The story delves into Rio's journey as he adjusts to village life alongside Chief Yuba, Sayo, and Ruri. A pivotal trip to the capital forces him to confront his origins and tragic past while revealing his secrets to the king and queen. As he prepares to depart from Yagumo village, Sayo hints at her own significant revelations, adding depth to their relationship and the unfolding narrative.
After departing his parents' hometown in the Yagumo region, Rio reunites with Latifa in the spirit folk village. She pours her heart out to him, and he responds with a special promise. Rio's travels then take him to the city of Amande, where he witnesses six pillars of light rise up toward the sky. A voice in his head beseeches his help, leading him to an unexpected discovery...
The final push... Arata Ryouta, a former NEET, is now a world-famous mercenary who leads a platoon of child soldiers against the Chinese army. Despite only having 3,000 troops under his command, he's succeeded in countless campaigns against a force tenfold his own. Revered and reviled by allies and enemies respectively, Arata has one last marginal operation to complete before his story comes to a close.
Going on the offensive... With the Chinese Army presenting an overwhelming difference in firepower to his own forces, Arata employs guerrilla tactics to successfully take out a key refueling base. However, this enrages the Chinese Army more than expected, leading to an air strike against Camp Hakim in retaliation. With the Burmese Army still disorganized and his sponsors unwilling to lend further aid, the only person Arata can rely on to get them out of this mess is himself.
Life in the spirit forest is pleasant for Rio and Latifa-- but alas, their time together there isn't meant to last. With a promise that he'll eventually return, Rio departs for his parents' hometown in the Yagumo region. A small village holding the secrets of his birth awaits him...
Tensions flare amidst jungle warfare... The battle in Myanmar rages on fiercer than ever before. China has deployed their helicopters and drones, while Arata's allies, the Burmese Army, turn out to be far less reliable than he'd hoped. It will take the full extent of his considerable wit to continue winning his battles and keeping his kids alive. Fortunately, by rescuing the nearby villagers from their own government's tyranny, he may have inadvertently created the perfect strategic opportunity for himself.
As a reward for saving Princess Flora, Rio gets to leave behind his life in the slums and enroll in the Royal Institute! However, the story of a seven-year-old besting an assassin draws the eyes of the adults, while the other students don't look kindly on a commoner mingling with nobles. Rio has to contend with Charles Arbor, who has fallen out of favor for failing to catch the culprit behind Princess Flora's kidnapping, as well as Alphonse, a student with sway who refuses to accept a commoner among their ranks. It's up to Rio to demonstrate his worth in a practice match against Charles and in an outdoor drill with Alphonse. Will Rio be able to graduate safely, or will the pride and prejudice of nobles be too difficult to overcome?
Reunions abound... Now that Arata has secured sponsor funds, he's ready to procure the anti-aircraft weapons he so desperately needs. But before that, he encounters some old friends--and enemies! Laying his grudges to rest, he moves forward with fighting back against China's aerial forces. Win or lose, nothing will bring back the people he's already lost, but he can't afford to stop now.
Rio's taken off for his homeland and enters parts unknown... or at least they SHOULD be. But somehow, aspects of his former life begin cropping up everywhere he looks, from udon restaurants to vanquished enemies hellbent on vengeance. Is it possible that Rio's not the only one with a spirit connection in this world? And why's there a fox girl trying to kill him?
Rio is a run-of-the-mill seven-year-old orphan from the slums who serves as a lookout for a local gang. Yet when he falls into a fever, memories of a past life surface. After the gang shoos him away from their hideout to celebrate their latest haul, Rio wanders into town, still coming to terms with his new memories. There he crosses paths with a group of nobles looking for a missing girl. When Rio returns to the hideout, he finds the gang slaughtered--and the perp's still around! What's worse, the gang's haul was actually the girl the nobles were looking for. Rio has to combine the martial arts from his memories with the magic power of this world to fight his way out of trouble and save the lives of both the girl and himself!
"When friends become foes...Arata believed his travails in Thailand were over, but Kishimoto had other plans. The moment Arata let his guard down, his former colleague struck, kidnapping Hakim and Sophie. For the first time, Arata has to contend with the possibility that someone under his command might die. Will he crack of will he be able to operate effectively under such pressure?."--Page [4] of cover
An ill-fated encounter... Driven insane by the loss of his daughter and the death of Hakim, Kishimoto turned on his coworker and killed him in cold blood. After this, he used Sophie to goad Arata into a final showdown at a park in Thailand. From training camp comrades to bitter adversaries, how will this confrontationend as their two paths collide?
"As the Burmese army terrorizes the local population, Arata realizes he has to clean house before he can focus on the Chinese. His efforts to end his allies' suppression of their own citizens lead him to Yangon, where the UN peacekeeping team is detained and an unlikely reunion lies in wait for him..." -- Publisher marketing
"Arata finally makes the move against the Chinese army his sponsors have been waiting for. The effort goes well at first as he recaptures a series of villages with no casualties, but his seemingly unstoppable momentum grinds to a halt as Arata discovers deeper complexities to this struggle than he ever imagined..."-- Publisher marketing
A Storm Is Brewing... Having come to Thailand in the hopes of finding a way to support his children without forcing them onto the battlefield, Arata instead finds himself being asked to recruit more children from the slums and expand his mercenary operations. It may be the only way to save them from being exploited by a far more predatory company, but he still feels conflicted about sending yet more children to war. Will he be able to escape this industry before it claims the lives of his precious kids?
After forming a truce with the cult they were originally contracted to confront, Arata and his crew travel on. With his reputation as the renowned Headmaster now flowing through mercenary channels, will Arata still be able to keep his kids safe?
The life of a private mercenary is far more grueling than he could have ever imagined! Our hero Ryouta Arata is an otaku who's just lost his job after the dissolution of his company. Unwilling to return to his old NEET ways, he applies online to a private military security company, thinking the benefits to be promising. After what appears to be a baffling test, he's assigned to be an "operator of operators" and begins his training in a foreign country.
The life of a private mercenary is far more grueling than he could have ever imagined! Our hero Ryouta Arata is an otaku who's just lost his job after the dissolution of his company. Unwilling to return to his old NEET ways, he applies online to a private military security company, thinking the benefits to be promising. After what appears to be a baffling test, he's assigned to be an "operator of operators" and begins his training in a foreign country.
The life of a private mercenary is far more grueling than he could have ever imagined! Our hero Ryouta Arata is an otaku who's just lost his job after the dissolution of his company. Unwilling to return to his old NEET ways, he applies online to a private military security company, thinking the benefits to be promising. After what appears to be a baffling test, he's assigned to be an "operator of operators" and begins his training in a foreign country.
The life of a private mercenary is far more grueling than he could have ever imagined! Our hero Ryouta Arata is an otaku who's just lost his job after the dissolution of his company. Unwilling to return to his old NEET ways, he applies online to a private military security company, thinking the benefits to be promising. After what appears to be a baffling test, he's assigned to be an "operator of operators" and begins his training in a foreign country.
The life of a private mercenary is far more grueling than he could have ever imagined! Our hero Ryouta Arata is an otaku who's just lost his job after the dissolution of his company. Unwilling to return to his old NEET ways, he applies online to a private military security company, thinking the benefits to be promising. After what appears to be a baffling test, he's assigned to be an "operator of operators" and begins his training in a foreign country.