Chapter 7: Wataru’s Great Victory! This is What It Means to Be Hot-Blooded!!!

Heheheh... the dragon laughed in the aftermath of his Fire Blaze attack. I’ve enjoyed our little battle, Wataru...!

The time was 6:30 in the evening. The soft light of the moon illuminated the vast desert beneath the night sky. The sand where the dragon had directed his Fire Blaze was scorched black by the intense heat.

The dragon slowly landed on the ground and folded his wings.

It’s rather hot down here, isn’t it? Perhaps I overdid it...?

The dragon found the level of heat strange. The desert at night is usually an extremely cold place, but even accounting for the Fire Blaze, all around him the air felt warm—hot, even.

Too hot!

This is far hotter than it should be!!

Something’s wrong... Something is definitely wrong about this...!

The dragon held his breath and listened carefully to the desert night around him. As he did, the clouds of sand fell back down to the ground, until all was still and he could see the horizon in every direction.

—!

The dragon could not believe his very eyes!!

How... is this possible...!?

It was a most surprising turn of events! Two hundred meters away, in the same direction that the dragon had just blasted a pillar of fire, stood none other than Wataru! The sand all around him glowed a deep crimson, casting a red light on his face that made him look like a Nio come to life!

How—How can this be!? My Blaze was a direct hit!!

The dragon was unable to hide his surprise, and was most dismayed by this turn of events! The ground directly around Wataru was pitch black; clear proof that the Fire Blaze had been on the very spot the boy was standing!

But he was still alive!

Not only that, he looked even livelier than he had before!!

There was no mistaking it—Wataru had used his killer technique and activated every ounce of “Hot-Blooded” heat he’d had inside of him, and fended off the dragon’s attack!

However, he looked very different from the time when he had used this very technique against the Demon Lord! His trademark black hair had, for some reason, instantly grown longer!

His hair... All of a sudden, it’s grown over a meter longer......? Impossible......

The dragon was at a complete loss for words upon seeing Wataru’s transformation!

“......!”

Wataru, on the other hand, said not a word in response to the dragon’s surprise, and merely started walking towards him slowly. The tails of the red hachimaki around his head and the wild black hair, now stretching down to his legs, billowed in the wind behind him.

I can’t... tell what he’s thinking......!

The dragon watched the approaching Wataru very carefully, but no matter how he tried to read the human’s mind, he could not pick up a single thought! The dragon felt as though he was staring into a lake with a perfectly flat surface, where not a single ripple could be perceived—Wataru had become, in the truest sense of the word, “single-minded”!

“It is pointless to try. My mind has absorbed the strength of your fire power, so much so that not even you can read my mind!!” Wataru said, his voice as majestic and forthright as that of a king rising from his throne!

You “absorbed my fire power”...? What the blazes does that mean!?

“Hmph! I got you monologuing during the battle! You told me all about your battle techniques!!”

How daring of him, to rebuke a dragon! The smile on his face was bold as brass as he told the dragon how he had survived!

Hmmm, I did indeed!

The dragon understood what Wataru had done! Still, I think our Dear Readers might get lost here if we don’t explain something first!

Wataru has activated his Exploding Bloodrush! But this was no normal Exploding Bloodrush!

This was...... Exploding Bloodrush: Main Event Edition*!!

(*Exploding Bloodrush: Main Event Edition: One of the great secrets of the “Exploding Blood Style” passed down through the generations of the Ito family. Once activated, every ounce of hot-blooded energy inside the body is released, strengthening the user to an extreme degree. When Wataru faced the Demon Lord Deus, he used this technique to power up enough to be able to defeat his opponent.)

And yet, Wataru had been unable to activate the full power of the Exploding Bloodrush technique when fighting the Demon Lord. Exploding Bloodrush requires a “special activation condition” in order to be utilized to its fullest extent. What, you may ask, is that “special activation condition”? Why, it is being engulfed in flames.

As I said just earlier, the Exploding Bloodrush is a technique that enables one to release all the heat inside one’s body in one go. What’s not very well known, however, is that when Exploding Bloodrush is activated, the user is capable of absorbing any heat from their immediate surroundings and transforming it into further hot-blooded energy!

