Kamen Rider Zi-O, Dimensional Descent

"Yes, right... that should be correct, right?"

But in reality, both of them knew that even the most advanced projection technology in the world probably couldn't achieve such a realistic effect.

Whether it was the feeling of being swallowed into the space, being attacked by those creature-like monsters, and then their bodies gradually becoming two-dimensional... it all felt so real.

Including the mysterious figure that suddenly stood in front of them.

Wearing armor in purple, gold, and silver, she looked like a character straight out of a tokusatsu movie. With a mysterious weapon bearing a face on its blade, she wiped out all the monsters in one strike and rescued them.

The scene was too dreamlike no matter how you looked at it. If the two of them hadn't seen it together, they probably would have thought it was all just their imagination or an illusion.

"There's no mistake, that person just now...!"

Homura Akemi, standing at a distance, immediately saw through the situation.

The only person who could achieve that level of skill, wearing that kind of armor, and possessing the power to eliminate even a witch in one blow... could only be that person!

"Ah...that driver just now!"

Sayaka and Madoka turned their heads and saw that the driver, who should have died in the car accident, was now lying under the streetlight.

People around then realized what was happening and started taking pictures of the driver.

"Huh? Was this driver here just now?"

"That can't be right! I remember he should have... disappeared when the car exploded!"

"Speaking of which, I think I just realized that the driver wasn't inside when the car exploded. Logically, even in an explosion, there should have been a body left behind..."

"Could it be a paranormal event? Or did some superhuman from the darker layers of the world save him?"

"That's nothing, it's super stupid!"

The continuous discussions among the people, and Sayaka and Madoka's current predicament, made Homura Akemi, who was standing at a distance, realize the seriousness of the situation.

then.

Whether it's the people discussing the topic, Sayaka or Madoka, or even the surrounding plants and trees, and the peaceful night sky...

Everything in the world came to a standstill.

'This is...time stopped?!'

Unlike the time-stopping ability that turns the entire world gray when used by Homura Akemi, the time-stopping ability presented to her at this moment neither turns the world gray nor white, but instead causes an unnatural distortion to appear on the surface of the surrounding objects.

Homura Akemi is the only person in the entire world who is capable of moving around.

However, she was very clear about one thing: she did not have the ability to stop time at the moment. Theoretically, she should have been pulled into a state of time stop.

Why is she still able to retain her self-awareness?

As she was thinking this, she heard footsteps coming from behind her.

Turning around, Homura Akemi quickly looked behind her.

She immediately noticed the figure from before approaching her step by step.

Clad in silver and purple armor, his figure exuded a truly powerful aura even as he approached.

The other person stood in front of him, took off the watch-like object from his waist, and then deactivated his transformation.

Homura Akemi finally saw through the other person's true colors... it was the same person she had seen several times before.

"It really was you..."

Shilun Yanming stood right in front of her, prompting Akemi Homura to look at him with a heavy expression.

Homura Akemi could never forget the other person, and she could never forget the moment when the other person wiped out Witch Night in one fell swoop, rewriting world history.

However, the Shilun Yanming standing before her now gave her a very strange feeling…

It seems that there are some differences between him and the previous Shilun Yanming.

After regaining her composure, Homura Akemi finally looked at the other person again.

Why are you here?

"Rescue."

"That's all...?"

Recalling Yan Ming's previous demeanor, and his current aura...

Homura Akemi unconsciously felt herself becoming nervous.

"...You've changed a lot. You weren't like this when I saw you a few days ago."

"A few days ago..."

"What happened? To you... Waaah—?!"

Just then, Homura Akemi's expression suddenly turned pained.

"Ugh... Waaah... Guh...!"

She knelt down, clutching her arm, but upon closer inspection, it turned out she wasn't actually clutching her arm... but rather the purple crystal on her arm shield.

It was a dazzling gem, with exquisite purple particles inside, like grains of sand, but now it was emitting a dim purple light and becoming dull.

Homura Akemi clutched her Soul Gem in pain as she slowly raised her head, only to see the other person handing her something.

"This is what you need, right?"

"The Seed of Lamentation..."

In Yan Ming's hand was a black stone with spikes, which he probably obtained after defeating the witch.

She stood silently, lost in thought, before finally choosing to accept Yan Ming's seed of sorrow.

Their hands touched, and Homura Akemi took the stone and placed it on the surface of the Soul Gem.

The black filth was then absorbed into the Seed of Lamentation, and Homura Akemi's expression finally improved considerably.

"I remember seeing that you needed this before. It seems that even magical girls like you have to pay a price to use their abilities."

