Unlock Kamen Riders in Douluo's Way Ch 42

Hearing Yin Xiaoya's plan, Su Xuan immediately voiced her strong objection. "What? Absolutely not! It's far too dangerous. Don't you have those little…gadgets? Send one of those in to scout ahead."

It was a reasonable suggestion, one Yin Xiaoya would normally take if not for the unique circumstances. "Can't. The temperature here is too extreme. Those little guys won't be able to handle it."

As he spoke, the lone Batta Candroid he'd kept on his person emitted a warning signal. He quickly retrieved it, and a grainy image flickered onto the small screen—a crude, yet recognizable, picture of what appeared to be a Poison Fire Needle Scorpion.

Yin Xiaoya beckoned the teachers over to examine the image, confirming that it was indeed their quarry. But their expressions remained grim.

"No, judging from this image, this Fire Needle Scorpion is around 700 years old," one of the teachers said, shaking his head. "That's far too much for Ma Hongjun."

Another chimed in, "That's right. I remember Master mentioning that little fatty. His first spirit ring can't be more than a hundred years old. He's trying to increase his spirit power first precisely because of that limitation. This one…it's just impossible. Best to let those little gadgets find another."

The teachers' words were well-intentioned, meant to protect Ma Hongjun from harm. Yin Xiaoya could only offer a weak expression of regret.

Su Xuan patted him consolingly on the shoulder. "Alright, little fatty, don't lose heart. If there's one that's six or seven hundred years old, there's bound to be one around a hundred somewhere."

"No, just this one," Yin Xiaoya insisted, his gaze fixed on the Candroid's screen.

Ma Hongjun's face fell. "Senior, don't comfort me. I know my limits."

"You think I don't understand that?" Yin Xiaoya retorted, a hint of frustration in his voice. "Listen, external strength can be limited, but your inner fire cannot be extinguished. If your heart dies, nothing is possible. Don't tell me your resolve is that weak!"

"How could it be!" Ma Hongjun exclaimed, his face flushing. He felt his determination being questioned. "As long as it means getting stronger, I'm willing to risk my life, but…"

"No buts! Remember this feeling, hold onto it. Wait for me, and I'll turn that resolve into real power. Su Xuan, I'm leaving the Candroid with you. Follow it; find where that Fire Needle Scorpion is first."

"What are you planning to do? You don't actually intend to go in there, do you?" Su Xuan asked, concern etched on her face.

"Don't worry. I'm not alone. You go on ahead. I'll be there later."

Without waiting for a response, he activated the transformation mechanism on his belt, enveloping himself in a ball of light as he shot toward the heart of the Scorched Stone Forest.

"Wait… Hey! That guy's too impulsive!" Su Xuan started to follow, but Fang Xin gently restrained her.

"Please wait a moment, Teacher Su. You should trust Big Brother Xiaoya. Have you already forgotten how he helped Pupu with the Green Fruit Swamp Dragon?"

"But…" Su Xuan hesitated, glancing back at the ominous Scorched Stone Forest. After a long sigh, she relented. "Forget it. I trust him. Let's go find that Poison Fire Needle Scorpion and wait."

With Su Xuan in the lead, the group, guided by the hovering Batta Candroid, moved on, leaving Yin Xiaoya to his own devices.

As Kamen Rider Meteor, Yin Xiaoya directed the meteorite photosphere toward the coordinates pinpointed by the system. It wasn't long before he felt a multitude of presences targeting him. Soon, he saw them: balls of fire rising from all corners of the stone forest, rapidly converging on his position.

Closing the distance, he realized these weren't mere fireballs. They were Ghost-Faced Griffins, their bodies wreathed in flames, resembling nothing so much as living meteors. Griffins of all sizes, numbering close to a thousand, were launching themselves at him with ferocious intent.

"This is far more than those rumors suggested. Guess it's because no one dares to come here, allowing them to multiply unchecked. No, now's not the time to fight them," Yin Xiaoya muttered, his mind racing.

He accelerated, dodging the fiery projectiles while maintaining course. Stopping to fight was out of the question. Even if he could win, a doubtful proposition at best, he likely wouldn't escape with his life.

"It's hot!" he exclaimed, instinctively recoiling as a fireball nearly twice his size grazed him. The searing heat burned through his Rider suit.

[Host, please be careful! Those fireballs will explode on contact!]

"The temperature's higher than the heat of my own Meteor form," he noted grimly.

[The Ghost-Faced Griffin inside that fireball is over ten thousand years old, Host.]

Ten thousand years old! No wonder the heat was so intense, the speed so terrifying. He had to tread carefully. This was only the second time he'd encountered soul beasts of that caliber, and this time, there were thousands of them. He couldn't afford to relax for even a second.

When I fought the Bone Scythe Mantis, it was already at ten thousand years, and the Meteor should be able to beat it, it was pure luck that it had just given birth to its offspring, and its strength was greatly reduced, and then it was consumed in the battle with Su Xuan. So when I came out, the actual strength of the Bone Scythe Mantis might be about the same as that of the Steel-Toothed Ape-Bat. So, I subdued the opponent without much effort.

But now, facing so many Ghost-Faced Griffins whose strength was in their prime, I have no chance of winning at all, so I can only rely on my size and speed advantages to get rid of them as much as possible.

"ROAR!!!"

