"These bastards have been chasing us this far and still won't give up?" Kouta was getting desperate.
"Kaito! Let's split up!" he shouted to Kaito, who was riding parallel to him.
The two then drove off in different directions in the forest.
At this moment, high up in a distant tree, a green figure was silently observing the scene. This was Redyue, one of the Over Lord Inves of Helheim.
Since the Yggdrasill people began their continuous investigations and explorations within the Helheim forest, Redyue had been secretly watching these lesser beings, whom he viewed as mere monkeys.
A Watermelon Lockseed Armor-equipped Suit fired a cannon blast in the direction of Kouta's path from behind. The resulting destructive force blasted him and his motorcycle through the air.
Having no other choice, Kouta was forced to transform and engage.
But how could his base form possibly be a match for the Watermelon Lockseed Armor-equipped Suits? He was practically being beaten senseless.
"Give up the resistance!" the Kurokage Trooper driving the Suit urged Kouta.
"No! I will never give you what you want!" Kouta shouted back.
He then used his own Watermelon Lockseed and began to fight back against the enemy.
Unfortunately, two fists are no match for four. Faced with a multi-person siege, Kouta couldn't hold out. He was hit and forcibly de-transformed, then passed out.
Just at this critical moment, a figure struck with Super Acceleration arrived from the distance.
BOOM!!!
In a single instant, the figure destroyed three Watermelon Lockseed Armor-equipped Suits. Then, he picked up Kouta and left the area.
The person who made the move was, of course, Raven.
This sequence of events was noted by Redyue, who had been watching in secret. He was slightly stunned.
Who was that just now?
He hadn't even clearly seen the assailant's form…
....
Yggdrasill Tower.
Takatora rushed to the main control room to check the surveillance footage, desperate to find out who had released Kouta and the others.
By accident, he caught sight of his younger brother, Mitsuzane, on the monitor. What happened next shocked him even more.
His brother, while escaping the pursuit of the Kurokage Troopers, actually used a Driver to transform into Ryugen.
This was something he had never expected.
It was quickly followed by endless fury. He immediately went to confront Sid.
"Why did you give him the Sengoku Driver?!" Takatora grabbed the other man's collar, his voice dangerously cold.
"How should I know…" Sid, who still had blood streaks on his face, spoke with a nonchalant tone. "It's like your Watermelon Lockseed—the Driver somehow ended up in the hands of the young master."
"Are you trying to play dumb?" Takatora had no intention of letting him off that easily.
"I figured you wouldn't have a problem with it, right?" Sid continued in a sarcastic, provocative manner. "The Chief of a plan concerning the survival of humanity surely couldn't fail to properly guide his own little brother, could he? It really makes you seem unworthy of the title."
"Is that so." Takatora suppressed his rage and released his grip on Sid.
So, you've been causing trouble?
At this time, he still hadn't realized that the people around him had already betrayed him, mostly complying with his orders in name only.
"Stop arguing for now."
At that moment, the figure of Ryoma appeared on the large screen.
He spoke, "How about we consider the future course of action?"
"I will deal with Mitsuzane myself," Takatora replied. "As for the two escapees, Sid, you must take responsibility for resolving the issue."
After saying this, Takatora left.
Only Sid and Ryoma remained to talk.
"Professor Ryoma, why did you stop us from attacking that man earlier? With your Genesis Driver, if we had both gone at him, no matter how strong he was, he couldn't possibly have held up." Sid was still deeply resentful about the earlier incident. The thought of Raven stomping on him in front of everyone made him tremble with anger.
"That man holds the key to unlocking the secrets of Helheim. Unless we have a surefire plan, I don't want to act rashly," Ryoma replied calmly.
....
Helheim.
In a section of the forest.
Kouta, who had been unconscious, opened his eyes. He was startled. He quickly tried to recall what had happened earlier.
"I wasn't captured?"
Looking around at the forest, Kouta felt confused.
"You're awake." Raven's voice came from the distance.
"R-Raven-aniki?" Kouta looked in the direction of the voice and saw the familiar figure.
His form of address for Raven had now changed from "Boss" to "Aniki." This closer intimacy was naturally due to his sister. To be honest, he was extremely shocked when he learned his sister and the Boss had become a couple, but once he recovered, he was mostly happy.
"Raven-aniki, what exactly is this forest? And Yggdrasill, what are they planning behind the scenes?" Kouta had many questions he wanted answered.
"Come and take a look." Raven didn't answer directly. Instead, he stood at a cliff edge at the border of the forest, looking at the view below.
Kouta walked over curiously.
Looking out, he saw a vast ruin.
"This is…"
Kouta was deeply shaken. From the urban ruins before his eyes, it was clear that a highly advanced civilization once existed here. But now, it was completely swallowed by the Helheim plant life.
"The Earth is currently suffering the same calamity as this lost civilization. Those plants will continuously grow on Earth through the fissures, and eventually, our world will become just like this place." Raven shared some of the information with him.
"Why is this happening? Is there any way to stop it?" Kouta urgently asked.
Raven didn't answer.
There was a way, of course, and a simple one at that: obtain the final Golden Fruit and become a god, directly controlling all of Helheim to stop the encroachment on Earth.
But to achieve this simple method, they would first have to overcome several major obstacles.
Namely, the rulers of this place, the Over Lord Inves, and the current master of Helheim, Rosyuo.
"Don't think too much about it for now."
"There's always a way." Raven patted Kouta on the shoulder.
He then took out his Apple Lockseed and transformed, opening a crack.
———————
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