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Chapter 123. Where is the Time Machine?
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"You're back, and quite quickly too."
Seeing that Caesar followed closely behind Gintoki as they returned to the set, Akiyuki Shinbo was surprised. He discreetly approached Caesar and whispered, "So, did you manage to sort it out?"
As he spoke, Shinbo pointed to Gintoki, who had already put on the full-dive helmet and was ready to enter the script world for filming.
Yes, just as Gintoki realized at the last moment why Caesar had fought with him, the one who arranged for Caesar to do so was none other than the director, Akiyuki Shinbo.
After all, Shinbo had been keeping an eye on the forum discussions about "Battle Tendency." While he didn't dwell too much on them, it was clear that he wasn't completely ignorant of the audience's opinions.
But come on... it was hardly a reason to despair, right?
Because Joseph had exhausted much of his energy in his one-on-one fight with Wamuu, leaving him barely able to summon any Hamon?
Because Kars held the Super Aja Red Stone, making Joseph's plan to delay until morning to use the sun's power to wipe out the vampires and Pillar Men completely unfeasible?
Because Kars, who had never planned to fight alone, immediately sent out hundreds of vampires after obtaining the Super Aja Red Stone, aiming to wear Joseph down and prevent any possible counterattack?
Because Kars, having deliberately left Lisa Lisa alive, had Joseph in check, making it impossible for him to act freely?
If these reasons alone led someone to despair, then that person clearly hadn't seen the full script of "Battle Tendency!"
For someone like Shinbo, who had read the full script of "Battle Tendency" in advance, thinking of surrender at the first sign of trouble would make the entire production pointless.
Moreover, Kars had his army of vampires doing his bidding, yes. But Joseph wasn't alone either.
Both the SPW Foundation, represented by Speedwagon, and the German military, represented by Stroheim, were fully aware of the Pillar Men's threat and their strength. Whether it was because of Speedwagon's fateful connection to the Stone Masks from decades ago, or simply out of admiration for Jonathan's noble spirit, which led him to inherit Jonathan's destiny...
Or whether it was the Germans' racial ideology, normally obnoxious, but in this case, resolutely opposed to anyone being more powerful than the Aryans, fueling their determination to eliminate the Pillar Men.
All of this ensured that Joseph wasn't fighting alone. He had the support of an entire unit, equipped with powerful UV lights designed to kill vampires and weaken the Pillar Men.
This was how Joseph managed to escape from the vampire army and face Kars one-on-one again.
One unfavorable condition had been resolved. Naturally, the others would be dealt with too.
Though Joseph might be exhausted, unable to even summon Hamon to defeat a single vampire, compared to Jonathan in the finale of "Phantom Blood," who couldn't even breathe and had to burn through his life force to summon Hamon, Joseph was still in a much better position.
As long as he stored up his Hamon through steady breathing and focused it all into one powerful strike, even Kars, a Pillar Man, would be in serious trouble.
As for how to attack a Kars holding a hostage...
Given that Kars lacked Wamuu's warrior's code and wasn't as sharp as Esidisi, who couldn't even see through Lisa Lisa's bluff before the duel began, it's clear that Kars was more of a scientist with little to no sense of human cunning.
So if anyone was doomed to lose, it was never Joseph with his endless tricks but the ignorant Kars.
A simple distraction technique that might not even fool Wamuu would be enough for Joseph to easily take down Kars and rescue Lisa Lisa.
However, this also marked the most critical moment. The Super Aja Red Stone hadn't been recovered by Joseph and was getting further and further away from him as Kars fell from the temple...
This was why Shinbo, who had remained calm earlier, was now more anxious than ever, even more so than when filming Joseph's duel with Wamuu.
He had even sought out Caesar specifically to counsel Gintoki, who clearly had lost confidence after learning about the Ultimate Lifeform.
The description of the Ultimate Lifeform boiled down to just two words—invincible! The Ultimate Lifeform in the truest sense.
"Well, it should be sorted out."
After a moment's thought, Caesar replied to Shinbo's concerns.
"What do you mean, 'should be'?!"
But clearly, Shinbo wasn't satisfied with this answer.
"Caesar, this is no joke! You've read the description of the Ultimate Lifeform too, haven't you?"
Shinbo spoke earnestly, "Even though Director Pucci wrote a way to defeat the Ultimate Lifeform into the script, once the actors enter the script world, their performance depends entirely on their subconscious!"
"Otherwise, even if we help Gintoki cheat from the outside and create conditions to defeat Kars, it's all useless if he doesn't have the courage to face Kars!"
It's just like how in exams, sometimes students forget how to solve a problem during the test but remember right after handing in their papers.
Full-dive filming isn't just about memorizing the script perfectly before filming begins. It offers the most authentic sensory experience for the audience and the actors alike, leading to the most genuine choices.
"That's exactly why I said 'should be,' Director Shinbo."
Caesar responded, "After all, as someone who's not even a full member of the crew, I can't guarantee that there won't be any unexpected occurrences during filming, can I?"
"Uh...?"
"But if you're asking about Gintoki's current state, I'd say he's 1000% confident!"
Caesar gave a thumbs up with a smile.
"Ahhhhh! Why did I try to act cool just now?!"
"Why didn't I just admit I can't do it?!"
"I don't even know how to perform a Kamehameha, how can I possibly deal with an Ultimate Lifeform like Cell?!"
"This is bad, really bad..."
These were Gintoki's last thoughts as he donned the full-dive helmet, his consciousness slowly diving in the script world.
"I need to find the time machine, and fast!!"