As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider

Kirihiko's expression was grave. He admitted that he knew nothing about it, but promised to investigate thoroughly.

Back at the Sonozaki mansion, Kirihiko was filled with doubt and determined to trace the source of the mass-produced memory. He always remembered the organization's explicit prohibition against implanting transformation interfaces or using memory on minors, yet now this major incident had occurred.

But Kirihiko saw Saeko emerge from a secret passage.

As if he had just thought of something, he entered the passage and found himself in a huge underground cave. In the center of the cave stood a mysterious machine. He looked around at it with a strange expression when Ryūbei's voice suddenly rang out from behind him.

Ryūbei was already waiting there, and without any concealment, he frankly told everyone everything. The Bird mass production memory incident was an experiment he orchestrated from beginning to end, with the aim of testing the compatibility and combat effectiveness of the new memory on minors. He never cared about the safety of the children.

Not only that, he shattered all of Kirihiko's illusions: "You are the same, you have been my experiment from beginning to end. The second-order power of the Nazca Memory has been slowly eroding your life. This is your limit, you are already doomed."

Ryūbei transforms into a terrifying hybrid, preparing to "finish" this useless experimental subject.

Kirihiko escaped with his life, but his body was also severely injured.

Recalling Lin Chen's words, he gave a bitter smile. This was his fate. Perhaps only death could atone for the sins he had committed, but before he died, he wanted to do what he wanted to do.

With his help, the bird's memory was successfully destroyed.

After the battle, Kirihiko deactivated his transformation, his body swaying precariously.

He took out a unique keychain of Fuuto that he had designed himself and handed it to Shotaro Sato in front of him, his voice filled with relief: "I failed to protect this city. Please, continue to protect Fuuto well."

After saying that, he turned and left alone, without the slightest hesitation.

Kirihiko took out his phone, dialed Saeko's number, and asked her to meet him on the rooftop of Fuuto Tower.

A bleak evening breeze swept across the rooftop. As Kirigakure watched Saeko slowly approach, there was no resentment or unwillingness in his eyes, only a deathly stillness.

He spoke first, calmly saying, "You're here to kill me, aren't you?"

Seeing the sudden shock and panic on Saeko's face, Kirihiko slowly raised his hand and took out the Nazca Gaia Memory. This was his last transformation.

A resolute glint ignited in his eyes as he whispered to Saeko, "My dear, we are already tainted with sin. Come to hell with me!"

Chapter 157 Orphnoch of the W World

Kirihiko gritted his teeth, inserted the Nazca Memory into the Gaia Driver on his waist, and with a flash of blue light, the Nazca Dopant once again stood on the rooftop.

He knew in his heart that his body had long been drained by the memory and he couldn't hold on for much longer. His only chance now was to rush up before Saeko completed her forbidden transformation, even if it meant mutual destruction, he wanted to take her with him.

Once Saeko successfully transforms, he won't even be able to get close to her in his current damaged state.

The thought crossed his mind, and Kirihiko immediately activated his ability to reach super speed. However, his body was already nearing its limit. As soon as the overloaded power flowed through his body, his meridians and flesh were torn apart by excruciating pain. The momentum of acceleration was abruptly interrupted. He staggered and knelt on one knee several meters away from Saeko. His chest heaved violently, and every breath was accompanied by piercing pain.

Saeko is still in shock, completely unprepared for her usually compliant husband to suddenly turn on her.

Seeing the Nazca Dopant kneeling on one knee, having fully transformed, she instantly understood its thoughts. A cold glint flashed in her eyes, and without the slightest hesitation, she reached out and took out the Forbidden Memory she carried with her to complete the transformation.

A dark purple energy rose up, and the forbidden dopant slowly lifted off the ground, hovering in mid-air.

Wu Yan raised his head, looking at the figure in the air, his tone full of helplessness and self-mockery: "So it failed again? What a pity."

Saeko didn't immediately launch an attack. Instead, she looked Nazca up and down, her tone tinged with surprise: "Darling, I really didn't expect that you would develop the Nazca Memory to the second level of super-speed. This ability has truly surprised me. But it seems that this is your limit."

