"Gwaagh!"
Kamen Rider Orga was sent flying back with zero dignity, crashing directly into Dark Kiva. Both puppet Riders dissolved into nothingness, vanishing into the void.
Ryuga, seizing the opening, leaped into the air. He summoned Dragblacker, his dark dragon roar echoing as he dove toward Raven for a finishing strike!
"Roar—!"
Accompanied by the dragon's cry, the dark kick hurtled toward Raven's head.
"Pathetic," Raven mocked softly.
With absolute composure, he met the diving attack with a simple upward punch.
BOOM!
A massive explosion rocked the area. As the smoke cleared, only Raven's silhouette remained, walking out completely unscathed.
"No... way..."
Daiki Kaito's lip twitched. He was stunned.
Even though the Riders he summoned were puppets, their combat power was a carbon copy of the originals. Every time he encountered a powerful foe, he would summon these "enforcers" to bail him out, often turning the tide of battle for a victory.
But this scene shattered his confidence entirely. He knew his opponent was strong, but he hadn't expected the power gap to be this astronomical.
"This is ridiculous."
Daiki Kaito immediately decided to make his exit. He had only come to join the fun; he had no intention of getting burned by this fire.
But before he could retreat, Raven was already standing in front of him. That jet-black armor and bottomless aura made him look like the Grim Reaper itself.
"Leaving so soon? It's not that simple."
To be honest, Raven didn't much care for the character of Diend. In the original series, the guy was a pure "troublemaker" role. Even the actor's real-life reputation was poor. Being able to give the guy a good thrashing now was something Raven found quite satisfying.
"If I want to leave, no one can keep me here," Daiki Kaito retorted, backing away several steps. He pulled out his tried-and-true escape card: the Invisible card.
As the name implied, using this card allowed him to vanish instantly. It was a trump card used for both sneak attacks and quick getaways.
[ATTACK RIDE]
[INVISIBLE]
"Farewell."
Just as Daiki Kaito inserted the card and vanished with smug confidence—
"Is that so?"
Raven let out a cold laugh. He suddenly threw a heavy punch toward a seemingly empty patch of air.
BANG!
The sheer force of the blow shattered the localized space, physically knocking Diend out of his invisibility.
"No... it's impossible!"
Daiki Kaito tumbled across the ground in shock. This move had never failed him before; it was his pride and joy. How had Raven cracked it? Everything happening before his eyes defied logic.
Raven walked up calmly and hoisted him up by the collar, saying playfully:
"See? We meet again."
His voice sounded like a nightmare in Daiki's ears. Daiki had traveled through countless worlds with total freedom; even when he sneaked into Dai-Shocker's headquarters, he had never felt a threat this visceral.
"What do you want? I don't recall ever provoking you."
Daiki Kaito admitted defeat. He was still gambling on the hope that Raven wasn't part of Dai-Shocker. If he was, his fate would likely be grim.
"Nothing much. I just simply want to beat you up."
As he spoke, Raven buried a fist deep into Daiki's gut.
THUD!
"Ugh...!"
With that single punch, Diend was forcibly knocked out of his transformation. Daiki Kaito collapsed weakly to the ground.
"So fragile," Raven sighed. He turned to look at the others, only to find they had already scattered. None of them wanted to be his next target.
"Fine. Let's call it a day," Raven said nonchalantly.
This outing had been quite productive. Besides completing half of the system's designated tasks, he had successfully acquired the cards for the "Strongest Rider" Leangle and Chalice.
Satisfied, he vanished from the spot, teleporting back to the café.
Raven cancelled his transformation and glanced toward the bedroom upstairs. Several pairs of battle-damaged stockings lay scattered on the floor. Natsumi was fast asleep, her breathing sweet and steady.
She was clearly exhausted and in dire need of rest. However, judging by the slight curve of her lips, even though she was worn out, she had been very happy, savoring the lingering afterglow.
Raven walked in quietly. He watched her sleeping posture for a moment and couldn't help but lean down to give her a kiss.
Now, his relationship with Natsumi had undergone a fundamental change. They were no longer in the simple "ambiguous" stage. She was his woman; that was now a fact. The next step would be slowly revealing the truth to her, but he couldn't rush it. It had to be done gradually.
…
Inside the BOARD Office Building.
Having just returned to the company, Hajime Shijyo acted as if nothing had happened and gathered the employees.
"To think a K-Rank like you could actually destroy an Undead... truly impressive," Kamata praised Tsukasa Kadoya. He gestured for his female secretary to hand over an envelope of prize money. "This is a special reward for you. Take it."
"Much appreciated."
Tsukasa's eyes lit up as he happily took the envelope. But when he opened it, he found only three 1,000-yen bills. It was a pitifully small amount.
"This is it?"
This wasn't even enough to pay for the old man's camera repairs.
Hajime, playing the role of the ultimate capitalist, said dismissively, "If you can turn around the deficit in the cafeteria, I'll give you another bonus."
"Fine, whatever," Tsukasa replied, taking it in stride.
Hajime then turned to Sakuya Hishigata. "Sakuya, you are being demoted from A-Rank to 3."
"Demoted to 3...?" Sakuya was stunned.
"You failed in the struggle for survival." After adjusting the rankings on the computer, Hajime dismissed him and turned to the secretary to execute the order. Then he added, "Furthermore, I am appointing Mutsuki as the leader of Team A."
"Yes, I am deeply honored!"
Hearing this, Mutsuki Kuroha, who had been the lowest-ranking lackey of the trio, couldn't contain his excitement. He had suddenly become the "big brother" of the group.
Seeing both of them taken care of, Kazuma Kendate, who was currently at the lowest rank and had even had his belt stolen, couldn't help but ask:
"What about me?"