"Target found!"
"Wait, that's not the boss!"
"But he has nebula gas readings!"
Three unfamiliar voices called out from across the street, their tone casual, even amused. Sento, already weary, stepped in front of Misora, shielding her instinctively.
"Who are you?" he demanded, noting the Northern Capital insignia on their long coats.
The one with a red headband and an aggressive pompadour grinned wide.
"We're the Three Feather Crows of the Northern Capital!"
"Name's Akabane," the redhead said. "But we usually don't reveal our identities so casually—"
"You just did," the other two muttered, shoving him aside.
"Morons…" Misora whispered from behind Sento.
"Too rude!" Akabane barked. "Looks like you need a little lesson in manners!"
Without further warning, he popped a Full Bottle into his arm and activated it.
[Castle!]
In a burst of energy, Akabane transformed into a Smash—but unlike typical Smash, he retained his voice, posture, and intent.
"He's still conscious?!" Sento exclaimed. "You evolved past the standard Smash level!"
"Damn right. We're called HardSmash," Akabane growled.
Before Sento could react, the other two crows joined him, each transforming into similarly advanced Smash forms—yellow and blue-themed, respectively.
"Get back!" Sento ordered Misora, already activating his belt.
[Rabbit-Tank! Best Match!]
[Are you ready?]
[Build up!]
The fight erupted immediately. On his own, Sento could manage one of them—two was pushing it. But all three, attacking in coordinated unison, overwhelmed even his battle-hardened instincts.
Three devastating strikes landed at once.
Sento went down hard, armor sparking—but he didn't de-transform. Gritting his teeth, he forced the system to stay online through sheer willpower.
"He's still standing?!" one of the crows gasped.
"Of course I am," Sento said, blood trickling from his lip. "To protect what's most precious… I'll rise again, no matter how many times I fall!"
"This is the Build we created!"
His words caught Misora like a punch to the chest. Her eyes shimmered with tears.
"Idiot…" she whispered, "you really mean that."
"Pfft. Nice speech, but you're still just one guy," one of the crows smirked.
A familiar voice broke through the tension.
"Who told you he was alone?"
Ryuga appeared, cracking his knuckles.
"You're late," Sento muttered.
"You left me, road-idiot," Ryuga fired back. "Left, right, west, east—don't expect me to read maps!"
He explained—Sayu had to send Smash location data with GPS guidance just so he could find them.
Enter the Silver Dragon
[Wake Up!]
Ryuga pulled out his Z-Dragon, inserted his Dragon Full Bottle, and activated the belt.
[SilverCross-ZDragon!]
[Are you ready?]
"Henshin!"
[WakeUp Shining!]
[Get Silver Dragon!]
[YEAH~!]
The silver-armored Ryuga stepped forward and waved cockily.
"Come on, all three of you. Let's see what you've got."
"Cocky bastard!" Akabane charged in again, flanked by the other two.
They repeated the same deadly formation they used on Sento—triple strike convergence, impossible to dodge.
But Ryuga didn't even flinch.
He absorbed the blows without damage and followed up with a devastating roundhouse kick, sending all three crows flying.
They hit the ground hard, transforming back into human form.
"W-what was that?!" one of them groaned.
Their Full Bottles clattered to the ground, and Sento swiftly scooped them up.
"These are Northern Capital Full Bottles," he noted, eyeing the unfamiliar designs.
The Arrival of Grease
"You really do know how to make a mess," a voice muttered.
A man in a hooded coat stepped into view. His presence turned heads immediately.
"It's… him," Sento whispered.
"The infamous lone wolf from the Northern Capital…"
Kazumi Sawatari.
Known to his comrades as Grease. Known to fans of drama as the Father of Red.
Known to Long Wo as a man with five belts—and zero interest in side-effect-free models.
Kazumi sighed as he looked at the fallen crows.
"You left me behind again, you road-idiots."
"You're one to talk!" Akabane snapped. "You took forever!"
Kazumi shoved him aside. "Whatever. Guess I'll have to clean up."
He pulled out a Sclash Driver and inserted a Robot Jelly.
[Robot Jelly!]
[Squeeze! Flow! Overflowing!]
[Robot in Grease!]
[BURAAA!!]
"Kamen Rider Grease! The fire of the heart, born of steel! Burn bright and crush everything in your way!"
Kazumi struck a pose.
And… got instantly kicked in the head.
No Rookie Protection
Grease crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
He never saw the attack coming.
Sento and Misora stared, wide-eyed.
"Wait… what happened to the rookie protection period?!" Kazumi gasped, blacking out.
"There isn't one," Sento replied dryly. "Not in this world."
Long Wo walked over, picked up Kazumi like a sack of rice, and threw him to the still-dazed crows.
"Take your big brother home."
The three nodded mutely, still stunned by the ease of their defeat.
"You're not… killing us?" one asked hesitantly.
"Unlike you guys, we don't kill. Not friends, not foes," Sento said firmly, striking a pose. "Because love and peace—"
"—are our way!" Long Wo interrupted dramatically.
"You two are so annoying," Misora groaned.
And in the distance, war drums sounded—because this was just the start of a much bigger war.