"If you want to keep everything a secret, then fight the Inves with all your might!"
After destroying all of Yggdrasill Tower's weapon systems, Kouta stepped onto his flying bike and declared this to Takatora below.
And then he left the area.
Meanwhile, atop a distant building, DJ Sagara nodded with a smile.
He found it very interesting that Kouta was able to continue the fight. For so many years, the ones who obtained the Golden Fruit were always the same type of people. Ultimately, none of them managed to save their own civilization.
Perhaps Kouta was an anomaly.
On the other side, Ryoma wore a deeply sour expression.
He turned to Mitsuzane, who was standing beside him, and said, "Mitsu, I have an important mission for you to complete. We must take the Kouta Kazuraba problem seriously now."
"We need to find out who is backing him."
As he spoke, Ryoma clenched his fist. He was utterly baffled and jealous. How could someone create a Lockseed that he didn't know about? And one with even greater power!
This was undoubtedly a harsh provocation to the Lockseed inventor, himself. He could tolerate Raven's strength because the power currently displayed by the other was built on the premise of using the Sengoku Driver and Apple Lockseed that he had created. The stronger Raven was, the more it proved his own unparalleled talent.
But Kouta Kazuraba was different now.
At this time, Mitsuzane also showed a dark, brooding look on his face, no doubt hatching another one of his bad ideas.
Elsewhere, after the café closed for the night, Touka changed into a black, tight-fitting uniform that perfectly showcased her figure—a female investigator uniform.
Although she was now completely loyal to Raven, and he had promised to help her deal with the two Kureshima brothers, she was not satisfied with just that. After all, with Raven's help, the problem of her being slowly consumed by the Helheim Forest energy had been resolved. She could now use the power of the Apple Lockseed normally.
So, she decided to find something to occupy her time.
She began targeting the Kurokage Troopers who were clearing and incinerating Helheim Forest plants at various locations across Zawame City. She was secretly attacking Yggdrasill's personnel. Her hatred for the Kureshima family had long since extended to everything associated with them.
Raven, meanwhile, had no intention of stopping her. He even tacitly approved. Naturally, he was happy to see trouble being stirred up for Yggdrasill personnel.
Thus, as several days passed, Takatora and the others gradually realized that someone was attacking them.
"Could it be that kid, Kouta?"
They held an emergency meeting and unanimously locked their target onto Kouta Kazuraba. After all, he had just recently destroyed their weapon launch devices.
"No, it shouldn't be him."
Takatora had dealt with Kouta the most and figured out his personality. He was just a hot-blooded kid. Furthermore, the people being attacked were all dealing with the Helheim Forest plants to prevent passersby from eating the fruit they bore. Kouta would have no reason to do something so unwise.
"Then who could it be?" Ryoma looked around with an amused expression.
"Let's put that aside for now. Also, have you figured out exactly who is supporting Kouta Kazuraba behind the scenes?" Takatora then looked at his younger brother and asked him.
Mitsuzane had been lurking by Kouta's side during this time and should have been able to uncover some things.
"Yes, he told me," Mitsuzane nodded and replied, "Those strange Lockseeds were all given to him by DJ Sagara."
"Sagara did it?"
"That's right."
"That's impossible. How could a mere internet idol create Lockseeds that even I don't know about?" Ryoma immediately denied it.
Mitsuzane added, "When Kouta escaped Yggdrasill last time, it seems that person was the one who unlocked the door for him and also gave him the Genesis Core."
"How is that possible? He is a complete outsider." Takatora was also baffled.
DJ Sagara wasn't even considered Yggdrasill personnel. They had merely selected him as a partner for promoting the Armored Rider game because he ran an illegal radio program in Zawame City and had some fame among the street dancers. No other related secrets had ever been disclosed to him.
"But Kouta didn't seem like he was lying," Mitsuzane said.
"Maybe he was just fooled?" Sid said.
None of them believed DJ Sagara had such great power.
"Then what is Sagara's purpose in manipulating Kouta Kazuraba?" Takatora asked after standing up.
"In the Helheim Forest, it seems there are other creatures besides the Inves that Yggdrasill hasn't discovered yet. Perhaps it's to find those creatures," Mitsuzane said carelessly, his eyes darting around as he let slip some information.
Sure enough, as soon as he said this, the expressions of Ryoma and the others instantly became tense. They absolutely could not let Takatora know about the existence of the Over Lords. Otherwise, their ambitions would be difficult to realize.
"What is that?" Takatora asked curiously. He still didn't know there were creatures other than the Inves in Helheim Forest.
"I don't know," Mitsuzane finally chose not to reveal it.
He had only intended to prove a guess. With one try, he had indeed discovered that Ryoma and the others were hiding many things from his brother. This greatly intrigued him. He was very happy to see his brother, who had always controlled him since childhood, being kept in the dark.
It must be said that this Mitsuzane Kureshima was truly a born backstabber. Betraying those around him was as easy as drinking water.
That night, Sid walked alone in the underground passage beneath Yggdrasill Tower. He suddenly noticed someone following him.
"What…?"
He stopped and slowly turned his head.
A figure dropped from above and launched an attack against him.
Bang!
Caught off guard, Sid spat up fresh blood. He scrambled and dodged on the ground, looking extremely disheveled.
"Damn it!"
He finally took out his Energy Cherry Lockseed, intending to transform and fight back, but the other figure had already vanished.
Sid soon collapsed due to severe injuries.
At that moment, in the shadows, a female Rider wearing Apple Armor watched the fallen Sid from a distance and let out a cold laugh.
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