Durandal: "…"
Kiana: "…"
Tension hung heavily in the awkward silence between the guard and her prisoner as they made their way back to the base. Kiana's frustration had only grown since their confrontation at the testing ground, and she was in no mood to let the matter rest.
Kiana: "Liar! You said you'd let me go if I win."
Durandal: "You only defeated several Quantum Shadows. You have yet to defeat me."
Kiana: "And that's because you quit fighting when you saw me unleash my killer move! Some may even call it cheating!"
Durandal: "That "killer move" of yours is the Sword Ki, the Edge of Taixuan."
Durandal: "I believe it's Fu Hua's signature move."
Durandal: "When and where did you study from her?"
Kiana: "…You're not getting an answer from me."
Durandal: "…"
Kiana: "…"
Kiana lowered her gaze for a moment. The anger in her expression gradually gave way to something more complicated: disappointment, confusion, and a question that had been weighing on her ever since she learned the truth about Schicksal.
Kiana: "Why are you doing this?"
Kiana: "I heard a lot about you when I was a Valkyrie at St. Freya. Everyone saw you as a true hero."
Kiana: "You're the best S-rank Valkyrie ever. I wanted that title so bad… it was something I worked hard for!"
Kiana: "But you chose to side with Otto…"
Her hands tightened into fists.
Kiana: "Are you aware of the truth? Do you know the experiments they performed on me? Do you know what that man did?"
Kiana: "Why are you doing this? You have immense power… and you obviously aren't a bad person…"
Kiana: "Why are you helping Schicksal?"
Durandal remained silent for a moment before answering. Her expression was as composed as ever, but there was no hesitation in her voice.
Durandal: "Schicksal is the only thing protecting billions of people from the Honkai."
Durandal: "You should know that. You used to be a Valkyrie of Schicksal."
Kiana: "Hngh…"
Durandal: "This world isn't black and white. Duty is the only thing that matters."
Durandal: "And I fight to honor my sense of duty."
Kiana: "…"
BOOM!!!
A tremendous explosion shook the underground facility. The walls trembled, and dust rained from the ceiling as a series of deep rumblings rolled through the base.
Warning sirens blared. Red emergency lights flashed across the corridor.
Comms: "Master Durandal, the base is under attack. World Serpent mechs are attacking!"
Before Durandal could respond, a deafening crash tore through the room.
CRASH!
A World Serpent mech smashed through the wall, sending chunks of concrete and twisted metal flying in every direction.
Durandal immediately turned toward the intruder, shifting into a combat stance. Kiana, meanwhile, recognized the sudden chaos for what it was: her chance to escape.
While the mech drew Durandal's attention, Kiana slipped away through the breach it had created. She scrambled over the bended Metal door and disappeared into the dust-filled passage beyond.
Durandal: "Kiana?"
She glanced toward the hole in the wall, but the girl was already gone.
Durandal: "She got away, huh…"
Durandal turned back toward the invading mech.
There would be time to pursue Kiana later. For now, she had an intruder to deal with.
The Valkyrie moved with effortless precision. She evaded the mech's first attack, closed the distance, and struck its exposed joints before it could bring its weapons to bear. A final, decisive blow sent the machine crashing to the ground in a shower of sparks.
Durandal stepped over the wreckage and opened a communication channel to Schicksal Headquarters.
Schicksal Headquarters — The Overseer's Calculations
Far from the embattled facility, Otto Apocalypse sat alone in his laboratory, contemplating the anomalous event recorded during the Second Divine Key experiment.
The data remained displayed before him.
The membrane of the Imaginary Tree had proven untouchable—even Durandal, with all her strength, had been unable to break through it.
Yet K423 had shattered it completely.
Otto's gaze lingered on the readings, his thoughts racing as the implications gradually became clear.
Otto: "There's no question about this. The Herrscher of the Void has absolute mastery over Imaginary Space."
A faint smile touched his lips.
Otto: "I'm so very close… the rest is just a matter of time and…"
His words were interrupted by an incoming transmission.
Durandal: "Overseer, the base is under attack by a large hostile force from World Serpent. They know what we're doing here."
Durandal: "The Herrscher fled amidst the chaos. I'll try to find her, but the Divine Key needs protecting. I can't do both alone."
Otto's expression remained unchanged, though his thoughts immediately turned to the implications of the attack.
