As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider

Despair surged in like a tide.

Just as he was about to be completely swallowed up—

A beam of seven-colored light descended from the sky.

The light was gentle yet unstoppable, like the dawn piercing through thick clouds, or like a meteor shower falling on Zeya City. Wherever the light passed, the alien beings pressing down on Kouta let out silent shrieks, their dark green bodies melting away like ice and snow. The dark green sky was torn apart, the vines withered, the cracks closed, and the putrid stench was swept away.

Kuzuha Kouta lay on the ground, stunned, his mask automatically retracting. He squinted and saw countless multicolored particles of light dancing in the air.

Then, he heard a sound.

"Gaim! Gaim! Gaim!"

A deafening roar of cheers erupted from all directions. Kouta sat up in astonishment, finding himself being tossed high into the air by countless hands. Those hands were warm and strong, without claws or calluses; they were human hands, living, breathing hands.

"Wait...put me down! Put me down!"

He cried out in panic. After bobbing up and down in the air several times, he finally landed back on solid ground. Beneath his feet was not the cracked asphalt, but the soft, grassy grass of a football field.

Kouta was stunned.

He slowly raised his head. The brightly lit, giant football stadium was packed to capacity, the stands filled with cheering spectators, glow sticks forming a sea of ​​light. The bright stadium lights shone down from above, enveloping him in a warm glow. On the large screen in the distance, the final moments of the match were playing.

He looked down and found that he was no longer wearing the orange jersey, but a blue and white soccer vest with his number printed on his chest, the fabric soaked with sweat.

"Kouta!"

A familiar voice came from beside him. Kouta turned his head sharply and saw Mai Takashi running towards him in a cheerleader uniform, holding a pom-pom and beaming with a bright smile. Her eyes were bright and clear, without the murky yellow or inhuman cruelty, only the clear light he knew.

"That's great!" Wu grabbed his hand, her voice filled with joy. "We won this game!"

Kouta opened his mouth, wanting to ask her what she had won, where the monsters had gone, and where this place was. But looking at Mai's smile, at the cheering crowd around them, and at the sky without cracks, vines, or decay, he suddenly felt his eyes sting.

"Ah... um."

He gripped Wu's hand tightly in return, nodded vigorously, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

"We won."

......

Deep within the Helheim Forest, beside the ruins of the Fimsim ruins, lies a stone cave.

Bai Ya sat on the simple throne made of piled stones, his pure white bone armor gleaming coldly in the dim, fluorescent moss. He rested his chin on one hand, the white cloth strip hanging from the edge of his hood swaying gently in the cold air from the cave. His emerald compound eyes were half-closed, as if he were deep in thought, or perhaps listening to some ancient echo from the depths of this forest.

Beneath the throne, Emerald knelt on one knee. His deep green exoskeleton gleamed eerily in the dim light. He kept his head down, his voice filled with suppressed, barely contained rage:

"My king, Shinku... Shinku has fallen. Those lowly monkeys, those damned humans, actually took his life! Please allow me to lead my people in a full-scale attack on their world! I will use their blood, their cities, to sacrifice for Shinku!"

A long silence fell over the cave.

Only the water droplets dripping from the stalactites on the cave ceiling, striking the humus-rich ground, produced a monotonous yet crisp sound. Drip, drip.

Bai Ya did not answer immediately. His fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the throne, producing a dull, rhythmic sound. Each tap seemed to strike Emerald's taut nerves.

Bai Ya knew better than anyone else about Zhen Hong's arrogance. That warrior believed in the survival of the fittest, powerful yet foolish, and ultimately died because of that arrogance.

"Your Majesty!" Emerald raised her head, her compound eyes burning with the flames of vengeance. "Give the order! At your command, I will immediately—"

"……Can."

Bai Ya finally spoke, his voice low and deep, like an ancient wind passing through ruins. He slowly straightened up, his compound eyes fully open, looking down at Emerald. "Go. Do what you want."

Jade's eyes gleamed with wild joy, and she abruptly lowered her head: "Yes, sir!"

He stood up, turned, and was about to walk out of the cave to gather the remaining overlords and aliens. However, just as he was about to take his first step—

A beam of light pierced through the thick layers of rock and the twisted tree roots at the top of the cave and shone down.

