"ROAR—!!"
With a fierce howl, Dragreder hefted its twin massive shields and charged straight at the Afterglow Swarm King.
Its blazing figure streaked through space, leaving a dazzling trail behind.
Standing atop Dragreder's head, Sora's dragon-scaled coat fluttered dramatically in the void behind him.
Witnessing this scene, the Afterglow Swarm King wasn't idle either!
Though all its previously stored stars had been stolen by Sora, one more star—recently transported—still remained.
Even if only this last one was left, it was more than enough to deal with these two pests before its eyes!
[You despicably shameless, thieving insects!]
The screeching hiss of the Afterglow Swarm King clashed with Dragreder's ferocious roar, signaling another fierce battle erupting in the void of space!
Rapidly devouring the star's energy, the Afterglow Swarm King's body began radiating blinding brilliance as it replaced the star's glow.
Golden patterns shimmered across its carapace, and dazzling clusters of starlight formed all around, lighting up the void.
Guided by the Afterglow Swarm King, these newborn star clusters relentlessly bombarded forward, triggering countless violent explosions throughout space.
Once the fiery storms faded, not a trace of debris remained where Dragreder had been.
[You pathetic weaklings dare steal from me?!]
Seeing empty space stretching out before it, the Afterglow Swarm King naturally assumed its foes had been obliterated.
Yet soon, it felt something wrong—why was there this inexplicable sense of familiarity again?
Moreover, a faint pain throbbed from one of its insect limbs.
This strange sensation kept its guard up, even though its enemies appeared to have vanished!
At that exact moment, a mirrored illusion suddenly shimmered into existence amidst the void!
Dragreder, shields at the ready, reappeared, crashing straight into it.
Meanwhile, a blazing red sword swung mercilessly toward the insect limb that had been faintly aching!
Sora had used this technique before. Previously, he'd ducked into the [Mirror World] to execute a successful ambush.
Since history was repeating itself, he naturally wouldn't waste this perfect opportunity!
!!!!
Instant terror surged through the Afterglow Swarm King, but heightened vigilance allowed it to react!
Flapping its wings frantically and twisting its body sharply, it forced Dragreder's twin shields to slam into its toughest armor plating instead.
Due to the sudden twist, Sora's flaming blade also crashed down onto the creature's heavily armored head.
[This pitiful trick won't be enough to ambush me—you're twenty thousand years too early!]
Afterglow roared triumphantly, opening its mouth brimming with stellar energy toward Sora.
The searing heat gathered within could easily vaporize Sora instantly, leaving not even ashes behind in space!
This is the fate of thieves who steal from me!
Malicious amusement filled the Afterglow Swarm King's eyes. You dared steal my treasures, yet still hoped to defeat me?
But right then, two dazzling lights appeared simultaneously behind it—instantly registering within its senses.
This is… a newly born god, the AEON of Propagation?!
Afterglow realized something was terribly wrong, but it was too late!
From behind, a pair of razor-sharp blades flashed brilliantly through space—
Two insect limbs were cleanly severed, falling silently into the void. Titania stood proudly, crystalline blades formed from her pincers glowing fiercely.
This time, Titania herself had joined the battle personally.
She could create mirrors from crystals and wield crystal pincers in direct assaults. Furthermore, these pincers specifically countered insect-kind—making Titania indisputably the ideal partner to accompany Sora into battle against the swarm.
And as expected, she didn't disappoint him—her successful ambush effortlessly sliced off two of the Afterglow Swarm King's limbs!
"Hahaha! Behold the almighty power of a god!" Titania boasted triumphantly, striking again at the enraged Swarm King.
Distracted by Titania behind it, the Afterglow Swarm King failed to stop Dragreder, who relentlessly hammered at it with twin shields.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Dragreder had no finesse in sword techniques, but brute-force shield-bashing was its specialty.
As its relentless blows fell, Dragreder even found an oddly satisfying rhythm.
More importantly, this particular insect could endure the beating, enabling Dragreder to fully express its artistic talent!
But the Afterglow Swarm King, unwillingly serving as Dragreder's percussion instrument, could no longer tolerate this humiliation.
Intense pain surged through its consciousness, though humiliation overwhelmed even the agony.
[You wretched pests!]
Afterglow screeched again, its body exploding into blinding brilliance!
