I want to become a Kamen Rider

The knight's sword-throwing motion was broken down into countless clear slow-motion frames under her hyper-accelerated senses: the exertion of his arm muscles, the slight tremor of his shoulder armor, the slight opening of his fingertips the moment the hilt left his hand, the long, dark blue blade cutting through the air, creating visible, slowly spreading transparent ripples like water... Everything was so "slow," so "clear."

That sword was incredibly fast, so fast that even in her eyes at that moment, it required a slight dodge. But that was all; the tip of the sword would just barely graz the side of her golden breastplate. A perfect, textbook-perfect dodge path had already taken shape in her mind.

Her body began to execute the dodge command, the golden armor preparing to shift to the side, smooth and swift as leaping lightning.

Then, just as she confidently initiated her evasive maneuver...

"Pfft!"

A dull, bone-chilling tearing sound, without warning and completely contrary to her heightened senses, exploded on her left shoulder.

She lowered her head incredulously and extremely "slowly".

In her vision, the world remained viscous and slow, and she could clearly "see" that the longsword, which she should have easily dodged, had its incomparably sharp tip deviated from its intended trajectory, crossed space, and was slowly, bit by bit, piercing through from behind her magnificent golden shoulder armor.

How can it be?

She wanted to scream.

The immense horror and the collapse of his understanding even overwhelmed the excruciating pain of his scapula being pierced.

She stared intently at the cold blade that had pierced her body, her eyes filled with incomprehensible fear and bewilderment. The ascended world remained slow, but the existence of that sword, like a cold, mocking paradox, shattered her absolute confidence in speed.

Then, an overwhelming force emanated from the sword.

"Boom!"

Her body—which, in its ascended state, should have possessed reaction capabilities that transcended the rules of physics—was like a clumsy puppet, slammed violently against the cracked wall behind her by this violent force.

The storm has returned.

The wind continued to howl, the rain continued to roar, and her emerald compound eyes blinked violently with pain and disbelief as she struggled to raise her still-functioning right hand and reach for her waist.

At the very least, we must escape.

but--

"call out!"

A golden energy arrow, like a venomous snake that had been waiting for a long time, pinned her right hand, which was reaching for her waist, to the wall.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. In Azusagawa Sakuta's eyes, his senior simply drew his bow with his left hand and released an arrow in a strange direction that was impossible to hit, while his right hand threw out a sword in a completely off-target manner.

The next second, it was as if the process was skipped. There was no image of the longsword being thrust out, but the longsword pierced through the attacker's left shoulder, and the energy arrow that seemed to have been fired in vain had pinned the attacker's other hand to the wall.

"How can it be……?"

A woman's voice, piercing through the golden mask, carried a shock and the deepest fear that even a voice changer couldn't conceal. She stared intently at the figure who stood calmly in the wind and rain, seemingly unmoved, "How could you, not at the ultimate level, be... so fast? How could you predict... the Ascension?!"

In her eyes, the knight named after the sword lowered his bow-drawing arm, his cold compound eyes in the dim and broken corridor like two stars from an extremely cold abyss, radiating a cold light that pierced through all illusions.

There's no mistake, there's no mistake. She's been to the battlefield too, so there's no mistake. That person—no, the monster before us—has hands stained with blood.

The monster's voice remained calm and still.

"Do you know how many Zerg I've killed? Back when they were much weaker than they are now."

He tilted his head slightly, seemingly searching through the overwhelmingly large dataset, and then, a cold, clear number, like a final judgment, struck her, word by word, as she was pinned to the wall:

"Thirty-one thousand six hundred and forty-five heads."

Chapter Sixty: Their Chapter [5/5]

“‘Do you know how many Zerg I’ve killed? Back when they were much weaker than they are now.’”

"'Thirty-one thousand six hundred and forty-five heads.'"

"And so, with techniques and movements that I can't even comprehend at my current level, you broke through the enemy's acceleration, stripped the armor off the female knight who called herself the 'Time Traveler,' and caught a silver-haired, pale-eyed girl."

The following day, during training, on the training platform, Sakuta Azusagawa explained to his fellow "students" the reason why their coach was absent.

"Accelerate, huh..."

Saki Kawasaki is the one who cares about ability.

"Peel it off..."

The one struggling with the technique is Hiiragi Tina.

"A silver-haired, blue-eyed girl..."

Mizutani Migen was concerned about capturing the target.

