"Powder Sausage Dragon, what's your deal? Starting a fight without calling me?!"
A sharp voice rang out from behind the Taikoo Plaza. A large number of Security Shumajias charged into the plaza under the lead of Shi Huaiya. But once inside, they were greeted with an unexpected sight — the towering ink-black monolith they had seen from afar had vanished, and the plaza that should have been in ruins appeared completely untouched.
"They've already left."
A cold voice came from behind Shi Huaiya. Turning around, she saw Lin Yuxia standing there, flanked by several mysterious figures in black cloaks.
Black cloaks! Weren't those from the Governor's covert unit? What's this damn rat doing with them...?
Shi Huaiya didn't have time to consider it further. She frowned at Lin Yuxia.
"You just said they're gone? How did they leave? Something that big can't just vanish without a trace! I didn't see any signs of the monster retreating either!"
Lin Yuxia shook her head. Even she didn't know how to describe what she had witnessed earlier. She could only hand over the recording device given to her by the black-cloaked agents.
To report back to Wei Yanwu, the entire operation had been recorded. It was part of the cost of proving her worth to the Governor.
Shi Huaiya took the device and watched the footage. Her expression turned grim.
"Tch, this is spatial teleportation, isn't it? This land's getting more chaotic by the day—how are things like this even possible now?"
"Well, looks like our job here is done. Time to handle our duties."
She turned to the empty plaza and barked orders to the Shumajias behind her:
"Patrol and check for wounded. Then clean up the site, calm the public, and restore order."
As she watched Shi Huaiya begin her work, Lin Yuxia thought for a moment.
"Everyone, let's head back to the Governor's Office. With the alien Zodiac and the Kamen Riders disappearing and off surveillance, we need to report to Governor Wei and request further instructions."
The black-cloaked agents silently nodded, agreeing with her judgment.
However, after Lin Yuxia left, Shi Huaiya suddenly slapped her forehead with a worried expression.
"What if they just teleport back mid-operation?!"
BOOM!
Meanwhile, Amiya and the others were fighting desperately in the wilderness, dozens of kilometers away from Lungmen.
"Quite a power you've got there, Kelsey."
Now in her alien Shadow Fiend form, Precise faced off against Kelsey, who had just switched her Gaia Memory to Eternal. With Eternal's powers, Kelsey could freely manipulate Memory abilities, making her one of the most troublesome opponents for Precise.
Shadow tentacles surged from the earth—but in the next instant, Kelsey vanished from her spot, dodging the attack.
Using the Zone Memory's spatial powers, Kelsey could teleport at will.
Flames and ice surged toward Precise, who grew tired of absorbing the fiery explosions and freezing torrents with her shadows.
ROAR!
A massive, jet-black Originium creature leapt at her from behind, but froze mid-air just before impact.
Under the sunlight, Precise's shadow had connected to Mon3tr's, allowing her to control its movements via shadow manipulation.
"So, it's Mon3tr now. Look at your body—it's beautiful. As expected of me."
Gazing at Mon3tr's elegant, matte sheen reflecting the sunlight, Precise seemed genuinely entranced.
WHOOSH!
In the next instant, Kelsey closed the distance, her fist wrapped in glowing green light.
"Skull! Violence! Unicorn! Xtreme!"
Using four Memories at once was a strain on her body. Even with Skull boosting her physical limits, her base constitution couldn't handle it for long. Still, the terrifying punch made Precise see her life flash before her eyes.
Shadows instinctively wrapped around her, but the punch landed squarely on her chest.
In that moment, Precise saw not just darkness—but black lightning. No... that wasn't lightning. That was...
BOOM!!!
The punch exceeded what her shadows could absorb. The explosive force sent Precise flying, tumbling across the ground to barely break the impact.
"You're scary, Kelsey. For a second there, I thought you actually meant to kill me."
The already monstrous face of the Shadow Fiend twisted into an even more grotesque grin.
"Woooooo—"
Suddenly, a deep humming echoed from within the ink monolith behind her.
"Tch, too many people now," said Precise, eyeing the crowd surrounding the monolith.
Amiya, now in her Tikaz form, swung her Tikaz Sword in a devastating arc, annihilating the ink fiends pouring out of the monolith.
Azure and crimson dragonfire entwined around Tallulah's fists as she merged her powers as a Drake and a Dragon. She punched one of the massive chains extending from the monolith, shattering it like a falling star.
Scarlet sword energy cut through the incoming ink tide. Then fire and lightning exploded within the dark sea, pockmarking the monolith with craters.
Watching their efforts, Nian smirked.
"If Amiya's working that hard, wouldn't it be shameful if I, the older sister, didn't contribute too?"
Her lantern swayed. In an instant, the churning ink monolith shuddered—the inky sea split in two, and even the monolith was cleaved in half.
Nestled in Ling's arms, New Year Bubble stared wide-eyed into the monolith's depths—where the transformed Xi now stood.
"Xi! That look... damn it!"
