Furthermore, Psyga still had his close-combat weapon unused.
So Leo decided to incorporate the weapon into his response. He converted the Flying Attacker on his back into Tonfa Mode, drawing a sharp blade from it. This was Psyga's melee weapon, corresponding to the Faiz Edge and Kaixa Blaygun, but the Delta Driver lacked this standard feature.
Facing Psyga wielding the blade, Raven was indeed hit a few times. The situation seemed to revert to the previous deadlock. This was a major disadvantage of the Delta Driver—while its base parameters were maxed out, it lacked accessories. This explained why Smart Brain intended to use its data to redesign and develop two stronger Emperor's Belts. Moreover, Delta itself was notoriously unstable.
"Hraaah!"
After taking several blows, Raven decided to adopt an injury-for-injury strategy, rushing forward and striking Psyga with a rapid series of heavy punches.
BANG!
Facing the frenzied Raven, the Tonfa Edge was knocked from Psyga's grasp. Leo was ultimately repelled.
"I have no choice but to do this!" Leo quickly activated the Flying Attacker, two white plumes of exhaust jetting from the vents on his back. He shot toward Raven, grabbing him in a strong hold, and ascended into the air. This was the same move he had used on Kusaka earlier, and it was nearly impossible to counter.
"Oh no!"
The onlookers shouted in alarm. Kusaka had been taken out with this very move! Yuka watched the sky anxiously, constantly praying that Raven would be alright.
Kusaka, who had barely managed to stand up with the help of others, also looked up, his expression a mixture of dread and resentment.
However, just when everyone thought Raven would be defeated by the same attack, he freed one hand, quickly drew his Delta Phone, switched it to Blaster Mode, and opened fire on Psyga.
BANG!
Blasted at close range, Psyga's armor took heavy damage, forcing him to release Raven mid-air. Raven landed smoothly on his feet.
Psyga circled in the air for a moment, then, after careful consideration, decided to retreat. He had sustained serious damage and was heavily exhausted. He could not continue the battle. The ability to escape was one of the advantages of the Emperor's Belt; if you couldn't win, you could run, and no one could stop you.
Raven watched Psyga depart with a sense of regret. If the fight had continued for just a little longer, he was confident he could have defeated the Sky Emperor.
"He's gone! Great!"
The survivors in the camp shouted excitedly. Keitaro and the others also cheered.
Raven subsequently canceled his transformation, and was immediately surrounded by the camp members.
"Thank you so much! You saved all of us here!" The people of the camp expressed their gratitude.
When Yuka saw the user of the Delta Driver detransform, she breathed a huge sigh of relief. It really was her Mr. Raven! She rushed forward recklessly, embracing Raven right in front of everyone.
"Mr. Raven! It's really you!"
Yuka buried her head in Raven's chest, overcome with a mixture of joy and tears.
"Eh? You…" Raven was utterly shocked that this world's Yuka knew him, but his instincts led him to embrace her in return. It was a familiar feeling. The Yuka in his arms was indeed the Yuka he knew from his original world.
Kaido watched the scene, utterly sour. "Since when did Yuka know this guy?"
"They seem very close," Kiba commented beside him.
That evening, after the attack, the camp was severely damaged. The home the people had painstakingly built was ruined.
Mari's planned masquerade ball was attended by no one. She stood there, wearing a white dress and a white mask, looking utterly forlorn.
Then, a man wearing a white suit and a mask walked in from a distance. Seeing each other as the only dance partners, they began to dance. During the dance, the man gave Mari a strange feeling of déjà vu.
Soon after, the Riotroopers returned. Mari and the masked man panicked. While dodging an attack, the man accidentally hit his head on the ground, triggering a sudden memory recall.
He was Takumi Inui.
After being ambushed and left for dead by the Riotroopers some time ago, he had been found by a father and daughter in the camp. They had implanted new memories into him, and he had been living as a shoemaker, constantly hiding and repairing shoes at home, rarely venturing out. That was why he hadn't reunited with Mari and the others until now.
———————
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!