Kamen Rider Zi-O, Dimensional Descent

What people saw was Andromeda's true final moments.

"That guy named Lamer still lost after all, right...? That's right, isn't it?! Even with those war weapons, he still couldn't win in the end, right?"

"...What's the point of telling me...?"

"That guy...that guy was totally exaggerating! It's true, nobody's any good, damn it...damn it! They're all useless! They can't even handle a mere Zi-O...!!"

"Ur, calm down."

Swartz glanced at Ul, whose emotions were growing increasingly agitated, with utter indifference.

"You're just escaping reality."

"Wh...what are you saying, Swartz!"

"You're afraid of Zi-O, you're afraid of everything associated with Zi-O... No, you should say what you're most afraid of is Zi-O, which is the man Zi-Rin Enmei has become, right?"

After these words were spoken, Ur was immediately shocked, his eyes wide with astonishment.

"What exactly are you... saying...?"

In the end, he didn't even have the confidence to speak.

Aura looked at Ur with a complicated expression, while Swartz remained calm, standing with his arms crossed.

"...Lamer and his Andromeda will lose, that's just how it is, no, it's destined."

"What...what's going on?"

"As early as when Zi-O was able to unleash the power of Zi-O's third form, I already knew that he could not win again."

Summarizing his thoughts, Swartz then stated his conclusion.

“Ur, Aura, we have to face reality.”

"... "

"We cannot defeat Zi-O in his current state. Even with the power of Another Decade, I still cannot defeat him."

"How could this be...! Your Another Decade could easily annihilate that Grand Zi-O form, right? How could you not defeat something much weaker than it—"

"This is no longer a matter of strength or weakness, Ur, don't you understand?"

Swartz stared at the other person with wide eyes and said, word by word.

"Shi Lun Yan Ming, this man's growth rate is beyond our control."

"..."

"Even if I forcefully use the power of Another Decade now, I won't be able to gain any advantage in the fight against him. I've seen this before when I fought him. Besides... I can't see through that man. I have absolutely no clue about him."

The reason Swartz was able to handle Tokiwa Sougo so easily was largely because he knew the other's background.

Swartz manipulated and altered Tokiwa Sougo's childhood, so he had some control over his future. This is why Swartz was able to push Tokiwa Sougo to the brink of despair in the end.

But Shi Lun Yan Ming was completely different.

Not only does he not understand this man, but he is also constantly being seen through by the other man.

…This is beyond what the word "terrible" can simply describe.

"Then tell me, what should we do?"

Ur was indeed afraid of Zi-O, or more accurately, he was afraid of Yan Ming, but he still forced himself to look at Swartz.

"If this isn't it, and that isn't it, and we can't beat that guy no matter what, we might as well all three of us go find a dump truck and beat ourselves to death!"

“Ur, we Time Jackers won’t die for such a ridiculous reason…”

"Then what do you suggest we do?! In the end, there's absolutely no solution, isn't there?!"

Even the usually assertive Aura was overwhelmed by the excited Ur.

But Swartz just watched him calmly.

And so, Ur stood there, panting heavily, for quite some time before his expression finally came to its senses.

Are you awake now?

Swartz continued to look at him, a faint smile on his face.

“I won’t say anything to you, nor will I blame you for telling me these things. It’s all normal. You’re facing a powerful enemy that even I find difficult to defeat, so it’s perfectly normal for you to have these pent-up emotions. Now that you’ve vented them out, are you feeling a little better?”

“Swartz, you…”

"Don't worry about it too much. Like you said, there's really nothing we can do with that guy right now."

But then—Swartz changed his tune.

"That doesn't mean we can't in the future."

"…What?"

What does this mean?

The two looked at Swartz with utter confusion, but he simply smiled calmly.

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

in the dark.

Three unusual dials of different colors shimmered with an eerie glow.

Volume 6, Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Chapter 279 Two Incredibly Similar People

Grand battles are often not as grand as people imagine.

Although the content of the battles is profound, mostly revolving around the survival of human civilization and the safety of the Earth and the universe, the feeling of reality is often not so strong after the battles.

At least that's the case for Yan Ming and his group.

They had just dealt with the terrifying war machine that was trying to destroy the Earth when they were back in their bustling, vibrant city apartment.

This extreme contrast is unacceptable to most people, and even legendary heroes would probably find it difficult to adjust... But Yan Ming can easily balance the two extremes.

"So... this is the end of what we were meant to do in this world?"

Gates sat in the living room, casually drinking a cup of tea that had gone cold, while Wozniak stood against the wall, calmly flipping through the book in his hands.

