I want to become a Kamen Rider

Yes, that's right, Eleanor Anderbel, the president of the European Knights Council, is blessed with stunning beauty, possessing unparalleled charm. She is also proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, brimming with talent, and extremely gifted in combat. Even as a pure contract knight, she is a formidable opponent, making her one of the top individuals among humans. However... she has mental issues.

She wants to rule the world.

Originally, he wanted to go into politics, but somehow Kyubey persuaded him to start as a Kamen Rider and use his power to gradually complete his path to godhood.

To be fair, this plan is really reliable. Contract Knights possess extremely powerful strength, and because of Kyubey's magical selection system, most of them are immature and easily manipulated. If she can truly unite all the Contract Knights in the world, ruling the world by force is entirely feasible.

The problem is that her path to godhood hasn't even begun yet, and at the end of that path stands an existence that would instantly knock her down even if she were to truly ascend to godhood.

It's no exaggeration to say that he single-handedly dominated an era. All the contracted knights in the world combined couldn't defeat him alone, not to mention that he had done favors for almost all of them. As long as he nodded, she could have her wish fulfilled; if he didn't, no matter how much she struggled, it would be in vain.

"...You don't need such an organization to rule this planet."

"So I chose restraint and became the unlucky guy you described, who brought it upon himself whether he was poor or busy, because I still value other people's lives and consider myself a human being."

Under the setting sun, Fan Kang spoke frankly.

“You are clever, Eleanor. Not only you, but countless other council leaders fighting elsewhere to unite this disorganized bunch are clever. But you only have power, you are clever enough, but not dirty enough.”

"I am not letting you unify the Knights Council now, in order to protect you. To protect you from being corrupted by power too early, from being crushed by the enormous responsibility and the darkness that comes with it too soon."

The girl hit the nail on the head:

"It has nothing to do with any of that. Admit it, you're just prejudiced against me. Just because of my wish."

"So what if you admit it? I am biased against you, no, I am right. Anyway, if someone else wanted to unify the Knights Council, I wouldn't object, and might even support it, but I don't approve of you."

Find someone who wants to rule the world to unify the Knights Council, then turn the knights into Shockers, reverse the enemy-us versus friend-no-foe dynamic, right? Eleanor has a problem with her brain, but he certainly doesn't.

"Others don't have the ability, and you don't have the time. I'm the most suitable candidate!"

"Suitable my ass! Because of your lousy wish, you were excluded from the selection process from the very beginning!"

Sometimes, Fan Kang really wanted to curse. To be honest, none of the people who could be considered his partners or teammates were reliable.

It's not that they haven't grown up; it's that they've worked hard enough but lack talent, or they've had talent but haven't worked hard enough. Finally, there's a capable Eleanor who has grown up, but she's gone astray from the very beginning.

The girl was speechless for a long time before finally managing to squeeze out a sentence:

Why won't you believe me?

"Fine, let's assume we support you and let you unite the Knights Council. Then what? Unify the world? Let me ask you, what's the difference between that and Shocker?"

"We are doing this for the good of all humanity. It's about establishing order and combating crises!"

"Shocker also said that it ruled the world for the good of all mankind, for a great vision, and to save the world from catastrophe. So, Eleanor Andbelle, what can you guarantee to me that when you hold power and sit on the throne, you will not lose your original intentions and you will not become corrupt? Especially given that your wishes are already highly problematic."

Shuka has a tradition of creating fathers for himself, but Fan Kang doesn't.

The Knights Council can be loose, it can be fragile, and it doesn't matter if its leader is a mascot, but it absolutely cannot fall into the hands of a delusional person with a problem in their head who wants to rule the world and will actually take action.

Sometimes, one has to admire Kyubey's amazing selection system. There are all sorts of people among the contract knights, which has given him a full understanding of the diversity of the human species.

"...Never mind, I didn't expect to convince you today anyway."

