As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider

In the original timeline, he was never able to fully awaken the power of the king within him. However, for some reason, the girl he liked fell into the near-death state they witnessed, and could only be kept alive by him channeling his life force into her.

The Time Jackals seized on this point, dragging him into this past timeline and making him the true king.

In other words, the young man's goal is likely to fully awaken the King's power and rouse the sleeping girl.

After clarifying the whole story, Lin Chen immediately made up his mind, turned to look at Hanagata, and told him his decision.

He wants to relinquish his position as president of Smart Brain.

Faced with Hanagata's surprised gaze, Lin Chen didn't hide anything and frankly expressed his fear of the Time Tribulation.

Having already dealt with the Time Jackers in other worlds, continuing to remain in the limelight would only make him an easy target. From now on, he planned to retreat behind the scenes, focusing on the Time Jackers and the future king, while also searching for Murakami and his group who were hiding.

After listening to Lin Chen's words, Hanagata nodded without hesitation and took over the management of the group again.

The desertification agent will soon be in mass production, and a large number of Orphino will choose to shed their powers and return to ordinary life. It is appropriate for him to be in charge to coordinate a series of supporting matters such as housing, employment, and identity registration, and properly resettle these people.

However, before the handover, Lin Chen directly operated the company's entire intranet and issued a top-priority emergency notice to all field staff and grassroots employees.

Recently, a mysterious figure has appeared who specializes in hunting Orphnochs. His strength far surpasses that of ordinary Orphnochs and knights. Anyone who encounters him should immediately retreat.

Smart Brain will not take any responsibility for any injuries or deaths caused by disobeying orders. The announcement included the young man's appearance and characteristics, ensuring that everyone could identify him at a glance.

The shareholders' meeting concluded successfully, and the entire power transfer process was completed.

Faced with the greetings and discussions of the high-ranking officials, Lin Chen showed no intention of lingering. He decisively withdrew and returned directly to his top-floor hotel suite, opening the dimensional barrier between himself and the others.

The door was locked, shutting out all the noise and disturbances from the outside world, and the room instantly became quiet. Lin Chen leaned back on the sofa and reached out to take out his portable evolution memory.

A soft, white light flowed slowly as he lightly touched the switch, his consciousness leaving his body and entering a pure white space of consciousness.

The figure of a woman, formed from Earth's consciousness, stood silently in the space, awaiting his arrival.

Lin Chen had no intention of beating around the bush or being polite. Skipping all the unnecessary small talk, he went straight to the point and asked her how far along the work he had assigned her was to analyze the feather containing the power of the Time Royal Family.

A stream of green data rolled rapidly beside the woman, followed by a cold voice. The entire analysis was almost complete, and the structure and operating rules of the time power hidden in the feathers were now fully understood.

However, there is a fatal flaw that cannot be avoided: this power is just a small fragment that the real Time Royal Family casually separated, and it does not belong to anyone at all. At most, it can be considered as borrowed external force.

If one were to encounter the true holder of this power in the future, with a single thought from the other party, this power of time would be completely drained on the spot, leaving no room for resistance whatsoever. It would be tantamount to handing over one's lifeline directly to another, a risk that cannot be ignored.

However, she also deduced a safe and feasible alternative.

It can melt and compress all the time energy in a feather, condensing it into a seed.

The seed will take root in Lin Chen's own genes, slowly nourished and grown by his own power. Once it is fully mature, the time ability it gives birth to will be completely under his control. There is no risk of it being taken back or deprived by the original owner. In the future, when facing opponents like the Time Robbers who control time, he will not be subject to their control at every turn.

After listening, Lin Chen lowered his head and pondered for a while, and quickly came to a conclusion.

Relying on the power that others have split up ultimately carries significant hidden dangers, and he really dislikes this feeling of being in limbo.

On the other hand, the path of smelting seeds, although it requires growth in the early stages, yields a unique and unrestricted time ability, making it far more worthwhile in the long run.

He looked up at the figure formed from Earth's consciousness, his tone very serious, and asked about the complete steps of refining the Seed of Time.

