High above Tartaro, panic had already consumed everything.
The Memoria that usually soothed emotions had suddenly lost all effectiveness, allowing everyone to witness the terrifying battle in outer space.
The enormous Deceiver Swarm King, comparable to a small asteroid, radiated overwhelming pressure, easily spreading dread through every person below.
Not to mention, its horrifying appearance alone plunged countless people into hysteria.
After all, it belonged to a group whose mere name struck terror across the galaxy—the Propagation Swarm!
Though it looked different from other insects, its aura alone proved its status at the pinnacle of the Swarm.
To deal with something like this required massively destructive weaponry, capable of annihilating it outright.
But Tartaro had no such weapons.
Violence was rare on this planet, and besides basic self-defense systems, it had virtually no special armaments. Even less likely were weapons capable of completely destroying such a creature.
Everyone here was like lambs waiting obediently for slaughter, helplessly awaiting the arrival of the Swarm to devour them.
Fear and panic consumed them, making it impossible to suppress their emotions.
However, within the crowd, a few still retained their calm.
Perhaps because she'd seen many disasters before, Robin quickly regained composure after her initial shock. She was already using her unique presence to try and soothe the masses, with some success.
Equally calm was Fenille. Observing the panicked crowds outside, her expression remained tranquil.
"What good is panicking at a time like this?" Fenille shook her head slightly. "It won't change anything."
This disaster threatened the entire planet. Panic was pointless—there was nowhere to escape.
Instead, Fenille found herself more concerned with the invisible presence lingering nearby.
"Hey… You're not panicking too, are you?"
"No," Titania replied, voice composed, "it's merely one insect's arrival."
"One insect? From the way you say it, do you have a way of dealing with insects?" Fenille asked curiously.
Titania remained silent for a long moment.
After sensing that eruption of magma-like energy, Titania understood clearly: the insect's target… was her.
A fight to the death against other insects sharing the same Path.
Two existences who walked the very same Path, yet who clashed violently because of a simple distinction—old versus new.
No matter how one looked at it, the situation felt absurd.
But it had happened nonetheless.
Strangest of all, Titania—the supposed target—had not nurtured any real power yet. Instead, the Iron Cavalry she'd once seen as bitter enemies now stood on the frontline resisting the insect.
Titania was at a loss for words at this irony.
Of course, she could easily use the chaos now to breed her own forces. People like Fenille, who held lingering traces of Propagation's power, would make ideal incubators.
Logically speaking, she should discard sentimentality and quickly breed her army.
Yet now, Titania hesitated…
Sora's swinging blade, and that final kick he'd delivered, both clearly conveyed his feelings to her.
Is what I'm doing truly right?
If she used her power to birth soldiers now, wouldn't she be exactly like the Glamoth who'd created her?
How could she tolerate becoming the same as Glamoth?
Glamoth had deceived her completely. She loathed them fiercely. How could she allow herself to commit the same sins?
This hesitation halted Titania's next move.
"If you had the means to repel the insect but at a price," Titania finally asked after a long silence, "what would you choose?"
Fenille repeated the word softly. "A price, huh…?"
Everything had a price. But for someone who'd already died, what could she possibly fear?
"If it meant driving away that insect, I think I'd do whatever it took," Fenille replied calmly, then waited quietly for Titania's answer.
Yet she waited and waited without response.
"Hey… are you still there?"
Had she really left in the middle of the conversation?
No way, right?
Fenille could hardly believe it. She called out repeatedly, but no reply came.
After some time, she finally heard a faint, playful whisper echoing in her ear.
"Ciao~"
Fenille blinked, utterly baffled. What the heck was that supposed to mean?!
...
After shattering the golden particles clustered around the planet's Core with a punch, Sora immediately headed back toward the surface.
The moment he broke through to the surface, he noticed something wrong in space above. Immediately abandoning the special equipment Jobs had provided, he boarded the Silver Ray of Hope, rushing urgently into orbit.
True to its reputation, the Silver Ray moved incredibly fast, arriving just in time for Sora to use the [Muscle Galaxy Fullbottle] to pull Asatsuba out of danger.
Now, Iron Cavalry and Swarm King alike stared at Sora—the unexpected intruder who'd suddenly appeared on the battlefield.
Relief flooded through the Iron Cavalry immediately:
"You took your sweet time."
Their words sounded like complaints, but everyone's hearts instantly settled, reassured by his presence.
Meanwhile, the Swarm King stared at Sora with perplexed curiosity.
But soon, it felt a familiar power radiating from Sora's fist.
