Starting with Firefly, Speedrun the World

Seeing the Water Gun Buckle, Ace Ukiyo felt a flicker of disappointment, but quickly regained his confidence.

Besides, in this place, a water gun could indeed pack quite a punch. Ace Ukiyo glanced toward the coast—if he could get there...

It just wasn't very convenient to use.

But if he completed the hidden mission, he could get a better buckle.

"As expected of a fox."

Even with just a water gun, he was so full of confidence—Nene Arakawa had to acknowledge his strength.

Aside from Nene Arakawa and Ace Ukiyo's team, everyone else had also received their starting buckles. Except for Keiwa Sakurai, everyone else's buckles were mediocre.

And this time, Keiwa Sakurai's buckle wasn't the top-tier Booster Buckle, but it was the Magnum Buckle, perfectly suited for Geats.

Seeing the buckle Keiwa Sakurai had obtained, Azuma Michinaga glanced over but ultimately chose not to snatch it. Though the Magnum was strong, it didn't suit him.

It suited Geats more.

He needed a power-type buckle instead.

The starting buckle in front of him was mediocre—just an Armed Shield—but it would have to do.

Still, he couldn't understand why this guy always started with such good buckles. Was he really the child of fortune?

"Hurry up and start! Keiwa Sakurai, let me see how much you've grown."

Among the spectators watching the DGP Grand Prix, Keiwa Sakurai's Top Supporter, the frog-like Guaguala, was eagerly anticipating what came next.

Compared to other Top Supporters, Guaguala's wealth was far more apparent. If not for the Game Master's restrictions, he would have bought better buckles for the Rider he supported.

Of course, all of this was just to satisfy his own pursuit of entertainment. For that, he would spare no expense.

So he wasn't exactly a good person either.

"..."

"Hey! Where are you going?"

Keiwa Sakurai was just picking up his buckle when he noticed Azuma Michinaga silently turning and walking away in another direction.

Keiwa Sakurai quickly asked, since this game required teaming up to complete.

"Don't follow me. I don't need to team up with anyone."

Azuma Michinaga said coldly without looking back.

Even if the game rules required cooperation, he didn't care. After what happened that time, he had decided from the start never to team up with anyone again.

"But..."

Keiwa Sakurai wanted to say more, but Azuma Michinaga was already charging toward the Poker Jyamato that had appeared nearby, completely ignoring him.

"Sigh..."

Meeting a teammate like this was really frustrating!

But when Keiwa Sakurai noticed a couple nearby passionately kissing, completely unaware of the Poker Jyamato approaching, he tensed up.

The Jyamato saw the intimate couple and grew enraged. It punched the man flying with one blow, grabbed the woman by the shoulders, lifted her up, and turned to leave.

The woman struggled and screamed for help, but couldn't break free from the Jyamato's strength.

Seeing this, Keiwa Sakurai didn't hesitate. He rushed over, equipped the Desire Driver, and picked up the Magnum Buckle.

"Henshin!"

[Magnum!]

As he ran, Keiwa Sakurai completed his transformation in an instant, then punched the Jyamato, snatching the woman back.

Chapter 36: Geats Loses All Confidence

"Get out of here! Find a safe place to hide." After saving the woman, Keiwa Sakurai quickly instructed her.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

The woman hurriedly thanked Keiwa Sakurai, then didn't even glance at her boyfriend lying on the ground nearby. She turned and ran in panic toward what she thought was a safe spot.

Watching her run off, Keiwa Sakurai turned to face the Jyamato. It was completely unharmed, and two more had appeared beside it, all charging straight at him.

Keiwa Sakurai's expression shifted. He quickly raised the Magnum Shooter and sprayed them with gunfire.

Under the Magnum's firepower, one Jyamato was successfully knocked down.

But then a phantom club symbol floated up, and the downed Poker Jyamato sprang back to life as if nothing had happened.

"What's going on?"

Keiwa Sakurai didn't understand the situation. He quickly created some distance, then stubbornly attacked again, switching the Magnum to sniper mode and maxing out the power.

Energy erupted in an instant, enough to pierce through rock and metal.

The next second, the Jyamato closest to him was blasted over ten meters away.

But even so, when the phantom club symbol floated up again, it quickly stood back up.

"How can this be?"

Keiwa's brow furrowed deeply, utterly bewildered!

With that kind of power, this Jyamato couldn't possibly have come out unscathed.

Why was this happening?

It wasn't just Sakurai Keiwa—Azuma Michinaga, not far away, felt the same. He defeated the Jyamato before him time and again, only to watch it rise again completely unharmed each time.

The other Kamen Rider groups were no different; none could successfully take down a single Jyamato.

Still, compared to the others, Ace Ukiyo and Nene Arakawa at least managed some coordination.

Because Geats's buckle was too weak, he could only lure the monster to the water's edge.

