As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider

Mitsuzane's face turned deathly pale, and his lips trembled slightly. He looked at his exhausted brother across from him, and then recalled Lingma's seemingly relevant but actually seductive words.

Compared to Sengoku Ryoma... he still trusted his Nissan more.

"Nisan..." Mitsuzane murmured softly, the grape dragon cannon in his hand falling to the ground with a "clatter". He staggered back half a step.

Just as the grape dragon cannon in Wu Dao Guang Shi's hand fell to the ground with a dull thud, Wu Dao Gui Hu took a step forward, wanting to say something, but when he opened his mouth, it was as if something was blocking his throat.

However, they all seemed to have forgotten that there was a third party present on this ruin.

"...You monkeys."

A deep, hoarse voice came from beside the collapsed wall. Crimson slowly straightened up, her crimson armor covered with cracks left by Kakuzu's twin swords, but her emerald compound eyes no longer held any fear, replaced by a furious rage that had been completely ignited.

He watched the scene unfold before him—the confrontation, reconciliation, betrayal, and forgiveness among humans—as if he, the overlord of Fimsim, were merely an insignificant backdrop. The humiliation of being ignored and scorned drove him more mad than any of the knife wounds on his body.

"How dare you...ignore me?!"

His voice suddenly rose, transforming into a deafening roar. Crimson energy surged and compressed wildly in his palms, the intense heat distorting the surrounding air. Two enormous fireballs, several meters in diameter, formed between his hands, radiating destructive heat.

"Go to hell!!"

With a sudden swing of her arms, two fireballs, trailing long fiery tails, flew straight at the brothers, Kureha Takatora and Kureha Mitsuzane, from the left and right! Wherever the fireballs passed, the asphalt road was scorched with blackened grooves, glass shards instantly vaporized, and terrifying heat waves swept over us.

"Be careful!!"

The crimson figure darted in like lightning.

Kamen Rider Gaim—no, Kota Kazuha—didn't hesitate for a moment. The instant the energy condensed in his crimson palm, he moved. The heavy armor in his Victory Form unleashed astonishing propulsion, the crimson flag fluttering behind him. He shattered the ground with a single step, his figure transforming into a streak of crimson light, forcefully squeezing between the Kureshima brothers and the fireball.

"Don't even think about touching them!!"

Kouta crossed his Musou Saber in his left hand and the Ootengu in his right in front of his chest, while his arquebus was positioned at an extremely awkward yet precise angle at the point where the two swords crossed. Crimson energy surged from every corner of the Kachidoki Armor, forming an arc-shaped energy shield in front of him.

boom--!!!

The first fireball slammed head-on into the shield, the deafening explosion shattering all remaining glass within a hundred-meter radius. The raging flames and shockwave fanned out to both sides, sending the shadowy guards flying. Kouta's feet dug two deep furrows in the ground, blinding sparks flying from the gaps in his armor, but he gritted his teeth and didn't retreat an inch.

A second fireball followed immediately!

"Break for me!!"

With a roar, Kuzuha Kouta unleashed a powerful thrust of his arms, slashing forward with his crossed swords. All the energy of his Victory Form was channeled into the blades, transforming into a massive crimson slash that cleaved the fireball in two!

The fireballs, cleaved in two, exploded violently on either side of Gaim's back, sending waves of fire soaring into the sky and lifting two wrecked cars into the air. Meanwhile, Kouta, positioned in the very center, remained unmoved, like a rock in a storm.

As the aftershocks of the explosion subsided, wisps of smoke rose from the crimson armor, and a corner of the flag's edge was charred. Kouta slowly straightened up, his twin swords pointing diagonally at the ground, and without turning his head, he shouted in a deep voice:

"Director Guihu! Take Guangshi away from here first! I'll handle this guy!"

His voice came through the armor, carrying an undeniable firmness.

Wu Dao Guihu paused for a moment, looking at the crimson figure blocking his way from destruction, then at his distraught younger brother beside him, before finally gritting his teeth and grabbing Guang Shi's arm to pull him back.

"...Please, Kouta Kuzuha!"

Shinku watched as his attack was blocked, a flicker of surprise crossing his emerald compound eyes, which quickly transformed into an even more frenzied fighting spirit. He yanked the greatsword out of the ground, its blade pointing directly at Kamen Rider Gaim.

"Interesting... How could a mere human withstand my full power?!"

Kouta slowly raised his head, his eyes burning with an unprecedented light beneath his crimson mask. He shook his slightly numb wrist, raised the arquebus again, and combined it with the Daio-maru to form the Arquebus Daio-cannon, aiming the muzzle at Shinku.

