Kamen Rider is the Villain in Pretty Cure Chapter 19

A heavy blow, up close and personal!

[Extra] Case File 38: Calculations During Battle

The beautiful, bright swords in both their hands reflected each other's vastly different bodies and minds.

But no matter how many beautiful words were used, they couldn't hide the fact that their conflict had already reached a boiling point. The moment they moved, the battle was fierce!

Taking the risk of being fed to the opponent's blade if she misjudged the distance, potentially causing them to cut off their own head, Hana, with a mix of daring and meticulousness, forced her sword in close. Seizing this opening, she threw a powerful, heavy punch that seemed to scorch the very air, aiming to teach the bastard in front of her a harsh lesson from the bottom up.

If this attack landed, unless the person inside the combat suit was a cyborg like Takeshi Hongo or had a jaw of steel like Raiden, Ash, a mere mortal, wouldn't just lose a few teeth. He'd have his entire jaw blown off in one hit!

In fact, this was exactly Hana's intention. Don't blame her for being so cruel as a Precure; she understood that with people like this, you had to silence them before you could properly deal with them. Moreover, in the multiverse, compared to cute and cuddly healers, their title as "Legendary Warriors" was far more prominent.

'Alright, that's it, calm down! I'll help you with your injuries later using Tomorrow Energy—What?!'

Just as she was about to land an uppercut, Ash, whose sharp hearing caught a hint of laughter from beneath the man's helmet, didn't rush. Instead, he smiled, tapping his feet with nimble, varied steps like a tap dancer. He bypassed her round-toed shoes and swung his long boots forward and to the side, then simply pushed forward, immediately changing Hana's attack trajectory.

In reality, Hana's fierce assault, which seemed like a gamble, played right into Ash's hands, as he specialized in defensive counter-attacks!

Even more horrifying was Hana herself. She never expected that her seemingly sure-fire attack, which she had created an opening for, would be deflected. My lower body—

Her unsteady footing, unable to withstand the shift in body weight, couldn't help but move in other directions. Only when her altered steps moved away from her original position did Hana realize that the ground she had been standing on was wrong!

Unlike the solid concrete road that could support a large truck, the ground Hana's feet were sinking and slipping on had the texture of soft, muddy country road. It had clearly been deliberately pulverized beforehand, allowing Ash to easily kick away her lower stance.

The reason she had stepped on this rotten ground was precisely because she had closed the distance to attack, stepping right where he had been standing moments before.

Hana, who was not as slow in battle as she was in daily life, reacted instantly. That's right! He calculated further ahead than I did. He was waiting for me to make this move, and I was led into his deliberate trap!

Although the enraged girl fighting with all her might was incredibly powerful, comparable to many strong warriors Ash had encountered, as an opponent to a righteous hero, Ash was by no means an ordinary person who relied on bullying the weak to inflate his strength. He also had his own confidence and backing, otherwise, he wouldn't have provoked her in the first place.

To do something when you know you shouldn't is called bravery, but to repeatedly dance on the red line without restraint when you know you shouldn't can only be called foolish.

Conveniently, he knew how to repeatedly dance without being swatted to death, which meant there were many ways to operate.

"The so-called battle is about thinking two, three, or even four steps faster than your opponent!"

I deliberately showed weakness and exposed a flaw, and you actually fell for it!

The uppercut, having lost its aim, grazed Ash's oval helmet, sparking violently near his ear before sliding past. Facing the opening his opponent had offered, Ash naturally wouldn't let it go.

Hooking his toe around her heel, causing her body to completely lose balance, Ash, moving like a phantom, sidestepped to her side. Then, he lowered his stance, planted his left fist on her raised right wrist, and drove his sturdier iron shoulder into her soft, exciting embrace, which felt like cotton clouds. This move was called—

Iron!

Mountain!

Pillar!

"Guh—"

The moment Ash slammed into her, Hana's body, like a broken branch, instantly arched like a shrimp. The girl suffered an immense impact, and her involuntarily opened mouth coughed out a few specks of saliva.

My chest—my lungs hurt so much, it felt like everything inside was being squeezed out. Breathe, keep breathing! Stay conscious! I can't fall here!

However, reality and the laws of physics weren't so easily changed by mere thoughts. Under the incredibly heavy impact, Hana's right hand, unable to exert any more force, loosened its grip. The Melody Holy Sword was flung away, and her body was sent flying back heavily in the direction she came from.

But before that, Hana desperately endured the abnormal pain throughout her body and, with a final kick, struck Ash's shoulder, changing her landing direction while also staggering him.

"Heh, able to counter-attack on the spot at a time like this, you've got some skill."

Patting the shoe print on his shoulder, Ash nodded in approval as he saw Cure Yell, who had flown into the playground behind him, creating a cloud of dust. She had also changed her path, avoiding follow-up attacks.

My blood is boiling, my body is heating up. Ash didn't think it would end here and walked towards where the Precure had fallen.

Alright, what other surprises will you give me next?

Homare, pushing the wheelchair, saw Ash retract his gaze. Her mood and courage, which had finally started to recover, were about to plummet again upon seeing that scoundrel.

