Chapter 76

Chapter 76

The Explosive Conclusion

This was a rather fortuitous turn of events.

That was my honest opinion.

The princess had already grabbed all the limelight throughout this chapter. Summoning a black horse from the sky, changing her costume, and even blowing away a giant in one shot.

And me? Although I was the leading point of view of this chapter, and a fan favourite character to boot, there was no way my trick with the ghosts would stay etched in the readers memory.

That was a pretty terrible situation for me, all told.

This was an extended chapter, which started without giving me the rewards from the previous one. At this rate, whatd happen if I lost all the attention from the readers, and the chapter ended?

Yeah.

Just imagining it gave me the shivers.

Indeed, it might be better to just have one big match to finish things off.

Of course, it was a dangerous gamble. The princess was strong, sure, but the bigger risk was the plot forcefully trampling on me.

What if I lost in a contest of pure ability?

Whether the princess successfully became the emperor was not my problem, my problem was that all the things Id done here in Eastland would essentially lose their meaning. And a character has no future once he disappoints the readers.

To be honest, there was a biting chill running down my spine right now.

But even so,

Sorry, but you arent at that level.

I wasnt without confidence. Just how long and how far had I been building myself up?

The story wouldve definitely been different if shed awakened during the first power balance adjustment period, that is, the period of upheaval, instead of now.

Then I wouldve lost. Unconditionally. Without any suspense.

For a simple reason. At that time, not only the new characters coming on stage would be powerful, but the strength of the existing characters would also be downgraded to a certain extent.

This was the usual way to adjust the power balance in shounen manga. Since its not easy to keep creating stronger and stronger characters, you keep making slight adjustments to the existing characters and make them a bit weaker.

Of course, you never explicitly spell this out on paper or in story. Because the readers would notice and complain about plausibility.

Instead, you reveal it indirectly by appropriately directing the scenes. For example, during the Ramirez Scramble in the original, Kiriko couldnt even lift a rock the size of an elephant properly.

Well, anyway, this fight here and now was definitely worth the effort.

The princess was a munchkin, sure, but honestly, I wasnt any different in that aspect.

"Whoo"

While I was just calmly watching the princess stalk towards me

Hey!

Hey! Squatjaw!

"Huh?"

A voice suddenly tickled my ears.

It was Bayar Khan.

What should I do?

Huh? What do you mean?

No, what should I do here? Should I go to that kid? Or stay here with you?

Eh?

How does it look like to you?

He seemed to be genuinely asking.

No, what do you

I was originally going to stick to the side I wanted to prop up a little bit, you know? But to be honest, I have no idea whos the stronger one right now. This is the first time this has happened to me. Usually, for me, it just takes one look

Oh, so what are you going to do once you stick to somebody?

You even have to ask? Ill add some strength!

Haah.

This crazy asshole

Fine, just go over there. Why are you even suddenly sticking to me?

You sure?

What, are you afraid Im going to lose? This time, the two of you should get together and properly taste my strength.

Bayar Khan chuckled. He apparently thought that I was boasting.

Remember you chose this, kid. Dont come crying to me later.

Oh, and! When you go to the princess, take physical shape one more time, just like the tug-of-war. Got it?

Why that again?

Now we have such a big audience watching. Itd be a grand sight, wouldnt it?

Hey, you bastard is that really what you should be worried about?

I shrugged.

Even if a fight was imminent, what had to be taken care of, had to be taken care of.

Of course, now, even if I didnt arrange this, it didnt look like the princess would be treated any worse.

Alright, then. Im going. Good luck.

Bayar Khan quickly left my side.

And then,

Looks like theyve met up.

The princess looked at me and gave me a curious grin. Bayar Khan was probably tattling about me. That cheeky bastard told me to fight 2vs1, lets give it a shot and show him! Something like that.

It was kind of a strange feeling.

Coocoo was on the other side, and so was Bayar Khan.

No, even fighting the princess was quite strange.

Werent we colleagues just a few minutes ago?

Ah, no. She did say we werent teammates anymore.

Id thought the princess might feel the same way as me. I was probably a little squeamish.

But, well, its not like Im going to break down from just this.

I hurriedly brushed away my useless emotions.

For now, I had to focus on the battle.

Then,

"Are you ready?"

