The revolver-shaped Collapse Beast had extremely fierce firepower. In the Level 1 chubby Brave form, Li Hua could not get close enough to attack the monster's core.
So Li Hua upgraded his level, switching to Level 5, equipped with the Ice-Fire Holy Sword. With greatly enhanced speed, he slashed apart the bullets fired by the monster and rapidly closed the distance.
He then pressed the button on the sword handle, releasing a wide-range ice-element sword aura, temporarily freezing and immobilizing the Bugster.
Next, he switched back to Level 1 chubby form and executed a Rider Kick, separating the virus from the host.
The entire sequence flowed smoothly—using level switching to force the enemy into a stiffened state, and then exploiting that opening to extract the Collapse Virus.
The massive Bugster beast began to fade and disintegrate. From within it, Basel emerged, falling to the ground.
Li Hua pulled the lever on his Driver again, returning to Level 5 and preparing for the next Monster that would soon appear.
He simultaneously turned to Peter and Gwen, who were watching nearby:
"Take this infected student farther away."
Peter and Gwen immediately went to support Basel.
"Are you okay?" Peter asked.
Basel finally came to his senses, confused as he looked at Peter and Gwen supporting him.
"What happened…?"
"You were swallowed by a strange monster. Luckily, this… sir pulled you out of its body." Peter explained while helping him walk.
"Monster?!" Basel looked around and saw the newly forming Collapse Monster evolving.
"Not that one. Before this, there was a huge monster shaped like a revolver. It was defeated." Peter clarified.
Gwen's eyes flickered slightly as she asked Basel:
"Do you know how the first monster appeared?"
Basel frowned in pain trying to remember, then shook his head:
"I only remember unbearable pain spreading all over my body, then losing consciousness. When I opened my eyes again, you two were here.Right—why are you here?"
"Peter was worried about you. He found me and we went to question Thompson. We found out you were locked in the equipment warehouse, so we came to the school to find you.We didn't expect to run into that monster." Gwen glanced at Kamen Rider Brave.
"Thank you!" Basel said gratefully.
"We're all classmates. This is what we should do. But we should move farther away from the battle first." Gwen said.
"Yeah, staying far away is safer." Peter added quickly.
Watching the Monster's Gatling–like arm spewing terrifying firepower that destroyed everything it hit, Peter estimated that he wouldn't survive even a single shot.
The Monster, originally attacking Brave, suddenly paused, its eyes flashing as it locked onto Peter and Gwen.
Li Hua immediately realized something was wrong and rushed between the teens and the monster.
Sure enough, the monster fired directly at Peter and Gwen, and Li Hua blocked the barrage with difficulty.
"Why is this happening?" Peter's face turned pale.
"Why would it suddenly attack us?!"
Basel gave a bitter smile:
"Maybe it's after me…
Since the earlier monster swallowed me, this one is probably targeting me too.You don't need to worry about me anymore."
"No. Leaving you here alone with a monster is the same as sending you to die." Peter said firmly.
Gwen remained silent, her eyes locked on Kamen Rider Brave, holding tightly onto Basel's arm without letting go.
Because the monster targeted Peter and Gwen, Li Hua had to devote himself to shielding them, unable to counterattack at all, and fell into a passive situation.
Meanwhile, under the extreme mental pressure, the virus inside Basel surged again. His body convulsed violently as consciousness slipped away due to the unbearable pain.
"Damn it—if only Snipe were here." Li Hua gritted his teeth.
Against a long-range Monster, he had to stay close to the students, unable to chase forward—leaving him no choice but to take fire.
"Boss Dan, is Elena still not at the hospital?" Li Hua urgently contacted Dan while switching back to Level 1 in order to buy more time.
"This is New York traffic… unless she abandons her sports car and runs there, she won't get off the overpass for an hour."Dan frowned. Brave had to protect Peter and Gwen, meaning he would never defeat the monster like this.
Teleporting Elena directly to pick up the Driver and Gashats to assist would break the game rules he set.
With the future Spider-Man Peter Parker present, if he ignored the situation now, maybe there would be no Spider-Man in the future, and many interesting stories would disappear.
Moreover, Li Hua's unwavering conviction impressed him greatly.
"…Fine. I'll take this opportunity to make a personal appearance."
Dan took out his Gamer Driver, inserted the Mighty Action X Gashat, and smiled with anticipation.
"Mighty Action X!"
["Gashatto! Let's Game! Metcha Game! Mutcha Game! What's your name?! I'm a Kamen Rider!"]
[Gachan! Level Up! Mighty Jump! Mighty Kick! MIGHTY-MIGHTY ACTION X!]
———————————————
Li Hua gritted his teeth against the storm of bullets, watching his Rider Gauge decrease while thinking desperately of a solution. Unless he closed the distance, his transformation would eventually break under sustained damage.
He had to try—even if it meant risking everything. Doing nothing would only guarantee slow death.
"You two, put Basel down and follow closely behind m—"
Before he could finish, Peter cut him off:
"I will never abandon my classmate!"
Li Hua sighed but explained calmly:
"He'll be fine.
He is the host of the Collapse Virus. The monster's goal is to increase his mental pressure so the virus evolves and completely takes over his body.
It will never directly harm the host—its target is only the two of you."
"You're trying to get close to that monster?" Gwen glanced at the monster's Gatling gun and Brave's toy-like sword, understanding his intention.
Li Hua looked at her in surprise—staying this calm in a life-or-death moment was remarkable.
"Exactly. Only by getting close can I defeat it."
"We'll act according to his plan." Gwen signaled Peter.
"Right. The Monster has little intelligence. It only follows instinct—doing anything that increases the host's mental stress. Right now, its attention is entirely on you. Stay behind me and draw its focus. I'll use the chance to close in." Li Hua explained.
But plans often fail to keep up with change.
Suddenly, a glowing summoning circle lit up on the ground. A flash of light appeared—
and a cartoon-styled armored Rider identical to the one protecting them materialized.
Kamen Rider Ex-Aid had arrived.
"But… why is he completely pink? And why does the helmet look like a terrible emo punk hairstyle?"
Peter muttered subconsciously, forgetting to keep the thought inside due to nerves.Once he realized what he said, he froze awkwardly and looked at the newly arrived Rider.
(End of Chapter)