"I'm not a hero, nor do I want to be a savior." Kouta's voice was deep, yet it carried clearly across the battlefield. "But... if you want to hurt the people I care about, then you'll have to step over my dead body first!"

"Come on! Round two begins!"

Chapter 275 The Second Stage of Crimson

Faced with Gaim's challenge, Crimson roared, unleashing her massive black sword, Chelaym, wreathed in crimson flames, sweeping across the battlefield, igniting the air in its wake. Gaim neither dodged nor evaded, his Arcanine Cannon unleashing a torrent of scorching energy that collided head-on with the sword.

boom--! ! !

The explosion engulfed their figures. Shinku burst from the flames, her greatsword raised high overhead, slashing down with the force of a mountain cleaving. Gaim dodged to the side, his sword grazing her shoulder armor, leaving a trail of blinding sparks on the crimson surface. He spun around, his Ootengu flashing with a sharp light as it slashed towards Shinku's waist!

clang!

The sharp clang of metal clashing rang out. Crimson parried with his sword, but was forced back three steps by the terrifying brute force of the Victory Form. Before he could regain his footing, Gaim followed up like a persistent leech, alternating between his Musou sword and matchlock gun, the flashes of blades and rain of bullets creating an impenetrable offensive.

"hateful……!"

Shinku was struggling to stay afloat, sparks exploding all over his body. He tried to unleash fireballs to create distance, but Gaim was faster than before, giving him no chance to charge up. Crimson streaks of light flashed through the ruins, each flash accompanied by new wounds on Shinku's body.

"it's over!"

Gaim leaped high into the air, the muzzle of the Flame Cannon aimed downwards, and a surge of crimson energy gathered wildly, compressing into a dazzling sphere of light.

"Fire Rope Orange Cannon!!!"

boom--!!!

A beam of light pierced the heavens and earth, slamming directly into Crimson's chest. Her crimson armor shattered inch by inch in the raging torrent of energy. Crimson let out a roar of defiance, blasted away, and crashed heavily into a dilapidated building. Walls collapsed, and dust billowed into the sky.

A moment later, the sound of rubble rolling down the ruins came from within. Crimson struggled to her feet, her crimson armor shattered, her emerald compound eyes flickering, and crimson blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.

"Damn it...damn it...!" He stared intently at the approaching Kamen Rider, his eyes filled not with fear, but with boundless rage and humiliation. "I...I actually lost to a mere human...?!"

Gaim hoisted the Ootengu onto his shoulder, its crimson banner fluttering slowly amidst the smoke: "It's over, Crimson. Retreat to Helheim Forest, and don't harm this city any further."

"Go back? Hahahaha...!" Shinku suddenly burst into maniacal laughter, her laughter filled with hysterical madness. "You think... you've won just like that?!"

He suddenly raised his hands, palms facing the sky, and a blinding light burst forth from his emerald green compound eyes. A strange wave emanated from him and spread outwards.

"Since I can't win... then let this forest... devour everything!!"

The sky suddenly darkened.

A massive spatial rift tore open above Crimson's head, like a monstrous eye slowly opening. The rift's edges were covered with zipper-like, serrated structures. From its depths came the echoing roars of countless alien beings.

Shinku stood below the crack, arms outstretched, laughing wildly as she looked at Gaim.

Wu Dao Guihu, who had retreated to the rear, stopped in his tracks. He looked up at the hideous rift that was slowly tearing through the sky. This was the largest rift since the invasion of Helheim Forest. He immediately realized that if that thing were to be fully opened, Zeya City would be doomed.

"All personnel, listen to my command!" Wu Dao Guihu shoved Wu Dao Guangshi behind him and strode forward. "Target, that monster, and the crack above its head! Full fire!"

Upon receiving the order, the shadowy guards quickly formed a firing formation, raising the muzzles of their energy rifles in unison.

"Fire!!"

With a command, countless orange-red energy flames tore through the smoke and poured down like a torrential rain onto Crimson and the spatial rift.

However, just as the beam was about to hit its target, a chilling writhing sound suddenly came from the depths of the crack.

Immediately afterwards, countless thick vines covered with dark purple scales burst forth from the crack like venomous snakes! Those vines were densely covered with strange fruits unique to the Helheim Forest.

The vines intertwined to form a huge barrier, firmly protecting Crimson beneath them.

"What?!" Wu Daogui's pupils shrank sharply.

More vines whipped back from the direction of the attack, lashing fiercely at the formation of the shadowy guards! Like raging pythons, they plowed deep furrows into the asphalt, sending gravel flying. The shadowy guards' formation was instantly shattered; several soldiers who couldn't dodge in time were caught by the vines around the waist, screaming as they were dragged into the air.