Otto: "(World Serpent? Impeccable timing. The enemy came prepared.)"
He considered the situation. World Serpent had chosen its moment carefully, striking while Schicksal's forces were occupied with the experiment. Whatever their objective, Otto could not afford to let them interfere with the Second Divine Key.
Otto: "We're unsure of the World Serpent's target. Protect the Key and do not let them lay their hands on it."
He paused briefly before continuing.
Otto: "Let K423 escape. I'd prefer she get herself as far away from that place as possible."
Otto: "K423's absence will work in our favor in our dealings with the World Serpent."
Otto leaned back in his chair, his gaze returning to the data displayed on the screen.
Otto: "A backup plan is already in place. Schicksal will know where she goes. We'll find her once we finish up here."
Durandal: "Understood."
The communication ended.
Otto returned his attention to the experiment's results, his thoughts already moving toward the next stage of his plan.
K423's escape was not a setback.
Not if it brought him one step closer to the answer he sought.
Back with Kiana
Kiana: "Phew… Finally…"
Kiana crouched behind a broken section of wall, catching her breath as the sounds of combat echoed through the underground facility.
The invasion had thrown the base into disarray. World Serpent mechs were pouring through the damaged defenses, and Schicksal's forces were scrambling to contain them.
It was the perfect opportunity to escape.
Keeping low, Kiana moved through the corridors and passageways, carefully avoiding the patrolling machines. Whenever a mech turned in her direction, she ducked behind whatever cover she could find, waiting until it moved away before continuing.
Eventually, she reached a section of the facility where a train sat motionless on its tracks.
Kiana: "A train ahead. Maybe it can help me."
She hurried toward it and tried the door.
It didn't budge.
Kiana: "The door is locked… I need something else."
Kiana clicked her tongue in frustration and scanned the area. A short distance away, she spotted an elevator.
Kiana: "Over there… the elevator! Should be able to get to the ground."
She made her way toward it, avoiding the machines still moving through the facility. After reaching the elevator, she managed to escape the underground complex and emerge into the ruined city above.
The moment she stepped outside, she realized just how bad the situation had become.
Explosions thundered across the devastated streets. World Serpent mechs advanced through the ruins in enormous numbers, their weapons flashing as they clashed with Schicksal's defenses. Smoke rose from shattered buildings, while the desert wind carried dust through the streets.
Kiana ducked behind a broken wall and cautiously peered out at the battlefield.
Kiana: "There are so many of them! I can't believe they have the guts to take the fight directly to Schicksal's turf!"
She watched the mechs advance, searching for a path through the chaos.
Kiana: "Getting around them won't be hard."
Kiana took a deep breath, bracing herself to move.
Kiana: "Sorry, people. This girl is getting out of jail!"
She began to rise from her hiding place.
Then something caught her eye.
A distant figure stood among the ruins, seemingly unconcerned by the raging battle around him.
Kiana froze.
Kiana: "Wait, that's…"
As though sensing her gaze, the man raised his head.
Despite the distance separating them, Kiana could clearly make out his face.
Her eyes widened.
Kiana: "…Kevin Kaslana?"
Hundreds of mechs charged through the eroded city streets, their heavy footsteps shaking the ground as they hunted their enemies.
At the center of the advancing force stood Kevin Kaslana.
He was tall and imposing, his stillness almost unnatural amid the relentless movement of the iron tide surrounding him. The devastation of the city seemed insignificant beside his presence.
A communication came through his earpiece.
Jackal: "Sire, our vanguard has breached base defenses and engaged with Durandal."
Kevin: "What about the Herrscher?"
Jackal: "We have no sightings of her yet. We're continuing our search."
Kevin closed his eyes.
Kevin: "Keep Durandal occupied. I will handle the Herrscher."
Jackal: "Understood."
The communication ended.
Kevin paid no further attention to the battlefield. Instead, he listened.
The wind carried countless traces of Honkai energy through the ruined city. They swirled around him, converging into a vast, invisible maelstrom with Kevin himself at its center.
He sensed energy streams of varying strengths, each one leaving a faint impression in the currents around him.
Yet none possessed the unmistakable presence of a Herrscher-level entity.
For a moment, the search yielded nothing.
Then—
A tiny turbulence disturbed the swirling energy.
It was so faint that it vanished almost as soon as it appeared.
But that brief disturbance was enough.
Kevin opened his eyes and turned toward a ruined skyscraper several miles away.
