As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider.

The thin mist, like cotton wool soaked in water, heavily enveloped the entire dense forest, filtering out even the light and making it dim and hazy. The smell of damp, decaying leaves, along with the pungent odor of grass and trees, filled the nostrils.

Lin Chen, Kadoya Tsukasa, Hikari Natsumi, and Onodera Yusuke walked slowly along the winding path.

Strange hissing sounds drifted from the depths of the dense forest every now and then, intermittent, like a child crying or a wild beast howling.

Hikari Natsumi was so frightened that she kept her hands tightly wrapped around her chest, her face slightly pale. She subconsciously moved closer to Tsukasa Kadoya and said, "W-that's so scary... Why is this place so strange? There are these weird noises coming from here."

Tsukasa Kadoya held onto the cloth belt wrapped around his waist with both hands. He was now wearing a pink gi, which made him look extremely flashy.

A hint of amusement played on his lips as he tilted his head, surveying the hazy landscape around him, as if admiring some novel sight. He kicked aside a dead branch at his feet, his tone light: "The world of Hibiki, huh? The atmosphere is quite unique."

"Shi, do you think... this might be your world?" Hikari Natsumi looked up, her eyes brightening with anticipation as she asked, "We've traveled through so many worlds already, this is the ninth, right? Maybe this time we'll finally reach your true home."

Tsukasa Kadoya raised an eyebrow and smiled noncommittally. "Who knows? I can't even remember what my world looks like anymore." He paused, then added casually, "But it'll be soon. After we finish this world, our journey will probably be over."

Hikari Natsumi was stunned: "The end? Is the journey coming to an end?" But then she remembered what Kōei Jirō had said that morning, that the end of one journey is the beginning of another, and she felt that her grandfather was acting strangely.

Lin Chen paused almost imperceptibly.

He did not join the conversation between the three, always maintaining a position half a step behind. His perception spread out in all directions like invisible ripples, clearly taking into account the rustling of grass, the crawling of insects, and the swaying of branches and leaves throughout the dense forest.

Be prepared for unforeseen dangers at all times.

After returning to the photo studio last night, he immediately used all the evolution points he had obtained in the Kabuto world on his attribute panel. His three main attributes have now reached the following values.

[Body Constitution 63/158]

Agility 54/145

[Mental state: 55/109]

Lin Chen was wondering what kind of evolution would occur if he reached 100 points in all attributes in his Orphnoch form and evolved a special ability.

However, transforming into Tiger Orphnoch several times in the Kabuto world also significantly reduced his lifespan. Fortunately, the lifespan increase brought about by the improvement in his physique was considerable enough that, after offsetting the two factors, his lifespan remained at 64 years.

That's enough for him to walk steadily, enough for him to continue searching for the way home.

But at this moment, Tsukasa Kadoya's words, "The journey is over," were like a stone falling into a calm lake, creating ripples.

The journey is over...

Tsukasa Kadoya will return to his own world, Natsumi Hikari will stay at the Hikari Photo Studio, but what about himself?

Should I stay at Guangzhao Photo Studio and live a peaceful life? Or should I once again embark on a lonely journey, searching for my way home?

After fifteen years of solitude, I finally found a place to settle down and a group of companions with whom I could travel without suspicion and with peace of mind. But the deep-seated longing to return home has never truly faded away.

The cool touch of the five-cent coin against my chest through my clothes was so distinct it made my heart clench.

Lin Chen's thoughts drifted away unconsciously, and his senses were brought back.

I don't know how much time passed.

"ah--!!"

Two screams suddenly rang out, instantly pulling Lin Chen's wandering thoughts back.

His pupils suddenly contracted, and his muscles tensed instantly as a sense of crisis surged through his body like an electric current.

Almost before consciousness could react, the body had already made an instinctive movement.

He turned around abruptly, his right hand flashing as he pulled the dark gold Earth Emperor phone from his pocket, his fingertips rapidly dialing the mode switch, directly switching to the 106-shot mode.

"Bang bang bang bang bang——!!"

A series of ear-piercing gunshots exploded in the forest, and dark golden photon energy bullets poured out like a torrential rain, shooting wildly towards the figure that appeared behind them.

It was a strange-looking monster—its entire body was covered in rough green skin, its head was round like a green gourd, with a tuft of stiff hair on its head, its back was bulging, its limbs were short and thick, its fingertips extended sharp claws, and clear saliva dripped from the corner of its mouth. It was the legendary kappa.

The kappa monster was hit head-on by a barrage of energy blasts. Its green skin sparked as sparks flew from its body. Its massive form was forced to stagger backward and crashed into a tree trunk with a dull thud.

Surprisingly, the photon bullets that were powerful enough to pierce through the armor of ordinary monsters only left scorch marks on it, without causing any real damage.

This kappa monster's skin and flesh are far tougher than they appear.

The kappa monster cried out in pain, letting out a furious screech. Its scarlet eyes were fixed on Lin Chen, and its sharp claws slashed the ground as it prepared to pounce again.

"Danger! Get out of here!"

A clear, urgent young voice suddenly came from the side.

A figure appeared, clad in silver-white armor, radiating youthful vigor. The boy looked no more than fifteen or sixteen years old, and charged straight at the kappa monster, engaging it in battle.

Lin Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.

Such a strong fluctuation of life energy!

His mental focus instantly locked onto the boy, a hint of surprise flashing through his mind.

Based on his attribute conversion standards, this boy's physique is at least 40 or higher, his mental strength is far beyond that of ordinary people, and his physical strength is almost comparable to that of a low-level Orphnoch.