Seeing that so many of their clan couldn't catch this "fly-like human," and realizing the direction he was heading, the Ghost-Faced Griffins seemed to grow agitated. They unleashed a barrage of meteor-like fireballs at Yin Xiaoya, their intent clear.

[Host, be careful! These fireballs will explode on impact!]

Hearing the system's warning, Yin Xiaoya chuckled humorlessly. "Oh? Then that gives me a chance to strike back."

He swiftly inserted the Meteor Switch into the Meteor Galaxy on his right wrist, initiating the fingerprint authentication sequence.

[OK!]

"Time for my Kamen Rider version of the Meteor Fist! Uh—AHHH!!!"

Mid-flight, Yin Xiaoya abruptly spun around, unleashing a punch with his right fist, propelling himself forward.

A flurry of white fist shadows erupted, attempting to intercept the incoming fireballs. While the Meteor Fist packed a punch, it was still no match for the raw power of the fireballs. Yin Xiaoya, however, wasn't aiming to destroy them. He scattered the fist shadows, utilizing the fireballs' explosive nature to his advantage, triggering their detonations just beyond his immediate vicinity.

"Heh, just like missile interception. Doesn't need to be stronger, just needs to be in the way! Who told you to explode on contact?"

[Host, take advantage of the smoke screen! Move now!]

"Got it!"

Without further prompting, Yin Xiaoya decreased his altitude, dispelled the photosphere surrounding him, and vanished into the dense network of stone pillars. As the smoke cleared, the Ghost-Faced Griffins resumed their pursuit, but Yin Xiaoya was nowhere to be seen. With his soul power suppressed, he was effectively invisible to their senses.

A handful of the smaller, millennial-level Griffins started to investigate, but the oldest, most imposing member of the flock halted them with a deafening screech.

"ROAR!"

The younger Griffins hesitated, then retreated, returning to their assigned perches. The elder Griffin narrowed its eyes, gazing in the direction Yin Xiaoya had disappeared before turning and soaring back into the depths of the stone forest.

Yin Xiaoya, now close to his destination, cautiously peeked out from behind a towering stone pillar. He watched the retreating Griffins, a puzzled expression beneath his helmet. "Huh? Aren't they supposed to be looking for me?"

[Something's not right. Could it be related to the one individual who can unlock the Henshin Onsa?] the system speculated.

"You're the system! You're asking me? Wait, I've seen the griffin with my own eyes now. Shouldn't you be having some kind of reaction?"

[Confirmed. While these Ghost-Faced Griffins can unlock Kamen Rider powers, they're unrelated to the Henshin Onsa. Only the system-designated target can unlock the Henshin Onsa. So, we can conclude that it is a soul beast of a different race.]

Yin Xiaoya's expression darkened behind his helmet. "What a mess! Why do I get the feeling your system's riddled with bugs? How can these Ghost-Faced Griffins be unlocked again? And why didn't you flag them?"

[Host, please understand. After the system's modification for the Douluo World, in principle, any power in this world can be unlocked and transformed into Rider power under the system's influence. You should be familiar with that by now. But, in order for you to grow with the familiar power, the designated targets are the only ones that can unlock the powers of the original Kamen Riders. The others, while not original Riders, are still beings with exceptional abilities that could be useful to you. Like the target we're approaching now.]

"So that's it… Sorry, I misunderstood you," Yin Xiaoya apologized, sensing the system's good intentions. "So, the target we're approaching can't unlock the Ringing Ghost World, are there Ghost Warrior Riders in the original?"

[Correct. I could only confirm this after getting so close. I need to hurry, please host as soon as possible.]

Yin Xiaoya nodded and stealthily made his way toward the target, a mere few hundred meters away. Emerging from the maze of stone pillars, he found himself in a small, relatively open space. It wasn't exactly inviting, however. Magma flows crisscrossed the area, making every step a potential death trap.

His attention was immediately drawn to a figure seated cross-legged in the center of the clearing. Even in a seated position, the being was nearly as tall as Yin Xiaoya. Its fur was a deep, glossy black, streaked with irregular patterns of luminescent blue flame. A pair of massive wings, also black, were folded behind it.

"Eh? A black and blue Ghost-Faced Griffin? Wait, something's wrong. Aren't Ghost-Faced Griffins four-legged creatures? Why is this one sitting upright like a person?"

As Yin Xiaoya struggled to make sense of what he was seeing, the figure opened its eyes, the intelligent blue gaze within betraying a sentience far beyond that of a typical beast. It slowly rose to its feet—yes, it stood, like a human. It was, in fact, a humanoid soul beast. Fully erect, it towered at over three meters in height, its body lean, powerful, and streamlined. Its upper body, in particular, was a masterpiece of natural sculpting. No bodybuilder could hope to match such a display of raw, untamed strength. A series of images flashed through Yin Xiaoya's mind.

"Lei Gong? Lei Zhenzi? Garudamon? Crow Tengu? No matter which one it is, you can see some shadows from this soul beast."

The system immediately cut through his thoughts.

[Analysis complete. This is a variant of the Ghost-Faced Griffin: Azure Flame Heaven Griffin, 40,000 years old.]

"Huh? What? Only 40,000 years? Then I still have a chance to fight…"

[But as a soul beast, its breed level is similar to that of the 60,000-year-old blue-faced minotaur that I met in the Soul Beast Forest before, which means it is very powerful.]

(T/L note edit: The blue-faced minotaur is now 60,000 years old instead of 6,000.)

"…" Yin Xiaoya fell silent.