On his way to the company, Raize picked up his phone as it vibrated, a helpless smile on his face as he glanced at the message and intimate photo Ayano had sent on Mashiro's behalf.
Living in this world, it really is impossible to be completely detached from society. With his hands in his pockets, Raize strolled lazily down the street, not in much of a hurry.
All kinds of people flowed past around him, cars coming and going, horns blaring, people chatting. All of it came together to form this vivid, lively world.
After spending some time reaching his company, Raize entered his office after exchanging friendly greetings with the employees.
Sitting in his office chair and looking at the steadily rising sales numbers of the company's games on the computer, Raize knew that it was about time to prepare the next game.
Sekiro and Devil May Cry had brought Raize enormous profits. Players in Europe and America especially loved these two games.
However, over there, Devil May Cry was even more popular than Sekiro. Its background, setting, and passionate music hit Western players right in their sweet spot.
He also checked the online requests from gamers regarding what type of game they wanted him to make next. Over eighty percent wanted him to continue making action games, while the rest were scattered opinions.
"Please, Raiden Company, hurry up and release a new Devil May Cry. I can tell Dante and Vergil's story isn't over yet. Don't you dare dig a pit and not fill it!"
"Is there a sequel to Sekiro? After finishing Sekiro, playing other action games feels so boring. Raiden Games, don't stop!"
"I love combat games so much. Please keep making action combat games!"
Without a doubt, these suggestion posts left on Raiden Games's official website were all pinned to the top, with some people even organizing petition threads.
1st floor: I cleared all of Sekiro's endings. After finishing, I felt empty because other action games just don't feel the same anymore.
2nd floor: Raiden Games has to take responsibility. You've spoiled both my hands and my gaming senses.
3rd floor: I absolutely love Raiden Games's action games, so please keep going.
4th floor: Can Raiden Games make a game that ordinary players can also feel great playing?
---
Looking at these petitions, Raize rubbed his chin and thought for a moment, then focused his attention once again on action games.
Scrolling through the dark-toned game catalog, Raize searched for what the next game should be—preferably one that could, like Sekiro and Devil May Cry, help him build a solid foundation early on.
This time, he didn't plan to release overly difficult games for now, following the requests in those posts.
It would be best to make a game that felt extremely satisfying to play.
"Mm, it's you."
After browsing the catalog for quite a while, with higher-tier games temporarily included in his long-term plans, Raize set his sights on a game that could strengthen his foundation.
His attention locked onto Prototype.
Prototype perfectly matched Raize's requirements and also satisfied players who wanted a strong sense of exhilaration.
The first Prototype game was an absolute classic in Raize's past life. Even after many years, people still brought it up and wanted to download it again to relive the experience.
The protagonist, Alex Mercer—reverently called "Alex" by players—had never been forgotten by veteran gamers.
The superpowers granted by the Blacklight Virus were unbelievably satisfying to use.
Running across walls, leaping over rooftops, soloing an entire army—one man could do it all.
Raize also wanted to obtain Alex's abilities. While Alex's power might not yet match protagonists from higher-tier worlds, in terms of growth potential, no one would dare underestimate him.
After all, how long did it take Alex to reach the level of tanking a nuclear explosion head-on? Only eighteen days!
That absurd evolutionary ability was exactly what Raize wanted.
Of course, making only this one game wouldn't take much time, leaving him with plenty of free time.
While considering his choices, Raize suddenly recalled his past experiences playing arcade games and pulled out The King of Fighters and Street Fighter as well.
These two games could extend Raize's company influence into arcades, establishing an indelible foundation in the memories of gamers worldwide.
The King of Fighters and Street Fighter didn't require unlocking in the game catalog; they belonged to the randomly available category.
The versions Raize planned to make wouldn't be 2D. Although entertainment in this era was relatively underdeveloped, game quality itself wasn't low.
A refined art style and smooth-looking 3D visuals were more suitable for this era.
Prototype would be the main game, while The King of Fighters and Street Fighter were mainly to expand the company's influence.
After finalizing the plan, Raize immediately began working on the game scripts and planning.
The character design drafts for The King of Fighters and Street Fighter were completed one by one at Raize's terrifying speed.
With his programming speed, by five in the afternoon, Raize and his employees had already fully prepared the basic framework of the games.
The character designs for KOF and Street Fighter were all personally handled by Raize. The remaining development process was handed over to his employees to follow his instructions.
He had also asked contacts to reach out to managers of major arcade halls to prepare cooperation agreements.
Prototype was the most important project. Raize worked side by side with his employees on programming and design. After everything was completed, all aspects had to be submitted to him for review—he took his primary interests very seriously.
After work, Raize put down his phone after finishing a call. Quite a few cooperation matters had been finalized today.
After buying quite a lot of things from the commercial district, Raize also stopped by a cake shop to buy some cakes that Sei liked to eat. Although he could make them himself, before meeting him, Sei seemed to have grown accustomed to a particular flavor.
On the way home, Raize sensed a familiar gaze fixed on him… or rather, on the things in his hands. He immediately turned his head.
The corner of his mouth twitched, black lines filling his forehead. Carrying the cakes, bread, and cooking sauces he had bought, he looked speechlessly at the silver-haired girl sitting in a corner not far away.
The familiar armor, the elegant purple dress, the unforgettable dazzling silver hair—squatting in that slightly dim corner, she looked like an abandoned kitten.
With emotionless sapphire-blue eyes, Eu stared intently at Raize…
At the large bag of food in his hands, which seemed to include pudding she liked.
You're really just squatting here and not leaving, huh?
