The sun climbed steadily into the late morning sky above Shrek Academy, its golden rays warming the dew-speckled fields that had been witness to an extraordinary clash. The echoes of the earlier battle between Li Wei and the Emperor Team still lingered, like the aftershock of a thunderclap. Most of the students had dispersed, returning to their dorms or training fields, yet a core group remained near the main pavilion.
Yu Xiaogang stood with his hands behind his back, his sharp eyes fixed on the now-quiet training field. The former battlefield had been swept clean, but the memory of the Diend Complete Form overwhelming power still crackled in the air like static.
Tang San approached quietly, the slight crunch of his boots on gravel alerting Yu Xiaogang to his presence.
"Teacher," Tang San said respectfully.
Yu Xiaogang turned his head slightly. "You saw the whole fight. Tell me your thoughts."
Tang San exhaled slowly. His mind had been turning like a clockwork machine ever since the final moments of the battle. "Li Wei control was absolute. He never wasted a move. It wasn't just his power that overwhelmed them—it was how he neutralized their coordination."
Yu Xiaogang nodded. "And how did he do that?"
"He disrupted their tempo. By summoning different Kamen Riders with unique attributes, he forced the Emperor Team to split their attention. They couldn't maintain formation under the pressure. He manipulated spacing, limited their vision with projectile barrages, and controlled the battlefield using his summons like chess pieces."
Yu Xiaogang turned fully to face his student, a glint of satisfaction in his gaze. "Excellent. So if you were on the Emperor Team, how would you have countered him?"
Tang San hesitated. The question pierced into the heart of what he had been puzzling over.
"Strike early with a focused assault. Dugu Yan poison fog needed more aggressive deployment to limit his visibility. Yu Feng and Osler should have aimed for synchronized interference, targeting his summoning windows. And... Ye Lingling should have remained hidden. Li Wei identified her position early and controlled the fight knowing she would support them from the rear."
Yu Xiaogang gave a small smile. "Good. Anticipation, identification, disruption. That is how you break the control of someone like Li Wei. He's a tactician before he's a powerhouse. Remember that."
Tang San bowed his head in acknowledgment, heart thudding. He filed every word away, not just as a student, but as a future combatant.
_______________________
Elsewhere on the stone steps near the inner courtyard, Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing had pulled Li Wei aside, curiosity radiating from them both. The battle had left impressions on everyone, but these two wanted more than just awe.
"That was insane," Xiao Wu said, eyes wide. "You were like ten steps ahead of them. How did you even keep track of what everyone was doing at once?"
Li Wei sat on the stone railing, one leg folded beneath him, the Diendriver resting at his side. He looked calm, thoughtful.
"I didn't need to track everything," he replied. "I just needed to know the patterns. Most teams, even elite ones, operate on a predictable rhythm. They rely on coordination, which is strong but also... readable."
Zhu Zhuqing, ever reserved, tilted her head. "Then how would someone like me counter them? My agility lets me bypass the front lines, but their formation was tight."
Li Wei nodded, glancing her way. "Your strength is stealth and burst. If you faced the Emperor Team, the key would be Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling. Neutralize one, and you unravel their stability. With your speed, you should shadow Osler. Bait him into chasing you. He won't realize you're leading him toward isolation until it's too late."
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes gleamed with insight. "Divide and eliminate."
"Exactly."
Xiao Wu leaned forward eagerly. "And me? They had lots of area attacks. I couldn't get close without risking getting caught in poison or lightning."
Li Wei chuckled. "You're different. Your strength is surprise and short-range disruption. In your case, target Yu Feng. If you can lock him down, his aerial support vanishes. That cuts their pressure by half. Use your Charm skill to stun one of the twins, then hit hard and retreat. Don't stay in the open. You're a ghost, not a tank."
Xiao Wu beamed. "I knew I was a ghost!"
Zhu Zhuqing gave her a flat look. "A loud ghost."
Li Wei smiled faintly. He enjoyed moments like this.
