Chapter 2: Wataru VS the Second of the Four Masters! The Dramatic Rap Battle!

After Résistance became the newest member of their party, Wataru and Aria carried on through the forest, en route to the Demon Lord’s castle! The forest became eerily darker and darker as they progressed, but the trio fearlessly continued their march!

“I see... So you can’t use any magic, Wataru? Are you sure about challenging the Demon Lord?” Résistance asked as they walked along the unkempt path.

“My own two fists are all the magic I need to work with!!” Wataru declared triumphantly! Though Wataru also held the 10th dan in kendo, giving him some familiarity with weapons, he generally preferred to fight hand-to-hand!!

“Alright. I’m not all that proficient in magic myself, so I understand how you feel. How about you, Aria? Do you have special powers?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know? Bleh!” Aria stuck both her index fingers in her mouth and made a mocking face at Résistance! Apparently, she was still far from trusting the knight after her track record of serving the Demon Lord!

“Hey, Aria! Watch the attitude! Apologize to Résistance, now!!” Wataru scolded her like a mother would her teenage daughter! But Aria ignored him and continued walking!

“No need, Wataru,” said Résistance. “It’s not like I’m your ally or anything. I won’t pry for anything she doesn’t want to share.”

As they walked in slightly awkward silence, a small humanoid figure, about 20 inches from head to toe, appeared in the air before them! With a clean, cute face, a revealing outfit made from green fabric, and translucent wings on her back, she was unmistakably a fairy!

“Now hold on, you three! I’m the second of the Four Masters, Binker Tell!”

“Grrr!!! This dark aura... She’s good...!!!” Wataru was intimidated by the insidious aura surrounding Binker, the second Master, who likewise appeared conveniently early in the story!

“’Sup, Binker. How are you?” Résistance casually greeted Binker!

“Hm!? Résistance, is that you!?” Binker’s cute face was transformed in shock! “What are you doing here!?”

“It’s a long story. I’m traveling with them now,” the knight replied, pointing to Wataru!

“Does that mean... You betrayed the Demon Lord!?”

“Not precisely. I’m just neutral now.”

“What does that even mean!?” Binker could not conceal her understandable confusion!

“It’s what it sounds like. You all go on and fight, and I’ll stay out of your way.” Résistance took a single huge leap backwards, her long hair flouncing! Now she was 20 meters away from Wataru!

Binker remained hovering in the air as she stared down at Wataru, ready to fight! “I don’t really know what’s going on... But you’re going down!”

“Be careful, Wataru!” Aria called out with concern!

Wataru shouted back, as stern as a Nio, one of the fierce guardians of Buddha! “Right, I know!!! But... Fairy or not, I can’t attack a girl!!!” Our protagonist Wataru Ito was a hot-blooded, hardcore, Japanese male! Therefore it was inconceivable that he could bring himself to strike a woman!

“Wait, Wataru. You can’t defeat a fairy with physical attacks, anyway.”

“What!?” A shocking revelation! Fairies are immune to physical damage!

“Why not!?”

“Fairies are a species born with special magic cast upon them. We humans can’t even touch them.”

“Wh-What am I supposed to do!?!?” Wataru winced in agony!

“Ready or not, here I come!!” Flying through the air, Binker shot a magic fireball from her tiny hands!

“Rflct!!!!!” Wataru smacked the fireball back with his bare hand!!! How was that possible!?!?!?

“That’s incredible, Wataru!” Aria jumped right in with a compliment!

“Ooh, not bad... But it looks like physical attacks are all you’ve got, huh?” Binker acutely assessed! She was right!

“Grr...!”

“Now that I know that, you don’t stand a chance!” The fairy expertly used the wings on her back to fly freely through the air, showering Wataru with fireballs from all angles!

“Nraaaaggghhhh!!! Aria, duck!”

“Okay!”

Protecting Aria, Wataru continued to deflect the fireballs flying in from all around them with his bare hands! While Binker was tiny, her magic was plenty powerful! She was one of the Four Masters, after all!

