The moment they crossed through the glowing wall, a vast and surreal space unfolded before them — far larger than any cave should have been.
Kouga stepped out from Kiana's body, returning briefly to his Kamen Rider Ghost form before deactivating his armor and landing beside the girls.
Kiana blinked in amazement. "Wow! never expected such a vast space to be hidden behind the wall !"
Mei activated her visor, scanning the shimmering air around them. "I can't find Major Himeko. The sensors are not picking up anything."
Kiana clenched her fist. "We'll search this place to find her, then. Don't worry. It's Himeko. She'll be alright."
At that moment, Fuhua's voice came through the communicator.
"Kiana, I've been analyzing the inscriptions on that stele. The characters were ancient sigils used to ward off evil."
Her tone shifted as she saw the strange expanse behind them through the feed.
"I'm curious about the purpose of this place... please report back if you find anything unusual."
"Understood," Kiana replied.
The group began their search, moving through winding corridors of glowing stone and whispering energy currents. After what felt like an eternity, they still found no trace of Himeko.
Kiana groaned. "This place is like a maze! Have we been running in circles?! Grrr, this is getting on my nerves!"
"Patience, Kiana, You're smart, but impatience is your greatest weakness. It has affected your test and your missions" Fuhua's calm voice came through.
Kiana blinked . "Are you trying to say something nice?"
Fuhua ignored the question.
"I've reviewed the data feed from the last hour. The structure of this cave is based on the Bagua Trigrams — an ancient Shenzhou sealing formation."
Kiana tilted her head. "Bagua?"
"A special sealing array used in ancient Shenzhou. This cave must be hiding something." Fuhua explained. "The exit should be in the southwest, Kiana."
"How do you know ?" Kiana asked, half impressed, half annoyed.
"I've studied the Esoteric Gates of Eight. I'll explain later."
Following Fuhua's guidance, the group carefully navigated the maze until finally emerging into a vast open chamber.
Kiana pumped her fist. "Yes! We finally made it out! You're amazing, Fuhua!"
"Thank you, Kiana," Fuhua replied, sounding slightly amused.
Kouga chuckled quietly.
Kiana grinned. "That Bagua thing is super interesting! Alright, let's head southwest again—"
But before she could finish, Fuhua's voice spiked sharply.
"Wait! Stop moving!"
Kouga, already noticing the faint shimmer under Kiana's foot, reached out. "Kiana, don't—!"
Click.
Kiana looked down. "Huh? Oops... I think I just stepped on something?"
Fuhua's tone turned grim.
"The Eight Gates each carry different omens... and the one you stepped on brings misfortune!"
The entire cavern began to tremble. Cracks split across the ceiling as massive stones fell toward them.
"Everyone, down!" Kouga shouted, transforming instantly into Kamen Rider Drive. With a burst of crimson energy, he dashed between the falling rocks, grabbing Kiana, Mei, and Bronya in turn — carrying all three out of the collapsing passage in a blur of speed.
After a few seconds, the tremors stopped. Kouga set the girls down gently, exhaling deeply as he deactivated his armor.
Kiana placed her hands on her knees, panting. "That... was way too close! Bagua is so complicated!"
"Look," Mei suddenly pointed ahead. "There's a golden sword over there!"
Fuhua's voice returned, analytical as ever.
"A golden sword? Could it be the Xuanyuan Sword? The maze must have been built to guard it... but wait — the stele mentioned sealing evil. Wasn't the Xuanyuan Sword supposed to fight the Honkai?"
Kouga frowned slightly. "Yeah... something's not adding up here."
But before he could continue, Kiana's excitement drowned out the tension. "We can figure that out later! Let's just grab it — Himeko's been searching for this sword forever!"
Mei crossed her arms. "It's floating in the air. We can't even reach it."
Kiana smirked mischievously. "We girls can't... but we know someone who can."
All eyes turned toward Kouga.
He sighed. "Alright, alright... I get it."
Kouga transformed into Kamen Rider Sky-Rider, he then soared toward the floating sword. Just as his hand reached out, a sudden pulse of energy flared from around the blade — a barrier of golden light.
An electric shock surged through him, hurling him backward.
"Kouga!" the girls shouted in unison, running toward where he landed.
