A celebratory ceremony—a general term for all kinds of festive rites.
And within the Cangyan Xianzhou, the greatest celebration of all is none other than the Heaven-Mending Creation.
The origins of this celebration go back several hundred years, and it's held once every few years. You could even call it a fairly well-known event across the galaxy.
On this day, anyone in the galaxy can choose to join the celebration and spend it together with the people of the Cangyan Xianzhou.
And this celebration, in particular, also drew the attention of many.
Because this time, the Cangyan Xianzhou had arrived near the recently established Federation of Hope, and had even issued an invitation to its leader.
Add to that the previous conflict between the Federation of Hope and the IPC, and you could say the number of people watching this celebration was… a lot. A whole lot.
But the very group everyone was watching—the Federation of Hope delegation—had absolutely none of that self-awareness.
Instead, they wandered around the entire venue like they were genuinely here to enjoy the festival.
As the time drew closer, more and more people flooded into the celebration grounds. "Lively" was basically the venue's middle name.
Faced with a scene like this, Titania naturally wanted to show herself off a bit—maybe rake in some outside votes for herself.
But Fenille, who'd been watching her the whole time, hurriedly stopped her.
No matter what, this was someone else's celebration. Don't go stirring up trouble at random.
The others just smiled knowingly.
Scenes like this in their group were practically routine.
And then—right when the celebration reached its most fevered peak—the sky suddenly plunged into total darkness.
Daylight dropped into night in an instant. The abrupt shift made it impossible to see what was happening around them.
Only a few scattered lights managed to push the darkness back, just a little.
The sudden change naturally startled the Federation of Hope group.
White flames blossomed from Hotaru's body, driving back the darkness around her.
"T-This… what is this?"
It was her first time at this celebration. She looked around, not understanding why everything had suddenly fallen into darkness.
Could it be an outside enemy had come to destroy the Cangyan Xianzhou?
"I dunno, okay? This has nothing to do with me—don't you dare pin it on me!"
Titania immediately cut ties with the situation.
Panic spread through the crowd for a moment, but it was quickly soothed.
Because someone soon explained where it came from.
"This is only the ritual before the Heaven-Mending Creation's true opening."
"That's right, everyone, please don't panic. This isn't an enemy attack."
Hearing that, the people who'd been panicking finally lowered their guard.
Still, a special opening ritual that plunged an entire Xianzhou into darkness… it really was an eye-opener.
"This looks like… they're about to summon something and trigger the apocalypse or whatever…"
March 7th tugged at Himeko's sleeve, the complaint slipping out of her without thinking.
After all, the sudden blackout looked exactly like the scene in movies right before the final villain makes their entrance.
"Calling it an apocalypse isn't wrong."
Dan Heng looked into the pitch-black around them. "But they aren't summoning anything. It's simply a reenactment of how the Cangyan once saved itself."
And this scene was a ritual performed every time during the Heaven-Mending Creation.
And the one who would stand out within this ritual…
Dan Heng's gaze abruptly fixed on the radiance in the distance.
Cangyan's Fearless General—was precisely the one who had risen to prominence in that catastrophe.
That "glorious and confident" figure had stepped forward in the disaster and saved everyone.
Now, it seemed he might be able to see that old acquaintance again.
And that old acquaintance—someone Dan Heng had once had some ties with in a past life—was, at this moment…
"Xi, can we switch? Please? It's always me every time—this is so unfair!"
On the highest platform above, that "glorious and confident" figure was currently bargaining.
Even though she'd done it countless times already, being stared at by so many people every time still made her shrink back in fear.
But Xi didn't care about that—
"This is something you did back then. If I went up, wouldn't I be stealing your credit?"
"But…"
"And besides," Xi continued, "this is also for you to rehearse every few years. You said you didn't want to leave regrets again."
Xi had said it. Reminding her, so the now-insecure figure couldn't wriggle out of it.
Yeah. She said next time, she wouldn't leave regrets again.
I have to try! I have to be strong!
Azure flames—blue as the sky—began to swell outward, dazzling in the pitch-black sky.
