"Elder! Elder! Wake up! Woo..." A voice cracks through the forest, laced with desperation.
"The elder's dead! Fang Xin, hurry! We can't hold out much longer!" another cries.
"That's right, we gotta keep you alive, no matter what! You're the Fang family's hope."
Their mission started smoothly enough: help Fang Xin find a soul ring. Everything went off without a hitch. But then, after Fang Xin successfully absorbed it, a nightmare erupted—a soul beast ambush out of nowhere.
The attacker: a millennia-old steel-toothed ape-bat. A humanoid soul beast, seven feet tall, with metal-hard skin and steel teeth it can launch like projectiles, instantly regrowing new ones. Its humanoid frame allows for agility rivalling any human.
Most terrifying is its sonic attack. Its roar isn't just ear-splitting; it unleashes a devastating shockwave. It can even control the sound wave's frequency, causing its target's internal organs to rupture from resonance, exploding them from the inside.
But this ape-bat is different. A gaping gash mars its throat, blood gushing freely. Though it still roars, the sound lacks its former terrifying power. Even so, its sudden appearance instantly killed their leader with a single sneak attack.
Judging by the elder's strength, the ape-bat is at least 4,000 years old. A 4,000-year soul beast might not faze stronger teams, but for the Fang family, it presents a deadly threat.
The Fang family isn't exactly renowned. Their sect? An auxiliary one, lacking the strength for combat training. Even spirit rings they absorb grant only auxiliary soul skills.
Insufficient auxiliary strength and a lack of attack skills hinder the Fang family's development. They can't progress on their own, nor can they attract support from other families. They're just a small, weak family. That's why they're so helpless against even a thousand-year soul beast.
But Fang Xin's birth brought a turning point. Her martial soul underwent a positive mutation, becoming a top-grade martial soul. Initially, fused with only a 300-year soul ring from an ordinary soul beast, the soul skill effect displayed surpassed that of a typical 300-year soul ring. Everyone was stunned. So, when Fang Xin prepared to fuse her second spirit ring, the elder personally led the team, determined to secure a high-quality spirit ring for her.
They succeeded. But the steel-toothed ape-bat's appearance brought despair. Though the elder fell, the remaining clansmen desperately try to protect Fang Xin, willing to sacrifice themselves to prevent her from harm.
Watching her clansmen fall under the soul beast's relentless assault, Fang Xin steels herself, pushing aside her grief. "No! I'll fight with you! Orb Dragon Mirror!"
A dark golden mirror materializes in Fang Xin's hand. A Hualong, a dragon-like creature, is engraved on the back, surrounded by two shining orbs. One of them just appeared after she absorbed the spirit ring. Her martial soul, the Orb Dragon Mirror, gains an orb with each new spirit ring.
"First soul skill: Dragon Guard!"
The defensive cover erected by the clansmen is about to shatter under the steel-toothed ape-bat's attacks. Suddenly, an illusory dragon erupts from Fang Xin's Orb Dragon Mirror, circling the group. The crumbling shield abruptly strengthens, becoming a bell of protection against the ape-bat's onslaught.
The ape-bat's attacks create metallic screeches. While it's a defensive soul skill, the fact that a hundred-year-old soul skill could produce such an effect is shocking. But it won't withstand the ape-bat's attacks for long.
"Pfft..." Fang Xin coughs up blood as the steel-toothed ape-bat punches the dragon shield. Her soul power can't sustain the soul skill's drain. She nearly collapses, but frantic clansmen steady her.
"N-no...it's okay. I still have the second soul ability I just got..."
"That's enough, Fang Xin! Your soul power can't handle it. Listen to me. As soon as you drop your soul skill, run. We'll hold it off; you'll escape, guaranteed."
"I..."
"ROAR!"
Before she can argue, the ape-bat throws another haymaker, and cracks spiderweb across the dragon shield. Seeing it's about to shatter with the next blow, the clansmen shove Fang Xin back. With a sound like shattering glass, the dragon shield disintegrates. The steel-toothed ape-bat lunges, pulping the person who blocked its path.
Amidst Fang Xin's mournful cry, she's thrown away by her tribe.
"Run! Ugh!"
"No!"
Witnessing her clansmen die beneath the steel-toothed ape-bat's claws, Fang Xin knows she has no choice. She must run. But she's just broken through to become a Spirit Master, and her soul power is almost depleted. How can she escape the ape-bat?
A roar from behind, then a searing pain in her legs. She crashes to the ground, her face paling as she sees two steel teeth have pierced her calves. The ape-bat hurtles towards her.
All her companions wiped out, seriously wounded...Fang Xin's hope flickers and dies. Despairing, she abandons the struggle, ready for death. But a sudden roar grabs her attention, stopping the steel-toothed ape-bat mid-stride.