“We’re not getting anywhere like this... Aria! Didn’t you heal me with magic, earlier!? Can you attack with magic!?”

“I-I’m sorry... I’m only able to cast simple healing spells.”

How tragic! Wataru had no way out, now! At this rate, Binker would defeat him!

That’s when Aria realized something! “...Hold on, Wataru! I once heard that you can defeat a fairy by singing a beautiful song!”

“What!? What in the world does that mean!?!?!?”

That’s when Binker chimed in! “We fairies die if a song can make us feel strong enough emotions!”

“I didn’t know that!!” Wataru shouted! Why did Binker Tell divulge her own weakness!? “Aria! Can you sing!?”

“I’m sorry, I’m tone deaf! I can’t sing a single tune!”

Résistance called over from where she was watching the fight unfold! “I’m tone deaf, too!”

“Shut up! No one asked you!!!” Aria shouted, exploding in anger!

Despite her distrust in Résistance, this might have seemed a little too harsh to our Dear Readers... In any case, Résistance had promised not to take a side!

“Can’t you sing anything, Wataru?”

“I can’t sing any normal songs! All I can do is rap!!!”

Aria didn’t recognize that unfamiliar word!!! “‘Rap’...? What’s rap?”

“What!? There is no rap in this world!? Then it might just work!!!!!”

“It might... I’ll get a mic.” Aria produced a microphone from her pocket! Wataru took it!! ...Why was Aria carrying around a microphone!?!?!?

“It’s my turn, Binker! Get ready for my hardcore track!!!”

“Hmph! Rap, shmap, buddy-boy! Bring it on!” Binker seemed unthreatened by the thought of anything Wataru might sing!

Wataru took a deep breath, and started dropping rhymes!

Don’t be shy, Dear Readers! Let’s all sing along!!!!!

Wataru Ito’s here, and I’m rockin’ the mic!!!

Stopped a truck with my hands like a little trike!!!

Now I’m at this Isekai but I don’t hear ‘sike!!!’

Gonna spit some hot fire that I know you’ll like!!!

Take this world by storm, make your neck hairs spike!!!

This hardcore n’ fighting teen’s gonna strike!!!

No tears in my eyes though, I’m a man de la men!!!

Pedal to the metal but my mind’s all zen!!!

Ain’t afraid to stick my head in the lion’s den!!!

’Cuz I’m a hot-blooded teen, I’m a tenouttaten!!!

Yeah, Boyeeeeee!

A demented expression formed on Wataru’s face as he threw these dripping lines into the air!!!

“Wh-What is this song!? I don’t understand! I feel something in my chest... It-It’s embarrassment! It burns!” Binker Tell twisted in the air, as if something under her skin was clawing to get out!!!

Wataru seized on this opportunity to twist the knob on his freestylin’ rap flow to a mind-shattering 12! Hardcore to the max!

Keep the beat flowin’, DJ!

Up this Isek-highway, I won’t let up the climb!!!!!

Every lady that I’ve met here thinks I’m sublime!!!!!

Now I hope this rap battle won’t take much more time!!!!!

Since I’m runnin’ out of lyrics that I know how to rhyme!!!!!

Can’t do the time? Well then don’t do the crime!!!!!

This’ll kick your ass like you’re a level-1 slime!!!!!

BOO-YAH!

Wataru ended his rap, contorting his face into that of a Nio statue!!!! He slammed the mic down on the ground like a finishing blow and thrust his fist toward the heavens!

“These! Are my burning-hot lyrics!”

“Gragghh!! They’re so bad! It hurts so much! Wh-What’s happening!?!?!?” Binker writhed in pain, clearly moved by the hardcore vibin’ rhymes!

Then...!

“I-I’m fading away...!”

To everyone’s dismay, Binker started fading into the air!

“N-No! Noooooooooo!!!” With a devastated scream, she vanished!

