"Please, Kamen Rider… help me, just this once…"
The voice gradually, gradually faded away as Jobs slipped into unconsciousness.
He didn't possess a strong body—all he had was his exceptionally shrewd mind and extraordinary drive.
It was this relentless drive that had earned Jobs the moniker of "Jobs, who always wins."
Yet today, he had encountered the most devastating failure of his life.
In the end, he couldn't even fulfill his wish to truly free his daughter from suffering.
All he could do was entrust this wish to a man he had barely met a few times before.
And for Hoshigaki Sora, this whole situation was even more baffling.
He'd only sensed something amiss and come here to investigate.
Yet, immediately upon arriving, Jobs, who he'd barely known, entrusted him with this desperate request.
Monstrous roars mingled with alarms, plunging the entire facility into chaos. Sora placed Jobs safely aside, eyes locked on the monster writhing and howling ahead.
"Titania, you're here, aren't you?" After a prolonged silence, he finally spoke his first words since arriving.
As he watched the grotesque creature, Sora clenched his fists unconsciously. Could this monstrosity possibly be another of Titania's creations?
Countless faces twisted in agony, crawling over the creature's form like an infestation upon the soul itself. Such an eerie sight evoked nothing but fear—and fury.
"I am."
Just when Sora thought Titania would continue playing dead, her faint reply echoed clearly in his ears.
Her voice was very weak, yet she chose this moment to respond to him.
"What exactly are you planning?"
"I honestly don't know myself. But one thing I can tell you clearly is… this creature in front of you isn't my doing…"
Titania's statement stunned Sora for a moment. "The real culprit behind all this is that man who just asked for your help. Don't just blindly pin everything on me."
She had no interest in bearing the blame for someone else.
Titania briefly explained what had transpired here, revealing to Sora the profound yearning behind Jobs's actions.
"It's just a shame that, ultimately, things turned out this way."
So his yearning for his family eventually created this monster? Sora couldn't help but feel a sense of dark irony.
In other words… Do I need to end their suffering myself?
"Well, if that's your decision, you could. But there's actually another way—like completely separating all these things apart."
Titania had sensed his thoughts through the Memoria surrounding his body.
Though she agreed with his solution, Titania had an even more thorough method to handle the Memoria amalgamation before them.
"Really?!" Sora felt disbelief surge through him. Titania offering him solutions?
Is this reality? Or am I dreaming?
Sora subconsciously recalled that painful kick she had once delivered. Indeed, his most vivid memory of a normal Titania was mostly just that kick.
"Stop babbling already! Just tell me—will you do it or not?" Titania's tone brimmed with impatience.
He really is an idiot. If you'll do it, do it. If you won't, just refuse. Why do I have to remind him even about something like this?
"I'm just surprised that you, of all people, would say something like this."
Former enemies, now cooperating upon reunion—it truly was amusing.
"So, what do I need to do?"
Regardless of whether he was a criminal or a villain, letting him see his family again was simply human kindness.
But if the experiments he'd conducted here truly were inhuman, Sora wouldn't hesitate to send him on his way.
"You've done it before, haven't you? Punch this monster apart—with fists brimming with powerful emotion."
Memoria was nothing but fragments of memories. Everyone's memories differed, naturally incompatible with one another.
At a time like this, if a strong enough catalyst appeared, these forcibly merged individuals would naturally split apart.
If it's you, I'm sure you can do it. After all, you managed to suppress even my mental contamination over those girls.
Wait, why does it seem like I'm praising you? No, no—this is just temporary cooperation, that's all!
"But I'm warning you upfront: if you fail, don't go around telling anyone you were once my enemy. I can't afford the embarrassment."
"Hah?! And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"
What does she mean by "can't afford the embarrassment"? Isn't it an absolute fact that you lost to me?!
"Exactly as it sounds. I'll just tell everyone that I let you off easy."
"And you think anyone would believe that?"
