1

In a large cylindrical tent, the sporko sang and danced around a crackling fire. They had been at it so long that all were drenched in sweat from head to toe.

“How long is this gonna take?!” shouted one figure from atop the seat of honor. “I’m dyin’ of boredom over here!”

“Shh! Be quiet!” snapped Chaika. “The ritual will continue until we receive an answer from our mother, Hokkaido. If you want the you-know-what, you’re going to have to be patient!”

“The Ghost Hail?”

“Do not say its name!” yelled Chaika once more, slapping Bisco on the nose, as if he were a disobedient hound. “Hokkaido is a fickle mistress: If she knows what it is we seek, she shan’t give it to us. You must call it something else.”

“If I’d known it woulda been this much trouble, I’d have gone inside Hokkaido and picked the damn things myself…”

“Whit’s wrong wit ye sorry lot!!” Bisco shrank back in his seat as Chief Cavillacan let out a furious roar right by his ear. “Ye call thit dancing?! Tis nae wonder Hokkaido nae want te speak te such a grottin’ poor excuse fer sporko as ye!”

““Ouya!””

“Reight then, ye bleighters! From te top, nae!”

““Ouya…?””

“Pit yer belly intae it!!”

““OUYA!!””

At their elder’s urging, the sporko took up formation once more and danced with renewed vigor. Bisco, excluded from the ritual and dressed in the clan’s ornate and heavy guest robes, started to let his mind wander.

Dammit, how’d Milo manage to talk his way outta this one?

He sighed and muttered curses under his breath, while Chaika clung lovingly to his arm.

“Lurkershrooms, swayshrooms, and lifeshrooms? Great wartshrooms growing right next to earthstars? Hokkaido really is like another world. This should be enough to stave off any disease!”

Milo was in his element. Having left his partner to suffer in the sporko village, the famed Dr. Panda had gone topside in order to gather as many medicinal mushrooms as he could from the peculiar environment of the Island Whale’s back. Hokkaido was able to swim relatively fast, and so the fields were constantly exposed to hot summer winds and the sun’s blinding rays. This meant that all the snow had pretty much melted, and Hokkaido’s boundless vitality had given birth to all sorts of mushroom varieties the boy doctor could never hope to find back on the mainland.

“All right!” he said, satisfied. “This should be more than enough to raise a baby!”

He stowed his findings in his backpack.

“Now we just need the Ghost Hail…”

The baby he spoke of, by the way, belonged to none other than his sister, Pawoo. After becoming pregnant, Pawoo had stepped down from her duties (though only at Milo’s insistence) and had gone to stay with Shishi in her newly established prefecture of New Kaso. The prospect of raising a half-demigod created a lot of unanswered questions, so for the time being, Milo contented himself with ensuring a healthy birth, with the knowledge he would tackle the remaining difficulties when the time came.

After all, the baby was sure to inherit Bisco’s omnipotent Ultrafaith energy, and as far as Milo knew, there was only one way to keep it in check: the Ghost Hail mushroom, with its unique ability to counteract rampant evolution.

The baby was not due for many months, yet Milo could hardly be expected to twiddle his thumbs while his sister’s well-being was on the line. And so it was at his urging that he and Bisco ventured to Hokkaido.

“Sorry for the wait, Actagawa! Let’s go rejoin Bisco at the camp!”

The giant steelcrab was idly picking at the soil with his claw and turned at the sound of Milo’s voice, allowing a stray mole he had cheekily unearthed to hurriedly scamper away.

“Hey, what do you think, Actagawa?” said Milo, hopping atop the crab’s back. “If you had a baby, what name would you give it?”

Pop.

“Actually, Bisco and I already thought of a name for your baby. What do you think of ‘Ryunosuke’?”

Pop.

“Don’t you care about that sort of thing?! I swear, you and Bisco are like two peas in a pod…”

But as soon as Milo had finished speaking, a peculiar feeling came over him.

…Urgh??

He clutched his chest in response to severe nausea that struck the depths of his stomach. Milo quickly hopped off Actagawa and ran over to the bushes, where he emptied his guts.

“Bleeegh… Guh… Gueeeh…”

When it was finally over, Milo wiped his mouth dry.

Haah… haah… Not this again. Why do I keep vomiting?

This wasn’t the first time it had happened. Milo’s mysterious sickness had begun at around the same time as his sister’s pregnancy. In addition to nausea, he was also experiencing stomach pains and loss of appetite.

As a doctor, Milo knew his own body better than anyone, and he quickly ruled out infection or poisonous mushrooms as the cause. There was also no way to treat the symptoms. It seemed to be the result of an excess of life-energy in the body. Too much of a good thing, so to speak. Perhaps after repeatedly using the Ultrafaith Bow and harmonizing with Bisco, Milo had allowed too much of his partner’s boundless vitality to flow into himself. It was the only explanation he was able to come up with.

In any case, it didn’t seem serious, and so Milo hadn’t told Bisco about it, but…

…Maybe I should? I don’t know… I don’t want to feel like I’m bringing him down…

Still pondering the issue, Milo turned and flashed Actagawa a reassuring smile. But just as he approached so they could ride off together, he heard a voice and turned to see Chaika in the distance, waving at him.

“Milo! The ritual was a success!” she called out. “We were just about to share a celebratory drink together! Would you like to join us?”

Behind her, the stout and burly Cavillacan laid a grizzled hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “Drenk it while it’s hott, ye ken? Thet Akaboshi lad be nae fun at all.”

Well, Bisco doesn’t drink, that’s why.

Milo waved and signaled his eagerness to participate, before hopping atop Actagawa and taking up the reins.

But just at that moment, Milo saw a dark shadow fall over the sporko pair. He looked up at the sky in confusion.

“Wh-what?!” he cried. “What on earth is that?!”

An enormous floating object tore through the cumulonimbus clouds, dominating the sky. It appeared so suddenly, and its very nature so completely overturned Milo’s beliefs on aviation, that he wasn’t sure how to react.

“Grott! Whit manner o’ beast or god be this?!”

“Father, I’m scared!”

Cavillacan placed himself between Chaika and the threat and glared up at its inscrutable form. Just then, a loud voice issued forth from the craft.

The ship shot a harmless-looking beam at Chaika and Cavillacan, which then expanded radially outward until it covered the entire region.

“Wh-what’s happening?” screamed Chaika.

“Steigh beheind me, Chaika! I’ll nae let this—! Wh-whit in Grott’s name?!”

All of a sudden, the muscular chief let out an unbecoming squeal of confusion as both he and his daughter were whisked into the air, the 120-kilogram giant lifted effortlessly, like a feather.

“Wh-whit sorcery be this? I cannae do a thing!!”

“Elder! Chaika!” yelled Milo.

“Milo! Run! Forget us and save—eep!!”

It was all over in an instant. The ship’s powerful beam sucked Chaika and Cavillacan into its whirling core like a vacuum cleaner. But it didn’t stop there.

“Ouya?! What’s happening?!”

“Seems the tent’s learned how to fly.”

“Get a grip, lad! It’s the rapture! We’re all dyin’!”

The beam had also engulfed the sporko settlement and was sucking up everybody, tents and all. Milo could scarcely grasp the scale of the threat.

“…This is bad! Actagawa, we gotta go find Bisco!”

Thinking fast, Milo dived into the beam’s radius in search of his partner. With Actagawa’s powerful legs keeping him securely fixed to the ground, he headed over in the direction of the elder’s tent.

“Biscooo!! Where are you?! Answer me!”

“Over here!” came Bisco’s reply.

“Bisco!” cried Milo, gripping the reins and steering Actagawa toward the voice. “This is bad! Chaika and the sporko have all been… What are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing?”

“This isn’t the time for games, Bisco!”

“I ain’t playin’! You think I did this for fun?!”

Bisco’s swift decision-making had led him to firing an anchorshroom arrow into his own cloak, from which he now clung upside down for dear life. It was a commendable choice, but one that nonetheless made for an amusing sight.

“The beam’s gettin’ stronger!” Bisco yelled. “We gotta get outta here before it sucks us up, too!”

“Right! Take us away, Actagawa!”

Using his right, smaller claw, Actagawa pruned the anchorshroom and popped Bisco on his back before exiting the range of the fearsome light.

“Uh-oh. That thing’s comin’ after us!”

The ship expelled a second beam, which enshrouded Actagawa. At this, he could finally cling to the surface no longer and was lifted helplessly into the air.

“Shit! It got us!” said Bisco, growling.

“There’s only one way out of this one. Bisco, hold on tight!”

“This again? Grr, just ’cause we ain’t got a choice don’t mean I gotta like it!”

“Prepare the jets, Actagawa! Three, two, one… Ignite!”

Actagawa’s eyes twinkled with determination! The rockets mounted on his back flared to life. It was these rockets that had ferried the trio over to Hokkaido from the mainland, and now they would save them from certain doom.

Actagawa jetted off, leaving a thick trail of smoke as he spiraled out of the capture beam’s grasp and into the skies over the ocean. The two atop his back breathed a sigh of relief, and then they turned and saw it.

“Bisco…!”

“You gotta be shittin’ me…”

““It’s pulling Hokkaido out of the sea!!””

The two couldn’t believe their eyes. The Island Whale, which once terrorized Japan, was being lifted clean out of the ocean. Bits of earth and rock crumbled and fell from its underbelly as it rose, levitating toward the strange flying saucer.

Of course, the saucer was vast, but hardly as vast as an entire island. There seemed to be no way that Hokkaido could possibly fit inside. And yet fit it did. The beam seemed to have some kind of morphing effect on the island, allowing the ship to suck it up through the hole in its base in a manner somewhat reminiscent of sipping a thick milkshake through a straw. It seemed the ship’s mysterious weapon cared not for the size of its target, but even stranger was the fact that Hokkaido did not once struggle as the process went on.

“What’s goin’ on?” asked Bisco. “Hokkaido should be able to swat that thing outta the sky, no problem!”

“I don’t know what kind of technology this is,” said Milo, fighting to stay calm and rational, “but surely it can’t lift Hokkaido and fight us off at the same time. Now’s our chance! Let’s get above it before it finishes doing whatever it’s doing!”

“Got it!”

Actagawa’s thrusters flared to life once more, and he barreled up through the towering clouds, past the ship’s colossal hull, and over its sunlit surface.

“What the hell?!” Bisco cried when he saw the full scale of the craft. Milo, meanwhile, could pull only one word from the sea of his education that even began to describe what he was seeing.

“It’s an ark, Bisco! It’s Noah’s Ark!”

“Noah’s Ark?”

“From the Bible! Aren’t you good with religion and stuff, Bisco?”

“I only know Ame-no-torifune! Is that the same thing? —H-hey, watch out!”

Bisco’s warning caused Milo to take the reins, just as a dangerous-looking array of cannons popped out of the ship’s deck and swiveled to point their way. However, when they fired, it was with a strange pwomf noise, and what their barrels expelled were not cannonballs but instead a strange, bubble-like object that drifted slowly toward the two Mushroom Keepers.

“That’s the dumbest weapon I’ve ever seen!” shouted Bisco, drawing his mushroom bow. “Milo! I’ll pop these bubbles; you get us close!”

“All right!”

Quick as a flash, Bisco loosed an arrow at the nearest bubble, but instead of bursting, it simply swallowed the arrow whole. Within the membranous orb, Bisco’s projectile squelched into an underwhelming cluster of clamshell mushrooms, while the bubble, its purpose apparently fulfilled, drifted off toward the ship, its mushroom sample in tow.

“My arrow didn’t do nothin’… That’s weird. What happened?!”

Bisco pulled an oyster mushroom arrow from his quiver and tried again, but the same thing happened. His repeated attempts meant that, before long, the airspace looked less like a battlefield and more like some kind of mushroom conservatory.

“The hell’s up with these bubbles?! They makin’ fun of me?!”

“Uh-oh! Bisco, we’re surrounded!”

The bubbles were slow, but while Bisco had been trying in vain to damage them, a bunch had managed to encompass the pair.

“They’re made to capture living things! We can’t risk touching them!”

“Well, we gotta get past ’em somehow! We’re almost there!”

“I’ll try!”

Actagawa’s jets flared once more, and the bubbles descended on him all at once. He spun and wove, working his way to the deck of the ship, but just as all seemed well, one of the bubbles grazed Actagawa’s leg, throwing him off-balance.

Schlup!

“Aagh! Our leg’s caught!”

“Dammit!”

“Actagawa! Are you okay?”

Luckily, the giant crab managed to shake the bubble free, and the two boys breathed a sigh of relief as they landed safely aboard the ark. But when they reassessed their surroundings, they gulped.

At first glance, the ship seemed to be made of wood, in keeping with the legend. However, strange geometrical lights coursed through the wood grain, and each turn of the head revealed more inexplicable technological mysteries, the most extreme of which was…

“Bisco…wh-what is that?”

“It’s a whole bunch of animals… They sleeping?”

Filling the ship’s deck were rows upon rows of cylindrical vats, all of differing sizes, and all filled with life. Mammals, fish, insects…even plants, and always in pairs: a male and a female specimen. They all slept peacefully, as if waiting to be awoken.

“This shit gives me the creeps… What’s up with this ship?!”

“It’s Noah’s Ark…,” muttered Milo, breaking out into an anxious sweat. “According to legend, it gathered two of every animal, in order to wait out the destruction of the world. This ship…it’s doing the same thing!”

“Precisely.”

The sudden, booming voice shocked the pair. They leaped back-to-back and cautiously eyed their surroundings for the source.

“The ship of the life-forms, by the life-forms, for the life-forms. Gentlemen, welcome…to my ark!”

“You bastard! Show yourself! Who are you?!”

“I commend you on your brazenness, gentlemen, as it is I who should be asking that question. Yet I’m afraid you’ve caught me with my pants down, so to speak… Computer, fetch me a fresh suit and tie, would you?”

The man’s voice sounded calm and composed, and the two Mushroom Keepers found it hard to decide whether he meant them harm or not. The uncertainty only made them even more nervous.

“I shall meet you on the deck shortly. Until then, please amuse yourselves by perusing my collection… Computer! I don’t like this tie; bring me a new one.”

“Y-your collection?!”

“Interested, Mr. Nekoyanagi? That right there is a Darwin’s fox that I captured on Chiloé Island, in Chile. It possesses a life force of 408 lifra, quite high for a fox species.”

W-wait, they’re all from overseas?!

Milo’s curiosity got the better of him, and he suddenly wandered over to the nearest vat.

“Milo?! The hell are you doin’?! Stay focused!”

“But…just look! They’ve got species I’ve never seen before!”

“To your left there is a giant otter; beside it, a Bornean orangutan. The species on your right is an Atlantic giant squid, followed by a white-rumped vulture. My collection comprises only the most immaculate specimens, all but completely uncontaminated by the Rust. As you can probably surmise, it is exceedingly valuable, and… Oh no! Computer, stow the vats!”

All of a sudden, the cylindrical tanks retracted into the deck, not a moment too soon as Actagawa angrily swung his greatclaw into the ship’s deck with a Ker-room!

The boys’ hair fluttered. “Waagh! Actagawa!” cried Milo.

“Calm down!” yelled Bisco, running over to the enraged crab and stroking his legs reassuringly. “It’s just ’cause he’s faced with all these strange creatures; he don’t know what to do. Don’t worry, dude, you could beat all of ’em with your big claw tied behind your back!”

“My dear crustacean,” came the voice. “You must understand there is more to life than strength. Maybe one day, you will learn.”

Pop. Pop. Pop!

“Don’t look down on us, you…!”

Bisco began to swear, when all of a sudden he noticed the ground at his feet had grown slick and reflective, as if coated in a thin layer of water. He hadn’t noticed when it happened.

It smells…salty? But we’re all the way up in the air! And I swear this deck was bone-dry a moment ago!

“This isn’t fair!” cried Milo. “You can see us, but we can’t see you!”

“You can’t? You wound me, gentlemen. I’ve been right by your side this entire time.”

“Milo! Somethin’s not right! Get back over—!”

Splashhh!

Suddenly and without warning, a fountain of seawater erupted from the deck, engulfing Milo whole!

“Waaagh?!”

“It is I, gentlemen!”

The column of water began swirling, taking Milo with it.

“Brilliant! What amazing life force! It’s just as Mama said. Are you even human?!”

“Bliscgoo…!”

“Milo! Grab on!”

Bisco swung his bow like a sword into the whirling tides, granting Milo a handhold. He gripped on to it, and Bisco pulled him out like a pole fisher, resulting in a dazzling spray of seawater.

“Wah-ha-ha-ha…”

The water let out a high-spirited chortle and receded. Just then, there was a Clunk! in the center of the deck, and something rose out of the floorboards: a large diving suit, nearly three meters tall.

The seawater drained into it, filling the helmet with liquid. Then the diving suit slowly moved its arms and legs. It took one forceful step forward, and then another.

“Make the earth…,” it said, one finger pointed proudly to the heavens, “…great again!!”

Its words were punctuated with a dazzling spray of water from the joints of the suit, like something of a fireworks display. The boys could do nothing but stare in utter shock.

The suit’s helmet was constantly leaking water from the back, giving it the appearance of a head of flowing hair. It turned to the rack behind it and picked out a smart suit and tie, which it clumsily donned over the diving suit itself.

“Apologies,” it said, turning to face the pair once more. “I find it difficult to keep my form without this suit, you see… Hmm, have I put on weight?”

“Bi-Bi-Bi-Biscooo?! What on earth is that?!”

“If you don’t know, then how the hell am I supposed to?!”

“I am Mare,” the diving suit explained. “President of the ark. You may call me ‘Mr. President.’”

President Mare then crossed the thick metal arms of his suit, and the liquid sloshing about in his head began bubbling proudly.

“All living things upon this rock have placed their trust in me to ferry them to prosperity. Perhaps you already know me by another name: the ocean.”

““Th-the ocean?!””

“I watched how you took down that old dog, Tokyo! Marvelous! I’d love to crack open a Heineken and swap stories with you boys, but unfortunately…”

Mare paused and cast his gaze over the boys’ shoulders. (Or so they presumed, as he did not possess eyes.)

“It seems your friend there is not so eager to partake.”

At this, the two boys turned around.

“A-Actagawa?!”

The giant crab was waving his greatclaw at Mare in a very threatening manner. Milo was surprised; compared to Bisco, Actagawa was never one to start fights.

“Calm down!” Bisco cried. “This guy just wants to talk; we don’t need to resort to—”

“Bisco, watch out!”

Milo grabbed his partner’s coat and tugged him back, narrowly out of the range of Actagawa’s raging claw. The angered crustacean didn’t even spare a glance for his masters as they went tumbling along the floor, instead making a beeline for Mare directly.

“What’s gotten into him?!” Bisco shouted.

“I don’t know!” replied Milo. “But Actagawa always gets angry when people don’t treat life with respect!”

Thinking fast, the boy doctor pulled a sedative syringe from his vial pouch.

“We have to stop him! Mare’s so confident, he must have access to some secret weapon we don’t know—”

But just as Milo rose to his feet, a strange feeling assailed him.

“Urgh…? Guh…”

“Milo?!”

“Guuh… Bleeegh…”

Milo promptly emptied the contents of his stomach all over the ship’s deck. By the time Bisco reached him, his face had turned ghostly pale.

“Now you’re losin’ it, too! What did that guy do to us?!”

“My stomach… It hurts…”

“Now this is a startling development…,” said Mare, eyeing Milo curiously. “I sense not one but two life signatures coming from Mr. Nekoyanagi. …Oh, but before I worry about that…”

President Mare calmly turned to face the giant crab bearing angrily down on him. Actagawa somersaulted, transforming his inertia into a devastating claw swing that struck Mare head-on, splintering the deck beneath his feet! However…

“Ho-ho, you’re a feisty one, aren’t you?”

Mare blocked it with his arm, and though his ankles sank into the wood from the force of Actagawa’s blow, there was not so much as a single crack all across his metal suit.

“Impressive! My, how you’ve grown these scant few generations!”

His body creaked, emitting bursts of water.

“You beautiful beast! The persistence of your ancestors is truly inspiring, to have adapted and flourished so in the face of Earth’s calamity!”

Straining, Mare slowly pushed the steelcrab back. It was an astonishing sight; not one organism in all of Earth’s history had had the power to overcome Actagawa’s monstrous strength in a head-on battle.

“Th-the hell? He’s stronger than our crab?!”

“This is my answer to you, majestic creature!”

Thwack!! Mare brushed Actagawa’s claw aside, then wound up for an attack of his own!

“A sign of my respect!!”

Ka-bamm!!

Mare’s straight punch shot directly into Actagawa’s exposed underbelly. The blow sent his necktie aflutter, and the whole ship shook.

““Actagawa!!””

The giant crab was struck with the force of a tsunami, and his six legs clung to the ground for dear life. Yet even this was in vain, for the energy of Mare’s blow stripped the very planks from the deck and scattered them into the air!

“Mare Engine, engage!”

The president’s roar activated his special technique. From his extended fist came a torrent of water that snatched up Actagawa and carried him high up into the air.

“Go forth with that power and settle a new frontier!”

“Let him gooo!!” yelled Bisco.

“Great Wave: Life Ocean Stream!!”

The pillar of water conjured by Mare’s technique twisted and coiled like a serpent, and the front of the president’s helmet swung open. Then he began to suck with great force, drawing the water, and Actagawa with it, into the mysterious space within. The giant crab did his best to resist, but as soon as his legs touched the opening, there was a Shlurrrp! noise, and he completely vanished inside.

“Conservation complete!” the president exclaimed.

“Wh-what have you done?!” wailed Milo.

Mare belched up the creature’s saddlebags, as if such foreign matter was not welcome, and effortlessly tossed the heavy packs over his shoulder. Then he took a handkerchief from his breast pocket and wiped the circumference of his “face.” The water leaked from his every crevice, as if attempting to contain Actagawa’s boundless might.

“Your support is much appreciated, beautiful creature! I feel stronger already!”

“You bastard!” yelled Bisco, stepping forward to protect the compromised Milo. “What have you done to Actagawa?!”

“No need to worry, boys! He is with me now, safe and secure!” replied Mare, as though he expected this to come as good news. “The Genocide Wave cannot touch him in here. After the organism known as Hokkaido, this is another great step toward conserving all of Japan’s megaflora and fauna!”

