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After the incident with Stark, the name "Kamen Rider" spread fast among the vampire world.
Now, when night fell, it wasn't just Blade the vampire hunter stalking the shadows—there were two Kamen Riders: one in white and one in red.
The white one, Ixa, was already known to vampires as the blunt and ruthless Blade. But the identity of the red Rider was still a mystery.
Somewhere in the countryside, at an abandoned farm—
Originally, this place had just been one of Blade's secret hideouts. But after Dan got to work using his advanced tech, it had turned into a proper Kamen Rider HQ.
"Alright, training's done for today."
Dan pulled out the Shift Car strapped to his wrist, and Erik did the same with the gun holstered at his waist.
"Not bad. This time I managed to stay transformed for twenty minutes."
Erik glanced at the clock on the wall and nodded in satisfaction.
But Dan didn't look too happy. He was sitting in front of a computer, staring at the data being displayed, replaying it over and over.
"Nope… Something's still off. Why can't I completely fix the energy overflow problem?"
Seeing how frustrated Dan looked, Krim tried to comfort him.
"You've already done really well, Dan. Don't forget, Kamen Riders weren't meant for this world. The fact you even managed to create one here is already amazing."
As an expert in Rider Systems, Krim couldn't do much to help either. After all, this wasn't their original world—the materials were different, and even some of the rules for energy transfer worked differently. So there really wasn't much advice he could offer.
"Someone's coming."
Erik, who'd been resting off to the side, suddenly spoke up while watching the surveillance screen.
Dan looked up and saw a flashy sports car pulling into the farm. And stepping out of the flashy car… was an even flashier guy.
Dan frowned.
"Stark? What the hell's he doing here?"
Tony Stark wandered around the farm twice before suddenly looking up and flashing a peace sign at one of the hidden cameras.
Dan clicked his tongue. "Figures. These toys might fool the average person, but when you're dealing with a tech genius like him, they're basically kids' play."
"Come on, let's go meet him."
"We're going out to meet him?"
Erik looked surprised. He didn't get why Dan would bother.
"He already knows we're here. Even if we don't go out, he'll just find his way in anyway. You want some random guy just strolling into our base?"
Erik thought about it, then nodded. Dan had a point.
Out in the farmyard, Tony Stark was snacking on some fancy pastries while checking out the farm's surveillance and defense systems with interest. As a tech genius, he could tell this setup had some serious effort behind it. Sure, it wasn't on his level—but it was still impressive.
"Ahem. Mr. Stark. We meet again."
Erik stepped out through a hidden door, with Dan following behind him like an assistant.
"Oh! The honorable vampire hunter, Blade."
Tony paused dramatically, then added with a smirk:
"And Mr. Kamen Rider Ixa. So good to see you again."
Clearly, Stark had done his homework. He knew all of Erik's identities.
Erik frowned slightly. So this wasn't just a friendly visit—Stark had come prepared.
"I'm glad to see you too. Last time was a bit… unexpected and rushed. So what brings you here today?"
Stark knew Erik wasn't thrilled to see him—his face practically screamed "Not welcome."
"Well, like I said last time, I owe you for saving my life. Unfortunately, you left too quickly for me to thank you properly… so here I am."
"I see. Well, Mr. Stark, I appreciate the gesture. Now, if you don't mind—you can leave. Dan, show him out."
Erik turned to leave, and Dan stepped forward like a loyal lackey.
"Mr. Stark, I think it's time for you to go."
Stark didn't seem fazed by Erik's cold attitude. He just rubbed his nose and smiled.
"Wow. What a cute kid. You still in school? It's impressive to be a superhero's sidekick at your age."
Dan just smiled politely, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Back in his last life, he had been a huge Iron Man fan. But now, actually standing face-to-face with Tony Stark… something just felt off. Was it the whole "never meet your heroes" thing? Or maybe Stark's personality just didn't match what he expected?
Then again, maybe it was because this version of Stark hadn't gone through the Afghanistan incident yet. He hadn't learned what it really meant to be responsible with genius-level intellect.
"Mr. Stark, I'm just an assistant. Please don't make things difficult for me."
Dan's tone was polite but firm.
Stark got the hint. Maybe he'd pushed a little too far—he hadn't come to start trouble, after all.
"Mr. Erik… they came to see me again."
Erik stopped in his tracks.
"What did you just say? Mr. Stark, this isn't something to joke about."
Dan narrowed his eyes, looking deadly serious.
Seeing Dan's expression, Stark suddenly grinned.
"Hey, kid—I like you. There's something familiar about you. I think we're the same kind of person."
Dan's face didn't show it, but mentally he was screaming What the hell?! Him, the same as Iron Man? Come on, that was giving him way too much credit.
Stark continued seriously. "Just yesterday, they came looking for me again. Got past all the defenses of Stark Tower like ghosts and made it straight into my office."
"What did they want this time?"
Erik asked, his tone sharp.
Stark secretly let out a breath of relief. Now they were talking.
"Well… I don't think this is the best place for that kind of conversation, yeah?"
Erik and Dan exchanged glances. Erik finally nodded.
"Alright. Come with us."
They led Stark into a hidden elevator.
When the doors opened, they stepped into a futuristic base. Even though Stark thought it didn't quite measure up to his own lab, it was definitely way better than most organizations he knew.
"Nice. Cool place. I'm guessing this was built by some top-tier scientist? I'd love to meet the guy."
Dan's eye twitched. For some reason, he really didn't want to be praised by this guy.
"Alright, Mr. Stark. We didn't bring you here for a sightseeing tour. Let's get to the point."
They all sat down in the lounge. Stark dropped the jokey attitude.
"They came to me yesterday. Said they wanted the Arc Reactor tech from my company. Clearly, they're after a massive power source."
"....."