"Masato, what are you talking about? Takumi can't be an Orphnoch!" Mari was on the verge of tears.
"She's right," Keitaro chimed in.
"Mari, I'm telling you the truth." Kusaka glared at Takumi Inui with intense hostility, as if looking at a mortal threat. He had rushed over immediately after hearing Takumi had returned while he was resting in his tent. Sure enough, Mari's attitude toward Takumi was completely different from her attitude toward him, a fact that made him fiercely jealous.
"So what if he is an Orphnoch, and so what if he's human?"
Just as the tension hung in the air, several figures entered the room. It was Raven, Yuka, and Kaido and Kiba following behind. They had heard the argument over whether Takumi was an Orphnoch from a distance. To avoid drawing more suspicion to themselves, Kiba, who had intended to see Takumi, decided to stay outside for the moment. However, Raven pulled Yuka inside and spoke his mind bluntly.
"Hey, do you know what you're saying?" A stout man from the resistance looked at Raven with displeasure.
"He must be an Orphnoch too, no wonder he can use a belt," Mizuhara said, stirring the pot. Seeing Raven with Kiba's group, he was intent on escalating the situation.
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Raven with suspicion and tension.
"Hey, maybe we should leave," Kaido whispered to Kiba, feeling uncomfortable under the intense scrutiny. It seemed the recent brutal attack on the camp had deepened everyone's hatred for Orphnochs.
Raven glanced dismissively at Mizuhara and Kusaka. "It seems there's no hope left for this world. Too many scumbags and degenerates remain among the survivors."
"You bastard! Who are you calling scumbags?" Mizuhara exploded first.
Kusaka, next to him, clenched his fists, enraged more by Raven's contemptuous glance than his words.
"If you have a problem, feel free to try me anytime. I just can't guarantee you'll live through it. What do you say?" Raven's words were directed at every resistance fighter present, including Kusaka.
Instantly, the focus of the crowd shifted from Takumi to Raven and Kiba's group behind him.
"Alright, everybody, stop fighting!" Mari saw the situation spiraling out of control and immediately called a halt. "Mr. Raven helped us a great deal today. If he hadn't driven back Psyga, we would have all been in danger! And Mr. Kiba's group has also helped a lot," Mari argued logically.
"Damn it…" Mizuhara had no choice but to swallow his anger.
Kusaka, however, wasn't done. He turned to Raven and challenged, "I don't care who you are, but we're fighting, right now."
"Do you really think you're my opponent?" Raven replied, giving him a cool, indifferent look.
"Stop joking around!"
Kusaka, consumed by rage, threw a punch at Raven, but Raven easily evaded the blow and twisted away. The people inside the room quickly retreated to a safe distance.
"Masato, stop it!" Mari tried to shout him down.
But Masato Kusaka had completely lost his composure, focused only on taking down Raven to regain the honor he lost when Psyga beat him earlier.
"You trash, you should be happy to have survived the day, but it looks like you really want to end up as sand on the beach."
Raven easily dodged several of Kusaka's attacks, looking completely relaxed. He ducked under one punch, got behind him, and delivered a kick to his back, sending him staggering.
BANG!
As Kusaka turned to strike back, a kick to the chest sent him flying out the door. He tumbled helplessly onto the ground outside.
Everyone inside was wide-eyed with shock. Anyone could see the enormous disparity in their strength. Kusaka was fighting with all his might, yet Raven was completely at ease, appearing to merely toy with his opponent.
Even Takumi Inui was forced to be impressed by Raven's strength. He knew exactly how capable Kusaka was, having once been completely outmatched by him. Yet, this same Kusaka was utterly helpless against Raven, like a three-year-old child facing an adult.
"That's what I call a beating! Woohoo!" Kaido couldn't help but cheer for Raven, his romantic rival. He had hated Kusaka for a long time.
The resistance members were all in awe. They knew how formidable Kusaka's fighting ability was; even untransformed, he was beyond their match. Now, he was being thrashed like this by a man who appeared out of nowhere.
"You bastard!"
Masato Kusaka climbed up from the ground outside. Frantic with fury, he rushed to his three-wheeler and snatched the Kaixa Gear. He quickly entered the 913 transformation code and completed his transformation.
He charged at Raven. His mind was now consumed by one thought: kill Raven! And even kill Takumi! Kill everyone who dared to mock him!
"Kusaka, are you insane!"
Mari was truly angry this time and rushed forward to stop him, but Kusaka violently pushed her away, sending her crashing into a pile of junk.
"Mari!" Takumi and Keitaro immediately ran to check on her. Fortunately, the junk was soft, and Mari was unharmed.
"Mr. Raven!"
Kiba moved, intending to transform and block the attack, since Raven was not currently wearing a belt.
"Don't worry."
Raven waved Kiba and the others back. As Kusaka charged, Raven attempted to fight the armored Rider with his bare body. Everyone was stunned to see this.
However, the power of a bare fist was limited against the hard armor, and Raven's attacks felt a little numbing. Furthermore, Kaixa's speed was now close to matching his own. Raven continued to fight while slowly retreating, waiting for the Junglaider to drive up automatically from the distance.
Whoosh!
Kusaka reacted, backing away quickly to avoid the incoming motorcycle.
Screech!
The Junglaider stopped in front of Raven, who reached down and pulled out a belt.
"So what if it's Delta! I'll defeat you anyway!" Kusaka, realizing Raven was about to transform, refused to back down.
"Why would I need to use Delta to deal with you?"
Raven picked up the belt and put it on his waist.
It was a Kaixa Gear!
"What?"
Kusaka stared in utter bewilderment.
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