As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider

"Can't you understand human language?" Seeing his hesitation, Kitasaki's eyes suddenly turned sinister, and he squeezed out a threat, word by word, "Tsukuru, do you want to die here?"

That familiar, oppressive feeling stemming from an absolute disparity in strength sent a chill down Zhuomo's spine.

He gritted his teeth and finally stepped forward quickly, putting one of Kitasaki's arms on his shoulder, with Kitasaki bearing most of the weight.

Throughout the journey, Kitasaki's breathing remained labored, and he would occasionally gasp for breath as the pain aggravated his wounds. His fingers gripped Takuma's shoulders like iron clamps. Takuma kept his head down, remaining silent, and simply dragged his heavy steps toward the abandoned laboratory.

In the corridor of the abandoned laboratory, the motion-activated lights had long since broken, and only the dim light leaking in from the skylights could barely illuminate the dusty steps. As Kitasaki reached the corner, his legs gave way, and he almost fell over, only managing to stay upright thanks to Takuma's desperate grip.

At that very moment, he suddenly stopped pondering.

He turned his head to look closely at Kitasaki's face, contorted with pain. Those eyes, which were always filled with mockery and cruelty, were now only unfocused and forced into a bluff.

Kitasaki didn't even have the strength to push him away. His chest rose and fell slightly, and each breath felt like a broken bellows being pulled.

Tsuo slowly straightened up and gradually loosened his grip on Kitasaki's hand.

"You..." Kitasaki sensed something was wrong and was about to speak when Tsukuma suddenly exerted his strength, swung his arms, and slammed him hard onto the cold concrete stairs!

"boom!"

Kitasaki's back slammed heavily against the edge of the steps, making a dull thud. He groaned and curled up.

Zhuomo stood atop the steps, looking down at the once arrogant dragon Ophiono. The gloom and submissiveness that had always graced his face completely vanished, replaced by an almost twisted sense of pleasure.

He grinned, revealing a hideous smile, his voice echoing eerily in the empty hallway: "So you've finally met your match!"

"You bastard!" Kitasaki pressed his palm against the mottled wall, using his knuckles to force himself to stand up. He swayed slightly, then straightened his back again, and a suffocating sense of oppression washed over him like a tide.

"You..." Zhuomo's smile froze, and he subconsciously took a half step back.

Kitasaki didn't give him a chance.

"boom!"

A heavy punch landed squarely on Zhuomo's left cheek, the force of which slammed him against the wall behind him. The back of his head hit the concrete wall, the impact making his vision go black.

What's even more terrifying is the spot on his cheek where he was hit.

As he pondered and raised his hand to touch it, his fingertips touched not warm skin, but a cold, rough, gritty texture. Dark gray lines spread visibly from his cheekbone.

"Uh..." A discordant tremor escaped from Zhuomo's throat. The twisted pleasure he had just felt was crushed and replaced by fear that exploded from the depths of his bones.

He covered his face, which was turning to sand, with his fingertips trembling. He didn't dare to look at Kitasaki again.

Kitasaki withdrew his fist and looked down at him, his doll-like face smeared with blood, but his eyes were as cold as if he were looking at a corpse.

“Zhuomo, listen to me carefully.” His voice was hoarse, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, “I’m just injured, but I’m not dead yet.”

He took a step forward, the soles of his shoes grinding against the dusty steps with a sickening scraping sound.

"If you dare to have another mischievous thought, I'll turn you into sand with the next punch."

Zhuomo pressed his back against the cold wall, sand slipping through his fingers. He even stopped breathing, with only one thought screaming wildly in his mind: This monster, even if it only has one breath left, is not someone he can mess with.

Lin Chen lowered the dark golden Earth Emperor Sword, its tip pointing diagonally at the ground, his scarlet compound eyes slowly sweeping across the entire area. Kageyama Saeko, in her lobster form, lay collapsed in the corner.

His gaze finally settled on the white-clad, blond-haired figure.

