Kamen Rider Zi-O, Dimensional Descent

For the first time, Yan Ming felt a power greater than himself.

He was lifted straight up by that enormous force, and he didn't know how the other party could unleash such a huge force. In Yan Ming's perception, this was even stronger than the force of the Saint God Riki Kaori.

However, he's not one to be trifled with either.

Although Yan Ming's body was thrown into the air, he easily adjusted his posture in mid-air and stepped onto the wall of a building in the distance.

Using the reaction force, he pushed off with both feet, and the huge impact shook the empty room, but it returned to normal in an instant.

Yan Ming flew over like a meteor, his longsword now brimming with even greater power than before, slashing head-on at the water behind him.

Their weapons clashed again, but this time, the situation was different.

"Hmm—?"

It was suppressed.

The ground beneath the water's feet sank instantly, sending countless pebbles flying.

Even though Houfangzhishui blocked Yan Ming's sword with his stick, his situation was completely different from before. He felt that the power surging from the sword opposite him had exceeded the limit of what he could withstand.

It's as if the force itself suddenly increased by one or two times.

But that should be impossible; no one can instantly increase their strength to more than twice the limit.

...Could it be that the other party is hiding their strength?

As Houfang Zhishui thought this, she then saw Yan Ming's sword slash straight down, instantly knocking the stick back.

The power has increased once again!

This time, Houfang Zhishui didn't think twice. His eyes sharpened, and Yan Ming attacked him with enhanced speed.

The two moved at supersonic speeds in an instant.

Impacts and explosions, all sorts of effects, affect the surrounding environment, and then recover in an instant.

Yan Ming and Hou Fang Zhi Shui's bodies clashed at extremely high speeds, like fighter jets skimming the ground. After each collision, they would separate, then clash again after a maneuver.

Sparks and explosions comparable to dynamite continuously erupted between the two men's weapons.

In fact, Yan Ming had already overloaded his power to nearly twice the normal level.

Even so, the burly man named Rear Water was still able to withstand this fighting rhythm.

"I see... Your strength surpasses that of Kanzaki Kaori."

"Are you talking about that saint from the East? I didn't expect you to even know her."

Clang! The sword and staff clashed once more.

However, although both men were wielding swords and staffs with one hand, it was clear to everyone that Yan Ming's side had the advantage.

The man named Houfangzhishui was already starting to pant.

"That armor... gave you great strength, but someone with only strength and speed as basic attributes can't perform such delicate movements."

Although Yan Ming's strength and speed were due to this armor, without sufficient physique and skill, he would absolutely not be able to control these powers.

But he not only mastered it, he used it perfectly. With every swing of his sword and every exchange of blows, Yan Ming's thoughts and physical movements were completely integrated, transforming everything into perfection.

In contrast, while Houfang Zhishui could initially suppress Yan Ming on the basic whiteboard, she gradually became less effective afterward.

"What incredible technology! When did Academy City produce such talent?"

"You're mistaken. I never said I was a member of Academy City."

The expression on the back of the water froze instantly.

It wasn't just because of Yan Ming's answer... but also because of his actions at that moment.

He put his index finger directly on the trigger of the longsword.

In an instant, deep purple energy filled the entire blade.

"Knight's Slash!"

This was a strike that surpassed all previous levels.

The water behind him widened its eyes. It immediately changed from holding the stick with one hand to holding it with both hands, and it poured out all the hidden power in its body in an attempt to block the attack.

The purple light pierced through his staff with overwhelming force. The water behind him tried to offset most of the impact, but it still couldn't stop the remaining power.

The energy transformed into intense heat, enveloping his entire body and instantly filling him with a burning sensation.

"Well--!"

After being subjected to a fierce attack, the water behind it quickly retreated, and the excess energy shattered everything around it, restoring everything to its original state in an instant.

And what about the water behind him? Most of his body was burned.

That was merely Yan Ming's sword strike.

"Impressive. With such power, why do you confine yourself to a small Academy City?"

"You possess equally remarkable combat abilities, so why would you stoop to the mere Roman Catholic Church?"

To call the world's largest Christian organization "the mere Roman Catholic Church" is something that probably few people in the world would dare to do.

Shui from behind squinted, raised his empty left hand, and a mist of water vapor appeared on his body.

"So, you're finally starting to use magic?"

First of all, Rear Water is a mage. Although he is very skilled in powerful melee combat, he has not yet used his most prized magical techniques.

Using the effect of water vapor, he treated his burns simply, thus cooling down the body of the person behind him.

"I will do my best."

This was not only to show respect for the opponent in front of him, but also because the water behind him understood one thing.

The point is, if I don't fight with all my might... then I'm very likely to lose.

The opponent before me is that formidable; they are the kind of enemy I must give my all to have any chance of winning.

However, even though the water behind hasn't used magic yet, there's one more thing to remember.