This mortal had come into direct contact with the New Aeon!
The Swarm King didn't know their exact relationship—but why should it matter?
It let out another piercing shriek, commanding all illusions around it to strike fiercely at Sora.
Wouldn't everything resolve itself if the New Aeon and everyone nearby were simply devoured together?
"Well, the main character always arrives last!" Facing the storm of attacks, Sora remained utterly unshaken.
He twisted the same [Fullbottle] he'd used to rescue Asatsuba, causing colors to surge violently within it.
'[MACHO FEVER]'
Sora inserted the Fullbottle into the driver, instantly enveloping himself in dense smoke. Asatsuba immediately backed several steps away in caution.
Suddenly, Sora's right hand began glowing brilliantly, absorbing the swirling smoke.
'[MUSCLE GALAXY]'
"Bura! Ciao!"
Sora didn't even notice that voice—his focus was entirely on the battle ahead, completely ignoring any strangeness in his body.
He swiftly twisted the lever. Armor instantly materialized before and behind him.
At that moment, Tartaro itself seemed to respond, sending a rush of golden particles surging toward him.
These particles spiraled gracefully, forming radiant golden rings around his body.
"Why does this power feel so familiar…?" Asatsuba murmured uncertainly.
Though closest, she couldn't quite pinpoint where she'd felt it before.
'[ARE YOU READY?]'
"[Henshin]!"
The golden rings slammed together with his armor, unleashing wave after wave of energy through space.
The Iron Cavalry struggled desperately to maintain balance against these surging tides, barely staying stable.
Meanwhile, the Swarm King's illusions shattered instantly, blown away by the surging energy.
[The galaxy's invincible muscle-headed fool!]
'[GINGA MUTEKI NO KINNIKU YARŌ!]'
Golden brilliance blazed through the darkness of space—like a newborn star suddenly igniting.
'[CROSS-ZEVOL!]'
'[PANĒI! MAJI PANĒI!]'
As the brilliant glow faded, Sora's new form emerged clearly before everyone's eyes.
"This form… So cool!"
The battle above Tartaro naturally held the attention of countless people below. As the dazzling glow faded, the crowds spontaneously exclaimed their awe:
He looked incredibly cool.
White dominated the armor, with thin but perfect blue lines outlining sharp distinctions. Black patterns traced muscles across his form.
Simple, yet irresistibly handsome—just looking at him stirred something deep inside the hearts of many.
"What is that form…?" Robin stared wide-eyed, seeing this for the first time.
"Kamen Rider Cross-ZEvol…" Fenille murmured softly, the resonating power inside her instinctively whispering the name.
Seeing this form emerge, a strange, unexplainable confidence filled her heart.
"So this… is Mr. Sora's true form…" she whispered, utterly captivated by the sight.
Out in space, even the Swarm King recovered from its initial shock.
"KREEEEE—[Do you think changing forms alone can alter the outcome?!]"
BOOM!!!!
An endless flood of illusory powder surged outward from the Swarm King's massive body.
Moments later, a colossal, several-hundred-meter shadow appeared before it—a phantom in the shape of a ferocious tiger!
Its fangs gleamed menacingly, leaving no doubt of its deadly intent.
A scholar on Tartaro recognized the creature and paled in terror.
"Isn't that… the Meteoric Saber-Toothed Tiger? It's supposed to have been extinct for tens of thousands of years!"
Indeed, the Meteoric Saber-Toothed Tiger had vanished long ago. The only way to witness its asteroid-sized form now was to visit galactic museums on major worlds.
It earned the name "Meteoric" precisely because adult specimens could devastate planets like falling asteroids.
With a massive body capable of traveling freely through space, claws strong enough to tear apart almost any defense, and jaws that could shatter meteorites…
All these terrifying features made it one of the most infamous predators in galactic history.
And now, tens of thousands of years after its supposed extinction, the fearsome beast reappeared—showing off its nightmarish power once more.
"ROAR!!!"
With a deafening cry, the Meteoric Saber-Toothed Tiger lunged, huge claws sweeping down at Sora!
Each of its claws was as big as a small starship—next to it, even Sora's Silver Ray of Hope looked small, let alone Sora himself. He seemed like a tiny speck, utterly insignificant.
The tiger's action looked no different from someone casually swatting a mosquito.
"Quick, dodge! Only strategic-class star fortresses can withstand a strike from a Meteoric Saber-Toothed Tiger!"
"He's got an exploration-class ship—if he moves fast enough, he should be able to evade!"
