As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider.

Inside the ZECT base.

The alloy walls gleamed with a cold, icy light, and the activation button for the time-lapse system stood in the corner.

Captain Jet—also known as the phylloxera aphid—stood with his hands behind his back in front of the control panel, his one-eyed eyes filled with a sinister expectation.

Beside him, dozens of Jet team members stood in neat rows, their expressions solemn, their weapons pointed at the cell door, ready for battle.

"Everyone, be alert!" The phylloxera insect's voice was icy. "King Kabuto will be here soon. The moment he steps into this place, activate the time-lapse system immediately. We absolutely cannot let him escape!"

The team members responded in unison, their voices clear and uniform—those standing here now were no longer the real Jet team members, but mostly mimics created by the phylloxera insects, waiting for the Kabuto King to walk into their trap.

Not far away, on a metal frame, Shinju had her hands above her head, her face still wet with tears, and her eyes filled with fear and despair.

She could clearly feel a familiar presence rapidly approaching—it was her brother's presence. But she felt no joy whatsoever—she knew her brother was walking right into a trap.

"Brother, don't come... don't come..." Mayu sobbed softly, struggling desperately, but the alloy chains binding her remained unmoved.

Suddenly, "Boom—!"

A deafening crash rang out as the alloy door of the cell was violently slammed open by a tremendous force, sending metal fragments flying and dust billowing everywhere.

A glint of wild joy flashed in the eyes of the phylloxera aphid. It whirled around and roared at the control panel, "Activate the time-degradation system! Quickly!"

The operator immediately pressed the button, and the huge iron tower outside the base instantly lit up. An invisible energy wave, centered on the iron tower, swept across the entire city like a tide.

As the smoke cleared, a red figure appeared at the entrance. Kabuto King moved swiftly within the base as if by teleportation, instantly reaching a point less than two meters from Mayu.

But just then, an invisible force suddenly struck him, his body abruptly stopped, his previously high-speed movement instantly froze, and then, as if all the strength in his body had been drained in an instant, his legs went weak, and he fell heavily to the ground. The armor slowly dissipated, revealing the appearance of the Souji.

The time-degradation system is now in effect.

"Hahaha! Hahaha!" The phylloxera insect roared with laughter, its laughter both ferocious and triumphant. "King of Beetles! You've finally met your match! You've finally fallen into my hands!"

He strode forward and gestured for two mimicry team members to come forward and lift the weakened commander up.

Looking at the weak and disheveled Souji before him, the hatred in the eyes of the phylloxera intensified. He raised his hand, grabbed Souji's chin tightly, and said in a venomous tone, "This world doesn't need two of me. Go to hell."

As soon as he finished speaking, the phylloxera insect no longer concealed its identity. Its body blazed with green light, twisted violently, and its human-like shell shattered, revealing its true form—a grayish-brown phylloxera insect covered in sharp spines.

Immediately afterwards, the lined-up Jet members also began to twist and deform, their human forms fading away, revealing their true forms as various alien insects, which then pounced on the few remaining genuine Jet members in the cell.

"Pfft—! Pfft—!"

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With a few muffled thuds, the real Jet team members were knocked to the ground by the Zerg before they could even fight back.

The phylloxera aphid released its grip on Souji's chin, kicked him to the ground, and looked down at him with murderous intent in its eyes: "Now, it's time to send you on your way!"

He raised his spiked claws, bringing a sharp gust of wind with them, and slammed them down towards the commander's head.

"call out--!"

Just at this critical moment, an energy blast suddenly shot out, accurately hitting the phylloxera insect's claw, sparking a dazzling display of light, and forcibly repelling its attack.

The phylloxera insect was startled and abruptly turned its head to look in the direction from which the attack came.

At the entrance of the base, Tsukasa Kadoya and Chen Lin stood side by side.

With his hands in his pockets and a playful smile on his lips, Tsukasa Kadoya casually remarked, "Looks like we're not too late."

"Damn it! Who are you people?!" the phylloxera aphid roared—he never expected that anyone would dare to break into the ZECT base and ruin his plans.

Tsukasa Kadoya slowly raised his hand and touched the Decade Driver at his waist, his tone calm but carrying an undeniable aura: "Listen carefully, I'm just a Kamen Rider passing by."