Xi simply watched the once-hopeless family member in silence. Sure enough—every time this came up, this idiot would manage to resolve herself.
Looks like the shock back then really was big enough to make her defy her instincts and stand here.
And every time Xi thought about that, her mind couldn't help but drift back to the past...
...
A pitch-black firmament devoured all light, scattering darkness across Cangyan.
The figures on the battlefield, seeing this, felt fear and despair rise in their hearts.
This was a realm humans could not touch—so life itself flinched from it.
Like an ordinary person's helplessness and terror in the face of a natural disaster, that feeling echoed over and over inside them.
"We might really just… wait here and die…"
After that dejected sentence was spoken, no one answered.
Normally on a battlefield, crushing morale like that would be punished on the spot by military law.
But right now, no one even thought of it.
Because everyone was in the same state.
Despair.
They had lost so much. Even the Sword Champion of the Cangcheng had used up their life to sever Buzhou.
They had tried so hard—everyone had even staked themselves on working together with Heliobi, beings that had once been their enemies.
All the living beings here wanted only one thing—
To live.
But that wish was crushed the instant the black sky descended.
Their wish was crushed completely, dust—not even scraps remained.
Until a faint sound came from the ruins of Buzhou up ahead, pulling their attention back.
They saw the flames in the sky releasing their radiance, lighting the surroundings.
And in his hand, he was holding the head of a Borisin.
Bolue's head.
He died unwilling. And in his final moment, he cursed all existence.
Even in death, he is this a baleful person. He would watch until every living being in Cangyan vanished.
And that head was now casually tossed aside with one hand by Sora.
Seeing Sora appear, everyone present relaxed a little.
After Mount Buzhou collapsed, they had still worried about his safety.
Now that he appeared unharmed, at least their hearts settled somewhat.
But there was something even more important in front of them now.
"Sora—do you have any way to deal with this situation?"
Xi asked directly. Back then, Sora had been able to seal the momentum of the "sky collapsing."
And now that the darkness had descended again, Xi could only hope Sora could do it once more.
"A way? Of course I do. But I need the Flame Lord to help me."
Sora took out two Core Medals—corresponding to the ABUNDANCE and the HUNT that he had obtained.
With Mount Buzhou collapsed, the ABUNDANCE blessing had already vanished without a trace.
At this moment, aside from what might still remain within the bodies of the Xianzhou people and Foxians, what was left was likely only what he held in his hand.
And here, there was even the power of the HUNT.
In the past, Xi had used her own strength together with the HUNT's power to successfully create Cangyan.
Now, with a little more ABUNDANCE power added, it would surely be better than what she'd been able to accomplish before.
"Then what are we waiting for? Move!"
Time didn't wait for anyone. Xi wasn't going to hesitate over this.
Within the black canopy, the Flame Lord's silhouette surfaced again, briefly pushing the darkness back.
But the Flame Lord now looked far dimmer than before.
Because General Futian's life had reached its end—so now, the Flame Lord could be considered masterless.
And so, a flaming arm reached out from the darkness of the void and seized it
The Flame Lord instantly grew more solid. His power was no longer at its peak, but it could still output enough.
Sora spread his red wings and flew towards that empty black void.
Down on the battlefield, all the people could do was watch the two of them try and overturn heavens.
Reaching beyond the sky, what lay before Sora was a darkness he was once deeply familiar with.
The first time he'd just landed, it had been in this darkness. And now, with a body of his own again, he was once more facing that abyssal, unseeable darkness.
But this time, Sora could sense a force unlike anything else, assaulting his body from all directions.
It wanted to digest him into pure energy—to kill him completely.
"So this is the power of VORACITY?"
With digestion that strong, there was probably nothing in the universe that could withstand it.
No wonder an Emanator of VORACITY would always feel hungry—anything that entered its mouth would just be digested instantly.
A sense of fullness… was a luxury far too extravagant for their Path.
"What do we do now?"
The Flame Lord's immense form slowly came to Sora's side, and from within came Xi's voice.