People from Tartaro anxiously shouted out warnings and advice. That attack was impossible to block; dodging was the only way!
But their panicked voices couldn't reach the distant battlefield.
Standing atop his ship, Sora faced the tiger's gigantic paw calmly.
His coat fluttered gently without wind, as he twisted the lever. His armor deepened into absolute darkness, white lines shining brighter, while subtle golden streaks traced his muscles, glowing faintly.
'[CROSS-Z SIDE]'
He jumped!
Seemingly sensing his intent, the Silver Ray tilted its nose upward at the last second, launching Sora into the air.
Caught off guard, Asatsuba floated off awkwardly into space.
Meanwhile, Sora plunged downward like a shooting star, directly at the oncoming claws.
"What is he doing?!"
People watching from Tartaro were baffled by his reckless choice.
Only Robin smiled knowingly, maintaining complete faith.
Sora would never do something unless he was confident he could succeed.
The tiger's enormous paw swung through space, gathering immense momentum—enough power to annihilate a small asteroid outright!
And facing this enormous strike, Sora looked impossibly tiny and fragile.
Yet he struck out fearlessly with his fist!
Golden light burst forth from his fist once more—as if Sora wasn't striking alone.
Everyone's hearts clenched anxiously at the moment of collision.
What would the outcome be?
'[MUSCLE FINISH!]'
Boom—!
A dazzling silver-gray explosion erupted at the point of impact.
When the glare faded, the onlookers were shocked to find that the Meteoric Saber-Toothed Tiger was still frozen in mid-attack.
Had the tiger won?
"Wait! Look carefully!" someone shouted in surprise.
Everyone strained their eyes—and quickly noticed cracks rapidly spreading through the tiger's gigantic form!
Its massive body began dissolving, crumbling into countless shimmering dust particles, scattering through space.
And emerging from within the shattered illusion, totally unharmed and surging forward relentlessly, was Sora's blazing figure!
He shone brilliantly like the brightest star in the galaxy!
The people on Tartaro were utterly stunned, mouths agape.
Robin's lips curled into a satisfied smile. "Of course…"
Sora could be clumsy sometimes, but he'd never do something truly foolish.
She was confident, but everyone else was awestruck beyond belief.
"How…how is that even possible?" echoed throughout the planet.
"Is this Mr. Sora's true power?" Jobs murmured, eyes wide and filled with awe.
A man strong enough to shatter a Meteoric Saber-Toothed Tiger with a single punch—did someone like that really exist?
The Saber-Toothed Tiger dissolving before their eyes defied everyone's expectations. Though shocking, it was certainly good news for Tartaro.
But for the Deceiver Swarm King, it was a complete nightmare!
Especially because Sora wasn't stopping—he was rapidly closing in on its own body.
In the Swarm King's eyes, this man looked exactly like death itself, rapidly drawing near!
Even worse, it sensed clearly the power within that golden fist.
Not only was the strength behind it tremendous, but the golden radiance seemed tailor-made to annihilate insects specifically!
If that punch hit directly, even if it didn't kill the Swarm King outright, it would surely take half its life away!
Fear and panic flooded the insect's mind.
Quickly, it initiated a desperate defense!
Countless starships and illusory powder swirling around it instantly converged, forming a giant egg-like cocoon around the Swarm King's body.
From within, it frantically spewed more powder, reinforcing the barrier layer after layer.
Two hundred percent durability?
Not enough! It wouldn't feel secure unless it reached a thousand percent!
The Swarm King rapidly compressed its own form, sacrificing even more powder to create an ultra-dense, seemingly impenetrable shell. In terms of durability, it might barely reach one percent of the Amber Wall forged by Qlipoth, the Preservation Aeon—a defense so absurdly strong it was almost impossible to shatter in an instant!
Such a barrier could never be pierced instantly—it should buy it enough time to—
Just as the Swarm King prepared to escape, it suddenly found its body utterly immobilized.
"Hiss?! [What's going on?]"
'[CROSS-Z SIDE! EVOL SIDE!]'
Within the completely sealed cocoon, Sora suddenly leaped out of a miniature black hole.
The insect's carefully built defense proved utterly worthless, bypassed entirely!
With shock and terror, the Swarm King stared helplessly as it was dragged right toward that shining golden fist!
'[GALAXY FINISH]'
BOOM!!
Sora's fist crashed violently into the Swarm King's body!
The creature's armored shell distorted and cracked inch by inch under the overwhelming force.
Flesh tore apart, and a torrent of blood sprayed out wildly into the vacuum of space.