Kamen Rider Zi-O, Dimensional Descent

"Without your help, I couldn't have done this... I actually thought about killing you, taking your position, and then communicating with that guy Aleister... That was just wishful thinking."

He said this because he recognized the huge gap in strength between himself and Yan Ming, and that he could never defeat him no matter what.

On the one hand, they realized just how unrealistic and ridiculous their previous plans and ideas were.

Shi Lun Yan Ming, this man, taught him many things.

With genuine gratitude, Kakine Teitoku set aside all his pride and arrogance and spoke his true feelings directly to the man before him.

“From this day forward, I will remember everything that happened today and will never let her soul be used by anyone again. If I see anyone trying to desecrate the dead, I will never let that kind of person get away with it.”

“I will never forget what you told me… I will stop anyone who tries to do such a thing again.”

Sincere words, the voice of conviction.

Looking at the young man, Yan Ming nodded deeply, without the slightest contempt or disrespect.

"That's good."

So, it's time for everything to come to an end.

The second young man smiled bitterly, turned around, and hugged the girl's body tightly.

Then they headed out of the research institute.

'it's all over.'

All the grudges and entanglements surrounding the girl in his arms, and all the obsessive things he had in the past, have come to an end today.

Although Kakine Teitoku had mixed feelings, he knew that it was all worth it.

No matter how unwilling you are, some things, once they happen, cannot be changed.

'This time, we must bury her completely in a place where no one can find her. Yes, we absolutely must let her rest in peace…'

"Wait, you've forgotten your people."

"…What?"

Just as he was about to leave, Kakine Teitoku stopped in his tracks because of what Yan Ming said.

At the same time, he showed an expression of complete incomprehension.

"Those who have forgotten me... what does this mean?"

"Literal meaning."

In front of Kakine Teitoku, Yan Ming immediately focused his gaze on the girl in his arms.

That instant.

Kakine Teitoku finally realized that something was wrong.

It wasn't because of Yan Ming or something wrong with himself.

Instead, it was... in her own arms.

The cold body he was holding in his arms was now—recovering its body temperature?!

"this…!"

"Take the people you were supposed to take with you back properly, that's what I mean."

Under Kakine Teitoku's astonished gaze, Ringo... the girl who had died, slowly returned to her former state amidst a burst of iridescent light!

Without a doubt... this is a matter of time.

After the battle just now, Kakine Teitoku knew very well who possessed such amazing time manipulation abilities.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

Then he felt a touch in his arms.

"…Kakigen…"

It was a very faint sound.

Upon hearing that voice, Kakine Teitoku felt a slight tremor run through his body. He looked down in disbelief, only to see this scene.

The girl opened her eyes, looking at the young man holding her with the same bewildered and confused expression as a newborn baby.

"I see you again... Kakine... Is this heaven? Why is Kakine here in heaven? Did Kakine go to heaven too?"

"Ringo...you..."

Kakine Teitoku wanted to say something, but he felt a blockage deep in his throat... near the back of his nose.

He tried his best to suppress this feeling, put the girl on the ground, and then... looked at the young man in front of him.

Why did you do this…?

Puzzled, confused.

With these emotions in mind, Kakine Teitoku directly raised his question, unable to understand it no matter what.

"Didn't you say that the dead shouldn't be brought back to life? Didn't you say that the dead shouldn't be desecrated? Why are you still doing this..."

"Yes, I did say that bringing the dead back to life is the greatest blasphemy against them."

Using his own unique way of speaking, Yan Ming continued speaking with great ease.

"But I did not resurrect her."

"What did you say…?"

"I'm not trying to 'bring the dead back to life physically,' but rather to 'return the deceased directly to a point in time before they died, fundamentally erasing the fact that they died.'"

By rewinding time and allowing the deceased to return to the period before their death, issues such as the soul, the corpse, and various other miscellaneous ethical problems can be eliminated.

Returning to a time before death = the fact that death did not occur = this person never died at all.

It's just a simple and easy-to-understand principle.

Kakine Teitoku was speechless, because he knew that what Yan Ming said was just a way of evading the issue from another angle, but he couldn't say anything and was powerless to refute it.

"Kakine...who is this older brother?"

Ringo grabbed his shoulder and said to him with a puzzled look.

"And didn't I already... lose all the bodily functions to continue living? How could this be..."

He didn't wait for her to say anything more.

The next second, the young man in front of her squatted down and hugged himself tightly.

"...It's all over now."

Although she couldn't see what Kakine Teitoku's expression was like, Ringo knew that he must be very moved.

"There's no need to think about those things anymore. That's right, damn it... I still want you to live. I don't care about ethical issues like whether the dead can live! You bastard!"

