Chapter 5: Guardian Spirit of the Orbs, Awaken!

Led on by the light of the orbs, Wataru & Co. were able to leave the Revant Kingdom on foot in a mere two hours. Eventually, they arrived at the base of the mountain, where a large forest awaited them.

The five orbs that Aria was holding still glowed with an intense light, beaming right into the trees.

“Good grief, there’s still more walking to do?” Résistance grumbled.

“All this walking is rather tiring, isn’t it? I wonder if the sixth orb really is located beyond this forest...” Aria joined in. Neither of them was looking forward to the prospect of having many miles left to go.

But Wataru would have none of it! “There’s no use whining about it! Come on!!” He charged into the forest, taking an animal trail that wove between the trees. For a guy like him, with legs strong enough to launch him forward at the speed of one hundred meters per second, the little two-hour stroll they’d just been on was a mere warm-up for the main event.

It was four o’clock in the afternoon, and the rays of sunlight that drifted through the forest cover were slowly becoming more orange.

As the three of them finally made it through the first, thick layer of the woods, they found themselves in a small clearing. There they found a one-meter-square stone box, just lying there in the middle of the open space. It looked as though it had been there for some time, judging from the moss growing on its sides. And, surprisingly enough—the beam of light from all the orbs was pointing directly at it.

“...Is this... where we’re supposed to go?”

“...What the hell is this!?!?” Wataru tilted his head to one side, puzzled.

Next to him, Résistance stared at the stone box rather suspiciously. “This must be... a ‘shrine’ type of thing...” she muttered, unblinking.

“Yeah! Which means... The last orb is... inside the shrine!!” Wataru shouted with an immediate conviction as he sized up the box. The force of his emotion transformed him into the spitting image of the demi-god Asura, come again.

At that very instant, the five orbs Aria was carrying stopped glowing, which must have meant they had arrived at the correct destination. This box clearly held the sixth orb.

“Careful, Wataru,” warned Résistance. “Shrines belong to the gods, not man. If you don’t treat it carefully, you might get cursed.”

“Yeah! You’re totally right!” Wataru nodded in agreement. He tread lightly up to the front of the shrine, then paused, and—

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!”

BOOOOOOOOM!!!!!

He shattered the shrine as easily as you or I might smash a glass bottle!!!!! In an instant, he had pulverized the shrine into a shapeless mound of stone shards!!

“W-Wataru, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!?!?!?!?!”

“We need this to defeat the dragon!! The gods will understand!!!” Wataru didn’t appear the least bit ashamed at having just destroyed a holy object!!

Suddenly, a black light radiated out into the clearing from within the pile of stone shards!!

“Eh!?!?”

Wataru noticed the strange light and quickly swept aside the remnants of the shrine to uncover the source.

“Ahhhh!!! It’s the orb!!!”

Aria and Résistance both looked over his shoulders. Just as he’d said, there was a black orb there, glowing with black light! This meant that they had finally gathered all the orbs!

Congratulations, Wataru! Our Dear Readers can’t help but smile and burst into a round of applause!!!!!

—But then!!

“Wataru, wait—!”

Aria was the first to sense something “odd”!

“—!?”

Of all the most unexpected things! Out from the orb, with no warning at all, came billowing clouds of black smoke!

“Wh-What’s that smoke mean!?” Résistance was taken aback by this sudden turn of events!

“Dammit, this is really bad!!!!!” bellowed Wataru. “I’ve been cursed!!!!!”

“The Gods didn’t understand, after all...” explained Aria to no one in particular.

The gas, as if possessed of desires of its own, whirled in the air and spiraled directly towards Résistance!

“!!!”

Before she had even the slightest chance to react, the gas completely enveloped her face!

“A-Ahhhhhh!!”

Résistance screamed in sheer terror! She involuntarily breathed in the gas, twitched a bit, then fell face down onto the ground!!

“Re-Résistance!!”

“Résistance!”

Wataru and Aria immediately hurried over to her!!

“Yo! Get it together!!” Wataru was beside himself with worry as he shook Résistance as hard as he could! Seconds later, her eyes flashed open!

“Oh, Résistance!” said Aria in concern. “Are you all right?”

Résistance reacted not in the slightest, and merely stood up in complete silence! It was as though she had become a machine! No matter how cool she normally tries to act, this attitude of hers was frigid!!

Wataru found this very odd!

“H-Hey! Résistance......???”

