And so it has begun (v2)

We reached the scene of the explosive, only to find a hellish sight. Flames and debris were scattered everywhere, and the air was thick with smoke and dust. It seemed that the battle had already ravaged this place, leaving behind a trail of destruction. But strangely enough, the area was deserted. A river flowed calmly on one side, and a boulevard stretched on the other, and most of the carnage was confined to the trees and roads. A few houses remained intact, as if they were protected by some divine force.

It was somewhat surreal and convenient. It felt more like a light novel, where the heroes always fought in convenient locations where no civilians would get hurt. I wondered if this was some kind of plot device, or if we were just lucky. But luck wouldn’t matter if we were too late. I could only hope it wasn’t the case.

Harley and I scanned the area for signs of the attackers, trying to figure out who was behind the mayhem while Kitty went on a scouting mission. The cracks and damage were like scars on the landscape, telling a story of a fierce battle. I didn’t recognize any of the marks of attack, which made me uneasy. Whoever did this must have some kind of godly power. I was glad that I had some experience as a writer of the action genre, and that I had witnessed some realistic combat scenes at famous movie studios. They revealed some hints about our adversary’s skills and tactics. I could still deduce some possible suspects, based on the scale and nature of the damage.

“Have you found any clues about who could be behind all of this?”

“I still haven't. I don't know what manga the character who caused this is from. There was also no trace of the use of a ranged weapon, probably only melee weapons were used if there were such long slashes on the ground. Most likely Dukus, or the Skyline race.”

“I don't see many similarities in magical energy that I know. However, there is also something familiar from the Dragon Island manga mixed in. I have a bad feeling about this. The existence of magical energy from the Dragon Island manga suggests that someone from our story has arrived in your world.”

Looking back, I was right to not create an overly complicated magic system for the Dragon Island manga. Even though there were many different character classifications such as warriors, magicians, witches, etc., they all shared the same magical energy. Therefore, it could help us easily distinguish Dragon Island completely from all other manga series. But that did not make me feel any less dreadful about the situation.

“And the other unknown energy tells that someone from another manga has appeared?”

“I can't be completely sure since a strange source of energy cannot tell much, but I can feel a similarity to the energy presented in your blank white paper sheets back home.”

The prospect of witnessing my creations come to life was exhilarating, akin to the heart-pounding action of cinematic masterpieces. However, the troubles coming along with it were inevitable. Despite my first impression, as I was about to have my wish granted, I no longer wanted to face the terrifying reality of it at all.

“There are no casualties, it seems that the people have been evacuated. I don't see any sign of the person causing the wreckage either. This could very well be a trap,” Kitty reported back after she scouted the area.

"You're right, ever since we got here, everything has been too quiet," said Harley.

Now that I had noticed, there had been no sound of movement besides the eerie crackle of fire and smoke. Everything was as if time had stopped and there were only three of us in a ghost town. Where were the sirens of police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances? How could such a large neighborhood be devoid of any signs of life at that moment?

As we wondered, a shock wave from a massive explosion rocked the ground beneath our feet. It was a signal that our time for discussion was over.

“Okay, let's go home,” I tried to stay calm.

“Eh?” Harley and Kitty were surprised.

"What do you mean?" Harley asked me with a confusing expression.

I couldn’t tell them I was panicking.

But isn’t running away like this the same as belittling their kindness? Who am I to trivialize the very warmth they’ve extended towards me? Is this how I want to be fairer to them? To share their burden, to become someone worthy of their kindness? Or am I to make it a reality that I was in the right for hurting them?

A brief thought darted through my mind.

No, there was no way I could do that and betrayed their trust in me. In their eyes, I was still their hero no matter what.

I clenched my fists, took a deep breath to steady myself, turned to face them and spoke.

"Listen, I don't know who's behind this madness, so you two please be careful."

“I'm glad you're worried about us too. We won't let you down," Harley smiled as she gave me an OK thumbs-up while Kitty raised her hand in a stern salute: "Roger!"

