The punch, charged with immense energy, landed precisely on Chen Ran.
*Snap*.
Time, which had been frozen, suddenly resumed.
Everything around began to flow again.
Chen Ran, in the Kabuto armor, immediately felt a force surge from where Nogi Ryuji had attacked, sending him stumbling back several steps uncontrollably.
However, fortunately, the Decade armor itself possessed strong cushioning capabilities.
Sparks flew from the armor.
But the transformation did not deactivate.
"Hoh, the power of time stop, no matter which world, is truly captivating," Chen Ran said calmly, lightly patting his chest plate.
In a sense, Nogi Ryuji's time stop was different from time stops in other worlds.
This time-stopping ability was inextricably linked with Clock Up.
After all, at its core, it was merely a variation of that ability.
Ordinary Clock Up involved manipulating the superspeed particles around oneself to move at high speed, whereas Nogi Ryuji's ability directly halted the flow of particles around him!
In simple terms.
No one could move except the 'user' themselves.
Such an ability was obviously difficult for ordinary people to counter.
But Chen Ran was different.
He knew what had happened in the world of Kamen Riders.
He knew how to fight Nogi Ryuji.
He already had a plan.
A card, signifying further enhancement, was inserted into the driver by Chen Ran for reading.
"FromRide..."
"Hyper Kabuto!"
Instantly.
The Kabuto armor covering Chen Ran's body underwent a revolutionary transformation.
The armor's bursting open, transitioning from Kamen form to Rider form, was akin to a Zect's molting.
And the transition from Rider form to Hyper form...
Was another molt.
Nogi Ryuji frowned slightly.
This form...
He had never seen it before.
But from the pressure emanating from Hyper Kabuto, he could sense that this was no ordinary Rider, and it could even affect him!
Therefore.
What he needed to do now was to eliminate Chen Ran directly.
No more playing around, once and for all!
Otherwise.
It wouldn't be so good if he ended up making a mistake later.
But would Chen Ran give him that chance?
The answer, naturally, was no!
Just as Nogi Ryuji was about to initiate his time stop, Chen Ran was one step ahead.
He activated Hyper Kabuto's most effortless and terrifying ability—
Hyper Clock Up!
The moment Nogi Ryuji initiated his time stop, Chen Ran activated this power.
Hyper Kabuto's armor revealed its core.
In an instant, Chen Ran vanished from his original position.
Through Hyper's extreme speed, Chen Ran reversed time.
When he reappeared, Nogi Ryuji had not yet unleashed the power of his time stop.
"What?"
Nogi Ryuji was utterly shocked. Why?
Chen Ran, who was already prepared, unleashed his stored attack.
"Hyper Rider Kick!"
Behind Hyper Kabuto, seven-colored light vaguely formed into wings of light.
The Rider Kick, filled with energy, landed on Nogi Ryuji.
Nogi Ryuji cried out in agony and was engulfed by the power.
The violent energy spread throughout his body.
It exploded in an instant.
"Hyper Clock Over!"
Accompanied by the sound of the acceleration ending, Hyper Kabuto's figure gradually reappeared.
He looked as composed as ever.
Chen Ran scanned his surroundings, then deactivated his transformation.
"He ran?"
He murmured softly to himself.
He knew that Nogi Ryuji did not have only this form.
The Horseshoe Crab Worm was far more terrifying than the Fiddler Crab Worm.
Besides the flashy abilities, it had three lives.
After Chen Ran defeated the time-stopping No. 1, Nogi Ryuji did not rush to confront Chen Ran again but chose to retreat temporarily to...
Recover!
Chen Ran shrugged.
He was not surprised by this. Of course, it would have been better if he could have KO'd all three of Nogi Ryuji's lives right here.
But if not for now, that was also fine.
After all, there was always tomorrow...