The B-Rank villain barely had time to aim again.
Riku blurred across the ground, and in a single flash of movement, the masked man was disarmed and unconscious, his weapon shattered into pieces. Without stopping, Riku turned toward the beast—a jagged crystal-covered brute snarling with dark energy.
Its roar was cut short when Riku vanished again, reappearing mid-air with a summoned Divine Spear that he hurled straight through its core. The beast let out a final screech before exploding into shards of light.
Total time: 30 seconds.
The young team stared, stunned.
Mei's eyes were wide. Hiroto had his mouth open. Daichi slowly lowered his shield, eyebrows raised in awe.
"…Did he just end a B-Rank threat… like it was nothing?" Akira asked, blinking.
Reina just stood silent, still a bit shaken but staring at Riku like he wasn't real.
Back outside the Rift Zone…
Kensei Gojuro's patrol team arrived late—just after Riku had debriefed the officials.
Standing in front of the squad truck, Riku looked at the five C-Ranks as they exited the Rift.
"I couldn't have done it without this team," Riku said to the officials. "They handled themselves well. Akira's read of the terrain saved us a lot of trouble. Hiroto held the flank better than most B-Ranks I've seen. Mei picked up enemy movement faster than my scouts. Daichi kept the team safe. And Reina's wind support let us move faster than expected."
The officials jotted it down as Reina, cheeks glowing, turned away slightly in embarrassment.
Later that evening, Riku offered rides to the three younger members—Mei, Akira, and Reina—since none of them had licenses yet. They agreed quickly, still a bit in awe of him.
They stopped by a small diner near the city's edge. Riku treated them all to food—burgers, fries, ice cream—and let them unwind.
"You didn't have to do all this…" Mei said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.
"You're part of the team now," Riku said, smiling. "Teams look out for each other."
When he dropped them off one by one, Reina was the last.
As she stepped out of the car in front of her family's house, she turned back toward him.
"U-Um… Mr. Riku?"
"Yeah?" he said, leaning slightly over from the driver's seat.
She hesitated, her cheeks turning pink.
"T-Thank you… for saving me earlier. From the gunshot."
He smiled gently. "You're welcome. You did great today."
She fidgeted with her fingers, then asked quickly, "Next time you get a low-ranked mission… can I come?"
Riku chuckled, pulling his phone out and handing it to her. "Sure. Put your number in—I'll call you when something comes up."
Reina's face lit up like a lantern. She nodded furiously and typed it in before handing it back.
"Thanks again, Riku…"
As she shut the door and waved, Riku leaned back in his seat, smiling faintly as he drove off into the quiet night.