What concerned him even more was that the boy exuded an absolutely pure human aura, without the slightest abnormal fluctuation; he was completely human.

To possess such terrifying physical attributes simply by virtue of being human...

Even with a physique far exceeding that of ordinary people, the gap between the boy and this kappa monster was still too great.

Enraged, the kappa monster swung its claws back with fierce and brutal force. The boy hastily parried, but his arm was struck hard by the claws, and he was sent flying backward as if hit by a heavy hammer, crashing onto the muddy ground and rolling several meters before coming to a stop.

"cough……"

The boy groaned, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, as he struggled to get up.

A cruel glint flashed in the kappa monster's crimson eyes. Ignoring Lin Chen, who was standing guard with a gun, it took short strides and approached the fallen boy step by step. Its claws were raised high, the tips gleaming with a deadly cold light, ready to pierce the boy's chest with a single claw.

"Be careful!"

Yusuke Onodera's expression changed, and he lunged forward, shoving Asumu away just before her claws could strike.

"Bang!"

The sharp claws slammed heavily into the soil, splashing up a cloud of mud.

"Lin-kun! Shi!" Hikari shouted, signaling for the two to help.

Without her saying anything more, Lin Chen and Tsukasa Kadoya moved at the same time.

"Transformation."

Lin Chen spoke calmly, placing the Earth Emperor phone horizontally on his waist driver. Dark golden photon blood surged forth, and the pitch-black base armor covered him like an emperor's crown. The Ω-shaped helmet closed, and a scarlet single eye gleamed with a fleeting, cold light.

Kamen Rider Orga has arrived.

On the other side, Tsukasa Kadoya also did some fancy tricks, lifting his foot, turning around, and flicking it lightly.

"call out--"

The wooden clogs on their feet flew out like projectiles, hitting the kappa monster's face with perfect accuracy.

"Thump!"

A crisp, muffled sound.

The kappa monster froze abruptly, looked down in disbelief at the wooden clogs lying on the ground, then looked up and glared at Tsukasa Kadoya.

His gaze, as if he had been utterly humiliated, instantly amplified his violent and aggressive aura tenfold.

Tsukasa Kadoya took out the Decade Driver and fastened it to his waist.

"Kamen Ride! Decade!"

Crimson armor instantly covered his entire body. He gripped the card-shaped sword, pointing it at the kappa monster, and said in a flippant tone, "Boy, watch closely, this is how a real battle is fought."

As soon as he finished speaking, he took a step forward.

But the kappa monster was completely enraged. It let out a scream and charged at Tsukasa Kadoya like a madman.

Lin Chen's eyes turned cold. Before Kadoya Tsukasa could make a move, he took a step forward, holding the Earth Emperor Sword.

The jet-black sword blade was enveloped in dark golden photon energy; without any frills, it delivered a simple horizontal slash.

"Whoosh!"

A sharp golden blade of light swept out and slammed into the kappa monster.

"Bang!"

The kappa monster's body was cleaved and sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground and rolling several times before coming to a stop.

This blow finally brought it to its senses.

The two armored knights in front of it were not beings it could afford to provoke.

We absolutely cannot win in a direct confrontation.

The kappa monster's scarlet eyes darted around, and it instantly changed its strategy. Instead of charging head-on, it used the cover of the dense forest mist to its advantage, transforming into a green shadow and darting and leaping swiftly through the trees at an astonishing speed.

It would occasionally dart out from blind spots, launch a sneak attack with its claws, and then immediately flee, as slippery as an eel.

Although its speed is far from being as incredible as the Time Rise in the Kabuto world, it has proven extremely effective in this dense forest terrain.

Lin Chen, holding the Emperor Sword, stood motionless, his senses fully extended, locking onto the Kappa monster's aura. But the opponent was far too slippery, only daring to launch sneak attacks from a distance each time, retreating as soon as it made contact, never giving him a chance to strike head-on.

Tsukasa Kadoya frowned, annoyed.

Being ambushed several times in a row, although no real damage was caused, the feeling of being swarmed by flies was really unpleasant.

"Ugh, annoying rats."

Tsukasa Kadoya clicked his tongue, then without further hesitation, he ran his left hand across the card box and pulled out a blue card.

"Kamen Ride! Kabuto!"

A high-pitched electronic sound rang out, and the magenta armor instantly transformed into the red armor of the Kabuto.

Without hesitation, Tsukasa Kadoya used the time-up function.

Clock up!

As the time-shifting process unfolded, time seemed to slow down throughout the entire dense forest.

The fluttering fallen leaves froze in mid-air, the mist solidified into still clumps of cotton, and even the splashed mud dangled in mid-air.

The kappa monster's originally lightning-fast figure became like a snail crawling in the Ascended Realm, with every movement crystal clear.

Lin Chen stood rooted to the spot, unable to enter the Time Ascension state or see the scene within the Time Domain. He could only see Tsukasa Kadoya's figure move slightly, and the next second, the flow of time around him returned to normal.

"Clock Over".

Kabuto's form fades, and it reverts to Decade.

The aura of that kappa monster completely disappeared.

Not a single crumb was left behind, as if it had never existed.

Upon seeing this, the two deactivated their transformations.

The boy who had been pushed aside got up, his eyes filled with admiration and shock as he looked at Tsukasa Kadoya, and couldn't help but blurt out, "Wow, that's amazing!"

Yusuke Onodera looked at the boy and asked, "Are you alright? Excuse me, are you Hibiki?"

The boy paused for a moment, then quickly shook his head, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and gave a hearty smile: "No, my name is Asumu, and Hibiki is my master."