Kamen Rider • Satou Yunona

This is a battle destined to have no real outcome.

On one side is Pseudo-Herrscher suppresses her powers and fights in a way she is least skilled at; on the other side is a sage God-Slaying Armor cannot materialize and whose true identity is hidden.

By sidestepping the girl's punch, Fu Hua grabbed her right hand and used her fingertips to disperse the force in her arm. Then, she released her grip and gently pushed forward along Satou Yunona's arm towards her chest.

The force swirled around in an instant, and the girl's body was flung into the air. Most of the force was dissipated by the girl's restraint, which is why the force was transformed into a strong yet loose momentum, creating an exaggerated visual effect.

In reality, Satou Yunona was not injured. She naturally turned her body in mid-air and gently landed on the ground.

The chilling wind that swept across her face as she was flung into the air and the palpitations still lingered in her senses, but her body moved forward again without wavering.

Even after months of diligent practice, Satou Yunona's fighting skills are still at an average level, and are incomparable to Fu Hua's level of martial arts mastery.

The Third Generation Valkyrie Armor did indeed greatly enhance Satou Yunona's physical abilities; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to land so safely as if nothing had happened. However, the girl in front of her had turned the tide of the battle simply by using her strange martial arts techniques and her own strength.

Step to the left, step back, turn to the right, raise your hand to block, and then raise your knee to block.

Fu Hua blocked all the attacks step by step.

Then she seized an opening and threw a punch.

Satou Yunona's movements were somewhat inertial and sluggish; normal human nerves couldn't detect these details, but Fu Hua, who dissected and dodged each of her opponent's movements step by step, was able to spot the problem.

The force of her punch severed a strand of the girl's hair. It should have landed on the girl's face, but Satou Yunona dodged it in that instant. Clearly, she understood that her weakness would invite an attack, so she had prepared in advance. However, the result of Fu Hua's punch still surprised her.

It was like a terrifying control force that could mold strength and grace into fine threads with the mere clench of a fist and know them perfectly. She had no doubt that if she hadn't dodged the punch, her opponent would have stopped in the instant before it hit, gathering all their power.

This was less of a sparring match and more of a one-sided sparring session with the other side.

"You haven't gotten used to the power that the armor brings. A qualified Valkyrie needs to make perfect use of every bit of the armor's power, because it's difficult for humans to confront Honkai Beast head-on with their own limitations. Therefore, mastering one's own armor is a necessary basic skill."

The girl's earnest teachings reached her ears, and even though she understood the good intentions and correctness of her words, Satou Yunona still felt annoyed, for no other reason than that.

Rather, it was her own weakness and stupidity that made her feel resentful.

Even knowing that everything will take time and effort, emotions still run wild.

She said softly:

"I know, I will master it."

The lithe body closed in on her in an instant, the girl slightly turned her body to the right, and then quickly shifted her center of gravity downwards.

Bend your knees, swing your legs, and snap your knees.

The girl's right leg swept towards the other person's ankle.

In the blink of an eye, Satou Yunona executed this fluid movement perfectly. Her body was already very flexible, and during the simulation process, her body was further sculpted by the Honkai Consciousness to be even more outstanding. Her control over power and her tolerance for bearing it were much stronger than before.

However, in Satou Yunona's eyes, such a trick had no chance of hurting her opponent, so it was a feint, but she was actually using her full strength.

In martial arts terms, it's best to throw seven-tenths of a punch while holding back three-tenths, so that you can adapt your moves at will when needed.

Satou Yunona's movements, on the other hand, were completely unrestrained, leaving no room for error.

Theoretically, such a move, which cannot be changed into another move, cannot be considered a feint at all.

However, the existence of the Valkyrie Armor is a leeway left by Satou Yunona, as the built-in miniature Honkai Energy reactor is an external force different from its own power.

If there is any subtle difference between Satou Yunona's Emerald and Kiana's White Comet, it lies in the difference in the utilization rate and release formula of their own Honkai Energy.