"Kamen Ride! Decade!"

A high-pitched electronic sound exploded, and magenta armor instantly covered his entire body. Tsukasa Kadoya, holding the Card Box Sword, assumed a fighting stance, his sharp eyes locking onto the phylloxera insect.

Without hesitation, Lin Chen transformed into the Earth Emperor and shouted, "Complete!"

The dark golden Earth Emperor Armor instantly took shape, its crimson single eye gleamed coldly, the Earth Emperor Sword was tightly gripped in its hand, and its entire body exuded a chilling killing intent.

Seeing the two transformed, the Zerglings showed no fear. Instead, they sneered, their tone disdainful: "Hmph, just two Kamen Riders! The Time Degradation System is activated. All Rider Systems' acceleration abilities are completely restricted. This world ultimately belongs to us Zerglings!"

"That's not necessarily true." Tsukasa Kadoya scoffed, wiping the card-shaped sword in his hand before flashing towards the phylloxera aphid. "We'll only know after we try!"

Lin Chen did not rush forward rashly. His gaze swept over the few unmolted alien insects in the base—he would clean them up first, and then focus on dealing with the phylloxera alien insects.

With a swift movement, the Earth Emperor Sword, imbued with dark golden energy, swept towards several unmolted alien insects.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

With a few muffled thuds, several alien insects were instantly blown to pieces before they could even react.

[Ding! Defeat 8 unmolted Zerglings, gain 8 Evolution Points!]

A system notification sounded in Lin Chen's mind. He sheathed his sword and stood aside, his gaze fixed on the battle between the phylloxera and Tsukasa Kadoya. He silently observed the rhythm of the phylloxera's attacks, searching for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.

On the other side, the weakened Souji watched as Tsukasa Kadoya and Lin Chen restrained the phylloxera insects. A glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes. He struggled to his feet, staggered to Mayu's side, and reached out to unlock the alloy chains binding her.

"Brother..." Mayu threw herself into Souji's arms and burst into tears, soaking his clothes. She looked up, her eyes filled with guilt and self-loathing. "Why did you save me? I'm an alien insect... I'm a monster..."

Souji gently stroked her hair, his tone tender yet firm, his eyes full of doting: "Whether you are an alien insect or not, you are my sister, and family to me and Grandma."

"When I was unexpectedly trapped in the Accelerated World and couldn't go home, I could only silently watch over you and Grandma. Over the years, what I worried about most was you."

"Grandma is getting old, and from now on, only you will be there to take care of her. As family members, what your social status is doesn't matter at all."

"Believe me, I will always protect you from now on."

Hearing Souji's words, Mayu cried even harder. All her fear, inferiority, and grievances erupted at this moment. She hugged Souji tightly, as if she had grasped a lifeline.

After freeing Mayu from her restraints, Souji gently pushed her away, his tone serious: "It's too dangerous here. Find a safe place to hide first."

Mayu nodded.

Seeing that the creature had obediently hidden away, the commander breathed a sigh of relief and raised his hand to summon the insect device.

Suddenly, a pale blue figure descended from the sky and grabbed the insect device that was about to reach his hand.

"Hahaha! I finally got you!" Hai Dong Daishu gripped the insect device tightly, his face filled with ecstasy, his eyes greedily fixed on the treasure in his hand—the time-up system he had been dreaming of, was finally in his hands.

Caught off guard by this sudden turn of events, Souji stood frozen in place. By the time he reacted, the insect device had already been snatched away by Kaito Daiki. He instinctively reached out to grab it back, shouting, "Give it back to me!"

"Don't even think about it!" Hai Dong Da Shu dodged away in a flash.

Just then, a dark golden figure rushed over. Lin Chen, wearing the Earth Emperor Armor, raised his hand and delivered a heavy punch, slamming it hard into the wrist of the transformed Kaito Daiki.

"Bang!"

Hai Dong Da Shu felt a sharp pain, loosened his grip, and the insect device slipped from his hand.

The insect device, having broken free of its restraints, went directly into the commander's hands.

Lin Chen turned around and nodded slightly to Souji, signaling him to go help Kadoya Tsukasa.