"Some content is still missing."

"Still lacking? What haven't we done yet? Magical girls, witches, all sorts of problems—what haven't we solved?"

"I'm not sure either. Although this book does record a lot, it can't guide me much, but..."

*Click*—Woz closed the book, and his expression was no longer as complicated as before.

“I don’t think it’s a difficult thing. In my opinion, although the book won’t guide me, it will definitely guide my Demon King to continue to complete what’s to come.”

"Is that so...?"

"Yes, because this book was created specifically for the existence of my Demon King, it will naturally do everything it can for him."

I don't remember him saying those things... Gates scratched his head, but ultimately didn't ask any further.

Yan Ming opened the door and came back in.

"I just made some food, you should have some too."

"Oh...wait a minute, it seems you're not planning to have dinner with us?"

Although Yan Ming served Gates and Woz a lot of food on the table, he himself took off his apron and put his coat back on.

"There are still some things waiting for me to deal with."

Without giving Gates or Woz an explanation, Yan Ming put on his clothes and left the room.

"What's this guy up to now?"

"I don't think we need to pay special attention to my Demon King's affairs."

"Huh? What kind of talk is that? They're already considered one of his more important friends, and you're saying you don't care about his life?"

"Oh dear, it seems you've admitted it yourself, Gates-kun... You already consider my Demon King to be an important friend of yours?"

Upon hearing Wozniak's words, Gates immediately showed a somewhat embarrassed expression.

This was completely a case of being tricked into revealing information...

"Fine... say what you want, but I think we should at least show him some concern, right?"

“I don’t mean I don’t care about my Demon King, Geiz-kun… it’s just that there are some things that are not suitable for us to handle together, and should be left to my Demon King to do on his own.”

Woz smiled as he gently ruffled the pages of the book.

"...That was a very rare private matter for him."

————————————————————————

The city of Mitakihara was greeted with a rare sight at night.

Countless meteors streaked across the sky, and people of all ages came to watch this beautiful spectacle.

Most students come here to confess their feelings, but quite a few are just here to enjoy the scenery, while others come with their families to capture this unparalleled and wonderful moment.

Homura Akemi isolated herself from these people.

Many people come to watch the meteor shower from the flat hills near the observatory, but she went to an open area far away from there.

Standing alone, she gazed at the distant sky, watching the so-called asteroids falling one after another.

Everything that has happened so far is like a painting, constantly unfolding before my eyes.

Whether it was the things she had encountered during her endless reincarnations, the bitter battles she fought against Witch Night, or... the moment Witch Night was destroyed by that man.

And then, all sorts of things that happened after that.

Everything flowed into Homura Akemi's heart like water.

She took a deep breath, as if she were reflecting on everything that had happened so far.

…Then a wistful smile appeared on his lips.

"What exactly is my life?"

This statement was not meant to be self-deprecating.

Homura Akemi knows full well that her past was tragic. To save Madoka, she was willing to sacrifice everything, even her human identity and her beautiful youth. While other girls were enjoying their youth to the fullest, she was giving her all to save another girl. Such a life was undoubtedly painful for her.

However... this pain was completely rewritten due to the intervention of someone.

Without that person, I would never have been able to change these things, and I would never be able to stand here so peacefully on the hill, enjoying this beautiful night.

It can be said that two things changed me in my life.

The first person was Madoka Kaname. In order to save Madoka, Homura Akemi sacrificed her soul, thus forging an absolute belief that could not be broken under any circumstances and an endless cycle of life.

The second person was Shilun Yanming... It was he who helped Homura Akemi reach the end of this endless cycle of reincarnation.

As she thought about these two people who were very important to her life, Homura Akemi let out a soft breath.

She had never felt so relaxed, both physically and mentally.

The events of Witch's Night, Kyubey's affairs, and my own life.

By the time they came to their senses...

The girl stood under the moonlight, turned around, and the gentle evening breeze ruffled her long, black hair—

A young man wearing a black and white overcoat stood not far from him.

The two faced each other.

Behind them, on one side was the dark moonlit night, and on the other side were shooting stars falling continuously, thus forming a picture of perfect contrast.

only.

A shooting star fell behind Homura Akemi... Coincidentally, behind Yan Ming was only the darkness of the night with a few slivers of moonlight.

The girl gazed at the young man before her.

She clenched her hands slightly and slowly walked up to him.

But I didn't know what to say.

"You just need to enjoy the moment."

The so-called peace was shattered the next moment when Yan Ming uttered his words.