Homura Akemi took a few breaths, composed herself, and then looked in the direction of Sayaka and Madoka.

"Don't worry about them. I just stopped time because I was afraid they would hear our conversation. I think you probably wouldn't want them to see you like this either."

"...You're right."

"Let's find another place to talk; there are too many people here."

Buzz—! Time resumed its flow.

Neither Madoka nor Sayaka, nor anyone else present, noticed what had just happened.

-----------------

Yan Ming and Xiao Meiyan walked together on the streets at night.

Anyway, the two were going home on the same way, and their apartments were in the same building. However, the difference in their height and appearance caused some passersby to look at them intentionally or unintentionally.

However, they themselves don't seem to care much about any of this.

"Why did those witches only attack those two girls and not anyone else?"

"...It can only be that the witches have their eyes on the two of them."

"You mean the witches? Does that mean this attack was planned by those monsters? Do they communicate and organize with each other?"

That's not what I meant.

Yan Ming was responsible for asking questions, while Xiao Meiyan was responsible for answering them.

However, the things being discussed right now are causing Homura Akemi great concern.

"The monsters called witches have no self-awareness; at least I have never seen them breathe, communicate, or coordinate in a planned way."

"The reason the witch attacked Sayaka and Madoka is because... that witch coveted their potential."

What qualifications?

"The qualifications to become a magical girl."

Although Homura Akemi's tone was perfectly composed when she said these words, Yan Ming still sensed something was amiss.

In fact, he did know why something was wrong.

"Once someone possesses the potential to become a magical girl, the witches will shift their primary target to her. Then, regardless of whether these witches know her or not, they will be drawn to her and attack her..."

"So that's why you said the 'witches' have their eyes on those two, because they're so talented, so they'll definitely attract more witches to attack them later...?"

Yan Ming took the initiative to offer his own ideas.

"If I find all the witches in the city and kill them, can I protect them?"

"It's no use. No matter how many you kill, the birth of a witch cannot be stopped."

"If, as you say, they have the potential to become magical girls, why weren't they attacked by witches when they lived here before, but only now?"

Homura Akemi did not respond.

Seeing that she was just walking straight ahead, Yan Ming stopped asking questions and instead handed her a drink.

"...Where did you get this from?"

"I bought it from a nearby milk tea shop after the freeze time. I've already paid for it, and I bought you a cup on the way too."

"When did you acquire that ability? Was it after you transformed into that form, or did you acquire it recently?"

"Pretty much. Aren't you also a time-based ability user? Can't you tell?"

"...My abilities aren't as convenient as yours."

When Yan Ming realized that Homura Akemi had to consume the purity of her Soul Gem to activate her ability, he immediately understood that the girl was probably envious of his ability to manipulate time so easily.

"I heard you didn't come to school all day, right? What were you doing there?"

"Remember those devils who beat you up? I just went and gave a few of their accomplices a beating too."

In fact, Yan Ming did not lie.

The two walked together on the street, neither saying a word, asking questions and answering them as they came up with their own.

Such an eerie atmosphere would probably have made most people feel awkward or terrified.

Only people like Yan Ming and Akemi Homura, who have made indifference a habit, could adapt to all of this.

Then... after an unknown amount of time, Homura Akemi finally glanced in his direction.

"...Thank you for today."

"You mean the two girls you rescued? They seem to be your classmates."

"Yes... how did you know?"

"I'm guessing. You can tell at a glance how much you care about them, so they must be classmates or friends, especially the pink-haired girl."

Once again, a string of words left Homura Akemi speechless. She tried her best to remain silent about the matter, and Yan Ming could tell that she was trying her best to avoid these questions.

"To be honest, I actually came to see you."

"What do you need me for?"

"I need information about magical girls."

"Why...why did you suddenly start investigating these things? This shouldn't have anything to do with you."

"It's okay if you don't want to talk to me, I'll just investigate through other means."

Although she said she didn't want to provide Yan Ming with any information, Homura Akemi carefully recalled the circumstances when he saved her.

…It would be too troublesome to owe him a favor like this, so it would be better to repay him now.

Thinking this way, she could only sigh in resignation.

"...Let's find a coffee shop to go to together, and then we can talk."

Volume 6, Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Chapter 235 The Armor of the Fiery Dragon Knight

At 8:15 PM, inside a popular coffee shop in Takihara.

This shop isn't very popular during the day, but it gets very busy with young people in the evening.

Most people just buy a cup of coffee, find an empty seat, and rest or chat. Yan Ming and Xiao Meiyan are similar.

The two found a quiet spot to sit down and ordered two simple coffees.