Chapter 178: Celebrate! The Most Benevolent, Most Virtuous, Supreme and Invincible King—Diend

“Is youthful arrogance and aged arrogance really just different by age alone?”

Although Kadoya Shi had reluctantly accepted Ye Xuan’s explanation, he still felt dissatisfied.

“Beating up seniors on your own set, lecturing juniors on theirs—do you really think that makes you mature and composed?”

Ye Xuan glanced at him.

“.”

If he put it that way, Ye Xuan had no retort.

“Why are you here?”

Ye Xuan was curious about this question; logically, they had never met, and in reality, Kadoya Shi should have sought out Shen Xuan, not him.

After all, he was the only Kamen Rider most people in reality even knew.

He did possess a Kamen Rider transformation device, but only a handful in the Tian Shu Bureau knew of it—could it possibly have been the Tian Shu Bureau that told him?

Or was it Kadoya Shi’s dimensional wall ability?

Come to think of it, his dimensional wall could summon Kamen Riders at will—even not just Kamen Riders.

“.”

Kadoya Shi fell silent upon hearing Ye Xuan’s question.

I can’t say I came because I knew you were a Rider too, just to show off my senior status, can I?

Wouldn’t that fit the description of “aged arrogance”?

Watching Kadoya Shi’s reaction, Ye Xuan seemed to realize something, chuckled softly, and invited:

“Want to fight? I’m curious about your current strength.”

“After splitting your power with Tokiwa Sougo and having half stolen by Swartz, just how much strength do you still have left?”

Are you truly just an empty shell, as everyone says?”

Upon hearing this, Kadoya Shi’s gaze sharpened instantly.

The dispersion of his power was an unavoidable truth, but calling him an “empty shell” was excessive.

“Since you say so, as a senior, I naturally won’t refuse.”

“But let me be clear—don’t use your current form.”

Kadoya Shi pointed at the Emperor Armor on Ye Xuan’s body.

Since he was unfamiliar with the Armor Riders’ storyline and misled by Tian Yu Kongling, Kadoya Shi believed the armor on Ye Xuan’s body was his later Kamen Rider’s ultimate form.

A fight is fine; getting humiliated is not.

He fully trusted his instinct—the armor before him was certainly no weaker in combat power than Kamen Rider Diend.

“.”

Ye Xuan’s expression turned peculiar—had Kadoya Shi misunderstood something?

But remembering that Emperor Armor did have an initial form, he chose not to explain further; after all, he’d never use a form lacking even the Ultimate Shield.

“Shhh—”

Suddenly, a red shadow flashed by—the Kabuto Insect Yi had appeared out of nowhere, circling affectionately around Ye Xuan as if urging him to use it.

Kadoya Shi widened his eyes, staring in disbelief at the Kabuto Insect Yi .

His gaze flickered between Ye Xuan’s Emperor Armor and the Insect Yi :

“You have two transformation devices?”

And one of them is Kabuto?

Is this the Kabuto Insect Yi from the original Kabuto timeline, or did it come from Tendou Souji’s corrupted world?

In Tendou Souji’s world, could the Kabuto Insect Yi be used by anyone other than Tendou himself?

Ye Xuan casually deactivated the Emperor Armor and flicked the approaching Kabuto Insect Yi .

“You could say that.”

Excluding the Yanlong Armor, he did indeed possess two Kamen Rider transformation devices.

But he had no intention of using Kabuto.

Though his strength could fully unlock Kabuto’s potential, the absence of Hyper Form meant it still had a hard limit.

It would suffice against ordinary opponents, but against Kadoya Shi, it would be inadequate—and restrict his own power.

The Eternal Driver was the same.

The Kabuto Insect Yi sensed its master’s intent, dejectedly landing on the coffee table, its elytra trembling slightly.

“You’re not going to use Kabuto?”

Kadoya Shi, watching the Kabuto Insect Yi ’s demeanor, couldn’t help turning his gaze back to Ye Xuan.

You’ve got two armors—why not use one?

Kabuto Insect Yi won’t be used, Emperor Armor won’t be used—what are you planning to use?

No sooner had he spoken than Ye Xuan walked straight into his study; before Kadoya Shi could ask, he emerged holding something.

“This will do.”

Ye Xuan raised the golden belt in his hand and said to Kadoya Shi.

“Wait, wait, wait—that doesn’t make sense!”

Kadoya Shi’s eyelid twitched uncontrollably.

If he wasn’t mistaken, that was the Diend Belt worn by Tokiwa Sougo when he transformed into Kamen Rider Diend, wasn’t it?

And are you serious?

Beyond that unknown golden armor and Kabuto, you’ve got a Diend Belt too?

How many transformation devices do you even have?!

Ye Xuan seemed to read his shock and explained:

“Relax—it’s not what you think.”

“It’s a Diend Belt, but its upper limit is restricted—it cannot unleash Diend’s full power.”

In truth, without Diend’s power, he couldn’t transform into Diend; just like Kadoya Shi’s dimensional wall, the belt he manifested with the Rat Talisman wasn’t the Diend Belt itself, but the Diend Armor—minus its transformation form.

