The group returned to the Goethe Grand Hotel, the familiar lights of Boulder Town greeting them as they stepped inside. After everything that had happened in the mines, Rivet Town, and Svarog's base, the warmth of the hotel felt strangely comforting.
March stretched her arms high above her head and let out a long sigh.
March 7th: "Ahhhh... Well, now that we're done with that whole situation in the Underworld, we can finally look for the Stellaron."
She leaned against the wall, her cheerful expression softening.
March 7th: "sigh But thinking about it, I feel a bit bad about Clara... We promised her that our talks with Svarog would go peacefully..."
Caelus looked down for a moment.
Caelus: "Sorry, I wasn't able to persuade Svarog..."
Dan Heng shook his head.
Dan Heng: "You tried your best, don't blame yourself. I should've considered such a situation in advance. And it was Svarog who attacked first, we didn't have any other choice."
March quickly waved both hands.
March 7th: "I didn't mean for you guys to start beating yourselves up over it!"
She smiled brightly, trying to lift the mood.
March 7th: "Look on the bright side — things turned out alright, didn't they? Now everyone knows that the real problem here is the Stellaron, and they're willing to help us out."
March 7th: "All in all, the mission is going super smoothly!"
Dan Heng folded his arms.
Dan Heng: "But we still have a lot left to figure out. For instance..."
Caelus finished the thought.
Caelus: "...Where's the Stellaron?"
Dan Heng: "Exactly. We don't even have the Stellaron's coordinates and location."
Kouga, who had been quietly listening, spoke up.
Kouga: "Well in any case, i have a way to convince Cocolia, but then again this may also wipe the Stellaron out of existant."
The entire group turned toward him.
March blinked.
March 7th: "Yeah we're worrying for nothing at this point."
As they entered the hotel lobby, Gertie looked up from behind the counter and greeted them with a broad smile.
Dan Heng: "We would like to have a rest."
Gertie: "You're back! I've heard from Wildfire that you helped resolve that whole situation with Svarog. Amazing!"
She beamed with genuine admiration.
Gertie: "It must have been exhausting. Please, have some food and get a good night's rest."
Caelus glanced toward the doorway instead of the stairs leading to the guest rooms.
Caelus: "You guy go and rest first, i'm not that sleepy."
Kouga nodded.
Kouga: "Yeah, i want to walk around a bit."
Dan Heng and March exchanged a glance before nodding.
After grabbing a quick meal, the two of them headed upstairs to rest, leaving Kouga and Caelus behind.
The streets of Boulder Town were quiet at this hour. The glow of Geomarrow lamps reflected softly off the stone buildings as the two walked side by side through the nearly empty town.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Caelus scratched the back of his head.
Caelus: "So ..."
Kouga looked over at him.
Kouga: "What is it ?"
The silence that followed was painfully awkward.
Caelus finally blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
Caelus: "So...what's your favorate power ?"
Kouga raised an eyebrow.
Caelus: "I mean you have so many power you had to have a favorate right ?"
Kouga thought for a moment as they continued walking.
Kouga: "Yeah i have too many, i don't know what i don't have, but if i have to chose, i guess it's super natural luck, since with it anything good that could happen will happen"
Caelus nodded thoughtfully.
Caelus: "That... actually sounds ridiculously useful."
Kouga glanced at him with a faint smile.
Kouga: "Want to go testing those power of your in Rivet town ? "
Caelus turned toward him and gave a thumbs-up.
Without another word, the two changed direction and began making their way back toward the abandoned streets of Rivet Town.
Time skip
Caelus and Kouga stood in an empty section of Rivet Town, surrounded by abandoned buildings and silent, snow-covered streets. The ruined town stretched endlessly around them, with only the wind whistling through broken windows and collapsed alleyways.
The two stood far apart, facing each other across the open space.
Kouga: "The good thing about an abandoned town is that we don't have to worried about causing harm to bystander."
A crimson flash enveloped him as he transformed into Kamen Rider V3.
V3 raised one hand and signaled Caelus forward.
Kouga: "Come at me."
Caelus nodded and transformed into Ganbarider.