The commander nodded emphatically, no longer hesitating, and inserted the insect device into the driver: "Henshin!"

The red Kabuto armor once again covered his entire body, and Kabuto King made his reappearance.

Cast Off!

Although he still couldn't use his acceleration ability, his eyes remained firm. He gripped his short sword tightly and charged towards the root aphid.

Relying on its unrestricted acceleration ability, the phylloxera insect shuttled back and forth between the two, launching continuous attacks. Before long, Tsukasa Kadoya and Kabuto were knocked to the ground one after another.

Seeing the two defeated, Lin Chen abandoned his entanglement with Daiki Kaito and directly used Orphnoch's complete form to activate the Tiger Hunt Domain.

The Earth Emperor's armor slowly dissipated, and a surge of silvery-white light erupted around him, revealing a bright silver bone armor covering his body.

"What is that?!" The phylloxera insect's eyes flashed with surprise and wariness when it saw Lin Chen's appearance.

Hai Dong Da Shu also stopped what he was doing, leaned against the corner of the wall, and looked at Lin Chen with great interest, his eyes full of curiosity—he hadn't expected that Lin Chen would actually be Orphnoch.

Without wasting words, Lin Chen activated the Tiger Hunt Domain with a thought!

An invisible energy wave spread out from him, covering the entire base room. Everything within a 500-meter radius was clearly displayed in his mind.

The future scene three seconds later appears like a slow-motion video, with every attack trajectory and landing point of the phylloxera insect precisely locked.

Lin Chen moved swiftly, instantly joining the battle. Relying on the precognitive abilities of the Tiger Hunt Domain, he easily dodged every attack from the phylloxera insects while continuously launching counterattacks.

The claws, imbued with silvery-white energy, struck the phylloxera insect's body time and again. Although they still couldn't break through its hard shell, they gradually made the insect look disheveled, and its attack rhythm was completely disrupted.

Tsukasa Kadoya got up from the ground, watching Lin Chen single-handedly hold off the phylloxera insects. A knowing glint flashed in his eyes. He reached into his card case, pulled out a card, and smiled, "Since that's the case, I'll have a go too!"

"Final Form Ride! Decade! Decade!"

The card was inserted into the driver, and two more Decade figures quickly appeared in the path of the phylloxera, knocking him to the ground with a double attack.

The phylloxera insect, knocked to the ground, knew that it was doomed to fail in the cramped base, surrounded by three attackers. Staying would only lead to its complete annihilation.

"Damn it! You just wait!" The phylloxera insect roared, suddenly stood up, and swung its spiky claws, smashing them hard against the ceiling.

"Boom!"

A huge hole was smashed in the ceiling, and rubble fell down. The phylloxera insects darted out and tried to escape through the hole.

"Trying to run? Not so easy!" Tsukasa Kadoya's eyes turned cold as he raised his hand and inserted another card. "Final Form Ride! Kabuto!"

With the activation of its ultimate form, Kabuto's body instantly transformed into a giant rhinoceros beetle, emitting a piercing buzz as it soared into the air and chased after the beetle through the gap in the ceiling.

Lin Chen immediately deactivated the Tiger Hunting Domain, transformed back into the Earth Emperor Armor, and with a flash, followed closely behind the Armor King, rushing towards the gap.

Kaito Daiki watched the departing figures of the group without following them—his goal was the Time-Up system. Since the Insect Device had already been retrieved by Souji, there was no point in staying any longer. He might as well leave first and find an opportunity to seize it later.

Outside the base, the sunlight was blinding, and the giant tower that housed the time-lapse system continued to emit invisible waves that swept across the entire city.

Tsukasa Kadoya, Lin Chen, and the transformed Kabuto King landed on the ground, their eyes fixed on the giant tower, their expressions solemn.

They all understood that without destroying the time-degradation system, they would be unable to use their acceleration abilities, and even if they caught up with the phylloxera aphid, it would be difficult to completely eliminate it.

Kabuto King Tsukasa Kadoya said, "Once this system is destroyed, you will be pulled back into the Accelerated World, fall into loneliness again, and never be able to see Mayu and Grandma again."

