After the break, once Kiana finished scolding Kouga for the mortifying flag incident, the two of them were still bickering lightly. Mei covered her mouth, clearly amused. Fuhua hid a small smile behind her hand. Bronya stared at them with her usual blank expression, though the tiny upward twitch of her eyebrow might have suggested silent judgment.
Soon, the atmosphere shifted as Theresa stepped forward on the stage.
"This is the final round. Candidates, please put on the sync device once your name is called. The simulated combat program will select a suitable module as your opponent. Do your best, girls."
One by one, the remaining students entered the arena and completed their trials. Then Kiana's name was called.
She strode forward, confidence radiating from her posture.
"Kiana Kaslaña. Prepare sync."
The system responded in its neutral synthetic tone:"Access: 98.6%.Sync ratio: 100%. Generating adversary modules."
But then—something glitched.
"Sync ratio: 120%... Genera... gen... generating adver....adversary modules..."
A shrieking alarm sounded."(SYSTEM ERROR)"
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"What happened?" a student asked, voice wavering.
Kiana frowned and turned toward the stage."What's going on? Himeko! What's happening?"
Himeko stared at the malfunctioning interface, equally confused."Something's wrong. The program should initiate auto-exit upon an error report. Program sync ratio is stuck at 120%. This means..."
"Force closing the program may be unwise," Kiana finished grimly.
The system voice cut through the tension:"Adversary module generated."
Lines of blue light shot across the arena, forming a massive silhouette—then solidifying into an enormous four-legged beast. A towering Honkai emperor-class unit.
Ganesha.
It roared, the arena trembling under its weight.
Theresa's voice cracked."It's Ganesha! Impossible! Our database shouldn't be generating an Emperor-class Honkai Beast module!"
Despite the monstrous opponent, Kiana smirked."Don't worry about shutting things down. I'll just mop the floor with this thing!"
Kouga immediately prepared to jump in, energy flaring around him—but Kiana turned, eyes pleading softly.
"Please let me do this to see how strong I've gotten."
He froze, then let out a long, tight sigh before backing off, visibly uncomfortable. Mei placed a reassuring hand on his arm.
"Believe in Kiana," she whispered.
Bronya gave Kouga a firm pat on the back, monotone but supportive.
With her friends behind her, Kiana stepped forward to fight the massive Honkai beast.
Ganesha lowered its massive head, its tusks glowing with Honkai energy. With an ear-splitting roar, it launched forward in a deadly charge aimed straight to impale her.
Kiana dashed sideways, flipping over the shockwave. Her dual pistols fired as she twisted midair, each bullet striking the armored hide—but barely leaving dents.
The beast skidded, reared up, and then slammed its massive belly downward, trying to crush her through sheer weight.
Kiana rolled to safety, sparks flying as the ground dented beneath the impact.
She sprinted forward, weaving between its legs. Her pistols clicked into a close-combat mode as she initiated rapid Gun Kata sequences, striking and blasting at its joints. Ganesha swung its head in frustration, trying to catch her with a tusk.
Suddenly the beast curled inward—its massive frame folding unnaturally until it formed a colossal armored ball.
Then it rolled.
And it came at her like a meteor.
Kiana jumped high, landing on the rolling surface, letting it drag her across the arena. She then launched herself off, flipping backward and firing continuously until the creature uncurled with a bellow.
Energy surged inside Ganesha's maw.
A beam.
Kiana's instincts screamed, and she sprinted at full speed. The white-hot beam blasted through the arena in a straight line, vaporizing anything in its path. Kiana narrowly slid under it, sparks brushing her cheek.
Time to finish this.
Her White Comet suit flared—burst mode activating. Blue-white energy spiraled around her hands as she conjured her signature construct: a massive cat paw, glowing fiercely.
The giant construct smashed down on Ganesha's shoulder, staggering it.
But Kiana wasn't done.
She leapt high, pistols crossed. The energy built around her, coalescing into an even larger cat paw construct—massive, shimmering, and shaped by pure will.
She descended with all her strength.
The enormous cat paw slammed Ganesha directly in the face, crushing its mask-like head into the ground. The beast's frame trembled, cracked, then dissolved into shimmering blue fragments.
Silence.
Then applause erupted across the plaza.
Theresa, Sakura, Himeko, and Rita rushed toward her.
"Kiana, are you alright?" Theresa asked anxiously.
Kiana wiped sweat from her brow, panting but grinning."Now that's a tiring fight. But I can easily have these enemies for breakfast, lunch, and dinner."