Raize felt somewhat helpless inside. No matter what, she was a necromancer with immense power—there was no need for her to end up wandering the streets.
He had even given her quite a bit of money earlier. No matter what, she could at least find temporary lodging.
Even though using spirit words caused intense headaches, as long as she opened her mouth a little, people would be lining up to provide for her.
Looking at the silver-haired girl curled up pitifully like a kitten, Raize lowered his head and avoided her gaze.
Then, under the girl's faintly expectant eyes, Raize turned around, took a step, and left.
He did not take out the delicious food to share with her.
Stare—!
Raize suddenly felt the gaze behind him grow more intense. Eu's deep sapphire-blue eyes, as brilliant as gemstones, shimmered with a captivating light as they locked tightly onto Raize's gradually receding back.
Eu lowered her eyes in disappointment, lightly pressing her pink lips together. After Raize completely disappeared around the corner of her sight, the girl fell silent for a moment and took out the yen Raize had given her from her pocket.
She bought a few rice balls from a convenience store and ate them absentmindedly, one bite at a time. Eu felt as if she were chewing wax—the rice balls in her hands were not tasty at all.
Lowering her head to look at the half-eaten rice ball, the girl recalled the bento Raize had given her before. Any single ingredient in that bento was far better than the rice ball she was holding now.
After eating it just once, it seemed her taste buds had been spoiled. The girl very willfully put all the blame on Raize.
Buzz…
Suddenly, while eating to fill her stomach, Eu froze. She sensed a familiar fluctuation of magic power coming from afar.
It seemed to be… the aura of Megalo.
---
The perspective returned to Raize. After forcing himself not to interact further with the silver-haired girl, Raize let out a soft sigh.
That lingering sense of guilt that refused to dissipate puzzled and irritated even him. It was as if not helping that girl made him feel unforgivably sinful.
The other party was a top-tier powerhouse and did not need his help at all. For now, Raize did not want to expose himself openly.
Although that Eu currently looked pitiful, Raize had his own difficulties.
Clack!
While walking home and thinking, Raize suddenly saw a burly figure in a black suit standing in front of him.
Raize tried to detour, but the other party blocked his path again.
Stopping his steps, the boy's calm gaze turned cold and heavy as he looked at the burly figure.
The other party stared fixedly at Raize and said something that made his scalp tighten.
"I… I want you!"
Damn it! He wants him!?
Judging by the appearance, it was a man. Saying something that sounded like coveting someone's backside—what the hell did he want!?
Raize stared at him with a look reserved for trash. The other party became even more brazen, stepping closer to Raize and—
"I want you to become mine!" Seeing the look of murder on Raize's face, the man in the suit said something that ignited killing intent, his tone filled with boundless desire.
Hearing this, Raize's expression completely froze over. He put what he was holding into his spatial storage, clenched his fist until the bones cracked.
"I want you!" The tall man repeated it again. In Raize's slightly astonished gaze, the man's body immediately began to swell.
First, his hands rapidly transformed into powerful red crab claws. Then the claws tore through his clothes, revealing a huge lobster head.
Sizing up the monster's bizarre appearance, the shock on Raize's face slowly turned into contemplation as he recalled the creature's identity.
"Megalo…"
He murmured softly, finally remembering what the creature was, having failed to realize it earlier because of the misleading words.
After all, any normal man would react the same way if a burly guy suddenly said "I want you" on the way home.
Now that the other party revealed its true form, Raize remembered who it was.
Megalo—tools used by underworld villains to deal with Magical Girls. They could keenly detect the magical aura emitted by Magical Girls and usually took the form of animals wearing clothes.
Formed from pure human souls combined with the souls of Magical Girls, Megalos transformed into animal shapes.
They almost all wore various outfits, looking like stuffed toys—cute in appearance but extremely ferocious.
Weapons specifically used against Magical Girls… so why would one appear in front of him?
"Why would it appear in front of me?" Raize asked in confusion.
Then again, he had previously devoured a certain murderous Magical Girl. Could it be—
"There's no mistake. Although it's very faint, there is indeed a trace of a Magical Girl's aura!" The giant lobster stared at Raize and muttered to itself. By the end, it grew excited, its two red claws crashing together with loud cracks.
The giant lobster waved its claws excitedly and charged straight at Raize.
Clang!
"What!?"
Shock appeared on the lobster Megalo's face. Faced with claws that could easily smash steel flat, Raize casually raised his hand and caught the massive claw.
The lobster Megalo tried to break free, but it could not move forward or back even an inch.
How could a human carrying such a faint Magical aura possess this level of strength?
Crack crack…
In an instant, an icy, bone-chilling current erupted from Raize's palm. Endless ice crystals swept over the Megalo's massive body, freezing it solid in a block of cold-emitting ice, leaving only its huge lobster head unfrozen.
"How is this possible!?" In the Megalo's shocked gaze, Raize calmly placed his hand on its head. A flash of magical light followed as Raize read the Megalo's memories.
It was just as he suspected. Because he had devoured the Magical Girl Kyoko earlier, his aura now carried a trace of Magical power.
Though extremely faint, it was still detected by this Megalo, which specialized in hunting Magical Girls.
Megalos were specifically designed for that purpose, after all.
Raize had simply been unlucky and got targeted.
"Seriously unlucky. Looks like I'll need to ask Sei to help remove this aura when I get back…" Raize muttered. After instantly finishing reading the memories, before the giant lobster could say anything else, the icy current completely engulfed its head, sealing it in ice.
This Megalo was nothing to Raize—far weaker than the stray devil he encountered in the ghoul nest before.