Though a bit awkward, David still took off his shirt, revealing his slender yet fairly healthy body.
Thanks to his usual exercise routine, David's physique wasn't bad at all, with faint traces of abdominal muscles visible on his stomach.
"This might sting a little. Bear with it." As Silver Wolf spoke, she reached out and pressed a finger against David's lower back.
In an instant, a sharp, piercing pain shot through his spine.
"What's going on?"
A pained and somewhat confused expression crossed David's face.
"It's the necessary price for getting stronger. The pain you're feeling now is just a fraction of what the old-timers endured."
Silver Wolf curled her lip. Which of those modification-type Knights hadn't been through agony? This was nothing compared to the original work's intensity.
Of course, Silver Wolf wasn't deliberately torturing him—she was just helping him get used to the pain ahead of time. After all, she couldn't watch over him forever.
As the pain in his spine intensified, David clenched his jaw, veins bulging on his forehead.
Fine beads of sweat began to seep from his skin.
The next moment, a black metallic liquid began to ooze from the Sandevistan implant embedded in his lower back.
The liquid gradually spread, encircling his waist before solidifying into a gleaming belt-like form.
It wasn't a belt worn on the body—it fused directly with David's flesh and blood.
Most of David's pain originated from this process.
But the cost came with a reward: David gained power far greater than anything he'd known before.
Once he'd adjusted to the new strength, the gem at the center of the belt began to glow with a swirling light. Then, the black metallic liquid spread outward from the belt, covering his body.
The dark fluid enveloped David entirely, morphing into a somewhat bulky suit of armor.
"Mmm, not bad." Silver Wolf nodded in satisfaction as she looked at David, now fully encased in the armor.
"What is this...?" David lifted his hands, staring in astonishment at the armor covering his body.
"Don't rush. This is your new power—a metal armor evolved from your Sandevistan implant. Since it's your first time transforming, it activated automatically."
Silver Wolf studied the black armor adorned with faint red patterns and couldn't help but show approval.
"But this bulky armor... doesn't seem like I can use my implants with it on?"
David moved his body and found it noticeably heavier than before.
"Right, this form isn't meant for using implants. Try activating your Sandevistan now." Silver Wolf nodded as she spoke.
The next moment, David activated the Sandevistan implanted in his body.
"Cast Off!"
Red light flashed from the belt, and in that instant, the heavy armor covering David burst apart in all directions.
At the same time, a horn, resembling that of a rhinoceros beetle, broke free from the restraints and appeared on David's head.
"Whoa, it exploded..."
David stared in surprise at the scattered armor fragments.
"This is your second form. The previous form couldn't use the Sandevistan's acceleration, but it had incredible physical defense. Even a direct hit from a rocket launcher wouldn't do much to you. As long as you don't take a missile head-on, that armor is more than enough."
"Damn... that strong?"
David's eyes widened beneath the helmet.
What kind of monstrous defense could withstand a rocket launcher point-blank?
Even Adam Smasher, that legendary cyberpunk monster packed with implants, didn't have that level of defense, did he?
"Of course! Who do you think did this?"
Silver Wolf lifted her chin proudly.
"But even with strong defense, that bulky form would make you a sitting duck. So, you can activate the second form. When you do, the armor explodes outward, damaging anyone nearby. In this form, your strength and defense drop a bit, but your speed increases dramatically."
"Plus, the armor's AI will assist you in combat, helping you choose the optimal moves. At the same time, you can enter a hyper-acceleration state—about five times stronger than your old Sandevistan."
"F-five times?!?"
David could hardly believe it.
His old Sandevistan was already ridiculously powerful, allowing someone like him, who'd never trained seriously, to spar with seasoned cyberpunks like Maine. And now Silver Wolf was telling him he could boost it five times?
"What's the big deal? The limit before wasn't the implant itself—it was that your body couldn't handle higher frequencies. Now, with the armor's support, boosting it five times isn't that hard."
Silver Wolf smirked, looking at him like he was a country bumpkin.
"Whoaaa! With this, I feel invincible!"
Feeling the surging power within, David couldn't help but get a little carried away.
Even if Adam Smasher stood before him now, he'd dare to call him "Baby Adam."
"Hey, 'invincible' is not something you just say out loud. Usually, right after saying stuff like that, things go wrong."
Silver Wolf quickly stopped him.
"Why?"
David didn't get it—shouting something like that felt pretty cool, after all.
"Don't ask. Just avoid saying things like 'invincible,' 'unbeatable,' 'I'll take you all on,' or 'instead of running, you're approaching me?' Oh, and don't point your thumb at yourself, don't cross your arms trying to look cool, and especially don't say things like 'after this job, I'm going home to get married.' Remember, never say stuff like that in this lifetime. Otherwise, I might not be able to save you in time."
Silver Wolf looked at David, urgently warning him.
Those phrases were way too dangerous.
If David said them, she was sure something would go wrong.
After all, plenty of veterans had personally tested those words—they were lethally effective.
"I... I understand."
Seeing how serious Silver Wolf was, David nodded and decided to commit her advice to memory.
After some time getting used to the armor, David dismissed it, returning to his normal self.
"Oh, and when you transform from now on, remember to strike a pose and shout 'Henshin!' That's the most, most, most, most important part! Without 'Henshin!', it's like a fish without water, or Silver Wolf without games—completely soulless!"
