Kamen Riders (lit. Masked Riders) and children get along very well. Turning into Decade and fighting enemies through his powers is akin to a live-action movie. The exaggerated special effects enhanced the experience.
"Ha! They didn't change it!"
Upon entering a small and hidden underground room, the dim light coming from the Coreflame greeted us. The dark blue crystal engraved with a 'rune' lay bare in a cushioned box.
A cold sensation came from touching it. The Magenta Jumpsuit I wore did nothing to block it.
This was more of a blind guess, but to think that it is really here…
Talanton might have intentionally left it here.
Coreflames are the 'hearts' of the Titans. Janus' unresponsiveness stemmed from his voluntary surrender of his Coreflame to Tribios. For the Law Titan's Coreflame to rest here, it meant he did the same. He should be unresponsive to his followers, too.
I could not hear his whispers, but I am certain Cerydra will. She is the destined Demigod of Law even if the world is turned upside-down.
"What's next?"
Trianne's excited voice resounded.
My eyes glanced in a certain direction. The sense of danger is akin to a knife thrust in a point blank range.
"We escape, of course."
I summoned the Aurora Curtain. I drove it to swipe through the place where we landed. Tribbie's spaceship appeared in front of us.
"Please board it first."
I handed the Coreflame to Tribbie. The latter looked at me with a concerned look.
"...Stay safe, Goldie."
"Mn. I will."
"Eh? What's going on?"
I did not wait for Trianne's barrage of questions. The Aurora Curtain swept over them, teleporting them back to Okhema.
Tap.
Tap.
Leaving the underground room, I am greeted by a very wide hallway. The unconscious soldiers and priests remained in the backdrop.
Amidst them all, a black-robed man stood.
"People say it is second times the charm." I paused. "Can you speak better, Deliverer?"
"You—!"
A strong emotional fluctuation emanated from his voice. Still, I knew where this meeting would end.
"You… who are you..?"
His words clicked with a catchphrase Kadoya Tsukasa liked to say:
"Just a passing by Kamen Rider…but you don't have to remember that."
*****
'Stories' are born out of nothing—a prologue.
Unfortunately, most stories can only be passed as 'ideas'. They cannot turn tangible nor directly affect the world. Their biggest purpose is to create an 'impact' that 'inspires' others.
The Path of Remembrance alters this cognition. THEIR presence allows memories to become tangible, to manifest to reality. The Dao of Creation was what made it more 'concrete'. The 'hollowness' resulting from an idea forcibly converted by Remembrance was removed. With it, stories are nothing short of 'reality'.
Kadoya Tsukasa is a 'traveler' whose life's purpose is to be a 'Destroyer of Worlds'. Through his power, he arrives in a new 'world', helps the Kamen Riders settle a problem, and leave for the next one.
His nature as a 'Destroyer' came from his intervention of these worlds.
His mere presence prevents these worlds' "heroes" (i.e., Kamen Riders) from reaching their full potential. It overwrites the 'real timeline' with the 'Decade timeline', effectively destroying the former.
Tsukasa's nature as a 'traveler' stemmed from that purpose.
He has no story.
His nature to 'destroy' turns into 'creation', thus overwriting others' stories to make his own.
Ironically, that was what Shi Tian is doing now.
"Kamen Ride: Kabuto!"
The Magenta Jumpsuit he wore changed into a red beetle-themed one. Phantoms of the Flame Reaver emerged out of nowhere, rushing towards him.
"Attack Ride: Clock up!"
Click.
Hum-!
The world came to a complete standstill. The sole exception to it was Shi Tian and the true Flame Reaver. The latter's movements grew noticeably slower.
Shi Tian strode towards them. He slapped one of the phantom's blade with the back of his hand.
Bam-!
Shatter-!
One hit wasn't enough, so he struck another time. Then another one. He did so until the phantom shattered like fine glass.
His calm strides punished Flame Reaver's mirror phantoms one by one.
Upon defeating all but the original Flame Reaver, he pulled out another card from his booklet.
"Final Attack Ride: Rider Kick!"
The exaggerated announcer voice revealed his next move. Sparks of lightning grew from Shi Tian's right leg.
With a roundhouse kick…
Boom-!
…sparks flew everywhere.
Click.
The world's time returned once more. By the time the explosion cleared up, not a trace of the Flame Reaver remained.
'Indestructible? No, it should be the Coreflames inside him.'
The Flame Reaver is the destined regressor of this world. Every cycle gave him twelve Coreflames. Multiply that by 15,015,021 and one will get the number of Coreflames he possesses:
180,180,252.
Shi Tian noticed Flame Reaver's traces. He can be defeated and banished, but never destroyed. He is the key protocol of the Scepter—one of the most important characters for Destruction's Emanator to be born inside this simulated world.
Every Emanator of Destruction is a great danger for the universe. The birth of the Emanator inside Amphoreus will not only threaten the universe, however. Its existence goes against the very existence of Nous, the Erudition.
In short, Flame Reaver cannot be killed with the current power he uses.
'I don't need to do it.'
Shi Tian shook his head as he de-activated his transformation. The card flew from the driver before being caught by his right hand.
'Phainon's presence is vital. To destroy the false infinity, I must rewrite Amphoreus' ending…'
He was thinking about that when a 'presence' gazed at him.
Unnervingly, Shi Tian met the origin of that gaze.
It was a Titan.
Its soft yet incoherent whispers might sound useless blabber to others, but not to him. The language of the Titans pose no trouble to a cultivator's Divine Mind whatsoever.
"All Father…"
He gestured with his hand towards the Time Titan, Oronyx.
"I am not your father, but I can act as one."
"..?"
"Payment. Coreflame."
Shi Tian let loose his playful side. He held back his laughter from Oronyx's bewildered gaze.
To his shock, a dimly-glowing Coreflame landed on his palm.
"Ah..?"
"I will… entrust it… to you…"
"???"
Oronyx's voice grew fainter until it disappeared.
'Holy crap.'
Feeling the cold sensation emanated from the Coreflame, Shi Tian was dumbfounded. Not in a million years did he expect this would happen. He committed to his playful character in this world. Winning while doing so is even more unexpected.
"Fu…"
An Aurora Curtain swept through Shi Tian.
Before he knew it, he was back in his bedroom in Okhema.
Crack-!
Shatter-!
His transformation to Kadoya Tsukasa was also undone. He returned back to his childish form.
Without any surprises, the Coreflame slipped past his palm. As long as one person who can see him is present, he effectively turns into a real ghost. That was the side effect of his Divine Mind travelling into this world alone. That, and Remembrance's interference that brought him here.
He could not help but think of Mem, someone whose existence is the exact same as his—a Memetic Entity.
'Cyrene is set to die in every cycle, but what if I change that..?'