She looked back at him with the frostiest of expressions and said:

“Résistance......? That is not my name. I am ‘Phantasm,’ Guardian of the Final Orb...” She looked the same as she always did, at first glance... But upon closer examination, one could see that her normally blue eyes had turned black!

“Huh? ...Résistance, don’t you think you’re taking this ‘emo’ thing a bit too far!?!?”

“That’s not what’s happening, Wataru! Résistance is being possessed!”

“Oh, so that’s what’s going on!”

Aria, with her sharp skills of observation and succinct explanation, quickly convinced Wataru of the truth! He slapped his thigh at the power of her insight!

“Hey... Listen to me, you human bastard. If you wish to take this orb, you must first defeat me...”

Phantasm, possessing Résistance’s body, glared angrily at Wataru with those black eyes of hers! The sound of her voice hadn’t changed at all, but those flat, emotionless words were as cold as the winter winds! Even our ever-eager fighter, Wataru, didn’t find this challenge of hers inviting at all!

“Wh-What’d you just say to me!? Résistance’s one of my best friends! I’m not going to beat her up just ’cause you’re possessing her!!!!!”

Wataru was, truly, a most noble soul! A class act! A model Japanese youth! And also very loyal to his friends!! Should Heaven and Earth switch places, why, not even then would he consider attacking one of his friends!!!

“Oho, is that so? You shall never possess this orb if you don’t fight me, you know, and I shall possess this body—forever.”

“.....................................................................We can’t have that!!!!!”

Of course, what happened next almost goes without saying! Wataru, aiming right at Résistance—or should I say, “Phantasm”—slammed his fists into her stomach with all his might!

Heaven and Earth just switched places!!!

“Ungh!!”

Phantasm took the full force of those punches! She was sent flying backwards through the air, and slammed into a massive tree at the absolutely murderous speed of nine hundred kilometers per hour! The force of her impact literally splintered the tree into a million pieces! “Chop-chop-timber” this was not! More like “wham-bam-BOOM!!!”

“Wataru!” shouted Aria. “Please, you have to hesitate before you jump into action in situations like this! You’re moving the plot way too fast!”

“Who cares about that!!” Wataru was simply pissed off! But—but then—!

“Well now, you can throw quite a punch...”

Phantasm abruptly appeared out of the dust! Her beautiful blue hair fluttered in the wind!

“Howwwwwwwwwwww!?!? There’s no way you should be able to stand up after a hit like that!”

“Now it’s my turn...!” She whipped Résistance’s sword from the sheath at her belt! It was an absolutely massive blade at 1.2 meters in length, yet she wielded it with ease!!

“Take this!!” Phantasm darted forward, swinging the sword in a wide arc! Wataru, watch out!!

“Jmp!!!!!” He instantly leapt out of the way! Phantasm’s sword cut through the air with a whoooom! sound that chilled the very bones of all those who heard it! She swung her sword again, and then again, but each time, Wataru managed to just barely avoid the blade! His were the quick movements of a lithe, graceful predator!

“Hmph. You do nothing but jump left, jump right. To have made it this far, you must have already gathered the other five orbs, no? And yet, you seem to lack any sort of fighting ability whatsoever...”

Phantasm was clearly trying to provoke Wataru! And Wataru, being Wataru, took the bait! He was pissed off!

“The hell you say about me? I’m gonna—!!!!!!”

With a long, enraged shout, Wataru dashed right at his foe! He leapt into the air, whirled around, and kicked Phantasm right in the chest!

“Ngh!”

It was a kick far more powerful than the punch he had previously thrown, but it was a direct hit, right on her thick steel armor!!

That wasn’t the end of it, though!!

“...!?”

Shockingly! Phantasm grabbed hold of Wataru’s leg and threw him across the clearing!

“Hnnng!!”

“Grngh!”

Wataru somehow managed land on his feet! His face, however, showed how much of an effort he was making! He was drenched in sweat!

“The strength you wield... Résistance was never this strong before!”

Wataru would know this, of course! He’d fought her before—but never like this!

“Indeed, she was not... However, inside this body is not just her strength. The power of the orb is also mine to wield...”

“That makes sense......!!”

Wataru wiped the sweat from his brow and got back into his fighting pose! Phantasm and Wataru glared at each other most ferociously!!

“......!!”

They were five meters apart! Should either one of them jump forward and punch the other, they’d land the hit for sure! The fight was at a critical juncture!!

Aria was watching them from a little ways away! Even though Résistance was being possessed at the moment, it was still hard for her to see her two friends going at it like this!!