"The most important thing," he added, "is to know that no plan survives contact with the enemy. The best fighters aren't the strongest. They're the ones who can adapt first."
_______________________
Back in the courtyard, the remaining Shrek students gathered as Flender stepped out from his office with Qin Ming in tow. The two educators walked toward the group with measured steps.
"How are the Emperor Team students?" Flender asked.
Qin Ming gave a half-smile. "Sore. Humbled. But grateful. Ye Lingling said she'd never felt so strained using her spirit power. They're analyzing the fight already. I think they understand now the level they need to reach."
Flender nodded. "Good. That was the point."
His gaze shifted to the small group of students still talking nearby.
"Li Wei." Flender's voice cut through the courtyard.
Li Wei turned calmly. "Yes, Headmaster?"
"Come with me. Tang San, you too."
As the two boys followed Flender and Qin Ming inside, Xiao Wu pouted. "Always snatching him away."
Zhu Zhuqing smirked. "You just wanted to ask him more questions."
"Obviously!"
_______________
In Flender office, a large table had been cleared, and a fresh diagram of the training ground had been sketched. Yu Xiaogang stood at the head, chalk in hand.
"Sit. This is important," he said without preamble.
Tang San and Li Wei exchanged a glance before complying.
"That fight was more than a spar. It was a benchmark," Yu Xiaogang said. "Both for Shrek, and for the Emperor Team. We may face them in the tournament. We need to develop counter-strategies."
He began drawing symbols and lines, indicating known habits and formations the Emperor Team had used.
"Tang San, based on what you saw, how would your Blue Silver Grass fit into this dynamic?"
Tang San leaned forward. "I'd root Shi Mo and Shi Mò early on. They're the anchors. Disrupting them causes the others to scramble. Then, Oscar could boost Zhu Zhuqing speed, allowing her to break past Dugu Yan poison radius. With Rongrong buffs, we can multiply pressure points."
Yu Xiaogang nodded. "And Li Wei?"
Li Wei folded his arms, expression unreadable. "I would hold back until the formation begins to collapse. Summon based on priority threats. Interfere with their rhythm, and only then strike. Let them think they're dictating the pace."
Qin Ming raised an eyebrow. "Deceptive tactics. You weren't just testing your strength, were you?"
"No," Li Wei said simply. "I was measuring potential allies and future enemies."
Silence followed.
________________
Outside, Xiao Wu sat with Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong, who had just arrived after assisting Oscar with minor healing.
"How did the talk go?" Rongrong asked.
"Strategic stuff," Xiao Wu said. "Lots of words like 'pressure points' and 'formation disruption'. Also, I'm apparently a ghost."
Rongrong blinked. "I don't think that means what you think it means."
"It means I'm sneaky and deadly," Xiao Wu insisted.
Zhu Zhuqing chuckled softly.
The girls fell into a companionable silence, each one turning over the implications of what they'd seen. The battle had not just demonstrated power, but precision. Intelligence. Will.
They had all grown used to measuring their strength against each other.
Now they saw the scale.
And they would rise to meet it.
__________________
That night, while stars littered the sky above Shrek Academy, Li Wei stood alone near the edge of the forest, Diendriver in hand.
He looked at the card in his palm—the glowing image of Kamen Rider Skull. A symbol of his more ruthless tactics.
"I can't afford to rely only on power," he murmured. "Against the truly powerful, intelligence is the only edge."
Behind him, the faint sound of someone approaching made him turn slightly.
Tang San stepped into view, his hands tucked behind his back.
"I thought I might find you here," he said. "You didn't just fight to test them, did you?"
Li Wei didn't answer immediately. Then, he turned his eyes to the stars.
"No. I fought to understand the path I'm walking. And to see how far behind or ahead I am."
Tang San stood beside him.
"What did you see?"
Li Wei eyes narrowed.
"That I still have a long way to go."
They stood there, two boys beneath a canopy of stars, shadows of greatness stretching before them.
And the future, uncertain and bright, awaited their next step.