Chapter 45: Light Factor Converter, the Emperor Who Commands All Things

A one-meter-tall Doraemon figurine was placed on a dedicated shelf, surrounded by figurines of various characters in different scales.

Tenghu, leaning on his gravity blade, smiled as orange-red flames danced at his fingertips—Fire Fist Ace—while chibi versions of the Shinigami captains stood in a row.

An entire custom wall was hung with nearly twenty different types of zanpakutō: Kyōka Suigetsu, Ryūjin Jakka, Zangetsu, Senbonzakura, and Sode no Shirayuki.

In addition, there was a specially designed display case featuring all the main Kamen Rider transformation devices from the Heisei era, from Kuuga to Jikūō, as well as those of the Showa Five Elders and the Heisei Three Heroes.

Ye Xuan didn’t know whether he bought so many items to fully unleash the power of the Rat Talisman or simply to satisfy his collecting urge.

After all, while the Rat Talisman grants life to inanimate objects, it does not mean it can bestow transformation abilities upon transformation devices.

Take the Tiga Spark, for instance—its essence is a light factor converter, capable of transforming individuals with ancient genetic factors into light and injecting it into stone statues to restore their original forms.

Even if Ye Xuan granted the Tiga Spark life, he could not transform into Tiga through it.

However, most Kamen Rider transformation devices should work.

The Light and Shadow Armor’s device, however, requires the summoner to possess the Five Elements bloodline.

Ye Xuan’s body naturally lacked such a bloodline, but the shop happened to have a full-scale armor suit, so he simply bought it.

In essence, the Five Elements bloodline emerged from mutations in villagers’ bloodlines caused by prolonged radiation from the Light and Shadow Stone.

Ye Xuan could use the Rat Talisman to grant life to the armor, gain its recognition, and transform directly—why not?

No matter how much you think about it, it’s better to just try.

After all the workers had left, Ye Xuan took out the Rat Talisman, stood before the Emperor Armor, and stared at the armor before him.

“If not for my confidence in the system’s power, I would never have chosen you as the first target for the Rat Talisman.”

As the heavenly armor born from the primordial chaos of the Armor Warriors world, the first ultimate armor in armor history, the emperor surpassing all kings, the supreme ruler of the Ming Realm and the strongest armor in the Light Universe.

The Emperor Armor represents light.

Ye Xuan did not believe he could earn the Emperor Armor’s recognition, for he had no interest in protecting the world.

Had the system not optimized the Rat Talisman to let him fully control its manifested objects, and had he not trusted the system’s power, his first choice would have been the Shura Armor.

The Shura Armor’s lore states that only those possessing the strongest righteous qi or the strongest evil qi can wield its power—Ye Xuan seemed to fit neither, but does “righteous qi” and “evil qi” truly mean absolute good or evil?

No—it means pure, unwavering will!

Pure to the extreme, unshakable—whether that purity leans toward good or evil doesn’t matter.

Ye Xuan never doubted himself; with his sword heart and sword intent, his will could not be clouded by anything.

Yet because he trusted the system, Ye Xuan chose the Emperor Armor.

No other reason—the Emperor Armor’s lower limit is higher than the Shura Armor’s, and the first Armor Warrior he ever saw was the first series, so the Emperor Armor held special meaning for him.

Of course, this doesn’t mean he won’t use the Shura Armor later—he has the Rat Talisman now; how could he possibly choose only one?

“Rat Talisman—grant life to the object before me.”

The talisman suddenly burst into a warm amber glow, flowing like liquid into every inch of the Emperor Armor; its eye lenses flared crimson-gold, the entire armor trembled slightly, emitting a crisp metallic chime—as if a long-dormant will was awakening.

“No heavenly dao has been born in this world, nor is this my world.”

“Is it your hand that awakened me?”

The Emperor Armor’s voice descended like divine thunder—deep and heavy, each syllable carrying invisible pressure that made the air itself grow still.

Any ordinary person would have been paralyzed by fear, gasping for breath under such pressure.

“Correct.”

Ye Xuan nodded calmly, his expression unchanged, unmoved by the Emperor Armor’s overwhelming aura—for him, the armor was merely a creation revived by the Rat Talisman, not a true embodiment of heavenly dao.

Even if it were, it was still a being created by humans—why should he fear it?

Their gazes met, and silence stretched for a long while.

Finally, the Emperor Armor gave a slight nod, its crimson-gold eyes holding deep meaning—as if seeing something within Ye Xuan.

“Power is for protection.”

“I hope you… wield this power wisely.”

He spoke slowly, his tone no longer as stern as before, now carrying a hint of approval.

As his words ended, the Emperor Armor disassembled.

Chest plate, shoulder guards, arm bracers—all dissolved into golden light, flowing like living entities toward Ye Xuan; the Aurora Shield snapped onto his chest with a sharp *click*; the arm guards assembled along the curves of his limbs, each plate fitting perfectly.

Finally, the helmet settled firmly onto his head.

The red visor flared to life, a vast force surging into his limbs and marrow—a power hundreds of times stronger than his own.

*Clang!*

Ye Xuan clenched his fist, the metal knuckles clashing with a crisp ring; he lifted his gaze, the crimson visor reflecting the flow of energy across the entire world.

All things under heaven and earth—the yin and yang, the five elements, time and space—all became as clear as the lines on his palm.

Just as he imagined—even though the Emperor Armor’s power was limited by the Rat Talisman’s ceiling, to him now, it was still a force above all else.

At the very moment Ye Xuan transformed into the Emperor Armor; in a quiet courtyard in the capital.

A young man in a brown-gold robe suddenly looked up, the dragon-scale patterns on his hem stirring faintly in the wind; his teacup paused mid-sip, his amber eyes piercing through a thousand li of clouds, fixed directly on Hangcheng.

“This power…”

Zhong Shanhai—the man revered by the world as “Zhong Lao,” holder of the Rock King Emperor template—slowly set down his teacup; on the table of stone amber, the remaining tea rippled unnaturally.

His fingers within his sleeve tightened slightly; deep within the earth’s veins, a muffled roar echoed.

Since obtaining the Zhongli template, this was the first time his earth element had stirred so violently—no, it wasn’t resonance; it was more like another power of equal rank vying for dominion over the earth element.

“Besides me, has another being emerged in this world who wields dominion over the earth?”

His voice held no great disturbance, yet carried a thoughtful tone.

Nervous? Not quite.

He could sense the mercy and majesty within that power—even to some degree, it surpassed his own.

If someone had obtained this template, it would be a blessing for Great Xia and Blue Planet.

(End of Chapter)