Chapter 26

Saving characters who have fallen into the dark is also the original protagonist’s mission

(sorry for the drop in quality. i have a cold)

The street food tour in the shopping district was delicious. The manju was amazing.

Yes. After receiving an outrageous offer from Netzach, the two of them quickly agreed to fight, and I was in high spirits.

Moreover, we didn’t have to go through the whole tournament. Instead, the martial angel-sama said to “just come at me together.” This not only saved time but also allowed me to avoid the Big Three Eternal Flags of Fanfiction' of tournament battles, which was quite a relief as the main character.

It seems that in this world, a fighting tournament wasn't feasible.

Considering the frequent occurrences of the Abyss, it was only logical not to gather the best warriors in one place. As I strolled through the shopping district, sampling various snacks and gathering information, I heard about this from the stall owners. So, during this time, I secretly bought a map of the island, researched recent events in Fairy World from a local perspective, and did all sorts of things to maintain my image as the mysterious know-it-all character. It would be uncool to panic as the original protagonist when the time comes.

…Hm? You’re asking about the money? Well, after I held a little concert in the waiting room, I found plenty of it lying around. Since I’m a phantom thief, I believe in taking what I want, so I helped myself to the tips... ahem, the money. Yes, I’m quite the outlaw, aren’t I?

However, while walking around town, it was a bit of a problem when Kabbalah-chan climbed onto my head and snuggled into my top hat. The soft pads of its paws felt nice against my forehead, but it messed up my hair and made it quite hot inside. I’ll have to fix that later.

The tail sticking out from my top hat looked like a ponytail, tickling the back of my neck. Oh well, she’s cute, so I’ll let it slide. Just as a TS original protagonist is the strongest in fanfiction, cuteness is justice.

Ah, of course, I changed my appearance while walking around town.

The locals were a mix of ogres, dragonkin, kobolds, and elves, so I disguised myself as an elf since it didn’t require much of a physical transformation. As an elf, it was not odd to be accompanied by a carbuncle, a creature from the forest, so I didn’t have to deal with the nasty stares like before.

Although, separate from that, I did receive a lot of admiring glances because of my beauty, which was quite pleasant. I’d rather not be hit on by guys, but as the beloved elf-eared Eight-chan, I do enjoy the public’s attention.

I was wandering around Tsabaoth until evening when the duel would begin, and my impression was that it wasn’t as much of a town of battle maniacs as I’d thought.

In the anime Fairy Savers, it’s a savage holy ground where even eye contact is practically a duel challenge.

However, none of the sacred beasts who made eye contact with me gave off that vibe.

Maybe it was because I looked like a delicate elf, or perhaps it was because the tournament wasn’t being held, unlike in the original work.

Well, it wasn't like there was no fighting at all.

I did see two ogre children having a scuffle in a park near a school facility. It wasn’t really a duel—it looked so one-sided that I ended up healing the injuries of the losing kid out of pity. He was really down, but after I encouraged him, he perked up again, which was nice.

…Yup, hardworking boys are always admirable, no matter the world.

It made me want to try even harder as the cheat original protagonist. Though I’m not a boy now, I’m a TS original protagonist.

──Now, let’s duel!

In the anime, Netzach, one of the Ten Archangels of Sefirot, fights Rikidou Chouta, who made it to the tournament finals. This was an important episode where he recognized that “humans aren't so bad after all,” after exchanging blows with Chouta, who had awakened his Fairy Burst.

In this world, however, the tournament element was completely gone, and it was now a two-on-one battle between Chouta, En, and Netzach. Moreover, there was a promise that if they win, we would get the full cooperation of the archangel as a reward.

This is, that, right?… After all, I’m the cheat original protagonist? Has a butterfly effect-like change occurred? It occurred? Looks like it!

Yare yare… seems like I pulled off another ideal protagonist move. As expected of Eight-chan, the one who longs to know defeat.

While breaking from the original work in a flashy way is fun, but considering the future, now was not the time for that. This slight alteration in the process, while maintaining the original flow, was the best move for now.

"Now then, who will fate favor...?"

In reality, if they can fight as a pair, En and Chouta should be able to secure a victory. Of course, this battle presumed that Rikidou Chouta would awaken his "Fairy Burst," but even in the original Fairy Savers, he managed to put up a good fight on his own. With two people activating Fairy Burst simultaneously, there was a real chance they could win, even against one of the Ten Archangels of Sefirot.

Ah, but Keter and Chokmah were out of their league.

