Before Chen Feng (Tendou Souji) could answer, the boy blurted out, unable to contain himself.
"My grandmother once said: since I am the center of the world, then I must save the world."
"The reason the sun is great is that it can light even a mote of dust."
Chen Feng (Tendou Souji) spoke evenly.
He was the sun, he was the light, he was the center of the world. If so, then saving the world was simply what he ought to do.
It was not that he wanted to be a hero.
It was that this was what he was meant to do.
"By using the Simulator ability to change his face, personality, and body into Tendou Souji's, he could draw the Kabuto Zecter to him."
"No wonder this world produced a Tendou Souji so closely alike."
Watching Kamen Rider Kabuto on the screen, Brandon White let out a small laugh.
He had made each Rider device seek a different kind of bearer, though in most cases he had modeled that search after the protagonist in the show.
Thus, for the Kabuto Zecter, the intended bearer was someone like Tendou Souji.
He'd thought such a person wouldn't appear in this world—or at least, would take a very long time to do so.
He hadn't expected the emergence of a "Simulator," let alone that someone would truly be willing to change himself into another person permanently.
Even if, because of memory, this "Tendou Souji" differed a little from the real Tendou Souji, the gap was not large.
Disposition, inner pride, character—those things, he already possessed.
As for skills and physical conditioning, those could be honed later.
"Let me see how far you can go."
"The Tendou Souji of this world."
—Kamen Rider World.
"This feeling… is it that new Rider world that appeared for only a few minutes before disappearing?"
"It's appeared again? Has a new Kamen Rider been born?"
"Interesting."
A man with strange hair, fiddling with a magenta camera, murmured as if sensing something.
"When this trip is over, I'll go have a look."
"Unripened Demon King, I hope you can make my journey more entertaining."
"Bastards! I'll kill every last one of you beasts!"
A man swung his arms, face wild with frenzy.
If anyone were watching closely, they would see blue-green scales spreading over his body, and his height starting to climb.
He was a key trainee of the Haicheng Bureau of Spiritual Energy. His ability: Tyrannosaurus.
He snatched up a mutated sea snake, seized another section of its body with his other hand, and with terrifying might tore off its head while it writhed in agony. He flung the head aside and stamped it flat with a single step.
The rest still twitched; he bit in. With dragon-fanged teeth heedless of the serpent's flesh, he swallowed it down.
Feeling the power surging through his body, his madness only deepened.
Among all espers—putting aside those rare prodigies whose powers were terrifying the instant they awakened—the most conspicuously strong were the beast-type espers.
Regardless of long-term potential, they could immediately acquire physical attributes far beyond human limits.
That kind of strength was an advantage whether fighting or fleeing.
He certainly wanted to run—but he was Bureau, and Bureau did not run. He would not run!
Nor was he alone. Across Haicheng, many espers were still fighting, still holding back the mutated sea beasts.
Flight would only be temporary. Anywhere they fled, they could still die; there was no safe place left in Haicheng now.
So the only thing to do was resist!
Either the mutated sea beasts died here—or they lived!
There was no third outcome!
The fighting in Haicheng raged on.
To call it "fighting" was too mild—this was war now.
A war between humanity and mutated sea beasts—a war between species!
A direct challenge by mutated life to humanity's place in the world!
It was a war that could not be summed up by "win" or "lose" alone—but no matter what, they had to win. Even if it cost their lives, they had to win.
Humanity could accept defeat—but not now!
"Roooar!!"
A monstrous bellow shook the whole district. A massive mutated sea turtle circled within Haicheng. Though it moved slowly, no other mutated beast drew near its sides—the others looked on it only with awe and dread.
It opened its mouth, and a terrible suction poured out.
"Boom-boom-boom!"
"Boom-boom-boom!"
"Boom-boom-boom!"
Rocket after rocket fired from the tubes—drawn by that suction so strongly they barely needed to be aimed.
But once swallowed, there was no reaction at all. It was as if they had fallen into water—or been wholly digested.
The next instant, before the humans could respond, the turtle opened its maw again. The rockets it had just devoured spewed back out, returning along their original trajectories—straight back at them.
"Rumble!"
"Ruuuumble—"
Furious explosions roared one after another. Countless bodies were hurled through the air; blood and flesh spattered the sky; endless blood drenched the ground red.
"Damn it!"
"Bastards!"
"—"
One by one, veteran espers and soldiers showed only wrath and pain.
They couldn't beat it.
Even if they couldn't bring themselves to admit it, plainly, they were no match.
Haicheng had no prodigies like Skyler Quinn, Firewing, or Nathaniel Gray—nor had such talents been assigned to it.
So against truly powerful mutated creatures, if even firepower could not avail… then neither could they.
Humanity's top-tier geniuses were few.
A person like Skyler—there were only a handful in all Huaxia.
Which city they chose to defend was theirs to decide; not even the state could compel them—and each had chosen the place of his or her birth.
Skyler's Imperial Capital; Firewing's Vantora City; Chris Frost's Tianhai—
Even a critical city like the Magic Capital had not been assigned one.
"Hu—"
They drew a deep breath and looked back at the civilians behind them, the ones they were shielding. Teeth clenched hard.
"We can't wait any longer. Who knows when support will arrive."
"Soldiers, cover the civilians' evacuation—send them to other cities to take refuge. The rest stay and hold. Until we are dead, not one mutated sea beast is allowed to break through!"
"Yes, sir!"
Orders given, they had no choice, whether they liked it or not.
Before leaving, they looked at these comrades who feared no death; a wetness gathered in their eyes despite themselves. They wiped it away and set their faces—as firm as iron—to the task.
If they hurried and got the civilians to other cities quickly—could they still make it back, and rejoin the war?
With that thought in their hearts, they dared not rest a single moment.
Haicheng was their home. They were Haicheng's warriors. If they were to die, they would die here.
(End of this chapter)