I want to become a Kamen Rider

Having spent a lot of time with him, Kewpie, who had also adapted to and learned to complain, shouted loudly:

'What's that thing in your hand?'

"The 'End Armament' that they stole from the subterranean people, that's what they call it. It's actually just a super-sized Gauss weapon."

As he spoke, he suddenly raised the massive, thick cannon barrel with his right hand, the heavy cannon appearing remarkably stable in his grasp. The dark muzzle was aimed at a distant underground mountain peak composed of black rock and riddled with gun emplacements.

boom--!

The air was ionized, and a thick, ghastly green torrent of energy, as thick as a giant python, violently erupted from the muzzle of the Gauss weapon. Its light instantly overshadowed the red glow of the lava, tore through the dim space, and struck the target mountain with the force of destruction.

The underground mountain, tens of meters high, along with its dense array of gun emplacements and fortifications, was as if cleaved in two by an invisible giant blade. Half of the mountain instantly melted and vaporized under the impact of the green light, then was torn into countless fragments by the violent energy, shooting out in all directions like a volcanic eruption.

A massive shockwave swept outwards, blowing away the nearby subterranean monsters like falling leaves. Smoke, dust, rubble, and molten metal rained down, creating craters beneath their feet in the underground space.

With a single blow, a strategic fortress was reduced to nothing.

"You know what, it actually works pretty well."

'...'

"What's wrong, Cupid? Why are you silent?"

"Destroy it all, I'm tired. From the moment I chose you to be Kamen Rider, everything went wrong."

Well, actually, you and I haven't even successfully signed a contract, but I can't say that directly.

The battle was not over. After a brief pause, more underground people, like an enraged swarm of bees, poured out from all directions, even from the cracks in the rock walls above, their numbers almost obscuring the view.

He shouted towards the other end of the battlefield, at the figure that moved like a golden lightning bolt through the enemy ranks, leaving a trail of burning debris in its wake:

"Jin Dou, come back!"

Without the slightest hesitation, the golden streak of light instantly broke free from the battle, tearing through space at a speed beyond the reach of the naked eye, leaving a trail of golden afterimages, and landed steadily beside Fan Kang.

Cupid was completely dumbfounded.

'And who is this?'

"The free labor was just unlocked the day before yesterday. You weren't there at the time, so you missed my gacha pull."

The golden knight bowed slightly: "Boss."

Fan Kang nodded.

"Okay, get behind me."

Kyubey completely lost it: 'Wait, isn't this supposed to be a female knight?! Did I miss two episodes? No, I only missed two days! Why is she calling you boss?!'

"That's a long story, let's deal with the immediate issues first and then talk about it."

With a flick of his left hand, the powerful whistling bow vanished in specks of golden light. His right hand casually tossed the heavy, ultimate Gauss weapon aside like trash, the massive metal tube crashing to the ground with a dull thud.

The subterranean people's "End Armament" is indeed not bad, but it is not enough to deal with the current situation. After a long time, he will use his "End Armament".

He took a step forward.

This step seemed to be on the pulse of the entire battlefield.

Golden flames, pure, intense, and imbued with a sacred aura that purified all things, shot up from beneath his feet without warning.

There was no deafening roar, no exaggerated transformation effects, only a silent, terrifying heat capable of incinerating the soul. Flames instantly engulfed his entire body like flowing water, devouring his original form.

Within the flames, a more profound and majestic black warrior, as if emerging from an ancient furnace, slowly coalesced. He was bathed in the golden flames that burned across the eight directions, like the master of the flames themselves.

He stepped forward.

Wherever it passed, everything turned to ash.

At the end of the long road paved with lava and ash lies the destination of this journey, and also the...leader of all the underground people.

An unimaginably colossal biological matrix resided in the deepest recesses of the earth. It was a living mountain range, over a hundred meters high, composed of writhing flesh, resilient vines, and luminous minerals. Countless thick, worm-like tentacles extended from the matrix, waving wildly. At its center, a massive core, emitting an eerie green light, pulsated slowly.

Countless thickest vines, strong enough to pierce steel, sensed the threat and, like giant pythons, swarmed from all directions toward the dark figure that was walking on fire, with a shrill shriek that tore through the air.

Then, it turns to ash.

The knight raised his head, his gaze piercing through the churning flames and billowing smoke, locking onto the eerie green light emanating from the core of the mother structure.

A vast, ancient mental wave, filled with endless resentment and hatred, crashed directly into his mind, attempting to shake his will:

'Ancient warriors... The surface dwellers are greedy and insatiable, wantonly plundering the planet's life force... Only by returning to the underground and following the ancient order... We underground beings are the true masters of this planet... and are more qualified...'

