"Did you also know about this all along?"
But the only response Kagami received was Tendo's fist. Kabuto's punch struck Gatack's chest plate, knocking him to the ground.
"Stop fighting, both of you!" Hiyori cried out. She looked at Tendo with immense complexity.
Hearing his sister's voice, Tendo finally stopped.
"Hiyori, did you...?" Looking into her eyes, Tendo seemed to understand everything. He then turned his focus to Raven.
"Did you tell her?" Tendo shifted his aggression toward Raven. He had long suspected Raven knew a lot about his affairs, but he never expected him to know this much, even the fact that Hiyori was his biological sister.
"Do you think hiding it from her was a good thing?" Raven said to the increasingly agitated Tendo. Tendo always suffered a character collapse whenever something involving his sister happened, transforming him into a clown.
"Why did you tell her!" Tendo instantly rushed forward, attacking Raven recklessly.
However, his usually unstoppable fist was easily caught by Raven's single hand. It couldn't advance an inch.
"Calm down a little," Raven said, delivering an elbow strike that knocked Tendo to the ground, instantly forcing him out of his transformation.
It took only a single blow.
"So strong..." Kagami didn't know how many times he had uttered this phrase, but every time he saw Raven fight, he couldn't help but say it again. To be able to subdue an enraged Tendo with a single move was astonishing.
Hiyori looked deeply saddened. Although she and Tendo were siblings, strictly speaking, her Native Worm parents had killed Tendo's human parents. For a moment, she couldn't accept it, and she instantly ran away.
"Hiyori!" Tendo, still on the ground, reached out and called after his sister as she ran into the distance.
"She probably won't want to see either of you for a while." Raven could sense her mood. Now that her identity was exposed, it would be difficult for her to interact with them as before.
Saying this, Raven left the scene, leaving only Tendo and Kagami behind.
Raven found Hiyori by her parents' grave. She stood there, crying uncontrollably.
At that moment, ZECTroopers arrived, having been tipped off.
"Capture her!" The squad leader was Kageyama, who was under orders to apprehend Hiyori Kusakabe.
"Kageyama, is your skin itching again?" Raven emerged from the nearby woods and looked at Kageyama.
"It... it's you!" Kageyama recoiled in shock at Raven's appearance. How is this guy everywhere? I just wanted to complete one mission properly.
"Who else would it be?" Raven stood there calmly with his hands in his pockets.
"Shoot now! Fire!" Kageyama immediately commanded.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A dense volley of bullets from the ZECTroopers struck Raven's location, kicking up a cloud of smoke.
"We did it!" Kageyama wore an expression of triumph. He didn't believe Raven could transform that quickly. Maybe he's dead right now.
"What are you so happy about?"
The smoke cleared, and the spot was empty. Kageyama felt a chill in his heart upon hearing the demonic voice. A hand had placed itself on his shoulder without him noticing. Meanwhile, the ZECTroopers who had been next to him were all collapsed on the ground.
"Who... who exactly are you..." Kageyama desperately wanted to know who Raven was, bewildered by his absurdity. He was about to ask the famous death-knell question, but was interrupted by Kagami, who had followed him.
"Kageyama! What are you doing here?" Kagami looked at the many fallen ZECTroopers and Kageyama being restrained by Raven, confused.
"They also know Hiyori's identity," Raven replied calmly. He then knocked Kageyama out with a single palm strike, kicking him over to fall at Kagami's feet.
"So, what are you going to do?"
Kagami was stunned by the question, remaining silent for a long time.
"Hiyori, let's go." Raven shook his head and offered his hand to Hiyori.
She didn't hesitate to take it.
Raven decided to take Hiyori away for a while, bringing her to the Helheim Forest. Besides safety, the main reason was to give her some time to herself, allowing her to figure out how to face everything.
A few days later. Since Hiyori was still nowhere to be seen, Tendo proactively sought out Raven and questioned him.
"Where exactly is Hiyori right now?"
"She's in a very safe place," Raven replied calmly.
"I need to see her." Tendo's tone was urgent.
"She doesn't want to see you people for the time being."
"Is that so..." Tendo looked defeated, leaning against a nearby wall, deep in thought.
"You're right, I can't let her show up yet." He quickly pulled himself together, his gaze hardening with determination.
He needed to remove all obstacles for Hiyori, ensuring she could continue to live safely in this world.
Raven generally guessed Tendo's plan but didn't interfere. He turned and left.
After this, the motivated Tendo ultimately decided to join ZECT as Kabuto. His goal was to infiltrate the organization and destroy it from the inside, while also eliminating the other Riders outside. All of this was to ensure Hiyori's safe life.
Tendo first targeted Tsurugi Kamishiro. After becoming ZECT's area commander, he brought his subordinates and a suitcase full of cash to buy the Sasword Zecter from the extravagant young master.
Tsurugi, however, proposed an equivalent exchange, insisting on using a scale to determine the value. In the end, only two stacks of money from the suitcase were removed, matching the exact weight of the Sasword Zecter. Tsurugi looked completely satisfied, as if he had made a huge profit. He was truly a business prodigy, which perfectly explained his family's decline.
"Young Master, you sold the Sasword Zecter just like that. How will you defeat the Worms if you encounter them again?" the old butler worried immensely. If Tsurugi encountered danger without the ability to eliminate the Worm himself, he would only transform back into a Worm.