As long as the Jyamato Fortress was destroyed, everything would be over.
Seeing Ace Ukiyo about to charge into the Jyamato Fortress, Firefly naturally had no intention of letting him complete the challenge. How could the prey she had set her sights on be snatched away by a fox?
Flames blasted from Sam's feet as she shot into the sky, appearing in front of Geats in an instant.
Seeing Sam blocking his path, Ace Ukiyo not only failed to slow down atop his motorcycle, but instead cranked the throttle to its limit.
Like a phantom, he rammed forward at extreme speed.
He intended not only to knock away the unknown Rider before him, but to crash directly into the Jyamato Fortress and destroy it from within as quickly as possible.
Otherwise, once he stopped, all his efforts would be for nothing.
Not only were there more Jyamato inside the fortress, but they were also stronger, and they had the advantage of fighting on their own territory—enough to wear down any invaders.
Seeing Geats accelerate instead of slowing down, Firefly did not waver in the slightest. She merely extended Sam's arm toward his motorcycle.
The next moment, the motorcycle slammed into Sam. Yet instead of sending Sam flying as Ace Ukiyo had imagined, it was forcibly pinned down by that steel hand gripping its front end.
The terrifying force even warped the motorcycle beneath him.
The impact made Ace Ukiyo decisively abandon the motorcycle. He leaped into the air and switched the trigger and Buckles at his waist.
Strike Trigger
Boost Throttle
Midair, Ace Ukiyo rapidly twisted the Magnum Buckle, then triggered the Booster Buckle twice before twisting it once more, unleashing his finishing move alongside the sound effect of "Magnum Boost Grand Victory."
Noticing Geats's movements, Sam did not sit idle either. She assumed a stance as the propulsion units on her body began to power up.
The instant Geats made his move, Sam attacked as well.
At a speed impossible to track, Sam's attack had already reached Geats.
Blazing Fire Propulsion!
Flames completely engulfed Geats. The overwhelming force cracked his equipment as well, exposing his real face within.
Then he was blasted backward like a cannonball, crashing heavily into the ruins below.
His Winning Streak Was Broken
Seeing Geats defeated, Sam did not follow up with another attack.
Though Ace Ukiyo's boomerang antics later on had indeed frustrated her as a viewer and made her want to vent a little, now was not the time for that.
Destroying the DGP Grand Prix was not something that could be accomplished in one go. The organizers and those entertainment-seekers would never allow her to do so. They would definitely stop her.
Right, there was also the Game Master and the Producer.
The Desire Kamen Riders were not particularly strong at the moment, but the Game Master's Transformation Device seemed to possess the power to delete data.
There was also Jyamato Power, Creation Power, and the powerful Buckles obtained by the Kamen Riders. Almost all of them had been donated by those entertainment-seeking Top Supporters.
They were not truly as weak as they appeared now.
It was just that the current DGP was equivalent to a Bronze-ranked match.
Geats's winning streak, meanwhile, was like some old Gold-ranked player smurfing in Bronze matches. It was a little shameless.
After all, he was already a two-thousand-year-old young man.
Who knew how many Bronze ponds he had farmed?
In any case, ending the DGP Grand Prix would have to be done slowly. Her top priority was to claim the Points from the Jyamato Fortress and use them to improve her strength.
Since neither the organizers nor the Game Master acted, Sam fixed her gaze on the Jyamato Fortress overhead.
Unlike Geats, she did not need to destroy it from the inside. With Sam's power, that would have been completely unnecessary. She could destroy it head-on!
Watching the giant tentacles stretch toward her again, along with the Soldier Jyamato being transported out, Sam's propulsion units ignited once more.
A single punch shattered everything before her.
Then, with a leap, she landed atop the Jyamato Fortress. Standing on that massive fortress, before it could react, she raised her right leg...
"Execute!"
BBHF—Scorched Earth Operation
Her foot came down upon the Jyamato Fortress. Force enough to shatter a continent surged through the entire fortress, accompanied by raging flames.
Under that blow, the enormous Jyamato Fortress began to crack continuously, while terrifying flames spread through every fissure and covered its entire body.
The Jyamato within the fortress struggled and fled in a frenzy, but it was futile.
The flames mercilessly devoured their bodies.
Sam did not continue attacking. Her original enemies had been the Stellaron Hunters who roamed the cosmos.
Compared to them, these Jyamato were far too weak to make her use her true power. Even the Jyamato Fortress was no exception.
This was enough!
With that single strike, the terrifying Jyamato Fortress in the eyes of others was utterly destroyed.
With the death of the final boss, the game was declared over. Only this time, Geats was no longer the Desire God with consecutive victories.
Instead, he had been intercepted midway by an unfamiliar Rider.
Naturally, such an outcome could not satisfy the viewers watching this Kamen Rider reality show, especially the Future People who loved watching Geats farm weaker opponents.
They could not accept their beloved Rider being defeated by some random person who had appeared out of nowhere, interrupting the Desire God's winning streak that should have continued.
At that moment, they were all voicing their dissatisfaction to the DGP Grand Prix organizers and the Game Master, shouting, "Damn it, refund us!"