Titania immediately sensed the danger and attempted to retreat.
Yet she quickly discovered she couldn't slip back into the crystal mirrors she had created.
Then suddenly, someone violently kicked her from behind, sending her directly through the crystalline mirror.
The moment Titania entered safely, an unimaginably brilliant solar storm capable of incinerating any lifeform exploded outward!
Within the [Mirror World], Titania turned around—immediately recognizing who else could've kicked her besides Sora?
"What are you looking at me for? Without my help, you'd be either dead or severely injured right now."
Only Sora and Dragreder could freely enter the [Mirror World]; anyone else would find it nearly impossible. Without Sora's sudden kick, Titania really might've ended up badly hurt or worse.
Titania listened quietly, finally nodding in reluctant acceptance.
Yet, she secretly frowned, suspecting Sora had simply used this as an excuse to exact petty revenge.
And indeed, Titania wasn't wrong—Sora truly had seized this chance to settle old scores.
Earlier on Tartaro, Titania had tricked him thoroughly; this was his overdue payback.
Could Titania prove that Sora was settling scores, though?
No chance whatsoever!
Sora laughed smugly inside, this small victory briefly soothing his exhausted mind.
"Growl~" (That bug out there is super tough, though.)
Dragreder interrupted, redirecting their attention away from petty revenge and back toward the main threat.
Afterglow was clearly a troublesome enemy.
At long range, there was the devastating [Stellar Ray Torrent]. In close quarters, it unleashed the deadly [Storm of Annihilation!].
Not to mention the mass area bombardment from the countless stars it summoned.
Almost perfect—powerful area attacks, lethal melee prowess, and formidable defenses forcing opponents to keep their distance.
Every ability was top-tier. It didn't just look hard to beat; it genuinely was incredibly tough.
Though Dragreder could withstand its strikes temporarily, no one knew exactly how long that would last.
If the Swarm King kept attacking relentlessly, Dragreder's durability would inevitably falter.
"Relax. It'll be finished soon enough."
Sora glanced meaningfully at the star the Swarm King had brought over.
This time, the Afterglow Swarm King no longer had an unlimited energy source backing it. Unlike their last encounter, it wouldn't push Sora to the brink again!
"Tch. Fine, I'll trust you just this once."
Though Titania couldn't fathom the source of Sora's confidence, she ultimately decided to rely on him.
As their brief respite ended, the trio within the Mirror World resumed their fight outside.
Together, they began steadily wearing down the Afterglow Swarm King's dwindling reserves of energy.
Afterglow naturally knew what its enemies were plotting, yet it was utterly powerless to stop them.
Among these three foes, despite Dragreder's massive size, it posed the least threat. Instead, the two tiny ants were far more dangerous!
Titania, being a newborn AEON of Propagation, was understandable; Propagation naturally suppressed beings like itself.
Yet the Afterglow Swarm King was utterly baffled—why does that blazing guy wrapped in flames hurt me just as much!?
It couldn't comprehend it. It'd painstakingly defended against Titania, this freshly risen god, only to turn its head and find two more of its already dwindling limbs chopped clean off.
[Just what the hell are you!?]
Afterglow hissed furiously at Sora.
"I'm just a passing-by Kamen Rider. Remember that!" Sora responded seriously after hearing its words.
Afterglow froze in shock. It never imagined Sora could actually understand its words.
Even among the Swarm, only fellow insects could comprehend their language—no other beings could ever understand.
Yet now, Sora had clearly replied directly to its words…
Was it mere coincidence? Or could it possibly mean…?
An icy chill instantly swept through the Afterglow Swarm King's enormous body.
If Sora could understand insect language all along, then its earlier communication with Starcrusher Swarm King meant…
Afterglow quickly connected its present miserable state to the distant encampment they'd targeted earlier.
Their enemy likely intended to catch insects in a trap!
Realizing this, the Afterglow Swarm King instantly unleashed another burst of its [Storm of Annihilation].
The raging solar tempest forced Sora to quickly retreat into the [Mirror World].
Using this brief opportunity, the Afterglow Swarm King sent out one final desperate message to all swarm members.
It has to reach them—please, let it reach them!
[Afterglow calling Starcrusher, Afterglow calling Starcrusher! Do not approach! This isn't their nest! It's a trap, it's a trap!!]