In other words, if there was a raging fire surrounding the user when they activated the technique, they’d instantly be able to transform that power into their own and use it themselves, strengthening their Exploding Bloodrush. The hotter the flames, the more heat that could be absorbed, empowering the user even more. Once they achieve peak power, they are said to have activated Exploding Bloodrush to the fullest extent. Doing so causes the user’s hormonal glands to leap into overdrive, causing sudden hair growth and toughening their muscles. This secret technique is one of the strongest from the mysterious Exploding Blood Style. [9])

“All right then, here I go... I’ll show you that I am the strongest, hottest, craziest badass in this entire fantasy world!!” Wataru glared at the dragon with a fierce glint in his eyes!

To Wataru, being engulfed in his enemy’s flames was not a disadvantage—it was the most optimal situation he could have been in!

“We’re settling this once and for all, dragon!!!!!!”

And, of course, it barely even merits mentioning, but Wataru began sprinting towards the dragon at a raging two hundred kilometers per hour!

Bring it on, Human!!

The dragon spread his wings and leapt into the air, full of exhilaration and thrilled for the coming fight! He bared his sharp talons and spiraled downwards, right at Wataru!

The dragon was just as glorious and ferocious in flight as a bald eagle diving through the air to claim its prey!

“Uwaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!”

Wataru did not fear his attack in the slightest! In fact, he ran even faster so as to meet the dragon even quicker! His running speed went—unbelievably!—all the way up to four hundred kilometers per hour! He was a veritable human steam train! With all of a steam train’s horsepower, speed, and overwhelming force!! It was no exaggeration to say that he was running faster than could ever be imagined to be possible for a human!!

You’re so—so fast!!

The dragon’s eyes flew open wide with surprise as he tracked Wataru picking up impossible speed towards him! But he was not intimidated by the fighting teen’s incredible velocity!!

His talons caught the light of the moon and gleamed most dangerously! Their sharp tips were aimed straight down!

My claws shall feast upon your flesh, Wataru!!

The dragon’s claws were just about to shred Wataru to pieces!

“HAA!!!!!”

The instant before the dragon’s talons were about to touch Wataru, he leapt to his left with all the explosive speed and power of dynamite! As he flew past the dragon, he punched right hooks at the beast’s right shoulder at the speed of 300,000 kilometers per second!!

This was a lethal technique that could only be used when the user was in Exploding Bloodrush: Main Event Edition! This particular attack was called Hot-Blooded Lightspeed Fists*!!!

(*Hot-Blooded Lightspeed Fists: One of the secret techniques of the Exploding Blood Style passed through the generations. Just as it sounds, the user throws right hook punches at the speed of light, a rather simple attack. But humans are physical creatures, and punching at the speed of light has consequences. Bones and muscle must surely dissolve when forced to move at the speed of light. But when a practitioner is in Exploding Bloodrush: Main Event Edition, and has released all the hot-blooded energy in their body, the story is very different: their body can withstand moving at the speed of light. This technique, by the way, is a direct measure of the amount of hot-blooded energy within one’s body: the more energy one has, the faster one can unleash their attacks. With enough energy, one could, theoretically, punch faster than the speed of light... [10])

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wataru’s punches successfully slammed into the dragon’s right shoulder, right on target, and utterly destroyed it!!

What......What power......!

With this one attack, Wataru had shattered the bones of the dragon’s right shoulder, rendering the beast completely unable to move his right arm whatsoever! Even so, the dragon still pressed his attack!

We’re not done! Not just yet!!

With a boom the dragon flared his wings and took to the skies!

“Hmph, if that’s what it’ll take!!”

Wataru was pumped full of adrenaline and relishing every moment of this vicious battle to the death as the thrill of a lifetime!!

“Come and get me, dragon!” he yelled with all his might, glaring up at the beast above him! The dragon flared his wings once more!

BOOOOOOOM!!!

The fierce winds blown by his wings kicked dust up into the air all around Wataru!

“Ngh!”

The winds blew into his face with all the raging force of a typhoon! Wataru crouched low to the ground and flexed his muscles as he strained to keep himself on the ground!!

I’ve still got more!!

The dragon beat his wings again and again, each time causing a small tornado that lifted up clumps of sand and sent them flying across the sky! They rode the wind, lost momentum, and then came crashing down onto Wataru! Dear Readers, you may think that falling sand may not be painful, or even itchy! I must impress upon you, however, that the force of impact is quite different inside a sandstorm! The sand that the dragon was pelting Wataru with through these raging winds was as forceful as ammunition from a shotgun!!

