Honkai: Star Rail — Kamen Rider!

When the golden brilliance of the [Over Evolved Form] once again illuminated the battlefield, the wave capable of halting all movement spread across the planet once more.

Beams of light and rapidly advancing missiles froze motionless in mid-air.

Even the flames spewing from their tail ends stood still, the distortion of air from intense heat clearly visible.

Suddenly, the entire world was plunged into absolute silence; everything had come to a halt.

Yet amidst this frozen scene, a single streak of vivid color cut through—

It was Hotaru, enveloped in burning flames!

In this paused world, she alone could still move.

Though her movements were slow, simply being able to move freely gave her victory over everything else!

Hotaru soared across the sky, becoming an undying streak of crimson-red.

A soul once shackled by countless chains had finally, truly taken flight!

In the blink of an eye, the frozen world regained its rhythm, and immediately, dazzling brilliance erupted upon the distant horizon!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!

Clusters of radiant stars exploded like morning suns in the sky, obliterating attacks capable of destroying spacecraft or piercing the ground.

Yet their intended targets remained completely unharmed.

Within the dazzling spectacle, crimson-red and brilliant gold interwove continuously, deflecting every incoming assault together!

Impossible…

Though the world had completely frozen, inorganic consciousness within the data streams could still reason.

And thus, Serus could only face what his sensors captured in stunned silence.

The two who were previously enemies had chosen to join forces.

This was undoubtedly terrible news for him.

The one entity capable of movement within the frozen world had sided with Hoshigaki Sora.

If those two continued their cooperation, they might become an immense threat.

Serus wasn't concerned about being discovered—the hiding spot of his core was unreachable for anyone.

But if Sora were left free to roam on the planet, perhaps the planet's future truly would plunge into apocalypse.

He wouldn't allow that. He had to guarantee that his plan unfolded smoothly.

Apocalypse? Ridiculous!

It seems it's time to use some more extreme measures.

After only one round, the attacks targeting them ceased entirely.

Neither Sora nor Hotaru would miss this chance. Moving swiftly, they quickly destroyed all the weapons.

Destroying was simple; tracking down Serus was the tricky part.

Sora had promised Hotaru he'd find Serus. But at this rate, even if they spent all the time they had left searching, they might never discover him.

Thus, after briefly conferring, Sora and Hotaru swiftly settled on their next move.

"If he can control weapons to target us, then I can also use his own actions to pinpoint his core," Sora declared confidently.

"Really?" Hotaru blinked, mildly stunned.

In the past few days she'd known Sora, she hadn't seen him show particular expertise with network-related skills.

"Just trust me. I promised you, after all."

Several tendrils emerged once again from Sora's back, connecting directly to the scattered weapon remains.

'[Come on]!'

'[Brain]!'

Green brilliance flashed from his bracelet, and on this frozen planet, Sora implanted a tracing program into the weapons and nearby monitoring devices.

Using the recent activation of weaponry as a clue, he planned to trace the signals directly back to Serus's hiding spot.

Once Serus accessed this program, Sora would instantly learn his location!

Having finished setting the program, Sora withdrew the freezing field enveloping the planet back into his body.

As the field receded, the planet returned to normal once more.

The moment Sora stood beside Hotaru, the tracking program he'd left behind activated immediately!

Within Sora's perception, the coordinates of their target rapidly shifted.

Then, abruptly, the coordinates came to a complete stop, unmoving from a specific point.

Sora keenly noted this information and swiftly matched it against the planet's geography.

"Serus's location is…" After careful calculation, Sora's expression sharpened. "Right beside us."

As realization dawned, both he and Hotaru turned simultaneously toward their side.

A robot slowly stood upright from the rubble.

Without hesitation, Hotaru charged forward, smashing the robot into scattered fragments with a single punch.

CRASH!

Parts flew everywhere, leaving the robot irreparably destroyed.

Yet another robot nearby slowly awakened, speaking in Serus's familiar voice:

"Such a shallow program could never escape my self-scanning."

Sora scoffed. "If you truly felt no pressure, you wouldn't have appeared before us, would you?"

If Serus genuinely perceived no threat, he wouldn't have revealed himself so anxiously.

Clearly, their combined strength was enough to make Serus wary.

"You're right. Your alliance indeed makes things difficult," Serus admitted calmly, unbothered by Sora's provocation. "But I also hold your life in my hands."

A projection appeared, displaying the moment nanomachines were secretly embedded into Sora's body.

Hotaru immediately recognized the scene—the departing figure and familiar surroundings told her exactly when this had occurred.

"You should thank this Iron Cavalry outsider beside you. Without her presence, I would never have had this opportunity."

Hotaru stood frozen, her anger boiling over as she snapped, "You scum!"

To think Serus had used such underhanded means at a time like that.

"Thank you for the compliment, but I'm no longer a carbon-based being. Emotion has long ceased to affect me."

The robot's arm transformed into a small button.

"There are nanomachines implanted within your heart. The moment I press this button, your heart might burst, killing you instantly."

Flames erupted violently around Hotaru's body. She was about to rush forward and snap the robot's arm off when Sora reached out, stopping her.

"It's merely a visual representation. The triggering program remains in his control," Sora explained calmly, before facing Serus again. "What is it you want?"

His voice was extraordinarily calm, as though it weren't his life being threatened at all.

"Impressive composure," Serus praised lightly. "I only want you to make a choice."

"The first option: I trigger the program now. Perhaps you'll survive using your freezing power, but simultaneously, I'll flood the entire planet with Void."

He continued calmly, "The second: You and these Iron Cavalry survivors leave this planet immediately and never interfere with me again."

When faced with mortal danger, humans could only ever choose survival. It was an ancient instinct etched deep within their genes.

Serus had made a bold move—forcing Sora into a decision by threatening self-destruction.

Sora could probably survive by freezing the explosion in his heart, but Void energy would remain unaffected, turning the entire planet into a wasteland.

Though Serus would end as scrap metal, he'd put himself onto the betting table, ready to gamble everything. He was explicitly telling Sora he was ready to perish together.

A desperate threat was always the hardest to counter.

"…Sora," Hotaru murmured worriedly.

Among the two choices presented, one appeared nearly ideal: to follow Serus's instructions and leave.

Doing so, Sora could safely remove the threat within himself afterward. Besides failing to punish their persecutor, the outcome was practically perfect.

"Maybe…we should choose to leave."

Though her heart held regret, Hotaru didn't wish to lose her newfound friend, let alone her people.

Yet once more, Sora calmly stopped her.

"I promised you I would punish this guy."

"But…"

"I always keep promises to my friends. We already agreed," Sora replied serenely. "Void energy is nothing to me. I even dispelled it from your body earlier."

Indeed, when Sora and Hotaru had previously clashed, he'd successfully expelled Void energy from her. Now that he possessed the means to counter it, Serus's threat of mutual destruction was meaningless.

Thus, Sora's choice had long been clear.

"Then allow me to offer a third option: you die, and I take them with me."

"What an unfortunate decision. Let's see, then."

The next moment, Sora's fist obliterated the robot in front of him.

Simultaneously, the robot pressed the button.