"That may not be so. The final Desire God can only be me."
Ace Ukiyo paid no attention to Azuma Michinaga's words. He simply interlocked his fingers, straightened up, and retorted with absolute confidence.
"What do you mean?!"
Hearing that answer and tone, Azuma Michinaga frowned. His Points had clearly completely surpassed Ace's. There should have been no way for Ace to catch up now.
Could it be...
Azuma Michinaga suddenly thought of something. His gaze shifted to the unknown Mecha Warrior, then to the Jyamato Fortress in the sky.
Could it have something to do with them?
Chapter 9: The Beaten-Up Kamen Rider
"Looks like you figured it out too!"
Noticing Azuma Michinaga's reaction, Ace Ukiyo remained calm and collected, seemingly unconcerned that his intentions had been exposed.
"The final condition for clearing this game is protecting this city. If we destroy the final boss, then we'll have protected the city to the greatest extent possible."
"In other words, destroying that Jyamato Fortress will directly earn us the chance to become a Desire God."
Ace Ukiyo casually revealed his goal. That had been his objective from the very beginning. He did not care about the Points from killing Pawn Jyamato or saving people.
As long as he dealt with the biggest boss, he would be the winner.
That was why he had appeared so late without any urgency.
He had been watching all along, waiting for the Jyamato Fortress to appear.
And he was not worried about Buffa learning the key to victory from what he said. Even if he knew... that bull still could not destroy that massive Jyamato Fortress.
Destroying the Jyamato Fortress would not be easy. That was also why Ace had not rushed to make a move; he had been searching for its weakness.
Still, the suddenly appearing Mecha Warrior had caught him completely off guard.
He had no idea whether it was an Easter egg from the Grand Prix or some other arrangement.
"You bastard..."
Hearing Ace Ukiyo admit it himself, Kamen Rider Buffa could not help raising his fist.
It was not as if he had never considered it, but destroying that massive Jyamato Fortress was simply too difficult. There was no way to do it.
But if it was Geats, then he really might be able to pull it off.
His expression instantly darkened. He had thought victory was already in his grasp.
Had all his hard work been for nothing? Was he supposed to just watch Ace claim victory? No, he absolutely would not allow it.
"I won't let you complete the mission! The one who becomes the Desire God will only be me!!"
Although Azuma Michinaga had yet to find a way to destroy the Jyamato Fortress, upon hearing Ace Ukiyo's plan, he could no longer care about that.
No matter what, he could not lose to Geats. So he would destroy the Jyamato Fortress before Geats did. In a fit of hotheadedness, he decisively charged toward the Jyamato Fortress...
"..."
Watching Azuma Michinaga's actions, Ace Ukiyo merely smiled like a fox, with no intention of stopping him.
He then turned his gaze toward the unknown Mecha Warrior. His target seemed to be the Jyamato Fortress as well.
Ace did not know whether this was an arrangement by the Grand Prix organizers or an accident, but one thing was certain... if that guy destroyed the Jyamato Fortress, then this mission would surely fail.
Let that brute bull keep him occupied.
The final reward of this DGP Grand Prix would once again be his.
That was right. This was not Ace Ukiyo's first time participating in the DGP Grand Prix. Due to a wish he had made after previously becoming a Desire God, he had gained the qualification to participate in every Grand Prix.
And ever since he had become a Kamen Rider and begun participating in the DGP Grand Prix, he had never lost. He was a true undefeated champion, becoming the Desire God every single time.
This time would naturally be no exception.
Even though the Game Master was already extremely dissatisfied with him, as long as the rules did not change, there was nothing he could do!
"The final target, the Jyamato Fortress..."
The Points reward should not disappoint her!
After clearing out all the surrounding Jyamato, Sam once again fixed her sights on the Jyamato Fortress overhead.
Grinding Points was satisfying, but this was the key target.
Destroying this Jyamato Fortress would likely cause the DGP Grand Prix to end anticlimactically, preventing the appearance of a Desire God.
But the girl did not care. Her goal was to destroy the DGP Grand Prix. If doing so ruined the DGP Grand Prix, that would be even better.
(Though that was fundamentally impossible.)
So she intended to interfere with this game.
As for changing the plot and preventing Ace Ukiyo from completing his objective and becoming a Desire God—if she did not know the later storyline, she might have felt somewhat guilty. But now, she could not have wanted it more.
The DGP Grand Prix.
The Future People spectators were all just a bunch of amusement-seekers. It was a shame they did not worship Elation.
And every Rider, including Ace Ukiyo, the main Rider, was completely insane.
Hypocritical, self-righteous, brain-dead, schizophrenic...
She did not even know how to complain anymore.
Especially Ace Ukiyo. In the early stages, he had been the perfect undefeated champion, but after his revival, he had completely turned into such an absurd Fox God...
Who knew if he was some replacement clone.
Without thinking further, Mecha Sam leaped into the air and charged directly toward the Jyamato Fortress ahead.
She did not care how those Future People spectators would react. If she were facing unreasonable beings like Kamen Rider Oma Zi-O, that would be another matter.
His abilities were truly outrageous.
