Kamen Rider Zi-O, Dimensional Descent

The expression on his face once again calmed him down.

No matter what, the man in front of me always managed to maintain his composure.

That... wasn't an act on purpose; it was completely different from the fake calm I used to put on.

Perhaps in some secluded corner, Homura Akemi is crying alone, venting all that she has suffered so far, but—

The man before me possessed the kind of temperament that allowed him to remain completely calm and naturally face everything.

She didn't know when it started, but her opinion of Yan Ming had become completely fixed in this way.

It was as if my own heart was calling out to me, urging me to completely trust him...

"Leave it to me."

There were no grand promises, just this simple sentence.

But Homura Akemi still chose to believe him.

The emotions in one's heart are thus stirred.

"…I."

Driven by these emotions, the girl finally chose to speak.

"My parents... will come to see me tomorrow."

"So that's what you've been keeping from me all this time."

Now Yan Ming understood that Akemi Homura did indeed have something on her mind.

"I... am a magical girl now."

Homura Akemi stood up immediately, as did Yan Ming. He followed the girl to the windowsill, where they were both bathed in the white moonlight.

"...So I've always been afraid of my parents seeing me like this."

"Before, because I was always fighting against the Witch Night, I hadn't seen my mom and dad for a long time... I always missed them."

"There's really no need to worry about that now, but..."

Homura Akemi quietly clasped her hands together.

Yan Ming noticed that the girl unconsciously bit her lip.

"...What should I do if they find out what I look like now?"

Even without explanation, Yan Ming could understand the meaning of these words.

The whole world is currently swept up in a magical girl craze, but nowadays, this craze is gradually turning into a situation that is detrimental to magical girls, with all sorts of opinions emerging in society.

People's views on magical girls are no longer as pure as they were at the beginning.

In this situation, what would happen if Homura Akemi's true identity were discovered by her parents?

That's truly a situation that's...quite hard to imagine.

It's also heartbreaking that Homura Akemi is so distressed.

"How do you plan to explain this to them?"

"...I don't want them to know what's going on with me right now."

Homura Akemi said with some helplessness, but even so, she still couldn't avoid the necessary questions.

"My body is no longer having problems, but isn't that precisely why it will attract their attention? How could an illness that so many hospitals struggled to cure be cured in such a short time, especially since the hospital doesn't even have any surgical records..."

"And... even if they can accept my identity, can accept all of this, what if they... what if they get dragged into all these negative events related to magical girls because of me?"

As she said this, the girl's voice trembled slightly.

She was scared.

Just like Madoka before her, her parents are also very important to her... Homura Akemi is afraid that her situation will affect her parents as well, and she is afraid that everything will turn into a terrible future that she cannot even imagine.

But in reality, she had no need to worry at all.

Because the person who can truly determine the direction of the "future"... isn't he standing right beside her at this very moment?

"Leave it to me."

"...Huh?"

That sudden remark interrupted the girl's thoughts, making her look over in surprise.

“I will help you solve any problems that I can. Since you don’t want them to discover your identity at this time, I will take action.”

“They don’t think you could be a magical girl, you will always be their precious daughter, and... I will never let them suffer any harm here.”

"Just enjoy your time with your family, and I'll take care of the rest."

That's a lie... right?

Those casually uttered words left Homura Akemi completely frozen in place.

"Why...why did you...why did you have to go to such lengths? You..."

Homura Akemi didn't know that... of course.

She certainly didn't know that the young man named Shilun Yanming's past... the existence of his parents, had long since left him forever.

Now that those around him are facing the same problem, how could he possibly just sit idly by?

Whether it's tragic or uncertain—as long as it's the future, he'll decide it all.

"Why... why do you put so many things on my shoulders? What am I supposed to do in the future...?"

"There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"

Xiao Meiyan felt a lump in her throat, and her uncontrollable emotions turned into tears. She instinctively hugged Yan Ming tightly.

The two of them remained dependent on each other, and Yan Ming simply let the other person pour out their emotions.

After about two or three minutes, the girl finally calmed down.

"Alright, now that the problem is solved, I should be wary of what's to come."

"Be wary of... what?"

“The Time Jacker, Teed, that guy can still wreak havoc everywhere. I need to stop him before that happens... and end this endless battle as much as possible.”

Upon hearing these words, Homura Akemi seemed to be taken aback for a moment, and then sighed softly.

