Even though it was only February, flowers were in full bloom inside the dome, and butterflies of extreme colors, which you would never see in Japan, were flying around. Minato, wearing a long coat, was sweating just by walking around.　

This place was a paradise that looked like it was straight out of a page from a picture book. Once you visit, you will love this place.

……If this was a service area on the Tomei Expressway.

「The winter cold is a natural enemy of our insect army. That’s why Zazoma-sama invented this mobile botanical garden called “Mushikago”. How do you like it?　Isn’t it comfortable?」

「No, it might be comfortable, but the place is…」

Minato, accompanied by Mikariki, looked up at the sky and saw a white mesh grid overhead. It completely covered the entire service area in a dome shape.

「Uooooh! Someone, please put me down!」

「Damn iitt! I can’t get the string away!!」

「Help meーーー! Motheeeeeerr!!」

Near the ceiling of the dome, heroes wrapped in threads are scattered like glittering stars. Zako fighters with antennae were now trying to hoist a police car, still carrying policemen, up to the ceiling.

This “mushikago” is not only a paradise for bugs and other mysterious beings, but also a giant spider’s web.

Minato became a little afraid to meet with him, thinking that this was all under the direction of Strange Insect General, Zazoma.

「Wow, what a spiky thing, ssu!　What kind of weapon is this, ssuka?」

Minato’s anxiety notwithstanding, Samecchi was deeply interested in the plants and insects she was seeing for the first time. From a few moments ago, she was chasing butterflies and climbing banana trees, doing whatever she wanted to do.

「Hohoho, are you curious?　This is a durian. Its rich, creamy texture and above all, its mellow aroma make it a feast worthy of being called the king of fruits!」

「Sniff sniff……pwah!　It stinks, ssuuu!　Mikariki is a liar, ssu!」

「Well, well, well… Is it a little too stimulating for children?　How about it, Minato-sama, would you like a bite?」

「N-N-N- No thanks!!」

Minato vigorously refused the offer of the longhorn beetle-like man, the Amputation Mysterious being, Mikariki.　

As he led them down a jungle-like dirt road, they emerged right in the middle of the dome.

In a slightly open space, a pure white table and chairs had been prepared, and a man was sitting there. The man, whose limbs were as slender as branches and adorned with gaudy costumes, was the master of this paradise, General Zazoma.

「Zazoma-sama, I’ve brought the ladies here.」

As Mikariki’s head drooped, long eyelashes twitched behind Zazoma’s butterfly-shaped mask. General Zazoma, without a glance at Minato and the others, gracefully shook his cup of tea and began to talk naturally, as if the wind blowing in the spring grass.

「The tent is in the heavens, not in the sky. The phoenixes fold up their wings, and men lament the fading of the sun and moon. If only fools who search for the stars are our fangs, our bodies and souls will become constellations of silver in the heavens, and we will draw our bows. He shall be guided by the stars that adorn the tent of the first moon, and shall reach the land of gold.」

「Yes, Samecchi will accept your offer, ssu」

When Mikariki pulled up a chair, Samecchi put her little butt on it.

「Um, Eh…… Just now, what?」

「Zazoma says, ‘We have been waiting for you. Please have a seat’.」

「Haa……」

As Minato took her seat, Mikalicky deftly made the tea. The three of them sat at the table and watched each other without exchanging a word.

Unlike the other two active generals, her encounter with Zazoma was extremely calm. At least she would not be suddenly made to stand in a ring or be launched into the sky.

At best, he was mild-mannered and peaceful; at worst, he was eerie, not knowing what he was thinking. Although he had hardly spoken to her before, Minato had this impression of him.

Zazoma moistened his thin lips with a cup of tea, and finally began to speak slowly.

「It is easy to destroy a castle of iron with many men, but it is difficult to destroy the heart. But it is not easy to destroy a fortress with only one person, but it is easy to destroy the heart. A thousand swords must be lined up together to be a warrior, and a single swing of a sword must be sharp and precise to be a plan. But a warrior does not know how to use a furnace, and a smith does not master the art of war.」

「Zazoma-sama said, “It’s very easy to make you strong, but it’s very difficult.”」

Minato had no idea what the words meant, even though he had gone to the trouble of having them translated. She just twisted her head and sipped the strangely sweet tea offered to her.

