Boom!
Tid, having endured twenty-one consecutive Rider Kicks, finally erupted into a ball of flames. With a final explosion, his body was consumed by fire and disintegrated into the air.
Tid: "Ahh... I'm finally dead...!"
From the smoke, the small figure of Shingo Hisunaga tumbled out and landed on the ground with a thud.
The Riders: "..."
They didn't notice. Every one of them was too busy striking cool poses for their transformation statues—after all, real heroes never look back at explosions.
Luckily, the drop wasn't from a great height. Though unconscious during the fall, the pain jarred Shingo awake. He groaned, touched the back of his head, and struggled to his feet. Dazed, he looked up—
Shingo: "Ah! Kamen Riders!"
His eyes lit up. Despite being brought to the year 2018—before the birth of the first Heisei Rider, Kuuga—he had seen trailers and recognized the iconic designs. These ten in front of him were clearly Riders like Kuuga!
He didn't yet know the horrors of spoiler-induced apathy. Right now, he was simply thrilled to see so many Kamen Riders in one place. In the years ahead, he would grow numb, watching Rider after Rider appear until it all became routine. But for now, his joy was genuine.
He would spend the next two decades in the gray world of the pre-Reiwa era.
Seeing Shingo so excited, the twenty Riders felt somewhat embarrassed. After a quick wave of farewell, they awkwardly dispersed—returning to their own timelines. Only the Zi-O group and the Build group remained to deal with the aftermath of the two "brothers."
Since the others couldn't return to their own worlds without help, Ryuga and Ora stayed behind to wait.
Once the situation was settled—funeral and all (if it could be called that)—Kiryu Sento turned to Ryuga.
Sento: "Before we leave, let's talk. Just for a moment."
Ryuga nodded. The others were stunned. When had Ryuga ever acted this mature?
Later, back in their own world, the truth became clear.
There, Kiryu Sento was back to being a nag, bombarding Ryuga with endless questions. Ryuga responded with silence and slowly walked away—like he didn't even know the man.
A few days passed. Quietly, 2018 came to a close.
And just like that, the world stepped into a new year: 2019.
For most Japanese, the New Year celebration is during Oshogatsu, not Lunar New Year. Still, that morning, Zio's household was decorated festively.
And unsurprisingly, Sougo and Tsukuyomi were out once again—looking for breakfast.
Tsukuyomi: "Huh?! You met a Rider from the future?!"
Sougo: "Yeah… but maybe it was just a dream!" he said, smiling.
Tsukuyomi: "What?! Just a dream?!"
She sighed. "Still, your first dream of the year is fighting? Don't you ever give yourself a break?"
Sougo: "No way! I thought it was pretty interesting. But you all probably know more Riders than I do, right?"
Sougo's uncle, seated at the table, didn't understand a word. He assumed it was just another trend among young people and tuned out the conversation.
Gates: "Unfortunately… there won't be any more Riders in the future."
Sougo: "What?!"
Gates: "When the Day of the Demon arrives, you'll become the Demon King. On that day, all Riders will vanish from history—except for you."
Sougo: "The Day of the Demon..." he muttered, a heavy cloud settling over his mind.
Ora, who usually ignored the trio, suddenly joined the conversation.
Ora: "Wait… what if your dream was real?"
Sougo: "Uh… probably not?" He wasn't so sure anymore. After all, just a few days ago, he'd dreamed of fighting in another world—and then actually did.
Instinctively, he glanced over at Ryuga, who was silently devouring his food. The others followed his gaze.
Ryuga: "...It was real," he muttered, annoyed that his meal was being interrupted.
Sougo: "Wha—?!"
Tsukuyomi and Gates glared at him.
Ryuga: "Kamen Rider Shinobi. He's a ninja Rider from 2022."
He had already opened the spoiler floodgates—there was no stopping it now.
Sougo: "That's exactly who I saw in my dream!" he said, excited.
Gates: "But how is that possible? If Sougo becomes the Demon King, Riders shouldn't exist in the future."
Ryuga: "Isn't he standing right there?" he said with a smirk, pointing at Gates.
Tsukuyomi: "Gates must've… slipped through the backdoor." She had fully accepted Ryuga's spoilers as canon.
As for her own betrayal of the Demon King… she kept quiet. Very quiet.
Gates: "Backdoor?! You're the one who slipped through the backdoor!"
Ryuga: "Anyway, you made a good point. When Sougo became the Demon King, Riders disappeared. So, if Riders from the future are appearing again—maybe he hasn't become the Demon King yet."
Gates: "You mean… he hasn't fully become the Demon King?!"
Ryuga: "Exactly. Shinobi comes from your savior timeline, Gates. That version of the future hasn't been overwritten yet. There are two more future Riders like him. Their appearance means different timelines are beginning to converge. Everything will be decided on the Day of the Demon."
He leaned back and continued.
Ryuga: "Normally, to defeat an Another Rider, you'd need the corresponding Rider Watch. But since these future Riders don't exist in our timeline yet, those Watches don't exist either. That makes their Another versions semi-invincible."
Sougo: "Then how do we stop them? If we can't defeat them, innocent people will be in danger!"
Ryuga: "Don't worry. Someone will help. Either the upgraded Zi-O II form—or the power of the Resurrected."
Sougo: "How do I unlock it?"
Ryuga: "Ah, good question! For only 998—"
Everyone stared daggers at him. He sighed. "Fine. You'll naturally awaken the power of Zi-O II soon."
Ryuga (to Gates): "As for the Resurrected… once all three future Rider Watches are gathered, you can combine them to create the Watch of Resurrection."
Sougo: "That's it? That's your big reveal?"
Before the conversation could continue, Woz burst through the door.
Woz: "Your Majesty! It's urgent—"
Ryuga (casually): "Gates has been kidnapped by a monster."
Everyone: "...?!"
Sougo: "Woz, what happened?!"
Woz: "An Another Rider has appeared!"
Sougo: "Which Rider?"
Woz: "That's the problem. There's no record of them in my book!"
Ryuga: "That's because the Old Demon King erased it."
He continued eating, unfazed.