Before the infiltration began, Jing Yuan had already told Hoshigaki Sora whose hand was moving behind all of this.
Lord Ravager Phantylia—there was no getting around that name.
She served NANOOK, the AEON of DESTRUCTION, and was one of the Antimatter Legion's seven Lord Ravagers.
She was also obsessed with the ruin of "the spirit"—driving people into despair, pain, suspicion, breakdown, then personally destroying what mattered most, all to get what she wanted.
On top of that, Phantylia possessed countless avatars, meeting others in a hundred different faces, convinced that even if matter perished, the "spirit" it symbolized could still endure.
And the body before him now was clearly one of those avatars.
It wasn't a form Sora recognized at all—its face was human and capable of speech, but its body looked like a rabbit's.
From the intel he'd gotten on the Luofu, Sora also understood what "species" she was wearing.
It was called the E'yu—a clan that wasn't considered particularly powerful among the Denizens of the Abundance.
Yet it was also a clan many of them couldn't afford to ignore.
Because Shuhu—the Master of Immortality's foremost disciple—had once stayed for a time on the E'yu's homeworld.
The Denizens of the Abundance were a scourge upon the cosmos, but toward YAOSHI, AEON of ABUNDANCE, they were reverent to the bone.
And so, toward YAOSHI's foremost disciple, they were terrified.
Shuhu's past actions had granted the E'yu a certain standing.
So even if their strength wasn't great, they could still occupy a position among the Denizens of the Abundance where no one dared contend with them.
That was why, even though the Xianzhou Alliance had once declared that Shuhu had been completely slain by General Teng Xiao and no longer existed in this world—
When Phantylia claimed Shuhu's flesh and blood was in her hands, no one thought too hard about it.
Because the E'yu truly might have received Shuhu's favor.
And so, under her summons, the Denizens of the Abundance gradually gathered into a force of this size.
At the same time, Jing Yuan couldn't exactly lead the Xianzhou here and "verify" whether it was true.
If it was true, then the entire Luofu might be annihilated by a single reckless push.
You could say the E'yu's history was itself a crucial link—one of the reasons Sora's infiltration plan had to happen.
And Sora understood that even if he hadn't come today, sooner or later this woman would've plotted against the Xianzhou anyway.
This time was likely just a chain reaction sparked by his arrival.
Upon seeing her, the Gudiao leader was the first to drop flat to the ground in reverence.
"Prophet Mangas, I've completed your task. I've brought the one you wanted."
Only then did the figure lounging above open her eyes.
Her gaze swept over the Gudiao prostrated across the floor, then locked onto Sora—scales covering his body, dragon horns rising from his head.
And from the way she moved, Sora could tell she was wearing an expression.
"Taoran?"
She asked it like she couldn't quite believe it.
In her memory, Taoran had always been well-dressed, refined, and genteel.
To think that after coming into contact with the Luofu's Ambrosial Arbor, he'd become like this—bloody and feral. Even she hadn't expected it.
"It's me."
Sora nodded and said no more.
He had no idea how Taoran usually handled this woman.
But he did know one principle: "the less you say, the fewer mistakes you can make."
If he said little enough and did little enough, he couldn't slip up.
So after that single reply, Sora stood there in open arrogance—no kneeling, no deference, not a shred of regard for Phantylia.
For a moment, the hall fell strangely quiet.
And beneath that quiet, an immense undertow churned.
Sweat poured down the Gudiao leader's forehead. He couldn't afford to provoke either of these two.
Could you two gods please not drag me into your fight?
Phantylia sat above, staring down at Sora, her brows knitting tighter and tighter.
So you've fallen to the point of running to me, and you're still clinging to that so-called pride. Truly ungrateful…
"The Gudiao have merit for completing their task. Go claim ten flesh-fruits."
Phantylia's words made the Gudiao leader feel like he'd been spared an execution. He hurriedly thanked her and retreated at once.
In the blink of an eye, only Sora and Phantylia remained—facing each other alone.
"Taoran, Taoran… you've fallen to this state, and you still think you hold any standing on the Luofu?"