"...Come on!"

[Water Strike!]

Watching the approaching Poker Jyamato, Ace Ukiyo immediately connected the Armed Water Gun in his hand to the water.

When he twisted the faucet on the "Water Gun Buckle," a sound effect rang out, and the water gun instantly unleashed an extremely powerful water jet, blasting the approaching Jyamato away in a single strike.

"As expected of Geats!"

"Even with a water gun, he's this amazing."

Watching Ace Ukiyo's performance, Nene Arakawa couldn't help but exclaim in awe.

She'd gotten a water gun before too, but in other people's hands, it was nothing more than a kindergarten toy—utterly useless.

It could only be used to hit people, and even then, it barely did any damage.

Yet Ace Ukiyo had brought out such tremendous power from it!

Truly the former consecutive champion.

"Of course, every buckle has its purpose."

Ace Ukiyo set down the water gun with a flourish. He wasn't like the others; a thousand years of experience didn't go to waste.

If he couldn't even bring out the true power of these buckles, then he'd have lived in vain, and winning streak after streak wouldn't have been so easy.

But soon, Ace Ukiyo's expression shifted. The attack that should have been enough to kill an elite monster hadn't destroyed the Poker Jyamato at all. It rose again, completely unharmed, and lunged at Nene Arakawa.

"Neko!"

Noticing this, Ace Ukiyo quickly warned her.

Nene Arakawa reacted in an instant, hurriedly raising the Beat Axe in her hand to strike at it. But her relentless blows only pushed the Jyamato back, unable to truly harm it.

Seeing this, Nene Arakawa quickly operated the "Beat Axe" tuning device, selecting an ice-element track.

When the "Funk Blizzard" sound effect played, she pulled the trigger, and with the "Tactical Blizzard!" sound effect, the finishing move activated!

[Strategic Snow Burst!]

Nene Arakawa played the Beat Axe, and in the next moment, an ultra-hype funk-style melody rang out around her. The Jyamato in front was instantly frozen solid, turned into an ice sculpture.

Then, Nene Arakawa spun around with the Beat Axe, charging straight at the Jyamato before her and the ones beside her. With cold air swirling around the axe blade, she delivered smooth, connected slashes.

Each strike effortlessly froze them completely.

But it wasn't over yet. She then formed a freezing sonic wave on the ground, gathering them together, and switched the music again.

"Strategic Flame!"

[Tactical Fire!]

The Beat Axe's ice instantly turned to flames. Nene Arakawa, now wielding a flaming axe, struck at these Jyamato with a single blow.

Multiple firestorms ravaged the Poker Jyamato, obliterating them along with the surrounding buildings and even the ground itself.

The scene was utterly shocking!

"Hehe, we won!"

Nene Arakawa let out a cheerful laugh. Just as she thought victory was hers, the flames faded... and she saw the Jyamato before her had once again perfectly recovered.

"How?!"

This sight left Nene Arakawa dumbfounded.

Even an attack like that couldn't destroy them? These Jyamato were way too hard to kill!

"Wait, there must be a method."

Ace Ukiyo stared at the playing card afterimages that appeared as the Jyamato regenerated. He seemed to have an idea, but he wasn't sure.

"What method?"

"I don't know. I can't confirm it yet."

Ace Ukiyo answered honestly. It was just a flash of insight, but he hadn't fully grasped the thread.

"Then what do we do now? We can't kill them?"

Nene Arakawa knocked the Jyamato back again, but facing monsters that couldn't be finished off, her fighting spirit evaporated, and her original drive was gone.

"Let's leave here first. We need to think this through properly."

These Poker Jyamato couldn't be dealt with directly, and more Jyamato were approaching from the surroundings. They couldn't stay here any longer—they'd be completely surrounded.

"Fine! That's the only way."

Nene Arakawa heard this and stopped overthinking.

Just as the two were about to retreat, a familiar figure dropped from the sky, crashing into the Poker Jyamato in front of them.

The surrounding Jyamato were knocked askew by the sudden arrival, but due to the special rules, they quickly returned to normal.

The abrupt appearance made Nene Arakawa and Ace Ukiyo, who had been about to withdraw, halt their movements.

"You again."

"Stellaron Hunter, Sam."

Looking at the familiar full-armored knight before him, Ace Ukiyo's expression showed a hint of unease.

He had already lost to this Stellaron Hunter twice.

For the ever-confident Geats, this was indeed a heavy blow.

It was only his long lifespan that kept him rational, preventing him from acting impulsively like Buffa—otherwise, he would have lost his temper long ago.

But this time, facing Stellaron Hunter Sam, he had no desire to fight him. Not only was he weaker than in the previous round, he only had a Water Gun Buckle.

The last battle had also made it clear to him that the gap in combat power between them was far too great.