“You mean to say Actagawa, Hokkaido…they’re inside your body?!” cried Milo, who was throwing up with each new revelation.

Bisco rubbed Milo’s back, a pained expression on his face. “Then Chaika and the rest of the sporko…they’re in there, too?”

“Perhaps. I’m afraid I didn’t notice, but if they are, that is great news! Oh, but don’t be upset; you two are more than welcome to join them!”

If the diving suit had possessed a mouth, it surely would have been smiling broadly. Instead, the liquid inside Mare’s helmet bubbled excitedly, and he poked a patriotic digit at the pair.

“Join us!!” he said. “Join the conservation efforts! Leap freely into my welcoming breast!”

“Milo, you think we can beat him?!”

“Don’t underestimate us, Bisco!”

Before Bisco could react, Milo leaped into action. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and conjured the spinning emerald cube in his palm.

“Won/shad/viviki/snew!”

“Aw yeah! Here we go!”

Bisco took up his bow-firing pose, and Milo’s cube traced a rainbow arc in his hands.

“Hmm? What is…?”

“Behold!”

““The Ultrafaith Bow!!””

A wave of power swept out from the pair as their ultimate technique was made manifest. A powerful wind shook the ark, and rainbow spores leaked out of the weapon, bathing Bisco and Milo both in a radiant glow.

Mare was utterly entranced by the sight. “B-beautiful!”

“Hey, Mr. President! You still got a chance to get outta this alive! Just let all the plants and animals you captured go!”

“What are you, some kind of doomsday cult? I’m sorry, but the minority has no power here! That’s democracy at work, I’m afraid!”

“Screw that! We didn’t vote for you!”

“What?!”

Mare’s Achilles’ heel! He had yet to earn the confidence of the Japanese people! Milo’s comment bothered Mare even more than expected, because his head started frothing wildly, and hot steam shot from his joints!

“This is innovation! We don’t have time to convince each and every person on the planet!” he said. “All right, if that’s your game, then fire away! I’ll show you I’m worthy to lead! My politics are ironclad! I’m sure they can weather one little arr—!”

But just as Mare was speaking, a telephone receiver made of water appeared by his head and started ringing.

“…Apologies, boys. Mama’s ringing me again. What is it now, Mama? Didn’t I tell you not to call me when I’m at work?”

“If that’s the way you want to play it…!!”

“What’s that, Mama? If the Ultrafaith Arrow hits me, it’s over? It doesn’t matter how strong I am? Well, doggone it, woman! You should have said so earlier! What am I supposed to do, then?!”

President Mare suddenly began to panic as the two boys glowed with spores.

“Milo, now’s our chance!”

“…Wait. S-something’s wrong…”

As they teetered on the brink of releasing their unfathomable power, Milo suddenly let out a groan.

“Oh my god! I can’t be impeached! There’s still so much more to do!”

“M…my stomach…”

“Hmm?”

“Milo!! Stay focused, or else the bow’ll… Aagh!”

The Ultrafaith Bow leaped suddenly from Bisco’s grasp! Without the two Mushroom Keepers’ combined focus, the weapon broke down into its constituent spores, which then flew toward Milo and engulfed him!

“Waaah!!” screamed Milo as the spores worked their way into his body through his mouth. “Gblblblblh…!”

“Milo!!”

The rainbowshroom spores unleashed their reality-defying powers inside Milo. The boy’s eyes flew open as his body was suddenly filled to the brim with life force, far more than was safe for any human.

“Aaagh! There’s something…inside me…!”

“What’s that?! Did you swallow some of this guy’s seawater or somethin’?! Milo, keep it together!”

“Help me, Bisco…! I’m scared!”

“Goddammit, what did you do?!”

Bisco turned his eyes, sharper than the point of any arrow, on his mysterious adversary. Mare looked left and right, then pointed a confused finger at himself.

“I know you did somethin’ to him! Spit it out!”

“I did not have relations with that man, I swear!” Mare protested. “Wait, why do I need to make excuses? Now that you can’t fire that technique of yours, I’m on top again!”

He reassumed his confident posture. “I’m not sure what just happened, but someone up there must be looking out for me. Why don’t you gentlemen just come along quietly, now?”

“Grr! Don’t you dare!”

“Bisco!”

Milo suddenly squeezed his partner’s hand with all the force he possessed. Bisco scarcely had time to know what was happening before Milo pulled him into his arms with astonishing force.

“I’m scared, Bisco! Stay by my side!”

“The hell’s wrong with you?! There’s a guy tryin’ to vacuum-pack us over here!”

“There’s something…there’s something coming out of me! Urghh… Grh…!”

The pain intensified until Milo could only manage a strangled cry. His face went completely pale, and he squeezed Bisco’s hand tightly enough to break his bones.

“Milo!”

“Mare Engine, engage!”

“Bisco…it’s too late…”

“Don’t worry! When death comes, we’ll face it together!”

“The baby…it’s here…!”

“…The what?!”

“Prepare to know peace, barbarians! Great Wave: Life Ocean Stream!!”

The great waterspout shot forth once more from the president’s extended fist. There was nothing the two boys could do but watch and wait as it swallowed them mercilessly up…

…but just then!

“Gughh…”

Plop!

“Mah!!”

With a fledgling cry that split the air, a glittering object, about half a meter across, emerged from Milo’s mouth. It flew through the sky like a sunbeam, right toward Mare.

“Mah!!”

Klangg!!

A stubby little leg struck the president’s face with all the force of a thermonuclear bomb.

“Guuuoooggghhh?!”

The attack left a huge dent in his diving suit and catapulted Mare halfway across the ship’s deck. Ker-rang! Ker-rang! He collided with the surface again and again, finally coming to rest about fifty meters away. Meanwhile…

“Bab-ba-ba-ba-baaam!”

The mysterious new arrival raised a single pudgy arm in a valiant display of triumph. The two boys were even more gobsmacked than President Mare had been.

“Wh…?”

“What the hell is that?!”

“Mama!!” the figure cried, leaping onto Milo’s breast.

“Wah?!”

The force toppled Milo, and the creature sat atop him, scrutinizing his face closely. Their big round eyes blinked a couple times, and then…

“Mam-ma!”

“Mama…? You mean…me?!”

“Dad-da!”

“Whaat?! I think I woulda remembered…”

“Hee-hee-hee!”

“This is… This is…”

President Mare struggled to his feet, readjusting his damaged helmet.

“This is…a miracle!!” he cried out with joy. “So this is what Mama was talking about. The new life created from the ultimate mushroom art! The final stage of human evolution!”

“Bisco! He’s not down yet!” cautioned Milo.

“Mam-ma!”

“No! You have to stay safe— Ah-ha-ha-ha! That tickles!”

“The miracle mushroom kid! It will be my privilege—nay, my honor—to safeguard this child inside myself for future generations! I shall unleash the full power of the Mare Engine to save you from this dying world!!”

Mare focused the boundless power of the ocean for a second attempt. Milo tried to cast a mantra in response, but with the bouncing bundle of joy clinging to him, he couldn’t concentrate on the spell.

“Wah! Bisco! Don’t just stand there, do something!”

“…What name should we give it?”

“Huh?!”

“We gotta give it a name, Milo!”

Bisco’s eyes were dead serious, as though he were standing before God himself. He held out his finger, and the small figure chomped on it happily.

“We’ve given birth to a divine being,” he said. “You have your role to play, and I have mine.”

“…You really see us that way…? I—wait, no! Now’s not the time! Mare’s attacking!!”

“Who cares about him?! This is the most important moment of our lives, and the baby’s! We need to give it a name that carries our hopes and dreams!”

“…”

“I want you to do it, Milo. You’re the only one in this world who can.”

When Milo looked into Bisco’s eyes, as calm and clear as a lake surface, all the chaos and turmoil of the outside world melted away. It was just him, Bisco, and the baby. Milo looked down into its eyes. They were the same shade as its father’s.

Just then, Milo was overcome with love. He wanted to protect this child at all costs. He squeezed it tightly so that it would never leave him and pressed his cheek into the baby’s.

I want you to know neither sadness nor pain for as long as you live.

Only happiness and love, as sweet as can be.

So, your name…

Your name is…

“Mare Engine: Full Power! Life Ocean Streeeam!!”

The oceans coiled, and an attack of unprecedented magnitude bore down on the boys. Bisco stepped forward without hesitation to protect his baby and the mother of his child.

And just as the waves were about to engulf the new family and seal their fate…

“Sugar. I’m so glad to finally meet you. I love you.”

Sugar. As soon as Milo spoke her name, the rainbowshroom spores wrapped Sugar in a prismatic light.

“Sugar…,” she said. “I’m Sugar! My name…is SUGAAAR!!”

Her howl! Her roar! Her divine word! It rippled like a shield of force, pulverizing Mare’s titanic mass of ocean water and turning it into harmless droplets!

“Wh-what?! Impossible! How did she part my oceans with just her voice?!”

“Attagirl!” came Bisco’s rallying cry, the wind fluttering his hair. “She’d give Moses a run for his money! You see that, Milo? That’s our kid!”

“B-Bisco! I can’t take it…!”

The deck let out a splintering sound as huge cracks formed in a circle around the trio.

“I can’t stand being this close to her! Sugar still doesn’t know her own strength!”

“Huh?”

“Waaagh! I can’t hold on!!”

“Grab on, Milo!!”

“Maaah!!”

Sugar’s cry successfully overpowered the Mare Engine, but she also catapulted herself and her two parents high into the air. Having expended all their power, and without their trusty steed to save them, there was nothing they could do but tumble helplessly through the endless blue.

““Waaaaaahhh!!””

“Ee-hee!”

They passed by the ship, through the clouds, and plummeted back down toward the earth. By the time President Mare finally stood and peeked overboard, the three of them were long gone.

“Astounding…”

Mare looked down at himself, tore off his soaked jacket, crossed his arms, and pondered the situation.

“I knew the miracle mushroom kid was coming, but I never thought it would come from Mr. Nekoyanagi’s mouth, of all places. How am I supposed to capture the three of them now?”

Milo’s words played back in the president’s head. He had yet to earn the trust of the Japanese people.

“The people’s votes are my strength. I need more grassroots support. It’s time to return to the original plan and do a little canvassing.”

Then he looked once more at his battered diving suit and his even more battered ship, and he emitted a sigh-like bubble.

“However,” he said. “It seems that first some repairs are in order. We’re setting out to impress the Japanese people here, so we must look our best… Still, a candidate doing maintenance on his own campaign vehicle? Pah! This country’s gone to the dogs.”

2

Beneath the clear summer sky stood a patch of gardenias, cloaking the Benibishi garden in a fragrant scent. The Benibishi themselves were hard at work, their silky skin awash with sweat as they set about developing the land of New Kaso in service to their king.

Shishi was leading the efforts, hoe in hand. At first, her subjects had been reluctant to let the young leader participate in such grueling work, but in time, they had come to accept their new king’s way of doing things and welcomed her with eager respect.

At her side, as ever, stood the Iron Judge himself, Someyoshi Satahabaki, casting a vigilant eye over the fields and, in his own words, handling the work that was far below a ruler’s station.

“Someyoshi, my friend,” asked Shishi, “is there nothing I can do? I wish not to impose upon you to this extent.”

But the giant stubbornly shook his head. “There is no need. Simply sit upon your throne and inspire the people. That is all a king can and should do.”

“But founding a nation is a monumental undertaking,” Shishi argued. “Even this palace is grand in its construction. Tell me, how much did it cost?”

“SILENCE!” Satahabaki barked. “Petty is the king who frets over every coin. Have a little faith in your almighty servant, Someyoshi Satahabaki!”

Shishi looked at him, his scepter raised proudly, and she let out a defeated sigh and smiled.

“Thank you, Someyoshi. I shall take you at your word, then. Pray use your powers in service to our great nation.”

“Think nothing of it, young blossom. Your father used to work me twice as hard!”

“Ha-ha-ha!”

Although Six Realms had been shut down, Satahabaki’s services as a judge were still very much in demand all over the country. He was able to earn a modest income simply by traveling here and there, rounding up criminals and settling disputes.

Let us take a peek behind the curtain, so to speak, and see just what that work entailed…

“Merchants of Shimobuki Prefecture,” the judge’s booming voice resounded. “You have each been charged with sabotaging the business of the other, putting pointless feuding above the needs of your customers. What say you in your defense?”

“Nadoo! Hin armundoo. Kher, yoobishee, obol!”

“Nadoonadoo! Heeba-liango. Kher, barbel, heebo, obol!”

“It seems they only speak Shimobukian, Your Honor. I shall go fetch the interpreter…”

“UNNECESSARY!” yelled the Iron Judge, rising from his seat. “The merchants’ pettiness is one crime. My ignorance of languages, another.”

““Y-yooho?””

“All three of us share in our flagrance of the law, and all three of us shall share in my punishment!”

Flick! Flick! The judge’s merciless fingers tossed the Shimobukians clean across the courthouse. Then the ever impartial arbiter of justice swung a weighty iron fist into his own face!

“L-Lord Satahabaki?!”

Flung clean across the courthouse by his own attack, Satahabaki climbed out of a heap of rubble and brandished his folding fan!

“All involved have suffered equally! Balance has been restored to the scales of justice!! Ōoka Tadasuke himself would smile upon this wise decision!”

Clack! Clack!

Speeding through the trials like this, Satahabaki could easily oversee a dozen cases in a single day, and the stubborn magistrate never once paused for rest.

“Your Honor, if it pleases you, I have prepared lunch…”

“Very well. But first, what of our guest?”

“Well, she—”

“Say no more. I shall go call upon her myself.”

The well-being of this “guest,” it seemed, was of great concern to Satahabaki. He quickly made his way over to the corner of the palace in which she was staying, shaking the earth with every step.

As he approached, a voice cried out, “Hello?! Is anyone there?! Can someone let me out of here, please?!” It appeared the occupant of the room was not all too happy to be present.

“Shishi?! Is that you?!” she screamed. “Let me out already!!”

Satahabaki sighed and shook his head in despair before sliding open the door.

“Your Honor!” cried the person inside, upon noticing his arrival. “I demand you explain! What is the meaning of this?!”

It was Pawoo Nekoyanagi, now former governor of Imihama, following her resignation. She was tied to the bed by thick roots, the result of Satahabaki’s cherry blossom art.

Even in her maternity dress, she looked as elegant as ever, and Satahabaki’s restraints notwithstanding, it was clear every measure had been taken to ensure a relaxed and peaceful atmosphere.

“I cannot move a muscle, Your Honor! I demand you let me out of here at once!”

“Denied!” roared Satahabaki, baring his gleaming white teeth. “We all know what manner of misadventures you would get up to were you to be freed. I have been tasked by my liege, at the request of your brother, Nekoyanagi, to ensure a healthy environment for the child.”

“But I’m still only a month pregnant! Isn’t this too hasty?!”

“Am I to understand you have no appetite, then? I sincerely apologize if the offerings of the Benibishi are insufficient to satisfy your kind’s meat-loving tastes.”

It’s impossible! He’s not listening to me at all!

It was true that Milo had warned the Benibishi to be prepared for Pawoo’s rambunctious behavior, but Pawoo couldn’t help feeling that Satahabaki had taken that advice a little too seriously.

Originally, it was Shishi who had volunteered to act as Pawoo’s midwife, but Satabaki insisted such menial duties should fall to him instead. It couldn’t be said that he didn’t have the baby’s best interests at heart, and Satahabaki never did things by half measures. The problem was in his methods. You see, the Iron Judge had been a prison warden most of his life, and old habits died hard.

“Today, I have come to produce my finest offerings for the pregnant mother: cherry-flavored ice cream.”

At Satahabaki’s bidding, several Benibishi brought in a cooking table, while Satahabki himself affixed a pink frilly apron around his vast waist. He took a pailful of ice and began mixing it with salt.

“First, we mix some salt into the ice,” he explained, “lowering its temperature to minus twenty degrees. Then we add some cottoncow milk, fresh cream, and some of my own Florescence into a metal tin, mix it well, and submerge it in the ice.”

“L-Lord High Overseer…aren’t you supposed to take off your gauntlets before you start?”

“After that, simply open up the tin and serve!”

“Ooh!”

The apron-sporting Satahabaki had made for quite a bizarre sight, but when Pawoo saw the finished product, garnished to perfection with red bean paste and a sprig of mint, she couldn’t help being impressed. Satahabaki’s natural flair for the dramatic led to a truly gourmet dish, practically unheard-of in post-apocalyptic Japan.

“Now I shall untie your arms, so have a taste.”

“It…it’s so beautiful. May I really?”

Pawoo hesitantly took a spoon and scooped up a bite, releasing a fragrant cherry blossom scent. At that, she could wait no longer and eagerly stuffed the ice cream into her mouth.

“It’s so…SALTYYYYYYYYYYYY!!” she screamed, sticking out her tongue.

“I adopted a more modern approach to ice cream. I would love to hear your thoughts.”

“I know sugar’s rare these days, but that doesn’t mean you can replace it with salt!!”

“The salt counterbalances the sugar and also serves to ward off evil,” Satahabaki explained. “Perfect for the baby, would you not agree? A kilogram or so ought to do the trick, I thought, taking into account your magnificent appetite! Ha-ha-ha-ha!”

As Satahabaki laughed, the midday gong struck.

“Ah,” he said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an appointment to attend.”

“Wait!” Pawoo protested. “Let me out of these roots first!”

“I look forward to seeing what kind of prodigy you bring into this world, good woman. Farewell!”

Satahabaki left, his teeth rattling with what surely had to be laughter.

“Haah…”

Pawoo let out a sigh as the weariness hit her all at once. She sat alone in a room far too spacious for the single bed to which she was confined.

The Benibishi’s concept of hospitality left much to be desired. It seemed they had yet to adapt to their lives outside the slammer, because their idea of taking care of people involved locking them up and never letting them see the light of day. All Pawoo had to look forward to were Shishi’s visits, and even those were few and far between.

“At this rate,” she said, “I’m going to lose my mind before the baby arrives…”

“Yeah, I bet. Can’t be fun locked up all by yourself, can it?”

“Tell me about it. I’ve half a mind to— Wait, who’s there?!”

Pawoo’s eyes flew open. She searched around for the source of the unfamiliar voice and spotted a figure—a woman—standing with her in the room. Despite obviously not belonging to the Benibishi, Pawoo had been completely oblivious to the woman’s presence until she spoke.

“Oh, what’s this?” the stranger asked. “Ice cream? So the big guy fancies himself a five-star chef, does he? Give us a taste… Om… Fuck, it’s salty as hell!”

“Identify yourself!!”

Pawoo tried to leap out of bed…but forgot she was fastened to it. The whole thing flipped up on its end and was about to flatten her when the figure extended an arm to prop it up.

“Hey, keep it together, silly. You got a kid to look after, don’t forget.”

“Wh-who are you?!”

When Pawoo saw her gleaming jade-green eyes and crimson hair, which shimmered in the sunlight, any suspicion she harbored about the figure’s aims melted away, for the woman reminded her of Bisco. And what’s more…she was a Mushroom Keeper. The bow on her back and cloak around her shoulders were unmistakable, even if the piercing in her lip and tattoo around her right eye were her own additions. From looking at her, Pawoo couldn’t shake the feeling she was a woman who was hard to faze.

“What a powerhouse that silly kid’s gone and hooked up with. Takes after his mother, he does: always worryin’ about other people.”

“That kid? Y-you mean Bisco? Then you’re…”

“Pretty much,” the woman replied, scratching the back of her head. She let out a big yawn. “Came to give my congrats, but it looks like my kid’s gone and buzzed off.”

It was almost impossible to tell her age. She could have been in her teens or her thirties, and Pawoo would have believed it. But her vigorous demeanor left a deep impression.

She’s…beautiful.

She was everything Pawoo wanted to be and more.

“Bisco’s never told me anything about his family before…,” she muttered.

“Such a shame about that ice cream,” said Bisco’s mother. “Perhaps a vanillashroom could extract the salt…”

She idly turned and began doing something to Satahabaki’s offering. Pawoo started to lose her patience.

“What do you want with Bisco?!” she cried. “I’m warning you, if you…”

“Add a capershroom to taste, and… Mm! Try it now.”

The mysterious woman smiled like a young girl and brought a spoonful of the ice cream over to Pawoo.

“What’s wrong? Oh, I’m not tryin’ to poison you, if that’s what you’re thinkin’.”

“Er…er… Ahh…?”

“Good girl. That’s better.”

Disarmed by the woman’s mysterious bearing, Pawoo obediently opened her mouth for yet another serving of the terrible ice cream she had only just earlier been forced to endure.

“Hmm?! It’s delicious!”

“And nutritious. Good for you and the baby.”

“How on earth did you do that?! It was so salty before!”

“Why are you so surprised? Don’t tell me Bisco can’t even do this. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, though. Jabi never did pay much attention in mushroom class… Here, have another bite.”

Pawoo was suddenly acting as if the woman were her own mother, content to be coddled. She wasn’t sure what had come over her, but she found it impossible to avoid being swept up in the woman’s pace.

“Om-nom…,” she said, munching. “At least tell me…om…your name!”

“Marie. You know, like the biscuits.”

“M-Marie?”

“But who cares about my name?” said Marie, pointing an accusatory finger at Pawoo before tracing it down her neck toward her belly. “What about the baby’s? Have you thought of one yet?”

“N-no, not yet. It’s still too early…,” said Pawoo, cowed into submission by Marie’s overpowering aura. “But…I wanted to pick something like Bisco’s, to help them grow up sweet and strong. Something that will lead them to where they want to be in life.”

“If you ask me, I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I mean. I came up with Bisco’s name on the day he was born. I’d been eatin’ some of the snacks earlier, you see, then when I saw his face, it just kinda came to me in a flash… But I oughtta stay out of it; this is your decision.”

“Just what kind of woman are you…?”

“This kind.”

Gaboom!

Marie did nothing more than flick the rooty restraints binding Pawoo, yet the cherry blossoms were torn to shreds by mushrooms in an instant. The newly freed Pawoo leaped to her feet, her eyes flared wide in astonishment.

“H-how did you do that?! Flowers are supposed to eat the mushrooms!”