But the Future People of this world, those data-based beings who had chosen digital ascension because Earth had developed problems... there was really nothing to fear.
Their technology might indeed be impressive, but in the Star Rail universe, it was merely average.
However, just as Sam was about to approach the Jyamato Fortress, a purple figure suddenly appeared and attacked her.
He was trying to stop Sam from getting close to the Jyamato Fortress.
"I'm the one who will destroy the fortress. Don't even think about getting close!"
"The one who becomes the Desire God will only be me."
Azuma Michinaga wielded his weapon and attacked Mecha Sam. As a Kamen Rider who already specialized in strength, the Zombie Buckle had greatly enhanced his power.
The Zombie Breaker in his hand smashed down viciously.
Although he did not know what the Mecha Rider before him was, since the Jyamato Fortress was the key, he naturally could not let him steal his target.
Even though he did not actually have a way to destroy the fortress.
Because of Buffa's sudden appearance, Sam halted her approach toward the Jyamato Fortress. Rather than continue forward, she first evaded the attack.
At the same time, she threw a punch at him.
Buffa, who excelled in strength, was sent flying by Sam's punch.
If Sam had used any real force, and if not for the protection of Buffa's Kamen Rider suit, he would have already been reduced to a pile of mush.
Even so, he did not fare well.
He was punched into a nearby building, causing the structure to collapse.
Yet Buffa's vitality truly was impressive. Even after that, he still crawled out of the rubble and stood back up.
Chapter 10: Leave Now, and No One Will Get Hurt!
Enduring the pain wracking his body, Azuma Michinaga used the Zombie Breaker in his hand to force himself back to his feet.
He had not expected the unknown guy before him to be so strong. A single punch had nearly crippled him. But he did not fall because of it, nor did he have any intention of giving up.
The chance to become a Desire God was right before him. No one could stop him.
Seeing Buffa's attitude, Sam descended from the air and landed not far away from him.
Her tall Mecha frame exuded a terrifying aura...
"One Kamen Rider, and a fox hiding in the shadows."
Through the Sam Mecha, Firefly scanned Kamen Rider Buffa before her, then swept her gaze across the surroundings. She found Ace Ukiyo in the air not far away.
Sam's tone was calm. Rather than attack immediately, she issued a warning.
"Leave now, and no one will get hurt!"
"Otherwise, you will all die."
In the DGP Grand Prix, Kamen Riders would not be harmed if they were merely eliminated from the game. Once the world was remade, they would only lose their memories of being Kamen Riders and the DGP Grand Prix.
But if they were eliminated through death, then due to the special nature of this world, while it was not death in the truest sense, they would be used by the Grand Prix organizers to cultivate Jyamato or serve as nourishment.
Hearing Sam's cold, sharp warning—
Ace Ukiyo, hiding in the shadows, did not react much. He was not surprised at having been discovered.
He merely gave Sam a serious look, then fixed his gaze on the Jyamato Fortress, seemingly thinking of something.
Azuma Michinaga, on the other hand, looked extremely grim. Her attitude of completely disregarding him irritated him greatly.
"Don't look down on me!"
The Zombie Buckle granted him immense strength and decent vitality. Once he felt somewhat better, Azuma Michinaga immediately activated the Zombie Buckle.
Accompanied by his movements, the distinctive sound effect of a Kamen Rider rang out.
Zombie Strike
At that moment, energy gathered from the BerserClaw on Azuma Michinaga's left arm. He struck the ground, and countless BerserClaw-shaped energy claws erupted from below, lunging toward Sam.
However...
Firefly watched the countless terrifying claws emerging beneath her feet and felt nothing at all. They could not break through her defenses even without her moving.
"How is this possible?!"
Seeing his attack fail, Azuma Michinaga was dumbfounded.
How could it have absolutely no effect?
"Since this is your choice... then Action One, execute."
As Sam's icy voice rang out, flames immediately blasted downward from the Mecha on her legs.
Then, with one hand pointed downward, Sam sprang upward several meters into the air. Scorching flames ignited around her raised right foot as she kicked toward Azuma Michinaga like a meteor.
Azuma Michinaga's expression changed. Not daring to be careless, he hurriedly raised the Zombie Breaker in his hand, attempting to block Sam's attack.
But he had clearly still underestimated the power of that strike. Even though Sam was still not serious, it was not something he could withstand.
Cracks spread across Azuma Michinaga's Kamen Rider suit as it shattered bit by bit, while his body was embedded into the ground once more.
His entire body looked like a charred lump of coal, but he still retained his last breath.
Firefly no longer paid attention to him and had no intention of finishing him off. There was no need. Instead, she locked her gaze onto the other Kamen Rider.
The instant Azuma Michinaga and Sam began fighting, Ace Ukiyo decisively transformed and rode his motorcycle toward the Jyamato Fortress.
He had already found a way to destroy the Jyamato Fortress. It could not be destroyed from the outside. The only way was to charge directly inside and destroy it from within.
That was also the Jyamato Fortress's only weakness.
Although it was still dangerous, it was his only chance.
The unknown Rider was very powerful, and he was not fully confident he could defeat him. Therefore, completing the mission was his most important priority.