"what--!"

Countless screams rang out.

"Damn it...!" Seeing this, Wu Dao Guihu quickly transformed, raised his sonic bow, and shot an arrow that severed the vines binding Guang Minoru. He then pushed his younger brother behind the broken wall. "Hide well, don't come out!"

Instead of hiding away, Mitsumi Gojima shouted, "No, Nii-san, I'll help too!" He then transformed into Kamen Rider Ryugen.

With his left hand, Gaim fired the matchlock gun repeatedly, sending scorching energy blasts crashing into the vines and snapping two of them that were about to wrap around the soldier.

"Everyone back off! Let me handle this!"

Kota shouted in a deep voice, his Musou Saber and Ootengu crossed in his hands and slashed out, the crimson blade light transforming into a sharp cross that slashed out directly.

The vines raged through the streets like pythons, and the shadowy guards were forced into retreat. Taking advantage of the chaos, Shinku ripped off a vine hanging from a crack above her head and stuffed all the writhing fruit on it into her mouth.

"Crack...knock..."

A strange chewing sound rang out. As the fruit was swallowed, the shattered crimson armor on Shinku's body began to repair itself at a visible speed. Blazing energy streams surged from the cracks, and the patterns on the shoulder and breastplates once again glowed with a dangerous crimson light.

He spread his arms and let out a triumphant roar, the energy emanating from his body becoming even more violent than before.

"not good!"

Baron, who had just slashed away the vines surrounding him with his sword, witnessed this scene. He shouted angrily, "That monster is devouring the fruits of Helheim to heal its injuries! If this continues, it will become even stronger than before!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present changed their expressions.

"We can't let him continue!" Wu Dao Guihu shouted coldly, and the emerald green figure of Zhan Yue Zhen Zhen soared into the air. Long Xuan gripped the Grape Dragon Cannon tightly, his deep purple armor following closely behind. Baron held the sonic arrow to his chest, lemon-yellow energy frantically gathering at the tip.

The crimson banner of Gaim fluttered in the wind, and the muzzle of the Arcanine Cannon shone brightly once more. The four launched their attacks from four different directions.

Let's take him down together!

Four completely different torrents of energy poured out at the same time, slamming fiercely towards Crimson!

boom--!!!

A deafening explosion resounded through the sky, and a blazing sphere of light expanded in the middle of the street, engulfing everything around it.

As the smoke and dust slowly dissipated, a figure stood motionless in the charred crater in the center of the street.

Crimson—no, at this moment, he was almost unrecognizable. After consuming a large amount of Helium Fruit, his physique had become nearly twice as large as before. His originally crimson exoskeleton had turned a deeper dark purple, its surface gleaming with a cold, hard metallic sheen, as if he were clad in armor from the abyss. From his shoulders, two pairs of sharp, curved horns burst forth from his armor, their tips crackling with leaping purple arcs of electricity.

He slowly raised his right arm, and the longsword in his hand had undergone a transformation. The blade had widened by nearly half, and the originally smooth edge had been transformed into jagged, serrated lines. Dark purple energy flowed like blood in the grooves along the spine of the sword. With each breath, visible waves of heat surged from his body, distorting the surrounding air, and even the rubble on the ground crackled slightly under the intense heat.

Emerald green compound eyes slowly lit up beneath the dark purple mask, coldly sweeping over the crowd.

“This is…” His voice was low and hoarse, yet carried an overwhelming sense of authority, “Helheim’s gift.”

Shinkui moved, giving the four of them no chance to catch their breath and adjust.

Dark purple feet crushed the scorched ground, and a heavy body charged forward with a suffocating pressure, its target Zangetsu Shin at the forefront. The savage charge crashed down.

Upon seeing this, Wu Daogui hurriedly held the sonic bow across his chest.

clang--!

A piercing metallic explosion rang out. A tremendous force surged through his body, causing Guihu's arms to tremble violently. He was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing into an abandoned bus by the roadside. The impact dented the bus, scattering shards of glass and metal. He used the momentum of the landing to roll and absorb the force, bending his knees to steady himself. His hands were numb and stiff.

"Nissan!"

Seeing this, Wu Daoguang felt a sense of urgency and slid back to the side. The six barrels of the Grape Dragon Cannon spun rapidly, and a dense barrage of deep purple energy bullets roared out one after another, bombarding Zhen Hong in an attempt to forcibly stop the opponent's offensive.

However, all the projectiles that landed on Crimson's dark purple exoskeleton only splashed up tiny specks of energy, leaving not even a trace.

The next instant, Crimson swung the Hugh's Greatsword in a backhand motion, and a purplish-black sword light suddenly slashed down.