The princess spoke in a voice that was calmer than ever, as if she also had sorted out all her emotions.

"Be careful. If you dont want to die in one blow."

I couldnt help but snort.

"Oh my gosh, this is ridiculous."

This, was a phenomenon common to characters who experienced power-ups like awakening or evolution.

Their original personality disappears, and they suddenly become the cool and arrogant type.

Its just an awakening, so why would a character change so fundamentally? But with such a sudden infusion of self-confidence into their veins, they can come up with such a pretentious statement quite naturally.

Time to impart some much-needed education.

"King."

I quickly recalled the king I had summoned last time.

Then, when the gigantic squat-jawed ghost appeared

"I-, its a ghost! A squat-jawed ghost!"

"Its the ghost that fought with the general earlier!"

"Hey, this guy is a monster, too!"

The soldiers, whod been silent till now, dissolved into shouts and cries in an instant.

Alright. This was a good atmosphere.

"Ummm that ugly giant from earlier?"

As soon as King came out, he looked around, searching for Mong.

"That guys gone, were switching to a new opponent."

" Who?"

"That one ahead."

I pointed to the princess in front of me.

King glanced at her and tilted his head.

" Tiny."

"She doesnt have much going for her size, true. But she might be as strong as you."

Then,

"No one stronger than King!"

King growled, stomping his feet.

""

He was good at everything, but only his poor intelligence was a little disappointing.

"Alright, dont even think about playing around this time. You have to do your best."

"King King never holds back King! King!"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it."

I purposefully didnt summon any ghosts other than King. Because it was clear that theyd all get blown to bits without accomplishing anything.

Yans ghosts had egos and memories. Because they could accumulate experience, it was possible for them to grow, too.

But that also meant that destruction carried an inherent risk for them. It took a lot of time and effort to grow a new ghost if one got annihilated.

So, when confronted with such a strong enemy, I couldnt summon them recklessly.

And to be frank, Yans unique ability wasnt very appropriate to deal with a body-enhancing costume type like the princess. It wasnt an ability specialized for adversaries in the first place, and its effectiveness was very low for one-on-one battles.

In fact, if I hadnt used this ability before and couldnt switch tracks without looking like a coward, I wouldve chosen another ability instead. But I had no other option.

But nevertheless,

"King, feel free to show off a little bit. Just how strong you are. How about going twice as hard as you did against the giant last time?"

Bang-!

How long had it been?

"Why dont you try some more?"

I looked at the princess, who was breathing heavily.

However, she didnt answer, only gasping for breath.

In the end, they didnt manage to completely break through Kings defence.

In fact, if the princess had tried something else other than recklessly trying to attack him head on, the result mightve been different. The king was strong, but he didnt have any tactical or strategic acumen to speak of.

The princess attacks were fierce, but just as honest as her opposite party. It was a common mistake for newborn characters who were drunk on their own power.

"Hahhhhhhhhhhhh."

"Are you knackered out already? Cant even attack?"

""

In fact, from some point on in the fight, King had stopped attacking the princess first. Hed only counterattacked.

Id deliberately ordered him to do so, to show the readers his superiority. That he was holding back quite a bit.

Of course, this didnt mean that King was completely unharmed.

He had some holes here and there, his speech was a little slower than before, and his overall size had shrunk a jot.

But he was still much better off than the princess. She really looked like it was hard for her to even stand.

And precisely this situation,

Isnt this fine?

It was the best scenario I could think of.

Now that Id proven my strength and the princess hadnt yet been defeated, I could give up on the match.

Now was the right time.

"At this point, I can say you passed."

I brought out the words Id prepared earlier.

" What?"

"I think youll be fine from here on out. Youve grown up well."

"?"

"My test ends with this. My purpose from the beginning was not to pass the Warriors Path, but to unleash your ability. Bayar Khan asked me, huhu."

"What are you talking about?"

"Youve grown stronger, Princess Thermis. Strong to stand against me. Ill stop here. Ill be cheering you on in the future, so let me resign from this battle"

That was then.

"What are you talking about? Bayar Khan never said anything like that."

" Eh?"

"Are you scared? Please dont run away."

""

What a variable!

"No, thats not it"

"Lets just do it one more time. Ive rested enough, I think? If this doesnt work, Ill give up."

Then she slowly got up and raised her sword.

