"Ishtar's movements are still unknown. Either way, Noah, you need to be careful inside the city right now. And Haruhime, try not to go out by yourself," Hephaestus advised with concern.
Since they were both gods, they understood each other a little bit, even if they had not talked much during their millions of years in heaven.
Knowing how jealous and proud Ishtar was, Hephaestus felt sure that something bad was going to happen.
...
Back in the workshop, Noah went back to his delayed work.
He got everything ready and lit the furnace.
In anyone else's workshop, the room would feel like a hot sauna by now.
But Noah was able to focus all the heat inside the furnace.
This made the fire hotter while keeping the rest of the room cool and comfortable.
A metal boot sat in front of him. It was completely silver-white with a brushed metal finish, and it felt heavy and well-made.
This boot showed how much Noah's forging skills had grown.
His Truth Seeker skill helped him improve, and Spell-Weaver helped him invent new things, but basic blacksmithing still need some hard work.
He needed his foundation to be as strong as possible.
He had already perfected two traits: absorption and enhancement.
By using the properties of a monster slime, he had managed to create memory metal.
This meant he did not have to worry about the boot bending out of shape during long fights and trapping the wearer's foot.
Clack.
"But somehow, it still does not feel like enough."
Tap.
A card dropped from the pile of clothes Haruhime was holding.
The card looked specially made, shining with gold and fancy designs.
Seeing Haruhime struggle with the clothes, he walked over to help pick it up.
"What is this?" Noah asked, looking confused.
Haruhime replied, "It is a VIP card the shop gave us when we bought clothes earlier."
Ah.
He remembered that time.
He rubbed the card in his hand, scraping his fingers across it twice.
Then, he pushed it with his thumb to stand it straight up before dropping it into a box.
Suddenly, those movements struck him like a flash of lightning.
His movements.
It was an action he used to copy all the time.
Back when he was obsessed with it, he used to practice that exact move in front of a mirror for half an hour every day.
"Henshin...?" Noah whispered to himself.
He quickly turn around and stared eagerly at the metal boot on his table.
He needed to change it.
He needed to make huge changes to the design!
The slime material could be used in even more amazing ways!
With his mind flooded with new ideas, Noah rushed into the material storage room and dragged out dozens of items.
To make sure he did not wake Haruhime, he controlled the flow of sound to make a simple soundproof wall.
...
When Haruhime woke up, she saw Noah still working.
She knew right away that he had not rested at all.
She did not complain, instead, she quietly took care of everything else.
She made healthy, easy-to-eat meals so Noah would not have to stop working.
She also kept the front of the shop perfectly clean and explained the situation to any customers who stopped by.
...
Five days passed.
Noah worked without sleep, completely lost in his crafting.
Haruhime had no idea what Noah was even trying to build.
When they ran out of food on the fifth day, Haruhime looked at Noah and quietly slipped out of the shop alone.
She went to the market to buy groceries.
She bought plenty of vegetables, meats, and seasonal seafood, hoping a good meal would help the boy focus even better.
Just then, several Amazon women walked past and noticed Haruhime's obvious fox-girl features.
Fox-people were a very rare type of beast-human.
Along with elves, they were the only races known naturally for their magic.
Most were born with great magical power and natural spells.
The Far Eastern magic that fox-people used was very unique.
Because of different cultures, this magic was called yojutsu, or sorcery in the Far East.
Fox-people who could use yojutsu were called sorcerers. Such rare and special people were almost never seen, even in a big city like Orario.
But in this world, coincidences were rarely just accidents.
"Hey, fox girl over there. You are from the Hephaestus Familia, right?"
Haruhime stopped walking as she turned around nervously and gave a small nod.
The Amazons instantly glared at her with fierce looks.
"So it really is you."
Several of the women stepped forward, blocking Haruhime's way.
"Um... can I help you with something... ah—"
Before Haruhime could finish, one of the Amazons slapped the basket out of her hands.
The fresh vegetables spilled all over the dirt.
The Amazon sneered angrily. "Help us? Stop talking so politely. Do not act like an innocent little lady with me, you bitch."
"I-I was not... I am sorry." Haruhime took a step back, but another Amazon shoved her forward.
