After returning from the investigation room, Tsutsumi walked calmly beside Glynda as they made their way back toward the classroom. The hallway felt quieter than usual, not because it actually was, but because of the way people reacted the moment they saw him. Conversations died down, footsteps slowed, and more than a few students subtly moved aside to give him space.
Glynda kept her posture straight and her pace steady, but her thoughts were anything but settled. As an instructor, she had dealt with difficult students before, arrogant ones, reckless ones, even those who struggled with the reality of what it meant to become a Huntsman or Huntress. But Tsutsumi was different. It wasn't just his power or what he had done in Vale. It was the way he carried it, as if none of it mattered enough to weigh on him.
That was what made him difficult to handle.
She glanced at him briefly, but Tsutsumi's expression remained the same, indifferent and calm, as if the stares and whispers around him didn't exist.
By the time they reached the classroom, word had already spread.
The moment the door opened, the noise inside the room dropped almost immediately. Dozens of eyes turned toward them, but most of them weren't looking at Glynda.
They were looking at him.
News of what happened in Vale had traveled fast, and like most things, it had only grown more intense as people passed it around. Some spoke about how he wiped out an entire group of White Fang members in seconds. Others talked about how he killed Roman Torchwick and Neopolitan without hesitation. And then there were the ones who focused on what he did to team RWBY, how he fought them, how easily he crushed them.
Fear spread quickly in a place like Beacon, especially among students who were only just beginning to understand what real combat looked like.
And where there was fear, resentment followed close behind.
Some resented him because of what he had done. Others resented him because of his attitude. Strength like his wasn't something they could understand or reach, and that gap only made things worse.
Then there was Pyrrha. Even after everything, she still stood beside him without hesitation. She didn't avoid him, didn't question him in front of others, didn't treat him any differently. That alone was enough to stir jealousy among many students.
To them, Pyrrha Nikos was someone untouchable, someone they admired from afar. And yet, she chose him. It didn't sit well with a lot of people.
On top of that, there were those who couldn't accept what happened to team RWBY. They saw it as something personal, even if they had no real connection to the team beyond admiration and distant interest.
It didn't matter that RWBY had attacked first. That part was conveniently ignored.
And then there were the ones who simply refused to believe everything they heard.
They convinced themselves that the stories were exaggerated, that there was no way someone like Tsutsumi could be that powerful. They clung to whatever reasoning they could find, picking apart past events to justify their doubts.
Like the team exam.
If he was really that strong, why did he stay back? Why did his team handle most of the fighting while he supported from a distance? To them, that was proof enough that the rumors didn't add up.
It was easier to believe that than to accept the truth.
...
"No matter what others say about you, or what happens, I'll always be by your side."
Pyrrha's voice was soft, but steady, carrying a quiet certainty that didn't waver even in the face of everything that had happened. She stood near his bed, watching him as he lay there, one arm resting behind his head, clearly having no intention of attending class again.
Tsutsumi didn't respond right away. The room was quiet, the kind of silence that wasn't uncomfortable, but also wasn't easy. It lingered for a few seconds before he finally spoke.
"I'm telling you, Pyrrha, you're digging your own grave."
His tone wasn't harsh, just matter-of-fact, as if he was pointing out something obvious. He turned his head slightly, looking away from her instead of meeting her eyes.
Pyrrha didn't seem bothered by that. If anything, her smile softened just a little.
She had spent enough time around him to understand what that meant. He wasn't pushing her away because he didn't care. It was the opposite. In his own way, he was warning her, trying to keep her from getting caught up in whatever path he was on.
And that was exactly why she stayed.
"I'll take that risk," she replied gently.
There was no hesitation in her voice, no second thoughts. She wasn't trying to argue with him or convince him of anything. She was simply stating her choice.
Tsutsumi didn't respond again.
He remained still for a moment, his gaze fixed somewhere else, his expression unreadable. The quiet stretched on, but this time, it felt a little heavier.
Pyrrha didn't press him further. She knew when to stop.
After giving him one last look, she turned and walked toward the door. Her steps were light, unhurried, and before leaving, she paused briefly, her hand resting on the handle.
Then, without saying anything else, she stepped out and closed the door behind her.
The room fell silent again.
For a while, Tsutsumi didn't move. He just lay there, staring at nothing in particular, as if lost in his own thoughts. The distant sounds of the academy carried faintly through the walls, but they felt far away, disconnected from the stillness inside the room.
Eventually, he exhaled quietly and sat up.
His movements were slow, unbothered, as if he had already made up his mind about something. Swinging his legs off the bed, he stood up and stretched slightly before raising his hand.
A ripple of light formed in front of him.
The air shimmered, folding in on itself as an Aurora Curtain opened, its surface glowing faintly with shifting colors. It didn't make a sound, but its presence filled the room in a way that was hard to ignore.
Tsutsumi looked at it for a brief second. Without another thought, he stepped forward and walked straight into it.
The moment he passed through, the curtain closed behind him, the light collapsing in on itself until it vanished completely, leaving the room exactly as it was before.
...
Appearing in a new world, Tsutsumi stood still for a moment, letting his surroundings settle in his vision. The architecture was familiar, tall buildings, narrow streets, signs written in a language he had seen many times before.
"Japan again…" he murmured under his breath.
There was nothing unusual about the place at first glance. The roads were intact, the buildings stood tall, and everything looked like it should have been filled with people going about their day.
But it wasn't. There was no movement.
No sound of traffic, no voices, no distant noise of life continuing somewhere out of sight. Even the wind felt… absent, like the entire city had been paused and left behind.
Tsutsumi slowly turned his head, scanning left, then right, then behind him. His gaze moved carefully, not missing any detail, yet no matter where he looked, the result was the same.
"…Why does this place feel so empty?" he added quietly.