Eleanor beckoned. A bodyguard in black standing not far away immediately stepped forward and respectfully placed a thick stack of documents on the white round table.

Eleanor picked up the top three portions and pushed them in front of Fan Kang.

“I’m not here to repeat a problem we’ve argued about countless times. I’m here to warn you of the signs of an impending storm.”

Fan Kang's gaze swept over the document. It clearly recorded his detailed report and analysis of shooting down the spaceship equipped with destructive weapons and resolving the magnitude 6 earthquake caused by the Danish subterranean people.

"Don't you find it strange?" Eleanor's voice turned serious. "Long ago, you cornered the dark forces lurking in the shadows. The final battle at the harbor was their last stand, almost wiping them out completely. But why, when they were already on their last legs, waiting to die, have they suddenly become even more frantic in their 'mischief' lately? The remnants of Black Satan, the remnants of Destroyon's gang, and now the subterranean people..."

She looked directly into Fan Kang's eyes and asked a crucial question:

"If you were in that situation, knowing that you had already lost and had no chance of winning, what would you do?"

Fan Kang was silent for a moment, then uttered a cold word:

"perish together."

“So,” Eleanor’s voice lowered, carrying the solemnity of an impending storm, “they’re about to make a big move. A move… big enough to shake up the existing order, and possibly even drag the whole world down with them, Kuuga.”

As the last rays of the setting sun sank below the horizon, the sky darkened, and the city's neon lights began to illuminate the night, casting long, distinct shadows between the two. Eleanor rose and stood in the deepening twilight, her gaze fixed on him as if he were looking at the only sword about to be plunged into the heart of a storm.

Chapter Seventy-Two: Chasing the Night in the Azure Sky (5K)

The Pacific Ocean, four thousand meters below.

Absolute darkness and deathly silence reign over this forgotten realm. The icy seawater, like billions of pounds of lead and mercury, silently crushes everything. The immense water pressure is enough to flatten steel into thin sheets, and only the most tenacious deep-sea creatures gleam with a cold phosphorescence, swimming like ghosts in the boundless abyss.

In this darkness where even time seems to stand still, a vast, twisted metal ruin lies silently on the seabed. This was once one of Deepsea Shocker's proud secret bases, but now only wreckage remains. The massive alloy structure has been violently twisted and torn apart, like bones gnawed by a colossal beast.

All valuable equipment, data, and even energy cores were looted, leaving only cold, empty frames that reflected a dim light under the occasional glowing fish that flashed by like searchlights.

In the center of this ransacked ruin, reduced to mere symbolic space, atop a massive, slanted alloy beam, sits a figure draped in a heavy black cloak. He seems to merge with the deep sea and the ruins, only the folds of his cloak fluttering silently in the weak current. He breathes not, moves not, like a frozen black statue.

He sat here, waiting for his guests.

Venalita, seemingly an inverted Hyperion, floated beside him, engaging in casual conversation.

"After tonight, the Gurongi will be completely wiped out."

Will there be any suspense?

“How could that be? If it were the Kuuga we saw a few months ago, defeating the King of the Grongi might have required some sacrifice. But the current Kuuga… defeating the King of the Grongi might not even require him to reveal that jet-black armor that symbolizes ‘ultimate’.”

"Perhaps, his willingness to take this seriously and personally intervene stems from respect for his imagined former nemesis."

The cloaked figure spoke slowly, and beneath the cloak, a gaze seemed to pierce the darkness, looking into the endless abyss. His tone carried an indescribable irony and... weariness.

At that moment, strange movements began to appear in the silent deep sea.

It was not a fluctuation of a physical entity descending. Rather, it was scattered holographic projections of different colors and shapes, appearing silently like ghosts in various corners of the ruins.

Some hovered above the broken pipes, some leaned against the twisted bulkheads, and some appeared directly in the void in front of the cloaked figure. They varied in form, some humanoid, some grotesque, and some completely inhuman geometric structures. The only thing they had in common was that they were all just shadows, without any physical form.

