“Hmm? Are you mentally broken already?”

“………”

“Whatever. Finish him.”

Monster GM Rider lifted a weakly struggling Kamen Rider Rogue and propped him up, while another GM Rider, Magnum, took up the position as an executioner with his gun at the ready.

“This is where a dream ends! You mortals just should go and be the monkeys to keep us entertained!”

BANG!

‘I don’t want this, please… stop!’

“Hm?”

In that split second, just after the energy bullet left the Magnum Shooter 40X’s muzzle, the transformed Star God Kagaseo, Kamen Rider Glare-X, looked up, having sensed a buildup of divine energy from somewhere in this dreamscape. It was very faint, but he can still sense it, making Glare-X somewhat giddy with anticipation. In response, he abruptly, but subtly, waved his fingers just as the energy bullet was about to hit Rogue.

A golden comet emerged from out of nowhere and intercepted the bullet only several steps in front of Rogue and Monster, engulfing them in a fiery explosion. In the ensuing shockwave, Rogue managed to break free from Monster’s chokehold and fell sprawling on the floor. For the umpteenth time, the transformed Grand Mage felt greatly disoriented, this time from the point-blank explosion that suddenly occurred in front of him.

“W-what just happened…?” he croaked, clutching his helmeted head.

Secret Mission Clear!

“Survive for 02:00 minutes.”

An emotionless female voice was heard announcing the completion of something throughout the arena. It was then that an object giving a faint golden glow emerged from the smoke in the aftermath of the explosion, drawing Rogue’s eyes to it.

“Huh… what an unexpected turn of events. Looks like you’re not going to die yet!” Glare-X sing-songed. Seeing Rogue still staring at that object, he then barked at the depowered zombie crocodile-themed Rider. “Hey, you! Hairless ape!”

“Grk!” Rogue responded with a start, bracing for another beatdown.

Under his breath, he scathingly commented that this god can’t even be consistent with terminology. First a monkey, then an ape. There are differences between the two, and this fact greatly irked Meteos Roguerider’s scholarly mind. But then again, Kagaseo was a god. Deities normally possess powers that defy the common sense of men, so they might as well do whatever they want. Kagaseo even talked in modern-day slurs, which was a far cry from the dignified tone that the depictions of deities in media would use.

But then again, Kagaseo was a god—and a rebel one, at that.

However, those hits never came. Instead, Glare-X nonchalantly spoke to Rogue while his enslaved Riders stood by nearby.

“Hurry up and use that Raise Buckle for a Round Two. I’ll wait.”

“………?”

“Come on! Just pick it up! It’s not that hard even for a hairless ape, right—oh, yeah, by the way, congratulations. By surviving for this long, you have graduated from a monkey to an ape. Henceforth, you will be considered as such… by me! Yaaaay!” Glare-X drawled, fully intending to infuriate Rogue.

Even though Rogue wanted to get up and give the god a piece of his mind, as he tried to walk forward, his knees buckled causing him to collapse on the spot. Yet, he began to feel numb, unable to grip or move anything around, and all he could do was lie on his stomach with bile beginning to fill in his throat and a bitter glare being sent his opponent’s way. He still couldn’t believe the fate that had been imposed on humanity, and now him especially when he was thrown into a torture chamber where he would continue to be nothing but an object of mockery as long as he exists. He didn’t even enter Hell yet, but it sure feels like he’s already within one.

In this grand stage of fools, Rogue felt his strength sapping away from him, refusing to obey his mind’s command to stand up and fight. He could hear Glare-X’s menacing footsteps closing on him.

The transformed god let out a deep sigh, “…I often heard that the so-called greatest strength of you worthless apes are your resilience and perseverance. It is said that your kind will endure extreme hardships and bounce back from adversity to retaliate twice as fiercely. What a load of hot air. In truth, you are just colossal assholes and hypocrites with an overinflated ego even more so than the ‘Light-Winged Devils’ you hate so much. I often see you overhyped fucks accuse other kinds for being arrogant savages, yet you forget that when you point a finger at someone, your three other fingers are pointing back at yourself. Some of you even think that you can simply nuke God. Proud of your civilization? Your technological advancement? Military? Wanting to declare war against ‘savages’ left, right, and center, huh!? ‘For the glory of mankind!?’ ‘Peace through power!?’ Let’s see if one or two catastrophes can’t wipe that stupid smirk off your kind’s faces! That is why the higher beings laugh at you and plot for your misery as long as your kind continues to exist. The higher beings let you prosper, and when you think that you have come to the pinnacle and turn arrogant on your own, they will take it all away and celebrate as you crash into oblivion. Then, when your kind is at its lowest point, you dare to turn to the gods for help after forgetting them for so long. Bah!” Glare-X spat. “…I hadn’t even reached the part where humans’ own worlds were destroyed by their own folly. You are the source of your very own suffering. You deserve nothing but contempt!”