Wataru thrust his feet into the ground below him so that he might not get blown away! He closed his eyes against the onslaught, but even still, slowly but surely, the sand was wearing on his endurance!!

At this rate...You shall be rendered unconscious, human, as long as I keep you locked inside this prison of a sandstorm!

The voice of the dragon reverberated inside Wataru’s head as he desperately tried to resist being blown over!

“Ha! You think I can’t stand something like this...? I’ll show you...... HA!!!!!”

Wataru shouted as he leapt straight up into the air, rising to an astonishing five hundred meters high! For reference, Tokyo Tower is only three hundred and thirty-three meters tall! Wataru had clearly gone beyond the ken of mere humankind!!

For a moment, he was higher in the sky than the dragon himself, and had broken free from the eye of the sandstorm!!

Just what we’d expect from our Wataru! An explosive display of force as he gets himself out of a near-death situation!!

How? How can you, a human without wings, fly into the air like that!?!?

“It’s because every day is gym day for me!”

How absurd......!

The dragon ground his teeth, or rather, his fangs, and again beat his proud wings, soaring up at Wataru! The dragon could no longer use his right arm to attack, so he opened his maw wide as he sought to clamp down on Wataru with lethal force! His fangs were sharper than a shark’s, with a jaw stronger than that of an alligator! Not even Wataru, in his Exploding Blood: Main Event Edition state, would be able to withstand a bite from that maw without gaining a scratch or two!!

But Wataru looked not at all fazed as he cracked his right hand like a whip! He landed a direct blow on the front of the dragon’s snout!!

!?

A sharp pain raced down the dragon’s nerves! Wataru, wasting not a moment of this opportunity, jumped higher into the air and landed on the dragon’s snout, staring his opponent in the eyes! Then, clenching his fists so that they were hard as steel, he reared back—and slammed his fists right into the hard scales of the dragon’s forehead!!

“PNCH!!!!!”

◆ ◆ ◆

At that very same moment, Aria and Résistance were—

“Pig.”

“Gala.”

“Apple.”

“† Eden’s Forbidden Fruit: le pomme d’Or †.”

“Huh? What in the world is that? ...Isn’t that just French for ‘apple’?”

“Oh no, it is no mere apple. It is a legendary fruit that bestows forbidden powers on any who eat it. That’s why it’s called ‘† Eden’s Forbidden Fruit: le pomme d’Or †.’”

“Don’t you think you’re pushing it a little by just saying another word for ‘apple’ right after I said it?”

“Well, if you feel that way, I’ll choose a different item. What do you say to ‘† Eden’s Forbidden Fruit: le raisin d’Or †’?”

“‘What do I say’? The heck are you trying to imply? You just changed ‘apple’ into ‘grapes’ with your stupid French answers! Don’t you think that’s cheating?”

—enjoying a leisurely game of Word Chain in the forest!!

◆ ◆ ◆

It so happened that there were, at that moment, two other individuals watching Wataru’s fierce battle with the dragon from afar.

One of them was a cute, short girl. The other was a big, burly, muscular man, bristling with brawny vigor.

Yes—they were none other than Elphabelle and her father Elphabill, of House Evil.

“Look, Papa! Isn’t Wataru amazing?”

Elphabill slowly nodded his head. “Yes... the way he fights that dragon is truly... quite something!!”

“That’s why, you know, why I want to marry Wataru, no matter what it takes! If we make some babies, they’ll be the strongest kids in the world!”

Elphabelle twisted and fidgeted with embarrassment, blushing as she said so. Elphabill merely had a most suggestive smile on his face as he watched the battle even more intensely.

“I, too, would like to one day try having a ‘battle to the death’ with that boy...!!”

He was unable to take his eyes off Wataru’s beautifully executed punches and kicks.

“But Father, what do you think of that technique Wataru’s using? His hair’s suddenly a lot longer—I’ve never heard of anything like that.”

“Indeed... Not even I, with my many years of experience, have seen anything like that before!! His form is even better now that his hair is longer...!!” Elphabill put his hands on his hips. “The more I watch, the better it gets!! He truly is the right man for my Elphabelle!!!!!!!”

◆ ◆ ◆

“PNCH!!!!!”

With careful and deliberate blows, Wataru slammed his fists right into the hard scales of the dragon’s forehead!!

KA-BAAAAM!!!

