Honkai: Star Rail — Kamen Rider!

"So that's how you resolved it?"

Yunqing frowned as she stared at the massive fireball below, completely enveloping Sora.

Even without confirmation, she already knew Sora was unharmed.

She could clearly see how each laser beam and missile had instead struck the Fyrefly Suits caught by those strange tendrils.

In other words, although the explosion below appeared catastrophic, Sora hadn't sustained even the slightest damage.

Those unexpected golden tendrils had completely blindsided her.

She'd meticulously arranged this encirclement tactic within his [Heavy Acceleration] field, using most of her team's strength and careful coordination to pull off such an attack.

Yet he'd countered in the most unimaginable way.

And besides…

If you had something like this, why didn't you just use it from the start?!

Who would hold back such a potent ability and stubbornly choose to punch their way through?!

Yunqing's mind was now brimming with countless unanswered questions. No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't fathom the logic behind this man's choices.

Every step Sora had taken so far defied her calculations, every decision utterly unconventional from any tactical perspective.

Where in the universe did this unpredictable wildcard even come from?!

The spectacle unfolding here was also quietly observed by another party.

---

"Truly… this was entirely unexpected."

Since Sora hadn't destroyed the monitoring equipment in the area, Serus was able to witness everything happening clearly through surveillance feeds.

Thus, he had caught a glimpse of Sora's true capabilities.

"At first, I believed you were just an ordinary human. Yet, now you've shown me powers far beyond my estimation."

Whether it was that mysterious field slowing down his enemies or his ability to deliver punches exerting tens of tons of force, every detail indicated that the supposed "ordinary human" was vastly beyond expectation.

Especially that field manipulating speed…

"This kind of technology is rare, even within the Genius Society."

Indeed, the [Heavy Acceleration] field deployed by Sora was entirely unprecedented in Serus' extensive database.

Unless one of the geniuses from the Genius Society decided to dedicate themselves to studying it, even Serus himself wouldn't know how to counteract such a phenomenon.

But those eccentrics from the Genius Society—how could they possibly spare attention to research something like this?

"In other words, there's practically no immediate solution to this."

Serus fell silent. Even he, at this point, lacked a method to nullify Sora's field.

Yet, precisely because of this realization, he felt an odd sense of relief, maintaining calm despite the silence.

"It's fortunate I observed that Void-infested entity's actions and took precautions with this fellow."

The nanomachines implanted within Sora's heart could be detonated instantly at Serus' command.

While I might not neutralize your power directly, your organic flesh remains vulnerable.

Serus had reviewed Sora's physical data carefully. Aside from above-average human strength, his body showed no signs of modifications—neither Path-based nor cybernetic.

Therefore, Sora retained all weaknesses common to organic lifeforms.

"If only I'd implanted another nanomachine directly into his brain as a double safeguard…"

With such insurance, Serus would've been completely at ease. But at that time, he had never anticipated things would escalate this far.

Yet, one nanomachine was enough.

Serus called up the self-destruct protocol.

The moment you defeat that Void-tainted nuisance posing the greatest threat to me…

Your ordinary human existence will be over.

Not only organic beings suffered contamination from the Void—even inorganic beings exposed to it became worthless scrap.

Thus, he chose to withdraw for now, avoiding direct confrontation and waiting patiently for the completion of his plans.

However, if Sora could indeed defeat that Void-born entity, he wouldn't hesitate to initiate his plans prematurely.

Serus' vast data streams surged beneath the planet's surface, faintly shimmering in a pale green glow.

---

Under the effects of [Heavy Acceleration], the flames dissipated painfully slowly.

When the smoke cleared and revealed the defensive measures Sora had set up, Yunqing finally saw clearly.

From the beginning, she'd been anxiously worrying about her comrades' conditions.

Yet as the smoke dispersed, the fragile hope she'd clung to was quickly dashed.

The Fyrefly Suits had been forcibly disengaged, revealing their severely injured wearers inside.

Such injuries were unavoidable. After all, the Fyrefly Suits' weaponry was specialized for hunting True Sting—the destructive insects whose regenerative capabilities demanded weapons far exceeding normal destructive potential.

Thus, these suits' firepower had long surpassed ordinary limits.

The suits disengaging was already the best-case scenario. The real worry was severe casualties.

We have to finish this quickly. If their wounds worsen, we'll lose lives!

Anxiety surged in Yunqing's mind, spurring the remaining Fyrefly units into coordinated action once more.