“Then you just gotta use a mushroom that wants to be eaten. Then the flower absorbs the mushroom’s death wish and just wilts. Seriously, how come nobody else ever thought of that?”

Marie dusted the wood chips off Pawoo’s kimono, leaving the raven-haired woman to ponder what she had just seen.

Marie…? Can it be? Marie the Godshroom?!

Milo had once shared with her tales told among the mushroom peoples. Marie the Godshroom stood alongside Jabi the Godbow as one of the Mushroom Keepers’ living legends. She was a genius at the mushroom arts, constantly pushing the frontiers of knowledge with her innovative uses for fungi. However…

This isn’t possible. Milo told me that the Godshroom died a long time ago!

“I’m thinkin’ you might need to fight to protect the baby,” said Marie. “So I’ll lend you a little somethin’.”

While Pawoo looked on, unsure of what to make of her, Marie fumbled around in her pack.

“This here’s an adamantshroom. It’ll protect the baby so you can go all out. But careful, it’s got rainbowshroom spores in it, so only use it when you need to.”

“Adamantshroom?”

Pawoo curiously eyed the golden mushroom that Marie offered to her.

“I’m really glad I met you, Pawoo. See ya!”

Pawoo had to say something. She lifted her head. “Marie. Marie Akaboshi! You’re—”

…But she was gone. In just the few short seconds that Pawoo’s gaze was averted, she had vanished, leaving only a trail of spores and a lingering mushroom scent.

“…”

Pawoo was not afraid. She felt strange powers at work, and so she quietly placed the adamantshroom in her pocket and stood up out of bed slowly, so as not to raise alarm.

Fate works in mysterious ways, she thought. My path is clear. I need to go to Bisco!

She strode over to the corner of the room and picked up her staff.

“Ms. Pawoo! Are you otherwise engaged? I wished to let you sample my latest pumpkin CHOWDER!”

I’m sorry, Your Honor!

Sensing the earthquake at Satahabaki’s approach, Pawoo leaped out of the nearby open window and fled the Benibishi Realm, eyes glimmering with determination.

3

…Then at last, the Buddha lost his patience and trapped Monkey beneath a big rock.

“Let me out! Let me out!” Monkey cried.

But the Buddha said…

…Guh…

Ow!!

Okay, okay! I’ll keep reading! Don’t twist my nose!

Where was I…?

Oh yeah. The Buddha said.…

“If you want me to rescue you, Monkey, then listen carefully.”

“Five hundred years from now, a lone monk will…”

…

Sorry, I just think the Buddha’s lettin’ him off lightly, you know?

I mean, if I was him, and Monkey came in on his flying cloud and ate all my peaches, I wouldn’t let him off with only five hundred years. I’d be ready to end his life right then and— Ngaaagh!!

Don’t hit your father like that! All right, I get it, no comment. I’ll just read, all right?

Ahem.

And so, Monkey stayed trapped beneath the boulder. For five hundred years, he stayed there, through wind and rain, until at last…he…

…He…

…

Zzz…

The poor weary father could stay awake no longer and fell asleep heavily, like a log.

“Dadda? Read Monkey! Dadda!!”

Sugar pouted and began shaking him by the neck.

It had been two days since the trio had fallen from Mare’s ark and landed in Miyazaki, Kyushu, in a region called Terasuiwa. The fall would surely have killed them, had Sugar not grown a cluster of balloonshrooms that ferried the three to safety.

However, the land in which they found themselves was a dangerous one. Terasuiwa was sacred soil where one of Japan’s old gods was enshrined, and since the country’s downfall, mutated megafauna had moved into the region, just like those found in the Weeping Valley. Without Actagawa, the boys were hard-pressed to escape on their own, a task made all the more difficult with a baby in tow.

“We should focus on raising Sugar for now,” Bisco had said.

“Whaaat?! In a place like this? Are you insane?!”

“How do you think Pawoo’s gonna react if we bring this monster baby back with us? She’ll throw a fit! She’s more delicate than she looks, you know!”

“I know, but…”

“Maybe the gods are tryin’ to tell us somethin’ by sendin’ us here. Like, let a divine kid grow up in a divine place.”

In the end, Bisco had gotten his way, while the bags beneath Milo’s eyes only grew darker every day.

Sugar had not calmed down for one second since they arrived. She was unquenchably curious, taking an interest in anything and everything that caught her eye. Add to this her literally boundless energy, and it was more than a mother could handle. In addition to looking after her health, Milo sewed her clothes, played with her, and put her to sleep, and it was approaching the point where it would be easier to fight Kelshinha or Apollo again than tend to another of her constant demands.

As a result, “Mommy” had collapsed into his sleeping bag, while “Papa” was left to deal with the onerous task of putting the baby to bed.

“Goo-goo ga-ga!!”

Sugar was desperate to know what happened to Monkey after that. She tried rocking Bisco awake or slapping his cheeks, but he was sleeping like the dead. All out of ideas, Sugar swiped the cat-eye goggles off her papa’s head, leaped down out of his arms, and put them on, like she’d seen him do. Wandering over to a puddle, she peered into it, examining her reflection.

“Oooh! Papa glasses! Sugar stwong!”

Seeing the rugged binoculars sitting atop her own adorable features pleased Sugar so greatly, she completely forgot about the story, and leaned in for a closer look, when…

Snapp!!

“Waaah?!”

…some kind of lizard leaped from the puddle and latched on to Sugar’s nose with its powerful jaws, causing her to fall flat on her back.

“Owiiiieee!!”

Sugar cried out and leaped into the air, more out of shock than pain. A mushroom cluster grew out of the ground to catch her, and she rolled around on top of it.

“Rrraaah!!”

She grabbed the lizard by the tail and pulled with all her might. It didn’t take much for the creature to pop free, and Sugar slammed it into the puddle, causing a great splash and scaring the water striders into the bushes.

All that was left was the frightened lizard, which was, to be precise, the juvenile form of a creature called a mossboss.

This creature lacked eyes, and instead its entire face was taken up by its mouth, which possessed an impressive array of gleaming white teeth. In many respects, it looked similar to the Pipe Snake and must have evolved similarly, but while the Pipe Snake was a serpent, the mossboss was more closely related to the lizard or the newt.

However, the mossboss was far longer than its ancestors and possessed five legs on each side, each with five toes to better grip surfaces. True to its name, the mossboss also sported green growths along its back, complete with colorful little mushrooms.

It was a majestic creature. A symbol of Miyazaki Prefecture, and yet…

Splat! Splat!

“Bab-ba-ba-baaam!!”

Sugar swung it this way and that, having far too much fun tormenting the poor beast. This continued until finally…

Rrripp!

“Wah?!”

…the lizard’s tail came off completely, causing Sugar to lose her balance and fall, while the lucky mossboss crawled over a moss-covered stone and disappeared into the undergrowth.

Sugar stared at the spot it had just been and then at the creature’s detached tail.

“…Come back!” she cried out after it. “You fowgot something!!”

Sugar flung off her lovingly crafted boots and ran barefoot after the lizard, tail in hand. She pranced through the forest like a skipping stone, mushrooms blossoming in her wake wherever she stepped.

“Whee! Mr. Wizard! Wait for meee!!”

To the lizard, however, Sugar’s innocent voice must have sounded like the taunts of a vicious predator. Their game of cat-and-mouse took them all over the clearing before disappearing into the depths of the mountain trail.

…

Meanwhile, back at the camp, Milo’s alarmshroom erupted from his pillow and began ringing. Milo let out a groan as he prepared to face another day on only three hours of sleep.

“Bisco…,” he muttered, still drowsy. “It’s my turn to watch Sugar…”

“Zzz…”

“Bisco…?” he asked, before spotting his partner’s sleeping form, a line of drool dangling from his mouth. “Bisco! What are you doing?! Wake up!” he yelled, shaking Bisco awake.

“Hwugh? Ugh, sorry, musta drifted off. Anyway, just then, a monk called Tripitaka came along, and…”

“I’m not here to listen to your story?! Where’s Sugar?”

“Sugar? She’s right…”

Bisco looked down.

“Um… She was right here, I swear.”

“You idiot!!”

Milo struck Bisco so hard across the cheek, he was seeing stars. Bisco looked at him like a young girl whose father had just beat her for the first time in his life.

“Th-the hell? You didn’t have to hit me that hard.”

“This is why raising babies is so difficult!” Milo screamed. “Because all men act like complete numbskulls!”

Aren’t you a man, too? Bisco thought.

“I’m going to look for her!” cried Milo in a panic. “Got my bow! My dagger!”

“She’s a divine kid,” reasoned Bisco. “Ain’t no way she’s gonna get—”

“Bisco!”

“R-right!!”

His drowsiness be damned, Milo took off like a lightning bolt in search of his errant daughter.

The mossboss had no natural predators. There was no animal, alive or dead, that was able to keep up with its speed and agility. It could run on land, swim underwater, and dash inside tree hollows or between the cracks in the rocks to escape. The moss upon its back also made the perfect camouflage; if it stayed perfectly still, none of God’s creatures could spot it.

One of God’s children, on the other hand, was a different matter entirely.

“Mmmaaaaaaaaaghhh!!!”

An unholy cry flattened the grass, caressed the earth, and caused rivers to flow upstream. Mushrooms burst into being all over the place, flinging rocks into the sky. On one of those rocks clung our poor lizard friend, trembling with fright.

“Aha! There you are!!” came the voice from his nightmares. The lizard’s ten legs scrambled, desperate to ferry him away from this place as quickly as possible.

“Bab-baaam! You fowgot this, Mr. Wizard!!”

Sugar clutched in her hand the lizard’s discarded tail. It seemed she was still determined to return it at any cost.

The river waters had soaked her head to toe, and her hands, feet, and face were all caked in mud, yet her heart brimmed with a life force that eclipsed even her father’s! Even now, she didn’t seem the least bit tired, as though the holy peak were her very own backyard.

An innocent hand reached for the terrified lizard, but just before Sugar could close her stubby fingers around him…

“W-w-whoa?!”

…the lizard leaped away at the very last instant, into the hollow of a nearby tree. Sugar lost her balance and toppled in after him.

“Waaah!!”

She went tumbling head over heels for what seemed far too long, following the passage deeper and deeper into the bowels of the earth, before finally…

“Gwagh!!”

…she landed in a subterranean grove, atop a well-placed cushion of moss. She lay there dazed, her eyes spinning like tops, for a good ten seconds or so.

When she finally sat up, she found the cave was surprisingly vast, with a dome-shaped ceiling made of intertwined roots. Between them, Sugar could just make out the sunlight streaming in from the canopies far overhead.

Sugar leaped to her feet, full of energy. The curiosity of this new place erased the urgency of her quest, and she looked around at the moss, which covered every bit of ground like fallen snow.

“Yippee!!”

She jumped into it, rolling this way and that, when all of a sudden…

Slide… Slide…

…she sensed something enormous coming her way. Sugar peered into the darkness, and soon something emerged from the cave, blocking out the light.

“Wha?! Owawa?!”

Her face turned to one of shock. For what had appeared before her…

“Gwaaaaaghhh!”

…was the face of an adult mossboss!

It occupied the entire cave entrance and was even larger than Actagawa in size. Out of all the long-lived mossbosses, this specimen was by far the most venerable and reigned as the undisputed lord of the Terasuiwa Mountains.

Its roar tore the moss from the floor and fluttered Sugar’s hair. She stared at it, blinking, and then reached into her pocket, pulling out the lizard’s tail she had been trying so hard to return.

“Hello, Mrs. Wizard Mommy. Mr. Wizard dwopped this!” she said this, beaming as brightly as a thousand suns.

However, the mossboss didn’t answer. Instead, it whipped its huge tongue, catching Sugar and flinging her into the root-twined ceiling, where she remained, dazed, for a few seconds, before falling to earth amid a hail of wood chips.

“?!?!?!”

Sugar was stunned. She hadn’t suffered a single scratch, due to her supernatural resilience, but she stood there in shock nonetheless.

…?????

There wasn’t a single unkind thought in her little head, and so she couldn’t possibly have understood why her good deed was repaid with violence. The shock to her mind was far greater than the shock to her body.

Of course, from the mossboss’s point of view, this human had almost killed its child and was waving the trophy right in its face, to say nothing of the fact that animal ethics were not particularly aligned with human values in the first place.

Thud! Thud! The creature marched closer with slow yet intimidating steps. Sugar stood there, trembling, and extended her hand a second time.

“M-Mrs. Wizard…? Mr. Wizard dwopped this!!”

Thwack!

This time, her heartfelt appeal was met with an overhead swing from the mossboss’s tail! It was as thick and heavy as the oldest tree in the forest. No creature had ever been caught beneath it and survived to tell the tale.

The mossboss let out a low, rumbling groan and slowly lifted its tail to confirm the human’s minced remains…

…or tried to, in any case. For at that moment, some enormous power lifted the mossboss into the air by the tail, spinning it round and round. The mossboss wailed in panic, flapping its ten legs in terror.

At last, the incredible power released it, sending the enormous beast flying headlong into the wall of the cave. The agile creature righted itself in an instant, but when it did, its eyes fell upon a glowing bundle of light shimmering in all colors of the rainbow.

The miracle spores suffused her very being, and Sugar’s hair fluttered and waved, even in the absence of any wind. She huffed and puffed with indignation, forced to experience the pain of being misunderstood for the first time in her short life. Tears rolled down her face, like stars in the Milky Way.

“Stop…buwwying…MEEEEEEE!!” she screamed. A wave of force radiated out from her, causing the whole cave to tremble and quake and mushrooms to burst into being across every surface.

The mossboss let out a deep groan. It seemed keenly aware that Sugar could very easily destroy its home if left unchecked, and so, in a last-ditch effort to protect its children and the holy land in which it dwelled, the creature leaped into the air, pouncing upon its uninvited guest.

Then, with its soft underbelly completely exposed…

“Magic pole!”

Ga-gaboom!!

Sugar slapped the ground with her palms, and just like the monkey king’s treasured weapon, an enormous King Trumpet burst from the ground, striking the mossboss in its core.

“Gwooaahh?!”

“Two!! Thwee!!”

Gaboom! Gaboom! Another two mushrooms pummeled the poor beast as it hung in the air, launching it straight into the roof overhead. After that, a final King Trumpet sprouted from the ceiling, smacking the mossboss back down with all the force of a guillotine blade. Moss flew into the air as the enormous creature collided with the earth.

The battle was won, but Sugar didn’t stop there.

“Die…”

Her anger was far from abated. Her pure heart had been forced to experience the bitter taste of betrayal, and now her innocent eyes burned with hatred. She balled her fists and squeezed, commanding the final King Trumpet to grow larger and larger until it was closing in on the mossboss from above.

“Die, die, die! DIIIIIEEE!!”

Sugar’s divine power caused the mushroom to swell, but just as it was about to smother the creature…

Pchew!

…a sunlight arrow shot down from the heavens, severing the King Trumpet and coating the vicinity in a smattering of Rust-Eaters. Sugar watched as her prey seized the moment to make a run for it.

“Come back!” she cried after it, but just then…

“Sugar!!”

…Milo’s arms wrapped around her.

“Sugar! It’s okay! Mommy and Daddy are here!”

“Wet go of me! I’ll kill it! I’ll kill it!”

“S-Sugar…”

Normally, Sugar calmed down immediately in Milo’s arms, but today she was on the warpath. Her teeth had become fangs, her nails claws, and she was positively fuming.

She’s too much for me! I’m still exhausted from giving birth!

“Sugar! Calm down!”

Gulp!

It was her father’s furious voice that intimidated Sugar into silence, and she stopped swinging her fists. Bisco dropped down before her, his cloak aflutter.

“How dare you come onto this girl’s turf and start throwin’ hands!” he yelled. “Look at what you’ve done!”

Bisco pointed at the dazed mossboss parent, whose children now crowded around it with worry.

“B-but!” Sugar protested.

“Each of your words contains Ultrafaith,” Bisco reprimanded her. “You can’t just go around telling people to die, or it’ll come true! How many times do I got to tell you?!”

“B-but! B-b-b-but…!”

“Bisco! You’re being too hard on her!!”

Seeing the tears in her eyes, Milo picked up Sugar and held her close, while shooting Bisco a nasty look.

“Sugar has thoughts and feelings, too, you know!” he cried. “She just doesn’t know how to express them yet!”

“She hurt a divine beast!” Bisco yelled back. “I’m just tryin’ to teach her proper manners. What’s wrong with that?!”

“Manners, manners, that’s all you go on about! Stop trying to push your stupid beliefs onto our child!”

“Wh-what?!”

“M-mama… Dadda…”

Sugar looked up at her parents. Suddenly caught in the middle of their shouting match, she didn’t know what to do.

“I’ll be good, Papa, I pwomise… Mama, pwease stop…”

“What did you just say about my beliefs?! Say that again to my face, asshole!”

“Sob. Papa… Mama…”

“You want to fight, do you? All right, then! Maybe you’ll calm down a bit after I beat you to a pulp!”

“Oh, you’re on!”

“WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!”

Whoosh!

A wave of spores radiated out from Sugar, causing the boys’ cloaks to flutter. They turned to look, but their precious daughter was already flashing rainbow-colored before their very eyes.

“S-Sugar?! What’s wrong?!” asked Bisco.

“N-no!” cried Milo, trembling from the fear of his daughter’s rejection. “She wishes she didn’t have to be here anymore! If we don’t stop her, she’ll disappear forever!!”

“…I’ll stop her with the Catwisp Bow!” came Bisco’s split-second judgment. “It’ll touch her heart and make her change her mind! Milo!”

“Right!”

Milo spun his mantra cube, summoning the pair’s newest art, the Catwisp Bow.

But just then!

“…Heh. Looks like I made it just in time. You gonna bring out your finishing move every time your daughter cries? Who do you think you are? Me? Here, let me give you a hand…”

Pchew!

A silver streak arced through the sky and passed between the two boys, landing with a Thud! in the rainbow Sugar’s heart.

““Whaaat?!””

“Waaah!! …Huh?”

The snowlike spores issuing forth from that silver mushroom erased Sugar’s rainbow flicker and quelled her imminent explosion. All of her anger was completely forgotten, and she let out a huge yawn before collapsing to the ground and snoring soundly.

““Sugar!!””

The two boys ran over to her, but she was completely unharmed. They each knew that controlling the mushrooms to that extent was all but unheard of.

“Wh-who shot that?! Where did it come from?!”

“B-Bisco… Look at this!”

Milo quickly extracted the arrowhead and showed it to Bisco. When the two of them saw its silvery glow up close, they gulped.

“It’s the Ghost Hail!” said Milo. “The Ghost Hail stopped Sugar from going berserk!”

“That’s ridiculous! Hokkaido taught me that technique personally! Who else knows how to—?”

“Comin’ through!!”

Slamm!!

The mysterious figure came in like a meteor, landing on Bisco and sending him face-first into the moss.

“Guhhgh?!”

“Bisco?!”

“What’s the matter? Been skippin’ leg trainin’? I ain’t that heavy, y’know!”

The woman leaped to her feet. Milo stared at her in disbelief. She was a Mushroom Keeper with flowing crimson hair, just like Bisco’s.

“So this is Sugar, huh?” she said. “Damn, the little one’s grown up fast! What is she in human years? Like, three?”

“Wh-who are you?” asked Milo with wonder. Bisco’s inquiry was decidedly less reverent.

“Tell me who the hell you think you are before I tear your goddamn tongue out!!”

Extracting himself from the moss, he sprang to his feet, face bright red with anger.

“Who do you think you are, comin’ out of nowhere and savin’ my daughter without a good reason?!”

“I didn’t want to meddle, but you were just going about it all wrong. I couldn’t just sit back and watch,” said the woman in her defense.

“Tell me your name! Right now!” Bisco roared. “Which tribe are you from?! I’m gonna go there and—!”

But upon saying that, he stopped. For when he saw those jade-green eyes staring back at him, a glimmer of recognition crossed his mind.

“…Hmm? Where have I seen those eyes before…?”

“Bisco. She’s…”

Milo pieced it together at once. Her wild look, like a beast’s. Her fierce gaze, like a hawk’s. She was the spitting image of someone Milo knew very well.

“B-Bisco! She’s your—!”

“Biiiscooo!! I’ve waited so long to meet you!”

“Ngwah?!”

Bisco, who had only just risen to his feet, was knocked flat once more as the woman threw her body weight on top of him.

“Get off me!! Who the hell are you?!”

“It’s been fifteen years, you little troublemaker!” said the woman, nuzzling Bisco’s cheek. “How have you been?”

“Get off me! I said! Get! Off!” yelled Bisco as he tried to pull himself out from underneath her. The woman sat up, and in the light filtering in from above, she ran her hand through her crimson hair and smiled. The piercing in her lip glittered.

“You’re taller than me now,” she said.

Bisco’s eyes went wide as plates. His very genes trembled with recognition.

…That ain’t right. She’s… She’s supposed to be dead!

“I can’t believe you asked me to introduce myself,” said the woman. “You tellin’ me you forgot your own mother’s name?”

“I-it’s you!”

““Marie Akaboshi, the Godshroom!!””

The two boys were united in their shock. Neither of them wanted to believe it for one second, but the genetic resemblance was strong enough to erase all doubt.

Bisco leaped into the air with fright, while Milo scooped up Sugar and backed away.

“Hey, what’s the matter!” pleaded Marie. “Let me see my grandkid!”

“Bisco, I thought your mother passed away?!”

“It’s a ghost! It’s gotta be!!”

Bisco squinted and scrutinized the “ghost” carefully. Her eyes flared with vitality, and she seemed to be very much alive. However…

“Jabi said my mom died in a mushroom-mixin’ mishap! Come on, tell me that ain’t the face of a ghoul or a zombie if ever you saw one!”

She looks exactly like you, Bisco…

“Wait, I died mixin’ mushrooms?” Marie listened to Bisco’s explanation with a blank expression, then doubled over laughing. “Ah-ha-ha-ha! That’s the craziest thing I ever heard! Me, the Godshroom, blowin’ myself up by mistake? Well, it’d be a hell of a twist of fate, that’s for sure!”

Her grin showed off her canines, just like her son’s. From what she was saying, it seemed like Jabi had been lying to Bisco ever since he was very young. Bisco simply couldn’t accept that right away, but Milo, on the other hand, was starting to show acceptance.