“That was amazing, Wataru! I didn’t understand any of your ‘rap,’ though.” Aria still couldn’t help but throw Wataru a compliment!

Now, allow me to gently explain for those of our Dear Readers who are neither hot-blooded, hardcore, nor gangsta rappers! That was a legit martial arts move, called the Dripping Fists of Rhyme!!!

(*Dripping Fists of Rhyme: The famous rap personality MC Prominence invented this martial arts move that uses the power of music in the year 2000. By rapping with burning-hot emotions, the user moves their opponent from the bottom of their heart, robbing them of their will to fight. For inventing this move, the MC was revered all around the world and eventually won the Nobel Peace Prize. After that, he continued working on his rapping career. Now, he has climbed his way up to become the leader of rap society in Tokyo. [4])

Through that fierce battle, Wataru had defeated the second of the Four Masters!

“Impressive. I didn’t expect you to take out Binker, too...” Résistance said as she approached Wataru!

“Heh, ain’t nothing but a thing!!!” Wataru gloated, crossing his arms in victory!

“But... ‘Rap,’ was it...? What country is that music from? I’ve never heard such music before.” Résistance cocked her head in curiosity!

“Hm? Oh, yeah... Well, some distant country!” Something like “I came from another world” would have raised even further questions, so Wataru told her this instead.

Aria picked up on what he was putting down, too! “Wataru is a traveling fighter who came here from a distant continent to defeat the Demon Lord. Right, Wataru?”

“That’s right!” Wataru said, nodding deeply!

“Oh, I see... Then Aria, where are you from?”

“Me...? The Sky Kingdom,” she answered truthfully!

“Look at you, Aria! You gave a straight answer this time!!” Wataru was a little taken aback that she answered the question at all, considering her harsh attitude toward Résistance just moments ago!

“Well, she did keep her promise that she wouldn’t intervene in your battle against the other Master... She didn’t seem like a totally evil person, at least...” Aria said, blushing in embarrassment!

Résistance returned a smile! “Good. I’m glad I was able to clear my name a bit... But aren’t we rather close to the Sky Kingdom right now?”

With a lightbulb above his head, Wataru chimed in, “Perfect! Why don’t we head there and take a break!?”

Come to think of it, Wataru hadn’t rested for a bit since coming to this world! Even Wataru, a hot-blooded fighting teen, would have a hard time fighting any more totally fearsome enemies without any downtime between his battles! Resting, to him, was just as important as training!

“Okay. Let’s all go to the Sky Kingdom, then.”

And so, Wataru’s party set course for the Sky Kingdom, Aria’s homeland!

A few hours passed, and eventually the trio arrived at the Sky Kingdom, the largest kingdom in all of the Wind Continent!

“We’re here, Wataru and Résistance! This is my homeland, the Sky Kingdom!”

“Whoa... What a fancy place!”

“Indeed. I haven’t set foot in such a prosperous city in a while.”

Rows of aesthetic wooden architecture, stone-paved roads, and markets bustling with vibrantly colored shops lay before them! A beautiful fountain, so extravagant that the mere sight of it made them feel refreshed, sat at the center of a plaza! This kingdom was practically straight out of Medieval Europe, from the history of Wataru’s old world! Wataru was moved by its magnificence!

“Hey, look at that fancy castle!” Wataru pointed at the gigantic construction before them! It was a beautiful palace of meticulously stacked yellow bricks!

“That’s the palace where the Sky King resides. It’s better made than any other castle around, so we get a lot of tourists.” Aria puffed out her chest with pride!

“Cool! By the way, Résistance, where are you from!?”

“Me? My hometown is a small fishing village near the western edge of the Wind Continent.”

“Good to know!”

No need to take notes here, Dear Readers! That piece of information will never come up in our story again!

Wataru carried on walking through the market, looking to and fro, filled with curiosity! Everything he saw was fresh and new! Every moment here would become a memory he would cherish!