Phantylia rose and stepped down, walking right up to Sora.
"Your plan to abduct Vidyadhara eggs failed. You're the only one left, slinking here with your tail between your legs. Calling you useless would be too kind."
Originally, her schemes had been laid out perfectly—she could have sown discord through the Luofu piece by piece.
And then she could have quietly released all those dangerous inmates locked in The Shackling Prison.
But Taoran's actions had thrown a wrench into everything.
She'd even had to cut off a lot of "unnecessary limbs" just to keep the Disciples of the Sanctus Medicus hidden on the Luofu.
"And you had the nerve to ask for the Antimatter Legion's help. If I'd believed you, there wouldn't be a single soldier left of my Legion."
Her tone didn't even try to hide the mockery.
After all, to her, toying with people's minds—and savoring the collapse of their "spirit"—was the sweetest pleasure.
If Taoran could put on a good show for her here, she wouldn't mind watching.
Unfortunately for her, the one standing here wasn't Taoran.
It was Sora.
And her words gave Sora the confirmation he needed: "whether Taoran knew Phantylia had been a question mark."
Now, with her answering it herself, Sora could finally breathe.
She'd even brought up the Antimatter Legion—Taoran clearly did know her.
So thanks for clearing that up.
A proud grin spread across Sora's face. "Bwahahahahaha!"
The sudden laugh made Phantylia freeze.
What was this?
With Taoran's pride, after being squeezed like that—fine, maybe he wouldn't snap and start spitting bitter excuses…but laughing out loud?
Had the gap hit him so hard he'd gone mad?
While Phantylia was still baffled, Sora finally spoke again.
"Phantylia! Do you know you missed a chance to wipe out the Xianzhou Luofu?"
Phantylia went blank.
Wipe out the Luofu? Had she misheard?
"Do you think I didn't bring you the Vidyadhara eggs because I failed? Wrong—I nearly butchered the Luofu clean through with my own hands!"
Sora flung out a sphere of blood-red energy, blasting a distant hill into powder.
"You think I had my eye on Vidyadhara eggs? Wrong! My real goal was to convert the entire Luofu into my own kind!"
From Sora's mouth, what happened on the Luofu became a grand "dark upheaval" he had personally unleashed.
He obtained the power of the Ambrosial Arbor; his strength rose to the Sacrificial Dao realm.
A single drop of blood stained the sea, turning countless little fish and shrimp into circling blood-dragons.
There, he fought the Fangyuan High Elder, Jin Xing, countless times—slaughtering his way into the Nine Heavens and Ten Realms!
For a time, the Luofu shook; innumerable lives trembled in fear. Afterward, they all called him:
"The Blood Dragon Progenitor."
He unleashed a dark upheaval—blood drifting across the Luofu like falling petals!
He sacrificed countless lives, making the name of the Imperishable echo through the entire Xianzhou!
"At the end of the Imperishable—who stands as the peak? Meet the Blood Dragon, and all Dao turns to dust!"
By the time he reached that line, Phantylia was stunned into silence.
She stared with her mouth slightly open, as if picturing how magnificent such a scene must have been.
To fight a Xianzhou High Elder and a Sword Champion by sheer personal strength… truly astonishing.
"If not for Old Jing—cough, cough—if not for Jing Yuan bringing his Lightning-Lord and tens of thousands of Cloud Knights, I'd have already made the Blood Dragon's name resound through the Xianzhou!"
As he said that, Sora even sounded a little regretful.
And at that moment, the story took a hard turn.
After the Blood Dragon era ended, it entered the era of Ancient Chaos.
Jing Yuan emerged from desolation with his Lightning-Lord and countless Cloud Knights, battling the Blood Dragon Progenitor high in the heavens…
"If your Antimatter Legion could've come, the Luofu would've been ours already!"
With that lament, the tale drew to its close.
And inside, Sora was dying of embarrassment.
—You've really got the nerve to brag—and to steal lines, too!
—What is there to be afraid of? You're already covered in red—what shame is left to lose?
Sora choked, because… that was kind of true.
