A pitch-black ray of light with powerful energy approached Morikuni’s eyes. Morikuni’s limbs no longer listen to him, and he was unable to evade or defend himself.

『Right now your justice is too lonely』

Fifty years ago, the man was indeed righteous. Together with his friends, he bravely stood up against evil to protect the peace of the world.

At some point, the man’s burden changed from peace to order. What he had to protect was not the people he loved, but his country.

「“If it was me fifty years ago, I could have won”? It’s the first time in 50 years that someone has said such a thing.」

Finally, today, the last stronghold of justice crumbled in the face of evil.

The life of a man who had been fighting evil as the embodiment of justice was about to come to an end.

The oldest hero, Ittetsu Morikuni, is ready and quietly closed his eyes.

「Uwoooooooh!!!　Burning heat daaaaash!」

Just as Morikuni’s body was about to be consumed by the dark laser. A scream so intense that it shook the earth reached Morikuni’s ears.

A single red meteor takes the old hero away at the speed of light.

「Damn, I knew I should have left him in Antarctica.……」

Rintaro’s face contorted at the sight of the all-too-familiar figure.

The shiny V emblem. A cracked mask that reflects the morning sun. The eyes of a fighter burning behind the goggles.

Jet-like afterburners sprayed from both elbows, and a cord of flame trailed in the sky. The warrior’s entire body was painted a much brighter red than Morikuni’s 50-year-old suit.

「Are you alright, Director Morikuni!?」

「Nuu…… You are, Kurenai……！」

「I am very sorry! “When I woke up, I was floating on the sea!”」

That man is–.

He is a talented student of the 49th Hero School, of which Rintaro was once the top student, and he has made it to the second rank with a single-minded determination. He is an ace of aces who has risen to the position of leader of Victory Sentai Victor Ranger through his single-minded sense of justice and strong mentality.

“The red light that makes your heart roar.” ――He is Kurenai Retto.

By backfiring his fist, the Burning Heat Glove, which emits flames, Retto was able to float in the sky in the manner of a jet pack.

Retto had indeed been struck on the head by an ally’s huge hammer and was temporarily unconscious and in critical condition. However, being smacked and swept out to sea helped, and the cold seawater in midwinter brought him back to consciousness.

「That was a close call!」

「Kurenai, why did you save this old man?」

Morikuni, his whole body filled with neurotoxins, asked Kurenai with barely a tremor in his vocal cords.

Despite Morikuni’s success, there are still many remaining enemies. Anyone can easily imagine that the current Retto cannot win.

「You should have just run away, you idiot!」

「Yes, that’s right! But I want to protect you, Director Morikuni! Because you’re an important person!」

Morikuni, in his arms, looks up at Retto’s face in surprise. Morikuni once had friends who said the same thing.

Tamba, Ikushima, Nonomura, and Mayuzumi. The comrades’ faces overlapped with the shiny red mask.

「Haha, The young people these days… they’re all idiots」

「Whaaaat?　I’m sorry, did I not read the air again?」

「It’s fine. ……Notice to all members. Retreat!」

Morikuni, with all the strength he had left, ordered the heroes lying in a heap of bodies to retreat.

Perhaps if they had been given the order a little earlier, or if they had handled the situation in a better way, they would have been spared the agony of the situation. With a bitter look on their faces, they looked down at the ground and saw Rintaro and other mysterious beings looking up at Morikuni and Retto.

『The mysterious being is an evil that disturbs the peace and order of the world』

For Morikuni, who has been fighting for 50 years, his entrenched beliefs will no longer be changed. However, those who will lead the new era will be able to do so.

「What’s the matter, get the hell out of here!」

「Is it okay, Director!? To retreat in front of this many enemies!」

「I can’t let you die here now. Alright, if you can move, cover the rest of the members to retreat!」

As the mysterious beings of the Arc Dominion looked on, Morikuni retreated into the western sky, still being held by Retto. On the man-made island that used to be Haneda Airport, the evil sound of victory roared through the air.

………………

…………

……

A room on the top floor of an apartment building in Shimotakaido. There was a young man bowing deeply to the woman who owned the apartment.

「I am sorry, Asaka-san! I lost!」

Retto, dazzling in his red short sleeves and brown skin, was reporting to Asaka, his immediate superior, on the failure of the Mayuzumi Kirika recapture operation.

「The only instruction from the General Staff was to “bring Kirika Mayuzumi back to Japan”. Kurenai-san has fulfilled his mission. Thank you for your hard work.」

「I can’t be satisfied with that! If only I had more power…even Chief Morikuni…!」

If there was an action that Retto should be blamed for, it was that he ignored Asaka’s instructions and went into battle. However, if he had followed the instructions, there was no guarantee that their benefactor, Morikuni, would have survived.

If anyone is to be blamed, it should be the Chief of Staff for planning and executing such a reckless operation.

This man insisted that it was due to his lack of ability, and was frightened like a puppy in the rain.

「Kurenai-san, even if you had the ability, the result would be the same. There is no way you can win against an opponent that even Director Morikuni could not beat.」

「Uuu…… Th-There…… might be a 1% chance for me to win……」

「Director Morikuni accepted his “defeat”. Kurenai-san, please think more deeply about the meaning of that.」

After saying this, Asaka silently opened the window leading to the balcony. The balcony had already been transformed into Retto’s private room, piled high with household items.　

Without saying a word, Asaka carried Retto’s personal belongings into the room.

「Um…… Asaka-san, what are you doing?」

「I would be in trouble if my subordinates who came back from Antarctica were to sleep outside and catch a cold. I will allow you to use the living room from now on.」

「Asaka-san…… Asaka-saaaaaan!!!!」

Retto was touched by Asaka’s kindness and unintentionally hugged her. She was the one who drove Retto to the balcony in the first place, but he is a man who doesn’t care about small things.

「I’m in pain, Kurenai-san.」

「Aah! I’m sorry, I’m the type to show my emotions through my body…!」

「I hope you will change it in the future.」

「Yes!　Thanks, Asaka-san!　Oh, by the way, I bet you’re hungry, right?　I’m going to put my skills to the test today!」

Retto hummed in a good mood as he turned on the fire in the kitchen. Soon the mouthwatering aroma of chili sauce wafted through the air.

As Asaka’s eyes gazed at Retto, they were somewhat forlorn.

「Asaka-san! I’ll try to keep the spiciness down as much as possible today!」

「No, make it extremely spicy. I think Kurenai-san would like it more that way.」

「It’s fine!?  Really!? You’re so kind today, Asaka-san!」

Asaka swallowed the words that were about to rise to her throat so that Retto would not realize what she had said.　

For the past few days, Hero Headquarters has been dancing around Mayuzumi Touka. Retto, Director Morikuni, Chief Tanba, the General Staff, and even Ark Dominion.

But what if there was someone behind the scenes pulling the strings in this series of incidents?

Without saying a word, Asaka opened her work bag. Taking out a file, she shredded the documents inside one after another.

The file contained the words “Kaijin Cell Diversion Project” and the name of a girl.

「Finally, I am able to set you free… Goodbye, Mayuzumi Kirika」

Asaka muttered quietly so that Retto would not hear her.

---

<82: The Lonely Hero
84: Bedside Battlefield>