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"Star Crest Knight?"
Zhu Yuan breathed the name, her eyes wide as she watched the unknown entity stabilize. She didn't typically have time for special effects shows; her only knowledge of the franchise came from recent research into the "Rider" sightings. She had initially dismissed the rumors as a fan in a high-end cosplay suit, but witnessing a human being dissolve into hexagonal light to become something that science couldn't explain... it defied her every professional instinct.
This was exactly why Kenji had made sure to let her see his "Mosaic Warrior" form before transforming. If he had emerged from the shadows already armored, she might have labeled him a high-threat Ethereal and opened fire. By letting her see the human—even a distorted one—behind the mask, he secured his status as a non-hostile unit.
Kenji leaped from the rooftop. The Driver's internal stabilizers absorbed the impact, allowing him to land with a heavy, metallic thud. He didn't hesitate, stepping calmly toward the Durahan.
Awooo!
The Durahan lacked a human soul, but its instincts were screaming. It recognized that the crimson entity before it was a predator far beyond its pay grade. It let out a desperate, screeching roar, commanding every minor Ethereal in the vicinity to abandon the STF and swarm the newcomer.
Kenji didn't even look at them. He kept his compound eyes locked on the Durahan. Within seconds, a lizard-like beast lunged, its maw opening wide to reveal a digestive tract lined with Ether-crystals. It clamped its jaws onto Kenji's helmet. Metal sparked against teeth, but the Rider didn't flinch.
More Ethereals piled on, burying him under a mountain of obsidian limbs and gnashing teeth. The "mountain" didn't stop. It continued to move across the pavement with slow, unstoppable momentum. No matter how many hundreds of kilograms of monster-flesh pressed down on him, Kenji simply kept walking.
"Is that... actually a person?" Qingyi muttered, standing beside Zhu Yuan. She was dumbfounded. She had heard rumors of the legendary seven 'Void Hunters' and their reality-bending feats, but this was the first time she had seen such raw, overwhelming power in the flesh.
"I hope so," Zhu Yuan replied, her grip tightening on her weapon. If she had been trapped under that pile, she would have been crushed in seconds.
"Cast Off."
Kenji flicked the horn of the Kabuto Zecter to the right.
The heavy Masked Form armor began to hiss, internal pressure building to a violent peak. The chest, shoulder, and arm plates cracked open, glowing with a dangerous white heat.
Boom!
A massive pressure wave erupted from Kenji, the ejection of heavy plating acting like shrapnel. The Ethereals pressing down on him were vaporized or sent flying like ragdolls. Some were shattered instantly by the flying armor plates, their forms dissolving into raw Ether. As the debris cleared, the Rider's true, more agile form was revealed.
[CHANGE BEETLE.]
The belt's mechanical voice echoed through the ruins. This Rider Form was sleek, dominated by high-gloss crimson armor and a central blue faceplate now split by a magnificent red horn. He looked less like a soldier and more like a force of nature.
Kenji didn't wait. His steps quickened into a sprint, and in the blink of an eye, he was in the Durahan's face, throwing a devastating right straight.
The Durahan reacted with its elite instincts, raising its rhomboid shield while bringing its cleaver down in a counter-stroke. It made one fatal mistake: it assumed the strength dynamic from their previous encounter still held.
CRACK.
Kenji's fist slammed into the crystal shield. A punching force of several tons surged through the monster. The Durahan didn't just stumble; it was launched. It became a black-and-silver afterimage, skipping across the pavement before slamming into a three-story building with enough force to bring the entire structure down in a roar of dust and brick.
Kenji retracted his fist, flexing his fingers. He was surprised himself. The "trash" mobs were one thing, but he'd expected an elite unit to put up more of a fight. Instead, a digital overlay in his vision flashed a bright red notification: [KILL RANGE REACHED].
It was an auxiliary combat function of the Kabuto System—a legacy of its design to track high-speed "Worms." It analyzed the target's structural integrity and Ether-density, letting the user know exactly when to finish the job.
Kenji turned his back on the rubble and started walking toward Zhu Yuan and Qingyi. The two officers stood frozen, watching him with an expression that bordered on awe.
"Watch out!" Zhu Yuan screamed.
The Durahan erupted from the wreckage behind him. Its shield was shattered, its crystalline body cracked and leaking Ether, but it was driven by a mindless, suicidal rage. It lunged at Kenji's exposed back.
Kenji didn't even turn around. His hand moved to the Zecter on his waist, rhythmically tapping the buttons on its back.
"ONE... TWO... THREE."
The cold electronic voice counted down. Kenji clicked the Zecter's horn back into its original position. A surge of tachyon energy pulsed from the belt, crackling down his right leg in arcs of blue-white electricity. The air around his foot began to hum with a terrifying frequency.
"Rider Kick."
Kenji whispered the name of the finisher. Just as the Durahan's blade was inches from his neck, Kenji performed a lightning-fast pivot. He swung his right leg in a high, whipping arc, his heel connecting squarely with the monster's chest.
The impact didn't just push the monster back; it felt like the world itself had shuddered.
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