Among the ten archangels, who were mostly on par with each other, those two were in a class of their own, so much so that it would take three just to have a chance against them. In particular, I vividly remember Chokmah, who was repelled early on, being one of the strongest of the ten archangels if he fought seriously.

"Let me see what you can do, En, Chouta..."

Since I wasn’t challenged by Netzach, I’ll watch over their fight from above. I dropped my disguise and stood even higher than the spectator seats— standing on what would be called the silver umbrella at Koshien Stadium. I strummed my harp and cheered them on. Good luck, both of you. The original protagonist is with you.

Man, though I was given a seat in the front row, I still prefer to watch from a higher vantage point. It would be dangerous if I slip, and technically it’s a restricted area, but I’m a phantom thief, anyway. Even though I haven’t been up to much mischief lately, I'm still an outlaw original protagonist who was ready to commit crimes for style. I don't like committing uncool crimes, though.

The match is on!

The witness, Haniel, rang the gong to signal the start of the duel.

Netzach bears the name of "Victory," and he has absolute confidence in his strength.

Allowing them to fight two-on-one is a testament to that self-assurance.

As the three men step onto the stage, one of them hangs in the back while only the two facing each other start moving.

It seems Chouta is going to fight one-on-one as planned. It's the spirit of fair play. Nice, nice, I love that kind of manliness. The nearby residents must have heard rumors of a duel involving the archangel and humans, as the stands filled up with people cheering overwhelmingly for Netzach. Naturally.

This arena feels like an away game in the Soccer World Cup. Netzach likely invited the crowd, not as a cunning tactic, but so the ordinary sacred beasts in town could witness the battle. Perhaps he hopes this duel will shift some of the prejudice against humans.

Despite being a muscle-brain character, he’s the island’s overseer. He’s a man who thinks about such matters a lot.

──Sure enough, as the match progressed, the atmosphere gradually began to shift.

The crowd’s initial cries of, "Netzach-sama! Crush those humans!" slowly gave way to a puzzled, "Huh? Isn't that guy strong?" Finally, they started cheering, "Humans can do it too! Go both of you!" It was like they’re switching their support motor-style.

Coincidentally, this development follows the same course as in the anime Fairy Savers.

Nice, it’s the same as in the original work, when Chouta awakens his Fairy Burst!

Yes, this episode is when Rikidou Chouta’s awakening occurs.

Since this episode is extremely important for future battle strength, I didn't do anything extra and stayed in the back of the main screen. I am cheerleading Eight-chan. Of course, I didn’t want to ruin my mysterious character, so I wore my usual costume and didn’t do any overly blatant cheering.

"As you are, you can’t beat Netzach. So, what will you do, Rikidou Chouta?"

In the early stages, Netzach was holding back, almost as if he was just warming up. But even then, he was clearly far stronger than wyverns or angel-type Abyss.

Respecting Chouta’s unexpected strength, Netzach gradually unleashed his full power, overwhelming him.

This flow, too, is just like the original.

In the original work, after being brought to his knees by the overwhelming power gap, when Chouta hears cheering from Akari-chan and En in the stands, he rises again, refusing to lose here, and unleashes superhuman strength and activates his Frozen Fairy Burst. Such a thrilling development.

However, the difference this time is that instead of hearing cheers from the stands, En is right there behind Chouta.

His actions were the best choice in a conventional sense, but from a meta perspective, they were a foolish move.

Before he could get cornered too badly, En signaled for a substitution.

"!"

"Switch, Chouta! I'll take it from here!"

After being overwhelmed by the opponent’s fists, the protagonist leaped in front of Netzach. In the next moment, his body was engulfed in blue flames.

En’s fairy burst—he truly is a supernatural ability genius. In the battle with Haniel in the kobold village, he seemed to have been able to fully unleash his power.

Watching his back, Chouta wore an expression whose pride was deeply wounded. The power gap was palpable just by looking. The difference between someone who had mastered Fairy Burst and someone who hadn’t was that immense.

"You still seem to enjoy fighting as much as ever... Sefirot of Victory."

Seeing the power that had overwhelmed his chief angel, Netzach grinned with joy, exclaiming, "This is what I wanted to see!" His expression was that of a true battle maniac—radiant but intimidating.

The stage exploded under the force of the two fighting each other in earnest, and the cheers in the hall turned into an uproar as the monsters fought. It was so overwhelming that it left everyone in awe.

En formed a blue-flame sword in his hand, while Netzach raised his fists to meet him. Among the Ten Archangels of Sefirot, he is the only one who fights bare-handed.

