Chapter 464

Men must walk the world alone.

“Ash, Manager!”

The girl’s shout made the man stop in his tracks.

“Will we still meet again?”

“Goodbye.”

With hands stuffed in his pockets, the man walked away towards the sun, leaving behind the girl’s slightly worried gaze.

At times like this, one would want to sing something cool.

“In the mountains, what is there~♪”

A magnetic voice, audible only to three people, echoed around the man.

After parting ways with Lei at the end of the street, Ash began to feel the pain brought on by his collapsing body and sat down on a bench to rest, closing his eyes.

Soon, he felt something poking his face. Opening his eyes, he saw Erika with a mischievous look and Momoka, who was giggling behind her hand. They were curious about the sight of Ash lying in a corpse-like manner on the bench.

Looking at his watch, he discovered it had been two hours. He sighed, reflecting on the fleeting nature of time and life, then gave Erika, who seemed hesitant to speak, a playful tap on the head. He laughed as he saw her puffy-faced expression then left with her puzzled expression.

“Is it love? Is it truth? Is it bitterness~♩?”

Ash, having finished daydreaming, set off in a new direction. Along the way, he met the brother of Guki, whose overly delicate appearance now had him carrying heavy burdens as he seemed unsteady. Ash helped him out without hesitation.

Grateful, the brother invited Ash to his house for sukiyaki, knowing Ash knew Guki. They chatted naturally about their understanding of Guki until Guki returned, leaving a space for him and Ash, who had also known each other for a while.

Guki mentioned he hoped to spar with Ash again, but was refused. Despite this, out of his own unclear reasons, he taught Guki a few tricks.

“It’s the road of battle, the burning hell~♫”

After a while, Lei and others joined them, all enjoying sukiyaki together. During the meal, Ash jokingly referred to a previous barbecue party, and from Lily he received the reply: “At least you’re here with us now, right?”

“We don’t know what lies ahead~♬”

After the meal, everyone went home together. At last, it was just Lily and Ash walking together, when Lily mentioned her thoughts on the future. After receiving some peculiar gifts from Ash, the two said goodbye at her doorstep.

Waving goodbye, all wore smiling faces. Everything seemed to be progressing positively, except for the fact that by nightfall, Ash was alone once more.

“Men must walk the world alone~!”

Laughing to himself under the moonlight, Ash looked at his empty surroundings.

“Alright, now I have no regrets. Time to get serious.”

Beside him, the streets transformed into desolate desert landscapes. On this lonely desert, only his shadow lit by the moon remained, devoid of the joyful memories with the girls.

Is this a barrier? To intentionally confirm the need to defeat me, you’ve gone to great lengths.

However, this suits me perfectly. It allows me to cause chaos freely!

“[DESTREAMDRIVER]!!”

The waist belt of the driver ejected automatically, snapping together in the back.

“Well, come out, Doon.”

There’s no longer any need for secrets.

“The ceremony today just needs you.”

“How flattering.”

Speaking in a voice Ash recognized from many of his friends, a green-haired boy dressed in pure white appeared, a strange crawling creature perched on his shoulder. His eyes were lifeless and hollow. He slowly approached Ash from a whirlwind of sand.

“I had planned to meet Cure Flower first, but it seems my immediate task is to clean things up.”

“Don’t say it like that, Lord Doon.” Ash pulled out the sin seal badge. “Haste makes waste, and that’s the lesson I learned here.”

“Is that so? But one thing puzzles me — how did you notice me when even the Pretty Cure and sprites didn’t see you?”

After all, he had targeted the man as soon as he returned to Earth, hiding and waiting for a moment to act alone, yet the green-haired boy was surprised by Ash’s lack of reaction.

To satisfy his curiosity, Ash shook the crimson spider sin seal badge, which glowed with gold as he drew closer.

“Thanks to your power, this really helps a lot. I took advantage of it to narrow down your location too. Isn’t that reasonable?”

“Hmm, very reasonable.”

As they drew closer, Ash could distinctly feel the overwhelming pressure emanating from the other person, causing his fingers to twitch. Having had several communications with this person before, there was no doubt left in his mind — this was indeed the final boss of the Desert Apostles, Desert King Doon, defeated by Lei’s grandmother decades ago, sealed deep in the cosmos until he returned today.

It seems he’s stronger than I anticipated.

“This kind of direct confrontation is new for me.”

Instead of immediately fighting, Doon enthusiastically extended his arms, greeting Ash warmly.

“Hello, managing my desert apostles into disarray.”

“Hmm…?” Doon was puzzled by Ash’s lack of strong reaction. Then, after a strange pause, he named a few names. “Guilitt? Mirror Knight?”

“?!” Doon couldn’t comprehend and tilted his head.

“Oh, don’t mind it. Just an illusion. These exist in other worlds too.”

“You truly are an incredibly odd and rude knowledgeable being.”

Suddenly, Doon raised his finger to his chest, and a tiny, dangerous glowing ball formed on his fingertip, sending a ray of light aimed at Ash’s heart.

The ray hit something, and a cloud of dust exploded, completely obscuring Ash’s presence.

“To attack during a greeting, it shows who’s being rude!”

From the swirling smoke, a black shadow flew out, exactly like Ash swooping down from above. In mid-air, Ash performed a series of somersaults that even acrobats would be envious of, narrowly evading several beams of light. With a powerful swing downward, his legs smashed toward the back of the attacker’s head as if wielding an axe.

“It doesn’t seem to have worked.”

Seeing the thigh blocked casually by the young man’s slender arm, Ash regretted not being Kamen Rider Gills, otherwise he would have surely given him an unforgettable experience.