I want to become a Kamen Rider

Chapter 91 Faiz VS Wizard

"'The miracle achieved by treating both the belt and the user as disposable items?'"

Repeating Eleanor's words, Hachiman gripped his belt with one hand and reached for his phone at his waist with the other.

“But what I heard from the Second Minister was different. He said it was just an artificial knight with slightly more side effects, and that the users were treated as disposable items. I’ve never heard of that before… I’ll make a call and ask…”

Few people would be willing to give their lives for others, let alone as a expendable resource. If it were to fight to protect his sister, Hachiman Hikigaya would consider it, but with such a bombshell announcement right off the bat, he had no choice but to be cautious.

"Um, maybe we shouldn't bother Kuuga."

The girl, who had been so imposing and aloof, suddenly became much less assertive after mentioning Kuuga.

She cleared her throat and corrected him.

"The term 'disposable item' refers to items that are not meant for ordinary humans. As an Orphnoch, your physique is different from that of ordinary people. Under extreme circumstances, you can transform three times, which is why you were chosen to use this belt."

Why didn't you say so earlier?

Eleanor picked up her teacup, took a sip as if to conceal her intention, glanced at the surging waves beside her, and lowered her voice:

"I think the previous statement sounded cooler."

Hikigaya Hachiman: "..."

He now roughly understands why the Second Minister called Eleanor a super-duper deluxe enhanced version of chuunibyou (middle school syndrome). Even with enhancements, chuunibyou is still chuunibyou.

"This is the transformation device. Enter '555' and insert it into the belt to transform."

Eleanor tossed a reddish-silver phone over.

Hachiman Hikigaya took the phone; it felt heavy in his hand, the metallic texture cold. He looked down at it carefully, his brows furrowing deeper with each glance, until finally he couldn't help but look up and mutter:

"So isn't this just the transformation system of Kamen Rider Faiz? Even the design is exactly the same."

"There are still differences. If you don't mind using an old-fashioned flip phone, you can use the transformation device as a normal mobile phone, and the phone bill will be paid by the European Knights Council."

"But I remember that the protagonist's cell phone in 'Kamen Rider Faiz' could be used normally."

"But he should pay his own phone bill, right?"

So the difference is the free phone credit?

There are so many things to complain about that Hachiman Hikigaya doesn't know what to say for a moment.

"Ahem, so why is this system called Echoes of the End?"

"Because he's handsome."

Hikigaya Hachiman: "..."

After being speechless for the second time, Hachiman Hikigaya realized that he and chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) were indeed incompatible, even the super-duper, deluxe, enhanced version of chuunibyou.

Although he once had a dark history of considering himself a creator god, which directly led to him being called Hachiman Daisatsu by Zaimokuza and others.

Eleanor Mondebelle toned down her behavior a little in the following period.

She gave him a brief introduction to this transformation system, which was clearly developed based on the Kamen Rider Faiz transformation system. The design, appearance, and functions were exactly the same, but she insisted on calling it "Echoes of the End."

The "Echoes of the End" Knight System, meticulously crafted by the Equipment Department of the European Knights Council, consists of eight parts: "End Driver," "End Phone," "End Cursor," "End Camera," "End Blade," "End Megaphone," "End Acceleration," and... the most crucial "End Burst."

The European Knights Council is currently considering acquiring civilian satellites, or, after unifying the Global Knights Council, demanding partial satellite usage rights under the guise of combat needs. Therefore, a complete set of equipment corresponding to the "Echoes of the End" transformation system is entirely within our expectations.

However, while the "Echoes of the End" transformation system is a blatant copy of Faiz's Rider system, its performance is far inferior to the original. More precisely, this performance deficiency is compensated for by side effects.

Because the price to pay for using this knight system is life force.

By using the life of the transformed user as an energy source, the shortcomings of the technology were forcibly compensated. With a design philosophy that disregarded battery life and the future of the transformed user, an armament comparable to that of a real Kamen Rider was completed under extremely rudimentary conditions.

This is a remarkable achievement, but it is also quite cruel.

The Shocker technology acquired by the European Knights Council was incomplete, and the existing technological capabilities of humanity were simply insufficient to support the creation of artificial knights. Therefore, they simply designed a knight system that normal humans could not use, and had "alien" individuals among humans fight.

If an ordinary human wears this belt and transforms once, their life force will be completely drained, and they will die instantly from desertification.

Orphnoch, with his superhuman physique, can withstand three transformations. But after the third transformation, he too suffers the irreversible depletion of his life force, ultimately turning into sand and dissipating.

So, to be more precise, Hachiman Hikigaya can only safely transform twice, if he doesn't want to die.

