"How much longer are you going to keep holding onto me?" Raven asked, looking down at Natsumi.
Only then did Natsumi realize she had been clinging to him like a permanent fixture. Her entire body was pressed firmly against Raven's. Her face instantly flushed a deep crimson as she pulled back.
"Once we get back, you can hold me as long as you want," Raven teased, turning to face her and unable to resist reaching out to stroke her cheek.
"Who said I wanted to hold you forever? You're terrible!" Natsumi retorted, her words betraying her true feelings as she gave his chest a light, playful punch.
Back on the court, the Centipede Orphnoch, who had just been scared off, quickly regrouped with his comrades to surround Decade.
"Why are you back? Why didn't you finish those two off!?" the Dragon Orphnoch demanded, looking at the Centipede Orphnoch, who was still visibly shaken.
"I... I..."
Even having put distance between himself and Raven, the Centipede Orphnoch remained incoherent. That moment had truly felt like the closest he had ever come to death.
"Forget it. Let's deal with this guy first," the Dragon Orphnoch said, turning his focus back to the Rider.
"Right."
Though still rattled by Raven, the Centipede Orphnoch quickly recovered his composure, distracting the fear in his mind. The two Orphnochs lunged forward, launching a coordinated assault on Decade.
Seeing the odds shift, Natsumi hurriedly turned to Raven. "Aren't you going to help Tsukasa?"
Raven draped an arm over Natsumi's fragrant shoulder, watching the battle with casual indifference. "Relax. If he can't handle this much, he has no business being a Rider."
On the court, Tsukasa utilized a newly unlocked Card, transforming into Kamen Rider Blade. He wielded the Blay Rouzer with practiced ease, dismantling the Lucky Clover duo's offense.
The battle looked effortless. In the original Kamen Rider 555 world, the Dragon Orphnoch was a powerhouse that had given Takumi Inui and the others endless trouble. Yet here, Decade held his own against two opponents simultaneously. It wasn't just a "Rider-Killer" advantage; Tsukasa was simply that skilled.
"What kind of belt is that?" the Dragon Orphnoch hissed, bewildered by Decade's ability to assume another Rider's form and execute strange, powerful techniques.
As the battle reached its climax, Tsukasa's movements became increasingly arrogant. He flicked a Final Attack Ride card into his driver with a flourish.
[FINAL ATTACK RIDE: B-B-B-BLADE!]
Decade leaped high into the air, channeling the power of the card into a devastating kick aimed directly at the Dragon Orphnoch. The sheer power of this Rider Kick surpassed even the Crimson Smash!
BOOM!
The Dragon Orphnoch's body shattered instantly. His form dissolved into a pile of gray sand, erupting in flickering blue flames.
"What!?" The Centipede Orphnoch was horrified. Who was this guy? To kill one of them so easily while being double-teamed was unthinkable.
Even the Lobster Orphnoch, who had been watching from the shadows, was stunned.
Suddenly, a new figure slowly entered the arena. This was the final member of Lucky Clover.
Ankh...? Kidding. It was the Tiger Orphnoch (played by the same actor as Ankh from Kamen Rider OOO). In this parallel world, he was the leader of Lucky Clover.
He stepped toward the pile of sand that had once been the Dragon Orphnoch. Extending tentacles from his hand, he injected Orphnoch life energy into the remains.
Instantly, a miracle occurred. The dead Dragon Orphnoch was restored to life!
"He injected his own life force into another Orphnoch?" Tsukasa muttered, visibly taken aback.
Natsumi was even more shocked. "He can bring them back to life?" She gripped Raven's arm tightly in disbelief.
Raven looked at the Tiger Orphnoch, the "Ankh-lookalike", with genuine curiosity. To be honest, he hadn't paid much attention to these details before. However, he found the ability intriguing. Maybe I should devour him, he thought.
"Our enemy is Faiz. I don't know where you crawled out from, but get lost," the Tiger Orphnoch barked at Tsukasa.
The members of Lucky Clover gathered together, glaring at Decade like a pack of wolves.
"What exactly are you trying to do by infiltrating this school?" Tsukasa asked.
"We Orphnochs will rule over humanity!" the Tiger Orphnoch declared before lunging at Decade.
Raven almost lost his composure at that line. So, ruling humanity starts with getting into a good university? He had expected a more profound motive.
"You're still laughing? Tsukasa is actually in trouble this time!" Natsumi cried.
Indeed, while Tsukasa might have held an advantage in a one-on-one fight against the world's boss, he was now facing four opponents at once. The Dragon Orphnoch managed to slip behind him for a sneak attack, and the Tiger Orphnoch followed up with a heavy blow that forced Tsukasa out of his transformation.
Decade had taken a rare loss.
After defeating him, Lucky Clover didn't stay to finish the job. They simply turned and left.
Shortly after they departed, Daiki Kaito approached them. Holding a photograph containing a lead on Faiz, he brazenly declared his intention to join Lucky Clover.
"This photo was taken by Yuri Tomoda. Could she be Faiz?" the Dragon Orphnoch mused.
"Doesn't matter who it is. Eliminate her," the Tiger Orphnoch ordered.
The Lobster and Centipede Orphnochs set out immediately. They tracked down Yuri Tomoda and Takumi Ogami on campus. Believing they knew Faiz's identity, they cast aside all restraint, even preparing to execute innocent bystanders.
Seeing the danger, Takumi Ogami was forced to reveal his secret. He transformed into Kamen Rider Faiz to fight them off.
"Takumi is Faiz?" Yuri watched in disbelief.
However, Takumi Ogami's combat prowess was abysmal, he was nothing like the original Takumi Inui. He lacked the iconic hand-flick, and his fighting style was clumsy and weak. Within moments, he was beaten out of his transformation.
He could only watch in despair as the Centipede Orphnoch snatched the Faiz Driver away.
"Damn it..."
Takumi Ogami gritted his teeth in frustration. He had simply found the belt somewhere on campus and had been clumsily using it to fight other Orphnochs in secret. He was far from the hero the world needed.
———————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over here ——— pa-tre-on.c-om/AlexandrusTL [remove the hyphen for normal access]