Several hours later. ZECT HQ.
After sending away the two Combat Riders who arrived injured, a trace of haze flashed across Kagami Riku's eternally unchanging expression.
At this moment, after the two left, Kurosaki Issei, dressed in white, walked out slowly from the shadows and asked Kagami Riku:
"Do I need to go solve that guy and retrieve those Zecters?"
"Not for now. What needs to be done now is to ensure the arrival of the 'guests'."
"...Understood."
Then, as if remembering something, Kurosaki Issei spoke to Kagami Riku again.
"According to your instructions, I spared Kabuto's life. What if he chooses to continue hindering our plan?"
"Kusakabe's son, huh... Heheh."
Hearing Kurosaki Issei's words, Kagami Riku chuckled indifferently twice, then suddenly changed his expression, speaking very coldly:
"For the sake of him being my old friend's offspring, I let you spare his life. But if he continues to hinder our plan, then kill him."
"Understood."
After watching Kurosaki Issei leave, Mishima Masato and Kagami Riku didn't say anything more.
As the only two who knew of this plan, they knew very well that the plan had reached the final stage.
Relying on the Sky Ladder Project to transport the meteor serving as the Worms Nest to the vicinity of Earth—such a thing certainly couldn't be hidden from everyone.
So at this stage, Kagami Riku publicly claimed this was an accident caused by the Sky Ladder Project and announced that this meteor might endanger the Earth.
Then, he continued to publicly claim that ZECT would launch an antimatter missile capable of destroying this meteor to reassure everyone.
However, in reality, this missile was not a weapon to destroy the Worms, but a stimulant to awaken those sleeping Worms.
After awakening those Worms with the missile, Kagami Riku just had to wait.
Wait for the Worms to come to Earth, and let humans 'live' inside the bodies of Worms.
The time was ripe. After completing this plan...
—Human civilization, which would have been destroyed, would continue to extend in this form.
................
After leaving Kagami Riku's presence, Yaguruma and Yamato looked at each other, seeing the unconcealable doubt in each other's eyes simultaneously.
Regarding the matter Oda Hidenari mentioned in the previous battle, the two originally wouldn't have believed a single character.
But the problem was, just hours ago, after they had their Zecters seized by Drake, the Sky Ladder Project actually really had a problem.
Although Kagami Riku publicly claimed this was an accident, when someone had predicted this accident beforehand, then no matter how untrustworthy that person was, their words would temporarily remain in the hearts of those who heard them, unable to dissipate.
However, right now, although the two had doubts, they didn't completely believe Oda Hidenari's claim.
After all, the statement 'letting humans be mimicked and killed by Worms, thereby letting humans "live" inside the bodies of Worms' was too bizarre.
As normal people, the two completely couldn't understand what kind of brain circuit could come up with such a way to 'save humanity'.
Although Director Kagami usually didn't speak human language and liked to speak in riddles, in the eyes of Yaguruma and Yamato, apart from his strange way of speaking, this Director was otherwise very normal.
*Would such a normal person have such an idiotic idea?*
*Couldn't be...*
But now, the two inside the ZECT base couldn't communicate.
No one knew if those two commanders had really gone crazy.
If they showed any inclination that they already knew about that plan in a place like the ZECT base where cameras were everywhere...
At this moment, having lost their Zecters and transformation equipment, facing the encirclement of the Director's direct unit, they estimated they would die even sooner than Oda Hidenari who was currently sitting in prison.
The two, with complex moods, just walked silently like this, preparing to leave this place.
If what Oda Hidenari said was true, then the situation now was very bad.
Having lost their Zecters and transformation devices, even having combat unit command authority was useless.
Although they could command troops to fight, that premise was that the opponents were Worms.
If they asked the combat unit members to follow them to gun down ZECT's top boss...
They estimated they would be gunned down by their subordinates first.
Hard to handle.
If the boss was a normal person, then everything wouldn't be a big problem.
Even if the Sky Ladder Project caused an error this time, humanity wouldn't be completely finished.
After all, they still had the antimatter missile that could destroy that giant meteor...
*When did our organization have antimatter missiles?*
*Did we master this technology before?*
Both were meticulous people; with someone prompting them, they naturally detected loopholes more easily.
"Captain Yamato, right now we..."
"Without Zecters, we can't do anything. So right now, let's go pay attention to the follow-up of the Sky Ladder Project."
After taking a deep look at Yaguruma, Yamato understood that this comrade of his, like him, had developed similar thoughts.
The two had already developed a bit of suspicion toward the organization, and the subsequent remedial measures of the Sky Ladder Project would prove whether their suspicions were correct or wrong.
*Hope ultimately it was just that guy Oda spouting nonsense. Otherwise...*
*Even if we die, we will send those two guys who betrayed humanity to hell!*
...................
The next day.
On a certain high vantage point near the battlefield, Bronya used the scope of the Teigu [Roman Artillery: Pumpkin] Aaron gave her to observe the two Riders speeding across the battlefield.
After the failure of the Sky Ladder Project, Tendou Souji, who survived Kurosaki Issei's hands for some reason, still chose to team up with his brother-in-law Kagami Arata, preparing to stop the atrocities of the ZECT higher-ups.
Of course, Kagami Arata simply didn't know what the ZECT higher-ups planned to do.
Although Tendou Souji told him ZECT deceived everyone, there was no evidence.