"Kakine...it's okay."

Ringo smiled gently. Even though she had just been resurrected, she already understood everything that was happening now.

She stroked Kakine Teitoku's head with her hand, and despite the huge difference in their ages and physiques, she still made such an opposite gesture.

"I'm not going anywhere else; I'll stay by your side forever..."

The two embraced each other, and after Kakine Teitoku revealed his true feelings after a long time, he finally understood something.

If you want to protect someone, you must hold their hand tightly and never let go.

"By the way...where did that older brother go?"

"...Him."

After Kakine Teitoku left the research institute with Ringo, he smiled, took her hand, and gave her his reply.

"To do things that only people like him would do."

"Huh... then, who exactly is that older brother?"

"Uh... I'm not really sure about the specifics."

He scratched his head in frustration, racking his brains, but could only come up with one word.

"...I guess it should be 'hero'."

————————————————————

Thump! And so the other side finished cleaning up the remaining mess.

Yan Ming clapped his hands indifferently, looking at the large pile of machines he had smashed and completely destroyed, as well as all the researchers he had just eradicated from the root.

He has already investigated the situation of these people. Some were forced or even compelled to do this research, while others were doing it out of malice.

Yan Ming would give those who still had some potential a chance to improve themselves, sending them to prison to reflect on their actions and atone for their mistakes in the future. He wasn't an unreasonable person.

But as for those who were beyond redemption from the very beginning—

After glancing at the corner behind him where not even ashes remained, Yan Ming left with a calm expression.

"Time manipulation is really useful; it eliminates the need to deal with the corpses."

No scoundrel can survive by chance, and no one can be wrongly judged for their sins.

Yan Ming could clearly discern at a glance who should be punished to what extent, who could be saved, and who could not.

Perhaps, his ability to be so objective is precisely what makes him a fair and just ruler.

“Let’s go, Woz. There’s no need to stay here any longer.”

The entire research institute has been completely destroyed. Yan Ming accelerated time, and all the equipment and data inside were reduced to ashes.

He dealt with those who needed to be dealt with, and sent those who needed to be sent back for retraining to headquarters like the security forces. The children were sent to the security forces using the power of the Aurora Veil, so that fair adults could comfort them and resolve their future problems.

Instead of using the aurora curtain to leave together, the two took the elevator they had come in and slowly descended to the ground.

"Is this really alright, my Demon King?"

What do you mean?

Inside the dimly lit elevator, only the voices between the two of them could be heard.

"Although you can control time at will, and even bringing the dead back to life is not a problem, for some people, this is equivalent to playing with life at will."

"Explain it more clearly."

"That is to say, such a thing is very likely to be hated by some people who can't stand you rewriting history and believe that history should be kept as it is, or there are some people who think that what you are doing is simply playing with other people's lives. They may all think that what you are doing is wrong."

"Did the people you're talking about see what I just did?"

"Of course not, my Demon King. I was merely mentioning what you would do if 'suppose' these people were to advise you on these matters?"

"It doesn't matter."

Even when faced with a series of questions raised by Wozniacki, Yan Ming did not back down in the slightest.

Or rather, his expression and tone never changed from beginning to end.

"I don't deny that what I did was indeed a violation of history, arbitrarily rewriting history, bringing the dead back to life, etc. It may be a dangerous thing in some worlds. Even if it's not dangerous, in most people's eyes it's probably equivalent to playing with human lives and arbitrarily disregarding history."

History should not be changed, and people's lives and deaths should not be arbitrarily rewritten based on one person's will.

Even if a life has ended tragically, it is best to leave it as it is in history, just as it is.

"You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth; it's all just a bunch of nonsense to me."

This is Yan Ming's reply.

"Resurrecting the dead, forcibly rewriting history... so what? I did all this knowingly. If any of these guys are dissatisfied, let them come and fight me. If they win, I'll let them do whatever they want. If they lose, they should be prepared to be beaten down for meddling in other people's business."

"Hey…"

“I’ve said it before, Woz, I don’t have any complicated reasons for doing things. I just help people who need help… even the dead.”

After listening to Yan Ming's explanation, Wozniak, who was holding a book, immediately showed a very interested expression.

"Interesting... As expected of you, no... as expected of a true 'Demon King'!!"

Even knowing that what he was doing was wantonly rewriting history, and that he might be accused of playing with human lives, he would still force himself to do it.

Completely ignoring comments such as "falsifying history is a bad thing" and "playing with human lives," they beat anyone who disagreed until they submitted, and if they still disagreed, they simply crushed them to death.

All the elaborate efforts to change history were ultimately just to save a single, insignificant life.

No one can criticize his behavior. If you're unhappy, just come and fight him. Whether you can win is another matter.