Kamen Rider Zi-O, Dimensional Descent

“Mr. Gates, if everything in the world were really as easy and simple as you say, then we would encounter far fewer problems in the future.”

For a moment, Wozniak even felt a little envious of Gates's direct way of thinking.

"Think back carefully. So far, although we can suppress the enemies we encounter in terms of combat power, how many aspects of them are we unaware of?"

"Uh...for example?"

"For example, that demon, we can't even guess its name—"

“If you’re talking about that demon, I actually have a clue.”

While Wozniak and Gates were discussing this, Yan Ming suddenly interrupted.

This statement immediately caught the attention of both Gates and Wozniak.

"You...you guessed what that demon's name is? And you can even do something like that?!"

"It's just a guess, but I think it's probably pretty accurate."

After saying that, Yan Ming stood up and took some things out of the room under the watchful eyes of the two men.

That was a huge stack of books.

Yan Ming spread the books out on the table, and the originally large area was quickly filled with various papers and documents.

"First, let me ask you, Gates, do you remember what kind of abilities that demon used to deal with us before?"

"What kind of ability? Well... let me think about it."

Gates scratched his head, managing to recall some details.

"It seems to have wings, maybe three pairs, one pair of which is... fire or something? And it can also control light to attack us..."

"Take a good look at these things."

Following Gates's suggestion, Yan Ming took out several books and some specially selected papers.

The two looked at the contents recorded above.

"According to descriptions in the Old Testament, the angels who guarded the Garden of Eden possessed a flaming sword, and the concept of 'fire' seems to have been embodied in the hands of various angels thereafter."

"That's true in the book, but we're looking for demons, not angels..."

"That's right, all the enemies we've encountered so far have been demons, and the enemy we're facing now is certainly no exception."

Then the problem is coming.

What kind of being possesses an angelic appearance while also being similar to, or even the very essence of, a demon?

"The true forms of angels are mostly not in a state that ordinary humans can accept or see. Most angels interfere with human senses by distorting the world in order to protect believers from going insane."

“However, there was one angel who did not need to do this, or rather, before his fall he did not need to do this… and now he is no longer a holy angel.”

The answer is out.

Possessing fire-related abilities unique to angels, with wings that are a corrupted black, and also able to manipulate light to attack enemies.

"...Lucifer, the Son of Light of the Morning Star."

Yan Ming directly stated his own speculation.

"If I'm not mistaken, this is probably the true identity of that demon."

"Wait a minute... So the guy we've been fighting for all this time is actually an angel?!"

"To be precise, that's not an angel, Mr. Gates. In legends, the fallen angel Lucifer is an angel who has fallen to hell and was expelled from the Garden of Eden by God. He is no longer the same race as normal angels."

Despite saying that, Woz had many questions about Yan Ming's words.

"My Demon King, you should know this."

"I know that in the viewpoints of mysticism and various biblical studies, the character 'Lucifer' is mostly considered to be non-existent, a figure created through various transliterations and fabrications, and often regarded as an alternative incarnation of Satan or the serpent in the Garden of Eden, rather than an independent historical figure."

If this logic holds true, then Yan Ming's conjecture is invalid.

When viewed together, the demon they faced bore many striking similarities to the legendary Lucifer.

“I don’t think we should use what we consider myths or research perspectives to determine what we consider to be fabrications.”

"...Are you saying that all those historians are wrong?"

"It's fine for our world, or for a world that believes all of this is wrong, but for the vast, boundless, and multiverse full of possibilities, anything is possible."

Perhaps, in a world completely different from their own, humans live in the ocean, or they believe that mysterious creatures roam everywhere. Perhaps science is regarded as urban legend, and perhaps urban legend is regarded as reality.

What you consider wrong may be right in another universe. No one can assert that anything is "absolutely" non-existent or wrong.

If we follow this theory, then Yan Ming's conjecture will be correct.

"Wait, wait a minute... what the hell are you guys talking about? I've been listening for ages and my head is about to explode!"

"That means we might be able to guess that the demon's identity is the legendary fallen angel Lucifer. Based on this, we can use the description of its legendary abilities to formulate our combat strategy."

Although Yan Ming and Gates's powers after their transformations should have been enough to suppress the opponent, the opponent's abilities are more troublesome.

Yan Ming was still deep in thought.

"The legends never mentioned that Lucifer could create that shadow-like space. Is it because my research is incomplete, or is it that the legends actually describe less of the truth?"

"In short, remember this: if that guy really is Lucifer, then 'light' is probably its main source of attack and power. Lucifer is also known as the Child of Starlight and the Morning Star."

"This should just be a title, right? Does it also have anything to do with actual ability?"

"In any case, it's better to remember these things than nothing; at least we have grasped some new information."