That way, he could transform using the belt even after deactivating the armor.

The same applied to Emperor Armor—whether Diend or Emperor, he could transform with a mere thought, no belt needed.

So why bring out the belt specifically? Of course—to give Kadoya Shi a little shock with the Diend transformation.

Beating up seniors on your own turf, lecturing juniors on theirs.

Seeing Kadoya Shi’s silence when asked “Why are you here?” told Ye Xuan exactly what he’d come for.

Though he didn’t know how Kadoya Shi had learned he was a Kamen Rider, now that he’d come, was Ye Xuan going to let him play the senior?

Facing the “Destroyer of Worlds,” the Rider who fought multiple Kamen Riders alone—I’m not cheating by using Diend, am I?

A faint smile touched Ye Xuan’s lips.

But his words weren’t untrue.

He didn’t know whether Diend or Emperor Armor was stronger, but both exceeded the Rat Talisman’s upper limit—what he manifested was inevitably weakened.

Seventh stage was the limit; he could never reach Tokiwa Sougo’s final feat of reshaping time and space.

“Is that so?”

Kadoya Shi was skeptical—not because he doubted the words, but because Tian Yu Kongling’s claim flashed in his mind: that a weakened Diend had obliterated him.

Even weakened, Diend was still Diend.

“What, are you afraid?”

Ye Xuan raised an eyebrow—not taunting, but to Kadoya Shi, the words sounded no different than a provocation.

“Afraid? How could I possibly be afraid?”

Kadoya Shi sneered; though Tokiwa Sougo’s one-punch-Boss scenes had left him uneasy, his future self had dared to punch Diend—how much more so now?

Even if the original Demon King himself appeared—

He’d still fight.

Kadoya Shi lifted his finger, fastening the Pink Belt around his waist, flipping a card between his fingers before sliding it into the driver.

“Henshin!”

「KamenRide ——」

“Decade!”

Several phantom images—real and illusory—suddenly appeared, converging from all directions; with a flash of light, green compound eyes ignited.

“Let me be clear—I won’t hold back.”

Kadoya Shi flicked his wrist and said to Ye Xuan.

“You’d better not.”

Ye Xuan slowly fastened the Diend Belt around his waist; the belt snapped shut instantly.

“Boom!”

In an instant, with a thunderous roar, the ground within dozens of meters around him cracked open; scorching crimson energy erupted like a volcano from the fissures, instantly turning the entire area into a molten golden hell. Amid the boiling energy field, a massive golden clock slowly rose.

“Transformation.”

As Ye Xuan spoke, the golden clock shattered into beams of light, wrapping around him entirely.

“Blessed Moment!”

“Supreme Benevolence!”

“Supreme Kindness!”

"Supreme!"

"King of Ultimate Strength, King of the Demon Hour!"

As the final declaration fell, the fearsome armor of black and gold fully formed; in the instant its crimson compound eyes ignited, an invisible wave shoved Kamen Rider Diend back dozens of steps.

Ye Xuan glanced down at the cracked ground beneath his feet and casually snapped his fingers.

"Click."

A massive golden clock’s phantom appeared behind him; its hands began to rotate backward, the shattered floor tiles automatically reassembled, the collapsed pillars rose upright again, and the entire villa restored itself in an instant.

The air still held traces of lingering heat, but all signs of destruction had vanished.

As if this were not enough, Ye Xuan’s hand materialized a green watch face, and his thumb pressed the central button.

"Woz!"

Space-time subtly warped, and a figure clad in gray uniform suddenly appeared; Woz blinked, looking around in mild confusion until his gaze landed on the majestic black-and-gold figure.

"Demon King!"

Without hesitation, he knelt on one knee, his expression reverent.

Ye Xuan gave a slight nod:

"Woz, rejoice."

"As you command."

Woz rose and turned toward Kamen Rider Diend; his dark cloak stirred without wind, and he opened his arms, his voice echoing through the space like a divine proclamation:

"Rejoice!"

"This is the ultimate moment, transcending time and space, piercing past and future!"

"The Benevolent, the Good, the Supreme, the Ultimate King—King of the Demon Hour—has appeared here in his glorious might!"

"The pages of history are rewritten at this moment; the torrent of time converges here!"

"This moment is—"

"The dawn of a new era!"

As Woz’s final syllable faded, the scene fell into an eerie silence.

Beneath the Demon Hour armor, Kamen Rider Diend, who had watched the entire spectacle, wore a dead-fish expression.

He didn’t know whether the Demon Hour armor’s power was restricted, but he certainly saw no sign of limitation in Ye Xuan’s transformation display.

The lava’s coverage was even larger than what Kamen Rider Zi-O had produced.

But that wasn’t the main issue—the key point was that two people were dueling, and yet you deliberately summoned Woz to celebrate? Are you celebrating for me?

Do I want to see this kind of thing? Are you bullying me because I have no one beside me?

And you, Woz!

Kamen Rider Diend’s gaze turned to Woz, whose face radiated devout sincerity.

Was your original celebration speech this?

"Dawn of a new era"? Who told you to change the script?

So, do you have different celebration lines for different King of the Demon Hours?

(End of Chapter)