Already altered by the alien Zodiac, Xi's body changed even further.
Once lithe and around 170cm, she now towered over four meters, her frame burly and glowing with pale-blue fire. That fire seemed to contain writhing, howling hatred that nearly dragged Nian into despair just by glancing at it.
"Big Sis!"
"I got it."
Ling sprang toward the monolith. Dangerous, yes—but they had to stop the alien Zodiac from evolving further.
"No more of this nonsense."
Suddenly, Precise appeared behind Ling. Her expression shifted; her power felt sluggish for a brief moment—just long enough to shift the battle entirely.
"Stiffened."
A faint voice whispered "Banshee" as Precise's cold voice reached Ling's ear.
Instantly, Ling's limbs stiffened as if rusted, and a glowing golden fist approached.
SWISH!
In the final instant, Ling activated her "Xiaoyao" ability, warping herself and New Year Bubble far away—narrowly dodging the blow.
Precise didn't pursue. Instead, she reappeared behind Chen Huijie. Though Chen reacted fast with a slash, Precise's shadow-covered hand grabbed her sword Chixiao.
"Such a feeble sword intent—only recognized because you ride a belt's power. You can't even break through my defense!"
Her shadow pierced Chen's own, controlling her like a puppet. She leapt, aiming a powerful slash directly at Tallulah!
"Huijie!"
"Tallulah, dodge!"
More powerful than anything Chen had slashed herself, the attack barely missed Tallulah, gouging a deep scar into the ground.
"Precise!"
Kelsey appeared behind her—but massive Originium spikes erupted from the ground, forcing her to teleport away using the Zone Memory.
A towering Originium crystal cluster, rivaling the monolith in size, now rose from the earth. Golden energy surged within—it wasn't just a massive crystal, it was active Originium!
Drawn to it like sharks to blood, the ink sea surged to devour the energy and feed the alien Zodiac within.
Staring at the giant cluster, Kelsey's eyes filled with horror.
This was Precise's true power: a being fused with Originium, a living natural disaster.
"Doctor's seal used to stop me from manipulating Originium. But when Doctor pulled Tikaz's blood from me, I used the chance to shatter part of the seal. I'm not at full strength yet—but it's enough."
A horrifying pressure filled the air. All present instinctively looked up.
Amiya clutched her wrist. Tallulah touched her own arm. Kelsey felt a sting on her collarbone. Chen reached behind her back.
So that's why Chen reacted to the Infernian's roar during the Infernian Crisis...
Kelsey realized Chen's little secret—but kept quiet, focusing on Precise, who was clearly preparing a massive attack.
"Stop her."
"Understood."
No one even glanced at the alien Zodiac still absorbing power in the monolith.
Their instincts—and the stinging from their embedded Originium crystals—told them the woman before them was the true threat.
The sky darkened. Before they could act, a massive meteor peeked from the clouds, its descent sending shock across the battlefield.
"That whole thing… it's made of Originium…"
Chen looked to the sky, then to Precise grinning in midair.
A meteor that size—it was a natural disaster.
"She actually triggered a Catastrophe… insane. She's just like I remember."
This was Precise—the one who once casually modified orbit arrays to catch a cosmic echo, using a star's dying neutrino flare and a ship's gravity wake just to compose a melody for someone.
Even in the old civilization, that level of madness was rare.
And the one who accepted that gift without blinking… wasn't exactly normal either.
Kelsey sighed internally, and Precise smirked knowingly.
"You're cursing me as a lunatic again, aren't you, little Kelsey? Honestly, I still think AMa-10 suits you better. Doctor gave you the name 'Kelsey,' and now look at you—totally missing my expectations."
Kelsey's face darkened behind her mask.
At that final syllable, the giant meteor plummeted toward them.
Winds turned savage. Amiya raised her sword and invoked the Stonewing sigil—a white wall rose, shielding them from the storm.
But the meteor still fell.
Gritting her teeth, Amiya activated her power.
Pause!
Five seconds only.
She leapt skyward, sword blazing with golden flame. Her blade cycled through countless names—Tikaz's full legacy.
"Finish Time!"
"Tikaz!"
She pressed the belt's top button—360° spin. A roar from ancient times exploded from the sword.
Amiya, ablaze in gold, became a meteor herself—charging the one in the sky.
In that instant, the world fell silent.
Time resumed.
BOOM!!!
The meteor shattered into golden fragments, disintegrating mid-air.
The shockwave, bearing Amiya's golden silhouette, extinguished the storm.
"Amiya!"
WHAM!!
Meteor and storm erased in one strike. Amiya collapsed next to Kelsey.
"I'm okay."
She stood with her sword, staring at Precise.
"You really surprised me, Amiya."
Precise wasn't angry. Instead, her tone brimmed with admiration.
"But you're exhausted now, right?"
Amiya's expression changed—she glanced behind Precise.
"Because Kelsey and the others bought me time—we're still in the fight."
ROOOOAR!!!
From the heart of the ink monolith, a monstrous roar erupted.