Questions Answered

[This chapter does not count toward the number of overdue regular chapters.]

A brief reply to a few questions raised in the comments.

First, regarding Changkong City's area...

Sorry, I was wrong. I actually used the area of my local region for Changkong City, completely forgetting that Changkong City was in the crowded Far East.

That was habitual thinking. Living in such a vast country, I instinctively assumed the area should be that large.

There was nothing else to say. I got the area wrong, so I admitted my mistake and took the beating.

Then there was Yuno's inner monologue, where it said, [With the enhancement of the Power of the Herrscher, let alone those Meele, she could even easily defeat Honkai Beasts.], and some felt that defeating Honkai Beasts and Meele was nothing impressive.

You were right, and I thought so too.

But—Yuno was a Pseudo Herrscher who had been forced into existence only after the Third Honkai Outbreak was forcibly ended.

This silly girl was not a normal Herrscher. In her eyes, zombies like Meele and monsters like Honkai Beasts were already plenty strong.

Having only just gained the Power of the Herrscher, she got full of herself after thinking she could defeat those two kinds of monsters, which was why she dared to come looking for trouble with the protagonist and his group.

I wanted this part to show that this foolish girl had become overconfident. That was what I meant, but I probably wrote it too subtly. I'm really sorry; next time, I'll try to make it clearer.

Then there was the issue of how the protagonist addressed the heroines.

Why did he use their surnames?—That's just how people in the Far East normally speak. The protagonist had known them for less than twenty-four hours and was supposed to call them by their given names right away...

Well, I believe anyone who's kept up to the latest chapter can tell that Gu Yu had a whole lot of nonsense going on in his head all day. He was obviously a reserved guy.

You expected a reserved, hopelessly straight guy to get familiar enough with girls to call them by their given names that quickly? That was a little difficult.

Don't underestimate single guys, Kora!

Lastly, regarding the protagonist's first battle against Raiden Mei.

Why didn't he use Kabuto?

All right, since some readers wanted to see the protagonist use Kabuto against the Herrscher of Thunder, I'll write a short segment.

The following does not count as official canon for this book.

"My head hurts. It hurts like hell!"

"You're making me face an enemy on a Herrscher's level right off the bat? Which brain-damaged bastard wrote this script?!"

Looking at the girl before him, whose body radiated an electromagnetic field, Gu Yu drew a card.

"To deal with her..."

[Kamen Ride Kabuto]

"Let's try a speed battle!"

"You changed your appearance? As an insect, you really are quite interesting."

As Honkai Energy gathered around the Herrscher of Thunder, four wings formed of Honkai Energy and lightning immediately attached themselves near the left side of her body.

"Then, once you're ready..."

After changing into the wine-red stag beetle form, Gu Yu instantly gripped the Kunai Gun in reverse and drew a card from the card case.

[Attack Ride Clock Up]

After swiping the card, special particles—tachyons—instantly emerged from Gu Yu's armor. Once the tachyons enveloped his wine-red armor, he immediately entered the world of Speeding-Up.

"The Herrscher of Thunder's attacks rely on lightning and electromagnetic force. Looks like she really intends to kill me now."

After entering the world of Speeding-Up, where time had slowed by a thousandfold, Gu Yu easily circled behind the Herrscher of Thunder and swiped his finishing-move card.

"If I had Drake's card, I could bombard her from afar with a finishing move. But now..."

[Final Attack Ride K-K-K-Kabuto]

"I can only gamble on Atomic Collapse!"

After azure currents passed through the horn and flowed into Gu Yu's ankle, he aimed at the Herrscher of Thunder's back and launched himself into a kick.

"Rider Kick!"

As the kick flew out, the Atomic Collapse special effect around his ankle began trying to corrode the Herrscher of Thunder's electromagnetic barrier.

However, at that very instant...

"Hmph!"

Gu Yu tried to use Atomic Collapse to neutralize the defensive field, but the electromagnetic force attached to it sent his metal-armored body flying on the spot.

After Gu Yu fell from the air to the ground, his Clock Up effect naturally ended as well.

"Though I don't know what trick you're playing, insect, you are indeed worth taking seriously."

After turning back to glance at the breach in the barrier behind her, a sharp glint flashed through the Herrscher of Thunder's eyes.

"If I hadn't laid electromagnetic force over the barrier, you might have struck me just now."

"You are a strong one I acknowledge."

Gu Yu, trying to rise on the rooftop, watched the lightning gathering in the sky and inwardly cursed.

But now, with electric currents invading both body and mind, he felt that the paralysis would not wear off anytime soon.

"Did I choose the wrong card..."

"What a... shame..."

With faint regret, Gu Yu looked at the sphere of lightning gathering in the sky and closed his eyes with a bitter smile.

The next second, the sphere of destructive light descended from the sky and directly swallowed the warrior lying on the ground.

Bad End 1—The Wrong Choice.

All right, that was the end of the short piece.

Simply put, I had considered having the protagonist use Kabuto against the Herrscher of Thunder.

But after simulating it in my head, the result was what you just saw.

First, I must emphasize that the protagonist's task in the first battle was not [defeat the Herrscher of Thunder], but to beat her awake into [Raiden Mei].

From that perspective, Atomic Collapse, which specialized in corrosion and breaking defenses, was clearly inferior to Seal Energy, which possessed tremendous explosive force and could even generate shockwaves.

Then there was another point: Kabuto's external armor was scarlet metal. Metal, you all know what that meant when facing the Herrscher of Thunder.

It's true that Raiden Mei being bad at physics had practically become a meme, but the Herrscher of Thunder's electromagnetic barrier came built in. Did you think she wouldn't activate it while fighting someone...?

When electromagnetic force met metal armor, the former could toy with the latter to death in minutes.

The final point was that Kabuto's ranged output in base form was unbelievably embarrassing, while its close combat was also countered by the Herrscher of Thunder.

Compare that with Kuuga: its Bio-Armor would not be countered by electromagnetic force, Titan came with self-healing, Pegasus allowed convenient fine control and had ranged output, its Seal Energy attacks had explosive power, and it might even counterkill after getting electrocuted...

So why the hell wouldn't I choose Kuuga.jpg

To those saying Kabuto should have been chosen to run away...

Think about it yourself. In this kind of Rider novel, how would you feel if the protagonist transformed for the first time and immediately used it to run away?

Everyone would definitely drop the book if I wrote that. There was no need to even think about it.

Choosing Kuuga might not have been the best possible move, but at least in those few seconds, it was already not easy for Gu Yu to arrive at that answer.

Please be more understanding. He was still a nineteen-year-old boy, you know. [Looks at the sky.]

If this response chapter got good feedback, I might consider doing this once or twice more whenever I had time?

If you think this is okay, reply here.

If you think this is boring and want to read the main story, reply here.

I'll decide whether to keep writing this nonsense based on the number of comments.

By the way, I was already fifteen chapters behind. Why was I still staying up late to write this stuff...

Looks like Gu Yu wasn't wrong to scold me.

Maybe I really was brain-damaged.