The sudden sound of the impact was the same as one might expect from a grenade detonating with full force against a concrete wall!!

Ngh......! Rrrrroooo......!

No matter how unbelievably strong the dragon may have been, there was no way he was going to come out unscathed from Wataru’s point-blank assault!! A raging, rippling vibration rammed around the dragon’s skull from the force of Wataru’s punch! It was an instant concussion! The dragon lost all sense of balance as he began plummeting down to the ground below in a free fall! Unable to regain control of his descent, he plunged right into the desert sand!

“How’d you like that!?”

Wataru leapt off the dragon’s snout a moment before it crashed into the ground, making a most beautiful landing! Somehow, the dragon managed to creakily maneuver his limbs back under himself and slowly stood up!

Ah... What have you done...? What have you done to me, Young Wataru...?

The dragon twisted and flexed its long tail—and the corners of his maw were lifted as if he was about to smile!

I cannot use my right arm... and with this concussion, I can barely move the rest of my body... hahaha......

He lifted his head to the sky and opened his jaws wide, roaring loud enough to rend the night in two with all the force of his bestial power—every creature on the continent surely felt his voice as it shook the very earth itself!

I surrender, Wataru. You have completely defeated me... The loss is mine.

The dragon accepted his defeat! He looked completely battered by this point, with not an ounce of energy left to mount a counterattack!!

Wataru... Please...... The final blow...

Wataru heard the dragon’s request and, with the face of a Nio, nodded his assent! It is the sacred duty of every martial artist to deal the final blow to any enemy who requests it after a ferocious fight!

“Farewell, dragon...! I really enjoyed our battle!!!!!”

Wataru crossed his arms, one wrist over the other, then slowly opened his fists as he moved them to the right side of his body!

“This is it! My final attack...... Here I go!!!!!”

In that instant, small balls of light materialized in the palms of his hands!

“WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOA!!!!!”

Wataru let out a fierce, hot battle cry as he gathered his power! As if in answer, the balls of light grew larger and larger!

When they were ten centimeters in diameter...!

“HOT!!! BLOODED!!!”

Wataru shouted the name of this technique as he thrust both his palms towards the dragon! The balls of light leapt from his hands and rocketed straight at the dragon!

“FIGHTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Allow me to explain! The name of this killer technique was none other than the Hot-Blooded Fighter Wave*, and it could only be used when the user was in a state of Exploding Bloodrush: Main Event Edition!!

(*Hot-Blooded Fighter Wave: a supremely strong, secret technique passed through the generations of Exploding Blood warriors. By collecting all the hot-blooded energy within one’s body into the palms of their hands, the user can create balls of light, which can then be blasted at the enemy. This technique consumes all the heat contained within the user’s blood, so they would be forced out of Exploding Bloodrush: Main Event Edition as a consequence. It is for this reason that the technique was called the “final secret” of the Exploding Blood fighters. Should a true master of the art unleash this attack, why, even the moon might explode into a million pieces from the force of the impact. [11])

The Hot-Blooded Fighter Waves Wataru had loosed from his hands blazed across the desert to fly right at the dragon! The sheer speed of the balls of light caused loud BOOM!!s as they raced over the sands, shining brilliantly out into the night! The force and speed of their attack was the same as Wataru’s own lightning-quick punches and kicks!

“Take this, dragon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

The balls of light slammed against the dragon—and exploded!!!!!

KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!

What an enormous impact! What a massive shockwave!!

Surrounded as he was by an explosion that was burning up every part of his body, the dragon still laughed!

My body... it burns... ahhhh......!! Thank you, Young Wataru......!!

“Yeah... I’m really glad that... I got to fight you...!”

The effort of using the Hot-Blooded Fighter Wave had pulled Wataru from his Explosive Bloodrush state, and our hero gasped for breath as he bade farewell to the dragon!

The dragon, surrounded in flames, lifted his eyes up to the night sky and turned his gaze to the moon!

You... I... We fought well.

Only a few seconds later, the dragon was consumed by the blisteringly hot flames, and was instantly turned into ash!!

The quiet wind picked up the ash where it lay and gently blew it out across the desert, where it became one with the sand!

It was as though he had been eliminated by Divine Providence itself! Wataru said absolutely nothing as he watched the ash swirl away!

“......!!”

Unconsciously, he allowed himself to—cry!!

Wataru’s tears were proof of the utmost respect he had for the dragon, a fellow warrior who was now gone from this world!