Behind a shattered wall, a silver-haired girl stood watching the battle.
Kevin: "…Found you."
Kiana remained behind the broken wall, unaware of the full extent of what Kevin had sensed.
Kiana: "Did he see me at that moment?"
She glanced toward the distant figure, trying to convince herself that she had imagined the movement.
Kiana: "That's impossible… Probably just a coincidence."
She forced herself to look away.
Kiana: "Anyway… I should get out of here real quick."
Kiana continued through the ruins, keeping away from the main streets and the clusters of mechs swarming through the city.
After putting some distance between herself and the battlefield, she finally slowed down.
Kiana: "Phew… this should be far enough from that stupid base. I bet that guy didn't see me at all."
But the thought of the man she had seen refused to leave her mind.
Kiana: "That man… Kevin… he kept appearing in my dreams."
Her expression darkened.
Kiana: "Fu Hua said that he's dangerous. I better stay away from him."
Kiana turned toward a stretch of ruined buildings ahead. Beyond them lay a route out of the devastated city.
Kiana: "I'll be out of here once I get through this part of the ruined city…"
Kevin: "You're not going anywhere."
Kiana's body stiffened.
She spun around.
Kevin stood behind her.
Kiana: "What?!"
She stumbled backward, staring at him in disbelief.
Kiana: "How?! How did you get here?"
Kiana froze in the man's presence.
Her body refused to respond. She couldn't even make herself tremble.
His deep, dark gaze seemed to resonate with a fear buried within the genetic memory of every human being. It was the gaze of a predator that had finally cornered its prey.
Kiana could barely breathe.
Kiana: "You're here to… kill me?"
Kevin gave no answer.
Instead, scorching heat gathered in front of Kiana's chest.
A blazing sword appeared in his grasp.
The Might of An-Utu.
Its flaming blade pointed directly at her heart.
Kevin did not hesitate. He offered no explanation, no warning, and no chance to escape.
He simply struck.
The fiery blade plunged toward Kiana's chest.
For one horrifying instant, she saw nothing but the weapon and the flames surrounding it.
Then—
The scene shattered.
The sword had never reached her.
Kiana was still standing several steps away from Kevin, her body untouched. The fatal strike had been an illusion, a vision imposed upon her senses.
But before she could understand what had happened, another presence emerged from the depths of her consciousness.
A familiar figure stepped between Kiana and the man who had come to kill her.
Fu Hua.
After a long absence, the former Celestial returned at the very moment Kiana needed her most.
Kevin's eyes narrowed.
Kevin: "Fenghuang Down…"
He immediately understood what had happened.
The vision had been created by Fenghuang Down, the Divine Key capable of manipulating the mind and senses.
His gaze settled on the woman standing before him.
Kevin: "Hua, long time no see."
Fu Hua: "Kevin, stop."
Kiana stared at the familiar figure in disbelief.
Kiana: "Hngh…"
Kiana: "Fu Hua?!"
Fu Hua did not turn around. Her attention remained fixed on Kevin.
Fu Hua: "Run, Kiana, and don't look back!"
Kiana: "What?!"
Fu Hua: "I wanted to stay with you for a while longer, but we must now go our separate ways."
Kiana: "Fu Hua, no…"
Fu Hua: "Remember the promise we made in Arc City? You gave me your word."
Fu Hua raised her hand slightly, urging Kiana to leave.
Fu Hua: "I'll try to delay him for as long as I can. You must leave this place… right now."
Kiana: "…"
Fu Hua: "If you fall here, your promise of making the world a better place dies with you."
Her voice softened, but her resolve did not waver.
Fu Hua: "Do what must be done. It is your duty."
Kiana: "Fu Hua…"
Kiana's hands trembled.
She wanted to stay. She wanted to help Fu Hua, to stand beside her rather than run away yet again.
But she remembered the promise she had made in Arc City.
She remembered the world she had sworn to protect.
Kiana: "I understand… I'm so sorry…"
Kiana closed her eyes, turned away, and ran.
She did not look back.
The silver-haired girl soon disappeared into the swirling dust, leaving Fu Hua alone before the man she had once fought beside.
Fu Hua: "Farewell, Kiana."
Kevin watched the direction in which Kiana had fled before returning his attention to his former comrade.
Kevin: "You've changed, Hua."