"What?" Lin Chen spoke, his voice coming through the thick armor. "Aren't you going to make a move? Or... are you actually not capable of fighting anymore?"

Saeko, the blonde, froze, her face turning extremely pale.

Lin Chen was right. Having forcibly torn through spacetime from the future and repeatedly used the power of the Golden Fruit, her energy was already nearly depleted.

Lin Chen took in her reaction and understood. Without further hesitation, he rapidly typed commands onto the Orga phone's buttons with his left index finger.

"Exceed Charge!"

A cold, electronic sound rang out, and dark golden photon blood surged wildly along the sword's blade, the scorching heat distorting the surrounding air.

He raised his sword, aimed it at Saeko Kageyama in the corner, the blade hovering high, and slashed down without hesitation.

Just as the golden blade of light was about to touch Saeko Kageyama's head—

The blonde Saeko, who had been standing silently to the side, raised her head, a resolute glint in her eyes. Instead of rushing towards Lin Chen to try and block, she suddenly disintegrated, transforming into a blinding golden streak that, at a speed beyond visual perception, plunged directly into Saeko Kageyama's body!

"Om-!"

The moment the golden light merged with the silver-gray body of Orpheus, an unprecedented energy surge exploded out.

The golden light was so bright that Lin Chen could barely open his eyes. When everything returned to normal, he found that the two people had disappeared, and even the dimensional barrier power attached to Kageyama Saeko could no longer be sensed.

Beneath the dark gold armor, Lin Chen's brows furrowed slightly.

The laboratory was eerily quiet.

"Is this even possible? This kind of being is really troublesome... but her power is even weaker now."

Lin Chen muttered to himself, his crimson compound eyes sweeping across the room before finally settling on the slender, unconscious figure in the corner. Nagata Yuka was still lying there, her breathing weak, but she was still alive.

Just as Lin Chen was about to deactivate his transformation and raised his hand to press the Orga phone on his waist, the rusty iron door suddenly let out a piercing groan and was pushed open from the outside.

Takuma, supporting Kitasaki, stumbled and fell across the threshold. The two had barely stepped inside when they looked up and saw the dark golden figure in the center of the arena. The Earth Emperor Armor stood in the dim light, its crimson compound eyes like blood lamps, slowly turning towards the doorway.

Zhuomo's pupils suddenly shrank to the size of pinpoints, and a chill ran from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

"run!"

Without uttering a single word, he abandoned Kitasaki and rushed towards the door. Although Kitasaki was seriously injured, his instincts outpaced his thoughts, and he followed suit, retreating as well.

However, the two hadn't even stepped out of the doorway yet.

A gray dimensional wall suddenly appeared in front of the door, like a transparent wall made of cast steel, sealing the entire exit completely. Zhuomo rammed into it, but the force of the impact sent him staggering back two steps, landing hard on his backside, his face drained of color.

Lin Chen turned around, his dark gold armor gleaming with a cold, hard sheen in the dim light. He raised the Earth Emperor Sword, its tip pointing at the two disheveled figures in the doorway. His voice, transmitted through the armor, was flat and devoid of any emotion:

"Now that you're back, don't leave again."

Knowing he couldn't escape, Kitasaki's inherent ferocity overcame his fear. He roared, and gray energy surged wildly around him.

The dragon-shaped Orphnoch's armor once again covered his body. He pushed off with his feet and used all his remaining strength to pounce on Lin Chen, his claws wrapped in purple lightning, aiming straight for his throat.

Lin Chen stood still, without even moving a step.

The Earth Emperor Sword was raised, and a simple horizontal slash was delivered. The golden blade of light, like an insurmountable chasm, sliced ​​through Kitasaki's body.

"laugh!"

In his demon form, the dragon-shaped armor was as fragile as paper before the light blade. A straight golden line ran through his entire body, from his shoulder armor to his waist. Kitasaki's attack suddenly froze in mid-air, the purple lightning dissipated, and his claws stopped three inches in front of Lin Chen, unable to advance any further.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but only blue flames rose around him.