Kabuto stood still, gazing in the direction of Paradise House in the distance. He pointed one finger to the sky, his tone calm yet full of power: "Grandma said there's a place that's always waiting for me to go back to."

"It is because I know that someone is waiting for me that I have been able to persevere in the Accelerated World and protect them."

"Loneliness is not terrible, as long as you know that the people you protect are safe and sound, that's enough."

Tsukasa Kadoya looked at him without saying anything, but simply nodded, respecting Kabuto's choice.

He raised his hand and inserted the ultimate attack card, "Final Attack Ride! Decade!"

Kabuto King transformed into its rhinoceros beetle form once more, emitting a piercing buzz as it soared into the air and charged toward the root aphid like an arrow released from a bow.

The phylloxera was flying around laughing loudly when it saw Kabuto rushing towards it. Its expression changed drastically, and it tried to dodge, but it was too late.

"Bang!"

The rhinoceros beetle crashed into the phylloxera aphid, pinning it firmly to the giant tower.

"Now!"

Seeing the opportunity, Lin Chen immediately launched his ultimate attack – Omega Impact.

A massive, dark golden lightsaber extended out, carrying earth-shattering power, and slashed fiercely at the giant tower and the phylloxera.

"Sizzle—!"

As the lightsaber slashed through the air, the giant tower was instantly severed and collapsed with a deafening roar. The phylloxera was also split in two by the lightsaber, its body exploding.

[Ding! Defeat a cadre-level monster and gain 50 evolution points!]

A system notification sounded in Lin Chen's mind. He sheathed his sword and deactivated the Earth Emperor Armor.

Tsukasa Kadoya and Kabuto also deactivated their transformations. The three of them stood amidst the ruins, looking at the collapsed giant tower and the dissipating Worms, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

With the time-lapse system destroyed, Kabuto's body gradually becomes transparent—he is about to be pulled back into the Accelerated World.

Tsukasa Kadoya looked at him, his tone somewhat complicated: "Is there anything else you need to bring?"

The commander smiled, gently shook his head, and said tenderly, "No. I know, Grandma understands everything."

Tsukasa Kadoya looked at him, then thought about the old man for a moment: "Indeed."

Just then, a familiar figure rushed over. Mayu stood not far away, panting, watching Souji gradually become transparent, her eyes filled with reluctance and tears: "Brother..."

Souji turned around, looked at Mayu, and gave her a gentle smile. He didn't say anything, but just nodded slightly to Mayu, his eyes full of relief and concern.

Mayu wanted to step forward, but could only watch helplessly as Souji's figure grew fainter and fainter. The red Kabuto armor once again covered his entire body. A red light flashed, and Kabuto King's figure completely disappeared into the air, returning to that lonely Accel World.

"Brother..." Mayu stood there, tears streaming down her face again, but she didn't cry anymore. She just clenched her fists tightly, her eyes becoming firm—she knew that her brother had always been protecting her, and she also wanted to go back and take good care of her grandmother so that her brother wouldn't worry.

The two accompanied Mayu all the way back to Paradise House.

The shop had been cleaned up. Grandma sat behind the counter, watching Mayu return. There was no surprise in her eyes, only a gentle smile, as if she had known everything all along.

"You're back?" Grandma asked softly.

Mayu nodded, threw herself into her grandmother's arms, and said in a choked voice, "Grandma, my brother... he went back."

Grandma gently stroked her hair and said tenderly, "I know, he's always been there."

Seeing the grandfather and grandson looking at each other, Tsukasa Kadoya and Lin Chen quietly turned around and left Paradise House, heading towards the direction of Hikari Photo Studio.

Back at the photo studio, Hai Dong was there too. He originally wanted to argue with Lin Chen, but he was tricked out of his money by Kadoya Tsukasa with a simple bottle of spices.

After Haidong left.

He heard Tsukasa Kadoya recount that Kabuto had returned to the Accelerated World.

A hint of disappointment appeared on Hikari Natsumi's face, and she sighed softly, "I still couldn't truly help him, couldn't truly reunite him with Mayu and Grandma, it's such a pity."

Lin Chen sat silently to the side. He had long understood that life is full of disappointments.