Their immediate goal was clear: sever those tendrils and rescue their comrades.

Yet, what happened next was beyond Yunqing's wildest expectations.

Ordinary enemies would naturally use these unconscious, incapacitated soldiers as hostages.

Had Yunqing been in Sora's position, she certainly wouldn't have let such an opportunity pass, leveraging captives to gain tactical advantage. Unless her opponent was a mechanical automaton, anyone with emotional capacity would falter.

But instead, these unconscious teammates were gently placed on the ground.

The golden tendrils even thoughtfully cleared away debris and smoothed the terrain before gently laying them down.

Yunqing stared, utterly dumbfounded, unable to grasp his intentions.

"I'm sorry for causing you injuries."

Sora spoke softly to the unconscious Iron Cavalry around him. "I'll heal you immediately."

The very same tendrils that had placed them down began performing precise medical maneuvers.

A gentle violet light bathed the wounded, rapidly mending their injuries. Brows previously knitted in pain gradually relaxed.

In mere minutes, all severe wounds had healed. Beneath torn uniforms, smooth, unblemished skin appeared as though their injuries had been nothing more than fleeting illusions, wiped away as effortlessly as foam.

Watching this baffling scene from above, even Nokiribi found it utterly incomprehensible.

Just moments ago, when the Fyrefly Suits' formation had collapsed, Sora had the perfect opportunity to overwhelm and decisively end the battle.

Yet, he abandoned that crucial advantage, choosing instead to heal his opponents.

"...Do you realize you've just discarded the best possible chance?"

Nokiribi murmured unconsciously.

Unfortunately, her question went unheard, unanswered, but confusion lingered persistently in her heart.

Had he seized that fleeting chaos, Sora could've incapacitated more than half the remaining units. Faced with such a situation, any commander in any war would have known what to do.

Yet, Sora had deliberately chosen compassion over immediate victory.

Could it be… in his eyes, these artificially created expendable soldiers were actually more important than victory itself?

After all, an advantage like this—once lost—might never come again.

Though doubts surfaced, countless internal voices quickly silenced them.

Impossible. It couldn't be.

In the factory's mainframe that created her kind, Nokiribi had witnessed the truth firsthand!

In those cold logs, frontline soldiers like herself received no comfort, only relentless demands.

Advance the frontline faster.

Retake lost territory faster.

Exterminate the insect swarms faster.

And the reason? "The season for outings is coming soon."

All she had ever seen was endless urging, without the slightest concern for their lives.

No comfort. No compassion.

Only unfeeling orders.

"No one ever cared about us. Nobody ever worried about us…"

"Yes… that's right. From the moment we were created, we've been alone. Utterly alone in this universe…"

"Only we care about ourselves. Only we worry about each other. Only we can truly love ourselves…"

Countless restless voices swirled through Nokiribi's mind, crushing the doubts she had briefly felt.

That's right—no one in this universe cares for us, no one worries about us.

"That's why you chose me. That's why I survived the bloody hell of the Scarlet Mountain." Nokiribi's gaze hardened once more.

"That's why I'm here now."

Only we can truly love ourselves.

And now, her people were struggling. It was time for her to lend them her strength.

When facing the swarm, no one ever reached out a helping hand to them.

Then… Let me grant you the power you need to defeat the enemy before you.

Nokiribi tossed her cicada-shaped transformation device outward.

A crimson glow flashed from the device midair.

Then, as if guided by its own will, it hurtled downward like a blazing meteor.

Yunqing, though startled by the sudden turn of events, hadn't given up. Her mind raced to devise new tactics.

But no matter how she considered it, the strength and hidden capabilities displayed by Sora couldn't be easily countered.

A force field that slowed movement, combined with healing and defensive tendrils...

With these two factors combined, defeating him grew increasingly difficult.

How could she manage to subdue him without losing too many more teammates?

Suddenly, a crimson glow crashed down before her.

This sudden event left her stunned momentarily.

She instantly recognized this—it was Nokiribi's own Fyrefly Suit.

But… this object had appeared completely unaffected by the field that slowed everything else down.

No time for questions. Since Nokiribi threw it, it must have been intended to help defeat the enemy.

Yunqing decisively grasped the cicada-shaped device. Instantly, countless images flooded her mind.

She glimpsed a battlefield teeming with swarms of insects…

Death was the only rhythm there. No survivors remained.

Familiar Fyrefly Suits lay shattered, intertwined with countless insect corpses.

