"It's alright. Xiang just has a lot on his mind, so he looks a bit tired. I'm taking him out to relax."

"What's on Xiaoyuan Township's mind? Tell Grandma about it."

Just then, Grandma Dongmu, who was passing by, leaned on her cane. Her mouth, almost devoid of teeth, gently took Yuanxiang's hand and said:

"It's alright, tell me what's wrong. If there's anything you need to take care of, we're all here to help you."

“That’s right,” the uncle with the stall next to him chimed in loudly, “Now you’re not alone anymore, everyone is helping you, you’re a hero of Fengdu.”

"Yeah, yeah, Xiaoyuan Township, just tell me. If you need my help, I'll definitely help you."

"Brother Yuan, why don't you sit here and have some peach juice to calm down? You guys shouldn't be crowding around him like this."

.........

The sounds around him were quite noisy, but they contained a strong sense of goodwill, which made Yuanxiang feel awkward. He quickly waved his hand, declined the snacks and drinks that his uncle and aunt stuffed into his arms, and looked to his grandfather for help. Yuan Zhuangji, who hadn't said anything, smiled slightly, rescued Yuanxiang, smoothed things over for him, and left the place.

As they reached the Faiye Park, Genshōkichi stopped, looked at his grandson, and said softly:

"Hometown, can you feel it?"

"Ah, everyone likes me, and they really want to help me."

Hearing Gensou's answer, Gensoukichi's smile softened even more. He reached out and gently ruffled Gensou's hair, then continued:

"Yes, you're not fighting alone anymore. This whole city is your support, so relax and stop trying to shoulder everything. At least let Grandpa help you."

"...But this is not right, it shouldn't be like this."

At this moment, Genjiro, still suffering from a splitting headache, spoke his mind in an unwavering voice. He raised his head, looked at the kind and gentle Genjiro before him, twitched his nose, and said in a low voice:

"Grandpa, you shouldn't be here either. Although I have no evidence, and although I don't know why, but... but you can't be by my side, my parents can't be by my side, and this whole city can't be on my side. This isn't right, this isn't right!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the purple light in Yuanxiang's eyes suddenly burst forth, instantly suppressing the increasingly dense green halo. The sudden onset of headache made Yuanxiang's vision go black for a moment, but he gritted his teeth and endured it, standing straight without the slightest sway. He felt as if something in his heart was trying to break free, and let out a beast-like roar.

Seeing the worried look in Genjo's eyes, Genjo silently took a few steps back, then turned and ran along the street. Although he liked this city and the feeling of being cared for, wrong is wrong. Genjo firmly believed that his intuition and judgment were correct, so he had to find evidence, find the truth, and find out the bastard who caused everything!

"Township!"

Just then, he heard Minamoto no Shoji's anxious and worried voice calling from behind. Minamoto no Shoji subconsciously stopped in his tracks, but he suppressed the urge to turn around and look, and just stood there quietly.

Watching his grandson's stubborn yet desolate back, Genzo pursed his lips, tossed his hat over, and said in a slightly trembling voice:

"Xiang, remember, no matter what you do, you will always be my pride."

"......"

Yuanxiang didn't speak. He simply caught the hat that floated down in front of him, put it on his head, and then walked into the dark alley. After the warm sunlight disappeared from his body, Yuanxiang felt an unusual sense of familiarity, as if this was the road he walked most often in this city. At the same time, his headache was getting worse, but the voice in his heart seemed to become a little clearer.

This is a haven of comfort, a haven of comfort. Someone wants me to become addicted here, so is this an illusion? No, it's not. My parents' and Grandpa's hands are so warm... No! No! Wake up, don't fall for it!

On the verge of madness, Gengo slammed his head against the wall several times, crimson blood flowing down the contours of his face. If there had been a mirror, Gengo would have clearly seen a bright purple light surging in his left eye and a deep, dark green churning in his right eye. These two spiritual forces were fiercely battling in his soul.

"Help me!!"

"Weird guy, how come there are weirdos?"

"Don't panic, everyone! Use whatever you can to block it and prevent it from rushing into the school. The township officials will be here soon!!"

The sudden scream startled Yuanxiang, but his body instinctively rushed in that direction. Just as he rushed out of the alley, Yuanxiang saw a hideous locust monster standing in the elementary school playground, letting out a terrifying roar at the children.

However, the locust monster's movements were quite strange, sometimes moving forward and sometimes backward. The claws it raised towards the child were immediately pressed down by the other claw, as if it was stopping itself.

However, Genji, whose mind was in a daze due to the torment of the two forces, failed to notice this change. While running and jumping over the railing, he focused his remaining attention on the children. After realizing that no one was injured, he stood in front of the locust monster and skillfully placed the Lost Driver on his waist.

"It's Gensou-nii-san!!"

"Yay! I told you not to be afraid, the Kamen Rider will protect us!"

"Go for it, big brother who can transform!"

Go, Kamen Rider!

Go, Kamen Rider!

.........

With Gensou's appearance, cheers erupted all around, as if his presence made everything alright. Even though Gensou wasn't in good condition, he still felt an immense sense of security emanating from the people.

