In the afternoon, Takayuki leaves the forest and passes the place where Yui was lying at that time. He recalls her death.
"Shit!! Shit! Shit!"
Takayuki is running passing through the dead monster bodies around and when he gets out of Ishikawa, he can't believe what's he's seeing as the thing before him. It's the crowd enjoying their time.
"They don't know that the world is in danger… Those monkeys do enjoy their time!"
He mumbled slowly.
He just takes a seat on a bench at the park as he has no idea what to do and he doesn't expect that he would stay like that till the sun sets.
"How long has it been? So much time wasted…"
He lets out a sigh.
"Oi! What are you doing here, Michio?"
Ryoichi said approaching Takayuki.
"Good grief you are all right, Daisuke san."
"I am shocked to see you are safe right now! Isn't the WTM on a mission?"
"It's because I was just able to run away. Haha…"
Ryoichi pats Takayuki's shoulder and says,
"What happened? Tell me, Michio!"
"Because of me… So many people died for protecting me. I shouldn't have joined the WTM! In the end, I am just a hero wannabe!"
Takayuki said a bitter truth about how weak he is.
"I don't think so! It's the risk of the war that always causes casualties. Then, why did you enlist you to the mission--"
"You won't understand what I feel right now! I am just a worthless scum. That's right! I am just able to run away!"
Ryoichi then answers,
"Yet, you did save my life, Michio!"
"Saved, eh? You must be joking! I let Yui san die!"
Suddenly Takayuki recalls Yui and the other WTM personnel who died before him.
"In the end, I'm still worthless! Saving the world? Saving someone? As if!"
Takayuki continues,
"It's because I'm just a good-for-nothing NEET! What I can do is just run away and play a game. That's what I can do! That's why I've decided that I will shut myself in my room and my life will be at peace--"
Saying that, Ryoichi suddenly pulls Takayuki's collar.
"Are you sure about that?!"
Ryoichi exclaimed.
"Let me go! Are you picking a fight, huh?!"
Takayuki exclaimed and Ryoichi jabs Takayuki's face and Takayuki falls to the ground.
"I told you, are you sure about that, Michio?!"
Takayuki immediately Ryoichi's face.
"But, that's the truth!"
But, Ryoichi stands up nevertheless Takayuki just jabbed his face, but then Takayuki recalls what Isshin Kira told him.
"You have to stand up to reach your friend, shounen!"
Takayuki who recalls that gets upset and jabs Ryoichi again. But the guy with the hat jabs Takayuki's face and Takayuki falls on the ground.
"Of course not, you idiot! If you can just run away, then why did you help Michiko Yui that time?! And why did you sacrifice yourself just for protecting me?! Look at me! I'm alive because of you! Will you just run away after this?! What do you want?!"
Ryoichi argued and Takayuki just hits the ground while crying.
"I… I wanna be that guy… The Satou Hideaki guy. He's just an ordinary one. With his sacrifice, he gave a miracle that saved everyone. I wanna be like him!"
Takayuki wipes his tears, and says,
"No, it's not! I wanna do good for something!"
"Then, what are you going to do? Will running away be your choice?"
Ryoichi asked Takayuki.
"I won't! I have to save this world!"
Takayuki then gets up.
Ryoichi lets out a sigh, and says,
"Then, why did they enlist you on the mission knowing that you are a novice?"
Takayuki then recalls what Isshin Kira said.
"I bring you here as you have something I don't have, Takayuki!"
That gets a load of his mind that he tells Ryoichi something,
"Do you have something I don't have, Daisuke san?"
Takayuki asked.
"A courage to be a sand sack or a monster decoy?"
"It's not that! Don't you see something strange on me?"
"Huh? What are you talking about, Michio?"
"Why did the government put suspicion on me for the one behind the incident? And why did the WTM enlist me in the main army? Doesn't that mean I have something?"
The question surprises Ryoichi.
"Tell me more! No, it'd be better if we talk about it in my house!"
"Right!"
---
In the evening, Yumeno is chasing the guy in a mask with 5 horns while dodging so many golems and beast monsters ahead to save her energy.
"Tsk! Where is he?! I lost him!"
She stops and at that moment, she detects danger. Some roots coming from her behind to attack her are blocked by her windshield.
"It's like Jubokko, eh?"
Yumeno said making some distance from the masked guy who is the one who attacked her. He then continues attacking her with roots that she has no choice but dodge.
If Jubokko used his power to emit a single vine, this guy emits 3 which gives her trouble.
"At this rate, I have to use my power!"
She cuts those vines with her gale yet she is shocked to find the guy has stood behind her.
"Crap!!"
She said.
His right hand turns into roots which is seen as a red long blade and he's about to attack her from behind.
The masked guy then stops after finding some crystal shards hitting his body that he gets hurled.
