The floor was cold. Dust filled the air.
Shinchan groaned as he pushed himself up, his head ringing. Around him, Kazama, Nene, Masao, and Bo-chan struggled to stand. The monster towered above them, its body made of stone and shadow, eyes glowing red.
Masao's voice shook."T-That thing… is huge…"
The monster slammed its foot down. The ground cracked.
"We don't have powers," Nene said, forcing herself to stand straight. "But we didn't come this far to run."
Kazama scanned the room quickly."It's guarding the door. If we can distract it—"
Before he could finish, the monster roared and swung its arm.
"DOWN!" Shinchan shouted.
They barely rolled aside as the attack smashed into the wall. Stones exploded everywhere.
Bo-chan calmly picked up a loose rock."…Its eyes glow before it attacks."
Shinchan nodded."Good catch."
Masao swallowed hard, then suddenly ran forward waving his arms."H-Hey! Big ugly thing! Over here!"
Everyone stared at him.
"Masao?!" Nene yelled.
The monster turned toward Masao, raising its arm.
Masao screamed and tripped, sliding across the floor on his face.
Shinchan rushed forward, grabbing Masao's collar and pulling him away just in time.
Masao lay flat, breathing fast."I-I was trying to be brave…"
Shinchan didn't scold him."You were."
The monster roared again.
Kazama clenched his fists."We can't win by strength. We win by timing."
Nene grabbed a fallen pillar piece."Then let's move it."
They worked together—dodging, distracting, pushing debris into the monster's path. Each time it attacked, they barely escaped. They were tired. Bruised. Breathing hard.
But they didn't stop.
Shinchan stood in front, staring straight at the monster.
"Listen," he said quietly. "We don't have powers. But we still have each other."
Something stirred inside him. Not power—but memory.
The voices from twenty years ago echoed faintly.
Focus… trust… believe…
The monster charged again.
Shinchan didn't move.
At the last second, Kazama shouted, "NOW!"
Everyone jumped aside.
The monster slammed into the main door behind them.
CRACK.
The door shattered.
The monster stumbled, confused.
Shinchan clenched his fists.
"Move!"
They ran through the broken entrance, deeper into the villa.
Behind them, the monster roared in anger—but didn't follow.
For now.
They stopped, breathing heavily.
Masao suddenly laughed weakly."W-We survived…"
Shinchan exhaled slowly.
"Yes," he said. "But this was just the beginning."
Far away, unseen, Lord Umbra opened his eyes.
"So… even powerless," he whispered, "you still move forward."
The walls of the villa trembled.
And somewhere deep inside Shinchan's chest—
Something began to awaken.
To be continued…