Of course, not every viewer felt that way. Many had long grown tired of watching Geats farm weaker opponents and were happy to see him fail.
There were also fans of many other Riders who did not want Geats to win consecutively every single time.
Within that endless world composed of data, screens of light flashed one after another, displaying the battles between Sam, Geats, Buffa, and the Jyamato Fortress.
The DGP Game Master, Girori, was carefully examining every detail of the battle behind his mask, his face revealing neither joy nor anger.
"An unknown Rider?"
Girori's feelings were complicated. He did not know whether he should be pleased or angry.
When he saw Sam appear, he had undoubtedly been very surprised, because she had nothing to do with the organizers. She had appeared from who knew where.
She did not belong to the DGP at all!
How could such an unknown factor not be worrying?
Yet for some inexplicable reason, he had not immediately stopped this Rider, especially after seeing her attack Geats.
Instead, he began to look forward to a change in the outcome of this Grand Prix. Perhaps it would better serve the game's "entertainment value."
Though this disrupted the original balance of the competition and would leave some die-hard Geats fans dissatisfied, it would also draw the attention of more people.
Besides, this Rider had nothing to do with him in the first place.
It was completely worth it, and in fact... the result had not disappointed him.
In his eyes, entertainment and ratings were the most important things in the DGP Grand Prix. Everything else was secondary.
After all, the DGP Grand Prix's viewers were all Future People who had abandoned their physical bodies and chosen to merge their souls with data. They no longer needed food; entertainment was their sustenance.
And thus, the DGP came into being.
Ever since Geats first became the Desire God, he had occupied that position without interruption. He had even been bestowed the title of Geats Myth.
But this was not actually a good thing. It could be said that the uncertainty of competition had been lost. From the very beginning of each match, nearly every viewer could already guess the result.
If nothing unexpected happened, Geats would win again!
Many viewers' expectations for the program kept declining. Only some fans who liked Geats were happy. If this continued, the DGP Grand Prix would inevitably decline into obscurity.
Aware of this, Game Master Girori had deliberately wanted Geats to lose and end his myth of consecutive victories, thereby preserving the DGP.
But he had never had a good opportunity. It would violate the rules for the Game Master to personally enter the competition, and unless absolutely necessary, he did not dare attempt it!
Until this unknown Rider appeared and gave him the result he wanted.
This was something worth being happy about.
But the appearance of an unknown Rider could not go unexplained.
Just as Girori was pondering all this, a beautiful woman carrying a folder hurried toward him.
The woman was named Tsumuri. She was the guide of the Desire Grand Prix, as well as a Future Person created in imitation of the Creation Goddess Mitsume, possessing the same abilities.
Blessing of Abundance
"Girori, some viewers are protesting. They say the DGP is rigged."
"What's with that Rider who suddenly appeared? She seems... not to be a DGP participant!"
Looking at Girori, Tsumuri was somewhat suspicious as well.
Could he really have arranged this? She knew that this Game Master no longer wanted to see Geats keep winning.
"What rigging? It was completely accidental."
Hearing Tsumuri's words, Girori rubbed his head. This was exactly what concerned him.
But he was not worried at all. It had nothing to do with him in the first place. He had not arranged it, so his conscience was clear.
"I don't know where she came from either. She has nothing to do with the DGP."
"Let's leave it at that for now. If she appears again in the following programs, I'll personally deal with this unstable factor."
"Uh..."
"Because of that unknown Rider's appearance, this episode's ratings have risen significantly—far beyond previous broadcasts."
After hesitating for a moment, Tsumuri explained the ratings situation to him as well.
Although some were demanding refunds, the unexpected development had instead raised the ratings even higher. Many viewers even liked the unknown Rider and hoped she could become a regular in the DGP!
Moreover, the number of people who wanted the unknown Rider to become a regular did not seem any smaller than the number opposing her.
"The ratings went up? As expected..."
Hearing the good news, Girori could not help but smile. His idea had been correct after all.
"But this round didn't produce a Desire God!"
The weather was perfect at that moment, and the park's scenery was picturesque.
The afterglow of the setting sun spilled across the lawn, draping that green earth in a layer of golden gauze.
Under the sunset's glow, the flowers appeared even more delicate and vibrant, radiating enchanting splendor.
Ripples on the lake shimmered with golden light beneath the setting sun. Small boats drifted slowly across the water, carving beautiful arcs behind them.
The distant mountains stood sharply outlined against the sunset, like an ink-wash painting.
Firefly sat quietly by the lake, admiring the view before her, though her eyes held a trace of confusion.
"Strange..."
She did not understand. She had changed so much.
There should not have been a Desire God born, so why had this world still been recreated?
Or did the world collapse whenever the final boss was cleared, only to be reconstructed by the Creation Goddess's power? Did that happen even without a Desire God being born?!
Or perhaps after she left, that DGP Grand Prix had continued, and Geats and Buffa had restarted the game?
That seemed unlikely!
There had not been enough time, and she had not sensed the presence of the Jyamato Domain.