Self-cultivation of Kamen Rider ZIO

"...I will go find Kengo Eridate and ask him if he knows Nago's whereabouts," Aso Megumi said.

Upon hearing this, a faint smile appeared on Tokiwa Sougo's lips.

Tokiwa Sougo naturally knew who Kengo Hiratachi was.

In the Kiva timeline, Kengo Eridate, who became a disciple of Keisuke Nago, provided assistance to Nago during the time when Nago was wanted by the authorities.

Based on historical precedent, there is a very high probability that Kengo Eridate would take the same action in this alternate Kiva timeline.

If it really was Kengo Eridate who was covering up Nago Keisuke's whereabouts, then he, who had been doing so for more than ten years without exposing Nago Keisuke, would naturally be very tight-lipped.

Therefore, if an ordinary person were to ask, they would certainly not get any information.

However, it's a different story if you ask someone you know, like Megumi Aso.

If Keisuke Nago's personality has indeed changed as it has in the Kiva timeline, and Kengo Eridate is indeed Keisuke Nago's accomplice, then everything will fall into place naturally.

The kind-hearted Tokiwa Sougo silently thought to himself, then bid farewell to Aso Megumi and left.

In short, I hope that Keisuke Nago has become a mature Keisuke Nago.

……

……

Nine to five hours a day.

The round table felt rather deserted tonight.

Tsukuyomi is going out to conduct research; it seems she'll be away on business for a few days.

Wozniak, as always, went missing.

Fortunately, Gates, the Demon King's second-in-command known as the "Savior," participated in the meeting.

He brought Tokiwa Sougo a rather unexpected piece of information.

Legendary Beast Clan.

This demon race, whose clan was wiped out in the Kiva timeline, has become the ultimate villain in this alternate Kiva timeline, and still exists today.

Humans and the Blood Demons secretly formed an alliance because of the legendary Beastmen, an overwhelmingly powerful enemy.

In this light, wouldn't the legendary king of the Beastmen be even more of a unique Kiva than someone like the likes of the Shelter Bridge?

The problem is that, no matter how you look at it, this current Kiva route, which is an anomaly, is developed from the Tanabashi Incident as a singularity.

The destruction of the Supreme Blue Sky Society and the imprisonment of its main members are so obvious that even Tokiwa Sougo is embarrassed to miss them.

And with all this deception, so much truth and falsehood... Swartz, you're quite the schemer.

Tokiwa Sougo walked to the window, opened it, felt the gentle breeze, and gazed at the full moon hanging in the night sky, his thoughts wandering.

Above the full moon, a single eye can be faintly seen, maliciously watching the world.

……

……

[1987]

After giving the Kiva Watch to the Tanabata, Swartz's inner turmoil strangely calmed down a little, which made him rub his temples and ponder silently.

He made a careless move, and King of the Fangblood Clan used the temporal turbulence to expel him from that point in time.

Given the established course of history, he could no longer return to that point in time.

Even if he went back, he couldn't change the history he had experienced.

However, the origins of many events in Kiva's history lie in that particular point in time, and this established, unconventional Kiva timeline is complex and chaotic, leaving him with many questions.

The most pressing issue is how humans can coexist peacefully with the vampire race.
It's utterly absurd for cats and mice to live together.

Furthermore, what is the reason behind Maya, the Queen of the Fang Blood Demon clan, who not only had her destiny altered but also became king in 2008?

At that time, Maya didn't seem like someone who was in love with a human at all.

In other words, the cause of King's death in Kiva history no longer exists.

So how exactly did King, who possessed both skill and ability, die? And what was he thinking, that he would pass on the King's crest to Maya instead of his own son?

Fortunately, it was only one year away from that point in time.

He still has a chance to find out everything.

Following his memory, Swartz headed toward Delanlong Castle.

……

……

Although Swartz did not search for the location of Delanlong Castle in 1986, but instead went there directly through the Time Gate, he actually searched for it step by step in 2008.

Although I don't know if Delanlong Castle has changed locations during this period, there's no harm in going to check it out... Sure enough, at this point in time, Delanlong Castle is not in that location.

But interestingly, King of the Fangblood Clan is there.

"Oh."

Swartz stopped and looked at King, who stood silently leaning on his sword, and couldn't help but chuckle.

King seemed to sense something, slowly opened his eyes, and met Swartz's gaze.

“I have been waiting for you for a long time, you calamity-bringer.”

