Kamen Rider Black Zi-O: Cross of Fire [Feat: Kamen Rider, Pretty Cure All Stars, etc.]

[Multiverse Learner 101]

PART 1

Sub-Creation Set: Tevel Rainbows (Pretty Cure All Stars)

Sub-Creation Type: Primary World

Universe: PCAS Earth-101

Year: 2029

...It was an early afternoon.

The afternoon sun touches the horizon of the capital city of science―Teitan Metropolis, or Teitan for short. The light penetrated and reflected on the mirror windows of the larger-than-life skyscrapers. The trees gently blew, as the leaves roam free without the need for artificial turbulence.

On a simple sidewalk, there was a quiet young man holding his dark blue student handbag. A darker shade of hair, golden brown eyes, and a handsome face who walked out of the gates of De La Salle Teitan University, one of the top five schools in the nation of Japan. His uniform was a dark blue blazer and pants, with a red necktie hung around his white collar shirt, and black tidy shoes.

His name was George Kurai.

He walked through the streets, passing through the urban stores and scientific institutions. His thoughts were not known, for it was almost too silent. The only hint was his reverent eyes, looking at the trees, feeling the winds that gently blew, and looking at the bright orange skies.

Eventually, he finds himself turning right, and there is a large majestic stone cathedral that, on the outside and from a secular view, feels like the opposite of the rest of the metropolis, known around the entire world to have held a variety of companies, laboratories, and almost miraculous wonders for the future. Opportunities were multifaceted, to the point where one would not be surprised to find a crowd of scientists and researchers walking by.

Yet, for someone like George, the concept of contradiction in this context was a myth, for there were none. Moreover, what lies inside a simple chapel, where one may see a few old Filipino ladies inside the tabernacle, is Tomorrow.

George gently steps inside and lets his bag down, and quietly kneels on the pew. It was just him today. Nobody was around. His eyes looked where there is a White Host was reflected in the circular glass of the tabernacle. He held his hands together and looked. His thoughts were quiet. His mouth is silent. Yet his eyes were hinting at something of his past. A time of childhood innocence that he treasured to this very day.

---

"...What the heck?" Someone spoke in a tone of disturbed disbelief.

There was a young man, seventeen years old, named Heinz Myoudouin, who was hiding on the side discreetly and spying on someone he thought was the most dangerous man in all of existence.

Ohma Zi-O.

In the year 2029, people of that time never heard of that name. Not yet. But Heinz knew. Heinz experienced the pain and the terror of living under the shadow of that name. His memory recalls a distant future where he came from, in the year 2099. There was a man in golden chrome armor, with those crimson katakana eyes, walking in a deserted earth whose mere footsteps are those of unstoppable nature. Resistance was futile. Soldiers, from all walks of life, held their rifles and fired yellow energy rounds. But one flick from this armored being's wrist, without speaking or monologue, many soldiers died on the spot, turned to mere dust.

That was why...

Heinz could not actually fathom what he was seeing. A contradiction in his very own eyes. Because here he was. The younger version of the man who would become Ohma Zi-O. He was many things. Kneeling in a church was not one of them.

"...No, this...this has to be fake...Ohma Zi-O does not kneel to anyone..." Heinz spoke with gritted teeth.

And yet, his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. This doesn't make sense. Not to mention, of all places to head home, why a Blessed Sacrament Chapel? Putting aside the fact that Ohma Zi-O was never religious, something didn't feel right. Ohma Zi-O's school isn't De La Salle Teitan University. Rather, it's a public school called Yotsuba High. Could it be... that the historical accounts that the resistance obtained are, in fact, inaccurate? A trick from Ohma Zi-O, who manipulated timelines to his whim?

"...Heinz?" Someone spoke from behind him.

He glanced and spotted a young woman with black hair, a white magical dress with a light blue highlight style, and a pouch near her right side. Her eyes were white, full of concern for him. He grimaces and looks back at the boy kneeling in the chapel.

"...We're in the right coordinates, I'm sure of it," Heinz muttered, disturbed by what he's seeing. "So why... Why the heck are our records not accurate, Cure Tsukuyomi?"

Cure Tsukuyomi glanced, looking at the boy in the chapel. She was just as confused as Heinz. "...I'm not sure myself. But... the records that I've obtained from the university that he goes to, there's no question, it really is George Kurai. And... apparently, he lives here."

"...Come again?" Heinz looked at Cure Tsukuyomi, as if he didn't hear that right.

"...He lives in the parish community of Saint Joseph the Worker, owned by a religious community called the Oblates of Saint Joseph." Cure Tsukuyomi was concerned. "And yet, our records clearly indicate that he was living with an adoptive uncle named Doctor Traum, who has a clock and coffee shop just a few streets away."

"So there are only two possibilities. One: Ohma Zi-O set this up. Two: What if this is the wrong past? And I hate Option 2 even more."

Cure Tsukuyomi frowned. "Heinz..."

"No, not this time, Cure Tsukuyomi," Heinz muttered, clenching his fists, which hinted at the never-still and burning rage deep inside his heart. "I've made up my mind in the future, and I've made up my mind here. I'm going to kill Ohma Zi-O in the past. I don't care what I have to do to get that done. It's better for one person born to be a Demon King dead than entire universes and PreCures lying dead."

"You can't mean that, Heinz," Cure Tsukuyomi spoke in concern.

"I'm not gonna keep arguing with you on this, Cure Tsukuyomi," Heinz said, a little too calmly. "That bastard killed my grandmother, Cure Sunshine, and every other Cure that tried to oppose him. Now, we finally have a fighting chance, and we can end the bastard before he crushes the world."

He says that, and yet... his eyes beheld a boy, inside the chapel, who didn't emulate the sheer arrogance, nor the dominant posture of a would-be tyrant. No, nothing about him screams Ohma Zi-O. That's why Heinz hated Option 2.

After a while, Heinz said nothing, as evening drew near. Until Cure Tsukuyomi muttered, frowning and concerned. "He's been in that chapel for hours."

Heinz's eyes, once filled with a cold, resolute steel, turn quiet and haunted. "...If this is actually a farce, this may be the most convincing farce I've ever seen." He muttered.

"...But why would he even fake this?" Cure Tsukuyomi shook her head. "No, there's something else we've been missing, Heinz. Look at him. He may look exactly like a younger Ohma Zi-O, but his actions and demeanor speak otherwise."

"...Say, I believe you, who exactly then is this George Kurai that I'm seeing?" Heinz asked bluntly. "Is this some kind of mistaken identity?"

"Maybe... But I don't know..." Cure Tsukuyomi muttered softly before she immediately noticed someone walking by. "Heinz, look..."

