Despite the lukewarm response to A Certain Scientific Railgun online, Ren didn't respond much to it. For the next couple of days, he decided to take a rare break, doing nothing but staying at home and playing games with his daughter.
After all, Railgun was a mid-to-late-stage manga, especially without the context of A Certain Magical Index to boost its popularity. Still, it wasn't being criticized as harshly as Reborn! had been at first.
When Reborn! initially aired, it was promoted as a hot-blooded action series, so when the early episodes focused on comedy and daily life, it was heavily criticized. It wasn't until the Black Spell Arc that the complaints started to die down.
Railgun, on the other hand, was promoted as a slice-of-life and action series, so it naturally attracted readers who enjoyed that mix. And with so many female characters, it drew in quite a few fans who loved cute girls.
In the world of otaku, it's common to hear cries of "waifu!" whenever a new, attractive female character appears on screen.
Ren's eyes gleamed as he looked at the feedback on Cautious Hero. He could already predict the outcry that would erupt once the story reached its later chapters, and how he'd be cursed by fans who'd feel betrayed by the sudden emotional turn the series would take.
Despite the early chapters being filled with laughter, the ending of Cautious Hero would take a dark turn, revealing a harsh truth that would leave readers heartbroken. It was a perfect example of "laugh now, cry later."
Just thinking about it made Ren smirk with satisfaction.
"What are you smiling about, Dad?" Yueyue, who was playing Pokémon with him, noticed her dad's grin and became wary.
As her dad's "little helper," Yueyue had seen that smile before. It usually meant her dad was up to no good!
Was he planning to mess with her? She glanced at her sleeping little brother. Although she felt a bit guilty, she decided that if her dad tried to prank her, she'd wake her brother up and make him cry. That way, Mom would come over, and Dad would have to stop.
"Nothing," Ren replied, glancing at his daughter. He could guess what she was thinking and felt a bit wronged. Did she really think he was just a big bully?
Well, actually, she was right. He was!
Spotting a bag of chips next to his daughter, Ren sneakily moved his foot closer to it. Using his toes, he pinched the bag and pulled it toward himself, grabbed a handful, and then placed the bag back where it was.
"Crunch."
Nothing tasted better than stolen chips!
Hearing the crunching sound, Yueyue glanced down at the bag. Seeing it still there, she shrugged and went back to her game.
The weekend passed pleasantly for Ren, but for his fans, it was torture. Reborn! had reached a climactic point in the story, leaving fans desperate for the next chapter.
Why did XANXUS hate the Ninth Vongola so much? How would Tsuna manage to defeat him? These questions made fans restless all week, and the comments section was filled with demands for Ren to release the next chapter faster.
Finally, the weekend ended, and the new chapter was about to be released. For many student fans, the worst time of the week was when the weekend ended, and they had to go back to school.
But this Sunday, they were eagerly counting down the hours until the weekend ended, waiting for Monday to arrive so they could grab the latest issue of the manga.
As the school day drew to a close, their excitement grew. Even as teachers assigned homework, the students paid little attention. They figured they could just copy it from someone else in the morning.
The moment the final bell rang, a horde of students rushed to the nearest bookstore, eager to get their hands on the latest issue of Reborn!.
In the newest chapter, Tsuna finally managed to use the Zero Point Breakthrough.
XANXUS's hands were frozen solid by the technique, which was designed specifically to counter the Dying Will Flames.
"Why?! Why?! Why?! WHY?!" XANXUS roared in fury, unable to comprehend how Tsuna, a seemingly lesser opponent, could use the same technique as the First Vongola.
As they watched this scene unfold, many readers were left shaking their heads. Tsuna was just more talented—of course, he could use it!
Seeing XANXUS get frozen, fans breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed like the battle for the Vongola Rings was finally over.
But the story didn't end there!
Just as Tsuna sealed XANXUS in ice, one of the Varia members spoke up in the ruins of the battlefield.
"Hey, hey, hey, is it really okay to just freeze our boss like that?"
With those words, the scene shifted to show that the Varia had captured Chrome and Lambo. "Hand over the rings, or these two will die!"
Fans reading this scene were filled with rage.
According to Mammon, once the Varia gathered all the rings, they could free XANXUS from the ice. If they succeeded, the title of Vongola Decimo would belong to XANXUS.
Despite this, Tsuna didn't hesitate to hand over the rings. Although he was part of the Vongola family and had participated in the battle for the title, Tsuna didn't have the ruthlessness of a true mafia boss.
To him, the safety of his friends was more important than anything else.
In the end, with the other Vongola Guardians looking on in frustration, Tsuna threw the rings to the Varia members in exchange for his friends.
Just as Mammon had said, the Vongola Rings contained hidden powers. When all seven rings were united, they unleashed a flame strong enough to melt the ice and free XANXUS from his frozen prison.
As XANXUS revived, burning with the Vongola Flames, he seemed poised to claim the rings and the title of Decimo. The exhausted Tsuna was in no position to stop him.
But then, something unexpected happened—the rings on XANXUS's fingers began to glow and emit an intense power.
"What?"
"Huh?"
As the readers stared in shock, XANXUS suddenly showed signs of pain.
It seemed that the rings were rejecting him!
Why was this happening?
This was the question on everyone's mind, both in the manga and among the readers.
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