To avoid any awkward green gore or disturbing transformations, most monsters in this world simply explode upon defeat, leaving no intact body behind. The ill-tempered old man, Demushu, met his end the same way—reduced to a burst of searing flames under Ryuga's final strike, then vanished into the air.
The moment Ryuga lifted his transformation, a strange scene unfolded: several people who had been lying prone on the ground suddenly stood up as if nothing had happened.
…So they were pretending the whole time?
This city life is full of drama. I really just want to go back to the countryside.
Since everyone was surprisingly unharmed, Ryuga immediately led them in a full-scale counterattack. They surged forward toward the World Tree. Technically, there was no need to even fight—every Inves along the way simply backed off, seemingly falling under Ryuga's influence, as if magnetized by his presence.
They entered the Tower of the World Tree with ease, as if strolling into an abandoned ruin. There, they encountered the culprit behind it all—Redyue.
Now, they had to fight.
Overlords aren't like Inves—they can't be controlled directly, even by someone like Rosyuo. Redyue, however, was only as strong as Demushu before he consumed the Fruit of the Underworld. Outnumbered and outmatched, Redyue was no real threat.
Ryuga left him to the others, confident they could handle it. He then used the Crack to step into the Underworld of Heim and infiltrated the heart of the enemy base—where Rosyuo, the Overlord King, awaited.
He noticed a familiar top hat on the ground.
There stood Rosyuo himself. Overlords don't get fancy names. The red one was called Demushu. The green one? Redyue. Naturally, the white one was named Rosyuo—White Fang.
Ryuga had known Rosyuo for a long time. He wasn't even looking at Rosyuo's face anymore—he was looking for the man's glowing eyes. Frankly, if Rosyuo's eyes weren't shining, Ryuga wouldn't have noticed him at all.
Ryuga: "Hey, buddy, can you open your eyes?"
Rosyuo: "They ARE open—wide open!"
"Ah, Rosyuo, the Overlord King. I've heard so much about you."
"You must be the one searching for the Golden Fruit?"
"Correct. Will you surrender it peacefully?"
"Of course not!"
Ryuga's expression turned serious.
Rosyuo was no ordinary foe. After devouring the Golden Fruit, his entire body developed a hard, armored exoskeleton. Unless a blow reached a certain level of intensity, he could instantly regenerate.
He possessed immense psychic abilities—instant teleportation, elemental control over fire and lightning, and the capacity to annihilate matter.
And yet these were just surface-level powers. By consuming the Golden Fruit, Rosyuo had become a true god.
Even with Ryuga's Law of Life granting a slight advantage in combat, Rosyuo's divine power was overwhelming.
Yet somehow, in the original timeline, this "god" had been killed by his subordinate Redyue with a single move. Can you believe that?
Granted, Rosyuo had lost the will to live—he wanted to join his beloved in death. Still, couldn't he have chosen a dignified death?
Losing in a real battle, even if it's staged, would have been better than such a ridiculous and dishonorable defeat.
He should've just let me kill him instead! I'd happily accept that kind of throw.
…Well, just kidding. Kind of.
Regardless, Rosyuo could not be defeated in his current state by any basic form wielding only a fragment of the Golden Fruit. To truly overpower him, Ryuga would need to unleash his own full potential.
Those thoughts raced through his mind, and his path became clear.
"Out of respect," Ryuga said, "I'll fight you with everything I've got!" He removed the Zhan Ji Driver and replaced it with the Evol Driver.
Rosyuo tilted his head, intrigued. Without drawing his weapon, he calmly retrieved his legendary blade, the Horse-Cutter—Josh Yim, and sat down cross-legged to patiently wait for Ryuga's transformation.
[Evol Driver!]
[Unlimity! Rider System!]
[Over the Evolution!]
[Are you ready?]
"Transform—Body!"
[Rising Up the Throne, Lighting Up the Divine Fire!]
(Hold the throne high, ignite the sacred fire)
[Devouring Everything, Unlimited Evolution!]
(Consume all, evolve infinitely)
[This Moment is the Ultimate Time!]
The throne had been raised—now it was time to ignite the sacred fire, kill a god, seize the Forbidden Fruit, and ascend to godhood!
"Fire Rope—Big Orange DJ Sword!"
"Rosyuo, take this!"
Meanwhile, at the Crack outside the World Tree, every armed Rider—Kureshima Mitchy, members of the hip-hop team like Kaito and Baron—was present. They gathered anxiously, staring into the unstable Crack.
A while had passed since Ryuga entered the Underworld of Heim. Redyue had long been defeated. All who understood the situation had convened here, anxiously awaiting the outcome of Ryuga's solo battle in the depths of the enemy domain.
But they could do nothing. The Crack was violently unstable. Inside, surges of chaotic power flashed unpredictably—flames, lightning, starlight. Occasionally, even some poor Inves got blown back out!
Every attempt to enter resulted in a jarring recoil. Eventually, they gave up and waited.
Only three people remained calm—Mitchy, Ryuga's dedicated fan; Kureshima Takatora, the steadfast ally; and Kumon Kaito, Ryuga's self-proclaimed destined rival.
The first two needed no explanation. As for Kaito—he was convinced that only he had the right to defeat Ryuga. Who was Rosyuo? Irrelevant.
Suddenly, the chaotic energy inside Crack came to an eerie halt.
"What's going on?" Zack jumped up from the floor.
"Could it be over?" murmured Jonouchi, inching toward the Crack.
"No, this is it—the final blow is coming!"
"Fall back!"
"Clear the sides of the Crack!"
The four veterans—Takatora, Kaito, Yoko, and Oren—recognized the signs. Without hesitation, they ordered everyone back. Oren even yanked his apprentice Jonouchi by the collar to pull him aside.
Just then, the Underworld of Heim turned pitch black.
From the sky, countless starlit paths stretched down, all converging at a single point on the ground. A booming voice echoed through the darkness, audible to everyone.
[Ready? Go!]
"Ultimate move—End of the Ultimate Universe!"
[Ultimate Universe Finish!]
Dozens of knightly phantoms burst forth on each starlit path, each performing a Rider Kick toward the central convergence point.
To the observers, most of these Riders were unfamiliar—but a few looked hauntingly familiar.
How much destructive power could all these kicks unleash?
No one could say.
But one thing was certain—this level of power far surpassed everything they'd seen before.