"You wretched monkeys, you all deserve to die!"
Demushu was still raging, and he noticed Takatora and the others who had just appeared.
"An Inves? What exactly is going on?" Takatora stared at Demushu in shock and asked Ryoma beside him.
"I don't know either." Ryoma furrowed his brow.
He hadn't anticipated this unplanned development: Takatora Kureshima discovering the intelligent life forms existing in the forest. He hardened his resolve, considering whether he should just eliminate Takatora here and now. He absolutely could not allow Yggdrasill's higher-ups to learn about the existence of the Over Lords.
At this moment, Demushu abandoned the fallen Touka and charged toward Ryoma and Takatora. They braced themselves to meet the attack together.
"How can his power be this strong?!" Takatora was astonished to realize that this Inves could not only speak, but its raw strength was also on an entirely different level from the usual Inves.
"Wretched monkeys!"
Ryoma and Takatora were formidable fighters themselves. Their combined effort could barely hold their own against Demushu.
Seeing that he couldn't defeat the two of them quickly, Demushu grew anxious. He suddenly let out an angry roar, unleashing his full power. At the same time, he summoned his subordinate.
Immediately, another Over Lord with a similarly red body arrived to support Demushu.
Among the Inves Over Lords in the Helheim Forest, the main representatives were Rosyuo, Demushu, and Redyue. Rosyuo, naturally, was the king of all Over Lords. Below him were Demushu and Redyue. There were many other Over Lords besides them.
The newly summoned red Over Lord instantly helped Demushu relieve a great deal of pressure.
Unwittingly, Ryoma and Takatora were drawn into a fight that led them to the edge of a cliff.
Seeing his opportunity, Ryoma leapt onto a tree branch, leaving Takatora surrounded. He watched as his partner was attacked by the two Over Lords.
"My apologies, Takatora." Ryoma showed a cruel smile beneath his mask.
He then pulled back the string on his Sonic Arrow, aiming it directly at the besieged Takatora.
"Don't blame me!"
After saying this, Ryoma released his grip. The fully charged arrow shot out.
Whoosh!
Demushu and the other Over Lord sensed the danger and quickly dodged.
Boom!
Takatora was struck by the arrow.
"Why...?" Takatora's armor was completely shattered. His transformation was forcibly cancelled, and his body plummeted down the cliff.
"Takatora, you could have become a god, but what a pity…" Ryoma murmured to himself.
"Well done, Professor Ryoma."
Just then, a chilly voice entered Ryoma's ears, startling him.
The speaker was Raven, who was standing not far away. He had helped the heavily injured Touka to a nearby tree and witnessed Ryoma's attack on Takatora. Although Touka had Amazon cells and these injuries could heal in a few days, he was still quite furious.
"It's you." Ryoma narrowed his eyes.
This woman is indeed connected to Raven. It looks like I'll have to completely break ties with him. He knew he had to find a way to escape.
"You monkeys, you're all destined for destruction," Demushu said dismissively, having witnessed Ryoma's despicable act of attacking his own comrade.
"My apologies, I have many questions I'd like to ask you all, but now doesn't seem to be the right time." Ryoma immediately prepared to flee.
"Don't think you can escape!" Demushu was naturally unwilling to let him go, so he transformed into a surge of energy and pursued him.
Only the red Over Lord remained at the scene.
Before Raven could say anything, the Over Lord walked over to him. "Demushu-sama has commanded that all monkeys who trespass in the forest must die."
"Oh?" Raven's eyes held a playful look as he watched him. "I'm in a very bad mood right now. Since you're looking for death, I'll grant you your wish."
"Henshin."
Instantly, the red and white Rider figure appeared.
Raven drew his sword from his shield, quickly pressing the Fruit Knife switch twice. The moment the red Over Lord charged forward, Raven unleashed a charged slash.
Boom!
With one merciless slice, he annihilated the Over Lord. The Over Lord's body then dissolved into energy, which Raven consumed.
Raven quickly felt that he had gained a certain power. He could now control the Helheim Forest and open Cracks without relying on the power of the Apple Lockseed. However, this power was still relatively weak and couldn't last long. This was likely due to the low-tier Over Lord he had consumed.
"It seems I need to consume an Over Lord of Demushu's caliber," Raven muttered to himself.
"I'll ignore this for now."
With that, Raven picked up Touka.
"I'm sorry, Raven-san… for making you go out of your way to save me," Touka said, filled with shame. But being held in Raven's arms brought her an unprecedented warmth.
"When we get back, I really will have to punish you properly," Raven said, pretending to be angry. "You attacked an enemy beyond your ability without telling me."
"I was wrong. Then, you may punish me however you wish," Touka replied shyly, wrapping her arms around Raven's neck.
And so, Raven brought Touka back to the café.
It was still night. He took off her clothes to expose her wounds. Unfortunately, most of Touka's Amazon cells were being used to fight the Helheim Forest energy, which had slightly weakened her healing ability.
Raven took out the first-aid kit to treat her injuries. He also prepared to supplement her with some protein. For an Amazon, the fastest way to recover from injuries is by constantly eating protein. This makes the Amazon cells in the body highly active, causing them to divide limitlessly and repair any damage.
However, when Raven went to the kitchen and brought back a large number of eggs, Touka got out of bed and knelt on the floor, looking at Raven with a resolute expression.
"What's wrong?" Raven didn't immediately react.
Then, he saw Touka place her hand on his zipper. It seemed she intended to replenish his protein directly through a different method.