~~Prologue~~

"The Hobo"

"Your life ends here, devil!"

"Fwahahaha! I am inevitable, puny human! A mere mortal like you could never stand a chance against a demon like me! Now! Take this!"



Damn, this anime is still amazing after rewatching it for the bajillionth time.

Bane of Tartaros has always, always been top of my "Most Favorite Anime List" because it's full of suspense, action, and of course..

"Nghhh! Kyah! Hanzo-kun! The devil ripped off my clothes!"

...the awesome fan service.

This masterpiece of an anime is about a guy named Hanzo who once lived in Japan, until he died and got sucked into another world where he went on amazing adventures with a harem of hot girls to defeat the monsters who invaded their land.

Call it generic for all I care, it's been engraved as one of the best anime of all time in my heart!

"W-wait, what's happening to me?! You fiend! What did you do to me?!"

"Hanzo-kun, no!"

One of the harem members shouted as the main character started to be cloaked in a weird, dark aura.

The first time I watched this ending, I got so surprised to the point where my heart nearly stopped beating. It was that big of a twist.

The devil managed to corrupt Hanzo with demon magic and he got transformed into the King of Hell.

Then, after that..

"GAHHHH! Damn you, Isekai Productions! You retarded company! It's been a full year yet Bane of Tartaros still hasn't gotten the season two it deserves! GAHHHH!"

It's reasonable to throw a tantrum at this point. Why the bloody hell hasn't this anime gotten a second season yet?! Low ratings my ass! It's the best show out there!

"Hanzo-kun, what's happening to you?!"

"Fufufu.. This power flowing through my veins.. It feels so good!"

I viciously bit my shirt in frustration after hearing that from the silver haired swordsman in my television set.

"Screw you Hanzo! You're such a tool! Not only did the season end abruptly after this cliffhanger of an episode, and not only is the manga fucking cancelled, but you also leave us with this pussy attitude! To hell with you! Literally!"

After yelling at my television in the middle of the night at about 8:00 PM, I came to a realization.

There's a chance that what had happened to Hanzo could happen to me as well! If I remember correctly, Hanzo got run over by a truck, right?! If I manage to do that, not only would I be able to transfer to another world and start my own adventure, but I'd also be able to escape this pointless life that nobody gives a damn about! Yes! It's the perfect plan!

I dashed out my house in an instant after thinking about it.

This useless, temporary reality that we call life is a sham.

Go to school? What for? To be able to get work in the future?

Go to work? What for? To earn money?

Sure, you'd make money to keep yourself alive, but where's the thrill in that?!

Where's the thrill in working in a cubicle as a boring old salaryman, computing numbers everyday?

I do not approve of that lifestyle one single bit.

Bane of Tartaros is different. Work there isn't like work here.

There, you'd be able to fight monsters to collect bounties at the guild.

There, you'd be able to get a harem of cute anime girls.

There, you wouldn't rot away in an office!

I cement myself onto this belief.

Reality sucks ass.

Today will be my final day in this dull world.

The moment that truck coming towards me rams into my body, I'll be free from this hell hole we call reality.

My name is Aoki Kaito - sixteen years old, a massive anime fan, a highschool student.

Closing my eyes, I'm signing off.

...

...

"Get out of the way!"

Hey, what the heck?!

I found myself back on the sidewalk of this suburban side of Shibuya, something heavy on top of me as I laid on the cold concrete ground.

I was confused.

The weight on top of me then started to disappear as blonde hair passed by my eyes.

It was a girl.

"Hey, are you alright? I saw you standing in the middle of the road looking deep into space. You should be more careful next time, okay?"

My eyes followed the truck that had already passed by the area where I stood firmly.

"Umm, you haven't said anything in a while. Are you okay? Did your head bump into the ground? Should I call an ambulance?"

The truck..

I missed my precious chance.

"Hello? Hello? Err, are you still there? Hello?"

I missed my...

..precious chance.

"Mister? Are you still-"

"You annoying little bitch! Why the hell would you do such a thing?! You made me miss my ticket to happiness! You brat! Apologize now!"

"H-huh?!"

"Don't you huh me! You just had to come in and ruin other people's plans! I haven't bothered anyone and that includes you, so why the bloody hell did you push me off the road?!"