For a few moments, neither of them moved.
They simply stood there, watching each other.
Suddenly, several Fragmentum monsters emerged from the surrounding streets and began shambling toward them.
Neither Kouga nor Caelus even looked in their direction.
One of the monsters stepped on a fallen branch.
Crack.
The instant the sound echoed through the empty town, Kamen Rider V3 and Ganbarider vanished.
They collided in the center of the street with a thunderous clash of fists.
BOOM!
The resulting shockwave erupted outward in every direction, instantly obliterating every Fragmentum monster nearby and reducing them to icy dust.
Their fists remained locked together, both refusing to yield.
They jumped backward simultaneously, creating distance.
Then they charged again.
Fist met fist.
Strike met strike.
Kick met block.
Counter met counter.
The exchange became a blur of motion as the two warriors unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks, each reading the other's movements with frightening precision.
But slowly...
V3 began to overwhelm Ganbarider.
Inside his helmet, Caelus gritted his teeth.
Caelus: 'I need to be faster.'
Across Ganbarider's chest screen, a series of emblems flashed into existence.
Kabuto. Red Buster. And many more.
In an instant, Ganbarider disappeared from V3's sight.
V3 paused.
Then—
A strike exploded into his side.
Another slammed into his back.
A third hit from above.
Ganbarider moved faster than the eye could follow, attacking from every direction at once.
V3 was knocked to the ground.
Kouga's thoughts remained calm.
Kouga: 'Super speed ? then let's use this.'
V3 rose to his feet.
Kouga: "V3 barrior."
A shimmering energy barrier surrounded Kamen Rider V3.
The moment Ganbarider attacked again at blinding speed, the barrier reacted instantly and repelled him violently, launching him through the side of a nearby building.
Stone and steel collapsed around him.
Ganbarider staggered out of the rubble, dazed.
V3 was already in front of him.
A furious storm of punches rained down upon Ganbarider, each blow faster and heavier than the last, overwhelming his defenses completely.
Then V3 delivered one final devastating punch.
Ganbarider was blasted through the remains of the building and crashed onto the frozen street beyond.
He landed hard on his back, struggling to rise.
V3 walked forward and stopped in front of him.
Kouga: "Is that all ?"
Caelus forced himself to think despite the pain.
Caelus: 'I need to Keep my distant.'
He prepared to leap backward.
Kouga: "V3 Freeze Shot."
From V3's antennae, a blast of sub-zero air erupted forward.
Ice spread across Ganbarider's body in an instant, encasing him completely.
Caelus: 'I can't move'
He struggled against the frozen prison.
V3 stepped forward, preparing another attack.
Caelus: 'Defense, i need more defense.'
Ganbarider's chest screen ignited once more.
Ryuki. Houou Soldier. Zangetsu. Drive. Countless emblems flashed across the display.
Suddenly, multiple shields materialized around the frozen Ganbarider.
Dragshield. Shelldefense. Gigaarmor. Drum Shields. One after another.
V3's punch slammed into Melon Defender.
The impact rang through the street.
More shields appeared around the ice-encased Ganbarider, while the Houou Blade & Houou Shield radiated intense heat that melted the surrounding ice.
Ganbarider stepped free from the shattered ice prison and took up the Houou Blade and Houou Shield, assuming a defensive battle stance.
Caelus: "Come on."
Behind the mask of Kamen Rider V3, Kouga was genuinely surprised.
Then he smiled.
He lowered his center of gravity and prepared to charge.
But suddenly—
Ganbarider stopped moving.
Completely.
Kouga immediately sensed that something was wrong.
Caelus's presence was still there...
But his consciousness was somewhere else.
Kouga was about to call out—
A colossal pillar of flame erupted around Ganbarider.
The flames roared into the sky, forcing even V3 to halt.
The fire gradually subsided.
Standing where Ganbarider had been was still Ganbarider—
But now he was holding a magnificent flaming lance.
Caelus blinked and looked around in confusion.
He saw Kouga standing before him.
Caelus: "Mr. Hayata, you won't believe what i just saw."
