The morning air at Shrek Academy carried a quiet intensity. Mist coiled along the courtyard tiles, rising like tendrils of breath from the earth itself. The sky above was overcast, a heavy blanket of clouds diffusing sunlight into a cool silver hue. It was the kind of day that whispered of something momentous.
Students were already gathered, lining the edges of the training grounds in hushed anticipation. Among them, the Shrek Seven Devils stood together—Tang San with arms crossed, eyes sharp; Dai Mubai leaning slightly forward with a faint grin; and Zhu Zhuqing silent but attentive. Oscar tried to handed Ning Rongrong a recovery sausage with a whispered comment but was ignore by her. In a fight she might eat it, now she will not. While Xiao Wu and Meng Yiran sit at the side.
At the center of it all stood two figures.
Zhao Wuji, the indomitable Vigorous Vajra Bear, cracked his knuckles with a low rumble. His broad frame exuded pressure even without his spirit released. Across from him, Li Wei stood calm, composed, and still.
His teal green coat fluttered in the breeze, and in his right hand rested the Diendriver, his martial spirit. A silent glint reflected off its metallic edge as he raised his head.
Zhao Wuji grinned. "You ready, brat? I won't be holding back."
Li Wei met his gaze without blinking. "Neither will I."
A low murmuring rippled through the students.
Li Wei stood straight, his teal green-and-white coat fluttering with every gust. Across from him, Zhao Wuji exuded a heavy presence, his bare arms crossed over his barrel-like chest, his thick beard twitching as he studied the young man.
"Are you sure about this?" Flender asked from the sidelines, brow furrowed. "Zhao Wuji is a Rank 76 Soul Saint. This isn't going to be a friendly spar."
"I know," Li Wei replied calmly, eyes steady. "I want to test the limits of my martial spirit. No better opponent than Teacher Zhao."
Zhao Wuji cracked his knuckles with a low grin. "Alright then, brat. Come at me with everything you've got. Let's see if you're worthy of that strange martial spirit of yours."
The atmosphere thickened. A weight settled over the training ground—not just anticipation, but pressure. Zhao Wuji had released a trace of his spirit power.
Zhao Wuji's body shimmered, and seven spirit rings rose behind him—two yellow, two purple, and three black.
He clapped his hands. "Let's begin."
Li Wei's hand moved in a blur, drawing a glowing card and slotting it into the side of his gun-shaped weapon—the Diendriver.
"Henshin."
[Kamen Ride: Diend!]
A pulse of soul power expanded out as light fragments danced around Li Wei's body. His form shifted, metal and light encasing him until he stood clad in the armor of Kamen Rider Diend—blue lines glowing along his visor, sleek combat plating accentuating every motion.
Let's start with observation, Li Wei thought. He's too powerful to take lightly.
Zhao Wuji stomped forward, not activating any spirit ability yet. Each step cracked the ground beneath him.
"Don't just stand there like a statue!" he shouted, charging.
Li Wei raised the Diendriver and pulled the trigger.
[AttackRide: Blast!]
Blue energy bullets fired in rapid bursts. Zhao Wuji arms rose in a cross block. The attacks peppered him but didn't slow him.
"First Spirit Ability: Motionless Bright King Body!"
Golden light enveloped Zhao Wuji's body, forming a sturdy aura. The energy bullets bounced off harmlessly.
"He's tanking them," Li Wei muttered, stepping back.
"Second Ability: Vigorous Vajra Palm!"
Zhao Wuji thrust his palm forward. A shockwave of pure power surged through the air. Li Wei rolled sideways, narrowly avoiding the crushing force.
[KamenRide: Kabuto!]
Another card. A red figure materialized beside him—Kamen Rider Kabuto.
"Clock Up!" the Rider intoned.
Kabuto vanished, moving at lightning-fast speeds. Zhao Wuji blinked as punches began landing on his flanks from different angles, delivered at a speed the eye couldn't follow as he raise his defense.
"Hah, interesting…" Zhao Wuji chuckled, then roared: "Third Ability: Gravity Increase!"
A heavy pressure blanketed the area. Kabuto speed visibly decreased. Li Wei felt like an invisible weight pressed against his body.
"This is the power of a Soul Saint...!" he grimaced.
He slid another card into his Driver.
[BuffRide: Build!]
A glowing energy surged through his armor. His resistance to the gravity increased, and the strain on his limbs lessened.
Zhao Wuji charged forward, his huge frame moving faster than expected. "Fourth Ability: Position Trace!"
Li Wei blinked. For an instant, Zhao Wuji vanished—then appeared directly behind him, fist raised.
So fast!
[AttackRide: Barrier!]
A shimmering blue shield burst into place just in time. Zhao Wuji punch slammed into it with bone-rattling force, but the shield held.
"I like this martial spirit of yours," Zhao Wuji said, smirking. "Still not enough though."
Li Wei leapt backward. He could feel his soul power rapidly decreasing. His summoned Riders couldn't last long.
Then—he reached for his chest. From a compartment, he pulled a strange black device: the K-Touch.
"Let's go all out."
He pressed the symbol on the K-touch.
[G4, Ryuga, Orga, Glaive, Kabuki, Caucasus, Arc, Skull! Final Kamen Ride: Diend!]
Then put it into the front of the belt forming another set of driver.
[Diend Complete: Activation!]
A symphony of power exploded around him. His armor shifted and transformed, gaining a black and gold trim. The mask evolved, and his chest now bearing the crests of multiple Riders.
Diend Complete Form.
A wave of pressure washed over the battlefield, causing the spectators to gasp.
Flender eyes widened. "So this is his new strength, the strength of his fifth ring." Then Flender thought in his mind. 'It almost the same as avatar awakening when reaching the seventh ring.'
Zhao Wuji expression turned serious.
Li Wei drew a new card. "You wanted everything I've got, Teacher Zhao."
He inserted it.
[AttackRide: Gekijyouban!]
A rift tore open behind him.
From the light stepped eight Riders—each of them emanating brutal, dangerous power:
Kamen Rider G4, mechanical and unrelenting.
Kamen Rider Ryuga, the dark twin of Ryuki.
Kamen Rider Orga, a sinister golden juggernaut.
Kamen Rider Glaive, armed with the mighty Rouze Absorber.
Kamen Rider Kabuki, cruel elegance in motion.
Kamen Rider Caucasus, a powerhouse of speed and strength.
Kamen Rider Arc, dark king of destruction.
Kamen Rider Skull, the grim detective warrior.
"Go," Li Wei commanded. "Don't hold back."
The Riders surged forward like a storm. Each one clashed with Zhao Wuji, surrounding him in a coordinated assault.
Zhao Wuji eyes flared with fighting spirit. "Fifth Ability: Gravity Crush!"
BOOM!
An invisible force exploded outward. The ground cratered. Several Riders staggered or were thrown back, but not destroyed.
Caucasus charged and collided fists with Zhao Wuji. The shockwave knocked students off their feet.
Zhao Wuji aura surged again.
"Sixth Ring—Enhancement!"
Golden armor-like spirit energy encased his arms and legs, boosting his strength and durability even further.
He grabbed Orga by the throat and threw him into Arc. Then a sweep knocked Skull aside. Still, they kept coming.
"Seventh Ability: Spirit Avatar!"
With a roar, Zhao Wuji transformed. A golden, ten-meter-tall Vigorous Vajra Bear materialized around him, its form echoing his own.
The beast roared, and spirit pressure crashed down like a tidal wave.
Li Wei staggered, knees trembling. His Riders braced themselves.
"This is it," Li Wei muttered. "Let's see... how far I can go now."