…Throughout the entire process, Yan Ming never used his time manipulation abilities on his enemies even once.

"Then, I'll go!"

Boom!! At several times the speed of before, the water behind them shot out like a cannonball.

Even Yan Ming, who relied on the system's perception, found it difficult to grasp the opponent's movements.

However, the two pointers in front of him spun rapidly, immediately revealing the future that allowed him to see through everything.

boom--

The sword instantly blocked the attack from the club, which had been amplified in speed.

Yan Ming used his sword to deflect the attack from behind, then predicted the future again, and used the Overload effect to increase his own strength by about three times, directly dodging to the left.

The spot where he was standing was instantly struck by a heavy hammer.

It was a heavy hammer made of water.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the raindrops falling from the sky had somehow been swept together, instantly forming a water magic circle with a radius of about twenty meters in mid-air.

The magic circle was illuminating the spot where Yan Ming was standing, a fact he already knew through precognition.

Then, as the magic circle was generated, countless combinations of ice and water instantly appeared in mid-air.

Ice spear, water spear.

These objects were over two meters long, and each ice and water spear was just as powerful as the water hammer from before. They all shot towards Yan Ming.

The dark blue spear hurtled through the air with incredible speed, as if it would pierce Yan Ming's chest in an instant.

But they all remained where they were.

Not only that, a strange ripple flashed by, and all the spears returned to their original state when they were water droplets.

The water behind him was suddenly taken aback by this scene, but the battlefield didn't give him much time to react.

Before them, the enemy was attacking relentlessly at an overwhelming speed.

"how…"

The shock from behind intensified because—he couldn't see the enemy's movement speed at all.

Even though his instantaneous burst of speed was already more powerful than the most advanced fighter jets in Academy City, no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't see the ghostly figure that kept wandering in the rainy night.

Before the water behind him could figure out the answer, a sharp pain shot through his chest.

Boom! That was a powerful punch.

Yan Ming arrived in front of him in an instant, not only punching the water behind him with a heavy fist, but also slashing around with his sword, instantly tearing apart all the water and ice spears that were trying to attack him.

The eerie feeling, the inability to keep up with the senses—all these details made the water behind him vaguely understand a conclusion.

'Is that so...?'

As he was being thrown backward through the air, he suddenly understood the truth.

"It's not physical speed...it's...accelerated time!"

"...!"

Even Yan Ming was slightly surprised.

How could someone react to the effects of their ability in such a short time? This "Water Behind" is even more powerful than I imagined.

But so what?

Sometimes, the future is already predetermined.

No matter how much the water behind him struggles, he will never be able to reap the fruit called victory.

For him, victory in this battle was practically a forbidden fruit.

Volume 5 of A Certain Magical Index: Chapter 206 - The Ultimate Showdown of Killer Moves

During the exchange and battle between the two sides.

The level of the battle has reached a fever pitch.

The light waves, heat, and highly compressed energy released from the explosion all transformed into a weapon that destroyed the world, affecting everything around it.

The overheated power melted the surrounding floors, and countless buildings were reduced to ashes by the overwhelming aftershocks of the attack between the two powerful figures.

Meanwhile, under Yan Ming's best efforts to protect it, the building's timeline reversed, and everything was restored to its original state.

Yan Ming and Hou Fang Zhi Shui, each wielding a blade and a club respectively, engaged in fierce battles throughout the city.

They first sparred with each other using only melee weapons, and then they progressed to comparing their extraordinary abilities.

Because it's been raining continuously, this is a good thing for the water in the rear.

He regained control over all the raindrops within a two-kilometer radius, merging and compressing them to instantly transform into a massive water magic circle that floated in mid-air.

The water behind them used this water as a carrier to continuously rain down countless ice spears and water spears, making the damp ground even more bizarre.

In contrast, Yan Ming didn't even glance at the attacks.

Throughout, Yan Ming was only using his sword to suppress the clubs of the water behind him. Whenever those magical spears tried to get close to his body, time around him would freeze, erasing all the stopped spears from the timeline.

That's right, Houfangzhishui did realize that Yanming possessed the powerful ability to manipulate time... but so what?

He couldn't change Yan Ming's every move, and even though he knew the other party possessed such power, he still couldn't fight against him.

For example, like the situation we're in now.

'This person possesses the terrifying ability to manipulate time…'

The water behind them kept receding, trying its best to resist Yan Ming's moves, while its brain began to work at high speed.

He was looking for a solution.

'I'm no match for him in terms of ability, but perhaps I can consider other aspects…'

Although the opponent has the ability to manipulate time, for example, to accelerate their own time as before, the water behind them can't keep up no matter how fast it moves.

However, the water behind them could still come up with other ways to deal with the other side.

Hopefully this move will succeed.

"What's wrong? Your attack speed seems to have slowed down a lot."