Heinz looked to see a tall, older priest who lived in the parish house. He had an American face. Greyer hair sides. Blue kinder eyes. He would walk towards the chapel and head towards the kneeling George. The priest looked at the boy with a sad smile before he glanced at the tabernacle. He eventually reached his hand towards the boy's shoulder, making the latter pay attention to him.

"George, " the priest spoke with a smile. "It's time for dinner."

"Yes, Father," George obeyed immediately, as he stood up, along with his bag. They both bowed their heads towards the tabernacle before taking their leave and walking a few paces towards the doors of the parish house.

Heinz and Cure Tsukuyomi didn't say anything while observing this. But there was conflict in their minds and hearts nevertheless.

---

An entire night passed by.

Now, it was early morning, yet the sun hadn't risen yet. It was still dark, the stars kept twinkling in the dark, wrapped blanket, while the large luminous moon shone bright. The winds gently blew across the trees and flowers in the parish garden.

Heinz barely slept. He stood and kept watch on a rooftop while holding his holo-binoculars, a handy set of devices that allow him to zoom closer without needing to be a few meters near the target.

George Kurai.

He just woke up and wrote from his journal, a simple blue record book. That's it. Sitting on his chair, nearby a study table, where on the right side, there was a Saint Benedict Crucifix and an image of Our Lady of Akita. There were a couple of books. The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Space Trilogy, The Everlasting Man, and more books stacked orderly on the front, books that most teenagers these days wouldn't even think of having in the modern era. Usually, it was light novels, manga, and anime materials.

Cure Tsukuyomi had her arms crossed, standing near Heinz, looking at George. Like with Heinz, she barely slept either. Sleep was hardly a comfort to both her and Heinz, especially when one has lived in the wild terrain of being hunted by Ohma Zi-O's loyalist mechanical forces. She could still recall a memory, of a time when she looked back and forth, seeing families and friends huddling deep under the bunker. Flames on broken televisions, where greyish smoke rose from them. Some of the people were forced to hunt for even rats scurrying about to keep themselves from starving.

That was the 2099 that she remembered. She was a Pretty Cure, a bright spot that only felt dimmer and contradictory when recalling her walk through the underground ruins.

As for her, who was she even? Just one of countless who lived under Ohma Zi-O's regime. She barely remembered her family, if at all. She was adopted by a resistance fighter named Kaito, and he took care of her the best he could. He was gone now. He died recently, like most of the other resistance fighters who had tried to fight against Ohma Zi-O.

"...So long as there are PreCure like you in the world, Tsukuyomi-chan, there's always hope," her late adoptive father would say.

But was that even true anymore?

Heinz seems to believe it isn't. Cure Tsukuyomi couldn't blame him. He lost just as much as everyone else. Cure Tsukuyomi could recall from her father that there had been a time when things weren't always this bleak. Pretty Cures were everywhere, with the heaviest concentration in Japan. Most people never needed to worry too much. The villains were beatable and redeemable.

"The PreCures are here. There was nothing to worry about," everyone used to say back then.

That all changed when one young man, with great overarching power, bent countless worlds and timelines to his will. Then, everyone's confidence declined. What people took for granted now became their undoing. Every nation fell. All terrorism dismantled. Peace was written. But was it truly peace if one man dictates the laws that all nations must follow?

Ohma Zi-O had completely upended any world order and supplanted it with an imperial monarchy where only he is both King and Emperor of the Universe. Through him, civilization both prospered in technology and science, but what came about was the iron fist dictatorship where, if one's will is not aligned with the laws instituted by the Overlord must be swiftly dealt with. Every civilian, kept in line, as fear now became synonymous with those in power. No corruption, yes, and yet, no freedom of speech either.

Free will had been curtailed.

Every villain, hunted down and exterminated without due trial.

Eventually, there came a point when people simply said, "Enough was enough.", and thus formed a resistance movement against Ohma Zi-O. Some would call it foolish to even try, for Ohma Zi-O's power had crushed entire organizations that had tried to stand against him. What's another resistance movement going to do against a man who could simply erase a person from history?

Because Ohma Zi-O can do that... and he had done that...

Time was his to command. He was the Demon King of Space-Time. None can truly defy him directly. Many have tried, and among them, the Pretty Cure. Yet, they all fell to the tyrant.

And...

Cure Tsukuyomi was the last Pretty Cure left in the future, one devoid of hope. Some part of her didn't want this burden. She didn't want to be the only Pretty Cure left. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why she travelled back in time, apart from trying to stop Heinz from doing something rash and to prevent Heinz from killing an innocent man who hadn't even done any of those things yet. Heinz saw things in black and white. Cure Tsukuyomi thought otherwise, and she had to think like that, because she was a Pretty Cure. She will not tarnish the very name that once provided hope to the masses by soiling her hands with innocent blood, nor by complicity in such deeds.

If Heinz continues to try such a thing... with a heavy heart, Cure Tsukuyomi would have to oppose Heinz. But Heinz was her best friend. Her only friend even, in a war-torn future that never really knew peace.

---

Morning had gently dawned as its light pierced the stained glass of the cathedral.

Before taking a morning walk, George dressed up, wearing his dark blue jacket with white lines and grey pants, along with his two handy black fingerless gloves, and quietly went to Holy Mass, which began at 6:00 a.m.. Afterward, when it ended, and the presiding priest, a young man in his late twenties by the name of Father Daniel Nguyen, finally said the blessing, he took steps as he quietly exited the cathedral and walked across the pathways.

Heinz and Cure Tsukuyomi followed him, being invisible to the crowds with the aid of technology, in Heinz's case, and the powers of a Pretty Cure, in Cure Tsukuyomi's case. Heinz had his Time Mazine mecha on stand-by, in case something happens... but nothing has happened. That's the problem. This is getting ridiculous for Heinz. The only reason he isn't acting right now is that something gnawed at him since yesterday.

This George Kurai clearly wasn't acting like Ohma Zi-O.

Was this young man even the same as that monster?

It's like the difference between night and day.

Cure Tsukuyomi finally spoke, as she stopped walking, her face turning pale as her eyes widened. "Heinz, look..."

Heinz looked.. and spotted someone who made his blood boil completely, his face turning into anger.

Another young man, the same age as Heinz, walked towards the boy who stopped and noticed him, turning his face left to face this mysterious youth who wore a brown leather coat covering his entire body, along with a grey scarf covering his neck.

"...Woz," Heinz gritted his teeth, but kept a clear distance.

The thought of wanting to take this snake out was at the forefront of his mind. Why? Because this man, Woz, who was once their spy for the resistance, as well as the captain in charge of Heinz's unit, was the same one who betrayed them to Ohma Zi-O. It was Woz who essentially fed Ohma Zi-O with everything that the resistance was, is, and how they operate. In short, Ohma Zi-O knew their every weakness, all because of this traitor.

Woz held a strange book that had a ticking set of clocks, which he opened with a mysterious smile, addressing George. "According to this book, this will be a very special day."