“......!”

Aria ground her teeth in nervousness and hugged the five orbs in her hands tight against her chest!

What do I do here... This bastard doesn’t just have Résistance’s strength, but the orb’s energy too! There’s no way I can beat her with a head-on attack.

While flexing every muscle in his body and glaring most intensely at his opponent, Wataru calmly assessed the situation! He tried thinking of the best way out of this quandary!

The biggest problem was Phantasm’s reach! Wataru was fighting barehanded, but his opponent had a 1.2-meter-long sword! There was no way around it—this was a most disadvantageous position to be in!

Right... Maybe I should use a Hot-Blooded Shinken Shirahadori and break that sword into pieces...!?

This “Hot-Blooded Shinken Shirahadori” was the technique Wataru had used when battling Résistance in their first encounter! It’s a most magnificent technique in which a barehanded fighter catches their opponent’s sword between their hands, then snaps the weapon in half! Amazing!

Go back and read Volume One if you want to know more!!

“What’s this, Human? Hesitating, are we? In that case... I’ll come for you!” Phantasm got low to the ground, held her blade up to one side, and ran right at Wataru! She flew towards Wataru at the speed of light! Without missing a beat, she brought the sword crashing down on Wataru!!

“Urghhhh!!!”

With his rapid reflexes, Wataru twisted away to avoid the slash!

I can’t take a blow like that! When I fought Résistance last time, I was able to stop her blade with my bare hands... But Phantasm is swinging that thing way faster than before!

Indeed she was! With the power of the orb, Résistance was stronger than ever! Not only that, the speed at which she attacked had accelerated to beyond what Wataru could handle!

“Wataru, please! Do your best!”

Aria cheered on Wataru as hard as she could from the tree she was hiding behind!

Dammit! This is not good! I’ll never be able to get close enough to attack her as long as she keeps whipping that sword around! I suppose I could always get up close and personal with her so I could punch her straight up, but she’d definitely land a blow on me, and I don’t have any armor...!

Wataru was light on his feet as he retreated away from Phantasm, trying to think his way out of the situation! It was when he reached the edge of the clearing that he was shocked by the simplicity of the solution available to him!!!!!

Hold on, there is something I can do! I can turn this whole thing around!!

“I’ve got it!!!!!” He yelled into the air, turned to face the fifteen-meter-tall tree next to him... and hugged it!

“......? Just what are you trying to—?”

Phantasm narrowed her eyes as she found this behavior most suspicious! It was then that Wataru—!!

“HAAAAH!!!!!”

With every muscle in Wataru’s body tensed up, he gritted his teeth together, summoned every last ounce of energy he had, and with that far-from-average strength he was so proud of, he ripped the tree right out of the ground!!!!!

“H-How!?”

Of course, even Phantasm was amazed at this feat!

“Freakin’ prepare yourself, Phantasm! I’m taking back Résistance’s body!!” Wataru lifted the tree he had just yanked out of the ground over his shoulder as he yelled at his opponent!!!

Phantasm’s sword had an attack range of 1.2 meters! But now Wataru, with his new weapon, had an attack range of a whopping fifteen meters!! The range hierarchy had been firmly established!

“Tch! You may have a large tree, but being the human bastard that you are, you cannot possibly use that as a weapon!” Phantasm was carefully staying just out of range of Wataru’s tree, still holding her sword ready to attack!

Of course, she was completely right—a normal person could not swing around a fifteen-meter-long tree through the air like a sword!!

—A normal person, that is!!!

Dear Readers, you already know! Our Wataru is not normal!!

As an elementary school student, he had forced his way into the Olympics (completely ignoring the age restrictions!) and had won the gold medals of every track and field event! As a result, he became the only Man in history to be completely banned from all future Olympic events at the young age of eleven years old!!

On top of that!!

For a tree like this, that was “merely” fifteen meters long, why, of course he could swing it about!!

“Hnghh!!!!!!”

Wataru lifted the tree up high with both of his hands, aimed it right at Phantasm, and then slammed it down! He looked as though he was performing a kendo head-strike!!

“!!”

Phantasm was slack-jawed and flabbergasted at this turn of events!

And then!!

KA-BOOOOOOOM!!!!!!

With just one swing of his tree, Wataru smashed Phantasm!!

Dear Readers, allow me to explain! Even this simple attack had a long and respectable history! This move is called the “Crash of the Falling Timber-Blade*”!

