Manta was still in shock. He couldn't understand what was happening… Just a moment ago, Fausto had wanted to kill him… and now, suddenly, they were talking about him joining them.
Angrily, he clenched his teeth and shouted, "No, no, no! This is completely insane! He's a dangerous man! Yoh, help me… we can't allow this!"
Manta was trembling, his fists clenched, small tears beginning to form in his eyes.
Yoh didn't answer immediately. He lowered his gaze, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword tightly. His eyes showed doubt, but also a calmness that only exasperated Manta.
"Manta…" Yoh finally said in a low tone. "I thought he was our enemy too… but what I just saw… it wasn't evil. It was love."
"Love?!" Manta swung his arm in the air like a "tsukkomi." "A man who cuts open bodies, who plays with corpses, who nearly killed me! And you call that love? You're crazy, Yoh!"
Anna crossed her arms, watching the argument in silence. Her eyes fixed on Manta. "Shut up, shorty. You nearly made Yoh lose the fight. If you hadn't been here, we wouldn't have needed the guitar kid at all."
The silence after Anna's words lasted only a few seconds. Fausto, holding Eliza's hand, stepped forward. His expression was no longer that of the lunatic they had faced minutes earlier. He spoke to Manta in a calm voice.
"I know you hate me, little one… and I accept it. I did what I had to do to win the fight. But I won't join for you, or even for him… I do it for her." He squeezed Eliza's hand tightly. "I'll do whatever it takes to make sure she never becomes a soulless doll again."
Manta opened his mouth to reply, but Ren stepped forward with a half-smile. "Nobody's asking you to love him. Just to trust in the plan the Great Spirits are weaving."
Silver glanced sideways at Tempo.
Inside, Ren had other thoughts. (Ahhh… I sound way too cringe, like some otaku trying to sound interesting. I wanna die. And what even is this 'plan of the Great Spirits'? Good thing Anna can't read my mind.)
To calm Manta, he added, "According to the original plan, I wasn't supposed to save you. Yoh would have lost the fight, your father would've found out everything, and you'd be sent abroad to study. Do you think I should've just let that happen?"
Manta's eyes widened, his voice rising. "Wh-what are you talking about? Original plan? That makes no sense! You're not even a shaman, you shouldn't even be here. You're an intruder!"
Ren sighed, raising his hands as if surrendering. "Call me whatever you want. Intruder, outsider, lunatic… I'll take it. But tell me, Manta… if things had gone the way they were 'supposed to,' would you even be alive to argue right now?"
Manta stepped back, his lips trembling, unable to find words.
Anna cut in coldly: "The boy's right. It doesn't matter where he comes from, what he did was save you. Otherwise, you'd already be dead, or worse, dead weight for Yoh."
Yoh closed his eyes for a few seconds, then spoke calmly. "Manta… I'm scared too. I don't know who Tempo really is, or why he's here, or what he wants. But…" he opened his eyes, staring directly at his friend, "thanks to him, you're still with me. And I won't lose you."
Manta pressed his lips together. He wanted to protest, to keep shouting, but Yoh's firm gaze drained his strength. Finally, he lowered his head, his shoulders trembling.
Fausto, who had stayed silent until then, spoke again, this time looking at Yoh. "I swear on my life and on Eliza that my strength will be yours in the tournament."
Eliza nodded, adding, "We are one now. I cannot lose this."
Silver looked at everyone suspiciously but said nothing. He formed his Oversoul, and with the hawk's wings, he flew away.
Ren watched the scene and smiled.
"So you're ready for my fight with you, Yoh Asakura." A boy on horseback approached them.
"Ren Tao." Manta fell to the ground, his jaw trembling.
Tempo, smiling, stepped toward Ren and said, "Hey there, namesake!"
Everyone fell silent at the remark.
A vein popped on Ren's forehead as he shouted, "How dare you call me that, bastard?!"
Tempo, with an innocent look, pointed at himself and raised both hands. "Oh… let me explain. 'Namesake' means someone with the same name. Nice to meet you, I'm Ren too. Ren Cadence." He raised a hand, waiting for Ren to shake it, his gaze locked on him.
Ren Tao reached out and shook Tempo's hand. "I saw what you did. What kind of Oversoul do you use? That red-and-white-haired girl… is she your spirit companion?"
Tempo shrugged and replied, "Uta isn't a spirit companion. She's part of my musical resonance ability. Let's just say she's a goddess of music. I'm not a shaman," he finished with firm conviction.
Ren Tao glanced at Yoh. "You're weak… If this guy hadn't helped you, you would have lost. I expect a good fight from you when we meet." With that, he pulled the reins of his horse and rode off.
Tempo started to feel the exhaustion of transportation. This time it hadn't lasted as long, maybe because of using Uta. Before disappearing, he told them, "The battle will be in teams. Start organizing yours…"
His face faded into light, followed by the rest of his body.
Yoh kept his eyes on the place where Tempo had been. Anna gave the order to move out, it was time to get things organized and for Yoh to train.
The Oracle Bell set the match for three months from now.
...
Ren woke up in his bed. By his third trip, he no longer felt so disoriented.
New notifications appeared. His level in guitar and vocals had gone up, and he had gained the ability with the ocarina.
But the most important notification came as a warning.
[Unable to travel to more dimensions unless requirements are met]
[Learn new instrument: Piano][Compose an original song][Perform in a band and be recognized by ten thousand people]
He buried his face in his hands and let out a muffled scream. "How the hell am I supposed to join a band? Damn system, you're against me…"