“…I knew you were alive,” he said, stepping toward her. “But I just couldn’t make it make sense. Why would Jabi lie to Bisco like that?”

“Hey! She’s a ghost. Don’t talk to her! She’ll take you to the land of the dead!”

“Where have you been all this time? And why did you come back?”

Milo’s eyes, like comets, delivered an icy glare into Marie’s soul.

“H-hey…”

Sensing his partner’s combative attitude, Bisco took a step back, but Marie didn’t so much as flinch. She gave a smug smile as the wind fluttered her hair.

“On second thought,” said Milo. “I don’t care why. But you don’t get to see Sugar after what you did.”

“That’s no way to treat your mother-in-law,” Marie teased. “I’ve just come to give my regards. Is that so wrong?”

“You’ve had fifteen years to do that!!”

Milo’s trembling voice had little effect on the unrepentant Marie. She simply stood there, watching him, while Milo glared at her like David facing down Goliath barehanded.

“We’ve stared death in the face so many times already! And never once did we need your help saving ourselves!”

“I know. I’ve been watching.”

“Then where were you when Bisco needed you? Why did we travel all over the country looking for the Rust-Eater when you could have saved Jabi yourself?!”

“Because if I interfered, humanity would’ve been wiped out.”

Marie picked at her piercing with her long nails. It appeared to be a habit of hers. She listened to Milo’s ferocious attack on her character as if she was enjoying it.

“Think about it. What would’ve happened if I saved Jabi’s life? Then Bisco never would’ve gone on his journey. He never would’ve met you, never would’ve awakened the Rust-Eater blood, and then Tokyo would’ve come along and killed you all.”

“But you never helped us after that, either! We had to face it all alone!”

“Yep, y’sure did. And just look atcha now.”

“We almost died!”

“But you didn’t, did you? ’Cause that’s my son right there.”

“How can you be so emotionless about it?!”

Sensing his partner’s turmoil, Bisco stepped up and placed a hand on Milo’s shoulder. But even that wasn’t enough to calm him down.

“You could have at least come to say good-bye to Jabi! Weren’t you partners? The Godbow and the Godshroom; you two were unbeatable! So why…?”

“Because I’m a realist. Lovelessness is my strength. It’s what I’m good at.”

She smiled, an indefatigable smile that showed off her canines, such that Milo’s damning gaze fell to pieces upon touching her.

“Jabi was old, and he died. What’s so strange about that?”

“I hate people like you!!”

“Milo!!”

Bisco stepped in before his partner could launch himself at her.

“You’re both right,” he said. “Both Marie as the Godshroom and you as a doctor.”

“But aren’t you mad at her, too? She left you alone your entire life!”

“Maybe so, but I don’t need her anymore.”

In stark contrast to Milo’s anger, Bisco cast her a calm and enlightened gaze.

“She knew she couldn’t love me, so she left me alone. I got nothing but respect for that. If anythin’, we both oughtta be grateful, ’cause thanks to her, I met you.”

Bisco Akaboshi displayed his trademark broad-mindedness. It was this aspect of his character that seemed to surprise Marie most.

Huh…?

Bisco had grown up so fast and let go of his mother of his own accord…

It almost felt…disappointing.

I guess you’re not a kid anymore. Hell, you’ve already got one of your own.

“So I ain’t buyin’ this ‘come to see your granddaughter’ excuse,” said Bisco, pointing an accusatory finger at his mother. “The only reason you’re here is because Sugar’s a danger to the world that even you can’t ignore!!”

“Ah-ha-ha! Pretty much.”

Marie gave a jovial chuckle and leveled her gaze at the baby in Milo’s arms.

“Just now you two had a taste of what she can do,” she said, toying with her hair. “Her childish fantasies can become real just like that.” She snapped her fingers. “And that’s without adding a pair of bickering parents into the mix.”

Milo clammed up. There wasn’t much he could say to that.

“You two are too young to be takin’ on such a big responsibility,” Marie went on. “So I was thinkin, why not lend a hand? And so that’s what brings me back from the dead, see?”

“You want to…help with the baby?!”

“We don’t need your help!!” Milo yelled.

“Don’t be like that. We’re all family here; you can lean on me!”

“We’re good!”

“Nuh-uh!”

Bisco watched, chin in hand, as Marie and Milo butted heads. “I see…,” he muttered to himself. “Milo, I think we should let her help.”

“Have you lost your mind?!” Milo screamed.

“I know, I know! But think about it: Sugar’s too much for us to handle. We’ll be walking corpses in three days if she doesn’t wish us out of existence first. The smart thing to do here is to take advice from an experienced Mushroom Keeper.”

“Experienced? What experience does she have?!”

“Well, I mean, for one,” said Marie, leveling a finger at Bisco. “That thing came out of my belly. That’s impressive enough, right?”

Milo opened his mouth to yell at her, then paused. “…That’s a good point,” he said.

“Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!!” Marie gave a hearty chuckle and clapped Milo on the shoulders. “It’s okay, Milo, I’m not gonna bite! In fact, I wanna thank you for lookin’ after Bisco this whole time! Now, show me to your camp, and we can have a nice, intimate family chat!”

4

“Snail Six to Snail Leader. We’re picking up a large target on the forward scanners.”

“Copy that, Snail Six. Do you have visual confirmation?”

“That’s a negative, Snail Leader. Too much cover. Permission to engage cloudburst rockets!”

“Permission granted. All units, cloudburst rockets on my mark! Three, two, one…”

“““Fire!!”””

The eighth Escargot fighter regiment unleashed their barrage, sending rocket after rocket streaking into the clouds ahead. Upon making contact, the cloudburst rockets exploded, causing an artificial downpour that drained the clouds away, revealing…

“Captain, what…?”

“I didn’t believe it when I read the reports…”

Snail Leader gave a frustrated tut, then turned on his confidential radio channel.

“Kyoto high command, this is Snail Leader. We have visual confirmation of the ark!”

The vast ship loomed in the air ahead of them, uncaring and silent.

“Commander Gopis, what should we do?”

“We’re analyzing the images now! Hold your fire!”

“Sometime today, Commander. I think it knows we’re here.”

“Shut up! We’re working as hard as we can!”

Kyoto high command was in a shambles as meanwhile, in a large dome-shaped room, a Matoba research team attempted to dissect the images coming in from the Escargot scout planes. In the chaos following Kurokawa’s death, Gopis had somehow managed to wrangle herself a seat among the top brass.

Dammit, she thought. This was supposed to be a cushy job. Why’d war have to break out just as I took over??

Underneath her breath, she cursed her rotten luck.

“Th-this is amazing,” stammered her technical adviser, Chief Namari. “The energy readings are off the charts! This surpasses anything we’ve seen from the Rust or Florescence! N-no, it comprises those powers! It’s the ocean itself! The mother of all life on Earth!”

“Namari, can you stop getting excited?!” screamed Gopis, throttling the overeager scientist with his own necktie. In defiance of her strict military garb, her face was caked in makeup, and a single large ring hung in her nose.

“We’re here to shoot that flying zoo out of the sky, so act like it!” she reprimanded him. “Tell me what’s going on, in plain Japanese, if you can manage that!”

“W-well, we don’t yet know how it works, but judging by its prior behavior…”

Namari prodded a virtual screen with his finger, and a 3D map of Japan appeared, with a bright-red line marking the craft’s previous path. This line was marked with the various megafauna that the ship had picked up along the way, specimens that the Japanese people revered as living gods.

“I-it seems the ship is moving east, along Japan’s coast,” Namari explained. “A-after picking up Hokkaido during her migration to the Fukuoka Sea, the craft has been maintaining an irregular velocity at approximately a nine-hundred-meter cruising altitude.”

“Hmm. Very strange,” said Gopis. “I wonder what it’s up to.”

“T-take a look at this, ma’am. It’s a sample of seawater that fell from the ark.”

Namari snapped his fingers, and a cylindrical container extended from his device. Within it was a frozen sample that glowed ominously. Namari traced the data with his fingertip as he explained what it meant.

“A-astonishingly, the water appears to be alive. We believe there is some sentient microorganism within it, perhaps as the result of mushroom spores…”

“You’re telling me,” growled Gopis, “that mushrooms brought the ocean to life?! That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!”

“I-I’m sorry, but science doesn’t bow to common sense! Mushrooms have the power to make the impossible possible! We’ve seen it countless times already! …Ahh! No! Belay the attack order, I beg of you!”

“I don’t know why I bothered asking you,” said Gopis with a defeated sigh. “This is Commander Gopis to Snail Leader! Give it everything you got! Blow that ship out of the sky!”

“Roger that, ma’am. All units, you heard the commander!”

“About time! Let’s blast that bucket of bolts!”

“Last one home pays for our victory meal! How’s that, Commander?”

“That’s the spirit, team. Mantra missiles, on my mark!”

The half-dozen Escargot fighters took up formation, ready to unleash their newest technology developed in combination with the temples of Shimane.

“All right!” cheered Gopis from back in the command room. “Even Godzilla can’t stand up to our mantra warheads!”

“C-Commander, please! Think of the science— Gaaagh!”

Gopis’s swift heel came down hard on Namari’s toes, and he screamed in agony.

“Target locked,” came the voice of Snail Leader through the radio. “Skerva, shad, snew!”

“““Fire!”””

Fwoosh!

Six mantra rockets hurtled toward the floating ship, leaving smoky trails in their wake.

“Take that! Ah-ha-ha-ha!” Gopis laughed. But just then…

Bwooble.

…all six rockets were engulfed by mysterious bubbles.

“Wha…?”

Gopis was gobsmacked. The soon-to-be war zone was now completely silent as the missiles floated, immobilized, in their watery shells.

The missiles were released from their bubbles and fell vertically to the ground before setting off an incredible explosion! The command room shook like an earthquake had hit.

“Waaagh!” screamed Gopis. “Snail Leader, come in! What’s happening out there?!”

“Unknown! Some kind of…bubbles…came out of the ship!”

“This is Snail Four! I’m detecting a massive heat spike from the enemy craft! Get ready!!”

Kaboom!!

From the broadside of the ark came a thunderous roar as the ship ejected several high-pressure jets of water. These jets twisted and converged like lasers on the hapless eighth Escargo fighter regiment, doggedly pursuing in spite of their target’s evasive maneuvers.

“Captain! I can’t shake them off!”

“Snail Two! Hang in there!”

“T-tell Cordelia…I died a hero’s death… Gaaagh!!”

Schlurp.

“Looks like the end for me, too… It’s been a pleasure serving with you, Captain!”

“Captain! After I’m gone…wipe my computer’s hard drives for me!!”

Schlurp. Schlurp.

The columns of water engulfed all five of Snail Leader’s squad, and the radio reverted to static.

“Aaaargh!! Taste my vengeance, demon!!”

“You fool! Fly back to base! Snail Leader, respond!!”

“Glory to the Kyoto Prefectural Bureau! Waaaaargh!!”

Schlurp.

The captain’s attempted kamikaze run was cut pitifully short as he, too, was swallowed up by the beam.

“What is that thing?! Our Escargot fighters couldn’t put a scratch on it!”

“Th-that’s because they’re up against sentient water, ma’am! D-did you see that precision?! They made our elite Escargot fighters look like a bunch of b-babies!”

“You don’t have to sound so pleased about it! Are you on our side or—?”

“People of this great nation!!”

Just as Gopis was about to throttle the professor once more, a booming announcement shook the war room. Everyone stopped what they were doing to listen.

“I have come to deliver a speech that will win the hearts and trust of the proud Japanese people.”

“Wh-what…?”

“I can only guess at what you have had to endure until today; a tiny island nation split into warring states, forced to fight over limited resources. But I begrudge not your barbarism, for the Rust Wind was to blame!”

“Who’s that?! Who’s speaking?!”

“I-it’s the master of the ark! Get the cameras close! I want to see!”

“Worry not! For your sad days are at an end!”

Gopis and Namari crowded around a screen as the long-range scanners homed in on their target. There, standing atop the ark, wearing a red, white, and blue striped necktie, was President Mare! Apparently familiar with Japanese electoral procedure, he wore a golden sash across his chest that said:

MAKE JAPAN GREAT AGAIN!

PRESIDENT MARE FOR PRESIDENT!

AMBITION       TRADITION       PROHIBITION

“The almighty ark shall cleanse this country and ferry you all to a pure and prosperous land! I, President Mare, speak on its behalf when I ask for your support!”

Here, Mare spotted the ladybug camera hovering in the air before him.

“Join us!!” he said, poking a thick finger in its direction.

These images were being broadcast nationwide. All across Japan, people stared at their TVs, their mouths agape.

The Japanese people were no strangers to calamity, having been forced to witness Tokyo’s attempted takeover, the Benibishi uprising, and an epidemic of feline flu, but this was different…

“Hey, that man on the telly said he’s going to take us somewhere clean.”

“Is that true, Paw-Paw?”

“Honey! This isn’t the time to be listening to priests! We need to get on the ark, pronto!”

“Shush! It ain’t every day Ochagama comes down from his mountain! Get your eyes off that idiot box and—hey!”

In contrast, nothing surprised them anymore, and they all eagerly dropped what they were doing to go after the ark.

“Wuzzat?! Everyone’s gone! I’m always telling these whippersnappers to look out for anyone peddling easy salvation! Don’t they ever listen to me?!”

“Quite right, Your Eminence,” said a handsome priest, trying to calm the furious Ochagama. “Still, I can’t help but wonder what this President Mare is thinking. With all that power at his disposal, why does he still seek the approval of the Japanese people, instead of simply capturing us by force?”

“It’s because the people’s approval is the source of his power. Grr…open this for me, Tese.”

Tese opened the bag of karinto and passed it back to Ochagama, who began stuffing the snacks into his whisker-lined face while continuing his explanation.

“He is the ocean itself,” he said. “He doesn’t share our values. The ocean doesn’t care if Japan lives or dies. We’re just a rock, floating in the sea. This desire to save humanity must be something he got from somewhere else.”

“So he has no desires of his own? In some ways, he really is the savior he purports to be. However, the will of the people is nothing but an illusion. Somewhere inside that helmet of his, there must be a wish born of his own will.”

“Hmm…”

Hidden deep within his fuzzball face, Ochagama’s eyes twinkled.

“What does an immortal sea god wish for? Now, that’s a question. Perhaps we’re thinking too big; perhaps there’s no great ambition at all and instead something small and fleeting…”

“Your Eminence, there’s food in your beard.”

“Pick it out, please…”

“What a speech that was! What a show of charisma! Not bad for a gaijin, huh?”

President Mare surveyed Kyoto from atop the ark’s prow. The ship cruised close to the ground, casting a literal shadow across the whole city. Mare looked down at the people below, who stared back in terrified silence.

“…What’s the matter?” he said. “Do people not clap in this country? Yoo-hoo! Old lady! Thanks for your support!”

“Eeeek!!”

“He’s a cyclops!!”

Mare’s jovial wave elicited shrieks of panic, and the terrified townsfolk retreated into their homes.

“Well, I’ll be damned. These Nipponese folk aren’t half shy. Where’s the welcome wagon?”

“I got your welcome right here, fool!”

“Hmm?!”

Crash!!

A huge jolt rocked the ark, and the ship was slowly lifted into the air. The only thing that could move a mass of that magnitude…was an equally enormous metal man!

“Boot-up sequence looks good! Optimizing Action Trace System!”

Back at Kyoto headquarters, Professor Kobe Namari fiddled with a 3D display.

“We’re all ready on our end. C-Commander Gopis, give the order!”

“Order? What order?”

“Th-the order to start the robot! Shout ‘Go! Go! Tetsujin,’ if you please!”

“You fool! You think this is a Saturday morning cartoon?!”

“Y-you have to! It’s the only way the robot will respond! If you don’t want to say it, th-then get out of the Action Trace System and let me drive!!”

“Goddamn! At least say it with me! On three, ready? One, two, three!!”

““Go! Go! Tetsujiiin!!””

Bwongg!

The giant robot swung both arms, tossing the ark with all its might into the nearby Mount Hiei!

“Snakes on a plane! What is that thing?!” cried Mare as the ship collided with the mountain. The scale of the destruction was so vast, it was like something out of a movie.

Ka-schwing!

The robot struck a triumphant pose. It was an earlier prototype of the Absolute Tetsujin used to revive Kurokawa, which Matoba created and shelved before attempts at miniaturization were successful. However, its performance was every bit as outstanding as its successor.

“Great work, Commander!”

“Haah… haah… If Mepaosha can control one of these things, then so can I!”

“The ark is recovering!” warned Namari, as the ship rose out of the crumbling mountain. Recognizing the Tetsujin as a threat, it engaged its engines, launching itself full throttle at the giant metal man. “We have to use our finishing move! Get ready!”

“Hold on… Let me…catch my breath…,” said Gopis, panting. “Why do we have to control it this way?! Why isn’t there a joystick or something?!”

“B-because it’s cool, right?”

“I’m gonna dock your pay…”

“Activate chest-mounted cooling fans!”

“All right! Take this!!”

““Flash-Freeze Typhoon!””

From out of the Tetsujin’s chest burst a stream of absolute-zero wind, freezing the ark’s seawater lasers in midair.

“Yes! Take that, sucker!”

“Commander! Lower the power level! You’re not dressed for such cold temperatures!”

“I’m not gonna give up when I’m finally on top! I’m a sadist, you know!!”

The freezing wave continued along the hull of the ark until the entire ship was encased in ice!

“Full power!!”

“Commander! Now’s our chance!”

“Rooaaaghhh!! Taste the wrath of a wild bull!!”

She seems a lot more into it now…

“Gopis Punch!!”

Slamm!!

An earthshaking blow! The Absolute Tetsujin channeled all its mass into a supreme straight right, striking the ark with enough force to shatter it into a million pieces!

…

But it didn’t.

Because of a single diving suit standing at the prow of the ship. It quelled the titan’s terrible blow with only one finger.

“…You’ve frozen my sash.”

“Huh…? H-huh…?”

“I-impossible!! With just one finger?!”

“That was your finishing move? It was hollow, foolish, and impractical, just like the opposition’s promises.”

“Oh no! We’ve offended the president! Commander, get out of there!”

“I—I can’t move! He’s pinning me in place with just his finger!”

“In the name of all life on this Earth, I shall expose your party’s lies!!”

Mare’s suit creaked as he strained his digit and unleashed the world’s most devastating flick! The shock resonated through the body of the Absolute Tetsujin, and bit by bit, its invincible Rust Flower armor began to crack. Then, all at once, it shattered, leaving only the giant’s bones. With just one finger, Mare had reduced humanity’s ultimate weapon to scrap.

“Waaaaghh!” Gopis screamed as she fell from the cockpit, hurtling toward the ground below. Her death was all but certain, but then…

Shwumf! Mare caught her in his arms and then—Klangg!!—landed on the soil of Kyoto far below.

“How rude of me,” he said. “If I had known it was a lady piloting the thing, I would have gone a little easier on you.”

“Let me go, fool! Please don’t kill me!”

“Why would I kill the very people I am trying to save? I would like for nothing more than to ferry you all into the future, as Mama desires.”

“M-Mama?”

“In any case,” said Mare, looking Gopis up and down. “Now that your position has been made redundant, what say you come work for me? I could use a girl with a bit of Angus meat on her bones to draw in the voters!”

“Wh-what do you want from me?! I want to go home!”

“Become my secretary! It’s an easy job; just gotta stand there and look pretty!”

Ignoring Gopis’s weeping, Mare went over and pulled one of Tetsujin’s bones out of the ground. He then tied the ark’s flag to it and began waving it overhead.

“The will of the people,” he shouted triumphantly, “is on my side!!”

Mare stood proudly, silhouetted against the majestic figure of the ark. The ladybug cameras swarmed like flies, delivering this scene into the eyes of people nationwide. Their hearts swelled with trust, which became power delivered directly into Mare’s seawater body. Gopis flinched as she heard his suit creak with burgeoning power—power that had surpassed Japan’s mightiest weapon and was still growing.

5

“Mrgrgrgh…”

“That’s right. Now…hold that image in your head…”

Sugar focused, her eyes squeezed tightly, as in a sandbox made of mushrooms, a tiny dioarama of spores began to take shape, depicting the monkey king pinned beneath a rock.

“Grgrgh…!”

“Well done, Sugar! But what’s this supposed to be!”

“It’s Monkey, Gwanny!”

“Oh? You mean ‘Journey to the West’? Okay, then. Do you know what happens next in the story? Try to imagine it for me, sweetie.”

“…I dunno…”

“Didn’t Bisco read you that part yet? What a useless boy. Well then, I’ll show you.”

Marie gently took Sugar’s little hand, channeling her will into the diorama. Slowly, the spores recombined into a representation of Tripitaka on his way to India.

“Wooow!”

“The wise monk Tripitaka came along and rescued Monkey, but just as Monkey was about to run away without thanking him, his headband tightened…”

As Marie recounted the tale, the spores moved, depicting an animated version of events. Tripitaka’s chanting, Sun Wukong hopping in agony, all were reproduced in breathtaking detail.

“Tee-hee-hee!! Ha-ha-ha-ha!!”

“Then they…hmm, hold on. How did the story go again?”

As Marie paused to remember, the fungal cartoon ground to a halt.

“Huh? Gwanny, keep going! Gwanny!”

“Hey, you think you could call me somethin’ else? I’m a bit too young to be a ‘Gwanny,’ don’t you think?”

“Shut the hell up, Granny, and read the damn story!” Bisco’s voice echoed from elsewhere in the camp, causing Marie to adopt a sullen frown. “I’m givin’ you a chance to make up for your absent parenting here, so you better damn well take it!”

“I did read to you, thank you very much! You were just too young to remember!”

“Shush, Papa! I’m pwaying!”

“Oh, that’s right, sweetie! Papa’s so scary, isn’t he?”

“Bisco! Leave those two alone and stay focused!”

Milo was crouched over his mixing machine, a troubled expression on his face.

“Let’s see,” he said. “Two parts King Trumpet, four parts flameshroom, and four parts Bishamon mushroom make Atomic Mushroom. Then add the Nitroclamshell you prepared earlier…”

“None of this shit’s babyproof, that’s for sure. Can you believe that woman?”

