Kawashima Toya couldn't help but laugh. He had just finished clearing a world of fire, only for Cthugha to abandon all pretense of fairness.
A sky filled with Strike Freedom Gundams? And he was expected to face them alone?
He didn't bother wondering why a Great Old One was summoning mobile suits. If Nyaruko could be a die-hard Kamen Rider fan, it wasn't a stretch for Kuuko to have an obsession with mecha.
Should I actually do this? Toya wondered.
On one hand, he faced an entire fleet of Strike Freedoms. If he failed, he was dead. On the other hand, if he simply refused, he stayed safe while humanity merely had to endure a bit of supernatural heat for a while longer.
The choice seemed obvious at first glance. If the world just had to grit its teeth through a heatwave, everyone would live. But if he fought and lost, the entire world would likely be dragged into the abyss with him.
The Great Old One Cthugha and the Evil God Nyarlathotep lurking outside this reality weren't the types to negotiate with a planet. Furthermore, the Star-Holy Sword was specifically effective against Cthugha; it wouldn't do much against a mechanical army. Those Gundams wouldn't even let him get close to the goddess before turning the ground into a scorched crater with a saturation fire barrage.
[SystemNotice: The Root's Will has detected that the Host is facing an extremely difficult crossroads.]
[For the world? Or for the people?]
[The Root's Will is providing a complimentary "Salvation Gift Box" to help the Host overcome this crisis.]
[This gift will remain with the Host regardless of the choice made.]
[Item: Salvation Gift Box]
[Rank: N/A]
[Description: The Savior is trapped in a dire dilemma. Failure means the extinction of humanity and the destruction of the world, and victory seems impossible.]
[The Root's Will has gifted this box to provide a precious item that, if used correctly, will allow the Savior to overcome the odds.]
"I accept."
As the system notification chimed, Toya's last traces of hesitation vanished. His voice, calm and steady, echoed across the parched wasteland.
With the Root itself backing him, there was no reason to doubt. At this moment, he could say with absolute confidence that the entire world—and even the source of all existence—was standing right beside him.
[Gift Box opened. Congratulations, Host, you have acquired the item: Hyper Zecter!]
Toya let out a soft chuckle. So the world really is on my side.
"Eh?" Nyaruko blinked in confusion. Had she heard him wrong? She had just warned him that Kuuko was cheating, so why would Toya agree to a trial that was impossible to win?
Nearby, the avatar of Cthugha let out a soft, intrigued hum. "A fascinating human."
"Thou choosest to flout the warnings of the Dread God, Nyarlathotep?"
"Since thou dost overrate thy puny might, I shall grant thee the demise thou cravest."
"The world shall descend into the abyss of timeless slumber, and thou shalt sink alongside it."
Toya stood silently upon the desert sand, his gaze tranquil. "Things are different now."
"Cthugha, haven't you noticed the change?"
"What change?" Cthugha and Nyaruko asked simultaneously.
Outside the world's edge, the two chaotic Great Old Ones were observing. They turned their focus toward Toya, sensing a faint, strange anomaly. Toya stood still, the sun seemingly crowning him with a brilliance that made him appear like a solar deity.
"The greatness of the sun lies in the fact that even if it turns to dust, it still shines with radiance."
"And since I am the center of the world, I must save it."
Beside him, Nyaruko's eyes sparkled. "Darling is so cool! Right now, he's even more dashing than Tendou-san!"
"Thy folly is most mirthful." Cthugha's avatar sneered. Outside the world, her true body was likewise mocking Toya's ignorance. He had thrown away a chance at survival for the sake of an impossible victory.
In an instant, the sky tore open with countless rifts. One after another, Strike Freedom Gundams descended, their thrusters erupting with azure flames. The sky became crowded and dense, mirroring the earlier world of fire.
Nyaruko looked up at the overwhelming force and sighed. "Darling, why didn't you listen to me? This really is impossible."
She had already foreseen the end. As an Outer God, and as one who loved Toya, she wouldn't stop him, but she could only respect his choice. This was Toya's moment to shine, and she wouldn't let it be dimmed.
"Kabuto Zecter!" Toya called out.
The mechanical beetle hummed, gripping the Rider Belt and flying into Toya's hand.
"Henshin!"
With a practiced, elegant motion, he transformed instantly into Kamen Rider Kabuto. Cthugha's mockery only deepened. What could a single Rider do against an army of Strike Freedoms?
Maybe... it will come? A sliver of hope rose in Nyaruko's heart. Darling said he is the center of the world. It has to come.
Under the watchful eyes of Cthugha and Nyaruko, Toya slowly reached his hand toward the heavens.
"At this moment... the world stands with me."
Vrrr—!
The mechanical drone of wings echoed as a brilliant, sun-red insect soared through time and space from an unknown era. Toya caught the Hyper Zecter firmly in his outstretched hand, looking at it with a steady gaze.
"Let's save the world and humanity together."
"The... Hyper Zecter? No, this one is different," Nyaruko whispered, her voice solemn. "Space-time... the true space-time that only a god should control. This is a Hyper Zecter that has flown here from the distant world."
"It isn't the one Tendou-san calls upon. It carries the forbidden power of time itself."
Cthugha saw it too. The scorching flames surrounding her flickered violently, betraying her internal shock.
"Hyper Cast Off!"
"Hyper Clock Up!"
Toya transformed into Hyper Kabuto, a pair of light-wings made of temporal energy forming behind his back.
"Now, this is my stage."
Toya's azure eyes swept over the thousands of Gundams in the sky. The Star-Holy Sword in his hand pulsed with light. "It's time to end this."
His figure vanished instantly, entering a domain of speed that reached the velocity of light. Golden flashes of sword light flickered, and a Strike Freedom Gundam was instantly decimated.
Before Cthugha could even react, the sky erupted in a chain reaction of explosions. Within a single moment, the sky were filled with falling fire and the shattered remnants of the mechanical army.
"Time..." Cthugha and Nyaruko muttered in unison.
"That's right. The world has chosen me."
The next second, Toya appeared directly in front of Cthugha. Behind him, countless fragments of the Gundams were frozen in the air, having not yet hit the ground. Toya raised the shimmering, pristine Star-Holy Sword high above his head.
"Thirteen Restraints Released—Round Table Resolution, begin!"
The voice of Merlin, the Magus of Flowers, echoed through the air: "Approved!"
Merlin's approval caused the central jewel of the blade to ignite with a brilliant light. Following him, the voices of the Knights of the Round Table rang out one by one.
"Approved!"
Without exception, every knight acknowledged Toya's right to unleash the true light of the sword. A golden radiance, far more divine and blinding than the one used against the giants, erupted forth.
The Star-Holy Sword had finally revealed its true, unbridled power.