The knight neither refuted nor agreed; he simply raised his hand.

"call--!"

All the flames that filled the underground space and burned on the battlefield seemed to be summoned, frantically converging towards his palm.

Compression and condensation—a gigantic flaming spear, over thirty meters long and composed entirely of destructive golden flames, instantly took shape in his palm.

The spear was burning with an incandescent light, its core a deep gold. The terrifying heat caused everything around it to melt and distort. Wherever the spear tip pointed, the rocks and peaks in front of it silently melted and vaporized.

Sometime later, Cupid, who had already left his shoulder and was now lying in the distance, watched from afar, his ears drooping as he looked at the flaming spear in his hand.

'Aren't you going to let it finish speaking?'

"No, I'm in a hurry."

The spear fell, and flames engulfed the area.

Solid rock walls, twisted buildings, and an endless army of subterranean people—everything was annihilated. The deep, dark underground was illuminated in this moment.

It was as if the sun had risen overhead.

"Um, Kangjun, I have a question."

The lying-on-the-ground Cupid raised his head, but his eyes did not reveal reverence.

"You said."

Even now, do you still consider yourself a human being?

"..."

The silver-haired, pale-eyed woman stared in astonishment at the man walking against the "sun." He, who had never hesitated or wavered in the face of any battle or enemy, paused for a moment.

Then he spoke.

"I am now a human being."

Chapter Sixty-Five

In the early morning in Denmark, sunlight pierces through thin clouds, casting soft shadows on the brightly colored exteriors of Copenhagen's buildings.

The air was crisp and clear, carrying the unique clean scent of a snowfall and a slightly salty sea breeze from Beihai. The restaurants along the roadside were bright and clean, and the air was filled with the aroma of freshly baked bread, the fat of fried bacon, and the rich scent of coffee.

The television hanging in the corner was playing the morning news, and the female anchor's voice carried a professional calmness:

"...Yesterday, a magnitude 6 earthquake was detected underground in the New Zealand region, and the tremors were quite strong..."

The scene shifts to an expert interview, where a gray-haired scholar explains to the camera:

"Please rest assured, citizens, this earthquake had a focal depth of 500 kilometers, classifying it as a deep-focus earthquake. Deep-focus earthquakes release energy primarily within the Earth's deeper layers, and even with a high magnitude, they typically do not cause significant damage to the surface..."

As dawn breaks over this land of the North Sea, the roadside restaurants are beautifully decorated, and televisions broadcast worrying earthquake news. Meanwhile, the culprit sits by the roadside, enjoying this rare moment of tranquility.

The original itinerary included resolving the subterranean incident in Denmark and then heading back to his hometown to provide assistance. However, Fan Kanggang received news that the Knights Council there had solved the problem on their own. It just goes to show that those who have endured the rigors of the college entrance exam are truly different. Regardless of unpredictable factors like aptitude and explosive potential, their resilience and willpower are absolutely unique.

Although both are minors prone to breakdown and despair, their levels of awareness vary due to different life experiences.

Thanks to this, he can finally take a short rest.

However, before Fan Kang could even properly enjoy the boiled sturgeon, open sandwich, and hamburger beef in front of him, the suspicious white alien creature jumped out again.

"Pfft."

A snow-white figure nimbly leaped onto the back of his chair, then onto his shoulder, its bushy tail swishing. Cupid drooped its signature long ears, its ruby ​​eyes fixed intently on the other side of the table—a silver-haired girl engrossed in her "battle" with food.

The girl was wearing a simple sweatshirt and jeans, with a loose jacket over them. She had a baseball cap tilted to one side, with the brim pulled low, but a few strands of silver hair could still be seen peeking out mischievously.

She had a pair of rare, deep blue eyes, like those of a frozen lake, but she used them to stare intently, almost foolishly, at the food on her plate, her cheeks bulging like a hamster hoarding food. She took a big bite of a piece of bread covered in cream and jam, the sticky cream sliding down the corners of her delicate lips, completely unaware of it.

The suspicious white alien creature, completely oblivious to the fact that he was about to finish his meal, shook its head and asked directly:

'Now you can explain the whole story to Cupid, right? Where did we leave off last time?'

"When I was taking Sakuta Azusagawa on our first extermination mission, we defeated the Fallen Knight Makoto Itō and were about to send him on his way when a golden knight appeared, calling herself the 'Time Traveler' and attacked me. Then, I captured her."

