This kind of battle is meaningless

Chapter 83 This kind of battle is meaningless

The audience erupted in discussion: "They actually attacked first? That's far too hasty! Jiang Lan, counterattack now!"

"Why does Jiang Lan look so weak in this life?"

"It's not that Jiang Lan is weak, but rather that he's too kind-hearted and, deep down, unwilling to fight against fellow human Kamen Riders!"

"From Jiang Lan's fragmented memories, we know that the ultimate winner of this survival game can have one wish granted, but Jiang Lan has no such desire; he only wants to protect humanity."

"Jiang Lan may lack desires, but that doesn't mean others don't! To achieve their own wishes, they will fight to the bitter end at all costs!"

Forced into retreat by Masashi Sudo, Jiang Lan finally slowly drew a card and inserted it into the Dragon Summoner: "GUARD-VENT!"

"Protection has arrived!"

A shield engraved with dragon patterns instantly appeared in Jiang Lan's hand, firmly blocking Sudo Masashi's latest attack. "Stop!" Jiang Lan looked up at Sudo Masashi, his voice full of pleading, "I don't want to fight you!"

At this moment, Masashi Sudo was already blinded by his obsession with the survival game and his desire for victory, and completely ignored Jiang Lan's pleas.

He raised his massive, razor-sharp claw high and charged at Jiang Lan once more, his attacks becoming increasingly fierce. Jiang Lan could only parry with his dragon shield, showing no intention of retaliating whatsoever.

Watching Jiang Lan passively take the beating, the audience sighed. They all knew that Jiang Lan's strength was far from what it seemed—his performance in defeating the spider monster had already proven his power. But this power was bound by his kindness; he didn't want to harm his own kind, but his opponent only wanted to eliminate him completely to reduce a competitor.

With a loud "clang!", Jiang Lan's dragon shield was knocked away by Masashi Sudo, and he himself was slammed into the ruins on the ground, a trace of blood spilling from his mouth.

"Cough cough cough————" Jiang Lan struggled and quickly got up from the ruins, her eyes still firm.

Seeing that Jiang Lan was still not defeated, Masashi Sudo became even more furious and raised his giant claw-like blade again, slamming it down at him. "Clang!" Another blow hit, sparks flew from Jiang Lan's breastplate, and he was sent flying again, crashing heavily to the ground, panting heavily, his breath growing weaker and weaker.

"Stop!" Jiang Lan's voice was tinged with weariness, but she still didn't give up trying to persuade him.

At this moment, even Jiang Lan himself could hardly contain his helplessness—this memory exploration was far too frustrating. With such formidable strength, why must he constantly yield? Constantly giving in only emboldens the other side. He couldn't help but secretly complain that if memory exploration had a fast-forward function, he'd love to immediately jump to Long Ya's memory fragment and vent his frustration. Dragon Riders might be reasonable, but Long Ya only spoke with absolute power.

Jiang Lan knew very well that persuasion with words alone would be of no use to these knights who were willing to risk their lives for their wishes.

"Why?" Jiang Lan asked softly, looking at Masashi Sudo who was closing in.

Masashi Sudo still did not answer, but instead swung his giant claw-like blade again. The terrifying power blasted Jiang Lan backward, making the bloodstains at the corner of his mouth more and more obvious.

At this moment, the viewers in front of the observation screen gradually noticed something was wrong—Jiang Lan had been hit so many times, yet she always managed to struggle to get up again and again, as if she had inexhaustible strength.

"Has he maxed out his defense? Or is it that Sudo Masashi's attacks simply can't cause him any real damage?"

Time and again he was defeated, but time and again he got back up. The earnestness in Jiang Lan's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a resolute determination—he could no longer be passively beaten. At the very least, he had to make Sudo Masashi understand that he was not weak and easily bullied.

Jiang Lan slowly drew out a card and resolutely inserted it into the Dragon Summoning Machine: "STRIKE-VENT!"

"A powerful attack has arrived!"

Above the sky, the roar of the Peerless Dragon echoed once more. A flash of red light appeared, and a ferocious dragon head weapon slowly attached itself to Jiang Lan's right hand—the Dragon Claw, possessing the powerful force of both tearing and heavy blows.

