A wave of vibrant energy surged toward Demushu, bombarding his body as the assembled warriors held their breath in anticipation—each one desperate to confirm their hard-won victory.
But reality was cruel.
Despite being struck by so many Nirvana-class attacks simultaneously, the onslaught failed to even scratch Demushu.
The kaleidoscope of lights spiraled around him, but in the end, the energy simply dissipated, unable to pierce his form.
"Heh… Pathetic. Is that all?" Demushu sneered. He raised his hand, gathering a large fireball that pulsed with intense heat. With a casual motion, he hurled it into the crowd. It exploded violently, scattering the warriors like leaves in a storm and leaving them sprawled on the ground, barely conscious.
"What's wrong? Is that your limit?" Demushu laughed mockingly as he conjured another blazing fireball in his hand.
"Damn it! How is he this strong?!" Kumon Kaito growled through gritted teeth.
"We can't win at this rate…" Zack muttered, trying to push himself up.
"If only Brother Long were here…" Mitchy's voice trembled with frustration and helplessness.
"Where is he? Why didn't he show up?" Takatora Kureshima asked, kneeling with a heavy heart.
"I… I didn't expect things to escalate this badly, so I didn't inform him in time…" Mitchy admitted in shame.
"…" The silence among them was heavy with regret.
As Demushu prepared to launch his next attack, no one turned away or shut their eyes. Not even the most timid among them flinched. Every one of them had been forged in battle, trained by Oren himself. Warriors.
Even in the face of death, they stood resolute. Their fear wasn't of dying—it was the fear that without them, no one else could stop the invasion of the Helheim Forest. If they failed… who could possibly resist such overwhelming power?
And yet, it was in their final moment of despair that a glimmer of hope returned.
A flash streaked across the sky. Something landed squarely in Demushu's palm—the unmistakable weapon of the Genesis Driver: a Sonic Arrow. The fireball in his hand extinguished instantly.
The bow embedded itself into the ground with a hiss. It was blackened, charred beyond recognition. If not for its silhouette, it would've been impossible to identify.
They all remembered it then—the weapon of a warrior who burned himself alive, lighting up the world with hope, and sacrificing everything to detonate the Helheim escape capsule.
"You guys sure like throwing me into dangerous situations, don't you?" a voice said calmly.
Under the golden sunlight, a lone figure walked toward them—steady, confident.
"But it's fine. You know why?"
He grinned. "Because I'm here."
Amid the groaning warriors scattered across the battlefield, the shameless Ryuga—yes, the very same Ryuga who held the power of All For One—declared with full conviction the catchphrase of One For All.
"Henshin!"
[Kachidoki!]
[Lock On!]
[Soiya! Kachidoki Arms!]
[To battle, now!]
[Ei-Ei-Oh!]
"Let me remind you what it feels like to be dominated by the power of the Golden Fruit," Ryuga declared, pulling out the Kiwami Lock Seed.
"Golden Fruit?!" Takatora Kureshima gasped.
"He already obtained it?!" Minato Yoko stared at Ryuga in disbelief.
[Fruits Basket!]
Without hesitation, he activated the Lock Seed. A loud zipper sound echoed across the sky, followed by a dozen circular rifts opening in the air. From them, multiple fruit-themed Arms Modules descended, rotating around Ryuga like satellites.
At the same time, his driver transformed, adjusting to the new form of the Kiwami Lock Seed.
[Lock Open!]
[Kiwami Arms!]
[Da-Da-Da-Da-Daidaimaru!]
(Big! Big! Big! Big! Big General!)
Though the sound effects were few, their impact was undeniable.
Overhaul Card: Surprised? You should be. Our Emperor has returned.
Ryuga: Get out of the way. I've got to find Tsukasa to deal with the real threat!
As he turned the "key" on the Kiwami Lock, the surrounding fruit modules fused inward. The Kachidoki armor shattered like a shell, revealing a dazzling form beneath—a silver general's armor, bearing a fruit platter on his chest and a majestic cape flowing behind him.
This was Kamen Rider Gaim's final evolution: the legendary Kiwami Arms—the "Great General."
Demushu's eyes twitched. Though the appearance differed from Rosyuo's, he felt it. That power. That unmistakable aura—the power of the Golden Fruit… the power of a god.
No one else might recognize it, but he—who had been under Rosyuo's control for years—felt its weight in his soul.
[Daidaimaru!]
Ryuga summoned the signature greatsword. Demushu, rattled and losing confidence, tried to retaliate with a thunderous blast—but Ryuga casually summoned another weapon:
[DuriNoko!]
Oren's double durian maces appeared in Ryuga's hands.
"Hey! That's my weapon!" Oren protested weakly.
Demushu, desperate, retaliated with a surge of thunder and flame, but—
[Melon Defender!]
"Now he's using my shield?" Kureshima muttered, watching as his cantaloupe shield absorbed the attack with ease.
[Budou Ryuuhou!]
Ryuga followed up by summoning the Grape Dragon Cannon and unleashed a barrage of counterfire.
"He's using my weapon now?" Mitchy exclaimed.
How humiliating… he could feel everyone looking at him strangely. And more importantly—who said he was your brother?!
[BananaSpear!]
As he closed in for the final strike, Ryuga summoned the Banana Spear and lunged. But Demushu, panicking, opened a crack and summoned a Superior Inves to intercept.
The moment Ryuga cut through the Inves, a massive fireball flew toward him.
Demushu was trying everything now—even summoning others. Even he had become the very thing he once hated.
"Tch. You're resorting to summoning backup?" Ryuga sneered. "Fine. Then so will I."
He opened a crack of his own—an Inves dropped out, intercepting the fireball head-on.
"He opened a Crack?!" Guihu exclaimed. "He really possesses the Golden Fruit's power!"
At least he's using that power to fight against Helheim. That alone gave Guihu hope. As for the fruit itself—he never wanted it anyway.
Kumon Kaito and Minato Yoko exchanged complicated looks. While they were still chasing Overlords and rumors, Ryuga had already seized the prize.
[Hinawadaidai DJ Gun!]
[Musou Saber!]
(Combined into DJ Machete Mode)
"Let's finish this."
He inserted the orange Lock Seed into the fusion blade.
[Lock On!]
[One-Ten-Hundred-Thousand-Million-Billion Fruits Basket!]
"Musou Slash of the Big Orange Matchstick!"