Unlock Kamen Riders in Douluo's Way

As Yin Xiaoya buckled the Meteor Driver onto his belt, the device whirred to life. The celestial globe at its center spun rapidly, casting a brilliant, ethereal glow. In a flash of light and sound, Kamen Rider Meteor materialized, his armored form shimmering before the assembled onlookers. This was their first glimpse of such a striking "martial soul," and a wave of curious murmurs rippled through the crowd.

"Armored martial souls, huh? Always so flashy," sneered his opponent, though a flicker of unease betrayed his bravado. "I'm eager to see if your armor can withstand my Red Gold Wish Stick!"

With that, the man leaped back ten meters, creating some distance. He advanced, his gaze locked on Yin Xiaoya. Because Yin Xiaoya hadn't summoned any spirit rings, the man remained uncertain. He opted for a cautious approach, raising his stick and executing a tentative downwards swing.

Yin Xiaoya, now imbued with perfect fighting skills, possessed the knowledge to counter all manner of weapons. Facing the descending staff, he didn't retreat. Instead, he angled his armored shoulder, intercepting the stick at the fulcrum of its arc, pushing it upwards and off course. Simultaneously, he shot a jab at the man's chest with one hand and followed with a swift uppercut to his chin, sending him staggering backwards.

Though momentarily stunned, the man recovered quickly. With practiced agility, he adjusted his posture mid-air, using the force of Yin Xiaoya's initial strike to propel himself into a spinning backflip. He swung the staff upwards in a sweeping arc. But the blow lacked the force of his initial attack, and Yin Xiaoya was ready. He stomped down, pinning the staff to the ground, preventing the man from completing his counter.

Seizing the opportunity, Yin Xiaoya launched himself upwards, using the staff as a springboard. With a burst of strength, he unleashed a powerful kick, connecting squarely with the man's back as he was still mid-air.

Unable to maintain control, the man was sent hurtling forward, crashing to the ground several meters away. He rolled before finally regaining his footing, scrambling upright. Gone was the initial arrogance. His eyes now burned with focused intensity.

The surrounding spectators had also grown serious. As witnesses, they had clearly observed the initial exchange. With neither combatant utilizing soul skills, Yin Xiaoya's superior physical skills were undeniable.

"Come back!" the man roared. He raised his hand, and the Red Gold Wish Stick, still pinned beneath Yin Xiaoya's foot, vanished in a flash of light, reappearing instantly in his grasp. This time, one of his soul rings flared to life. He was about to unleash his soul skills.

The stick in his hand blurred, disappearing from sight for a split second. Yet he maintained the stabbing gesture, thrusting it towards Yin Xiaoya. With no time to react, Yin Xiaoya felt a jarring impact against his chest. The now-elongated stick, seemingly materializing from nowhere, slammed into him, driving him backwards against the training ground's perimeter wall.

Yin Xiaoya grunted, the force of the blow stealing his breath. Looking down, he saw the end of the extended staff pressed against his chest. Glancing up, he realized that the other end remained firmly in his opponent's grip.

"Amazing, huh? I knew no one could evade my Instant Stick," the man crowed.

"That's right! What a soul master relies on is the power of their soul skills! Physical combat is useless before absolute power," one of the onlookers chimed in.

The cheers of the crowd washed over Yin Xiaoya. He remained unfazed.

The attack had been swift, almost impossible to anticipate, but after seeing the stick's extended form, Yin Xiaoya understood the soul skill's nature.

"The stick can lengthen or shorten in an instant?" he mused aloud.

Yin Xiaoya reached out to grab the staff against his chest, but his opponent anticipated the move. In a flash, the staff retracted to its original length. Yin Xiaoya shook his head, a wry smile tugging at his lips. The brilliance of the soul skill lay in its instantaneous change, making it impossible to react in time.

"It seems your armored spirit is quite durable, showing no sign of my Instant Stick's impact. Let's see if you can withstand this! The second soul skill: Superimposed! Instant Stick Dragon Shadow!"

Suddenly, a multitude of red stick shadows materialized, filling the air. They lashed out at Yin Xiaoya from every direction, creating a whirlwind of strikes. The man had combined the instantaneous change with the multiplication of stick shadows, engulfing Yin Xiaoya in a storm of blows. The air crackled with the sound of impacts. Yin Xiaoya's figure vanished, swallowed by the sea of illusory strikes.

Yet amidst the crowd's cheers, the man's brow furrowed. As the one controlling the soul skill, he could sense that the countless stick shadows were connecting with the target's body. But something felt wrong. There was no cry of pain, no satisfying sensation of inflicting damage. It felt more like striking a ball with a stick than hitting a person.

Sensing danger, he abruptly cancelled his soul skill, hoping to assess the situation. But before he could react, a blinding sphere of light erupted from the dissipating shadows, slamming into his chest.

Though he managed to brace himself, holding the staff across his chest, the force of the impact was devastating. A shockwave of white mist exploded outwards, sending him flying backwards, the staff ripped from his grip. The shockwave spread, knocking several nearby spectators off their feet.

