Chapter 386: Escape

Upon hearing Ge Xing Xian Wu's voice, the two people instantly shuddered; Ruyue Xian Tairan didn't ask a question this time, but quickly retreated, still clutching a bunch of grass he hadn't had time to loosen.

"Ge Xing Xian Wu, how long have we been unconscious?" Shuotian Liuxing stared at the familiar person before him, muscles tense, and asked.

"A few minutes, maybe. Cancer has already been defeated, the unconscious have all woken up, leaving only you two. Come on, let's go back to the Jade Rabbit Cabin."

Ge Xing Xian Wu again pulled his hand from his pocket, but this time he wasn't holding a Constellation Switch, and his face bore its usual expression.

"It seems to be true." Ruyue Xian Tairan relaxed a little.

"Not necessarily." Shuotian Liuxing remained wary; everything here felt off—he wasn't the sort of fool like Ruyue who could easily trust others.

Although it looked normal, that didn't mean there was no problem; if it was truly a disguise by a Star Disciple's ability, they couldn't afford to be careless—they still needed to subdue him first, Shuotian Liuxing thought.

But just as he had taken his stance and was about to attack, Ge Xing Xian Wu's form suddenly twisted and changed, and he lunged at Shuotian Liuxing simultaneously—again the same monster as before, it flung out its sharp claws and viciously grabbed.

"Hah..." the two people awoke once more, simultaneously letting out a low groan; the pain of their bodies being pierced still lingered, and they were killed again.

Even if Ruyue was slow this time, he now realized this might be another trick by a Star Disciple behind the scenes—Xian Wu was a Star Disciple using a special ability to disguise himself, and each time they were killed by the monster, it felt like waking from a nightmare, their bodies trembling.

He took several deep breaths, clenched his fists tight, then began to survey his surroundings; this meadow was exactly like the one he remembered from Heavenly River, with no difference, the school plaza lay at the horizon, the only thing missing was his classmates.

The lawn of Heavenly River is a feng shui treasure spot—it's hardly ever devoid of students, no matter the time; even if the place resembled the school, it couldn't possibly be the school, yet how could this world have an identical location?

Realizing this, Ruyue Xian Tairan understood that not only was Xian Wu fake, but the place they were in was also fake.

Moreover, they had already been killed twice; after death, the illusory place would reset, making the answer obvious.

"It's a dream!"

"This is a dream realm!"

Ruyue Xian Tairan and Shuotian Liuxing simultaneously declared, they exchanged a glance, realizing they were trapped in an endlessly looping dream and must find a way to truly awaken.

"You've finally woken up."

The familiar voice rang out on cue; Ruyue Xian Tairan and Shuotian Liuxing locked eyes, then both charged at Ge Xing Xian Wu.

In normal dreams, jumping from a height or dreaming of an earthquake, a car crash—those death‑like dreams are enough to jolt a sleeping person awake.

But now they are trapped in an infinite loop dream, surely the work of that Star Disciple before them; capturing or defeating him should let them wake up.

Then they died again.

Next they tried many different approaches; if they merely stalled, the fake Ge Xing Xian Wu would kill them in beast form; if they followed his suggestion to walk back together to the Jade Rabbit Cabin, they would suddenly fall into a trap and be impaled by spikes hidden below; more often, the moment they pulled out their driver, a beast‑like monster would appear instantly.

It seemed no matter what they did, they would die, with lethal traps everywhere.

Thus, on this verdant lawn, the two began trying various methods; countless apparitions appeared and then vanished, but then even more possibilities began to spread.

After all, this is a cyclical dream where death brings revival; lacking any clear solution, they could only try every possibility, and in the deaths they'd experienced, the scenes where they died before being able to transform were all too numerous.

By the time you realize you want to use the belt, you're already dead.

"Bang!" the beast‑formed monster swiped with one claw, knocking both of them out of transformation; after realizing that not transforming meant certain death, that path was hopeless, so they began relying on the belt's power.

"Xian Tairan, we've finally found the right path this time." Shuotian Liuxing spat blood and smiled.

