Chapter 45

"This... is this also a Kamen Rider?" Su Xuan's question hung in the air, echoing the thoughts of everyone present. Oni-themed Kamen Riders, like Hibiki, were warriors, but they defied easy categorization. In their worldview, honed by cultivation, the term "Kamen Rider" didn't exist. These figures resembled something else entirely: human beings who had mastered the power of the Oni through intense training.

Here, Oni didn't evoke images of ghosts or devils. Instead, it referred to a race from Japanese legends, beings similar to humans but possessing extraordinary strength. This connection explained why those who wielded Oni power often transformed into forms that resembled monstrous beings.

Among the onlookers, only Xiao San and Tang Wu had witnessed Luo Pupu's transformation into Kamen Rider Ryugen. The others had only ever seen Yin Xiaoya's sleek and energetic Kamen Rider Meteor. Subconsciously, they had assumed all Kamen Riders would share a similar aesthetic.

But Ma Hongjun's transformed appearance shattered that assumption. The black-armored warrior before them was the antithesis of vigor. Whether he was handsome was a matter of perspective. The men present, including Xiao San, found his form striking. The women, led by Su Xuan, considered it more savage than refined. Overall, however, the reaction was positive.

Yet, more than aesthetics, everyone was focused on Ma Hongjun himself. Before and after the transformation, his very shape and height had changed. This defied explanation within their current understanding.

Yin Xiaoya merely smiled, offering no explanation. Truthfully, he didn't entirely understand the mechanics himself. Some Kamen Rider transformations altered the user's physical form, like Hibiki and Kiva. But not all Riders followed this pattern.

Ma Hongjun, too, was studying his new body, and he had also noticed the strange changes. But he didn't find anything alarming. Instead, an unprecedented power coursed through him. He raised his hand, clenching a fist encased in a blue gauntlet. A ball of blue flame flickered into existence between his knuckles.

"Senior, I feel an inexhaustible power flowing through me."

"Then, do you know your name?"

"My name?" Ma Hongjun paused, and a name surfaced in his mind. "I know what it's called. My name is Souki, Kamen Rider Souki."

"Souki, very good," Yin Xiaoya affirmed. "If that's the case, go and fight. This spirit ring is yours to claim. We won't interfere."

Let him fight alone? The teachers, including Su Xuan, were about to object, but Souki's imposing form gave them pause. They, too, wanted to see what Ma Hongjun, now empowered by the Kamen Rider system, could achieve.

Ma Hongjun himself didn't seem intimidated by Yin Xiaoya's decision.

"Senior is right. You've paved the way for me, so the next battle is mine alone. If I can't win this way, it means I'm not worthy of this power."

"Good that you understand. Remember what I told you about a Kamen Rider's fighting principles?"

Ma Hongjun recalled Yin Xiaoya's instructions from not long after they had set off.

"I understand. Don't worry, I'll end this battle in the style of a Kamen Rider. It also said in my body that it will help me."

With that, he leapt into the ravine, but he didn't plummet downward. Instead, a row of black feathers with a metallic sheen unfurled from beneath his arms. He glided toward the Poison Fire Needle Scorpion below, as if soaring on unseen wings.

The Poison Fire Needle Scorpion, already on high alert, roared a threat at the sight of the dark figure descending upon it. Its tail needle, previously swinging idly, pointed directly at Souki, and a purple line of fire erupted from its tip.

This concentrated beam of fire represented the venomous scorpion's most potent attack. Its penetrating power alone could pierce stone. Add in corrosive heat and deadly poison, and it was a formidable weapon.

But to the scorpion's surprise, Souki didn't dodge. Instead, he caught the stream of fire with his fist. The flame was contained without incident. There wasn't even a trace of burns or poisoning.

Upon closer inspection, the scorpion saw a blue light emanating from Souki's fist. As a fire-attribute soul beast, it immediately recognized the intense heat contained within. It knew what this meant. This was the light emitted only when flame was compressed to its absolute limit.

Only a soul beast with at least ten thousand years of cultivation, or one of exceptionally high quality, could accomplish such a feat. Despite its seven-hundred-year lifespan, the Poison Fire Needle Scorpion was merely a child in the grand scheme of soul beasts. It was at the level of a child who had just learned to walk. Such creatures were inherently cowardly. Their motto? Run if you can't beat it. In fact, most would flee at the mere realization of an opponent's strength.

So, the scorpion changed its tactics, widening the flame's area of effect. Using the distraction, it began digging into the ground, hoping to escape through a newly formed tunnel.

Souki emerged from the poisonous fire unscathed, but the scorpion had vanished. He didn't panic. He simply jumped into the hole and gave chase. The Poison Fire Needle Scorpion was large, so the tunnel it had dug was wide enough to accommodate him.

Moments later, a roar echoed from the depths, and the ground trembled. The soul masters felt a surge of immense soul power rising from below. One after another, jets of blue flame erupted from the ground, the largest of which blasted the Poison Fire Needle Scorpion into the air.

The once-bright red armor on its body was now riddled with cracks, and its tail needle, the symbol of its power, was broken. Purple flames leaked from the wound.

The massive body, propelled from the ground by Souki, flipped onto its back. It landed with a thud, legs flailing in a desperate attempt to right itself.

At that moment, Souki burst from the earth, brandishing a long, cylindrical weapon. He landed squarely on the scorpion's underbelly, restraining the struggling soul beast as tightly as a vise.

The weapon's true nature became clear: a black sledgehammer with an eagle's head. Souki removed the eagle's beak and affixed it to the scorpion's plastron.

A miraculous sight unfolded. The beak emitted a transparent blue energy shield. The circular shield, roughly two meters in diameter, revealed faint facial lines of the Azure Flame Heaven Griffin.

"Ongekida Sōen no Kata! HAA!"

He slammed the sledgehammer down on the shield.

"Boom!!"

With a deafening roar, the Poison Fire Needle Scorpion, which had been struggling violently, ceased all movement.

"HAA!"

Boom!!

Another blow. The red armor shattered completely, but the immobile scorpion couldn't resist. A desperate sound escaped its throat.

The onlookers were stunned. They had never witnessed such a fighting style. It was vastly different from Yin Xiaoya's Kamen Rider Meteor.

Su Xuan gazed at the transparent blue shield and the scorpion's reaction to Souki's hammering. "This ability is so strange," she murmured. "It seems to be specifically designed to combat large creatures."

"Hehe, as expected of the Shrek Seven Monsters. As you said, this sonic attack technique was born to fight against large monsters." Yin Xiaoya rose to his feet. "Okay, it's almost time for me."

Surprised, Su Xuan asked, "You're going down there? Didn't you say he could handle it alone? Besides, it looks like he doesn't need any help."

"I'm not going to interfere with his battle. Besides, his battle is already over."

He offered a mysterious smile, then leapt into the ravine, transformed into Kamen Rider Meteor mid-air, and landed gracefully in front of the Poison Fire Needle Scorpion.

"Okay, cute little guy, how about we make a deal?"

***

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Advance chapters are in my P@|r3on - Najicablitz