George... didn't look confused. He just quietly stared at Woz. His thoughts were not known. And yet, his eyes narrowed. Not in confusion. But he felt that something was wrong.

"Kyaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."

George immediately looked to his right and saw countless civilians running from what looked like a monstrous humanoid. The armor looked fated and mutated, the bluish taint was rusted, and the red color looked like old leather. Spikes jutted out from the boots and shoulders, the helmet had a monstrous face with a fanged vampiric mouth, and a glass-like optical visor resembling a rabbit ear and a tank barrel hiding two hideous eyes, and a skeleton spine on its back. The chest says "Build" and "2017" on the back. His belt looks ruined and organic, hence it was growing out of its waist with two full bottles

"An Another Rider!" Cure Tsukuyomi muttered in shock.

Heinz gritted his teeth.

Another Riders. Distorted and monstrous versions of past heroes known only as the Kamen Riders. They were quite connected, in fact, to how Ohma Zi-O's origin began. Records said that Ohma Zi-O had been travelling through time, fighting these strange distortions while collecting Ridewatches and essentially stealing away entire histories of Kamen Riders away. That was part of the reason why the Demon King was unopposed for so long. He essentially took over every point of the history of Riders, and made himself the only Rider that ever was.

Now would be George's response?

Heinz and Cure Tsukuyomi looked at George, who... didn't even look surprised. He didn't even speak. He glanced back at Woz, who was kneeling, with a red pillow ready, a Ridewatch and a Ziku-Driver, instruments that would allow for the complete transformation of the armored Rider destined to bring about greatness.

"My Overlord, this is for you," Woz kneeled in solemn adoration.

George narrowed his eyes at the gift before him. Heinz would immediately react. "No!" He discarded his invisibility sensors and started running towards the two. His heart was torn in both anger and terror. He would not allow Ohma Zi-O to rise in advance.

But... George finally spoke. And it was something nobody, none of the three, expected.

"I don't need it," he said firmly.

"...Huh?" Woz blinked, as he did not expect that kind of response.

"...Eh?" Cure Tsukuyomi muttered, surprised.

Heinz stopped in his tracks, as his mind couldn't keep up with what George had just said.

George glanced back at the Another Rider, and... there was already a Ziku-Driver suddenly wrapped around George's waist, but no jingle even came when it appeared. It held a different weight. On its upper portion, there was "YHWH", on the left was a Chi-Rho embellished in Alpha and Omega letters, and on the right was a Most Sacred Heart. A Ridewatch appeared on his hands, but it was different from what Woz offered, as he flipped the watch and pressed the button.

"CROSS-FIRE~!" says an announcing voice.

He placed it on the right side of his belt, as the HUD screen would depict the stand-by numbers "0033", as he lifted his arms up towards the right, both his hands clenching like a fist, before moving his right hand downward, left before stretching his left arm and hand, and then moving it.

"...Hen...shin." George muttered, while moving his left arm counterclockwise, before lifting both of his arms towards the right. Then the Ziku-Driver flipped on its own. Yet, no jingle came out, as nothing spectacular occurred, as a bright light enveloped the man.

None of the extravagance. Too quiet. As the light gave way to the mist that occurred from the steam that came out from the organic arms and legs of a much sleeker black and green bodysuit, with a red katakana on his eyes saying "Tenshu" while the words "YHWH" were seen on top of his helmet. On his shoulders were the Chi-Rho embellished in Alpha and Omega letters. His chest had a Most Sacred Heart symbol. His mouthguard resembled one found on a grasshopper.

The HUD screen on his Ziku-Driver that held the numbers: "0033."

And... a gentler echoing voice sang from the driver, which is not part of the driver, the voice of countless invisible hosts who sing an unexpected song of merciful defiance.

"May bukas pa sa iyong buhay
(There is still a tomorrow in your life)
Tutulungan ka ng Diyos na may lalang
(The Creator God will help you)."

The Another Rider suddenly stopped its rampage, dropping a discarded car door that it had gotten, and was stumbling in absolute terror. Woz dropped the red cushion pillow and dropped to the floor in shock, while he immediately noticed... the driver and the watch shattering instantly. Heinz had... widened his eyes, shaking no longer in terror of the known, but with a different kind of terror that he could not identify but was gentler and peaceful. Cure Tsukuyomi had widened her eyes as she felt her own power resonate with that gentler yet defiant song.

"Ang iyong pagdaramdam
(Your sorrow)
Idalangin mo sa Maykapal
(Offer it in prayer to the Almighty)
Na sa puso mo ay mawala nang lubusan
(That it may vanish fully from your heart)."

Heinz would glance and see the countless civilians, once fleeing for their lives... instantly kneeling in tears.

And as the song stopped, the song was sung again, as if proving that this was not an illusion. Every single one is hearing this, all across Teitan, and everyone stopped what they were doing as they kneeled. As if by instinct. Because something gentler and terrifying touched down in stillness.

And as the song ended, Heinz glanced and saw... another Woz!

No... he wore a different set of clothing entirely. The simple brown discalced habit of a Carmelite. And he held a different kind of book that held something far more precious than mere time, which had the symbols of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. He carried himself with grace and solemnity as he walked near the transformed Kamen Rider, and gently raised his right arm.

"...Iwae...for Tenshu-sama and for Seibo Maria." This Another Woz... Kirishitan Woz... spoke with conviction, like a true prophet.

"What?!" Woz, Heinz, and Cure Tsukuyomi had their eyes widen in shock.

"...For the child is the Crown of All Riders. The Great Catholic Monarch who grounds himself in the present, to traverse past and future. His name is Kamen Rider Black Zi-O. Blessed are your eyes that see, for the Scriptures are fulfilled in your hearing, for thus says Tenshu-sama to His Anointed, to Cyrus: I have taken you by the right hand to subdue nations before you and strip kings of their armor." Kirishitan Woz spoke with conviction.

And then, the song came once again for the final time, for as the prophet asked to rejoice in Tenshu-sama, thus the invisible hosts sang in obedience.

"May bukas pa sa iyong buhay
(There is still a tomorrow in your life)
Tutulungan ka ng Diyos na may lalang
(The Creator God will help you).

"Ang iyong pagdaramdam
(Your sorrow)
Idalangin mo sa Maykapal
(Offer it in prayer to the Almighty)
Na sa puso mo ay mawala nang lubusan
(That it may vanish fully from your heart)."

The countless civilians, those once terrified, were crying from their eyes, and their hands held as if praying for the first time. The Another Rider Build was terrorized, as the song came back, and it was crumbling, even the distortion, whose body was becoming static and less real.

"...Great...Catholic...Monarch..." Heinz muttered, shaken extremely.