“......Hm?”

As Wataru wiped away his tears, he noticed something rolling around on the ground near his feat! It was the pair of glasses the dragon had been wearing! The glasses, which were far larger than anything a human could ever wear, were weighed down by the desert sands, as if they too were saddened by the disappearance of their owner!!

“......!”

Wataru did not pick up the glasses, nor did he crush them beneath his foot—he simply turned his back on them and began to slowly walk away! The smoke from their battle still hung over the area as Wataru made his way back to his friends.

◆ ◆ ◆

It was an hour later when Wataru returned to the forest to find Aria and Résistance having a gay old time playing Word Chain.

“Panda.”

“† Apple of Darkness, the Fruit of the Hellfire Orchard †.”

“Will you stop making up goofy ways to say ‘apple’ after everything I say?”

“That’s not what I’m doing at all!””

“Heyyyyyyyy! You twooooooo!!” Wataru called out to them and waved. Both of them immediately turned to face him. It looked as though Résistance had been completely healed, and as she watched him approach from her seat against the tree, she seemed full of energy and vigor.

“Oh, Wataru, you’re back... Hold on, what the hell happened with your hair!? Lemme come take a look,” she said standing up to get closer. Résistance was, quite understandably, completely shocked by its new length. He’d only been gone for a few hours after all, and now his hair stretched down to his waist.

Wataru folded his arms as he answered most unhelpfully: “Huh? Oh, this? It, uh, just kinda happened!!”

Aria just smiled when she heard this. “Ha! Well, I suppose our dear Wataru is quite capable of growing his hair out like that whenever he wants to!”

“Well, yeah!!!”

“As if he can just ‘want’ to have it grow out that much, all at once...”

Exasperated with Aria’s and Wataru’s typical antics, Résistance just shook her head and moved onto a more serious subject.

“So, what happened with the dragon? Did you defeat him?”

Wataru looked back and forth between Aria and Résistance before nodding.

“Yeah!! Of course I did!!”

Both of the young women let out a deep sigh of relief upon hearing Wataru’s confident reply.

“I knew you’d be able to pull it off.”

“Excellent, job well done, Wataru! Now we can get a whole lot more reward money from the King of the Sky Kingdom! I want to install a golden toilet inside my house with that money!!”

“Why would you ever want—!!”

Wataru paused, confused by what his senses were telling him.

At that very moment, Résistance happened to glance up at the sky to see a shadow—of someone. “Hey, take a look at that.” She pointed up into the air. Wataru and Aria looked to see what she was pointing at, and saw something most surprising. The dark figure was getting larger and larger as it approached where the three of them were standing.

“Hey, watch out! It’s coming this way!!”

—and in the very next instant!

KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!

A roaring quake shook our three adventurers as they opened their eyes to see a Great Man was standing before them!!

Yes, just as you expected! It was Elphabill of the House of Evil! Riding on his shoulder was none other than his daughter Elphabelle!!

“Y-You two...!”

Wataru blinked rapidly in surprise at their sudden appearance! Elphabelle leapt off her father’s shoulder and landed without a sound!!

“Hey hey, Darling! You defeated the dragon just fine!!” Elphabelle was practically bouncing up and down as she greeted Wataru with a wink! Adorable!

“Don’t call me ‘Darling’! Wait, were you watching me fight the dragon!?!?”

It was her father, Elphabill, who answered this question!

“Heheh. As assassins, we are quite good at spying on our targets!! You were truly something in that fight!!”

“Yeah, yeah! You looked super cool! And that new hairstyle’s awesome!”

Elphabelle sounded truly pleased as she pointed at Wataru’s long, tousled mane! Adorable!!

Wataru, a Hot-Blooded Fighting Teen from Japan, had absolutely no experience with women, so of course he blushed beet-red at this compliment!

“D-Don’t try to change the subject! ...Wh-What do you want, anyways!?”

“Oh, Darling, you know that! We gotta decide when we’re gonna have our wedding ceremony, don’t we!”

Résistance exploded with rage when she heard this!!

“Wh-Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!! Quit your bullshit!! As if anyone would let Wataru marry into a shady family of bastards like yours!! I will not, I shall not allow you to marry Elphabelle, Wataru—!!”

Wataru was of course confused by how indignant Résistance was getting over the subject!

“Re-Résistance... That sounds like something my father would say!”