Back when Caelus had been about to attack Kouga with the Houou Blade and Houou Shield, his vision had suddenly changed.
He awoke in Path Space, an endless expanse of darkness stretching infinitely in every direction.
Caelus: "Is this... the universe?"
Caelus: "But I was sparring with Mr.Hayata. Why am I here...?"
Caelus: "...The last time I came here, I drew Nanook's gaze."
Confused, he began walking forward.
As he walked, memories materialized around him like fragments of frozen time.
The first memory
He saw Gepard standing before Cocolia in her office.
Gepard: "The Commercial District has fallen. We've transfered the residents to the Outer Municipal District for the time being. The Garrison lost 26 fighters... but I..."
Cocolia: "...Go on, Gepard."
Gepard: "I... I'm not sure that they're dead... I saw their broken figures lingering in the Fragmentum..."
Gepard: "What happened back there defied all reason... it was madness. Madam Guardian, if this continues..."
Cocolia: "...I know well the consequences, Gepard. You may leave."
Voice of the Stellaron: "...We know well the consequences."
The second memory
Cocolia was speaking with Serval.
Serval: "...Why do you hesitate, Cocolia? Isn't this what you've always been hoping for? Get out of this cage and take a look at the city. What is there to lose!?"
Serval: "The efforts of our predecessors... their unfinished research... we can finally see them come to fruition! Give me some soldiers and I'll locate the Stellaron and find out how to save our world—"
Cocolia: "...You need to come to your senses, Serval."
Serval: "Come... to my senses? What are you—"
Cocolia: "Guards! Miss Serval is tired, take her to rest."
Cocolia: "Sequester her lab and detain the researchers — their work is illegal."
Serval: "...Why Cocolia... Why have you grown so cold..."
Cocolia: "Serval Landau... you were my most cherished friend."
Voice of the Stellaron: "...But there is no place for her in the promised new world."
The third memory
He saw Cocolia standing before the Stellaron itself.
Soldier: "Madam Cocolia, the monsters are surging this way! ...It's too dangerous here!"
Cocolia: "...Foolish, weak..."
Composed Silvermane Guard: "...What? Madam, what are you saying?"
Cocolia: "Only I... Only I can understand. They have eyes that do not see, ears that do not hear..."
Fragmentum monster rush forward attacked the Soldier.
Soldier: "...Aghhhhhhhh...!"
Cocolia: "Feast on their willful ignorance... absolve them of their stupidity and fear..."
Caelus then see the fourth memories
Bronya: "Mother... I still don't understand."
Bronya: "The Fragmentum corrosion has already spread to the Underworld. How will those below ground fend for themselves if we withdraw every guard?"
Cocolia: "The automatons will ensure their safety. The most important defensive position is here on the surface. If our lines crumble, the underground will vanish in an instant. Our defenses here must be maintained at all costs."
Cocolia: "These are the choices we make, Bronya... As a leader, you must harbor the courage and foresight to choose."
Cocolia: "You, me, and every Silvermane Guard in the city, all of us must carry out a higher mission. There will come a day when you must make your own choice. Do you understand?"
Bronya: "Higher mission...?"
Cocolia: "It is too early Bronya... still too early. You will understand when the time is right."
Caelus continued walking until he noticed a child standing alone in the void.
He approached.
Suddenly, countless voices emerged from the child at once.
???: "The city is drowning in tears... The power of the Preservation is fading."
???: "We could not defy the will of the Stellaron after all..."
Caelus thought about the Path of Preservation.
Caelus: "This is not what Preservation would have wanted..."
???: "Ah, a believer, I see?"
???: "The Fragmentum had been expanding for the past 700 years. There is no faith nor wealth left for our successors... only despair."
???: "To see the home we vowed to preserve wither away... That in itself is torture. Not to mention the haunting whisper of temptation..."
???: "The day will come when even the strongest of wills cannot help but give in to such influence. It is only a matter of time before the Amber Lord forsakes us."
Caelus remembered the army of Kamen Riders and Super Sentai he had witnessed within his own inner world, each possessing a will so unbreakable that it could defy gods themselves.
Caelus: "Some people can't be swayed."