Fu Hua: "Perhaps…"
Kevin: "Fenghuang Down… you know very well that it cannot interfere with my senses."
Fu Hua took a step forward and extended her hand.
Her posture became steady and unyielding, like a mountain standing against a storm.
For a brief moment, nostalgia flickered in Kevin's eyes.
He remembered the warrior who had stood beside him through countless battles more than fifty thousand years ago.
The memories of that distant era lingered between them, even as the ruins of the present world surrounded them.
Fu Hua: "I do not intend to disturb your senses."
Fu Hua: "I only wish to show you everything I have endured…"
Fu Hua: "And… my state of mind"
Kiana ran.
She raced across the ruined streets, barely registering the explosions and gunfire erupting around her. Her entire world had narrowed to one desperate instinct: get away.
Behind her, Fu Hua was facing Kevin alone.
The thought gnawed at her.
She knew how dangerous Kevin was. She had seen him in her dreams, heard Fu Hua's warnings, and felt the crushing weight of his presence firsthand.
And yet, she had run away.
Again.
A massive mech lumbered into her path, its steel frame blocking the street. Its weapons began to turn toward her.
Kiana didn't slow down.
She drove her fist into its armored body.
CRASH!
Metal buckled beneath the impact. The mech staggered, its internal systems sparking as Kiana tore through its defenses.
Another construct moved to intercept her.
She struck that one, too.
The machines were powerful, but they were no match for the fury building inside her. Each blow pulverized armor and shattered machinery, leaving wreckage scattered across the street.
Yet none of it mattered.
Destroying the mechs would not change what had happened. It would not make her strong enough to face Kevin. It would not let her stand beside Fu Hua.
Kiana knew she was fighting a hopeless battle against her own helplessness.
Still, she kept striking.
Kiana: "Dammit! Dammit!"
She smashed another mech into the ground.
Kiana: "Leave me alone!!!"
Her voice rang through the ruins.
A machine raised its weapon.
Kiana unleashed another furious strike, tearing through its armored frame.
Kiana: "Die!!!"
The girl's anguished roar echoed across the devastated city.
Then the energy within her erupted.
A violent surge of Honkai energy swept outward from Kiana, spreading through the surrounding streets like a storm. The hostile mechs were caught in the blast and torn apart, their steel bodies crushed and scattered by the overwhelming force.
For a brief moment, the ruined city fell silent.
Kiana stood amid the wreckage, her breathing ragged.
Then her strength gave out.
The sudden release of stored energy had drained her. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the dusty ground, wheezing as she struggled to catch her breath.
The outburst had given her a momentary release from her anger.
But the pain remained.
So did the fear.
And so did the knowledge that she had left Fu Hua behind.
Kiana slowly raised her head and looked toward the horizon.
A vast dust storm was approaching, its dark clouds swallowing the sky as it rolled across the desert. The wind howled through the ruined streets, carrying sand and debris toward the exhausted girl.
Kiana clenched her teeth and forced herself to stand.
She had no time to rest.
She had no choice but to keep moving.
If she stopped now, the storm would bury her beneath the sand.
Back at the ruined city, Durandal continued dismantling the World Serpent mechs with ruthless efficiency. The battlefield was littered with twisted metal and shattered machinery, and the number of hostile units was rapidly dwindling.
As she struck down another mech, Durandal opened a communication channel.
Durandal: "Activate recon system."
Comms: "Enemy forces have diminished, Master Durandal."
Durandal: "Roger. Terminate them once and for all."
Durandal moved toward the next group of enemies, ready to finish the battle. Then another report came through her communicator.
Comms: "We've found the Herrscher of the Void, Master Durandal."
Durandal paused.
She turned toward the boundary between the ruined city and the desert. Far in the distance, a lone figure shimmered in the heat haze, moving unsteadily through the sand.
Kiana Kaslana.
For a moment, Durandal simply watched her.
Durandal: "Let her go. Overseer's orders."
Comms: "We're letting her go? Is that a smart thing to do?"
Durandal: "It's alright. She's not the enemy."
Durandal's gaze remained fixed on the distant figure.
There was something she wanted to tell Kiana. Something she had wanted to say ever since their conversation in the underground facility.
But Kiana was already leaving, and Durandal had no intention of dragging her back against the Overseer's orders.
Durandal: "…I just wish I could tell her something before she left."
She fell silent for a moment.
