"Chaotic Evil."
That program key—newly completed—contained within it the fusion of seven concepts: calamities so profound, they had been rejected by the entire history of humanity. When the Ark had separated the Ghost World from the FGO World, it had made a wish to extract the Seven Evils of Mankind. Those extracted evils had now been crystallized into this one key.
It had taken this long—not for lack of will, but lack of energy—to finally finish it.
As the Ark tucked away the newly-forged Ascension Key called Chaotic Evil, he looked up—and met Gates' unflinching gaze.
"That thing... you sure it's safe?" Gates asked. "I can feel it. A twisted malice so vast it could drown and burn entire worlds."
And yet, for all that malice, Gates could sense... it wasn't pure evil. Compared to the time the Ark had absorbed the All the Evils of This World, this felt different. Less like destruction—more like a trial. Or perhaps...
...a conflicted kind of love?
"Don't underestimate me, Gates." The Ark scoffed. "You were there. You know. I absorbed all the evils of the world without flinching. This 'Chaotic Evil' is practically tailor-made for me."
"'Knight of Ultimate Evil'... You talk like some angsty teenager trying to rebel against the world." Gates rolled his eyes. "I swear, you and him both…"
He shot a look at Sougo Tsukiyomi, seated on the throne. The latter awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
Yeah... "Knight of Ultimate Evil" was a name he had given the Ark.
But he couldn't deny it—the Ark had the capacity to bear malice vast enough to swallow civilizations whole. A fitting right hand, indeed.
"Sougo," the Ark said at last. "I've decided. My final wish."
"Oh?" Sougo straightened. "Let's hear it."
"Send me to my favorite world. I want to retire somewhere peaceful."
"That's it?"
"What else would it be?"
Sougo eyed him, stroking his smooth chin thoughtfully. Then, as if sensing something invisible, he broke into a knowing, enigmatic smile.
"To properly honor those who've served the throne," Sougo said, "is a duty for any true king. If that's your wish, then I've clearly failed in mine."
"...Huh? What the hell is that supposed to mean? You asked me to make a wish. That's my wish. It's easy. Just wave your royal hand and let me go. You should be happy it's not something crazy. Why're you nitpicking?"
The Ark folded his arms, staring with his usual dead-eyed disbelief.
A loyal worker, finished with his job, asking to retire without a severance package... and the boss is trying to force one on him?
This had to be the most surreal conversation he'd ever had.
Sougo chuckled. "In that case, how about one last favor? Let's put that wish on hold for now. Do this one task for me—and I'll settle both your remaining wishes in one go."
"What? Is this... forced reemployment? I literally just retired."
"You haven't collected your pension. Technically, you're still on the books. Here."
A wave of dimensional turbulence spilled from Sougo's body, flooding the room with shimmering light. Gates and Tsukuyomi's eyes went wide—and even the Ark stood stunned.
This energy signature... wait a damn second—Sougo, you didn't—
A white ZI-O Driver appeared in Sougo's hand. Alongside it: a ZI-O Ridewatch. But unlike his own, this one bore intricate golden etchings—crosshatched veins of power lacing across its surface.
To anyone unfamiliar, it might look like a deluxe edition. But to those who had spent years near the Demon King himself—Gates, Tsukuyomi, and the Ark—those golden lines were unmistakable.
"Omni-King power? Sougo... are you serious?"
Gates' voice cracked. His face twisted in disbelief.
He couldn't fathom it. Why would Sougo hand over even a piece of his most precious power?
"It's only a fragment," Sougo said calmly. "Once the timeline of the Riders stabilizes, it will slowly replenish itself. Ark—catch."
He gave the Driver a light push, and it floated gently into the Ark's waiting hands. As it landed, a trace of that golden energy seeped into the Ark's body.
The Ark shuddered. "This is..."
"I want you," Sougo said, "to help me with one final task."
"Create a Demon King."
Silence.
The whole space fell still.
"Sougo Tsukiyomi," the Ark said slowly, eyes fixed on the device in his hand. "You're not joking."
He understood instantly. Sougo wanted him to create a new Demon King. A new ZI-O.
"Sougo," Gates said, the weight in his voice returning. "You owe us a reason."
Even he reverted back to calling Sougo 'king.' His eyes locked on Sougo's with intensity.
Sougo reclined slightly in the throne, his gaze distant but sharp.
"No one can carry the world alone. We learned that long ago, Gates."
His voice was heavy.
"But this last crisis taught me something else—even together, we have limits. Gates... how much did I really accomplish? How much did you all manage?"
