"Ugh!"
Kitazaki reacted by immediately raising his arms to block the attack. However, as the immense blade of light from the Orga Stlanzer fully unleashed its power, the thick armor on his body began to melt away. Finally, accompanied by a hideous shriek, Kitazaki's body completely exploded!
BOOM!
In the end, his body was converted into energy and absorbed by Raven, leaving behind only a small pile of sand.
Kitazaki, the strongest warrior of the Lucky Clover, had died just that easily.
Raven stood there silently, holding the Orga Stlanzer, like a true King.
At this moment, Murakami was thoroughly subdued. He knew Raven would win, but he never expected the victory to be so effortless. Even if he, who was stronger than Kitazaki, had stepped up, he wouldn't have lasted much longer.
"K-Kitazaki is dead?"
When Takuma finally processed the event, a hint of delight actually surfaced in his heart. Kitazaki, Kitazaki, I never thought this day would come for you. He couldn't help but laugh inwardly. He had always lived under the man's shadow, and Kitazaki had taken pleasure in bullying him.
Saeko Kageyama, standing nearby, was not moved by Kitazaki's death. Despite being a fellow member of the Lucky Clover, there was no deep affection between them. The death of Jay earlier hadn't even elicited a reaction from anyone. However, she was now even more captivated by Raven, a look of fervent desire in her eyes.
Raven turned back to look at them. Immediately, an extremely powerful aura of the Orphnoch King emanated from him.
Takuma flinched, instinctively moving to kneel. "W-what's happening? Why am I…?" Takuma felt his soul was seized by terror, utterly confused.
Saeko fared better because Amazon cells now predominantly made up her body, with only a part still being Orphnoch. Even so, she was extremely shocked.
"Any of you who desires eternal life, step forward. Submit to me, and as the Orphnoch King, I will grant you my blessing," Raven announced directly.
Upon hearing this, Takuma was the first to step forward.
"C-can you really save me?" Takuma asked, disbelief etched on his face. Ever since he learned that Orphnoch only had a lifespan of a little over twenty years, he had lived in constant fear. Seeing Raven was truly the genuine Orphnoch King, he threw caution to the wind and scrambled forward.
"Of course. Let's start with you." Raven watched him from above and bestowed his blessing upon the kneeling Takuma.
Whoosh!
A brilliant golden light surged from his body and enveloped Takuma. Starting at the cellular level, Takuma's fundamental Orphnoch nature evolved, fixing its inherent flaw. Just like that, Takuma escaped the fate of death.
After the light dissipated, Takuma felt his entire being had ascended; he was completely different from before. Moreover, because his Orphnoch factors had been upgraded, his strength also received a boost. He was much more powerful!
"Takuma, how do you feel right now?" Murakami asked urgently. He desperately wanted to know the result.
Takuma rose from the ground, looking refreshed and invigorated. "President Murakami, I feel great!" Takuma immediately demonstrated his Orphnoch form. Compared to before, there were significant changes. Having received the Orphnoch King's blessing, his form had evolved, and just by looking at it, he clearly felt stronger.
Raven smiled slightly from the side. He took the phone out of the Driver and canceled his transformation.
"President Murakami, what do you say?" Raven waited for Murakami Kyouji's response.
"Greetings to the King!" Murakami was now without any doubt. His emotions surged, and he immediately knelt down.
Saeko also half-knelt on the ground.
Raven stepped forward and reached out to help Saeko up, causing a flutter in her heart.
"Starting today, all Orphnoch must cease aimless attacks on humans. Violators will be executed without mercy." Raven declared his first order.
Although he was now the King of these Orphnoch, he had no desire to turn the world into a Paradise Lost, reducing the world's population by ninety percent and leaving only the Orphnoch. It was better to maintain the current state of affairs and establish themselves within human society as a major corporation.
"Understood," Murakami readily agreed.
Then, a light shone from Raven's body once more, and Murakami also felt a change in himself.
"I am…" He now understood the feeling Takuma had experienced—it was as if his previous life had been half-dead. At this moment, Murakami's body also transformed into his Orphnoch form, which had visibly evolved. His power was greater than before.
"Thank you for your blessing, King!" At this moment, Murakami became a faithful devotee of Raven. This was a psychological change that happened to every Orphnoch who received the blessing, and it was not a form of brainwashing.
"Next, I need to go to a place, to the lowest basement of your company," Raven continued.
"The lowest basement? Why do you suddenly want to go there?" Murakami was puzzled. The basement was a former laboratory that had been completely abandoned by them; normally, no one went there.
"To meet your former President," Raven stated directly.
"President Hanagata?" Murakami was stunned.
"That's right. He's been staying down there all along," Raven affirmed.
So, with Murakami personally leading the way, Raven and the others stepped into the elevator and descended straight to the deepest part of the basement.
"This is the laboratory Smart Brain used to develop the Drivers, but it's been abandoned for a while now," Murakami explained as he led the way.
Creak~
After opening the door in front of them, they entered the laboratory. Raven stepped inside.
At this moment, a figure flashed quickly through a nearby corridor. It was an Orphnoch, and from its appearance, it looked like a goat. This was the former President of Smart Brain, Hanagata. He had been secretly conducting experiments in the lowest depths of the company and was now utterly confused as to why Murakami had suddenly brought so many people down here.