Inside the cold, dim chamber, Lira struggled against the rough ropes biting into her wrists. The distant clash of steel and the low rumble of something unnatural echoed through the stone corridors. A storm of fear and hope churned inside her — he was coming. She clenched her teeth, refusing to surrender to the terror closing in around her.
And then the heavy door burst open.
A figure stepped through the haze of smoke and dust — Tsukasa. His armor was scarred and battle-worn, but his presence filled the room with sharp, unrelenting fury. His eyes locked onto Lira, bound to the chair, and without hesitation, he stepped forward.
With a single clean strike, the ropes fell away.
"You alright?" Tsukasa asked, voice calm but dangerous, his hand never straying far from the Decadriver at his waist.
Lira looked up at him, her voice trembling but filled with stubborn resolve.
"You… came for me. I knew you would."
Before she could say another word, a venomous voice cut through the air.
"Not so fast."
Lord Vaelric Drenmor stood in the doorway. His face twisted in hate, a deep cut marking his cheek — a wound from the earlier clash. But now, a seething, otherworldly aura clung to him, and in his bloodstained hand, he held a dark scroll etched in unnatural symbols.
"You've ruined my plans for the last time, you worthless outsider!" Vaelric snarled, raising the scroll high. "I offer twenty souls in exchange — and your head."
A ring of vile, ancient sigils ignited at his feet as the temperature plunged, and a thick, sickly purple smoke poured from the circle.
"Who dares summon me?" a deep, cocky voice boomed from the smoke.
A towering demonic figure materialized. Crimson-skinned, jagged horns curling from its brow, and eyes gleaming like molten gold. Power radiated from his form, and a cruel, fanged grin split his face.
The demon eyed Vaelric and scoffed.
"A lowlife like you dares call on Dravokh, Twelfth Upper Demon of the Abyssal Court? Tch… Expected better tributes."
Vaelric spat, voice breaking with fury.
"I offer you twenty souls — and the head of this outsider! Help me kill him, and you'll feast well!"
Dravokh sneered, his interest only half-genuine.
"Hah. Twenty's not bad… guess I'll humor this."
Then his grin widened maliciously.
"But one thing, mortal — the first soul for any contract… is always the summoner's."
Vaelric's eyes widened in horror.
"Wait—"
Too late.
In a flash of impossible speed, Dravokh's clawed hand shot through Vaelric's chest, ripping out a glowing, writhing sphere — his soul.
Vaelric's mouth opened in a soundless scream as his body collapsed lifelessly to the floor.
"Such a pathetic offering," Dravokh growled, devouring the soul in a burst of purple flame.
"Alright, outsider. Let's see if you're worth my time."
Tsukasa's gaze didn't waver.
"Guess it's my turn."
He pulled a ring from his belt and slid it onto his finger.
"Henshin."
A brilliant cascade of ancient runes and light encircled him as he transformed into a new form — Kamen Rider Wizard.
The armor shimmered with runic gems, elemental sigils blazing around him. Fire, water, wind, and earth magic surged at once, encircling his frame.
Lira gasped from the corner.
"Four elements… at once… and without a chant?" Her heart pounded. In all her years studying under the High Priest, no one — not even the Archmages — could wield such forces unbound by incantation. This was beyond mortal magic.
Dravokh's grin widened.
"Now this'll be fun."
And the chamber erupted into a storm of battle — steel, magic, and infernal power colliding in a cataclysmic clash.