The Lobster Orphnoch shimmered, manifesting the phantom image of a half-naked woman before Raven's eyes. She adopted a pitiable, fragile expression, hoping to sway him.
Though she appeared as a beautiful maiden, Raven did not stay his hand. Compared to the original Lobster Orphnoch, Saeko Kageyama, this alternate-world version possessed none of the same allure. Without a shred of hesitation, Raven stepped forward and threw a heavy punch.
Augmented by the destructive power of the Faiz Shot, this parallel-world Lobster Orphnoch met her end right then and there. After eliminating her, Raven felt no ripple of emotion; it was as if he had simply crushed an ant in his path.
Meanwhile, Takumi Ogami and Yuri Tomoda were still fleeing toward safety. However, they were suddenly intercepted by the absent leader of Lucky Clover, the Tiger Orphnoch.
"Faiz, I will have revenge for my comrades!"
The Tiger Orphnoch had been hunting Faiz for some time. As more and more Orphnochs fell at Faiz's hands, their vision of world domination was slipping further out of reach. He transformed into his true form instantly, lunging at the pair.
In a desperate bid to protect Yuri, Takumi had no choice but to manifest his own Orphnoch form. He raised his arm, bracing against the Tiger Orphnoch's strike.
The sight left Yuri paralyzed with shock. She stared at him in utter disbelief.
"Takumi... is an Orphnoch..."
"Ahhh—!"
Unable to accept the harrowing reality, she let out a piercing scream. The commotion immediately drew the attention of Tsukasa and the others in the distance. They, too, were shaken by the revelation.
"You... you're actually an Orphnoch!" the Tiger Orphnoch exclaimed, equally surprised. However, his onslaught did not slow; if anything, his fury only intensified.
At the same time, Raven, having finished off two members of Lucky Clover, turned his gaze toward the Dragon Orphnoch, who was currently entangled with Daiki Kaito. He initiated a long-range Crimson Smash, his kick streaking through the air.
Boom!
A triple kill was successfully secured.
Seeing Raven dispatch the enemies so effortlessly, Daiki Kaito suddenly swung the muzzle of his weapon toward Raven.
"Hand over that belt. I've taken a liking to it."
"Oh? Then try and take it by force," Raven replied, looking at Diend with mild amusement. Daiki still had no idea that Raven was the same person who had thrashed him on multiple occasions.
"Force? That's one thing I'm never short of."
Daiki slotted two cards into the Diendriver.
[KAMEN RIDE: REY!]
[KAMEN RIDE: KABUKI!]
Two "henchmen" materialized on the battlefield. Together with Diend, they charged toward Raven in his Faiz form.
Raven didn't panic; he remained perfectly composed. He punched a code into the Faiz Phone, summoning the Pegasus from afar.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Pegasus (Auto Vajin) soared through the air, providing dense cover fire, though its strafing run was somewhat indiscriminate, catching both Raven and Daiki in the crossfire.
"Damn it! Where did this thing come from?" Daiki scrambled to dodge, clearly caught off guard by the mechanical intervention.
"This thing is still a bit of an 'Artificial Idiot,' isn't it?" Raven shook his head. He lunged forward, delivering a kick that forced the Pegasus back into its vehicle mode. Then, he drew the Faiz Edge from the handlebars.
And so, Raven took on all three at once. He engaged Daiki Kaito and his summoned puppets in a skirmish that felt more like child's play than a battle. To Raven, there was zero pressure. Within minutes, he had systematically erased the two puppet Riders.
"You... you monster..."
By now, Daiki Kaito realized something was wrong. This opponent's strength was far beyond his imagination. Before he could process it further, Raven's blade slashed across his chest plating. Diend was sent flying, crashing into a nearby fountain.
Raven didn't bother finishing him off. Instead, he turned his attention elsewhere.
He saw that Tsukasa had reclaimed his Driver and transformed into Decade, engaging the Tiger Orphnoch. This distraction gave Takumi and Yuri a chance to escape.
Unfortunately, after running a short distance, Yuri violently shook off Takumi's hand.
"You've been lying to me this whole time!"
She still couldn't reconcile the Takumi she knew with the reality of him being an Orphnoch. To her, every kindness he had shown was merely a mask. Takumi had no way to defend himself against her words. Ultimately, he could only turn and walk away in silence.
Back at the fight, the Tiger Orphnoch realized his teammates were all dead. Finding himself overwhelmed by Decade, he chose to retreat.
Raven didn't give chase. He deactivated his transformation and removed the Faiz Driver.
"Raven!"
Natsumi ran over, her face glowing with excitement. Had they not been in public, she might have kissed him then and there.
"Can anyone use that belt?" she asked, eyeing the Faiz Driver in Raven's hand with burgeoning curiosity.
"Want to try?" Raven looked at her playfully and handed the belt over. The only reason he could use it was that his body contained Orphnoch DNA.
"Yes! I want to transform!"
To be honest, watching Raven and the others transform and fight every day had left Natsumi feeling more than a little envious. She mimicked his movements, bucking the belt around her waist and dialing the 5-5-5 code.
[STANDING BY]
As the standby hum filled the air, she shouted with conviction: "Henshin!"
She slotted the phone into the Driver and pressed it down. Just as she waited in high anticipation for the thrill of transformation, the Driver began to spark violently with electricity.
[ERROR: INELIGIBLE!]
The Faiz Driver immediately initiated its forced rejection protocol, sending a shockwave that sent Natsumi flying backward.
"Ah!" she screamed.
But before she could hit the ground, Raven was already there. He caught her supple, elegant frame with pinpoint precision.
"Well? Still want to try?" Raven asked with a faint, teasing smile as he looked down at Natsumi in his arms.
"You're terrible!" Natsumi pouted, opening her mouth to give his arm a playful, frustrated nip.
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