"Finally caught you up! You were too reckless, Yumeno!"
Isshin Kira said protecting her.
"He's coming!!!"
Yumeno said alerted.
The masked guy launches those 3 vines to get Yumeno and Isshin Kira.
"This power?! I've heard that this belongs to Jubokko?! Has he awakened? So he's the one behind this?!"
Isshin Kira asked while dodging the vines.
"I don't know! We just have to stop him!"
Yumeno answered while dodging the vines as well.
The masked guy knows that the duo is overwhelmed already and he charges with his long blade ready. But, Yumeno blocks the blow with her gale, yet she gets hit by a root that came from the masked guy.
"Ugh?! I can's stay like this! I've gotta do something!"
She said as she is still blocking the long blade, and as they are at it, Isshin Kira takes the chance to create thousands of crystals.
"Sorry for the wait, Yumeno!!!"
Isshin Kira said while launching those crystals to the masked guy and bringing Yumeno away from their opponent.
"Are you all right?"
Isshin Kira asked.
"Just a scratch! Put that aside, just keep an eye on our opponent!"
She said.
The blow Isshin Kira launched seemed not to do a thing as those crystals are blocked by roots.
"We need to break his defense, and attack his vital parts!"
Isshin Kira said,
"I can break it, but it'll cost my stamina!"
Yumeno said.
"And that time, we attack his vital parts, eh?"
Isshin Kira said.
The masked guy is ready to attack the duo with his 3 vines attack.
"Now!!!"
Isshin Kira exclaimed.
Yumeno, in front of Isshin Kira, uses all of her power to unleash a great gale that the roots are destroyed as they touched it.
"I leave it to you, Isshin Kira…"
After saying that, she falls unconscious. The masked guy is about to attack her with his long blade, but he finds himself being targeted by Isshin Kira who is about to shoot the masked guy's chest.
Isshin Kira is seen to have created a quite big crystal sword. If previously he scattered it to shards to kill many monsters, now he won't do the same.
"Target locked! Take this!!"
Isshin Kira releases the sword to the masked guy's chest, but the masked guy holds it with his mask.
"What?! He used his face to block my great blow?!"
Isshin Kira was startled.
Suddenly, a heavy explosion occurred on the masked guy's head and the mask gets crushed.
What surprised Isshin Kira is not how the guy blocked his blow with the face, but the guy behind the mask is someone he knows, it's Satou Hideaki.
"Why it should be you, Satou Hideaki?!!"
Isshin Kira exclaimed.
Satou just seems in blue and the wound on his face recovers in no time. No wonder why he could dodge every Ishhin Kira's move as he has a strong instinct.
"I do want a rematch! But why does something like this have to happen?! Tell me, Satou Hideaki!"
Isshin Kira exclaimed.
"What you said is true, Isshin Kira. In this world, power is everything, The weak die that leaves the strong survive"
Satou answered.
"You told me that the strong have to protect the weak, right?! Why did you end up like this?!"
"That's right, but in the end, they will die. Would it be better if we just crush everything? Quick solution, eh?"
"It's not! It's murder! Now I wonder how could I kill someone that easily? I won't do the same mistake ever again!"
"You've changed, Isshin Kira…"
Satou said.
"I will stop you, Satou Hideaki! I will claim that 'strongest' title! Then, I'll protect the weak ones! "
Isshin Kira exclaimed.
"Come to the place where everything began… We'll finish it there!"
After saying that, he leaves Isshin Kira.
"Dammit!!!"
Isshin Kira hits a tree.
----
Meanwhile, Ryoichi and Takayuki are having a chit-chat at Ryoichi's house.
"In other words, Michio… You have power…"
"Eh?"
"Can't deny anymore, Michio!"
"I don't know how to activate it just like how Yumeno san or even Issho san do."
"That's hard then. Hmm…"
In the end, the duo remains confused and suddenly an earthquake occurs out of the blue.
"The monster may be coming to invade the city."
Takayuki said.
"What do we do, then?"
Ryoichi asked.
"We have to go to the tree of the miracle called the Yggdrasil. Something must be happening there! "
"Yggdrasil is just like the heart of the world, right? If someone messes with it, then the chaos will come."
"Eh!? Daisuke-san knows that already!?"
"Yeah, it was a year ago… Ishhin Kira did discover the secret of the WTM to the mass that the citizens knew about that!"
"Issho san?"
"Right. He is the one that caused the incident last year and the WTM managed to stop him."
"Satou Hideaki must have been involved, right?"
"Exactly! Not to mention that he is the one who gave the miracle, right? Then, we do need to head to the Yggdrasil!"
"Wait, Daisuke san come?"
"Obviously! There's no way I stay here!"
"But, it's dangerous, Daisuke san!"
Ryoichi then pats Takayuki's shoulder.
