The heavy silence of the corridor was replaced by the low, guttural wheezing of the creature Rin had just struck. Utaha Kasumigaoka slowly turned her head, her breath hitching as she looked past Rin's shoulder.
There, crumpled against the cracked masonry of the far wall, lay another nightmare—a grotesque, multi-limbed entity covered in jagged chitin and twitching bristles. A Spider-type monster. Only now did the weight of Rin's earlier words—I'm here to protect you—truly settle in her mind. He hadn't been teasing. He had been stating an absolute necessity.
Rin didn't look back at her. He kept his fist clenched, his eyes locked on the struggling creature. "The recent disappearances on campus... that was your doing, wasn't it?"
Rin had suspected for weeks that the string of missing female students wasn't a matter for the police, but for a King. He simply hadn't found the thread to pull—until now. The monster had delivered itself to his doorstep, saving him the tedious effort of a hunt.
"Kuh... hrrgh..."
The Spider Orphnoch pushed itself up from the floor, its joints popping with a sickening, wet sound. It spat a glob of discolored, viscous fluid onto the linoleum and wiped its mandibles with a clawed hand. Unlike the mindless beasts Rin had faced before, this one spoke with a chilling, fluid clarity.
"So... you're the one who snuffed out that pathetic Bat," the creature hissed, its voice like dry husks rubbing together. "You did me a favor. One less competitor for the territory."
The monster's presence sent a primal wave of dread through the air. Utaha felt her legs grow weak, her body instinctively recoiling as her heels clicked rapidly against the floor in a desperate retreat.
"Get behind me."
Rin didn't ask. He reached back, his hand catching Utaha's arm with iron-clad certainty and pulling her firmly into the sanctuary of his shadow.
"Ah!" Utaha let out a small, startled cry as she was jerked forward. For a second, her chest pressed against the broad expanse of Rin's back. The sheer heat radiating from him and the unshakable sense of security he projected made her heart hammer against her ribs—not from fear, but from an overwhelming, dizzying sense of safety.
"Stay back," Rin commanded, his voice dropping into that low, regal tone that brooked no argument. "Further."
Utaha hesitated for a heartbeat, her fingers almost lingering on the fabric of his uniform. She wasn't some helpless damsel, but she was intelligent enough to recognize a battlefield when she saw one. She stepped back, giving him the space he required, her eyes fixed on the man who had suddenly become her entire world's shield.
Rin knew Utaha had already pierced the veil of his secret back on the rooftop. There was no longer any need for theater. He reached into the empty air, and through a ripple in causality, he summoned the Ziku-Driver.
The heavy, mechanical belt materialized in his hands, fueled by the encroaching Ohma Power. He slammed it against his waist, the strap snaking around him with a definitive metallic clack.
[ZIKU-DRIVER!]
Next, he produced a circular device—the Zi-O Ridewatch. He clicked the top, the face of the watch rotating as it primed itself with chronal energy.
[ZI-O!]
Rin slotted the Watch into the Driver's right dock. He braced his feet, his fingers gripping the top of the belt. Just before the final act, he glanced back at Utaha over his shoulder, a ghost of a smirk playing on his lips.
"One more thing, Kasumigaoka," he said, his eyes flashing with a dangerous, golden light. "Keep this between us. I'd hate to have to silence one of my favorite subjects."
"Henshin."
He gripped the Driver and spun it 360 degrees. The air groaned under the weight of shifting timelines.
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER ZI-O!]
Neon-pink katakana characters erupted from the belt, circling Rin in a whirlwind of golden sparks before slamming into his faceplate to form his visor. In an instant, the high-schooler was gone, replaced by the silver-and-black Sovereign of Time.
Utaha stared, her breath caught in her throat. Seeing him transform in the classroom's morning light was one thing; seeing him stand as a shimmering, armored god in the face of a literal demon was another entirely.
The Spider Orphnoch pointed a trembling claw at the Rider, its multifaceted eyes glowing with murderous intent. "Fancy toys won't save you, boy! I'll tear that armor open and feast on what's left!"
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