The voices fell silent.
???: "You..."
???: "You are but a stranger to us. And yet you seek to bond your destiny to ours..."
???: "So be it. What is there to lose when so much has already been lost..."
The child turned and pointed upward.
A flaming lance had been driven into the void.
???: "Touch the light of the Amber, trailblazer. See if your will can attract THEIR gaze."
Caelus walked toward the lance.
He reached out and grabbed it.
The first time, the power surged violently through him and forced him back.
He reached out again.
This time he held on.
With a tremendous effort, he pulled the blazing lance free—
And drew the gaze of a colossal being of stone and divine amber.
Qlipoth.
The vision ended.
Caelus: "And that's how i got this Lance."
He held up the flaming weapon.
Kouga studied it carefully for a long moment.
Then he nodded.
Kouga: "Seem like due to the power you inheriated, you also inheriated their will and thus gain the atention of the Aeons of Preservation, huh neat"
Caelus nodded.
It made sense.
Suddenly—
Seele: "WHAT HAPPEN HERE ???"
Both Caelus and Kouga turned around.
Standing at the edge of the ruined street were an angry Seele and a worried Bronya.
The two Riders looked at each other.
Then they simultaneously detransformed.
Caelus stepped forward.
He quickly explained that they had come here to train.
Seele folded her arms.
Still furious.
Seele: "Well ? what are you going to do about the Damage you done to this place."
She pointed at the shattered buildings, collapsed streets, and destroyed houses surrounding them.
Caelus and Kouga looked at each other.
Caelus transformed into Ganbarider once more.
Both of them summoned Recovery Capsems, spun them, and released waves of green restorative energy.
The light flowed across Rivet Town.
Collapsed walls rose back into place.
Broken windows repaired themselves.
Shattered streets became whole again.
Within moments, the abandoned district had been restored.
Caelus looked around proudly.
Caelus: "There good as news."
Seele continued glaring at both of them anyway.
Bronya's gaze drifted toward the weapon in Caelus's hand.
The flaming lance still burned with a steady amber light, its divine aura lingering in the air.
Bronya: "Caelus. what's that?"
Caelus lifted the lance slightly.
Caelus: "You mean this ?"
He then told Bronya and Seele the same story he had just told Kouga — about the strange Path Space, the memories he had witnessed, the mysterious child, and the moment he had pulled the flaming lance free and drawn the gaze of Qlipoth, the Aeon of Preservation.
When he finished, Bronya's eyes had widened noticeably.
Bronya: "I see, Qlipoth the preservation has gazed upon you, i guess it's understandable since you all have done nothing but try to help us."
Caelus scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
Caelus: "By the way, what's the relationship between Cocolia and Miss Serval ?"
He had never imagined that the owner of Neverwinter Workshop had once been connected to the Supreme Guardian.
Bronya answered quietly.
Bronya: "Mother and Serval were once very close friends, but they had a fallout."
Caelus and Kouga nodded.
Kouga: "Seem like it's the stellaron fault again."
Bronya's hand slowly clenched into a fist.
Anger flickered across her face.
Caelus noticed immediately and was about to ask if she was all right.
But before he could speak—
Bronya: "I'm sorry, but i have to go."
She turned and quickly began walking away.
"Bronya—"
Instinctively, Caelus reached out and grabbed her wrist.
The moment their hands touched—
The world around him vanished.
A flood of memories poured into his mind.
Bronya's Memories
Caelus found himself watching Bronya and Seele standing in front of the old orphanage in Rivet Town, quietly taking in the familiar surroundings.
Bronya: I've thought it over. There's only one thing I can do — go ask her directly.
Seele: You... Hold on, you're not really going, are you? Alone? You can't, this plan is...
Bronya: I've already thought it through, Seele. I am Madam Cocolia's daughter. That will never change.
Bronya: Be it my duties as her heir, or a Silvermane Guard, I must face my problems head-on. Even if...
Seele: Bronya...
Bronya reached into her coat and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
Bronya: This is for you, Seele. Please help me pass it on to the outsiders. If... If I'm unable to see you again... They'll know what to do.