This is a "routine" formed after countless painful lessons. After experiencing more than a dozen hopeful offline group meetings that ended in complete annihilation by Kuuga's precise targeting, these "allies" struggling to survive in the darkness have finally learned to use this "safe" meeting method of using holographic projection instead of the actual physical visit.

At least, with the projection destroyed, the main body still has time to escape.

"Deep Sea, haven't you moved it yet?" a projection, composed of countless tiny points of light and resembling a nebula, asked, its voice crackling with electrical noise.

The cloaked figure tilted his head slightly, looking at the "nebula":

"It's said that on the battlefield, shells don't land in the same crater twice. This place has already been looted by Kuuga once, and all the valuables have been taken. If Kuuga wasn't really bored, he probably wouldn't come back. It's actually safer than going to your place."

After greeting one of the projections, more and more projections appeared, each occupying a spot and silently floating.

Once, this loosely organized meeting, comprised of all the forces of darkness, could barely muster the physical presence of half the representatives. But now, these projections, representing the survivors, are scattered sparsely across the ruins, their numbers drastically reduced, appearing utterly desolate, like candles flickering in the wind.

Once the last projection, which resembled twisted thorns, stabilized, the cloaked figure slowly stood up. He looked around at these phantoms, representing his former "allies" and now only the embers of their former glory, and let out a long, silent sigh.

The sigh seemed to pierce through four thousand meters of seawater, carrying an endless heaviness.

"Gentlemen, I propose... to open the 'Pandora's Box' ahead of schedule and release the world-destroying monster."

Dead silence.

The deathly silence of the deep sea combined with the silence of the projections created a suffocating sense of oppression.

"reject."

A projection, composed of cold, metallic lines and resembling an abstract sculpture, immediately responded with a sharp, grating sound, the metallic friction of its projection.

"Without a final analysis of the 'Pandora's Box's' internal structure and without establishing any effective control protocols, forcibly opening it will only cause it to completely spiral out of control. That world-destroying power will tear us and this planet apart!"

Another projection, resembling a giant eyeball, slowly rotated its pupils, its voice carrying a certain viscous quality:

"According to the original plan, we should each rely on our own abilities to gain a foothold on this planet, define our own sphere of influence, and accumulate strength. After ensuring that we have sufficient means to deal with the backlash, or find a way to utilize its power, we will then release the contents of the core of that meteorite fragment—the 'Phantom Box'—in an orderly and controllable manner."

It emphasizes "order" and "controllability".

The cloaked figure swept his gaze across each of the "ghosts" present, as if he could see their true forms' current panic and despair.

“We all know that what’s sealed in the ‘Pandora’s Box’ is just a harbinger, a key. The real ‘monster,’ the terror from beyond the stars, will only arrive following the coordinates after the ‘Pandora’s Box’ is opened. Sealing the ‘monster’ in the box is merely delaying the inevitable catastrophe.”

His voice rose slightly, carrying a hint of his former ambition.

"Therefore, we formed an alliance, agreed to develop independently, and divided spheres of influence, so that we could unite at the final moment and face the true apocalypse together. In this way, we who have emerged from our fantasies will, after the final battle and alliance, ultimately have a true victor who will lift the crown of victory belonging to the new era!"

He paused, then his voice suddenly became incredibly shrill, like the howl of a dying beast:

"But! If this continues! Under that 'butcher's' relentless pursuit, we'll all be finished. We won't even have the chance to stand on the final stage!"

He stretched out his arm and pointed into the void, as if pointing to that omnipresent crimson figure.

"Rather than letting that damned knight win alone, utterly crushing our pride, our ambitions, and our very existence underfoot, turning them to dust, choosing to open the Pandora's Box means, at the very least, mutual destruction, a total annihilation! Moreover, if we can, by some stroke of luck, decipher and steal even a trace of that world-destroying beast's power during its rampage... it might not be impossible for us to rekindle our ambition to conquer this planet!"

