"I'm going in. Nagasaki-san, hide behind me."
"Ah, alright."
Mrs. Nagasaki hadn't yet grasped the situation, seeing the girl in front of her suddenly transform into Kamen Rider, and even grow taller! No one could react to that.
Sakiko shielded Mrs. Nagasaki, took out the Chalice Arrow, and fired three red arrows consecutively as a test.
The arrows hit, erupting in sparks on the Anomaly.
"Joker... No! You're not Joker!"
The Anomaly's roar tore a rift in the night sky, and the asphalt rippled like water. A blood-red energy barrier spread from the Anomaly's feet, instantly engulfing a thirty-meter radius of the street in an Anomaly space.
"It seems this is the advanced Undead Anomaly space Rikuo mentioned? Since it didn't swallow Nagasaki-san into the space at the very beginning, then it must be a newborn Anomaly."
Sakiko analyzed briefly, and the spatial transformation was completed simultaneously. The streetlights' rays twisted into data streams within the barrier, and the scene transformed into the convenience store where Sakiko had worked, reflecting the Anomaly's true form.
Its neck was torn, revealing a second rotten human face (the convenience store night shift manager);
Bone spurs proliferated on its spine, dripping viscous fluid that corroded the ground with a "sizzle";
Its right claw had mutated into a human hand, tightly clutching a stack of blood-stained pay stubs.
"Togawa... your overtime, your schedule... hasn't been signed..."
Both human faces spoke simultaneously, their voices overlapping into an ear-splitting electronic static.
"Even if you're not human, you're truly a dog. You've become an Anomaly, and you're still thinking about employee overtime."
"Awoo!"
With a distorted human-like wolf howl, the Anomaly's bone spurs shot out like a downpour.
Sakiko flipped the Chalice Arrow, transforming it into sword mode. She spun into a red afterimage, only able to block some of the bone spurs, but because she had to protect Mrs. Nagasaki behind her, she couldn't effectively dodge. The bone spurs struck her armor, erupting in a series of sparks.
"Then, it's time to use this."
Sakiko took out 7 of Spades - Metal Trilobite (Ability: Transmutes body into organic metal to reduce damage; AP: 1200) from her built-in storage box and swiped it over the Chalice Arrow.
[Metal!]
Instantly, her entire body metallized, and the bone spur attacks were no longer effective. Sakiko no longer blocked the attacks, using the recoil to retreat and embrace Mrs. Nagasaki, then backflipped to create distance.
The moment she landed, she placed Mrs. Nagasaki behind an upright refrigerator.
She suddenly charged violently, X-shaped slashes of light tearing through the air, forcing the Anomaly back to the edge of the barrier. Data sparks erupted from the monster's chest, but the wound healed quickly.
"It's useless... your salary... has been completely deducted..."
The Anomaly's two heads spoke with different voices, yet both were equally grating and ear-splitting shrieks.
'Rikuo said that advanced Undead would have unique mechanisms.'
"Salary, salary, since you love money so much, then let all your money fly!"
Sakiko sneered, her right hand flipping the Chalice Arrow's blade mode, which reformed into its basic shape. She drew out a card radiating emerald light, 6 of Hearts - Tornado Hawk (Ability: Supplements the next attack with wind; AP: 1400), and swiped it over the Chalice Arrow.
[Tornado!]
Sakiko didn't aim at the Anomaly; instead, she targeted the cash register and shelves. Instantly, a storm swept through the convenience store. The cash register and countless goods were sucked into the storm, the convenience store's glass door shattered, and the storm carried items flying out of the convenience store.
"Ah ah ah! My money!"
The Anomaly's gaze also left Sakiko directly, and it ran out of the convenience store, following the goods.
"Checkmate!"
Sakiko leaped high into the air, a storm gathering into a tornado around her. She drew her longbow, which was full of gathered storm energy, and released the string.
The hurricane arrow split into twelve smaller tornadoes in the air, shredding the Anomaly, its bone spurs, and the goods and cash register. The aftermath pinned the Anomaly's form to the convenience store entrance.
