In its Masked Form, TheBee was still at an absolute advantage against the attacks of several Adult Worms. However, that situation would change the moment the opponents activated Clock Up, unless Raven used his own Super Acceleration while in Masked Form.
But if he did that, the game would become too easy, and he would find it boring.
This time, he decided to challenge himself by using only TheBee and a portion of his own raw strength to eliminate these Worms.
"Cast Off!"
Seeing the few Worms enter the accelerated field, Raven immediately chose to switch forms.
[Cast Off!]
The bulky armor covering TheBee instantly loosened. Just as the Worms swarmed in, the armor violently sprang open.
Boom!
Bang! Bang!
The explosive power of the transformation was enough to directly kill some of the Larva Worms. Raven had successfully made reasonable use of the actual physical force of the Cast Off process.
Now, the true slaughter began.
After Casting Off, TheBee's defense was reduced, but his attack power increased significantly, and he could now use Clock Up.
In the blink of an eye, two molted Worms were beaten senseless by Raven and ultimately destroyed without being able to fight back. He didn't even need to use the finishing move, Rider Sting.
This caught the attention of Tendo, who had just finished off the remaining Worms in the distance. He was surprised by TheBee's combat power. This was a completely different fighting style from Yaguruma's.
Kagami, who was hiding, was also stunned by the power TheBee displayed at that moment.
"He's too strong!"
In Raven's hands, TheBee looked vastly more powerful than when Yaguruma was using it.
Misaki, who had just managed to arrive at the scene, witnessed this sight. She saw that all the Worms had been completely annihilated.
Then, right in front of everyone, Raven deactivated his transformation. The TheBee Zecter detached from the Rider Bracelet.
However, it refused to fly away, instead circling around him, seemingly reluctant to leave. This was a stark contrast to its previous unwilling demeanor.
Raven resumed his hands-in-pockets stance and walked away from the scene.
"Is that guy the new TheBee suitable candidate?" Kageyama, one of the surviving ZECTroopers, stared at Raven, deeply impressed by the power he had shown.
Then, Raven, apparently bored, walked near Kagami, removed the Rider Bracelet, and tossed it to him.
Kagami was startled and hurriedly caught the bracelet. He looked at Raven in disbelief. This item had been stolen by him, yet he was returning it so easily?
"I got bored of playing. You can have it."
After saying that, Raven left.
The TheBee transformation device wasn't very useful to him; he only stole it for a brief moment of fun. Keeping it around would be idle and would disrupt too much of the plot's development.
The TheBee Zecter, circling in the air, felt its pride wounded. Was its "trial period" over just like that? Was it really just "used and discarded?"
"Wait a minute."
Misaki saw Raven leave and rushed forward, calling out to stop him.
"Oh? Is there something else?" Raven gave her a casual glance.
"Are you truly not considering joining ZECT?" Misaki was still trying to act as an envoy.
Such overwhelming combat power would be a terrible waste if it didn't join ZECT to eliminate the Worms.
Raven suddenly scanned Misaki from head to toe.
"It's not entirely out of the question, unless…"
Today, Misaki was wearing a short, form-fitting skirt, fully showcasing her legs in nylons. The high heels she wore were noticeably taller than her usual shorter-heeled style. The overall look gave off a strong OL (Office Lady) uniform vibe.
"Unless what…?" Misaki felt a sense of anticipation and couldn't help but let her mind wander.
"Come work at my café. Once I'm satisfied, we can talk about it. Of course, you can refuse." Raven said this to her up close.
Upon hearing this, Misaki's face flushed slightly. Such a request was incredibly strange. Her first instinct was to refuse.
However, she found the words getting stuck in her throat. But for the greater good of eliminating the Worms, making a small sacrifice wouldn't be unacceptable.
Besides, the man was handsome; she wouldn't be at a great disadvantage. Maybe she'd even gain a little something?
"What are they talking about?" The distant Kagami scratched his head. He didn't understand why Raven and Misaki knew each other or what secret they were discussing.
His attention was quickly drawn to the TheBee Zecter flying towards him in the air.
He immediately held out his hand. The Zecter landed voluntarily.
After all, TheBee was famously the "All-Rider Belt," with very low standards for its user. Even Kageyama, who later cooperated with the Worms, used it for a long time.
"TheBee, you chose me?" Kagami was a little excited.
Kageyama, who saw this, couldn't help but look on with envy. He walked up and said to Kagami, "It looks like you're our new captain."
He was quite straightforward in saluting Kagami. In this series, Kageyama's role was initially like a fence-sitter. He was willing to be a subordinate to whoever was captain. However, the moment that person lost the captain position, he would be the first to rub it in and kick them while they were down.
…
The following day.
After finishing her work at ZECT, Misaki arrived at Raven's café.
"You came." Raven was rather surprised; he didn't expect her to actually show up.
"What do you need me to do?" Misaki walked up to him and asked. She couldn't help but feel a little nervous, her stocking-clad legs squeezed tightly together beneath the tight skirt.
Raven examined her entire body with interest for a moment, then called out to Beroba, who was diligently cleaning: "Beroba, take her upstairs to change into a work uniform."
"Work uniform?" Misaki couldn't help but look at Beroba. Could it be the black-stockinged maid outfit the other woman was wearing…?
"Oh, got it!"
Beroba was ecstatic. She quickly put down her broom and ran over happily. Misaki Yuzuki's appearance meant that someone would now help share the workload she was responsible for! And perhaps she would even get to witness the other woman's misfortune.
She loved watching others get tormented.