It wasn't until Baron changed into the newly acquired Mango Lockseed that he gained the strength advantage needed to fight Bravo.
"I won't lose this time!"
Kaito's sheer desire for power made him fight harder and harder, which greatly surprised Oren.
"It seems you've been training!" Oren was astonished.
However, he was still effortlessly composed. To have lasted this long and even suppressed Baron using only a lower-ranked Durian Lockseed showed his considerable skill.
But just as the two were about to settle the match, a white figure flashed past, slicing both Oren and Baron.
Clang!
Baron and Bravo were caught completely off guard, their defenses broken.
"Who is it?" Kaito finally saw the figure—a Melon-armed Rider, but not Raven.
Oren was also shocked by the blow. The strike felt as if it had cut deep into his very soul.
The newcomer was a Melon Rider whose fighting style was completely different from Raven's—elegant and beautiful. The arrival was none other than Kamen Rider Zangetsu.
Without saying a word, Takatora immediately launched a continuous attack on the Mango-formed Baron. His speed was blinding, giving Kaito no time to react. The battle ended almost instantaneously.
Kaito was struck so hard he deactivated his transformation. He murmured in frustration, "How can he be... so strong," before collapsing and passing out.
Meanwhile, Oren on the side was completely mesmerized. He was utterly captivated by Zangetsu.
"Magnificent!! Beautiful!"
"A white flower blooming on the battlefield, a white swan descending upon the lake... Ah, who are you...?"
In Oren's eyes, Zangetsu was surrounded by a glittering filter.
"Be quiet."
After dealing with Baron, Takatora didn't hesitate to attack him as well.
Oren gave up his resistance, willingly allowing the attack to force him out of his transformation.
"At least... tell me your name," Oren cried out, reaching a hand toward him before he fainted.
Takatora didn't even look at him. He spoke into his communicator, "There are two guinea pigs here. Have them swiftly retrieved outside the rift."
He then let out a light "Hmph" and left to find his next target. His contemptuous tone clearly showed that he viewed these Sengoku Driver users as mere lab rats, even in his choice of words.
....
Mitsuzane, who had been secretly observing the fight, was greatly alarmed. He was immediately noticed by Zangetsu.
"Another guinea pig found."
Takatora quickly advanced toward Mitsuzane, who was transformed into Ryugen, wielding his Musou Saber and shield. The two brothers were now locked in a classic masked-Rider situation, not recognizing each other.
Having seen Zangetsu effortlessly defeat Baron and Bravo, Mitsuzane didn't dare let him close the distance. He constantly used his distant Budou Ryuhou (Grape Shooter) weapon to fire at the ground, interrupting Zangetsu's movement and maintaining distance.
Bang! Bang! Bang!!!
Meanwhile, in the middle of the Lockseed gathering game, the "Silly Orange" had followed Yggdrasill staff to one of their outposts in Helheim. There, he changed into a stolen uniform, disguised himself as one of the staff, and slipped into a tent. He discovered several crates of Lockseeds, containing various A-Rank Lockseeds and countless B- and D-Rank ones.
"Haven't seen you before?" a researcher who entered the tent asked Kouta.
"Ah, I just arrived today," Kouta quickly replied. He managed to bluff his way through.
He then accidentally overheard them referring to the defeated Baron and the others on the monitor as "guinea pigs." He was shocked and asked for confirmation, thinking he had misheard:
"The guinea pigs you're referring to are...?"
"The kids, of course."
"Just bait them with Lockseeds, and they'll take the hook immediately." The researchers spoke carelessly.
"They have no idea that this whole thing is an experiment orchestrated by Yggdrasill."
"So... the Inves Game is also part of it?" Kouta was stunned.
"No duh, of course it's all part of the Yggdrasill plan." The man replied nonchalantly. "It's the only way those kids won't suspect a thing and will willingly test the Sengoku Driver for us."
Hearing these words, Kouta was enraged and punched the tent's support pole.
"Hey, what's wrong with you?" The men turned to look at Kouta.
"You're saying you don't care about whether we live or die?" Kouta asked, gritting his teeth.
"Huh?" The researcher still hadn't realized anything was wrong. He then looked at the monitor. The screen showed Takatora finding Ryugen after dealing with Baron and Bravo.