"You came to me initially just to ask for information, didn't you...?"

"You already know, don't you?"

“I think so too, after all… he really doesn’t seem like the kind of person who knows how to charm girls.”

Yan Ming, who was standing next to her, didn't say a word, which made Akemi Homura feel even more helpless.

She let go of his hand, wiped her nose and eyes, but her pretty face was still slightly red.

"..."

At that moment, Yan Ming glanced sharply towards the distance outside the window.

"...Work has come in."

"Um, whatever you do, you should at least take care of yourself and get some rest. I see you fighting those monsters every day, and if you keep doing that, it always makes me...worry about you..."

But Homura Akemi received no response after saying these words.

"...Huh?"

The girl blinked, only to find that the figure in front of her had long since disappeared.

"Kamen Rider! Rider! Zi-O·Zi-O·Zi-OⅡ!"

A few seconds later, several witches and monsters in the distance were blasted away one after another.

Akemi Homura clung to the windowsill, her face full of exasperation.

"Can't you... just let me finish? Men, are you in such a hurry to go to battle..."

The girl pouted slightly and spoke in a muttering voice in the dead of night.

(Regarding the book cover, the author actually created it using Photoshop by combining several images. If you'd like, you can download it from the group files in the book club. Group number: 834255994)

Volume Nine: The Demon King Appears: Chapter 415 The Five Final Needs of Power

A dark world.

This place looks like it's in outer space, but it's not actually like that.

From every angle, the surroundings are filled with star-like points of light, scattering across every corner of the space before us. The empty spaces are filled with a radiance that looks like a rainbow.

In reality, those rainbow lights are simply light clusters formed by more points of light coming together, and then further composed of light bands.

Within this vast and boundless area, the perspective gradually narrows to the interior of a single band of light—

He was standing right here.

He was neither flying nor floating, but rather standing naturally in a place that seemed like empty space, looking up ahead.

"I see."

Platinum blonde hair, pure white long-sleeved shirt.

The man stood in this area where, theoretically, no living beings existed.

His expression was one of satisfaction.

"He has mastered my power to this extent? What an amazing man."

This person was enveloped in a faint membrane of light. Even though the world around him was a dark environment composed of faint starlight, his presence seemed to make the world itself recede behind him.

That is to say-

This person's own presence even surpasses the brightness and brilliance of the many stars behind him.

"But the current level is still not enough."

By connecting with the Gaim Ridewatch in another world, and resonating with its power, an effect similar to remote viewing is created.

The man learned most of the current situation regarding Shilun Yanming.

The man's name... is Kuzuha Kota.

Even now, they continue to fight to protect world peace, doing what they can in this boundless world as a planetary god existing in the universe.

"Shilun Yanming...? Although he did obtain the power to be invincible, simply being invincible is of no help in the situation ahead."

Relying on the power of the Golden Fruit he once swallowed, Kuzunoha Kota successfully transformed into a man representing the origin, traversing countless worlds and learning clearly about the specifics of that distant world.

There should have been a conceptual entity that was born there originally.

Its power far surpasses the limits of what he can comprehend, something even Kuzunoha Kouta, the Man of Origin, finds astonishing. However—

Because of the intervention of Shilun Yanming, that existence itself, along with its concept, lost the opportunity to be born.

Normally, even if something did happen there, there would be absolutely no need to worry.

To the extent that it transcends all theories of possibility, the concept that is born, like a theory, will rely on its unimaginable power to easily destroy any enemy with malicious intentions.

But because of Yan Ming, that existence was never born, and then…

This means that no matter how big the crisis becomes there, it can only be resolved by Yan Ming and his team.

And now we are approaching the worst-case scenario.

"...I can feel it."

Even though they are separated by countless worldviews, thanks to the connection of the Gaim Ridewatch, Kota Kuzuha can still sense the state of Yanming's world at this moment.

My impression of him was terrible.

"There must be something extraordinary there, an evil... an immeasurable aura."

Even with omniscience and omnipotence, it is still impossible to fathom what it truly is.

If even Kuzunoha Kota couldn't find out, then there's no way Shirin Enmei could handle such a crisis now...

"Our current strength is not enough... If things really develop to that point, the worst-case scenario would be that he and that world would be swallowed up together."

As he spoke, Kuzuha Kota felt an immense pressure in his heart.

Given his current situation, he simply doesn't have the energy to interfere with Yan Ming's affairs anymore.