"Zi-O… access denied."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Amiya stumbled to her feet, staring in disbelief at the Drive Head on the ground—the one shaped like the Year Beast.
She couldn't use it?
No—worse. It had spoken to her, in a mechanical voice:
Access denied.
"Amiya! What's going on?!"
Talulah roared as she tore through a pack of distorted creatures, turning back with alarm.
"I don't know! I can't activate this Drive Head!"
Amiya twisted out of the way of a charging beast—a lion-headed monstrosity wielding a stone pillar—and retaliated with her Flame Demon Drive Head. A wall of fire surged forth, consuming the creature in an inferno.
Black spellfire pierced a shrouded foe. She flipped her despair-charged spear and clashed against the monstrous claws of another attacker.
But without transformation, she was overwhelmed. Her blade sparked against talons, and brute strength forced her back.
Then—
Slash!
A crimson blade tore through the beast. Chen Huijie appeared, holding the Year-puff plush in one arm as she swung her blazing sword with the other. In a single motion, she hurled the stunned plush Nian to Amiya and resheathed her sword—just as her fingers flicked across the dragon-themed Drive Head and the activation dial.
Red energy blasted from beneath her feet.
Chen spun the driver 360° counterclockwise. With a piercing dragon's roar and the words "Time Break," a glowing symbol for "Sever" enveloped the scabbard of her sword.
"Cloud Rend: Shadow Sever."
The glow dissipated. Chen Huijie stood calmly, her sword extended slightly—unsheathed, yet unmoving.
3… 2… 1…
Click.
The sword slid home.
All across the battlefield, creatures froze. Then—
Snap.
They collapsed in perfect, horizontal slices. Dust scattered. Ninety-nine percent of the enemies rushing toward her and Amiya turned to ash.
"Whew…"
Ding.
Chen nearly collapsed, catching herself on her sword.
That strike had taken a toll.
The Cloud Rend combined with her personal Shadow Sever technique condensed multiple strikes into one impossibly swift blow. A move she'd once thought impossible—until she fused it with Kamen Rider strength.
"Now that was a hell of a move, Huijie." Talulah approached with a smirk, eyeing the Drive Head in Amiya's hands. "So? Where's the one for the Year Beast?"
"Here." Amiya passed it to her, face conflicted.
She still didn't understand why it rejected her. All she knew was that, at a moment when it mattered most, she'd failed.
But there was no time to dwell on it.
Talulah saw the flicker of frustration in her eyes and took the Drive Head with a grin. "Alright. If it won't work for you… I'll give it a try!"
"Behind you!"
"Wha—?!"
A black crystal spike burst from the ground behind Talulah and slammed into her back. She cried out as sparks flew from her armor. The impact launched her into the air—her body flipping before slamming into the earth.
The Year Drive Head slipped from her fingers, rolled… and stopped at someone's feet.
Prisais smiled as she picked it up.
"A new Drive Head? I didn't expect you to develop a countermeasure for the corrupted Year Beast this fast. Impressive. Truly, Doctor, you never cease to surprise."
Talulah, groaning, propped herself up and yelled:
"Hey! That's ours! Ark made that for us—you can't just steal it!"
Prisais chuckled.
"Oh, dear Miss Yaterias… Have you forgotten? I'm your enemy. Stealing your precious tools at a critical moment—how much more appropriate could it be?"
She turned the Drive Head over in her hands, her expression shifting slightly when she saw the ornate beast face at its center.
"I thought you'd attempt a countermeasure… but this? You've gone all in."
Her gaze drifted to the looming black tower rising from the plaza—the sea of ink pulsing at its base. And at its center… the mutated form of the corrupted Year Beast.
The tower was shrinking.
The sea of ink, once vast, was being drawn into it—absorbed.
To everyone but Theresis, this was no victory.
It meant the creature had begun to reclaim the ink.
If it succeeded in reabsorbing all of it… no one knew exactly what would happen.
But it wouldn't be good.
"And what does it matter if you did everything right?" Prisais said coolly. "I hold the Drive Head now. You have no options left. Once the Year Beast completes the absorption… Phase One will be complete."
Phase One?!
So even after the ink was fully absorbed, it wasn't over?
"There's no way we'll let you succeed!"
Talulah snarled. Black flame erupted from her shoulders—her spectral hellhounds lunging toward Prisais in a maelstrom of ghostfire.
But just before they reached her, a wall of black crystal surged up from the ground, blocking the blaze.
The infernal flames howled, gnawing at the crystalline shield. Superheated red glowed from within, the surface beginning to melt…
But it held.
As Talulah's assault ended, the partially liquified crystal began to shift. The wall shuddered and morphed—splitting into multiple forms.
Beasts of originum.
And among them—humanoid figures.
Originum-augmented soldiers.
Prisais smirked. "These little pets should keep you busy. At least until she finishes her metamorphosis."
She turned, about to pocket the Drive Head and walk away—when she froze.
That feeling.
Someone was watching her.
She spun around.
Across the plaza, atop a distant building—a faint flash of light.
A sniper.
Bang!
She couldn't react in time. A bolt cut the air.
The Drive Head flew out of her hand.
A second shot hit it midair, redirecting its path—sending it arcing toward Talulah.
Prisais reached instinctively, but Talulah had already changed her Drive Head.
Wings of the Warhawk flared behind her. She flew low in a blazing dash, scooping the Drive Head from the air.
"Got it!"
She raised the device triumphantly—but her mind was already racing.
Who the hell was that sniper?
To hit a small target at that distance—and wrench it away from Prisais? If they could do that…
Could they hit Prisais herself?
Before she could finish the thought, the answer appeared in front of them.
A white figure.
A cape snapped in the wind. Behind her, black originum beasts screeched and scattered.
"Doctor Kelsey!"
Amiya's face lit up.
The white knight lowered her rifle and slotted a gleaming white Evol Key into her driver.
"Evol: Execute—Justice Order."
Her blue eyes glinted—then pulsed red.
"Oh my… This is the second time I've seen that form, Kelsey," Prisais purred.
Kelsey didn't reply.
She stared up at the ink tower.
"If this continues, Lungmen's entire landmass could suffer irreparable damage… Luckily, I'm here."
She crouched low and slammed her hand into the ground.
Reality twisted.
A shimmer of space—like a shattered polyhedron—exploded outward.
In an instant, everyone: Prisais, the tower, Amiya, Talulah… all vanished from Lungmen's ancient plaza—
And reappeared in a vast, windswept wasteland.
"Doctor Kelsey, where are we?" Amiya looked around. There was no sign of civilization—only dust and wind sweeping across the barren plain.
Kelsey rose slowly, drawing her weapon—its tip aimed directly at the heart of the ink tower.
"This place is 300 kilometers from Lungmen," she said quietly. "Now… the city won't be harmed."