“Be quiet, Bisco! Even just the slightest perturbation in the air could cause this to explode!”

Milo was following Marie’s instructions in an attempt to reproduce the Ghost Bubble, the imitation Ghost Hail mushroom that Marie had commanded. It lacked the full power of the original, but the advantage was that it could be made from readily available ingredients.

In addition, it could be called upon and used just like any other mushroom, without the need to summon the Mantra Bow. This made it convenient for dealing with Sugar, who could explode into a tantrum at a moment’s notice, but it would also be useful for the boys’ original goal of ensuring the safe delivery of Pawoo’s child.

Milo wiped the sweat from his brow and said, “These recipes make my doctor’s exam look like a middle school pop quiz! The legends of the Godshroom were no myth!”

“Yeah, no sane mind could come up with this stuff…,” agreed Bisco. “She’s even accounted for the individual natures of the spores. Beside the explosives, there’s also doping agents, sedatives, even stuff to give it awareness and agency. This is crazy…”

“You sound more impressed by that than by your own daughter, Bisco.”

“That’s ’cause I am.”

Show a little love!

Milo was shocked by the ease with which Bisco responded to his unfair comment. The Akaboshis’ approach to parenting was an affront to his city kid sensibilities.

“Listen, I think you’re givin’ me a hard time. I’m helpin’ out, ain’t I?”

“I’m not the one who needs to lighten up here; it’s you!”

“What?!”

“Your mother shows up, and you act like she doesn’t mean anything to you!” said Milo, coming close to Bisco’s face and staring him down.

“Well, she doesn’t!” Bisco retorted. “She’s been gone my entire life!”

“But she gave you your name, didn’t she, Bisco? To help you grow up sweet and strong. Does that name mean nothing to you, either?!”

“That’s…!” Bisco tried to snap back but stopped himself.

“You can’t just disown her; she’s your mother, whether you like it or not. You have to learn to compromise. I don’t like what she did, either, but we have to learn to forgive! It’s not too late to take back the mother you never had!”

“How the hell am I supposed to do that after all this time…?”

“Biscooo!!”

““Waaagh!!””

Marie wrapped her legs around Bisco’s neck, driving him into the ground once more. This childish display stunned Milo so much, he dropped the beaker he was holding.

“Aw, now look what you did,” said Marie. “That’s because you didn’t catch me.”

“Waaah!” cried Milo. “The Nitroclamshell!!”

“You idiot!” Bisco shouted at his mother. “Can’t you sit still for one freakin’ second?!”

“Ah-ha-ha-ha!! Guess it runs in the family!” said Marie, giving a vibrant cackle. “Somethin’s come up. I’m goin’ out to pick prayershrooms. I need to borrow Papa for a sec.”

“Prayershrooms?!”

“Sugar’s grown up even faster than I was expectin’. See for yourselves.”

Marie motioned with her chin over to where the child was playing, and there the pair saw…

““W-waaaagh!!””

The spores of Sugar’s sandbox were in motion, vividly re-creating the entirety of her favorite tale from start to finish. This was no longer a mere diorama but a lovingly crafted feature-length animation, re-creating in perfect detail every beat of the story’s plotline. The Buddha’s shining halo, Sun Wukong and his flying cloud, all set to the intricate backdrop of rural India.

At the center of it all, Sugar murmured in concentration.

“Mmmrghhh!”

“That’s enough now, Sugar, sweetie!”

Marie clapped her hands, and Sugar released her focus. Immediately, the spores dissipated, becoming lifeless sand once more. Sugar rolled about happily, getting it all over herself.

“I—I can’t believe it,” stammered Milo. “Sugar did all that by herself?!”

“She’s a much quicker learner than I thought,” said Marie. “She learned how to command the spores in a matter of minutes. Even all the monks in Banryouji working together couldn’t make something that intricate.”

“That’s my kid for you!” said Bisco.

“You mean my grandkid.”

“Shut it, Granny!”

“The problem is,” Marie went on, “Sugar doesn’t understand how to use her power responsibly yet. If she gets upset, her negative thoughts could warp reality.”

“So that’s why you want to give her prayershrooms?! That’s crazy talk!!”

“Er, Bisco?” interrupted Milo. “What are these prayershrooms you’re talking about?”

Bisco looked a little annoyed that Marie had taken the initiative in the upbringing of his child, but he answered Milo nonetheless. “You know those prayer wheels?” he said. “The ones that generate merit when you spin them? It’s a mushroom based on that. I don’t really know much about ’em, myself, but we used to feed ’em to bad members of the tribe to teach ’em proper morals.”

“I ain’t sayin’ it’s a substitute for her upbringing,” said Marie in her defense. “We just gotta fake it till we make it. Otherwise, she’s gonna bend reality every time she throws a fit. I mean, what if she gets into a fight with a friend or somethin’? Think of it like a vaccine, that’s all.”

“Even if it’s for her own good,” Bisco protested, “I don’t like it! It’s fiddlin’ with her brain! This is Sugar’s life, and she’s gotta live it for herself!”

“It’s not for her own good,” replied Marie, delivering a sharp gaze into Bisco’s eyes. “It’s for yours.”

It was a strange look. She wasn’t speaking out of love, nor was her response entirely mechanical.

“Sometimes, as a parent, you gotta do what you gotta do,” she continued. “Else you’re gonna regret it down the line. You really want to live with that your entire life?”

Her subdued tone of voice tugged at Milo’s heartstrings, and for the first time, he trusted the strange woman completely.

“Anyway, now that’s settled,” Marie went on, “let’s get going! No time like the present!”

“Hey! Wait right there! We can’t just leave Milo and Sugar by themsel—”

“I’ll be fine, Bisco!”

“What?!”

“I’ll be fine! Go with Marie!”

Milo turned and flashed his partner a sunny smile.

“Stay safe out there, okay? We’ll be waiting for you!”

“…Thanks,” said Marie. “She’s done with Japanese, science, and now arts and crafts, so next is…”

“Yep, math! Leave it to me!”

“You make a great mom, kid. You’re gonna put me to shame one day!”

The Godshroom smiled, the spitting image of her son.

“Right, then, hedgehog-hair. You feelin’ the need for speed? Last one to Ama-no-Iwato’s a rotten mushroom!”

“I ain’t gonna lose to some old lady!”

Marie took off into the mountains without even looking back, while Bisco snatched up his bow and followed after her. Milo was left to watch as those two crimson streaks disappeared into the distance, leaving him with a sense of relief.

“I think I’m starting to understand her a little more,” he said to himself. “And thanks to her help, we’ll soon have the Ghost Bubble on our side.”

“Mama!”

“Sugar! Well done in your classes today! Are you hungry?”

“Mama! I want to do more cwasses!”

“M-more classes?!”

Milo looked into his daughter’s sparkling eyes.

She’s just like me, he thought.

“Good girl, Sugar! All right then, let’s teach you some math!”

“I’m a good girl! Smart girl! Bab-bam!”

“Yes you are! You’ve got my genes and the best teachers you could ask for!” Milo said, smiling and pulling a math textbook from his bag. “Listen to me, and you’ll go far! I’d better start saving up for college already!”

Shwf! Shwf! Shwfoom!

Bursting through the mossy forest came two crimson figures. One moved in leisurely leaps and bounds, while the other kept a straight path, like an arrow.

But although Bisco’s speed was far superior…

…Huh? That’s strange. I can’t catch up!

Marie’s actions seemed slow at first glance, but she always managed to outpace Bisco. It was like she always knew what he was about to do and could turn on a dime to cut him off.

She’s just an ordinary human…right? Why can’t I beat her?!

“What’s up, slowpoke? Did you think your Rust-Eater blood would do everythin’ for you?”

“Wh-what?!”

“Ah-ha-ha-ha! Silly boy. What’s Jabi been teaching you? How to tie a tie? How to write your CV?”

“Say that to my face, Granny!”

Bisco flared golden as the Rust-Eater spores spilled from every pore. No doubt even the mushroom itself was surprised by his sudden force of will, ready to summon up all but his strongest reality-bending powers in an attempt to beat his mom in a race. He shot off like a bullet, and soon the legendary cave came into view.

I see it! I’m almost there!

But as soon as Bisco took another step…

Gaboom!!

“Huh?! Whaaa?!”

“Aaah-ha-ha-ha-ha!!”

…the trap beneath his feet went off, and Bisco was hoisted by his leg into the trees, leaving only a cloud of sunlight spores in his rough shape. He dangled there, helpless, while Marie doubled over with laughter.

“Hee-hee-hee! We really are related! I know what you’re going to do before you do!”

Bisco fell from the trap, stumbled to his feet, and snarled with all his might. “G-grr…! I’ll get you for that…!”

“You win, Bisco.”

“…Huh?”

“You were faster than me. You’ve really changed.”

Marie so readily admitted her defeat that Bisco’s anger had no place to go. Instead, he just stared at her for a few moments in disbelief.

“You really are my kid,” Marie said. “It was obvious even when you were two.”

“Krh! Now you wanna try bein’ a mom?”

“Nope, never did. We could never live together, Bisco. We were too big for each other.”

She smiled. A relaxed, beautiful smile.

Bisco was left with no response. Ever since Milo pointed it out, he couldn’t help seeing Marie as his mother, and somewhere deep down, he yearned for her approval. He wanted her validation, despite knowing he didn’t need it.

He shook his head to dispel those gentle thoughts and put on the meanest-looking face he could manage. Whether it had any effect at all on the Godshroom was unclear.

“Now we’re at Ama-no-Iwato,” said Marie, turning and walking briskly in the direction of the blocked-up cave. “You know what that means, don’t you? Did Jabi tell you about Amaterasu?”

A cold mist issued from the cracks in the rock, transmitting the solemn air of the sanctuary within to those standing outside.

“Pretty much,” Bisco answered her. “He said someone from the tribe pissed her off, and we had to seal the entrance. Never told me who that idiot was, though.”

“Yeah, that was me.”

“…What?!”

“Well, I needed the prayershrooms, and they only grow inside this place! You gotta believe that I pissed off the gods by ransackin’ the place. Not as much as I pissed off Jabi, though. You shoulda seen the look on his face!”

“Shut it, Granny! I can’t believe you’d do such a stupid, blasphemous…”

“Hey, you’re here, aren’t you? Do it for Sugar.”

At the mention of his daughter, Bisco was left with no choice but to put his unshakable faith aside. Besides, he might have sworn an oath to the Eighteen Gods, but Japan’s old gods were a different matter, and Bisco didn’t know them too well in the first place.

“Grrrgh!”

With great effort, Bisco slowly shifted the boulder to one side, and Marie shamelessly waltzed inside. Bisco followed her in. It was completely silent, save for the distant trickle of water.

“Man, it’s dark. Bisco?”

“I gotta do everything around here? Sheesh…”

Bisco popped some glowshroom spores into his mouth and spread them about the cave, bathing the surroundings in a soft, twinkling light.

“Guh. I hate doin’ that,” complained Bisco. “Always tastes so bitter…”

“…Heh.”

“What?!”

“You sound just like me at your age, that’s all. I always hated sittin’ next to Jabi on Ogai, too.”

She continued walking deeper into the cave.

“…He’s dead now, I guess…,” she muttered.

It was a strange thing to say at this point. Bisco blinked at her a few times in surprise before running to catch up with her. The two of them walked in silence through the stillness of the cave.

“…”

“…”

“…It was Jabi who first told me,” said Marie, all of a sudden.

“…Huh?”

“That lovelessness was my strength. But for you, Bisco, it created a mountain you could never climb. So I was to abandon love, forsake his grave, and focus on being the Brahman this world needs.”

“…Jabi said all that?”

“Do you think you could handle watching the world go by? Watch as your son drowns in a sea of rust? Watch as the cities swallow him and the flowers devour him? You can’t do that with love; you need to be like me. I only learned that because of him.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Bisco.”

“…”

“Do you hate me?”

“…”

“…Heh. Forget I said anything. We’re here. This is it.”

Set into the walls of the stone cave were tiny glowing crystals. Marie plucked one out and showed it to Bisco.

“Wait,” he said, scrutinizing it. “This ain’t a rock, it’s a flower!”

“It’s a kind of Florescence called a mirrorbud,” explained Marie.

Upon closer inspection, Bisco could see that the bud truly lived up to its name, for his face was reflected in each of its leaves. Bisco was familiar with all sorts of post-apocalyptic flora, yet he’d never seen anything like it in his life.

“As far as I know, it only grows here in this cave. Prick it with a clamshell needle, and it should turn into a prayershroom.”

“Great, so we’re done here, right? Let’s take this back to Sugar, and we can—”

“Not so fast, silly. We’re gonna need a lot more than just one. Each one lasts up to a year, so we’ll need at least six or seven. If you wanna go back so bad, then hurry up and look for more.”

Goddamn, picking flowers that belong to a god? How the hell am I gonna explain this one to Shishi?

Racked with guilt, Bisco turned his racing heart to the arduous task of completing his quest before the absent god returned. He zipped from here to there, searching every nook and cranny of the cave system, before his eyes fell at last upon a cluster of the mirrorbuds growing on the far side of a pale lake. The miraculous patch contained far more specimens than the six that Marie had stipulated, perhaps two or three dozen in all.

Bisco plunged into the pool and began swimming toward the crystalline formation when he heard Marie’s drawling voice from elsewhere in the cave.

“There should be a mother lode somewhere,” she was saying. “There’s always one wherever the plant grows.”

Bisco was only half listening to her when, all of a sudden, his foot brushed something hard in the water.

Huh? It’s shallow…

Bisco was about halfway across the lake when the bottom came up to meet him, allowing him to stand such that the water came to chest height. Something didn’t seem right, but the mirrorbuds were tantalizingly close, and so Bisco stood on the tips of his toes, reaching overhead to grab them, when all of a sudden a powerful light from below illuminated the entire cave!

“Huh…? Waaagh!!”

“Hmm?!”

A giant figure emerged from the pool. “Aaagh! My eyes!” screamed Bisco, momentarily blinded.

“That’s why you wear your damn goggles!” shouted Marie. “Keep your eyes on it!”

“Damn… It’s got my leg!”

Bisco’s limb was caught up in some kind of chain that held him upside down in midair. He flipped his goggles over his eyes and analyzed the foe. It appeared to be some sort of crystalline plant creature with fernlike whips, while its bulbous core emitted a high-powered beam of light.

“BREEEEEEEEE.”

Its howl sounded like a tuning fork fed back through a speaker a hundred times over.

“It’s the Yata Mirrorbud!” yelled Marie, shielding her eyes from the light. “Looks like we angered the gods after all! Cut that thing down to size and then get back here!”

“Are you kiddin’?! I can’t hurt this; it’s a holy creature!!”

“You wanna die, idiot?! It’s kill or be killed!”

“But we’re in the wrong here! It ain’t right to beat this thing up in its own home!”

Bisco could have trounced the plant-beast handily and escaped the cave with their plunder, but he was vehemently opposed to the idea, and it was his determination that fueled the Rust-Eater’s strength. Without it, it was just like Milo had once said—he couldn’t even beat a pack of sewer rats.

“That damn son of mine…!”

Marie steeled her resolve and drew back her bow, loosing two shots into the roof above the Yata Mirrorbud.

Gaboom! Gaboom!

“Guillotine Mushroom!” she yelled. “Slice that thing in two!”

The colossal mushroom dropped under its own weight, severing the crystalline fern that ensnared Bisco. He dropped into the pool while the mirrorbud rampaged in agony, directing its beam all around the cave.

“That pond’s gotta be its nest!” Marie called down to him. “What are you standin’ around there for? Hurry up and get out!”

D-damn! The Florescence got my leg!

The floral energy was quick to get to work on Bisco’s mushroom body. He struggled to swim back to shore, while the Yata Mirrorbud used its crystalline vines to make some approximation of hand signs.

“Bisco, what are you doing?! Get out of there!”

The sentient divine plant charged up energy, and then…

“BREEEEEEEEEE.”

…all across its ferns appeared countless mirrorbuds, which each unleashed a powerful beam of light!

“Bisco!!”

“Dammit!”

The sound rent the air as the mirrorbud swung its razor-edged fern toward Bisco, whose eyes flickered with resolution.

Fine, I’m immortal anyway. Knock yourself out!

He turned to face the oncoming onslaught. The fern came down, and…

Splut!!.

…a splatter of blood hit the water. But it was not Bisco’s blood.

“Wh…whaaat?!”

“Are you okay?”

The Godshroom, Marie, had leaped in front of Bisco, taking the blow that was meant for him! The crystals tore through her cloak, slicing the flesh of her back and cleaving it apart.

“Heh. You really are a handful. No wonder I left you alone.”

“Wh-what do you think you’re doin’, Granny?!”

“I just couldn’t think of a good mushroom, had to use myself instead.”

“Like hell you did!!”

Bisco couldn’t believe it. His mother’s eyes were calm, collected…and filled with love.

“I coulda taken that blow myself, easy!!”

“I know.”

“Then what’re you doin’?! What happened to lovelessness?! I thought that was your strength?!”

“You’re right… Lovelessness is a skill I abandoned my own child in order to hone.”

Marie raised a bloodstained hand and placed it atop Bisco’s head.

“Guess I’m not that good at it anymore…”

“…!!”

“BREEEEEEEE!!”

The Eight-Span Mirrorshroom flared its spotlight-like beam, and once again the Florescence caused crystalline growths to appear along its ferns. As it geared up for another attack, Bisco felt unimaginable determination welling up inside him.

Fwoosh! His blood brimmed with the strength of his faith, his prior wound now nothing but a forgotten memory. His hair flickered with life, and the entire cavern was lit up like the surface of the sun.

“BREEEEE—”

“Get your hands off her.”

Bisco pulled an arrow from his quiver, which left a coronal path as it moved. A mushroom exploded from the lake bed beneath him, catapulting Bisco’s divine form into the air.

“—EEEE.”

“Get your hands off my mom!!”

Pchew!!

A streak of light! A sunbeam in motion! The Soulprint Arrow, Jabi’s final gift, flew on an impossible trajectory, weaving and spiraling through the air. It sliced through all the mirrorbuds implanted along the creature’s ferny vines before finally entering the central bulb.

Gaboom!

There, it grew into a magnificent Rust-Eater, shattering the beast’s crystalline hide from within.

“!!!”

The Rust-Eater trumped all matchups, and its violent growth far outstripped the flower’s capacity to devour it. The Yata Mirrorbud flailed wildly, directing its beam all over the place.

“BREEEEE…”

Then, at last, the light grew faint, and the colossal plant fell still.

“Haah… haah…”

Bisco gasped for breath, a torrent of sweat pouring down his brow. Then he opened his mouth to say one word…

“…Fuck.”

Back to his senses, Bisco realized the sin he had committed.

“What have I done? I’m in deep shit now…”

“Aaah-ha-ha-ha-ha! I’ll say! Bustin’ up Amaterasu’s pet guard dog? You’re goin’ straight to hell for this one!”

“Don’t just laugh! This is all your fault! …Wait, what about you?! Are you okay?!”

“Hmm? Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because you stood up for me! You took that blow, and—”

“Stood up for you?? Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!!”

Marie seemed completely unbothered by the question of both Bisco’s welfare and her own. She had already stemmed the bleeding, no doubt with one of her extensive mushroom arts, and now only the sound of her laughter filled the cave.

“I just thought it’d be a shame if you dodged and all those juicy mirrorbuds got smashed against the floor, that’s all!”

“What?! Th-that’s crazy!”

“See? Ta-daa!”

Marie rolled up her cloak to reveal all the mirrorbuds lodged in her flesh as a result of the guardian beast’s attack. All of them were perfectly intact, albeit stained with her blood, and would prove perfect for creating the prayershrooms.

“These things are useful, you know,” Marie explained. “Even if there’s too many for Sugar, I can use the rest for my own needs.”

“Grrr… The godlessness of this woman… I’m wastin’ my time gettin’ mad at her…”

“Don’t look so sad, Bisco. The Yata Mirrorbud’ll be back on its roots in no time. In fact, that Rust-Eater’ll make a great meal for it to grow even stronger off of, so just pretend that was your idea all along.”

“Keep your ideas to yourself, Granny! Just make sure you got all we need. I ain’t comin’ back here again, got it?”

“Hey, aren’t you gonna be a gentleman and help me? I lost a lot of blood back there, and I’m startin’ to feel real giddy…”

“Serves you right!!”

Bisco was so enraged, it seemed his ears would start spurting steam at any moment. Marie watched him storm off toward the cave entrance, then turned to look at the enormous Rust-Eater growing out of the Yata Mirrorbud’s body.

“…”

None could guess what she was thinking behind her emotionless facade. Once Bisco was well out of earshot, she pulled out a deep-blue mushroom from her pocket and tossed it into the lake. The lake water swirled and rose up, forming a large, liquid sphere around the mushroom.

After speaking those words, the sphere emitted a red laser that scanned the fallen beast.

“You have my permission. Go ahead.”

“Careful with that, now. You can’t find this beast anywhere else.”

The tractor beam began slowly drawing the fallen guardian inside the watery sphere until at last—with a Shwpf!—the beast disappeared inside entirely. It could be seen in miniature form, floating within the sphere, as the mechanical voice issued forth once more.

“I wanna talk to the kid. Is he doin’ what I asked?”

“The hell you mean, ‘private life’? It’s not like I’m askin’ where he’s stashed his porn mags.”

“Forget it. Just turn back.”

The watery sphere descended into the lake and disappeared, leaving no trace at all. In the light of the glowshrooms, Marie thought for a moment.

“Hey, Granny! What’s takin’ you so long?! I’ll shut you in if you don’t hurry the hell up!”

“Ah-ha-ha-ha! I don’t mind! You must really be fond of me if you’re givin’ me a warnin’!”

“Milo’s waitin’ for us! Hurry up and let’s go!”

Putting her thoughts aside, Marie decided to rejoin Bisco before his patience wore out. Moving like a hawk, she swiftly exited the cave.

“Well, we may have run into a nasty surprise, but it was fun seein’ my son in action,” she said.

“Hmph. If it wasn’t a holy creature, this woulda been over in seconds.”

“Aww, is baby not happy with the way things went? Why don’t you show me next time, okay?”

“Would it kill ya to say somethin’ positive for once?!”