If you were already soaked in red, what was there to fear?
He could brag all he wanted—but whether Phantylia believed it was another matter.
If she didn't, then all this was pointless.
But Phantylia, on this matter, naturally… believed him completely.
Yes. She believed it—and believed it wholeheartedly.
Taoran's original personality simply wasn't the kind that could fabricate a tale with that kind of overwhelming momentum.
That man was nothing but a hypocrite who preached benevolence while committing filth in the shadows.
And hypocrites loved nothing more than repeating their past "glorious deeds" again and again.
And because of that, when they lied, the signs were obvious.
Phantylia had always been able to control Taoran with ease for that reason.
But now, she couldn't see a single trace of lying on this man.
Which meant… it was true!
Even if it wasn't entirely true, the reality had to be close enough.
"I never imagined you could reach that level…"
Phantylia sighed and returned to her seat.
She regretted not listening to Taoran before. If she had, she could've weakened the Luofu's fighting strength even further.
"Hmph! In all my life as the Blood Dragon Progenitor, I've never been beneath anyone!"
"Good!" Phantylia clapped. "Then I look forward to Blood Dragon 'Taoran's' performance from here on out!"
But Sora flashed in front of her in an instant and seized her rabbit ear.
"Taoran—that feeble name—has already been cast aside! The one standing before you is Blood Dragon 'Longzhang'! Remember it!"
And even treated like that, Phantylia didn't show the slightest temper.
"Fine, fine, fine. I'll arrange a place for you to rest, and subordinates for you. From today on, you'll be a special clan among us!"
With that, she had people escort Sora away.
The moment Sora left, the joy on her face vanished into perfect calm.
She summoned the Gudiao leader back and questioned him in detail about what had happened.
She believed what Sora said—but she wasn't an idiot.
Some things needed cross-checking before you could call it settled.
When she heard that starskiffs had been instantly disabled—and that he could even take a Lightning-Lord's blade—she couldn't help sucking in a sharp breath.
The Lightning-Lord was power of the HUNT made manifest. That strike wasn't something an ordinary being could withstand.
Not even her avatar was guaranteed to endure it.
In other words, that man's strength now, to some extent, matched her avatar's.
An avatar of a Lord Ravager—power like that could walk the cosmos with ease.
So his story carried real credibility.
Then came the rest: "Sora was taken away, and the Luofu fully raised its defenses and sealed itself."
To her, it all screamed one thing: guilty conscience.
Something inside the Luofu must have suffered massive losses and turmoil—otherwise why choose that?
The Xianzhou Alliance hated abominations to the bone. Every one of them wanted nothing more than to purge them all.
Yet after learning the Gudiao were near the Luofu, their choice was to let them be—not to come out and eradicate them.
"Looks like the Luofu really is in deep trouble."
If so, she might be able to take advantage of this and scheme a little.
As for what Sora said, she now believed seven or eight parts out of ten.
At the same time, a faint sense of danger rose in her heart.
Longzhang wasn't a "pure" Denizen of the Abundance. He didn't share their reverence for her.
And with the Imperishable power in his body strengthened by the Ambrosial Arbor, his strength had already surpassed many species.
With ambition like his, would he really accept living beneath someone else?
No.
That man would definitely look for a chance to kick her off her seat and climb up himself.
If that happened, wouldn't it all be over?
She hadn't had her fill of the show yet—how could she be kicked down now?!
No. No. She couldn't let his influence grow any stronger.
"I need to balance him."
Phantylia began turning her thoughts over, searching for a way to check his power.
And then...
She had it.
...
After arriving at his assigned lodging, Sora only rested briefly.
He wasn't tired at all.
All he wanted was to find the right chance… and chop that tree down.
But the moment he stepped outside, someone hurried up to him, saying they were going to take him to see the clan assigned under his command.
That immediately caught Sora's attention.
He hadn't expected that he'd barely arrived and already had manpower "assigned" to him.
What a rare kind of boss.
And yet the instant Sora saw the "species" he was supposed to manage, he fell silent.