"No, wait wait a minute."

"Yeah, you really are strong. I admit it. Still, Ill just have to try."

Everythings ruined.

For those newly awakened, one clich always applied unconditionally. When they lost all their strength, theyd pass out.

If the princess fainted, thered be no way out.

Id win right away.

It was a disaster!

No, wait, wait, wait. Is this really alright?

As I watched the princess prepare for a final blow, I fell into utter confusion.

If this was her last ultimate blow, the plot might really develop towards a mutual KO.

But when I thought about it, that didnt mean I was going to lose. King might be defeated by her final blow, but Id still be standing. It was unlikely that the author would suddenly bestow the princess with power beyond plausibility.

Then I would win.

Until recently, Id honestly thought that the author might reverse the original development. Binding me, not the princess, to the Skull Empire.

But watching her awaken, Id changed my mind. I thought the storyline would get back on track.

The reason was simple. Because the princess had taken all the spotlight so far through her beautiful awakening and flashy show of strength.

Wouldnt it be strange to create such a character and then throw it away?

If I defeated the princess here, her character would become meaningless. A character designed as the final winner, defeated at its first appearance?

And if that happened, all the future developments planned in advance would also become useless.

It was confusing.

Was this really alright?

Would she really lose here like this?

Really?

"Lets go!"

"Ugh! Who cares! King, a hundred percent! Lets just throw some hands and see what happens!"

That was then.

Wait a moment! Wait a moment!!

A shout sounded from somewhere like a miracle.

A voice echoed in the air as if coming through a megaphone.

Can I stop you two for a second?

Surprisingly, the one speaking was Khan.

And Khan was the only person on this battlefield who could stop the princess from acting.

""

After I confirmed that the princess ball of energy had stopped growing, I also took a step back.

"I think its Khan? Lets see what he wants first."

""

The princess, whod been lost in thought for a moment, also lowered her sword, although she looked unwilling, like she didnt have a choice in the matter.

Soon after,

Did you stop? Oh, did you both stop? Im glad. I was wondering what to do if I was late.

Khans playful voice rang out again.

Sorry for interrupting. Its no big deal, its just I had a meeting with the ministers a while ago, you know? This is the first time in the history of the Warriors Path that weve seen two so powerful contestants so how about having both camps win? From the empires point of view, to be honest, its not very pleasant to win one and lose the other. How about you, my people? I think the rules were broken from the point the general was included, anyway. Since this is how things are shall we pass the both of them?

Then,

"Oooooh!"

"Great idea!"

"Right!"

The cheers of the people could be heard from far away.

So how about it, you two?

""

Thats right.

Id been thinking this whole time, that something was odd. Two incompatible developments seemed to be progressing at the same time.

Hes got a good head on his shoulders.

The main plot thread with the princess becoming the emperor would continue, while also tying me down as a bonus.

A well-thought-out scheme, all in all.

I didnt know if this was the emperors own idea or the authors intention shining through.

And since Id already mentioned surrendering, I couldnt possibly refuse.

After the princess and I both agreed, the rest was easy.

At Khans command, the test was immediately announced to be over, and for the first time in history, two camps were registered as victors.

In addition, Khan proceeded with the pledging ceremony on the spot. A ritual in which those who passed through the Warriors Path decided who they would be loyal to.

For some reason, he didnt want to delay even a single second.

The first was the princess.

As if she had already thought it through, she spoke immediately.

"I will serve the empire itself, not anybody specific within the empire!"

It mightve sounded confusing, but no one objected. Rather, everyone nodded, probably because this was exactly the same declaration that Bayar Khan had made in the past.

As everyone had seen with their own eyes, she was the one blessed with Bayar Khans protection.

Next was my turn.

In fact, this oath of allegiance was what I had to avoid the most. This was the basis of the fetters that would lock me here.

Well, its already too late for that, but

However, fortunately, Id already devised a plan for this, just in case.

Of course, it wasnt my best option.

But depending on you looked at it, it might not be all that bad.

"The one I will be loyal to is the woman next to me. A warrior like me, an indomitable woman who has risen to this position through many hardships and life and death. And who will lead the bright future of the Skull Empire."

Then, I winked at the princess who was looking at me in shock.

"Ive done all I could, so now its time for me to go."

Editors Notes:

None for this chapter.