Looking into those eyes filled with determination and resolve, Swartz felt a surge of emotions, and a sudden realization dawned on him.

[I have to thank you, Lord Swartz, for this.]

The words Maya had spoken back in 2008 suddenly came to mind.

"what!"

He couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Is this the price I paid for pressing Maya for more information? Thinking this, Swartz's smile faded, and his cold eyes were suddenly covered by dense black lines.

【Decade!】

Armored!
"Ascend the Glass".

Swartz addressed the current King of the Fangblood Clan by his full name.

"To die here is your destiny."

"For the sake of my people, I have long been prepared to sacrifice myself."

King laughed loudly, then raised his hand to announce.

"Let them be extinct."

Kivat the bat II flew over, bit its hand, and then put itself back into place on its belt buckle.

"Transformation."

King drew his sword and stepped forward, his armor gradually donning itself.

【Dark Kiva!】

Night fell, a crimson full moon hung high in the sky, and blood mist gradually spread throughout the world.

Da da da—!
The ticking of the clock flowed quietly, sometimes stopping and sometimes starting again.

The blood mist suddenly stopped flowing, but quickly broke through the time freeze and accelerated its spread.

The Blood Demon clan possesses exceptional master craftsmen capable of forging the [Gate of Time].

Clearly, under King's orders, they have created equipment that would allow Dark Kiva to operate without the time-stopping limitation.

The alien Decade was shrouded in a layer of misty purple energy as it moved through the blood fog, sparking streaks of lightning.

He drew the rugged, unusual cardboard sword and unconsciously ran his left hand over the blade.

The alien Decade and Dark Kiva paused briefly at a distance of ten steps before accelerating and colliding simultaneously.

boom--!
The mere clash of swords unleashed an explosive sonic boom.

Dark Kiva summoned his bat emblem and slid from the ground behind the alien Decade, intending to block his opponent.

However, this tactic was seen through by the outlier Decade.

In a flash, Another Decade summoned an aurora curtain that swept across the area just as the bat emblem sealed it, taking Another Decade away from the sealing barrier.

The alien Decade, emerging from another aurora-like curtain, transforms his card-shaped sword into a gun and pulls the trigger at Dark Kiva.

However, the bullet was easily deflected by Dark Kiva's cloak.

As expected, Decade, the outcast, once again turned his gun into a sword and clashed with Dark Kiva.

The swords clashed, creating a series of thunderous sounds.

The scarlet full moon grew even larger.

It was as if it were about to fall to the ground at any moment.

The blood mist grew thicker and thicker, gradually engulfing the figures of the alien Decade and Dark Kiva.

suddenly!

A whistle sounded from low to high, like a horn, echoing from the blood mist.

Then, the blood mist seemed to boil as if it were being heated, but strangely, the sounds of battle disappeared, leaving only the increasingly loud whistling.

【Wake Up 3! King's World End! 】

Then, the whistle stopped abruptly at its highest point.

Night fades, dawn arrives.

The blood mist dissipated.

Silently, it took away the vitality of all things.

The area enveloped by the Night Domain was silently fading away from the outside in.

In the center, Dark Kiva had vanished without a trace, leaving only the alien Decade, whose body was unsteady. As he swayed, his armor shattered, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turning deathly pale.

"Heh, that was a good strike."

Swartz chuckled as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, glanced back, and vanished before his demise was imminent.

……

……

"Liuli..."

Maya gazed into the distance at the battlefield between Dark Kiva and the Otherworldly Decade, her eyes hazy.

【Maya, the clan is entrusted to you.】

She could almost hear King's parting words echoing in her ears again.

Finally, could you give me one... never mind, it's nothing.

And then there's that lingering, unspoken longing.

"Ah, what did you want back then? A farewell hug?"

After a long while, Maya lowered her eyes, murmured something that sounded like a smile and a sigh, then turned around and looked at the group of humans behind her.

"How is it?" she asked with a smile. "Having witnessed such a battle, what are your thoughts? Do you still think that you humans don't need allies? If so, then I'll have to gather my people and go into hiding, leaving you humans to face them alone."

Upon hearing this, the 3WA guild leader tried to steady his trembling mind, which was still shaken from witnessing the terrifying power, and asked, "Who exactly is that person?"

To this, Maya smiled and replied, "That is the legendary king of the Puppet Beast race, Arc!" (End of Chapter)