Chapter 226: Twenty Years Old

This is far from the end; before the next attack even began, Jia Dou had already drawn his Kunwu Sword.

He grasped it in a reverse grip, its surface constantly flickering with strands of electric light, then launched an attack directly at the Knights still standing.

Jia Dou moved extremely fast; the Kunwu Sword traced an arc, brushing Yin Dou with a single touch, but as the blade struck, huge sparks erupted from Yin Dou, and he fell into Tong Dou's wake.

The surrounding atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive, and the sunlight behind seemed swallowed by something, turning the sky pitch black.

The electric arcs on YellowBee grew fiercer; Yiche let out a roar, then swung a punch at Jia Dou, twisting his body dramatically and swinging his arm, trying to knock Jia Dou down.

The electric light on his arm condensed into a spike, like a bee's stinger.

With the flashing edge, even a steel plate before him, Yiche now felt confident he could pierce it; against ordinary Knights, he even believed he could defeat them all.

But the strike suddenly halted before Jia Dou, as if an invisible wall of air stood before him, even his armor could not touch it.

"What is happening!"

Yiche clenched his fist tightly, yet his body seemed to sink gradually into a quagmire.

It began with movement, then muscles, finally bones, spreading to the whole body, like a statue, frozen in midair.

Kazama Daisuke's gun in hand was rapidly gathering power, but a nameless dread was gradually corroding his mind.

The gun, which had been aimed at Jia Dou, began to tremble inexplicably, as if a monstrous creature with enormous pupils were staring at you,

The abyssal maw, exuding a bloody scent, fixed on your throat, ready to snap shut at any moment.

That pressure, almost elemental to life itself, made his hair stand on end and his muscles begin to quiver.

"Ah!"

Kazama Daisuke broke down, pulling the trigger hard; a blue electric sphere burst from the barrel, but he no longer had time to aim, firing wildly.

The blue energy projectile shot from the barrel tore through the air, its powerful strike instantly hitting the only uninjured Steel Bucket on the scene.

Caught off guard, Kagami, who had been observing nearby, was struck head‑on by a thunderous attack.

But a war god is a war god; even after taking a massive blow, he still stood here unharmed.

Jia Dou suddenly turned, raised his arm and gave a light swing; the Knights that had been lying on the ground instantly flashed with intense electric arcs.

Various insect devices, as if receiving a command, instantly detached from their transformation gear and floated amicably around Jia Dou.

The unluckiest of them, Kagami, watched in person as his own Steel Bucket abandoned him and fell into the hands of a stranger Knight.

Ant Soldiers watching from afar were shocked; how could anyone earn the approval of all the insect devices?

Doesn't that mean the Knight has no combat ability at all before him? That makes the Knight system a complete joke.

"The manufacturing method and criteria for selecting suitable candidates haven't changed; it's still the same old routine."

But he also knew that the design and completion of the Kamen Rider system were handled by the same group, and the Kamen Rider project had started 35 years ago, unaffected by changes in history.

Seeing the floating insect devices before him, Jiang Xia chose to replicate Tong Dou and Yin Dou.

Kagami's words were spot on: Knights are meant to protect those who need protection, not to be used for internal strife.

"Who exactly is that Knight?"

Kagami gasped heavily, leaning forward, and said as he watched the figure fade into the sun.

This time, the rebels were all captured; they might face a prison disaster, or possibly perish alongside humanity.

When the apocalypse arrives, there's essentially no difference—just an early death versus a late death.

Saer Restaurant.

Although water is scarce, some things remain unchanged, like the restaurant.

"Kagami, is Xiao Xi still like this?" the proprietress said, looking at Xiao Xi in the kitchen, then at Kagami, with a hint of disappointment.

"Hmm, Xiao Xi still won't accept me, and I don't know why," Kagami scratched his head, glancing secretly at Rixia Bu Xi.

"Xiao Xi is almost twenty now; how long must she be like this alone?" the proprietress sighed.

"Already twenty, huh?"

Jiang Xia sat at the most secluded table in the restaurant; with his extraordinary perception, even at a concert hall he could hear what the Commander mutters, and now he likewise heard the proprietress and Kagami's conversation.

Jiang Xia watched Rixia Bu Xi working in the back kitchen; she had grown considerably, her hair longer, but she seemed otherwise unchanged.

Jiang Xia wasn't here to eat; he came to this familiar place to clear his thoughts, and after the last encounter he could vaguely sense the Alien Insect Queen's location.

He could even sense the Alien Insect Queen's current ferocious desire to devour him whole, and there was little time left before she arrived here.

According to the Earth Library data Jiang Xia perused, the massive accelerator system on the Sky Ladder had been completed, capable of summoning colossal meteors out of thin air by coordinates.

Most ZECT personnel were completely unaware, only knowing that the Sky Ladder could obtain water resources in space, restoring oceans to Earth.

But those are merely a ruse; the true goal is to bring a super‑massive meteor laden with countless Alien Insect Eggs to Earth, after which humanity would survive inside the insects' bodies.

Upon further thought, if the Alien Insect factor were discarded, what would happen with a meteor comparable to a planet's size?

But that would mean the battlefield could only be moved to outer space.

Regarding seizing control of various mechanical devices, Jiang Xia had once crammed the relevant knowledge in Fengdu, and some positioning coordinates also required slight adjustments.

Built with the combined power of the whole Earth, the Sky Ladder and space station boast top‑tier protection and permissions,

so that no one can obtain the highest clearance by their own means.

Yet for Jiang Xia, who now possesses pseudo‑omniscient, all‑powerful abilities, it is relatively easy; if technology fails, science‑fiction should work.

"If my hand trembles even slightly, I become the chief culprit of world destruction; it always happens this way. How fragile the world is—any enemy can annihilate it. How are we Knights supposed to survive like this?" Jiang Xia muttered silently.

"It seems that ever since when destroying the world became synonymous with power; if you don't destroy a world to prove your strength, you're considered a weakling."

"The world is about to flip the table; that's how the Knight universe works—if you lose, you restart. The world is constantly born in destruction and destroyed in creation."

Suddenly, an extra serving of his favorite dish appeared before Jiang Xia's table.

He looked up along his arm and saw Rixia Bu Xi's slightly embarrassed little face.

"This is for you; I think you need this now," she said.

Jiang Xia looked on in surprise; Rixia Bu Xi's earlier embarrassment seemed only his illusion, instantly shifting back to a seemingly expressionless look.

The proprietress, however, stared at Rixia Bu Xi with a shocked expression.

This guest sat in the most inconspicuous corner.

They all seemed to overlook that spot, but Xiao Xi, who worked in the kitchen, noticed the guest and proactively made a dish not on the menu.

He didn't even order.

The boss lady walked up to Rixia Bu Xi and whispered: "Xiao Xi, do you know that guy? Classmate, or good friend?"

I don't know; I just feel it's very friendly.

Rixia Bu Xi furtively glanced at Jiang Xia's appearance, a hint of shyness on her face, but her eyes couldn't hide the joy, as if she were cherishing a heaven-sent treasure.

(End of chapter)