"I'm a deity, remember? Who do you think they'd trust more—you or me?"
Sora was furious now, genuinely furious.
Titania's words felt like someone suddenly pulling dirty tricks in a game—infuriating beyond words.
"The rest is up to you. Let's see if you can actually do it."
"Roar!"
An ear-splitting howl marked the start of a destructive symphony.
The monster, formed from the twisted power of propagation and overwhelming negative emotions, began its rampage, unleashing its agony upon everything around it. Its limbs morphed rapidly into countless weapons, solidifying momentarily before shattering reality around it.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Walls crumbled, dust billowed. Yet amidst the chaos, a faint red glow pierced through the smoke.
"All right. Then watch closely."
'[BOTTLE BURN!]'
The gigantic creature lunged fiercely towards the glowing anomaly.
Yet immediately after, it was sent hurtling backwards at incredible speed, as if struck head-on by a speeding truck.
The smoke dissipated completely from the impact, revealing scorch marks clearly seared into the creature's limbs.
Even as its limbs flickered between reality and illusion, those burn marks remained clearly etched.
Sora's fists, wrapped in blazing gauntlets, had ignited the Memoria itself, causing this bizarre phenomenon.
"Another new toy of yours?" Titania couldn't help but marvel upon seeing the gauntlets.
Yet her attention was quickly captured by the overwhelming heat radiating from them.
That scorching heat, akin to molten magma, seemed ready to consume everything around it.
And woven through that heat was an unmistakable surge of emotion.
Titania sensed briefly and instantly recognized the emotion as… defiance.
She was taken aback momentarily, yet quickly felt a rush of delight.
Delight—pure delight! Indeed, this man's side was fascinating beyond measure!
"Then let's use this to tear you apart!"
Let's give a certain sore loser a proper introduction!
'[CROSS-Z MAGMA!]'
He turned the handle, and behind Sora, a massive forge shaped like a clenched fist began materializing.
Inside surged boiling magma, eager to burst forth.
'[ARE YOU READY?]'
"[Henshin]!"
The magma cascaded down, completely engulfing Sora.
Immediately afterward, from within the lava, nine monstrous dragon heads emerged.
Dragons represented desire, and desire was emotion itself—now boiling over like magma!
With the cascade complete, the forge-fist surged forward, shattering the hardened magma encasing him.
Revealed within was his new figure!
His body predominantly blazing crimson, sculpted with dragon heads solidified from magma.
Wings sprouted from his sides like those of fledgling dragons.
'[GOKUNETSU KINNIKU!! CROSS-Z MAGMA!]'
'[ACHACHACHACHACHACHA ACHA!]'
"What kind of form is that?" Titania murmured, astonished and puzzled.
Entirely unlike the previous [Firefly Sword Form] she'd faced, this explosive, magma-like surge of emotion left Titania genuinely shocked.
"Cross-Z Magma," Sora answered simply.
"…Roar?"
Even the monstrous creature briefly hesitated at those words.
A fleeting silence descended over the scene—but soon shattered once again.
"My power is overflowing...my soul is burning...and my magma is surging!"
In the next instant, magma truly erupted!
Gushing forth beneath Sora's feet!
Propelled forward at blinding speed, he closed the gap instantly, appearing directly before the massive monster.
Sora's sudden strike visibly startled the creature.
Yet, unafraid, it believed its Memoria-formed body could shift endlessly between reality and illusion.
This attack would surely miss—just like Jobs's desperate blade before…
"Haaaaaaah!" He swung his fist!
Bang!!
A tremendously heavy punch smashed squarely into the illusory monster.
Magma surged forth, causing the creature's body to momentarily distort.
Titania wasn't wrong—attacks infused with strong emotions could indeed completely separate the creature before him.
"You actually didn't lie to me?" Sora found it somewhat unbelievable.
"Idiot! We're in the middle of a battle!"
How could you get distracted?!