That is not the light of the Helheim Forest.

The sky over Helheim is always that sickly, dark green, the clouds as solidified as lead, the light dim and oppressive, as if forever shrouded in a veil of decay. But at this moment, what falls from the sky is a pure and dazzling rainbow of colors. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, like a shattered rainbow, or some miracle beyond the understanding of this forest, gently penetrates the thick mycelium and rock, illuminating every dark corner of the cave.

Emerald's steps came to an abrupt halt. He stood frozen in place, his emerald compound eyes fixed on the rain of light falling from the sky, his body beneath the exoskeleton trembling uncontrollably. It wasn't fear, but a primal, overwhelming terror in the face of the unknown.

"What...what is that?!"

Emerald's voice trembled as he abruptly turned to look at White A on the throne. "Your Majesty! Such a thing has never appeared in the Forest of Helheim! How could the sky above this forest possibly—"

Bai Ya did not answer him.

The king of Fimsim slowly rose from his throne, his pure white armor gleaming with an almost divine luster under the iridescent light. He tilted his head back, his face beneath the hood casting shifting shadows on the surface. He extended his right hand, his pale palm open, and caught a fragment of iridescent light drifting down from the sky.

The fragments floated and spun in his palm.

His fingers tightened slightly, gathering the fragment in his palm, his voice so low that only he could hear it:

"...Rabis"

.......

World Tree Foundation, Top-Tier Private Research Lab.

Wu Daogui was not the only one who couldn't sleep.

Sengoku Ryoma, Minato Yoko, and Sid gathered in this private laboratory. The lights were off, only the cold, bluish glow of the computer screen in front of Sengoku Ryoma cast shifting shadows on their faces.

On the screen, a surveillance video was playing repeatedly—a dark gold knight wielding a sword with one hand, forcefully cleaving through the enhanced attack of the Overlord Alien, and then piercing the chest of the Fimsim Overlord with a single strike. The explosion engulfed the entire street, but the dark gold figure never retreated a single step from beginning to end.

Sid leaned against the wall, his face grave. "...What is that thing?"

His voice was hoarse, and his gaze was fixed on the dark gold armor frozen on the screen.

"It's neither the Sengoku Driver nor the Genesis Driver... yet it can still transform? Did someone else invent the same armor?" Sid gritted his teeth, his Adam's apple bobbing. "And that power... it's ridiculously strong. Just who is that guy?"

Zhanji Lingma remained silent.

He simply stared at the screen, his eyes behind his glasses slightly narrowed, showing not fear, but rather a near-morbid excitement. He had always thought most people in the world were foolish and boring, and that so-called geniuses were nothing more than the self-comfort of mediocre people. But now—

He sat up abruptly: "No matter what kind of driver it is... we must get our hands on it. I never thought that besides the forbidden fruit, there would be something like this."

Just then, he suddenly realized that the room was unusually quiet.

Sid noticed it too. The two of them turned their heads at the same time to look at Minato Yoko, who had been silent all along.

"Yaozi?" Zhanji Lingma frowned. "What are you thinking about?"

Yoko Minato didn't reply. She just stood quietly by the window, her back to them, pointing out the window.

Sid and Sengoku Ryoma exchanged a glance and quickly walked to the window.

Then, the two of them froze simultaneously.

Outside the window, the night sky of Zeya City was torn apart. Countless colorful streams of light fell from the sky like a drizzle, passing through the clouds and sprinkling the entire city.

“What is this…” Sid’s pupils suddenly contracted.

Sengoku Ryoma pushed up his glasses and squinted slightly.

Chapter 280 Golden Fruit Cup

On the commentary stage, DJ Sagara's voice resounded throughout the venue through the loudspeakers, carrying his signature flippant tone:

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to this decisive match—the new game is about to begin!"

Inside the enormous open-air stadium, cheers surged like waves. The stands were packed, colorful flags waved in the crowd, and glow sticks formed a sea of ​​light. The air was thick with the sweet smell of popcorn and the shouts of the spectators, rising higher and higher, making your eardrums vibrate.

Two figures stood silently in the shadows at the top of the stadium.