(*Crash of the Falling Timber-Blade: The year was 980 A.D., in the Heian Era. A young man, born in the mountains near Kyoto, Sakata Doutoki, was famed throughout the land as the strongest in all of Japan. Standing at over two meters tall, he was given the nickname “Doutarou” out of deep respect for his great strength. What’s less well known, however, is that he was not only skilled in unarmed martial arts, but also in sword fighting. He created a style of fighting where, instead of a sword, he wielded a massive “Timber-Blade” to crush his opponents into the ground. It was a powerful, but simple technique. It is said that he would lift up his Timber-Blades, all taller than he was, and proclaim them to be “true” wooden swords. [6])

“Hah... Hah... How d’you like that!?!”

Alas, strong as our Wataru may be, using such a technique consumed a great deal of his stamina! His breaths were coming short and fast, and a veritable waterfall of sweat was dripping from his brow!

...But the fight was nowhere near over!!

“Hahaha... So you can... fight after all...!!”

“Wha—!”

A most astonishing development! Unbelievably unthinkable!

Phantasm had, with her unoccupied left hand, completely blocked Wataru’s Falling Timber-Blade! A small crater had been created just from the force of the impact as it traveled down her body, from her hand to her feet, and yet there she was, still standing!

“You stopped that... with one hand!?”

Even so, Wataru was not about to give up! He pushed down hard with the tree, trying once more to crush Phantasm under the weight of its bulk! But his opponent, looking as calm as ever, casually shoved the tree right back up!

“How can you—!”

The surprise of this was too much for Wataru! The Timber-Blade slipped from his hands and then he nimbly leaped backwards, quick as a startled hare!

“Oh, make no mistake... That truly was an impressive blow,” Phantasm said, “but it was not quite enough.”

And with those words, she sent the tree flying sideways! The enormous tree, which must have weighed several hundred kilograms, crashed into the ground with a BANG! at the edge of the clearing!!

“Hah... heh... This is... really not looking good...!!”

Wataru was totally shocked that his attack had not crushed his opponent, and furthermore, that it had been stopped single-handedly! He felt something like excitement at the obvious strength he was facing—but still took one step back, just to be safe!

“Now... I attack!” Phantasm yelled and heaved her sword high up into the air! She dashed right for Wataru, each leap leaving an enormous footprint in the dirt as she rapidly closed the distance!

“Come and get it!!!”

Wataru knew that if he kept running about the clearing to avoid attacks, this battle would never end! He crouched down, ready to take the blow!

“Hiiiiiiyaaaa!”

Phantasm held the sword’s blade parallel to the ground and swiped it sideways! If she made a direct hit on Wataru, there’s no doubt that a single blow would take his head right off! But Wataru braced with his feet apart and bent over backwards as Phantasm swung her sword, completely dodging the blade!

Phantasm was stunned! “How can this be!?”

Allow me to explain! Wataru was, right then, using a legendary karate technique, the “Ina Bauer*”!

(*Ina Bauer: A karate technique created by a martial artist in the Saga Domain (now Saga Prefecture) in 1850. By spreading the feet wide and pointing the toes sideways, in opposite directions, one is able to easily bend over backwards in order to dodge attacks. One’s sense of balance is quite important when spreading one’s legs wide and pointing the toes at 180-degree angles from each other, but it allows one to avoid attacks on the upper torso with ease. This move has absolutely nothing to do with the figure-skating technique of the same name, the “Ina Bauer.” Any similarity in the names of said moves, or similarities in the movements themselves, is entirely coincidental. [7])

“Oho, an excellent dodge! One hundred points for style!”

Aria was quick to praise Wataru from her vantage point behind the tree! She was doing an excellent job of fulfilling her role as the Light Novel Heroine, and all of our Dear Readers are no doubt completely satisfied with her compliments!!

When Wataru came back up, he used his forward momentum to slam his head into his opponent’s abdomen!

“Ngh!?”

His headbutt smashed precisely into the weak point of her steel armor, fracturing the plate! When someone thought up the word “blockhead,” they were certainly thinking of someone with a head as hard as Wataru’s!

But Phantasm had not yet lost this battle!

“You think that’s gonna take me down!?”

She screamed with rage as she brought the sword high above her head, then began to swing downwards—but look, that was a feint! She kicked sideways, and poor Wataru, who’d been focused entirely on the sword, was nailed right in the stomach by her foot!

“Gahh!!”

