Kamen Rider Zi-O, Dimensional Descent

the most important is…

That person wouldn't have to become a magical girl to face Witch's Night.

Regardless of the process, the result is the best outcome for Homura Akemi.

that's it.

"Compared to this."

As she was thinking this, Yan Ming said something else.

"You must have fought as a magical girl for a very, very long time... and you must have been constantly going through cycles."

--What?

My initial relaxed state of mind immediately became unsettled.

What did this man just say?

"Although I don't know what you've been through in the past, nor do I understand what you're fighting for."

"When I first met you, you already demonstrated very skilled combat techniques."

Yan Ming began to recite all the information he had organized in a clear and logical manner.

"If you've just become a magical girl, you'd probably be a little unfamiliar with the fight. But with you, both your movements and your reactions to the witches are very natural and smooth. Based on that, I can deduce that you've fought against those witches many times as a magical girl."

"Then, Witch's Night did attack Mitakihara City, but how did you know that in advance? You even knew exactly where it would land?"

The more Homura Akemi listened to him, the more she felt as if something was being slowly ripped out from the depths of her heart.

Her secrets, which no one could possibly know, are being constantly unearthed.

“I didn’t witness much of the process, but I did see you fight Witch Night—you seemed to know everything about it back then.”

"Even if your strength cannot defeat Witch Night, the way you are behaving is as if you have a complete understanding of Witch Night's fighting style, strength, speed, and ability characteristics."

"It's as if they've fought Witch Night countless times already."

She felt a chill down her back.

"Perhaps you fought Witch Night in other places and came to Mitakihara City in order to catch it... That's a possibility."

"But besides that, I also discovered something else."

“You use firearms every time you fight, and those firearms don’t seem to be prepared in advance; they just appear out of thin air next to you.”

"Is that the special ability of a magical girl? But if your ability is to use weapons without limit, why didn't you make any gestures to use the weapons? The timing of the ammunition's explosion also deviates from the actual situation."

"It's as if the positions of the various weapons were pre-arranged, and then they all fired at the same time from different positions."

What kind of ability would allow someone to prepare multiple firearms in an instant, and then release all of them at the same time while ensuring that all attacks are aimed at highly mobile enemies like Witch Night?

But what

This is far from the biggest key point.

"Although I don't know why I was able to take that stance, I do understand one thing... I have reset time and history."

"In this timeline, which has been rewritten so that Witch's Night did not occur, no one I know knows about the destruction of the city."

"Besides me and you."

Is this due to Homura Akemi's characteristics as a magical girl, or is it caused by her unique abilities as a magical girl?

If every magical girl possessed the ability to retain memories of the previous timeline even after history was rewritten, that would be fine.

But is that really the case?

If not, Yan Ming could only consider one possibility.

"The reason why artillery shells and rockets can be prepared instantly and bombard the enemy without any movement is because time is stopped."

"The reason you know everything about Witch Night so well is because you have reversed time. You have repeatedly turned back time from when you were about to be defeated by Witch Night to when Witch Night had not yet arrived."

"I suppose your ability to retain memories in a world where history has been rewritten is also due to this 'time'-related ability."

Homura Akemi felt as if a huge hole had been opened in her body, and everything about her had been exposed.

I couldn't say anything else.

Their cards were revealed, and their identities were exposed.

But if that's all, it wouldn't really be enough to truly shock Homura Akemi.

Because similar situations have occurred many times in the timeline so far.

What she truly found hard to believe was—

The man in front of her had only met her about three times.

Including this time, it's only been four times. And the information I just gave him, apart from his name, was basically nothing else.

Based solely on the limited information available both then and now, which can be counted on one hand.

How could someone be so clear about... their own abilities, identity, and experiences?

Is that really possible?

In a short time.

Homura Akemi felt that her current emotion was not one of shock.

Instead, it was fear.

Shilun Yanming... a man who has never been seen or even heard of in any timeline so far, and who may not even exist.

How was he able to do all that?

Who exactly is he?

No—on another note, why should I consider this man as one of the consequences of the mutation?