Seeing that Jiang Lan had finally decided to fight back, Masashi Sudo's heart tightened. He immediately drew out a card and hastily summoned a defense: "GUARD-VENT!"

"Protection has arrived!"

A heavy shield instantly appeared in Masashi Sudo's hand. He gripped the shield tightly, ready to defend himself.

"boom!"

Jiang Lan flashed forward, unleashing a punch with earth-shattering power towards Sudo Masashi. At the same time, the Peerless Dragon descended from the sky, opening its massive maw and unleashing a blazing breath of fire that, along with Jiang Lan's fist, slammed into Sudo Masashi's shield.

A deafening roar erupted as a fireball radiating terrifying heat slammed into the shield, instantly creating numerous cracks. The next second, the shield shattered, and the immense impact sent Masashi Sudo flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily to the ground.

Even after landing, the impact was still strong. Masashi Sudo's body carved a deep trench in the ground, and dust billowed up, obscuring the view.

"Cough cough cough—" Amidst the smoke and dust, Masashi Sudo coughed up blood repeatedly, his body trembling violently, clearly severely injured. He struggled to lift his head, his gaze towards Jiang Lan filled with fear and disbelief. After struggling to his feet, Sudo's previous arrogance vanished. He turned and fled, disappearing instantly into the shadows of the Mirror World, utterly disheveled.

Jiang Lan gazed in the direction Sudo Masashi had fled, and slowly spoke, her voice filled with weariness and confusion: "What is the point of this kind of battle?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the chat in Jiang Lan's memory live stream fell into complete silence. Even the high-ranking officials and experts of the Blue Star Federation were stunned, their minds blank, and their expressions wooden.

One strike? Just one strike?

An absurd yet unavoidable thought arose in everyone's mind: Jiang Lan had not fought back before not because she was weak, but because she was afraid that if she made a move, she would lose control of her strength, injure herself, and break her bottom line.

They had long known Jiang Lan was strong, but they never imagined he was this powerful. Sudo Masashi launched a powerful assault, attacking dozens of times, yet Jiang Lan remained unscathed. Jiang Lan, however, with just one powerful assault, severely injured Sudo Masashi even with his protective assault activated. Had Sudo Masashi not summoned a shield in time to block, he would likely be dead by now.

A chill instantly rose from the depths of everyone's hearts, shooting straight to the top of their heads. Jiang Lan in this life was still ridiculously strong—and this was only his basic form, without using any enhanced forms, and even that attack wasn't his ultimate move. Even so, he was still able to severely injure his opponent even when they were on guard; such strength was practically like cheating.

A moment later, the live stream chat exploded with comments: "I'm convinced! I finally understand why Jiang Lan refused to fight back no matter what. If she didn't control her strength, someone could really die!"

"If Masashi Sudo hadn't summoned his shield, he'd probably be preparing for his death by now!"

"The blade's powerful attack landed, but it was like a tickle to Jiang Lan; Jiang Lan's powerful attack nearly killed the blade in one strike—the difference in skill is just too great!"

"I never understood what 'pretending to be weak to fool others' meant before, but now I finally understand completely!"

"Jiang Lan's last sentence was simply the pinnacle of Versailles! He possesses unparalleled strength, yet lacks the desire to fight for victory; naturally, he feels that such a battle is meaningless."

The experts and high-ranking officials of the Blue Star Federation finally snapped out of their daze, with only one thought in their minds—Jiang Lan must never be underestimated. If they found him to have become "weak," it must be because he was deliberately hiding his strength.

Moreover, this is only his basic form. A jet-black Ryuki form had previously flashed through Jiang Lan's memory fragments, but it hasn't officially appeared yet. If that black Ryuki were to appear, just how terrifying would its power be? Perhaps, even alone, it could easily crush all the other Kamen Riders and survive to the end.

While everyone was still reeling from the shock of Jiang Lan's power, no one realized that an even more astonishing storm was brewing behind them.

Jiang Lan stared at the empty space ahead and muttered to himself: I just don't want to attack humans. You don't really think I'm weak, do you?

The viewers watching on the screen already had their answer: once Jiang Lan truly unleashed her power, she might actually be able to single-handedly destroy the entire Mirror World.