Kamen Rider Zi-O, Dimensional Descent

"Perhaps you don't believe me yet, but no matter what, I'm willing to do this."

"... "

Rick blinked, as if in a daze, staring at the hand that was being extended toward him.

"I...I don't understand."

Looking back on Rick's nearly twenty years of life, he still couldn't understand Yan Ming's reasons and motivations for doing this.

"This world...you, if what you're saying is true, you come from another world that has absolutely no connection to us, yet you say you want to fight for the people of our world...what...why is that?"

"The reason is simple."

These are the words spoken by Yan Ming, who is still in the gesture of extending his hand.

"The simplest reason, just the fact that I am human like you... is enough for me to help you."

"…What?"

“I have the power to change things, so I will not stand idly by, and I have been doing this all along… You don’t need to have any doubts about it.”

Although, although they still didn't understand why Yan Ming wanted to help them.

but…

At least Rick could see pure enlightenment in his eyes.

This person… the man standing in front of me…

He definitely possesses a mind and will far stronger than he could ever imagine.

After a moment's thought, Rick... had no choice.

From a purely self-interested perspective, there is no reason why a human would not choose this powerful fellow human who is trying to help them.

but.

Even disregarding the financial benefits, Rick would still choose to accept his help.

Because he sensed the genuine emotions emanating from the other person.

That desire to help them was genuine.

and so.

Exhausted and trembling, Rick finally grasped the other's hand.

"what…"

A very warm and strong hand.

Rick smiled helplessly, pouring all the bitterness he had endured until now into his words.

"I wish you could have come a little earlier."

————————————————————

The situation finally stabilized.

In the room where only the three of them were, Yan Ming, Rick, and Shubi began their analysis of what was to come.

"Tell me what information you have first."

"no problem."

Now that they had confirmed each other's positions and could trust each other, Rick became much more proactive.

He quickly unfolded countless blueprints, and a huge map was covered with countless circles and dots.

"Forest elves, goblins, orcs, demons, vampires, even winged creatures... Which race's information do you want?"

This map must be quite old.

The map is covered with all sorts of graffiti and marks over the years, but it would be very difficult for humans to obtain such detailed intelligence maps on their own.

…To obtain such detailed intelligence maps, it must have been achieved at the cost of countless lives.

This is why Rick has had such a difficult life; he has been living on the blood and tears of so many people.

Yan Ming didn't say anything, but quietly took the map from his hand.

"...What do these two places mean?"

"This is the territory of forest elves and goblins. If we explore it, we can discover new information, but..."

At this point, Rick seemed a little hesitant.

"Because it's always been dangerous there, you have to pay a price if you want to go."

"The price? What price?"

"...At the very least, we need to use one of our companions as bait to lure away the other races that are clustered there before we have a chance to get in."

Have they been thinking about this all along...? Yan Ming once again kept all these things in mind.

"I've noted down these places, and... where is this place?"

Following that, Yan Ming pointed to the very top of all the maps... the sky.

There seemed to be something like a floating island there.

"That place is called Abant Heim, and it is the home of all the Skywing races."

"Is this place marked as extremely dangerous because the Skywing race itself is inherently dangerous?"

"...It's not just that."

The person who answered him was no longer Rick.

It was Hughie.

“In that place, Abant Heim, there are not only beings with extremely strong overall combat power like the Skywing race, but also their creators.”

"War God Althu".

This moment.

The moment Yan Ming heard the name, he seemed to realize something.

In front of him—

It seems that fleeting images flashed by.

Om-!

A person wearing strange armor... and a huge, winged being, then confront each other.

What was that just now...?

"Yan Ming... Mr. Yan Ming? Are you alright?"

After noticing Yan Ming's unusual behavior, Rick and Shubi both asked him questions.

"I am fine."

Yan Ming shook his head, memorizing what he had just seen, and also took a picture of the map.

"What...is that?"

"It is a prop that is commonly used in our other world. It is portable and can record information and capture content of specific scenes anytime and anywhere."

"Such things exist in this world, but humans like us definitely can't get our hands on them."

Even if such a thing existed, it could only be driven by a spirit, which would likely expose the current location of humans. Therefore, Rick would definitely not use such a thing.

However… the small phone that Yan Ming was holding in his hand could record the information of an entire map with just such a small device.

If they had it, it would probably be much easier for humans to gather intelligence.

“…Yan Ming, sir.”

To show respect, Rick decided that he and Hugh would always address Yan Ming with the honorific "Mr."

"If I may ask, in...your world, humans do exist, right?"

"correct."

"So... what kind of lives do they lead?"

Expectation—that was the tone hidden in Rick's words.

What kind of lives do the humans in a world that can produce someone like Yan Ming lead? Rick really wanted to find out.

"They live a life covered by technology, can do what they want every day, choose the careers they want, and live in a world where the world is managed by various human nations, and children have the opportunity to go to school and receive an education. That is the kind of world they live in."

"I see... Oh."

Hughie blinked and saw Rick... wearing a grinning expression.

"Hmm, if such a world really existed, the humans living there must be very happy."

"Rick... are you looking forward to that kind of world?"

"Of course! If I had the chance, I would really like to see what a completely ideal world without any conflict would be like."

It's not that there are no conflicts, nor is it a so-called ideal world... but Yan Ming didn't say it aloud.

For them, no matter how much conflict there is, or how imperfect the world may be, it is still far better than the world we live in now.

He didn't want to shatter this hope and expectation, so... Yan Ming wouldn't say anything.

"That's good. I've received all your intelligence."

"Hmm... if this can help you, then it's nothing to us."

The two nodded to each other, and Yan Ming then prepared to leave.

Staying here is not a good thing. Although Shubi and Rick have accepted him, it doesn't mean that the others in this settlement will acknowledge his existence.

To prevent a riot from breaking out, it would be best for Yan Ming to leave this place as soon as possible.

He turned around, just as he was about to officially leave—

"...Are you really confident in fighting against the other races in this world?"

Rick's question came from behind.

Yan Ming merely chuckled at this.

then.

boom--!!

As a tremendous force surged forth, Rick and Shubi couldn't help but raise their hands to shield themselves.

…located at the cave balcony.

A tremendous force altered the landscape in the distance, yet it did not harm anyone in the vicinity.

This alone shocked Derek and Hugh for a long time.

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

Shortly after, Yan Ming returned to the warship.

"Welcome back, my Demon King."

"Where's Gates? What's he doing?"

"It seems they've gone to do something more important."

"Then let's get started on going to these places right away."

As he spoke, Yan Ming uploaded the photos he had taken to the warship's system panel, where they were projected directly onto the screen.

“I just gained the trust of the human settlement, and this is the latest intelligence they gave me.”

"What can we achieve with this?"

"Yes, there are many, and it has come to the point where we need to split up and act separately."

First, the most deeply marked areas.

Forest elves, goblins, and...

Skywing species.

"The three of us will each go to one of the three regions, gather all the necessary information, and then we'll have a final discussion, and then—"