Honkai: Star Rail — Kamen Rider!

[Power Refresh Timer Remaining: 23:54:13]

The universe was shrouded in shadow. So too was the planet.

Once known as the Life Goddess's blessing, the Ecological Planet had once glowed with radiant green in the cold void.

But now, it was smothered beneath a choking haze—its once-vivid glow dulled, as though the world itself had been swallowed by the dark of space.

And then—light.

A single burst of radiance split through the mist veiling the planet's surface, letting starlight touch the land again.

Look closer, and you'd see: it wasn't sunlight. It was a blade of flame, formed from raw energy.

That radiant arc of fire blazed across the scorched earth—like dawn breaking through eternal night.

Flame gave way to a rainbow sheen, rippling across the sword's edge—then plunging into Zulo's chest.

"This feeling—!"

Zulo howled, writhing.

The instant the blade struck, he felt as if another planet had collided with his body.

And his body—twisted and warped by Aeonic corruption—couldn't bear it. The foreign force was tearing him apart from within.

In that blow, he saw countless images flash before him:

Mountains. Forests. Living creatures. Human beings.

Memories.

All coalescing into the blade that was now cleaving him open.

His body was being overwhelmed—consumed by iridescent light.

The rainbow aura crept across his limbs, and with each inch, more of his power was unmade.

"This… is death."

"This is the end you always deserved."

Sora brought the Prismbicker down.

With calm, deliberate force, the sword continued cutting—slow, clean strokes that cleaved Zulo apart.

Each wound shimmered with rainbow light. Beautiful, in a strange and terrible way.

"Goodbye. No—let's make that farewell forever."

SHHHK—!

The blade's final strike exploded with blinding brilliance.

Light raced across the battlefield, slicing through every shadow.

The body that symbolized despair—was torn apart at last.

Zulo's torso fell back. As the rainbow energy consumed him, his entire form began to dissolve—scattering like colored dust into the sky.

And just before he disappeared completely—

He smiled.

No one knew what it meant.

No one knew why that expression surfaced at the very end.

But Sora saw it.

And instinctively—he didn't trust it.

He raised his sword and shield again, scanning the surroundings for any signs of a last-ditch counterattack.

But all he saw… was sunlight.

Real sunlight.

For the first time since arriving here, he saw this world bask in warm, golden light.

He looked up. A deep blue sky stretched overhead.

And for a moment, he felt as though he'd returned home.

No clouds. No pollution. Just a clear beginning—like a world restored to its first day.

If not for the scorched battlefield behind him, no one would ever believe this sky had once been buried under gloom.

Is it… really over?

The question flickered in Sora's mind.

So many battles. So many wounds.

And now—had his wish for hope… truly come to pass?

As if answering him, a tiny sprout broke through the ruined earth.

Fresh and green.

Sora's eyes were drawn to it.

He de-transformed. Xtreme gave a cheerful chirp overhead, then vanished into the distance.

He knelt and touched the sprout gently. It was real.

"Sora!!"

Robin and Anna came running.

They skidded to a halt in front of him, their faces lit with joy.

"Sora—Sora!" Anna was practically bouncing. "Did we do it? Did we really win?"

The sunlight warming their shoulders, the breeze gently brushing the grass—

It all seemed to confirm it.

They had done it.

They had defeated the reborn Lord Ravager. And saved their world.

"…Looks like it," Sora said, uncertain.

He pulled a bullet from his pocket—the one still pulsing faintly with power.

The mark on the back of his hand was dim now—but still visible.

He hadn't even used the planet's final contingency.

Could it really be over?

Anna let out a long breath.

From the time of the War Dragon to now, this world had endured so much.

Now… finally…

Peace.

She had fulfilled her duty—as the last of Camille's royal blood.

"Thank you," she said, voice soft.

Without him, none of this would've been possible.

Sora smiled.

He reached out and ruffled her hair, then tilted his head back to the blue sky.

Is it really over…?

Though doubt lingered in his heart, the battlefield itself was now still.

The Voidwalkers had been annihilated by his final strike.

The distant Tramplers were gone—wiped out by the Doomsday Beast's last rampage.

Zulo's entire army had fallen with him.

But the land… it was changing.

"…It was just a battlefield. And now it's already like this?"

Robin stared in disbelief.

Cratered earth had been replaced by a thin carpet of grass.

A surreal speed of regrowth. As if the sprouts had been waiting beneath the soil all along, ready for this moment.

Even Sora felt uneasy about it.

"This is normal growth speed for our planet," Anna said cheerfully.

To her, this was no miracle—just life returning.

The threat was gone. She could breathe again.

But the calm didn't last.

As the three of them made their way across the field, they found a troubling sight:

Bodies—dozens of them—scattered across the ground.

The second defensive squad. The ones running the guerrilla ops.

All collapsed in heaps.

Even their captain—Ouja—was sprawled in the dirt, her armor cracked and stained with blood.

Her injuries looked grim. Cuts, bruises, open wounds—she was a mess.

The three rushed forward, checking each fallen comrade.

And to their relief—most were only unconscious. A few had heavy injuries, but none were dead.

Even Ouja, for all her brutal appearance, had only taken light damage.

In fact, during the examination, some of her cuts had already closed.

Sora squinted.

"Are we sure she's a Preservation Pathstrider? Not Abundance?"

Still—no casualties. That alone was a blessing.

Robin sighed in relief.

At least… the cost hadn't been too steep.

They moved everyone to a nearby survivor shelter to rest.

While they recovered—Sora had another task.

Free the kids.

As the children spilled from their hiding place and saw the sun-drenched world, they burst into delighted chaos.

Running, tumbling, shouting—it was joy in its purest form.

Sora watched them, then sighed.

Guess I'm babysitting again.

"Onii-chan! Try this—it's super good!"

A child came running, arms full of glistening red berries.

"This stuff's better than alien food! We eat it all the time!"

This planet really regrew that fast? Sora blinked.

But the berries looked good. Like little rubies, glistening in tiny hands.

The kids stared at him with wide eyes, expectant.

Some swallowed nervously.

It was obvious—this was a gift. For him.

"…Alright. I graciously accept."

Sora popped one into his mouth.

Bite.

Juice.

Then—

Nope.

Sour.

Unbelievably sour.

His face twitched.

Then came the bitterness—like a thousand regrets distilled into one bite.

And finally, the astringency. As if his tongue was being sandblasted from within.

Sora's hopeful expression collapsed into stunned horror—and then, into a blank, diplomatic calm.

Was this… even edible?

If forced to choose, he'd gladly eat his old pet food again.

But hadn't the survivor base's food been perfectly normal?

"Is it good, Sora-oniichan?" one kid asked innocently.

They didn't know.

They'd just found something pretty and brought it to him.

"…It's great," he said through clenched teeth. "Can I have the rest?"

"Yay!!" The kids beamed, piling all the berries into his hands.

His praise meant more than anything.

Sora looked down at the growing mound of fruit.

He needed answers.

So he dove back into the Planetary Library to figure out just what kind of evolutionary fast-forward he was dealing with.

But when he arrived—

There was only darkness.

No lights. No data. No trace of the archive that had once been there.

Just silence.

Sora stood still.

And said nothing.