「Nku…… Easy but difficult? ……You mean?」

「It is easy to just gain power. For example, yes, “doping”.」

「Bufuーーーーーー!!」

Minato involuntarily spew out her tea.

「D-D-D-Did you use drugs!? I thought it was strangely sweet!」

「Hoho…… That is absurd. This tea is my special blend.」

Saying that, Michariki took out a beetle jelly that had “plenty of trehalose for economical use” printed on it.

「That’s almost all, isn’t it!!」

「Oh, it was not to your taste, was it? My apologies.」

「Sweet and delicious, ssu」

「Don’t drink it, Samecchi!　I don’t know what Rintaro would say to me later if he found out I made you drink that stuff!」

Minato is flustered, but the masked beauty continued to speak without concern.

「Fear is in the curtains, awe is in the ears of those who have gone before us, and death is only in our own hearts, though Shura is everywhere in the night. For the glory of the heavens is the glory of the gods, the glory of the earth is the glory of the people, and the glory of man is the glory of his virtues. But if evil flourishes through the merits of three persons, even their hearts and even their deaths will be far away under Sagittarius.」

「I see, that’s very deep, ssune.」

「It is indeed our Lord, Zazoma-sama. This Mikariki, intend to renew my loyalty to you. ……」

Samecchi and Mikalicky nodded their heads in agreement with Zazoma’s words, which were not only overdecorated, but had passed through the processing industry two or three times. Minato, however, who had no idea what they meant, was left alone with a blank stare.

「Eh, what……?　Is this my fault?」

This must be how travelers feel when they are taken by friends to a foreign country where they do not speak the language and where they have never been before. Mikariki faced Minato once again and spoke for Zazoma in an unusually serious tone.

「Zazoma-sama says, “You already have enough power, so I have nothing to give you”.」

「Ugh…… That is……」

Minato was at a loss for words at what Zazoma pointed out.

This is because her ability as a mysterious being to create an infinite number of swords is so unique and powerful that she is actually in the top class of mysterious beings in the Ark Dominion.

Her blade is as sharp as the claws of a beast, and her inexhaustible power amounts to an enormous economic power. In the sense that she supplies her weapons and strengthens others, it can be said that she has an ability similar to Zazoma, who doped members with purple mist.

It is a power so versatile that it is the envy of everyone, but the person at the heart of the matter is simply unable to use it to its fullest extent. Zazoma’s words accurately hit at the heart of Minato’s problem.

「What Minato-sama needs is not more swords. What you need is the strength to pull the sword out of its sheath. You are a blade of frenzy, but you are too gentle a sheath.」

「Mikariki-san……」

「……was what Zazoma-sama said」

Mikariki, with his stout body, bowed like a circus magician. General Zazoma watched and looked up at the ceiling of the dome as if satisfied.

「The strength to pull the sword out of its sheath.……」

Minato repeated the words to herself.

This is exactly what Minato lacks, such as determination and courage, and the strength of her heart.

No matter how much power you have, it will be of no use if you do not have the right mind. If it were easy to master, there would be no trouble at all.　

Minato was looking for a suitable strength to help Rintaro.

But what she was really looking for was not strength itself, but the determination to stand next to him. It was a firm will to prove herself strong.

「Well, ladies, would you like another cup of tea?」

「Naming the eternal after the eternal, and loving the ticking of time is the sweetest of gems…….」

「Yes, yes, yes, ssu!　Samecchi is going to drink about 10 more drinks, ssu!」

「Orororo, Well well. There might not be enough, Hohoh.」

The tea party went on for two hours with such exchanges. Minato only thanked them briefly, and the rest of the time she just listened in silence for the most part.

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<100: Fireworks Launching
102: Glowing Kirameki Sentai, Shiny Romeo Five>