And even with all of this, George's―Black Zi-O's thoughts and words were not heard. He simply stood tall while mentally and spiritually preparing for battle. Gentler winds blew, as even the leaves of the trees rejoiced.

Eventually, he took a step forward. And another. And another. Another Rider Build was trembling beneath his boots. The fangs in his mouth were expressions of its own terror instead of being terror. An entire composite history being... now trembling before something that doesn't belong to history. And Another Rider Build tried to defy it as he tried to strike back with his right clawed arm, but it failed, as Black Zi-O punches him on the chest, sending him crashing on one of the cars nearby, glass shards falling down.

Static was slowly spreading from Another Build's person, as its paradoxical state was slowly being undone. Black Zi-O slowly drew near, not even in a hurry.

No, it refused to fall. Another Rider Build tried again, but two more punches were gifted, sent to the chest, before another three times, sending the Another Rider Build tumbling down completely. Groaning. Powerless.

"...I...I don't understand," the Woz from 2099 muttered, shaken as he looked at the silent yet solemn Kirishitan Woz who stood tall like a sentinel watchman. "This...This isn't my Overlord...what...what did you do...?!" 2099 Woz immediately tried to stand up and confront this other variant, and yet... he stopped immediately.

Not because of any power. But because... something made him stop.

Kirishitan Woz's eyes were gently cast at Heinz, who was trying to comprehend what was happening, trying to find some kind of explanation. Cure Tsukuyomi was already grabbing Heinz's arm, supporting him, yet she was trembling herself as she glanced and saw how Black Zi-O fought with every single punch. She felt her power glow, like she was being spiritually recharged.

Heinz looked slowly at Kirishitan Woz and muttered. "What... is going on?"

Kirishitan Woz responded simply. "Your vengeance is understandable. However... there was only One who could wield vengeance. Neither I, nor my liege, nor you, nor everyone else can wield it without succumbing to its corruption and falling into the abyss. And... my liege allows that One to enact that vengeance, for vengeance was always His."

Heinz didn't need to guess who Kirishitan Woz was referring to. The latter already said as much.

And then, another punch, striking down Another Build, and sent crashing to the ground. Black Zi-O walked forward, not in a hurry, but his feet were quicker. Another Build tried to get up, but every single part of its being was beginning to evaporate, and it broke down into nothing. No, not nothing. But purified. A purified history. And thus, the monster was no more, with the Another Ridewatch being the only one left behind as it scattered like dust.

Black Zi-O's armor would disappear, yet not echo in a flash or a sound effect. His civilian form as George Kurai remained. Yet, he did not speak. His eyes looked at the ground where Another Rider Build had been.

His eyes hinted at analyzing the Another Rider. His thought about it was clear. That was not natural. Something was weaponizing historical inconsistency. It didn't belong in this sub-creation.

As for Heinz... he couldn't draw near. Before, he would have, when he thought that this George Kurai was indeed the Ohma Zi-O he had come to end. Now though...

...He didn't even know what he was looking at. This young man ended the Another Rider without even needing a finisher move. No, more than that. Heinz felt like he was looking at an entire compositional history completely wiped, not in existence, but purified and set right back on track to what it was originally supposed to be.

Cure Tsukuyomi didn't know what she was looking at either. And yet... There was something about the young man's power that resonated with her own powers as a Pretty Cure. It was like... like touching an origin point for all Pretty Cures. And it wasn't something like a Prism Flower. No, it felt... older than that.

The civilians, still in tears, were trembling. Some even covered their mouth. Some even whispered, "Kami...no, Tenshu-sama...forgive me...", in their tears while raising their eyes to the heavens. Not a single sound came that spoke of the divine. There was only a stillness that remained, and the gentler winds blowing that rustled the trees.

"...What have we gotten ourselves into, Cure Tsukuyomi?" Heinz muttered grimly what he and Cure Tsukuyomi were both feeling right now. Tsukuyomi, of course, didn't answer, because what could she say... when GOD Himself intervened, while never actually needing to appear?

---

PART 2

...Somewhere, in the distance, there was the pale expression of a man who had seen worlds rise and fall.

A man named Tsukasa Kadoya. A passing through Kamen Rider Decade.

He was among the crowd, yet not of the crowd, as he did not belong in any story, observing in silence. Arms crossed, yet his face faltered before the sacred mystery that he had just borne witness to. That was not what he expected when he started to observe George Kurai across the timelines, for he too had his own personal reasons in wanting to prevent the birth of Ohma Zi-O.

However...

The moment George transformed, something of a veil got torn back, and Tsukasa saw a little too much. It was in Tsukasa's own unique nature to see things that even most Kamen Riders cannot. He saw within George, and what he saw was not a mere Cross of Fire, but a Crucifix of Flames. There was Someone there. Tsukasa, more than anyone, was an expert in every Rider in the multiverse. But this...

"...What are you?" Tsukasa muttered, rattled, and grimaced.

Now that he saw it, there were other things that he noticed. The world that he is in wasn't what he thought.

This world... it wasn't connected at all to Ohma Zi-O. No, this world shouldn't even exist, and it's not due to any temporal paradox or conceptual manipulation. It was like... standing on more concrete ground for the very first time. Like touching a world of reality. But more... realer. Tsukasa had been through worlds where Kamen Rider was fiction. He has seen everything the multiverse can offer. Except this. This wasn't what he was familiar with. He felt like he was touching uncharted territory now. And said the uncharted territory was vast. His extended senses could tell.

This world can't be called a universe as Tsukasa generally understands the term. The more he looked, the more he realized, this universe didn't have an edge or limit. It was truly infinite, to the point where even he couldn't see anything. He sees the entire observable universe, and... it was teeming not just with fairies, but entire scores and collections of strange non-human creatures that no television could ever depict, each being more... dare he say, perfect or godly than the last. What kind of Pretty Cure world was this?

Then there was beyond the observable universe. It wasn't what Tsukasa recognized from any world he travelled to. It wasn't petri dish galaxies. It felt like seeing different cosmological observations.

Tsukasa had intended to travel to the year 2029 to observe the anomaly that was George. But, the more he observed him, and up to now, he slowly realized that this world he stepped into didn't even have the stench of Ohma Zi-O in it. So what was going on here?

And then...

There was George himself.

Kamen Rider Black Zi-O. Not Zi-O. And Tsukasa could sense it clearly. A Kingstone. But... different. Like it was purified and stripped of every dark element, and what came out was something new. Embedded deep beneath the boy, like it was a part of him. No, made a part of him, because someone surgically did something to him. Tsukasa was not merely looking at a Zi-O; he was looking at a Century King combined with the powers of Zi-O. A Century King Black Sun, but as a Zi-O.

...When did this happen?