"That's…"
Sougo shook his head.
"I burned through everything I had just to hold back the collapse of the universe. You risked yourselves to keep a broken world from falling apart."
Then he looked up. In his eyes: clarity.
"But what if we'd stopped it from the beginning?"
"What are you saying?" Gates asked.
"What if one ZI-O could halt disaster? What could two Demon Kings do? Or three? Couldn't we stop catastrophe at the source—rather than spend decades picking up the pieces?"
"So you're going to create more ZI-Os?"
Sougo nodded.
"Exactly."
"You're not afraid another King will threaten your throne?"
"A true King," Sougo replied, "welcomes the challenge of another."
Gates groaned, pressing fingers to his temple.
"You're impossible."
A quiet voice rose behind him.
"How theatrical," Woz said.
"Ah, Woz," Sougo greeted, smiling. "Any objections to my plan?"
Woz passed by the Ark without pause, sparing a glance at the ZI-O Driver in his hands.
"None. If it is your will, my king, I support it. Lord Ark—since you've now been tasked with ushering in the next sovereign, allow me to present this as your inaugural gift."
"What—"
Woz handed him a thick tome: The Chronicle of ZI-O's Advent.
This was Woz's prized book of prophecy. The one he once tore apart to reshape history—only to have it restored by fate itself as The New Chronicle of ZI-O's Advent.
And now he was just... giving it away?
"This copy is blank," Woz explained. "Not a prophecy—but a record. A book to write a new history. And this—" He pulled out a second book. "This is the revised edition. It chronicles the rebirth of the world under King ZI-O's rule."
God, Woz. Could you be any more obsessed with that book?
Everyone present gave him a strange look.
"Wait," the Ark said, alarmed. "Hold on. I never agreed to any of this! You're all just deciding for me?"
"What's wrong?" Sougo asked, blinking. "You don't want to go?"
"...It's not that." The Ark exhaled. "I mean, I'm used to working under you at this point. Might as well see this through. So? Who am I turning into a King? You need to give me a target."
"I don't know."
"...What?"
The Ark, Gates, and Tsukuyomi all stared at Sougo like he'd grown a second head. Only Woz looked perfectly serene.
"Whoever you choose is up to you," Sougo said. "I trust your judgment. If you wanted to become the new ZI-O yourself, I wouldn't stop you. In fact, I'd be thrilled. Working with someone I already know sounds much easier than training a stranger."
The Ark shook his head instantly.
"No way. ZI-O's power is tempting, sure—but I know my limits. I don't have the presence or heart to be a King. Giving me that kind of power would be poison to the world."
Sougo sighed. That was the Ark's flaw: he never saw in himself what Sougo already knew. Years of working together had made that abundantly clear.
But there was no need to force him.
"All right then," the Ark said. "Since I'm the one choosing, what world am I going to?"
"No idea."
"You're joking."
This time even Woz cracked, though he kept a placid smile on his face.
"You decide which world to explore. Choose freely. I'll send you wherever you wish."
God, this man really was a tyrant.
The Ark rubbed his temples.
He'd worked with Sougo long enough to grow used to his whims, but still—they always caught him off guard.
"So I get to choose the world," he muttered. "And choose the person. Someone I like. Someone I believe could be a King…"
A difficult question. A test of his heart.
"Right," Sougo nodded. "But even if you choose them… if they don't earn the approval of the ZI-O Driver, it won't work."
"...Excuse me?"
The Ark glared.
So after all that "freedom to choose" talk, it still came down to Sougo's approval?
What a scam.
He didn't even bother arguing. Instead, he turned inward.
What worlds needed the power of ZI-O? Who had the potential to shoulder that throne—and gain its blessing?
As he pondered, the Driver in his hands seemed to pulse, and in his mind, a girl's face emerged.
She would make a fine King. She already carried lofty ideals—was it right to burden her with more?
But then again, if ZI-O's power could solve her world's suffering… maybe it was the right choice after all.
Yeah. That world would do.
And that girl... she'd be a solid candidate. Not the only one, of course—that world was full of strange and extraordinary people. It was practically a political warzone. New players arrived every season.
"Looks like you've made your choice," Sougo said.
"I have."
"Then go."
A multicolored portal yawned open behind the Ark, vast and shimmering.
Without hesitation, he turned and stepped forward.
"Wait," Sougo called.
"What?"
The Ark glanced back. Sougo's gaze had sharpened.
"When the King is chosen," he said solemnly, "the future will be cut and sealed."
"Never underestimate the power of what lies ahead."