Upon entering the temple, he saw the Woman of the Beginning, wearing white tights and high heels. He immediately resumed his attempts to "create life" with her.
Mai was naturally very eager. To create life with Raven was her mission as the Woman of the Beginning.
However, this so-called "creation of life" was not done through divine power. It was done using the most primal method known to man, often leaving Mai on the verge of breakdown.
With a single thought, Raven straightened his clothes and returned to the Kamen Rider Geats world. It wasn't long before he received the DGP's summons to assemble. He logged into his ID Core and entered the lobby.
"Raven-san!"
Neon immediately gravitated toward Raven, giving the impression that one night apart felt like three years.
Since not all the contestants had arrived and the game was still a few hours from officially starting, they waited in the lounge. Neon quickly changed her clothes upon entering the lounge, revealing her silky legs, and sat close to Raven, sharing snacks and fruits.
"What's the deal with Buffa? He's still not here," Morio Koganeya asked curiously. Buffa had been quite prompt in the previous games, but today he was the last one to arrive.
Among the group, Ace wore a look of amusement. He naturally knew why Michinaga was late. It was because Michinaga was currently renovating his new home.
Catching Ace's uncontrolled smirk, Raven quickly figured out what was going on. He could only shake his head. Truly worthy of being called 'a man too earnest for his own good.' Michinaga was balancing the Desire Grand Prix while working hard for his livelihood, and he still hadn't skipped work. He truly moves me to tears.
The future Drill Buckle was practically meant to be Michinaga's exclusive item.
After a long wait in the lounge, Buffa finally showed up, looking breathless and exhausted from having just finished work. To complete his work before the mission started, he had done the labor of several people.
"Yo, isn't that Buffa? How are the renovations going on my new place?" Ace teased.
"I told you, I'll finish it for you in two seconds," Buffa glared at Ace with wide eyes.
"Everyone, please gather in the Game Lobby." Tsumuri's voice suddenly cut in.
The contestants stood up and were immediately teleported to the platform in the Game Lobby. Their clothes had also changed into the standard Rider suits. Tsumuri appeared in the center and began her usual explanation.
"Starting now, the third round of the Desire Grand Prix, the Concentration Game, officially begins!" She feigned a cheerful expression to lighten the mood.
However, most of the contestants wore grim expressions. After all, someone had already died in this game so far. No one could guarantee they wouldn't be next.
"The Concentration Game? Like a card game?" Keiwa asked.
"Exactly. The targets for this round are the Trump Jyamato." Several virtual screens appeared behind Tsumuri, showing the Trump Jyamato attacking couples on the street.
"They specialize in attacking places where couples go on dates, forcibly separating them," Tsumuri explained. "And then dragging them back to their nest."
"That's terrible," the love-struck Neon couldn't help but exclaim.
She immediately imagined herself and Raven as a couple. If we were dating and I got captured, what would Raven do?
Hmm. Those Jyamato would probably be shaking with fear, Neon mused. After all, Raven's performance in the recent matches made him nothing short of a Jyamato slaughter machine.
Tsumuri held up a lottery box and addressed the group: "Partners will be determined by drawing lots for a cooperative challenge mission."
"Partners?" Someone exclaimed in surprise.
"A two-person team battle, huh." Michinaga glanced around the room, hoping he wouldn't get stuck with a teammate who would hold him back.
Neon, meanwhile, was starting to get anxious. She secretly prayed that she would draw Raven's name.
"The mission ends when all Jyamato are eliminated. This will also be an elimination round based on points."
"The two members of the team with the lowest score when the game ends will be eliminated."
Hearing the elimination rules, everyone's expressions turned serious. Unlike the previous solo battle, this round required teamwork. Success now depended heavily on luck. If one was too unlucky and ended up with a useless teammate, even excellent individual performance wouldn't be enough.
Just then, Tsumuri spoke up again: "We have a special new rule for this game."
