Volume 1, Chapter 5: Beyond Limits
You are reading the official Taiyou Con light novel, Reset!!! We Tried to Run an Anime Convention… and Broke the Universe!!! Starring Sunny, Ash, Sakura, Leon and the crew as they put on the con — and save the world while they’re at it. Volume 1 is The Invasion Saga! (Note: The events and characters in the Taiyou Con light novel is a fictional story. For real convention event updates, go to our Updates.)
Previously on… Taiyou Con: The Invasion Saga! Trapped in the ballroom with a contingent of barrel cactuses, Sunny and Ash need to dwindle their numbers and interrogate the last one. Meanwhile, the rest of the team is outside handling the rest of the enemy forces to buy Sunny the time she needs. Will they last long enough, and will Sunny find out what she is looking for?
The courtyard was in chaos.
Barrel cactuses flew over broken planters, tables and chairs with their limbs flailing like whips. Kenji ducked under a swinging arm, twisted his body, and threw a punch square into the cactus’ center. It skidded backward — wounded but not down. Sweat dripped from Kenji’s forehead.
I trained for this, Kenji thought. Endless drills. Morning runs. Sparring. I can’t give up now!
Another cactus charged. He pivoted and slammed it with a shoulder check, but three more were already rushing in.
And yet… I’m almost at my limit?
An energy arrow shot past him and exploded on impact. Sakura stood across the courtyard, her bow in her arm, scanning for her next target. Her mind was also slightly distracted.
The others are still in the ballroom, she thought, adjusting her aim. Sunny, Ash… they’ll be fine. They have to be.
She pulled an arrow back again, crisp and focused.
“Sakura!” Honoka shouted. “On your left!”
A cactus had flanked her. Sakura turned and shot it down just in time. Honoka grinned until a spiked arm smacked her square in the face. She hit the ground with a thud, groaning as she pulled needles from her cheek.
“Okay,” she muttered with fire in her eyes, “now, I’m really mad.”
She surged back to her feet, swinging her Luck Hammer like a bat at the incoming enemies. One, two, three enemies were down. Then something heavy crashed into her back. Honoka slammed face first into the hotel wall cracking the stucco. She slid down slowly, wincing in pain.
She laughed dryly with a hoarse voice, “I hope that wasn’t all of my luck for today.”
She got up, turned, and headed back to the center of the courtyard. A barrel cactus rushed in and hit her from behind launching her into the hotel fountain. Water splashed high, and droplets sparkled in the sun. She rose again, coughing and soaked. She felt exhausted after taking so many hits as she looked around. She was surrounded. Sakura noticed the situation and sniped the nearest cactus to Honoka.
Honoka’s eyes widened. Maybe… luck isn’t so fleeting after all.
She clutched her hammer. Maybe it’s someone having your back.
Honoka smiled and charged into the fray with renewed energy swinging her hammer in wide arcs. Sakura advanced beside her, and Kenji joined them with a bruised but determined face.
“Form up!” Kenji shouted. “Back to back to back! We hold this spot!”
Their shoulders met. The three stood firm as cactuses circled around them.
“They better hurry it up in there, or we are cooked,” Kenji groaned.
Inside the ballroom, it wasn’t going much better.
Ash was downed against a toppled display table, and his jacket was torn. Leon knelt beside him, focusing on Ash’s wound as the healing staff glowed.
Ash winced. “This… is humiliating.”
“You’re lucky I didn’t take a day off today,” Leon said with a smile. “What are you going to do without me?”
Ash looked over at Sunny. “I got to get back in the fight.”
Leon remarked, “Then you’re lucky I’m a fast healer.”
Across the room, Sunny was handling the rest of the cactus warriors. Her sword lit up with each strike, streaks of purple slicing through cactus limbs. She ducked, rolled, and delivered a rising slash that sent another cactus warrior crashing into a table.
Almost done, she thought. Just a few more…
Her sword flickered, and then it disappeared. She stared at her hand in disbelief.
Out of energy? That’s not good.
A cactus slammed into her exposed left side and hit her hard. She rolled with the impact, took another hit to the ribs, and then scrambled behind a chair for cover.
She took a deep breath. Ok, new plan!
Sunny dashed across the ballroom, dodging attacks, buying time for her sword to recharge. Her hand was still empty and unable to summon her sword.
Ash sat up slowly. “Give me thirty more seconds.”
Three cactuses remained. They advanced together, roaring loudly, with weapons at the ready.
Sunny raised both her hands.
“Wait!” she shouted. “Why are you here? What do you want?”
They ignored her, floating closer like giant green balloons with needs sticking out of their bodies. Their eyes locked in on Sunny.
“Answer me!” she demanded.
Suddenly—pew-pew! Two of them exploded into cactus pulp. The last one froze and turned around. Leon stood there with his laser gun pointing at the last one.
“What are you doing on Earth?” he asked calmly.
The cactus backed away, glancing between Sunny, Ash, and Leon.
Sunny tried again to summon her sword, but nothing appeared. Ash stood up with his daggers drawn since his injuries had been healed.
The cactus snarled, “You’ll never defeat Evil King Barrel.”
Solar’s voice chimed in from under the table. “It… it speaks human language?”
