"..."
Raven felt he was reaching his limit. Constant self-healing had left him deeply depleted and hungry. If he didn't end the fight soon, he was likely to go berserk.
Opposite him, Rosyuo clearly still had the capacity to fight. Although he was also severely wounded and his healing wasn't as fast as Raven's, he didn't suffer from resource depletion since he was backed by the entirety of Helheim.
"It seems the power of this belt alone still isn't enough to defeat Rosyuo?" Raven mused.
The latest Amazon Driver was almost the absolute maximum power he could unleash while maintaining his sanity. To break through that limit, he would have to override the belt's restrictions and truly release himself. At that point, it would likely be impossible to stop.
"I acknowledge you… you are truly worthy of the Golden Fruit." Rosyuo said to Raven.
"A perfect opportunity!"
In that instant...
Just as Raven and Rosyuo's figures were almost perfectly aligned in a straight line, Redyue, who had been secretly charging his power, unleashed his ultimate attack towards both Rosyuo and Raven.
"Pchhh—!"
Rosyuo's body was instantly pierced. Raven was also struck by the attack.
"Guh!"
At this moment, Raven's body was right on the precipice of going berserk. However, a safety feature Hanagata had built into the Driver kicked in, forcing an immediate termination of his transformation. He collapsed unconscious onto the ground.
Although some of his fatal injuries were in the process of healing, the lack of protein meant the recovery speed wasn't as fast as before. He was now essentially an unstable time bomb. If he were to be attacked or threatened again, the very next second would see his true awakening, transforming him into the most terrifying Amazon Origin. This was a form of instinctive self-preservation.
"Hahahaha…"
Redyue's voice abruptly emerged. He laughed arrogantly.
"You were truly too careless, My King." Redyue materialized from behind, a long halberd in his hand, as he addressed Rosyuo.
"Redyue…" Rosyuo struggled to realize that his wound was fatal. That single blow had all but extinguished his life force.
"The Golden Fruit, the power to manipulate all things in the world, now belongs to me!" Redyue strode forward and snatched the Golden Fruit from Rosyuo's body.
"Hahahaha…"
Redyue gripped it in his hand, wildly triumphant. Looking at the golden, glittering fruit, he was impatient to eat it immediately.
However, in the nick of time, Ryoma Sengoku, who had been hidden, could no longer sit still. He fully drew back the string of his Sonic Arrow and fired a charged shot, aiming right at Redyue's hand holding the Golden Fruit!
The Golden Fruit instantly flew out of his grasp.
"The Golden Fruit is mine!" Ryoma leapt out, one hand reaching for the golden apple in the air.
"No!" Redyue shouted at the sight.
Among the distant spectators, Kaito also began to move. Driven by his desire for power, he was equally drawn by the Golden Fruit, intent on seizing this unique opportunity. Meanwhile, Kouta was still paralyzed by the shock of Raven's collapse.
Yoko Minato on the side witnessed the scene and found it unacceptable.
Just as the three parties lunged for the Golden Fruit in a chaotic scramble, it was eventually struck and knocked away to a greater distance.
At that moment, a figure wrapped in a scarf walked up to the Golden Fruit and picked it up.
"My apologies, everyone. I'll be taking the Golden Fruit now." DJ Sagara smiled at the crowd, then turned and vanished.
To him, the Golden Fruit had to be entrusted to the Woman of the Beginning, who would then give the fruit to the final victor. This was the ancient, unchanging rule. Rosyuo had attempted to break that rule, and now he had paid the price. DJ Sagara had been waiting for this moment all along.
"No!"
"That's my fruit!" Redyue was utterly furious at the sight.
"You wretched toys! To mess up my grand plan at a time like this!" Redyue was completely enraged. He immediately prepared to unleash a massacre.
In his fury, Redyue fully exhibited his power as a top-tier Over Lord. Both Kaito and Ryoma were knocked back with a single blow, then tangled up by the endless Helheim vines and hoisted into the air.
Kouta was also filled with intense anger.
"You bastard!" He rarely transformed into his Kachidoki Arms with such unbridled rage. He swung his Taiken greatsword at Redyue.
"You contemptible scoundrel!" The Orange Rider, believing Raven to be dead, completely unleashed his power! He even caught Redyue off guard, forcing the Over Lord to endure several direct hits.
This momentary distraction allowed Ryoma and Kaito to break free from the entanglement of vines, though their transformations were forcibly canceled.
"No… my Golden Fruit! Damn that DJ Sagara, come back here!" Ryoma cried out, completely distraught.
"That man took the Golden Fruit…" Kaito was also extremely unwilling. He had been that close to getting his hands on it. He was now very weak, and a horrifying wound had appeared on his arm from the earlier attack, showing signs of corruption by Helheim's power. Kaito had been infected.
But he didn't care about that right now. He simply turned and walked away.
At this point, the Orange Rider was locked in a fierce battle with Redyue. However, at a crucial moment, Mitsuzane, who had been hiding, made his move. He used his brother's Genesis Driver to transform into Zangetsu Shin and fired an arrow at Gaim, creating a perfect opening for Redyue.
Yoko noticed the sudden appearance of Zangetsu Shin in the distance. For a moment, she thought it was Takatora.
"Chief? I thought you were already…"
But the situation was too complex to deal with. Seeing the chaos, Yoko chose to ignore Kouta for the moment and rushed over to lift the unconscious Raven from the ground. She then carried him away from the scene.
Ultimately, facing the sudden attack from Zangetsu Shin and the simultaneous assault from Redyue, Kouta was forced to fight and retreat, eventually being pushed to the edge of a cliff.
"You wretched humans! If it weren't for you, the Golden Fruit would be mine!" Redyue lunged forward and delivered a fatal blow to the Orange Rider without hesitation.
Crack-crackle!!
Lightning sparked across the Orange Rider's armor. His transformation state had become dangerously unstable.