Saeko's usual identity was the bartender here. She was also the most relatively normal and approachable person among the four.
"Where is Kitazaki?" Kyouji Murakami casually asked.
"Him? He probably ran off somewhere to play again. You know how he is, no one can guess what he's thinking," Saeko replied, mixing a drink as she spoke.
"I see."
Murakami nodded in understanding and got straight to the point. "I came here because I need your help with something."
"Oh, so our esteemed President has run into some trouble," Saeko said, surprised, a teasing lilt in her voice. She handed the newly mixed drink to Murakami.
"Please don't tease me, Miss Saeko. My position as President is far from secure, and many in the company are against me," Murakami said, taking a sip of the drink. "However, with your support, things would be much different."
Murakami's visit to the Lucky Clover was twofold: to ask for their assistance with a mission, and to secure their backing.
"Mr. Murakami, we have no objection to you being President, but since you are the President of Smart Brain, we will follow your orders," Takuma suddenly interjected. "We just hope you don't ask us to do anything meaningless."
"I understand that perfectly. You are all the very best of the Orphnochs..." Murakami gave them his full respect. He then began to detail the tasks he needed them to accomplish one by one.
A few days later, in a corner of Tokyo.
Raven was conducting his daily hunt. He was currently transformed as Faiz, executing an Exceed Charge with the Crimson Smash to eliminate an Orphnoch who had just attacked a human.
After absorbing its energy, the creature's corpse turned into a pile of sand.
Honestly, fighting as Faiz was quite handy for Raven. At least his mind wasn't affected by the savage instincts of the Amazon, even if his power was slightly weaker. It was perfectly adequate for dealing with common Orphnochs, unless a high-level one like the Lucky Clover members decided to step in personally.
As if his thoughts had summoned them, his wish came true.
As Raven was thinking this, a black man holding a small dog walked toward him from a distance. Upon seeing Faiz, he carefully leashed the dog and tied it to a nearby object.
This black man was Jay, the Crocodile Orphnoch, a member of the Lucky Clover.
Jay said nothing. He immediately transformed into his Orphnoch form and charged at Raven.
"Finally! I've been waiting for you guys for a long time."
To be honest, Raven had been using the Faiz Driver so openly these past few days precisely to prompt Smart Brain to send powerful Orphnochs after him. Low-level Orphnochs lacked any special abilities, and absorbing them only offered strength reinforcement, which was merely icing on the cake for him, who was already the strongest Amazon.
The Original Orphnochs were different; each possessed unique abilities. The Crocodile Orphnoch before him, for example, had three lives.
The Crocodile Orphnoch seemed naturally disinclined to speak and immediately launched his attack on Raven without a word.
Raven, utilizing the power of the Faiz Driver, kept up with him for a while, achieving a stalemate. However, if Takumi Inui were in his place, he would have been utterly overwhelmed by the Crocodile Orphnoch's powerful attacks. After all, any member of the Lucky Clover commanded serious respect in the early stages of the series.
But Raven knew this was likely the limit of the Faiz Driver. And his opponent was only in his First Form. The Crocodile Orphnoch had three lives, gaining a form upgrade with each death, until the third upgrade, which represented his truly terrifying power.
Clang!
Struck in the chest armor by the Crocodile Orphnoch's claw, Raven took a small step back. Not to be outdone, he returned the blow with a kick to the body, sending the Orphnoch staggering backward.
"I can try this now."
Raven took the phone from the Driver, opened it, pressed a few buttons, and attempted to summon the Auto Vajin. He then switched the phone to Gun Mode, continuously firing at the Crocodile Orphnoch from a distance.
Bang!!
Raven was having a blast executing this combo.
To be honest, he really was just playing around. If he had transformed into Amazon Sigma, the Crocodile Orphnoch, regardless of his current "life," would be no match for him.
The Crocodile Orphnoch grew impatient, unable to defeat Faiz and being continually kept at bay by his long-range attacks. Just then, the Auto Vajin, which had transformed from its motorcycle mode, flew in from a distance and opened fire on the area.
Dadadada!!!
Raven jumped in surprise. Wait, why are you shooting indiscriminately?!
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