But he couldn’t help but make a particular observation! “Hm!?!?!? Everyone looks... unhappy!”

Correct-amundo! The market, heavily populated by shoppers, did appear bustling upon first glance. Upon closer inspection, however, all of the merchants and all of the shoppers had subdued expressions!

“That’s because...” Aria began to answer, lowering her voice, “...of the Demon Lord. Like me, many people have had their friends and family taken by him...”

“I didn’t know that...!” As Wataru commented, Résistance turned her eyes to the ground. As someone who had served the Demon Lord, she didn’t know what to say in this kind of situation!

The owner of a nearby market stand called to them with a depressed tone! “First time in the city, young man?”

Wataru nodded. “Did the Demon Lord... take your family, too!?”

“No. I never had anyone that loved me, anyway.” The man shook his head slowly, eyes cast down! “But a lot of people here had their families kidnapped by the Demon Lord. That’s not the only reason we’re struggling, though.”

“What’s going on???”

“Take a look at these,” the shopkeeper said, pointing to his own products on display! They were steaming, golden-brown pies! “I bake these apple pies in my kitchen and sell them out here. I import the sugar and apples from other countries, but... thanks to the Demon Lord, the trade routes have been shut down. Once I sell what I have here, I won’t have any more for who knows how long.”

“What!? So, what does that mean!?” Wataru demanded!

Aria answered in the shopkeeper’s stead! “The Sky Kingdom’s capital is a center of trade, too. Traveling merchants visit often with the likes of jewels, crafts, and clothes from all around, but...” She paused, before continuing with a little confusion in her tone, “...for some reason, only the merchants carrying sugar or sweet fruits on their way to the kingdom are being attacked by the Demon Lord’s army with alarming frequency. Because of that, merchants carrying anything sweet will no longer come here, putting our country in a historic deficit of sweets...”

“The girl said it. My business is drying up.” The man crossed his arms and sighed!

“That’s very... bizarre!” Wataru commented!

What inconceivable, diabolical, villainous scheme was the Demon Lord hatching!?

A few minutes after that conversation, when the group was reaching one end of the market, Aria pointed straight ahead! “If we turn that corner to the right, there’s a clinic. That’s where I live. The clinic’s not running right now, though.” Since Aria’s parents, both doctors, had been captured by the Demon Lord, there was no one there now to run the clinic! “We have plenty of rooms, so you can take your pick, Wataru. Résistance.”

“Thanks!”

“Yes, thank you.”

Behold Aria’s overwhelming generosity! She was going to lend a room even to Résistance, to whom she had been so mean in the beginning! This is the kind of characteristic we want to see from our main heroine!

Suddenly, an arrow came slicing through the air straight towards them!

“Arw!!!!!” Wataru caught the arrow with impeccable instincts! “Phew... That was close!”

“...Well, the tip of the arrow is digging into my forehead, Wataru,” Aria declared, blood trickling down her face! Of course, Aria could use healing magic, so this was no problem at all! Q.E.D!

“Hm? Look, Wataru. There’s a letter tied to the arrow!” Résistance astutely pointed out!

“A yabumi!” Wataru unfolded the piece of paper so he could read the contents out to the others! “I can’t read it!!!!!”

That’s right! Wataru could not read the language of this world! Then how can he speak it? I hear you ask, but there’s no time to explain that now, Dear Readers!!

“Then I’ll read it.” Aria took the letter, her face soaked in blood, and began reading it aloud!

Dear Wataru the Hero,

My name is Garland, and I’m a martial artist.

I will await you at the plaza at five, tomorrow morning.

I implore you to come.

Through combat, let us determine who is stronger.

“A challenger! All right! But... how does this Garland know about me!?” Wataru crossed his arms in contemplation!

Résistance answered! “There is a saying in this continent: ‘Rumor travels faster than the wind.’ You’ve defeated two of the Four Masters, Wataru. I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole continent knew about you.”

“I get it now... Come to think of it, I sense the people on the street staring at me! Does everyone here know who we are!?”

