Rin Kuga, encased in the sleek obsidian and silver plating of Kamen Rider Zi-O, let out a sharp, appreciative whistle through his visor. He hadn't expected the Great Destroyer to manifest in his "Neo" iteration—the version that bore the weight of two decades of Rider history.
He's seen a Zi-O before, Rin mused, the data processing through his suit's tactical interface. Whether it was the young Sougo Tokiwa or that golden devil at the end of time, it hardly matters. If he's a Passing-Through Rider, then he's a threat to the stability of my kingdom.
The air between them didn't just vibrate; it groaned under the weight of two conflicting singularities. Rin didn't wait for a formal invitation. He lunged.
BOOM!
Rin's lead boot shattered the parched earth as he propelled himself forward. He was a blur of silver light, closing the distance with a speed that defied human reaction. Every Rider has a world to protect; for Rin, this chaotic, converged reality was his territory, and he would permit no unsanctioned destruction.
"Bring it on!" Decade roared.
The magenta Rider crossed his forearms just as Rin's fist arrived. The impact was tectonic. A kinetic shockwave rippled outward, flattening the surrounding tall grass and sending a cyclone of dried leaves spiraling into the air. The sound was like a sledgehammer hitting an anvil, a heavy, metallic clang that echoed across the wasteland.
Tsukasa Kadoya grunted, digging his heels into the dirt to absorb the momentum. He looked up, the green bug-eyes of his visor gleaming with a predatory spark. "You're a hell of a lot stronger than the last Zi-O I ran into."
"And you're not half bad yourself," Rin retorted, his voice modulated into a metallic baritone. He pulled his punch back, creating a sliver of breathing room as he measured his opponent.
The dance of basic combat was over. It was time to escalate.
With a fluid motion, Rin reached into the temporal fold, his hand emerging with the Zikan Girade in its sword mode. Across from him, Decade mirrored the movement, his Ride Booker detaching from his hip and extending into the shimmering Ride Booker Sword.
"Let's see how you handle the next round," Rin challenged.
He swung. The Zikan Girade cut through the air with a predatory hiss, aimed squarely at Decade's chest. There was no hesitation in the strike, no mercy for the interloper. Rin poured the entirety of his base form's output into the blow, the sword glowing with a faint violet aura.
CLANG!
Tsukasa met the strike with an upward slash. Steel bit into steel, and a cascade of brilliant sparks erupted from the point of contact, raining down like dying stars onto the scorched earth. They stood locked together, blades grinding, the screech of metal on metal set against the backdrop of their heavy breathing.
In this foundational state, they were perfectly matched—two kings of different eras, neither willing to yield an inch of ground.
"It seems we're at a stalemate in these forms," Decade whispered, his visor inches from Rin's.
"So it would seem," Rin replied, his voice a low, dangerous rumble.
"Then let's try something a bit more... sophisticated."
Decade didn't break the sword lock. Instead, he maintained the pressure with his right hand while his left blurred toward his card deck. He snapped a card free—the crimson silhouette of the Heavens' Path—and fed it into the Neo Decadriver.
KAMEN RIDE: KABUTO!
With a violent snap, he closed the driver.
CLOCK UP!
The world froze. To any onlooker, Decade simply vanished into thin air. To Rin, the atmosphere became viscous, a stagnant sea of still air. A crimson blur, moving at speeds that shattered the sound barrier, streaked toward his exposed back like a lethal hornet.