When Glare-X stopped near the golden Raise Buckle, he gave it a light nudge with his boot, sending the item closer to Rogue’s reach.

“Though… you’re always free to prove me wrong and double down on your bullshit.”

However, Rogue remained silent.

“Get up,” Glare-X ordered. “That item contains power far more potent than your ZombieBoost Form. If you give me a good fight, you still have the chance to survive and earn your right to reincarnate. I chose this format because it will be easy for you to gain powers and it limits my own godly power. I won’t delete you by accident as long as I am in this suit. As long as you still desire happiness, the fight is still on. That was your desire, isn’t it?”

Rogue did not answer. He just continued staring at that Raise Buckle while holding back the urge to vomit in frustration.

“Why are you hesitating!? I thought you wanted to live!? I thought you wanted to defy fate and make right things that once went wrong!? I thought you had wanted to seize your dreams, happiness, and ideal world!? Or was that all a load of crap!?”

“…I don’t need to hear all that… Out of all souls you choose to torment, why it has to be me…?” Rogue murmured quietly after a long silence. “……This is the worst… It hurts so bad… and I can’t stand it… Yet…”

Mustering all the strength he could gather, Rogue’s right hand snatched the golden Raise Buckle and clutched it tightly.

“I still have to fight, huh…?”

Glare-X smirked as he watched Rogue slowly stand up and turned to face him. “That’s it… if you don’t fight, you won’t survive!”

Thanks to the knowledge gained from touching the ID Core, Rogue was able to properly use this golden Raise Buckle as well. He pressed the button on top of the Desire Driver to unlock its revolving function before slamming the golden Raise Buckle into the empty slot.

REVOLVE ON!

SET! FEVER!

As the standby loop sounded and Rogue pulled the golden buckle’s lever, the Zombie armor briefly detached itself from the suit and morphed, hovering downwards to prepare to attach to Rogue’s lower half. Even though this item, called the Feverslot Buckle, has a chance to grant a very powerful form, its effectiveness in battle depends entirely on luck. This time, Rogue’s roll resulted in the buckle displaying what would be a mismatched form for the Zombie Buckle.

BEAT!

“Beat?” Rogue grimaced.

HIT! BEAT!

The newly manifesting Beat armor was slammed by the transformation mechanism into Rogue’s suit. It was a sound-based form, with a set of armor adorned with loudspeakers and an electric guitar-shaped axe called the Beat Axe as this form’s main weapon.

From his place, Glare-X gestured for Magnum and Monster to attack. While Rogue used his axe to guard against Magnum’s bullet barrage, Monster closed in for a melee. Occasionally the crocodilian Rider performs wide swings in an attempt to keep Monster at a distance and close in on Magnum, but having to contend with two enemies at once proved a difficult task for him. However, he was not without his own countermeasures, such as trying to dodge, block, or parry the incoming attacks that were hurled his way.

As long as Glare-X decides to just stand by and watch the fight…

Finally, Rogue managed to get into Magnum’s range where he swung down his Beat Axe with all of his might and connected, sending the gunslinger GM Rider tumbling with fiery sparks from the hit. But Monster immediately lunged from behind his back while Rogue was distracted and struck at his left hand, the impact was hard enough to stagger Rogue and cause him to lose grip of his weapon.

“Shit!”

When Monster was about to attack again, Rogue brought his elbow to meet the fist and twisted his body to pin his enemy’s hand in place. This gave Rogue an opening to remove the Feverslot Buckle and inserted it again, pulling the lever once more.

“Once more!”

SET! FEVER!

“Only those who believe that they will win and survive can draw luck to them…” Glare-X nodded quietly as he watched. “Do you believe in your victory, Rogue?”

Even though this was set to be a hopeless fight, Rogue had no other choice but to believe that he will survive. Only then he could realize his dreams, happiness, and ideal world. In Rogue’s mind, this is what he believed.

The roll felt like it lasted for an eternity until finally…

ZOMBIE!

