Chapter 62: The Arrogance of Genius and the Rationality of Battle

Geniuses often possess a certain arrogance.

Indeed, the world often grants geniuses the latitude to display their pride. When one’s brilliance is undeniable and backed by genuine talent, they are often free to act as they please.

The crucial prerequisite, however, is possessing truly exceptional talent. It’s not about merely believing oneself gifted, putting on airs, and then lamenting one’s fate after facing a setback.

She deliberately provoked the Rat Mask before her, acutely aware that he knew exactly what she was doing.

Yet, if human emotions were so effortlessly controlled, if everyone could maintain perfect rationality, then how could creatures like the Guai Mo ever come into being? How could the Masked Ones even exist in such a world?

If it were truly that simple, ancient philosophers would not have elevated the concepts of ‘taming the mind’ and ‘reining in the will’ to such revered positions.

These were matters requiring profound cultivation.

The young man before her, however, clearly had not undergone such mental cultivation.

Thus, even though he knew her intentions, even though he recognized her tactic, he still succumbed to anger, unable to restrain his fury. To be fair, this was a natural reaction.

After all, demanding a young man to possess the maturity of an elder is, in itself, an unreasonable expectation.

Especially considering this was a youth who had become a Guai Ren, resorting to extreme measures. If he were truly a normal person, would he engage in such acts? Clearly, his psychological state was unhealthy and abnormal, so how much rationality could he truly possess?

To put it bluntly, could Teacher Lin guarantee that he himself would always remain rational? As a high school student, Ink Crystal certainly didn’t believe she could always maintain her composure.

Fortunately, she only needed to be more rational than her opponent.

The more agitated her adversary became, the greater her advantage.

Of course…

If it came down to a direct confrontation, she was indeed no match for the Rat Mask.

She felt as though she was being kicked around like a ball.

Nevertheless, she remained vigilant.

Given that her opponent might be an exceptionally clever elementary school student, his inability to breach her defenses repeatedly would surely lead him to devise other tactics.

Her purpose here was to buy time; she had no desire to end up like Teacher Liu, nearly stabbed to death with a single strike.

This kid was definitely full of malicious tricks. Ink Crystal thought that Brother Frog should just come over and pin him down with a spear!

‘You say he’s still an elementary school student?’

‘Isn’t he possessed by a Guai Mo?’

The original elementary school student was already gone.

Both she and Lin Han were still waiting for others to arrive, including the Ox Mask or Dog Mask.

While the Rat Mask was indeed powerful, if Teacher Lin were to intervene, the outcome would likely be decided swiftly. The main concern lay with whether the other Masked Ones would secretly reveal themselves.

The Masked Ones’ advantage was that they did not possess the aura of Guai Ren or Guai Mo.

Although they had indeed acquired these abilities, their concealment was significantly superior compared to Guai Ren and Guai Mo.

This was because, in a sense, they did not have Guai Mo residing within their bodies. Theoretically, however, these life forms could not continuously gather energy and grow stronger like ordinary Guai Ren and Guai Mo.

Yet, this did not imply their weakness.

It was entirely plausible that the Ox Mask, as the developer, also possessed methods to further enhance these individuals. After all, he was a scientist!

Ink Crystal recalled how she had begged Lin Han in her basement to show her how a Kamen Rider transformed.

Was Lin Han also a genius scientist?

Before he was captured and turned into a Guai Ren, he was a top university doctor and a master in mechanical engineering. His transformation device was entirely his own creation.

Of course, in his own words:

“This transformation device is actually not very useful; it doesn’t make me stronger, it merely conceals my form. As for why it’s insect-shaped, that’s purely due to a certain someone.”

Ink Crystal, however, wasn’t particularly interested in Teacher Lin’s first love story.

In essence, an ordinary scientist might seem unremarkable, but a genius scientist could, in a way, inspire fear.

To be honest, Ink Crystal had originally wanted to take that device and transform herself, but she feared that if she encountered a situation requiring a magical girl transformation, she might accidentally break the device. Then, if Teacher Lin needed it, there wouldn’t be time for repairs.

Moreover, Lin Han didn’t seem inclined to lend it to her for fun.

She would sooner or later have to secretly trick him into letting her play with it; no man could resist a transformation device that activated with a single press.

Even though she could transform herself.

But transforming into a magical girl and transforming into a Kamen Rider—could they truly be the same?

Therefore, in the judgment of both Ink Crystal and Lin Han, the other Masked Ones were minor concerns. No matter how bizarre their abilities or how twisted their humanity, there were ultimately limits.

Only the Ox Mask, along with the so-called Sacred Artifact and Saintess, truly required their attention.

Unexpected news had come from Zhang Xiao, but they dared not act on it yet. Assuming that was truly the Saintess, the Ox Mask might also be nearby, making it easy to alert them. If they escaped, finding them again might prove impossible.

Therefore, any strike had to be decisive.

