"Emergency!"
In the hidden room, Game Master Girori was stunned once again. It would have been one thing if the Jyamato's strength simply exceeded his imagination, as that had happened before. But this time, a massive number of never-before-seen monsters had appeared in the Jyamato Zone.
He immediately ordered the behind-the-scenes staff to investigate the origin of these monsters. However, everyone was at a loss.
"Girori-san, we've detected anomalous spatial fluctuations! Those monsters are appearing from another world!"
"This area seems to be being encroached upon by a different world!" The DGP's technical staff quickly pinpointed the cause of the anomaly, but they could not further verify the existence of the Helheim Forest.
This was because Raven was deliberately concealing it. Under the effect of his divine power, the existence of Helheim Forest was beyond the detection capabilities of these future humans' technology.
"What exactly is going on?" Girori frowned deeply. He was contemplating whether to suspend the game until the cause could be fully investigated.
So, he placed a call to the Game Producer, Niramu.
"They're not Jyamato?" Niramu, who was eating a delicious meal in a restaurant, sounded intrigued.
"Let's just observe for now and see what the situation is."
Thus, Girori had no choice but to let the program continue as scheduled. The game resumed.
Tsumuri, having received the news, apologized to every contestant: "Due to some special circumstances, unknown enemies have appeared on the field. Please exercise caution, everyone."
"What in the world is going on?" Michinaga, who was fighting fiercely, was startled by several Inves that suddenly appeared. But he soon realized that the main targets of these newly arrived enemies were the Jyamato!
Ace had participated in the Desire Grand Prix countless times, yet he had never witnessed a situation like this. The unfolding events were beyond his predictions.
Soon, the first wave of attacks ended. The severely damaged contestants returned to the lounge. Less than half of the participants who started the game remained.
"Why was the first round of this game so hard!" one contestant exclaimed, having vastly underestimated the difficulty of the game. Two of his teammates were dead, leaving him alone.
However, the elderly gentleman and the seemingly frail girl grouped with Ace Ukiyo were perfectly fine. After all, they had been slacking off since the start, and Ace's "thigh" was strong enough to carry them both.
Ace lowered his head in thought. "What are those monsters? Did the operational staff come up with some new gimmick?" As a veteran contestant, he naturally knew that the Desire Grand Prix was merely a program, and both the Jyamato and the Kamen Riders were tools created by the operational staff for entertainment.
"That really hurt..." a pained voice echoed from nearby. It was Win Hareruya tending to his injuries. The claw strike from the Byakko Inves had wounded him badly.
Girori immediately emerged, carrying a first-aid box, to treat him. Raven, the perpetrator, was naturally happy to see him in this state. However, he hadn't been too ruthless. If he had, the wound left by the Inves would have been enough for the Helheim Forest's power to start eroding his body. But that would risk leaving a trail for the operational staff to discover the cause.
His current goal was to create chaos, to turn the entire Desire Grand Prix into a muddy mess. The later the Helheim Forest's power was fully exposed, the better. As for the Inves and plants outside, they would retreat back into the Helheim Forest once the Jyamato Zone vanished, preventing any impact on ordinary humans.
"Didn't you say you had diarrhea? What happened?" Raven teased Win Hareruya.
"How dare you say that? We were teammates! You just stood there and watched me nearly die!" Win Hareruya angrily pointed the finger, accusing Raven. After being attacked by the Byakko Inves, Raven had already dealt with the Jyamato but offered no assistance, simply watching Win get beaten as if it were an amusing spectacle.
"Don't go around making false accusations. Isn't the main objective of this game to protect the flags?" Raven retorted, adopting a completely innocent posture.
"You—!" Just as Win Hareruya was about to speak further, Girori gave him a look, urging him to calm down.
"Damn it." Win Hareruya couldn't argue. He realized, upon reflection, that he had been the one attempting to eliminate Raven first. He just hadn't expected the development of events to be completely outside his prediction. Karma had been swift, and he was the one who suffered the misfortune.
....
During the break, at the Kurama family mansion.
Neon was being set up for an arranged marriage by her mother.
"An arranged marriage for me?"
"Yes, the man is from an esteemed family and has deep ties with the Kurama family." Irumi, Neon's mother, walked up to her at the long dining table. "And, of course, he will be moving into this house to live with us."
Neon flipped through the photo and profile of her prospective fiancé, which her mother had given her. It was an older, middle-aged man, at least a decade older than Neon.
If this were the Neon who hadn't lost her desire, she would have been furious and stamping her feet. But the current Neon was completely placid. "Since Mother chose him for me, he must be the right choice."
Irumi was greatly relieved to see her daughter agree so obediently. Although she didn't know what had happened to her to make her so much calmer lately, it was exactly what she wanted to see.
"Is this truly what you want, Neon?"
Footsteps approached from a distance. The person who arrived was Neon's father, Kousei. This time, he brought Tsumuri, the Game Navigator for the Desire Grand Prix.
"Father?"
"What your heart truly desires shouldn't be this." Kousei said to her.
"Eh?" Neon didn't understand.
"My dear, what are you talking about?" Irumi was also confused by her husband's meaning.
"Neon, we have a guest for you." Kousei clapped his hands, and Tsumuri appeared before them.
"Is she a friend of Neon's?" Irumi looked with confusion at Tsumuri, who was holding two boxes.