Guys, Let’s Seize It. The Supreme Throne–

In the central part of the Purin Kingdom, Mount Poterongo loomed majestically amidst a hilly region. At the moment, an unusual phenomenon was taking place there. From a distance, it looked as if a thick black fog was encroaching the foot of the mountain.

The true identity of the mist was a flock of bird-type monsters called Haichou. This verdant land had been the habitat of said monster birds since time immemorial. However, for the Purin Kingdom to have an eye on this region for its large amount of timber and abundant land, it could be said to be just a matter of course.

It was about ten years ago from the present time. The kingdom’s army carried out a large-scale extermination campaign against the monster birds. However, defeating monsters capable of flying in the sky was no easy feat. The mission ended in failure without yielding any significant results. Since there were no human settlements nearby, the monster bird Haichous had also been left to their own devices in this area.

Perhaps it was due to this. The monster bird Haichous tended to react in an overly sensitive manner to any intruder in the area. It was even more so if the one intruded upon was the sky, which was their domain. This was exactly the unusual phenomenon that was taking place right now. The flock of monster bird Haichous were attacking foreign enemies in unison. And said enemies were…

「Gyaaaa! Too many, it’s too many! That’s enough! Auntie! I don’t need any more refills!」

Tanaka was trapped in the trauma of his past as he continued to wield his sword amidst the monster bird Haichous, which were flying around as far as the eye could see.

The monster birds kept popping up endlessly. It reminded him of the hell he once experienced at a certain diner.

The smiling auntie replenished his bowl of miso soup over and over again. Even when he refused another refill by saying ‘no, it’s enough’, she misunderstood it as him simply being reserved. Thus, the auntie kept refilling more miso soup into his bowl endlessly.

The smile on her face, which expressed nothing but kindness, didn’t allow him to strongly reject her offer.

As Tanaka was the man who carried the world of small men on his back, all the more reason that he was unable to bring himself to refuse her offer.

It truly was hell.

If the one there wasn’t Tanaka who possessed tenacious will, they would surely have turned into a cripple. Finally, Tanaka’s formidable past was revealed. Something that truly didn’t matter.

–thus, such a Tanaka, whose past had been revived, was on his wits end. Every time he swung his sword, some of the monster birds Haichous were cut down. A large number of monster birds kept dying. The monster bird Haichous covered the ground one after another.

「Good graciousness, there’s no sign of them diminishing at all-degozaru.」

Meanwhile, Suke-san was wielding his scythe as usual. On top of his head was Kaku-san in spirit form. In their current situation, there was the danger of friendly fire, so he had no turn to display his magic. He had no choice but to concentrate on supporting Suke-san to keep him floating in the air.Speaking of how they arrived at their current predicament. It all originated from the moment Team Tanaka decided to move eastward at a low altitude through the air to train Suke-san’s flight ability. And then, they happened to move straight into the area controlled by the monster birds Haichous at the foot of Mount Poterongo. Naturally, the monster bird haichous were alarmed. And then, as usual, the fountain of wisdom, Kaku-san, explained their situation but….

When Tanaka heard about the monster birds Haichous being there, swept by the mood, he couldn’t help but let out a spirited ‘Hoachou!’ yell while unleashing his karate. The fact that one of the monster bird Haichous was pulverized in the process could be said to be nothing but a sad incident.

Subsequently, Tanaka said. ‘That monster bird Haichou was a victim. The victim of the world’s scheme to get rid of us…’, thus, for sure the calm and cool Tanaka-san wasn’t the one at fault here.

「Fu, fuooooo! Why is this happening? Even though all I want is to gather all the beautiful women in the world and live happily ever after! Could it be that the world won’t even acknowledge such a meager wish of mine!」

Anyway, due to such a reason, Team Tanaka was under simultaneous storm of attack from the monster birds Haichous that were burning with vengeance. Nevertheless, even such an abnormal number of monster birds Hachous couldn’t prove to be a threat to Team Tanaka at all. As the sun began to set, all of the monster birds Haichous on Mount Poterongo were annihilated.

「That was one hell of an experience. Well, it turned into quite a good training, though.」 「Yes, you’re right-degozaru. Thanks to that, I’m getting a better sense in flying-degozaru.」

Suke-san and Kaku-san were taking the incident positively as they chatted amiably. Tanaka did not join their conversation at all. It was unknown if that was because a thought such as ‘negative sounds more impactful and cooler than positive’ crossed his mind or not. What was certain was that this aloof man was not satisfied with the results of this battle.

「—No good. It’s not enough. More…. More power…. until I obtain overwhelming power that can overturn anything and everything….」

It was trembling. His heart was currently trembling in anxiety. From an outsider’s point of view, it was without a doubt an overwhelming feat. However, even such an extent of feat could not satisfy Tanaka, who was under threat from the hero, in the slightest.

「I don’t know what you’re being that impatient for, but… be careful, alright? If you continue to seek power excessively–, it may lead you to your own downfall.」

It had been some time since they left the horned tribe village, but Tanaka was still radiating this somewhat unsettling feeling as usual. As expected, perhaps judging that at this rate he might deviate toward a dangerous direction, Kaku-san advised Tanaka.

「Phew, worry not. I’ve bore witness to too many people whose downfall were due to intoxication with power. I won’t let such a thing happen to me. I can clearly see it. My final destination—」

Of course, speaking of those he had witnessed, they were from anime and video games. Well, in this case, it didn’t really matter whether it was real or imaginary. As far as Tanaka was concerned, the most pressing matter he ought to be cautious about right now was the possibility of getting his vitality reduced to zero the moment his power was stolen by the hero again. Even as he cried out ‘Let alone intoxicated with power, I’m close to dying due to my power keep being stolen, dammit!’ in his heart, but he was a man who had to hold up the pride as a leader. Replying with such a cool line in composure, as expected of Tanaka.

「It’s not like I’m worried about you or anything, alright?!」

And there was Kaku-san. Thank you for keeping up the tsundere act.

「For us who are aiming to be the strongest, it looks like we still have a long way to go-degozaru.」

And there was Suke-san. He was still as airheaded as usual.「That’s right! If the three of us work together, it may be a bit late but it’s definitely not impossible for us to obtain the supreme throne!」

Tanaka declared loudly. Perhaps to drown out his anxious mind.

He floated a fearless smile – with one hand over his face and his cloak fluttering grandly, raising brisk sound – he struck his signature cool pose and declared.

「Guys, let’s seize it. The supreme throne—」 To which Suke-san and Kaku-san responded, facing him while striking the same pose.

「I’ve resolved myself for it since long ago….」

「Now I’m on fire…!」

Right now, the hearts of the three men were united.

「However, what exactly should we do….? Dragons are no longer satisfying, after all. I’d like to have a more fulfilling enemy.」

「I don’t think so. They’re pretty strong, you know?」

「Isn’t there a stronger enemy somewhere-degozaru?」

Still in the same posture, they started having a strategy meeting. Creating a truly surreal scene.

「Let’s see… Well, it’s not that there aren’t any, but….」

As expected of Kaku-san, the fountain of wisdom of Team Tanaka. He seemed to have an idea. 「Alright! Let’s go with that!」

「You instantly decided without even listening to the details at all?!」

The reliable Tanaka made a prompt decision. There didn’t seem to be a lack of confidence on his face. It was probably a decision that was made according to the future he foresaw based on a vast amount of information and meticulous calculations. For someone with unparalleled will such as Tanaka-san, there was no way he would ever say, ‘I don’t care about anything else! I just want to escape from the hero’s threat!’ in his heart.

Thus, Team Tanaka began to move forward in search of further growth.

◇ ◇ ◇