Konjiki no Gash!! Chapter 36

**A Solitary Soldier** (孤独な戦士, *Kodokuna Senshi*) is the 36th chapter of Makoto Raiku's Konjiki no Gash!!. This chapter was originally released in Japan as part of volume 4 on January 18, 2002.

## Plot

While Gash focuses on preventing Mars from destroying Megumi’s concert, Tio runs off to find Gash’s bookkeeper Kiyomaro. Tio opens the door leading back to the concert hall but can’t see Kiyomaro amidst the crowd. She then begins to shake as she thinks about Mars again and her traumatic encounter with him when they had first reunited. In a flashback just after Mars had revealed his intention to attack Tio, Tio asks Mars why he was doing this and tries to remind him that they were once friends. Mars laughs at this and tells Tio his belief that deceiving friends and ultimately doing whatever it takes to win is all part of the battle. Just before he attacks Tio, Mars tells her that she had lost the battle the moment she had trusted him. This message echos in Tio’s mind which leads her to slowly close the door leading to the concert hall as she thinks that Gash had a plan to betray her just like Mars.

During the concert, Megumi looks to the side of the stage and sees Tio holding her spell book in her arms. Megumi then quickly runs off with her and an announcement is heard telling the audience that the concert will be having a brief intermission. When Tio returns to face Mars, she finds Gash on the ground bloody and nearly unconscious. Gash asks why she didn’t bring back Kiyomaro and Tio only responds saying that he wouldn’t be strong enough to fight Mars anyhow. She then carries him over to place him against a wall before turning back to fight Mars on her own. Mars initiates the battle by using *Garon* but Tio and Megumi defend themselves against it using *Seushiru*. After this, Tio attacks Mars directly using *Saisu* but the attack barely harms him. Mars uses *Ganzu Garon* to fire a barrage of iron projectiles toward Tio and Megumi but they successfully shield themselves from it using *Ma Seshirudo*. Just then, Mars uses *Eijasu Garon*, a new attack spell that Tio and Megumi had not seen before. They try to protect themselves all around using *Seushiru* but the attack strikes them from below their feet.

Tio and Megumi fall to the ground and Tio finds herself unable to move after taking a direct hit. She desperately forces herself up to keep fighting though as she wants to be able to protect Megumi from further harm. Tio then thinks that Gash could help bring Megumi outside but when she looks back to where she had sat him down, he was nowhere to be found. Tio then assumes that Gash had left her behind as there was no reason for him to save her. Despite being by herself now, Tio tells herself that she can handle things herself as she had been alone from the start of the battle. She then finally stands up and extends her arms outward, prepared to use her body to protect Megumi from further harm. Just before Mars could attack her again, Kiyomaro casts *Zakeru* and the blast of lightning sends both Mars and his bookkeeper Rembrandt flying backwards. Tio is then relieved to see both Gash and Kiyomaro right by her side. Kiyomaro puts his hand on Tio’s head and tells her that she had done a good job handling things on her own but she can now leave it to him and Gash to take care of everything from there.

## Features

### Characters by Appearance

* Gash Bell
* Tio
* Kiyomaro Takamine
* Mars
* Rembrandt
* Megumi Oumi
* Suzume Mizuno

### Spells by Appearance

* Garon
* Seushiru
* Saisu (Debut)
* Ganzu Garon (Debut)
* Ma Seshirudo (Debut)
* Eijasu Garon (Debut)
* Zakeru