Gotchard in DC Ch 28

The gray-skinned female leader’s gaze shifted slightly, first sweeping over the numerous tourists gathered together. Her eyes, cold and calculating, were filled with disdain and contempt for the weak creatures cowering before her. It was like observing insects beneath her notice.

“It seems there are some decent warriors here,” she finally said, her voice a low, resonant hum that cut through the eerie silence of the plain.

But when her gaze fixed on Isaac and his two companions, especially Kara, a slow, sinister smile curved her lips. The smile didn't reach her eyes, which remained sharp and predatory.

“These… these guys, they mean trouble.” The words were almost a purr, but laced with a dangerous edge that sent shivers down the spines of those who heard it.

Isaac’s pupils suddenly constricted, his heart rate instantly accelerated, and his breathing became rapid. An inexplicable fear, cold and primal, suddenly enveloped him, something he had never felt before when facing those two-bit gangsters or even the escaped Kryptonian. It was a dread that transcended logic, a sense of impending doom.

What is this?

In a daze, Isaac seemed to see a terrifying entity baring its fangs at him, a monstrous being of immense power and malice. But in the next second, the warmth from his palm, where he still unconsciously held the Ride Chemy Cards, awakened him from his fear, grounding him back in reality.

“Oh, it’s not just one, then?” The gray-skinned female, who had been staring at Kara with a calculating gaze, seemed to sense something shifting in Isaac. Her attention snapped to him, her eyes narrowing.

Suddenly, a sharp aura, far more terrifying than before and imbued with a strong sense of Death, pressed down on him. It felt like the weight of a collapsing star, threatening to crush him into nothingness. He tasted iron in his mouth as his body screamed in protest, every nerve ending firing at once.

Biting his lip hard, Isaac, following the calming method described in Fierce Beast-Fist Beast Arts, focused all his efforts on dispelling his distracting thoughts. He centered himself, drawing on the rudimentary control he had over his Fierce Ki, and looked up, directly meeting the gaze of the gray-skinned female who was staring at him.

Don’t back down. Don’t show fear.

Facing Isaac, who dared to meet her gaze, the smile on the gray-skinned female’s face grew even more sinister. It was a predatory grin, promising pain and suffering. Her figure suddenly vanished from where she stood, and in a blink of an eye, she appeared before Isaac, delivering a fierce punch towards his head.

The shadow named Death instantly assailed Isaac’s heart. The world seemed to slow down, the air thickening around him. For some reason, despite feeling that he should be afraid, his heart was eerily calm at this moment.

Scenes he had experienced flashed rapidly through his mind: his heroic deeds after becoming Gotchard, the cheers of the rescued children, the camaraderie with Wizard, the guidance of the Masters, his first transformation, and his excited appearance watching special effects films on TV when they reached a thrilling part.

Was it all just a dream?

“Why do I want to be a hero?” A thought uncontrollably popped into Isaac’s mind, a question that had been lurking beneath the surface, now bursting forth with unsettling clarity. Like weeds, it wildly took root and sprouted, occupying his thoughts. Doubts gnawed at him. Was he truly capable of facing such a powerful foe? Was he just playing pretend?

“Isaac, what are you spacing out for?!” But before Isaac could delve deeper into that question, a slightly irritable shout awakened him from his daze.

“Kara!?” Coming back to his senses, Isaac then realized that Kara had appeared in front of him at some point, blocking the gray-skinned female’s attack for him.

The force of the impact sent a shockwave through the air, the ground trembling beneath their feet.

“Don’t space out! I’ll hold them off, you two run!” Kara’s voice was urgent, laced with concern. Her eyes, usually bright and cheerful, were now narrowed in fierce determination.

Clenching her right hand into a fist and swinging it violently, Kara’s heavy punch landed squarely on the gray-skinned female’s surprised face, directly sending her flying. The sound of the impact was like a thunderclap, the air cracking around them.

Casually pulling off the glasses hanging on her face, Kara urgently instructed Isaac, then her figure leaped up from the ground and sped towards the other three enemies. A sonic boom ripped through the air as she engaged the lizard-headed monster and the light purple energy humanoid in a blur of motion.

“Rachel, take the other tourists and run far away,” Isaac said. His voice was a low, strained whisper.

Clenching his slightly trembling right hand, Isaac watched Kara, who was already entangled with the other three monsters, his eyes flashing with hesitation, struggle, and unwillingness. He was torn between his desire to help Kara and the responsibility he felt for the helpless tourists.

