Viral charged at Lagann, his Gunmen firing relentlessly, but it was no use. Lagann darted around like a blur, its movements nimble and unpredictable. Every strike Viral attempted either missed or was easily dodged, leaving him visibly frustrated.
"Hold still, you coward!" Viral growled
"Coward? Nah, I just prefer to let you tire yourself out. You're making this too easy!"
Viral snarled, his pride taking a hit. Determined to turn the tide, he reached for the twin swords mounted on his Gunmen's back.
With a metallic shing, the blades were drawn as he charged again, slashing furiously at Lagann.
But even with his swords, Viral couldn't land a clean hit. Goro piloted Lagann with the ease of someone toying with their opponent, dodging and countering with just enough force to keep Viral on edge without finishing him off.
"What's the matter, Viral? Can't hit a tiny Gunmen like mine? Maybe you need glasses!"
"You dare mock me, human?! Stand still and fight properly!"
"Fight properly? You mean stand there like a target while you flail around like you're at sword practice? Sorry, not my style."
"You're insufferable! Stop dodging and face me head-on like a warrior!"
"Head-on? Sure, if you can actually land a hit first. Oh, wait, you can't. Is this really the best the Beastmen have to offer? No wonder humanity is on the rise."
"You arrogant-!"
"Oh, come on! This is embarrassing for you. I thought the mighty Viral was supposed to be a big deal. All I see is a guy waving swords around like he's auditioning for a circus act."
"I'll cut you to pieces, human!"
"You're welcome to try, but at this rate, you'll need all night. I might fall asleep before you even scratch Lagann. How about you call your boss and ask for backup? Maybe then it'll be a fair fight."
"I don't need backup to crush you, human scum!"
"Sure you don't. Keep telling yourself that, Viral. It's almost cute how hard you're trying."
"Who are you?" Viral demanded, his frustration boiling over. "What kind of human pilots a mini Gunmen like it's an extension of their body? Tell me your name!"
Goro blinked, then chuckled. "Oh, right. I forgot to introduce myself!" He cleared his throat dramatically. "I'm Goro, leader of Team Dai-Gurren"
The moment the words sank in "The leader of humanity...?"
the realization of who he was fighting dawning on him. Viral had expected some rogue scavenger or a soldier
not the man who had been spearheading humanity's uprising.
Knowing he was outmatched, Viral gritted his teeth and growled, "This isn't over!" With that, he turned his Gunmen and retreated, leaving Goro behind in the cratered battlefield.
Goro leaned back in Lagann's cockpit, watching as Viral fled. "Well, that was fun," he muttered to himself.
Now, Goro could confidently say he was at least as strong, if not stronger, than one of the Beastmen Generals.
The fight with Adiane gave him a classic power boost, like the kind you'd see in anime when the protagonist is pushed to the brink of death.
However as humanity's leader, the responsibilities didn't really give himself a chance to test out the new powers.
Lagann transformed back into its flying mode and continued its journey
As Goro approached Littner Village, nestled between two cliffs, he suddenly found himself under fire.
"Whoa, hold your fire!" Goro shouted through Lagann's external speakers, waving his mechanical arms to signal he wasn't a threat.
Finally, the shots stopped, and a few villagers came cautiously forward. "Are you... reinforcement from the capital?" one of them asked with hope in their voice.
"Yeah, I'm here to help, but—"
"Wait… where's the rest of your squad?" another villager interjected. "Is the main force on its way?"
"Uh, about that… I'm the only one they sent. But don't worry! Lagann and I can handle whatever's going on."
"...Well I guess any help is better than no help, welcome in"
A wave of disappointment swept through the group, but they reluctantly nodded and began to lead him into the village. As they walked, Goro noticed a few of them whispering amongst themselves.
As Lagann powered down in the center of Littner Village, ready to greet the villagers properly. Before he could say a word, a large man stepped forward.
"Welcome, friend!" the man said with a hearty smile, his voice carrying warmth and authority.
"I'm Dayakka, the leader of Littner Village. What should I call you?"
Goro immediately recognized him. Dayakka… right, the dependable guy from the anime. He's more important than I remembered.
Goro climbed out of Lagann and approached Dayakka to shake his hand. But before the two could even exchange a proper greeting, a scream came from the back of the crowd.
"No way! It's Goro!"
The murmurs quickly grew into an uproar as villagers pointed, gasped, and whispered amongst themselves.
"Wait, the Goro? Humanity's leader?"
"That's the guy who fought General Adiane and won!"
