Just as Redyue seduced Sid into launching an attack on Rosyuo, while the armored Riders like Chasing the Demushu were wreaking havoc on the city, someone finally delivered the news to Ryuga—who was still "retreating."
A man clad in black and white robes, bundled tightly in scarves, suddenly appeared before Ryuga. It was Sagara.
"A huge event is happening outside. Aren't you going to help?" he asked, his voice laced with subtle mockery.
Ryuga blinked. "What happened?"
"You really don't know?" Sagara sighed and quickly summarized the chaos outside.
"???" Ryuga's face contorted in disbelief, a metaphorical black question mark hanging over his head.
He had only handed the Lock Ring to Kureshima a few days ago. How had things escalated this far?
Realizing it was nearly too late, Ryuga sprang to his feet, ready to step out.
Just as he reached the door, he paused and looked back. "Wait a minute. You didn't come all this way just to deliver the news, did you?"
Sagara, still smirking, said cryptically, "Actually, I brought you something. Care to guess?"
"It's another Extreme Lock, isn't it? Just give it here." Ryuga sneered with amused contempt.
Sagara froze, then grudgingly tossed over a uniquely shaped Lockseed. "How much did the Girl of Origin tell you!?"
Then, as if sulking, he added, "Want to know where the Golden Fruit is now?"
Ryuga chuckled. "In Rosyuo's hands."
"..."
Sagara's expression darkened, and with a snap, he vanished into thin air.
Still smiling, Ryuga examined the new Lockseed before stepping out.
Though it was called a Lock, it was actually a key—like the Sacred Crimson Lockseed, born of the Golden Fruit's power. The Sacred Lock drew its energy from the fruit's surface layer, but this new Extreme Lock was forged from the fruit's core.
By inserting it into the left slot of the Genesis Driver, one could unlock a limiter called "Evolution"—transforming into the Ultimate Armed Form, a divine-level power up of Kamen Rider Gaim. Part of the Golden Fruit's true power would be granted.
While Ryuga acknowledged that the transformation sequence sounded cool, the design—especially the fruit basket chest emblem and sharp, pointed helmet—was not to his taste. It lacked elegance.
"I'll probably only use it once or twice, just for fun," he muttered.
Meanwhile, in Helheim's Forest, after Sid's early demise, Redyue spat in frustration and quickly revised her plan. With Rosyuo's permission, she used Sid's death as a justification for "revenge" and led a massive wave of Overlord and low-tier Inves into the human world—forces that were originally camped inside Helheim.
As an Overlord-class Inves, Redyue possessed the power to manipulate the Helheim Forest. Rosyuo, the final recipient of the Golden Fruit, had genetically modified Redyue and others like Demushu to survive in Helheim's toxic environment—and granted them dominion over its terrain.
This power included controlling Helheim's plant life, commanding lower-tier Inves, and freely opening Cracks.
Redyue used this to her advantage. She reopened the Crack that Sid had tried to seal, and soon Inves forces were flooding into the World Tree's base. The tightly controlled World Tree defense collapsed under their onslaught.
While the armored Riders and Minato Yoko were fighting off hordes of Inves summoned by Demushu in Zawame City, chaos erupted at the World Tree Tower.
Helheim vines surged from below and coiled around the entire tower like a parasitic root system, turning the structure into a grotesque, living tree.
"Professor! What's happening at HQ? Are you okay?" Minato Yoko cried into her headset.
Suddenly, a burst of flame shot skyward from the tower. Ryoma's voice crackled through her earpiece.
"Zawame City is yours now! Hahaha!"
Minato Yoko froze, realization hitting hard. Sengoku Ryoma had abandoned them.
"Stella!"
BOOM.
A brilliant explosion lit up the sky. From within Zawame, a radiant figure burst into the air—an Overlord Inves engulfed in multicolored light—and crashed straight into Ryoma's tiny escape pod, detonating it in midair like fireworks.
Minato Yoko: "…"
Kureshima Takatora: "…"
Nearby armored Riders, distracted mid-battle: "…"
Random Inves killed in the blast: "...#%&!?..."
Jounouchi blinked in shock. "What kind of grudge did that Inves have against Ryoma?!"
"You idiot!" his mentor, Hase, slapped the back of his head. "Someone must've launched him using some device!"
Inves (internally): Respect, brother. You get me.
Before the crowd could fully process the explosion, the ground quaked. At the center, it cracked and turned red—like a volcanic eruption—before Demushu erupted from beneath.
"What's going on with this guy?!"
"He looks even stronger than before!"
As panic rippled through the group, Kiwami Kaito narrowed his eyes. "He must've evolved after consuming Helheim Fruit during the fight."
"I'll send you all to hell!" Demushu bellowed.
Infuriated by being wounded earlier by these "monkeys," and now empowered by Helheim's fruit, he charged at them with a rage-fueled vengeance.
"Everyone, attack together!" someone shouted.
"Got it!"
Now, there were no more factions. No more grudges. No more rivalries.
Takatora Kureshima, Minato Yoko, Hase, Kaito, Mitsuzane, Jonouchi, Zack—seven Riders in total (minus Ryuga)—stood side by side.
Their relationships were complicated—some were enemies, some subordinates, some friends, some rivals—but in the face of Helheim's invasion, they fought as one.
But even together, they couldn't defeat him.
Demushu had changed. His strength now far exceeded their expectations. Their attacks barely scratched him.
He was strong before—now, after consuming Helheim's forbidden fruit, the gap had grown into a chasm.
"We have no choice! Everyone—use your finishers!" Kureshima shouted.
"Understood!"
[MelonEnergySquash!] — Kureshima Takatora
[LemonEnergySquash!] — Kaito Kumon
[PeachEnergySparking!] — Minato Yoko
[PeachEnergy!] — Mitsuzane
[CherryEnergy!] — Zack
[DurianSquash!] — Hase
[DonguriSparking!] — Jonouchi
The last two were still stuck using Sengoku Drivers, unlike the rest who now wielded Genesis Drivers, thanks to Ryuga's last upgrade drop.
They were basically using stone tools against nuclear weapons.
Let's be real: they weren't the protagonists. In Gaim, only the main character's Driver transcends worlds. Everyone else just… survives.
And yet, even under-equipped, they faced the Overlord's wrath together.