With each collision between the blue-flame sword and Netzach's powerful arms, the shockwaves reached the audience. I was standing on the silver umbrella further back from the seats, yet the burst of energy lifted the hem of my skirt. Just in case, I subtly held it down, but no one was around to notice, so I was safe.

But more important than that was their fierce battle.

Awesome… so this is what a fight between archangel-class  fighters looks like.

Witnessing this superhuman limit battle for the first time, I couldn’t help but feel, "This is what Fairy Savers is all about!"

I was so absorbed that I forgot to mutter my usual cool remarks to maintain my original protagonist vibes. This must be the pathos of manhood.

…No, no, this won’t do! If I don’t say something, I’ll just fade into the background! I need to say something, assert myself, and make my presence as the original protagonist known!

"Humans have already risen to this level… So, what will you do, Archangels?"

──Alright, that was a nice touch. That’s 90 protagonist points.

"Kyuu……"

Oh, Kabbalah-chan, it’s okay to come out from under the hat now. There’s only me here. what's with those big eyes staring at me? Want some attention? You sly creature, tickle tickle? Ohh, your cheeks stretch like a Shiba Inu’s.

"Look at meee!"

Hm?! It suddenly got cold. That’s the effect of Chouta's supernatural ability, "Freezing!"

The power of his Freezing ability went out of control and surged wildly. He let out a fierce roar, and in an instant, the entire stage was covered in ice, and the chill reached all the way here.

The ice that was generated was blowing wildly like a raging blizzard. Thanks to my Kabbalah-chan scarf, my neck was fine, but my lower body was feeling the chill, making me instinctively pull my legs together. While the weather in both this world and the other was like early summer, I suddenly appreciated the resolve of girls who wear short skirts even in winter. The determination of women for fashion is something else... It’s cold!

...However, this indiscriminate torrent of power was unmistakable. He was in Burst mode!

The frustration accumulated from witnessing this otherworldly battle must have pushed Chouta to the limit and heightened his consciousness.

Is this the awakening event, just like in the original work…? No, it’s no good.

He was showing the same signs as Arisu-chan’s back then. Netzach and En also noticed his strange expression, with his eyes rolled back. They both stopped fighting, stunned by his sudden transformation.

Hey, hey, this is bad…!

No way... The awakening event turned into a fall to the dark event?

Hey, does the goddess-like person have a thing for tragic twists? If she’s some kind of sadist, I’m starting to worry a bit for my safety.

...But wait a minute.

On the other hand… on the other hand, let's think about this. This is a golden opportunity for me to steal the spotlight, after being sidelined this whole time. It’s an original protagonist’s chance to shine as the hero!

Unexpected as it is, if I think of it as a highlight for the original protagonist, this situation is acceptable. Rescuing an character from the original work who’s fallen into darkness due to heightened negative emotions... it feels like a match-pump, and honestly, I’m not a fan of contrived setups like this. But hey, beggars can’t be choosers.

Whether this goddess-like person’s story becomes shit or not depends on what I do next. It’s worth a shot!

I tighten my lips, activate “Teleportation,” and head straight for the stage.

I left Kabbalah-chan behind. My neck feels cold without her, but I don’t want to drag her into the middle of a blizzard. I don’t want to make my precious friend suffer.

"Chouta… this is, a Burst state?"

En looks visibly shaken. Of course, he would be. This situation has even me surprised. But there’s no use dwelling on what’s already happened. I step out confidently in front of him.

"Yes, I’m here to help the troubled young man."

"Eight!"

Oh, he called my name for the first time. That’s touching. But, protagonist, step aside! It’s the original protagonist’s turn now!

"En, you focus on your duel."

And so begins T.P. Eight Olishua’s Hyper Original Protagonist Time.

Even though Chouta is pretty powerful, I’ll handle this newly triggered Burst state with my invincible original protagonist powers.

The specific method is... that. Maybe I’ll try talking to him like Kakeru-kun did. I can kind of guess why he ended up like this with my knowledge of the original work. Honestly, I didn’t expect a character like him to have such a complex that he’d reach a Burst state.

...In the worst case, I might have to steal his ability.

Anyway, I’m the only one who can put an end to this quickly.

"Leave this to onee-san."

"...I leave it to you."

You got it.

Exuding confidence befitting a protagonist, I wrap myself in a barrier and dive into the source of the blizzard.

It’s just like when it happened with Alice. This is wild enough to feel like a snowstorm on a mountain; I can barely see anything in front of me.

Whoa, this is really cold!

After this, I’m definitely going to cuddle Kabbalah-chan. That’s the only thought keeping me going as I push toward my target.

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