Chapter 27

Extreme visual changes are difficult

──I wanted to be stronger than anyone else.

When he was six years old, Chouta lost his parents in a terrorist attack by a supernatural ability user. He still remembers them both, who died protecting him. It’s an indelible scar, one that will never heal. The terrorist was suppressed by the ace of the Savers at the time—Akatsuki Gou, the father of Akatsuki En—and out of his family, only Chouta was rescued.

──At that moment, all I could do was cry and scream in front of their corpses.

He felt helpless, miserable, and filled with regret for being unable to do anything to stop the villains.

And the hero who had saved him like that──Chouta thought he was cool.

The childish Chouta thought, “If I was that strong, would I have been able to protect the things I wanted to?"

That feeling was surely the origin of the young man called Rikidou Chouta.

He despised his own powerlessness, feared his weakness, and relentlessly pursued strength, hoping to become like the hero he admired and met that day.

For him, overwhelming violence was the ultimate ideal, and crushing any villain before him was justice. With that distorted mindset, by the time he entered middle school, he had become a notorious troublemaker, spending day after day in fights.

Chouta surely had talent.

His supernatural ability "Freezing," allows him to generate ice from his body. He could create weapons of ice and even trap his opponents in solid ice. His steel-like body only grew stronger as he trained, and he could feel himself becoming tougher with each passing day. Yet, even as he felt pride, there was a part of him that observed his actions with a cold detachment.

It’s only natural that I’m strong. I was born with this body and this ability from my parents.

That pride was the only strength that supported his heart. Therefore, for him, admitting weakness was unacceptable, something he could never allow.

There were almost no opponents who were willing to face a man like Chouta, even in the arena.

By the time he entered high school, he had become an undefeated S-rank fighter, but he was still unsatisfied, and he was scouted by the Savers, taking his first step toward becoming the hero he admired.

Yet, what awaited him there was a vast ocean—men who outclassed even him, who believed he was the strongest.

Akatsuki En, the son of Akatsuki Gou, who had once saved him from the terrorist attack.

Tsubasa Kazaoka, an irritating, pretentious guy with long hair.

Now they’re good friends and comrades, but when he first met them, Chouta couldn’t help but hate them. At the same time, he felt a spark of hope that this would help him become even stronger.

He had always overcome any obstacle he needed to. The thicker the obstacle in front of him, the more it fueled the fire in Chouta’s heart. It might be this tenacity, his unwillingness to yield to adversity, that allowed him to overcome his painful past.

That’s right… To Rikidou Chouta, Akatsuki En was a wall he had to overcome one day, out of gratitude for En's late father.

When he finally surpassed that wall, Chouta felt he could finally say, “The kid you saved has become this strong!”

And it is because of this belief that Chota saw En as a rival, pushing him to train harder and improve himself.

…But he was far away.

His back was far away.

As he gained more real combat experience on missions in Savers, he became much stronger than he was before joining. He had narrowed the gap in strength between him and Tsubasa, and just as he thought that, he found that his goal had once again run far ahead.

Watching En fight Netzach on equal terms, an opponent who had once completely outmatched him, Chouta finally grasped just how high the wall he was trying to overcome.

And so, he roared. “I’m right here. Look at me!” As he reached out to the back of his rival, who seemed further away than ever, his heart was filled with anger—anger at none other than himself.

I want power.

Stronger than villains, stronger than En, stronger than Tsubasa... Stronger than the holy beasts.  I want to prove that I, as the child of my parents and the one saved by the greatest hero, am the strongest of all.

Even though his body has grown, his heart remains that of a child. With that single-handed, pure consciousness, he managed to draw the power of his supernatural ability beyond its limits. His ability was undoubtedly reaching new heights.

However, precisely because his consciousness was so pure, Chouta could not control his insatiable thirst for power.

He couldn't control his wild, beastly heart, and this is what happened. He's so pathetic it makes him laugh. There was nothing that he could do that Akatsuki En could not do at all... This fact made him realize that he had not changed at all since back then, when all he could do was cry and scream.

...No, actually, I've known that for a long time.

Through missions in Savers, he had fought many enemies and become involved in tragic incidents much like the one that had shaped him, and through those, he had come to understand the world.

Although the circumstances were different, watching Mea, someone who also once relied solely on power, grow and find solace in something other than strength, Chouta began to see what he himself lacked.

She had changed.. she had changed because she found something more important than her own power. He realized that he couldn’t grow any further if he continued to blindly believe in power alone.

Yet, Chouta had pretended not to notice.

He was a stupid, simple-minded human.

And, being stupid, he continued running blindly towards what he had originally wanted to achieve.

This is such a miserable end for a fool like me..., he mocked himself, caught in a raging snowstorm of ice he had unleashed.

—At that moment

『Being weak is not a sin』

He heard a voice.

It was a gentle, whispering voice that resonated directly in his mind. It sounded a bit like his late mother, soothing him like she would a baby.