He groaned, and most painfully at that, as the air was forced right out of his lungs! In a flash, he slammed one foot against the ground and jumped backwards!

Th-This is really bad! I’m racking up damage...!! If I keep retreating like this, I’ll end up back near Aria—maybe I should have her heal me!? No, it’s too dangerous! She’ll be within range of that sword, and if Phantasm attacks her, too...!

Wataru found himself trapped by the circumstances! There was nothing he could do!

“......!”

He racked his brain as hard as he could to think of a way out of this situation, grinding his teeth like there was no tomorrow! Before him, Phantasm lifted her sword, eyes full of rage and smiling most evilly at him!

“So, Wataru, or whoever you are... this has been a good fight. However, it seems like the battle has come to an end. Allow me to strike this final blow.”

Her malicious smile was one Résistance never would have made at her friends! If Wataru loses this battle, he will not only never obtain the orb, but Résistance might never get her body back!!

How—How can I win this...!?

Wataru—was terrified!

But not of losing! He was terrified at the very thought of losing his friend!

No... Never!! I absolutely can’t lose Résistance!!

Before he knew what he was doing, he had clenched his fists together, leaned forward toward Phantasm, and shouted with the face of a Nio! “I...... don’t want to lose you, Résistance!!”

“Hmph. Cry all you want, Human,” Phantasm spat at Wataru, and pointed the tip of her blade at his chest!

“Here and now, I shall run you through with this very sword...”

“R-Résistance......” Aria said as though she was about to burst into tears! “Résistance, please, don’t... He’s your friend, isn’t he...!?”

Her words, heartfelt as they were, could not reach Phantasm’s ears in her current state! Phantasm’s eyes glittered black as the night sky and glared cruelly at Wataru’s defeated face, ready to deal the final blow!

What do I do...!? What do I do...!?

Wataru, however, was not going to go down without a fight! He crouched low to the ground, watched his approaching enemy closely, and prepared himself to launch a counterattack!

If I can hit her with my counterattack, the best place to land it would be on her neck, where the spinal cord is... If I can knock her out with one hit, Résistance might just get her body back!!

“Haaaaaaa!!” Roaring at Phantasm as the blade stabbed through the air, straight for his neck, Wataru took a small step left, dodging her thrust with millimeters to spare! Then, without missing a beat, he swiped his flattened hand through, aiming right at her neck!

“You’re goin’ down!!!”

BOOOOM!!!

Wataru’s hand-chop was a direct hit to her neck! —Or so he thought!!

“!?”

An instant before his hand touched her, she had begun to spin herself clockwise! With that momentum, she was able to avoid his attack and managed to deliver a shallow cut to Wataru’s chest!

“Whaaaaaaaaat!!”

Wataru’s pecs were stronger and harder than steel, so of course the slash resulted in a mere flesh wound! It was just a little scratch! What was more shocking to him was the force of the cut! Although it barely broke his skin, our two-meter-tall Wataru was instantly sent flying backwards by sheer power of Phantasm’s slash!

I might be in deep trouble right now...!

His school uniform was sliced and stained with the blood now dripping from his chest! But even so, Wataru was calm and focused as he nailed the landing!

“You’re a hard one to kill, Human...” Phantasm said, and raised her sword once more!

What... What do I do!?!?

Out of the frying pan and into the fire! Wataru was cornered!!

It was then, at that very moment when Phantasm was about to launch her attack—that it happened!!

“—!?”

Suddenly, her eyes widened, and for some reason she dropped the sword! The weapon fell to the ground with a muted ting-tang-clang, a most lifeless sound for such a fierce blade!

“Wha-What’s going on? In the name of...”

Aria furrowed her brow in suspicion at this unexpected turn of events!

Phantasm clapped her hands against the sides of her head, crying out in pain! “Ow... My head... feels like it’s about to burst...!”

“—!?”

Wataru was dumbfounded! Overwhelmingly dumbfounded! The enemy, right before his eyes, had begun crying out in pain!! “Wh-What the hell is going on!!”

Then, from Phantasm’s own mouth, came the most shocking words: “W-Wataru......! Save... me......!”

“Huh!? I-Is that you, Résistance!?”

What an unbelievable thing to occur! Résistance, whose body had been possessed by the orb, was fighting back, rebelling against Phantasm’s control!

“Don’t get in my way...!”

“No...! I don’t want... to fight Wataru anymore......!”

“Mortal soul, begone! This body is no longer yours...!”

“No! I won’t go!”