His uniform was scorched black, the torn fabric barely holding together; worse still, beneath the ragged uniform countless wounds like sword slashes bled profusely, red dye staining the ground, he had only his last breath left, feeling his life ebb away.

"Yeah, Liuxing, next time we'll definitely win." Ruyue Xian Tairan, also pierced in the abdomen and mortally wounded, lay on the grass; as his blood was about to drain, he gently patted Shuotian Liuxing and smiled.

Finally, the moment Ruyue Xian Tairan and Shuotian Liuxing awoke again and opened their eyes, their driver was already active. They had found a countermeasure in death, or at least grasped the rough rules here: one, not using the belt means certain death; two, attempting to transform after Ge Xing Xian Wu appears also means death.

The sole solution is to transform before Ge Xing Xian Wu appears, exploiting a brief window to do so.

After trying most possibilities, the only thing that let them persist after danger triggered was transformation.

But that doesn't mean they could escape the infinite loop dream.

The third rule: the monster's strength varies with time, here referring to their transformation time—the faster they transform, the easier the monster is to handle; each second at night, the monster's power is reinforced.

Ruyue Xian Tairan's hands had never been that fast before; he was certain this was the only way to clear the stage, finally understanding what the vague "still not fast enough" meant after their first death.

At this moment they both understood: if they transformed quickly enough they could break free of the dream, and they needed to do it before the monster appeared, the sooner the better; this clearing method also showed up in the monster's strength display.

"MeteorStrike!"

"RiderRocketDrillKick!"

At this moment, both unleashed their ultimate moves; Shuotian Liuxing leapt into the air, all the blue energy coiling around his body concentrating in his left leg, while Ruyue Xian Tairan performed a rocket‑plus‑drill Knight Kick.

The two forces slammed into the hideous monster, the sound of continual shattering erupting from its body,

The shatter marks on its body, under the ultimate attack, instead spread outward through the air, the whole space began to tremble, countless cracks spreading across the world.

Behind those spider‑web‑like cracks, pure white light poured out along the fissures, eventually engulfing the illusory space entirely and swallowing the two bodies.

After this, they went from initial strangers distrusting each other to fighting together, trusting comrades, ultimately sharing life and death, until the final time when they perfectly resolved the battle.

"Hah!"

Inside the Jade Rabbit Cabin the temperature was comfortable, equipped with automatic temperature and gravity regulation, yet at that moment both were drenched in sweat, their whole bodies feeling as if they'd been fished out of water.

Ruyue Xian Tairan and Shuotian Liuxing exchanged a glance, took in the utterly different surroundings, and exhaled deeply. It seemed they had finally emerged from that endless nightmare; the final sound of the world shattering was no illusion.

This time both were terrified.

"You've finally woken up." Ge Xing Xian Wu looked at the two rousing from unconsciousness, set down his No. 39 Astronomical Switch, and walked over.

"No!"

The two who had just awakened simultaneously let out an incredulous cry, then instantly transformed at human‑limit speed, both assuming an attacking stance toward Ge Xing Xian Wu—especially Ruyue Xian Tairan, who was on the verge of striking.

"What's wrong with you two?" Ge Xing Xian Wu looked at Ruyue and Shuotian, who regarded him as a formidable foe, completely unaware of what had happened.

Shuotian Liuxing eyed the Ge Xing Xian Wu before him warily, fists clenched tight, but held back from striking.

He couldn't tell whether the Ge Xing Xian Wu before him was real or fake, but there was no doubt their immediate transformation was correct.

In the recent battle, the ferocious combat power of the monster that the fake Ge Xing Xian Wu had transformed into left an unforgettable impression on him; relying on himself alone, he was certain he couldn't get out.

"Ah! Xiao Xian, what are you doing?" Chengdao Youmu exclaimed, seeing the two about to attack Ge Xing Xian Wu, she spread her arms like a hen shielding her chicks.

After hearing Chengdao Youmu's appearance, Ruyue Xian Tairan suddenly calmed; he flipped the switch, disengaging his Fourze armor.

"Liuxing, it's okay, this is reality."

"Looks like it, after all we've died so many times with never a fourth person appearing, and we haven't felt that eerie vibe from over there." Shuotian Liuxing also decisively gave up.