Regardless of what's really going on in this city, the priority is to take down the weirdo first; that's always the right thing to do!

Amidst the cheers of encouragement, Gengo took out the memory from his pocket, pressed the button, and prepared to transform.

But is my memory like that?

Genji stared blankly at the dark green memory in his hand. No matter how hard he tried to recall, he remembered using this memory to defeat the Fear Demon King in the museum. But... but... what was this unreal feeling? Why did he feel sorrow, as if something precious was about to leave him...?

"Xiang! Don't stand there in a daze, the weirdo is right in front of you!"

"Brother Yuanxiang! Hurry up and transform! You're in danger like this."

"Kamen Rider! Kamen Rider!"

Sensing Gengo's unusual behavior, the cheers around him turned into deep concern. People called out to Gengo, reminding him to focus on the battle.

These sounds gradually faded from Yuanxiang's ears, growing softer and softer until they disappeared completely. As a result, he felt more clearly that the more he held the dark green memory, the more intense his sorrow became.

At this moment, Yuanxiang suddenly slowly opened his left hand. Although he did not know why he did this, his body and his instincts remembered this action, as if he could get unwavering support by doing so.

'Bear~~~!!'

Almost at the same moment, Yuanxiang's outstretched hand was burned by a ball of flame. The searing pain made him break out in a cold sweat. And, for some reason, he knew there was fire burning, but he couldn't see the flame clearly, as if it were just his imagination. But he also felt that in the palm of his hand, there was something that was eagerly waiting to be called by him.

"Drink it!!!"

Yuanxiang shouted as he tried to close his hands, but each finger felt as if it were weighed down by a thousand pounds. Just the slightest movement almost drained Yuanxiang's strength, but he showed no sign of giving up. His veins bulged as he desperately continued.

At the same time, the people around stopped calling out, their eyes lost their light, and they rushed towards Yuanxiang as if they wanted to devour him alive. The locust monster also began to move towards Yuanxiang, raising its sharp claws toward Yuanxiang's chest.

But just as they were about to succeed, faint purple light particles appeared one by one beside Genji. Genji, whose palm was almost closed, finally saw the scorching flames and the memory object lying in his palm. He roared, completed the final process, and slammed his palms shut.

In that instant, a dazzling purple beam of light shot up from the ground, blasting away everything and everyone around Yuanxiang. The familiar power flowed through Yuanxiang's body. Yuanxiang groaned, and wisps of green light escaped from his body, but were immediately destroyed by the beam of light.

"It's ridiculous, I almost forgot about you."

Gensou grinned, gave a couple of light hums, then expertly flicked his wrist, activating the memory chip in his left hand, and said coldly:

"RiderHenshin!"

'Joker!'

Amidst the swirling black debris, Kamen Rider Joker stood solemnly in the playground. A boiling energy storm surged impatiently in all directions, causing the beautiful wind city to crack and shatter, revealing the void and chaos behind it.

The locust monster was also affected by the destruction of "Fengdu". Its body began to twist in a creepy way, as if something was about to burst out of its body.

"Who...who are you?!"

The locust monster, swaying and struggling to its feet, opened and closed its mouthparts, emitting a piercing sound:

"This illusion was created specifically for you, why, why were you able to break free?!"

"How could I possibly give up the real Fuuto for such a beautiful dream? Are you ready, you bastard? Kamen Rider's punches really hurt!"

Gensou's face was ashen. He gathered his power and condensed it into a solid energy crystal armor on his fist. With a sonic boom, his shrill fist slammed down on the head of the locust monster.

But then, Yuanxiang noticed that the strange man was not dodging or flinching, and even seemed to be deliberately using his head to meet his attack. Without a doubt, there must be a trap involved.

Therefore, Gensou quickly used his mind to control his arm, twisting the angle of the joints, and shifting the attack that was originally meant to blow up the monster's head downwards, landing on the monster's twisting and writhing torso. The frenzied energy then exploded, and the locust monster's limbs instantly turned into dust. The body, which was being burned by the energy flames, flew low over the ground like a bowling ball.

Just as Yuanxiang was about to press his advantage, a sickening cracking sound came from the monster's torso. Then, the skin on the monster's abdomen was suddenly stretched open, and the outline of a human face could be vaguely seen.

Immediately afterwards, two wails came from the mutilated body. As the body was being repaired and perfected, it was also gradually becoming distinct, with one side being a handsome young man and the other a grotesque monster with a ferocious face.

Furthermore, on the waist of this strange body, Gensou saw two gems, one red and one green, appearing on it. They seemed to want to merge together, but they were also affected by other forces, maintaining the current stalemate.

"Kill...kill me..."

At this moment, the young man, who had finally regained consciousness, looked at Yuanxiang with a pained expression but a firm look in his eyes and pleaded:

"For the sake of the world, kill me now!"

098 Kamen Rider BLACK

My name is Minami Kotaro. My parents passed away early due to an accident, but Professor Akizuki, a good friend of my parents, adopted me. Professor Akizuki treated me as his own son, and Professor Akizuki's biological son, Akizuki Nobuhiko, also became my best friend. Therefore, I had a happy and fulfilling childhood.

