Unfathomable Defenses

It's you. The uncultured swine of the Nilotpala Cup.

Hey, you potty mouth! What's your problem?

The way you dote on your Fungi. It's pathetic. What a joke! You make a mockery of the philosophy of the greatest beast-tamer of all, the mighty Haniyyah.

"Greatest beast-tamer of all"? That's debatable.

We'll set her "philosophy" straight.

You keep telling yourself that! You were never gonna come close to facing Haniyyah. Time for you to go home!

Nooo! This can't be happening... I trained my Fungi non-stop... Maybe I should have been harder on them?

Whew. Well, we beat him... but somehow Paimon isn't really in the mood to celebrate.

旅行者, Paimon. I made it through!

That's amazing, Layla! You've reached your goal!

Congratulations!

I heard you won against the unstoppable Hardy Two-Blades... But you don't seem too happy about it. How come?

It's just that... He was really mean. He said some weird things...

I see what you mean... Yeah, somehow beast-tamers like him make me feel a little... sad.

Sad?

Yeah. He clearly doesn't know anything about Haniyyah. He's just making assumptions about what she's like based on a vague impression, and even trying to copy her. I'm sure Haniyyah would feel uneasy about it too, if she knew.

Also, he's so cruel to his shroom buddies, when they could have been friends... It's not just his loss, either. It brings all the other contestants down.

Right! You have the right mindset, Layla! If only everyone was like you, this whole tournament would feel a lot less gloomy!

But it's only because I'm not aiming as high... I just wanna be able to take Twirly-Whirly back to live with me, that's all.

Looks like the next fight is you against me. Let's just try to enjoy ourselves. It doesn't matter who wins, this is just a little contest between friends.

You have a deal!

Alright! Time to see who's the strongest Fungi, Twirly-Whirly or Bongo-Head! Loser buys dinner for the winner!

Whatever deal this is, you seem very happy about it. Did I miss anything big while I was gone?

Miko, you're back — finally! You snuck off without saying anything last time, so we didn't get to tell you about the evidence we— Ahem! Uh, evidently we have some things to discuss with you...!

Yes, well, it's been quite the ordeal for me, too. I only entered this tournament for a bit of fun, but now I've ended up in the semifinals. I've barely had any time at all to spend with Souka and the others gathering source material for the novel.

I'm sure you two will have a wonderful time in your fun-and-friendly match. I, on the other hand, have to take mine a little more seriously. I'm up against that stubborn young lady, after all.

Yeah, who knew it'd get to this point... Miss Yae has to face off against Haniyyah...

Look on the bright side! Maybe Miko will help us defeat Haniyyah!

But that means we won't get to show Haniyyah the error of her ways ourselves... Whatever, Paimon just doesn't want to see Miko lose!

I'm feeling nervous, but excited at the same time!

You don't have to go easy on me. Twirly-Whirly and team have weathered plenty of tough challenges already, and they know how to put up a good fight! So you and your shroom buddies can give it your all!

Well then, prepare for battle, Layla and Twirly!

Oh shoot, we lost...

But you and the gang put on the best show I've seen so far, Twirly-Whirly! That was a real blast, I loved it!

Thank you all! Twirly-Whirly and I went out with a bang. Any other opponent, and we might be feeling a little disappointed right now... but we were definitely beaten by the best.

You did really well too, y'know! Felt like we were one wrong move away from a very mushy Bongo!

Just letting the Fungi do their thing and enjoying the match with no pressure to win... It was a good feeling.

Perhaps this is how all competitions should be...

If only every match could be as carefree as that... Meanwhile, Miko's busy duking it out with Haniyyah. Paimon's so nervous for her! Let's go see how she's doing!

Huh? How did you find me here...

We followed Pyro-1's tracks. We're a little worried about you...

Wait a second... Are you comforting Pyro-1!?

"The irony," I know... and I'd probably be enjoying it, if Pyro-1 were any other animal than a Fungi.

The next time we meet will be in the finals. Whatever you have to say, save it for if you beat me...

The fox lady said you might say that... You're pure of heart, kind, and believe the best in things.

You wouldn't understand if I tried to explain, so here — read this.