“...Ah! I’ve said too—My apologies Wataru, I got ahead of myself there.”

“Well, anyway, I don’t plan on marrying anyone right now!!”

Wataru put his hands on his hips and thrust out his chest, as he proclaimed this for all to hear! In Wataru’s mind, he was already in a relationship! With muscle training and his adventures!!

Aria nodded her head in complete agreement! “Why, of course you feel that way! If you do change your mind, though, and want to get married, please be sure to let me know! I’ll have to get ready for the move.”

Elphabelle frowned at these most unwelcome words from Aria! “I tooooooooooooold you before! Why’re you acting like you’re gonna come live in my house!?”

“Why, obviously I’d like to try living in a mansion too, of course.”

“And so that means you have to come live in our house!? That’s absurd!”

“Why’ve you gotta be so stingy with all that space you have!? You live in the biggest house on the continent!””

“The size of my house has nothing to do with it!!”

Elphabill laughed high and loud as the Devil himself as he watched the two of them argue! “MUAHAHAHAHA!!”

“Indeed, most amusing...!! Wataru, your friends truly are quite interesting characters!!”

Wataru smiled happily when he heard this. “Yes, they really are! I’m quite proud of my friends!”

“Just to be clear, you... don’t have any intention of marrying my daughter?”

Wataru shook his head firmly!

“Nope! I have absolutely no intention of getting involved in any love affairs right now! I need to get stronger, a lot stronger!!”

Wataru said this with clear eyes and clear words! Just what we’d expect from a Hot-Blooded Fighting Teen from Japan! There were no falsehoods in what he said whatsoever!

“Is that so... Well, I applaud your determination!! But, be careful, boy!!”

“Huh? What should I be careful of, sir?”

“Well...” Elphabill’s demonically fierce facial features became even sharper with solemnity before he continued! “Let us consider: the Demon Lord Deus and the dragon were, until recently, the ‘Absolute Rulers’ of this continent. But now that you have defeated them both, there is no ruler in this land... but you! From now on, you will be hunted by those seeking fame and fortune as they try to defeat the strongest on the continent...!!”

Wataru’s entire body began to quiver when he heard this! Was he quivering from fear? No! Absolutely not! These were the tremors of a fighter full of anticipation! Every part of his body was shaking with tremendous excitement as he thought of the battles to come!!

“Heh heh... You look pleased, Wataru!!”

Elphabill was quick to understand Wataru’s emotions, and flashed him a smile of recognition!

“You know, of course, that among the individuals aiming to defeat you... is myself...!!”

Despite the terror of his words, which were practically a declaration of war, Wataru simply smiled back at him and said, “I’m looking forward to our next battle!!”

At that moment, a wave of fierce, vigorous energy blasted out from both of their bodies!! When the two waves of energy collided—

SHHHHHHRRRRRRKKKKK!!

Space itself was twisted! Any normal person who might have been present would have collapsed on the spot from the terrible sight!

If there had been a spark within range... This load of dynamite would have blasted right off!!

The whole situation was on a hair trigger!!

—but that was when Elphabelle, looking most exasperated, decided to step in!

“All right you two, that’s enough—stop!! Papa, you will not try to kill my future husband!”

Elphabill slowly came to his senses and the waves of manly, fighting vigor began to abate. “Ah, forgive me, daughter...!! Wataru looked so passionate that I, too, felt myself burning up with enthusiasm for battle!!”

“Ha...” She sighed. “Wataru!” she yelled, pointing a finger right at him, “don’t go gettin’ yourself killed until after I marry you, all right!?”

Wataru grimaced, but still he boldly answered her!

“HA! I have no plans of getting married... and I don’t plan on getting killed, either! No need to worry about that!!”

Elphabelle was as pleased as could be and gave him a most ladylike, gentle smile in return!

“Now then, daughter of mine! We must be getting home soon... I’m concerned about Sebas......!!”

“Okay, Papa! Right then, we’re leaving now!” She leapt lithely up onto her father’s shoulder, sat down, and waved at the three adventurers! “Bye, everyone! See you next time!”

“Yeah! See you around!”

As Wataru gave her an energetic wave goodbye, Elphabill crouched low to the ground, flexed his legs, and jumped into the air with amazing momentum! It was a jump that would give Wataru’s own leaping prowess a run for its money! In the blink of an eye, the two of them had disappeared like falling stars flying beyond the horizon...!!

