"I don't really remember the ones after that. Can someone tell me if there were any other people recognized by Kamen Rider drivers or Armor summoners?"
"I finished watching it—nope, not even Devil Fruits. Though a few of them did have Imperial Arms."
"That's pretty normal. Even though Devil Fruits are powerful, they come with side effects. Since they're all First Sequences, there's no need to burden themselves with a weakness just for a minor boost in strength."
"Wonder if the White Emperor created other armors besides the Five Element Armors. Personally, I actually like the Xing Tian Armor more."
"Can't agree with that. In my opinion, Shura and Emperor are the ones that truly match a man's aesthetic."
"Then here comes the classic question: between the Emperor Armor and the Shura Armor, which one is stronger? funny.jpg"
"Emperor Armor, obviously! Do you even know what the Heavenly Dao represents?"
"Heavenly Dao? The Shura Armor has no upper limit; its strength directly correlates to the 'Qi' in the summoner's heart. As long as the Qi within is strong enough, not even heaven and earth can stand in its way!"
"That's the whole point! If the 'Strongest Qi' is already the strongest, how can there be anything stronger? Besides, talking about the Strongest Qi, shouldn't the Emperor Armor—as the incarnation of the Heavenly Dao—be the true embodiment of the Strongest Qi?"
"So the absolute strongest should be the Emperor Armor summoning the Shura Armor? A double buff?"
"..."
The moment that question was raised, the comment section completely derailed. Yet the sheer impact the video delivered to the public remained undiminished.
The Black Rhino Armor, the Earth Tiger Armor, the Eternal Memory.
It was easy for people to project their affection for fictional characters onto those chosen in reality. Naturally, fans of Bei Miao, Kun Zhong, and Katsumi Daido seamlessly transferred their support to these three First Sequences.
They became their supporters, while others grew deeply curious about their actual current strength.
Especially this new Earth Tiger Armor summoner. According to the disclosed data, when sparring against Lin Kai in his Black Rhino Armor, he actually won more often than he lost—a stark contrast to the original series.
His compatibility with the Earth Tiger Armor was clearly far superior to Kun Zhong's hopping style.
Then there was Shi Luo, chosen by the Eternal Memory...
In the eyes of many, the Eternal Memory, the Kabuto Zecter, and the Zi-O Driver were the least likely Kamen Rider transformation devices to ever appear in reality, simply because the individuals they chose in the original series were exceptionally unique.
Katsumi Daido's resonance with the Eternal Memory wasn't merely due to his status as a Necro-Over; it stemmed from his unique personal nature. Otherwise, why didn't other Necro-Overs achieve the same resonance?
The Kabuto Zecter was even more distinct. Tendō Sōji's peerless personality and absolute capability were qualities almost unimaginable in any real-world person.
Yet in reality, these two transformation devices were among the first to emerge.
Although the one in Haicheng relied on his esper ability to abandon his former self and mold himself into an identical existence to Tendō Sōji to gain Kabuto's acknowledgment, that still didn't change the fact that he wasn't the original Tendō Sōji.
Even so, the strength he displayed during the Haicheng beast tide had left countless people in awe.
His terrifying speed, resembling spatial teleportation, had drawn praise from all who witnessed it.
Meanwhile, inside a classified facility.
"Lin Kai, the internet is buzzing with questions about why you lost to Kun Hu," Xue Wu said with a teasing smile, glancing at the youth training beside her.
"Hmph."
Hearing her words, Lin Kai let out a cold snort, ignoring Xue Wu's banter.
"It's just the natural counter between the armors," a gentle-faced youth said softly.
He was the chosen summoner of the Earth Tiger Armor, Kun Hu.
Unlike Kun Zhong in the original series who favored hopping around while fighting, Kun Hu's style kept his feet firmly planted on the ground, allowing him to constantly receive the energy amplification granted by the earth.
Paired with his esper ability, it provided him with formidable offensive power. Together with the inherent elemental advantage of Earth overcoming Water, his victories were hardly surprising.
"No need to be modest. A loss is a loss; I don't make excuses for myself," Lin Kai replied indifferently, pausing his training.
He cared about winning and losing, but he could afford to take a loss.
Looking at him, Kun Hu seemed about to speak, but ultimately wore a helpless expression.
"Speaking of which, there's been a rumor circulating in the Spiritual Energy Bureau lately that you want to challenge and replace the Flame Emperor and Ice Emperor. Is that true or false?" Xue Wu asked Lin Kai out of curiosity.
Although she was also a First Sequence talent with Ice Elemental Summoning—the direct counterpart to Firewing—and held the Logia Freeze-Freeze Fruit, meaning her raw potential was not inferior to Firewing's, she did not believe she could stand on equal footing with the Flame Emperor.
There were far too many elemental summoning espers in Huaxia; she was merely more talented and unique than the rest.
On the surface, she and Firewing appeared nearly identical—both elemental summoners, both Logia Devil Fruit users, both First Sequences. Yet in actual combat, she knew she would be no match for Firewing.
Because aside from those traits, Firewing possessed something she did not.
The Divine Beast: Flame Lion!
That was a formidable Divine Weapon capable of ranking Firewing as a First Sequence even without her esper abilities; with it, she alone was equivalent to two First Sequence powerhouses.
On top of that, there were Clow Cards—treasures they did not possess.
Xue Wu not only believed she couldn't defeat them, but also doubted Lin Kai or Kun Hu could either.
Thus, while curious about the rumors surrounding Lin Kai, she also found them rather absurd.
Given their talent and clearance level, detailed information on the Flame Emperor and Dragon Emperor wasn't a secret to them. Consequently, they should be able to clearly perceive the disparity between both sides.
"It wasn't my idea."
"Though I did say it," Lin Kai stated calmly.
He had spoken those words, but not out of his own initiative—someone needed him to say them.
Even so, he did harbor similar ambitions.
A position like the Four Emperors, representing the ceiling of Awakened power, shouldn't be occupied by ordinary espers.
While Firewing and Chen Bing were undeniably powerful, he firmly believed that with the enhancement of his armor, he was stronger than them and more suited for the seat.
"The elders' mindset, huh," Xue Wu muttered, having caught his meaning, and gave a light shrug.
While she felt such political maneuvers were completely unnecessary, they couldn't simply refuse the older generation's desire to give their juniors one last push.
"If the White Emperor were still around, none of this would be happening."
"After all, the White Emperor is just too overwhelmingly strong," Xue Wu remarked wistfully.
Indeed, no matter how many times she thought about it, she couldn't help but feel awestruck.
How long had it been since the spiritual energy revival began?
And yet, someone had already ascended to godhood!
Granted authority by heaven and earth, bolstered by the power of all living beings, governing everything within nature.
And 'nature' here did not merely refer to flora and fauna—it encompassed every concept within existence, including humanity, science, civilization, and faith.
———
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