"Perfect. Just what I wanted," Steve said with excitement gleaming in his eyes.
Without hesitation, he charged straight at Gris!
But the next moment…
Steve was instantly defeated!
The entire audience across the three realms was stunned. Everyone had believed that with the power of the Squeeze Driver, Steve had already become incredibly strong. But to their surprise, he was still overpowered by the Knight of Beidu—who used the very same driver.
On the screen, Misora rushed over, visibly worried.
"Steve! Are you okay?!"
Gris's eyes fell on Misora—and for a brief moment, he was frozen in place. Something about her seemed… familiar.
Right then, Akabane ran over and called out, "Boss! End him quickly!"
But Gris only replied lightly, "Go back."
Qingyu looked confused. "Wait… what about the energy bottle?"
Gris answered casually, "This is your battle. I shouldn't have interfered in the first place."
"I don't like winning spoils through interference."
"What kind of reasoning is that? You're so unpredictable!" Huang Yu muttered in disbelief.
And then, Gris did something that surprised everyone.
He canceled his transformation.
Battle Rabbit looked just as puzzled. "That driver… where did you get it?"
Gris smirked slightly. "It was given to me by a very sunny, kind-hearted uncle."
He turned and started walking away.
"I'll be back for the energy bottle. Just wait."
As he walked off, he murmured to himself, "That woman… where have I seen her before?"
His gaze drifted back to Misora for a moment before vanishing.
---
In the super chat group, discussion exploded.
Funina: "I didn't expect the new Knight to be this powerful!"
Kiana: "Seriously! They're using the same driver, but Steve didn't stand a chance!"
March Seven: "Yeah… this is bad. How are we supposed to defeat someone like him?"
---
The scene shifted.
Battle Rabbit stared at a monitor, his face darkening.
"The research data… it's been copied!"
This powerful system had originally been developed by Katsuragi Takumi. Logically speaking, the Northern Capital shouldn't have had access to it.
But they did.
There could only be one explanation—someone had stolen the data.
Misora's eyes widened as she recalled something. "It must've been back then…"
"I'm sorry. I didn't notice it!"
Battle Rabbit's voice was quiet but heavy. "I didn't take any precautions…"
The viewers across the realms realized the truth as well.
"It must have been Soichi!" someone said.
"Yes! He saw Battle Rabbit's computer and inserted a USB drive!"
"It was definitely him!"
Moments later, Battle Rabbit's phone rang.
He answered coldly, "What do you want?"
Soichi's calm voice responded, "Hey now, don't be so cold. I was just thinking about you when you called."
His tone turned cheeky. "Ah, you're talking about the Squeeze Driver, aren't you? Sorry, I took the data."
On the other side of the door, Misora and Steve were eavesdropping.
Battle Rabbit replied calmly, "Even with the data, you can't build a driver without extremely advanced tech. Who made it?"
Soichi didn't bother to hide the truth. "Nanba Heavy Industries. Seems like Steve got the Squeeze Driver from them."
Battle Rabbit's voice lowered. "I won't let him use it again."
"Yes, the Squeeze Driver allows full utilization of the energy bottles. But the side effects… they're dangerous."
"The more you transform, the more you're exposed to Nebula Gas."
"It's like being irradiated by the Pandora Box."
"The user gets addicted to the thrill of battle."
"Eventually, they lose themselves."
Outside the door, Steve's expression changed as he listened. So that's why Battle Rabbit didn't want him using the driver anymore…
He wasn't being controlling.
He was protecting him.
That realization touched Steve deeply.
Inside the room, Soichi added slyly, "But if you don't let Steve use the Squeeze Driver, he'll never beat the warriors from the North."
Battle Rabbit clenched his fists. "Then I'll use it myself."
"No matter what happens… I'll protect them."
Soichi gave a casual laugh. "Are you joining the fight against the North now?"
Then, in his typical laid-back manner, Soichi lay back on a bed.
"Relax," he said. "I didn't tell the North where you're hiding. That would ruin the fun of the game."
The audience across the three realms watched, astounded.
This guy was truly unpredictable.
He was now working with the Northern Capital—but what was his true plan?
On screen, Battle Rabbit asked the critical question: "What is your purpose?"
Soichi's actions had been too erratic. He must be hiding something.
But Soichi only smirked. "Don't make me repeat myself."
"This is all for your growth."
"I'm looking forward to the show. Bye."
---
Later, Battle Rabbit stood at the war table, facing the looming threat to the Eastern Capital. The decision was clear—he had to join the battle to protect his homeland.
He stood beside Huande, both watching the TV broadcast.
On-screen, Gris stood in front of a camera, calm and composed.
"Ladies, doctors. I am Gris, Kamen Rider of the Northern Capital."
Next to him, Huang Yu smiled at a trembling staff member. "Do a good job with the live broadcast."
The staff member was sweating nervously, clearly terrified.
Qingyu stood nearby, holding a blade to someone's throat to make sure everything ran smoothly.
Gris continued, his voice steady.
"This is the beginning of war."
"Because of the Sky Wall, tanks and warships can't pass."
"So we Riders have become the strongest weapons."
Then, Gris transformed into Kamen Rider Gris.
Addressing the national audience, he declared:
"Our goal is simple—Pandora's Box, currently held by the Toudou government."
"And the energy bottles in possession of Kamen Rider Soki."
"Once we have them, we'll leave immediately."
"But if you refuse…"
"We will take them by force."
All across the Eastern Capital, panic spread like wildfire.
Ordinary citizens, watching the broadcast, began to fear for their lives.
They weren't fighters. They had no way to protect themselves.
Yet the government could not surrender the Pandora Box.
And Battle Rabbit could not give up the energy bottles.
War was inevitable.
And this was only the beginning.