“They certainly are rather bothersome people, aren’t they...” Aria shook her head with exhausted disapproval in the general direction in which they had gone!

“You got that right!!”

“Anyway, Wataru, what do you plan on doing now?”

Wataru had to pause to think of a reply to Aria’s question!

“Hm... Well, I guess we should head back to the Revant Kingdom for the moment!!”

“Sounds good! Let’s find an inn in the Revant Kingdom where we can relax for the night, then return to the Sky Kingdom tomorrow!”

Wataru turned to ask Résistance about her plans!

“Hey, Résistance! What’re you gonna do now!?”

“Hm, me? I’m going to... take my leave, and continue my journey as I try to become a better fighter.”

“That so? We’ll miss you!! Hey, if you’re gonna do that, why don’t you at least come back with us to the Revant Kingdom! We’ll have a party tonight!” Wataru suggested, with a big smile on his face!

Aria nodded and cheerfully added, “That sounds great! Let’s do it!”

I’ll remind our Dear Readers that both Wataru and Aria are minors, so at their “party” tonight they’ll be drinking not liquor, but orange juice! This fictional work is completely compliant with any and all legal restrictions concerning the depiction of its characters, so of course we won’t have them drinking alcohol here just because we’re in a fantasy world!

After all, this is a healthy, morally upstanding novel series!!

Résistance found herself unable to resist this most excellent offer! “Haha!” she laughed, and replied, “Yes, that sounds excellent! Let’s have a party! Any liquor I drink tonight will taste better knowing that the two of you are partying alongside me!”

“All right! Let’s get going back to the Revant Kingdom!”

“Yes!”

“Yeah!”

And so it was that Wataru, Aria, and Résistance began walking back through the moonlit forest! The three of them were in the highest of spirits, having just successfully won the battle to protect humanity in this world!

But their real fight was yet to come! Wataru, especially, would find himself the target of bloodthirsty warriors from all across the continent!! In time, there may even come a battle where he might struggle to win! But I’m sure he’ll end up all right! After all, he’s got Aria, Résistance, and plenty of other allies!!

Hand in hand with his friends, Wataru will become stronger than anyone else!!

“I’m not stopping, not ever... Our adventure will always go on!”

His name was Wataru Ito! He was a Hot-Blooded Fighting Teen!

And on this day, in a world crammed full with dangers and demons, he would face them all in battle with nothing but his fists!!

The Hot-Blooded Fighting Teen! His Epic Adventures After Stopping a Truck with His Bare Hands!!

THE!!!!! END!!!!!

“Hold upppppppppppppppppppp!!”

A great roar broke the quiet peace of the forest!!

“Huh!? What was that?!”

Wataru instantly turned to face the direction the voice had come from! Standing there was none other than a green-skinned orc, ready for battle! His burly brawn was rather similar to Wataru’s, and he stood over two meters tall! His upper half was nude, and his lower half was covered by a mere fundoshi! How wildly exhibitionist of him! All could see his thick, well-trained muscles covering his body!

All orcs have pig-like faces, but this one looked especially severe, like that of a general who’d just left the battlefields of war! He had a large scar across his chin!

Wataru could instantly sense that this orc was no mere random encounter-level enemy!

“You... Hey, monster! Who are you!?!”

“My name is Gordon! I am traveling this continent as a professional martial artist! I’ll get right to the point, Wataru—fight me here, fight me now!”

Aria’s jaw dropped in obvious shock and displeasure at this development!

“Wataru, what’s this guy’s problem!? We just wrapped up Volume Two all nice and tidy, and then he busts in and ruins the whole mood!”

Wataru understood not a word of what she said, but looked firmly upon Gordon and spake thusly!

“If you want a battle, I’ll fight! But before we do, you gotta tell me the reason why!!”

Gordon nodded his head in agreement and explained himself!

“Very well! I have two reasons to fight you: first, if I beat the man who defeated the Demon Lord Deus, my fame as a martial artist will only grow! In an instant, I’ll be known across the continent! My second reason is...”

He stuck one hand down into his fundoshi and rummaged about for some time... before he pulled out a book!

“...Do you know what this book is!?”

Wataru looked at the book’s cover and was unable to control his surprise! On it was none other than an extremely lewd illustration of a glamorous orc woman posing in a highly revealing outfit!

“Th-That’s—!”

