"Wow, so handsome!" Sougo exclaimed in awe.
Who would've thought his aesthetic sense was actually normal?
"Clock Up!" Kagami slapped the button on the left side of his belt, activating the exclusive high-speed mode of the Zecter system.
His opponent, Kageyama Shun—Kamen Rider Punch Hopper—was naturally already using acceleration mode, which meant Sougo couldn't see him at all.
And now, not even Kagami could keep track of him. Only the erupting sparks and the occasional punches nearly hitting Sougo were evidence of their fierce battle.
Was Kagami losing his touch? Unable to catch a mere boxing-type Worm? Even with his opponent in sight, he couldn't prevent Kageyama from landing strikes on Sougo.
"I get it now! They're both moving at the same high speed as Gates when he resurrected!" Sougo finally realized—two punches too late.
"In that case, I'll use this!" He twisted the pointer on his visor, activating his foresight ability. A brief glimpse of the future flashed before his eyes.
"One..."
"Two..."
"Three! Now!"
Clang!
Sougo endured the first two attacks, then, right on cue, drove the Ultimate Sword forward with precise timing—striking Kageyama right in the chest.
"Yo-sha!" Sougo pumped his fist in triumph.
"Shadow Mountain, this ends now!" Kagami, seeing his opening, swiftly detached the Gatack Blades from his shoulders and merged them into a scissor-like form. With a shout, he released twin energy blades in an X-shaped arc.
[Rider Cutting!]
But just before the strike landed, a red blur appeared and intercepted the attack with a powerful kick.
"Don't you dare touch my brother!"
"You are—?!" Kagami was startled. That voice... it was familiar.
[Kabuto!]
"An Another Kabuto?" Sougo glanced at the name on the corrupted Rider's display.
The monstrous Kabuto said nothing. He grabbed Kageyama and activated Clock Up, vanishing from the battlefield.
After the fight, Sougo cancelled his transformation and turned to the other Rider. "And you are?"
"Kagami Arata. Kamen Rider Gatack."
Later, at the 9-5 Do...
"That fake Kabuto was most likely him—So Yaguruma," Kagami said grimly.
"And the other Rider is Punch Hopper—Kageyama Shun."
He handed Sougo two photos. "They were known as the 'Hell Brothers.' A tight pair... but one destined for tragedy."
Woz raised an eyebrow. "So what's your goal?"
"I'm hunting Kageyama. He's become a Worm Mimic."
"And you're certain?" Woz questioned.
"Yes. Because... Kageyama died long ago."
Sougo was taken aback. "Wait—you can become a Worm after death?"
"Yes. If you get any information, please let me know." Kagami turned toward the exit, ready to resume the pursuit.
But at the doorway, he paused and looked around.
"By the way… when did Shibuya get this prosperous again?"
"Again?" Sougo tilted his head.
"When the meteorite hit in 1999, wasn't Shibuya destroyed?" Kagami asked.
"Uh... I wasn't even born yet…" Sougo replied awkwardly, glancing at Woz, expecting his future servant to know more.
Woz furrowed his brow but remained silent.
"...I see." Kagami left, a shadow of doubt clouding his face.
Sougo and Woz exchanged glances and split off to investigate the Kabuto Ride Watch. There was no time to waste.
Elsewhere… breaking news flashed on television.
"We interrupt this program for urgent news. A massive meteorite is on a collision course with Earth. It's expected to strike Tokyo. This is the largest meteorite recorded in history."
Ola, watching the report, immediately contacted Ryuga.
"I'll go check it out. Stay safe at home," he assured her and left.
Though the meteorite was several dozen meters wide—something Sougo could probably handle—Ryuga was more worried about what might be following it: something far, far larger.
Sougo soared into space, clad in Fourze Armor.
"It's huge!" he gasped, staring at the massive rock hurtling through the void.
"A bit shocked already?" Ryuga appeared through a portal beside him. "You're reacting too early."
"Whoa! Ryuga! You can survive in space without transforming?!" Sougo yelled. "And how can I hear you?! We're in space!"
"No idea how your voice is working, but I use energy as a transmission medium."
"And you should stop gawking. If we don't stop it, it's going to hit Earth."
"Ah, right!" Sougo snapped out of it.
[Finish Time!]
[Fourze!]
"Cosmic Rocket Swing Kick!" Sougo's armor morphed into a spinning rocket and slammed into the meteorite.
[Limit Time Break!]
As Ryuga predicted, the first meteorite was no threat. Sougo blasted through it easily, shattering it into harmless fragments. Most of the Worms inside were destroyed or sent drifting into space.
"Nice—wh... what the hell?!"
Sougo's words caught in his throat as a terrifying sight appeared.
A second meteorite—dark red, stretching beyond the horizon. Compared to this, the first one was a pebble.
How had they not seen this earlier?
He realized it must've been like missing Mount Tai—a threat too vast to grasp.
"You've got to be kidding…" Sougo muttered, overwhelmed.
"Told you, you were surprised too early," Ryuga replied, studying the behemoth. It was easily ten times the size of the one that killed the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.
If it hit, humanity wouldn't survive.
Fortunately, the interior was mostly hollow and filled with Worms. For reasons unknown, they always seemed to use meteorites as their motherships.
"Ryuga! Brother Ryuga! You have a way to stop this, right?!" Sougo asked desperately.
"Of course. We'll destroy it—with brute force."
Ryuga preferred simple solutions—like opening a black hole—but he wasn't strong enough to control one that large yet. If he could, he'd be unstoppable.
"Wait, seriously? We can really just kick it to pieces?" Sougo asked, uncertain.
"What are you afraid of?" Ryuga replied coolly. "If things go south, the Old Demon King himself will show up and obliterate it. Don't forget—you've got the ultimate man backing you."
Sougo: "…"
Honestly, he'd rather not be backed by the Overlord of Evil.
Still… hearing that gave him a strange sense of relief.
"Anyway, head back for now. The meteorite still has some distance to cover," Ryuga said as he stepped into a portal.
"Wha—wait! Don't leave me here!"
But the portal closed in his face.
"Seriously?! You couldn't just take me with you?!"
To be fair, Ryuga had completely forgotten. By the time he realized it, the portal had closed. Reopening it would just expose the fact that he forgot Sougo.
So… of course! This was training! All for Sougo's own good.
Plan approved.
With that, Ryuga hummed to himself and began walking toward the 9-5 Do.