Thanks to Yan Ming's efforts, they finally achieved some decent results.

Nevertheless, this only meant that they had obtained some intelligence about the enemy; it did not mean that they knew the enemy's location and purpose.

The group analyzed the matter again in detail, but no matter how they analyzed it, Gates couldn't understand much.

So they eventually decided to leave the room and go outside.

Taking a walk to clear your mind might just lead to something noteworthy.

"Ah! I've finally found you!!"

A familiar voice.

Then, as Yan Ming and the others continued to look ahead, they saw a figure running directly towards them.

"...No way."

Even Yan Ming could only twitch his lips in exasperation.

Because the girl with chestnut hair running towards them was the familiar one.

Misaka Mikoto is the third-ranked Level 5 ...

It's obvious to anyone with a brain what she would say or do to Yan Ming after seeing him.

"You're really popular."

"I don't want to be popular in the form of people constantly wanting to fight me..."

Volume 5, A Certain Magical Index: Chapter 210 - A Formal Sparring with Misaka Mikoto

Often, if you keep choosing to run away, it will probably never end.

So Yan Ming also made up his mind.

The three followed Misaka Mikoto to an open space that appeared to be an abandoned construction site.

Are you sure this is okay?

"For me, this is where I can unleash my full potential."

Looking around, all you see are all kinds of steel frames and fine sand on the ground, but in reality, there are countless iron sands buried deeper in the ground.

Misaka Mikoto is an electric-type ability user, so this kind of place is undoubtedly the best place for her to improve.

The two stood facing each other.

Misaka Mikoto looked at Yan Ming with some anticipation, while Yan Ming stood calmly in place, motionless.

"...Aren't you going to take out the gadgets you usually use to turn into an urban weirdo?"

"Oh right, you also want me to transform... Listen, if you really want me to transform and spar with you, then you should be prepared if I hurt you—"

"There's no point in saying more; I've already reached that level of awareness!"

Zzz-ga!

Before Yan Ming could finish speaking, countless lightning spears flew out from Misaka Mikoto's forehead.

The blue-white lightning bolt hurtled towards him at the speed of light, instantly piercing through the ground beneath Yan Ming's feet.

The exploding sand and dust buried his body.

"Hey... is this really okay?"

Although Gates and Woz knew that Yan Ming would not go too far, after all, this was just a symbolic sparring match.

But Gates was worried that if things continued like this, it might really hurt the girl.

"What does it matter if it's good or bad? These are all things she herself asked me, the Demon King, to do."

Woz rolled his eyes, and then—

As they expected, a figure emerged from the dust.

A figure in white and purple.

That was Yan Ming after his transformation; without a doubt, it was him in his basic form.

"Great!!"

We've seen Yan Ming's transformed form many times already, but...

This is the first time I've truly confronted him like this.

Misaka Mikoto has always had an irrepressible urge within her, an urge to unleash her power and clash with such an unprecedentedly strong opponent—a feeling that no other emotion can compare to.

She didn't have any other thoughts; she simply wanted to test her strength and have a good spar with her opponent.

Misaka Mikoto was excited, and a hint of expectant smile appeared on her face.

"Then... I'll go!"

In an instant, countless blue-white electric currents erupted from the girl's entire body.

They crisscrossed in mid-air, on the ground, and among the surrounding steel pipes.

With overwhelming speed and power, it instantly attacked Yan Ming's direction.

However, the next moment, Yan Ming effortlessly dodged those attacks.

He merely shifted his body to the right, and countless currents that were aimed at his fixed position fell into the ground beneath his feet, grasping at nothing.

"You should be more careful in demonstrating your abilities."

"Oh...I don't have one?"

As Misaka Mikoto spoke, blue and white sparks began to flash again from Yan Ming's feet.

Yan Ming finally perked up at this moment.

He quickly dodged to the right, but the instantaneous surge of electricity spread outwards at an overwhelming speed.

That's not the speed of a car, not the speed of sound, not supersonic—it's the real speed of light.

Although the lightning bolts that flew out from the ground were scattered, most of them still hit Yan Ming.

Through the armor, the electric current slowly seeped into his entire body, simply knocking him back slightly.

"...She hit that guy?"

"Of course, my Demon King didn't use any extraordinary abilities. In his basic form, there's no reason why he could dodge an attack at the speed of light."

Even so, Woz figured out what Yan Ming was thinking.

If Yan Ming were simply using sheer power to suppress Misaka Mikoto, he wouldn't need to transform into his basic form. He could simply stop time in his Zi-O II form and beat her up, making her realize the overwhelming difference in their strength.

Unfortunately, this was not the method Yan Ming intended to use on Misaka Mikoto.

"What's wrong? You seem a bit out of sorts!"

"You're just fast enough."