He pushed himself up, dusting off the dirt on his jacket. "Yeah, I'm fine..." He looked toward the hovering weapon, now sparking faintly. "But it looks like there's a barrier protecting it. We'll have to find another way."
The group stood before the levitating golden blade, its radiance gleaming in the misty air. The XuanYuan Sword pulsed with a strange, ominous glow, and Kouga could feel the weight of its presence pressing against his senses.
Bronya's monotone voice broke the silence."Bronya noticed that there are three Jingwei statues around the XuanYuan sword."
Everyone turned. Indeed—three massive stone statues of the mythical bird encircled the sword, their gazes fixed on it.
Kiana squinted. "Huh? Is it just me, or are the eyes of the statues glimmering?"
Mei tilted her head. "What do you mean...?"
Kiana crossed her arms thoughtfully. "Hmm. Indeed, Jingwei led the way. We should take a look at those statues. Perhaps there's a mechanism."
Mei nodded in agreement. "I guess there's no better way."
They split up and began examining each statue. The cave echoed with their footsteps and faint hums of ancient energy. Dust fell from the ceiling as they worked, tracing the lines and runes carved into the stone.
After a few tense minutes, the eyes of each statue began to glow brighter—red light building like fire behind gemstone pupils.
Suddenly, three brilliant beams shot out from the mouths of the statues, converging on the floating XuanYuan Sword. The sword pulsed in response, its glow flickering wildly before descending, slow and steady, toward the ground.
But before anyone could react—
A hand reached out from the shadows and seized the sword.
The group froze.
As the light dimmed, the figure holding the weapon stepped forward—and it was none other than Himeko.
"Himeko!" Kiana gasped, her voice full of relief. "Where have you been? We were so worried!... huh?"
She didn't answer.
Himeko's eyes were blank, glowing faintly crimson. The sword trembled in her grasp before she raised it high and swung down in a flash of golden light.
"Kiana, watch out!" Mei shouted, tackling her partner out of the way just in time.
The ground split open from the impact.
In a burst of orange light, Kouga transformed into Kamen Rider Ghost, summoning the Gan Gun Saber in his hand. He intercepted the next strike midair, sparks erupting as XuanYuan Sword clashed with his blade.
Bronya quickly summoned Project Bunny, the mech's arms spreading as it deployed a translucent barrier around her, Mei, and Kiana.
Analyzing rapidly, Bronya spoke in her calm, analytical tone."Major Himeko has been possessed by that sword. The Bronya deems her a high-level threat. Prepare to engage."
But Kouga barked back without looking away from the clash."No, stay there in the barrier—I got this!"
The battle flared into motion. Kouga and the possessed Himeko moved at blinding speed, sword against sword, strikes ringing through the chamber like thunderclaps. Sparks lit the darkness, illuminating their faces in flashes of red and gold.
With a powerful upward swing, Kouga managed to knock Himeko back. She slid across the ground but didn't fall—instead, the XuanYuan Sword glowed once more, splitting its light into dozens of ethereal copies that hovered around her like spectral blades.
Himeko snapped her arm forward, and the phantom swords launched toward Kouga all at once.
In a burst of orange energy, he changed forms—Ghost Musashi Damashii.Two blades now gleamed in his hands as he spun, slicing through each incoming sword, deflecting and shattering them one by one in a dazzling storm of sparks and spirit energy.
From above, another volley descended. Kouga dodged, rolling forward, dismissing his blades—and drove a solid punch straight into Himeko's stomach.
The impact cracked through the air like a cannon.
She stumbled back, collapsing to her knees. But before anyone could speak, the entire world around them began to twist.
The cave dissolved.
The air grew thick with fog—gray, suffocating mist that swallowed the light. The ground was no longer stone but a shadowy reflection, like standing on the surface of still water.
Kiana, Mei, and Bronya broke out of the barrier and hurried to regroup with Kouga.
"What's going on…?" Kiana whispered.
Before anyone could answer, Himeko's body lifted from the ground. She hugged her knees tightly, trembling, before her entire form crystallized—encased in blood-red crystal that pulsed with corrupted energy.
Three glowing shapes descended from the fog—specters, each bearing Himeko's likeness, surrounding the crystal like guardians of her torment.
Kouga shifted forms once more, RyusoulRed.Mei unsheathed her katana, Kiana leveled her twin pistols, and Bronya powered up Project Bunny.