039. A Week with the Oarak
A week with the Oarak. Had some affection really taken root in that short time? Watching them prepare to return to their original world, I felt more worry than envy. Could the revolution really triumph just because these three went back? No. Even if they rejoined the revolutionaries, nothing would change. The revolutionaries' chances of defeating the government were exceedingly slim. Rise was one of Lumina Planet's strongest Oarak, but even after a week of training, it wasn't enough to overturn their defeat. And that made sense—the gap in forces between the government and the revolutionaries was overwhelming.
From what I'd heard about their power disparity, it was a miracle the revolutionaries had held out against the government this long. If they'd ever clashed in all-out war even once, the revolutionaries would have been annihilated.
Worried, I asked Rise point-blank: Did they really have to go back? Did they have to fight a battle with no hope of victory?
To that, Rise replied,
"We must, even so."
"Our fight transcends mere victory or defeat."
"Even if our odds are slim, our struggle itself is the spark for Lumina's future. If we give up now, it wouldn't just be the revolution's failure—it would be the death of our race's soul."
"For freedom and equality, to bequeath a better world to our descendants, we will fight to the end, prepared to die. Though I may fall and turn to ash, our resistance itself will be the seed that changes the future."
To keep the flame of hope alive for Oarak oppressed by the government. To preserve the revolutionary spark. Rise wouldn't budge on returning.
In the end, I had no choice but to let them go. But I didn't want to abandon them to death. After much deliberation, I made a decision. Before the Oarak returned, I'd make Rise one proposal. It was a win-win for both him and me.
Lumina Planet's capital, Neo Astra. An especially grim pall hung over the central execution ground today. Silence flowed beneath the blue sky. In the hush so profound even the crowd filling the plaza seemed to hold their breath, countless revolutionary prisoners knelt with heads bowed on the platform.
The despair glistening in their eyes flickered alongside unquenched sparks of resistance.
"Execute them."
A low voice echoed. With it, the executioners before the prisoners raised their swords high in unison.
That instant.
Tzzzzzzt—! Something tore, and a dark portal ripped through reality's seam above the platform. The crowd's eyes snapped to it. Even the executioners weren't immune.
From the darkness, three silhouettes gradually emerged.
The citizens who saw them covered their mouths with their hands.
"Th-those are..."
"Ahh... they're alive...!"
Rise, Terio, Ayula. The return of the three Oarak who symbolized the revolutionaries.
The prisoners who witnessed them changed. Their eyes ignited.
"Commander-in-Chief!"
"You're safe, Rise!"
"Terio and Ayula too!"
Hope dawned on faces sunk in despair. The crowds groaning under government oppression felt it too.
Government Oarak, meanwhile, wore clear dismay.
"Why is Rise here...?"
"Didn't he die back then?"
"Sh-shouldn't we capture him?"
"Us? Restrain Rise when he's not even bound?"
"Contact command first!"
As the executioners murmured, Rise atop the platform slowly surveyed his surroundings, frowning slightly at the bound revolutionaries.
He swung his hand lightly. Ambient energy condensed, gathered, then sliced like blades, cleanly severing the executioners' necks.
Thud.
The bodies collapsed limply. It happened so abruptly no screams rang out.
"Ayula. Free them."
Rise nodded toward the prisoners. Ayula replied vigorously and obeyed, while Terio stuck close behind, murmuring,
"Looks like we picked a bad time to return."
Rise shook his head lightly.
"No, rather fortuitous. We can announce our return to the crowds, save comrades on the brink of execution... and above all, no more dragging our feet under the government's watchful eye."
With that, Rise stepped forward a few paces and peered down from the platform. He took a short deep breath, filled his lungs fully, then unleashed his voice with resolute expression.
"...Children of Lumina! Lend your ears!"
The silence shrouding the execution ground shattered. His booming voice reverberated to every corner of the plaza.
"Today, we shall rewrite Lumina's history! The time has come to shatter the chains of oppression and greet the dawn of freedom!"
Dignity infused his tone. In the tension where breaths went unheard, weapons trembled faintly in government Oarak hands.
Rise sensed their agitation but didn't flinch, pressing on with his speech.
"I swear to you: When tomorrow's sun rises, our struggle will no longer be rebellion, but a righteous revolution etched in memory!"
His voice brimmed with conviction and resolve. Each word kindled fire in the crowds' hearts, igniting sparks of hope in the oppressed's eyes.
