"Why are you still here?"
Hajime Shijyo didn't even spare him a glance, deleting his information from the computer database and tossing it straight into the recycle bin.
"You're fired. I trust I don't need to explain why," he said indifferently.
Seeing his years of dedicated service to the company end like this, Kazuma Kendate finally gave up hope. This time, he didn't argue. He simply turned and walked away in silence.
He made his way to the locker room, preparing to pack his things and leave for good.
"Is this all the backbone you have?"
Tsukasa Kadoya had followed him in.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"If you care so much about Rank, I'll just write one for you."
As he spoke, Tsukasa pulled out a marker and, with a mischievous flourish, drew a '0' directly over the Rank on Kendate's employee ID.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?"
"Consider it a gift," Tsukasa replied, turning to leave.
"You bastard!"
Staring at the '0', Kendate immediately understood the implication. It was a slight, saying he was now even lower than a Rank 2.
"Don't look down on me!" Driven by a surge of emotion, Kendate rushed forward, ready to have it out with Tsukasa.
However, Yusuke Onodera, who had been hanging back as usual, stepped in at just the right moment to restrain him.
"Don't be reckless, Kazuma!"
"Let me go!"
"Think about the meaning of that number!" Yusuke's logic began to spiral into its own interpretation. He was convinced that Tsukasa's '0' held a profound, hidden meaning, a cryptic way to encourage the man to pull himself together.
"The meaning of the number?"
"You have nothing left now, so you have to start from zero! Isn't that right, Tsukasa?" Yusuke shouted toward the departing back.
"Start from zero...?" Kendate began to calm down.
"Tsukasa cares so much about this job; he must have a deeper motive," Yusuke added.
"…"
Tsukasa hadn't expected his impulsive prank to be over-analyzed to such an extent by Yusuke. Deciding to play along, he replied vaguely, "Uh, yeah... something like that."
"Thinking of his subordinates... sometimes you need harsh words to stimulate growth," Tsukasa muttered to himself, feeling a slight twinge of guilt.
But Kendate took it as gospel. Believing Tsukasa had gone to such lengths out of a sense of mentorship, his perspective shifted instantly.
"I understand now."
And so, he willingly stayed behind to wash dishes in the kitchen, determined to work his way up from '0'.
It wasn't long before a smug Mutsuki Kuroya arrived, flanked by Sakuya Hishigata, now effectively his subordinate, to gloat. He mocked the dishwashing Kendate mercilessly. Not long ago, Mutsuki was merely a marginal character assigned to assist Kendate and Hishigata in battle. Now, he had suddenly become their superior. The feeling of power went straight to his head, causing his ego to inflate.
After finishing their taunts, the two prepared to hunt down Chalice and reclaim the stolen Rider Systems. Little did they know that by leaving, they were heading toward a fate of being used as lab rats.
Sure enough, shortly after they left the company, Tsukasa, Kendate, and the others heard a broadcast announcing the "voluntary" resignation of both men.
"Forget about them. Didn't they just come by to kick you while you were down?" several other kitchen staff members said to Kendate, noticing his concerned expression.
"Exactly," Tsukasa added, acting as if it were none of his business.
"There must be a reason behind this," Yusuke Onodera interjected. "Do you really think they're the type to give up their positions so easily? You were colleagues, after all."
Hearing this, Kendate's lingering hesitation vanished. He couldn't just abandon his former comrades. He decided to find the President and get to the bottom of the situation.
When they arrived upstairs, however, the office door was locked.
"The General Manager apparently went to the Chairman's laboratory," Yusuke noted, having gathered information from others.
"The Chairman?"
"Do you know something?" Tsukasa asked.
Kendate explained, "That's where BOARD's highest secrets are kept."
"Then let's go check it out," Yusuke proposed.
The two mounted their motorcycles and sped toward their destination.
…
Meanwhile, inside the laboratory.
Hajime Shijyo handed the Leangle Buckle, which he had just recovered from Mutsuki Kuroha, to Kamata.
"This is the Leangle Rider System."
Kamata took the belt, a smirk playing on his lips. "With this, all the Rider Systems are gathered, Shijo."
"Yes," Shijo replied with a confident smile.
In a corner of the lab, the captured Sakuya Hishigata and Mutsuki Kuroha were bound in heavy chains. Kamata walked over calmly and inserted the Leangle Buckle into a card, placing it into a complex apparatus.
The specialized device was divided into two tiers. The top tier held the Chalice Rider System, while the bottom tier housed Blade, Garren, and Leangle. Cables snaked out from the machine, connecting directly to the two captives.
"By synthesizing the Undead cells sealed by Ace Squad with human cells, we create the ultimate modified experimental subject. This is how we will manufacture the Undead with the strongest combat power: Joker."
With that, Kamata flipped the switch.
Zzzzt—Bzzzz!
In an instant, the power of the three Rider Systems was siphoned into the Chalice belt.
"Agh—aaaaargh!"
Hishigata and Mutsuki screamed in agony as high-voltage currents surged through their bodies.
Moments later, the experiment concluded. A brand-new card had been forged. Kamata flashed a sinister grin and handed the card to Shijyo.
"Hahaha..." Shijyo laughed.
"Now, we no longer need to fear that man," Kamata said confidently.
He was, of course, referring to Raven. Though he had only clashed with Raven's Dark Decade once, that single encounter had left him deeply traumatized. To rule this world, he had to eliminate him. To do that, he needed greater power.
"President! What are you doing?!"
At that moment, Kazuma Kendate and Yusuke Onodera burst into the room, taking in the horrific scene before them.