Sure enough, the monster, enraged by pain, immediately returned to an attacking stance.
And because of its recent suffering, it struck even more viciously!
Countless Memoria extended from its body, instantly transforming into myriad weapons aimed at Sora.
Sora's form blurred, the magma-like aura blazing around him instantly burning away those deadly attacks into nothingness.
"So this is your newest creation? It's way too weak!"
Sora hadn't even budged an inch, and yet none of the attacks had landed at all.
"Hey! I told you already, this isn't my creation!"
"Hmph, excuses, keep making excuses!"
The power emitted by that creature was exactly the same as yours the moment we clashed, and you're trying to tell me this isn't your doing?
Titania suddenly felt a surge of irritation—why couldn't this guy, Sora, understand her explanation?!
In just a short time, her emotions had already fluctuated numerous times.
But Titania's insistence only strengthened Sora's conviction even further.
"Still testing me? Fine! Then I'll clear your test in one go!"
"Bring it on!" Sora, like a streak of crimson lightning, once again struck violently at the monster's body!
Blistering heat radiated from him.
Each punch left behind a flaming fist imprint on the monster's body.
The creature's form crashed repeatedly against the already dilapidated ruins of the laboratory.
As magma sprayed everywhere, walls and floors exploded into fragments.
The entire area had practically become a volcanic crater—scorching magma and shattered debris littered the surroundings.
Taking all this in, Titania suddenly felt a bit doubtful… who exactly was the hero here?
"Sora's destruction far surpasses anything that monster caused…"
But Sora had no clue what Titania was thinking. He only saw clearly that each strike caused the creature's Memoria-constructed body to tremble and break apart for a brief instant.
And as his attacks continued, the monster's separated illusions began to multiply even further.
Just a bit more—and it would reach its breaking point. That would be the perfect moment to finish it!
"Roaaaar!"
The monster unleashed a miserable shriek. Nobody enjoyed being a punching bag!
Its body began violently trembling, desperately absorbing Memoria from the surroundings, swelling its form even further.
Yet as it expanded, the countless faces on its body began to wither and deteriorate.
To avoid being crushed single-handedly by Sora, it chose to devour nearby Memoria to increase its strength.
Unfortunately, the Memoria composing its body were inherently fragile—they couldn't bear this immense power.
But it was already in agony. What difference would a bit more pain make?!
"Kill me… kill you!" It howled furiously, desperate for a final showdown with Sora.
However, facing the monster's declaration, Sora merely narrowed his eyes.
"If this keeps going, all those Memoria will shatter into pieces," Titania reminded him.
"I don't need you to tell me that!"
Sora's response was a fierce twist of the lever!
Surging magma gathered around his arm, gradually forming the head of a vicious dragon.
"Haaa!"
'[VOLCANIC KNUCKLE!]'
Instantly, the dragon head shot out from Sora's arm, biting down on the monster and forcing it violently backward, shattering multiple walls until they burst outside.
The dragon head dissipated, and solidified magma encased the monster's body, transforming it into a sculpture, halting its absorption instantly.
And at that moment, fiery figures arrived swiftly onto the battlefield from afar.
They stared in shock at the monster, now frozen within solidified magma.
But what they saw next was even more shocking.
In that instant, the wings on Sora's back blazed with brilliant light, carrying him skyward.
'[READY GO!]'
'[VOLCANIC ATTACK!]'
Countless dragon heads erupted from Sora's body, converging onto his right foot!
"Hah!"
'[RIDER KICK!]'
BOOM!
Sora's kick slammed straight onto the magma-covered monster. Magma burst continuously from his foot, cracks swiftly spreading across the sculpture.
Surging emotions, like a catalyst, flooded into the monster's body, forcing the Memoria inside to begin rapidly separating.
CRACK!
The sculpture shattered. Countless human silhouettes erupted into the distance.
And amidst the deep darkness of night, it seemed as though it had suddenly begun raining people.