But on my and Nobuhiko's nineteenth birthday, a swarm of locusts suddenly flew in at the birthday party and kidnapped us. The real culprit behind this was 'Gorgom,' a secret organization that has existed since ancient times and secretly controls the world.

The leader of 'Gorgom' bestowed upon me, Nobuhiko, and me the title of 'King of the Century', and granted us the red Sun King Stone and the blue Moon King Stone respectively, ordering us to fight each other, with the victor inheriting its position and becoming the new Creator King.

Nobuhiko and I naturally refused to accept this so-called blessing, but powerless to resist the three priests of 'Gorgom,' we were still sent to the operating table and each had the Emperor Stone forcibly implanted.

But just as Nobuhiko and I were about to be brainwashed, my adoptive father suddenly rushed in and interrupted the ritual. In the chaos, I managed to escape, but Nobuhiko was trapped in Gorgom, and my adoptive father was attacked by the monster and died before his eyes. Afterwards, in order to rescue my brother and destroy Gorgom, I began a long battle.

During the battle, I gradually learned the true purpose of the Creator King: it only wanted the 'strong body' of the victor. In other words, Nobuhiko and I were merely sacrifices to allow the Creator King to be reborn.

Just as I was about to defeat the executives of 'Gorgom' and destroy this evil organization, my brother, Nobuhiko, who had grown up with me, appeared and blocked my way. He had been transformed and brainwashed into a warrior called 'Shadowmoon', and wanted to fight me to the death. His Moon King Stone also emitted a ghostly green light after receiving the power of the three priests of 'Gorgom'.

During the battle with Nobuhiko, I could still vaguely sense that his humanity had not been extinguished. I tried my best to awaken him, but in the end, I failed. In order to prevent the Creator King's plan from succeeding, I had no choice but to kill Shadow Moon and kill my brother with my own hands.

With my victory, the Creator King, whose days were numbered, couldn't wait to jump out and tempt me to dig out Nobuhiko's Moon Stone and merge it with my Sun Stone to take his place. Of course, I wouldn't agree. I wanted to personally eliminate the wicked leader of Gorgom.

With this belief in mind, I finally met the elusive Creator King. At this moment, it was nothing more than a huge, weakly beating heart. It stood above the tunnel that led directly to the Earth's core, threatening that if I did not merge with the Moon Stone, it would use its remaining power to detonate the planet.

Faced with this predicament, I pretended to hesitate, but in reality, I wanted to take the opportunity to obtain Nobuhiko's 'Satan's Saber' to break through the Creator King's protective barrier and destroy him. However, the Creator King also set a trap. Although I successfully cut through its defense with the Satan's Saber, the Creator King also became a spirit and attached himself to my body, trying to forcibly fuse the two Emperor Stones.

To stop the Creator King's plan, I didn't hesitate to wield the Satanic Saber, wanting to destroy the Emperor Stone and myself. However, the Creator King's death throes were beyond my imagination. It fiercely struggled to break free from the control of its body. I tried my best, but could only stop the fusion of the Emperor Stones and was powerless to expel one of them.

During the confrontation, the surrounding space was cleaved open by Satan's sword, and the energy explosion generated by the Emperor Stone caused me to fall into a spatial rift. I should have been torn apart by space, but I survived because of the power of the Creator King. Thus, in this chaotic void, inside my body, I began an endless battle with the Creator King.

Faced with a powerful enemy, I often feel powerless and faint, but fortunately, the obsession to stop it is engraved in my instincts. Even if I lose consciousness, my soul still guards the Sun Emperor Stone, making the Creator King hate me.

In this stalemate, an unexpected event occurred: my body drifted to the outer space of a planet. The Creator King used his power to bewitch a young girl, from whom I learned about the situation on another Earth and a Kamen Rider who guarded Fuuto.

The Creator King acknowledged the knight's power and meticulously set a trap—an illusion designed to evoke desires in people's hearts and construct the most beautiful dreams based on their emotional wounds. To minimize its flaws, it even went so far as to distribute its limited power among its believer pawns, including the souls of the residents of Wind City, to reduce the risk of the knight discovering its weakness.

The Creator King went to such great lengths and with such caution in order to attach his spirit to the knight and destroy my wounded self. Although I was resisting, my soul was exhausted in the long struggle and powerless to stop the Creator King's plan. I could only watch helplessly as the knight stepped into that beautiful trap.

Then... surprisingly, the young knight realized something was wrong shortly after he was trapped and began to struggle to get out of the trap. I wanted to help him, but before I could act, he broke free on his own and severely injured the Creator King's spirit. I wanted to take advantage of the situation to cooperate from the inside, but I was suppressed by the ruthless Creator King and even fell into a daze for a while.

But the knight named Gensou was very skilled. He keenly sensed the Creator King's intention to use my soul as a shield and instead attacked my vulnerable torso. Although I was also affected, at least I seized an opportunity in the struggle.

Therefore, we must seize the opportunity!

Minami Kotaro stared at Gengo, his words escaping through clenched teeth as he shouted sharply:

"Don't hesitate, this is a necessary sacrifice, eliminate me! Gensou!"

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