Speaking of which, Makoto Ito left him a card before he died, but he still hasn't had a chance to check what it is. Although he doesn't have high hopes, he should still check it when he gets back later.

'You did talk about this last time, but you didn't describe it like this last time... Did you catch a stunningly beautiful, silver-haired girl with huge breasts?'

Kewpie glanced at the somewhat silly-looking girl who was chewing on bread with cream dripping from the corner of her mouth, and his red eyes swept over her flat chest.

Fan Kang slowly handed her a napkin, and seeing that she was busy eating bread, he simply wiped her mouth for her.

The girl's skin was delicate and cool, like the finest porcelain.

"First of all, I didn't say that. Secondly, I only found out later that she had padding."

'Was it padded?'

"Yes, it's a pad."

Isn't it amazing that you have to do this kind of useless work when you're out fighting?

'Shouldn't she be your enemy, the one who opposes you? Why did she start calling you "boss" later? You didn't hypnotize, brainwash, or discipline that young girl, did you...?'

"You're judging others by your own standards, you lecherous beast."

Fan Kang picked up his fork and put a piece of crispy roast meat from the plate in front of him into his mouth. This was a main dish on a Danish table.

Large chunks of pork belly are roasted to a golden-brown, crispy perfection, their skin translucent like amber, producing an enticing "crunch" with each gentle chew. The inside is tender and juicy, drizzled with a dark gravy, and served with refreshing purple cabbage and soft, boiled potatoes. Each bite is a delightful explosion of flavors: the exquisitely crispy skin, the rich, smoky meat, the intensely savory sauce, and the soft, sweet potatoes. The combination is simply divine.

Fan Kang glanced at the girl who was eating bread.

The girl paused in her chewing, then tilted her head slightly, her pale blue eyes looking at him through the shadow of her hat brim. A crumb of bread still clung to the corner of her mouth as she mumbled:

"Boss?"

"nothing."

Fan Kang withdrew his gaze and continued speaking to Qiu Bi in his mind, his voice carrying a complex mix of reminiscence:

"The story begins the day after I caught her and rushed to Europe. The remnants of Destro had hidden a spaceship equipped with a terrifying weapon in the East African Rift Valley. Naturally, I went there and wreaked havoc. Because the enemy was of such a low level, I took her with me, intending to deal with her as well after I had dealt with all the other issues."

'...'

"But, an accident happened. When I arrived at the control room of the space battleship, the new leader of the Destro remnants, who had been waiting for a long time, activated the self-destruct device in front of me. It was the kind of super old-fashioned and meaningless device. On the left was a cage containing three children he had kidnapped, and on the right was a cage containing two adults and one child."

Fan Kang's face showed reminiscence.

"The new leader explained to me smugly that no matter which side I rescued first, the cages on the other side would explode at the same time. If I didn't act in time, both cages would explode at the same time."

'The trolley problem?'

"Yes, the trolley problem. He seems to be trying to torture my mind in this way, but he's crazy. No matter which side I choose or what the outcome is, it's Destroy who will kill innocent people, not me. If I let Destroy's remnants escape, more people will be harmed and killed."

He understood long ago that even with overwhelming power, he could not save everyone.

Every moment in this world, people are dying, whether from disease, misfortune, or dark organizations like Destroy, or from behemoths that may or may not be so far in the future that drive humanity to extinction.

So, how was the anti-King chosen?

"I didn't choose that option. At least at that time, I had the ability to save everyone."

'Boys who are arrogant and aloof are really not cute. When are you finally going to realize that, Kang-kun?'

"...I'm too lazy to complain about you. Anyway, I'll go straight for the leader. After taking care of the leader, even if the cage explodes, I can still save the life in front of me, but...she doesn't know that."

He looked at the girl in front of him, who was eating bread, with a somewhat complicated tone.

"She must have broken free of her restraints while I was fighting, probably planning to launch a sneak attack or escape. I didn't pay much attention to it, intending to catch her later. However, she used her time-based abilities to rush over, trying to rescue the people in the cage. The trolley problem prepared by the new leader of Destrom was indeed designed to prevent me from having acceleration abilities, with double or even multiple safeguards. But with her limited abilities, she couldn't rescue everyone before the cage exploded, and in the end, I had to step in."

'Then, she…'

"Being at the epicenter of the explosion, his brain was damaged by the blast, and he seems to have lost his memory?"

'What a cliché plot!'

Kewpie loudly complained.

“I also think it’s cliché. I even suspect that she calculated that she would lose her memory and then stayed with me.”

The two men, separated by the dining table, simultaneously let out a heavy sigh.