"As it's dangerous, it'd be better if we face it together, Michio!"
"Why?! I myself is enough, isn't it?"
"Not only you, but both of us will save this world! We are friends, ain't we?"
Ryoichi smiled at Takayuki.
"Friends, eh?"
"Yeah, never underestimate the power of friendship! It is really strong! That's why, from now on, don't bear it yourself, Michio!"
"Thank you, Daisuke san!"
Takayuki said,
Finally, Ryoichi prepares so many tools and weapon and put them in his bag.
"Uwaa, I didn't expect you have so many dangerous things like them!"
Takayuki exclaimed.
"Yeah, my old man was a soldier and he used to keep so many dangerous things here."
"I see. That's why you can this savage, eh?"
"Am I? Hahaha, maybe you do have a point."
Ryoichi said.
Once Ryoichi is ready, he ignites his bike with Takayuki standing by on the rear.
"Come on, Michio! Let's save this world!"
Ryoichi puts a smirk on his face.
"Yeah!"
Takayuki yelled.
Finally, the duo is heading to Ichikawa city and as they proceed to the city, they find themselves surrounded by beasty monsters, yet…
"There's no way we can take them on! Let's just ignore them! We have to go to the Yggdrasil, right?"
"Yeah! Next stop, the Yggdrasil. Yggdrasil of the Yawata no Yabushirazu forest!"
As Ryoichi makes his way through the horde of the monsters to the forest, they suddenly get an accident that separates them.
"Cough! Cough!"
Ryoichi is coughing and he gets up slowly and realizes that Takayuki is lying there with so many monsters surrounding him.
"Michio! Wake up!"
Ryoichi exclaimed.
"Ugh. As I thought! It would be hard to make a way through them, eh?"
Takayuki said.
"Then, Michio, you go first! I'll take them on!"
"What are you talking about, Daisuke san?!"
"There's no way I'd let that happen!"
Ryoichi then shoves Takayuki away and Takayuki gets thrown away from him and the monsters. Then, when Takayuki is about to reach Ryoichi, the short-haired guy throws a Molotov that causes flame that keeps Takayuki away from him.
"What are you doing, Daisuke san?!"
Takayuki exclaimed.
"Don't steal my stage!"
"What are you talking about?! It's a death wish!"
"You know what, Michio? I'm fed up running away, then I'll defeat every single of them!"
Takayuki remains silent.
"So, please… Leave me alone! I don't have a superpower. I am just a mere human being. But, I don't wanna be lower than these disgusting monsters!"
Ryoichi said as he gets upset.
Takayuki just keeps the pique, he has no choice but to leave Ryoichi behind.
"Daisuke san, you have to catch me up! Please, stay alive!"
After saying that, he leaves Ryoichi with the horde of monsters. They then charge to the guy named Ryoichi Daisuke.
"That's right. Your opponent is me! Ryoichi Daisuke, is here!"
Ryoichi smiled.
He throws so many grenades from his bag and is ready to fight them.
When he was little, he admired his father as his father admired superheroes.
"As superheroes are cool. Why? With their powers, they can save so many people from monsters!"
That's what he thought.
His father was a man known for saving so many lives as he was one of the personnel of the army, that's why he wanted to be a superhero.
But, everything changed since he knew that his father turned to be a terrorist and killed himself.
Ever since that moment, he started hating superheroes and he lost everything. The peaceful life he had changed, to the one with no solid reason.
Ryoichi became the strongest thug that he could command the weak! But, everything had changed since a year ago, the monster invasion of Ichikawa.
"Stop joking around! Do you think they are enough to make me tremble?! I'll show you that I can defeat them!"
After that, Ryoichi realized that monsters are stronger than he had thought, and then, his life was saved by Satou Hideaki.
Then, he was a stupid boy.
Why? He was weak yet he persisted to save the ones who needed it. That made Ryoichi realize one thing…
His wish to be a superhero was not faded away.
He now is standing before the monsters, some of them are charging at him, but he swiftly throws so many grenades that kill some of them.
But, they just keep coming that he's out of grenades and he finds himself being surrounded by them.
"Is it still not enough to defeat them, eh? Well, I am a mere human. There's no way I can kill all of you, but! It doesn't mean I'll let you kill me!"
Ryoichi is ready to attack them with his last resort, Molotov.
"Bye-bye Michio! I'm glad to see you! I have no regret! I am a hero!"
Ryoichi exclaimed ready to throw the Molotov at the monsters, but he suddenly hears a scratch on the gale.
"Eh? I'm alive?"
Ryoichi is shocked to see Takayuki protects him by letting himself get scratched by them.
"What are you doing, Michio?! Didn't I tell you to go?!"
Ryoichi exclaimed.
"As I thought, Daisuke san. I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me."
Takayuki cries and the monsters are biting him.
"Michiooooo!!!"