She wasn't kidding—the most important thing for a Kamen Rider wasn't anything else, but the transformation catchphrase!
So many people got hooked because of a cool pose and that one iconic line.
Back in the days of disc players, Silver Wolf had watched Kamen Rider Black RX, and Kotaro Minami's transformation had blown her away. She'd imitated it countless times as a kid.
--+--
The day passed quickly. After leaving yesterday, Silver Wolf returned to Konpeki Plaza, happily gaming in her room all day before leisurely heading to the meeting spot.
Strangely, even after Yorinobu Arasaka learned what Silver Wolf looked like, he hadn't tried to confront her directly.
This was Konpeki Plaza—his turf. If Yorinobu wanted to, he could easily trap her here. Especially now that he knew her face.
But he hadn't done that... which puzzled Silver Wolf.
Theoretically, that would've been the safest move. If an ordinary person got surrounded in Konpeki Plaza, there'd be no escape.
Unless they could fly, anyone caught in an ambush here would have zero chance of getting away.
But since he hadn't made a move, Silver Wolf saw no reason to strike first. She'd wait and see what he was up to.
Mostly, after looking into Yorinobu Arasaka, she realized he wasn't quite what she'd imagined.
In her mind, as the son of Saburo Arasaka, Yorinobu should've been a ruthless capitalist like his father.
But when Silver Wolf dug up Yorinobu's records, she found the guy was... kind of a lunatic.
As Saburo Arasaka's third son, instead of enjoying a life of luxury as a rich heir, he spent his days plotting how to destroy Arasaka?
He'd cut ties with his family early on, started a gang in Japan, then realized a giant like Arasaka couldn't be taken down from the outside.
So during the Corporate Wars, he colluded with the government to sabotage Arasaka, causing them to lose. The Japanese government seized the chance to nationalize part of Arasaka's assets.
And it was during that war that Cole and Genji's hometown was destroyed.
In fact, if not for Yorinobu Arasaka, Cole and Genji probably wouldn't have survived.
In a way, wasn't Yorinobu not an enemy, but a benefactor?
What's more, their goals were even aligned.
After Arasaka lost the war, Yorinobu's older brother committed seppuku to atone. At his brother's funeral, Yorinobu returned to the family and reconciled with his father, Saburo Arasaka.
But all these years, Yorinobu's goal never changed: to destroy Arasaka.
Looking over this information, an intrigued smile spread across Silver Wolf's face.
"What? You're saying the person we've been hating all this time was actually innocent?"
After Silver Wolf explained the situation, Genji struggled to accept it.
"If that's true, then what was the point of everything we've done?" Cole couldn't help but sigh.
"No, the target of your hatred was never Yorinobu as an individual—it was the corporation that destroyed your hometown, right?"
Seeing their confusion, Silver Wolf shrugged and spoke calmly.
With that one clarification, both of them understood. They weren't the type to stubbornly cling to misunderstandings, so they quickly got back on track.
"Then, do you think it's possible we could cooperate with Yorinobu? After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend."
Cole pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Maybe. We'll find out when the time comes."
Silver Wolf checked the time as she spoke.
"Almost time. Tanaka should already be heading to the location."
She pulled out her phone and glanced at it briefly.
"Alright, let's move. Whatever Yorinobu's planning, we'll probably know after tonight. With his personality, he might even show up in person."
Silver Wolf rubbed her smooth chin, a playful smile on her face.
--+--
Soon, Silver Wolf met up with Maine and the others.
The plan was simple: once Tanaka and Jimmy Kurosaki made contact, Maine, Silver Wolf, and Dorio would rush in and take control.
Meanwhile, Kiwi and Lucy would handle the network, preventing any messages from getting out.
David, with his Sandevistan, was on lookout duty—perfect for quick communication.
After confirming their roles, the group quickly moved toward the target location.
The night was dazzling with neon lights. Amid the glowing signs, the group watched the passersby, feeling somewhat dazed.
Soon, they might be facing the most powerful corporation in the world. Though most cyberpunks didn't worry too much about their lives, Maine still felt a sense of unreality that this day had come so soon.
Lucy valued her life—she hadn't planned to join this operation at first. But after seeing Silver Wolf's display of power last night, she'd changed her mind.
But still...
"What's going on? Where are Tanaka and Jimmy Kurosaki?"
When they arrived at the destination—a remote spot—Maine frowned.
Their intel said the two would meet here, but there was no sign of them.
"A trap? That makes sense. Even if Arasaka wanted to use bait, they wouldn't use a high-level exec like Tanaka. But this isn't their usual style... We haven't gone in yet. If anything seems off, we can still drive away."
Maine furrowed his brow, racking his brain but unable to figure out the situation.
Just as Maine was considering calling it off, a graceful woman approached the car, leaned down, and gently tapped on Maine's window.
"What do you want? Piss off if it's nothing."
Maine snapped impatiently.
"Miss Silver Wolf, Lord Yorinobu wishes to speak with you. He's inside alone, without any guards."
Ignoring Maine, the woman looked directly at Silver Wolf in the passenger seat, her tone sincere.
Hearing this, everyone turned to Silver Wolf, confused about what Yorinobu was playing at.
"How interesting..."
Silver Wolf looked at the woman, a curious smile forming, then nodded. "Lead the way."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.