Rogue gasped. His roll had hit the jackpot.

HIT! FEVER… ZOM~BIEEEE!

The mismatched upper armor vanished as soon as the announcement was heard, replaced by a Zombie-based upper armor to match Rogue’s lower half. Not only that, to complete this Fever Zombie Form, another golden shoulder cape manifested on Rogue’s right shoulder. Meanwhile, the Zombie Breaker, previously lost from Rogue’s hand, materialized back in his right hand.

While Glare-X laughed, the air crackled with tension as Rogue faced off against Monster and Magnum, preparing for the second round.

“Commence attack,” Glare-X ordered.

With a thunderous battle cry, Monster charged forward and unleashed a flurry of devastating punches. Rogue deftly parried the first strike, the metallic clang and sparks filled the battlefield. The Zombie Breaker whirred to life as Rogue brought it to slice Monster’s armor, and when he continued to relentlessly press the attack, his powerful strike forced Monster to stagger backward. This was capitalized by Rogue with a kick using his Berserclaw-equipped right foot.

Meanwhile, Magnum weaved through the chaos, firing precise shots at Rogue. Energy bullets whizzed through the air, narrowly missing their target as Rogue dodged and deflected them with his blade whenever he could. But Magnum was relentless, constantly repositioning to maintain a clear shot.

‘I need to take that gunslinger out first…’ Rogue thought, then his eyes darted to Monster’s downed state. “I see.”

Rolling to avoid yet another shot, Rogue approached Monster and grabbed him by his chest armor. He then tossed him midair while his other hand reached for the Zombie Buckle’s Waking Key, twisting it once.

HYPER ZOMBIE STRIKE!

Rogue unleashed a wide horizontal slash with his roaring Zombie Breaker at Monster, sending him flying in Magnum’s direction. Even though Magnum rolled to the side to avoid his fellow GM Rider’s body, this gave Rogue an opening to charge at the gunslinger.

The startled Magnum quickly regained his bearings and quickly rolled again to dodge a diagonal slash from Rogue upon hearing his weapon’s noise, but Rogue immediately spun on his heels and slashed, this time hitting the white GM Rider. When Magnum desperately grabbed the Zombie Breaker to prevent it from severing him in two, both Riders were thus grappled with each other in a fierce struggle. Magnum’s lighter frame strained against Rogue’s stronger Fever Zombie Form, the Zombie Breaker grinding against Magnum’s armor.

“Huh!?”

As Monster recovered from the impact of being sent flying, he quickly regained his footing and charged toward Rogue from the side, aiming to catch him off guard. But before he could land a strike, Rogue swiftly turned and backhanded Monster using his arm-mounted Berserclaw with tremendous force, sending him sprawling to the ground again.

With Monster momentarily incapacitated, Rogue turned his attention back to Magnum, who was still locked in a desperate struggle to prevent the Zombie Breaker from tearing through his armor. Rogue’s grip on the Zombie Breaker tightened, and with a roar that he didn’t know he could do, he summoned every ounce of his strength. The chainsaw blade of the weapon revved louder, its teeth gnashing against Magnum’s shoulder. With one swift motion, Rogue swung it in a wide arc, cleaving through the gunslinger’s defenses.

Magnum let out a cry of pain and collapsed to the ground, defeated. Rogue stood over his fallen foe, his heavy breaths mingling with the atmosphere of the battlefield.

“Now’s the chance!” Rogue grunted. He reached for the Feverslot Buckle’s lever as soon as possible and pushed it forward to activate a finishing move.

GOLDEN FEVER VICTORY!

“HRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”

With a burst of golden energy in his right foot, Rogue’s armored boot descended on the fallen Magnum, delivering a bone-crushing stomp that sent shockwaves rippling through the battlefield. The force of the impact reverberated through Magnum’s body, causing him to cry out in agony. But Rogue wasn’t finished yet. He swiftly lifted his foot and brought it crashing down again, and then again, each stomp accompanied by a resounding thud. The ground trembled under the relentless assault, dust and debris billowed in the air. Each subsequent stomp carried the weight of Rogue’s newfound fury and determination, leaving no doubt of his intention to obliterate his defeated opponent.

And finally, as a finishing touch, Rogue kicked Magnum away, watching as the defeated gunslinger rider rolled before ending in a blue explosion. When the explosion subsided, there was no trace of Magnum.

‘I did it…!’

