Journey to Planar World

That night, Tokai City was so peaceful, until a blinding light suddenly emanated from the air. The flash of light was so bright that it resembled the sun rising in the middle of the night.

*BOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!*

A moment later, a deafening roar could be heard, as if the world was collapsing.

"What was that?"

Charlie, who was guarding in front of the hiding place, immediately realized that something bad was happening. His eyes were fixed on the light that towered in the night sky. His sixth sense gave a sharp warning, a sense of danger that was almost suffocating.

"Damn it! That's an explosion!"

This action of the enemy was beyond his expectations; he knew he didn't have time to complain.

"Ground Wall + Physical Enchant + Divine Protection Earth!"

Charlie immediately placed both his palms on the ground, quickly channeling magical essence, using Earth Spirit Arts to create dozens of thick walls ten meters high, encircling the hiding place.

*THUD!* *THUD!* *THUD!*

The walls were made of layers of solid earth reinforced by Spirit Arts, each strong enough to withstand the attacks of an ordinary Goliath. But this wasn't an ordinary situation. He could already feel the shockwave approaching at tremendous speed, like an invisible giant destroying everything in its path.

Charlie briefly glanced at the hiding place behind him and sent telepathy to Aishia.

'Aishia, there's an explosion, make sure the shelter is safe!'

'Um. Charlie, don't die.'

Although Aishia's voice seemed flat, Charlie could feel her concern.

'Of course. I don't intend to die here.'

Shifting his main focus, Charlie was grateful that he had told the Nakano quintuplets and the Uesugi siblings to hide in the shelter first. Anyway, ensuring their safety remained his top priority.

*BAM!*

The first wave arrived with destructive force, hitting Charlie's earth wall like a giant hammer. The first wall shattered into thousands of fragments in seconds. The second, third, and subsequent walls all collapsed one after another. He gritted his teeth, cold sweat dripping down his forehead.

'Damn it… This is stronger than I thought!' He thought, while his hands remained planted on the ground, continuously channeling his magical essence to strengthen the remaining defenses.

*BAM!*

But the shockwave was too strong, too fast. In a short time, all the earth walls had been destroyed, and only his body remained as the last barrier.

'This wall can't hold out any longer. At least, it has reduced the strength of the incoming blast… Happiness isn't about having a lot of things, but about feeling satisfied even with a little.'

'This isn't the time to be philosophical!'

Realizing that his thoughts were distracted, Charlie used Spirit Arts to summon a layer of energy shield radiating from his body. The energy shield was shaped like a transparent dome that enveloped him.

*CRUSH-BANG!*

The last earth wall collapsed; the explosion hit the energy shield. The explosive power was so great that even the shield began to crack.

'This explosive power is many times stronger than Shishigami Hiro's self-destruction. Who is the identity of the fourth villain?'

Charlie felt his body vibrate violently, immense pressure pressing down on his entire body.

*CRUSH-BANG!*

As he guessed which villain had produced such a devastating explosion, the energy shield collapsed, and his body received a direct hit from the wave. Even though he used Spirit Arts to strengthen his muscles and bones, the force of the explosion still caused serious injuries.

"Cough!"

Charlie immediately vomited blood, his clothes were torn, his skin was red as if burned, and blood began to seep from small wounds that appeared all over his body. The veins in his arms were visible, some even burst due to internal pressure. But he remained standing, gritting his teeth while enduring the pain.

'I can't back down… No matter what happens, I have to bear it all!'

Enduring the pain that ordinary people couldn't tolerate, he stood firm while enduring the incoming blast. He did all this to reduce the blast's power as it passed through the house behind him.

'It seems I have bad luck with explosions… This is the second time an explosion has attacked me.' Charlie grumbled in his heart.

Behind him, the hiding place began to collapse due to the shock. The supporting timbers snapped, and the roof caved in, producing thick dust that enveloped the surroundings. But he remained focused. He knew the underground shelter was still safe thanks to the additional barrier installed by Aishia.

