As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider

He ducked to dodge Black's oncoming knight's punch, shifted his feet, and circled around to Black's side. He delivered a powerful elbow strike to Black's ribs, the dull thud echoing as Black staggered forward half a step.

"drink!"

Kaito Kumon transformed directly into his Baron Mango Arms form and launched a frontal assault, the heavy red and yellow Mango Arms covering his entire body. He swung the Mango Punisher with both hands, the massive warhammer whistling through the air as it came crashing down, forcing Black RX to hastily raise his lightsaber to parry.

With a loud clang, sparks flew as the two weapons clashed. RX's legs were bent slightly by the force, and his boots slid backward, leaving two marks on the asphalt.

Kouta Kazuha, transformed into the Orange Armor of Gaim, also cut in from the flank, with Daidomaru drawing an arc of light as it slashed towards Black RX's back armor.

Sensing danger, RX rolled forward abruptly, narrowly avoiding the blow, but exposing his back completely to Baron.

Seeing this, Jiedou changed his warhammer from a slash to a sweep, slamming it heavily onto RX's shoulder armor. RX groaned and flew sideways, crashing into a crumbling wall, bricks and stones scattering everywhere.

Seeing this, Black wanted to go and help, but he was entangled by Joker and couldn't break free. Shotaro's fighting skills were sharp and efficient with every punch and kick, and a series of dazzling sparks burst from the spot on Black's chest armor where he was kicked.

"it's over!"

Shotaro leaped back three steps, placing his right hand on the Lost Driver's memory, dark purple energy surging and gathering along his leg armor. He leaped into the air, his body twisting in mid-air, the black soles of his boots carrying a sharp gust of wind, heading straight for Black RX's chest.

Joker Rider Kick!

Maximum Drive!

At the same time, Baron's Sengoku Driver engaged a few times, and the Mango Punisher lit up. He took three steps, each step of his heavy armor cracking the ground, and raised his warhammer high above his head, slamming it down from above the RX to block its escape route.

Mango Squash!

boom!!!

Two deadly attacks struck simultaneously.

Black RX was kicked squarely in the chest armor by the Joker's Knight and then struck on the head by the Mango Punisher.

Flames shot into the sky.

The dark green armor trembled violently in the explosion, then turned into countless tiny particles of light, like fireflies scattered by the wind, slowly drifting in the air.

There was no blood, no remains, only a lock-like core emitting a faint glow, silently floating above the charred crater.

The battlefield fell silent.

Kouta Kuzuha remained frozen in place, his sword-wielding stance frozen in place. The Ootengu slipped from his hand and slammed to the ground with a hollow sound. He slowly turned his head, staring at the scattered speck of light, his voice trembling with disbelief beneath his orange armor.

"How could this be..."

He deactivated his transformation, and the mask dissipated into specks of light, revealing a pale face.

"You...you really killed him? Why...why did you go to such lengths!"

Kaito's heavy red armor gleamed coldly in the firelight. He looked at Kouta, his voice coming through the armor, icy and devoid of any emotion.

“Kuzuha, you’re still as naive as ever.”

He lifted his foot, and the Mango Punisher dragged a trail of sparks across the ground.

"This is a real battle. It's not like playing house on stage."

"No, no..." Kouta Kazuha shook his head repeatedly, his feet uncontrollably taking a step backward. "It shouldn't be like this... It shouldn't be like this between knights..."

He turned abruptly, stumbled and rushed out of the battlefield, his red jacket silhouette quickly disappearing at the end of the street.

Lin Chen didn't give Kazuha Kota a second glance.

His gaze was fixed on the spot where BlackRX had fallen. The lock-like core was drawn up by an invisible force, slowly floating and sinking towards the unknown.

"I see……"

Lin Chen muttered to himself as a gray dimensional barrier unfolded directly in front of him.