Just then, Glare-X stepped forward, clapping slowly and sarcastically. A smirk undoubtedly played underneath his helmet as he addressed Rogue.

“Bravo! It seems that you are attuning to that transformed form faster than I thought. It was not a mistake in choosing Kamen Rider-style fight as your reincarnation challenge, after all!”

In Kagaseo’s mind, Meteos, being a man known to wear a mask sometime in his life, and someone with the surname of ‘Roguerider,’ it was totally a waste not to make him a Kamen Rider, even if it can only happen in this afterlife. It was a match made in heaven—or Realm of the Dead, as in Kagaseo’s case. Maybe if he was born in that world, he would make for an anti-villain who will turn into an anti-hero or something as the events of that world progressed, but that was not Kagaseo’s plan, fortunately or unfortunately.

“Curse you and your twisted logic!” Rogue angrily yelled.

With Magnum defeated and reduced to atoms, Rogue’s attention swiftly shifted to Glare-X, the transformed god who had been watching the fight unfold with a mix of amusement and curiosity. Now that he had gotten used to fighting as Kamen Rider Rogue, he was able to calmly assess his opponents on the fly.

Rogue’s eyes analyzed Glare-X’s posture and the aura radiating from him. He knew he had to be cautious. Facing such a formidable opponent required strategy and precision. He had been the receiving end of Glare-X’s power throughout the first half of the fight, and the thought of engaging him head-on sent a shiver down his spine. It was even claimed that the Kamen Rider Glare-X’s suit even served to reduce the god’s power rather than enhance it like his own suit.

Glare-X gave the order again, his voice dripping with arrogance and confidence, “Monster, go get him!”

“Bring it on!”

Monster leaped to his feet and charged towards Rogue with armored gauntlets crackling with energy. Rogue, now fully aware of the impending threat, braced himself for the incoming assault. He tightened his grip on the Zombie Breaker, the chainsaw blade humming with anticipation. As Monster’s armored fist hurtled toward him, Rogue swung his weapon, intercepting the punch with a powerful clash of metal and sparks.

Exploiting Monster’s momentary imbalance from the impact, Rogue executed a swift twirl, his agile movements belying his bulky-looking undead-themed armor. Taking advantage of the opening, he delivered two consecutive slashes across Monster’s chest. Seizing the opportunity to further disorient his opponent, Rogue’s right foot shot upward, connecting with Monster’s helmet. This caused Monster to stagger backward as he struggled to maintain his balance.

Rogue pressed the advantage. He closed in on the stumbling Monster and with a quick succession of strikes, Rogue barraged Monster with a flurry of slashes and physical attacks using his limbs, each blow aimed at weak points in his opponent’s armor. Despite Monster’s attempts to retaliate, his strikes were expertly dodged and parried until Rogue decided to grab Monster’s neck and slammed him to the ground. With Meteos quickly adapting to the Rider System, the fight turned into a one-sided affair. The once-threatening Monster found himself on the receiving end of a relentless assault, unable to mount a significant counterattack.

MONSTER STRIKE!

“I won’t let you! HAA!”

POISON CHARGE! TACTICAL BREAK!

To meet Monster’s finishing move, Rogue pushed the pump-action mechanism on his Zombie Breaker to charge the weapon in purple poison energy and delivered a multitude of slashes that overpowered Monster’s own attack.

GOLDEN FEVER VICTORY!

Not letting up, Rogue lunged with another finisher, this time a charged Berserclaw that he slammed down at the downed Monster. In an instant, the sheer power reduced Monster to atoms just like Magnum before him.

“………”

Rogue stood over the remnants of the vanishing GM Rider, catching his breath. The Hypnorays previously used to control the GM Riders returned to Glare-X’s suit in a leisurely manner.

“Impressive, Rogue! You’ve surpassed my expectations. It seems I’ll finally get to experience a good fight!”

In response to Glare-X’s words, Rogue pointed his Zombie Breaker toward him.

“You might be a god, Kagaseo, and I know I’ll never win against you. But I will still fight for this life.”

“That’s the spirit! Prepare yourself!”

Rogue braced himself as Glare-X confidently stepped forward in this round three. With his Zombie Breaker raised, Rogue prepared to engage in an uphill battle. However, as the clash began, Rogue quickly realized that Glare-X was either humoring his resolve or just toying with him. He was inclined to believe it was the latter.