Unlike the pure armor like White Comet, due to the special nature that Satou Yunona revealed when she entered the university, Murata Himeko, who was in charge of reviewing the armor design, gave Satou Yunona some advice. Therefore, in addition to having a suppressor to control her rampage, Emerald also took into account the strangeness of the Pseudo-Herrscher herself.

In short, it can absorb the maximum amount of Honkai Energy in Satou Yunona's body without her using her powers, and can be used according to her will when needed.

This is a function that White Comet also possesses, but it is even more prominent in jadeite.

From the very first second of the battle, the Honkai Energy within his body had already begun to accumulate. And just as his toes were about to touch the opponent's ankle like whips, a rushing roar like flowing water came from beside his ears. This was the slight sound produced when Honkai Energy flowed inside the armor.

Even in a state of heightened concentration, like a heart pounding and blood boiling, such sounds are exceptionally clear.

The girl's body sprang up, raising her left knee and slamming it into the other person's chest.

There's an unsettling disconnect between this action and the previous ones.

This is natural; her martial arts skills themselves haven't reached the level of being able to seamlessly switch between moves.

The armor on the feet amplifies the Honkai Energy power instantly, which is key to the transition of the movement. This also makes the connection of this move, even though it feels disjointed, appear incredibly smooth and swift in reality.

As long as speed and power reach a certain limit, any flaws that exist are insignificant.

While attempting a knee strike, the girl raised her right elbow and struck the other person's temple.

Go all out without holding back.

If she chose to hold back, she might not be able to shake her opponent in the slightest. Faced with this abyss-like power, Satou Yunona felt as if she had entered a dragon's lair. She could hear the enormous creature's breath and, when she tried to make a move, she had no room for hesitation.

So, that's not all.

"[Shinkenshoubu] (Fight with all your might)."

The girl was already very close to her opponent, so even though she deliberately spoke those words softly, they still reached Fu Hua's ears with perfect clarity.

[BurstMode] Burst Mode.

Once this system is activated, the Honkai Energy within the back-mounted power reactor will be released at several times the original supply rate, significantly enhancing the armor's combat capabilities in a short period of time.

The system's start button is located in the V-shaped crystal structure in the neck area, and it can also be unlocked via a pre-set voiceprint command.

Kiana's command setting is [NekoCharm].

Satou Yunona's instruction is the words she is now reciting.

Yes, these are the instructions Kiana set for her.

Satou Yunona now deeply regrets not paying more attention to the armor design back then, which led to leaving many design details to the enthusiastic Kiana.

As a result, she had to accept Kiana's aesthetics.

For example, right now.

As golden patterns appeared at all the joints of the armor, the V-shaped crystal structure behind the neck emitted a soft glow, and a very exciting piece of music came from inside the armor, resounding throughout the entire virtual battle scene.

This powerful command, complete with its own background music, originated from Kiana's masterpiece.

But that wasn't the end. As the knee, carrying immense kinetic energy, was intercepted by Fu Hua's raised calf.

A burst of energetic sound effects roared out again amidst the tight drumbeats:

"[Tryonesbest] (leave no room for compromise)"

Kiana's inspiration likely came from Kamen Rider, and the Equipment Department perfectly replicated every requirement submitted; their meticulous attitude was truly touching.

Satou Yunona had already gritted her teeth and tried to turn off the sound effects, but the core commands couldn't be changed. The Emerald summoned in the virtual battle scene was in an initialized data state, so these nightmarish sound effects reappeared.

If her fans at the academy were to see this battle, which resembles a tokusatsu drama, her previously aloof image might be completely shattered.

With the knee strike blocked, the subsequent elbow strikes also failed to achieve their intended purpose.

Satou Yunona withdrew and retreated, not lingering for the fight.

Despite being at a disadvantage, the background music surrounding her grew increasingly intense. This was because the Honkai Energy within her body began to overflow restlessly, and the Valkyrie armor would quickly absorb this Honkai Energy provide the power reactor with even stronger power.

Most importantly, the BGM players linked to the same system will intelligently play different exciting frequencies of BGM according to the rate of Honkai Energy flow.

That's incredibly thoughtful.

Amidst the lively sound effects, Satou Yunona had become completely calm, temporarily setting aside her shame and inner aesthetic principles to enter a mode of full-on combat focus.

