Seito University Hospital, CR Headquarters

"I don't know how to thank you for this… thank you for saving my son, President Kureshima. Oh, if you don't mind, coffee."

"Thank you, but you don't need to thank me, Director Haima, it is our mission at Yggdrasill to protect people from devils, fallen angels, and other supernatural forces that are hostile to humanity." Takatora said as he drank the coffee.

"I had no idea that the anti-devil organization my father was talking about is the Yggdrasill Corporation." Hiiro muttered.

Yggdrasill Corporation, headquartered in Zawame City, a large city located next to Kuoh and Seito, is the world's largest and most comprehensive medical welfare manufacturer, founded by the Kureshima family, a prestigious Japanese family. The company is mainly engaged in the research and sale of the latest medical equipment and drugs, and in the management of private hospitals, but it is also involved in many other fields such as construction, international trade, hotel management, financial transactions, and travel planning. Hiiro had no idea that the face behind that company is the anti-devil organization that Haima had once mentioned.

While he was thinking…

"Oho, so this is the Rider System that you use?" Ryoma asked as he looked curiously at the Gamer Driver and Taddle Quest Gashat on his desk.

"Yes, with this Gashat and Gamer Driver we transform into Riders, and battle… we're called it an operation. First, we separate the Evil Piece for devils or Bugster for game disease from the subject's body at Level 1, and then completely dispose of the separated Bugster and the monster created by the stray devil."

"I see… hmm, interesting system, especially the concept of returning a stray devil into its human or original race instead of killing it, I'd love to talk to its developer." Ryoma said.

"Hahahaha, isn't it quite lively, Hiiro-sensei?"

"President… why are you here?"

When Masamune, the very developer of the Gamer Driver and Gashat, came to CR, Hiiro spoke up and Takatora stood up from his seat.

"You are, Masamune Zaizen, President of Genm Corporation…"

"And you are Takatora Kureshima, the head of Yggdrasill Corporation, world's largest medical welfare manufacturer. It's an honor to meet you, my name is Masamune Zaizen."

"I'm Takatora Kureshima, CEO of Yggdrasill Corporation."

The two men greeted each other, exchanging business cards.

"I've always wanted to meet you, the organization that fought devils before the CR that we, Genm, supported, but I never thought I'd meet you like this."

"I'm also always wanted to meet you, the president of Genm Corporation, which, like us, helped CR in its fights against threats to humanity."

"Ahaha, but why are you come to CR?" Masamune asked.

"I'll answer that question…"

Hiiro answered Masamune's question.

One hour later

"Hmm… so you're saying that you were attacked by Ex-Aid, OOO, and Genm, and these two…"

"Yes… but it's a shame, I couldn't finish the operation."

"Don't worry about it, according to what I've heard, OOO and Ex-Aid are tough opponents. But it's unacceptable. They worked for devils, and it's annoying that he's using Gashat and a Gamer Driver, and now they took my Gashat!?" Masamune gripped the cup he was holding in frustration.

"Well, I don't disagree with you, but I think this is quite bad, because the Rider System that Ex-Aid uses is the same as the one you created, and if it's in the hands of the devils, then the worst that can happen is that the devils will use the same Rider System as yours…"

"I don't think so." Masamune denied Ryoma's idea.

"Why?"

"Gamer Driver and Rider Gashat can only be used by humans. If devils, fallen angels, angels, or other supernatural beings use it, they will instantly die."

Ryoma was intrigued, "Eh? What do you mean?"

"In order to use the Gamer Driver, one need to have a compatibility surgery, which involves absorbing a small amount of Bugster Virus into their body and creating antibodies. However, although devils and other supernatural beings are generally less susceptible to game disease than humans, their resistance to it is much weaker when they are injected or exposed to large amounts of Bugster Virus at close range. In addition, the speed at which the disease progresses are many times faster in devils, fallen angels, and angels than in humans. A human will have enough time to recover from the disease, but for devils or fallen angels, they will die in about three minutes."

"Really? So that makes impossible for devils to use the Driver."

"Yes, that's right."

"Oh, so your belt is the same…"

"Yes, I designed it to be absolutely useless to anything other than humans."

Ryoma laughed a little as he spoke. "We, Yggdrasill, have developed a driver, the Genesis Driver that Takatora and I now have, and another one called the Sengoku Driver, but the user must be a human being."

"I see, so what happens if a non-human race uses it?"

When Masamune asked, Ryoma took out a Lemon Energy Lockseed and a pad, and copied an image of a certain fruit tree. Masamune knew the tree, but he didn't want to be suspicious by saying something he shouldn't have known, so he played along.

"What is this fruit?"

"This is a fruit tree that I genetically engineered, called the Helheim Fruit, and it is the prototype for the Lockseed that I hold in my hand… well, to put it simply, it is like the data needed to create a Gashat and Bugster Virus. This fruit contains powerful but dangerous energy, and the Rider System that I developed processes this fruit into something called a Lockseed, which can be used safely via a driver to harness that dangerous energy. If a devil, fallen angel, or other non-humans tries to use this driver, the moment the driver is fitted with the Lockseed, Helheim Fruit's energy sealed in the Lockseed will be injected in the body through the driver, and it is designed to kill them."

"I see… it's really similar to the one I developed, considering that it can only be used by humans."

"I don't deny it, but my driver is capable of evolving humanity, and I'm proud to say that my driver is the best in that respect."

"Alright, I get the feeling, so I dare not say anything. Now that we have talked about our technology, President Kureshima, I have a proposal for you."

Masamune now turned to Takatora.

"Proposal?"

"Yes, the heads of three organizations that protect humanity, Yggdrasill, CR, and Genm, are all gathered here now. So, in preparation for the future battles, I'd like to establish a united front between the three defenders of humanity against the non-humans and Bugsters."

"United front, you say?"

"That's right, the specifics include joint countermeasures against terrorism committed by Bugsters, stray devils, and non-humans, as well as joint research into Sacred Gears and Bugster Virus, what do you think?"

Takatora leaned back in his chair and thought about it.

"I understand… for now, our headquarters in Zawame City is completely devil-free… we don't know when the Bugster is going to come, so it wouldn't be hurt to cooperate with CR, Seito University Hospital, and Genm Corporation, but we also want the opinions of the board members, is that alright?"

"As the Director of the Seito University Hospital and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, I also would like to hear the opinions of the Faculty Council, the Board and the Ministry of Health."

"Of course, I understand that, because I have to gather the opinions of the executives too, but please think positively about it." Masamune said in response to Haima and Takatora's answer.

"But I agree that we should fight together, from now on."

"Yes, please do, President Takatora."

The two men shook hands.

"By the way, why are you coming to CR?" Kiriya, who was sitting on the sofa, asked Masamune.

"Ah, I almost forgot, I actually wanted to give you a new Gashat."

"A new Gashat?"

"Yeah, it's a Level 3 Shakariki Sports. Put it to good use, will you?"

Masamune then handed the Gashat to Kiriya.

"Ooh, thank you very much, President."

"No need to thank me, you need to work harder. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to my next appointment, I've had a great time today." Masamune said as he left the CR.

"We'll leave you to it."

"It's been quite an interesting time."

Following Masamune, Takatora and Ryoma also left.

A few days later

A united front between Yggdrasill, Genm, and CR was recognized by the Ministry of Health, WHO, and the higher-ups of each organization, and the alliance was established.