Glare-X, who for some reason decided not to use those annoying Hypnoray drones to harass him, relied solely on his bare hands in the fight. His movements were fluid, unpredictable, and incorporated strange moves. When Glare-X crouched down to avoid a swipe from Rogue’s Berserclaw, he for some reason lay prone and somehow managed to dodge Rogue’s attacks by doing a strange worm-like dance.

“What!?”

“Ahahahaha! Ahahahahahahahahaha!”

Rogue swung his Zombie Breaker from above in an attempt to end this infuriating display, but Glare-X, sensing this, balanced himself on his two hands and swiped at Rogue’s legs using his own. As a result, Rogue toppled mid-swing and fell over, his face was met with Glare-X’s uppercut.

“DORYAAA!”

“UAGH!”

Rogue flew through the air and landed in a heap at some distance from the triumphant Glare-X.

“As expected from a deity… E-even if he weakens himself, he’s still—!!!”

“MORE! Make me smile more!” Glare-X cackled as he ran in pursuit.

Still, Rogue struggled to his feet despite being battered by that nasty hit. He knew the odds were stacked against him, but if it means denying even just one god’s entertainment from watching his suffering, he won’t back down.

With a renewed sense of urgency, Rogue lunged forward, aiming a swift slash toward Glare-X. However, his attack was effortlessly evaded. With a mocking laugh, Glare-X taunted Rogue, goading him to fight harder. Undeterred, Rogue adjusted his stance. He feinted a punch with his Berserclaw, aiming to catch Glare-X off guard, but the deity saw through the deception and easily sidestepped the attack. Sensing an opportunity, Rogue swiftly followed up with a roundhouse kick, but Glare-X effortlessly ducked under it, avoiding the blow yet again.

Rogue’s frustration grew with each failed attempt to land a hit on Glare-X. Just by his own bare hands, the god was untouchable with his movements becoming even more fluid and unpredictable. Desperate, Rogue used his Zombie Breaker to try to parry and block each strike from Glare-X. It was then that Glare-X’s punches grew increasingly brutal and precise, each blow began hitting Rogue like trucks. Despite his best efforts, Rogue found himself being pushed back, his movements becoming more defensive than offensive. Glare-X’s strikes seemed to come from all angles, looking as if he was dancing to the rhythm of the universe.

In a fleeting moment of respite, Rogue spotted an opening in Glare-X’s onslaught. Seizing the opportunity, he launched a counterattack, swinging his Zombie Breaker in a wide arc. But Glare-X swatted his weapon like a fly.

POISON CHARGE! TACTICAL BREAK! HYPER ZOMBIE STRIKE!

Rogue managed to recover from that and the chainsaw roared once again. However, to Rogue’s bitter disappointment, Glare-X stood his ground and caught the finisher with his two fingers. Despite the force of the enhanced strike reverberated through the air, Glare-X was unaffected.

“Is that the best you’ve got?”

Glare-X retaliated with a lightning-fast barrage of strikes. With a final, powerful strike, Glare-X sent Rogue flying through the air once again. Its force propelled Rogue backward, his body spinning uncontrollably before crashing onto the ground with a resounding thud.

“Pathetic. If you enjoy flying so much, why don’t you change from a crocodile into a dragon with wings?” Glare-X snorted. “Let’s see if you can survive this!”

Glare-X deployed all Hypnorays from his armor and sent them at Rogue while spinning furiously, suppressing his movements as they ground against his armor.

“Gah!” Rogue screamed in pain, seeing Glare-X turn his back against him from the corner of his vision. He then swiped the Providence Card against the scanner twice.

SHUT DOWN

At the announcement, the Hypnorays sent Rogue flying toward Glare-X and begin to spin around him at a blinding speed, forming an energy ring-like formation. As a follow-up, Glare-X jumped at the ring and kicked it, making him bounce off of it and fly towards Rogue in a flying side kick. Glare-X then keeps bouncing off the ring and kicking his target in a pinball-like manner until he finally came in with a final kick that violently exploded on Rogue.

The force of Glare-X’s Shut Down was so overwhelming that it forced Rogue’s Rider form to shatter and dissipate, leaving him exposed and vulnerable. Now back as Meteos, his senses were filled with nothing but pain, gasping for breath as he struggled to lift himself from the ground. For him, it seemed that the torture was about to conclude with the erasure of his soul.

After all his struggle to survive, it seemed that death is the only option for him after all.