Eleanor offered two solutions: wait for his life force to recover on its own, which would take about ten days to half a month or even longer to recover the life force consumed by each transformation; or, after two transformations, Kuuga would share his life force with him to replenish the number of transformations.

There is only one taboo when using this equipment: never perform a third transformation.

"Actually, the initial design reference was Kamen Rider Agito, since he is the warrior who succeeds Kuuga, and it would be more suitable in terms of symbolism. However, Kuuga himself rejected it, saying that it felt unlucky."

"Why would anyone think Agito is unlucky? Compared to Kamen Rider Faiz, Agito's ending is a much more satisfying and happy one."

"Then you'll have to ask me."

Hachiman Hikigaya looked down at the crimson-silver phone in his hand and the cold belt, a chill rising up his spine:

"In this situation... an Orphnoch using the Faiz transformation system with a different name... I feel like I'm covered in flags, and I'm bound to turn into dust in the end..."

"It is the 'Echoes of the End' transformation system. Please correct your wording. The qualified person is Hachiman Hikigaya."

"Go, go, go, the final echo will resound, the final echo will resound."

Hachiman Hikigaya paused for a moment, then said solemnly.

"I will absolutely, absolutely, absolutely never use my third transformation for anyone else so that Komachi won't lose her brother."

"Aren't you already setting a flag by saying that now?"

"This time, I will keep my word."

Hachiman Hikigaya grabbed his belt and was about to leave when he was stopped.

Why are you turning around?

"I've already taken the belt."

"If I were just handing the belt over to you, why wouldn't I just have someone else deliver it instead of wasting my precious time explaining it to you personally?"

As she said this, the girl raised her hand, and a stone radiating brilliant light appeared in her palm.

Enveloped in flames, a figure that appeared to be a Kamen Rider, judging from his style and attire, emerged from the fire, but this rider was someone Hachiman Hikigaya had never seen before.

"According to the Kamen Rider Council's power ranking system, Kamen Riders are classified into six levels: D, C, B, A, S, and SS. Since you have obtained the belt and officially become a Kamen Rider under the Kamen Rider Council, a precise assessment test of your actual strength is required."

"That's it."

Gazing at the figure before him, Hachiman Hikigaya, holding his crimson-silver phone, casually asked before pressing "555":

"Excuse me for asking, what level is Kuuga?"

"There are no ranks. In the long night, you can count the number of fireflies and compare the slight differences in their brightness. But... you wouldn't compare the difference between the fireflies and the sun hanging in the sky after dawn, would you?"

"Well, my Chinese grades are pretty good. Shouldn't the proper metaphor be 'the bright moon and fireflies'? If we're going to make a comparison, shouldn't we be comparing the moon and fireflies?"

"It's probably because the gap between Kuuga and the other Riders is even greater than the difference between the bright moon and the firefly."

This explanation is simple and straightforward, and at first glance it sounds very convincing, but upon closer inspection it is hard to believe.

Without further hesitation, Hachiman Hikigaya decisively pressed down "5-5-5" with his thumb.

Standing by…

A cold, electronic voice sounded. He quickly inserted the "Endless Cellphone" into the slot of the "Endless Driver" on his waist.

"Complete!"

A blinding red light instantly engulfed him. To compensate for his lack of basic strength, Hachiman Hikigaya's body first expanded and deformed within the red light, transforming into the ferocious and powerful Orphnoch lion form. Immediately afterwards, crimson radiance spread from his belt like a living thing, rapidly covering his entire body and forming a solid armor.

Its amber compound eyes, silver-gray and crimson armor, and striking photon blood vessel core on its chest bear a striking resemblance to the original Faiz, yet it exudes an aura of roughness and instability.

He raised his hand, gripping two swords, and took a step forward:

"I've never seen a knight like you before."

"This has always been a problem for me; I can only develop and experiment with the knight's power on my own."

The figure opposite them also moved.

She stepped forward, and a huge, intricate, and magnificent magic circle instantly unfolded and spun beneath her feet. With graceful speed and agility, she reached into the center of the magic circle and drew out a beautifully crafted, magically glowing one-handed greatsword.

Man-made forgeries and contractually created counterfeits stand facing each other across the vast desert, the sea breeze stirring up dust, and the atmosphere suddenly becomes tense.

"The strongest contract knight in Europe, SS-rank, Eleanor Mondebelle..."

As soon as she finished speaking, the girl wielding the heavy sword shot down like a burning meteor, trailing a fiery tail, the heavy sword whistling through the air as it slashed down at Hachiman Hikigaya.

"--yours truly."