With the help of the evolutionary memory, the Seed of Time took root in his genes. When Lin Chen withdrew from the consciousness space and returned to reality, the sky outside the window was completely dark, and the streetlights along the city streets lit up one by one.

In the quiet suite, his personal communicator suddenly vibrated rapidly, and the name of Yuji Kiba appeared on the screen. He immediately pressed the answer button, and Kiba's flustered voice came from the other end of the line, clearly indicating that he was very anxious.

Kiba said that he, Nagata Yui, and Kaidou were walking home through an alley when a black-haired young man followed them. The man's aura was very subtle, giving them an instinctive bad feeling. Moreover, they could clearly sense that the man's target was the three of them.

The three of them originally planned to stop and ask the other party what they wanted by following them. However, just as they were about to step forward, they suddenly remembered the emergency notice issued by Smart Brain during the day. Comparing the physical characteristics described in the notice with the stalker's, they were completely identical. They hesitated and dared not confront the other party. Instead, they hid in a corner of the alley and quickly contacted Lin Chen to find out the other party's background and whether they should leave immediately.

Lin Chen immediately understood; the one eyeing them was the King of Orphnoch from the future. He didn't have time to explain further to Kiba, so he immediately activated his power to create a dimensional barrier, pinpointing the coordinates of the street where the three were located. He stepped into the spatial rift and arrived at the scene in an instant.

The atmosphere in the alley was extremely tense. The three of them huddled together back to back. The black-haired youth was surrounded by layers of eerie green light, and insect-shaped phantoms were faintly appearing around him. It looked like he was about to launch an attack.

Lin Chen was filled with concerns. The Time Jacker, Aura, was still hiding in the shadows, and he didn't know where she was. Rashly confronting her would only bring more trouble. He had also thought about simply throwing her into another world, but that would be irresponsible to those other worlds.

In a flash, Lin Chen created a dimensional barrier that enveloped Kiba, Yuka, and Kaidou. With a flash of spatial light, he safely transported the four of them to the ground floor of their apartment building. Upon landing, the three breathed a sigh of relief and thanked Lin Chen profusely.

The group pushed open the door and entered the apartment. The scene inside surprised Lin Chen a bit. Inui Takumi, Sonoda Mari, Kikuchi Keitaro, and Kusaka Masato were all in the living room.

A quick inquiry revealed that the laundromat had been vandalized by Clover and her gang a few days ago and was still under renovation, making it uninhabitable. After discussing it, the group decided to temporarily settle in the woodyard area. Since the apartment itself was small, they decided to rent the adjacent room and share the apartment.

This put Kusaka in a difficult position, as he harbored a deep-seated aversion to Orphnochs and had stated from the outset that he would not live with monsters like them. It was only thanks to Sonoda Mari's mediation that the awkwardness between them eased.

Kiba and the other two invited Lin Chen to sit down and asked him their biggest question: who was the black-haired youth they had been following, and why he was targeting them?

Lin Chen glanced around at the equally puzzled crowd, and without intending to hide anything, he simply told everyone present about the future King of Orphnoch.

An abandoned underground laboratory, with dusty old instruments piled everywhere, the air thick and stuffy.

Murakami, Takuma, Kitasaki, Saeko Kageyama, and the blonde future Saeko Kageyama sat around a simple iron table. The atmosphere in the room was so oppressive that no one spoke first.

After a long silence, Murakami broke the stillness.

He said that his informant, who was planted inside Smart Brain, had just sent back two messages. One was an emergency notice issued to the entire company, stating that a mysterious person who specifically hunts Orpheus had appeared, and that everyone should run away immediately upon seeing him.

Secondly, Lin Chen actually returned the position of club president to Hanagata.

These two events, taken together, were completely beyond his original plan, leaving him filled with confusion and suspicion.

He pondered for a long time, piecing together the two events, and slowly formed a deduction in his mind: the root of all the changes must be that mysterious black-haired youth who hunted Orpheus. Lin Chen's voluntary relinquishment of his power was clearly out of fear of the other party.

After speaking, Murakami turned to look at the blonde Kageyama Saeko beside him and asked her if she knew anything about the mysterious person. But the blonde Kageyama Saeko simply shook her head, her face full of helplessness.

The world's trajectory had long since deviated completely from the future she remembered. She had no clues about the strange events happening now and couldn't provide any useful information to help everyone analyze the situation.

After hearing this, Murakami immediately made up his mind to personally go out and gather information to find out the black-haired youth's true fighting strength and motives. If he could find an opportunity to win him over, this man would definitely be the most crucial trump card to defeat Lin Chen.

Saeko, the blonde woman standing nearby, quickly spoke up to dissuade him, reminding him with a serious expression that even Lin Chen was wary of him. If Murakami went out alone to investigate, he could easily find himself in danger if he were targeted.

Murakami, however, completely disregarded the warning, his face radiating confidence. He himself possessed the ability to teleport, so even if he were to encounter the mysterious youth and be unable to defeat him, he could escape.

As soon as he finished speaking, Murakami stood up, ready to leave. Seeing this, Kitasaki immediately offered to come along. These past few days of hiding had been incredibly difficult for him.

Murakami waved his hand and refused outright. Right now, the most important thing for Clover is to cooperate with the future Saeko Kageyama and take advantage of the fact that they don't know what changes have happened yet to awaken the King's host.

Chapter 227 The King on the Hunt

As Lin Chen emerged from the apartment building in the timber yard, the night wind brushed against his cheeks. Before leaving, he turned back and gave the three people inside a final word: if they had come to a decision, they should use the desertification inhibitor as soon as possible.

He spoke casually, without a hint of coercion. He knew in his heart that each of the three of them carried a past they couldn't let go of, and becoming an Orphnoch wasn't something that could be easily turned over with a simple "go back to being a normal person."

As he turned around, he caught a glimpse of Qian Qiao standing in the entryway. Her lips moved, clearly indicating that she had something on her mind and wanted to ask, but Lin Chen simply shook his head and didn't give her a chance to speak before turning around and stepping into the dimensional barrier.

When he got back to his top-floor hotel suite, before he could even sit down properly, the communicator on the table rang. It was Hanagata who answered it.

The voice on the other end was deep, saying that the patrols of the Leo cavalry below had reported that the black-haired youth had been spotted in several districts of the city today. This man was very precise in his targets, specifically choosing to attack the powerful Orphnochs.

Today, two thugs who should have been suppressed by the group have been turned into stone statues. Lin Chen wasn't too surprised, but he told Hanagata to keep a close eye on things and prevent the Leo cavalry from getting close, as preserving manpower was the priority.

At the same time, the atmosphere in the apartment that Kiba and his friends shared was extremely discordant.

After Lin Chen left, there was not much conversation in the room. The matter of the King of Orphnoch weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.

Kusaka Masato leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, his face long and his eyes were practically overflowing with disdain as he looked at Kiba and the other two.

He already harbored a deep-seated aversion to the Orphnochs, and now that he knew there was a "king" out there who preyed on his own kind, his anger was even more intense, and the conversation drifted to the topic of potions.

"There's clearly a medicine that can turn you back into humans, but the three of you just won't use it," Kusaka scoffed, his tone extremely aggressive. "What, you've been monsters for so long, you can't bear to give up this power?"

Kaidou, who already had a bad temper, immediately exploded upon hearing this, taking a step forward to retort: ​​"Who are you talking about! What business is it of yours whether we use it or not!"

"None of my business?" Soga sneered. "There's a monster outside that eats Orpheus. The three of you staying here with these identities will only bring trouble sooner or later and drag Mari and the others down with you."

Kiba frowned and spoke in a low voice, "We won't cause any trouble for anyone. We have our own considerations regarding the medicine."

"Considerations? I think it's because they can't bear to give up their monster identity," Kusaka persisted.

Sonoda Mari quickly stepped between the two to smooth things over, and Inui Takumi also frowned and pulled Kusaka along, but both sides were still angry, and no amount of persuasion could ease the atmosphere.

Finally, Kikuchi Keitaro stepped forward, rubbing his hands together, and chuckled as he changed the subject, saying that the renovation workers at the laundromat said it would take at least another week before they could move back in. He added that since they would be seeing each other all the time these days, they should be understanding and not hold grudges.