Then, almost under her breath, she added:
Durandal: "Catfish fillet hardly has any bones."
The reconnaissance display shifted away from Kiana, leaving the Valkyrie to return her attention to the battle.
Kiana continued running through the desert, her exhausted body struggling against the scorching wind.
Her thoughts were a mess. Fu Hua had stayed behind to confront Kevin, and Kiana had no idea whether her former instructor was still alive.
She hated herself for running away.
She hated herself for being so powerless.
And she hated the fact that, even after everything she had endured, she still couldn't protect the people who mattered to her.
As she ran, something repeatedly struck against her chest.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Kiana frowned and reached down, grabbing the object that was bouncing against her as she moved.
The moment she felt its familiar shape, she stopped.
Her eyes widened.
It was a necklace.
A fire-colored crystal hung from its chain, its surface catching the sunlight with a warm, reddish glow.
The crystal Kouga had given her.
For several seconds, Kiana could only stare at it.
Amid everything that had happened—the experiments, the escape, the encounter with Kevin, and Fu Hua's sudden return—she had completely forgotten about the necklace.
The very thing her deceased lover had left behind for her.
Her fingers tightened around the crystal.
How could she have forgotten?
Kiana: "Stupid! stupid! stupid!"
She struck her own forehead with her free hand, tears gathering in her eyes.
Kiana: "Stupid! How could I forget this?!"
Her voice trembled with frustration.
She had spent so long feeling helpless that she had overlooked the one gift that might still allow her to protect someone.
Kiana squeezed the crystal tightly against her chest.
Then she closed her eyes and focused her will upon it.
The fire-colored crystal began to glow.
Its light grew brighter, spreading across Kiana's fingers before spilling outward in a shower of fiery particles. The particles swirled around her, gathering into two distinct silhouettes.
Kamen Rider Para-DX — Perfect Knock Out Gamer Level 99.
Kamen Rider Ex-Aid — Muteki Gamer.
The two transparent warriors stood before Kiana, their bodies shimmering with the fire-colored energy of the crystal.
Kiana clasped both hands together and bowed her head.
Kiana: "Please save Fu hua!"
The two warriors looked at her.
Then, without hesitation, they nodded.
Muteki Gamer began to rise into the air, floating effortlessly above the ground. Para-DX reached out and took hold of his hand.
In the next instant, Muteki Gamer accelerated.
WHOOSH!!!
The two warriors shot toward the distant ruins where Kevin and Fu Hua had confronted each other. Their departure unleashed a powerful shock wave that swept across the desert, forcing Kiana to shield her eyes as sand and dust rushed past her.
When the wind finally settled, Kiana lowered her arm and stared in the direction they had gone.
Her hands remained clasped together.
Kiana: "Please don't let it be too late."
While Durandal crushed the World Serpent invasion, another battle had already ended.
Far from the physical battlefield, inside the dream world created by Fenghuang Down, Fu Hua had fought Kevin Kaslana with everything she had left.
But the battle was over.
The dream world trembled around them, its scenery beginning to fade as the last remnants of Fu Hua's strength dissipated.
Kevin stood before his old comrade, his expression solemn.
Kevin: "Your last attack was powerful, Hua. But you lacked the power to sustain it."
His gaze lingered on her fading figure.
Kevin: "We could have witnessed humanity's victory over the Honkai as comrades."
Kevin: "…"
For a brief moment, Kevin seemed to be looking beyond the battlefield, toward memories buried more than fifty thousand years in the past.
Kevin: "You have given far too much. You need rest."
His voice remained calm, but there was a quiet finality to his words.
Kevin: "You no longer need to concern yourself with what happens next. I will finish our mission."
Kevin reached out and touched Fu Hua's extinguishing shadow.
Her form dissolved into light.
When he opened his hand, an ephemeral feather rested in his palm.
At that very moment, the dream world disintegrated.
The illusion shattered, and Kevin found himself standing once more amid the dusty ruins of the real world.
He gazed at the feather resting in his hand.
Kevin: "Sleep in peace, friend. I will wake you once this is over."
A communication signal sounded in his ear.
Jackal: "You've finally responded, Sire. What happened just then?"
Kevin closed his hand around the feather.
Kevin: "A reunion with an old friend."
Jackal: "The Herrscher escaped using her powers and we failed to locate her. Durandal is also heading to your location."
Kevin raised his eyes toward the ruined city.