『You’ve worked so hard… Following the path you believed in with unwavering conviction. No one can deny that』

The words, affirming everything Rikidou Chouta had done, were comforting and kind. Yet, he shook his head.

No… that’s not it. I didn't want anyone else's approval! I couldn’t forgive myself! If I couldn’t become stronger, what have I been fighting for?!

He screamed, clenching his fists until they bled. The owner of the voice gently wrapped around his hands as if to embrace him.

He looked up with teary eyes, gazing at the girl who had appeared before him without his notice. She spoke with a loving and admonishing tone.

『It’s okay to be weak... Everyone carries weakness. We get discouraged, and we sink into the darkness within our hearts. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.』

What are…!

『Strength alone is not enough. Those who only possess strength cannot understand the weak. And those who cannot acknowledge their own weakness cannot accept the darkness within their own hearts…』

Accept… the darkness?

Does that mean accepting weakness? Are you joking?!

If I’m weak, I can’t do anything… I can’t protect anything! That’s why I have to be stronger than anyone else!

Enshrouded in ice, Chouta shouted. The darkness within his heart—that was his fear that he would never achieve the strength he desired and would end up unable to protect what mattered most.

『Is that really true?』

A voice questioned him amid his anguished cries.

Chouta’s breath caught as he met the gaze of the steady, emerald eyes before him. The voice pressed him further.

『Even if you haven’t achieved the strength you desired... you’ve still saved people who were precious to you, haven’t you?』

He gasped.

He recalled the gratitude-filled smiles of those he had protected while working with the Savers. There were children who had been victims of the terrorist attack just like him, and Chouta was able to protect them—just like the saviour who once saved him.

“Thank you, onii-san!” the children he had protected had said, and their parents had tearfully thanked him for saving their children.

At that moment, he realized something.

Even though he was a simple-minded idiot who only had physical strength to boast about, even though he hadn’t reached his ideal strength, he had still saved lives. Denying the hero he had become for them would mean denying his former self.

“Ahh…” Chouta cried, then laughed, feeling a weight lifting from his shoulders.

The girl stretched so that she would reach eye level and extended her hand to his cheek, which she still couldn’t reach due to the height difference and asked a question.

『Did you pursue power to become that hero you admired?』

…no.

I didn't want to become strong in order to be proud.

I hadn’t trained to leave my former self behind.

The reason Rikidou Chouta sought power was simple.

It wasn’t because he wanted to become someone who could save others—it was because he wanted to to save them.

In truth, he probably never needed to be so fixated on power.

Chouta remembered and finally understood. Somewhere along the way, the means and the purpose had become reversed.

He enjoys fighting.

He also likes winning.

He hates losing.

He despises absurdity.

He lovs being thanked.

He hates being rejected.

And he loves his parents, who brought him into this world and raised him. He can't forgive himself for using them as an excuse for his actions to the point his guts are boiling.

…No wonder I couldn’t measure up to En or Tsubasa, Chouta thought with a wry smile.

The story goes that a man who can't even accept himself properly has no way of being able to use his supernatural ability.

If only he had stopped to think for a moment, he could have realized it sooner.

『Yes, that’s right…… in the eyes those children you saved, you’ve already become a hero』

There are things that you can't see if you just keep moving forward blindly.

Sometimes it's necessary to stop and reflect.

『Straighten up, hero.』

Ton, the girl poked Chouta in the chest.

At that moment, a surge of determination welled up within him.

That’s right. It’s exactly as she says.

There's no way I can let myself get cold feet here.

“…Ha, haha... That’s right. I am Rikidou Chouta—the man who rises!”

The man confronted his origins and accepted his own weakness had, at that moment, become a true savior.

The blizzard gradually subsided.

No, it was converging. The once chaotic, rampaging power of the “Freezing” supernatural ability was now coalescing with focused intent, gathering in one place—around Rikidou Chouta’s body.

The gathered blizzard solidified into a massive five-meter-long crimson crystal of ice.

Then—

“Ohhhh! Hahhhhhhh!!”

With a fierce roar, the crystal shattered, and a man emerged from within.

He was like scorching ice.

What covered his body was an armor of ice, burning with a blazing crimson like flames.

His appearance, combining the paradox of scorching hot and ice, marked the awakening of his true power as he accepted the darkness in his own heart.

Fairy Burst—Rikidou Chouta had also reached that domain, Akatuki En understood.

And before him stood a girl, smiling at his awakening with a gaze full of compassion.

T. P. Eight Olishua. A mysterious girl who had leapt into the blizzard, saying, “Leave it to onee-san.”

“Thank you, Chouta…for accepting the power within you.”

She must have taken quite a risk in that blizzard herself. Her costume as the phantom thief was damaged in several places, and having come into contact with the epicenter of the Freezing ability, her black hair beneath the silk hat down to the soles of her shoes, she was drenched as though caught in a torrential downpour. Yet, with the droplets sparkling in the setting sun, her profile looked like that of a goddess.

En spoke to Eight, warming her with his flames.

“Chouta’s, fine, right?”

