Raven had already mounted his motorcycle. "First, send people to blockade all the roads entering Mount Hitoki. It will become very dangerous there soon."
He gave Natsumi Hikari a look, seemingly intending to give her a ride away.
He had given his warning; if the police insisted on rushing to their deaths, it was no longer his concern.
Natsumi hesitated but ultimately chose to follow, sitting side-saddle behind Raven.
Back at the photo studio, Eijiro Hikari had prepared lunch and invited Raven to join them.
"Why did you come back with us?" Tsukasa Kadoya asked, brandishing his soup spoon at Yusuke Onodera.
Yusuke didn't answer but instead mocked Tsukasa's photography skills. "What on earth are you taking pictures of? It's terrible!" He had only followed them to observe Tsukasa and confirm what kind of person he truly was. Was he the rumored Devil after all?
"Hmph, it's just that none of you are suitable subjects for my lens," Tsukasa said, looking thoughtfully at the stack of developed photos on the table.
"What do you mean?" Yusuke picked a carrot out of his stew and placed it in Tsukasa's bowl.
"It means your story is simply too boring."
The two began their mutual torment, each trying to deposit carrots into the other's bowl.
"What's wrong with my story?"
"Fighting to earn praise from the person you like; that doesn't move me at all," Tsukasa said, holding up a photo of Officer Yashiro.
"Both of you, stop picking at your food!" At this, Natsumi glared at them as if chastising two children.
"Carrots are highly nutritious. If you won't eat them, no wonder you're so weak," Raven deliberately chimed in.
"What did you say?" Yusuke immediately rose to the challenge and aggressively ate several large bites of carrot. It was clear that among the three, he was the weakest, and also the shortest.
Natsumi couldn't help but smile sweetly at the sight. Raven certainly had a way with them. She settled into the seat beside him, her long, stockinged legs brushing lightly against his, an intentional proximity that made the heart flutter.
"Black smoke sighted halfway up Mount Hitoki..."
Just then, an emergency news bulletin flashed on the television. They all rose to look.
The on-site reporter stated, "Unlike the smoke caused by a volcanic eruption, the source of the black smoke has been identified."
"Members of the police department's Unidentified Lifeform Countermeasures Unit sealed the area approximately one hour ago."
"Currently, the black smoke over Mount Hitoki shows no sign of abating."
Hearing this news, Yusuke couldn't help but blurt out, "The Ultimate Darkness is reviving?"
"Impossible. I stopped their Gegel Game ritual," Tsukasa said, walking up from behind.
"But this situation can't be faked," Natsumi's expression became extremely tense.
The aurora curtain over Mount Hitoki in the broadcast was clearly a dire warning. This world, too, would be heading toward destruction.
"I have to go see!" Yusuke sprinted out immediately.
Tsukasa followed right behind.
Just as the two left, Natsumi noticed that Raven was still calmly sitting there, eating his food.
"Raven-san, something terrible has happened! How can you still be eating?" Natsumi walked over and tugged on Raven's arm.
"You should sit down and eat, too." Raven gently applied force, and Natsumi involuntarily tumbled into his arms, her hip pressing close against his thigh.
"But..."
Raven then effortlessly popped three pieces of roast pork into her mouth. Natsumi had no choice but to swallow.
Though anxious and worried, seeing Raven's composed demeanor calmed her own tense emotions. She completely failed to notice that she was currently sitting on his lap.
"This world won't be destroyed, you can relax," Raven told her.
"Mm."
Hearing this, Natsumi felt instantly reassured. Gazing at Raven's face at such close range, she was unable to resist his charm. Thus, she stayed, foolishly leaning into his embrace and staring at him, utterly unwilling to look away.
While Raven and Natsumi were sharing an intimate moment, Decade had already arrived at Mount Hitoki.
"Why? Why am I awake?!"
The revived Ultimate Darkness, also known as the Gurongi King, N-Gamio-Zeda, spoke in confusion. Upon waking, he immediately realized something was wrong: the sacred ritual to revive him had not been successfully completed.
"You're asking me? I don't know either."
Decade delivered a precise punch to N-Gamio-Zeda's face. However, the opponent remained completely unmoved, as if the punch were nothing more than a tickle.
Decade refused to concede and followed up with a series of continuous attacks. But this King of the Gurongi, essentially the boss of the Kuuga movie, was no ordinary foe. To be called the Ultimate Darkness meant his power was at least on par with Ultimate Kuuga, or even stronger!
N-Gamio-Zeda easily suppressed Decade and counterattacked, striking him with a single blow that sent him flying.
Bang!
After taking that hit, Decade was flung out of the cave, collapsing on the ground, clearly quite injured.
"Damn it! How is he this powerful?"
After a brief period of adaptation, N-Gamio-Zeda declared, "Forget it. Since I am revived, all humans shall become Gurongi! The Ultimate Darkness shall engulf the entire world!"
With that, his body dissolved directly into black mist, blanketing the sky and beginning to fly toward the city.
"Cough, cough..."
Tsukasa struggled to stand up, watching the boss flying into the air with lingering fear. He hadn't expected the enemy to be so overwhelmingly strong.
Meanwhile, despite Raven's warning, Officer Yashiro and the others did not immediately enter Mount Hitoki, but they were still attacked by Gurongi who crossed the blockade.
By the time Yusuke arrived, most of the officers sealing the area were down. Only Officer Yashiro was struggling to hold her ground.
"Onee-chan!"
Seeing this, Yusuke rushed her to the hospital immediately. Fortunately, her life was not in danger for the time being.