Xi was forcibly merging with the Flame Lord right now, allowing her to crudely wield what amounted to proof of a HUNT Emanator.
"I need you to protect the last remnants of this Xianzhou with everything you've got. Leave the rest to me."
After hearing that, Xi focused her gaze on Sora—while Sora simply met her eyes in silence.
"Don't disappoint me."
As soon as she said it, platinum-white flames ignited once more across the Flame Lord's colossal form.
Sora and her figure crossed paths in the void, each going to face their own enemy.
The Flame Lord's form spread over Cangyan. In front of it, humans might as well have been ants.
The Flame Lord who commands divine flames—dispelling evil, cleansing the world.
Once, on the battlefield against the Denizens of the Abundance, it had been used to drive out corruption, purge evil, and cleanse the world.
Now, for Cangyan on the verge of annihilation, it once again displayed its form.
Countless arms braced themselves across Cangyan's various realms.
In that instant, the entire land trembled with a violent quake.
People couldn't even keep their footing—only those Cloud Knights who had cooperated with the Heliobi could barely resist such shaking.
Under Xi's control, the Flame Lord briefly became the sky over Cangyan.
But it was only temporary, and the cost was far too immense.
Before long, the platinum-white fire burning in the Flame Lord's body began to turn insubstantial.
Xi couldn't hold out!
She didn't walk the HUNT's Path. The only reason she could command the Flame Lord was because she was forcing it.
And now, after releasing its power to the utmost, she was burning through her own strength at an even faster rate.
If her power was exhausted, then as an energy lifeform like a Heliobus, she wouldn't leave so much as a trace behind—not even across time.
"Lord Xi!"
The Heliobi who noticed this couldn't help but cry out.
Some even tried to drop everything and rush into the Flame Lord's body to help Xi.
But halfway there, they were slapped away by a massive hand.
"Stay right here like good little sparks. I can still hold it!"
Hold?
Of course she couldn't.
Xi knew she'd overestimated herself. She'd thought she could grit her teeth and endure ten minutes or so.
But once she actually did it, she realized—minutes were already her absolute limit.
Right now, she finally understood what Futian had felt back then.
That guy had resisted the power of VORACITY and held on like that for hundreds of years before his body finally gave out.
And precisely because of that, Xi refused to let those Heliobi come help her.
Because she knew—even if they came, adding even one second would be hard.
The only reason she could do this at all… was because of who she was.
"Don't underestimate the Sui Emperor's child!"
The platinum-white flames on the Flame Lord flared violently again, and the blackness gnawing into Cangyan finally stalled for a moment.
Of course Sora knew what was happening behind him—but right now, he had something even more important to do.
He slid the two Core Medals into the driver.
The HUNT went in front. ABUNDANCE in the middle. And the last slot… remained empty, no Core Medal to fill it.
And that final Core Medal—where would it come from…?
Sora's gaze turned to the two beside him.
Ankh: "Our power isn't compatible with this. If you force it, you'll only drain the power in those two Core Medals."
Eiji: "So what you need to do right now isn't anything else—it's to explore yourself…"
"Your desire will become your power."
My desire.
In Sora's mind, the fortune from that ice pop surfaced again.
[Save everyone who can be saved.]
I can't just watch someone fall into danger right in front of me and do nothing.
No matter who it is—even if they have nothing to do with me—if they reach out to me for help, then I…
"I'll reach back!"
Sora plunged his hand straight into his chest. If he was going to finish what was in front of him, then he needed this power.
Come—this power born from my desire!
The next instant, Sora's hand felt as if it had touched something.
He clenched it tight, then yanked hard and tore it out.
The darkness recoiled for a brief moment—because a light flickered here.
That light might have been tiny against the abyssal black, but it still lit the world for an instant.
When the glow faded, what lay in Sora's hand was a Core Medal with a golden frame and a pure white center.
"What is this?"
Sora stared at the white Core Medal, not understanding what it was.
When he'd pulled out the HUNT Medal and the ABUNDANCE Medal before, he'd immediately received their information.
But now, facing this brand-new Core Medal, he got nothing at all.