"Never mind that for now, the Chief has found another guinea pig!"
Kouta looked over and saw his friend Mitsuzane under attack. He immediately dashed out of the tent to go support him.
At that moment, a large wave of Inves suddenly poured out from nowhere near the outpost and attacked the staff.
"Run!"
"Ah!"
"Help!"
Since the combat personnel at the camp were all following Takatora to clean up the "guinea pigs," the remaining staff were defenseless against the Inves attack.
Seeing this, Kouta immediately pulled out his Driver and transformed into Kamen Rider Gaim. After saving a few staff members, the manager of the outpost frantically contacted Takatora through his communicator: "Chief, the outpost is under attack..."
At that moment, one of the two researchers from the tent hurriedly escaped and saw Gaim, whom they called a "guinea pig," standing there. His arrogant attitude completely gone, he immediately grabbed Gaim and pleaded, "Save us! There are still people inside!"
"You call us 'guinea pigs,' but now you're asking for help? That's so selfish!" Kouta, with his own temper, angrily shoved the man away.
But then, being the kind person he was, he chose to save them anyway.
Just then, a lost figure stumbled into the area.
"Damn it, this forest is seriously easy to get lost in."
The newcomer was Raven, transformed with the Melon Lockseed. He had used the power of the Forbidden Apple Lockseed to enter, then switched to the Melon Lockseed. He had intended to confront Takatora directly, but he somehow ended up here. It was a happy accident.
"Well, it's good that I came here. Now I just need to wait quietly for someone to show up." Raven wasn't worried at all about being at the main entrance of the Yggdrasill base camp. The only people he truly feared in the Gaim world were Sagara and Rosyuo. One was the will of Helheim but never engaged in combat, and the other was a King who had consumed the Golden Fruit.
As for the Yggdrasill staff? Even all of them combined wouldn't be able to defeat him in a single move. It was even questionable whether they could force him to use any other belt's power. He could probably clear this whole place with just one Sengoku Driver.
Raven watched the "Silly Orange" in the distance protecting the Yggdrasill staff. He couldn't help but sigh. This silly kid is being used, but he's still saving them. He truly is the protagonist destined to become the Holy Man (God). He knew he couldn't do the same.
"Huh? Is that the Boss? Boss, what are you doing here!" Kouta, busy saving people, noticed Raven hiding in the forest and secretly observing.
"Since I've been spotted, it wouldn't be right not to intervene." Raven sighed.
He didn't want to save the Yggdrasill staff; their lives were irrelevant to him. But he had to maintain a positive image in front of his future brother-in-law.
So, he stepped in and blocked two A-Rank Inves.
"Boss, I'll leave this to you! I have to chase those Inves that went into the rift!" After quickly eliminating several regular Inves, Kouta picked up a Watermelon Lockseed, transformed into his armor form, and entered a large rift opened by Yggdrasill.
Raven looked at the scattered Watermelon Lockseeds on the ground with glee. Though mass-produced and with a cooldown period, they're not bad. He casually picked up several while fighting.
Of course, these weren't the only valuable things in the camp. There were many A+ Rank Lockseeds. Even though he didn't really need them, Raven stuck to his motto of never leaving empty-handed and tucked several crates of Lockseeds into his system space.
....
Meanwhile, in the Yggdrasill Tower lab.
Ryoma noticed Raven's appearance.
"That guy's here too. Interesting."
From his perspective, Raven was taking on the A-Rank Inves just like any ordinary ones, easily killing them with a few basic attacks. His strength was undeniable.
The Yggdrasill staff, upon seeing the Melon Rider, unanimously assumed it was their Chief, Takatora Kureshima, coming to their aid. They cheered loudly.
"Amazing, Chief! You're so strong!" Some even stopped running, believing the "Chief" would protect them.
Their relief was short-lived. Before one of them could relax, he was ambushed by an Inves bursting out from the other side of the tent! The rest were terrified, realizing they weren't out of danger yet.
"Ah! Chi... Chief, save me!" The researcher desperately pleaded for help.
Raven briefly looked back, but simply let out a light "Hmph" and did nothing, watching the man get dragged away by the Inves.
