GA: Chapter 129: He Who Walks the Path of Heaven, the One Who Rules Over All!
A gentle breeze passed through. The fabric of Chen Feng's (Tendou Souji's) clothes lifted slightly, revealing the Zecter Belt at his waist — appearing there as if it had always been. Without any change of expression, he slid the Kabuto Zecter into the belt from left to right.
[HenShin!]
The Kabuto Zecter at his waist released a mechanical call — and visibly, a layer of heavy armor materialized around Chen Feng (Tendou Souji).
In this moment, Chen Feng (Tendou Souji) had truly become Kamen Rider Kabuto in this world.
"CastOff!"
Chen Feng (Tendou Souji) pushed the large horn on the Kabuto Zecter at his waist slightly with his right hand. The heavy armor encasing his masked form seemed to loosen, shifting.
Then he pulled the transformation device back to the left.
[CastOff!]
With a mechanical cry, the heavy armor shattered apart in an instant — every piece slamming into the mutated crab that had been watching him warily from ahead, blasting it clean off its feet.
The violent force sent it rolling across the ground several times even after it landed.
"Gururu...?"
The mutated crab scrambled back up, confusion still flickering in its eyes, unable to work out what had just collided with it.
[ChangeBeetle!]
Chen Feng (Tendou Souji) paid it no attention. As the mechanical sound rang from his waist, the large crimson horn rose upward to its crown position. The compound blue eyes on either side flashed with arcs of electricity.
Compared to the heavy armor state, the current Kabuto form sacrificed some defensive capability — but its agility and speed surpassed the former by an enormous margin.
And most importantly, it looked incomparably better.
"He's so cool!"
The boy stared at Chen Feng (Tendou Souji), who had fully transformed into Kabuto, and couldn't stop the words from escaping.
Behind him, his little sister was looking at the scene with a somewhat dazed expression. Just moments ago they'd been ready to die together — how had the mood shifted so completely and so suddenly?
Though it seemed like she and her brother were safe now.
She jogged to her brother's side, supporting him and pulling him back from the immediate area.
She didn't know what kind of fight was about to happen, but even the residual force of a battle at this level probably wasn't something two ordinary people could survive standing nearby. Right now, she needed to get her brother out of range and leave the battlefield to them.
"Gururu gururu gururu!"
The mutated crab hauled itself back upright and looked at the thing before it with considerable confusion.
This human had somehow turned into something completely different. Was it still edible?
"You can't even speak a human language. Does that put you beneath even a Worm?"
"It seems there's no reason to waste any more time."
Chen Feng (Tendou Souji) said it plainly, then walked calmly toward the mutated crab.
"Gururu!"
The mutated crab bellowed. Flowing water gathered from empty air and swirled around its claws — then it swung directly at Chen Feng (Tendou Souji).
Chen Feng (Tendou Souji) shifted slightly to the right, stepping around the stream of water with ease, then drove a punch into the crab's shell. The force behind it knocked it back two full steps.
Before it could recover, Chen Feng (Tendou Souji) followed up with two more punches to the shell, then turned and launched a whip kick that sent it flying.
"So this is all you amount to, even after mutation."
"Disappointing."
Chen Feng (Tendou Souji) walked up to the mutated crab and looked down at it from above. The armor covered his face entirely — no expression could be seen — but the pride radiating from the very depths of his being, that utter contempt, needed no translation.
Even a creature that understood no human language could feel it with absolute clarity.
"GURURU GURURU!"
The mutated crab screamed in fury, both pairs of claws flailing in front of it like an angry child. Chen Feng (Tendou Souji) stepped back twice, and the crab surged upright and charged him with claws raised.
Chen Feng (Tendou Souji) simply drew the Kabuto Kunai Sword and deflected the attack without urgency, then tapped the Kabuto Zecter at his waist once.
[One!]
The mechanical chime seemed to agitate the crab further — its attacks came faster. Chen Feng (Tendou Souji) didn't seem concerned in the slightest, casually deflecting with the Kunai Sword while slipping attacks in between, slashing at the crab whenever gaps appeared.
CRASH.
But unfortunately, while Chen Feng (Tendou Souji)'s strikes were causing the crab pain, they still couldn't break through its defenses. Not a single drop of blood had fallen.
Chen Feng (Tendou Souji) deflected another attack, then swept it upward and discarded the Kabuto Kunai Sword. His right fist drove into the crab and forced it back two steps. His left hand tapped the Zecter twice more.
[Two!]
[Three!]
The instant the mechanical chimes rang out, Chen Feng (Tendou Souji) turned and pushed the large horn on the Kabuto Zecter to the left — then pulled it back sharply. Several arcs of blue electricity bloomed outward as the tremendous power transferred from his waist down into his right leg.
The mutated crab watched the human turn and expose his back, confused — but not afraid. If anything, a flicker of satisfaction crossed its thoughts.
In what limited experience it had, every human who had ever turned their back to them had died.
Claws raised, the mutated crab charged without any caution whatsoever, intending to finish this human.
Chen Feng (Tendou Souji) felt it approaching from behind. He spoke without urgency.
"Rider Kick!"
He turned, raised his leg — and that right leg, carrying its terrible compressed force, carved a perfect arc through the air before slamming squarely into the mutated crab's shell. Then he turned his back to it again.
The mutated crab, sent flying once more, felt the pain reverberating through its body. It assumed this was the same as all the other hits — painful but unable to crack its defenses. It struggled to stand, intent on charging again.
But as it forced itself upright, its entire body seized violently — and then, from the inside out, it exploded apart. A flash of fire bloomed in the air where it had been.
"Grandmother always said — there is only one name in this world that must be remembered."
"He who walks the path of heaven. The one who rules over all."
"Tendou Souji."
One index finger pointed to the sky. Chen Feng (Tendou Souji) spoke without inflection.
The light of the sun fell across him completely.
In this moment, it seemed almost sacred.
This victory was, to him, nothing more than what was expected.
Because he was Tendou Souji — he who walked the path of heaven, the one who ruled over all.
In that name alone, his place at the summit was already written. To stand above all living things and look down from the heights was simply his nature.
Without canceling his transformation, Chen Feng (Tendou Souji) walked back to where the two young siblings stood.
"What do you plan to do next?"