At the battlefield's edge, one lone figure repeated the same actions, day after day, year after year…

Until a new body emerged, swallowed by the Void…

What happened next, Yunqing could no longer see clearly.

Her consciousness dimmed rapidly, driven only by instinct to activate the device in her hand!

"AAAAHHHHHH!!"

Flames erupted from her palm, engulfing her entire body in a blazing inferno.

This unexpected development immediately drew Sora's attention.

Suddenly, the surrounding Fyrefly armors, hovering slowly midair, began drifting towards that burning figure as if summoned.

Their movement was sluggish, but undeniable.

As each armor touched the fiery form, they too were engulfed by the flames.

"This… isn't a good sign..."

Witnessing this, Sora's mind flashed to the previous scene with Yingzhu.

Clearly, this transformation was another result of Nokiribi's Void-infested power.

The earlier briefing resurfaced in his mind. The Void's influence hung ominously above like the Sword of Damocles.

Excessive contact might lead to total consumption by the Void.

Therefore, as soon as his healing was complete, Sora immediately charged upward!

He crushed the ground beneath him, launching fragments upward.

Those fragments became stepping stones, propelling him into the air.

Meanwhile, Fyrefly Suits closer to Yunqing began merging with her.

The flames started spreading uncontrollably!

Seeing this, Sora's tendrils shot out swiftly, wrapping around nearby Fyrefly units.

A powerful electric surge rendered their pilots unconscious, causing them to lose altitude and safely plummet downward.

Crashing to the ground was far safer than being touched by Nokiribi's flames.

Sora advanced steadily upward, dropping the incapacitated guards safely to the surface below.

But Yunqing, having positioned herself strategically high up, required him to ascend even further, using the unconscious soldiers as footholds to climb higher.

Bodies continued dropping softly to the ground as Sora rapidly closed the distance to Yunqing's location.

The closer he got, the more horrifying the sight became.

Within the crimson flames, the Fyrefly Suits—which should have been impossible to fuse—had broken their limitations.

They began merging freely, multiplying uncontrollably.

This grotesque scene vividly reminded Sora of the True Sting swarms he'd encountered in space.

If True Stings multiplied by division, then the Fyrefly Suits before him were multiplying through amalgamation!

And with amalgamation, the armored mass expanded relentlessly!

"Hey! It's dangerous here—!"

This sight was anything but normal.

Yet, despite the peril, other Fyrefly units kept approaching like moths to a flame, devoid of self-preservation instincts.

"Damn it!"

A surge of urgency filled Sora's heart.

He glanced anxiously at the armors continually drawing closer, and chose to unleash his power fully.

Heart-sama, lend me all your strength!

"HAHHHH!!"

Sora roared in determination.

He had to stop these units from joining that massive, ever-growing monstrosity.

He'd promised them—sworn to protect them all.

None of you are allowed to get hurt!

"That's why—I'll do it no matter what!"

His heartbeat thundered loudly in his ears, resonating through his body as another power surged within him.

It was the idealistic power granted by Joker!

The two forces resonated fiercely, bathing Sora in an increasingly deep crimson aura.

Within that crimson glow, a hint of gold started to shimmer.

Simultaneously, an even stronger field radiated outward from him.

The Fyrefly Suits that had relentlessly been merging began slowing further and further… until they nearly stopped altogether.

Indeed, they were essentially frozen in place.

Only after several minutes would their bodies move forward just the slightest fraction.

This was Sora's [Super-Heavy Acceleration]—ignited by his burning resolve, resonating with the power of idealism granted by Joker.

[Heavy Acceleration] slowed actions immensely but allowed some conscious movement.

[Super-Heavy Acceleration], however, was a power closer to true time suspension.

Other than conscious thought, practically everything around froze entirely.

Without something as shameless as Formula, this power was essentially unbeatable!

And now, purely through his own determination, Sora had unleashed [Super-Heavy Acceleration]—a feat normally exclusive to evolved forms—stopping the Fyrefly cluster's chaotic convergence entirely.

"Whew—" Sora exhaled deeply, activating his [Shift Brace].

He focused squarely on the partially-fused giant Fyrefly armor looming before him.

'[Come On]!'

'[Heart]!'

"It's good to care for your companions—but I never said you could become one giant mess."

'[Hissatsu]!'

Golden electricity surged brilliantly around Sora's body, but he paid it no mind.

'[Full Throttle]!'

'[Heart]!'

"TOH!!"

Sora leaped upward.

He became a crimson-and-gold meteor, plunging directly toward the center of the enormous fused armor!