And at that very moment, a mass of black mist suddenly surged out from Sora's body.
The white Core Medal drank in that black mist, and was briefly stained black.
'[CORE MEDAL · FINALITY]'
What the hell is this? It just absorbed the Path power of FINALITY that had been left on him?!
Sora felt incredulous—and he could sense this Core Medal wasn't truly a FINALITY Medal, but something that had temporarily become that way after absorbing power.
In other words, the thing inside his body could actually absorb other Paths' power.
That wasn't "special" by just a little.
"Whatever. I'll think about it later!"
Sora wanted to figure out what was behind this, but he couldn't afford to care right now!
The only thing that mattered was finishing this—completely.
He slotted the final Core Medal into the empty space. The driver poured out power, the energy within it slowly brewing.
"[HENSHIN]!"
Clink! Clink! Clink!
...
'[HUNT...]'
In the galaxy, a bright silver trace was on the hunt..
THEY galloped through space without a moment's rest, but at this instant, THEY seemed to sense something and froze.
...
'[ABUNDANCE.....]'
Likewise, the figure ahead also paused for a beat.
THEY sat in endless space—many-armed, barefoot. Eyes peeked out from the fissures split across THEIR body, spying on the world beyond.
And THEY had been chased all this time by that figure holding a giant bow.
Now, the two of THEM had both frozen at the exact same moment.
...
'[FINALITY!]'
The AEON that crawled along the timeline, drifting endlessly and leaving countless prophecies behind, stopped in THEIR tracks.
THEY tilted THEIR head in puzzlement, looking towards somewhere.
Why does it feel like some Paths just trembled a moment ago?
Did something happen?
TERMINUS swept THEIR gaze across the other AEONS, but found no change at all.
Strange…
...
Sora, in the black void, knew none of this.
All he could see was three emblems converging at his chest, forming a disc, finally projecting onto his body.
'[HU~AB~FIN!]'
The call finished. Sora's body shuddered—and a peculiar force instantly spread out in all directions.
The power that had been assaulting his body vanished without a trace.
"So this is… new power?"
Sora clenched his fist, feeling the surging strength within him—strength that could save all life.
KAMEN RIDER OOO · PATH COMBO
With this power, maybe he really could do it!
Seeing this, the two who had been guarding Sora at his side immediately turned into Core Medals, one after another.
A red disc and a purple axe appeared in Sora's hands.
They chose this moment to help Sora reach the final instant!
Sora's gaze sharpened. Both hands gripped the battle axe, the power in his body drawing together—then bursting into a blinding radiance.
"Heh—HA!"
The light gathered into the axe. The moment it hit the critical point, Sora hurled it straight into the darkness ahead!
The axe spun as it flew, and up front it was like it split the dark—cleaving chaos in two!
SCREEE—
With that harsh, grating sound, specks of starlight finally appeared before Sora—starlight he hadn't seen in so, so long.
The radiance from stars countless light-years away felt strange in that instant… and yet unbelievably familiar.
"This guy… he actually did it…" Xi, of course, also noticed the starlight within that slit.
If anything, it hit her even harder than it did Sora.
Sora had only been here a few days.
She… hadn't seen starlight in thousands of years.
So this feeling… was it freedom?
Xi wanted to lean closer—only for a violent tremor to surge up from deep within the endless void.
They were inside Rahu's belly. Being able to see outside meant they'd torn open its stomach.
Rahu reeled in pain. Its "stomach" had already started to roil.
The Path of VORACITY resonated over and over, shuddering, trying to digest everything.
Xi sensed it and immediately released more power, forcing the Flame Lord to wrap Cangyan completely.
If Cangyan got caught in that force, every life on it would be digested.
As the Sui Emperor's child, she had to protect them!
The rampaging power of VORACITY swept past her in an instant.
The next second, under everyone's eyes, the Flame Lord that had wrapped all of Cangyan instantly shattered into clusters of tiny flames!
Xi was already weak, and taking that impact head-on meant she couldn't maintain it anymore.
Even the Flame Lord had fully fractured, turning into countless fire-sparks that fell from the sky.
