Kiana became an arrow darting across the neon-illuminated nightscape of Arc City.
She raced over the rooftops, leaping from one building to another. With the power of the Herrscher of the Void surging through her body, she moved faster than ever before, crossing the city in a series of breathtaking jumps.
Below, the streets were filled with panicked civilians fleeing the unfolding disaster.
A little girl walking with her mother suddenly looked up. Her eyes widened as she spotted Kiana soaring between the buildings.
Girl: "Mummy! Look!"
Her mother followed her daughter's gaze, but Kiana had already disappeared beyond the rooftops.
Kiana landed on the edge of another building, her boots scraping against the concrete. She raised her head.
The central tower was just ahead.
She was almost there.
But the World Serpent had prepared one final line of defense.
Mechas occupied the surrounding rooftops and construction platforms, their weapons turning toward her in unison. Red targeting lasers swept across the buildings as their missile launchers locked onto her position.
Kiana's expression hardened.
Kiana: "You wanna get in my way?"
She pulled off her white jacket with orange sleeves and flung it aside.
Without slowing down, she opened a pink portal and reached inside, pulling out a baseball bat.
The mechas began firing.
Kiana dashed forward.
Kiana: "I have no time… for your… little games!"
She leaped toward a nearby construction crane, catching hold of a hanging metal block attached to its hook. Using its momentum, she swung herself forward and launched into the construction site.
Missiles screamed past her.
Kiana twisted in mid-air, narrowly avoiding the first volley before landing on a steel beam. She immediately sprang forward again, vaulting over a barrier as explosions tore through the structure behind her.
She reached a massive metal cable stretched between two platforms.
Without hesitation, she planted her shoes against the cable and slid down its length, sparks spraying from the friction.
A nearby mecha adjusted its aim and launched a missile directly at her.
Kiana swung her bat.
BAM!
The missile changed direction, flying away from her before exploding against a distant building.
Kiana didn't even look back.
Three more mechas appeared ahead, their missile launchers opening simultaneously.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
A barrage of missiles surged toward her.
Kiana jumped.
The projectiles passed beneath her feet, detonating against the structure behind her. She twisted in mid-air and landed on the next platform, her boots skidding across the metal surface.
Before the three mechas could reload, she charged.
The first machine raised its weapon, but Kiana smashed the bat into its head, crushing its targeting system.
She pivoted and struck the second mecha across its torso, sending it crashing into the third.
CRASH!
All three machines collapsed in a shower of sparks and twisted metal.
Kiana continued forward.
More missiles streaked across the sky. She ducked beneath one, vaulted over another, and used a ruined support beam to propel herself onto the next rooftop.
An explosion erupted behind her.
She was already gone.
Every movement carried her closer to the tower. Every obstacle that appeared in her path was overcome with desperate determination.
At last, Kiana reached the highest platform.
The signal tower stood before her.
And there, mounted on the rooftop, was the enormous bomb.
It was nearly as tall as she was, its machinery exposed beneath a protective housing. Vents along its surface pulsed with an ominous purple light, while streams of Honkai energy leaked from its core.
Kiana stared at it, breathing heavily.
Kiana: "This is it…"
She tightened her grip on the bat, then let it fall aside.
Kiana: "I must defuse the bomb now!"
Kiana rushed toward the device.
But as soon as she approached, the bomb reacted.
VMMMMMMMM—!
An enormous wave of Honkai energy erupted from its core.
The invisible pressure slammed into Kiana, forcing her backward. She dug her heels into the ground, but the sheer force nearly swept her off the platform.
Her right eye suddenly turned orange.
Kiana gritted her teeth and leaned forward, fighting against the relentless energy pouring from the bomb.
Kiana: "This Honkai energy is incredible…"
Pink lines began appearing across her right hand, spreading over her skin like glowing cracks. The Honkai energy was overwhelming her body, threatening to transform her as it poured into her.
Still, she refused to retreat.
One step.
Then another.
Kiana forced herself closer, her entire body trembling beneath the pressure.
She stretched out her hand.
Her fingers closed around the bomb's handle.
But the moment she grabbed it, the energy surged even more violently.
Kiana: "GAAAH!"
Her left eye turned orange as well.
Pink lines spread across her arms and neck, crawling beneath her skin. Her body began to change as the immense Honkai energy threatened to consume her.
She could barely breathe.
Her grip weakened.
For a moment, she felt as though she were standing on the edge of an abyss, with nothing left to hold on to.
Then—
A familiar voice reached her.
Himeko: "Kiana…"
Kiana's eyes widened.
She turned her head.
Standing beside her was the spectral image of Himeko, her familiar figure bathed in a soft, ethereal glow. The phantom gently placed her hand over Kiana's hand, which was still gripping the handle.
Kiana: "Himeko!"
Kiana stared at her in disbelief.
Then, slowly, understanding dawned in her eyes.
She remembered the promise she had made.
The words Himeko had left with her.
The hope she had entrusted to Kiana when she could no longer stand beside her.
Kiana's trembling fingers tightened around the handle.
Kiana: "Yeah…"
She reached out with her other hand and seized the handle as well.
The Honkai energy continued to tear through her body. The pink lines spread farther, and the orange glow in her eyes intensified.
But Kiana didn't let go.
Kiana: "I… promised you!"
She pulled with everything she had.
Kiana: "Together… We will shape this wretched world…"
Himeko's spectral hand remained over hers.
For that fleeting moment, they stood together once more.
Kiana and Himeko: "Into what we've always wanted!"
With one final, desperate effort, Kiana tore the enormous bomb free and hurled it high into the sky.
The device shot upward, trailing a torrent of unstable Honkai energy.