Kagami Riku was Kagami Arata's father after all. If someone suddenly jumped out and said 'Your dad is an idiot planning to sell out the Earth', what normal person would believe such nonsense?
But precisely because he believed in his father, Kagami Arata followed Tendou Souji's side.
He wanted to witness his father's remedial measures with his own eyes, and then tell this inexplicable guy that his father simply didn't plan to do such ridiculous things.
But before that, they had to break through the defensive line woven by these Worms and sprint into the rocket carrying the 'antimatter missile'.
Witnessing all this, Bronya let out a slight sigh.
The two were already working very hard on the battlefield, but there were simply too many Worms.
In the footage she watched, the reason Tendou Souji and Kagami Arata couldn't defeat Kurosaki Issei, besides Kurosaki Issei having Hyper Clock Up which was stronger than their Clock Up, was also because of their condition.
Facing so many Worms, even to break through the interception of these Worms, they needed to expend a lot of stamina and suffer considerable injuries.
Conversely, Kurosaki Issei hadn't experienced combat before meeting the two, engaging them in a completely fresh state waiting for the exhausted enemy.
Under these circumstances, with Kurosaki Issei in better condition and better equipment, he easily achieved a crushing victory.
Watching the figures of the two, Bronya actually really wanted to intervene and help them.
But right now, if she intervened, she would not only expose her whereabouts but might even attract ZECT pursuers to hunt her down.
Previously, Aaron explained that there was a bodyguard beside her.
According to Bronya's speculation, this so-called bodyguard should be one of those women she met in Nagazora City.
But... *Calm down.*
*As long as Master acts according to the plan, everything won't be a problem.*
*However, the people fighting in this world are these two youths.*
*What if it reaches our world?*
At this moment, Bronya felt the figures of the two Riders before her seemed to transform into Kiana and Mei.
*Both indeed have powerful strength, but when the number of enemies reaches a terrifying figure, can the two... still perform so dominantly?*
*Energy will run out, body and mind will be exhausted, and after their body and mind are exhausted, flaws will follow, and the probability of getting injured will increase.*
Even though she had similar thoughts in her heart countless times, at this moment, Bronya felt she craved power more than ever before.
*If I had enough power, I wouldn't need to endure this anxious emotion.*
*If I had enough power, I wouldn't worry about companions getting seriously injured in future battles.*
*If I had enough power...*
*Bronya wouldn't have to just observe everything here now, waiting for Master to solve all the problems!*
*Although Master told Bronya that we can return to our world after the mission is completed, but...*
*From the moment Kurosaki Issei replaced Yamato as Kagami Arata's bodyguard, this future has changed.*
*In the original future, as long as one obtained the Kabuto Zecter, Hyper Zecter, and Rider Belt, one could take the Worms Nest back to the past and solve all these disasters.*
*However, now that the future has changed, who can guarantee that this battle plan can continue to be executed normally?*
"I sense your heart is in turmoil, little friend."
At this moment, the incomparably anxious Bronya suddenly heard a voice coming from beside her.
Turning her head abruptly, she...
—Unsurprisingly still didn't see any human figure.
"Don't look, I'm in a spirit form state. As long as I don't manifest my body, you can't see me."
"Mr. Aaron explained to me before. He said you usually look very calm, but at critical moments, you're prone to doing some drastic things. So he instructed me at that time to keep a close eye on you."
"...Master thinks too much. Bronya is a professional soldier; I won't be swayed by emotions of this level."
After Bronya finished saying this, she immediately heard the other party burst into laughter.
"Mr. Aaron once told me that previously, just to be with your friend, you went directly into the Sea of Quanta and didn't want to come back."
"...That was just an accident."
*Aside from Mother Cocolia and her team, only Seele and I know about this matter.*
*Seele shouldn't have actively said it... Where exactly did Master get this news?*
"Okay, okay, it was an accident. Only, I am here to prevent such accidents from happening."
As if seeing through the girl's inner annoyance, the woman smiled and soothed the girl's heart.
Then, she spoke in an incomparably gentle voice.
"Sometimes, people indeed should step forward to do some things. But you are still young; you have plenty of time in the future to make choices and become stronger than you are now."
"There's no need to be too anxious; after all, you have a lot of time."
Clearly not seeing the other party's face, hearing this sentence at this moment, Bronya actually really felt a bit more reassured in her heart.
This tone was simply like a mother soothing her anxious daughter...
"Bronya understands."
"Hm, hope you really understand. After all, this matter is still very important to you."
[Cecilia, notify Bronya that I have successfully infiltrated the rocket.]
[Plan shifting to the second phase; you can take her and evacuate from the scene.]
[Understood, Master.]
After completing the communication via the special communication method between Master and Servant, Cecilia was completely relieved at this moment.
As the bodyguard Aaron dispatched to Bronya's side this time, she naturally also knew how powerful the enemy the two had to face this time was.
Well, speaking of powerful, the opponent's strength might be far inferior to Cecilia.
But the problem was, the opponent was too fast.
The reason Aaron let Bronya observe the battlefield here previously was actually because Aaron couldn't be sure if that fast guy would suddenly make other choices.
If Bronya was nearby, Aaron could charge back immediately, kill that fast guy first, and then proceed according to the original plan.
Now that Aaron sent this message, it meant he had confirmed that the enemy they needed to watch out for wouldn't appear nearby.
Aaron had things to do, and Bronya was currently completely safe.
Next...
Wait for him to deal with the enemy, and this mission should be over.
.......................