Step one: analysis. The three of us crept closer to the scene of the battle and scanned it from a safe distance. Harley enhanced her vision with a self-enhance spell, and Kitty activated her eye prowess “Akagetsu” to report to me.

I had to admit, “Akagetsu” was one of the most overpowered eye prowess abilities I had ever created. It was so powerful that it almost made her a godlike being. I mean, who else could swap places with anyone or almost anything at will, or control the other movement and transfer their power to another person? Even though we had such a formidable ace up our sleeve, strategy and timing were often the main determinant of victory.

“Master, I see two entities engaging in close combat. One giant wields an energy axe. The other…I’m unsure. It’s almost like a phantom, they are too fast for me to identify correctly. I don't think any of them are the talking type either."

Too fast for even Kitty’s eye prowess, a rare and unexpected case. It wasn’t that we lacked strategies to counter such forces; rather, my silent pleas were to avoid an encounter with any entity from ‘World Wonders,’ the manga where characters wielded divine powers.

“Looks like it's not just the two of them, I can somewhat sense someone else's presence,” said Harley.

With telepathy, not only could Harley communicate with her mind, but she could also sense the precise location of different mana sources, aiding her to determine the number of potential foes nearby. But without enough information, I couldn’t guess or pin down which character it was. My mind was too messed up right now to speculate. My only guess for the giant with an axe was possibly an ogre.

A blinding glare of sparks erupted as their weapons collided, followed by a thunderous clash that shook the walls and rattled the windows around us. Kitty's ears twitched lightly, her pink eyes sparkling with certainty. She had just realized something important.

“Did you notice something?” Harley asked when she noticed the slight change in Kitty’s train of thought.

“Just now was an attack with a familiar spell,” Kitty responded.

As the sword of the phantom flashed towards the giant, with his heavy axe, the giant nimbly deflected the blade with a loud clang. But to his shock, the phantom reappeared out of thin air, grabbing their sword and delivering a surprising strike.

“That technique,” Kitty then turned to tell me, “master, it’s a sword mage.”

“A sword mage huh?”

"Their magical energy isn't exotic, they come from Dragon Island," Harley added.

“I think I know the answer about who could be behind this now.”

As soon as I finished speaking, a loud noise erupted behind us. Harley quickly wrapped Kitty and me in a magic bubble and shoved us aside. A large object had flown straight towards us from the back, barely missing us. In the distance, through the foggy smoke of the attack, two red dots glowed. A figure was hovering in the air.

A chill ran down my spine. I felt paralyzed as the terrifying red eyes fixed on me. The attacker was after me. Behind him, more objects were hurtling towards me at full speed.

Get up! Get up! Run!

I kept telling myself, but I couldn’t move a muscle. I was not as brave as Iimagined.

Before I could react, Harley appeared in front of me and conjured a shield-like spell to protect me.

What was it? What was wrong with me? Why couldn’t I move even though I knew I had to run? Was I afraid? Was it what real fear felt like?

Kitty dashed from afar with incredible speed and unleashed a barrage of strikes on the attacker from a distance. Her actions snapped me out of my trance.

Not good at all. The fight had already begun before we could analyze anything.

Kitty's attacks were quickly parried by other large objects. With a single counterattack from her opponent, Kitty was sent flying.

"Kitty!" I called her name out loud in anxiety.

Harley swiftly cast an attack spell that unleashed a wave of lightning towards the enemy, while Kitty labored to fight back and stand her ground. In an instant, I recognized who we were facing.

Red eyes, spiky gray hair, a brown jacket with a red sword emblem, and the power to levitate objects; he was one of the otherworldly heroes who had helped us defeat the Demon Lord in the Dragon Island manga. But he looked nothing like his calm and cheerful self in the manga. His expression was serious and his eyes were piercing, as if he wanted to kill us. I felt a chill run down my spine as I realized something was wrong. Harley and Kitty also sensed the danger and did not bother looking for an explanation. They focused on fending off his attacks.

