Honkai: Star Rail — Kamen Rider! [36]

The gust of wind dispersed the strange power encircling the intruder—revealing its form.

It was a shard.

A fragment that throbbed faintly, pulsing like a heartbeat.

Anna's eyes widened. The moment she saw it, a phantom pain flared in her abdomen.

The Doomsday Beast's reaction was far more primal. The claws at the end of its arms began to glow again, as if it could barely hold back from lunging forward and tearing the thing to pieces.

Sora's gun never wavered. The fact that his earlier attack had been completely ineffective unsettled him more than he let on.

"Outsider… must you be so violent?"

The shard trembled. A shadowy force surged from the earth beneath it, wrapping around the fragment until it congealed into a humanoid shape.

Its face remained hidden, but the pressure it exuded was crushing—like a landslide bearing down from above.

"Who… who is that?"

Robin's instincts flared with danger. Every hair on her body stood up. Even the wings on her back stiffened, suspended in dread.

This feeling… this overwhelming sense of terror—it was unlike anything she had ever felt. Not even the enigmatic Dream Master had affected her like this.

Anna's breathing grew labored. She clutched her chest, heart pounding so violently it felt as though it would burst free.

She stumbled back, hiding behind Sora and Robin, desperate to escape the suffocating pressure.

But Sora… he had already guessed the figure's identity.

"You're… Zulo's consciousness, aren't you?"

He'd seen it before—back in the dreamscape. The revival of Zulo had been foreshadowed there. Still, he hadn't expected to encounter him this soon.

"You're sharp. But then again, my identity isn't particularly well hidden," the figure replied, voice cold and smooth. "I am Zulo, former Lord Ravager. And I have awakened at last."

"Former Lord Ravager?!"

Robin latched onto the word immediately.

This guy… used to be a Lord Ravager?

But… she'd never heard the name Zulo before.

"My rank has likely been replaced by Celenova," Zulo said blandly. "No point clinging to old titles."

But what he revealed next made Robin's eyes widen even further.

She might not know Zulo, but she definitely knew Celenova.

Celenova—the current spearhead general of the Antimatter Legion.

No one truly understood the logic behind Nanook's commands, but Celenova was the most frequently deployed of his lieutenants.

Under her command, antimatter forces spread across the galaxy like wildfire, leaving trails of destruction in their wake.

She'd led assaults on Yaoqing, Zhuming, and even the immortal Xianzhou Fanghu—though ultimately unsuccessful in destroying those civilizations.

And over 3,500 years ago, she had even coerced Zhuming to alter its flight path in order to join her crusade against the aberrant abominations of Abundance.

If Celenova had replaced this man—then Zulo had once held that very post: commander of the vanguard of destruction.

Robin's breath caught in her throat.

How could we possibly run into someone like him… here of all places?

Celenova alone had already obliterated more worlds than could be counted.

And now she was learning that even Celenova had once been subordinate to the being standing before them.

Then what kind of terror must Zulo have been?

This has to be a nightmare…

Sora stepped in front of Robin protectively, gun still leveled at the figure.

"What do you want?"

He pulled out the Heat Memory.

If Cyclone's speed couldn't pierce this opponent, then it was time to test raw power.

"I've come only to deliver a message," Zulo said calmly, not even moving from his spot.

"…A message?"

Zulo nodded, utterly unmoved.

"You—and the little chick behind you, the one carrying Harmony's spark—may leave this planet. You have five days."

"After that… this world will be no more."

He said it so quietly. So plainly.

Sora's eyes narrowed. "You're… letting us go?"

"Correction," Zulo said, almost lazily. "Only the two of you."

"As for the rest of this planet's creatures—they're merely fragments of my discarded power. The moment I awakened, their fates were sealed."

"Even if they escape, their lives will end in five days. Their vitality is tied to this planet—and to me."

"You bastard!!"

Anna's voice trembled with fury.

Beside her, the Doomsday Beast let out a thunderous roar. It charged, claws raised, ready to rip Zulo apart.

Zulo did not flinch. He raised one foot and simply tapped the ground.

BOOM!

The charging Beast suddenly crashed into the earth like it had been yanked downward by gravity itself, slamming into the dirt with a deafening thud.

Sora acted instantly.

"[Trigger! Maximum Drive!]"

A roaring stream of fire burst from his gun, aimed straight at Zulo.

But just like before—the flames scattered harmlessly the moment they neared the figure.

No effect.

But then—Zulo paused.

He tilted his head slightly, as if hearing something odd.

Tap. Tap.

The silver-white dinosaur, Fang, had hopped into Sora's palm and sat obediently in his grip.

"…Let's try this," Sora muttered.

With one fluid motion, he flipped open the Driver's side compartment, revealing Fang's unique slot.

He'd been hesitant to use this form—but clearly, his standard ones weren't going to cut it.

Which meant…

"Robin. If I lose control—take me down. No hesitation."

Robin's expression changed instantly. "Wait, Sora, what are you—?"

But it was too late.

Sora slammed Fang into place.

A surge of wild energy exploded from his body, forcing Robin back several steps with its sheer intensity.

She stared, eyes wide, as he took his stance.

"[Fang]!"

"[Joker]!"

"[Henshin]!"

RAWR!

As Fang's fangs clamped down, shards of pure white and deep violet fused around Sora's body.

In the instant the transformation completed, several bladed protrusions shot from his armor—then retracted just as quickly.

White and violet. A razor-sharp contrast, like dusk clashing with bone.

Kamen Rider W — FangJoker.

The warrior emerged in a flash.

And without hesitation, he charged straight at Zulo.