[Gorilla! Diamond!]
[Best Match!]
[Are you ready?]
"Transform!"
[Shining Destroyer!]
[Gorilla-Mond!]
[YEAH~]
The God-Slaying Scarlet Diamond Form had arrived.
Why "God-Slaying"? You'd have to ask that one unlucky guy who claimed to be a god and got flattened by a diamond-infused gorilla punch.
War Rabbit wasted no time—he wasn't in the mood for flashy duels. He immediately twisted the lever on his driver to finish the job.
[Ready? Go!]
[Vortex Finish!]
[YEAH~]
Countless sparkling red diamonds materialized in midair, launched by the orangutan-armored right fist of War Rabbit. They spiraled around Smash like a crimson cage before converging for the final strike—boom. Smash dropped instantly, crumpling to the ground.
A "God-slaying" form indeed.
Without hesitation, War Rabbit extracted the Smash's essence using a blank Fullbottle. In a swirl of red smoke, the monster dissolved—and a girl's unconscious form took its place. She was alive.
Long Wo let out a deep breath. Success.
"So that bastard really was lying…" War Rabbit muttered, referring to Night Rogue. "What about your girlfriend now?"
"Send her to the hospital," I said quietly. "From what you told me, she'll likely have amnesia. It's best she doesn't get involved with me again."
War Rabbit patted me on the shoulder, saying nothing more. He assumed I was making a painful but noble decision for her safety.
In truth? I didn't feel much for this so-called girlfriend. I wasn't the real Wanzhang Long Wo. Now that I was in a real Kamen Rider world, I had other priorities. Like finding those legendary Rider characters I used to admire from the screen.
Too bad the Build world had... none of them.
Looks like—for now—I'd have to stay single. Just like the "worst" protagonist of all time, Kiryu Sento, whose supporting cast all found partners except him.
That evening — Nascita Coffee House, Underground Base
War Rabbit, of course, couldn't keep quiet and had already told the others the whole story. Now, he and the boss were watching me lie on the single bed with expressions that mixed sympathy and admiration.
They assumed I was heartbroken.
In truth, I just hadn't slept well last night, then got beat up this morning. I was in pain, not emotional distress.
Then—ding!—the microwave-style purification device popped open.
War Rabbit rushed over excitedly and pulled out a freshly purified Fullbottle. He blinked.
"...Dragon?"
A bit confused.
Typically, Fullbottle names reflect the extracted Smash. But today's Smash was an orangutan. So where did "Dragon" come from?
Misora stepped out, smiling faintly.
Unbeknownst to the others, her Princess of Mars power allowed her subconscious to influence the purification results. She saw my efforts, my name... and the result was the Dragon Fullbottle.
"Is this dragon... me?" I murmured.
"Seems like it," War Rabbit chuckled, tossing me the bottle. "Came from your girlfriend's Smash. Guess it's yours to keep."
I stared at the bottle in my hand, excitement rising. Finally—this is the first step to transforming as myself!
"Thanks," I said seriously.
"No need. Thank me when we clear your name."
We exchanged a look. The air was... warm. Too warm.
Thank god for timely interruptions.
"I found the prison attacker!" Sayu Takikawa, our friendly neighborhood freelance reporter, burst in with a grin, ruining the moment.
Misora, clearly enjoying the drama, glared at Sayu for breaking the mood.
"His name's Nabeshima Masahiro," Sayu reported crisply, handing over a photo of a bald, chubby prison guard.
"That's him!" I exclaimed. "Also—my girlfriend mentioned a Nabeshima was the one who offered her the lab assistant job that led to her arrest!"
Originally, this detail came from her dying words. But since she now had amnesia, I had to improvise.
"Looks like we've found a link between your framing and the Smash experiments," War Rabbit concluded.
The next few hours were a whirlwind.
The team began investigating Nabeshima's background.
War Rabbit locked himself in the lab to tinker with a new weapon—something about a Gatling gun.
I, taking advantage of Misora's momentary absence, slipped into the bed to catch up on lost sleep.
The boss claimed he had a part-time job to attend to. In reality, he was out sowing seeds of chaos for his next scheme.
So, the real work? Fell to the two girls—Misora and Sayu.
Turns out, Misora wasn't just a shut-in. Online, she was the super-popular net idol "Mi-Tan," with an army of netizens who helped her gather intel.
A reminder: never underestimate anyone.
That quiet guy behind the camera? Might be Kamen Rider Woz.
That brooding swordsman? Could be Kamen Rider Zi-O.
That gentleman in a suit? Might be... well, Kabuto. Which explains the strange elegance.
Thanks to Mi-Tan's fanbase and Sayu's digging, they found a lead: Nabeshima's wife and daughter were being threatened. Faust had them hostage.
That gave us a plan.
Since War Rabbit was the only one who could fight Smash, he'd handle that. Sayu and I would head to the Western Capital to rescue Nabeshima's family.
In return, we'd get proof of my innocence.
Now, I knew what was coming. Nabeshima would be turned into a Smash and lose his memories. My innocence wouldn't be proven any time soon.
But his family was innocent. I'd save them, no matter what.
Anyway, once the Eastern Capital ZF saw me and War Rabbit helping civilians, they'd have no choice but to reevaluate our "wanted" status.
Ten years ago, Pandora's Box—brought back from Mars—triggered disaster.
Astronaut Takumi Shidou (possessed by Evolto) activated it, causing the infamous Sky Wall Disaster that split Japan into three territories: East, West, and North.
Massive walls cut off each region not only geographically, but politically as well. The only way between them? Smuggling routes or rare hidden passes.
Sayu and I boarded a smuggler's boat that night. We crossed the black seas, dodging Faust patrol drones. It took us almost a full day and night to sneak from the East to the West—where Nabeshima's family was kept.
We returned to the Eastern Capital the next afternoon, exhausted but successful.
As for War Rabbit? He'd thought it was just a simple Smash takedown. He was wrong.
Turned out, the Smash was Hokuto's mole—and War Rabbit got poisoned and nearly killed in his sleep.
Guess I wasn't the only one having a rough night.