"...The only people I know who could legitimately do this would be Gorgom," Tsukasa muttered under his breath, the name of the dreaded organization known for its conspiratorial activities in the World of Showa, an organization that was a little more advanced in cybernetics compared to even Shocker. "If that's so... has Gorgom been here before I arrived here? Then where the hell are they?"

---

...A moment later.

Inside the larger and sophisticated technological chambers of Heinz Myoudouin's Time Mazine mecha, there was George Kurai, who quietly observed what he saw on the holoscreen with arms crossed and a solemn frown.

There was the uneasy Heinz, who twitched when he observed this George, who felt more intimidating than even Ohma Zi-O at the moment. Cure Tsukuyomi, with trembling lips yet a steady heart, explained everything and showed evidence of her claims of the darker future that she and Heinz came from. As for 2099 Woz? He fled to parts unknown. Though Heinz and Cure Tsukuyomi suspected that 2099 Woz would head back to their future and report about what happened to Ohma Zi-O.

George's eyes were like reflecting mirrors as the screen showed the ruined wastelands, which differentiated from the utopian backgrounds that were seen just from afar. There were statues of armored men, Kamen Riders from a specific era, which he could identify as the Heisei Era. There were resistance soldiers on the video, who were getting killed on the spot with a simple wave of the hand, by a man in bulky clock theme armor clad in black and gold, with a red visor in katakana.

George didn't react. He was far too silent. Accompanying him from the side was Kirishitan Woz, who was solemn and didn't say anything either, holding his book, the Four Gospels.

The very silence was what was killing Heinz from the inside. The way George watched. It's not that this man didn't care. No, it was worse. He did. But he didn't look surprised either, as if he expected this kind of evil. Heinz could still remember George simply walking towards him and Cure Tsukuyomi, and simply asked, "Tell me everything, please.", and he said it not in command, but in a grim voice that made the request impossible to refuse.

Now, George replied. But instead of talking about how Ohma Zi-O and he are possibly connected, and other speculations, he instead focused on something else. "...How many resistance fighters are still alive?" He asked, grim.

Cure Tsukuyomi and Heinz glanced at each other before they looked back, and Cure Tsukuyomi responded. "...We're not totally sure. Ohma Zi-O was very thorough in systematically crippling the resistance. If there are any more of us left, they probably travelled through time, same as we have, and went into hiding."

George was silent for a bit, contemplating the screen before him. He then said. "Can I ask something? You mentioned something about the conditions that the people living on the edges of society, what the laws of state call Invalids, have the resistance been trying to perhaps evacuate the people away and scatter them across time?"

The two blinked a bit.

"...Well," Heinz tried to speak up, grim. "The resistance has tried that, but the problem is, no matter where or when, Ohma Zi-O's forces would somehow find them in the end, so it was pointless to try. There was no time zone that Ohma Zi-O couldn't touch."

Or at least, that's what Heinz thought, but these circumstances were too abnormal.

"...Then, if it does not bother, I'd like to try something," George proposed calmly, yet there was a resolute edge to it that made Heinz flinch. "Do you think we can try to move the people of your time here?"

"...It's possible," Cure Tsukuyomi muttered softly, yet was hesitant. "But..."

"Of course, we can't move everyone at once. Too much may set the enemy off, so I propose that we move at least a few people at a time. One individual. One family. Every day for this one month. For now, at least. Just to test the waters." George spoke grimly.

That... wasn't a bad idea. Heinz thought. Having reflected a little, the fact that he and Tsukuyomi weren't caught by Ohma Zi-O by this point did, in fact, make the idea of evacuating the people to this specific time zone.

"But... what made you think of this?" Cure Tsukuyomi asked.

After all, she and Heinz did explain to George about their current situation. But the way George was acting wasn't something a normal teenager could simply think of. It's like he's used to this.

"...I am a Kamen Rider," George replied humbly yet solemnly. "I can't leave any innocent behind these false crosses."

Heinz... didn't know what to say about that, except to mutter. "False crosses?"

"What my liege says is simple," Kirishitan Woz explained simply. "Most people think of Tenshu-sama Crucifix, but these same people often forget that there were two people crucified with him. One was Saint Dismas, the Good Thief, who in this context of our discussion represents those countless individuals, known canonized and mostly unrecorded, who bore the True Cross and thus bore true sainthood. Another... is Gestas, which represents the unnecessary burdens imposed by tyrannical regimes. It's Gestas who symbolizes every false suffering that never leads to salvation and hope. That is what my liege wants to tear down completely."

Heinz and Cure Tsukuyomi's hearts dropped. When he put it like that... it somehow made sense.

"...Kirishitan Woz," George spoke, as his eyes still looked at the screen in order to analyze the situation. "...Make contact with the 5001st and make preparations for evacuation centers."

"For the sake of Tenshu-sama and His lost children," Kirishitan Woz placed his right hand to his heart, with conviction. "I will do so, my liege."

---

...Somewhere, in an alleyway.

There were three women in magical girl uniforms.

Time Jackers. Dark Pretty Cures with greater overarching prowess in the manipulations of time. And yet, all of them felt uneasy on this very day.

"...This isn't possible," says one Dark Cure Ora, a young woman of 17, with black hair flowing down her back, a light blue magical girl uniform, leaning towards the wall.

"...I...This can't be right...Zi-O...he couldn't have just defeated that Another Rider that I made so easily..." says one Dark Cure Heure, a younger girl of 14, with her black hair reaching her neckline, pacing back and forth in agitation.

Then, there was Dark Cure Swartz, a woman in her thirties, with black hair, a buxom figure, with a dark purple magical girl uniform, who was frowning silently. But deeper inside, her mind was in a state of panic. Because no one could have foreseen this outcome. That was not natural. The moment George became Kamen Rider Black Zi-O, the veil was slowly torn, and it was only now that they realized that what they thought was 2029, wasn't actually the 2029 they intended to travel to.

It's not possible. Time Jackers like them can't just be blindsided by a simple disorienting mistake of identity when it comes to traversing space-time. It was in their nature to master time. They'd know every history from the inside out. Except for this point.

But what happened more was the way their Cure powers reacted to George. It wasn't natural. And yet it was. Like... the powers of a Pretty Cure were naturally drawn to whatever was the source of power that Black Zi-O uses.

That kind of force terrified Dark Cure Swartz, because that meant there was now an unknown factor in her overarching plans to conquer time itself for her own ambitions.

"...Ne, you've been quiet all this time, Swartz," Dark Cure Ora spoke with a narrowed observation of her eyes. "Don't tell me you never saw any of this coming?"

"I didn't," Dark Cure Swartz spoke grimly, looking at Dark Cure Ora seriously. "This was not something I could have possibly anticipated. This is... the wrong timeline."

"We kinda got that part, Swartz," Dark Cure Ora was rolling her eyes out, though she only did that to cover her own unease.