“Ah-ha-ha-ha! That’s rich comin’ from you!”

With no witty response forthcoming, Bisco turned away from her and sulked. But behind his anger lay a vague sense of relief, as well as some other feeling that Bisco hadn’t felt before.

INTERMISSION 1

6

“Governor Kurokawa: wise but wicked! Governor Pawoo: righteous but foolish!”

Out in front of the Imihama Prefectural Bureau, the streets were awash with people ahead of the upcoming governor elections. One man stood atop a loudly decorated vehicle, bellowing his campaign speech through a megaphone.

“Is there not a single man or woman of merit in all of Imihama? Can we not have our cake and eat it, too? For too long have we been forced to live under incompetent leadership, but come election day, you have the power to change all that!”

His natural charisma seemed to be working wonders on the crowd. On his sash were the phrases RUST, RESTRUCTURING, RESPONSIBILITY; RICH NATION, STRONG ARMY; and STEP BOLDLY FORWARD.

“My name is Hoteru Imihada! I ask all who love this city to proudly lend me their support! Now, let’s end this like always, shall we? One, two, three—”

“Outta the way, fool!!”

Ker-rash!!

“Dwaaaaghh?!”

All the charisma of the upstart Imihada was no proof at all against the army of Mokujin that suddenly stormed into the plaza, knocking him and his parade vehicle clear out of sight. The robots were all decorated in red, white, and blue stripes, and upon one of their shoulders stood none other than Gopis, the raging bullwhip and ex-commander of Kyoto’s armies!

“Stop the count!” she growled. “We don’t need no stinkin’ prefectural elections! Now sit up straight, all you ignorant fools, and feast your eyes on these!”

The eyes of the crowd were drawn immediately to Gopis’s exposed cleavage…and then to the JOIN US! posters in her hand. The Mokujin robots began tossing them about the place, and people hesitantly picked them up off the ground.

“Oh? Isn’t that…?”

“President Mare?”

“So Kyoto really did surrender?”

“I heard he’s going to clean up Japan!”

“Place your trust in us! Your trust will become the president’s strength! Forget about devolved powers or prefectural borders and let Japan be reborn as a single nation!”

“C-Comander, are you sure about this?” whispered Namari from behind her.

“Shut it!” she snapped back. “We just gotta suck up to Mare for now! Now keep quiet and just control the robot like you’re supposed to!”

Then, turning back to address the crowd, she stated the following: “Listen up, people! The presidential election will soon take place at the White House in Kyoto, to decide whether to proceed with the revitalization of Japan! As citizens of Imihama, you are all required to vote in this…”

As Gopis’s speech went on, some of the crowd muttered to one another in dissatisfaction.

“How are we supposed to place our trust in someone like that?”

“We don’t even know what he really looks like.”

“Is he going to increase the minimum wage?”

“Nadoo.”

Thanks to their newfound prosperity, it seemed that many of the citizens of Imihama were uninterested in making far-reaching changes.

“Grr, these fools,” Gopis said, swearing.

“W-we need the president’s charisma,” added Namari. “Sh-should we get him on the line?”

“If Mepaosha could lead these rotten fools, then why the hell can’t I?!” grumbled Gopis, prodding the belly of her frog phone. “Hello? Mr. President? Where are you now?”

“Ah, Secretary. I see Imihama on the horizon. Yoo-hoo!”

“Imihama’s too damn rich to listen to us. We need your— Wait, you can see us?!”

“I’m just flying over the Kanagawa Desert right now. I must say, I never thought I’d see the day that cats were given the right to vote! Once I finish up here, I’ll head right over, so do your best until I arrive!”

“G-Gopis! Look at the sky! What is that?!”

Gopis turned and looked where Namari was pointing, and her eyes widened in shock. Seeing her response, the townspeople followed her gaze and reacted the exact same way.

“Oh gods, it’s…”

“It’s the ark!”

“H-how is anybody supposed to compete with that?!”

The people were thrown into panic by the incredible sight! And little wonder, for beneath the ark was the enormous form of…

“MROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW.”

…a colossal, corpulent, lazy-looking feline! The front half of its body had already disappeared into the ark, leaving only its tail, rump, and hind legs. However, even these were being sucked into the ship with the consistency of softened clay.

“Can’t you see I’m a little busy right now?!”

“Catwisp Art: Carp Streamer!!”

“Jesus Christ!!”

A flash of steel shattered Mare’s guard and sent him reeling backward. He stared back at his attacker with a look of utter shock (probably).

“What a cut, man! That’s a real samurai slash right there!”

As he staggered, Yokan Yatsuhashi glimpsed the path to victory.

“Geppei! Our chance presents itself! Now!”

“My pleasure! Nyan/nyad/viviki/smeow!”

With his wife at his back, Yokan scampered across the deck.

“Ultrafaith Arrow, hear my prayers!”

“Hidden Catwisp Art!”

Yokan held his newly forged sword, Daikintsuba, aloft, and the Ultrafaith Arrow spiraled around its length, transforming it in the blink of an eye into an enormous golden blade seven meters long!

“Christ on a bike! Stand down, my good people! I come in peace!!”

“Black Fleet Annihilation…”

“Expel the foreign barbarians!”

““Seven-Tailed Adamant Sword!!””

Slashhh!!

Yokan’s incredible skill guided the golden blade into Mare’s diving suit, ripping open the metal abdomen. A torrent of seawater spilled out, and out rolled a dripping wet cat.

“Cough! Hack!” he spluttered.

“Oh, please,” said Amakusa dryly. “If you’re going to cough up a hairball, then please do it elsewhere.”

“Shibafune! Are you okay?!”

Yokan ran up to the sodden cat and helped him to his feet. His soaked fur made him appear about half his usual size.

“M-my liege!! I felt the Catwisp Blade touch my heart…”

Shibafune looked up into his lord’s face, his round, bead-like eyes awash with tears.

“Oh, how glad I am to see you well, my liege! Curse be upon me! How could I have so easily cast my loyalty aside…?”

“I may no longer be Byoma’s protector,” said Yokan, “but I cannot stand idly by while its cats are senselessly abducted!”

“N-no, my liege! You must not! Flee! Flee this place at once! You cannot hope to win!”

The old Chinchilla forgot his self-loathing and clung to his lord in a plea.

“He is a god! A god of the sea! He came to us requesting our support, and when we refused…”

Shabafune trembled with fear as he recalled the horrifying tale.

“He responded with violence! All our land’s cats, even the Cat Gate itself, plucked from the land and into his iron grip! In truth, he cares not for our favor and will gladly use force to fulfill his dastardly aims! My liege, you may be our keenest warrior, but you have lost your arm! You cannot hope to defeat a god in that state!”

“Hmm. ’Tis rare of you, Shibafune, to caution me so.”

“It does seem like this is all a game to him,” added Geppei. “He brushed off that last attack like it was nothing.”

Geppei chanted a mantra, and the Ultrafaith Arrow danced around her head. Her luxurious fur billowed in the high-altitude winds.

“It seems our foe is the very sea, strengthened by the life force of countless organisms it has taken within itself. Thus, it has not one heart but many, rendering the Catwisp Blade useless.”

“Precisely!”

All of a sudden, the seawater rose up, engulfing the damaged suit in a geyser. In a matter of moments, the torn metal was repaired, and the suit took two powerful steps, standing proud once more before the feline trio.

“Since you’re already familiar with the facts, why not agree to my trade deal? The samurai cats are an irreplaceable cultural phenomenon! What could be more civilized than ensuring such a fascinating institution remains preserved within myself?”

“Apologies, but foreign proselytizers are not welcome!” Yokan retorted.

“We are free cats!” added Geppei. “So I’m afraid we must decline your kind offer. Besides, your suit seems far too small to contain my magnificence.”

“Quite right!” responded Mare, his helmet afroth with bubbles. “Why, you’re simply dynamite! Hotter than a Florida summer! Feel like being my secretary?”

“Hmm, tempting. What do you think, mon amour?”

“I’ve never heard of anything so absurd in all my nine lives!” growled Yokan.

“Apologies,” said Geppei, turning back to Mare. “Sounds like my husband is a little possessive! Oh-ho-ho-ho…”

“A mating pair?” answered Mare, placing a hand to the chin of his helmet. “That certainly speeds things up.”

Suddenly, from all over the ark, seawater began converging on Mare, filling his suit with the pressure of the ocean depths. Each drop of water adopted the hardness of compacted steel.

“I’m afraid your diplomatic immunity has run its course, friends! It’s time to resort to big-stick policy!”

“Gladly!” answered Yokan. “I shall take back my country by force!”

“Mare Engine! Life Ocean Streeeam!!”

Twin typhoons of water emerged from Mare’s fists and bore down on Yokan as if they had a life of their own. Yet the former feline shogun shot into the air and landed on Geppei’s Ultrafaith Arrow, using it like a surfboard to ride the waves!

“Sweet Jiminy! A surfing cat?!”

“Catwisp Art…”

His crimson eyes glimmered, and the bell on Daikintsuba’s hilt rang out!

“Bonito Return!!”

Clanggg!!

Yokan’s falling sword found its mark on Mare’s head! The helmet cracked under the impact, and Mare went staggering back.

“Amazing, simply amazing! …But!”

Ker-rashh! Mare’s back foot supported his massive frame.

“Mrh?!”

“I’m afraid one arm simply isn’t enough…”

Curses! He’s even more formidable than I feared!

“…to get one over on the PRESIDENT!!”

Slamm!!

Mare’s open palm collided with Yokan’s torso, nearly snapping the black cat in two! Yokan spluttered blood, and with his face close to Mare’s, the oceanic executive whispered into his ear…

“Perhaps…if you had the right to bear both arms, you could have beaten me. However, I hope this proves I am more than qualified to lead.”

I…I lost…

“Mare Engine: Life Averaging!”

“Noooo!!”

“Yokan!!”

Geppei screamed out in terror as the seawater from Mare’s suit found its way into Yokan’s body through his open mouth! Mare’s power began manipulating Yokan’s life force for some sinister purpose, causing his body to shrink and shrink.

“Save him! Ultrafaith Arrow!!”

Clang!!

“Shit!”

Mare flinched and retracted his hand, dropping Yokan moments before his power was drained completely. The feline fell to the floor and began spluttering, while Geppei defended him from the president’s next move.

“Oh, sweetie!” she cried, upon laying eyes on Yokan’s new form. “What’s he done to you?!”

“Hmm? What’s the matter? What has he…?”

Yokan swiftly rose to his feet, and all of a sudden, his kimono slipped from his shoulders. He was standing upon four legs, and he was no longer recognizable as the eighth shogun, for his body had regressed to that of a mere kitten!

“What has become of me?!”

“I used the Life Averaging technique,” Mare explained. “It balances all forces in the body, allowing me to regenerate your missing paw at the cost of your age.”

Mare shook his damaged head, and the liquid inside frothed and bubbled. Yokan, meanwhile, looked down at himself to find that his missing limb had well and truly returned.

“By the gods! It’s true…”

“Hey! What do you think you’re trying to pull, turning my husband into a kid?”

“You look like a lovely couple to me. How much older than him did you say you were again?”

“I’m not old!!”

Amakusa brandished the Ultrafaith Arrow, but Mare miraculously deflected it using only his fists. He launched himself at her, caring not for the collateral damage he caused the ship, and very soon Geppei was forced to focus entirely on keeping herself alive.

“Geppei! I must protect you!”

“No, Yokan! Stay behind me!”

“Your attacks are full and soft! You’re not nearly starved enough to drain the seas of their water!”

Ker-rang!

Deflecting one last blow aimed at his throat, Mare snapped the arrow in two at last. Its fletching went twirling through the air.

“Geppei! The arrow!!”

This is as far as I go…!

It was then that Geppei knew her fate. She caught the tail end of the arrow in her paw and handed it to the kittenified Yokan.

“This is a shard of the Ultrafaith Arrow. Keep it safe.”

“Geppei?! What are you…?”

“The president is a hollow shell. That’s why we can’t beat him. There’s someone controlling him.”

Amakusa turned to Yokan, letting her fur fall from her shoulder.

“I shall send you to Akaboshi,” she said. “You must work with him to find out who it is.”

“Wait! I cannot even swing a sword like this! I must stay with you!”

“I believe in you. Mwah.”

Geppei placed Yokan atop the arrow’s feathers, seeing him off with a kiss before the arrow sped away into the distance.

“Geppeeei!!”

Yokan disappeared into the clouds, bound for the world below. The last thing he saw was Mare’s arm reaching for her tearstained face.

I don’t believe it!

Geppei and I swore to pursue freedom together. How could she sacrifice herself for the good of Byoma? And to make matters worse, I have been transformed into a helpless kitten! How the mighty have fallen…

…But I must not forget my quest! Mare’s aim is clear. He seeks to imprison all life on Earth within that metal body of his. Only the most stalwart of warriors can stop him! I speak, of course, of Bisco Akaboshi and Milo Nekoyanagi!

My task is clear. I must seek out Akaboshi at all costs. And to do that, I must command this arrow to seek him out.

…

Hmm. I don’t seem to be able to stop it from falling.

And that ground is looking awfully close now…

I’m going to die! Oh, gods! Oh, Buddha!

…Oh well, it was a good life. Farewell!

“Flying Fungus, go!”

Fwmp!

“Gwuff!”

Just before getting intimately familiar with the geography of Miyazaki, Yokan received an unbelievably soft landing at the behest of an innocent and empty-headed voice. Stuck headfirst in a newly formed cloud of mushroom spores, Yokan was brought down to where the bearer of the voice stood.

There, an irreverent hand latched on to Yokan’s madly swinging tail and tugged.

Pwoof!

Yokan found himself dangling upside down, dazed, while a pair of big, round eyes examined him closely. The child looked him up and down, then declared…

“Kitty!!”

The loud voice startled Yokan to his senses.

“It’s a kitty! I’ve never seen a kitty before! It’s all furry! Is it true they have ten nipples?”

“Wh-wh-wh-what is the meaning of this?!”

“What’s up, pussycat?”

“I am not a pussycat. Who are you?”

“Me? I’m Sugar!”

By now, she was far too big to be a toddler. To Yokan, she appeared around seven years of age. This “Sugar,” as she introduced herself, spun Yokan by his tail and dusted the mushroom spores out of his fur.

“You’re such a cute kitty, kitty cat! But why did you fall out of the sky? Don’t you wanna be alive anymore?”

“I…fell? Ah! Of course!”

Suddenly remembering his quest, Yokan looked down at the fragment of the Ultrafaith Arrow in his paws. Seeing it safe and sound, he let out a sigh of relief.

“But why did it bring me here?” he asked aloud. “I asked it to follow the traces of Akaboshi’s power.”

“Hmm? Are you a friend of Papa’s, Mr. Kitty?”

“P-Papa?! Who is that?!” asked Yokan in disbelief. “Are you telling me Akaboshi is your father?! I never envisioned the man with a daughter… Perhaps I’m not as good a judge of character as I thought…”

“If you know Papa, then listen to me! I’ve got a bone to pick with ’im!”

Sugar pulled Yokan tight and squeezed him with unimaginable strength for her age. Ignoring his yelps of pain, she launched into her tirade.

“I spent ages making him some sand pies, and he refused to eat them! He just pretended, then ran away! Even though he’s always telling me not to lie!”

“Wh-what barbarian would eat pies made out of mud?!”

“So I’m running away from home, Mr. Kitty Cat. I’m not listening to Mommy’s math lessons anymore! I don’t understand them! How come Bobby has to start walking fifteen minutes after Alice? Doesn’t he have free will?”

Wh-what in the Six Realms is she talking about?

The child’s boisterous voice was like a tommy gun in his ears, and Yokan couldn’t make head nor fluffy tail of what she was trying to say. Sugar, meanwhile, was absolutely over the moon to have someone to speak to besides her stuffy old parents and didn’t seem inclined to let Yokan out of her grip anytime soon.

“J-just let me go, child! I don’t have time to play!”

“You smell nice, Mr. Kitty Cat! Sniff! Ahh! By the way, I think I’m allergic to cats, Mr. Kitty! Watch this! Aachoo!”

“Are you incapable of comprehending me, you idiotic child?” Yokan turned and pointed to the horizon from where he had just come. “There’s a god of the sea on my tail, and he could be here any— What?!”

Yokan was shocked into silence, for when he turned, he saw that the sky was already dominated by the form of the ark. Somehow, it had traveled halfway across Japan, from Kanazawa to Miyazaki in a matter of minutes.

“It’s here!! Mare must have summoned the powers of miraculous translocation!”

Kaboom! Kaboom! Great globs of seawater fell from the sky like meteorites. They leaped toward Yokan, clearly possessing a will of their own.

“They’ve found us!” Yokan said, cursing. “Run, child! You cannot hope to best them!”

“I’m not a kid, you know!”

“Are you insane?! Run, lest I be forced to watch an innocent young life meet a most cruel and unusual end!!”

“Flying Fungus!”

Sugar leaped into the air, and a cloud of spores whisked her along. At lightning speed, she flew here and there, crashing through water and rocks alike with a Boom! Boom! Boom!

“What sorcery is this…?!”

“Hold on tight, Mr. Kitty! The bad guys are after us!”

The watery spheres trembled like dumplings, and then all of a sudden, they disgorged a squadron of sharply dressed men in black, their skin and bones formed of liquid. It was an aquatic re-creation of the president’s very own security force. The Secret Service goons all straightened their neckties and closed in around Yokan and Sugar, numbering a few dozen in all.

“Come in, Ark. This is Eagle One. We’ve surrounded the target,” said one, pressing a watery digit to where his ear would be if he had one.

However, the other goons were already looking at one another in confusion.

“Who’s the kid?”

“Nobody told us there’d be a civilian.”

“It looks like she’s floating off the ground…”

“It’s just an optical illusion. Eagle Eight, grab the cat.”

“Hi there, little lady!”

One of the aquatic bodyguards transformed his watery face so that he looked just like Matt Damon and gave Sugar a handsome smile.

“Looks like our little friend there got lost. Do you think you could hand him back to us?”

“No! He’s my cat!”

“Are you sure? Here, how about a trade? I’ll give you some candy!”

Sugar looked conflicted for a moment before responding, “I’ll take the candy…but I’m not giving you the cat!”

The goons all slapped their watery foreheads in unison. “““Oh, please!”””

“Ah-ha-ha-ha! —You little punk-ass kid. That’s enough Full House.”

The handsome agent dropped his nice-guy act and swelled in size, engulfing both Sugar and Yokan inside his aquatic form, like a sea butterfly.

“Stop it! Let go of me!” screamed Sugar, flailing helplessly.

The leader, seeing the situation under control, placed his finger to his ear. “Ark, come in. This is Eagle One. We’ve captured the target, plus an anomaly. We’re bringing them both back to—”

“W-wait! Eagle One!”

“What is it, Eagle Three? I’m in the middle of a report!”

“Something’s wrong with Eagle Eight! Look!”

Eagle One looked over in the direction of his associate and was shocked by what he saw. With an incredible Schluuurppp! sound, Sugar was imbibing his fellow colleague whole!

“What the hell?!”

“H-help me, sir! The kid’s got me!”

It was safe to say that Eagle Eight had never experienced being drunk like water before, at least not in quite so literal a sense. His panicked screams grew quieter and quieter until he disappeared down Sugar’s gullet entirely.

“Burp.”

“Wh-what manner of god or beast…?”

Yokan was just as astonished by Sugar’s feat as the rest of them. He flared his cat eyes wide as he hung there in the girl’s arms.

“H-how? No human can contain that much water!”

“I’m not a human! I’m a mushroom!”

“Did you hear that, Eagle One?”

“Yes. That must be the miracle mushroom kid that the president mentioned. There’s no doubt about it!”

The Secret Service goons all heightened their caution, adopting wary postures.

“The situation on the ground has changed. Forget the cat. Focus on bringing back that girl, alive!”

“Let’s huddle, team!”

“Hut!”

“Hut!”

“They’re forming together,” warned Yokan. “Get ready!”

“Ugh. I don’t wanna drink another one; they’re all salty…”

“Hike!!”

The men in black merged into an enormous localized tidal wave that swept toward the pair. Sugar wrapped Yokan around her neck like a fluffy scarf and said…

“Look! I’m a fashion model!”

“Hmm. I’d wager no shogun has been made into a stole before…”

Then Sugar grinned the wicked grin she’d inherited from her father.

“Mushy Magic Pole!!” she yelled, raising her arm up high. With a Kroom! the earth split open, and a shining golden mushroom staff emerged, tearing the tidal wave apart into its constituents, who each screamed as they were flung in all directions.

The magical staff then shrank and returned to Sugar’s grip, where it became a handheld weapon about one-and-a-half meters in length.

Yokan stared in wonder at the countless miracles Sugar performed as a matter of course. Well, she’s Akaboshi’s daughter; there’s no doubt about that! he thought as the samurai glint returned to his eye!

“Look out, she’s got a weapon!”

“Abandon the huddle!”

“It appears they seek to outnumber us,” advised Yokan, Sugar’s scarf. “The orthodox strategy in this case would be to use our troops to cut a path to the enemy commander.”

“Are we calling our friends, Mr. Kitty?”

“Do you have anyone in mind?”

“Leave it to me, Mr. Pussycat!”

With a triumphant look on her face, Sugar twirled her mushroom staff, and her hair billowed. Sugar plucked a few crimson strands, then blew on them. From her breath came a cloud of rainbow spores that transformed the strands of hair into…

Bwoom! Bwoom! Bwoom! Gaboom!

“Bab-baaam!”

“We’re here!”

“Goo-goo ga-ga!”

“N-no, it’s them!”

It was little wonder all the color drained from Yokan’s face, for what Sugar had conjured out of nothing but her own hair and breath were none other than the fearsome monstrooms that had laid waste to Byoma so many times in the past!

“All right, buddies! Line up!” Sugar declared.

“All right!”

“In order of height?”

“Huh?”

“How about in order of how loud we can be?”

“““AAAAAAAGHHH!!!”””

“Be quiiiet!” yelled Sugar. “It’s up to you now, people! Beat up the baddies for us!”

Sugar pointed to the numerous suits crawling along the ground. The monstrooms looked at them and then at one another.

“They look kinda strong.”

“They’re all muscly.”