Seele: ...Okay, I understand. You've made up your mind, and there's nothing I can say that will change it. But remember this — if you run into trouble, I will come to save you, no matter what.
Bronya: Then I'll be waiting for you.
Bronya: So... did you come to this spot when you were a child?
Seele: Of course. I just didn't appreciate how nice it was at the time.
Seele: ...Very nice.
Suddenly—
A massive shockwave erupted somewhere in Rivet Town.
The ground trembled violently.
Seele: "What's that ?"
Bronya: "It's come from over there."
Bronya pointed toward a column of smoke rising in the distance.
Caelus immediately recognized the location.
It was where he and Kouga had been sparring.
Seele: "Let's see what's going on."
Bronya nodded.
The two girls rushed toward the smoke.
The memories ended
Caelus abruptly released Bronya's hand and stumbled backward.
He fell onto the ground and clutched his head in pain.
Bronya turned around in alarm.
Bronya: "Caelus."
Seele and Kouga hurried over.
Seele: "What's wrong ?"
With Kouga's help, Caelus managed to stand, still holding his head.
Caelus: "I'm ... fine, it just that i think i somehow got some of Bronya's memories flow into my head."
Bronya blinked in confusion.
Bronya: "My memories ?"
Caelus: "Yeah, sorry about that."
Kouga immediately understood what had happened.
Caelus had begun unconsciously using one of the innate abilities of a Kamen Rider—
Kamen Rider Ghost's power, the ability to glimpse another person's past through physical contact.
After a few moments, the pain began to subside.
Caelus looked at Bronya.
Caelus: "You were about to go to Cocolia by yourself ?"
Bronya's eyes widened.
Kouga raised an eyebrow.
Bronya took a deep breath.
Bronya: "I have to, as Madam Cocolia's daughter and her heir, or a Silvermane Guard, it's my duties to at least convince her to stop and that she is being mislead by the stellaron."
Her expression was filled with determination.
Kouga looked at her for a moment.
Then he chuckled softly and gently patted her head.
Kouga: "Little Bronya, i understand what you're coming from, but at this point you can't really convince Cocolia."
Bronya: "But..."
Kouga continued calmly.
Kouga: "Cocolia at this point had fully convince that the stellaron is guiding them to a better worlds. So unless you have some ability to outright create a better world right this instant, you won't able to sway her at all."
Bronya lowered her head.
Seele stepped closer to her side, and Caelus gently placed a hand on Bronya's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.
Kouga sighed.
Kouga: "Don't worry, i have my way to convince her."
Bronya looked up.
Bronya: "But didn't you say you need a power to create a new world to convince her ?"
Kouga smiled and raised his left hand, extending his index and pinky fingers while curling the middle and ring fingers down to meet the thumb, forming a fox-shaped gesture.
Kouga: "Indeed i did."
The confidence in his voice was absolute.
He then looked at Caelus, Bronya, and Seele.
Kouga: "Now let's head back, we have to head back to the Overworld tomorow mind you"
The three nodded.
Together, the four of them began walking back toward Boulder Town.
The night was quiet, and for a while only the sound of their footsteps echoed through the abandoned streets.
Eventually, Caelus moved closer to Bronya and Seele, a mischievous smile appearing on his face.
Caelus: "So... , what were you and Seele doing at the orphanage?"
Bronya answered innocently.
Bronya: "Oh, we we just having talk and sight seeing, that's all."
Caelus grinned wider.
Caelus: "Oh really, is that all? Cause you and Seele seem to be too close to be 'Friend'."
Seele immediately understood what he was implying.
A faint blush appeared on her cheeks as she shot Caelus a glare.
Seele: "What do you mean ?"
Caelus: "I mean, you are close after all."
He continued teasing her.
Bronya smiled warmly.
Bronya: "Yes, just like you, Seele is a great friend that had help me out a lot."
Caelus and Seele exchanged a glance.
The exact same thought crossed both of their minds.
Caelus/Seele: 'Bronya is too pure.'
Walking a few steps ahead of them, Kouga couldn't help but chuckle quietly to himself.