“My duty is to protect the orb! This man must die!”

“Then, my duty is... to stop you!”

Résistance and Phantasm were desperately dueling for control, the two souls warring with one another in a single body!

Wataru stood there, dumbstruck! “Just what am I supposed to do in a situation like this...!” he said to himself as he watched Résistance cradling her head in her hands! This would be the perfect moment to attack... but instead, Wataru dropped his fighting stance, took a deep breath, and bellowed!!

“You can do it, Résistance! I know you’re stronger than some orb’s ghost!!!”

“!!”

Wataru’s powerful voice rang out in every corner of the forest! The sincerity of his passionate encouragement, of course, also reverberated within her heart!

“You’re right...! My name is Résistance...! My name means......‘to resist’...! I’m not going to give in to the likes of you!”

“Wha-What are you doing!? Foolish Human, you attempt to take back this body!? Wait—from where does this power—ngh!”

Phantasm...... or rather, Résistance’s body began to shudder all over! It was Résistance “resisting” Phantasm’s control of her body, trying to take it back!

As they watched this inner struggle, both Wataru and Aria cheered her on as best they could!!

“Push through it, Résistance! I know you can do it!”

“He’s right, Résistance! You’re our friend! Please, come back to us!!”

“Wataru...... Aria......!”

A thin line of tears quietly slid down Résistance’s cheek!

“You can trust me......! You two......! I’m—I’m not going to lose a fight like this...!!”

A human that had been possessed by an otherworldly spirit was reminded of just how strong the bonds of friendship were, and fought back against the being that sought to control her! How convenient that such an utterly clichéd plot device should appear at a time like this!

And so it was...... With the power of friendship...!!!

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”

Résistance roared! Forcing all her strength into her voice, she lifted her head and raged against her captor! As she did, her entire body was bathed in pale blue lightning! The bolts flashed out to knock down the surrounding trees, and all the nearby birds flew up into the sky in a great crying cloud at the sudden thunder! Her eyes, which had been dark as night, were, slowly but surely, regaining their original blue hue!

Yes, this is the awesome power every human has within them! Wataru and Aria both watched her struggle with bated breath!

“I’m not going to lose...... Not here, not nowwwwwwwwwwwww!!”

Résistance yelled for a good, long minute! The instant she stopped—the lightning bolts crackled and disappeared! Her pupils were entirely blue again!

“Haa...... Haa......” Out of breath, she collapsed to her knees!

Wataru and Aria panicked and ran over to her! “Hey, Résistance, are you okay!?”

“Y-Yeah... I’m fine. Thanks, you two...!!” Résistance beamed at both of them, happy as can be! There was no doubt, this smile was definitely Résistance’s!!

“Résistance, that was amazing! You beat Phantasm, all by yourself!”

“Well... I did hear you and Aria cheering me on, so...”

Yes, Dear Reader! The passionate, sincere voices of her two friends had encouraged Résistance enough that she was able to shake off the cursed power of Phantasm!

It was then that the black orb, still buried in the pile of glass shards, began to glow once more!

A man’s low, deep voice resounded through the clearing: “You have passed the test...” —and then the eerie light of the orb disappeared!

This meant... the three adventurers had finally overcome every obstacle and obtained the final orb!!

“It’s done...! We did it!!” Wataru pumped both of his fists into the sky and shouted with joy!

“Yeah!” Résistance nodded, looking as happy as he did!

Aria opened up her rucksack and put the five orbs she was still holding inside, then grabbed the final one from the pile of rubble left from the shrine and put that one inside as well! “Nice! We’ve got them all!” She clapped her hands together excitedly, looking down at her bag, bulging with balls!

Then, that very next instant! As if her battery had suddenly run out of energy, Résistance closed her eyes and fell forward onto the ground!

“A-A-A-Are you okay!? Résistance!” Panicking, Aria laid one hand on her neck to check her pulse!

“...Well?”

“It’s all right—she only fainted.”

“Really? Whew, I’m glad to hear that...!!” Wataru patted his chest as he let out a big sigh!

With this, they had finally collected all six orbs! But things weren’t going to be “happily ever after” just quite yet! After all, the real fight is just about to begin!!

To be continued in the next chapter: “The Rampage of the Dragon! Fear His Terrible Power!”

*Sources:

[6] The True Story of the Legendary Doutarou — Isekai Tensei Publishing

[7] Secrets of Kyushu: A History of Saga Karate — Isekai Tensei Publishing