After killing the remaining A-Rank Inves, he stopped fighting. The rest was up to the staff's luck. He casually found a tree stump and sat down, quietly waiting for something.
The lower-level Inves instinctively steered clear of him, completely bypassing him.
Seeing this, the remaining Yggdrasill staff finally realized something was wrong.
"No! That's not the Chief!"
Panic set in. Not daring to linger for another second, those close to the rift frantically ran through it. But the screams of the others continued to echo. Those who ran slowly, regardless of gender, died fair and square at the hands of the Inves, with no exceptions.
"What is that guy trying to do?"
"He's a bastard!"
The Yggdrasill staff, having hidden on the other side of the rift, watched Raven's actions through the monitor, cursing him profusely.
Just then, Takatora finally arrived at the outpost. He immediately saw Raven sitting in the distance. He had been informed of the situation here via remote communication.
"It really is that guy." His expression instantly turned solemn.
"I finally waited for the prey I wanted." Raven slowly stood up, pulling the sword he had embedded in the ground out. He looked at Kamen Rider Zangetsu, whose armor and Lockseed were the same as his, approaching.
"You just watched them die?" Takatora's tone was angry. These were his subordinates, and he was supposed to protect them. But because he was focused on cleaning up the "guinea pigs," his base was overrun.
"Why should I save a group of people I don't know? Give me a reason." Raven replied calmly.
"You... you truly are scum." Takatora was completely enraged by Raven's dismissive answer. In his view, the Yggdrasill Corporation bore the hope and responsibility of saving the world. Furthermore, the Driver and Lockseed Raven was using came from their research. Not only did his opponent not show gratitude, but he was also making sarcastic remarks. It was unforgivable.
His initial concern was precisely that the Drivers would fall into the hands of uncontrolled individuals, which is why he initially chose clueless children as the first test subjects. It now appeared that Raven was the very type of person he feared most.
Takatora immediately launched his attack, swinging his sword. "You are unworthy of using the Driver's power!" He intended to defeat Raven himself and reclaim the Driver.
"Now the fun begins." In the lab, Ryoma immediately showed an excited expression. The battle between Takatora and Raven would yield valuable new experimental data!
"Doctor, is that the man you sent the Driver to?"
The sound of high heels clicking on the floor announced the arrival of a female secretary with a sleek bob, wearing a professional pencil skirt that unreservedly displayed her beautiful legs. This was the popular Yoko Minato, the "Peach Sister" of Gaim. Her habit of showing off her beautiful legs during combat earned her much fan appreciation.
Ryoma had no intention of explaining the truth to anyone, including his secretary.
"What do you think? He's a very interesting man." He was deeply interested in Raven, especially admiring his attitude of acting according to his own will and not caring about the lives of others. In this regard alone, he was far superior to the high-minded Takatora, who was burdened with the goal of saving the world.
"Who do you think will win?"
The "Peach Sister" didn't speak but simply watched the screen. In her opinion, among all the Sengoku Driver test subjects so far, the Chief's strength was undoubtedly ranked first.
But soon, her previously composed expression faltered.
Raven was effortlessly blocking Zangetsu, who was fighting with all his might. However, she had to admit that the Chief's current strength was formidable. He was leagues above Gaim and Bravo, not only in equipment but also in his excellent combat skills and quick thinking in battle, which showed his rigorous training in Yggdrasill's virtual combat rooms. This was the source of his strength.
"Damn it, how can this guy's power be..." Takatora was encountering an opponent for the first time that he couldn't defeat in a short time, even using his full strength. They were both using the Melon Lockseed. Logically, he should have the advantage, as his Melon Lockseed was specially calibrated with data for him, making it custom-made.
"I think I've played with you enough." Raven seized a moment of weakness and immediately struck the Chief, sending him flying backward.
At the same time, he noticed that Yggdrasill's combat personnel had all arrived and surrounded the area. About a dozen mass-produced Kurokage Troopers appeared.
Raven decided he wouldn't rely only on the Melon Lockseed's power anymore. He pulled out the stronger Forbidden Apple Lockseed.
"Is that?!" Takatora noticed the Apple Lockseed in Raven's hand.
"Impossible!" Ryoma also blurted out. How could that Lockseed be in Raven's hands?
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