After returning safely to the surface, Hideo parted ways with Mira and continued on with Isadora. They moved swiftly across the rugged terrain of Mato, leaping and weaving without pause until they finally found a suitable place to rest.
They landed in an area enclosed by towering rocks. Hideo adjusted his belt, and as he did, his transformation dissolved.
"I'm hungry."
His stomach growled in agreement with the quiet complaint. At that moment, he would have taken anything just to ease the gnawing emptiness.
"Here, I brought something."
"Thanks~"
Isadora pulled out a container and handed him a homemade sandwich. Hideo removed his mask and took a large bite. His face lit up instantly, a bright smile forming as the taste hit him.
While he enjoyed his meal, Isadora stood nearby, giving him space to eat in peace. Once he finished, she decided it was time to address what had happened earlier.
"Are you sure that was a Thunder God you encountered, Isadora?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. She had the same energy as that black bitch. The only difference is that it was much weaker compared to Shikoku."
"So they can do that too. Transfer their consciousness, I mean."
"All the more reason to be wary. That thing you fought earlier was weaker than it should have been."
Hideo frowned slightly, the thought settling in his mind. If that opponent had been at full strength, defeating it would have been far more troublesome. It was already durable, and despite falling short of his expectations, its ability to adapt was something he couldn't afford to underestimate. It felt incomplete, yet still dangerous.
"That Thunder God who calls herself Jaku'un. Enemies like her are the most troublesome to deal with."
Their encounter had been brief, yet Isadora already understood the potential danger Jaku'un posed. In terms of sheer threat, she could rival or even surpass Shikoku. It was not just a matter of strength, but of intellect. She was the kind of opponent who fought as much with her mind as with her power.
Truthfully, Isadora preferred facing brute fighters. Those who relied solely on strength were far easier to handle. Against them, she could focus entirely on the clash itself without worrying about hidden traps or unseen motives. Opponents like Jaku'un were different. They forced her to think, to second-guess every move, and that was far more exhausting than any physical battle.
Her thoughts spiraled, crowding her mind one after another. Then, as if grounding herself, her hair and dress shifted back to their original colors. She rose to her feet and removed her mask. The blue of her eyes shimmered, gradually blending into a rainbow hue as she lifted her hand.
"I suggest we head back for now, Hideo. We can discuss our next course of action once we're home."
"No problem with me. Besides, I could use a short nap."
As Isadora opened the path, both of them paused for a brief moment and glanced back. Then, without another word, they faced forward and walked on, returning to the other side through the portal Isadora created.
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While Hideo and Isadora chose retreat, elsewhere in Mato, another response was already taking shape.
Back at the original site, Mira sat astride her motorcycle. She had briefly returned to her dorm to rest and call for possible assistance. Fortunately, both the Sixth and First Units responded almost immediately.
With her eyes closed, she rested in silence. A sudden crack in space snapped them open. A faint smirk touched her lips as she watched the rift form, splitting the air before two figures stepped through.
Tenka emerged first, followed by her Vice Chief, Yachiho.
Mira raised a hand in a small, friendly wave. Tenka returned it with an easy smile, while Yachiho offered a respectful nod in greeting.
"Thanks for answering my request." Mira swung her leg off the bike and stood.
"No biggie, I had some free time anyway. Besides, I'm really interested in that thing you showed me." Tenka gave a casual wave. "Even I was astonished when I saw that image you sent."
While waiting for the First Unit to arrive, the two passed the time with casual conversation, sharing bits of what they had been up to recently. At one point, Tenka asked whether Mira had already received her orders. Mira replied that she had, though only relatively recently compared to the other Chiefs.
"I actually paid Kyou-chin a short visit today," Tenka said. "I wanted to check on her and ask more about those Shuuki she fought. As a bonus, I even got to meet her new recruit."
"Now that you mention it," Mira replied, "Kyouka did tell me she has a new subordinate bound to her Eternal Chains. I never thought she'd use that on a human, not even once."
Kyouka had always used Shuukis as her slaves whenever she activated her Peach abilities. Everyone, including Kyouka herself, knew her power was considered inefficient, despite her own strength as a fighter. That said, Mira was heavily surprised when Kyouka told her she had used it on a girl who had gotten lost due to a Mato incident.
"What about you? What exactly happened here?" Tenka asked, glancing around the area.
"It's going to sound insane," Mira replied flatly, "but everything I reported is true. I was just dealing with some unruly plants."
Fighting that Rootshaker, along with whatever Mato had cooked up to make that damned thing underground, had been an unusual experience for Mira. Of all the Unique Shuukis she had eradicated, none came close to the sheer frustration of dealing with that creature.
"I'm telling you," Mira said, exhaling sharply, "it gave me a hard time. Not because I'm weaker, but because it's such a damn cockroach to kill."
"Objectively, I think it's more about compatibility," Tenka replied. "A rock-paper-scissors situation."
"I guess." Mira shrugged. "Honestly, you or Yakumo would've handled that thing way better than me, or anyone who relies on raw physical strength."
