Kabuto had evolved—no longer the same Kabuto as before. As it began to rise again, Kagami's earlier victory quickly lost its shine. His momentum faltered, and the tides turned once more. The transformed Kabuto easily overwhelmed him, knocking him back to his original form with a single stylized kick.
It wasn't that Kagami lacked strength. It was that the moment his opponent became Another Kabuto, something within him seized up. His body felt restricted, as if invisible chains had bound his limbs. He couldn't bring out his true power at all.
"I won't admit defeat! I'm a warrior recognized by him!"
Kagami gritted his teeth, struggling back to his feet after tumbling across the ground.
Just then, a ray of sunlight broke through the sky that had been dimmed by the looming meteorite. In that light, a red beetle flew down gracefully, its wingbeats ringing through the battlefield.
"That's… KabutoZecter?!"
Kagami's eyes widened in disbelief as he saw the Zecter heading his way. He stretched out a hand to grasp it—
"Pop!"
A hand suddenly appeared midair and snatched KabutoZecter away before it reached him.
"Pffft—!"
Kagami nearly spat out blood.
This scene again?! Just how many times do I have to live through this humiliation?!
Standing smugly, Ryuga stifled a laugh as he gave Kagami a pointed look.
"Kagami. Now that KabutoZecter has acknowledged you, it's time for you to make a choice."
"Do you want to be yourself—to prove that Gatack is not inferior to Kabuto?"
"Or… do you want to become the second Kabuto?"
"But remember: you'll only ever be the second. Not a god."
Ryuga tossed the Zecter up lightly and caught it again.
"Also, the KabutoZecter's system is weaker than the GatackZecter's. If you choose to use it, your power may actually decrease."
"If you decide to become Kabuto, I'll hand it to you now."
Ryuga's words lit a spark in Kagami's heart. His earlier resolve flared back to life—and this time, his answer was clear.
"GatackZecter!!"
He raised his hand to the sky and shouted with all his might.
"Excellent," Ryuga clapped, pleased.
"Only Tendou Souji can be the Sun God Kabuto. You... are the War God, Gatack."
Then, turning to Sougo, he tossed the KabutoZecter, which had now transformed into a Kabuto Ridewatch.
"Sougo, take it."
With that, Ryuga shot into space.
There was no need for him to watch Kagami's fight anymore. Kagami, now able to unleash his full potential as Gatack, would win. Against a fake Kabuto, the outcome was already decided.
Ryuga floated before the massive meteorite, licking his lips in anticipation. He took out his belt.
[EvolDriver!]
[Unlimity! RiderSystem!]
[OverTheEvolution!]
[Are you ready?]
"Transform!"
[Rising up the throne, lighting up the divine fire!]
(Hold up the throne. Light the divine fire.)
[Devouring everything—Unlimited Evolution!]
(Swallow all. Infinitely evolve.)
[This moment is the ultimate time!]
Kamen Rider Evol—Ryuga's ultimate form—returned.
Normally, even a Kamen Rider's vision cannot pierce the void of space, but thanks to special drama logic, everyone on Earth could now see the scene unfolding in the cosmos. Ryuga's majestic transformation was clearly visible to Sougo and the others.
"As expected of Ryuga. Every transformation is so damn dramatic," Sougo muttered in awe.
Kageyama Shun, Yaguruma, and Kagami—who had all just been defeated moments ago—looked at each other in stunned silence.
We're all Riders… So why is the gap so impossibly huge?
But what came next left them even more shaken.
In space, Ryuga turned the EvolDriver's control stick slowly, murmuring to himself.
"Why do I always have to go all out with the strongest finisher? Every single time…"
He had three finishing moves:
Final Planetary Explosion – Used against the Alien Kuuga. It summoned a giant planetary illusion (usually Earth), which wrapped around him and smashed into the enemy.Infinite Galaxy Smash – The mid-tier finisher, never used yet.Ultimate End of the Universe – The most powerful move, once used against Baiya.
But this time, to make absolutely sure the meteorite was destroyed, Ryuga was preparing to use the strongest technique again.
"Still haven't used the middle one… But no time for experiments now."
[Ready? Go!]
"Ultimate End of the Universe!"
[UltimateUniverseFinish!]
Unlike usual, there was no need to waste energy summoning a cosmic backdrop. He was already in space. The attack launched immediately.
Starlight streaked across the galaxy. Black holes bloomed like flowers, and from them emerged countless Kamen Riders, each in battle stance.
They charged along the Avenue of Stars, converging on the meteorite. Though many were projections born from Ryuga's memories and could only perform standard Rider Kicks, others were real Riders—those who had fought beside him, gained power from him, or understood his essence. These unleashed enhanced, energy-infused attacks.
Quality wasn't enough—so Ryuga brought overwhelming quantity.
Hundreds of kicks rained down on the meteorite and the Zerg swarm inside it. It was utterly obliterated—shattered into pieces smaller than a fist. Any remaining fragments were burned up in the atmosphere.
[Ciao~]
Ryuga chuckled as he watched the meteorite vanish.
"I overestimated it… Honestly, even half that many Riders or just the second-tier finisher would've done the job."
Back on Earth, Sougo stared into the sky in a daze. He instinctively grabbed Gates' hand.
"Did you see how many Riders Ryuga summoned?!"
"Must've been hundreds…"
"Do that many even exist?!"
"Didn't you see any duplicates, idiot? With us three, and the twenty Heisei Riders, there are easily sixty or seventy at minimum!"
"Oh…" Sougo replied sheepishly.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield…
"My brothers!!"
Kageyama Shun wailed.
"Kageyama, call me Eldest Brother again!"
Yaguruma cried out as he crawled toward Shun.
"I'm not PunchHopper! And you're not my brother!"
Shun, who had hoped reinforcements would come for him, could no longer hold up the act.
"…"
Yaguruma silently stood up and walked toward the sunset once again.
"Go ahead, laugh! Just laugh!"
He passed by Sougo and the others with a pitiful expression, fading into the horizon like a broken man.
What a tragic soul.