Swarm resonance immediately propagated the Afterglow Swarm King's desperate warning across vast distances.
Moments later, Starcrusher Swarm King—already racing toward the battle—received the message.
Upon receiving the warning, Starcrusher Swarm King briefly halted its charge.
[A trap, you say? Even if it's a trap, I must still come—for you remain there!]
The next instant, gleaming silver stripes covered Starcrusher Swarm King's sapphire-blue body.
Activating the power inherited from Diabolical Swarm King, Starcrusher Swarm King's speed instantly surged to the extreme.
Surpassing lightspeed in an instant, it pulverized every insect in its path into clouds of cosmic dust.
At the same time, the Afterglow Swarm King was reaching its final moments.
The star energy stored within its body gradually faded, and its waning starlight reflected its approaching end.
"If we lure the Afterglow into releasing one more solar storm, that star's energy should finally be exhausted," Sora remarked thoughtfully.
He couldn't help but sigh—previously, this creature had forced him into activating the [Time Vent] card just to secure victory.
Who knew that simply depriving it of its energy sources would make the battle this straightforward?
"It's all because you have me, a god, here by your side! Of course, it became easy," Titania huffed proudly.
With the Afterglow Swarm King soon finished, only Starcrusher remained. And once all was done, she and Sora would have their showdown.
"When that time comes, I'll defeat you openly and honestly. You'd better be ready!" Titania declared to Sora.
"Let's handle what's in front of us first," Sora shook his head tiredly, wanting nothing more than a short rest.
Afterglow stood quietly in the void. Even with its star's energy running dry, it didn't panic.
It knew clearly it wouldn't leave here alive, having already warned Starcrusher.
Now, it only sought to unleash one final, glorious burst of brilliance.
The slender dragon and the two figures emerged once more from the mirrored starscape.
Upon seeing them appear again, the Afterglow Swarm King instantly launched an assault!
Dazzling clusters of stars materialized around its enormous body, their target clear: the trio confronting it.
[In my final moments, be devoured by my radiance…]
The shining stars surged toward Sora's group.
Yet, Sora felt perplexed by this counterattack. Though numerous, the stars were far less destructive than the previous solar storms.
Why would Afterglow suddenly switch to this weaker method?
As Titania glanced carefully at the Afterglow Swarm King, realization suddenly struck her.
"Sora! This creature is rapidly gathering huge amounts of energy inside its body!"
In Titania's eyes, dense energy streams surged violently within the Afterglow Swarm King's massive frame.
It looked precisely like an explosive insect from the swarm!
Combined with the fading star inside its body, the amassed energy was more than enough to trigger a miniature supernova.
"We can't let it finish!" Sora instantly understood and made his decision without hesitation.
'[FINAL VENT]'
Dragreder transformed once again into a blazing chariot, charging forward with Sora atop.
Though the Afterglow Swarm King was busy charging up energy, it wasn't completely oblivious.
Just as Sora reached its side, another raging solar storm erupted outward!
Dragreder quickly returned to its dragon form, sheltering Sora protectively as it chose to endure the full brunt of this solar tempest head-on.
Burning energies seared across Dragreder's scales, leaving scorched marks all over its body.
But as the solar storm finally ended, countless brilliant stars surged toward Sora.
"Then once more!"
'[FINAL VENT]'
Sora leaped free from Dragreder's protective embrace.
Fully synced in mind, Dragreder twisted its body once more, forming a protective barrier around Sora.
Sora twisted agilely in the vacuum of space, narrowly dodging each incoming star until Dragreder opened its jaws, releasing a burst of flames—propelling Sora forward!
'[RIDER KICK!!]'
"Haaaaaaaah—!!"
Like a crimson meteor, Sora crashed violently into the Afterglow Swarm King.
His precise target: a deep fissure on its carapace, created earlier by their hidden bombs. Sora's kick acted like a powerful wedge, forcing the crack to widen rapidly.
Crack-crack-crack…!
The brittle cracking sound filled Sora's ears, and the next instant he burst straight into the insect's massive body!
BOOM—!!!
A radiant burst of dazzling white brilliance instantly illuminated all visible space.
"It's truly… a moment of radiance," someone murmured in awe, gazing at the breathtaking white glow blossoming far away.