If the two of them had been there at the time, the outcome would have been completely different. Tenka could have erased everything in her path by tearing through space itself, rendering any form of defense meaningless. Yakumo, on the other hand, would have overwhelmed it with relentless torrents of wind, her strongest tornadoes tearing the battlefield apart. Though in her case, that level of power came with a drawback. When she got excited, destruction followed without restraint.
That was precisely why, in operations involving populated areas, Yakumo was always one of the last people Mira would consider bringing. There was little point in protecting something if the place itself was reduced to nothing.
"I had some help this time," Mira added. "Made things easier than going in alone."
"Mhmm… who was it?" Tenka asked, tilting her head slightly. "Around here, it could only be Riu-san, someone from the Tenth Unit, or Bell."
"The Kamen Rider."
CRACK
A small portion of the ground beneath Tenka's heel fractured, crushed by the unconscious force she exerted. Her smile remained gentle, unchanged on the surface, but both Mira and Yachiho felt their brows twitch at the same moment.
"…Did I say something wrong?" Mira glanced at Yachiho.
"I have no idea," Yachiho replied, her voice slipping into Mira's mind as if reading her thoughts. "This is new to me too."
Before the tension could grow any more awkward, relief arrived in the form of Riu. She pulled up in a jeep, accompanied by a young girl. The two stepped out at the same time and made their way toward the group.
"Sorry I'm late," Riu said with a warm smile. "Something came up with my granddaughter."
Her tone was light, but the moment she drew closer, she sensed the strange shift in the air. Her gaze moved between Tenka, Mira, and Yachiho, picking up on the subtle tension lingering between them.
"Did something happen while I was away?"
"Nothing at all, so there's no need to worry, Riu-san."
Tenka answered smoothly, her usual gentle and slightly playful tone intact as she looked at her.
Riu's eyes drifted past her, only to find Mira and Yachiho deliberately avoiding eye contact, quietly whistling as if they had nothing to do with anything.
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After passing through the same route Mira had taken earlier, they arrived at the cavern. The remains of the Thorn's devoured body lay scattered across the ground, along with fragments of the spiders that had bitten the Rootshaker.
"Ew… this thing is absolutely disgusting."
Yachiho grimaced, glancing down when she felt something sticky cling to her boot.
Strangely enough, despite its repulsive appearance, the substance carried a fragrance far more pleasant than any expensive perfume she owned which only made it more baffling.
While the others examined the cavern, Mira's attention shifted to the red-haired girl Riu had brought along. Curious, she approached the First Unit's leader.
"Riu-san."
"Hmm? Something bothering you, Mira?"
"A bit late to ask, but who's the girl with you?"
Riu's inquisitive expression softened into something more relaxed.
"Oh, her? She's one of my current disciple."
Rather than explain further, Riu decided to let the girl introduce herself. She looked up and called out to her.
The girl had been climbing an empty Peach tree. At Riu's voice, she leapt down from her position, dropping from a considerable height. She landed smoothly, rolling once before rising to her feet with practiced ease.
"Is something wrong, Master?"
"Well, Mira here is curious about you," Riu said with a small smile. "Why don't you get to know each other?"
"Yes!"
The girl turned to Mira and gave a sharp salute, her smile bright and full of energy.
"My name is Tatara Konomi, the current Vice Chief of the First Unit! I may be new to the position, but I hope to gain more experience from now on alongside everyone in the Defense Force!"
"She's certainly energetic," Mira remarked, glancing at Riu.
"She is," Riu replied with a soft chuckle. "And she's my best pupil at the moment. Someone I'd trust to take over my position in time."
After Konomi finished her introduction, Mira stepped forward.
"Nice to meet you, Konomi-chan. I'm Kamiunten Mira, Chief of the Second Unit. It's refreshing to see someone as optimistic as you on our team."
"It's an honor!"
Konomi's eyes sparkled with admiration as she reached out and shook Mira's hand.
Riu continued, sharing more about her background. Konomi was currently a high school student in Yamaguchi and had been training under her since she was young. Like Kyouka, she was a fast learner with remarkable potential. Riu even mentioned that, given a few more years, Konomi could very well rise to the rank of Supreme Commander if she chose to pursue it.
As they continued surveying the area, Yachiho pulled out a high-resolution camera, capturing both videos and photographs with careful precision. At the same time, Mira and Tenka secured one of the dead spiders in a specialized containment unit, along with samples of other materials they deemed important.
Once everything was collected, they gathered the items in one place. With a subtle shift in space, Tenka teleported the entire group out of the cavern and back to the surface in an instant.
"We'll leave it to you, Tenka," Riu said calmly, her hands resting behind her back.
Tenka gave a small nod and a playful wink before stepping toward the samples. Yachiho moved to stand beside her as the space around them began to warp once more. In the next moment, the two vanished, leaving the area empty as they teleported to the main base, the headquarters of the Tenth Unit.