[Perpetual Bounty] at the end of the month/beginning of the month/mid-month

It's almost the end of the month, and my monthly tickets and blades will expire if I don't use them soon; it's almost the beginning of the month, and my monthly tickets and blades have refreshed and I can use them now; it's almost the middle of the month, so I'd better use them before they expire at the end of the month (?????)

I just finished paying off the bounty I set up when the book was first released and even added a few extra chapters. Since this is my first time on HedgehogCat, I'm not quite sure what "bounty" means here. I forgot to take a screenshot last time, so I'm posting it here again. This is the book's current data:

This is the book's position on the update list this week: ninth. It's not exactly a human-shaped typing machine, but it's definitely not bad either. It certainly has the ability to update more while prioritizing quality.

The bonus chapters for this book are perpetual, so even before the bounty was opened, the author was able to update 18 chapters based on the number of votes received before the book was released. Even after the book is finished, the author will occasionally come back to check on it, and if the bounty conditions are met, extra chapters or If storylines will be released.

[One extra chapter for every 200 monthly tickets, tips, or blades; additional chapters will also be added for every recommendation vote, this effect is permanent]

Because quality is the priority, sometimes I might release a flood of chapters even after I've paid off all my owed chapters, and other times I might owe a lot but not pay off much because I need to polish the plot. Anyway, since the bounty is permanent, you're guaranteed to see extra chapters if you vote.

Please, everyone. Authors with good results don't need these two votes, but I, an author who has fallen back to being a flop because of writing knight stories on Hedgehog Cat, really need your support. Although I'm not quite sure what Hedgehog Cat's votes are for, please lend me your power (bowing deeply)!

You can roll a few cards whenever you remember, at the beginning, end, or middle of the month, since they're continuous magic cards anyway ヽ(??▽?)ノ

Chapter Ninety-Two: The Thing Called the End

Above the sands of Azure Island, crimson and silver light clashed violently, the clanging of metal against metal and the buzzing of energy bursting through the howling sea breeze.

"when--!"

The crimson twin blades of fire clashed fiercely once again with the one-handed greatsword wreathed in flames. Dazzling sparks flew in all directions like exploding fireworks, and the scorching shockwaves stirred up a cloud of dust.

Hikigaya Hachiman was so shocked by the immense force that his arm went numb, and he staggered back several steps, carving two deep furrows in the sand.

He steadied himself and spoke in a deep voice through his visor:

"Judging from the magic circle you summoned earlier, I think this knight should be skilled in ranged attacks, right?"

The crimson twin blades swirled in Hachiman Hikigaya's hands, their crimson hue flowing as they aimed straight at him.

"I think so too, but... this sword is too good to use. I still think..."

Eleanor's voice was filled with excitement. She gripped the greatsword tightly with both hands, and the flame patterns on the blade suddenly lit up. With an unstoppable momentum, she slashed down again, the sword wind cutting through the sand waves with terrifying force.

"—Close combat is not bad either."

Hachiman Hikigaya parried the Blazing Twin Blades with his greatsword, sand and dust billowing around him. He narrowly avoided the attack by rolling to the side, the sand scraping against his armor with a piercing screeching sound.

It must be said that such a duel is actually unfair. Creating a fantasy hero in reality based on Kamen Rider Faiz is certainly a remarkable achievement.

However, this also means that anyone who has a good understanding of Kamen Rider Faiz's enemies or sparring partners can predict the weapons he might use. However, the Rider that Eleanor Andrebell, the chairperson of the European Rider Council, is in disguise has never appeared on screen.

She knew his moves and equipment, but he knew nothing about the abilities and skills of the "magical" knight Eleanor had become.

However, considering that the opponent was already at the pinnacle of contract knights, and that he could still fight like this despite being at a disadvantage in terms of information and experience, it might be enough to demonstrate the power of this belt with its huge side effects.

Sheathing his Blazing Twin Blades, Hachiman Hikigaya retreated several dozen steps. As the greatsword came crashing down on him again, he sidestepped, rolled, and grabbed the weapon that had been handed to him along with his belt.

"The End - Burst" or "Faiz - Burst Device".

The crimson-silver components rapidly deformed, assembled, and expanded in his hands. Accompanied by a reassuring mechanical clicking sound, a monstrous-looking heavy cannon exuding a destructive aura took shape. The cold muzzle instantly locked onto the pursuing "magic knight."

"Target locked!"

Hachiman Hikigaya let out a low shout and his finger slipped onto the trigger. A surge of energy began to gather at the muzzle, emanating a chilling aura.

At this critical moment, the "Magic Knight" stopped moving. Eleanor's voice came through the mask, "kindly" reminding her: