Rahu played dead, and the Jishu clan leader—so red in the face he was practically going green around the gills—had no choice but to retreat to the rear.
With Rahu out of the picture, provoking those newcomers was simply asking for trouble.
Even so, he couldn't help wondering how things had ended up like this.
Rahu had rampaged across galaxies for over a thousand years. Even if it ran into an Antimatter Legion fleet led by a Lord Ravager, it would still charge in and take a couple of bites.
Yet today, against this reinforcement force from the Abundance Coalition… it had actually backed down.
That was the kind of thing that should only happen in a dream—except it was happening right in front of him, vivid and real.
The Jishu clan leader's gaze sharpened, dangerous.
"Without Rahu, let's see how you plan to deal with The Xianzhou Yuque!"
The Xianzhou Yuque possessed the Deca-Light Reflection Barrier Matrix and the Cloudpeer Telescope—devices so formidable that even the Luofu's Matrix of Prescience Ultima had to concede defeat.
With those two devices, every move the Abundance Coalition made would be grasped—tracked, predicted, and countered.
That was exactly why they'd needed to send Rahu here: to overwhelm the Yuque.
But now that Rahu had curled up and withdrawn, he very much wanted to see how these people intended to handle it.
Right now, the Yuque was probably already calculating how to wipe out every last one of them.
The thought put a smile on his face.
Don't disappoint me, Xianzhou filth.
And the situation truly did unfold just as he'd imagined.
No one knew why Rahu had stopped devouring, but The Xianzhou Yuque forced itself out of its panic and stabilized the situation.
Once it did, the dense, packed red points on the surrounding displays still left everyone shaken.
They filled nearly the entire star region around them.
The Xianzhou Yuque had become trapped in a jar. No matter which way they ran, there was nowhere to escape.
"With this many Abundance Coalition forces surrounding us… what do we even—"
Some Xianzhou folk stared at the detection readouts and slid into despair without even realizing it.
Against an enemy that outnumbered them by the hundreds, even if the Cloud Knights could fight ten to one, they would still be swallowed whole by an endless ocean of abominations.
There was simply no solution.
Their eyes drifted, almost unconsciously, to the figure seated above them.
The one currently holding the Xianzhou Yuque together—the one they called "The Seer Strategist": Yao Guang.
She was a mature woman, her features sharp and intelligent.
Yao Guang watched the Abundance Coalition that had completely surrounded the Xianzhou Yuque, her expression calm.
It seemed that even if this was the end, she wouldn't show the slightest hint of despair.
That composure alone made it clear how deep her mind ran.
Her divination, paired with the Xianzhou Yuque's devices, could almost reach the effect of foretelling the future. And the reason she still looked so composed was simple:
Morale could not be allowed to break.
She understood that in a moment like this, panic would only make everything worse.
But even so, she had no way to change the board.
Because no matter how she cast the lot, the reading she received was always the same.
Death.
Every path pointed to complete annihilation.
It seemed the Xianzhou Yuque—revered as the Xianzhou's eyes—was about to be crushed and vanish into the sea of stars.
The countless lives aboard the Xianzhou Yuque would all die.
That knowledge weighed on her heart like iron shackles.
"Yao Guang…"
Standing beside her was the Yuque's High Elder, Mons Grandis—her old friend of centuries.
Having known her for so long, he could read her mood from the smallest tells.
There was little he could do, so he simply raised a hand and patted her shoulder.
"Death… but it's showing an unaccounted variable," Yao Guang murmured. "What could it be…"
Her eyes returned to the Abundance Coalition as she searched for any possible sign.
But no matter how she tried, she couldn't find anything.
She activated the Xianzhou Yuque's devices again, binding them to her divination—trying to sift the endless data for one clue that could save them from their fate.
The devices' lights flickered. Countless algorithms spun at terrifying speed.
The result was still bleak.
"If there truly is no way," Mons Grandis said quietly, "then we'll use the Yuque's engines as our final gift. Make sure these abominations pay for it."
A last resort—mutual destruction.
If it kept the people of the Xianzhou Yuque from being taken and violated, that would be enough.
"If you've got time to think about that," Yao Guang said, glancing at him wearily, "then help me—what's the unaccounted variable?"
She wanted to understand what single variable could change their fates.
Neither the Yuque's supercomputer nor her divination could trace the origin of that road.
Was there something she was forgetting?
Yao Guang thought for a long time, until a possibility surfaced… one that felt almost impossible in the current situation.
The power of the HUNT that had always accompanied her within.
She'd excluded it first, because she'd already seen the situation on the other ships.
Everyone was barely holding on. Who could spare a hand to help?
So, to speed up the processing, she'd cut that variable out.
But now, with death everywhere she looked, she had no choice but to add it back in. And this time—when she infused the HUNT's power into her divination—she felt something.
"This feeling…"
A HUNT resonance, faint enough to nearly slip past her senses, emerged from the direction where the abominations were thickest.
Whoever it was seemed to carry something that concealed their identity, making her readings waver and drift.
Only when that person drew close to the ship could she barely sense it: flickering embers of the HUNT.
Death could be avoided by that person's hands.
But how was she supposed to contact them—
"General! We've received an encrypted comm request—Xianzhou-coded. They're asking to patch through!"
The operator's sudden report snapped Yao Guang's attention into place.
Request?
"Which ship?"
"The Luofu."
The Luofu?
Yao Guang frowned, thinking of the countless Abundance Coalition forces swarming around the Luofu's region.
They were far from the Yuque. There was no way they could cut through the interference and reach her at this moment.
Which meant…
It was that hidden figure inside the Abundance Coalition.
Yao Guang understood at once: this was the sliver of life within the dead road.
"Put them through."
She wanted to see who, exactly, had brought this hope.
The large screen filled with static, then quickly cleared.
"Yo. How've things been on the Yuque lately?"
The man on-screen grinned like he owned the universe.
...
After finishing his exchange with the Xianzhou Yuque, Sora stepped out of the compartment again.
The moment he emerged, a Bai Ze that had been standing guard hurried to follow behind him.
Sora was liking these little guys more and more—especially this one. Its talent was simply too useful.
In territory ruled by an Abundance Coalition of this scale, maintaining contact with the Yuque should have been suicidal.
Yet with the Bai Ze's help, he'd found a safe pocket of space and successfully struck a deal.
Who would've thought the Bai Ze were one of the races forcibly dragged into this war?
And they weren't the only ones.
Not every Denizen of the Abundance was warlike. But the weak could only be forced to fight in a war that never belonged to them.
Sora had already seen many small races being coerced into the campaign. And the abominations doing the coercing acted as if it were perfectly justified.
"They're weak. We're strong. Isn't that normal?"
"Yeah. The strong ruling the weak is the universe's iron law."
"Aren't you the same, Crimson Blood Dragon? That's how you got to sit in the commander's seat, isn't it?"
Because Sora was strong, he could suppress a crowd of abominations and force them to put him in the commander's position.
From another angle… it really did prove that strength was the foundation of everything.
But Sora felt that foundation was rotten.
Which was why—during his earlier conversation with the Yuque—he'd settled something.
"I remember your name's Meng Fan, right?"
Sora stopped and called to the Bai Ze behind him.
"Yes… I didn't think Lord Crimson Blood Dragon would remember my name."
Meng Fan scratched his head, embarrassed.
"You said earlier some of the small clans don't want to fight, yeah?"
Meng Fan nodded. Those weak clans, of course, didn't want any part of this.
But their homes had been taken, their kin threatened. They had no choice.
The Bai Ze had met Sora and managed to breathe a little… but other races weren't so lucky.
They were still being driven like slaves.
The Bai Ze had even been talking to them in secret.
Now Sora told Meng Fan to pass along one message:
"Tomorrow we launch the all-out assault on the Yuque. When that happens, they'll be shoved to the front as cannon fodder."
"If they don't want to die, then do exactly what I say…"
At first, Meng Fan just stared, blank.
Then delight burst across its face.
"Lord Crimson—!"
"And from now on, just call me Sora."
For an instant, stars seemed to sparkle in Meng Fan's eyes.
Sora telling it this meant he truly trusted it.
"Lord Sora!"
With a cheer, Meng Fan leapt forward and hugged him.
"Hey—hey! Don't yank my pants!"
...
After the cheering, Meng Fan slapped its chest and swore a pledge like a military order, then scampered off to carry out the task.
To cover for it, Sora gathered everyone together to "discuss tactics."
The abominations' eyes no longer held fear. Instead, they glittered with yearning.
Of course, there were some with ill intent too—ones who wanted to claw back the respect they'd lost.
Sora took it all in, and still began the meeting on how to attack the Yuque.
"What's there to discuss? We've got so many people we could drown the Yuque in spit."
That line sent the crowd into delighted laughter.
It was exactly their mood.
Their Abundance forces had assembled manpower dozens of times greater than the Cloud Knights on the Yuque.
Even if everyone aboard could fight ten at once, there were still numbers beyond anything they could account for.
When the time came, the Yuque would fall easily.
"Then we can think about what valuable stuff the Yuque has."
"Not a bad idea. I heard Foxians fetch a good price on the black markets."
"Grab more of them. The more, the better."
"If you don't want certain ones, toss them our way—there are plenty of species out there with… unusual tastes."
One after another, they happily discussed the spoils they'd divide once the Yuque fell.
The atmosphere was giddy—and it only made Sora feel heavier.
He watched until Bai Ze sent word that everything was done.
With the cover complete, Sora dismissed them all.
Only then did he get a moment alone—one pocket of quiet.
He closed his eyes, and all he saw were their faces from earlier.
Scum. I should've let them die where they stood.
Sora's draconic fangs flashed coldly in the light.
They disgusted him. They deserved to die.
But he was out of time…
"Hey. Later, make sure you teach those bastards a proper lesson. Got it?"
As soon as Sora spoke, the red dragon scales and horns on his body receded like a tide, vanishing in an instant.
What remained was only Hoshigaki Sora himself.
He leaned back in the chair and stared at the ceiling, his gaze steady and still.
"Yeah. Don't worry."
At that moment, the system's prompt sounded.
[Retrieving…]
A badge representing Kamen Rider Vail flew out of his body.
In the instant before it vanished, the badge flashed once—like it was acknowledging Sora's request.
Another prompt followed.
[Giff Factor (Temporary) has ended.]
[The demon within the host can no longer manifest physically.]
Chuunibyo Sora disappeared completely as the time ran out.
That demon had only been able to exist here as a lifeform because of Vail's power.
Now that Genta Igarashi's power had faded, the one who called himself the Crimson Blood Dragon couldn't speak anymore, either.
But Sora knew it was still inside him.
Just because it couldn't manifest didn't mean it had vanished.
Thinking that, Sora's mouth curved into a faint smile.
Next came the part where the two of them became one—and fought together.
[Retrieval Complete.]
[Please begin your next Kamen Rider Draw.]
One Rider badge after another filled Sora's vision.
"Draw."
Sora gave the command.
[As you wish, Host.]
The process was familiar—too familiar.
He'd watched it happen more times than he could count.
But every time, Sora still offered the same sincerity to the senpais lending him their strength.
"Please… I'm counting on you, senpai."
As soon as he spoke, a badge sank into his body.
When Sora opened his eyes again, the entire world around him had changed.
He'd been inside the beastship.
Its "sanitation" was nonexistent; the air always reeked of blood.
But here—he could smell dirt, and the clean fragrance of grass and trees.
Like someone who ate nothing but rich meat every day, suddenly biting into greens and feeling that crisp freshness spreading through the mouth.
The sensation snapped Sora fully awake—and he saw a figure in the distance, back turned to him.
A white cloak fluttered in the wind. Bright golden hair gave the silhouette a kind of holiness.
The figure seemed to sense Sora's arrival and turned around.
"I've been watching you this whole time. Maybe it's my turn to step in and help."
One red eye, one black—marks of the Man of the Beginning.
His name followed naturally.
Kouta Kazuraba—the one who transformed into Kamen Rider Gaim.
He'd once been a member of the street-dance team "Team Gaim," only to be swept into the fusion between Helheim and Earth.
In the end, he stopped that fusion and saved the world.
And Helheim, in turn, transformed a dead star at the edge of the universe into a paradise-like planet—beautiful as a fairyland, overflowing with living vitality.
He was one of the rare few who truly carried the title of "god."
Telekinesis, regeneration, spatial destruction, high-speed movement—he could do it all.
And in later side stories, he could even be far away at the edge of the universe and still possess someone directly, handing over the Director's Kachidoki Lockseed to finish the job.
He wasn't someone who reached the realm of gods through some kind of "talent."
He was more like Titania: a man who genuinely deserved the name.
Sora hadn't expected it would be him.
Kouta coughed twice, looking a little awkward.
"Ahem. Is anyone else here? If it's just us, you don't need to be so stiff. Just call me Kouta."
In one sentence, the aloof divinity shattered completely.
He suddenly looked… kind of silly.
