The rain gradually subsided.
Though dark clouds still blanketed the sky, the downpour had eased.
The brief shower had come and gone quickly, lasting less than half an hour.
"Let's head back?" Ryoji called out from the cave entrance, feeling no more raindrops.
Rich Lady Kanata emerged silently, draped in her coat, and wordlessly climbed onto Ryoji's back.
A slight ache ran through his lower back.
Pretending not to notice, Ryoji hoisted her up and hurried toward the foot of the mountain.
Kanata clearly had objections.
But despite her displeasure, she remained silent, only indulging in a small fit of pique by kicking him once.
Unlike Touka, Kanata knew she was the third party and had no right to criticize Ryoji.
If Touka ever found out, killing him with a single strike would be a perfectly reasonable reaction.
Still, Kanata doubted Touka would have the heart to do it. Her Junior Brother had always been indulged, as if coddling him had become an integral part of her life.
A woman with an overabundance of maternal instincts is like this.
Even so, she had no intention of giving up.
After all, she was already the other woman, trying to steal a man from her best friend. How much worse could things get?
What else could she do?
Keep fighting for him!
'I just hope I don't completely fall for him in the end…'
Leaning against his back, Totokubara Kanata felt a flicker of self-doubt.
The more she got to know Ryoji, the more she discovered new facets of him, and the more delighted she became. He perfectly matched her ideal of romance, fulfilling almost all her fantasies.
He could be playful and flirtatious, yet also serious and composed.
He could make her laugh with a casual remark, yet also move her with his earnestness.
She had never imagined she could love a man so deeply.
If only he were more faithful.
No, if he were truly faithful, there would never have been a chance for her to intervene.
Kanata realized this and couldn't help but feel conflicted again.
As she pondered, she decided to abandon the thought.
'If I can't figure it out, I shouldn't dwell on it. I'll just focus on enjoying the present moment.'
A serene, Buddha-like smile spread across Kanata's face.
Thud!
In the forest, Ryoji's right foot suddenly struck a rock.
Ryoji suddenly stopped, his expression gradually turning serious.
"What's wrong?" Kanata asked, lifting her head from his back.
"I feel like we're being watched," Ryoji said, narrowing his eyes, a dangerous glint appearing in them.
'Being watched?'
"Should I get down?" Kanata asked, remembering their previous ambush and trusting Ryoji's instincts.
"Maybe... no, stay where you are. Just hold on tight and squeeze your legs around me."
Ryoji had initially considered putting Kanata down, but a sudden sense of unease made him immediately reject the idea, opting instead to have her cling to him.
Though puzzled, Kanata nodded solemnly, wrapping her arms and legs tightly around his body like an octopus, a decidedly unladylike posture.
"Show yourself!" Ryoji summoned his Spiritual Item (Device) and roared into the surrounding forest.
"Huh? You actually found me?"
The voice sounded distorted, as if electronically processed, making it difficult to pinpoint its origin.
Yet its direction was clear:
It came from the dense forest fifty meters away!
Rumble!
Ryoji was about to act when a violent tremor shook the ground beneath his feet, as if an earthquake were tearing the earth apart.
He immediately retreated, dodging back over ten meters before the shaking barely subsided.
But what followed was even more astonishing.
Earth, rock, and trees were uprooted from the ground as if drawn by an unseen force. They floated into the air, coalescing into a colossal humanoid figure.
Its body was mostly rock, forming armor-like plates that covered its entire form. Its limbs were sharp tree trunks, and it lacked any facial features.
The figure stood at least ten meters tall.
"A giant?" Rich Lady Kanata exclaimed in astonishment.
Could the legendary giants truly exist?
No, this was—
"Is this Blazer's doing?"
Rich Lady Kanata noticed that the giant seemed devoid of intelligence, standing motionless without even a hint of sentient reaction.
Moreover, there were signs of digging on the ground. Could this be a Blazer capable of manipulating the earth?
"They're communicating through cameras and speakers?" Ryoji observed, noticing several surveillance cameras and two speakers embedded in the giant's chest. The earlier voice had likely come from there.
"Hehehe, well, we can't exactly appear before you directly... not yet." The speaker's mocking laughter echoed through the speakers, confirming their suspicions.
The voice was barely discernible as male, but his words carried a deeper, unsettling meaning.
"Hmm...? I never thought such a perfect creation could actually exist in this world." The cameras adjusted their focus, centering on Ryoji lying on the ground.
For a moment, the speaker seemed genuinely stunned.
A voice, as if muttering to himself, came through the speaker.
"I really want to crush you with my own hands. The pleasure would be irresistible, hee hee!"
"Pervert!" Ryoji spat at him, making no attempt to hide his contempt.
There would always be abnormal people in this world—those who reveled in others' despair, who treated screams of agony as their life's purpose, and who saw art in splattered blood and scattered entrails.
Such individuals were particularly prevalent among terrorists.
Internationally, many Blazer terrorists suffered from this kind of mental/energetic pathology. They frequently orchestrated massacres in villages and cities around the world, leaving behind countless bloody tragedies.
Ryoji never imagined he'd encounter one today.
"Hee hee! Not bad at all! The more righteous a person is, the more worthwhile they are to destroy!"
The opponent's impassioned speech blared from the loudspeaker, as if self-destruction were his life's ambition.
"Give it to me, you—huh?!"
Ryoji, lacking even the will to exchange another word, raised his Vrring Blade.
Suddenly, a sharp sense of danger surged through him.
Driven by instinct, he leaped away like an ape, abandoning his previous position.
"What happened?" Kanata asked, puzzled.
"I suddenly felt a strong sense of danger..." Ryoji replied, glancing back in confusion.
There was nothing there.
Where had that sense of danger come from?
"You actually dodged it?" The opponent's astonished voice boomed from the giant's chest speaker. "You're not a Magic Power-type Blazer, are you? How did you sense my Hell Spider Silk in advance?"
Hell Spider Silk?
'Silk threads?'
"Could it be... the Steel Wire Messenger?"
Rich Lady Kanata's expression immediately darkened.
"A Puppet Warlock?"
Ryoji's complexion also turned grim.
(End Of This Chapter)
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