"So, you mean your first mission was full of twists and turns, first the minister somehow obtained the power of Kamen Rider Blade, and then he was able to use the power of other undead beasts in the form of a sword..."

Saki Kawasaki tried to summarize.

"Then, a guy with a big mouth appeared, but was instantly defeated by Master Kang. He used some strange speed-up method, but Master Kang easily cracked it and defeated him."

"Finally, after a round of torture and interrogation by the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University... I mean, the righteous questioning yielded some information that you don't even know the specifics of. Then the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University judged that the situation in Europe was in a state of chaos. Without even having time to come back and tell them, they took that silver-haired, pale-eyed girl and put her on a European train overnight?"

...Master Kang, although I really wanted to complain that everyone here has their own unique title for their seniors, Mizutani Migen is my master, Hiiragi Mai Tina is the club president, and he is my senior, Azusagawa Sakuta nodded first.

"That's about it. My senior originally wanted me to accompany him to Europe, but I was worried that the defenses would be insufficient after he left, so I applied to stay."

He pulled a card out of his pocket.

The card is made of a special material that shimmers with a warm luster under the sunlight. On the shimmering gold card surface, a white-based, simple yet powerful ancient warrior is clearly printed, who, following his predecessor's instructions, has given it to Tina Hiiragi.

"What the senior means is that he's gotten used to the fact that Contract Knights are completely unreliable. Such things happen all the time across Asia, Europe, Africa, America, and the ocean, so we don't need to worry. Last time, there was a weirdo in Destro who claimed to be able to manipulate time. He'll be there in a week at most. While he's away, Tina Hiiragi will play the role of Kuuga."

"Hey, me?"

He placed the card in Tina Hiiragi's hand and nodded.

"Yes, the weird societies and dark organizations in East Asia have been basically wiped out. You just need to put on an act."

Sakuta Azusagawa only learned yesterday that the Knights Council is actually a global organization, and the place he is currently in is more accurately described as the Japanese branch of the Knights Council.

To paraphrase a senior, Cupid's fraud was global, and so was his firefighting efforts.

The contract knights in other places are relatively more reliable than those here, so he spends the most time here. After so long, it's normal for other places to fall apart.

"Um, I have a question."

Mizutani Migen raised his hand.

"It's finally here," Sakuta Azusagawa thought with a sinking feeling.

But to his surprise, the girl's question wasn't about the troublesome things he had imagined.

"How did the driver get on the European train? Did he really have the money to buy a ticket? Did he bring enough necessities? Will he not eat properly? Did he bring enough clothes?"

"I can't answer the later questions, but I've already asked the first one to my senior."

It seems that the image of the poor senior is really deeply rooted in people's hearts, but in fact, this is also directly related to the senior's insistence on not using the identity of Kamen Rider to profit himself.

Just like Makoto Ito, why not just take away some necessary valuables?

I heard that he had borrowed money from a girl who had a crush on him because he was struggling to make ends meet, and this incident was spread by Qiu Bi and caused a stir.

"What did the master say?"

"Hitchhiking on the train."

Sakuta Azusagawa covered his face as he recalled the smiling face of his senior when he said those three words.

So why not just use golems to fly there directly?

……

……

The setting sun dyed the horizon a poignant blood red, its afterglow weakly painting the two rusty railway tracks that stretched endlessly into the distance.

On either side of the railway tracks stretched desolate wilderness, withered yellow grass swaying in the evening breeze, rustling mournfully. In the distance, sparse trees stood bare, like desperate arms reaching towards the sky. The air was crisp and dry, filled with the scents of rust, earth, and withered grass.

Empty and deathly silent. Only the howling wind swirls up the dust and withered leaves on the ground.

In this desolate scene, a figure walked silently along the railway tracks. His steps were steady, and he carried a small, patched bundle on his back.

"Even if I was the one who started it, it would be quite difficult to find such an important facility in the middle of nowhere."

"that……"

"Furthermore, I have already rejected your European Knights Council's proposal to use the Zerg, which was put forward under the persuasion of Kyubey. That is not something you are qualified to touch at the moment."

"that……"

"Although I do not consider myself your superior or leader, and I am aware that you have a long tradition of infighting, with numerous factions and conflicting opinions, I have at least helped you complete 40% of the workload and provided 60% of the 'seeds of the weirdos' to sustain your survival. You should at least follow my advice."