Cangyan ignited where the sparks landed—yet the sky began to overturn again.
Freedom was right there, in front of them… but they couldn't even rush out.
VORACITY's power was still rampaging in Rahu's stomach. The moment they went out, they'd be digested into pure energy.
Sora rushed up, hacking and chopping with the massive axe, trying to smooth those violent waves of force.
But Cangyan was still being slowly digested.
Jin Xing cast secret arts of the sea of clouds, summoning endless surges of water, trying to wrap Cangyan and blast out through the tear—
But a single aftershock hit, and all that water vanished completely.
"Damn it—do we seriously have no way at all?!"
Watching this, everyone could only curse, helpless.
"It's useless. Without Xi, we can't stop Cangyan from dying."
A suffocating despair spread, as if everything really had reached the final, last brink.
Without Xi—the Sui Emperor's child—there would be no more turning things around, no matter how many Cloud Knights they had.
"There is a way…"
And right then, a voice echoed at everyone's ears.
Hearing it, several Heliobi looked around in surprise.
Wasn't that Feng Liqi's voice?
"Since Xi's gone weak… then why can't I do it?!"
As she spoke, the ABUNDANCE that had spread throughout Cangyan after Buzhou collapsed began to gather—pulled together by some unknown force.
And finally, right before everyone's eyes, a cluster of azure flame—symbol of cowardice—was reborn.
And among the Heliobi, there was only one existence that azure flame could represent!
"I am the Sui Emperor's daughter—Nüwa!"
At this very moment, that power of ABUNDANCE mixed with the scattered flames of the Flame Lord, drawn by her call, continuously gathered and condensed onto that azure flame!
Countless stones ignited, burning as they rose—until they covered the sky once more!
"N-No way!" The Heliobi were stunned.
Feng Liqi could erupt with this kind of power? How was that possible?
"How is she this strong?!"
"She's just a coward—how could she…?!"
None of them understood why Feng Liqi could stand up at a time like this.
Especially her power—how could it have become so fierce?
She clearly hadn't absorbed much emotion. She clearly hadn't grown herself much at all.
So how did she do it?!
And Jin Xing, supported by Yu Qi, seemed to realize something.
She frowned, and discovered that the fear and timidity buried deep in her heart… were gone.
"These emotions… they were all taken away by ABUNDANCE?!"
Jin Xing faintly grasped it.
After Mount Buzhou collapsed, ABUNDANCE flooded all across Cangyan—and now as that power gathered, it actually carried away the fear and timidity hidden in her heart.
Could it be…
Jin Xing's gaze fixed on that little azure spark.
"Feng Liqi… did she use the ABUNDANCE that spread across Cangyan just now to suck up everyone's fear and timidity?"
Back then, under Bolue's scheme, Mount Buzhou shattered completely as the Path went berserk—leaving no trace.
And at the same time, Feng Liqi—who'd been on the mountain road—also vanished without a trace.
A bowlful of blood stained the mountain path, and she had been consuming that blood—bound deeply to Mount Buzhou as well.
When Mount Buzhou shattered, she too scattered, merging into that ABUNDANCE and dispersing throughout Cangyan.
And now, after the sky overturned—when everyone was seized by fear and timidity—
She couldn't sit back and watch anymore.
It was something even Xi couldn't endure—would there really be some miracle reversal if she went out?
Impossible. No. She was far, far weaker than Xi.
But the sounds in her ears wouldn't stop.
The running, the crying, the voices of despair—because Abundance was everywhere—everything poured into her mind.
I'm scared. I'm scared. I'm scared!!!
Feng Liqi was sure she'd never been this terrified in her life.
She wanted to keep hiding. She wanted it to stay like this, until—
"Mom, everyone says we're going to die. What does 'die' mean?"
"Die… means everyone goes to sleep."
"Then what's there to be scared of! Let me—the future general—protect them!"
She felt that tiny, lively figure, and in her mind those two questions surfaced again.
"If the world is about to be destroyed and cease to exist, can you muster the courage to protect others?"
