Kamen Rider Zi-O, Dimensional Descent

"I'm just a normal person doing what I want to do and what I'm capable of doing, and there's nothing to worry about."

He listened quietly as his demon king uttered those words.

Woz closed his eyes slightly, countless complex emotions flashing through his mind. What were the causes of those emotions? Even the Time Demon King, who could control the past and the future, could not know this.

At least, when he opened his eyes again, Wozniacki's expression was not so gloomy.

"Do you think I'm crazy, my devil king?"

"How so?"

"Previously, I kept urging you to become the Demon King as soon as possible and do more things that only a king should do. Now I'm trying my best to make you think more about your own affairs... People who don't know might think I've lost my mind."

"We usually call this kind of situation double standards or madness."

Pfft—After hearing Yan Ming's words, Woz couldn't help but laugh.

"In short, my Demon King, thank you for listening to me talk about these things... I also hope that you will pay more attention to your safety in the future, after all, although I am your retainer, I cannot stay by your side to take care of you at all times."

"It seems I don't need to worry too much about my situation."

"That's true, since nothing can hurt you. However... you should know that there are still people waiting for you to return to your original world."

Is it someone waiting for me to go back?

The first people who came to mind were Homura Akemi and Aoi Suwa, then Ainz Ooal Gown, who considered her a friend, the people she met in Academy City, and Lloyd and Anya, who lived in a relatively peaceful world…

Considering these things, Yan Ming should indeed pay more attention to his situation in various worlds.

"Then, my Demon King, I think we've pretty much finished discussing what we needed to discuss."

"Then you should get some rest too. I should go back to sleep soon too."

Although he knew that with his superhuman physique, it was impossible for him to suffer health problems simply from not sleeping, Woz was still grateful for Yan Ming's concern. He bowed and left the rooftop.

That left Yan Ming alone on the roof.

He gazed at the moonlight, feeling the tranquil atmosphere, constantly conceiving of what needed to be done and various kinds of information in his mind.

I don't know when.

Even consciousness became hazy.

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

This is an environment as dark as an abyss.

There was no sign of any living creature; it was as if the place was completely isolated from the world.

In this lifeless place.

He opened his eyes.

"…here it is."

The person who woke up here was Yan Ming.

No… it can’t really be called waking up. For Yan Ming, it all felt like a blink of an eye.

He had barely opened and closed his eyes when, one moment he was admiring the scenery from the rooftop of his residence, the next he was in this dark and gloomy place.

A sound like dripping water can be heard from the surrounding area.

Right now, Yan Ming's position is like being on the edge of an abyss of no return. Looking to the left or right, he can't see the end below. There's only one path to take, and it's a path that leads downwards...

What place is this?

Having no idea when they arrived or where they were, could it be... that they had been attacked by someone's teleportation?

But if that were the case, I wouldn't be completely oblivious.

There's no need to panic in the face of trouble. Yan Ming's surprise lasted only a very brief moment, and then—

As Yan Ming cautiously surveyed his surroundings and began to look into the distance.

A faint light flickered in the distance.

Upon closer inspection, it appeared there was more than one of them, and although the flames were bright, their color was a bluish-gray, almost indistinguishable from will-o'-the-wisps…

A bad feeling arose in my heart.

At the same time, images of looking towards the future immediately appeared in Yan Ming's mind.

That was a moment of death, enveloped in countless chilling shadows.

Om-! !

In the blink of an eye, the flames that were shining in the distance suddenly appeared in front of him.

Now, Yan Ming could finally see exactly what those things were.

They are ghostly figures, similar in size to humans, but only skeletons floating in mid-air.

A genuine, vengeful spirit.

At that moment, Yan Ming did not hesitate to grab his hands behind his back.

Guh-woo—

Amidst such eerie sounds, these vengeful spirits opened their skeletal jaws and thrust their incredibly thin, bony fingers toward him.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

But just as the skeletons of these vengeful spirits were about to pierce through, Yan Ming directly blocked the object in mid-air with his finger.

Bang! A sharp spark flashed.

That was the black and white dial and driver.

"Zi-O!"

Taking a step back, seemingly forced into a desperate situation, Yan Ming swiftly spun the dial in his hand and attached it to his waist along with the driver.

"Transformation."

He calmly gave the final instructions.

Then, the white and purple light instantly transformed into a shockwave, exploding in all directions.

Bang--!!

"Rider Time! Kamen Rider! Zi-O!"

That was the Demon King's body after his transformation.