Given the current situation, all I could do was have a one-way communication with Harley about our opponent from afar as she read my thoughts. However, even with the knowledge of their power and tactics, we could not gain any advantage in the battle.

After a barrage of ineffective strikes, Harley and Kitty switched to a familiar tactic. They had recognized some of their opponent’s fighting patterns and launched their special two-man attack formation. The combination of Kitty’s speed and Harly’s support magic gave them an opening. Kitty landed a hit on their foe and activated Akagetsu, trying to disable his movement. However, he shrugged off the blow as if it was nothing. He quickly countered Kitty with a swift kick followed with a telekinesis object strike from the side, sending her flying. He then turned his attention to Harley, preparing to strike her down as quickly as possible.

Luckily for us, before he could launch his telekinesis attack and break through Harley's magical defenses, a shadow descended upon him. A figure leaped from the sky with her sword, striking him with such force that made him recoil. Immediately after, she flung her weapon at me and vanished. I blinked and she suddenly reappeared behind me, parrying the axe of the giant that was aimed at me.

“Is everyone okay?” She spoke to us.

"We're fine, what's going on Sissi?" Harley asked her.

As I looked at her sword, a flash of recognition hit me. The intricate lightning pattern on her blade and the unique hybrid of a sleek rapier and a curved katana were unmistakable. It was the same sword that belonged to one of the local heroes from Dragon Island story. Unlike the gray hair hero, she appeared to be our ally.

“The other heroes were hypnotized, they tracked me here,” her statement foreshadowed the coming bad omen. Something had brought her here as well as the other heroes.

In the distance, the axe wielder walked towards us, the one who had hurled the weapon that nearly hit me. He was a colossal figure, more than three meters in height, with a muscular body that strained his uniform. He bore the sword insignia, indicating he was a hero too. Sissi, she was right about them being hypnotized.

"Brace yourself for another attack. I'll back you up Nyan," Sissi said as she raised her sword high and held it firmly with both hands.

As the giant’s axe materialized in his hand again, our opponents got into a fighting position. I had a strange sensation of seeing two long health bars in the bottom corner of my vision, with the names of our opponents on them. It was like I was in a video game, facing a boss.

“Sissi, I don't think I can aid you right now,” I approached her and whispered.

“Understood, then I shall create an opening for you.”

Sissi leapt forward to block the giant's energy beam, leaving me with a puzzling confusion as to what was going on. Behind me, Harley and Kitty were fending off the attack of the gray hair hero.

Sissi and her sword formed a formidable defense that nothing could penetrate. She fought with the elegance of a dancer, a majestic hero in motion. Her speed was too fast for ordinary people like me to keep up. I could only watch her from a safe distance, feeling that if I moved, I would be caught in their crossfire.

"Nyan, it's your turn."

She said and swiftly switched places with me as the giant’s axe was deflected and disabled.

Before I could react, I appeared in front of him and soon got my butt beaten. With just one kick to the stomach, I could feel my belly fat had left the chat. Painfully, I didn't have the strength to utter a cry for help. He raised his hands, and his axe appeared again, ready for a finishing blow on me.

Harley conjured thousands of chains with a spell and bound him, and Sissi teleported next to me and shoved him away.

"Are you okay, Nyan?" Sissi innocently asked.

“You owe me a wheelchair,” I answered her as she helped me up.

There were loud noises again, from far away. Harley and Kitty were still putting up a fight against their foe. The giant was relentless, he was furiously resisting the chains that held him, ready to unleash the beast within him.

“Help them, I'll be fine,” I told Sissi.

"Understood."

She flung her sword at the giant, who dodged it effortlessly. In the blink of an eye, she teleported next to the sword and used the binding mark on the giant, shifting him next to the other hero. Gripping her sword with both hands, Sissi thrusted forward with all her might, vanished and unpredictably descended like lightning from above where the gray-haired hero and the giant stood.