Chapter 241 Murasame Ryo

Deep within the underground fortress of the subterranean empire of Bataan, the Dark Ambassador stood atop a high platform, his black cloak fluttering in the cold, drafty wind.

He raised his hands, his right palm tightly gripping a Lockseed, which was the core formed from all the power that Kamen Rider Black and Black RX had condensed after they were defeated.

Before him, one triangular cage after another contained the Lockseeds that the other knights had transformed into.

The triangular light cage cast a purplish-red glow upon the densely packed Batan monsters and Shocker remnants below, bathing the entire cave in an eerie red hue.

"Not enough...not nearly enough!"

The Dark Ambassador's voice, amplified by the loudspeaker, reverberated throughout the plaza: "This is just an outdated relic! To truly activate the Mega Reverse, we must gather the power of all the Riders—Showa, Heisei, and even those outside the era! All their power must become nourishment for the resurrection of Bataan!"

"For the Bataan Empire!"

"For the glory of Shocker!"

A frenzied roar erupted from the crowd. Hundreds of Bataan and Shocka fighters raised their weapons in unison, their shouts forming a chilling wave.

Amidst the chaotic dance of demons, a slightly tall Shocker combatant mingled at the edge of the formation. He mechanically raised his short sword, uttering the same incoherent responses as the others, his eyes beneath the black mask utterly calm.

It was Lin Chen.

Having located the spatial rift where the two knights' powers had vanished, he used the power of the dimensional barrier to silently infiltrate the underground fortress.

At that moment, his gaze swept over the fanatical crowd and the Dark Ambassador.

"As expected..." Lin Chen murmured to himself, "These guys must have played a significant role in stirring up trouble between the Showa and Heisei eras."

The Dark Ambassador seemed to sense something, his gaze suddenly sweeping across the audience beneath his hood. Lin Chen immediately lowered his eyes, adjusting his posture to the same numbness and fanaticism as the other combatants.

"Go!" The Dark Ambassador raised the Lockseed high, his voice maniacal. "Go and create more strife, let more knights kill each other! When they are both exhausted, that will be our time to reap the rewards!"

"oh--!!!"

Lin Chen roared along with the others.

Before the cheers of the many enthusiastic fighters could subside, a deep voice echoed from behind them.

"A battle of knights... let's have some fun too."

The frenzied roars abruptly ceased, and hundreds of combatants, as if paused, turned around in unison. The crowd, as if cleaved by an invisible blade, automatically parted to the sides, creating a passage for others to walk through.

At the end of the passage, a burly figure slowly walked in with heavy steps.

The leader was wearing a long, black military-style overcoat, the hem of which trailed on the ground with each step, making a soft rustling sound.

He wore a tall, jet-black military cap. Beneath the brim, a pair of eyes, gleaming with a cold, eerie green light, like will-o'-the-wisps burning in the abyss, indifferently surveyed everyone present.

The Dark Ambassador slowly turned around, his gaze falling on the burly figure. His previously manic aura paused slightly, and then he let out a low laugh: "So it was you."

The combatants below the stage exchanged glances, and whispers spread like a tide. "Who is that guy?" "Never seen him before..." "Is he a new officer?" A cacophony of questions buzzed through the crowd.

The Dark Ambassador raised his hand and made a pressing motion, and the square instantly fell silent.

He looked down at the crowd, his voice, a hint of amusement in his tone, coming through the loudspeaker: "Quiet. This is not someone you can casually discuss. He is General Schwartz from the Shadow Path, a dark nobleman currently clashing with a new super team."

"Shadow Route?" One of the combatants gasped.

General Schwartz stopped ten paces from the platform, his eerie green gaze meeting the Dark Ambassador's across the void. He placed his right hand on his chest, nodded slightly, and his metallic voice echoed through the cave: "Dark Ambassador. If this feast is meant to crush the light and let darkness devour the world... then let our Shadow Path also do its part."

He paused, his tone brimming with confidence: "The Shadow has already set sail for that troublesome guy. Electro King, someone will take care of him for you."