"If your people are about to lose their future, do you have the strength to save others?"
"I really am scared out of my mind!"
But—
"But I know I have to do something right here!"
"When all of you are scared, then I should let you know that someone even more cowardly than you has chosen to stand up!"
"So don't be afraid. Just let the most afraid be just me!"
Feng Liqi delivered the most heroic lines… with the most cowardly tone!
And at the same time, she drew in all the fear and timidity in everyone's hearts.
And the ABUNDANCE that had fused so deeply with her began to merge as well!
This time what formed wasn't Mount Buzhou—
Instead it was an enormous monolith that wrapped the entire Cangyan within!
The monolith was vast, like it could patch the sky itself.
And inside it, the Cangyan suffered not the slightest influence from the VORACITY outside.
"What I have to do next… is keep moving forward!"
After wrapping the Cangyan, Feng Liqi's goal was simple: charge through that tear and get out.
The target was right ahead. She just had to keep going forward!
As long as she could get out through there, her goal would be complete!
"Then let me give you a hand."
As Feng Liqi climbed and pushed forward, a sudden boost came from behind her.
She looked back—and behind Sora, countless golden threads extended out.
ABUNDANCE shaped a pair of wings, letting Sora push the giant monolith Feng Liqi had become.
If Feng Liqi could overcome herself, then Sora sure as hell wasn't going to fall behind!
"HRAH!"
Sora poured in everything he had. In that instant, his step seemed to leap across time itself.
FINALITY's power let him accelerate Feng Liqi's movement on a foundation of time!
That Heaven-Mending Monolith crossed countless distances in a blink, arriving at the edge of the tear.
And what changed with time… was the wound on Rahu's stomach itself.
Sora's axe had split VORACITY, but Rahu—the being itself—also carried blessings of ABUNDANCE.
It was life catalyzed by the Denizens of the Abundance through a VORACITY behemoth. That wound had lasted this long only because the HUNT's power inside it had held it open.
But after so much time, the HUNT's power was fading—the wound was about to heal shut again.
Sora noticed immediately. At this rate, the Cangyan wouldn't make it out in time.
Just as Feng Liqi was about to reach it, the wound was almost completely closed.
After all of this… would this really be the end result?
'[SCANNING CHARGE!]'
As the voice rang out at his ear, the wings transformed into two giant hands, forcing the tear to widen again.
Sora, alone, pried apart the wound that was about to heal shut.
"Don't just stand there—get out!"
Sora's shout snapped Feng Liqi back, but she still couldn't help feeling uneasy.
"Y-You… how are you getting out?!"
"Relax. I'm not going to fall here that easily. Go!"
Believe him. He wouldn't lie.
The things he promised—he always did them, didn't he?
Realizing that, Feng Liqi finally squeezed herself out through the opening.
Outside, the starlight looked so close—like she could reach out and grab it.
So this is… freedom?
Feeling freedom firsthand, Feng Liqi couldn't help going a little dazed.
For her, "freedom" had only ever been a concept that existed in her head.
She was so timid, so cowardly—none of that ever mattered.
But only by feeling it herself could she understand what freedom felt like.
"Aren't you pretty capable after all?"
Sora watched the monolith streaking through the galaxy outside, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Now next was him—getting himself out of here!
Sora tensed, preparing to break away from Rahu's belly opening.
But right then, a massive limb appeared in front of him.
It seemed the wound refusing to heal had confused Rahu as a living being, and it reached over to touch and feel.
Damn it!
Sora instantly tore himself free from the opening and shot forward.
"Sora!"
Up ahead, Feng Liqi shot out a line of flame, trying to pull Sora in.
Sora reached out, trying to catch the hand reaching for him—
But just before he could grab it, the planet-sized beast slammed into him.
The unimaginable force and speed made it impossible for Sora to break free—like it was shoving him along.
And Feng Liqi's reaching flame, after the collision, was pushed even farther away from him.
"Don't worry about me—go!"
And then, in Feng Liqi's sight, Sora's figure was completely blocked by the beast… vanishing without a trace.
---
T/N: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SORA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!