"No, you don't understand, when I said, this is the wrong timeline, it's not because we somehow travelled off-course; it's that... this world... whatever this is... we cannot manipulate the years within this world," Dark Cure Swartz spoke darkly.

"What?" Dark Cure Ora said.

"But... But that can't be..." Dark Cure Heure turned paler. "Then how come my powers managed to work and conjure up Another Build?"

"Because you pulled him off from a framework that we could actually see and identify. But... that didn't mean that where you pulled the Another Rider from ever explicitly came from this timeline... whatever this timeline is... we're going to have to tread lightly from now on, because I suspect that other forces are possibly at work," Dark Cure Swartz spoke darkly.

"Other forces?" Dark Cure Heure asked.

"That made sense," Dark Cure Ora spoke darkly, with a nonchalant tone that covered up her unease. "It mayhaps explain why the George of this timeline is... different. In fact, did you see his transformation? There is nothing like that in any archive records that we have on the Kamen Riders. And that other Woz... he called him..."

"Great Catholic Monarch. Cyrus." Dark Cure Swartz spoke grimly. "...That meant that this George is already a King. But a King of what?"

She asked that, but she wasn't naive. She heard what Kirishitan Woz had just declared. It's just that a part of her refuses to admit it. She can't. Because that meant acknowledging something she never actually paid attention to and considered even deities to be manipulable in her schemes. But this wasn't a deity. This was something of a non-category.

"...Kamen Rider Black Zi-O," Dark Cure Swartz spoke darkly. "...Black. Kamen Rider Black, combined with the powers of Zi-O. Something like that... It's dangerous. Suicide even. I can only think of one possible suspect that could ever be bold enough to attempt this. Gorgom."

"But... Gorgom is dead," Dark Cure Ora reminded.

"...In history, yes," Dark Cure Swartz spoke darkly. "But considering the circumstances... we may have to assume that the things we think may in fact be wrong."

"Then, if it really is Gorgom, then why?" Dark Cure Ora asked, cocking her head in curiosity. "Why even attempt something like this?"

"...That, I can't be sure, and whatever I may say could merely be speculation. I can only assume... that this could be related to that old tradition of theirs. A Century King cycle." Dark Cure Swartz explained.

"But... that would mean..." Dark Cure Heure turned paler.

"...Yes," Dark Cure Swartz spoke darkly. "If there is a Black Zi-O... there must indeed be a Shadow Zi-O. Two Century Kings, with the power of Zi-O. That kind of power... could spell the end for all of us."

---

...Somewhere, in the parish garage.

Toki wo koero
Sora wo kakero
Kono hoshi no tame

(Go beyond time,
Run through the skies
For this planet!)

Kimi wa mita ka ai ga
Makka ni moeru no wo
Kurai yami no soko de
Kiken na wana ga matsu

(Did you see, as this love
Turned in a crimson blaze
In the depths of darkness,
A dangerous trap awaits)

The garage doors would quietly open up, and there was the silent George Kurai, who walked silently towards a sentient motorcycle with a blue and yellow color scheme, with red glowing eyes. Acrobatter ZRX. Formerly Battle Hopper ZRX. His long, trusted partner for many, many years. George gently placed his black fingerless glove hand towards his motorcycle, which cheered quietly, echoing in cute beeping sounds.

Shinjiru yatsu ga Justice
Shinjitsu no ouja
Yume wo mitsuzukeru koto ga
Ore no Fantasy

(For those who believe in justice
The king of all truth
To keep on dreaming
That's my fantasy)

Ikiru koto ga suki sa
Aoku ukabu Cosmo

(I love being alive
In this blue cosmos)

Toki wo koero
Sora wo kakero
Kono hoshi no tame
Atsuku moyase
Namida nagase
Asu to iu hi ni
Kamen Raidā BLACK!
Kamen Raidā BLACK!

(Go beyond time,
Run through the skies
For this planet!
Burn it, white tight,
Shedding tears
For all our tomorrows
Kamen Rider Black!
Kamen Rider Black!)

...George was quiet, as he gently patted his bike. His memory recalls what Cure Tsukuyomi had told him before.

"Based on the records that we have on Ohma Zi-O's origin, every continuity line of PreCure had converged to form one overarching world under Ohma Zi-O when he first rose to power. While it may be an irrelevant detail now, I just thought to point this out," she said during that briefing in Heinz's Time Mazine.

That meant that George couldn't take any chances. He would have to assume that there is the possibility that all of the worlds of the Pretty Cure may, in fact, converge in his world. Just because it is a Primary World does not mean it is not vulnerable. Whatever protections that a Primary World has ultimately come down to Providence, nothing more. But more than that... it meant that George would have to face his own past, a time of innocence when he, from the age of six up to his fourteenth birthday, had traversed through the countless lives of the Pretty Cure.

And that only meant one thing.

"...Ne, Acrobatter," George spoke to his Rider Machine. "It seems... I may possibly meet Hana again."

Acrobatter ZRX beeped in digital hues.

Hana Nono. Cure Yell. The leader of the HUGtto! Pretty Cure. The one woman who is his destiny. A destiny that he surrendered, along with every other destiny. For true destiny meant simply one thing. Free will, choice in surrender to the Most High without coercion. Anything else... is a false god. And even with his total surrender, it seems fit by Providence that he may need to meet her again, even after letting her go.

"...Whatever happens," George closed his eyes, muttering in solemn aspiration prayer. "Abba, I trust you."

For a new journey has begun.

---

...In the hallways of the parish, there was Heinz Myoudouin and Cure Tsukuyomi who walked, while Kirishitan Woz walked a little further. A few seminarians, young men destined to a higher office of the priesthood, passed by, chattering about how the priest professor of theirs talked about the varying degrees of papal teaching. The parish of Saint Joseph the Worker also had a seminary attached to it, thus one wouldn't be surprised to find a lot more people than a regular old parish.

Heinz and Cure Tsukuyomi had questions. Kirishitan Woz delivered, with a solemn and soft expression. "George Kurai... is merely the name he still uses to hide the sacred name that Tenshu-sama had given him, and only reveals his true name under obedience to legitimate authority from Tenshu-sama's Church, or reveals it in absolute necessity."

"Eh?" Cure Tsukuyomi muttered in surprise.

"His true name now... is Georgius Artorius bar Yeshua, or Georgius Artorius of the Sacred Heart. Thus says Tenshu-sama through the mouth of Saint Isaiah: The nations will see your holiness and all the kings your glory. You will be called by a new name which the mouth of YHWH will reveal. You will be a crown of glory in the hand of YHWH, a royal diadem in the hand of your God." Kirishitan Woz said.

Heinz and Cure Tsukuyomi felt their hearts race upon that gentler yet regal pronouncement.

"...Georgius...Artorius..." Heinz muttered, instinctively clenching his fist. He asked, as his reasoning tried to assert and assess. "You called him Cyrus and the Great Catholic Monarch. Am I to assume that this has something to do with some kind of Catholic prophecy?"