"boom."

The dragon-shaped Orphnoch's body broke in two, the upper half sliding to the ground and turning into a cloud of dust. The lower half staggered and swayed before also disintegrating and scattering across the ground.

Zhuomo slumped down at the doorway, having witnessed this scene firsthand, the last trace of color draining from his face. He watched as Lin Chen turned his sword, the Earth Emperor Sword that had just slain Beiqi, its tip pointing directly at his brow.

"wait wait wait!"

Zhuomo let out a distorted scream, his knees slamming heavily onto the concrete. He raised his hands above his head, sprawling on the ground, his forehead pressed tightly against the earth, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

"Don't kill me! I surrender!"

Chapter 232 Visitor from the Future

Lin Chen carried Nagata Yuka as they stepped out of the dimensional barrier and landed on the concrete ground below the apartment building.

The afternoon cicadas chirped incessantly, a stark contrast to the cold, deathly silence of the abandoned laboratory—a world apart.

Keitaro was the first to rush out of the stairwell. He saw Yuka lying unconscious in Lin Chen's arms, his steps halted abruptly, his lips trembled, and he asked in a trembling voice, "President Lin Chen, Yuka... she..."

"It's nothing, she just fainted." Lin Chen handed over the flower, and Keitaro hurriedly took it, as if he were holding a fragile piece of porcelain, even his breathing became soft.

Kiba and Kaidou followed closely behind as they rushed out of the building, both with barely concealed anxiety on their faces. Kaidou caught a glimpse of Yuka's pale face, her fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and she cursed, but Kiba raised his hand and pressed down on her shoulder, forcing her to swallow the rest of her words.

"President, thank you." Kiba bowed deeply, his voice sincere.

Lin Chen waved his hand, about to speak, when the communicator at his waist suddenly vibrated. He glanced down at the screen, his brow twitching almost imperceptibly.

"Flower shape." He pressed the answer button, his tone flat.

On the other end of the communication line, Hanagata's voice came through the electrical current, carrying a hint of something elusive: "Lin Chen, come to Smart Brain. Some... strange guests have arrived, and they specifically request to see you."

Lin Chen remained silent for a moment.

What kind of guests?

Hanagata paused, seemingly considering his words, before finally uttering only a few words:

"You'll see when you get here. They... are both familiar and unfamiliar."

Communication was cut off.

Lin Chen put away his communicator, glanced at the various expressions on the faces of the people in front of him, and without offering any explanation, simply raised his hand to unfold the dimensional barrier, and a gray light screen silently spread out in front of him.

In the president's office of Smart Brain, Hanagata sat in the president's chair with a solemn expression.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows is the bustling street scene of Tokyo. Sunlight streams in through the glass, but it cannot dispel the stagnant and oppressive feeling inside.

Three figures stood silently by the window, their backs to the door. They were dressed in attire out of step with the times, their figures upright, yet they exuded an indescribable sense of incongruity, as if they had been imprinted from a painting by some force, their outlines clear, yet lacking the vitality of living people.

Lin Chen stepped out of the dimensional barrier, his senses landing on the three figures. His brows furrowed slightly.

There is no fluctuation of life energy.

There was no heartbeat, no breath. Standing there were only three empty shells.

The three people seemed to have noticed Lin Chen's arrival and turned around at the same time.

Lin Chen was slightly taken aback.

Kiba Yuji. Do it skillfully. Cao Gaya people.

The three faces he knew all too well now wore completely unfamiliar expressions—empty and indifferent.

"Who are you...?" Lin Chen's voice sounded with a hint of doubt.

Of the three, the one who resembled Yuji Kiba spoke first. His voice was identical to Kiba's.

"We come from the future."

He paused, something seemed to flash briefly in his empty eyes before quickly returning to indifference.

"This was a plan you devised with President Hanagata before you left this world; it was a special team formed to prevent the appearance of the King."