“I think it’s just because we look so weird,” Aria interjected with this cruel assessment!

In fact, it was only natural that a large, muscular man in a black school uniform, a woman in spike-riddled armor, and a girl with a bloodied face standing all together would draw some attention!

“Wait, Résistance! You’re an ex-Master! What’s going to happen if these people find out about that!?” Wataru had a point! What would happen to her if she were recognized!?

“I kept my skull helmet on during my entire Master career. I wouldn’t worry about anyone recognizing me without it.” ...Résistance also had a point!! No need to worry about her, then!!!

“Why were you wearing that stupid helmet, anyway?” Aria insulted Résistance’s choice of fashion with a straight face!

“Huh? That thing was epic! What are you talking about!? It was a freaking skull! I looked like a scary boss-type character!” Résistance rushed to defend her taste, which seemed akin to that of an emo preteen!

“You might have looked formidable, but Wataru defeated you in a couple of pages. Where did you get that silly helmet, anyway?”

“Tot Hopic, duh. Most everything in my closet came from there.”

“Oof. You’re the worst.” Aria’s harsh criticism of the goth-geek-hybrid chain was completely uncalled for! How did those emo-wannabe preteens hurt her!?

“In any case, I accept this challenge!” Wataru grinned!

“You got this, Wataru! I’ll be there to cheer you on, too!”

“All right, thanks!”

The Sky Kingdom was the first country Wataru had come to in this world! It didn’t look like he had to worry about being bored here!

The next day, Wataru and Aria arrived at the plaza, as instructed in the letter! It was five in the morning, very early! There was no sun in the sky nor anyone else in the plaza! Résistance, by the way, was still sleeping in her room in Aria’s parents’ clinic, having told the duo the night before that she wasn’t going to cheer on Wataru because “mornings aren’t my thing.”

“Here we are at the plaza... but no one’s here!”

“...”

“Hm? What’s wrong, Aria!?!?!?!?!?” Aria didn’t answer! Wataru turned around, frazzled, to find Aria fast asleep with her nose flat on the ground! “No, Aria! Don’t you fall asleep here! Wake up! Hey!!!”

“Erm... Shut up!!”

Slllllllllappppppp! In her sleep, Aria aggressively slapped Wataru straight across the face!

“Dammit, she’s a sleep-slapper! Why did she come with me, then...!?”

May I remind you, Dear Readers, that it was five in the morning! Aria had tagged along in hopes of cheering on Wataru during the fight, but alas, she could not defeat the Sandman’s sweet caress! ...What in the Isekai was going on!?

A booming shout echoed through the dim plaza! “You’ve come, Wataru!”

“...Hrm!” Wataru turned to the voice to find a completely bald, muscular man standing with his arms crossed facing him! His height was an unbelievable six foot four and a half! What an astonishing size! His muscles were so large that Wataru couldn’t tell if he was a man or a gorilla upon first glance, and he was wearing a tight, white shirt that did nothing but accentuate his ripped physique! The man’s face was chiseled, too! His eyes, however, were thin and gave off a gentle impression. The sheer contrast his face presented was almost alluring!

“Are you Garland, the one who challenged me!?”

“Indeed! I am Garland, the martial artist!” Garland struck a pose like a bodybuilder! With both arms raised, he bent his elbows to accentuate his upper arms! Th-There was no mistaking it! That move was none other than... the Double Biceps!!!!!

“I’m not done yet!!! Hragh!!!”

Rrrrrrrrippppppp!!!!!

As Garland flexed his muscles, the white shirt that only thinly veiled his torso practically exploded off his body, revealing the Apollo-like abs underneath!

“Y-Your muscles are incredible!!!” Wataru was amazed at Garland’s upside-down-pyramid of a bod! His abs! His biceps!!! Furthermore, Garland’s body was covered in scars, hinting at how many times he’d had brushes with death! “Garland, your muscles are the real deal! But why do you want to fight me!?” Wataru asked, as he carried the snoring Aria to a safe location.