"Yeah. All bosses in the world are the same damn breed."
He stared at the Denizens of the Abundance before him—so weak, dust still clinging to them—and couldn't even find the words.
They weren't even tall enough to reach his waist. Their eyes were huge, their bodies round, and they looked utterly non-combatant.
You could even say they were just… cute little things.
"Blood Dragon, these are the clan you'll be leading."
"I hope you can guide them to victory in this war against the Xianzhou!"
After saying that, the messenger immediately scurried off at top speed.
If the Blood Dragon got angry, his small body wouldn't survive it.
He didn't make it far before Sora grabbed him by the collar.
"Take me to see Mangas."
He hadn't come here only to rebuild communications—he also intended to tear these bastards down from the inside.
On a battlefield, stray hands and blind blades were normal, weren't they?
If he "accidentally" wiped out a bunch of allies… perfectly normal.
That had been Sora's hope all along—only to be handed a herd of cute mascots.
This was sabotage.
"Not even an hour has passed, and you're already back in front of me," Phantylia said with a cheerful laugh. "So you have something to say?"
Of course she knew what he was here for. This was just to give him a warning slap.
"Phantylia, don't play dumb with me. You know why I came."
"Oh? You don't want to go to the front lines?"
Phantylia's avatar picked up a grape.
The more urgent Sora was, the happier she became.
"Bullshit. What is that clan you assigned me? What can they even do on a battlefield?!"
"You're right. The Ze weren't a battlefield clan," Phantylia said lazily. "They're excellent at keeping this planet spotless."
"Then why put them under me?!"
"Isn't it because I believe Lord Longzhang—who sparked the Blood Dragon upheaval—can make it happen?"
Phantylia stepped closer, her breath brushing his ear. "Unless you're telling me… you can't do it?"
Sora clenched his fist. Enough was enough.
He grabbed Phantylia and lifted her straight up.
"If this place runs on survival of the fittest, how about we switch?"
"Even if you switch, you still won't be able to command the clans. I didn't sit here by relying on brute force."
She relied on the E'yu's relationship with Shuhu—on that connection to make these clans willingly let her sit here.
So even if Sora beat her flat, it wouldn't change anything.
Realizing that, Sora could only set her down again in silence.
"Besides, don't underestimate the Ze," Phantylia added. "They may look round right now, but they'll grow up…"
As she spoke, she pulled up what the Ze looked like when grown.
After they grew, they weren't so round anymore—white fur sprouted over them, making them even cuter.
Only their "use" changed: from cleaning to pulling carts.
"See? Once the Ze grow white fur, they're so ferocious. Under your command, I'm sure they'll become our combat strength."
Ferocious? With white fur they were even more adorable!
What was this—Bai Ze? Even if you squinted, it wasn't something you'd ever see on a battlefield!
But that was exactly Phantylia's intent: use a completely useless clan to drag down Sora's fighting strength.
"You're the famed Blood Dragon Progenitor. Don't tell me you can't manage even this."
"Hmph!"
Sora snorted, and a burst of energy flared off him, blasting Phantylia backward.
"I'll remember this!"
With that, Sora stormed out.
Phantylia's smile thickened into something syrupy.
No matter how strong you are, you're still in the palm of my hand.
Taoran—did you think changing your face and name meant you weren't you anymore?
Swallow it. All of it. Keep it in your heart.
What she didn't know was that, in truth, he really wasn't.
So he had no intention of swallowing anything.
When Sora had something he hated, he didn't bottle it up.
And besides, this wasn't even a place he cared about.
Stirring up trouble wouldn't hurt him—so why would he endure it?
"Looks like we agree on this point," Sora muttered.
Of course. We didn't come here to be wronged, his Inner Sora replied.
As long as he didn't blow his cover, anything went.
And Sora just happened to have a way to cause chaos without exposing his identity.
So he found a secluded place and slipped inside…
...
The abominations on this planet were utterly relaxed.
This was their main base. No matter how you thought about it, there was no way an enemy could ever reach this place.
But today, that "rule" seemed to shatter.
"Th-that… what is that?!"