Rabis gazed at the green lawn below, a hint of confusion showing on his somewhat childish face. He watched as twenty-two people chased, collided, and fought over a black and white sphere, yet no one died, and no blood was spilled on the spot.

"Is this... football?" His voice was deep and resonant, as if it came from a great distance. "Although it's also about competing and fighting against each other... it's different from our battles."

As the overlord of Fimsim, all the battles he had witnessed were fights for the spoils, for survival, and life itself. In his mind, conflict inevitably meant death; the strong crushed the weak, and the defeated turned to ashes—this was the natural order of things.

"Football is a game." Lin Chen put his hands in his pockets, a smile playing on his lips. "Both sides compete with each other, just for fun, to become stronger. There's no need to take anyone's life. You can fight with all your might, but you don't have to kill your opponent."

"Humans... are truly a wondrous race."

DJ Sagara suddenly appeared out of nowhere, headphones around his neck, his fingers lightly tapping the railing to the beat. He tilted his head, his gaze fixed on the jubilant crowd below, a hint of wistfulness in his voice.

"This is the first civilization I've seen in a long time... that might be able to successfully complete the trial and protect everything. Although football is a good sport, it's still not very interesting."

After speaking, she suddenly turned to Lin Chen, a hint of resentment flashing in her emerald green eyes.

I thought they were actors stepping onto the stage, but I never expected... they were actually theater owners who could cause trouble.

After listening, Rabbis fell into a long silence. He looked down at his palms, then gazed at the lush green lawn under the lamplight, and a strange, unfamiliar emotion slowly welled up in his chest.

On the football field below, Kouta Kazuha, wearing Team Gaim's blue and white jersey, stood near the center circle, but his mind was in a daze.

The cheers, shouts, and DJ commentary all seemed to be coming from underwater, muffled and indistinct. He looked down at his hands—no Daio-maru, no Sengoku Driver, only a pair of worn-out goalkeeper gloves.

Until a familiar voice rang out beside me:

"Kouta!"

He turned his head abruptly, and his blood seemed to freeze in that instant.

Yuya Kakui was standing in the middle of the team, a familiar smile on his face, just like the original leader of the Gaim team, standing vividly in front of him. He was wearing the jersey with the Team Gaim logo on it, the cuffs rolled up, revealing his tanned wrists.

Kota's throat tightened, his voice sounding as if something was blocking it, and after a long while he managed to squeeze out a few hoarse syllables:

"Yuya... How could this be..."

In reality, Yuya had already consumed the fruit of Helheim, transforming into an Otherworlder, and ultimately dying by his own hand. That was a long-standing knot in Kouta's heart, a nightmare that would haunt him every night. But the person before him acted naturally, breathing steadily, as if he had never experienced that tragedy, never become a monster.

Yuya reached out and patted Kouta on the shoulder, his tone as casual as if he were talking about the weather: "What are you daydreaming about? Today is an important match, you're the main player for Team Gaim. Are you nervous?"

Kouta opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He subconsciously looked around—Jonouchi was warming up, muttering tactics; Mai Takashi, dressed in a cheerleader uniform, was waving at him from the edge of the court with a bright smile; Mitsumi Kureshima was standing next to the bench, giving him a thumbs up.

No one noticed anything amiss. Everyone's expression remained unchanged, as if this world had always been peaceful, never corrupted by the Helheim Forest, never inhabited by outsiders, and never experienced death.

Kouta's gaze continued to sweep across the edge of the field, his heart skipped a beat—he saw Ryoji Hatsuse. The boy who should have died in the conflict over the Lockseed was now holding a soccer ball, laughing and playing with the people around him, completely unharmed.

More importantly, aren't the referees on the field outsiders?

A strong sense of unease shot from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. Kota clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms, trying to use the pain to confirm that this was not a dream.

He wanted to shout it out, to tell everyone around him that it was all a lie, that Yuya was dead, that Hatsuse was dead, and that the Helheim Forest was devouring everything. But the words caught in his throat, turning into a silent sob. Everyone around him was caught up in the revelry, waves of cheers rising and falling. No one understood the unease in his heart, no one saw his pale face.

"beep--"

Bai Ya, the referee, blew her whistle, sharp and clear.

The duel has officially begun.