A ball of light plummets from the sky, slamming into the ape-bat's chest. Sparks erupt on impact, and the ape-bat flies backwards.
Kamen Rider Meteor's figure emerges, accompanied by an adrenaline-pumping soundtrack, his body glowing with starlight. He turns towards Fang Xin, noticing the steel teeth piercing her legs.
"Good, no major blood vessels damaged. But there's poison in those teeth. Don't move; it'll only spread the poison faster."
"Eh? Y-you are...?"
As Fang Xin stares in astonishment, Yin Xiaoya focuses on the steel-toothed ape-bat, which has regained its feet and is preparing to attack.
"Kamen Rider Meteor. As long as I'm here, you won't die. So don't give up."
He strides toward the ape-bat, noticing the lifeless corpses scattered around, a wave of emotion washes over him.
Damn it, too late again. "I won't let you take another life. Her fate is mine to decide."
"ROAR!"
The steel-toothed ape-bat closes the distance in a blink, throwing a blood-soaked right fist.
"Here it comes!"
Yin Xiaoya simultaneously blocks the incoming fist and strikes. Using the knuckles of his other hand, he hits the ape-bat's wounded throat. With a pained cry, the ape-bat clutches its bloody throat, staggering backwards, unable to roar.
Enraged, it opens its maw, spitting several steel teeth. Yin Xiaoya retreats, drawing the Musou Saber he recently exchanged. He deflects the incoming teeth one by one. Stopping, he pulls the bullet-filling buckle behind the hilt, then pulls the trigger. Of the five luminous energy bullets, two strike the incoming teeth, but the remaining three hit the ape-bat's open mouth.
The explosions obliterate the teeth in its mouth, burning the surrounding flesh. This hinders the regeneration of its steel teeth. Seizing the chance, Yin Xiaoya dashes forward, swinging the Musou Saber horizontally—but meets only air.
The ape-bat has taken to the sky, fleshy wings spreading from beneath its arms, transforming it into a monstrous bat. Though it can't produce its deadly sonic attack, it still possesses other skills.
Soul power gathers, and beams of energy erupt from its eyes. Yin Xiaoya reloads, trying to shoot them down, but the beams' destructive power is too great. Realizing this, Yin Xiaoya dodges the beams, small explosions erupting where they strike, leaving flames.
After dodging several attacks, Yin Xiaoya puts the Musou Saber away, jumping to kick the ape-bat. But the ape-bat is more agile in the air, dodging the kick. It fires several beams from its eyes, striking Yin Xiaoya's chest and blasting him back into the ground, creating a deep crater.
Seeing Yin Xiaoya fall, Fang Xin cries out. But before she can worry, a voice she doesn't understand echoes from the pit.
[Jupiter]
[OK! Jupiter]
The steel-toothed ape-bat, which had just dived into the pit, is blasted out with a deafening crack, its left arm and wing destroyed.
Yin Xiaoya emerges from the crater. Fang Xin stares in disbelief at the blue-yellow sphere half the size of his body where his right hand should be. It's one of Kamen Rider Meteor's skills, the Jupiter Hammer, capable of explosive bombardment.
The steel-toothed ape-bat rises with difficulty, the loss of its left arm crippling its ability to fly and affecting its soul power. Its combat power is significantly reduced. Yet, it remains ferocious, firing continuous beams of light from its eyes. Yin Xiaoya raises the Jupiter Hammer, blocking the beams. They crackle against the sphere, but can't break through.
"Looks like I can't calm down until I defeat you completely..."
Yin Xiaoya raises his left hand, removing the Meteor Switch from his belt. Taking advantage of a lull in the light beams, he dodges and cancels the Jupiter Hammer. He then inserts the Meteor Switch into the Meteor Galaxy on his right arm, pressing the button.
[Meteor ON!]
[Fingerprint verification succeeded.]
[Limit Break! OK!]
Energy visibly gathers around his right fist. Yin Xiaoya swings, launching an energy projection through the air. The ape-bat is struck by the barrage of meteor fists, sent careening through the trees. Just before it hits the ground, Yin Xiaoya is already waiting, his arm trailing a long beam, like a meteor.
"Owaaaaaaah!!!"
The final punch slams into the ape-bat's abdomen, and the force sends it crashing through several trees before finally stopping. It collapses, unconscious.
"It's over."
Confirming the ape-bat is down, Yin Xiaoya approaches Fang Xin to check her injuries.
"The ape-bat's teeth aren't very poisonous, so it's not fatal. But conditions aren't ideal right now, and pulling them out hastily could cause more blood loss. How do you feel?"
Fang Xin shakes her head, indicating she's stable. Yin Xiaoya moves to lift her.
"Wait!" She points at the ape-bat. "Aren't you going to kill it?"
***
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Advance chapters are in my P@|r3on - Najicablitz