'[KABUTO]!'
They stared at the black aura rising in the distance, dumbstruck.
In a base that was peaceful and quiet—brimming with life—how could such an ominous sign appear?
Sensing something wrong, they rushed over.
And at that moment, a sound rang in their ears.
'[BANE UP]!'
'[HAKAI]!'
'(BREAK)'
'[SEKAI]!'
'(BROKE)'
'[KIKIKAIKAI]!'
'(BROKEN)'
'[KAMEN RIDER VAIL]!'
Black fog condensed. The figure that emerged made everyone stare in disbelief.
"Is that the IPC's robot?"
"Is it? Then why does it look so…"
Crude.
Yes—crude was the only word for it.
But don't mistake crude armor for weak power.
This was the form Sora's inner and outer selves reached in agreement—the transformation of Kamen Rider Vail.
And by timeline, it was also the very first Kamen Rider in the world of Kamen Rider Revice.
In short: a Showa Rider.
Honestly, Sora really wanted to shout, "Taku!"
Too bad—if he wanted to keep his cover, he could only play silent robot.
And the simplicity of his armor only deepened the abominations' confusion.
The IPC's mass-produced suits these days came with all kinds of flashy paints and gaudy designs.
This thing looked like it was behind by thousands of Amber Eras.
It felt like a robot—pure and absolute.
After appearing, it simply stood there without making a move.
"Is this really IPC-made?"
A few abominations edged closer, curiosity rising.
Even their own colors were richer than his.
More of them wondered, "Why is it here?"
This was their main base—how did an IPC robot appear here at all?
And as they hesitated, the figure that had been standing still finally moved.
Its hand clenched—and a strange force locked around the abomination in front of it.
The abomination thrashed wildly, trying to tear apart the power strangling its throat.
But no matter what it did, the force didn't budge.
Then the figure flicked—sending it flying, slamming into several others.
The sudden assault was completely unforeseen.
And after throwing the first one, it didn't stop.
Its body became an afterimage. A fist flashed out—and in an instant, it drove into an abomination at its side.
Crackcrackcrack!
Bone splintering rang in their ears, teeth-grindingly sharp.
In slow motion, you could've even seen white shards of bone burst through wounds, the fist steadily forcing its way into flesh.
In real time, all you saw was this—an instant later, multiple clouds of blood exploded behind them.
The sheer force surpassed what their bodies could endure.
Their organs ruptured under the pressure, spraying everywhere.
This was power from the Showa era—pure to the extreme.
A crimson rain fell from above, yet not a single drop touched that figure.
"You clanker!"
"You dare wreak havoc on our turf—tear it apart!"
After taking losses to the ambush, they snapped awake and surged at Sora.
Unfortunately, their attacks were far too simple to him.
In his eyes, it was like watching everything in slow motion—too dull to even get his blood up.
A slight shift of his body, a turn of the shoulder, a kick—and he dodged while countering without pause.
Each punch and step harvested lives.
Pfft. Pfft. Pfft. Pfft.
One life after another withered in his hands.
Even the most efficient killing machines would have to bow their heads before such speed.
The abominations who'd been charging forward finally realized something was terribly wrong.
He'd killed so many of them—and yet he remained spotless.
"This robot… what the hell is it?"
As he closed in, they retreated, voices trembling.
Where did this monster come from? Why was it so horrifying?
Every movement was crisp and merciless, made only to take life.
It was as if it were life's nemesis—a walking devil in the starfield.
"Could it be one of those killing machines from the time of the Anti-Organic Equation?!"
One abomination blurted out the thought.
Moves like these—every strike designed solely to end a life—made it recall the great event that once swept across two-thirds of the universe.
The Anti-Organic War launched by the Mechanical Emperor Rubert II.
Back then, all organic life had been affected by it—Denizens of the Abundance included.
The Denizens of the Abundance weren't unkillable. They were simply hard to kill.
And now that a robot capable of slaughtering them had appeared again, how could they not think of that?
Sora didn't care.
He was just taking the chance to raise hell.