"Hold on a second! Are you insane?! Shouldn't you be thanking me instead for saving your life, you ungrateful jerk?! I risked my life for you, so why are you so mad?!"

"Helped?! You didn't help at all! Plus, the fact that you think that I'm the crazy one pisses me off even more!"

"Y-you little.."

Hey, wait a minute.

I know this girl!

If I remember correctly, she goes to the same school as I do. No wait, I think we're even in the same class! Not only that, I think she's like, the school idol or something. She even dresses the part. The expensive orange dress accompanied by that blue jacket with the obvious trendy branding is comparable to the clothes of an empress when put beside the white tee and black sweats I've been wearing on repeat for the past three days.

"Y-you're Ueno Sana, right?"

Ueno Sana - the school idol. If my memory does me any good, she excels in everything. Sports, academics, you name it. The boys in my highschool had all fallen to her charm and personality. She's what you could call the "most famous girl in school", and you know what that means..

Yes, exactly.

She's the normiest of the norms.

"Eh? You know who I am?"

"Y-yeah. We go to the same school. We're classmates, even."

"Huh? Then how come I'm not familiar with your face?"

Well, that's because I rarely go to school.

Mom and dad are always at work so there's nobody to chew me out for being an anime loving shut-in. I pay a visit to school once in a while to prevent them from kicking me out. That's why I'm familiar with Ueno here.

"Eh, that's because.."

"No wait! I remember you! You're that pervert who installed a hidden camera in the girls' locker room!"

Oops. I guess she remembered.

You can't blame me for doing such a thing. A whole day without anime or games is complete torture for a guy like me. You could at least allow me a bit of fun!

I only laughed at her flustered face.

"Yeah, that's me. My name's Aoki Kaito. But don't get me wrong, even though you're the school idol, I'm still pissed off that you pushed me out of that truck's way."

"What the hell is wrong with you? Why would you want to get hit by a truck? Don't tell me that you aren't only a pervert, but a masochist as well?"

M-masochist? Is her image of me that low?!

"I know of a place where I could break free from this dumb world and work as an adventurer! This reality is too boring, and we humans are cursed with the future of being pent up in an office, working brainlessly everyday. That place I wish to go to can only be accessed through death by truck!"

After a brief silence, Ueno removed the arm that I managed to sling over her and said-

"Maybe you really do need an ambulance."

..This girl!

Deep breaths, Kaito. You don't need to get worked up.

"I understand. You're a normie, right? There's no way you could grasp what I'm saying."

Looking at me with what seemed to be purple eyes that looked like they were concerned, she sighed.

"Aoki-kun, right? There's no such thing as that kind of world you're talking about. Life shouldn't be taken for granted, you know? Well, I do believe in the afterlife and reincarnation, but the life you own right now is what matters. If you throw it away, not only will you might anger the gods, but your family would also miss you!"

"Piss off."

Family? Never was there a moment that my parents made time for me. This girl dares to say something as ignorant as that? I don't give a shit about her crummy title as the most popular girl in school, I'd karate chop her in the neck!

"Can that skull of yours allow some sense into your tiny brain?!"

"What're you calling tiny brain?! Just because I don't go to school doesn't mean I'm stupid, you know?"

"Why don't you go to school then?!"

"Because it's boring! I'd rather spend my time staying at home and marathon some anime."

"So you're a NEET?"

This annoying girl! Just because she's high in the social class of school, she thinks she can insult me just like that?!

I'll show her...!

"Ah, so that's how it is! Just because you're the school idol with skyhigh grades, you have the permission to look down on others, is that it?"

"Hey-"

"Not only that, isn't the reason you helped me is because you wanted something in return? Is that it, Ueno-san?"

"Huh?! No, of course not! Don't paint me up to be some sort of girl with a fake personality!"

"Well, you sure are acting like one!"

"No way! I help people whenever I can! You should learn to appreciate instead! Hmph!"

"Whatever. I'm gonna find a way to die again, so don't come ruining things the second time. Instead, why don't you join me in my journey to another world?"

"As if. I have a future to look forward to."