“Well, well, well,” Kagaseo started, seeing his opponent’s powerless state. “It was fun while it lasts, but all good things must come to an end—wait a minute, if I pick the souls of your parents from the afterlife and threaten them at gunpoint here, will you muster enough motivation to fight again? What do you think? Hey, Roguerider! I need your opinion!”

“……….!”

The human’s chest ached to hear just how cruel this god can be, but at this point, he was too weak to even speak. All he could do was stare at Glare-X in a mix of defiance and grief.

“Oh, come on… you can’t be possibly beaten up that hard, right?” Glare-X complained. “Where’s your earlier zeal to live? Do you still want to live or not?”

“………I’m…”

Meteos forced himself to speak and descended into a coughing fit.

“In the first place, why do you even want to be reincarnated back in time so much? Don’t give me that ‘defying the higher beings who enjoyed seeing humanity’s misery’ bullshit. It’s all your pride. You can’t accept defeat from Japan so much that you can’t even stare at them without feeling envious. That’s what fuels your drive to create inventions after inventions in your previous life. I bet you will try to advance your own Holy Empire with your knowledge as soon as you’re reincarnated. That must be your brand of dreams, happiness, and ideal world. Am I wrong?”

“………”

“So it’s true? Heh. If there is someone out there who watches us right now, they must be feeling disgusted at just how selfish you are.”

Meteos scowled. To hell with those so-called audiences. They don’t get to dictate how he lives.

“But for someone to get rich, another person must be poor. You desire to bring happiness to an entire empire, but whose happiness will be sacrificed to realize that, huh?”

“If…” Meteos managed to utter amidst his ragged breathing. “What you are saying… is true… then… there’s no escaping it…”

“Ha?”

Glare-X was actually taken aback. He was expecting this human to deny those accusations and make excuses. Intriguing, he thought.

“I won’t deny it… those feelings are what drove me to achieve that many things in life… and they will continue to be my drive… even if… all my feelings… are my sins…!”

“I see. Most mortals cower when faced with the implications of their dreams. But you stand defiantly and embrace your ambitions like a rebel. You truly are a Roguerider. However!”

Glare-X raised his hand and formed a spinning purple energy ball.

“By not giving me a good enough fight, you greatly disappoint me. Time to die!”

…………

Within the expanse of this ethereal realm, another vantage point revealed another observer of the tumultuous clash that unfolded. And no, let it be known that this onlooker was not Meteos the reincarnator, who was currently watching with a maelstrom of emotions engulfing his being.

A feminine silhouette, adorned with a countenance as pallid as the moon’s glow and a disheveled appearance, was leaning against a pillar. Despite her visibly frail state, she desperately tried to keep standing up, refusing to succumb to her ailing constitution. Strands of her hair, typically colored a resplendent hue of emerald, now bore an unnatural tarnishing of ashen white streaks. Yet, even in this state, she still emanated an allure reminiscent of a goddess. She saw everything that unfolded between the soul of Meteos and the Star God Kagaseo.

She could not remember her own name and how she came to be like this, but she knows that she spent a very long time bedridden and staring at a certain beautiful blue planet traveling amidst the cold expanse of the universe. Even though she could not understand why she felt this way, seeing that world and the lives of those who walked upon it brought her an inexplicable sense of fondness. Even now, she could not remember the reasons behind her emotions, but an intense sorrow washed over her every time she sees Rogue, the transformed form of a soul who came from that world, being mercilessly pummeled by Glare-X, the transformed form of someone named Kagaseo who brought her here. As she observed the relentless assault, she felt an inexplicable connection to Rogue, a sense of empathy that tugs at her heart. She didn’t understand why she feels such profound sorrow, but an overwhelming desire welled up within her—a desire to end all the misery and suffering unfolding before her eyes.

In the midst of Glare-X’s brutal beatdown, she searched her fragmented memories, trying to piece together the puzzle of her own identity. She strained to recall any shred of information that might explain her connection to the ongoing struggle, but her mind remained frustratingly blank. However, the one thing that she could recall was that she possesses extraordinary power within her. She can sense a profound wellspring of divine energy residing within her very being. Though diminished, the presence of this divine power beckoned to her, yearning to be harnessed and unleashed.

“No…!”

It was at that climactic moment when Rogue, stripped of his transformation, lay at the mercy of Glare-X who was poised to delete his soul for eternity, that her heart rent with even greater anguish. Driven by an instinctive need to aid Rogue, she took a tentative step forward, intertwining her fingers in a semblance of supplication, as if reaching out in prayer.