He painted a rosy picture, recounting the madness and frenzy of a final gamble, while others naturally chose to embrace reason.

The projection of the lava giant emitted a deep roar, and the flames on its body fluctuated violently:

"That power is simply beyond our control. Conquering the world? That requires the world to even exist!"

A projection made of pure shadow let out a disdainful snort, "Hmph, cowards. Rather than being slaughtered one by one by Kuuga like chickens, you might as well drag the whole world down with you."

"You've all gone completely insane!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the projection of the lava giant flickered violently a few times, actively disconnected the link, and disappeared into the darkness of the deep sea—representing the complete opposition and withdrawal of its true form.

The cloaked figure seemed to have anticipated this, and even seemed unconcerned.

He looked at the remaining projections. When the alliance was first established, the "final arbitration" required the consent of representatives from more than half of the forces and organizations, which was almost an impossible task at the time.

Now, after that knight's purge, very few survivors remain. Reaching "more than half"... couldn't be easier.

"Vote."

The cloaked man's voice returned to calm as he slowly raised his arm.

Beneath the unfathomable abyss, atop this forgotten ruin, under the watchful eyes of a swarm of ghostly projections like startled birds, a vote that would decide the fate of the planet was being held silently.

Hands made of light and shadow slowly rose.

Ultimately, the faint light representing "agreement" overwhelmed the remaining hesitation and fear.

The resolution has been reached.

……

……

Midnight, port area, abandoned factory.

The moonlight sparsely fell, barely outlining the grotesque silhouettes of the massive cooling towers, rusty pipes, and collapsed factory buildings. The deathly silence was shattered completely; the roar of engines was like the howl of a wounded beast, and a dazzling golden streak tore through the darkness, wildly charging between the broken concrete floor and the corroded steel frame.

Driving the motorcycle, I charged into the fray.

This is the end of the Gurongi.

Whether it's the surviving king, the last general, or the remaining soldiers who have been repeatedly hunted and besieged and are now reduced to only a dozen or so, they are all here.

To fight a final, desperate struggle.

“Hiss—!”

A sharp hiss, like scratching glass, and several dark figures suddenly leaped out from the twisted shadows, from the top of the towering gantry crane, and even from beneath the sea. These were bat-like Gurongi and other flying monsters, with fleshy wings covered in purple fascia like bat wings, exposed fangs, and claws that gleamed with a ghostly green poisonous light.

They move with ghostly speed, swooping down from all directions in a manner that defies the laws of physics, their claws tearing through the air, aiming straight for motorcycles and airships.

"Xiao Feng, three o'clock position, high-altitude suppression."

"Copy that, boss!"

A clear and spirited response rang out.

The golden streak that had been closely following the chariot, like a guardian knight, suddenly burst forth with an even more dazzling light.

Like a golden lightning bolt breaking free of its restraints, she hurtled towards the location indicated by Kuuga with a speed surpassing that of a diving Gurongi. There were no fancy techniques, only pure speed and power; her golden boots, like heavy hammers, crushed the shrieking sound that tore through space.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The three dull, drum-like impacts were almost simultaneous.

The three flying Gurongi who attempted to ambush from a blind spot high in the sky didn't even have time to scream before they were kicked hard in the chest or head by this violent golden power. They tumbled and crashed to the ground like kites with broken strings, turning into purple flames in the night sky.

At the same time, Kuga twisted the throttle sharply, and the motorcycle drifted dramatically amidst a screeching sound, dodging several crisscrossing jets of corrosive acid.

The acid landed where it had been, instantly melting the steel and creating a sizzling crater. He removed his left hand from the handlebars and swiftly swiped it across the spirit stone at his waist—

A surge of azure light replaced the crimson, and the knight, clad in emerald armor, leaped off the motorcycle. The golem simultaneously transformed, its back armor unfolding to catch the leaping knight, and a massive energy-based crossbow instantly materialized in the knight's hand.