Her tone shifted abruptly, growing increasingly cold: "Father has given the order that you must be executed today."

As soon as she finished speaking, countless densely packed purple energy orbs condensed in front of her, then poured down on Wu Yan like a torrential rain. Wu Yan was completely exhausted and didn't even have the strength to raise her hand to defend herself; she could only watch helplessly as the attacks struck her.

A series of violent explosions erupted on the rooftop, filling the air with smoke and dust. When the smoke cleared, Wu Yan's transformation was forcibly deactivated, and he crashed heavily against the rooftop railing, his suit torn to shreds and his body covered in wounds.

He collapsed to the ground, his chest rising and falling weakly, having reached the point where he was taking in more air than exhaling, and his life was slipping away rapidly.

Saeko deactivated her transformation, walked slowly to Kirihiko's side, bent down to pick up the Nazca Memory that had fallen to the ground, and ran her fingers over its cold outer shell. "I'm taking this back. Farewell, my dear."

After saying that, she turned and walked down the stairs from the rooftop without the slightest hesitation.

The vast rooftop fell into a deathly silence. Not long after Saeko left, Kirihiko suddenly seemed to experience a final burst of energy, mustering his last strength to sit up, his back pressed tightly against the cold metal railing. Gazing at the twinkling lights of the Fuuto night sky, he murmured softly, "Fuuto, goodbye..."

After saying this, Kirihiko slowly closed his eyes, quietly awaiting death.

"In the end, is this still the ending?"

A strange voice suddenly rang out on the rooftop. Wu Yan barely opened his eyes and, through his blurry vision, saw Lin Chen, who was using the alias Kimura Osamu, standing in front of him.

"So it was you, Kimura-kun." Kirihiko forced a weak smile. "I'm so sorry I didn't listen to your advice back then. But this outcome isn't too bad for me."

"Death is far too extravagant for you." Lin Chen's voice was icy cold. "Sudo Kirihiko, from this moment on, atone for all the sins you have committed!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Chen's aura changed drastically, and gray-white patterns appeared all over his body, directly revealing his Orphnoch form. Immediately afterwards, he took out the pure white Evolution memory, pressed a button with his fingertip, and a clear electronic sound effect pierced the night sky.

"Evolution!"

Several white-glowing tentacles extended from his arm, heading straight for Wu Yan's heart. Wu Yan's pupils constricted, half in shock at Lin Chen's completely different appearance, and half in the sharp pain in his heart, causing him to tremble uncontrollably.

A moment later, the tentacles retracted, and Lin Chen also deactivated his Orphnoch form. At this moment, Wu Yan's eyes were wide open, completely devoid of life, lying motionless by the fence.

Lin Chen turned around, walked to the edge of the rooftop, and looked down at the entire city of Fengdu under the cover of night, quietly waiting for the subsequent changes.

Not long after, a suppressed roar suddenly came from behind. Lin Chen turned around and saw Wu Yan, who had been lifeless, suddenly twist his body and wake up from the abyss of death.

Kirihiko's consciousness remained frozen in the last moments of the scene: the strange, monstrous figure, the tentacles piercing his body, the fading warmth, and the ever-blowing evening breeze. He looked around blankly and realized he was still on the rooftop.

Before he could even process what was happening, a sudden, burning pain shot through his back, as if some powerful force was tearing through his flesh and growing outwards from his shoulder blade. He groaned in pain, his hands bracing himself on the ground, his body trembling uncontrollably.

The next second, a pair of enormous, metallic-looking blue wings suddenly unfurled from his back. The patterns on the wings were exquisite and intricate, refracting light like tiny sapphires in the darkness and the light of distant lamps.

The excruciating pain continued, and strange, grayish-white patterns spread along his limbs and torso, his bones and muscles undergoing a complete reshaping and transformation. Kirihiko couldn't help but tilt his head back and let out a roar that pierced his throat.

When all the anomalies have completely subsided, the new form will take shape.