Yin Xiaoya staggered within the fading sphere of light. Though he had reacted instantly, summoning the meteors of the Meteor Driver to shield himself, at least a hundred blows had landed. Kamen Rider's armor had prevented serious injury, but the pain was intense, far greater than he'd anticipated.

"To withstand my double-superimposed soul skills and still manage a counterattack... your armor is indeed impressive. Let's see if you can survive my triple-superimposed soul skills: Instant Stick Fire Dragon Shadow!"

His three soul rings blazed, and the staff ignited with fiery energy. Yin Xiaoya knew that this was the addition of a fire attribute to the storm of stick shadows. If he were hit again, he might not be able to withstand it.

"Seems I underestimated him," Yin Xiaoya muttered.

He pressed a button on the Meteor Galaxy device on his right wrist.

[Mars]

The system responded.

[Fingerprint verification successful.]

[OK Mars]

Fiery red energy began to coalesce, and the spectators gasped as Yin Xiaoya's right fist transformed into a ball of fire the size of a human head. Intense heat radiated outwards, surpassing the temperature of the flames engulfing his opponent's staff.

The man launched his attack. In an instant, fiery sticks filled the air, converging to form a massive fire tornado, threatening to consume Yin Xiaoya. But at that moment, an even more violent eruption of flames exploded from within, scattering the orderly formation of the fiery shadows.

"In the end, your Instant Change is your only tricky move. The speed makes it hard to react. As for these stick shadows, they're just sticks. If you break their formation, they're useless. As for your fire attribute attacks... do you think meteors in the sky are afraid of a little fire?"

Yin Xiaoya emerged, wreathed in flames. The star-speckled night sky of his armor shone brightly. The fiery energy of Mars still crackled around his right fist.

The man withdrew the shadow of the stick, but sneered. "You revealed your weakness so easily? Now that I know you can't keep up with my speed, I'll take full advantage!"

From a distance, the staff stretched and shortened, a blur of motion in his hand. From a distance, it appeared as if someone were repeatedly striking a tethered tennis ball at high speed. But as he launched his attack, a sense of unease crept in. Yin Xiaoya stood motionless. The staff passed directly through him. Yet, as it returned to his grasp, he felt no impact whatsoever.

"Missed? Impossible!"

He retracted the staff once more, abandoning ranged attacks. Instead, he surged forward, closing the distance for a melee engagement. But as he drew near, the Yin Xiaoya he saw began to flicker, appearing insubstantial. Realization dawned.

"It's a phantom!"

[Meteor! Limit Break!]

The system's voice boomed from behind him. He cried out, knowing he was too late to react. Yin Xiaoya materialized from thin air behind him, the white-hot glow of his signature Rider Kick illuminating his form. Like a shooting star, the kick connected with his back.

With a roar of pain, he was sent hurtling through the air, crashing against the perimeter wall where Yin Xiaoya had been pinned moments before. His body was scorched and blackened, his clothes ripped and burned. He landed heavily, eyes glazed over, and lay motionless.

Seeing his opponent unconscious, Yin Xiaoya turned to leave, knowing that the man would recover. Kamen Rider Meteor's Rider Kick, at its base, possessed a force of 32 tons. Had he unleashed his full power, the man would have been crushed. So, he'd held back, delivering a blow of less than a ton, relying more on the intense heat to inflict damage.

"Stop... stop!"

Yin Xiaoya paused, turning back to see the man's companions rushing forward, supporting him with healing soul skills. He'd already vented his frustration and had no desire for further conflict. He canceled his transformation, reverting to his human form.

"I suggest you speak with Su Xuan and clarify this matter first," Yin Xiaoya said, gesturing towards the fallen man.

"I will definitely ask about the Seven Monsters Jade Tablet! But first, I want to know what you did just now," one of the men demanded.

"Oh, so that's what this is about." Yin Xiaoya raised his hand, displaying the Feather Cat Sublimation Key. "It's nothing. I simply borrowed the power of a soul beast."

He had used the Sublimation Key, unlocked by absorbing Feather Cat's soul ring. The Feather Cat possessed a unique ability: Wind Shadows. It could leave an afterimage of its body while blending seamlessly into the air, confusing its opponents.

Although he lacked the corresponding driver, he could still access the ability through the Key, but this method consumed 500 system points each time, with a one-day cooldown.

Yin Xiaoya had argued with the system about this restriction. In Kamen Rider Build, Ryuga Banjo, as Kamen Rider Cross-Z, directly utilized the power of the Dragon Fullbottle with his body. Why was this considered a special rule when it came to him? The system had simply replied,

[You've never had surgery. Can you compare yourself to him?]

This made Yin Xiaoya shut up.

"The power of a soul beast? Soul skills? But I didn't see any spirit rings," the man protested.

"Of course not. I never claimed to be a soul master. Since I'm not a soul master, where would I get spirit rings? Don't ask who I am. You'll find out soon enough."

With that, Yin Xiaoya turned and began to walk away. After a few steps, he stopped abruptly.

Wait, did I hear right? Did he call this jade tablet the Seven Monsters Jade Tablet? He examined the jade tablet Su Xuan had given him. On the back, he found five small characters inscribed: The Seven Shrek Monsters.

"Oh... so that's what it is..."

***

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Advance chapters are in my P@|r3on - Najicablitz