The warm hues of dusk settled over the small town nestled near the border of Star Dou Forest. A quiet, gentle hum permeated the inn where the group had taken refuge after their ordeal. The innkeeper, recognizing spirit masters of high rank, had offered them the best room and food. Now, the girls sat in one corner of the common room, sharing whispered words and soft laughter, while the others relaxed and tended to their gear.
Li Wei leaned against a wooden beam, gazing through the open window toward the fading treeline of Star Dou Forest. A weight sat heavy on his heart, even amidst the peace. Every moment of calm now felt like a brief respite before the next storm.
His eyes flicked toward Xiao Wu.
She stood just outside, arms folded, watching the horizon. A breeze danced through her hair, stirring it like a whisper of memory. Her gaze was fixed on the forest, deep and unblinking.
He stepped closer. "You're quiet."
Xiao Wu didn't turn immediately. "This place... It's home, in a way."
Li Wei waited. The others had grown accustomed to Xiao Wu's bright energy—her teasing, her warmth. But now, she was subdued.
"Every tree, every path... I know them," she murmured. "I lived in that forest for years. And now I'm leaving it behind. Again."
She finally looked at him. Her eyes shimmered—not with tears, but the weight of memory. "I chose this path. I'm not going back. But still... it's strange, isn't it? To leave a part of yourself behind?"
Li Wei nodded. "Not strange at all. It means you cared about it and that make you more human."
Xiao Wu gave him a small smile. "Thanks."
Before Li Wei could reply, a chill ran down his spine.
A strange presence.
It came like a breeze—but not a natural one. It carried intent. Pressure. A presence honed for killing.
Li Wei's body shifted instantly, his hand drifting toward the side as he manifest his Diendriver.
From the far edge of town, near the shadowed ruins of an old bell tower, a silhouette emerged.
A man—tall, lean, and radiating danger.
He stepped into the view slowly, his boots clicking against the cobblestones. Yellow-gold crystalline wings unfurled behind his back, each feather gleaming like tempered glass in sunlight. His armor shimmered, an eerie mix of reflective crystal and a deep, battle-worn violet.
His eyes were like a shards of topaz, cold and sharp.
"So," the stranger said, his voice a quiet thunder. "This is the famous Li Wei that I have been hearing about in the groups."
Zhu Zhuqing, Meng Yiran and Ning Rongrong were on their feet instantly. They then run outside the inn. Xiao Wu turned slowly, her body tense. While Meng Yiran hand drifted toward her belt.
Zhao Wuji emerged from the inn, his expression darkening. "Who are you?"
The man tilted his head. "You can call me Goksumr. I am one of the Veil Envoy member."
Li Wei narrowed his eyes. The name struck a chord—barely remembered, but laced with dread.
Meng Shu eyes widened. "The Veil Envoys... I thought they were just a myth."
"A myth," Goksumr echoed. "That's what we prefer."
He spread his wings slightly, and a crystalline aura radiated from him. Behind him, the image of a massive phoenix—entirely formed of gleaming yellow-gold crystal—hovered like a god of judgment.
Zhao Wuji stepped forward. "You're not from Spirit Hall. Why are you here?"
"Spirit Hall?" Goksumr laughed softly, almost pityingly. "No, our organization existed long before Spirit Hall clawed its way into dominance. We're older. Deeper. The shadows behind the curtains."
He turned his gaze to Li Wei.
"You," he said simply. "You're a danger."
Li Wei felt the weight of that gaze, the full awareness of someone who had studied him.
"I don't even know who you are," Li Wei said, calm but firm.
Goksumr gestured slowly. A device—similar in shape to a Ridewatch—clicked into place on his wrist. Its design resembled the Shinobi Ridewatch, but corrupted. Its metal was scorched black, and the dial twisted with faint red light.
"You're one of the variable the Veil never accounted for," Goksumr said. "Your Rider powers… your ability to defy logic and fate… it disrupts the timeline they've so carefully constructed."
Li Wei's eyes narrowed. "So you're trying to eliminate me."
"I am here to test you," Goksumr said. "And if you're unworthy… then yes. Eliminate you. Your rider power are nuisance for us."
With a smooth motion, he click the side of the Ridewatch to activated it.
[ANOTHER SHINOBI!]
The voice echoed out, mechanical and cruel.
In an instant, his body shifted.
The crystalline wings folded around him like a cocoon, and then burst apart with a sonic boom of glass and flame. His armor changed, melding the crystal phoenix martial spirit with the design of Kamen Rider Another Shinobi.
His new form was terrifying—sleek black armor etched with jagged, crystalized patterns of yellow-gold. His mask bore a phoenix crest, but the eyes glowed a venomous green. Flame-like patterns pulsed along his limbs, and curved daggers formed from hard crystal hung at his sides. His aura was no longer just dangerous—it was apocalyptic.
"Behold," Goksumr declared. "The perfect fusion of martial spirit and temporal power."
Zhao Wuji stepped forward again, his own spirit energy surging. "You won't lay a finger on them."
But Goksumr raised a single hand, and from it burst a ring of sharp crystal flames that scorched the ground before Zhao Wuji. The flames didn't burn—they hummed with elemental dissonance, rejecting even the earth itself.
"No further warnings," Goksumr said. "This is not your trial, Zhao Wuji."
Li Wei stepped forward.
The Diendriver gleamed in his hand, and a single card slipped between his fingers.
He said nothing.
There was no bravado. No posturing.
Only purpose.
Behind him, Ning Rongrong whispered, "Li Wei... be careful."
Xiao Wu grabbed Zhu Zhuqing's hand tightly. "This is serious. He's on a whole different level."
Meng Yiran's voice was tight. "Then we fight with him."
But Zhao Wuji held out a hand. "No."
He looked at Li Wei.
"This is his challenge."
Li Wei stepped into the open street, facing Goksumr alone.
The breeze halted.
Even the town seemed to hold its breath.
A Rider card slid into the Diendriver.
[KAMENRIDE: DIEND!]
And with a flash of light—
the battle began.