"Den-O?!" A commotion arose from the crowd. Den-O, that guy who could travel through timelines and alter history at will, was a real nuisance. Shocker had been stopped by him several times just when they were about to rule the world.

Behind the densely packed combatants, Lin Chen's face was full of question marks.

"What's going on... Isn't this a war between knights? How did the Super Sentai's enemies get involved?"

"It seems...it seems even more troublesome."

Lin Chen subtly took a half-step back, using the bodies of the front-line combatants as cover, and slowly moved towards the edge of the crowd. He needed to get the intelligence back. He needed to let Kadoya Tsukasa know that they were facing more than just Bataan; they didn't want to mess things up in the end.

Reaching a deserted corner of the fortress, Lin Chen was about to raise his hand to open the dimensional barrier and leave.

Suddenly, a deep voice echoed from the shadows behind them. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Lin Chen tensed all his muscles and turned around abruptly.

The figure draped in a black cloak stood three meters away, its face hidden in the darkness beneath the hood.

Lin Chen was slightly taken aback. What was going on? His senses had been constantly activated, so how could he have completely missed the other party's approach? Even more strangely, he couldn't sense the slightest bit of malice towards him from this dark ambassador clad in black robes.

“There is not a trace of evil aura belonging to Bataan or Shocker on him. Is he a knight?” The Dark Ambassador spoke again, his voice low and scrutinizing.

"Who am I?" Lin Chen lowered his voice. "Now, I'd like to know... who you are!"

Lin Chen didn't hesitate. No matter who this guy was, Bataan Fortress was not the place to talk. He suddenly waved his left hand, and gray dimensional walls surged out from all directions like a mirror, directly engulfing the two figures.

The next second, on the rooftop of a skyscraper in the present world. Gray ripples slowly dissipated in the air, and Lin Chen and the figure in black robes stepped onto the concrete ground one after the other.

Lin Chen took half a step back, creating some distance.

"You're not the Dark Ambassador, are you?" He said with a smirk. "I say, why is it that you, who are so fanatical about the resurrection of the Bataan Empire, are actually filled with inner turmoil?"

The 'Ambassador of Darkness' slowly raised his head.

"If you don't know my identity, then it seems you are a knight from the Heisei era!"

Upon hearing the other party's words, "a knight of the Heisei era," Lin Chen's last trace of doubt vanished.

He narrowed his eyes slightly: "I see... You're a Showa Knight."

The “Dark Ambassador” on the other side was silent for a moment, then let out a low, ambiguous laugh: “Hmph, you’ve been seen through.”

He no longer concealed himself, and his right hand suddenly pressed down on the belt at his waist. The pitch-black cloak and hideous armor belonging to the Dark Ambassador seemed to be torn apart by an invisible hand, peeling away layer by layer, disintegrating, and turning into countless black particles of light that drifted away in the wind.

Instead, standing on the edge of the rooftop was a middle-aged man with a lean and upright build.

He wore a fitted black leather jacket, the zipper half-open, revealing a snow-white lining underneath. His lower body was clad in straight white trousers, clean and sharp. The stark black and white color scheme made him resemble a sharp blade sheathed, restrained yet deadly.

What's most eye-catching is the silver metal belt around his waist. The belt has a simple yet mechanical design, with a yellow and green cross-shaped core emblem inlaid in the center.

The man raised his head, revealing a weathered face.

“Now that you’ve seen through me, there’s no point in continuing this act.” His voice was deep and resonant. “My name is Murasame Ryo!”

He placed his right hand on the cross at the waist, raised his head slightly, and pronounced the long-dormant name, word by word:

"Kamen Rider ZX!"

Lin Chen looked at the man who had emerged from the disguise of the Dark Ambassador and slowly said, "It seems there are still many hidden secrets about this knightly war that I am unaware of."

...

Murasame walked to the edge of the rooftop.