At this moment, Wu Yan stood tall and slender, his entire body covered in streamlined, bone-white armor. His head was encased in a hard shell, and in his cobalt blue eyes, fine patterns like butterfly wings appeared. His translucent butterfly wings, more than two meters long, fluttered gently behind him, sending scales and powder fluttering down. The edges of his wings were as sharp as blades, and each flap carried a chilling aura.

Looking at the appearance before him, Lin Chen murmured softly, "Blue Morpho Butterfly? It suits you exceptionally well."

The Blue Morpho Butterfly has a short lifespan, much like Kirihiko's untimely death; the process of breaking free from its cocoon is filled with excruciating pain, mirroring his experience of forcibly overdrawing his body's memory power to cater to the Sonozaki family, ultimately suffering the backlash. The butterfly will eventually drift away with the wind, and he, too, will forever remain in the evening breeze of Fuuto.

Wu Yan looked down at his completely transformed hands, then moved the butterfly wings on his back, his face filled with disbelief and confusion. He turned to look at Lin Chen, his eyes filled with urgency, clearly hoping for an answer from the other.

"Congratulations on your rebirth." Lin Chen's expression remained cold, devoid of any warmth. "But this is not a blessing. From now on, you will live forever in fear of being turned into sand and disappearing at any time. You will spend all your time making amends for your past mistakes."

As he finished speaking, the space around Lin Chen slightly distorted, and a dimensional wall quietly unfolded. He reached inside and took out a black box and a book, casually tossing them in front of Wu Yan.

Kirihiko bent down to pick up the book and quickly flipped through it. The book contained detailed information about Orphnoch. Being quite intelligent, he finished the entire book in no time.

"Anyway, I still want to thank you, Kimura-kun." Kirihiko's mindset had calmed down a lot. "I was already a dead man, so compared to completely disappearing, even turning into sand is a kind of gift to me."

He raised his hand and pulled out a pure white silk scarf from somewhere, gently holding it in his palm. The evening breeze swept across the rooftop, and the scarf floated slowly on the wind, gradually drifting into the distance, eventually disappearing into the night of the windy city.

Meanwhile, Saeko walked down from the rooftop and returned to the Sonozaki main house. Inside the hall, Sonozaki Ryubei was playing Go with a strange man.

The foreign man was wearing a well-tailored charcoal black pinstripe suit, with only the bottom button fastened, and the sharp peak lapel made his figure look even thinner.

He wore a crisp white shirt underneath, a matte dark gray tie around his neck, and a burgundy patterned pocket square tucked into his left breast pocket, adding a touch of brightness to his composed attire. On his head was a pure black bowler hat, the brim pulled down just right, revealing his sharply defined face.

Hearing footsteps, the two stopped simultaneously and turned to look at Saeko as she entered. The stranger's deep black eyes held a hint of amusement, and with a slight upturn of his lips, he spoke to Ryubei: "This must be Miss Saeko, right? Just as Mr. Ryubei said, she is indeed exceptionally beautiful."

“Isaka-san, you flatter me too much,” Ryubei replied with a smile, then looked at Saeko and introduced, “This is Isaka Shinkuro, the director of Isaka Internal Medicine Hospital.”

Saeko, following the aristocratic etiquette inherited from her family, gave a slight bow to Isaka. Her expression remained indifferent throughout, and she did not engage in much conversation. After a brief bow, she turned and took her leave, heading straight out of the hall.

Watching Saeko's somewhat rude back, Ryubei pretended to be dissatisfied and scolded her in front of Isaka: "It's really outrageous. As the eldest daughter of the Sonozaki family, she should know better than to act without any sense of propriety."

Although he was verbally reprimanding, he was subtly guiding the young man, implying that this was the person who would take over the entire Sonozaki family in the future, and that he should seize the opportunity.

Now that Ryūbei understands the ultimate fate of the Sonozaki family, a different thought has arisen in his mind. He is a chosen one of Earth, and it is impossible for him to completely associate with these parasites, the Time Jackers. So let the storm in Fuuto rage even more fiercely.

The next day, inside the Narumi Detective Agency.

Shotaro held today's morning paper in his hand; the front page prominently featured the news of Sonozaki Kirihiko's unexpected death. Looking at the words and photos on the paper, Shotaro felt an overwhelming heaviness in his heart.

Although the two were on opposing sides and had clashed many times, he knew in his heart that Kirihiko was also a person who deeply loved the city of Fuuto, and it seemed that he had already been executed by the Sonozaki family.

The whole room was quiet until Akiko suddenly let out a scream, breaking the dull atmosphere.

"There's a bug! A huge rhinoceros beetle flew in!"

Upon hearing the word "rhinoceros beetle," Philip instantly perked up and rushed out of the base, excitedly chasing after the insect. But the beetle was incredibly agile; it circled the room a few times before bursting through the window and flying outside. Philip chased it to the window, but could only watch helplessly as the little insect flew further and further away.

The rhinoceros beetle flew through the streets of the city and finally landed in front of the police station.

A motorcycle was parked in front of the door, and a man in a red jacket was straddling it. He caught a rhinoceros beetle that landed in his palm, his brows furrowed, and his tone was full of annoyance: "Annoying wind...that's why I've hated this city of Wind City from the very beginning."

The man dismounted from the motorcycle, stood in front of the police station, and pulled a crimson-red Knight Gaia Memory from his pocket. He pressed a button forcefully, and a deep electronic sound boomed:

"Accel!"

Chapter 158 Terui Ryu

In the billiard room next to Narumi Detective Agency, the afternoon sun slanted in through the glass windows, creating a lazy and leisurely atmosphere.

Shotaro Zuo was holding the cue stick with great seriousness, bending over and striking a cool pose, while solemnly muttering, "Billiards is the sport most suitable for a tough detective. It's steady enough and tests one's ability to anticipate."

He talks a big game, but his actual skills are abysmal. He either misses the ball or knocks it away, failing to pocket a single ball in ages. No matter how cool his pose is, it can't hide the fact that he's terrible.

Tokiwa Sougo, who was watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but burst out laughing without any mercy: "Shotaro-senpai, you're so lame! You call yourself a tough detective with this level of skill?"

"Shut up, kid! What do you know!"

Shotaro, who was exposed in public and lost face, immediately lost his temper. He awkwardly put away his cue stick, looking unconvinced, but unable to refute it.

Just as the two were bickering, Lin Chen, who had been quietly watching the show, slowly spoke up: "It's my turn now."

He casually took the cue stick, stepped forward, aimed, and struck in one fluid motion. A crisp sound rang out as the cue ball shot out at high speed, weaving back and forth across the table and precisely striking each of the colored balls.

The continuous thuds of the balls echoed, and in just a few seconds, all the balls on the table were pocketed, a truly clean and decisive single-shot clear.

Shotaro's eyes widened in disbelief, his face contorted with rage: "Lin Chen! You definitely cheated! It's always like this, it's completely unreasonable!"

Lin Chen simply smiled faintly, neither defending himself nor admitting anything.

Only he knew that he had indeed rigged the game in secret. Not only him, but Tokiwa Sougo, that little devil, had also been secretly cheating. Every time he was about to lose, he would quietly activate time stop, secretly adjust the ball's position, and stage a comeback from behind.

Throughout the entire billiards game, only Shotaro truly relied on his own skill level, but unfortunately, his skill was so poor that it was a complete misfortune.

The group rearranged the balls, and it was Shotaro's turn to tee off. He took a deep breath, prepared himself for a moment, and then unleashed a powerful shot.

The result was extremely absurd. It hit the pile of balls squarely, but the dense triangular pile of balls didn't budge at all. Not a single ball was scattered, let alone pocketed.

Lin Chen was at a loss for words when faced with this absurd scene. He didn't know whether to call him ridiculously bad or ridiculously precise in controlling his strength.

Just when the atmosphere in the room was extremely awkward, the door to the billiard room was suddenly pushed open.

A man in a bright red leather jacket, exuding a cold and aloof aura, strode in, radiating an unapproachable and domineering presence. He remained silent throughout, casually picked up a golf club leaning against the wall, stepped forward, and bent down to strike.