"The DGP will send two staff members to transform into Kamen Riders and participate in the game by mixing in with the drawing pool." Tsumuri drew two cards from her hand: a Pumpkin Bear and a regular Bear silhouette.
Two transformed figures then appeared, wearing a Pumpkin Bear and a Bear helmet.
"Something like that is happening?" The contestants were surprised that the management was adding two extra players.
Raven was also quite surprised. He had thought his participation would force the plot to eliminate either Michinaga or Keiwa. He hadn't expected the management to insert two staff members instead.
"However, since these two are staff members, they will not show their faces or speak. We ask for your understanding."
"Next, following the score rankings from the last round, contestants will draw lots sequentially."
After Tsumuri finished explaining the drawing rules, Raven stepped forward. He gave Tsumuri a smile at close range, then reached into the box. Using his divine power, he secretly cheated and pulled out the slip of paper bearing Neon's image.
"Na-Go."
"Yes! Amazing!" Neon jumped up in delight. This round was secure!
Next, Ace stepped up to draw. He reached in and pulled out the slip of paper with the Bear silhouette. Without any fanfare, he simply walked to the side. That was the confidence of a winner, knowing he could win even with a liability as a teammate.
The next to draw was Michinaga. Michinaga drew Keiwa, just like in the original story. He immediately looked dejected. From the start, he felt that Keiwa wouldn't last long in this game.
Keiwa's mood was also complex. He knew Michinaga had a bad temper and clearly disliked him.
After the three teams were formed, the last one, Morio Koganeya, was naturally paired with the Pumpkin Bear.
The game officially began, and the contestants were teleported to the target location. Each team received a random Buckle Box.
Neon opened a box. Inside was a Claw Buckle.
"You can use it. I don't need these," Raven said to her. For one, it was useless to him, and for another, he had plenty of other Buckles on him.
"You're too kind!" Neon was speechless with gratitude.
Meanwhile, the "Overlord of Luck," Keiwa, once again opened a box containing the Boost Buckle. This even made Michinaga complain, wondering if the item was somehow bound to Keiwa.
What he didn't know was that the "luck" was an illusion. Keiwa's luck was normally terrible; there was no way it would suddenly change just by entering the Desire Grand Prix. All those Boost Buckles were "gifts" given to Keiwa by his Top Spender, Kekera.
Currently, only three players had Top Spenders as supporters: Ace Ukiyo, Neon Kurama, and Keiwa Sakurai. The supporters of the first two were relatively poor and took a hands-off approach, not wanting to overly influence the players. Keiwa's supporter, however, was different. Kekera had practically nurtured Keiwa from the ground up, fearing he would lose every single game, and so kept sending him the highly valuable, game-breaking Boost Buckle.
Logically, with a "cheat item" like the Boost Buckle, Keiwa should win every game without a hitch, yet he still managed to make every round a close call.
As for Raven and Michinaga, they still had no supporters. Morio needed no mention; even among the audience, he had the lowest popularity. After all, who watches a Rider reality show just to project themselves onto a weak, comedic middle-aged man?
Meanwhile, Morio had opened a terrifying Buckle: the Arrow Buckle! The infamous top-tier cursed item! Everyone who had used it had nothing bad to say, because they were dead.
Morio, naturally unaware of the horror of this item, was quite pleased. He thought it was at least more practical than his Shield Buckle. He was quite smug about his luck.
His partner, the Pumpkin Bear, reached out, gesturing for a Buckle.
"You want this one?" Morio thought he was asking for the Arrow Buckle.
However, the Pumpkin Bear shook his head, indicating he wanted the Shield Buckle. As a staff member, he had witnessed many things behind the scenes. He knew that almost every player who had used the Arrow Buckle had been eliminated—no, killed.
They had even calculated the death rate, finding it to be an astonishing 99%! Therefore, he absolutely did not want to use the Arrow Buckle. He was afraid that even as a staff member, he wouldn't survive it.