Everything he'd seen after coming to this planet had already made him furious—so his inner and outer selves aligned, deciding to vent properly.
Especially that tree.
He was going to chop it down.
Thinking that, Sora headed for the trunk.
"Did the robot identify a massive Abundance presence and decide to prioritize exterminating this tree?"
The moment those words were spoken, countless abominations wanted to rush forward and stop him.
This fruit tree was worthy of being Phantylia's reward—of course it was something they all craved.
Once you tasted it, you could never forget the flavor.
Now that it was threatened, they naturally couldn't accept it.
But when they remembered that efficient slaughter…
In the end, they shrank back.
Saving the tree was one thing. Saving the tree and still being alive afterward was another.
Dead men couldn't eat fruit. They were terrified of guarding it with their lives—only to have no lives left to enjoy it.
So in that atmosphere, Sora barely had to strike a few times before he reached the tree.
Facing this fruit tree—woven from countless living beings twisted together—there wasn't much he could do.
'[KABUTO STAMPING FINISH]!'
He clenched his fist, power gathering through his arm.
'[VAILING IMPACT]!'
Sora threw a punch—but the fist was too fast to see.
It hammered again and again, leaving only a relentless tearing of air.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The enormous fruit tree trembled under the blows.
Fruit rained down from above, ripe or not.
The abominations' eyes went red. They didn't care what Sora did anymore—charging straight for the fruit!
This was a once-in-a-lifetime all-you-can-eat feast. They had to savor it.
But as they ate, they seemed to hear an odd sound in their ears.
The sound drew their gazes together—it was coming from where the endless pounding had been.
The punching robot was gone.
All that remained were countless cracks.
The sight made their eyes widen.
Could it be…?
Crackcrackcrack!
The fractures spread along the seams of bodies through the entire tree. They all believed it would collapse at any moment.
Maybe that robot had expected this and left on purpose.
Was the fruit tree about to fall?
No—one figure stepped forward at that instant!
A rabbit-like figure. She tossed something into the cracks.
And the entire tree began to shudder violently.
As it shook, the cracks gradually sealed and vanished—until it was as though nothing had happened at all.
The one who appeared was naturally Phantylia.
But her expression was anything but pleasant.
"You useless trash—what are you all standing around for? Find out who did this, now!"
Only then did the abominations scatter, scrambling to search for the robot's trail.
Phantylia remained where she was, brows drawn tight.
Longzhang had arrived only a day ago, and this had already happened—of course she'd be suspicious.
So she quietly went to Longzhang's lodging.
And there he was—apparently calling roll.
"San Xuzi!"
"Here!"
"Meng Fan!!"
"Here!"
Seeing that, Phantylia stopped hiding.
The Ze saw her and instantly huddled together in terror. Only Sora raised a brow, unbothered.
"Oh? What wind blew you here?"
His tone was teasing—clearly he still held a grudge over the clan she'd assigned him.
"Nothing. Just seeing what you plan to do with them."
"Training, of course! As my vassals, even if they've never stepped onto a battlefield, they'll face it with wills of steel!"
"Steel will! Steel Ze! That's their doctrine from now on!"
Phantylia studied Longzhang for a moment, but no matter how she looked, she couldn't connect him to that robot.
With a personality this arrogant and overbearing, he'd give himself away instantly. He couldn't possibly "play robot" that convincingly.
So she'd overthought it.
"Fine, then. Take your time."
With that, she left.
Sora watched her go, brows furrowing.
He hadn't expected that at the last moment, it would be Phantylia herself who came out and ruined it.
And what exactly had she thrown in to stop the collapse?
How many cards did she have up her sleeve?
Sora was curious.
Just then, he felt someone tug gently at the corner of his clothes.
He looked down.
Wasn't that a Ze?
"Lord Longzhang… the one who tried to destroy the fruit tree just now was you, wasn't it…?"
The round little Ze asked the question with a trembling voice and a trembling body.
Sora's mind went white.
My infiltration just started—I already got caught?!
---
T/N: the Ze is soooo cute anyway here's the kamen rider vail! (kabuto)
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