the the nose of the ship. Communications are back online and Sergei contacts ISDP mission control and the crew see their families on screen and panic even more, screaming they do not wish to die. Back on Earth, the panicked families of the astronauts demand to speak with their loved ones on the shuttle. Choro asks Harumi if she is worried about Kazuya, but she says she isn't as he promised he'd come home and she knows he will keep the promise. Mission control cannot get a clear communication with the shuttle due to the crew panicking, but Sergei manages to get through after shouting at the crew to keep quiet. Sergei explains to Mission Control that they are the only survivors and they are in trouble as he has had very little training to fly a shuttle and most of the systems are shot so computer controls are either non-functional or partially unresponsive. Genjiro is holding the phone with Sergei's son Masim on the other end as he listens. Serige reassures that Super-1 is doing everything he can to help them get home by going outside the ship to stabilize it, shocking Harumi and Choro upon hearing this.

Genjiro hijacks a communications headset and has a message from Masim, asking Sergei if there was a rabbit on the moon. He wrestles off those trying to stop him and tells Sergei that as long as he has Super-1, he'll be okay and Sergei needs to come home alive to tell his son about the moon. The shuttle communications black out again as they head deeper into the atmosphere. Mission control scrambles to get communications back online. Sergei is surprised his son still remembers him and the Moon Rabbit story he told him. He flashes back to when he told Masim that story as a toddler, saying he wanted to go to space to meet that "cool moon rabbit" for his son.

Super-1 reaches the nose of the ship, taking an intense blast of heat as he activates the gravity control system in his cybernetics to stay on the surface of the shuttle as he stands up. Super-1 then uses his Thermal Hands at full power to create a freezing blast of cold gas to envelop the shuttle's hull. This causes the heat friction to slow and the shuttles temperatures to cool to a more stable level. This puts the ship in a better position to pull up manually and the crew seeing Super-1 outside the window trying to save them raises their spirits. They apologize to Captain Sergei for freaking out and want to get home safe, supporting the captain.

Sergei is fired up and says with tears in his eyes: "All right Masim! I'll tell you all about it! There is a Rabbit! A Rabbit so good natured it rubs right off on you! But, he's strong and tough! Even when he jumps into the fire, HE'LL NEVER DIE!! I promise I'll tell you the story Masim, once I make it back home alive!"

Back in Russia, Masim is still holding on the phone waiting for his father to answer. His mother comes in and asks Masim if he really misses his father that much. Masim says that he will meet the rabbit and it will help his daddy not feel so alone and bring them together as a family again. Masim also promises to protect his mother as she cries on his shoulder.

The shuttle safely makes it out of reentry and lands safely in the water. Super-1 nearly collapses in exhaustion and is damaged from the force of reentry but then struggles as he climbs up to the window to check on the crew, only to see what appears to be Sergei lying dead on the controls.

Amenbaroid emerges from a magic circle in the water and comments on how frail humans are as he gives his backstory as he was once a legendary martial artist who was unrivaled but grew old and eventually sought the power of Badan to gain immortality and power from his God. Amenbaroid questions why Super-1 chose an immortal body as well if he is a fighter and seeks no personal gain from it by using his fists. Super-1 responds that his fists are to protect the dreams of everyone and he was an astronaut long before he became a martial artist. Disgusted with his answer, Amenbaroid says those who dream are usually the first to die in battle as he lunges at the Rider. Super-1 evades despite a broken foot, but gets his hands skewered by Amenbaroid's bladed insect legs and put in a hold and both plummet to where the shuttle's exhaust is. Sergei wakes up and sees this on the monitor, shouting for Kazuya to use his gravity device to leap up as Sergei pulls the lever that ignites the shuttle's thrust. Super-1 severs his Thermal Hands from his body to escape and leaps high enough away from the exhaust. Amenbaroid is singed by the flames and left in a weakened state, only to be struck by Super-1's ultimate Rider Kick, the Super Rider Moon Surface Kick, on the Rider's descent back down. The evil cyborg is then torn in half from the impact of the kick and explodes.

The crew celebrates as a retrieval ship and several naval ships appear to aid in the rescue. The crew are reunited with their families and Kazuya gets a hug from a crying Harumi as well as happy greeting from Mr. Tani, Choro and the Junior Rider Team. Sergei at first is a little upset that no one came for him, only for the Junior Rider Team to show him their newest member: Masim. Sergei stares at his son at first then shed a single tear as he is reunited with him and his wife. Kazuya smiles and Harumi tells him that it is time to go home. Kazuya says it is good to be home as the final image is of the moon, with the rabbit's shadow inside it.

Allies

 * Captain Sergei Grobinof
 * Genjirō Tani
 * Junior Rider Team
 * Harumi Kusanami
 * Masao Kozuka

Enemies

 * Asuma