If they could lure out the Ox Mask here, then the Saintess, with the Sacred Artifact, would be left isolated and vulnerable.

However, in the current situation, it seemed there was no opportunity for the Ox Mask to intervene…

Just as she was pondering this, a streak of seven-colored light cut across the sky, resembling a rainbow.

The Rat Mask instantly vanished into thin air.

Clearly, he was quite wary of Rainbow Jade’s power. This was not surprising, as both the Tiger Mask and the Rat Mask had been virtually instantly defeated by Rainbow Jade.

The Rat Mask’s combat capability was not particularly strong; his abilities were more suited for assassination.

Ink Crystal had donned thick armor, but if it were the Tiger Mask or Dragon Mask, it might not have been able to withstand him.

This sufficiently indicated that the Rat Mask’s offensive power was actually insufficient.

His ability to injure Amethyst was most likely due to a problematic blade, possibly a special technological product.

But now that Rainbow Jade had arrived, there was naturally nothing to worry about.

The numerous magical girls of Sunny City would gradually converge. In such a scenario, if the Ox Mask did not intervene, the Rat Mask would surely perish here.

What was the difference between this and directly killing someone?

Ink Crystal did not believe that the Rat Mask and Ox Mask hadn’t considered this. If they were rational, the Rat Mask should have fled after losing two key figures, instead of engaging in this standoff.

While the Rat Mask might be confident in his life-saving abilities, Ink Crystal and the others needed to consider the deeper implications of the Masked Ones’ actions.

Rainbow Jade hovered in mid-air, her brows tightly furrowed. “‘You sneaky little rat!”

As her words fell, seven-colored light began to bloom boundlessly.

“Glorious Flash Rainbow.”

The seven-colored radiance instantly illuminated the entire space. Even with his cloaking ability, the Rat Mask’s form was abruptly revealed in that moment.

His figure suddenly became frantic; anyone could see the panic in his movements.

In that instant, Rainbow Jade had already gathered the seven-colored light, once again condensing it into a spear, which she then hurled towards the Rat Mask.

At that very moment, the Rat Mask unleashed his physical prowess.

He fled with near-instantaneous, high-speed movement.

However,

The Masked Ones’ high-speed movement came with a brief period of ‘stiffness’ upon reaching their destination. Even their mutated bodies had to endure this ‘backlash’.

In the moment his high-speed movement ceased, the seven-colored spear arrived as expected.

Ink Crystal saw the blade in the Rat Mask’s hand—the same blade that had pierced Amethyst’s body.

It collided with Rainbow Jade’s spear.

Yet, the light-condensed spear, as if it were a tangible object, was cleaved open by this blade!

It wasn’t entirely deflected; it was more like it grazed the edge, avoiding his vital points but piercing the Rat Mask’s shoulder, staining it with a copious amount of blood.

And then…

The Rat Mask vanished once more.

This time, he was truly beyond pursuit.

Ink Crystal looked towards the ground.

Teacher Lin had also disappeared.

She knew Teacher Lin had gone after the Rat Mask. Furthermore, staying here might lead to a confrontation with Rainbow Jade.

Teacher Lin truly was…

Ink Crystal then descended directly from the sky, landing on the rooftop and entering the teaching building.

She subsequently transformed into He Yao’s appearance.

Only when the evacuated students returned did she blend back into the crowd.

****

“Liu Xingyue! Are you alright?”

He found Liu Xingyue, who had returned to her human form. “I didn’t see you during the evacuation just now.”

“Ah, I didn’t see you either,” He Yao echoed from beside them.

Liu Xingyue replied, “I was with Teacher Liu earlier, hiding in another direction. It’s normal that you didn’t see me. Teacher Liu sustained some injuries and is currently receiving treatment. This fighting competition probably can’t continue.”

“Where are Ye Liuyun and Si Kou Ting?”

“I don’t know.”

****

“Ox Mask, what exactly do you intend to do?”

The Ox Mask reappeared before Lin Han. Lin Han sensed that this time, it wasn’t a robot before him, but the Ox Mask himself.

The Ox Mask chuckled softly as he removed his mask, revealing a rather weathered appearance.

“Me? I’m here to offer you a head start.”

His deeply set eyes suggested long nights, yet his words were startling. “I decided to let that kid escape, so I will sacrifice my own body.”

“You say that, but you seem to believe you won’t lose.”

“I know you are that person’s masterpiece, but as fellow researchers, we both possess a certain pride. As the saying goes, ‘in literature, no one is first; in martial arts, no one is second.’ I wish to test your strength, to see who is truly superior: you or my creation.”

Lin Han gazed at him. “You will die.”

“Perhaps I will die, but I will not surrender. Just as that person embraced their own death after completing her, I too have no objection to my own demise.”

“Or rather, dying here, with my achievements preserved, will usher in a new era! Though I may perish, I will still live on.”

He spread his arms wide. “Let me see how strong you are!”

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