“I… I don’t want this to continue… please… end this suffering! Grant him the power to resist…!”

As an answer to her desperate plea, a radiant glow emanated from her very form. With a breathtaking spectacle of divine potency, the amnesiac being unleashed a torrent of divine power that sent shockwaves through this ethereal scape.

…………

“This is—!”

Glare-X abruptly halted his attack. The divine energy that he sensed before surged again, this time imbued with an even more profound intensity. At the same time, a celestial azure glow enshrouded the expanse of the sky, accompanied by a mournful tolling of bells and an ethereal resonance that seemed to echo the lamentations of the heavens themselves. As the divine energy intensified, six luminous comets streaked across the sky, descending upon the lying Meteos.

“Huh……!?” amidst his delirium, the silverette noticed them and widened his eyes.

“Those are… all of them are Zombie Buckles!” Glare-X exclaimed before he turned his head down in contemplation. “But then again… the Zombie Buckle is a power that perfectly attunes to anyone whose desire is to not die and survive… Could it be, Roguerider’s desire finally resonated with her… moved her heart?”

Glare-X touched his forehead and laughed.

“It’s about time! SEIZE BACK YOUR DIVINITY…! ███████!!!”

“Who… what does that mean…!?” Meteos demanded.

“Be quiet and watch!”

In response, the Zombie Buckle that Meteos used shot upwards into the sky, converging with the six other Zombie Buckles and transforming before Meteos and Glare-X’s eyes, pulsating with energy and radiating a blue and white aura. The item’s design changed, now adorned with white designs and pulsating with an otherworldly light. The once Zombie Buckle had now evolved into something new. Glare-X brought his hands to shield himself from the shockwave that accompanied the transformation, but he stood his ground to see the new item gently placed itself on Meteos’ hand.

In the wake of this unexpected intervention, Meteos struggled to his feet despite the pain that ravaged his body and glanced at the item in his right hand.

“I see…” he murmured. “Star God Kagaseo… Would you mind… if we dance one more time…?”

“Why do you even need to ask? Defy me with all your might…! I will do it with pleasure…!”

Gritting his teeth, the human slammed the new buckle into the Desire Driver’s right-hand slot.

SET…! WARNING!

“I will bear my own sins… and live on! Henshin!”

The new Raise Buckle opened and roared in response to Meteos’ twisting of the white-colored Waking Key.

GROOOOOOOOWL! CRUSH OUT!

DANGEROUS…! ZOM~BIEEEE!

The armor parts that materialized around him proceeded to converge into the human who transformed into Rogue once again. However, instead of a black undersuit, Rogue was now clad in a navy blue base suit with white lines on his hands and legs, while the new form’s armor parts were all white in color. Even though it still retained the undead aesthetic, this form’s appearance was slimmer around the shoulders and legs, with two white flexible armor parts protruding from his back like wings. Rogue’s helmet was changed to match the form’s color as well, while his eyes now glowed blue. This was the Kamen Rider Rogue Dangerous Zombie Form, an armored figure which evokes the image of a prideful dragon who refused to lay down and die, thus rising as an ashen undead.

Rogue could feel his body infused with a mysterious power, granting him the strength to fight against his opponent once more.

READY…?

FIGHT!

“RAAAAAARGH!”

Rogue and Glare-X wasted no time in the stare-down and immediately charged at each other, their fight escalated into fierce hand-to-hand combat. Empowered by the Dangerous Zombie Form, Glare-X’s hits felt much more bearable than before, even though Rogue himself was still struggling against his opponent’s relentless assaults. When Glare-X tried to grab him for a throw, Rogue quickly recovered and managed to land a few punches at Glare-X’s chest, but he quickly retaliated, sending Rogue skidding on the ground.

Rogue rolled to avoid a stomp from Glare-X and caught his follow-up kick before sending him to the floor. Glare-X recovered his bearings just barely in time to guard against a devastating straight from Rogue, then grabbed him again by his armor and threw him to the ground once again. The trading blows continued where both Riders will deliver some successful hits, but will receive some in return. After deflecting Glare-X’s latest attack, Rogue jumped and performed a back kick which impacted his chest.

Seeing Glare-X thrown several steps backward, Rogue lunged at him again to continue his barrage of assaults.

“That’s right… I am selfish, and self-centered…!”

