On the other side of the clearing, Tanzaburo and Yuriko had already exchanged blows several times while Kiana and the others were dazed.
No matter how many times Yuriko struck Tanzaburo, he stood back up as if he had taken no DMG.
This scene made Yuriko momentarily believe that the person in front of her didn't seem human.
"Uncle is that tough? He still hasn't fallen."
Kishi-na was somewhat stunned by Tanzaburo's perseverance; after taking such heavy attacks multiple times, he still acted as if nothing had happened.
"Is it possible he's already fainted and is now moving entirely on instinct?"
Kiana also showed a hint of surprise at Tanzaburo's performance.
He was a good candidate for practicing Ultra Instinct, but unfortunately, he didn't know how to dodge at all and was just rushing purely on instinct.
Moreover... "I always feel like that mask is the real body?"
Kiana spoke the feeling in her heart.
"A Kamen Rider won't run away. As long as he is still a Kamen Rider, he can keep standing up until he defeats the enemy. That is what a Kamen Rider is!"
Ichiyō looked at Tanzaburo, clenching his fists and staring with wide, excited eyes.
In his eyes, Higashijima Tanzaburo had completely transformed into a different form.
Kamen Rider! Ichigo!
The appearance of the first Kamen Rider!
This guy had completely turned his mind and body into the form of a Kamen Rider.
A Kamen Rider fanatic... Kiana silently moved closer to Kishi-na, giving Shimamura Mitsuba a somewhat disgusted look.
She was afraid of being infected by some terrible condition from this fanatic.
"Rider... Punch!"
Tanzaburo rose again, still throwing a simple Rider Punch.
Boom—!!!
Yuriko dodged in a panic; the fist grazed her cheek and smashed into the ground.
A small pit appeared in the soil, with cracks spreading all around it.
Yuriko's pupils trembled violently; the power of this punch was evident—if it hit her, she'd be sent straight to the ICU.
"This guy's strength is like a Kaijin's..."
Yuriko stared cautiously at the swaying Tanzaburo.
"Rider... Punch...!"
Another simple straight punch came at her. Yuriko leaped lightly, clamped his head with her long legs, and slammed him hard into the ground.
As the dust kicked up, Yuriko stared intently into the center of the cloud, breathing heavily.
Suddenly, her pupils shook violently; she seemed to see a pair of glowing red compound eyes through the smoke.
She immediately rubbed her eyes and realized it was just an illusion, but Tanzaburo had stood up once more.
"I can feel that Yuriko-sensei is getting a bit desperate. Uncle is simply not like a human."
Kishi-na said slowly, a bead of cold sweat rolling down her temple as she watched the imposing Tanzaburo.
Buzz—
Just then, the card box at Kishi-na's waist vibrated slightly, and she instinctively opened it.
The Ichigo card from the Showa era, the first Rider in Kamen Rider history, flew out instantly.
The card flew into Tanzaburo's chest.
Then, a powerful wind ravaged the surroundings, and Tanzaburo's body was enveloped by a tornado.
"Hen...shin!"
A low voice echoed from the tornado, then a pair of compound eyes lit up with red light, and the surrounding hurricane dissipated.
A figure then appeared before everyone. Yuriko, Ichiyō, Mitsuba, and Eucaliss all looked on as if their eyes were about to pop out of their sockets.
"Ka-Ka-Ka... Kamen Rider!?"
Standing before everyone was indeed Kamen Rider Ichigo, striking a pose.
No, it should be said it was Higashijima Tanzaburo transformed into Ichigo.
"Rider..."
Even though he had transformed into a Kamen Rider, Tanzaburo was still acting on instinct.
His speed and power had now increased by more than just a little. If this punch hit Yuriko...
She would likely turn into Yuriko-paste.
"Oh no...!"
In her shock, Yuriko forgot to dodge. Seeing the rapidly approaching fist, she closed her eyes in despair.
Clap—
"Just faint properly and stop causing trouble for others, old man."
Bang—! Thud!
Yuriko heard a light and pleasant voice by her ear, followed by the sound of a heavy object being sent flying.
Opening her eyes again, Yuriko saw Kiana standing in front of her with one hand on her hip.
Looking at Tanzaburo, who had been sent flying and had his transformation canceled in one hit... then looking at the relaxed Kiana, Yuriko felt a bit dazed.
Is Kiana this strong even without transforming?
Well, Yuriko had mistaken her for someone else.
She mistook Kiana for Kishi-na; after all, aside from some details, the two looked very similar.
It wasn't surprising that Yuriko would make that mistake.
After saving the person, Kiana teleported to Tanzaburo's side and crouched down to look at the unconscious but wide-eyed Tanzaburo.
The power of rules filled her eyes as she carefully observed Tanzaburo's body.
She soon discovered... a mysterious power swirling around Tanzaburo's heart. It was the power of belief, also known as Idealistic Power.
This power was invisible, but at every critical moment, it could erupt with unspeakable strength.
Then Kiana looked at the others present—Yuriko, Ichiyō, Mitsuba... they all had faint traces of belief power.
No wonder their physical bodies were so strong; they were all belief monsters... Kiana finally understood part of the truth of this world and felt relieved that Shocker appeared here without Kamen Riders.
With the humans of this world having this power to support them, what could those Kaijin possibly fight with?
Classic: You're actually the challenger.
Even if that punch had hit Yuriko just now, it probably wouldn't have caused a fatal injury... Kiana shook her head and reached out to heal the severely overextended Tanzaburo.
"Group Owner, how is Uncle?"
Kishi-na ran over with a worried face, panting slightly.
Her rosy cheeks, looking like a tempting and sweet red Apple, made Kiana take an extra glance.
It seemed that even though Kishi-na usually said her uncle was unreliable, she actually cared quite a bit.
After all, he was her only relative?
"He's fine, he just fainted from overexertion."
"That's good..."
Kishi-na patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that.
Then, bits of fluorescent light emanated from Tanzaburo's body. Kishi-na instinctively reached out and grasped... a brand new Ichigo card condensed from the points of light.
"Half of Ichigo's power stayed inside Uncle's body?"
Feeling the energy contained within the card, Kishi-na muttered to herself unconsciously.
"Niece-chan! We have a chance to become Kamen Riders too, right!"
Ichiyō's large hand grabbed Kishi-na's shoulder as he spoke with a flushed, excited face.
Even Higashijima became a real Kamen Rider because of Kishi-na's power, so weren't they close as well?
Clap—
Kiana frowned and slapped Ichiyō's hand away, then took the opportunity to pull Kishi-na into an embrace.
Protecting her while also getting close—killing two birds with one stone.
"She doesn't have cards for other Riders at the moment; we'll talk about that later."
Kiana said with a slightly warning tone.
"Oh...? Are you Higashijima's other nie—"
"I'm not. I'm just a passing Xianzhou General."
Kiana interrupted Ichiyō and waved her hand dismissively.
"Group Owner, isn't this posture a bit too intimate...?"
Kishi-na wrapped her arms around Kiana's waist and spoke with a blushing, shy face.
Although the way she protected her was very cool and dominant, there were so many people watching; it was very embarrassing...
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"