Raven's slap was an act of force far exceeding human capability. An ordinary person struck by it would meet the same tragic end as Michiko Osada did earlier. However, because Yuki Kawachi had been implanted with the Orphnoch mark and slightly empowered by the Delta Gear (when he once used it), he was spared a brutal death. Still, his mouth was bleeding, and he had lost several teeth.
This display instantly stunned Ken Arai and Kyosuke Tokumoto, who were about to attack. They froze on the spot. Saya was also shocked, not expecting Raven to act so decisively. A wave of warmth then washed over her; she knew he had done it to protect her.
"You want the belt, right? Let me tell you, it's with me. Those who want to die can come and take it," Raven said, walking step-by-step toward Arai and Tokumoto. His powerful aura immediately instilled fear in the two men.
"Don't let him scare you! We're not like we used to be!" Ken Arai hurriedly raised his hand, and red electric currents crackled from his fingertips, shooting toward Raven. Tokumoto quickly mimicked him.
Naturally, Raven was not hit by such an attack. With a slight shift of his body and a tilt of his head, he easily dodged the electrical blasts. Before the two could react, he was standing right in front of them.
"You rotten apples. You'll do anything monstrous just for a belt, won't you?" Raven said softly.
These individuals were beyond saving. Having tasted the power of the Delta Gear, they were hopelessly addicted. In the original story, they even murdered a long-time friend from the Ryusei School for the belt, and later went so far as to kidnap Mari. Their eventual fate was nothing less than they deserved.
"Bastard!" Ken Arai immediately threw a punch, aiming for Raven's face.
But Raven simply grabbed his fist and twisted it with force. Arai's arm instantly fractured, the stark white bone protruding through the skin.
"Agh—!" Ken Arai screamed in agony.
Seeing this, Tokumoto quickly grabbed an iron baseball bat from his motorbike and swung it hard at Raven's side.
CRUNCH!
Raven didn't budge an inch, but the baseball bat bent instantly.
"M-Monster!" Tokumoto stammered in disbelief. Was this person's body harder than an iron bat?
Raven, completely unfazed, punched Ken Arai, sending him sprawling to the ground, then turned to face Tokumoto. His current physical strength had long transcended the realm of humans; he could fight the Kaijin bare-handed.
"You… you're not human… you're an Orphnoch!" Tokumoto exclaimed, backing away in terror.
Raven smiled faintly. He fluidly channeled his inner Orphnoch energy, condensing a ball of purple flame in his hand. Then, he slowly began to walk toward Tokumoto. This was a technique he had developed himself; after all, even Takuma could use Orphnoch abilities without transforming. Though Raven was fundamentally an Amazon, he possessed Orphnoch energy and could easily do the same.
The ball of purple flame in his hand had the unique ability to incinerate anything, a fire that couldn't be extinguished by water unless the target was completely burned to ash. He was fully intending to use this flame to erase the three scumbags from existence.
"Mr. Raven… please don't kill them," Saya urgently called out from behind, sensing his murderous intent.
"Saya, are you sure you want me to let them go?" Raven turned around and looked at her.
"Please… Mr. Raven," the inherently kind Saya pleaded.
After all, they were still her classmates, once her friends. Even though their minds had been corrupted, she couldn't bear to see them die.
Raven sighed softly. He then said, "I'll let you off the hook this time, for Saya's sake. If I ever run into you again, I won't be so forgiving."
On reflection, he conceded that it wouldn't be right to kill these pieces of trash in front of Saya. He returned to Yuka and Saya and led them away.
Seeing Raven depart and finding himself unharmed, Tokumoto breathed a slight sigh of relief. He then looked at his two comrades, who were still groaning on the ground.
"Save… save me. Take me… to a hospital." Ken Arai, whose wrist was broken and who was losing a lot of blood, begged Tokumoto from the pavement.
Tokumoto looked at him indifferently. A thought flashed through his mind: A perfect chance to eliminate a rival. After all, there was only one Delta Gear. However, he quickly reconsidered, realizing that Raven was too strong. If the belt truly was in Raven's hands, he couldn't possibly retrieve it on his own. He walked over and helped Arai up.
———————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my patreon ——— patreon(.)com/JuanFiction [remove the parentheses ( )]
There are over 100 advance chapters available for you!