Kiana immediately followed.
The power of the Herrscher of the Void erupted from her body, propelling her into the sky after the bomb.
Pink light swallowed her figure as her battlesuit transformed. Her silhouette changed, the familiar form of the Herrscher of the Void emerging against the burning night sky.
She caught up with the bomb and thrust both hands against it, forcing it higher.
Higher.
And higher.
The city shrank beneath her.
The wind howled around her as she pushed the enormous device beyond the clouds, refusing to let its destructive energy reach the people below.
Across Arc City, people stopped in the streets and looked up.
They saw a stream of brilliant pink light racing into the heavens, leaving a glowing trail across the night.
Like a shooting star returning to the sky.
Rita, watching from a distance, raised her eyes toward the spectacle.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
Mei stood nearby, staring upward with worry etched across her expression.
Beside her, Kamen Rider Vram watched the pink light disappear into the clouds.
Then something unexpected happened.
Vram's body began breaking apart into countless fire-colored particles.
Mei turned toward him in surprise.
The particles swirled around the Rider before shooting skyward, following Kiana's trail.
At the same time, four more streams of fire-colored light emerged from different parts of the city. They raced upward, converging on the distant pink shooting star.
The particles returned to their source.
Kiana's crystal necklace.
But Kiana was too focused on pushing the bomb away from Arc City to notice.
She continued driving the device higher and higher until the atmosphere thinned around her and the darkness of outer space spread in every direction.
The Earth stretched beneath her, a vast blue sphere surrounded by endless blackness.
The bomb's core flickered violently.
It was about to reach its limit.
Kiana gritted her teeth and gathered the last of her strength.
With one final push, she hurled the bomb away from the planet.
For an instant, everything seemed to fall silent.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The bomb exploded.
A colossal burst of Honkai energy expanded into the darkness, forming a brilliant sphere of purple light that illuminated the surrounding space.
The shockwave spread outward, far beyond the reach of Arc City.
Kiana drifted in the void, her strength finally exhausted.
The glow in her eyes faded.
Her arms fell limply at her sides.
She had done it.
She had saved the city.
But before she could begin falling back toward Earth, the fire-colored crystal necklace around her neck suddenly shone with dazzling light.
A familiar figure materialized beside her.
Kamen Rider Geats IX.
The golden-white Rider appeared in a brilliant flash, immediately catching Kiana in his arms.
He held her gently, cradling her like a bride, while a protective barrier formed around them and shielded them from the lingering energy of the explosion.
Kiana slowly lifted her head.
Through her fading consciousness, she recognized the familiar armor.
A weak smile appeared on her face.
Kiana: "Kouga"
Her eyes closed.
Exhaustion finally overwhelmed her, and she fell unconscious in Geats IX's arms.
The Rider looked down at her for a moment before turning toward the Earth below.
With Kiana safely in his arms, Geats IX began his descent.
The World Serpent's dark plans had ended in one brilliant conflagration.
And among the countless people who had witnessed the shooting star, only one girl understood the secret behind it.
She had seen the girl who chased the fallen star.
Back in Arc City, Mei raced toward the place where the pink light had begun its descent.
Her heart pounded as she followed the trail across the night sky, searching desperately for any sign of Kiana.
Mei: "Kiana!"
A blue-white light appeared in the distance.
It descended toward the city, growing brighter as it approached the ground.
Mei ran faster.
At last, Kamen Rider Geats IX gently landed in an open area, carrying Kiana in his arms.
The Rider carefully lowered her onto the ground, making sure she was resting comfortably.
Kiana lay motionless, her face pale with exhaustion.
Geats IX looked down at her briefly.
Then his body dissolved into countless fire-colored particles, which drifted toward Kiana's necklace and were absorbed back into the crystal.
The moment the light disappeared, Mei arrived.
She saw Kiana lying on the ground and immediately rushed to her side.
Mei: "Kiana!"
Relief flooded her face as she dropped to her knees beside her unconscious friend.
Kiana was alive.
She had survived.
Mei reached toward her, desperate to hold her and make sure she was really there.
But before she could touch her—
SHING!
A lance struck the ground between them.
Its design was unmistakable: a white outer half and a black inner half, its form resembling the Abyss Flower.
The weapon pierced the earth, and a surge of energy spread from its point of impact.
The ground trembled.
Then plants began to grow at an astonishing rate.
Roots burst through the pavement. Thick vines twisted upward, winding around one another as branches spread into the air. In mere moments, a massive tree erupted from the ground, its trunk and tangled roots forming a natural barrier between Mei and Kiana.
Mei recoiled, staring at the sudden growth.
The tree's branches curled around Kiana, lifting her gently from the ground and holding her within their embrace.
Before Mei could react, a figure dropped from above.
She landed gracefully upon one of the thick branches, standing between Mei and the unconscious Kiana.
Silver and white armor gleamed beneath the city lights, decorated with dark blue and golden accents. A crown-like silver headpiece rested above her forehead. Her armored bodice and gauntlets shone with a polished brilliance, while layered dark-blue fabric flowed behind her like the panels of a knight's ceremonial skirt. Black knee-high socks and silver armored boots completed the elegant yet formidable appearance.
Bright Knight Excelsis.
Durandal.
Mei recognized her immediately.
She had seen this woman countless times before. More importantly, she knew her as the person who would often spar with Kouga.
But why had Durandal appeared here?
And why was she standing between Mei and Kiana?
Mei slowly rose to her feet, her expression shifting from relief to alarm.
Kiana was right there.
After everything they had endured, after everything Kiana had sacrificed to save Arc City, Mei had finally found her.
She wasn't going to let anyone take her away.