“Who’s that?” Sunny asked.
“He rules a distant galaxy,” the cactus sneered. “Powerful. Cunning. And undefeated. He is the one who deserves to rule everything because he is the mighty righteous king.”
Ash tilted his head and walked closer. “That’s almost cartoonishly villainous. Let me guess… he has a goatee too?”
“And once we find the Solis Core,” the cactus continued with glaring eyes, “you’ll be dealt with for your insolence!”
Luna peeked out. “Solis Core?”
Solar also peeked out from under the table and beeped rapidly. “Cross-referencing… The Solis Core is an ancient crystal capable of rewriting reality at will. It was sealed eons ago in a location that no one will ever search to prevent anyone from abusing its power. However, this is only referenced in a few ancient texts from long ago. Whether it is true or not remains a mystery.”
“Mesa is that location?” Sunny asked with disbelief.
The cactus smiled. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”
“Why does a galaxy-ruling king need more power?” Sunny exclaimed.
“Not your concern,” the cactus growled as energy swirled around it. The energy aura shot up around the prickly green body, and the cactus glowed red. “Prepare to meet you doom, humans!”
“Leon, shoot him,” Sunny snapped.
Leon smiled and paused for a split second. “Yeah, see… the gun’s not working anymore. I was hoping I didn’t need to fire it again.”
Ash lunged forward and attacked with his daggers, but they had no effect. The cactus’ powered up aura must have neutralized his attack. The glowing cactus looked seriously powered up and poised to attack Sunny…
Sunny’s heart raced. I can’t let it end here. This can’t be how it ends… not with everyone counting on me.
She extended her arm and held out her palm in front of her. Nothing appeared. Time moved so slowly in her mind as she looked at the shaking cactus and its face getting angrier and angrier. She raised her hand one last time into the air. Issuing the summoning command in her mind, the sword appeared as she grasped it. The glow of a pulsing gem on the crossguard read 2% as she lowered her arm into attack position.
Sunny stepped forward.
The cactus paused. “A human… that can summon a weapon?” it whispered.
Its eyes darted to the others contemplating what to do. This was exactly what the army was looking for… a human with the ability to summon a sword. It had to be reported to Evil King Barrel immediately. Without warning, it leapt straight up—BOOM—blasting through the ballroom ceiling, leaving a massive hole open to the sky. A spot of sky-blue color appeared on the ceiling where the hole was. Everyone was slightly confused and stared at the sky. Then they all looked at each other.
Leon squinted his eyes a little bit. “It ran away.”
Ash brushed the dust off his shoulder that fell from the ceiling. “So much for all of the doom and gloom. It was all talk.”
Luna walked out from under the table. “Well, there’s a giant hole in the roof. We’re definitely not using this ballroom for the convention.”
Sunny took a deep breath. “At least we got what we needed. We know there is a leader and what they are trying to find.” She looked up at the hole again. “But what do we do from here?”
“Suppose it’s true that this Solis Core exists and it’s here on Earth and even possibly in Mesa,” said Solar hovering around the concrete and wooden debris on the ballroom floor’s decorative flower carpet. “I think it’s safe to say that we must find it first.”
Solar picked up one of the big debris like it was just a small toy and tossed it over to the corner. “I can set up a scanner to look for it. If it’s in Mesa, we will find it.”
Before Solar could continue, Sunny shouted and pointed at the doors. “Oh no! We need to check on the others! They are still out there on their own!” She looked at the gem on the crossguard of her sword. It was still at 2% as she went to open the ballroom doors.
Sunny, Ash, Leon, Luna and Solar all rushed out to the courtyard.
Kenji, Honoka, and Sakura were sitting on the ground… bruised, sweaty but alive.
“I knew you could handle them,” Sunny called out as she walked into the hotel courtyard and did not see a single barrel cactus in sight. The area was a mess with broken walls, fallen plants, holes in the ground and pieces of cactus everywhere. The fountain edge which looked beautiful and artistic before now had chips and cracks everywhere.
Kenji chuckled weakly and told Sunny, “They all just… left. Like a minute ago. Right before you showed up. We thought we were cooked for sure.”
Sunny knelt beside them. “I was so worried. Part of me knew that you were out here, and I just had to get the job done inside, no matter what. Good thing everything worked out.”
“I was worried about you too, Sunny. All five of you in there!” Sakura gave them a smile and then looked at Luna. “Yes, you too, Luna!”
Luna went over to Sakura and sat in her lap.
“Guess we got lucky after all,” concluded Honoka as she wiped the water from her bangs.
They all looked at the sky and clouds in silence. Everyone just sat there soaking in the warmth and was glad they pulled off the impossible. As they sat there, the ballroom suddenly collapsed onto itself into a giant pile of rubble. Only the dust made a light sound in this tranquil moment as it floated in the air.
“Well now, we don’t have to use the ballroom for Taiyou Con! The hotel was going charge us an arm and leg for it, anyway,” said Sunny as she stood up. “Let’s get back to the staff room at the convention center.” The team headed back to the convention center together with the information to stop their new enemy… Evil King Barrel.
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Thanks for reading the Taiyou Con mascot light novel series — a fictional story for fans!! For real convention event updates, guest announcements and more, go to our Updates.
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