When the two’s attacks were hard enough to cause both of them to stumble backward and opened a distance between them, Rogue grabbed the Dangerous Zombie Buckle’s Waking Key and twisted it as Glare-X charged forward, attempting to close the distance.

DANGEROUS… ENVY STRIKE!

The finisher’s activation caused Rogue’s right hand to charge with bluish lightning energy and conjured a giant blue energy claw that slammed on Glare-X and staggered him. But when Rogue tried to hit him again, Glare-X launched an uppercut at the energy claw and shattered it, kicking the ground with all his might to deliver a flying punch that sent Rogue flying.

“I wanted to live, and see the faces of father and mother again…!”

DANGEROUS… LUST STRIKE!

This time, Rogue summoned countless energy balls which he sent hurling at Glare-X’s way like bullets. Initially the transformed god deployed his Hypnorays to form an energy shield in an attempt to block the barrage, but the intensity caused the shield to break and allowed the finisher to hit Glare-X.

“………” the transformed god emerged from the attack, still standing up.

DANGEROUS… SLOTH STRIKE!

Rogue followed by punching his charged fist into the ground, sending the energy through it and materializing a giant energy version of Berserclaw which trapped Glare-X from below. However… just as Rogue thought that it will give him an opening, Glare-X almost immediately broke free from the energy construct and fired a powerful fireball at Rogue.

“HAAA!”

“GAAAAAH!”

Quickly standing up, Rogue activated yet another finisher.

“……I died without feeling love… so in my second life, I would like to try and find the love of my life…!”

DANGEROUS… GLUTTONY STRIKE!

The white Kamen Rider’s legs glowed and were covered in energy as he charged at Glare-X. When he reached the striking range, he performed a series of kicks at his opponent. The blue energy formed a series of fangs that bit into Glare-X’s armor with every single hit. Even though Glare-X managed to parry some of his attacks, a roundhouse kick sent him staggering backward with an explosion.

DANGEROUS… PRIDE STRIKE!

Glare-X snapped up to see Rogue charging at him with a series of powerful rapid energy-clad punches. He was half-unprepared for this, and as such, he received more connected hits than before which sent him rolling violently. But Rogue was not stopping.

“I still want to see my home comes out triumphant… no matter what it takes!”

DANGEROUS… GREED STRIKE!

Rogue now outstretched his hand to summon the Zombie Breaker. Charged with blue lightning, Rogue first slashed at Glare-X’s stomach, not letting him retaliate with another series of quick hits.

POISON CHARGE! TACTICAL BREAK!

DANGEROUS… WRATH STRIKE!

The Zombie Breaker was charged with blue lightning once again. Seeing this, Glare-X laughed and lunged forward with a voice filled with genuine happiness.

“That’s what I’m talking about! HUOOOAAAAA!!”

DELETE

Activating his own finisher and dashing around to evade Rogue’s flying energy slashes, Glare-X managed to step into the striking range and decked Rogue in the head with a powered punch.

“I’M NOT THROUGH YET!”

The white Rider was sent flying with a scream and impacted the ground with an explosion. The dust cleared to show Rogue struggling to get up and walk forward once again.

“Like what you say before… my dreams, happiness, and ideal world… I will pursue all that in my next life and make it real… I don’t care if you higher beings mock and laugh at me for feeling that way… From now on, I will live and try to shape the world in my image!”

Rogue clenched his fists, readying his entire body for a last assault, and jumped high in the air. And behold, as he did so, Rogue’s back armor opened to spread out three pairs of wings, his wings of black sheath!

Flying through the sky, Rogue twisted the Waking Key twice and descended in a diving kick, clad by every ounce of strength he could muster.

DANGEROUS… DEADLY SEVEN… STRIKE!

“I will show you… my way of life! HAAAAAAAAAA!”

“Oh, my beautiful child…” Glare-X whispered. “Looks like you’re going to your next life, after all. Still…”

SHUT DOWN

“Let it be known that this will be the prologue of your reincarnation story…! COME, ROGUERIDER!”

Glare-X met him head-on with his own flying side kick. The two warriors clashed in mid-air, their strongest attacks colliding with a thunderous impact. It unleashed a blinding, radiant light that engulfed everything in its brilliance. The intense illumination washed over the battlefield, eclipsing the figures of both Riders as they poured everything into this one attack.

When the blinding light reached its peak, it seemed as though time itself came to a standstill.

‘It’s alright… You shall live on, and fight for your dreams…’