“So are we, though.”

“No, we’re just fat.”

“The Yatsuhashi shogunate will see that all those who bring us glory in the upcoming battle will be rewarded handsomely,” said Yokan, stirring up the monstrooms with his clever words. “You could all be million—no, multi-gazillionaires!”

Simpleminded as ever, the monstroom folk flashed their mismatched eyes, lighting up with greed, and all of them turned to face the Secret Service goons with a fiery patriotism.

“““Bab-baaam!!”””

“Who’re these freaks?”

“They look like sumo wrestlers!”

“Eagle One, are we bringing them in? —Whoa! They’re stronger than they look!”

“Stay calm, everyone. They’re slow and brutish creatures. Keep your wits about you, and—”

“Mushy Magic Pole!”

Whack!!

Sugar’s magic staff came down hard on Eagle One’s head, squashing him flat, but the aquatic bodyguard turned into a puddle and leaped back onto a rock, where he re-formed.

“So you want to do this mano a mano, kid? I warn you, the other agents ain’t chicken scratch compared to me!”

“Sugar!” yelled Yokan. “He may just be a foot soldier, but he is made of seawater! You cannot hope to beat him with brute force alone!”

“Grrr! Then what am I supposed to do?”

“End of the line, kid. Your magic tricks are useless against a liquid body like mine.”

Eagle One then transformed himself into an enormous watery mace that smashed the ground where Sugar stood! Sugar managed to escape, using her Flying Fungus to dodge between stray fragments of rock, but she was finding it difficult to control the cloud and focus on the fight at the same time.

“Mushy Magic Pole! Hi-yah!”

Fwoom! Crash!

“Ah-ha-ha! Looks like the little lady needs to learn some discipline!”

“You were right, Mr. Kitty! It’s not working at all!”

Yokan, meanwhile, was muttering to himself, eyes trained on his foe.

“There’s an old Byoman legend,” he said. “It says that the goddess Nekoterasu once used the sun’s rays to dry up the ocean as revenge against a mischievous sea god…but what am I saying? It’s not like me to entreat the gods at a time like this…”

“The sun? That’s it!” cried Sugar, suddenly adopting her father’s wicked grin.

“Wh-what do you mean?” asked Yokan.

“Mushy Magic Pole!”

Sugar spun her staff at lightning speed, and it quickly became enshrouded in rainbow-colored spores. The tip of the staff started to glow, and then…

“Let there be light!!”

“What the…? It’s so bright…!” yelled Yokan, shielding his eyes with his paws. At one end of Sugar’s staff had appeared a tiny ball of radiant fire. “It’s the rising sun! She created it out of nothing!”

“You think I’d fall for such a ridiculous act?” said Eagle One, winding up another swing of his mace-shaped body. “You must be out of your goddamn minds!!”

“Here we go, Mr. Kitty!”

“Indeed!”

Sugar didn’t even try to dodge the next incoming attack. She leaped off her cloud, directly into the path of the mace, and thrust the miniature sun toward it!

“Mushy Magic Pole! Finishing Move!”

““Cloak of Steam!””

Pshhhhh!!

“Whoooaaaa?!?!”

Eagle One’s panicked shriek was well warranted, for his invincible body…was shrinking before his very eyes! The water was evaporating into a steamy cloud, while his suit and tie were charred even blacker by the heat.

“I’m…I’m boiling! I’m boiling!”

“Tremble in fright before my almighty wisdom!” Sugar proudly declared. “Mommy taught me in science class that water evaporates when it heats up!”

“You consider this an intellectual victory, do you?”

“Well, I did go to school, you know!” said Sugar, winking.

I see. So, this “mommy” of hers is…

Seeing she had inherited Milo’s infuriating habit, Yokan gave a gentle smile.

“Oh, what a world, what a world…”

By now, Eagle One had shrunk down to about the size of a toy action figure.

“We’ve got to tell the president about this! Boys, we’re pulling out!”

“This whole country’s lost the plot!”

“Let me go, fatsos!”

At their leader’s command, the other Secret Service goons all turned to water and left like the ebbing tide, leading the monstrooms to survey the empty battlefield.

“We won.”

“Huh?”

“That’s ’cuz I’m here.”

“Dosukoi!”

“Bab-bam!”

After talking over one another, all the monstrooms turned back into spores with a Bam! Bam! Bam! and were sucked back inside Sugar.

“All right, if that’s the way she wants to play it… She can forget about being saved. We’ll inform the president, and then…”

All of a sudden, a shadow fell over the retreating Eagle One.

“Oh, you’re here! Watch out for the kid, she’s—”

Splat!

The figure stepped on Eagle One, cutting short his words. A pair of jade-green eyes watched him like a hawk as he seeped into the ground.

“Gramma! Gramma! I’m over here!”

“Sugar! How many times have I told you not to call me that?”

Her laugh. Her crimson hair that billowed in the wind. Marie Akaboshi, bow in hand, walked silently across the moss over to Sugar.

“Don’t just fly off in your magic cloud,” she said. “I’m the one who’s gotta go look for you.”

“‘Gramma’? Then this is…?”

“She’s Papa’s mommy! She’s amazing! She can control the spores like it’s nothing!”

…So can you? Can’t you?

“Papa said he’ll change his ways, Sugar. How about we go back to camp?”

Marie briskly closed the distance and crouched over Sugar.

“Oh? Who’s your new friend?” she asked, noticing the black kitten in her arms.

“Mr. Kitty!”

“…”

Yokan stared up at the woman’s features and felt a strange tingle in the tip of his nose. The fragment of the Ultrafaith Arrow that he gripped tightly in his paw shivered, as if cold…or afraid.

“I see,” said Marie. “It’s someone’s lucky day today. Let’s bring him back with us, shall we?”

“Yeah! Eh-heh-heh…”

“All right, let’s go. And no flying this time. It’s too dangerous. Hold my hand and we’ll—”

Slashhh!

A flash of claw brushed Marie’s offered hand aside. With incredible speed and agility despite his short size, Yokan picked up Sugar in his mouth and leaped backward, out of the woman’s reach.

“M-Mr. Kitty?”

“You may have her fooled,” Yokan told Marie, “but you cannot hope to deceive a cat’s nose.” He stood before Sugar protectively and growled. There was no sword at his belt, but the soul of a samurai burned brightly behind his eyes.

“I reached out to your mind with the Catwisps,” he went on. “Behind your innocent appearance lies a heart of such coldness, I felt it only once before…in my own loveless father!”

“What’s wrong, Mr. Kitty?” asked Sugar, failing to keep up.

“What a funny little cat you found,” said Marie. “Did you two decide to pull a prank on me, or what?”

“I care not in interfering with your goals, wicked or otherwise. But to use and cast aside your own descendants is something I can never allow! Begone, foul witch, and never let my eyes fall upon your face again!!”

A chill wind blew through the trees. It ruffled Yokan’s fur and caused Marie’s crimson hair to flutter.

“M-Mr. Kitty…?”

Sugar’s miraculous birth had imbued her with an innate sense of truth…

…and so she stayed right where she was.

She wasn’t sure what to believe. Yokan’s words had thrown her into a state of turmoil, spinning her internal compass, and it was not yet clear where its point would land. She stared at Marie, as if hoping the woman would say or do something to put her mind at ease.

But Marie just stared. She stared at the kitten, expressionless, for what seemed like far too long, saying nothing.

Then, at last, she noticed her granddaughter’s gaze…

…turned to her…

…and smiled.

“Arrow of Infinity!”

““Mantra Soulprint Bow!””

Pchew!!

Bisco’s and Milo’s combined efforts unleashed an arrow of such power that the two boys’ boots left deep grooves across the deck. The projectile curved in the air and struck the side of the ark, where it punctured clean through and out the other side. Defying physics, the arrow then curved once more and came back through the ship the other way.

“Oh, sweet Jesus!” cried Mare as the holes in his vessel multiplied by the second. “Stop this, please! You’re destroying the ark!”

A stout feline blocked Mare’s path as he attempted to entreat the two boys. “I, Shibafune, will not allow you to interfere!”

“On, nyad, viviki, smeow!”

Amakusa’s spell conjured chains of gold that bound the president with no hope for escape. Her magic prevented him from even taking liquid form and slipping out through the cracks. Also at her disposal here were the hale and hearty legs and loins of the ex-lord Yokan’s aged retainer, Shibafune!

“Catwisp Art: Binding of the White Whale!” he yelled, skillfully employing the sickle and chain in his paws. “I may be old, but I taught my liege everything he knows of the blade! Do not underestimate me!”

“I’m glad you’re here, old man,” said Geppei. “I hate to admit it, but he is too strong for me alone.”

“Try not to fall in love,” Shibafune retorted. “It would be difficult to explain that to my liege.”

“How did you ever get on the shogun’s council with an attitude like that…?”

“Goddamn samurai! Where’s your Bushido code? This is four against one! Secret Service? Do something about these meddling cats!”

“You sent them all off to recapture Yokan,” said Geppei. “Or have you already forgotten?”

“Grrr…”

It was Milo who approached the fallen and bound Mare, as the Rust of his mantra danced in the air behind him.

“Mr. President,” he said. “We both know you can’t be beaten, but we do know what you want, and that means we can negotiate.”

“What is this? Am I on trial? Speak to my lawyers! I am not a crook!”

“Bisco.”

“On it.”

“Wait. W-w-w-wait!”

Ker-rash! Kaboom!

“What in God’s name?! You guys are messed up!”

“These are our demands, Mr. President,” said Milo coldly. “Release Actagawa, the cats, and everyone else you’ve captured here in Japan, or else Bisco’s arrow will keep going until there’s nothing left of this ship but sawdust!”

“Be reasonable! I’ve come to save this land! There’s no future here for civilization! Our only hope is to wash it all away and start anew! Why are you so opposed to that?!”

“Because we like it here, dumbass,” said Bisco, half focused on his technique. “Our masters and everyone we ever faced are buried in this land. Just because it’s scary to you don’t mean it’s not meaningful to us. This land connects us to our roots, our history. You can’t just come in and take that all away!”

“…”

“Let’s start with Actagawa, Mr. President. Let him go.”

“…He said he likes it in there, actually. I’m not sure I can convince him to leave. He can be quite hardheaded at—”

“Bisco?”

“Okay, okay, okay! I get it! Holy shit, I never thought I’d see the day…”

The president finally acquiesced to Milo’s demands, and the liquid within his helmet started to bubble. As everyone watched closely, keeping a careful eye on Mare’s restraints, the helmet cover swung open, and out popped a single orange claw!

“Actagawa!” cried Milo.

“Hey, President Asshole! Hurry it up, will ya?”

“Cut him some slack,” came a frigid voice from behind them. “Mare’s used to sucking creatures up. This is the first time he’s letting one go.”

Bisco felt a cold tingle crawl up his spine. The two boys wheeled around.

“…Granny!”

“Marie?!”

Standing on the deck, her crimson hair billowing in the wind, was Milo’s de facto mother-in-law.

“Look at this,” Bisco proudly declared. “We managed to outwit Mare and make him give back Acta—”

Fwsh.

Something whistled past Bisco’s cheek.

Splat!

“Guhh!!”

“““What?!”””

The arrow landed in Shibafune’s shoulder with such force that it knocked him back into the ship’s balustrades, causing him to drop the chain.

“““Shibafune!!””” the other three all cried in shock.

Without the old Persian’s paw on his restraints, Mare rose to his feet.

“Make the earth…great again!!”

He slammed his fist into the deck, tossing Geppei into the air before grabbing her defenseless form.

“Geppei, no!”

“Let her go!”

Bisco loosed an arrow, but it simply lodged into Mare’s suit with no effect.

“Eeek!” Geppei screeched. “Unhand me, brute! Swallow me and you’ll regret it!”

“Do your worst, madame. Critters far more ornery than you have passed these lips.”

With that, he took Geppei into his face, pushing Actagawa back inside just as the giant crab was about to regain his freedom.

“Ugh… M-my liege…”

“I commend you on your loyalty, old cat. Let’s meet again in the New World.”

The injured Shibafune was powerless to resist as Mare’s hurricane of seawater picked him up and delivered him inside the president’s faceplate. In just five seconds, Milo and Bisco were left all alone.

“The Soulprint Arrow… Jabi’s final technique…”

A calm, quiet voice broke the heavy silence. Marie spoke to nobody in particular.

“So he taught the spores to think for themselves, did he? To lie to themselves and misrepresent the nature of reality. How very like him, the old romantic. A realist like me could never come up with something like that.”

“What the hell do you think you’re doin’, Granny?!”

“Don’t move!!”

Marie’s sharp yell rooted the two boys to the spot in fear. Two bubbles appeared behind her, containing…

“Mommy!!”

“Sugar!!”

Seeing his own daughter floating there, Milo cried out her name in despair. The surface of the bubble was like rubber, and despite Sugar’s frantic scratching, she couldn’t leave a single mark.

“Akaboshi!” shouted Yokan from the second bubble. “She’s too strong! Her abilities trump feline understanding, even more so than your own! Plus, she counts a god of the sea among her allies! Pray, forget us for now; flee from this place and garner support from your friends!”

“The cat’s right, you know,” said Marie. “Except the part about you getting away, that is. All I have to do is snap my fingers, and these bubbles will compress their contents into mincemeat. If you care about your daughter’s life, then—”

“—Then cease your misguided assaults and join the conservation efforts, my friends!”

“Mare. Stay quiet if you want to keep your job.”

“…Yes, ma’am. Sorry, ma’am.”

“You mean to say,” muttered Bisco, “you were on his side all along?! This was your plan the entire time? All those smiles you showed us—showed Sugar, for crying out loud! They were all lies, made to trick us?!”

His cries of grief and betrayal grew into a furious roar that shook the entire ship. “Lovelessness is my strength,” repeated Marie. “I was always proud of that…”

A slight tremor worked its way into her voice.

“…until I gave birth to you.”

“…Hrh!!”

“In the end, I chose my strength over you. But somewhere along the way, I looked down at my bloodstained hands and asked myself…what if I’d chosen motherhood instead?”

“It’s not all about you!!”

“Milo, get back! It’s not safe!”

“Whenever I cried, Mare took all my tears and grew bigger. I raised him, transformed him into a representation of my own subconscious. Now, finally, he’s giving me the chance to do something motherly for once.”

“To safeguard all life on Earth?! That’s why you’re doing this?!”

Milo’s rage caused Marie’s hair to flutter. Mare crouched, ready for combat, but one sharp glare from his creator caused him to stand at ease.

“You’re erasing our past!” Milo went on. “What’s so motherly about that?! And where are you planning on taking us anyway?!”

“…”

“Why, to her ultimate creation, the Continent of Life!” said Mare, evidently growing impatient at Marie’s silence. “Using a power on par with Hokkaido itself, she will make herself into a new land—”

“Who asked you?!” yelled Bisco.

“Don’t you understand? Your mother is prepared to give of herself to become Japan! To allow the mushrooms to create a new archipelago out of her own body!”

Bisco was stunned speechless by this revelation. Milo turned his attention from Marie to Mare, and even Marie herself let out a small “Tsk” at the president’s indiscretion.

“That granny’s gonna…turn herself into a new Japan?”

“A brave new world, formed of mushroom power! Without Rust, disease, or anything else that plagues our lands! This fine lady is ready to become a new Mother Nature, a mother that will never desert you!”

“Quiet, Mare…”

“A mother that will watch over you for all eternity!”

“I said shut it, Mare!”

“You expect us to be grateful?!” shouted Milo. “We don’t need a new country! If you really cared about Bisco’s happiness, you’d have stayed with him!”

“You shut up, too, Milo. This is between us Akaboshis and no one else.”

“Don’t think you can make up for fifteen years of absent parenting this way! There’s nothing magnanimous about any of this! It’s all just to make you feel better about your own mistakes!!”

“Learn some manners when talking to your mother-in-law, you damn kid!! You know, I’ve always hated you from the moment I laid eyes on you! Always actin’ like Bisco belongs to you!!”

Marie leveled a murderous gaze at Milo. It was a momentary lapse in her rational thinking that Milo didn’t fail to capitalize on. Using minuscule changes in his expression, he conferred with Bisco.

“Milo, now!”

“Got it!”

With perfect timing, Bisco’s Soulprint Arrow shot out of a nearby cloud, and Milo caught it in his bare hand, brandishing it aloft as it glittered with the mantra hue.

“Won/shandreber/varuler/snew!!”

He then thrust the arrow into the deck of the ship, causing dozens of spears of Rust to spring up out of the bare wood.

“Tch,” Marie tutted. Mare clutched his helmet as an alarm blared in the background.

“Good God! What have you done?!”

“Why is nothing ever easy?” Marie asked, sighing. “Mare, head to the engine room and activate the reserve power!”

“Aye-aye, ma’am!”

“Bisco! Help Sugar!” yelled Milo.

“On it!!”

Bisco leaped over to where she was and took the bubble in his hands. Milo, meanwhile, unsheathed his dagger and swung it at Marie in an attempt to keep her occupied.

“Hi-yah!!”

“You think a kid like you can beat me?”

There was a Clanggg! as Marie deflected Milo’s swing with a short, crimson-edged blade of her own. She lashed back in response, and Milo only just managed to step back in time before a few locks of his sky-blue hair were cut loose.

“You’re right, kid,” she said. “I am only doing this for me! That’s what’s got me all this way already!!”

Sh-she’s too fast! Too powerful! I need a mantra weapon, or I don’t stand a chance!

“Still thinkin’ about how you can win? How about you listen to someone better than you for a change?! You can have things your way when you’re strong enough to earn it! But for now…Mother knows best!!”

“Won/ul/viviki—”

“Too slow!”

Clang! Slamm!!

Marie sliced at the mantra cube with her dagger, obstructing Milo’s art. Milo let out a shocked yelp as Marie lunged forward, delivering a powerful elbow into the pit of his stomach.

“Guhh!”

“Your stance is off, kid.”

She’s…too strong…

No one was more adept than Marie when it came to taking down Mushroom Keepers. Milo’s faith was an unstoppable force, but it was all for naught if he wasn’t given the chance to employ it.

As he felt his consciousness slip away, Milo uttered one final plea.

“Stop this…Marie… We have…to understand each other…”

“…”

“It’s not too late… It’s never…too late…”

Then he fell backward…into Marie’s waiting arms. With one slender hand, she tenderly caressed his sky-blue hair.

“…”

“Sorry, Milo. I didn’t want to do this. I oughtta be thanking you…”

“…”

“…Take care of Bisco for me, kid. Make him happy. ’Cause I sure can’t.”

*   *   *

Marie stared at his sleeping face for a few seconds longer, then turned around. The ship’s alert sound filled the air with its blaring. Bisco was still struggling with his knife, trying in vain to obtain purchase on the rubbery surface of Sugar’s prison.

“Papa!!”

“Grr, can’t get a grip! …I know!”

Bisco rummaged in his vial pouch and pulled out the syringe containing the Ghost Bubble serum, then jammed its sharp point into the sphere.

Pop!

“Whah?!”

“Sugar!”

“Papa!!”

Bisco took his daughter into his arms as tears streamed down her little face. Yokan shook himself off, restoring the fluffiness to his flattened-down fur at once.

“You fool, Akaboshi! I said to leave us! You cannot stay here a moment longer!”

“Sugar, listen to me.”

At the serious sound of Bisco’s voice, Yokan withheld any further warnings. He simply gazed at those two pairs of eyes, of father and daughter, which seemed locked on each other in a glittering resonance.

“In our time,” Bisco said, “you had to take your happiness by force. Tryin’ to understand each other would only get you killed. But you’ve got a choice, Sugar. You can fight…or you can choose peace. You can understand people. Make them happy.”

“Papa…? What are you talking about?”

“You can be a god, Sugar. Or you can be a demon. Whatever happens, your mommy and daddy will always believe in you. Follow your heart, wherever it leads. And remember that all the words in the world can’t change how you feel.”

“…Papa…”

…

Sugar… Your eyes…

Look how they shine…

Bisco met his daughter’s gaze without saying a word, then held her close and squeezed her tight. Closing his eyes, he listened to the beating of her tiny heart.

“…Yokan, take this!”

“The Ultrafaith Arrow?! When did you…?”

Bisco held the drained and broken arrow shaft, and his own power flowed into it, causing it to glow once more.

Then he handed it back to Yokan. “Look after my daughter for me,” he said.

“You can’t be serious! Let me help! I can fight, too!”

“Sugar’s only just been born, and she doesn’t know her own strength. If she gets upset, it could destroy the world… But that’s no problem for the Catwisp Blade, right? I know she’ll be safe with you.”

“Akaboshi!!”

“Sugar! What do you do with cats?”

“Oh! I know! Eh-heh-heh!”

Sugar wrapped Yokan around her neck once more and struck a glamorous pose.

“Look at me! I’m a fashion model!”

“Stop turning me into a scarf, child!!”

“She knows ‘Journey to the West.’ Right now, Sugar needs to learn discipline, just like Monkey had to. And I know just the monk for the job!”

With a big grin on his face, Bisco lifted his daughter up in his arms.

“Sugar! I’m sending you to see Tripitaka! Listen to everything she tells you, okay?”

Then he hurled the two of them high up into the air. The arrow shone brightly, illuminating their way.

“No! Papa! I don’t want to go!!”

“Akaboshi! You have my word. On my honor as the Catwisp Blade, I shall protect your child with my life!”

As Sugar reached out her hand, the arrow carried them away through the clouds until they were gone completely. Bisco smiled as he watched them go.

“…Now, then.”

Cracking his neck, he turned to face Marie.

“Thanks for givin’ us a moment,” he said. “Maybe you ain’t so bad as you look.”

“We have time,” Marie replied. “They’ll all be coming with us in the end anyway.”

Marie had already nocked her arrow. The wind passed through their hair, tracing two scarlet comet tails in the sky.

“I failed you,” she said. “But it’s okay. I’m going to make things right. I’ll wash away all that’s been said and done and grant you a world where you can be happy. This is my final gift to you, Bisco. The one I could never give you.”

“You failed me?”

“…”

“Sorry, but I ain’t got a clue what you’re talkin’ about. All you’re tryin’ to wash away…is your own mistakes!”

“…!”

Slowly, Bisco drew his own bow.

