Chapter 17: Just Because Orphnochs

"They found me this quickly."

He was somewhat surprised, having expected it would take Smart Brain another day or two to track them down. It seemed Yuji Kiba's phone must have been monitored. Raven quickly analyzed the situation and figured out the reason.

Just then, Yuka, having finished her work in the kitchen, came out into the main area.

"There she is!" the bald man shouted immediately.

The man with the mohawk instantly stood up.

"You must be Yuka Osada," he said, asking the question out of habit even though he'd seen her picture.

"You... know me?" Yuka didn't yet understand what was happening.

The bald man gave a sinister smile, a momentary flash of his Orphnoch form passing across his face. "You're coming with us."

"No, don't..." Seeing this, Yuka instinctively backed away, only to bump into a solid chest. She looked up and saw it was Raven.

"Don't be afraid."

Raven placed a hand on Yuka's shoulder, signaling her to relax. Yuka immediately felt a wave of calm wash over her.

Raven spoke to the two men: "Tell me, are you going to drink that coffee or not? If not, you still have to pay the bill."

"You've got a death wish."

The mohawk-haired man walked straight up, intending to kill Raven right there and then take Yuka Osada back to complete their mission.

He suddenly transformed into his Gibbon Orphnoch form, expecting to see a look of terror on Raven's face.

But Raven was unmoved.

"He's not scared?" The Gibbon Orphnoch was astonished.

"Shimada, this guy isn't simple," the bald man warned his companion.

"Relax, I don't feel any kindred aura from him. He's just a regular human, after all—"

The Gibbon Orphnoch didn't get to finish his sentence before Raven's fist slammed into his abdomen. The force of the blow made him stagger back several steps.

Raven shook his hand slightly, feeling a little sting. It seemed he still had a small ways to go before reaching the physical power of a Grasshopper Kaijin.

"Yuka, let's go outside."

Raven felt protective of the Café's furniture and didn't want to fight indoors, so he pulled Yuka and rushed outside. Before leaving, he quickly retrieved his Driver from a hidden drawer under the counter.

The Gibbon Orphnoch, reeling from the punch, was now enraged. "I'll kill that bastard!" This was the first time he'd ever been hurt by a human since becoming an Orphnoch.

The bald man, recovered from his shock, transformed into his Rhinoceros Orphnoch form and chased after them.

The scene shifted. Raven had brought Yuka to an isolated area beneath a large bridge nearby.

The two Orphnochs chasing them yelled mockingly, "Why aren't you running anymore?"

"Running? I was just picking out your graves. This spot looks perfect."

Raven held the Driver in his hand, a slight smirk playing on his lips. He casually glanced past the two Orphnochs at a car driving up in the distance.

Smart Lady was inside the car, having come to secretly observe the battle.

"Smart Brain trying to test me out... couldn't you send better cannon fodder than you two scraps?" Raven shook his head.

He could feel that both of these Orphnochs were of the ordinary type, even weaker than Eiichi Toda.

"Who are you calling scrap! You infuriating human!"

The Gibbon Orphnoch charged at Raven, unable to contain his rage any longer.

"Yuka, stand back," Raven said to the girl beside him as he put on his Driver.

"Okay."

Yuka trusted Raven's ability to handle the two men without any trouble, so she immediately backed away to a safe distance.

Once Yuka was clear, Raven calmly rotated the Driver's grip. As the Driver activated its power, he softly uttered the transformation command.

"Amazon."

Boom!

A purple flame instantly erupted, centering on him. The blast sent the Gibbon Orphnoch flying back to violently crash into the Rhinoceros Orphnoch behind him.

The Amazon Rider transformation was always this intense, coming with its own explosive flame effect.

This spectacle directly shocked Smart Lady, who was observing from afar. "What in the world is that guy?"

Before she could recover from the intense shock, Raven moved with lightning speed, brutally tearing the Gibbon Orphnoch to shreds with his bare hands, then swiftly ripping out the Rhinoceros Orphnoch's heart.

It was an instant kill.

After dealing with the two Orphnochs and absorbing their energy, Raven turned and looked directly toward Smart Lady's car.

"What a terrifying individual..."

She had hoped to glean more information on Raven, but the battle ended so quickly. Prioritizing her own safety, Smart Lady quickly drove away.

"I hope you send some tougher guys next time."

After absorbing the energy of the two Orphnochs, Raven deactivated his transformation, feeling his physical strength grow even more.