"Raven-san, would you mind speaking in private for a moment? I am Ryoma Sengoku, the developer of that belt you're wearing."
At that moment, Ryoma's voice suddenly appeared.
"Oh?"
"So this toy was your creation, then." Raven deliberately used a belittling term.
"Toy?" Ryoma's face twitched, feeling vaguely offended. Even though he had since upgraded to create the much stronger Genesis Driver, the Sengoku Driver was still the result of his passion and efforts. Yet, Raven was describing it as a mere toy.
Forget it, Ryoma thought to himself. The very first test subjects we recruited were indeed just children.
"Raven-san, I'm serious about wanting to talk to you. Please believe my sincerity," Ryoma continued. To unravel the mystery surrounding Raven, he had no choice but to humble himself.
"Raven-san, this way, please."
Near a distant elevator, a beautiful female secretary with long, fair legs, wearing an office-style pencil skirt, emerged. Raven glanced over and instantly recognized her as Yoko Minato, the Peach Sister. After all, who else in the Gaim world had such eye-catching, pale, beautiful legs?
Raven was curious to find out what Ryoma was up to, so he headed toward the Peach Sister. The two of them entered the elevator together.
"Hnnn..."
Yoko's heart pounded a little faster being in such close, private proximity with Raven. She couldn't help but subtly squeeze her high-heeled legs together. After all, only moments ago, she had watched on a screen as he effortlessly defeated Zangetsu and a huge number of Kurokage Troopers. He was an incredibly powerful man, one even Doctor Ryoma couldn't see through.
"You seem a little nervous?" Raven noted. He hadn't expected the usually capable and ruthless Peach Sister to display such an uneasy demeanor.
"I just find the contrast between your current appearance and your actions moments ago to be quite large," Yoko replied.
"And what should I be like, then?" Raven asked her.
"I... I can't quite say..." Meeting the overwhelmingly confident Raven, Yoko felt her usual composure crack. She wasn't acting like herself at all.
Soon, the elevator reached the floor of Ryoma's lab. Yoko, in her high heels, quickly walked ahead to lead the way for Raven.
Raven couldn't help but compare her to Akira in his mind. The two women had different charms. One was outstandingly curvaceous with a gorgeous face, while the other had a near-perfect lower body and the unique appeal of a female warrior. In short, both were characters in the Gaim world that countless viewers would never forget.
"Raven-san, we finally meet."
Ryoma actively came out of his lab to greet him at the door. With Takatora having been sent for emergency medical care, Ryoma held the most authority in Yggdrasill.
"Speak. What do you want from me?" Raven looked at him calmly.
"I want to propose a collaboration, of course."
Ryoma gestured for Yoko to stand guard at the door, then invited Raven into his lab for a look around.
"But before we discuss collaboration, there's one small question I'd like answered." Ryoma's gaze settled on the Sengoku Driver on Raven's waist.
"Oh, this? I just found it."
"I saw that this thing seemed to be a popular toy among the kids on the street, so I decided to try it out. I figured it was decent for passing the time and a bit of fun," Raven said casually.
"Haha, Raven-san certainly enjoys a joke. You just used this toy to defeat our strongest Rider, and this toy has also given you free command over Helheim's power," Ryoma said calmly. "However, since that's your answer, I have no further questions."
Since Raven didn't want to disclose how he obtained the Driver, there was nothing he could do. He decided not to pursue the matter anymore. Instead, he wanted to focus on the collaboration.
"Alright, what is this so-called collaboration?" Raven casually slumped into Ryoma's office chair, propping his feet up on the desk.
"It's like this."
"I wonder if you've heard of the legend of the Golden Fruit." Ryoma got straight to the point.
"The Golden Fruit?" Raven knew what it was, but he didn't want to reveal too much truth to Ryoma, so he continued to pretend to be clueless.
"The Golden Fruit is also called the Forbidden Fruit, or the Fruit of Wisdom. Legends about it have circulated across the world since ancient times," Ryoma walked back and forth in front of Raven. "I used to think it was just a myth, but after seeing you, I'm finally certain that it exists."
"Why?" Raven wondered what the Golden Fruit had to do with him.
"This Forbidden Apple Lockseed was created to imitate the Golden Fruit," Ryoma explained. "Prior to this, every test subject couldn't withstand the Lockseed's power, which led us to completely abandon the artificial Golden Fruit project."
"But now, things are different. I see the hope for success in you... Perhaps by studying the secret of your body, I can make my invention successfully surpass humanity!" Ryoma was practically vibrating with excitement.
"Let me help you become a God. You are more qualified than Takatora." His gaze was intensely fervent.
"My apologies, but your plan won't work. My situation is very unique and cannot be replicated, and I have no intention of letting you study me." Raven certainly didn't trust Ryoma. Collaborating with this man would likely result in an untimely death.
Ryoma wasn't kind enough to help someone else become a God. He might have initially entertained the idea of helping Takatora become a God, but after being disappointed with him, that thought evolved from creating a God to becoming a God himself. Everyone else would simply become his stepping stones. Ultimately, Ryoma was a mad and unstable man.
After saying this, Raven stood up.
"Alright, I've wasted my time here. I need to get back." Raven walked straight toward the exit.