Finally, with a merciless slash from Mitsuzane, the Orange Rider was struck and sent plummeting over the cliff.
"Graah—!" Kouta screamed. As he fell, he saw Zangetsu Shin deactivate his transformation. It was Mitsuzane Kureshima!
"Why…" He was utterly confused. They had always been such good companions.
"Kouta-san, you were too much in the way." Mitsuzane grinned darkly. "Now no one can compete with me for Mai-nee's attention."
"Those despicable toys! I'm going to kill them myself…" Redyue's anger still hadn't subsided. He swung his hand, instantly breaking a large tree.
"I might know where they are. Follow me." Mitsuzane quickly interjected.
"Then lead the way. I absolutely won't allow anyone from this world to obtain the Golden Fruit." In Redyue's view, if he eliminated the other contenders, there would be no human left to compete for the Golden Fruit.
He immediately assembled a massive force of Helheim subordinates, including several Over Lords and a shocking number of A-class Inves. They followed Mitsuzane to the location of the Yggdrasill base of operations in the area.
"Attack the human world!"
With Rosyuo and Demushu dead, Redyue was now undeniably the King of this place. With a wave of his hand, endless Helheim plants surged through the Cracks and poured into the interior of the Yggdrasill Tower. The staff members inside fled in panic.
Before long, the Yggdrasill Tower, which stood tall in Zawame City, was enveloped in green and covered in vines. A continuous stream of Invess emerged from it, attacking the citizens on the streets who hadn't managed to evacuate.
At this moment, DJ Sagara found Mai Takatsukasa, who was seeking shelter with her companions. He secretly implanted the Golden Fruit into her body.
He only had to wait for the right moment, or if she were to meet an untimely demise, Mai would trigger the Golden Fruit's power and become the Woman of the Beginning.
This was the self-correction of the timeline. Despite Raven's appearance causing many things to change, Mai's fate to become the Woman of the Beginning would not be altered.
Meanwhile, at the Amazon café.
Akira and Touka had tightly locked the door, following Raven's instructions to stay inside. However, numerous Inves were trying to break in.
Seeing this, Touka had no choice but to use the Apple Lockseed and complete her transformation right in front of Akira.
"Eh?" Akira was utterly astonished. She hadn't expected the café employee she personally interviewed to be able to transform, just like Raven and the others.
"Akira-san, I'll explain this to you later. Please stay inside and absolutely do not come out," Touka, now transformed into Kamen Rider Idunn, easily repelled the Inves outside, then spoke back into the café.
"I understand. You be careful too, Touka!" Akira said nervously.
As the chaos outside worsened, her internal anxiety grew. "Where are Raven and Kouta…?"
Shortly after the near-collapse of the entire Zawame City, in a secluded part of the Helheim Forest.
Raven opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a short-haired woman. Hm, wasn't this "Peach Sister?"
Regaining consciousness, Raven immediately recognized her. He realized his head was resting on her beautiful legs.
"Raven-sama, you're awake." Yoko Minato was extremely excited.
"Where am I?" Raven managed to say weakly. His hunger was slightly less intense than before.
Looking down, he saw a Genesis Driver hanging on his waist, with an Energy Lockseed positioned in the faceplate. The necessary nutrients for his body were being supplied by this Lockseed.
"We're still in the forest, but we should be safe for now," Yoko told Raven.
"Well then, thank you very much."
Raven supported himself with one hand on the ground and forced himself to stand. He began to piece together what had happened. His memory stopped at the moment Redyue's attack struck both him and Rosyuo.
He then asked, "Who ended up getting the Golden Fruit?"
Although he was reluctant to have worked for someone else's gain, he was confident that once his injuries recovered, he could personally steal the Golden Fruit back. After all, he could fight the already-godly Rosyuo to a mutual defeat; dealing with a newly ascended god wouldn't be an issue.
"It was DJ Sagara," Yoko answered without hesitation.
"It was him." Raven let out a small sigh of relief. This meant the Golden Fruit hadn't yet fallen into the hands of a true enemy.
It was then that something else occurred to him. "And the King of the Inves I was fighting? What happened to him?"
"He's dead. His body seems to still be lying over there," Yoko replied.
Hearing this, Raven's eyes immediately lit up. Rosyuo was indeed dead.
Couldn't he attempt to devour him, then?
He quickly started to walk toward the previous battle site.
"Raven-sama, where are you going?" Yoko followed, confused.
Before long, they found Rosyuo's corpse. It was still lying on the ground, though it looked like Redyue had stabbed it a few more times afterward. Raven couldn't help but sigh. An ancient King, a man who became a god, was betrayed and killed by his own subordinate. What a tragic end.
"Rosyuo, Rosyuo. Since you are already dead, rest in peace. I will make good use of your power." Raven lamented briefly, then didn't hesitate for a moment. He immediately began to devour Rosyuo's power.
Even though the Over Lord King was deceased, the power of the Golden Fruit remained, having long since merged with Rosyuo's physical body.
Rosyuo's corpse dissolved into a golden energy mass, which Raven completely absorbed into his body.
"Raven-sama, what are you doing…" Yoko, catching up, was deeply shaken by the sight.
Raven's entire body now radiated a golden light. The faint outline of a golden apple even shimmered over him.
"I have become a god…" Raven felt the transformation within himself. His control over Helheim had reached Rosyuo's level. Furthermore, he possessed the power of creation, able to spontaneously bring forth life. As long as he was within Helheim, he could constantly draw on a boundless source of power.
Simultaneously, all his previous injuries were completely healed.