Dayakka's eyes widened in realization. "Goro? Hero of humanity? Everyone here has seen your fight against the Beastmen general! Who doesn't know you?" he exclaimed, his voice brimming with admiration.
"Uh… yeah, I guess you could say that's me," Goro said, scratching the back of his head, caught off guard by the attention.
Suddenly, the villagers swarmed him
"What's it like fighting the Beastmen up close?"
"Did you really destroy Adiane's Gunmen with your drill?"
"How did you become so strong? Can you teach us?"
Goro tried to respond, raising his hands in an attempt to calm the crowd. "Whoa, whoa, one at a time! I'm just here to help out. Let's focus on keeping your village safe first, yeah?"
Dayakka placed a hand on Goro's shoulder, smiling. "It's not every day a legend walks into our village. Let them have their moment."
"I'm no legend. I'm just a chill guy with a gunman and some lucky breaks."
—
"You don't know how surprised I was when you stepped out of that Gunmen," Dayakka said, leaning back in his chair with an incredulous smile. "Who would've thought you'd personally come to aid our little village?"
"Yeah, well, I thought it was about time I got out of the capital. Needed to stretch my legs and make sure I wasn't losing my edge."
Dayakka laughed heartily at that. "Stretch your legs, huh? Well, you sure picked the right spot. Though I'm guessing someone like you has bigger problems to deal with than a small-time village like ours."
"Nothing's too small if it means protecting humanity, besides, I couldn't pass up the chance to meet the people keeping the fight alive out here."
Dayakka's smile widened at that, and he nodded appreciatively. "You've got a good heart, Goro. But truth be told, our situation is pretty simple. We're just dealing with a handful of Beastmen who've been terrorizing us for a while now. We don't have any Gunmen of our own, so getting rid of them has been... well, difficult."
"How many are we talking about?"
"Four, maybe five at a time. They show up every few days.We've managed to fend them off a couple of times, but without proper weapons or defenses, it's only a matter of time before they do something worse."
"Not on my watch. I'll make sure those Beastmen think twice before coming back."
Dayakka's eyes lit up. "I knew you'd say that. Honestly, just having you here has already lifted the spirits of the whole village. People are ready to fight again."
"Look, Yoko! I told you Goro was here!" a small child shouted excitedly, bursting into the room and dragging along none other than Yoko Littner.
His favorite character from the show stood before him, alive and in the flesh, her iconic red hair and bold demeanor exactly as he remembered.
Yoko, on the other hand, seemed equally shocked. She stopped dead in her tracks, her wide eyes locking onto Goro as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"Ah, Yoko! You're back from the hunt?" Dayakka called out with a grin, oblivious to the awkward tension.
The child beamed. "See? I told you it was him! It's really Goro!"
Dayakka chuckled, walking over to clap Yoko on the back. "Yoko, meet Goro, though it looks like you already know who he is."
He turned back to Goro with a proud smile. "This here is Yoko Littner, our best shot. And, funny enough, the biggest fangirl you've got."
"D-Dayakka!" Yoko stammered, her cheeks flushing red as she tried to wriggle out of his grip. "What are you saying?!"
A sly grin spread across his face. "You know, Goro, you've got quite the reputation here. And I'm not just talking about the villagers." He shot a knowing glance at Yoko, who immediately stiffened, her face turning a deep shade of red.
"Dayakka…" Yoko warned, her voice low and threatening.
But Dayakka was undeterred. He leaned forward, addressing Goro. "You see, ever since that battle with Adiane, Yoko here has been singing your praises. She saw you out there, refusing to give up no matter how hard things got, even when it looked like you were down for the count."
Yoko groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Dayakka, stop…"
"Oh, no, I'm just getting started," Dayakka continued with a laugh. "She was completely starstruck! Kept talking about how incredible it was to see someone fighting for humanity like that. Honestly, it was inspiring, even to all of us. But Yoko? She's been your number-one fan ever since."
"Dayakka!" Yoko shouted, standing up abruptly, her face now fully crimson. "I told you that in secret!"
The room burst into laughter
Goro tries to calm things down. "Hey, no need to be embarrassed, Yoko. I'm flattered. It means a lot coming from someone as skilled as you."
Yoko glanced at him, her expression softening, though her blush remained. "Well… you earned it. That battle was something else. Watching you stand your ground like that gave a lot of us hope. You showed us what it means to never give up, even against impossible odds."
Goro's grin widened, and he gave her a nod. "Thanks, Yoko. That means more to me than you know. But it wasn't just me, it's all of us fighting together that makes the difference."
The rest of the night was a celebration, littner village was rowdy with music and meat from the recent hunt.