Then he walked up to Sora. "I already know what's going on over there. I'll do my best to help."
Even now, he hadn't changed at all.
Still eager to help. Still earnest with people—almost naively so.
"But before that, there's one question I want to ask you…"
Their eyes met.
Wisdom glimmered in those red irises, and Kouta seemed to see what was taking shape inside Sora.
"What do you think of strength?"
Once, he'd fought a close friend over that very question.
Now—after seeing what he'd seen—what perspective would Sora have?
Kouta waited, quiet and expectant.
The moment Sora heard the word, countless thoughts surged up at once.
Kouta saw them all.
In the end, they converged into a single sentence:
"If I pick up the sword, I can't hold you. If I put it down, I can't protect you."
Strength had two faces. It could make life better—and it could also drive the weak into an abyss.
If everyone chased strength just to enslave others, wouldn't the whole universe turn into a marathon run while coughing blood?
Chasing strength wasn't wrong, but…
"The world shouldn't be made of nothing but strength."
There should be other things, too. The world's beauty wasn't limited to that alone.
Kouta smiled.
"Seriously… what a fool."
Maybe he meant Sora.
Maybe he meant himself.
Who could untangle all of that? Who could even find the right sigh for it?
In any case, everything in front of Sora dissolved into bubbles and vanished.
All that remained in his hand was a golden fruit.
[Congratulations, Host: Kamen Rider Gaim acquired.]
[Special Item]:
[Golden Apple (Temporary).]
[Once consumed, the host will temporarily obtain the abilities of the Man of the Beginning.]
(Some powers, if used too much, can make you no longer human. I can't guarantee you can bear it all. Someone is still waiting for you. So let certain things be borne by me—the one who was a god to begin with.)
Well, damn.
This was the first time Sora had seen a "Note" like this.
Usually it was just the system's plain description—Kouta was the first to tack something on.
And somehow, it also felt like he was showing off.
With him, that was hard to doubt.
After all—he was a god who would henshin to go to work.
Sora chuckled, and his expression slowly settled into calm.
With that, everything was ready.
What he needed to do now was simple.
Let the horn of counterattack sound.
Sora bit into the golden fruit.
...
After regrouping, the entire Abundance Coalition gathered and began pressing toward the Yuque.
Yet many Abundance clan leaders quickly noticed something off inside the formation.
Those weaker races seemed to be "handling something," and the advance line was unusually slow.
Seeing that, the leaders couldn't even be bothered to ask why.
"Either you die here, or you go up front and take point!"
Using those weaklings to probe the Yuque's strength was perfect.
The ones dying wouldn't be their kin, after all. Why would they show mercy?
If the small clans won, they gained nothing.
If they lost, they were humiliated and abused.
That was their fate.
After hearing those words, the small clans seemed to make up their minds and started pushing forward.
"That's more like it. If you don't go die, you expect us to?"
The Abundance leaders nodded in satisfaction.
See? Just be obedient. Why make so much trouble?
With that "problem" settled, they gathered again.
This time, they were discussing how to divide the coming achievements.
The Yuque was fish in their palm—there was no way it could escape.
If they waited until everything ended to split merit, it would be too late.
The biggest share would be taken by Sora, and they had no way to plot around that.
So they could only fight over whatever scraps he didn't want.
As they argued, a figure stepped in, drawing every gaze.
"What're you staring at? The power of ABUNDANCE just went a little out of control, that's all."
Sora was covered head to toe in branches, looking exactly like an ABUNDANCE backlash.
Only his voice and height made them sure it was the Crimson Blood Dragon.
Once Sora arrived, they quickly fell in line.
"We're just waiting for your command! One word, and we'll take the Yuque!"
Their eyes glittered with excitement—the look that only appears when merit is within reach.
They were desperate to earn credit.
"Then… begin the war—!"
At Sora's order, every Abundance force surrounding the Yuque began closing in.
Yet the Yuque at the center didn't fire back.
It sat there as if its energy had run dry—no movement at all.
"What's going on? Are they trying to lure us in?!"
Many leaders felt a flicker of unease.
Sora, meanwhile, rested his head against one hand and calmly waited for the curtain to rise.
When the Abundance Coalition entered a certain range, the Yuque finally moved.
"What are you people?!"
The question left them momentarily stunned.
You're being attacked at your doorstep, and you're asking who we are?
Was this a joke?!
"Don't answer! Let them learn who we are in blood!"