She didn't believe that with the power of armor, the opponent could still defeat everything with simple martial arts. Satou Yunona believed that even the most profound techniques had their limits, and the question was whether she could reach those limits.

Given that Fu Hua is clearly holding back, I must unleash the full potential of my armor to force her to reveal her true strength.

Unleashing the full potential of the armor was something that Satou Yunona had previously found difficult to achieve.

This is a challenge.

But every day that Satou Yunona lives in this world is a challenge after a challenge, and perhaps one day in the future, her Honkai consciousness will reconnect with her and take everything away from her.

The challenge that Satou Yunona faces day after day is to continuously overcome these fears.

She has won everything she has now, so there's no reason for her to lose to anything else.

"[Starting Honkai Energy]"

A deafening roar reverberated between the fully deployed thrusters of the armor.

Satou Yunona was running, and although it was only a few steps, she was already running at full speed, with Honkai Energy surging out of her body along with the flow of her blood.

She assumed a boxing stance.

Fu Hua was very familiar with that posture; Taixuan Style • Collapse Force.

This is a move that Su Qing'an created by combining the original Taixuan Style with the martial arts he learned from her.

This is also the only martial arts technique that Satou Yunona has learned from Su Qing'an in the past few months.

Collapse Force is a straightforward and domineering style of boxing. Choosing such an offensive move shows that Satou Yunona has completely recognized her own shortcomings.

When your overall skills are inferior to others, using brute force might be more effective.

More importantly, she wanted Satou Yunona to confront the power of the armor and control it.

This was perfectly natural and simple for Satou Yunona, who possessed a certain ability to manipulate Honkai Energy even without using her powers.

However, the design of the jade to absorb Honkai Energy made her Pseudo-Herrscher, instinctively feel displeased. It was as if her domain had been invaded by an outsider, and it was only natural to feel unhappy.

Therefore, she instinctively resisted the armor's enhancements to her.

Even she herself didn't realize this, and only when facing an opponent as formidable as Fu Hua and under the constraint of never being allowed to use her powers would she break free from the shackles of instinct and take control of this power.

The emerald-colored Honkai Energy began to condense in the outside world at the moment it started, following the armor's calculation formula.

In the instant that the Honkai Energy rate inside the armor accelerated, this Honkai Energy replicated a model of her own complete arm in reality and covered it over the gauntlet.

As the armor's Honkai Energy rate reached a dangerous limit, the white light patterns at the armor joints became increasingly dazzling, while the sound effects roared out again amidst the dense drumbeats of the music.

"[Release safety lock]!"

The illusory arm also clenched into a fist, and the moment the sound effect rang out, the Honkai Energy expanded violently, and the illusory hand instantly magnified tenfold proportionally.

It flows through the whole body, twisting the force.

She threw a punch.

Taixuan Style • Collapse Force.

The girl made no unnecessary movements, nor did she intend to materialize any armor. She also adopted a boxing stance, but this was her own martial art. The fluid ease and completely unified power and technique were things that Satou Yunona did not possess.

And then there's that oppressive force that suddenly descends like the gaze of an ancient dragon.

Martial prowess.

The martial energy contained within this punch will be an aid in defeating the enemy.

Inch-force • Opening the Heavens.

A faint, wisp-like Honkai Energy surged into the fist stance, breaking through the upper limit of technique, allowing this punch to easily unleash dozens of tangled, flowing streams of energy, while the force of the punch itself extinguished these streams in the next second.

"[Tryonesbest] (leave no room for compromise)!"

Amidst a sharp roar, the enormous illusory hand and the girl's delicate, pale fist collided.

Boom boom boom.

The louder sound drowned out the sound effects.

The Taixuan Style's "Collapse Force" and "Cun Jin" collide here.

The surface of the illusory hand cracked the instant it made contact with the girl's fist imprint. Then, the Honkai Energy condensate crumbled inch by inch, turning into a large number of light spots that scattered in the air. Satou Yunona's real fist, which was now powerless, lost most of its power.

Finally, the two fists slowly and naturally pressed together.

The outcome is decided.