Uh, what is it?

These are my ancestors' records. They were attacked by a horde of Fungi in the rainforest, and many people were seriously injured.

There was nothing exceptional about this incident at the time, and it certainly never made it into any official records. But my family have been reading it to me since I was a child, constantly warning me of the grave threat that Fungi pose to us.

So that's what happened... No wonder you're so hostile towards Fungi.

We're sorry about your past.

Yeah! And anyway, doesn't your family's experience make this tournament all the more meaningful? The Wisdom Orb finally means that humans and Fungi can live in peace together...

It's not as simple as turning bad Fungi into nice Fungi with the Wisdom Orb. Plenty of scholars have experimented with similar things in my village in the past.

But every one of them failed, gave up, and moved on. Even this new Wisdom Orb can only suppress the Fungi's aggressive nature temporarily. Without this device, they're still extremely dangerous creatures.

On top of that, the Orb's Intellectual Boost makes the Fungi unnaturally strong. Too much elemental energy in one place is not a good idea, especially for people in poor shape already. If you've got a sensitive constitution and you start using a Wisdom Orb, you're gonna start experiencing symptoms pretty quickly.

Unnaturally strong...?

Wait, Layla's been coughing a lot lately... Could that be because of the Wisdom Orb?

As you'll be well aware by now, all Kautilya cares about is his precious research. He just wants to expand his influence and increase the profile of the beast-tamer event.

Meanwhile, Elchingen's taking advantage of the situation. Impressed by Kautilya's research, he invested a huge sum into promoting the tournament, consequently lowering everyone's guard against the Fungi...

I don't trust either of them, period. I don't believe highly aggressive creatures like the Fungi can co-exist with humans. But I'm just another retired mercenary, so who's gonna listen to me?

All I can do is play by their rules until victory is mine. Then I'll fight for the outcome I'm hoping for, and keep them from getting their way.

I initially had a sliver of hope that you might help me in my endeavors... guess that was pretty naive of me. But it doesn't matter what you think about all this, or what you think of me. I'm going to beat you, and then there will be nothing you can do to stop me.

Haniyyah!

This notebook is just a relic from my past now. Do whatever you want with it, because come the day of the final, I'm going to declare the execution of all Fungi... including Pyro-1.

It's time to say goodbye to the past.

Huh...? It's over already? And why's the atmosphere so heavy... Does this mean Miko won!?

Your match is over too? You took your time. I'm assuming it was a close call...

You sound way too relaxed for someone who's just fought in the semifinals. Bet it was a walk in the park, huh?

Ahaha, yes, ours was as far from a close call as you could get. All it took was a few short, sharp strikes for Blitzara and I...

...to be beaten by Haniyyah.

Huh?

...What, you think this is funny? Am I a joke to you?

Hehe, far from it, Haniyyah. I know full well how serious you are about all this from your iron-clad determination to annihilate an entire species... How would I ever dare mock you?

That said, if you continue down this path and find that it leads somewhere quite different from what you had hoped... what will become of that iron-clad determination then? I look forward to finding out.

That's... not your concern.

Running away so soon?

Miss Yae lost the match, but why is Haniyyah the one who seemed upset...

The situation gets more interesting with each development... Blitzara injured Pyro-1 soon after the match started, and Haniyyah was clearly quite distressed.

I simply pointed out that she's still deceiving herself, and her defenses began breaking down. She's more fragile than I'd imagined.

You mean, Haniyyah isn't as heartless as she tries to make herself out to be? So she does care about Pyro-1... but she didn't mean to show it in front of you...

Right answer. Now's our chance to get through to her. You, my little friends, are the only ones who can get her back onto the right path.

But Haniyyah's long gone now. Where should we look for her?

Well, right now, I'm sure she must be wondering what it is that has made her suddenly start doubting herself after all this time.

The answer lies with the three of you. I'm sure you all know where she's gone to.

Paimon, Layla, and me?

The place where I first met 旅行者 and Paimon?

Good point... it was when Layla mentioned her plan to bring her shroom buddies back home with her that Haniyyah's mood suddenly changed... Layla, it seems like you're on to something!