"The tale we write in our blood and sweat shall symbolize courage and pride for our descendants!"
His pitch rose an octave. Power surged into his words, pounding the crowds' hearts hot.
"Finally, a warning!"
Rise's gaze sharpened. He bellowed with momentum sweeping the entire ground.
"Those who stand with us! Those who choose justice! From this moment, we judge the tyrant's minions—so if you're not one, flee this place now to safety and hide for the day! When tomorrow's sun rises, the government falls! Their fall marks Lumina's new beginning!"
Chaos engulfed the execution ground. Those fearing in government ranks, those thrilled with excitement, those steeled with resolve—all swirled together.
All save Rise, Terio, and Ayula remained ignorant. Of how Rise's return would ignite Lumina's fate-altering fuse. And open a new chapter in history.
Most of the crowd fled the execution ground upon hearing Rise's speech. Now remaining were only government dogs or revolutionaries.
"Capture all the rebels!"
"Reinforcements have arrived! Take them alive if possible—otherwise, kill them!"
Unlike revolutionaries yet unaware of Rise's return, the government had dispatched all combat personnel to the ground immediately.
"Protect Rise!"
"Don't fall back! The Commander-in-Chief said reinforcements are coming soon!"
Despite numerical inferiority, the freed revolutionaries desperately resisted the government. Terio and Ayula stepped forward, battle-ready.
"Duumba."
Terio lightly bucked his hips.
"Duumba."
Ayula shook hers in response. They exchanged glances, then
"Duumba! Duumba!"
"Duumba! Duumba!"
Shouted in unison, revving their hips fully.
Government Oarak gaped at the absurd sight.
"What the hell are those lunatics doing?"
"Hah... dancing like cheap clowns in this situation..."
"They're out of their minds."
"Kill those bastards first!"
Talk all you want. Terio and Ayula ignored the stares. Mockery be damned. They just shook their hips harder.
"Now, shall we dance with joy?"
Terio grinned.
"Shout loud! Dance with joy!"
Ayula replied, hips swaying wildly.
Wiggle wiggle.
Their hips moved rhythmically. Government Oarak sneered and charged.
But...
"Wh-what?! Why aren't the attacks landing?!"
"Dodging everything while dancing? What nonsense is this...!"
"Their moves aren't ordinary!"
"Hit, hit! Hit already!!!"
Terio and Ayula toyed with them, evading every strike through dance alone. Then Terio's hips suddenly accelerated, smashing a government Oarak's face.
"Duumba!"
"Guhk?!"
Terio twisted immediately, hip-smashing the next Oarak beside him.
Splat! Splat! Splat!
"Argh! What is this?!"
"Me, taken down by that filthy dance... guhk!"
Caught off-guard by the potent hip strikes, government Oarak toppled rapidly.
Watching, Rise let slip admiration.
"Oho... I never thought that dance would actually help... Don't want to learn it, but the performance is solid, guh."
As Rise muttered, seven figures approached slowly from afar. Beings whose mere presence overwhelmed the surroundings. The government's highest powers—the Seven Commanders—had all appeared.
One eyed Rise curiously.
"Huh? Thought you'd run, but you're still here?"
"I waited on purpose. A chance to take you all at once."
Rise didn't look at them, staring into empty air as he replied.
The Seven burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!"
"Funny, hilarious. What gives you that confidence?"
"Hm. Feels a bit different somehow. Slightly stronger, maybe."
"Doesn't change a thing."
No one took Rise seriously. Just bravado.
"Heh. Don't mock too much. Must have some ace up his sleeve to stick around."
"Pfft. Curious what it is. We'll wait patiently—show us."
They mocked and belittled him. Whatever they said, Rise kept staring into the void.
"It will come soon."
He murmured, barely audible.
"The one to show you hell."
Then.
Designated Dispatch Right used on Lumina Planet.
Target selected.
Target: Rise Nova.
A massive rift tore open behind Rise.
Coordinates locked. Commencing dispatch.
Space warped, reality's veil tore. Ominous light leaked from the gap, distorting the air around them.
Dimensional barrier collapsing.
Dispatchee's power is unleashed. Dispatchee regains original strength.
Darkness swirled at the rift's core, and a figure emerged from within. Debris around danced upward in rhythm with its steps.
The Seven Commanders instinctively shrank. The silhouette alone exuded overwhelming aura—an entity on a utterly different level, incomparable to them.
Demon King, Psycho Clown manifests.