Eight nodded with a small smile. At that moment, her expression resembled that of a mother proud of her child’s growth.

“…You’ve saved us again.”

“Not at all. I just asked him a question. He accepted it himself. He embraced his true potential.”

At the end of her gentle gaze, Rikidou Chouta opened his sharp eyes, activating Freezing Fairy Burst.

“Sorry for the fuss. Now, let’s get to the real action.”

Hearing this, Netzach also broke into a grin filled with fighting spirit and a look of amusement.

“Alright, let’s go, Round Two!”

“Yeah!”

Hooray! Eight-chan’s big victory!

The completion of Rikidou Chouta’s Fairy Burst was here. I may not be a martial artist, but I can feel the overwhelming pressure of his power with my body.

Unlike En’s Fairy Burst, which envelops him in blue flames, Chouta’s transformation manifests as armor of crimson ice covering his entire body, just as in the original work. Turning his Fall Into Darkness into a Chance For Awakening—isn’t that living up to the name of cheat original protagonist? If you overlook the fact that the Falling Into Darkness crisis itself is an original addition not present in the original work, you could say this is a great fanfiction. Fuhehehe.

In contrast to En, who appears cool but holds a passionate heart, Rikidou Chouta might seem like a hot-blooded fool, but he actually looks at himself with a detached eye. He, too, carries a heavy backstory befitting a main character.

Well, deep down he is just as simple-minded as he appears, so in the original anime Fairy Savers, however, there weren’t many scenes exploring his interior. It was only in this awakening episode.

In fact, if even he, who was the comic relief in the harsh parallel world arc, had to endure hardships, it might have made the story too dark, so they probably intentionally refrained from depicting it that way. The goddess-like person somewhere might be raging, saying, “Who cares, let him suffer!” but this was a good feeling. The perfect cheat original protagonist crashes through even depressing plot development. Ahh, if only I could have made it to Chesed on time.

But wow, it’s cold! Even though I had a barrier, jumping into the middle of that fierce blizzard was tough.

My outfit got torn, and my body’s soaked. What a mess.

So thank you, En! Using that blue flame of yours from Fairy Burst to dry my clothes, what a gentleman. I’ll give you an Eight-chan smile of gratitude.

Mu, don’t look away. Sure, a soaked-through look is poisonous to the eyes of adolescent boys, but this shirt isn’t see-through or anything, so don’t worry. Well, I don’t like being stared at either, though.

Anyway, before the match resumes, I should check with the referee.

“Just now doesn’t count as a rule violation, does it?”

Both Chouta and Netzach are raring to go. In this atmosphere, if someone said, “There's an intruder, so there will be a penalty for intrusion,” as expected, even I would be sad. With En’s blue flames drying me off, I hurried over to the referee, Haniel-san, to double-check.

Tsabaoth’s a magnanimous town. Here’s hoping the chief angel can be lenient!

『...If it had continued like that, things would’ve gotten complicated. Your intervention will be recognized as an act of rescue. The duel will proceed as is.』

Alright! as expected of Haniel-san. He's a reasonable angel.

Though, it was odd how he seemed unusually formal with me. He must be the type to separate work and personal matters. In any case, I’m glad it wasn’t a foul.

Well then, I’ll also go back to the silver umbrella. I think I deserve a little snuggle with Kabbalah-chan as a reward for all that effort in the cold.

“Nee-chan.”

Hm? What’s up, Chouta?

“Watch from there.”

…?

O, okay… Got it.

That serious gaze, looking pretty cool! He’s got that vibe of the “good delinquent” archetype that was all the rage a while back.

Furthermore, his hairstyle, usually in a pompadour, had fallen naturally due to the effects of Fairy Burst. With that combined with his tall frame, he really just looked like a good-looking guy.

Maybe the goddess-like person is actually a Chouta fan? Like, a dreaming girl? His crimson ice armor looks even more detailed than in the original, and it’s giving off this undeniable knightly charm. (tl note: again, dream girls (夢女子)  are generally girls who like shipping characters with themselves aka, they “dream” about being inside a certain series.)

Seriously, you’re supposed to be the comic relief character, but you’re really showing your potential here.

Hmmm… But from my perspective, this doesn’t feel quite right.

I’ll have to tell him later, “You’re perfect just the way you are.”

Yup. It's fine for the character's visuals to change stylishly as they grow, but too much can overshadow the original individuality, losing it—it's a delicate balance in fanfiction. You think you’ve portrayed them in a way that’s cool, but then readers end up thinking, “This feels off.”

That sort of thing isn’t just limited to fanfiction, though. You see it often in manga and anime too. Maybe it’s that feeling of sadness felt when the character changes that stirs those thoughts. What can I say? The difficult mindset of a reader is just like that of a teenage girl, really.

Well, anyway, seeing that blue flame and the crimson ice standing side by side was damn cool.

It really hit that chuunibyou heart… how nice. It was one of “Top 5 moments that make me feel glad I was born in this world.”

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