Starting with Firefly, Speedrunning the World — Part 4

Without trying to persuade Sakurai Keiwa any further, Sakurai Sara picked up her phone and got to her feet, ready to head over to Firefly.

No matter what, meeting here was fate. She couldn't just let this chance slip by.

"Big Sis, what are you doing?"

Watching Sakurai Sara's actions, Sakurai Keiwa grew a little nervous. His sister wasn't really planning to do something, was she?

"Of course I'm going to take a photo with her. Who knows if I'll ever run into such a cute girl again?"

Answering as if it were only natural, Sakurai Sara walked over to Firefly.

"Hello!"

Sakurai Sara bent down and greeted her with a smile.

"Hello. Is something wrong?"

"Um, you're so cute! Can I take a photo with you?"

"Huh? A photo?"

This wasn't a convention, though.

Still, Firefly didn't refuse. After hesitating for a moment, she nodded in agreement. It wasn't a big deal, after all.

Firefly then watched as Sakurai Sara moved beside her and took a picture with her phone.

Sam Mecha, Combine!

"Thank you. My name is Sakurai Sara. I still don't know your name."

Looking at the photo on her phone and confirming that there was nothing wrong with it, Sakurai Sara happily introduced herself.

"I..."

Just as Firefly was about to answer, the ground suddenly began to shake violently. But this was clearly no earthquake.

After the intense tremors subsided, a special barrier suddenly appeared, directly separating Sakurai Keiwa from Sakurai Sara and Firefly.

This barrier was the Jamato Field barrier unique to this world.

Within the Jamato Field, the final battle of the Desire Grand Prix would unfold. And inside the Jamato Field, all Jamato would attack humans indiscriminately.

Under normal circumstances, ordinary people killed by Jamato would be revived when the world created by the God of Creation... or rather, the God of Desire's wish came into being.

But there were exceptions.

"W-What is going on?!"

"Keiwa!"

Sakurai Sara couldn't understand the scene before her. It had clearly gone beyond her common sense. Especially that barrier, which had directly separated her from her younger brother.

She tried pounding on the field barrier, but it was completely useless.

Sakurai Keiwa on the other side was also panicking.

At that moment, a large group of humanoid monsters suddenly appeared outside the shop. They had human bodies and monstrous heads, looked utterly terrifying, wore priestly attire, and carried weapons in their hands.

They were Jamato.

Before anyone could react, those Priest Jamato had already charged into the Tanuki Ramen Shop. One of them slashed the ramen shop owner across the chest.

The owner stopped breathing in an instant, killed with a single blow.

This brutal sight was too much for ordinary people like Sakurai Keiwa and the others to bear. But what worried him even more was his sister.

Though a barrier stood between them, Keiwa still feared that the Priest Jamato might threaten his sister and the others.

After exchanging a few frantic words, Sakurai Keiwa gritted his teeth and was the first to rush out of the ramen shop, intending to lure the Priest Jamato away.

"We need to get out of here too."

Watching her younger brother run off with the Jamato chasing after him, Sakurai Sara was deeply worried, but she still held on firmly to Firefly's wrist and fled.

Even if those monsters seemed unable to cross the barrier and attack them, who could say for sure?

However, Firefly had no intention of simply leaving. These Jamato were her target.

After being pulled along by Sakurai Sara for some distance, Firefly stopped and then sent Sakurai Sara away.

Sakurai Sara didn't think much of it. Worried about her younger brother's safety, she called the police while heading toward the police station. That was the only thing she could do.

The two parted ways.

Returning to the field barrier, Firefly reached out and touched it. Just as she was considering how to get inside, she discovered that her hand passed through it with ease.

Even better!

She no longer needed to figure out how to enter the Jamato Field.

Otherwise, she would have had no choice but to force her way in with Path power. If not, she could do nothing but wait for Geats to complete the challenge and recreate the world.

To speedrun this world, points were indispensable.

The greater her increase in strength, the easier it would be to clear difficult challenges.

Not long after entering the Desire Grand Prix's field arena... Firefly caught the attention of a squad of Jamato.

Looking at the Jamato before her, Firefly did not rush to transform like those Kamen Riders had.

Instead, she planned to fight with her bare body first and see just how strong she was without using Sam's power.

This should not be too difficult. Back when Ukiyo Ace was still a high school student, he had encountered Jamato causing trouble. Not only had he not been afraid, but he had also defeated every Jamato with his bare hands.

Afterward, Tsumuri found him and gave him the Desire Driver and Geats ID Core, officially making him Kamen Rider Geats.

With the power of the Path of Destruction strengthening her, she naturally would not lose to Ukiyo Ace.

As a Jamato swung its blade at her, its movements appeared incomparably slow in Firefly's eyes. It was as if she had gained a cat's vision, allowing her to dodge the attack with ease.

Then she clenched her small fist and slammed it into the Jamato. Terrifying power erupted... killing the Jamato before her with a single punch.

That strength stunned Firefly. There was none of the pain of "entropy loss," and even with her bare hands, she could deal with these Jamato easily.

However, these were merely the lowest-level Jamato. Not all of them were like this.

Loosening up her body, the girl swiftly and easily defeated the squad of Jamato before her.

Yet the commotion here attracted even more Jamato, several times as many as before. Though she could still handle them, fighting barehanded was far too slow. It was time to "transform."

Just as she had expected, killing Jamato did indeed earn her points, even if each ordinary Jamato was worth only 0.5 points.

But there were plenty of them, so she could not let this opportunity pass.

As the horde of Jamato before her closed in step by step, Firefly's gaze hardened. She clenched her left hand into a fist and held it before her chest, while extending her right hand. In it was a beautiful object resembling a large firefly... with translucent wings.

Then, the phantom image of the mecha "Sam" appeared behind Firefly.

Mecha Sam

Are you ready?

I've been ready for a long time.

Ignite the heartfire, Mecha Sam.

Gaki gaki gaaaakiii

Burn the heartfire, crush their bodies!

Wrong! Again...

"Elio said..."

Blue-green flames suddenly burst outward, revealing the girl's figure.

Firefly raised one hand toward the sky, her gaze resolute.

"Leave now, and no one will be hurt."

"Otherwise..."

The girl suddenly clenched her skyward right hand around the silver firefly flying toward her.

[change beetle]

[cast off]

"I will set the sea ablaze!"

Alright, all of that had only been in her imagination, and it had lasted just an instant.

It could not be helped—who could resist the joy of transforming? Even if she was not a real Kamen Rider, transforming into Sam was still unbelievably cool.

"Transform!"

Mecha, combine.

Amid dazzling visual effects, Firefly had transformed into Sam of the Stellaron Hunters.

Battle, Awesome!

[Stellaron Hunter—Sam!]

As she transformed into Sam of the Stellaron Hunters, the delicate-looking girl vanished, replaced by an incomparably cool armored warrior.

His entire body was covered in metallic armor brimming with futuristic flair. The silver-white mecha had hints of gold on its chest and face, while sparks of fire sprayed from his chest before vanishing into the air.

"Jiajiajja..."

Seeing the girl suddenly transform, the Jamato instinctively retreated a few steps, only to become even more agitated moments later.

Letting out strange cries, they charged at Firefly with weapons in hand.

"Commencing cleanup!"

A mechanical male voice rang out as Sam moved in an instant, appearing before the foremost Jamato.