❀❀❀

Inside the shelter, the Nakano quintuplets and Fuutarou, along with his younger sister, Raiha, felt a violent tremor that caused the shelter walls to vibrate.

"What's happening outside?" Nino asked anxiously, her face pale.

Ichika tried to calm her younger sisters even though she herself was afraid. They were helpless and could only put their hopes in Charlie.

Aishia stood in the middle of the room, her hands outstretched and her eyes closed, focusing her magical essence to strengthen the magic barrier around the shelter.

"You guys stay calm. Charlie will handle this," She said in a soft but confident voice.

❀❀❀

"Haah… Haah… Haah…"

Charlie finally fell to his knees after the last shockwave passed. His body felt heavy, his breath was ragged, but he had survived. His eyes scanned the remaining debris around him, making sure the shelter remained intact even though the house was completely destroyed, leaving only scattered building debris on the ground.

"Is it over? No, I have to make sure if the enemy is still there or not…"

While gasping for breath, Charlie sat leaning against the remains of the destroyed wall, his hands trembling as he took a small bottle containing green liquid from his Space-Time Cache.

Elixir!

Compared to using Dia Fratel healing magic, which required chanting for activation, he chose to heal his wounds with a healing potion to be faster.

After all, he had to verify the enemy situation immediately. Of course, he speculated that the explosion was a self-destruction like Hiro's Shishigami, not a continuous ability that could be used twice.

"Gulp… Gulp…"

Opening the bottle lid with trembling hands, Charlie then drank the warm liquid. A soft and soothing sensation immediately spread from his throat throughout his body, like a stream of hot water seeping into his pores. In seconds, the excruciating pain began to fade.

The wounds on his body healed at an incredible speed, new layers of skin replacing the damaged tissue. His breath became stable, and his vision returned to sharpness.

"Compared to the injuries I received from Shishigami Hiro's self-destruction before, the impact of this explosion was indeed lighter. At least I wasn't at the center of the blast." He said while observing his body, which was now completely recovered.

"This is the second time I've been naked since coming to this world. Even though I'm not an exhibitionist." Charlie complained, then put on new clothes taken from the Space-Time Cache.

Then, he flew to Tokai City to investigate.

Soaring calmly in the air, he looked towards Tokai City, which no longer looked like a city but a giant gaping crater in the middle of the landscape that was once filled with buildings and roads.

After flying for a few minutes, he landed on the edge of the crater. His gaze swept around, making sure there were no signs of life.

"As I expected, there's nothing left."

Dust and the smell of burning metal were still floating in the air, proving how devastating the explosion had been.

But even though the sight was bleak, Charlie felt a little relief.

"It's a good thing all the civilians were relocated beforehand. The casualties were only from the military… Although losing lives is still something that's hard to accept."

After that, he stepped towards the center of the crater. Each step left a small footprint in the dusty ground that was previously the heart of Tokai City.

As he reached the deepest point of the crater, his gaze fell on something striking amidst the ash and scorched earth. A black cloth with a red cloud pattern lay tattered.

"Akatsuki robe…" he muttered while picking up the cloth.

Its fibers felt rough, but they were still intact enough to be recognizable. He held it tightly, his mind immediately connecting the object to a figure: Deidara.

Among the Akatsuki members, besides Nagato who had the power to flatten cities with the Super Almighty Push, the second was Deidara.

"There's no doubt, that explosion was caused by Deidara." Charlie was sure of his speculation.

"If I'm not mistaken, the name of that technique is C-0. It first appeared when Deidara fought Sasuke. It was a suicide technique that used the user's entire energy to create a giant explosion. If it was used, then Deidara must be dead."

To be more sure, Charlie used Wind Spirit Arts to detect any trace of life, however small. After checking for a few minutes, there were no signs of life.

"Let's go back. First, find a new place to stay."

Charlie turned and left.

This was the fastest record of a villain being defeated, or rather, he didn't do anything, and the villain committed suicide.