I for once was able to precisely decipher my manga character’s ability in this fight. As the manga explained:

“Sissi is a skilled sword mage with teleportation ability. She places her magical energy at a location with a mark of binding and can teleport to and from there within a certain time. Sissi’s sword is not an ordinary sword but a very special one. It appears to be made of magic while exists as a real physical object that connects with her magic and energy. With a sword that can teleport with her, she fights with surprise and aggression.”

Harley and Kitty then rushed to her aid. The three of them kept taking turns attacking and switching positions constantly to confuse the opponents. I watched in awe at their coordination and improvisation. Kitty’s eyes suddenly glowed brighter and her pupil got sharper, showing how serious she was as she activated her eyes' prowess to the fullest, swapping her and others’ places to coordinate attacks on their opponents. While her fierce battle cry sent shivers down my spine, I also found it cute when her fangs were showing. This was better than any VR movie I had ever seen.

Three against two, the odds were not in our opponents’ favor. Yet they were still the dominant force of the battle. They were outnumbered, but not outmatched. They unleashed their full power, overpowering their foes with sheer force. It was not easy to face the heroes of Dragon Island, each of them was no different from an elite warrior. Despite everyone's efforts and the knowledge of my own characters, the hypnotized heroes soon adapted to Akagetsu’s swapping power, putting our surprise combat advantage at a disadvantage as Kitty was constantly draining her energy for using her eye prowess but to no avail.

Their agility was unmatched, a blur against the backdrop of the battlefield. Yet, our adversaries boasted raw power and unbridled ferocity. The giant foe before them stood unyielding, a monolith of defense. Each of Sissi’s calculated strikes met not flesh, but an impenetrable wall, as the giant deflected them with a grace that belied his massive form. He was the embodiment of foresight, predicting their strategies with an almost prescient awareness, ensuring his comrade remained untouched, unscathed.

Sissi’s challenge was formidable; her target, a long-ranged telekinetic, wielded influence from afar. This frightening force served dual purposes, acting as a bulwark against their opponents’ assaults and a blade that cut through their foes’ defenses, all while nestled safely behind the giant’s towering presence.

Overwhelmed, my head was a mess. I never expected real experiences to be so stressful and challenging. I knew that my mission to communicate was vital to Harley, but there was really not much I could do about it. The longer the fight dragged on, the more my spirit weakened. And even though I knew my manga characters well, my thoughts ran dry when reality outpaced me. This option was not working, I had to find another way to help them.

As I watched Harley cast a spell, a new idea struck me. My hand moved instinctively, making the gesture of fabricating a magical spell. It was a habit I had developed for creating magical powers for my manga. I realized that I could teach Harley how to execute the S-tier spells of Dragon Island.

“Harley, I don't know if this is possible, but follow my lead,” I communicated to her through my thoughts.

Harley turned around and nodded at me to signal her readiness. She changed her combat strategy, switching from defensive and support magic types to offensive ones. I could see a change of variety in her spells as the result. The air crackled with the diversity of her offensive spells, a vivid testament to her versatility in battle. In the realm of martial prowess, it is often said that a master of a few disciplines trumps a jack of all trades. Yet, Harley’s deviation from this wisdom hinted at a cunning ploy - a preparation for a decisive blow.

Her next act defied all expectations; a sorceress renowned for her ranged mastery dared to confront the behemoth in melee, something no sorcerer or mage should ever do. She was hurled into the air by the giant’s crushing blow, but she swiftly regained her composure and uttered the spell I had taught her as she landed gracefully on her feet. In response, ethereal magic blades materialized out of thin air around the two foes, impaling and rendering them motionless.

“Holy sh*t,” Harley said in surprise after successfully casting the spell.

Be careful with the language Harley, or the publisher would likely ban our story.

I was not sure what she was thinking, but everything seemed to have worked out.

We exchanged a brief smile of relief before she suddenly fell flat on the ground.