Editing Apocalypse Witch:Volume4 Chapter4 (section)

===Part 2===

“Cinderella Queen here. Out of respect for our final two contestants’ determination, I’m wearing my official dress today. Now, we are about to witness something that will make us feel so lucky we were born in this era!! So join me in the loudest cheers this tournament has heard!!!!!!”

A deluge of cheers swallowed up Karuta.

Someone had set this stage for him.

He just stood there in front of a deadly cage full of good will and kindness.

“All those critics stupid enough to doubt his power need to answer for their smug overconfidence. Okay, everyone! Dig up all those articles and videos that aged like milk so we can make them the biggest laughingstocks of the age! It turns out the world’s strongest really was the world’s strongest. This crystal magician is the protector of the 5.5 billion! It’s Utagaaai Kaarutaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!”

A metal container suspended by wires was slowly lowered by a tiltrotor on the other side of the ring. The double doors opened from within and a familiar face emerged.

It was the mystery girl with gorgeous blonde ringlets and a casual outfit made from a tank top and dance pants.

She had spoken like she had already known who was working for the human string pullers and how it would affect him.

“And then we have the only person still crazy enough to get in the ring with him! But she’s also enough of a monster to survive this long, so who knows? This no-name newcomer clearly has some kind of superhuman secret!! She’s a priestess of the unique Balinese form of Hinduism and a dancer to boot. It’s Pendet Denpasarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!”

He heard what almost sounded like tapdancing. A boar-sized object floated on either side of the blonde ringlets girl. Those dolls(?) were made from a large mask, a thick, cloak-like cloth, and jointless sticks for legs.

Barong and Rangda.

Wasn’t that what Pendet had called them?

“But what kind of magic do you get with Balinese Hinduism? I really only know of Bali as an island tourist destination. And if an entertainer like me is going on a vacation, Bali and Hawaii are the place to be, don’t you think?”

“…”

“President Omotesandou?”

Not even Delane could get a response out of her.

Eventually, the president spoke in a low, quiet, and unsteady voice.

“Barong is a benevolent beast who symbolizes good while Rangda is a wicked witch who symbolizes evil. The endless battle between those two opposites is the core and whole of Balinese Hinduism. The form it takes has changed a lot from the original Hinduism, but the idea of an endless battle between good and evil which gives the current world its form is a fascinating one. It isn’t quite the same as the dance of Shiva who is a god of destruction but has also been granted the power to set the world in motion.”

“Huh? You mean good doesn’t vanquish evil for a happy ending?”

“In Balinese Hinduism, it never tilts too far in either direction. The world is an eternal mixture of good and evil. They promote a neutral or balanced state known as Rwa Bhineda. Of course, the religious philosophy isn’t the issue here. We want to know how Pendet Denpasar has converted that into a deadly power.”

The ringlets priestess gave a snort of laughter.

She did not pull her hands from her pockets.

“She makes it sound like a helpful explanation for the ignorant audience, but she’s actually giving her ally some last-minute information. What a farce. Information on Balinese Hinduism isn’t going to do me any good, so this only benefits you.”

“What, are you going to claim we’re cheating after you set us up with the human string pullers?”

“I never said that.”

She pulled her hands from her pockets.

But not to send her ultimate attack his way. She casually grabbed one of the detonating cord ropes surrounding the ring.

“Get up here. Only so much of the truth can be conveyed verbally. If you want to know any more, then at least clench your fists. The world should be overrun with answers that you can’t find even after giving it your very best effort, don’t you think?”

“…”

Karuta responded by wordlessly ducking below the ropes and into the ring.

The poles in the corners glowed red to signal the explosive cage had closed.

“This is it!” roared Delane. “We will soon know who the real world’s strongest magician is. All of you in the stands and all of you gathered around your screens after buying an online viewing ticket! Are you ready to be witnesses to history!? Then let’s do this! Laugh or cry, this match ends it all!!”

Pendet Denpasar wasn’t even listening.

In a move that didn’t match her fancy blonde ringlets, she pulled out some bulky wireless headphones and put them on.

Karuta could hear the music from where he was.

“Damn, that girl’s got guts to disrespect a tournament official like that. But I won’t let this get me down! After all, I’m more of a Utagai Karuta girl myself!! Maybe I’m supposed to be impartial, but since when have the rules stopped Cinderella Queen?☆ So this countdown is just for you, Karuta! Are you ready? 3, 2, 1!!”

He couldn’t even hear the bell with the entire heliport shaking from Delane’s amplified voice and the ten thousand people cheering in response.

And Pendet couldn’t hear it in the first place.

So when the Balinese Hindu dancer whispered, it was on her own timing.

Yet it still coincided with the bell.

“Play. This is goodbye, Utagai Karuta.”

Barong and Rangda. Those two dolls were waiting at her side like a Shinto shrine’s Komainu, but now they burst into motion, vanishing into thin air.

He could no longer see them.

But he knew they were ''most likely'' forming a tornado-like circle around Pendet. His flimsy barrier meant nothing to them. His right arm was immediately torn off at the shoulder and he was thrown spinning through the air.