"It's you..."
The fallen Kaito looked up at the person who had suddenly appeared. He hadn't expected it to be Raven!
Demushu swung his sword, trying to cut down everything in sight, but Raven, in his un-transformed physical body, easily dodged the attack. He even counterattacked with a kick that sent Demushu reeling back.
This greatly shocked Demushu.
"Henshin."
Raven had taken out the Apple Lockseed without anyone noticing. He simply pressed the switch.
"Ringo Arms!"
A sound effect rang out. Demushu didn't remain idle, trying to attack Raven while he was transforming.
The result was obvious: a transformation's state of invincibility is rarely interrupted.
From the explosive smoke, a red and white Rider figure emerged, armed with a sword and shield.
"A long-awaited battle. I hope you can make it fun for me," Raven said, his fighting spirit ignited.
"You're just a monkey, how dare you boast!" Demushu charged forward again for a close-quarters attack.
Raven was in no hurry. He drew the Sword Bringer from the Apple Reflector shield and immediately slashed at the oncoming Demushu.
Bang!
The perfectly executed slash instantly wounded Demushu.
"You damned monkey!" he roared in exasperation.
His body then transformed into an intangible red mist, darting around and attacking Raven.
Facing Demushu in this form, Raven was at a slight disadvantage, unable to find an immediate countermeasure. Fortunately, the Apple Arms had formidable defense. Although Demushu's move was tricky, it sacrificed attack power and inflicted almost no damage on Raven. Demushu was eventually forced to reveal his true form again.
"Interesting. I'll be taking that ability of yours." Raven said calmly.
He then used Super Acceleration, instantly flashing behind Demushu.
"Where did he go?" Demushu, holding his staff, looked left and right at the spot where Raven had suddenly vanished.
Unbeknownst to him, a chilling glint appeared behind his back. Raven unhurriedly brought his sword down.
Clang!
Demushu was struck as if by lightning, his body sent flying backward. He looked thoroughly battered.
"Wretched monkey!"
Demushu tumbled onto the ground, then quickly got up.
"Peach Sister," who had just arrived, saw Kaito lying on the ground and rushed forward to assist. She then saw Raven fighting Demushu.
"Why is he here?"
Yoko was very surprised. Only Ryoma and a few others should know about the existence of the Over Lords.
"So strong..."
Kaito struggled to his feet, looking at Raven and Demushu. Their battle was on an entirely different level than his own.
"I didn't think you guys could take such a beating." Raven was also quite surprised.
He was utilizing the Apple Lockseed's power to a very high degree. Even if he were fighting the Chief using the Genesis Driver, he could defeat him in one move. Yet Demushu had taken so many solid hits and was still able to fight.
"It looks like Demushu is about to lose it."
Redyue, who had been observing the fight, couldn't help but comment. She was forced to intervene, firing a cheap shot from the shadows to help him escape.
Boom!
Just as Raven was preparing to charge up his finisher, a massive explosion suddenly erupted in front of him. His vision was momentarily obscured. By the time he recovered, Demushu had disappeared.
"Damn it."
Raven couldn't help but curse. It seemed another Over Lord was lurking in the shadows. Since they were the natives of this forest and had been there for countless years, it was normal that he hadn't discovered them.
"Raven-san, your strength is truly fearsome. Even those Over Lords are no match for you."
Yoko was once again awed by Raven's performance. After learning about the Forbidden Fruit from Ryoma, she couldn't help but think that perhaps Raven was the only one who could become the ultimate King. At the very least, she couldn't find any other rival who could compete with him right now.
"Oh, it's you."
Raven deactivated his transformation and walked over to her. His eyes unabashedly took in her appearance. She was still wearing a short skirt and high heels in the Helheim forest, constantly showing off those beautiful, sheer-stocking-clad legs of hers.
"By the way, what are you guys doing here?" Raven asked next.
"Well..." Yoko wasn't sure if she should tell him.
Kaito was the one who spoke first: "Of course we're dealing with those Over Lords; they possess the power to control this forest."
Raven looked at Kaito with interest. Honestly, he didn't know where the guy got the confidence to charge headlong into any enemy he encountered. Perhaps it was precisely this fearless nature that ultimately gave him the chance to transcend humanity and ascend to the status of an Over Lord.
Thinking of this, a thought occurred to Raven. Should I just force Kaito to eat a fruit now, wait for him to turn into Lord Baron, and then devour him? Wouldn't that be much easier than hunting down the Over Lords directly?
However, the thought only lasted for a moment. Raven dismissed it. After all, no one could guarantee that the arrogant Kaito would definitely succeed in transcending humanity at this point.
So, Raven began walking through the forest with Yoko and the others.
"It seems you guys are keeping this secret pretty tight. Even Takatora doesn't know there are intelligent beings in this forest besides the Inves." Raven said, mocking her.
"That's because Professor Ryoma feels that the Chief's ideas go against his own," Yoko replied as they walked.
"He simply doesn't want to save the world through any method other than his own invention. He's willing to sacrifice six billion people just to prove his own worth." Raven precisely struck the nerve that was Ryoma's weakness. The man was talented, but his character was truly lacking. He was extremely petty.
Hearing this, Yoko became awkwardly silent. Since she was currently following Ryoma, she naturally wouldn't comment on his character. Kaito, meanwhile, wore a look of indifference, as if the matter didn't concern him.
At this time, in the outside world, the Yggdrasill Tower was under attack by Kamen Rider Gaim in his Kachidoki Arms form. The Chief personally went out and fought Kouta again atop the tower. This time, he had no choice but to go all out, holding nothing back. For a time, he even managed to suppress Kachidoki Gaim with his superior technique.
However, the "Silly Orange" was fearless, protected by his perfect defense. He endured the attacks of Yggdrasill's Kurokage Troopers and, riding his flying motorcycle, destroyed all the weapons on the tower that could instantly wipe out Zawame City.