Although what he just said also had some reason, the more important thing was that he chose to believe Ruyue Xian Tairan's judgment.

Ge Xing Xian Wu was completely confused; he didn't understand what was being said, he wanted to ask, but Jiang Xia, who came out of the research lab holding Switch 40, spoke first.

"You two go rest first, regain your spirits."

"Although dreams are dreams, multiple restarts also drain your stamina; now take a bath and rest well."

"Teacher, I knew that voice was yours." Ruyue Xian Tairan had an expression of "as expected".

"Of course it's me, who else would be this bored?" Although Jiang Xia's words sounded like a joke, his tone was unusually low.

Shuotian Liuxing frowned slightly: "What on earth is going on?"

For no reason, trapping them in a dream that can loop infinitely, then making them undergo endless level‑clearing and fighting; honestly, he couldn't see any point to it.

Could it really be this boring? Or is there some special purpose?

Ruyue Xian Tairan also turned his gaze to Jiang Xia; he was also curious, though he had a rough guess in mind but wasn't sure if it was right.

"The way to clear this dream has already expressed my meaning; you should understand now."

"Cancer…" Shuotian Liuxing murmured.

"That's right." Jiang Xia spoke up, "Now let me say something you don't understand."

"When you clearly know something is wrong but still fight with your body, that's a grave mistake."

"Sometimes it's indeed inconvenient to transform directly, but if you blindly fight without knowing the enemy's abilities, I can save you once or twice, but I can't save you countless times."

In the course of explaining, Jiang Xia also put away his gentleness, his expression blank, his eyes sharp as cold ice, like an iceberg that never melts.

"If I weren't here today, all of you students would fall into a coma; without the Knights' Heavenly River, it would become a monster's nest. That you can stand here now, and that the students whose souls were drawn out can return home safely, is because of me, not you." Jiang Xia's expression was stern as he looked at the two who lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes, and continued: "I know you're just high school students, but you are also Knights. Kamen Rider isn't something you become by shouting slogans and striking a few poses."

"The moment you put on your belts also means you've taken on the responsibility to protect humanity; when facing Cancer, you were far too careless! This is real combat, not kids playing house— a moment's inattention can really get you killed."

Compared to the Knights of before, current combat is practically child's play; the seniors fought for various reasons.

Fighting for that persistence in their hearts means betting their lives; they cannot be the slightest careless, for they know how heavy the responsibility on their shoulders is.

Although Ruyue Xian Tairan now has this awareness, it's still far from enough! In an instant the Jade Rabbit Cabin fell silent; the Ruyue Xian Tairan who had just been glad to escape the dream didn't even dare lift his head.

Both realized that the speed of transformation is merely an action; behind it lies responsibility for taking combat seriously, taking the enemy seriously, and upholding their ideal of protecting the world.

"Go rest; the Star Disciples' battle is far from over." After saying that, Jiang Xia turned around and walked into the control room.

And Ge Xing Xian Wu, who had been listening nearby the whole time, also took a deep breath; when Cancer drew out their souls, he too was furious and slammed the table, feeling similarly— at that moment he lost his composure, and it was the teacher who pulled him back.

But he didn't expect that after the incident the teacher would fly into such a rage, and that whenever something happened he would always immediately seek a solution— even if angry, it couldn't affect decision‑making.

If something was done wrong, he wouldn't turn a blind eye; instead, after the matter was resolved, he would educate them in other ways.

"Teacher, sorry, it won't happen again!" Ruyue Xian Tairan shouted at Jiang Xia, who was still adjusting the switch.

Right is right, wrong is wrong— he understands that perfectly.

Upon hearing Ruyue Xian Tairan's apology, the silent Shuotian Liuxing seemed to wake from the dream again; before he didn't really grasp what Kamen Rider meant, merely taking this power as a shortcut to save Er Lang, but now…

"Go." That gentle voice, accompanied by the wind, reached Ruyue Xian Tairan's ears, and his formerly dim eyes suddenly gained a hint of brightness.

"Mm." He nodded heavily.

(End of chapter)