Kevin: "Then I shall start with her…"
He had barely finished speaking when a figure landed before him.
The blonde Valkyrie stood tall, her presence commanding even amid the surrounding destruction.
Durandal had changed into her Bright Knight: Excelsis battlesuit.
In her hands rested the Abyss Flower, its white and black halves radiating a formidable aura.
She had come prepared to confront the leader of World Serpent.
Durandal: "You must be the head of the World Serpent."
Kevin: "…"
Kevin regarded her in silence.
Then he shifted his grip on the Might of An-Utu.
Kevin: "Let it begin."
Durandal lowered her stance, ready to attack.
Durandal: "As you wish."
The sandstorm howled across the ruined city. Beyond the coastline, waves crashed against the shore, their violent rhythm echoing the tension between the two warriors.
Then the temperature plummeted.
A sudden blast of extreme cold radiated outward from Kevin, spreading across the surrounding ocean. The water froze almost instantly, transforming the surface into a vast, glimmering plain of ice.
The anomalous phenomenon heralded the beginning of a battle of epic proportions.
Neither warrior moved.
Both waited for the right moment to strike.
Suddenly, their communications devices activated at almost exactly the same time.
Jackal: "Sire!!!"
Comms: "Master Durandal!!!"
Jackal/Comms: "An object is fast approaching your position at high speed."
Before either side could provide further details, a tremendous impact shook the battlefield.
KRA-BOOOOM!!!
Something descended from the sky and struck the ground nearby, creating a massive crater. The resulting shock wave swept across the ruins, sending sand and debris flying in every direction.
Kevin planted the Might of An-Utu into the ground to steady himself.
Durandal likewise braced herself with Abyss Flower, holding her position against the force of the impact.
The dust cloud gradually began to clear.
Two figures stepped out of the crater.
Kamen Rider Para-DX — Perfect Knock Out Gamer Level 99.
Kamen Rider Ex-Aid — Muteki Gamer.
Kevin and Durandal stared at the two newcomers, a bead of sweat running down each of their foreheads.
Durandal immediately recognized that these warriors were likely among Kouga's more powerful transformations. Their presence alone was enough to make her cautious.
She had sparred with Kouga before. She knew how dangerous his powers could be, and these two were clearly no ordinary form.
Kevin, meanwhile, was reminded of another encounter.
In the Sea of Quanta, he had faced Seele, Welt, and Bronya. Five transparent warriors had appeared to protect them and fighting with remarkable coordination.
Those warriors had been blue.
These two were fire-colored.
Kevin's gaze sharpened as he recalled the blue crystal necklace Bronya had used to summon them.
Kevin: "Are there more Crystal necklaces like that!?"
Neither warrior answered.
Before Kevin and Durandal could prepare themselves, Muteki Gamer vanished.
WHOOSH!
In the blink of an eye, he appeared directly in front of Kevin.
Kevin: "Wha—"
He never finished the word.
Muteki Gamer drove a devastating punch into Kevin's stomach.
BAAAM!!!
The impact folded Kevin forward. He vomited from the force of the blow and was launched backward, his body hurtling through the air before crashing among the ruins.
Muteki Gamer immediately pursued him, accelerating so quickly that a series of golden afterimages remained suspended in his wake.
Durandal turned toward Para-DX.
The Rider merely raised one hand and curled his fingers in a familiar challenge.
Come at me.
Durandal's expression hardened.
She surged forward, thrusting Abyss Flower toward his torso.
Para-DX stepped aside at the last possible moment.
The lance passed beside him.
He caught Abyss Flower as it swept past, gripping the weapon with one hand.
Durandal's eyes widened.
Before she could recover, three red medals materialized beside Para-DX. Each depicted a Rider flexing a powerful, muscular arm.
The medals spun through the air before being absorbed into his body.
A surge of raw physical power coursed through Para-DX, strengthening his muscles and amplifying the force behind his attacks.
He clenched his free fist.
Then he punched Durandal directly in the stomach.
DOOOOM!!!
The impact unleashed a devastating shock wave, tearing apart the ground beneath them and shattering the surrounding structures.
Durandal gagged as the force struck her abdomen. Before she could regain her footing, Para-DX swung Abyss Flower with her still gripping the weapon.
The lance became the center of a brutal arc.
Durandal was hurled into a nearby building.
KRAAASH!!!
The structure collapsed around her, but Para-DX did not stop.
