A silver-white trail arced across the darkness of space, as if fired from a bow—the white light wrapped around his body, carrying him like an arrow loosed toward safety.
Sora watched those hands vanish into the blaze. In the end, all that remained before his eyes was the ever-expanding golden-orange inferno.
The force that had carried him dissipated just as he neared the ship, and Boothill—already standing by—reached out to pull him aboard.
[Both of you, brace yourselves—we're initiating full-thrust escape!]
Bu Yi's voice came crackling over the ship's comm system.
The moment Sora was onboard, Bu Yi slammed the throttle. The engines had already been primed.
BOOM!
A torrent of sapphire flame roared out behind them. The ship lurched, jumping to maximum velocity in the blink of an eye.
The sudden burst of acceleration slammed them sideways. The inertia dragged at their bodies.
Sora, still reeling from the weightlessness of open space, leaned against the cold steel wall of the ship, letting the emotion drain from his system.
It was only then that he noticed something.
His transformation had ended.
The belt at his waist—the W Driver—shimmered into gold particles and dissolved.
So… the power was resetting.
Fang appeared at his shoulder, letting out a soft cry.
In that last moment, it had delivered their final words.
They had no regrets.
Sora exhaled slowly, steadying his breath. He sank into the System Space, forcing himself not to linger on grief.
A farewell wasn't a goodbye—not when their last wish was for him to survive.
Because of that, he couldn't stop here.
He had to carry on.
The moment he entered the System Space, the system prompt arrived:
[Random Power Cooldown Completed. Commencing Retrieval…]
The two-toned emblem representing Kamen Rider W floated from his chest.
Right before it vanished, it flickered—like it was waving goodbye.
"Thank you. Both of you."
Without their strength, he wouldn't have survived the first trial—let alone everything after.
He had to admit, the strength of two Riders fighting as one was formidable.
As the emblem faded, Sora felt a new force stir within him.
From Shotaro, he had inherited Danger Level, a form of intuitive combat instinct.
Now, from his partner—he was gaining something entirely different. Something he could only describe as bug-tier.
[Planetary Library: Grants the user access to the memory of the planet they are connected to, enabling search and retrieval of information.]
[Note: Establishing connection with a new planet will require time.]
[Warning: If the user is not a data-based entity, there is a high risk of mental overload due to the vast planetary memory. Proceed with caution.]
"I've already had enough of side effects," Sora muttered, half amused.
At this point, he was pretty sure he could start a blood donation campaign with all the nosebleeds he'd had.
[Retrieval complete. Please proceed with your next power draw.]
Sora looked up.
The space before him was filled with Rider crests, glowing faintly.
"I want to draw a new power," he declared.
He didn't know what it would be. But he held onto hope and issued the command.
[As you wish, Host.]
The crests all dimmed.
Then they transformed—each one becoming a gacha capsule, spinning and flipping.
A large red button appeared in front of him.
No hesitation.
He slammed it.
No room for doubt. Only decisive action can shape the future.
The capsules spun faster. Collision after collision, icons clashed like sparks.
Sora could feel it—this time was different. The collisions were fiercer than ever.
Then, one capsule dropped through the chute.
It opened.
The image of a new Rider surged into Sora's body.
A streak of flame bloomed from his palm. His eyes widened.
A vision took him.
Ding-ling...
A soft chime—wind chimes in a summer breeze.
Sora came to his senses.
He looked around. He was inside… a quiet shop.
The faint scent of coffee drifted through the air.
And at the table before him sat a man.
Scratch, scratch…
The sound of pen against paper. Sora sat quietly beside him, not interrupting.
But just when he thought the man was too engrossed to notice him—
"Just a little more—just a little more! Gotta finish before Mei gets here!"
The man's eyes were wide with panic—fear flashing like lightning in his gaze.
To a novelist, an approaching editor was no different than a summoned demon.
Sora waited patiently while the man raced to finish his manuscript.
Eventually—
"Whew… finally done. What a story—bittersweet, fiery, and perfect."
The man let out a breath, clearly proud of what he'd written.
"Hey, kouhai—come take a look. Tell me what you think."
Sora blinked, surprised, and accepted the manuscript.
But the very first line caught him off guard.
It was his name.
The man didn't explain. He just stood, as if preparing to leave.
Sora continued reading in silence. The story ended… just as he boarded the ship.
"I left the pen there for you," the man said, setting his hat on his head. "It's my turn to find my own comrades."
Sora picked up the pen.
The man smiled.
"The next part of the story… is up to you."
"Remember—no matter what, if you want to keep writing… you've got to take care of yourself."
In the next instant, the man dissolved into light—and merged into Sora's body.
The shop around him faded into mist.
In his hand, a blazing sword sealed within a sheath pulsed with fire.
Seiken Swordriver.
Books circled around him, their stories resonating with the blade's edge—its glow shimmered with rainbow hues.
A quiet smile tugged at Sora's lips.
"Thank you, Touma-sensei."
Now it's my turn.