"that……"

"Even though such a tragedy has already happened once, you still insist on going your own way. Indeed, the only lesson that mankind can learn from history is that mankind cannot learn lessons."

On the empty train tracks, Fan Kang walked forward, followed by a girl whose hands were tied with rope.

The girl was stunningly beautiful, and her figure was absolutely gorgeous.

Such actions and attire could easily be misunderstood, but he had a clear conscience.

"..."

After a brief silence, the girl seemed to have adjusted her strategy. She lowered her head slightly, letting a few strands of hair fall across her cheeks, her voice filled with deep grievance and weakness:

"Um...I...I haven't eaten anything all day..." She deliberately sniffed, trying to make her eyes redden, "My stomach...is completely empty..."

Combined with her stunning beauty, this demeanor was enough to soften the hearts of most men, making them want to offer up all the food immediately. But the man standing in front of her was Fan Kang.

Fan Kang merely glanced at her expressionlessly, his eyes seeming to say, "Go ahead and starve, it's none of my business."

After watching her performance for a while, he silently turned around, untied the tattered bundle on his back, and rummaged inside. There were no fancy meals, no tempting snacks, only a bucket of the most ordinary instant noodles.

Without even looking, he casually tossed the bucket of instant noodles toward the girl.

The instant noodles landed with a "plop" on the withered grass at the girl's feet.

The girl glanced at the instant noodle container at her feet, then looked up at Fan Kang's utterly unsympathetic face. Her lips twitched, but she tried her best to maintain a pitiful expression, muttering softly, "Um... there's no water..."

Fan Kang remained silent, but then pulled a military water bottle from his bundle and tossed it over casually as well. The bottle landed next to the instant noodles.

The girl sighed resignedly, clumsily picking up the instant noodles and kettle with her bound hands. She tore open the lid of the instant noodles, poured out the seasoning packet, and then laboriously unscrewed the kettle lid, preparing to pour water.

At that moment, in her eyes, the monster that had broken the time-limited barrier stretched out its right index finger, and a cluster of flames suddenly rose from the fingertip.

With a flick of his wrist, the flame landed precisely at the bottom of the instant noodle cup. Without fuel, the flame burned steadily, without even burning through the bottom of the cup.

The instant noodles were ready quickly.

The girl stared in surprise at this strange yet brutal heating method, her mouth slightly agape.

Ignoring the heat and the inconvenience of having his hands bound, he clumsily picked up the noodles with his fork and ate them in small bites, clearly starving.

By the time we finished eating the noodles, it was completely dark. The night in the wilderness was bitterly cold, and the wind had picked up considerably.

The girl watched as Fan Kang stopped in a relatively sheltered spot beside the railway tracks, skillfully cleared a small flat area, and then took out an old, faded blanket with some holes from his bundle and laid it on the ground.

This blanket has been with him for a long time, ever since the first day he slept under the bridge. He has a deep affection for it, so he has not replaced it to this day. Although others may see this as a pointless persistence, as the saying goes, it is not easy for the rich to keep their wives, nor for the noble to keep their friends. Everyone has their own ambitions.

The girl couldn't help but ask again, "Um...where are we...sleeping tonight?"

Without looking up, Fan Kang pointed to the carpet that had been laid out and said succinctly, "On the floor."

The girl looked at the thin blanket, then at the cold, hard ground, her face filled with reluctance and a hint of despair.

But Fan Kang ignored her.

He straightened up and looked toward a sparse grove of trees not far away. He walked to a dead tree about the size of a bowl and simply raised his hand.

"Crack!"

With a soft crack, like a sharp knife slicing through rotten wood, the withered tree snapped in two, crashing to the ground and raising a cloud of dust.

Under the girl's astonished gaze, Fan Kang, like an experienced wilderness hunter, nimbly dragged the tree canopy over the carpet he had laid out, using the thick branches as support to simply build a makeshift "roof" that could barely shield him from the night wind and dew.

The whole process was smooth and seamless, as if it had been rehearsed a thousand times.

This is the survival secret he has learned through years of experience under the bridge. He not only knows how to build a roof with dry branches, but also how to build a house that can keep out the rain with waste cardboard!

The cool moonlight shone down, illuminating the simple "camp" beside the railway tracks, the stunningly beautiful prisoner sitting on a blanket, staring blankly at the treetops above, and the man leaning against a tree trunk with his arms crossed, resting with his eyes closed.

In the desolate night, only the sound of the wind and the occasional howl of wolves in the distance remained.