Let's catch up with Haniyyah and set things straight!

You should stay here, Little Layla. I understand that you want to help Haniyyah, but she's not the kind of person you're good at dealing with. Leave it to them this time.

That's true... And if I said something that struck a nerve again, I'd only make things worse. Plus, you guys move pretty fast... If I tag along, I'd probably need to stop and gather my strength every 10 minutes...

Well, what are you waiting for, little one?

This is everything we've dug up so far.

Oh? My, you've been busier than I thought.

In return, I give you a blessing from me: Good luck. I'll share my thoughts the next time we meet.

Hmm? Ah, hello you two.

Hey, Elchingen! Fancy meeting you here!

Congratulations on advancing to the finals. Your duel with Haniyyah and the Ultimate Trial will no doubt be the highlight of this tournament.

Practicing aside, taking a walk is a good way to prepare yourself for the final. It keeps your mind clear and your spirits up.

I just wanted to find a quiet spot to reflect on what I have learned... what you have shown me.

I am now, more than ever, convinced that the relationship between master and servant improves dramatically when the servant is well-behaved...

Master? Servant? What does that have to do with us?

I'll leave you in peace, then.

Huh? Oh, uh... Yeah! We have something super important to tell you next time we meet!

Very well. I shall patiently look forward to it. Best of luck with your preparations.

That didn't go as planned... Well, there's only one option left: we gotta defeat Haniyyah in the final match.

Didn't Haniyyah mention something about other researchers in the past trying to stop the damage caused by Fungi, too? There should be more information in this notebook. Let's take a look.

These look like... research notes. Guess Haniyyah's ancestors kept them after the scholars left...

Whew... This section looks super complicated. The handwriting is really bad, and there are too many technical terms... Paimon can't make heads or tails of this.

Wait, some of these look familiar though... Oh, that's right, we saw them on the documents Dori gave us!

So the notes and the documents are connected.

Alright! Let's put them side by side, go through carefully, and try to figure out what's written in these notes.

A capturing device? And a Withering Potion?

The device used to capture the Fungi made them calm and approachable.

So that's how it went down... The Fungi only attacked Haniyyah's ancestors because of what that potion did to them... And then the researchers built that device to try and capture the angry Fungi.

Also, if Floral Jelly is just an improved version of the Withering Potion, and the Wisdom Orb isn't Kautilya's invention either...

...He's basically giving someone else's inventions a new name and passing them off as his own. He's a big fat liar!

A big fat liar indeed!

Why is Kautilya so eager to get people to use the Wisdom Orb, anyway?

Maybe he wants to finish the work started by scholars that went before him...

We've gotta warn Elchingen. He needs to stop bankrolling Kautilya right away!

As for Haniyyah... She has no idea that the Fungi only attacked her ancestors because they were under the potion's influence. No wonder she holds it against them...

Don't worry, Bongo-Head. Paimon knows you're not gonna turn evil because of some Floral Jelly. You stayed a very good Fungus, even after we turned off the Wisdom Orb!

Whoa, you can understand what Paimon's saying? Oh wow! You're getting smarter!

Paimon, wait...

Huh? Since when!? Paimon didn't even notice...

Does that mean... Bongo-Head is hanging out with us by choice right now?

It's had a good experience with us so far.

See, see! Haniyyah was wrong after all, the Fungi aren't gonna lose control this time. Some Fungi understand people and just wanna get along, like Bongo-Head here!

Haniyyah did make one good point, though: The Wisdom Orb has its limits. As long as that's the case, Fungi won't be able to live with humans forever.

Aww... Paimon was really hoping Bongo-Head could join us for the rest of our journey... Isn't there a way?

Let's keep a safe distance from them now...

Yeah... It's a shame, but it seems like there's no other choice.

We still have some time before the final. Should we report Kautilya to the Akademiya?

We don't know what he's capable of.

True... For him to have made it this far, he must've been planning for a long time. If he caught wind of our plans to expose him, he'd definitely be wary of us!

Whatever else happens, we have to give it our all on the day of the final. Let's beat Haniyyah, and knock some sense into her. Then, we should get Elchingen to help us expose Kautilya for the fraud he is!