A leader immediately ordered a forced assault.
But at that moment, the forward small clans stopped advancing.
What were they doing now?
"""SINCE YOU'VE ASKED SO SINCERELY!"""
"""WE'LL TELL YOU VERY CLEARLY!"""
"""TO PROTECT THE WORLD FROM DEVASTATION!"""
"""TO UNITE ALL PEOPLES WITHIN OUR NATION!"""
Every attacking Abundance clan froze in place.
…What were these weaklings doing?
But no matter how they shouted at them, it didn't matter—the clans kept chanting.
"""TO CARRY OUT THE WILL OF OUR LORD CRIMSON!!!"""
"""TO EXTEND THE REACH OF HIS WISDOM!"""
"""BAI ZE"""
"""ZE"""
"""WE ARE SAVIORS WHO TRAVERSE THE GALAXY!"""
"""EVERYONE, JUST WAIT AND SEE!"
"""AWOO!"""
"""THAT'S RIGHT!"""
When it ended, the battlefield fell into a dead hush.
No one had expected anything like this.
Some even burst out laughing.
And then, ships at the front suddenly received a notification.
[Warning. Warning. Targeted!]
"What?!"
Before the shock could fade, beams of laser fire swept in from the flank.
And the ones firing were the small clans they'd just laughed at—together with the Yuque.
They'd joined forces.
The Abundance leaders surged forward in disbelief, only to find every single ship they'd sent to supervise and command had been shot down.
They blossomed into fireworks in the void, briefly lighting the darkness.
"Impossible—how are they distinguishing friend from foe?!"
"Don't tell me…?!"
They exchanged looks and understood at once what that painfully awkward speech had been for.
It was an identification signal.
"Damn it—who did this?!"
Rage flared in their chests, but the front line had already plunged into chaos.
The Yuque seized the opportunity, launching countless starskiffs and fighting alongside the small clans to wipe them out.
This was exactly what Sora and the Yuque had discussed earlier:
He would have the wavering weak races help at this moment and the Xianzhou Alliance would not pursue responsibility afterward.
After a moment of thought, Yao Guang chose to believe.
What she trusted was the HUNT aura radiating from Sora.
And the result didn't disappoint her.
The battlefield collapsed into chaos in an instant. The Abundance Coalition panicked, shouting orders as they threw their clans into battle.
And only then did they notice something else—
There was one person who still hadn't moved.
"Lord Crimson Blood Dragon, what are you doing?!"
"Lord Crimson Blood Dragon, come purge the traitors!"
Sora didn't move.
He simply kept stroking the Bai Ze on his thigh with one hand, slow and easy.
He was so calm it felt like he'd known this from the start.
Their pupils tightened. A terrible premonition crawled up their spines.
"Don't tell me… Lord Crimson Blood Dragon, you betrayed us too?!"
"How is this 'betrayal'?" Sora said lightly. "I was never one of you in the first place."
He stood and signaled the Bai Ze to find somewhere safe.
The Abundance leaders lunged at him, faces twisted, intent on tearing him to pieces.
You tricked us, you bastard. You deserve to die!
As they came, the branches fell away from Sora's body, revealing his true face.
In each hand he held an item.
"For the hope I believe in—for the ending I want!!"
'[SENGOKU DRIVER]!'
WOOOOO—
Chains snapped open, and fruit-like armor surged out, slamming into them head-on.
The leaders were sent sprawling, knocked flat.
"This power—could it be the ABUNDANCE?!"
"No! This isn't the ABUNDANCE!"
"Then what the hell is it?!"
"Lock Open! Kiwami Arms! Dai-(Dai-)Dai-(Dai-)Dai-Shogun!"
'[LOCK OPEN]!'
'[KIWAMI ARMS]!'
'[DAI-(DAI)]'
'[DAI-(DAI)]'
'[DAI-SHOGUN!]'
A shogun?!
The surrounding Abundance leaders stared at Sora in shock.
This infiltrator who'd wormed his way into their ranks...
Was a Xianzhou General!?
Then why had none of them ever seen him before?!
---
T/N: sorry for only 1 chapter :/ im just not in the right headspace right now, but enjoy! dont worry about webnovel catching up, i won't let it ever catch up to patreon hehe
oops who wrote that, couldnt be meeeee
anyway whats this? oops drops a chapter
bonus chaps
200 stones -> 1 chapter
400 stones -> 2 chapters
600 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
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