He took a few steps forward, his footsteps echoing faintly against the pavement, the sound traveling farther than it should have in a normal city.
"This place is like a ghost city…"
Before he could continue, a distant sound broke the stillness.
A low rumble, followed by the sharp crash of something collapsing.
Tsutsumi's gaze immediately shifted toward the source. His eyes narrowed slightly as he focused, and within seconds, he caught sight of it.
A massive, glowing purple orb hovered in the distance.
It moved through the city with unnatural ease, tearing through buildings as if they were made of paper. Structures crumbled on contact, reduced to debris in an instant as the orb carved its path forward before suddenly bending its trajectory, as if guided by intent rather than physics.
Tsutsumi watched it for a second longer. "Huh… Amusing."
There was no urgency in his voice, only mild curiosity. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a card and held it between his fingers.
Final Kamen Ride: W! Xtreme!
His form shifted instantly, his clothes changing as the familiar transformation took place. Without wasting any time, he closed his eyes for a brief moment and entered the Gaia Library.
The world around him dissolved into an endless stream of knowledge.
Countless shelves stretched infinitely in all directions, filled with the recorded information of this world. Tsutsumi didn't move randomly, he directly searched for something similar and multiple books appeared before him inside this world.
"200% Hollow Purple…" he murmured as the information flowed in.
He continued reading, his expression calm as he processed everything at an unnatural speed.
"Cursed Energy… a power source fueled by negative human emotions."
He lowered his gaze slightly, lifting one hand as he focused inward. Almost immediately, a faint magenta glow began to seep out from his body, forming a thin, spirit-like aura around his fingers.
It drifted outward for a brief moment.
Then, just as quickly, it was pulled back in. The moment he understood it, control followed naturally.
Tsutsumi flexed his fingers once, the energy settling quietly within him.
"…So that's how it works."
A sudden explosion echoed through the city behind him, snapping his attention back to reality. The shockwave rolled through the air, distant but strong enough to confirm that whatever was happening out there was far from small-scale.
Tsutsumi opened his eyes again, a faint smile forming as he rested his fingers lightly under his chin.
"Interesting… my innate technique, Framerate Drop. A glitch in reality again."
His gaze shifted back toward the source of the explosion, the faint glow of destruction still visible in the distance.
"The battle between them…" he continued, his tone thoughtful but clearly intrigued. "I'm sure they won't mind me joining."
Behind him, the Xtreme Memory materialized in midair, its presence accompanied by a stream of green data that descended from it. The moment it connected with him, his body was pulled into the flow, dissolving into light before being carried rapidly across the city.
Within seconds, the data stream descended into the center of the battlefield.
Two figures stood amidst the destruction.
One, tall and composed, with white hair and an almost casual stance despite the devastation around him.
The other, far more ominous, with slick back black hair and black markings on his body, his presence alone carrying a weight that warped the atmosphere.
As the data stream landed between them, Tsutsumi stepped out, his form reassembling as the light faded.
He now wore black pants and a simple shirt, layered with a magenta haori. The kanji for "TEN" rested clearly on his back.
Both figures turned their attention toward him.
Gojo Satoru, the Strongest Sorcerer of Today, tilted his head slightly, curiosity evident in his blue eyes. "Who are you?"
Sukuna, the King of Curses, the Strongest Sorcerer of History, narrowed his eyes, studying him with clear disinterest. "A human?"
Tsutsumi Ryoko, the Passing-through Rider, glanced between them, completely at ease despite standing between two of the most dangerous beings in this world.
"You can call me Decade," he said simply. "Small party you're having here. Mind if I join?"
Gojo let out a small chuckle, a smirk forming on his face. "Oh? Confident, aren't you?"
Sukuna, on the other hand, didn't entertain the conversation for long. He raised his hand slightly, two fingers pointing toward Tsutsumi.
"I have no interest in weaklings," he said coldly. "Dismantle."
Invisible slashes tore through the air, racing toward Tsutsumi with lethal precision.
"Frame-Skip." Tsutsumi spoke casually, and in the next instant, his body flickered, glitching out of existence for a fraction of a second.
The slashes passed through where he had been, continuing forward and slicing cleanly through a nearby building instead.
Sukuna's eyes widened slightly. Before he could react further, Tsutsumi was already behind him, their back turn toward each other.
"Is that all?" Tsutsumi said, tilting his head slightly.
Sukuna immediately turned, bringing his arm up to block, but the moment Tsutsumi's elbow connected, the impact sent him flying. His body tore through multiple buildings before finally stopping, debris collapsing around him.
Tsutsumi didn't move from his spot.
His base strength alone was already beyond normal human limits, and with reinforcement mage craft, aura, and cursed energy reinforcing his body, even a simple strike carried overwhelming force.
Sukuna rose from the rubble moments later, his arms visibly broken before quickly regenerating back to normal.
A grin spread across his face. "Interesting… maybe you aren't a letdown after all."
Before anything else could happen, Gojo's voice cut in from the side. "Hey, did you two forget about me?"
Two massive sections of buildings were lifted into the air and hurled toward them. Both Tsutsumi and Sukuna reacted instantly.
Sukuna's fingers moved again, slicing his incoming structure into countless pieces, while Tsutsumi's body glitched, appearing upward as he repositioned himself effortlessly.
In the next moment, all three moved at once.
Tsutsumi reappeared beside Gojo midair, while Sukuna charged through the debris, closing in from the opposite side.
They attacked simultaneously. Strikes came from both directions, fast and precise, yet neither of them landed. Gojo remained untouched, his Infinity stopping every attack just short of contact.
There was a brief pause as the three hovered in place.
Then, almost at the same time, faint smiles appeared.
Without another word, they continued, exchanging blows in midair, their movements fast enough to blur, the space around them warping slightly under the pressure of their clash.