“Hmph. Simple, Wataru! Because you took out two of the Four Masters!” Garland answered without breaking his Mr. Universe pose! “The tales of your conquest have already reached all corners of the Sky Kingdom! Which means that you’re the most famous person in this country right now!”

“All right! That’s what I like to hear!”

Apparently, the rumors hadn’t mentioned the fact that one of their trio was still sleeping in a clinic in the city, excluding Résistance from any danger! Now, Garland switched to a Lat Spread, where he put both fists at his waist!

“And now! All the fighters in town want a piece of you and the fame of being the one to take you down! I’m no exception!”

In short, Garland aimed to beat Wataru, who was now famous for having defeated two Masters, and take his place as the strongest fighter in the kingdom!

“Say no more! Let’s fight!!!” Wataru lowered his stance, primed for battle!

“I appreciate you accepting my challenge, Wataru! Face my fists!!”

“Jmp!!!” Wataru immediately jumped right over Garland’s head!

“What!?”

Upon landing, Wataru immediately went for a chop, his hand straightened like a blade! It struck Garland square on his hairless head!!

“Graghlglaragh!” It was only a few seconds into the fight, and Garland was already overwhelmed! Garland was much larger than Wataru physically, but the gross mass of one’s muscles does not always correlate to one’s prowess in combat!! “Not bad, Wataru!”

“You haven’t seen anything yet!!!” Wataru and Garland traded punches, nose-to-nose! But Wataru was clearly faster than Garland!

“Pnch!!!” Wataru’s punch, elevated to the point of artistic perfection, smashed deep into Garland’s abdomen!

“Graghfphgharghragh!!!” Garland couldn’t help but jump back! He immediately regained his fighting stance, and charged right back at Wataru! “Rrrrrrragggggghhhhh!!!”

Undaunted, Wataru squatted low! As Garland charged toward him, he countered with perfect timing with a right uppercut! Wataru’s fist found Garland’s gut again, spreading a slow but inevitable wave of pain through his body! Garland fell, speechless!!! “It’s over, Garland!!!”

Garland jumped back, putting some distance between him and Wataru! He was panting now, his shoulders rising and falling with every breath! “Hragh... Hmph. It’s too early to feel victorious, Wataru!”

“...What!?”

Somehow, Garland wore a dauntless grin, even at the very brink of defeat! What thought was flickering in his mind at this moment!? “Ha ha ha! Can’t you tell, Wataru!? Haven’t you figured out why I demanded that we fight at five o’clock in the morning, at the crack of dawn!?!?!?”

“Wh-What do you mean!?” Wataru was confused! He had no idea what Garland was talking about!!!

“Then allow me to explain! I was waiting for... this! This very moment! Right now!!!”

At that very moment...! The sun rose on the Sky Kingdom!!!

“The sun... I-I get it, now!” Wataru got it, but a moment too late!

Garland pointed his head toward Wataru, and shouted into the plaza!!!!!

“Take this! God’s-Divine-Light Shimmering-Upon-My-Head Like-The-Morning-Sun-Rising-Above-A-Mountaintop!!!!!”

Flllllllllashshshshshsh!!!!!

The reflection of the morning sunlight off of Garland’s bald head burst forth in an explosive flash of light!

“Grawaghghrgh!!!” Wataru was agonized by the light! His eyes were blinded at once, his world turned to white! The sudden flash made him lose his sense of balance! He couldn’t even tell the ground he was standing on from the sky above his head! “Wh-What the...!?”

“How does it feel, Wataru!? I was waiting for this very moment, when the morning sun would crest above the horizon!”

“Damn! I can’t see!” Wataru was temporarily blinded!! Garland’s GDLSUMHLTMSRAAM attack had robbed Wataru of his sight!!! For real, this was not good for him!!!!!

Smrashghshgragh!!!!!