Haruhime stumbled and almost fell over.
"Hahaha, what is wrong with this girl? She is as scared as a mouse."
"Because you are friends with that blacksmith brat, we have been deeply insulted. How are you going to pay us back for that, huh?"
"She should strip naked, get on her knees, and beg for forgiveness."
"No, that is too boring. Why don't we sell her to the Pleasure Quarter?"
"Idiot, that would be a reward for her."
The Amazon combat prostitutes happily talked about what they were going to do to Haruhime.
The little fox girl grew more terrified with every word.
"Oh, I know! How about..."
"How about slicing off your scalp, gouging out your eyes, ripping out your tongue, tying your guts in knots, and hanging them out to dry in the sun?" a cold voice suddenly interrupted.
Every single threat was horribly cruel.
But it was not a grown man's voice.
It was the voice of a young boy.
'Who was it? Who dared to interrupt us?'
The annoyed Amazons turned their heads toward the voice and saw the boy's face.
"N-Noah-sama!" Haruhime felt a rush of joy, as if her hero had just arrived.
But Noah did not share her gentle nature.
He stared at the Amazons and asked again, "What do you think of my idea, Haruhime?"
'Slicing off scalps... Gouging out eyes... Ripping out tongues... Tying guts in knots...'
Every single one was pure torture!
"Tch, so you are that blacksmith brat?"
"You beat a Level 5 while only at Level 2? Hah, do not make me laugh! We know exactly how strong that monster Phryne is."
"You are just a baby who still smells like milk. I will rip your lying mouth wide open!"
This was the brutal way of the combat prostitutes.
They did not care about rumors at all.
They just did whatever they wanted—that was the Amazon way.
Girls like the hiryute sisters were seen as weird even by other Amazonians.
When Haruhime saw the Amazons surround Noah, she immediately wanted to start chanting her magic.
But Noah stopped her.
"It is alright, Haruhime. Just wait right there for me."
She could not use her Uchide no Kozuchi magic out in the open like last time.
If she did, sharp-eyed people would instantly figure out what it did.
Besides, against a group of Level 2 and Level 3 combat prostitutes, using "this new toy" would be more than enough.
"Get him!" The lead Amazon shouted.
All eight of them rushed him at the same time from different sides, closing him in.
Based on how they moved, they were not actually stupid.
After all, Phryne had been badly hurt.
Rumor had it she had even suffered brain damage. Because of that, these women were not foolish enough to underestimate an enemy with unknown powers.
They might talk down to him, but they were taking the fight seriously.
Noah looked at the charging Amazons and gave a mocking smirk.
He pulled a special card out of his chest pocket.
The card showed a giant silver wolf standing under a full moon.
Its massive jaws were open wide, roaring at the sky as if it were trying to swallow the moon whole.
Noah lifted his shirt, revealing a thick belt around his waist.
In the center of the belt, three round discs slowly spun and locked into place.
Holding one corner of the card, he pushed it into the slot at the top of the belt.
"Henshin!"
Suddenly, glowing black rings appeared around his wrists and ankles.
The rings floated in the air and formed actual pieces of metal armor.
These armor parts spun around his body, easily blocking all of the Amazons' attacks without Noah even taking a step.
Noah raised one hand and pointed his finger, dragging it through the air to point at each Amazon.
"Do not let your guard down. You probably shouldn't even blink."
His words made the Amazons frown in anger.
The floating armor snapped onto his body.
The pieces quickly linked together and transformed, instantly turning into a full-body suit of mechanical armor that covered him completely.
Silver light shined across the armor's surface.
A magical furnace hummed in the center of the chest plate, burning the magic in the air to power the suit.
It glowed with a faint blue light.
On his helmet, a golden, V-shaped sensor looked just like the glowing eyes of a wolf, giving off a dangerous vibe.
"Huh..."
"What the hell is that?!"
"Is that an armor?"
"Where did it even come from?!"
Noah looked at the stunned Amazons and sighed. "It seems you decided to ignore my warning."
As he spoke, he took a single step forward.
In the very next second, time completely stopped!
---
No he did not become a Kamen rider out of nowhere, it just a suit of armor made of slime like the one Cid Kagenoh use.