“Life. Love. Fate,” he said. “All of it’s connected by time. An unbreakable, unchangeable chain of events…and I wouldn’t change a single one of ’em.”

“You’re lying!”

“No, I ain’t! Look at me, Granny!”

Bisco hit her with a gaze so clear, Marie could see her own reflection in it. So bright and bursting with life, it erased any illusion of the poor and lonely son that Marie wanted to see.

“Grr…”

“You still don’t realize it, but I’ve been walking in the sun this whole time. I’ve been living! There ain’t a part of me that’s not already filled with light!”

Bisco’s wild proclamation caused Marie’s hair to flutter. She was flabbergasted by this philosophy coming from the lips of her own son, a son who had already built himself into a man in her absence.

But she was an Akaboshi, and an Akaboshi never knew how to admit defeat. She snarled, displaying her family’s trademark fangs, and shot back a defiant glare!

“…Heh-heh-heh-heh. I see, so that’s the way it’s going to be, huh?”

“What now, Granny? Ready to back down?”

“I’ll make room,” she said, a rebellious flame in her eyes. “If there ain’t room for me in your life, then I’ll tear you open and climb into it!”

“Bring it on!”

The two Akaboshis shot each other a ferocious grin, their canines gleaming!

“Ready to make some memories, kid?”

““Let’s play catch!!””

Their fight was far too fast for any mortal eye to follow. Arrows collided head-on, filling the space between the two combatants with sprouting mushrooms. With Jabi dead, there was only one woman on this earth capable of matching Bisco’s aim and precision.

However…

Goddammit, how is he so powerful?!

“Taste the strength of my devotion!”

Gaboom!

In terms of speed and skill, the two were evenly matched, but Bisco held the upper hand when it came to physical strength. When the mushrooms collided, it was Bisco’s that sprouted ever so slightly faster, and as the fight wore on, Marie found herself shifting more and more to the back foot.

I can’t lose…

Her jade-green eyes glimmered as she prepared to stake it all on a single play!

Not here! Not to him!

She took a deep breath, and…

“Come to me!”

“What?!”

“Ghost Hail Bow!”

The lunar spores spilled out of her, wreathing her bow in the silvery glow of the moon.

She can fire the Ghost Hail Bow by herself?!

“With age comes wisdom, kid! Watch and learn!!”

“Don’t get cocky!”

In response to the threat, Bisco’s own Rust-Eater spores awakened, shrouding him in a fiery mist.

“I’ll turn you into mushroom fertilizer!!”

““Take thiiis!!””

Pchew! Gaboom!!

Above the deck of the ark, the mushrooms of the sun and moon connected, emitting a powerful blast wave. Amid the cloud of spores that ensued, the two mushroom masters nocked their bows for a follow-up shot…

…Only Marie was a split second behind.

Grh!

The strain of firing the Ghost Hail Bow alone had been more than she could handle. Bisco spotted her moment of weakness and glimpsed the path to his victory.

“There it is!!”

His bowstring pulled tight, Bisco leveled an arrow at his own mother.

And then…

He glimpsed, just for a moment, the pleading look in her eyes.

…Grh!

In a world a microsecond long, Bisco felt a touch of hesitation. And then…

“If lovelessness is my stength, Bisco, then yours is the exact opposite.

“Love’s the reason you trample everything in your path…

“And now…it’s the reason you’ll lose…”

Ka-chew!

A flash of light skewered each of their breasts.

A belch of smoke erupted from the side of the ark, which lurched horrifyingly to one side, then slowly fell out of the sky. It landed amid the mountains with an impact that shook the whole nation.

INTERMISSION 2

Heeey! Marie!

Wheeze, wheeze.

What’re you playing at, leaving yer fella without even sayin’ good-bye?

Tryin’ to skip out on your final farewell?

You really are a loveless woman.

Hyo-ho-ho…

Hey, don’t get mad at me, woman! I just came to give you somethin’ before you go off on your way. This here’s your finest work, so be sure to look after it.

Hold out your hands now… Here. Splot.

It may just look like ordinary water right now, but I planted one o’ your wisdomshrooms inside its noggin. Once it grows up, it’ll be a god of the sea, smarter than any human.

You can’t expect me to take care o’ somethin’ like that.

Besides, you’re gonna need somebody to talk to out there, to help keep you sane.

Think of him as your second son, y’hear?

Hyo-ho-ho!

Just leave Bisco to me! Don’t worry, I’ll tell him you’re dead, just like you asked.

The kid’s got a lot to live up to, bein’ the son of two great heroes. Nobody blames you for not wantin’ to stifle him.

…But Marie.

If you ever get tired o’ your path, so tired that you can’t go on…

Come see the li’l tyke, will ye?

He’s got a light inside him that can banish any darkness, even yours. Come to him at your lowest, and he’ll pull you right out!

Hyo-ho-ho! What’s that face for? You upset ’cause I said he’ll be stronger than you?

I’m just statin’ facts, Marie. He’s your kid, after all.

All right, well, you better get on, now. And don’t look back! Believe in your skills and don’t give up until your heart stops beatin’.

And if you ever stray in your path, don’t forget…

Me and Bisco’ll be watchin’ over you!

7

Western Hiroshima had been badly damaged by Hokkaido’s attack and had only just recently finished reclaiming the land that had been eaten. Little by little, the region was starting to claw back its former prosperity.

“That’s all mighty well and good, stranger, but, ya see, the thing is…”

A merchant walked down the half-built country road, while a hippo-drawn cart trundled beside him. The gas mask over his face mixed his voice with radio static.

“…Where there’s money, there’s always gonna be outlaws lookin’ to make a quick and dirty profit. Take that bandit group that’ve started hanging out in Akakimo Pass, for example. ’Cause of the critters infestin’ the other routes, we got no choice but to take our chances.”

“What bandit group?”

“Don’t tell me you ain’t never heard of them?! I’m talkin’ about the monstrooms!”

The merchant turned and looked back at the stranger, but the figure wore a deep hood and didn’t react in the slightest.

“And the leader of those bandits is the craziest one of all. She calls herself the Great Mushroom Girl, Heaven’s Equal, and they say she built a massive temple on top of Tsurikiba Hill in one night! Just so she could admire the view!”

“Don’t the monks of Izumo have anything to say about that?”

“Course they do! Kandori led a bunch of the Wizened up there, dead set on teachin’ her a lesson, but she blew them all away with a single breath!”

“With a single…breath?”

“Damn right! So she ain’t human, that’s for sure!”

“She blew Kandori away with a single breath…”

The stranger seemed to ponder this for a while, and then…

“Ha-ha-ha…”

“It’s no laughing matter, I tell ya. Come to think of it, I know you said you were a master and all, but can you really hold those bandits off if they—”

“Hold it right there!!”

“Hmm…?”

The stranger slowly lifted their head, in time to see a small squadron of mushroom men descend from the cliffs to either side and gather in the middle of the road, brandishing their spears at the caravan.

“Hold it right there, hippo!”

“Bab-bam!”

“Hand it over!”

“Leave your goodies and scram!”

“Snakes alive! They’re here! You’re up, stranger!”

The hooded figure rose to their feet and took a few steps toward the mushroom folk.

“I will not stand by while you harass good, hardworking citizens,” they said.

“Who’s this loser?”

“What are your demands? I would like to avoid bloodshed if possible.”

The mushroom men slammed their spears against the ground and barked an answer in unison.

“““Leave your goodies and scram!”””

“Give us sweets!”

“Or else you’ll regret it!”

“Bab-bam!”

“What…?”

The stranger turned and placed a hand on the shoulder of the trembling merchant.

“It seems they only want sweets, my good man. That seems very reasonable to me. Why not give them all you have, and we can be on our way?”

“Give them all I have?!” the merchant screamed, waving a finger at the logo on the side of his cart that read:

GLICO™: BRINGING HEALTH AND HAPPINESS.

It was the very company that produced Bisco’s namesake. It seemed it had managed to survive the apocalypse and continued delivering smiles to this day.

“I’m a chocolate merchant! You’re asking me to give away my entire stock for free!”

“That right?” asked a monstroom.

“You’re saying there’s a mountain of chocolate in there?”

“Golden angel!”

“Godiva!”

“““Chaaarge!!”””

“Hmph, very well,” said the stranger. “I didn’t want to get rough, but…”

The figure’s deep, indigo-blue eyes glimmered underneath their hood as they slipped their weapon from their back.

“If that’s how you want to do things, then fine. I could use a little warm-up!”

“Please behold my humble offering, O Great Mushroom Child. It is a toy called the ‘dancing flower.’”

Within a luxurious palace, a single merchant presented his tribute. The sweat pouring down his chin looked like the melting wax that glued his plastic smile to his face.

Opposite him, sitting immodestly atop a throne, flanked by two scantily clad mushroom minions with fans, was a young girl who looked around ten years old, though her preferred mode of address was “The Great Mushroom Girl, Heaven’s Equal.”

One of the sexy mushroom girls handed her a peach, and she bit into it, allowing the fruit’s juices to dribble messily down her chin while she awaited the merchant’s next words.

What an arrogant kid! And yet…I can’t help but worship the ground she walks on!

“What’s wrong? Continue.”

“I-if you sing or clap your hands, it can dance in time to the beat. It is truly—”

“Skip the elevator pitch. Let me see.”

She gave a commanding jerk of her chin.

“Y-yes, Your Eminence! As you command! Ahem! Riiiding on the baaack of a siiilver dragon…”

The pre-apocalyptic toy shook left and right in response to the merchant’s voice. Its jerky and unsettling movements earned awkward looks from the other merchants gathered in the hall.

“That’s creepy.”

“He’s a dead man, for sure.”

They muttered to each other in hushed voices, their eyes pinned to the ground. However, after a short while…

“…Ha-ha!”

“Riiiding on the— Huh?”

“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Ah-ha-ha!”

…she was laughing.

It seemed that the toy flower and its bizarre dance moves amused her greatly. She snapped her fingers, and a mountain of sols began raining down on the merchant.

“This is good,” she said. “Now leave the flower and go.”

“Yes, at once! Your generosity knows no bounds, O Great Mushroom Child!”

But the girl was no longer listening to him. She commanded one of the sexy monstroom girls to bring the toy closer, her heart aflutter with excitement, and then…

“Mmmraaaaaaghhh!!”

…she let out an air-rending scream! Spores spurted from the ears of her monstroom retainers, and all the merchants fell to the floor in agony.

The target of her unmelodious cry was none other than the dancing toy itself. It shook this way and that, attempting to keep up with the beat as best as it could, when…

Boom!

…with an eruption of black smoke, the toy danced its last and turned into ashes, which slipped through the girl’s fingers.

“…”

“Uh…Great…Mushroom Child…?”

“It broke.”

“I-it must have been defective! I-I’ll get you a new one, so just sit right—!”

“Is this some kind of FRICKIN’ JOKE?!!”

The furious child’s eyes sparkled in all the colors of the rainbow! Before the merchant could even shiver in fright, a cloud of spores engulfed him, and…

Slamm!

The spores became an iron cage that bound the man, helpless. “Mercy!!” he screamed as a quartet of stout mushroom folk lifted the cage and carried it away somewhere.

“Mweh. It looked so fun at first…,” grumbled the girl.

“Great Mushroom Girl, there are many more toy merchants waiting to present their wares.”

“Chocolate merchants, too.”

“Hmm. All right, bring in the next one.”

“Stop this madness!!”

This sudden voice accompanied the rattling of a birdcage hanging behind the throne. Inside, forced to wear a set of ridiculous court robes, was none other than the ex-shogun of Byoma, Yokan Yatsuhashi.

“Stop this at once, Sugar! You are exploiting this land’s people for your own amusement! This cannot stand!”

“But I’m a god. Can’t I do whatever I want?”

“I know you must be saddened by the loss of your parents. It is for that reason I allowed you to indulge your whims awhile. But this has gone too far!”

Yokan flared his cat eyes and hissed his warning at the unrepentant girl.

“You truly take after your father in his arrogance and disrespect, but at least he had faith! All you’re doing is feeding your own desires! How do you not see that?!”

“…Don’t say Papa’s name to me, cat. I’m not LIKE HIIIM!!”

Sugar’s eyes twinkled, and the birdcage shrank slowly, crushing the poor cat trapped within.

“…Grr… Kill me, then, Sugar, if it will bring you peace.”

Yokan’s eyes were unwavering in the face of his certain demise.

“I promised your father I would see you safe. If my death can ensure that, then so be it.”

“…Grh!”

The birdcage rattled as Sugar released it from her power. She looked down at her own trembling hands, the hands that had almost ordered Yokan’s death.

And just then…

““Waaaaaaaaaah!!””

…the doors to the temple burst open, and in came running a pair of spear-wielding monstrooms. Sugar sat down calmly on her throne once more, so as not to betray her emotion.

“What’s all this noise?” she demanded.

“Mushroom Child! It’s awful!”

“Awful, awful, just awful!”

“Help us!”

“What’s awful? How come you guys never get to the point?”

“The stick is awful.”

“It hurts like heck.”

“The black one beat us all with their stick!” said one monstroom, pointing with fear toward the entrance. “They’re coming up the mountain as we speak! We’re holding them off, but—”

At that moment, there was a chorus of “waaaaaaaaaahs,” and a few dozen mushroom folk flew through the doors, breaking them off their hinges. The only other sound loud enough to be heard over the commotion was the Clack! Clack! of heels on the marble floor.

“This is quite the impressive palace,” said the intruder, the cloaked stranger from before. “Your powers of creativity are truly a wonder.”

“Who are you?!”

“Heh. Who am I indeed?”

The figure set a slender finger to their equally slender jaw and pondered the question for a moment.

“I don’t suppose you could call me a peacekeeper. Consider me a passing monk with some sage advice for the little lady.”

“A passing…monk…?!”

“You’ve done well to channel the Ultrafaith to this extent,” the mysterious intruder went on. “But there’s no one left to acknowledge it. No one to validate your hard work and effort with some kind words of praise.”

“Grr!”

The figure’s words angered Sugar greatly.

“Insolence! I am the Great Mushroom Child, Heaven’s Equal!!”

With no prior warning, she plucked a few hairs from her head and launched them at the stranger like pellets from a shotgun blast. They flew so incredibly fast that no human could possibly move out of the way in time.

However…

Clanggg!

The figure drew their weapon and swung it in one clean blow, scattering the hairs in all directions. The hairs stuck into the walls of the temple, where they exploded into mushrooms with a Gaboom! Gaboom!

“What?! Who are you?”

“I’ve been waiting to see you, Sugar.”

The figure pulled back their hood, revealing a head of long raven hair and a metallic skullcap!

“Wh-who are…?”

The two had never met.

M-Mommy?

But a glimmer of recognition resounded behind each of their eyes, as if they had known each other once, at the beginning of time.

“You’re not Mommy! Who are you? Tell me who you are!”

“…I’m the worst mother in the world, for leaving a child to cry alone when they needed me the most.”

Standing there, in all her glory, was the victor of a thousand battles, the Whirling Steel, the Whitesnake Staff, Pawoo Nekoyanagi!

She whirled her metal rod, then ran a gentle finger along its length. “I’m here to make up for your parents’ absence,” she said. “Come into my arms or spout abuse at me, whichever you prefer.”

“U…urgh…”

Sugar took a few steps back in fear, then filled her tiny lungs with air and bellowed!

“Mushy Magic Poooole!!”

In a wave of energy, Sugar drew her secret weapon and caused it to sparkle with the prismatic light of the rainbowshroom spores.

“Great SCORPIOOOOO…!”

She lifted the staff above her head and brought it down like a comet, like the tail of Scorpio cruising through the atmosphere! There was enough force behind the blow to vaporize every bone in Pawoo’s body, but…

“…OON??”

Sugar was bewildered to find herself flung back instead! The immense power of her own move was turned back on her, launching her hard into the roof of the temple!

Boom!

“Gahhh?!”

“Repay love with love and violence with violence.”

Pawoo stood amid falling debris, brushing the rubble away with her staff. She gave a sharp breath and continued.

“A technique of reception and reflection. Whitesnake Staff: Snake-Projecting Mirror.”

Pawoo’s move that turned her attacker’s aggression back on them. Yet still a burning mark from Sugar’s staff marred her chest. Pawoo stroked it lovingly, then said, “Thank goodness, Sugar. Your heart is not dead yet.”

“I never LOOOOOOSE!!!”

“Come here.”

Rather than being abated, Sugar’s fury was greater than ever! As she fell from the ceiling, she raised her staff once more, using the momentum to deliver a devastating swing to the back of Pawoo’s hung head.

Slamm!!

“Hwugh!”

Once again, it was Sugar who went flying off. Only this time, she landed feetfirst on the wall, blood streaming from her nose, and unleashed the same move for a third time!

Ka-slamm!!

“Gruhuh!!”

“Keep it coming, Sugar. You’re not sweet enough yet.”

“Shut UUUUP!!”

Fwoom!!

“You’re amazing, Sugar. You’ve only just been born. You’ve been left alone all this time, and yet you’ve tried so hard and grown so much…”

“Shut up!”

Bang!

“I’m invincible!”

Slam!

“I’m unstoppable! And I’M! NOT! LONELY!!!”

Ka-boom! Clanggg!!

At last, with one final swing, the cracks along the length of Sugar’s staff took their toll, and the weapon snapped magnificently in two. Sugar herself was flung back like a meteor and landed with a Thud!! on her own throne, knocking it over in a cloud of smoke.

U-urgh…

Sugar leveled her shaky gaze at Pawoo. The black-haired woman was wounded all over from the countless clashes, and the heat of battle caused steam to rise off her body.

She had been damaged even more than Sugar, and yet…

…she stood tall and proud, the flame of determination in her eyes.

“I don’t blame you,” she said, walking closer. “Anyone would be angry after what you went through.”

U-urgh…

Clack. Clack.

“I…I’m sorry…”

Clack.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry I’m sorry! I was so lonely, I didn’t know what to do…”

…

“I’m sorry. I’m sorr—”

Pawoo kneeled down and hugged her. The girl felt her tender touch and the heat of her blood through the warmth of her skin. Pawoo hugged her with all the love in the world and brushed aside her forelocks with a gentle finger.

“It’s okay,” she said. “You aren’t alone anymore, Sugar.”

“…”

“What a name you’ve made for yourself out here. And what a lovely palace you’ve built. You should be proud of it, because I’m sure your mommy and daddy would be.”

“Sob. Sob…”

“Obviously, I’m impressed, too. You’ve done so much all by yourself, Sugar…”

“Waaaaaahhh!!”

“It’s okay now, Sugar. Let it all out…”

“Waaaaaaaahhh!!”

“Ah-ha-ha. Look at you, getting your tears all over me. It’s okay, your mommy and daddy will be just fine; they always are. Um…?”

“Waaaaaaahhh!!!!!!”

“Okay, I know I said to let it all out, but…maybe you’re crying just a little too much…?”

Just then, Pawoo noticed a cluster of adorable little mushrooms, growing with a Pop! Pop! in among Sugar’s hair. The next moment…

Gaboom! Gaboom!

“Wah! What did I tell you?!”

As Sugar’s pent-up emotion spilled out of her, mushrooms burst to life all across the temple, destroying the pillars and walls and unleashing a torrent of stone and brick. The monstroom minions scattered in all directions, disappearing with a Poof! Poof! into clouds of mushroom spores that retreated inside Sugar’s body. The merchants, meanwhile, had no such method of escape available to them and scrambled for the exit instead.

“Waaaaaahhh!!”

As Pawoo held the wailing Sugar, she heard voices.

“What about us?!”

“Get us out of here!”

“Hi-yah!”

Pawoo approached the cages piled up behind the throne, and with one sweep of her staff, she sliced them all open. The trapped merchants clambered to freedom and shot for the exit, pale-faced with terror.

“The temple is sustained by her belief,” mused Pawoo. “Disrupt that foundation and the whole building crumbles. We must leave as well!”

“Wait! Don’t forget meeee!” came one last voice.

“Whoops! Almost forgot!”

Pawoo retraced her steps and severed the chain holding the dangling birdcage to the rafters. She bent over and peered at the black kitten within.

“Thank you for keeping my niece in check,” she said. “I’ll repay the favor somehow.”

“Your niece?!” Yokan exclaimed. “Then you are Nekoyanagi’s…?”

“We’ll save the introductions, if you don’t mind! Apologies for keeping you in the cage, but just bear with it awhile!”

Pawoo picked up the cage, then dashed and leaped off the throne as the floor of the temple crumbled, landing and rolling on the outside.

The palace was carved into a mountain, surrounded on all sides by deep chasms, like a demon’s castle, and accessible only by a single long bridge that spanned the ravine.

“It’s like a painting,” said Pawoo, dumbfounded. “Did the land really look like this before?”

“It’s another product of Sugar’s mind!” Yokan called out. “She must have seen it in a picture book somewhere…”

“Waaaaahhh!!”

“I fear this isn’t the end of her imagination. We must hurry!”

Spotting the last of the merchants making it safely across the bridge, Pawoo made to follow them, carrying both Yokan and Sugar in her arms. It was then that a bellowing cry shook the air.

Rumble!!

“BWUUUUHHH…”

““Whoa?!””

The fist of a colossal monstroom rose out of the valley and landed on the bridge, blocking Pawoo’s path.

“BAB-BA-BA-BAAAAAAM.”

It was a giant monstroom, its titanic scale the equal of the monstroom castles that once strode over Byoma!

“Waaaahh!!”

“Its blows are easy enough to dodge, but if it destroys the bridge, we’re doomed!”

“Sugar! Cease that overactive imagination of yours! Maybe if I tickle her with my tail…”

“WAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!”

The giant monstroom raised its fist, ready to smash the bridge into smithereens, when…

“Divine Punishmeeent!!”

Kaga-boom!!

…a shadow fell over the trio, and from out of the sky, like a meteor, came the demonic arbiter’s scepter, landing hard on the monstroom’s head.

“WUUUUHHH…!”

A giant of a man, clad in navy-blue armor, stood atop the towering fungus and held his scepter up high.

“Terrorizing the people of this good land and obstructing their flight?! Heaven and earth may show mercy upon you, foul being, but do not imagine for a second that I shall do the same!!”

He struck a proud pose to the graceful strum of a shamisen.