7:42 p.m. The sun had already set.
It wasn't pitch black, but visibility was noticeably affected.
A street in Chiba was sealed off tightly by the Mobile Task Force.
Nine-Tails Fox members stood on both sides of the street with guns raised.
Snipers hid in the dark.
Two Epsilon-9(Fire Eaters) and three Theta-4(The Gardeners) were in position.
They had truly achieved a perimeter even a fly couldn't get through.
This wasn't overreacting.
In this situation, the agency always maintained the highest possible alert.
Because they represented more than just themselves.
They represented humanity's defensive line.
They could fail, they could die, but they must never retreat.
Let alone allow dangerous anomalies to escape due to negligence.
"It's coming out soon! At most 30 seconds!"
Inside the temporary command room, researchers monitoring the instruments shouted their report.
The commander immediately passed the message along and ordered all units to be ready.
"Hurry, final checks!"
"Where are the psychologists and sociologists? Get them ready now!"
"Snipers, keep hidden!"
"Where's the communications and negotiation team?"
"Here, here, I'm ready!"
As commands flew, the scene moved like a well-oiled machine.
A few seconds later, two muscular figures were suddenly spat out of the sky.
Yes — spat out.
From the special team's perspective, it looked like these two were vomited out by something.
Well, maybe not the mouth.
A monitoring officer in the back let his imagination wander for half a second before snapping back to work.
"Damn it, what the hell is this?"
Lying on the ground, Joseph held his head. The sensation was terrible.
Like being tossed into a washing machine and spun like a tissue.
Dizzy, and it felt like his body would fall apart at any moment.
Before he could fully recover, a flash of brilliant color caught his eye.
Without thinking, Joseph launched himself upward using one arm.
Boom!
A glowing blade slashed the spot where he had just been.
"Damn human."
Kars stood up awkwardly. The experience hadn't been pleasant for him either.
He had hoped to kill JOJO before he regained his senses, but failed again.
"He said 'human,' right?"
"So that means this guy isn't human."
"Should we list him as a target immediately?"
"Observe a bit more first."
Researchers whispered among themselves.
Some more aggressive ones were already suggesting capturing the one who started with "damn human" and dragging him straight into the lab.
"Where's the social behavior team? Get over here and start working!"
"Negotiation team can take a break."
Orders shot out rapidly from the temporary command center.
After receiving the order, everyone moved efficiently according to the instructions.
Standing at the very front, Rojin had already recognized the identity of this loincloth-wearing brute.
'Kars who turned into a star.'
There was no doubt this guy was an enemy of humanity.
The man standing opposite him should be Joseph.
Rojin originally planned to report the situation directly. For the Organization, intelligence was sometimes more important than firepower.
Seeing himself as a member of the Organization, Rojin naturally wouldn't hide anything.
After confirming that Rojin's information was accurate, the Organization's higher-ups didn't question him further.
For the Organization, as long as one firmly stood on the side of humanity, nothing else mattered.
Whether one had secrets or not was irrelevant.
This wasn't only because of their confidence in themselves, but also in the Contract.
"But my luck is really good."
Red light flashed in Kars' eyes as he turned to look toward the Mobile Task Forces.
It was the gaze of someone looking at prey, or even food.
The commander frowned, preparing to give the attack order.
It was obvious this wasn't a lifeform one could communicate with.
"These morsels, Lord Kars will gladly accept them!"
Laughing loudly, Kars charged toward the MTFs.
"Stop right there!"
Joseph's face darkened.
He still didn't understand what was going on, but he absolutely wouldn't allow this bastard to kill humans at will!
Without hesitation, he dashed forward. Golden Ripple energy shone across Joseph's body.
The analysts observing through the cameras quietly gave Joseph an evaluation.
Even if it wasn't certain he was genuinely concerned about the research staff, based on his current actions, he stood firmly on humanity's side.
"Your luck must be awful."
Seeing the charging Kars, Rojin quietly pulled a belt from behind him.
He pressed it casually around his waist. The belt automatically adjusted and locked into place.
He gently turned the grip. The indicator lights at the belt's center lit up.
It was like a slumbering beast awakening.
"ALPHA!"
A deep synthetic voice rang out.
Rojin exhaled lightly, giving his teammates time to retreat.
"Hm?"
Kars, sprinting forward, was momentarily stunned by Rojin's calmness.
This human…
"Amazon."
(TL: Mc's Power is from Kamen Raider)
Before Kars could figure out why this human wasn't afraid, a scorching shockwave suddenly erupted.
The tremendous impact forced Kars' steps to halt, then sent him flying backward.
"Perfect timing!"
Joseph, right behind Kars, brightened. Ripple energy gathered around his fist.
The golden Ripple glowed brilliantly in the dim surroundings.
Paired with Joseph's inherited face from Jonathan, one couldn't help but think, "This is definitely a good guy."
"Ripple Overdrive!"
"Wild Slash!"
Joseph and Rojin attacked simultaneously.
Two powerful strikes struck Kars one after the other.
"You two bastards!!"
Caught in the middle, Kars coughed out a massive mouthful of blood.
He hadn't even had time to react.
This human in strange red armor obviously wasn't using Ripple—so how did he have such strength?!
"Damn it!"
Realizing he couldn't escape, Kars reached for the Stone Mask he carried.
No one knew what he was thinking, but he suddenly threw the Stone Mask with force.
Maybe it was out of spite?
If a Stone Mask fell into ordinary hands, it would indeed be disastrous.
But he underestimated the special-operations soldiers.
Bang!
A bullet from who-knows-where shattered the Stone Mask mid-air.
"Hm, my moving-target accuracy hasn't gotten rusty."
The sniper lying atop a building grinned.
They weren't about to make that kind of rookie mistake.