"Oh, that depends on what you mean by the term "Catholic prophecy", Heinz-kun," Kirishitan Woz spoke grimly. "Tenshu-sama has chosen specific individuals from unorthodox situations before to maintain orthodoxy. Cyrus symbolizes that. To be Cyrus... does not simply mean to rule over a kingdom. No, my liege's responsibility is much too great. The capacity and the knowledge of ruling are not enough. He is to be a shepherd, like the Shepherd of shepherds, whose authority only flows if he is faithful only to Tenshu-sama's Way of Love. Without that, everything else is reduced to corruption, for man without Tenshu-sama, as every history shows, always falls short of his duties."

"A Shepherd... of what exactly?" Cure Tsukuyomi asked carefully.

"A Shepherd... of a Kingdom and Empire that is too ancient to simply name and had taken many forms throughout history since then, one that began when Tenshu-sama came down as a Son of Man, so that through that, He might make men, gods by participation, adopted sons under the rule of Love Itself. It is first and foremost, a Family, and not just a mere kingdom and empire, that is what separates this Kingdom and Empire from every other, both before and after," Kirishitan Woz explained.

"...A Kingdom and Empire...founded on Love Itself?" Cure Tsukuyomi muttered, contemplative about the implications. Not mere friendships. Not mere ideals of peace and love. But the concrete self-giving Love that never truly dies.

"...Why?" Heinz asked, a little bit of his bitterness crept in. "This doesn't make sense. What does it even mean to be a Great Catholic Monarch? You said that it's about Love Itself, but is that literally just it? Love? That can't just be it."

Kirishitan Woz did not speak. He simply let Heinz explain his own feelings on the matter.

"Oi. Why are you not saying anything?" Heinz asked, gritting his teeth, stopping in his tracks.

"Heinz!" Cure Tsukuyomi grabbed Heinz's shoulder out of concern.

Kirishitan Woz would simply look at Heinz, not with pity, but with true compassion. "...What would you expect me to say to you, Heinz-kun? Do you want me to argue about my case like I am a doctor of the law in order to convince you to believe? That is not Tenshu-sama's Way. His Way is simply to proclaim the Truth, not to convince or coerce people into that Truth, for if that were so, it would no longer be Truth, but "What is truth?", which is reflected in every single point of history, including your Ohma Zi-O."

Heinz grimaced within his teeth, but made no response. This was not the kind of response he expected. It didn't help that the one who said this looked exactly like the cowardly snake who betrayed the resistance, 2099 Woz. But the dissonance was real. Heinz couldn't even bring himself to hate this clearly different person despite sharing a face.

Kirishitan Woz simply looked at him, not offering a word, except a look of compassion.

And after a long breath, Cure Tsukuyomi, still holding Heinz by the shoulder, spoke and asked. "Kirishitan Woz... can I ask something? I... felt something, when George... Georgius..." She corrected herself. She could not simply compare this George Kurai to any other, not even to Ohma Zi-O. "...When he transformed into Kamen Rider Black Zi-O. I felt... my power as a PreCure drawn near to him. Is there anything you can tell me about it?"

"Ah, I see," Kirishitan Woz knew exactly what Cure Tsukuyomi was talking about. His eyes were gentler and solemn. "Tsukuyomi-kun, what most PreCure in all of existence, including you, do not know is that... your origins as PreCure did not simply begin with Cure Black and Cure White. Rather... it began with the Rainbow, of long, long ago, around the time immediately after the Flood."

"The Rainbow...? Wait... you don't mean..." Cure Tsukuyomi immediately realized, widening her eyes.

Heinz paid attention too. "...You've got to be kidding me." He spoke in bitter exasperation. "...That Rainbow?"

"Yes," Kirishitan Woz nodded solemnly. "Your powers as a PreCure, and all PreCure... they all belonged to Tenshu-sama. Everything, from your origins, from your varied backgrounds, from your different themes of color, from your precious fairies of light, from every dimensional prism of light... and even the darkness. I say darkness, not sin. All of it, light and dark. They belonged to His Love. It always has been."

Cure Tsukuyomi trembled, lips pursed as she tried to process this revelation.

Her powers aren't random. They weren't merely about light. It was always about Love.

"...I never knew this," Cure Tsukuyomi muttered, shaken. "...But, why? Why does most PreCure not even know this?"

"Because... as I said... Tenshu-sama does not force His Love. His Love is too gentle, leading His children step by step. You simply weren't all ready for the truth to be revealed all at once. There are many degrees of living in the Truth, and it is there that Tenshu-sama determines based on how faithful that Cure was to that truth, and waits for the right time for its just reward, for His Love." Kirishitan Woz explained.

Cure Tsukuyomi pondered deeply.

Heinz became a little uneasy. ...You mean to tell him, that GOD Himself, was responsible for all of the Pretty Cure? It... It's just...

...That only meant that even his late grandmother, Itsuki Myoudouin a.k.a. Cure Sunshine, was part of this long tradition as well as every other Pretty Cure that perished at the hands of Ohma Zi-O.

"...Then why the hell didn't this Tenshu-sama protected my grandmother?" Heinz muttered bitterly.

Kirishitan Woz did not offer a response. He simply look back with a sad compassionate smile.

"Like, what, was she not that good enough? I refuse to accept that claim," Heinz said.

"...Did I say that, Heinz-kun? Or did you yourself say that?" Kirishitan Woz gently asked, for he did not argue about whatever was right or wrong.

"What... that's it? Not the whole, Tenshu-sama works in mysterious ways, answer? No, bear your Cross answer? You just brought my own question back to me?" Heinz grew a little irritated and uneasy, while Cure Tsukuyomi looked at him in worry.

"...Because that question shouldn't just be dismissed, Heinz-kun, which is why I proposed the question back to you, but with an offering instead of a mere questioning. Not just one man can discover this answer right away. Individualism has no place in Tenshu-sama's Love. He created us without us, but He did not save us without us." Kirishitan Woz spoke gently.

And... Heinz didn't even know what to say. Whatever he may say was just making a fool out of himself, especially when Kirishitan Woz was not even defending himself or his beliefs.

"...Heinz," Cure Tsukuyomi gently spoke with a sad smile. "...I missed Myoudouin-obaa-sama too." She spoke it genuinely, for it was she, in fact, who trained Cure Tsukuyomi. She wouldn't be here if not for her.

And Heinz... clenched his fists, and forced himself not to cry, his face turned elsewhere.

And Kirishitan Woz simply closed his eyes, quietly praying for Heinz's grandmother without any need for words.

---

...In the same parish house, there was Father Joseph Peter Keyes.