He swung again, dragging her through the remains of the first building and launching her into another.
BOOM!!!
The second building crumbled.
Then a third.
Then a fourth.
Each impact sent debris cascading through the ruined streets as Durandal was driven through successive structures by the sheer force of Para-DX's attack.
At last, she crashed through the final building and landed amid a heap of rubble.
Para-DX released Abyss Flower and stepped back, waiting.
Back to Ex-aid
Kevin was having a very, very bad time.
Muteki Gamer moved with such absurd speed that Kevin could barely perceive him. One moment, the golden Rider stood several meters away; the next, he was already striking from another direction.
Whenever Kevin managed to catch sight of him, the result was the same.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
Punches landed across Kevin's body in rapid succession.
His chest, shoulders, ribs, and face were struck before he could mount a proper defense. Muteki Gamer's fists moved so quickly that Kevin couldn't track them, leaving him surrounded by the impacts of hundreds of blows.
Kevin tried to retaliate.
He seized the Might of An-Utu and swung its flaming blade at Muteki Gamer.
The golden Rider simply raised one hand.
TING!
His bare palm stopped the blade.
The flames roared around his fingers, yet not even a scratch appeared on his armor—or his hand.
Kevin's eyes widened.
Before he could pull the sword back, Muteki Gamer struck him in the face with his other fist.
BAM!!!
Kevin was sent tumbling across the battlefield.
He struggled to regain his footing and unleashed his ice-manipulation abilities, attempting to freeze the golden Rider in place.
The cold swept across the ruins.
Ice surged over the ground and climbed toward Muteki Gamer, threatening to entomb him in a frozen prison.
But the Rider remained completely unaffected.
The ice failed to hinder him. The cold failed to slow him. Even Kevin's most formidable attacks seemed utterly incapable of stopping his advance.
It was as though the concept of invincibility had been made tangible and given a suit of armor.
Muteki Gamer continued his assault.
Kevin was struck again and again, each blow forcing him farther across the ruins until he was driven back toward the place where the confrontation had begun.
Elsewhere, Durandal struggled to rise from the wreckage.
Her Bright Knight: Excelsis battlesuit was battered, and her breathing had grown ragged. She tried to lift Abyss Flower, but Para-DX was already moving toward her.
He attacked without giving her an opportunity to recover.
A strike to her guard. A blow to her side. Another crushing punch that sent her skidding across the shattered ground.
The battle had become a one-sided beating.
Even Kevin's extraordinary regenerative abilities were being pushed beyond their limits. His body could recover from almost anything, but Muteki Gamer was inflicting damage faster than he could repair it.
Before long, both Kevin and Durandal had been driven back to the area where they had first encountered the two Riders.
The two warriors stood side by side.
Across from them, Kevin and Durandal struggled to stand.
Durandal braced herself against Abyss Flower, her mind racing despite the pain.
Durandal: 'How much did Kouga hold back in their spar?'
The memory of her previous encounters with Kouga suddenly seemed far less reassuring.
She had believed she understood the limits of his abilities.
Now, watching these transparent warriors effortlessly overwhelm two of the strongest fighters she had ever encountered, she wasn't so sure anymore.
Kevin slowly straightened, his eyes fixed on the two Riders.
Something was wrong.
The golden Rider and the black-and-purple Rider weren't looking at him or Durandal anymore.
They were scanning the surrounding battlefield.
Searching.
Looking for someone.
Kevin followed their gaze, but before either side could resume the fight, a third figure calmly stepped into the ruined arena.
He appeared entirely unbothered by the destruction surrounding him, observing the scene with the detached fascination of a connoisseur admiring a majestic tapestry.
It was Otto Apocalypse.
Otto: "Durandal, you may stop now."
Durandal turned toward the newcomer.
Durandal: "Overseer?"
Otto paid little attention to her question. His eyes were fixed on the two transparent warriors, studying their armor and the strange energy that composed their bodies.
A smile of genuine interest spread across his face.
Otto: "Fascinating."
The two Riders immediately turned toward him.
A dark aura began to radiate from their bodies, their previously restrained hostility intensifying as they faced the man responsible for so much of Kiana's suffering.
Otto raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.
Otto: "I'm not here to cause a fight, but from the way you look, it's seem you two are looking for something"
The Riders remained silent.
Neither relaxed.