The fleeing crowd had scattered her and Hana. Now, she was looking around everywhere but couldn't find her.

Hana wouldn't abandon her and run off alone. If they were just separated, why hadn't she come back to find me? Could it be!

After Time Fire disappeared from this spot, Homare mustered her courage and drove her wheelchair towards the scene of the fierce battle. The smoke from the battle still lingered, and besides the twisted mechanical wreckage on the ground, the scene looked like it had been ravaged over and over by a Tyrannosaurus Rex from the Jurassic period.

Hana wasn't here either... Hana, where did little Hana go?! Could she have been caught in the battle—

"Damn it—that Time Fire, what new hero?! Isn't he just a villain?!"

Unable to contain her anger, she punched the armrest. Thinking of her friend's possible fate, Homare, with a very grim expression, stubbornly pressed forward.

Even though she had only dared to hide far away before, she knew very well that in such a terrifying battlefield, an ordinary person would have no chance of survival.

That's precisely why she wanted to find even the slightest trace of the missing Hana.

"Hana—are you there?! Hana!"

She called out her friend's name loudly but received no response. However, a faint glow illuminated her eyes at that moment.

With her keen eyesight, she saw the Holy Sword that the Pretty Cure held, which was now empty, in front of her. The sword wasn't in her hand but was half-stuck in the wall, shimmering with a faint light, waiting for a response.

"The sword... is glowing?"

Is it calling to me?

"Click—"

She wanted to move forward, but the wheelchair wouldn't budge at all. Trying harder only resulted in a stiff response, and Homare realized.

She was stuck.

[Extra] Case File 39: Confessed?

Cure Yell had several visible wounds, and her previously rosy cheeks, along with a battle suit so cute it fulfilled every girl's beautiful fantasy, were now smudged with soot as black as the bottom of a pot. Even her once smooth and beautiful flowing pink hair had lost its luster.

But she got back up.

She glanced back at the fearful crowd, then stepped in front of them, positioning herself between them and Time Fire. Her waist trembled slightly, but she stood firm, fixing him with the gaze of a true powerhouse who knew exactly what they were doing.

In Ash's eyes, her standing there, just like this, was more romantic and beautiful than any glorious celestial being fallen to earth, more so than any stunning succubus tempting one to sin. She was so beautiful he couldn't tear his eyes away for even a second.

She took less time than he'd expected. It seemed she truly was the tough one he'd thought her to be.

[Dark Echo—Mass production, conversion in progress.]

'I know,' Ash replied silently to the system. He could naturally see the invisible darkness surging from within her vibrant exterior.

After all, he had truly managed to piss her off.

"It's a bit rude to call a girl a tough guy, though," Ash said, advancing step by step. The pink-haired Precure's hair was messy but not disheveled. "Well, the meaning gets across, I think."

"Thump—"

Ash's forward step halted precisely at the boundary of their attack ranges, neither too much nor too little.

His eyes flickered to her empty hands. Ash lowered the Guardian Sword in his hand, retracting its blade. With a flick of his wrist, he sent it spinning upwards into the sky.

"I don't think you're the type to beg for mercy after being defeated once. What, ready for round two?"

"Clang!"

The DV Defender, spinning under gravity's pull, landed perfectly in the man's silver holster beside him.

Hana still didn't speak. She simply clenched her fists, assuming a stance ready for any surprise attack, and gently wiped the blood from her nose with her thumb. The golden embroidery on her wrist was also stained with a bit of crimson.

"Ha, Bruce Lee?" As his body tilted forward with gravity to a Michael Jackson-esque angle, Ash shot towards Nono Hana like a scarlet arrow loosed from a bow.

"I'm liking you more and more, Cure Yell!"

"Boom!"

Watching the fierce battle reignite below, a disheveled, decadent man holding a thick book frowned deeply.

He was displeased. It was evident from his expression that he was thoroughly unhappy with everything happening now.

As a witness to the tragic history of time and repetition, if the initial change and the appearance of that unusual "flame" had brought him some joy, then the subsequent developments, where the "flame" seemed poised to burn the entire book along with it, were what he found detestable.

"Interferer, what does your appearance signify?" the decadent man's tone held no disguise for his disgust towards Ash below. "Are you trying to change, to save something? You can't save anything. The only one who can save her is me!"

"And you, existing in this world, is an absolute mistake! Your presence in this world is superfluous. Hurry back!"

Ash's streamlined arc of light grazed the burning eyepiece. Without even drawing his gun, the muzzle rotated 180 degrees within the holster, and he fired a shot directly upwards without hesitation.

The crimson stream pierced the rubble of the building. There was nothing there now. Just as Ash's intuition sensed something was wrong, a fist slammed heavily into the side of his face, drawing his attention back to the fight.

"You get distracted sometimes too?"

By this point in the battle, Cure Yell's exposed skin bore numerous cuts and bruises, half from Ash and half from her own unreserved fighting style. For example, in their current close-quarters combat, she was leveraging her speed and strength advantage, launching a series of attacks that left Ash somewhat overwhelmed.

"Just a little bit," Ash said, batting away her opponent's straight punch and blocking her hook with his arm. His counter-attack was instantly set up, and he delivered a palm strike, like a beast hunting its prey, that landed squarely on her slightly soft chest. "I promise, there won't be a next time."