It was It’s Me, a Shy Orc Loner with a Heart of Gold (Notice Me, Senpai!) Who Got Reborn In Another World, a.k.a. “Isekai,” Where I Am Getting Into All Sorts of Troubles, Hijinks, and Shenanigans, Oh My! Known by fans by a shorter name, Me, Oh My!

“What the hell is someone like you doing with that book?” Résistance tilted her head to the side, looking suspiciously at this newcomer! She had a very bad feeling about him!

“The author of this novel is... My little brother, Jacob Yamada!!”

“......!!”

Wataru was speechless! Stunned speechless!

“Wataru! You gave this book, written by my cute little brother, a pretty bad review, didn’t you!?”

Gordon could also have gone on to mention the fact that the adventurers had robbed his brother of their family heirloom, the orb, but fortunately for Wataru, it didn’t seem as though he’d found out about that quite yet!

“For the past several days, I’ve been looking all over for you to get my revenge! If I defeat you here, I won’t just become a more famous martial artist, I’ll pay you back for what you did to my little brother!” Gordon bellowed with rage!

Résistance calmly suggested to Wataru that he merely apologize to him and be done with it! “Hey, Wataru... We want to wrap up Volume Two as soon as we can here, so why don’t you just apologize for that whole business with the novel...?”

—However!

“...........................................................................But that novel was so bad...!!”

Of course! Taste in literature is not something our Wataru can compromise on!

“You, you bastard! Spewing trash about my little brother to my face—!”

Gordon’s fists shook with terrible rage!

“You better be ready for this, Wataru—!”

Gordon lifted one fist and threw a punch aimed right at Wataru’s eyes!

“Goodness gracious...” Aria sighed. “Wataru, get rid of him, would you?”

“You’ve made your bed, Wataru,” added Résistance, “now lie in it.”

Aria and Résistance showed not the slightest bit of distress, despite the distressingly dangerous situation they were in! In fact, they seemed positively exasperated by the orc’s behavior—and even enjoyed the prospect of seeing him defeated by Wataru! All our hero Wataru had to shout was: “YOU CAN LEAVE IT TO ME!!”

“Let’s do this, Gordon! Eat—my—fist!!”

And of course, as our Dear Readers should be able to predict by now, Wataru pushed off from the ground to go flying right towards his opponent! He swung his fist faster than the orc was able to, and landed a fierce uppercut punch directly on his chin!

“Ngh! I felt that, Wataru!”

Despite the blow, Gordon showed no sign of backing down, and returned the hit with a quick punch of his own!

“Oh—I felt that, too!” Wataru calmly lifted and crossed both of his arms in front of his face and chest to guard against the counterattack! “But I... I never lose!!”

It was then that Wataru slammed both his fists hard, right into his opponent’s stomach!!

The force from that one attack, fueled with his Hot-Blooded Energy, blasted through Gordon’s layers of well-trained muscle to his soft inner organs!

“Ngaaaaaaahhh—!”

“How’d you like that! That’s my pride and joy... my thrust punches!!”

Wataru shook out his wild, long hair as he declared this, with that face of a Nio! His brilliantly hot eyes gleamed with passion!

You’ll have to forgive me for stopping the book in the heat of battle, but I’m going to end Volume Two right here! After all, Wataru’s always in the middle of one fight or another, so it makes perfect sense to bring the book to a close just as another super-intense battle is getting started!

Farewell, Wataru! I’m sure all our Dear Readers have been thoroughly impressed by the way you live your life with your hot, passionate spirit!

Don’t ever change, Wataru! Keep on causing trouble in your fantasy world with your friends for us!!

WATARU!!! The Hot-Blooded Fighting Teen & His Epic Adventures After Stopping a Truck with His Bare Hands!!

THE END!!! (Seriously this time!)

*Sources:

[9] The Truth About Explosive Bloodlust — Isekai Tensei Publishing

[10] An In-Depth Analysis! Closing in on the Secrets of the Exploding Blood Fighting Style! Part 1 of 2: “Punching Through the Laws of Physics: Hot-Blooded Lightspeed Fists” — Isekai Tensei Publishing

[11] An In-Depth Analysis! Closing in on the Secrets of the Exploding Blood Fighting Style! Part 2 of 2: “The Ultimate Secret Technique: The Hot-Blooded Fighter Wave” — Isekai Tensei Publishing