Muteki Gamer's golden visor remained fixed on Otto, while Para-DX held himself ready to strike at the slightest provocation.
Then Muteki Gamer's armor began to change.
Golden light spread across his body as his form transformed into another configuration.
Kamen Rider Ex-Aid — Creator Gamer.
Rather than attack, Creator Gamer raised a hand and began writing in the air.
Glowing letters appeared before him, as though the very space around them had become a blank page.
Otto watched with undisguised fascination.
The ability to manipulate reality through writing was an extraordinary phenomenon, and he was clearly eager to understand its underlying principles.
Creator Gamer finished writing.
The glowing message hung in the air.
Ex-Aid: "Where is Fu hua?"
Kevin's expression changed.
At last, he understood what the two warriors had been searching for.
They had not come to fight him or Durandal for the sake of the battle.
They had come to find Fu Hua.
Kevin slowly opened his hand.
Resting in his palm was the ephemeral feather left behind after the dream world had collapsed.
Kevin: "She's gone."
He held the feather up, offering it as proof.
For a moment, the battlefield fell silent.
Without another word, Creator Gamer transformed back into Kamen Rider Ex-Aid — Muteki Gamer.
Then ex-aid moved.
WHOOSH!
He appeared directly in front of Kevin, seized him by the throat, and slammed him into the ground.
BAAAM!!!
The impact cracked the earth beneath Kevin's body.
Ex-aid tightened his grip as Kevin struggled to breathe. Kevin grabbed at the Rider's hand, attempting to pry it away from his throat, but the golden warrior's strength was overwhelming.
Ex-aid's posture was rigid with anger.
They had arrived too late.
Fu Hua was gone.
And Kevin was the one who had remained behind.
Otto watched the scene with an amused expression, seemingly more interested in the extraordinary power displayed before him than in Kevin's predicament.
But then something unusual happened.
A gray medal materialized above Otto's head.
It depicted a Rider wielding a sword, the weapon breaking as it struck its target.
Before Otto could react, the medal was absorbed into his body.
He blinked in surprise.
Otto: "Hm?"
He had no idea what the strange object was supposed to do.
He received his answer an instant later.
Para-DX suddenly appeared in front of him and delivered a brutal kick directly to his crotch.
THWACK!!!
Otto's expression contorted.
He doubled over and dropped to his knees, clutching himself as pain shot through his body.
For the first time in a very long time, Otto Apocalypse experienced a sensation he had almost forgotten.
Pain.
Real, unmistakable pain.
His body was made of Soulium. He had long since grown accustomed to treating physical injury as little more than an inconvenience.
Yet the kick had hurt.
It had hurt a lot.
Otto stared at Para-DX in disbelief, unable to immediately comprehend how the Rider had managed to make him feel pain despite his artificial body.
Para-DX simply looked down at him.
There was no need for an explanation.
Ex-aid released Kevin's throat.
The golden Rider glanced toward the distant desert, as though remembering the person who had summoned them.
Their mission was not to defeat Kevin.
It was to save Fu Hua.
And they had failed.
He bent down, grabbed Para-DX, and rose into the air.
WHOOSH!!!
The two fire-colored warriors shot away from the battlefield, leaving Kevin, Durandal, and Otto behind amid the ruined buildings and shattered ground.
They had to return to Kiana.
There was nothing more they could do here.
For several moments, none of the remaining combatants spoke.
Kevin slowly sat up, one hand resting against his throat. His gaze followed the two Riders until they disappeared into the distance.
Durandal leaned against Abyss Flower, still trying to recover from the relentless assault she had endured.
Otto, meanwhile, struggled to get back onto his feet.
He straightened his coat and adjusted his posture, attempting to recover some semblance of dignity after being kicked to his knees.
Despite the pain, his curiosity had only increased.
Those two warriors had possessed abilities unlike anything he had ever encountered. Their extraordinary strength, their apparent immunity to conventional attacks, and the mysterious medal that had affected his Soulium body all demanded further investigation.
But first, there was a matter of introductions.
Otto turned toward Kevin, his expression settling into its familiar, composed smile.
Otto: "Leader of the World Serpent."
He took a small step forward.
Otto: "Allow me to introduce myself."
Otto Apocalypse extended a hand, as though they had just met at a formal gathering rather than on a battlefield littered with destroyed mechs and shattered buildings.
Otto: "I am Otto Apocalypse, Overseer of Schicksal."