Kamen Rider Zi-O, Dimensional Descent

The ability to completely disregard those who offer advice—isn't that exactly what makes a "demon king"?

Lawless and utterly disregarding world order, acting solely to please their own whims, crushing all those who disagree with them, saving whomever they please, killing whomever they please—

This is the true, unparalleled tyranny of a demon king!

Woz was very happy and delighted. It was because he witnessed this domineering aura that he seemed to have a completely new understanding of the man in front of him.

Within a short period of time.

He seemed to see the lines connecting the man to himself—

It instantly turned into the black and gold of the end.

"I look forward to your continued growth, my Demon King..."

Volume 5 of A Certain Magical Index: Chapter 201 - The most bizarre form of Zi-O?

This is a building that no one visits.

The reason why few people come here is not because people dislike it, but simply because most people cannot even get into the building.

The mobile building is completely enclosed, without any doors or windows.

Rumor has it that the most powerful figures in Academy City live here.

And that is indeed the case.

Aresta Crowley, the overarching chairman of Academy City.

Immersed in the orange liquid, he didn't even need to blink; he could control various system information within Academy City solely through mental signals.

The nanorobot device called the hover loop can help Aleister obtain detailed information about every single detail within the entire city.

This naturally includes information about anyone's life.

The projected images, each one smaller than the last, recorded all of Shi Lun Yan Ming and the others' actions up to this point, including their battles with Swartz and even the Archangel.

All sorts of data are being collected and all sorts of information are being analyzed.

However, no matter how much you analyze the opponent's combat capabilities and quantify them, it will all be in vain.

No matter how much data is used, the final conclusion will always be a jumble of misinformation.

It is fundamentally impossible to accurately calculate the exact combat ability of Shilun Yanming after his transformation.

"You've really become obsessed with this man lately."

Suddenly, voices could be heard coming from the room, which should have been empty.

The voice slightly drew Aleister's attention, and he turned his gaze to the side, where a faint light appeared in the dim room.

It's golden.

It was as if some indistinct figure was standing in front of him. Although Aleister couldn't see who it was, he knew very well who was talking to him.

Is he more important than your precious plan? Or do you want to include him in your plan?

“I wouldn’t do something so rash, Aiwass.”

Aleister remained unmoved.

“I never intended to take advantage of him. I will try my best to make the most of things, but I will not get involved with things that cannot be fully utilized.”

"It's quite rare to hear you say that."

"That's natural. My plan already had a lot of uncertainties, and I don't want any more huge errors due to new uncertainties."

Even so, Aleister did not intend to leave Yan Ming unattended.

However, his method of managing Yan Ming was not through violence or by actively interfering in Yan Ming's life.

"Haven't you noticed? Even if I don't interfere with him in the slightest, the man named Shilun Yanming will always find ways to interfere."

"Oh?"

The voice called Aiwass seemed to have piqued his interest slightly.

Is that so?

"Of course, that was the case during the Alchemist arc, and it was also the case during the Fall of the Angels. I didn't try to suppress the numerous disturbances that broke out in Academy City afterward, but this man resolved them all on his own. He even had some dealings with the second-ranked person in Academy City."

Aleister never intended to use Yan Ming from the beginning, because Yan Ming's unpredictability was too great, and he was afraid that he would not be able to control him, which would lead to greater errors in his plans.

However, Shi Lun Yan Ming himself got involved in all sorts of disputes.

Even so, his actions did not make Aleister feel uneasy or distressed; so far, everything he has done has been primarily aimed at protecting Academy City.

Does this mean that Shirin Yanming is fighting to protect Academy City?

That would be incredibly foolish.

"This man has discovered many tragedies hidden within Academy City, and I believe he no longer has any good feelings towards the city. Even so, he will still choose to protect the city... because he is not protecting the city itself."

"But those innocent citizens?"

"That's it."

Although their goals are different, their interests are aligned.

This is the alternation scheme between Shilun Yanming and Aleister.

"I see, Aleister... You say you didn't use that man, but weren't you actually using him indirectly to help you solve all sorts of incidents that are harmful to Academy City?"

“Aivas, this cannot be called exploitation; it can only be considered a cooperative relationship at most.”

Aleister's voice remained calm throughout.

"He defeats all sorts of enemies to protect those he wants to protect, which fulfills the requirements of my plan. Although he is not directly related to my plan, the results he ultimately achieves do help me. This is what is meant by aligning interests."

"And I never intended to use him, because I knew very well that if I did—"

What awaits them is a serious problem.

Aleister didn't say those words aloud, but Aiwass could already guess what he was thinking.

"Interesting... This man named Shilun Yanming has successfully piqued my interest."