Himeko crossed her arms, though relief softened her expression."Alright, Kiana. Go back to rest."
Kiana nodded, turning away from the arena.
Behind the group, Rita watched her with a slow, sinister smile, eyes gleaming.'An exciting battle. The opponent is a simulated module, but it's an Emperor-class Honkai Beast. I'm really looking forward to her future performance.'
Kiana returned to her group and threw up a tired but triumphant peace sign.
"See, I kick that honkai beast's Butt."
Mei chuckled warmly. "Congratulation, Kiana."
Bronya nodded silently.
Kouga placed a gentle hand on her head. "Well done, Kiana."
He looked calm, but the truth was clear—during the fight, Kouga had nearly leapt in several times, struggling to restrain himself as he watched her face a monster large enough to crush a tank.
After Mei, Bronya, Fuhua, and Kouga congratulated Kiana on her victory, each in their own way. The group settled back into their seats to watch the remaining trials, waiting for their turns. Kiana sat proudly between them.
Eventually, Kouga's name was called.
He stood, dusted off his jacket, and stepped straight into the arena.
"Kouga Hayata. Prepare sync."
The system responded:
"Access: 98.6%.Sync ratio: 100%. Generating adversary modules."
But instead of stopping, the numbers climbed.
120%… 150%… 180%…
200%.
Himeko pinched the bridge of her nose."Not again."
Blue light condensed in the center of the arena—and, just like before, the massive form of Ganesha emerged with a roar.
Kouga lifted a hand, preparing to transform immediately—but then he paused.
The graders' expressions said everything:'We knew this was going to happen.''This is getting boring.'
He sighed inwardly.If they were expecting the same simple one-shot… he'd give them something else.
He transform into Kamen Rider OOO – Gatakiriba Combo.
The instant Ganesha charged, tusks lowered, Kouga split into two perfectly identical bodies. The Honkai beast ran straight between them, confused.
The grader table collectively leaned forward.
Rita's eyes widened ever so slightly.Theresa blinked.Sakura whispered, "…interesting."Even Himeko looked intrigued.
The students, however, reacted in a very different way.
"Ehhh, Kouga can clone himself?!" Kiana practically shouted.
Mei's eyes flew wide.Bronya actually looked stunned for a full second.Fuhua simply murmured, "Impressive."
On the battlefield, Kouga wasn't done.
More green flashes burst around him—then multiplied.
Four… six… twelve… twenty…
Soon, the arena held fifty Gatakiriba Kougas.
Forty-four of them rushed Ganesha in an overwhelming swarm, moving with insect-like speed. Kamakiri Blades on their arms sliced in synchronized arcs, slashing through the beast's armored hide in a hurricane of green energy.
The remaining six Kougas stepped back—and each transformed separately.
Latorartar.Sagohzo.Tatoba.Gatakiriba (the original).Burakawani.Shauta.Tajador.
A full medal-wheel of Rider forms.
Latorartar blurred forward first, slashing Ganesha repeatedly from every angle with lightning speed.
Sagohzo slam his chest repeatedly to manipulate gravity crushed down on the beast, pinning it in place.
Burakawani stepped forward, his cobra headpiece opening like a living serpent. A giant viper manifested and struck Ganesha again and again.
Tajador soared above, wings igniting as he fired searing streams of crimson flame.
Shauta's Voltarm whips lashed out, binding the beast mid-roar, sending pulses of electricity through its frame.
Finally, Tatoba stepped up, drawing the Medajaribur.He slid three medals into the blade.
O Scanner: "Triple Scanning Charge!"
The sword hummed with power as Kouga raised it.
The slash tore through air—through space—through reality itself.
For an instant, the arena split cleanly in half before snapping back together as if stitched by invisible hands.
And Ganesha exploded.
All the clones flickered and merged back into one seamless Kouga. His armor faded, leaving him standing calmly in his uniform.
He stretched his shoulders once, casual, then turned to the graders.
One of them simply gave him a thumbs up.
The entire arena was silent.
Nobody knew what to say.
Forget cloning—forget multiple forms—forget gravity, super speed, fire, and giant snakes—what was that sword ?
Except Kiana.
She had gone bright red, staring at Kouga with a stunned expression that slowly shifted into—
A very inappropriate train of thought.
Mei noticed and gently nudged her.
Bronya stared at Kiana, completely deadpan.
Fuhua raised one eyebrow in judgment.
And Kouga?Completely oblivious.