The Great Spirit Arena of Suotuo City was buzzing as always, filled with spectators eager to witness young geniuses clash. The cheers roared, banners waved, and countless gazes focused on the center stages scattered throughout the massive coliseum.
Among them, two matches had just ended.
"Xiao Wu wins!"
"Victory goes to Tang San!"
The announcements rang out crisply. On one platform, Xiao Wu hopped off lightly, her expression playful but sharp. She had swiftly subdued Qing Bao and his Iron Horn Bull spirit with her signature throws and agility. No unnecessary movement, no wasted energy. A clean, precise win.
Tang San, meanwhile, offered a courteous nod to his opponent, Zhu Zhuqing. It had been a measured and tactical match. His Blue Silver Grass outmaneuvered the Hell Civet with strategy and timing, just like in the canon—subtle but definitive.
Their victories, though significant, passed without ceremony. They can be said to be a green novices—and they were not expected to have a lot of fanfare in order to win.
As the two returned to the rest area, conversation buzzed around the arena.
But soon, the buzz became a hum. Then, a ripple. A wave of whispers passed through the crowd like electricity.
"Hey, look! That guy's going up next!"
"Isn't that Li Wei? The golden badge rookie?"
"You mean the one with the 40-1 record?"
"Yeah! They say his one loss was only because he just broke through into rank 41. Even though he just become soul ancestor, he can still give quite a fight even against rank 47 soul ancestor. He's a monster."
Hearing the word spoken by the crowd, it intriguing Zhu Zhuqing. He is just one year older than her but he can be said to be more of a genius than her own fiance as he already a Soul Ancestor, while her own fiance only a Soul Elder.
Li Wei stood quietly near the corridor entrance, gazing at the stage with calm eyes. The air seemed to shift as he walked forward, his black training jacket fluttering slightly behind him.
Fourty wins, one loss… he thought. They care more about the numbers than the why.
He wasn't bothered. Let them speculate.
Flender wasn't here. Neither was Zhao Wuji. This time, there were no teachers watching from the sidelines. Only students—each fighting their own battles.
Li Wei stepped into the light.
The arena announcer's voice boomed, riding on top of the crowd's anticipation.
"Ladies and gentlemen, brace yourselves! Now entering the center stage—holder of the golden badge, the rising star with fourty wins and only one recorded loss… LI! WEI!"
Thunderous applause. Shouts. Cheers. Some jeers too, but they were drowned by the excitement.
On the opposite end, a young man stepped onto the platform. He was lean, muscles taut like drawn wire, and his silver-blue hair crackled faintly with static.
"And his opponent—Ashzure! Spirit: Lightning! Power Attack System Beast Spirit user!"
Ashzure said nothing. Sparks curled around his fingertips as he lowered into a stance. His hair bristled as if magnetized, changing shape as streaks of lightning raced through it. His body subtly expanded, lightning tracing the contours of his arms and back.
So that's Lightning Transformation, Li Wei noted. He's already begun boosting himself.
He took a breath, slow and silent.
His right hand twitched—and with a shimmer of light, the Diendriver appeared in his grasp.
The crowd gasped.
Li Wei didn't rush. He tilted his head slightly, murmuring under his breath.
"This won't take long."
A blue card shimmered between his fingers. He slid it into the Diendriver, pulled the slide.
[KamenRide!]
"Henshin."
[DI... END!]
He fired a shot upward. Light exploded from the barrel, forming a cascading grid of blue panels. They crashed down, building his armor piece by piece.
In a burst of light, the sleek, barcode-faced armor of Kamen Rider Diend stood on the stage.
A moment passed.
Then both fighters launched forward.
Ashzure growled as he launched a barrage of Lightning Bullets, each crackling sphere aimed to suppress and overwhelm.
Li Wei didn't flinch. Seeing it and taking his own countermeasures.
Another card slid into the Diendriver.
[Kamen Ride: ZERONOS!]
A rippling portal bloomed beside him, and from it stepped a warrior in green armor lined with gold—Kamen Rider Zeronos. Without hesitation, the summoned Rider drew his Denebick Buster, aiming it like a precision rifle.
Bang!
A single shot cleaved through the incoming lightning, splitting it apart before it could touch Li Wei.
Ashzure's eyes widened. "He's… a summoner?!"
He surged forward in desperation, the air flashing with thunder. Lightning howled around his form as he leapt—body poised to slam into Li Wei with a spinning drop-kick reinforced by raw energy.
Li Wei responded without moving.
Another card slid into the Diendriver.
[Kamen Ride: G3!]
With a clanking sound of metal gears engaging, the armored tactical Rider G3 dropped in beside Li Wei, catching Ashzure mid-air with a shoulder charge enhanced by his built-in Elbow Gatling—a sudden burst of kinetic force that sent the lightning user tumbling back.
Li Wei turned, motioning briefly.
"Stagger him."
The summoned Riders obeyed like loyal soldiers. G3 charged in with military precision, tackling Ashzure into the arena wall. Zeronos followed with a ranged barrage that pinned him down.
Ashzure flared with desperation, raising his hands.
"Storm Grid!"
A dome of electrified tendrils burst from his core—zapping both summoned Riders and disintegrating their forms in a violent explosion of energy but not enough distance to reach Li Wei.
Ashzure dropped to one knee, panting. "Heh… got them…"
Li Wei's voice cut through the smoke.
"I can summon again."
Ashzure barely had time to react.
[Kamen Ride: KABUTO!]
Time shimmered.
In a flash of red light and with a hiss of shifting metal, Kamen Rider Kabuto appeared mid-stride, already in motion.
Clock Up.
He vanished.
Ashzure froze as time warped again—his perception lagging as Kabuto moved at lightspeed.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Three thunderous hits—one to the gut, one to the chest, one to the back—struck in under a second. The final blow was a spinning roundhouse kick that launched Ashzure into the air.
Li Wei slid another card.
[Attack Ride: Crossattack!]
Three Riders appeared behind him—this time:
Kamen Rider Knight, his cape flaring.
Kamen Rider Birth, dual-wielding Cell Burst weapons.
Kamen Rider Blade, sword drawn and shimmering with energy.
They surged forward in sync.
Knight struck first, slashing across Ashzure's chest.
Birth followed with a double blast from both guns—energy tearing into his ribs.
Blade finished with a two-handed downward arc that sent the opponent crashing into the arena platform with a blast of blue light.
Ashzure groaned, body trembling, lightning flickering weakly from his fingertips. His transformation flickered.
He tried to rise.
Li Wei walked forward—calm, composed.
Another card slipped between his fingers.
[KamenRide: DARK KIVA]
The arena dimmed.
From swirling red and black energy, Dark Kiva emerged—regal, ancient, with chains clinking around his limbs and crimson light gleaming in his eyes.
With a single nod from Li Wei, Dark Kiva raised his arm—and unleashed a massive sonic shockwave from his right fist.
BOOOOM!
The wave crushed down on Ashzure, flattening him into the stone stage.
Silence followed.
Ashzure didn't get up.
Not even a flicker of spirit energy remained. He has fall into unconsciousness, not enough to cause permanent damage but enough to knock him out until tomorrow.
The arena roared with stunned applause.
Li Wei stood in the center of the chaos, the summoned Riders fading like smoke.
He holstered the Diendriver with practiced ease and dematerialize the DienDriver.
Each summon had its role. Each move measured. That… was a message.
A statement to every spirit master watching.
This was not a fluke.
This was a methodical dissection.
This… was power.