The man of grey hair sides amidst his black hair despite his age. His blue eyes were simply reading the various schedules that he and his fellow O.S.J. priests would be doing for this and the following month. A routine, yet not so, for everything was always about Love. And those same eyes had seen things that may perhaps put most people to fright and terror. Yet his peace was never lost.

It's because he was George Kurai's spiritual director ever since the boy came to this parish house many, many years ago. He recalled that it was raining one time in Teitan, when he opened the door to see George and one other boy just sheltering from outside, somewhere in the parish halls, under a rooftop. This wasn't a mere meeting of two orphaned children; it was a divine providence, plain and simple.

For most people, George and the other boy with him were ordinary boys who studied, played, and laughed like any other. Nothing was significant. But to Father Keyes and the higher authorities of the Church? Something else was taking place, hidden by most, something that is found when one studies the hagiography of the living saints of the LORD. To describe such intimacy would take too much, and even the words fall short, for this is where even the old priest humbly opted to be silent.

"Father! Fr. Keyes!" says a fellow O.S.J. priest from Vietnam named Fr. Daniel Nguyen, who came to his office in a hurry.

"Fr. Daniel? What is it?" the old priest stood up, with a concerned look on his face.

"There's... There are a lot of people outside. I think half of Teitan's population. They... They're here because of George," Fr. Nguyen spoke with concern.

The old priest became contemplative in thought. "...Lead the way." He spoke grimly, as he and the younger priest moved towards the courtyard, joining with their other fellow priests of the O.S.J. who were attending to the situation.

"Ah, Fr. Keyes," says another fellow O.S.J. priest, the Assistant Parish Priest named Fr. Shinzo Kaguya, who smiled with a little exasperation and amusement. "It seems that George finally got noticed after so long."

Fr. Keyes would glance and see... countless families. Men, women, and children. However, it wasn't just ordinary civilians; scientists and researchers were also present, and cameras were everywhere. But... the atmosphere was subdued. He could see the tears in many of their eyes.

"...Why have you all come here, everyone?" the old priest spoke in perfect Japanese, his voice gentle and inquiring.

The crowds all hesitated. Many glanced at each other. One brave young man, appearing to be a delinquent of sorts, with his dyed hair and some ear piercings, would speak up. "...Old man, we...we wished to know about Tenshu-sama."

And the old priest didn't blink. Instead, his eyes grew softer as he immediately realized.

"Ah, George," the old priest thought with a mental smile of thanksgiving. "We always knew that this day might come, when the peoples of our world can finally see your mystery, but instead of being focused on you... It led them back to Love and Mercy."

"...Very well," Fr. Keyes nodded at the young delinquent's request. "What would you all like to know?"

---

...Just around the roof of the cathedral, there was a hidden George Kurai, who was silently watching the vast crowds from afar. His arms were crossed, and his eyes were softer, looking at the people on the ground. His thoughts were not known, or rather, they were quiet.

Heinz would be seen just walking nearby on the same rooftop and glance at the variety of people down on the ground. He grimaced a little. Of course, people wouldn't just ignore what happened with that battle with Another Rider Build. But what really made him pay attention was not the crowds, but George himself, whose gaze was... hard to actually tell, but it's something that made Heinz flinched inwardly.

His discussions with Kirishitan Woz were still ringing in his mind. Cure Tsukuyomi is back on the Time Mazine, currently analyzing the Pretty Cure Chronology Meter, and she has detected that there are Pretty Cure continuities that are drawing closer and are subtly merging with this world. The strangest part is... this convergence was not something that can also be clearly identified.

And so...

"...Black Zi-O," Heinz spoke to the point, trying to keep himself steady.

George glanced at Heinz, paying close attention.

"Tsukuyomi found something. It seems that the convergence had finally started." Heinz informed him.

George nodded grimly, silently thankful he was being informed of this. In fact, before Heinz even said this, he already felt that there was a strange shift in this world's linearity to accommodate the Pretty Cure worlds that drew closer, ones with varying incompatible metaphysics that were, not in fact forced into merging, but rather, each was in a sense connected like various trees in a new field. Not a simple merging. Not a simple convergence. It was something else.

Providence.

"...So, what's our first stop?" George asked.

"Tsukuyomi said... either the Futari wa PreCure Max Heart or the HUGtto! PreCure. Probably both." Heinz explained. "I would say, Hagukumi City."

"Hmm... Cure Yell's hometown, then," George became thoughtful, arms crossed. The memory of a young magenta-haired girl who was a bright as the star, who grew up to be as bright as the sun.

"...Ne," Heinz spoke further.

George looked at him.

"...I may not know a lot about this Great Catholic Monarch thing, but I do know this. You're still a Zi-O, so..." Heinz would look at him in the eye, with a resolve of steel. "Because you're still Zi-O, if anything happens, anything at all... I'll be there to stop you."

George didn't react. He looked back at Heinz straight in the eye. He spoke gratefully and solemnly. "Thank you, for keeping me in check."

Heinz blinked, a little blindsided. "Huh?"

"You're right. I'm still a Zi-O. Because of that, I would always need to be held accountable for something. It's the same with everyone else who has great power, no matter where or when they come from." George spoke softly.

Heinz then started frowning, before eventually deadpanning. "...You're not gonna do the whole, With great power comes great responsibility, speech, are you?"

George chuckled softly. The first time Heinz actually saw George chuckled. "Well, I can't deny that I'm a Spider-Man fan. In more ways than one. I suppose your future still knows about Spider-Man."

Heinz rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, it wasn't really easy to get Spider-Man comics where I come from now. Too many censorships, because people may get big ideas, and big ideas, as far as Ohma Zi-O is concerned, meant the potential for rebellion."

"...What he may consider as rebellion, I consider it with another more appropriate term," George spoke solemnly.

"And what's that?" Heinz crossed his arms. "Resistance?"

"...Defiance, against Sin and Death," George replied with his answer.

Heinz actually paused and considered the full weight of that statement. Sin and Death. But it wasn't just the words. It was something else that lay behind them.

It wasn't an abstract, but the description of a dominion of an Evil One.

And as George said this, he quietly glanced back down at the crowd.

...And he spotted a familiar old grappin.

An older, handsome gentleman in his 60s. He had pale, golden, sickly yellow, cold pupils with sharp, black snake-like irises. He is tall in height, resembling the tallest American. He has grey hair covered by a dark fedora hat. He wore an American 40s style dark noir, formal detective attire, consisting of a dark trenchcoat, with a dark suit of blazer and pants, with a white collar that had a black necktie. He had dark gloves on his hands, and dark socks with dark shoes that covered his feet.

Hands behind his back. Eyes of a lion-serpent, looking in cold, unadulterated malice and respect towards George. And George simply stared back. Neither Heinz, nor anybody else down on the ground noticed this Monster, because no one can truly see him, unless the Most High lifts the veil.