You know what, forget it. I shouldn't be wasting anymore time on this. I'll wait for another truck to pass by.

However, before I was able to walk back to the middle of the road-

"This is a holdup! Give me all the money you have right now!"

This idiot showed up.

A man that looked like he's homeless was pointing a gun at Ueno.

"B-but I don't have any money on me..!"

"I'm not buying it! Fork over everything, now!"

The girl from earlier, who was acting all high and mighty earlier was now looking at the armed man with cowardly eyes. Her knees were trembling and her tears were starting to flow.

The face she's making is priceless!

...

Well, if I want to prove myself a better hero than Hanzo from Bane of Tartaros, there's no way I could leave a person in trouble behind. Doing so would leave a sour taste on my mouth. And my guilt.

Even though she was rude to me..

"Hey, you."

Hearing me, Ueno and the hobo both shifted their gazes towards me.

"My name is Aoki Kaito! I'm an adventurer who will prove myself worthy by surpassing the King of the Hell! You dare try to terrorize this neighborhood right before my presence?! If that's the case, then I'll vanquish you from the face of the earth!"

They're probably so frightened that they couldn't help but look at me in silence.

"What the hell are you talking about?" x2

Both of them said with a confused tone in their voices.

Picking up a nearby iron pipe that's been sitting around the sidewalk nearby, I charged at the man and yelled-

"Take this!"

Bang! Bang!

※

..

...

Ugh..

Wait, what happened?

Did I pass out after I took down that hobo? Was I not able to handle my full power and collapsed?

All I remember's that I blacked out. That's it. After that, a white light shone down on me and now I'm here..

I also remember Ueno-san..

Did she send me to the hospital? If so, I'm glad she's alright, even though she was a complete jerk.

I was definitely laying down, but this doesn't feel like a hospital bed though..

I moved my arms around.

This feeling..

Grass?

I decided to finally open my eyes.

A clear blue sky with fluffy cottonballs of clouds greeted me immediately upon doing so.

It was night when I defeated that hobo.. How long was I down? No, more importantly, where the hell am I?

Gasp! That girl, Ueno! Did she just dump me in the outskirts of town after I saved her?! That ungrateful brat!

I looked around me and saw cows, trees, and everything you would find in a rural field.

It was really breezy though. Too breezy.

..

Wait a minute..

Gah! Why the heck am I naked?!

No way! Ueno..

Did she do weird things to me when I was passed out? I knew she was a douche, but I never knew she was a pervert! How dare she! If she took my first while I was unconscious, she'll pay for that!

"Oof.. Where am I..?"

That voice beside me.. There's no doubt about it..

"Wh-where am I? What just happened? Did I fall asleep? No.. That can't be it. Why am I in the middle of.."

Oh. Oh my.

"Huh? Aoki-kun? KYAH! Why the hell are you dressed like that?! You pervert! W-wait a second.. Where the hell are my clothes?!"

Whoaaa...

The school idol's body is no joke! She's not too busty, but she's not petite either! I'd give her an A+!

I wasn't able to gawk at her for too long though, since she threw a rock at me.

"Where do you think you're looking at?!"

"I-it's not my fault! A naked woman is in front of me, how can a straight man resist?! Besides, you took away my first time so I can do what I want!"

"I-I didn't take away anything from you, you perverted NEET!"

Despite the eye candy, I should focus on the problem at hand.

"Aoki-kun! Where are we?!"

Hmm..

Even though my face was bleeding, I searched around the field. I spotted a wooden sign plucked into the grass on a wooden pole saying-

"Sipalarg Hills.. Wait, why is that so familiar?"

Indeed, the name rings a bell.

"Sipalarg Hills? What kind of name is that? I don't remember any place like that in Japan.."

The blonde girl said while covering her body.

Wait!

"Now I remember!"

Yes! There's no doubt about it! This is the place where Hanzo first came into this world! That could mean only one thing!

"No way.. No freaking way!"

I started to shake, my body full of mixed emotions that I couldn't comprehend at all at the moment.

"Aoki-kun? What's wrong?"

After taking a deep breath, I joyfully yelled out to the world-

"I'm actually in the same world as Bane of Tartaros! My dream of being transported to another world has been granted!"

End of Prologue