Unable to see, Wataru immediately smashed his invulnerable fist straight into the ground! This was a move devised in ancient China called Earthsplitter!

(*Earthsplitter — The history of kung fu runs far longer than we could imagine. Through the long and intimate history of the martial arts, a move was devised where the user strikes the ground with their fist, thus creating small crevices, thus splitting the Earth, hence the move being called Earthsplitter, or chū liède in the original Chinese. It is said that, if one has mastered this move, they can split the sea like Moses himself. However, because of its catastrophic impact to the user’s surroundings, one must first acquire a government license before learning the move. [5])

With this move, Wataru created small crevices throughout the plaza! A powerful earthquake shook the ground!

“Wh-What’s happening...!?” Garland couldn’t help but falter at the surprising attack! How could one punch tear open the very ground they stood upon!? It was unheard of! ...But Wataru’s true intention was not to attack, but to produce a different effect entirely! “...What the!?” The plaza filled with dust before Garland’s very eyes! “I see... Not bad!” Garland said, impressed!

Of course, Wataru’s intention in using Earthsplitter had not been as an attack, but to produce an impenetrable cloud of dust from the crevices in the earth!

Now, Garland could no longer find Wataru! “Damn! I can’t see through this dust...! If he buys much more time, I’m in trouble...!” It would take but thirty seconds for Wataru to regain his vision after taking a direct hit from the GDLSUMHLTMSRAAM attack! Could Wataru evade Garland long enough!?

“Herm... Ah! Where am I!?” Aria snapped awake as Wataru and Garland continued their duel! As she hurried to her feet, she discovered a bona fide hellscape before her.

The plaza that had always been a source of relaxation for the people of the town was now somehow filled with a thick cloud of dust, and cracks snaked over every surface. Through the dust, she could see a large man without a shirt standing with his arms crossed, the sun glinting off his bald head as he turned it to and fro. Aria had absolutely no clue what was going on.

“Wh-Where’s Wataru!?” Aria racked her brain in confusion as she searched for him, but the dust made it impossible to see much of anything in the plaza. “Wataru! Wataru!” Her heart began to pound as she called for him.

Meanwhile, Garland was searching for Wataru, just as Aria was.

“Grr... The dust is getting in my eyes...!” If Garland failed to find Wataru before the boy regained his sight, the challenger would find himself in peril all over again. He would have missed his one shot to turn this fight around. “Impressive, Wataru. It seems it wasn’t just dumb luck that let you defeat those two Masters, at least. You have some tricks up your sleeve, too...!” This fight would not be as easy as he had hoped. Garland flexed his muscles again and braced himself. “I have... no other option!” He charged into the dust cloud, determined. It may almost seem reckless, but he truly had no choice. Enveloped in the dust cloud, Garland blindly flailed his arms around him. “Wataru! Show yourself! Where are you!?” Garland’s arms struck nothing but dust, much to his dismay; Wataru was nowhere to be found. “Dammit! Where are you!?” Garland shouted into the cloud, a cold sweat beading on his head.

In response, Wataru’s voice thundered down from above. “Up here!!!!!”

“What!?” Garland hurriedly looked up to find Wataru falling towards him, cutting through the dust cloud at incredible speed.

“Take this!!!!!”

Zdraghrgharbdshargh!!!!!

Wataru’s fist collided with Garland’s cranium.

“Graghfragh!” Garland fell to his knees. “H-How...? You should still be blind...”

“You’re right! I still can’t see a thing!”

Garland couldn’t conceal his shock. “What!? Then how did you hit me!?”

“Don’t you get it!? You were bellowing like a wounded bull in that dust cloud! It was so loud, it was easy to tell where you were, sight or no sight!!”

Wataru was right yet again! Garland, having lost sight of Wataru, had called out for him from the middle of the dust cloud. When both fighters were blinded, that single burst of decibels had decided the match!

“How could this be...!? Dammit!” His bald head shimmering in the light, Garland sulked in defeat. Tears formed at the corners of his eyes!