Ash, quickly re-engaging in the fight, no longer paid heed to the useless interferer who stood far away, spouting meaningless platitudes.

He was a good-for-nothing who only dared to shout from a distance, thinking he controlled everything. He didn't align with the "beauty" Ash was currently pursuing, so Ash had no intention of acknowledging him.

If you're truly dissatisfied, then try to do something about it?

After all, those who only watch will never achieve anything. Therefore, he would do nothing, because it didn't matter.

The fight continued without the bothersome interferer, and gradually, the advantage began to shift towards Time Fire.

Although a Precure's system had a far higher upper limit than any artificially created combat suit, even one manufactured in the 30th century, the deciding factor was never the suit, but the person inside it.

Hana, who had just recovered from a serious illness, had initially managed to suppress her opponent during the surge of Tomorrow Energy. However, as time passed, her fatigue became evident. Ash, with his superior skill and health, naturally began to overpower Nono Hana.

His hands, brought together vertically, shot out like two snake heads. His tensed arms blocked her direct punches, her fists scraping sparks against the sides of his slightly faded helmet near his ears. His own hand chop drew two red marks across her cute face, then he changed direction, slamming his hand chop heavily at the base of her neck.

"Checkmate."

Cure Yell's eyes rolled back, and her body softly collapsed onto the ground, falling back into the dust.

"Looks like I win," Ash said. Seeing the woman still trying to get up, he "gently" placed the sole of his shoe on her chest, "kindly" pressing her down. "Don't get up again. That last move really hit you hard."

"Heh—"

Feeling the undeniable weight on her chest and the dull ache all over her body, whether out of resignation or mocking her opponent in her own way, Yell managed a smile.

She had wanted to defeat him so he would obey her, but now, outmatched, she had to obey him instead.

"If you had called that mechanical dinosaur, you could have won faster."

"No, no, no," Ash shook his finger. "That wouldn't do..."

He removed his foot and this time, he truly gently placed his knee on her smooth, jade-like stomach, slowly pressing half his weight onto her. He intimately lifted her chin, no longer smooth, to meet his gaze.

"Right now, you're the only one I want to see."

[Extra] Case File 40 Rejected?

This wasn't the first time he'd said something like this.

After all, my system isn't like those in other webnovels that issue all sorts of nonsensical quests. I just need to come into contact with battles between heroes and villains to naturally absorb Dark Echo and complete my tasks. Everything else is up to my own enjoyment. Naturally, I've also developed a few hobbies.

At first, I was just like a hoodlum looking for fun, simply opposing good guys and bad guys, causing them trouble, and finding amusement in their exasperation. Then, gradually, like a firefly, I was drawn to the light they emitted. Now I understand – I just "like" people who are dazzling, who are "beautiful" like this! Other worlds have different warriors, but this world naturally has you!

That's right, that unwavering heart that protected the entire world for eight years, always sacrificing for others, rushing in without hesitation, and radiating passion by dedicating himself to others – while it made me feel a sense of indignant anger, it also captivated me immensely!

It's precisely because of this that I specifically took the time to deal with that uninvited peeping tom I detest.

"That sentence sounds just like a confession of love." This time, Hana wasn't scared by the other party's "declaration of love" as she was the first time. Instead, she appeared very calm.

This was also normal, after all, she was already an adult.

"It's not just like that. Didn't I tell you? I'm a man utterly smitten by you."

"Pfft." This time, Yell, who was gasping for air, genuinely burst out laughing. "Pfft-hoo-hoo-hoo—Hahaha!"

It was bad. Hearing him say that so earnestly made her want to burst into laughter unintentionally. The main reason was that the feeling of being confessed to by an enemy on the battlefield was too strange, so she couldn't help but laugh, breaking character.

All along, her enemies had been monsters like Doomsday Monsters, beings composed solely of malice and "volatile energy." They only shouted "We're doomed!" and followed their instincts to wreak destruction. Rather than monsters, their nature was closer to natural phenomena.

But Time Fire, this person Nono Hana couldn't describe with any words, any term in her vocabulary – he was actually the first enemy she had ever encountered who could communicate, and the first one who was so… full of personality.

It was precisely for this reason that she had such deep feelings for him, wasn't it?

First, there was the jealousy she felt from this person, followed by uncontrollable laughter at his incredibly awkward and bizarre antics. If she had to judge it herself, she felt it was all too dramatic. What was this, some kind of third-rate novel excerpt that didn't require logic?

Honestly, when she was first attacked for inexplicable reasons, her heart was filled with anger. But now, being subjected to such a dramatic, childlike "confession," she actually felt a little happy.

However… alright, she still felt more dislike than anything else.

"If you continue to maintain this beauty, I will love you forever."

"Time Fire." Before her, Cure Yell looked at Ash, who was "deeply devoted" to her. She straightened her expression and solemnly called out his name. "Your pickup lines are terrible. No girl would ever want to date you."

At the very least, she absolutely didn't want her first date to be like this. Moreover, Hana had a pretty good grasp of how much they differed on the word "date."