He only felt that the existence of Shilun Yanming was on the same level as the changes such as Mitakihara Academy becoming a high school and the Witch's Night arriving ahead of schedule; it was just a "result" of the changes.

Is there any possibility?

It wasn't the timeline anomaly that caused things like Tokiwa Enmei, Mitakihara High School, and Witch Night to arrive ahead of schedule.

…It was the existence of Shilun Yanming that led to all of the above events.

He was not one of the "results" of the mutation.

Rather, it was the "source" that triggered the mutation.

"…This is!"

Yan Ming saw that the expression on Homura Akemi's face changed immediately.

"It's the scent of witches... They seem to be nearby."

"I see. So, although the existence of Witch Night was eliminated, the monsters like witches weren't completely wiped out?"

If only I had realized the power earlier and controlled it then, Yan Ming couldn't help but think. In that case, the "witch," who was a scourge to this world, would probably not exist.

"I'm going to fight them."

Homura Akemi opened the door, her back to him.

"Even without Witch's Night, as long as the witch still exists, I will fight."

"What has been your purpose in doing all this until now?"

"..."

no answer.

Regardless, when Yan Ming looked ahead again, the girl's figure had completely disappeared from the spot.

He drank the cup of black tea in one gulp.

"Woz."

"Oh dear—are you already getting used to ordering me around? My dear new Demon King."

In the living room, which should have been empty except for one person, Woz's figure emerged from the corner once again.

Their actions, seemingly imperceptible to anyone, appeared to defy the rules of space and time.

"However, before you decide to give me orders, could you please listen to my humble words as your servant?"

Yan Ming nodded, and Woz chuckled, opened his book, and then looked at Yan Ming.

"Homura Akemi is now planning to go to Takihara High School to drive away the witch who suddenly appeared."

"But... besides the witch, some 'other things' from outside this world have also come to that area."

What does "foreign object" refer to?

"There could be many things it refers to, but judging from the current situation... they seem to be some rather unfriendly creatures."

Near Takihara High School... Aoi is still studying there, and there are many innocent teachers and students there as well.

Homura Akemi may indeed be a formidable opponent in dealing with witches.

But what if it's those alien things from outside the world that Woz talks about?

Do you think I can defeat those "foreign objects"?

"I don't know. This book only records the history of the former Demon King, and there's nothing about you."

Yan Ming looked at the watch face in his hand and the black and white time-space driver.

"What do you intend to do, my Demon King?"

Those who choose to follow their guides simply wait for their orders.

From this moment on... his identity is no longer that of an ordinary high school student.

Rather, he is the new king of this era.

(Continuing with today's update, thank you all for your support these past few days. The popularity seems to be slowly rising, and I hope you will continue to support us!)

Volume 1: The Demon King Descends: Chapter 8 Kamen Rider Zi-O

Following the witch's scent, Homura Akemi arrived at the scene.

However, the witch's location was beyond her expectations.

"At...school?"

This is Mitakihara High School.

This should be the time for students and teachers to have class together, whether in junior high or high school.

but.

The guards at the gatehouse were all standing there, stunned.

If we ignore these individuals and bring them into the school, all students and teachers will be in the same situation.

Everyone lost their sense of self. The students remained standing in place, swaying slightly, occasionally letting out eerie laughter.

"They've all been bewitched by the witch..."

After discovering a mark on one of the students' necks, Homura Akemi immediately went to check her own class.

Naturally, both teachers and students were bewitched by the witch's power.

No one escaped unscathed.

Even... the two girls with blue and pink hair who were his companions were the same.

"Xiao Yuan..."

The other person couldn't hear her voice; the pink-haired girl with dazed eyes just stood there meaninglessly.

...must...

This must end.

Homura Akemi immediately went outside the school and, through the witch's aura, found the entrance to the barrier.

It's on the wall of the teaching building.

"Wait for me, Xiaoyuan, I'll rescue you and everyone else right now...!"

Homura Akemi's resolute voice rang out, and she immediately entered the witch's barrier.