A few minutes later, the dust had settled, and Wataru had regained his sight!

“Wataru... I felt your power, your strength, that defeated two of the Four Masters. Thank you for fighting me!”

“Don’t sweat it, Garland! Your muscles were awesome, too!”

The two fighters clasped hands in a powerful and masculine handshake, moist with their manly sweat! A burning friendship had bloomed between the gentlemen, now that their duel was concluded!

“Now, Wataru. There is something I must tell you,” Garland said, with a suddenly serious tone!

“Shoot!”

“I have a wife and daughter. They were both kidnapped by the Demon Lord a few days ago...”

“Wh-What!?!?!?” What a shocking revelation! Just like Aria’s parents, Garland’s family had been captured by the Demon Lord, too! “Then you really fought me to—!?”

“Yes. To test if you really had what it takes to defeat the Demon Lord.”

“I get it, now!”

Apparently, Garland wasn’t just a shining meathead, but an honest family man!

“Wataru, I know you can defeat the Demon Lord! I know I’m putting it all on your shoulders, but... Please, destroy the Demon Lord and save my family!” Garland begged, presenting Wataru with a prime view of his sparkling head!

Squinting at the morning light refracting off Garland’s head, Wataru was determined to carry the hot-blooded plea of his newfound friend with him. “You can leave it to me!!!”

Wataru was now more determined than ever to defeat the vile Demon Lord! All’s well that ends well! They lived happily ever after!!

“...You call this a happy ending!?!?!?!?!?” Aria interjected, jumping in between the two men! It wasn’t every day that Aria was this angry!!!

“What’s wrong, Aria!? What are you so mad about!?!?”

“What’s wrong!? Wataru, look around you!”

“Huh?” Wataru and Garland took a look around as Aria suggested! They could see how the plaza’s stone pavement was cracked all over, and the surrounding houses were all covered in dust!!!

“Oh! Crap!!!”

“Good grief. It’s going to take us a while just to clean this up...”

That was how Wataru and Garland ended up spending the rest of the day cleaning and repairing the plaza, as well as apologizing to the residents nearby!!!

And they lived happily ever after...!?

Meanwhile, the Demon Lord Deus was enjoying his strawberry parfait as usual, relaxed on his throne, when his blue slime messenger jiggled into the room.

“M-My Demon Lord...!”

“Hm? What is it, Slime? What’s the hurry...? Nom nom...” Deus calmly asked as he worked at his parfait with a glistening silver spoon. The parfait, by the way, was one of the goods that had been confiscated from traveling merchants on their way into the Sky Kingdom.

“Th-The fact is, My Demon Lord... Miss Binker Tell, the second of the Four Masters, has been defeated by Wataru!”

“Really...?” Deus widened his eyes in astonishment. Binker was a very powerful monster who was impervious to all physical attacks. Deus was more than a little surprised that Wataru had defeated her. Deus placed his parfait glass on his throne’s armrest and stroked his chin with a hardened expression. “Where is Wataru now...?”

“He has just entered the Sky Kingdom!” the slime answered as he wobbled.

Deus twisted his lips into a grin. “The Sky Kingdom...? I see...”

“Wh-What about it, My Demon Lord...?”

“Slime, if I recall correctly... we have some human allies there, don’t we?”

“We do! We do! You speak of the trio!” the slime immediately confirmed with a big jiggle.

“Then let us use them... Discreetly instruct them to begin hosting the Tournament. Hm-hm-hm... This is going to be interesting...!” As he laughed, an evil fire raged deep within the Demon Lord’s eyes.

To be continued in the next chapter: “Wataru Joins the Fray! The Ultimate Rock Band Tournament!”

*Sources:

[4] How to Sing: the Dripping Fists of Rhyme! ~Tone-Deaf? No Probs! Let’s Vibe it Up!~ — Isekai Tensei Publishing

[5] Encyclopedia of Chinese Martial Arts — Isekai Tensei Publishing