Yan Ming stood unharmed, surrounded by the same vengeful spirits that had just attacked him. However, they were also shaken away by the force of the attack and looked at Yan Ming with surprise.

By the time they are surprised, it's all over.

Because countless flashes of swords and shadows had already appeared before them one after another.

Boom! Those were endless reflections formed by the Time Limit Sword.

The deep purple light transformed into an exquisite lotus seat, blooming into the most beautiful and graceful slashing flower within the narrow space formed by the convergence of vengeful spirits.

Centered on Yan Ming, an absolute slash was unleashed in all directions, 360 degrees, and in an instant, the vengeful spirits were violently blasted away.

He flicked the Time Limit Sword in his hand, wiping away non-existent bloodstains, and was about to deal with the remaining vengeful spirits when—

A dark aura suddenly swept over them.

Buzz—!! Almost without any suspense, the vengeful spirits all vanished from their spots, their faces filled with terror.

"The dead are destined to return to the end of all things; this is simply their natural end, and there is no need to worry."

An old, deep voice.

Yan Ming was not surprised by the voice at all. He calmly turned his head slightly and looked at the figure walking towards him on the straight road ahead.

An old man dressed in a black robe, his face completely covered, with only half of his face visible.

But Yan Ming would never treat him as just an ordinary old man.

"Who is it?"

Without showing excessive hostility or excessive deference, Yan Ming calmly pointed his sword at the other party and questioned him.

"…I see."

Upon seeing Yan Ming, the old man seemed to vaguely understand something.

“You know nothing about this place, yet you have arrived in this underworld in a strange state.”

The underworld? After checking the information in his mind, Yan Ming figured out where he was.

Then... he could only come to one conclusion.

Does that mean I'm already dead?

Speaking as if in jest, the demon king didn't take it seriously at all, and confronted the old man.

Volume 8, Mesopotamian Absolute Demonic Front: Chapter 329 Ereshkigal, Goddess of the Underworld

Before arriving at this place, Yan Ming had already read about most of the things related to this Age of Gods.

This includes information about the word "underworld".

The underworld, in this age of gods, is a region specifically for receiving the souls of the dead, much like the hell or underworld described in most myths. However, in this singularity, the so-called underworld is not like a separate, alien space.

Rather than calling it another dimension, it's more accurate to say that the underworld exists beneath Uruk.

Normally, it's impossible for a normal person to end up in a place like the underworld, which is why Yan Ming asked if he was dead.

After all, most of the people in the underworld are either already dead or about to die.

but--

“There is no sign of death or impending death on your body.”

The old man said this.

"However, this state is very subtle. Hmm... You are not a dead person, but you are not in the state that a living person should be in either."

"It feels like someone is asleep."

This feeling was as if Yan Ming's only existence in this underworld was his consciousness.

But that's completely impossible.

Even if Yan Ming really did project himself into this place in a dream state, then... how did he manage to physically contact those spirits?

After much thought, all that remains is a series of unsolved mysteries.

"And who are you?"

Yan Ming turned to look at the old man. Since he could appear in this underworld, it proved that he was no ordinary person.

"I've only come here to inquire about the reason for my chaotic and abnormal soul."

The old man raised his hand and pointed towards the depths of the underworld.

There, more eerie blue flames seemed to be flashing.

"Those are all the souls of the dead, who should have fallen into slumber with the mistress of the underworld, but for some unknown reason they all rose up in rebellion."

“The power that souls possess exceeds their original limits, but the souls do not therefore explode, become violent, or attack others.”

After speaking, the old man also looked towards Yan Ming.

Yan Ming finally understood his thoughts.

"Are you trying to confirm whether I am the culprit behind this soul riot?"

"That's true, but I've given up on that idea, because you don't even know why you're here, so it can't possibly be you."

It sounds like a very simple reason, but if it were Yan Ming, he would probably evaluate the other party in the same way.

Now, let's get back to the main topic.

For unknown reasons, all the souls in the underworld that should have been dormant broke free from the control of the goddess of the underworld, becoming violent and powerful, causing destruction everywhere in the underworld, and even attempting to rush to the ground to attack others.

For unknown reasons, Yan Ming appeared in the underworld in the form of a projection of his consciousness after falling asleep, yet he was still able to make physical contact with other things... and even use the power after transforming.

Yan Ming already knew everything, so…

"What if things get worse?"

"If the souls of the underworld are not stopped, they will cause the underworld to go completely out of control, and the goddess of the underworld will have all her authority taken away from this underground. At that time, the entire underworld will be completely destroyed."