He glanced at the other tourists nearby, who were cowering on the ground, trembling like quails, scared by the earlier aura, and his gaze changed several more times. He was a hero, damn it. He couldn't let innocents die.

Finally, Isaac gritted his teeth fiercely, squeezed his still trembling right hand hard, and without looking back, he spoke to Rachel, who was standing behind him, his voice strangely calm, then pulled out his Gotchard Driver.

It's time to go fight.

[Unicorn!]

[The Sun!]

[G-G-G-Gotchanko!]

[Sununicorn!]

Quickly drawing a Rider Chemy Card from his card case, Isaac hesitated for a moment between the Batkingrobot and Sununicorn combinations, but ultimately chose the Sununicorn, which could both attack and heal.

The reason he didn’t choose the powerful Batkingrobot was because the energy consumption in that form was enormous, and its duration was too short. If he ran out of energy and the transformation was canceled during battle, he would truly be a goner. And while powerful, it didn't have the versatility to deal with multiple enemies.

His body enveloped in crimson flames, wielding the Gotchartornado also wreathed in flames, Kamen Rider Gotchard officially entered the battlefield, streaking across the plain like a comet.

Crimson light radiating high temperatures shot from Kara’s eyes, colliding with the energy beams released from the hands of the light purple energy humanoid. The force of the impact created a blinding flash of light, the air crackling with energy.

The cat-faced monster in black metal armor pushed off forcefully, leaping into the air, its sharp Talon descending towards Kara. It moved with incredible speed and agility, a blur of claws and teeth.

But just then, as if sensing something, it suddenly halted its movement, leaning back to narrowly dodge a massive, high-temperature fireball that sped past. The fireball left a trail of searing heat in its wake, the air shimmering with distortion.

Looking in the direction from which the fireball came, what met the cat-faced monster’s eyes was Isaac, holding up the Gotchartornado and continuously pulling the Alchemy Lever.

More and more energy gathered at the tip of the bow, coalescing into a blazing inferno.

Issuing several angry roars towards Isaac’s direction, the cat-faced monster abandoned its sneak attack on Kara and charged directly towards Isaac, its claws extended, ready to tear him apart. It was a furious, relentless assault, driven by pure rage.

But its charge was met by more than a dozen high-temperature fireballs. Isaac fired with precision, each shot aimed to intercept the monster's advance. The fireballs exploded on contact, engulfing the cat-faced monster in a swirling vortex of flames.

Seeing the fireballs engulf the cat-faced monster’s figure, Isaac still didn’t relax at all. Instead, he quickly drew the Alchemy Card of Apparebushido from his card case and inserted it into the Gotchartornado’s Alchemizer.

If it gets through that, I'm gonna need a bigger gun.

A sense of danger pricked Isaac like a sharp needle. His instincts screamed at him, warning him of imminent peril. Without the slightest hesitation, guided solely by instinct, he swung the Gotchartornado forward, colliding squarely with the cat-faced monster’s fist as it burst out of the explosion smoke.

Bones creaked softly; feeling the terrifying force transmitted from the Gotchartornado, enough to turn him directly into Isaac-sauce, he quickly pulled the trigger.

[Chemy set!]

A sharp energy slash enveloped in crimson flames was released.

The energy slash ripped through the air, leaving a trail of incandescent light. It struck the cat-faced monster with devastating force, tearing through its armor and flesh.

A violent explosion sounded, and Isaac’s body was thrown backward from the smoke, tumbling several times on the ground before finally stopping and slowly standing up. His armor was scorched and battered, his body aching from the impact.

Crimson flames began to dance on his body; the healing power inherited from the Unicorn Chemy was repairing Isaac’s injuries, knitting together torn muscles and mending fractured bones. A moment later, when the flames dissipated, Isaac’s body had returned to normal.

“That really f***ing hurt! You piece of trash.” The words escaped his lips before he could even think, a raw expression of pain and anger.

The smoke slowly dissipated, and the black-armored cat-faced monster remained standing, maintaining its punching motion, with a deep, bone-visible wound on its clenched hand, and wisps of red flames flickering on it. The wound was cauterized, but the pain was clearly evident in its narrowed eyes.

It seemed that experiencing the great terror between life and Death allowed Isaac to confront his inner self more directly, no longer imitating his predecessor’s speaking tone, but rather speaking in a more authentic manner. He was no longer just a fan playing the part of a hero. He was a hero.