"Rikuo taught me how to deal with dirty old things."
Sakiko took out a blank card from her storage box and threw it at the already shapeless Anomaly. The Anomaly's form was twisted and absorbed by the card. The Undead Card flew back into Sakiko's hand.
"Jack of Hearts - Fusion Wolf (Ability: Fuse Wolf Power). You're just a blood-sucking stray dog, do you even deserve to be called a wolf?"
Sakiko shook her head, clearing her mind and body, and put away Jack of Hearts.
"I feel like my emotions are getting irritable. I can't be like this in front of Rikuo."
The space gradually dissipated, and Sakiko deactivated her transformation, walking to Mrs. Nagasaki's side.
"Nagasaki-san, the Anomaly has been dealt with, we can leave."
Mrs. Nagasaki looked at the smiling girl in front of her, holding a red mug with a blue octopus drawn on it. She couldn't connect her with the clean and efficient Kamen Rider from just now. Moreover, their heights were different; Kamen Rider was nearly 50 centimeters taller.
Fun fact: Kamen Rider Chalice's armor height is set at 204cm, Sakiko is 155cm.
"Okay, okay, Togawa-san. But the train service has stopped now. The heavy rain is too much, and we can't get a taxi, so it seems we can't go back... How about we find a hotel for tonight?"
"No!"
Sakiko immediately refuted Mrs. Nagasaki's suggestion, her twin tails on both sides trembling from her vigorous movement.
'If Rikuo finds out I'm not coming home tonight and I'm near Kichijoji, I'll be completely exposed!'
"But..."
Mrs. Nagasaki saw Sakiko's firm opposition and didn't know how to respond.
"Since Rikuo can summon a motorcycle! Then I should be able to too!"
Sakiko looked at the mug in her hand, her eyes filled with a "make it transform" expression. Mrs. Nagasaki watched Sakiko's strange behavior, not daring to interrupt.
"Ahem, Togawa-san, your materialized object doesn't have that function..."
Shima Noboru emerged from a nearby corner, pushing a motorcycle similar to Rikuo's Blue Spader, which was the Shadow Chaser.
"Shima-san! Were you nearby?"
"I sensed the aura of an advanced Undead, and fearing an accident, I came to take a look. Seeing that you, Togawa-san, could handle it yourself, I didn't intervene."
"Thank you, Shima-san. So, why doesn't my materialized object have the function to create a motorcycle?"
"Because your materialized object is a cup, and a cup naturally doesn't have the ability to rewrite. But at the same time, because it represents life and salvation, you won't be affected by the side effects of the Undead Card."
Sakiko thought about it and felt that, overall, it was a good thing. If there were side effects, Rikuo would probably notice them very quickly.
"So, Togawa-san, this motorcycle is the Shadow Chaser, which I made based on Rikuo-san's Blue Spader. Its functions are exactly the same, and you can ride it back."
"Thank you so much, Shima-san, I don't know what I would have done without you!"
Sakiko took the Shadow Chaser from Shima Noboru's hand, transformed into Chalice again. After leaving some money, she picked up a safety helmet from the convenience store and handed it to Mrs. Nagasaki. She then got on the motorcycle.
"Nagasaki-san, hurry up and get on, we're going back."
"Oh, okay, okay."
"Shima-san, goodbye!"
Sakiko said goodbye to Shima Noboru, and Mrs. Nagasaki also got on the back seat.
Sakiko swiped 6 of Hearts into the Shadow Chaser, using the hurricane to surround the motorcycle and deflect the rain, embarking on the journey to Tokyo as Shima Noboru waved goodbye.
On the way to Tokyo.
"Togawa-san, you're amazing. You're Kamen Rider, you can fight such terrifying Anomalies, and you even learned to ride a motorcycle."
Sakiko touched her face with her left hand, replying shyly.
"Actually, it's my first time transforming too. The battle just now was entirely based on observing Rikuo's fighting style. As for the motorcycle, I don't know how to ride it either; this is my first time driving a motorcycle."
"?"
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