"What, you who haven't had any goals for tens of thousands of years, have actually become interested in a mere human?"

“Aleister, you must understand that, as mere humans, even you are no different… Why do you think I, who have lived for so long, would choose to assist you and bestow upon you the wisdom known as the ‘Book of Laws’?”

There seemed to be a sense of pleasure in the other person's voice.

A moment later, Aleister could no longer sense anyone else's presence; it seemed the other person had left.

He then looked again at the countless screens in front of him, several of which were covered with various information documents.

"The next event to erupt will be the invasion of Academy City by the Roman Catholic army... Very good."

If that time comes, that man will still choose to protect the people of this city as always, and fight for it.

In this way, he would have maximum conflict with the Roman Orthodox organization on the magical side.

What kind of scene will that trigger at that time?

Everyone has their own curiosity, and for Aleister, he had a great curiosity about the outcome of such things.

“I will keep a close eye on you from the shadows, Shilun Yanming… the demon king who manipulates time and space.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the chairman closed his eyes again, plunging the windowless building back into silence.

------------------

"So you actually encountered something like this?"

A day has passed since the incident involving Kakine Teitoku.

After that day, Yan Ming and the others did not find any trace of Swartz or the demon. Their actions seemed to have come to a standstill, or perhaps they were secretly plotting an even more insidious plan.

No matter what, Yan Ming and his men will not let their guard down.

Then, now that it was evening, after finishing their meal, Wozniak and Yan Ming explained the details to Gates.

"So why didn't you call me? Wouldn't it have been easier to solve this by having me fight directly as the resurrected Geiz?"

"Gates, you're still too green."

"what?"

"If it were simply a matter of easily ending the battle, my Demon King's immense power would suffice. But simply ending the battle is not my Demon King's primary pursuit."

"So what else is there for him to pursue?"

"If you can't understand this, it proves that you'll never be able to keep up with my Demon King's profound and mysterious thoughts."

What the hell are you talking about?! Gates was completely dumbfounded.

Moreover, Woz's riddle-like words really confused him... Anyway, it had nothing to do with him.

Yan Ming brought the prepared dishes to the table, and the group ate a few bites before ending their dinner.

"Speaking of which, what should we do next?"

"What happened after that?"

Upon hearing Gates' question, Yan Ming looked at him.

"You mean that book? It's been so long, when will it finally be finished?"

Out of boredom, Gates flipped through the Oma Zi-O Calendar: KT on the table next to him, but before he could even take a look, Woz slapped his hand and snatched it away.

"Don't look."

"What's going on... It's just a tattered book, who cares!"

Gates pursed his lips speechlessly, while Wozniak cleared his throat.

"The records about this world are almost at their limit. According to my calculations, they should be finished in a while."

"I remember you said something similar not long ago, right? How long exactly is 'after some time'?"

"Alright, alright, let's skip this topic."

"You'd better explain yourself properly!!"

In any case, according to Wozniak, it will take some time before he leaves this world.

Yan Ming had basically already decided what to do in the next world.

Compared to this—

“Woz, I remember you mentioned before that there was another path besides gathering the power of the Heisei Riders.”

"Oh...you mean the power of Zi-O's third form?"

"…ah?"

Before Woz and Yan Ming could say anything, Wozniak and Yan Ming had already finished speaking.

Upon hearing the name, Gates immediately reacted.

The soup spoon he had just picked up fell directly into the bowl. Then, somewhat mechanically, he turned his head and suddenly looked at the two of them.

"You, what was that name you just said?! Dare to say it again?!"

"Zi-O III... What's wrong, Geiz-kun?"

"You actually dare to mention that thing's name! You, you guys aren't planning to keep making that kind of stuff, are you?!"

Now the expression on Gates' face was starting to distort.

"Hey Zi-O! No... Yan Ming! Respected Lord Yan Ming! Please, please don't even think about getting your hands on some lousy Zi-O III thing. Don't listen to his nonsense! This guy is a traitor! The form he's talking about is actually a poisoned form. After transforming, it will immediately reduce your intelligence to below that of an infant!"

Gates was crying and making a scene, and at first glance, he almost looked like he had just escaped from a mental hospital.

Yan Ming looked at Woz beside him speechlessly.

"...What exactly happened?"

"Well, Zi-O III is said to combine the power of the three of us through the power of the Miracle Bond, but... how should I put it."

Even Woz was trembling a little when he spoke.

"...It might have a slight, maybe, probably, perhaps...a little bit of an impact on the personalities of the three of us."

"Bring it to me."

Then Yan Ming snatched the Oma Zi-O Advent Calendar KT from Woz's arms and looked at the page he had turned to.