His words were softened, which managed to calm the tension in the room somewhat, but everyone could see that a grudge had been formed.

On the other side, in an abandoned park on the edge of the city, weeds grew to waist height, and most of the streetlights were broken, making it dark and devoid of any human presence.

A dark shadow stumbled into the woods; it was an Orphnoch in the form of an autumn beetle, its back glowing with an eerie green light.

The future King of Orpheus followed slowly behind, his green energy surging like waves, and the insect-shaped phantom behind him was more than twice as solid as before.

The fleeing Orphnoch panicked and tried to turn into the bushes, but several green tentacles suddenly shot out from the ground and wrapped around its limbs and torso like steel cables.

The autumn beetle struggled frantically, its hard shell cracking, but it was as brittle as paper in front of the tentacles, and was quickly strangled and unable to move.

The future king walked up to it, and the moment he raised his hand, the tip of his tentacle pierced through Orpheus's body.

Visible life energy surged into the king's body along the tentacles, and the autumn beetle's struggles weakened until it became completely still within seconds. Its body mineralized and hardened at a visible speed.

After absorbing the energy, the green light on the young man's body subsided a bit. He looked down at his hands, a flash of pain and struggle crossing his eyes.

But this emotion lingered for only a moment before being suppressed by an even deeper resolve. He had to awaken quickly; only by fully mastering the King's power could he awaken her.

Behind the shadows of the trees not far away, Aura leaned against a tree trunk with her arms crossed, her pink feather earrings swaying gently in the night breeze. Looking at the boy's back, a playful smile appeared on her lips.

As the boy's power grew stronger and stronger, and the day of his full awakening drew closer, she was clearly in a good mood.

"This is the new king you've chosen? He doesn't look very promising."

A male voice suddenly rang out beside her. Ur crossed his arms and stood next to her without her noticing, his tone carrying a hint of casual sarcasm.

Aura glanced at him, not angry at all: "What are you doing here? You're just in time, keep an eye on him for me." She glanced at the city, "Zi-O hasn't caught up with this era yet, I need to take advantage of this gap to get my hands on Faiz's power."

Just as Ur was about to say something, their gazes simultaneously froze, landing on the park entrance.

Just a few steps in front of the boy, space slightly distorted, and a man in a suit appeared out of thin air—it was Murakami Kyoji.

Following the coordinates of the missing Orpheus provided by the insider, he wandered around every nook and cranny of the city for most of the night, sensing energy fluctuations.

Noticing something amiss at the park, Murakami rushed over, only to witness the boy absorbing the essence of his own kind. The overwhelming sense of oppression made Murakami's heart skip a beat, and he immediately abandoned the idea of ​​taking action, deciding instead to sound him out first, hoping to win him over if possible.

Before he could speak, the boy had already turned his head, the insect-shaped phantoms around him reappearing, his voice as cold as ice: "You are also an Orphnoch?"

Before the words were even finished, more than a dozen green tentacles tore through the air, moving so fast they left afterimages, carrying a ferocious force that seemed capable of tearing a person to shreds. Murakami's expression changed drastically; he never expected his opponent to attack so directly without a word. Without daring to hesitate for even a moment, he activated his teleportation ability with all his might, his figure instantly transforming into flower petals and disappearing from the spot.

The tentacles pierced empty air, yet they persisted relentlessly.

Murakami teleported four or five times in quick succession, covering a great distance in one breath. Only when he was sure the other party wasn't chasing him did he dare to stop, his back already covered in a cold sweat. He didn't dare linger and immediately returned to the abandoned laboratory.

Pushing open the rusty iron door of the laboratory, they found Clover and the others, along with the blonde Saeko Kageyama, inside. Seeing that Murakami had returned so quickly and looked extremely pale, they all realized that something was wrong.

Murakami took a breath and recounted how he had bumped into the mysterious young man in the park, how the young man attacked him without saying a word, and how he barely managed to escape by teleporting. He emphasized the young man's terrifying power and his method of devouring his own kind.

The room fell silent instantly, and the Lucky Clover group members all wore expressions of shock. They considered themselves quite strong, but judging from Murakami's description, the young man's strength was clearly far beyond their comprehension.